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faintingheroine · 3 years

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Wuthering Heights Reread - Chapter 2

And here is Chapter 2, the funniest chapter of Wuthering Heights. I really chuckled a couple of times in this reread.

“Yesterday afternoon set in misty and cold. I had half a mind to spend it by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights.”

Good idea Lockwood. I wish that you had stuck with this decision.

In these first lines of the chapter the conflict of the chapter is pretty much laid out, Lockwood unwisely going to Wuthering Heights and being trapped there because of the snowstorm.

“On coming up from dinner, however, (N.B.—I dine between twelve and one o’clock; the housekeeper, a matronly lady, taken as a fixture along with the house, could not, or would not, comprehend my request that I might be served at five)—“

Here is our first introduction to Nelly’s character. The critic James Hafley who came up with the villainous Nelly theory pointed to this first introduction as an evidence that Nelly is supposed to be a negatively portrayed character. Personally I think that it is instead revealing of how Lockwood views Nelly and the culture clash between them. Lockwood views Nelly as “a fixture”, almost as an item in the house. Lockwood’s patronizing and classist perception of Nelly will be present throughout their interactions.

The culture clash is also interesting. Nelly is someone who believes that you must have done half of your day’s work before ten in the morning and therefore she believes that lunch should be eaten in the afternoon, whereas Lockwood is a young urbanite who lives a life of idleness and wakes up late. It is fitting that this is our first introduction to their relationship since this discussion about when to go to bed will be featured later in the novel. This difference between their attitudes is not just about class but also about the general culture of the place. The inhabitants of the Heights go to bed at nine and wake up at four in the morning according to Heathcliff. These are practical, no-nonsense people despite all their other emotional turmoil and they can’t understand Lockwood’s decision to visit the Heights during a snowstorm, this is definitely a factor in the clash between them and Lockwood throughout the chapter.

Nelly is described as a “matronly lady”; Lockwood likes categorizing people, especially women, into different archetypes as will later be shown in the chapter.

“On that bleak hill-top the earth was hard with a black frost, and the air made me shiver through every limb. Being unable to remove the chain, I jumped over, and, running up the flagged causeway bordered with straggling gooseberry-bushes, knocked vainly for admittance, till my knuckles tingled and the dogs howled.”

Joseph’s gooseberry bushes make their first appearance. In Lockwood’s second coming to the region in late 1802 the door of Wuthering Heights will be unbarred and Cathy and Hareton will have cleared the ground from some of the gooseberry bushes intending to replace them with plants from the Grange, indicating the difference that took place between Lockwood’s visits to the region.

“The snow began to drive thickly. I seized the handle to essay another trial; when a young man without coat, and shouldering a pitchfork, appeared in the yard behind. He hailed me to follow him, and, after marching through a wash-house, and a paved area containing a coal-shed, pump, and pigeon-cot, we at length arrived in the huge, warm, cheerful apartment where I was formerly received. It glowed delightfully in the radiance of an immense fire, compounded of coal, peat, and wood; and near the table, laid for a plentiful evening meal, I was pleased to observe the ‘missis’, an individual whose existence I had never previously suspected.”

Our first introduction to Hareton immediately highlights his status as a worker in the farm and his seemingly lower status. He brings Lockwood to the house through another gate that presumably farm workers were supposed to use rather than a genteel visitor like Lockwood. We also get our first introduction to Cathy in this same paragraph which is fitting.

The description of the Heights is rather cozy, this isn’t a Gothic castle but rather a comfortable domestic setting. What makes it Gothic is the people and the happenings, not so much the actual place.

“She never opened her mouth. I stared—she stared also: at any rate, she kept her eyes on me in a cool, regardless manner, exceedingly embarrassing and disagreeable.

‘Sit down,’ said the young man, gruffly. ‘He’ll be in soon.’

I obeyed; and hemmed, and called the villain Juno, who deigned, at this second interview, to move the extreme tip of her tail, in token of owning my acquaintance.”

Cathy defiantly gazes back at Lockwood without a hint of feminine shyness or even any sort of friendliness. This is indicative of her defiant personality. No matter how dire her circumstances are her will to stand her ground and not obey others is strong, which, despite her rudeness and depressive spirit, is admirable.

The “ruffianly bitch” is revealed to be named Juno, which is fitting considering her swarm of squealing puppies.

“‘A beautiful animal!’ I commenced again. ‘Do you intend parting with the little ones, madam?’

‘They are not mine,’ said the amiable hostess, more repellingly than Heathcliff himself could have replied.”

Here we have yet another indication of Cathy’s unhappy state and an indication that she does not exactly function as the mistress of the house, the dogs are not hers.

“‘Ah, your favourites are among these?’ I continued, turning to an obscure cushion full of something like cats.

‘A strange choice of favourites!’ she observed scornfully.

Unluckily, it was a heap of dead rabbits.”

Needless to say, I really like this passage. It is the perfect example of the dark humor of Wuthering Heights. It is also the most concise illustration of the failure of Lockwood and by extension the reader trying to impose their preconceived notions of the world and fiction on Wuthering Heights. (People who were disappointed by the book not being a romance were probably expecting something like cats). It is also a good example of the aforementioned culture clash between Lockwood and the inhabitants of these houses, these dead rabbits are probably for farm work whereas Lockwood comes from the urban world where animals only exist to be pets or as a means of transportation. (Though admittedly Lockwood will later come to Yorkshire to “devastate the moors”, but knowing Lockwood this is also probably a passing interest and he does not know that much about hunting).

“Her position before was sheltered from the light; now, I had a distinct view of her whole figure and countenance. She was slender, and apparently scarcely past girlhood: an admirable form, and the most exquisite little face that I have ever had the pleasure of beholding; small features, very fair; flaxen ringlets, or rather golden, hanging loose on her delicate neck; and eyes, had they been agreeable in expression, that would have been irresistible: fortunately for my susceptible heart, the only sentiment they evinced hovered between scorn and a kind of desperation, singularly unnatural to be detected there. The canisters were almost out of her reach; I made a motion to aid her; she turned upon me as a miser might turn if any one attempted to assist him in counting his gold.”

Unlike her mother who is scarcely described in the text, Cathy is described in admiring detail by Lockwood. It is quite male gazey.

Cathy Linton is the character who is most frequently described as beautiful and this might be a factor in how healthy she comes off, both mentally and physically, and how positive a character she is. These things are explained in more detail here and here.

Lockwood’s description of her eyes foreshadows how important a role those eyes will play in the narrative later and brings to my mind Isabella’s comment to Heathcliff about how Hindley and Catherine have the same eyes: “Hindley has exactly her eyes, if you had not tried to gouge them out, and made them black and red; and her—”

Cathy not wanting Lockwood’s help shows how distrusting she is of everyone in this period of her life (and can we really blame her?) and how she tries to be strong on her own. This makes how she later retains her strength via her comradery with Hareton all the more moving.

“‘Were you asked to tea?’ she demanded, tying an apron over her neat black frock, and standing with a spoonful of the leaf poised over the pot.

‘I shall be glad to have a cup,’ I answered.

‘Were you asked?’ she repeated.

‘No,’ I said, half smiling. ‘You are the proper person to ask me.’

She flung the tea back, spoon and all, and resumed her chair in a pet; her forehead corrugated, and her red under-lip pushed out, like a child’s ready to cry.”

This shows how little authority Cathy has in the Heights. It also shows how unwilling she is to do anything that she doesn’t absolutely have to. “Her neat black frock” is a clue to her being recently widowed, of course Lockwood doesn’t put two and two together.

The description of her childish expression brings to mind how she is still a teenager and quite young, of course she is moody and rude after such an awful experience and under such dire circumstances.

“Meanwhile, the young man had slung on to his person a decidedly shabby upper garment, and, erecting himself before the blaze, looked down on me from the corner of his eyes, for all the world as if there were some mortal feud unavenged between us.”

I think this is Hareton being jealous of another man having the attention of Cathy.

“I began to doubt whether he were a servant or not: his dress and speech were both rude, entirely devoid of the superiority observable in Mr. and Mrs. Heathcliff; his thick brown curls were rough and uncultivated, his whiskers encroached bearishly over his cheeks, and his hands were embrowned like those of a common labourer: still his bearing was free, almost haughty, and he showed none of a domestic’s assiduity in attending on the lady of the house.”

Hareton’s ambiguous class position is another classic foreshadowing of the revenge plot to come and was probably a sign of how something went really wrong here to the book’s original Victorian readers who believed in clear-cut class binaries.

“Are you going to mak’ the tea?’ demanded he of the shabby coat, shifting his ferocious gaze from me to the young lady.

‘Is he to have any?’ she asked, appealing to Heathcliff.

‘Get it ready, will you?’ was the answer, uttered so savagely that I started. The tone in which the words were said revealed a genuine bad nature. I no longer felt inclined to call Heathcliff a capital fellow.”

Hareton seems to be angry at Cathy as well. This is the first important sign that Heathcliff might be a generally “bad” person, not just a bit misanthropic and sarcastic.

“When the preparations were finished, he invited me with ‘Now, sir, bring forward your chair.’ And we all, including the rustic youth, drew round the table: an austere silence prevailing while we discussed our meal.

I have always found it interesting how Heathcliff sat at the same table with Cathy and Hareton, as @dahlia-coccinea also pointed out in their post on Chapter 2. Cathy and Hareton are not complete Cinderellas. In some twisted way Heathcliff does see them as family. In a way his revenge is making them his family, more than making them into servants.

“‘It is strange,’ I began, in the interval of swallowing one cup of tea and receiving another ‘it is strange how custom can mould our tastes and ideas: many could not imagine the existence of happiness in a life of such complete exile from the world as you spend, Mr. Heathcliff; yet, I’ll venture to say, that, surrounded by your family, and with your amiable lady as the presiding genius over your home and heart—’”

As several critics pointed out over the years, in this passage Lockwood is trying to fit Cathy into the archetype of the “angel in the house” (which is especially ironic after Cathy offended him with her rudeness) and is trying to make sense of this strange family circle through his own cliched ideas about domestic bliss. This rather admiring description of marriage and family also belies Lockwood’s assertion in Chapter 1 about how misanthropic he is.

‘“My amiable lady!’ he interrupted, with an almost diabolical sneer on his face. ‘Where is she—my amiable lady?’”

I love Heathcliff. This exchange is one of my favorite parts of the book.

“‘Mrs. Heathcliff, your wife, I mean.’

‘Well, yes—oh, you would intimate that her spirit has taken the post of ministering angel, and guards the fortunes of Wuthering Heights, even when her body is gone. Is that it?’

This is ironic since Mrs. Heathcliff that is referred to here was Isabella but Heathcliff does indeed desire to be haunted by the spirit of another woman.

Notice how Heathcliff parodies Lockwood’s sentimental language. His entire revenge is partially parodying the actions of the people who hurt him.

“Then it flashed on me— ‘The clown at my elbow, who is drinking his tea out of a basin and eating his broad with unwashed hands, may be her husband: Heathcliff junior, of course. Here is the consequence of being buried alive: she has thrown herself away upon that boor from sheer ignorance that better individuals existed! A sad pity—I must beware how I cause her to regret her choice.’ The last reflection may seem conceited; it was not. My neighbour struck me as bordering on repulsive; I knew, through experience, that I was tolerably attractive.”

So, living here is being buried alive according to Lockwood. Much misanthropy.

The last sentence is just hilarious. He would sound much less conceited if he didn’t need to clarify himself. People who think that Wuthering Heights is devoid of humor or that Emily Bronte was incapable of getting the subtleties of human interactions clearly forgot about this chapter.

“‘Ah, certainly—I see now: you are the favoured possessor of the beneficent fairy,’ I remarked, turning to my neighbour.

This was worse than before: the youth grew crimson, and clenched his fist, with every appearance of a meditated assault. But he seemed to recollect himself presently, and smothered the storm in a brutal curse, muttered on my behalf: which, however, I took care not to notice.”

“Beneficent fairy” lol.

Hareton being so offended at the thought of being married to Cathy is clearly an early sign that they will end up together. He would care less if he were indifferent.

“‘Unhappy in your conjectures, sir,’ observed my host; ‘we neither of us have the privilege of owning your good fairy; her mate is dead. I said she was my daughter-in-law: therefore, she must have married my son.’

‘And this young man is—’

‘Not my son, assuredly.’

Heathcliff smiled again, as if it were rather too bold a jest to attribute the paternity of that bear to him.”

“We neither of us have the privilege of owning your good fairy” I love Heathcliff.

Heathcliff doesn’t take pride in ignorance or brutishness, he sees Hareton’s ignorance and brutishness as things to be ashamed of and is proud of himself for bringing his enemy’s son so low. He does love Hareton on some level, but he wouldn’t want to be mistaken for his father. He doesn’t think that ignorance and brutishness are good traits and he doesn’t want to to be associated with these traits, contrary to popular belief.

“‘My name is Hareton Earnshaw,’ growled the other; ‘and I’d counsel you to respect it!’

‘I’ve shown no disrespect,’ was my reply, laughing internally at the dignity with which he announced himself.”

Lockwood doesn’t seem to remember having read Hareton’s name on the door, perhaps because he didn’t enter through that door this time.

“ The dismal spiritual atmosphere overcame, and more than neutralised, the glowing physical comforts round me; and I resolved to be cautious how I ventured under those rafters a third time.”

Wuthering Heights has “glowing physical comforts”, it is the spiritual atmosphere that makes it a bleak place, not necessarily its physical presence.

“A sorrowful sight I saw: dark night coming down prematurely, and sky and hills mingled in one bitter whirl of wind and suffocating snow.”

A very good and concise description of the situation. Wuthering Heights is really good at setting the atmosphere through brief natural descriptions.

“There was no reply to my question; and on looking round I saw only Joseph bringing in a pail of porridge for the dogs, and Mrs. Heathcliff leaning over the fire, diverting herself with burning a bundle of matches which had fallen from the chimney-piece as she restored the tea-canister to its place.”

Our first porridge!

I like the little details of daily life here. Wuthering Heights is remembered for its dramatic and explosive scenes, but it is also good at conveying character through little details like these.

To my surprise I have found that I could get into these characters in this reread independently of my knowledge of the later happenings in the novel, despite me knowing the novel so well. The misanthropic grumpy landlord, moody teenage girl, the ridiculously delusional tenant, rude young man of uncertain class status, religious old servant... These characters are well-drawn and interesting independently of their backstory that we will later learn about, a novel that is more of this chapter could also be fun and interesting.

“The former, when he had deposited his burden, took a critical survey of the room, and in cracked tones grated out ‘Aw wonder how yah can faishion to stand thear i’ idleness un war, when all on ’ems goan out! Bud yah’re a nowt, and it’s no use talking—yah’ll niver mend o’yer ill ways, but goa raight to t’ divil, like yer mother afore ye!’”

The first mention of Cathy’s mother.

“‘You scandalous old hypocrite!’ she replied. ‘Are you not afraid of being carried away bodily, whenever you mention the devil’s name? I warn you to refrain from provoking me, or I’ll ask your abduction as a special favour! Stop! look here, Joseph,’ she continued, taking a long, dark book from a shelf; ‘I’ll show you how far I’ve progressed in the Black Art: I shall soon be competent to make a clear house of it. The red cow didn’t die by chance; and your rheumatism can hardly be reckoned among providential visitations!’”

Cathy derives her power from her clever words and her love of books.

“Mrs. Heathcliff,’ I said earnestly, ‘you must excuse me for troubling you. I presume, because, with that face, I’m sure you cannot help being good-hearted.”

The belief that Cathy must be good because she is beautiful is related to physiognomy. It is interesting that Emily Bronte has Lockwood say this since Lockwood’s assertions about women tend to be obviously ridiculous, yet she seems to make use of physiognomy in her characterizations. She is probably making fun of physiognomy as something to believe in real life but makes use of it to characterize her characters.

“‘How so? I cannot escort you. They wouldn’t let me go to the end of the garden wall.’”

Cathy is literally trapped at the Heights.

“‘As to staying here, I don’t keep accommodations for visitors: you must share a bed with Hareton or Joseph, if you do.’

‘I can sleep on a chair in this room,’ I replied.

‘No, no! A stranger is a stranger, be he rich or poor: it will not suit me to permit any one the range of the place while I am off guard!’ said the unmannerly wretch.”

Heathcliff has really become a miserly and grumpy man which again runs completely counter to the popular perception of him.

His completely reasonable assertion that Lockwood can spend a night sharing a room with Joseph or Hareton is forgotten by Lockwood because of his rudeness.

“At first the young man appeared about to befriend me.

‘I’ll go with him as far as the park,’ he said.”

‘You’ll go with him to hell!’ exclaimed his master, or whatever relation he bore. ‘And who is to look after the horses, eh?’

‘A man’s life is of more consequence than one evening’s neglect of the horses: somebody must go,’ murmured Mrs. Heathcliff, more kindly than I expected.

‘Not at your command!’ retorted Hareton. ‘If you set store on him, you’d better be quiet.’

‘Then I hope his ghost will haunt you; and I hope Mr. Heathcliff will never get another tenant till the Grange is a ruin,’ she answered, sharply.”

A sign of Hareton’s goodness and conscience and a sign of Cathy’s goodness as well.

Hareton is jealous of Cathy’s concern for another man. (@dahlia-coccinea also pointed this out in their post.)

Cathy and Hareton’s bickering is an early clue to them ending up together, which is why I am always surprised when people say that their relationship came out of nowhere. Like it or not, in fiction when a young man and a young woman share a quotidian and irrelevant enmity or a spar of words this is usually a sign that they will end up together. Yes it is not the least toxic of tropes and went out of fashion in the last few years, but this is the way it usually goes in fiction.

“He sat within earshot, milking the cows by the light of a lantern, which I seized unceremoniously, and, calling out that I would send it back on the morrow, rushed to the nearest postern.”

I like the little details of the farm life that are going on in the background like Joseph milking the cows. Bronte never lets us forget that this is a working farm where things are getting done and she always retains the vraisemblance of her setting.

“I ordered the miscreants to let me out—on their peril to keep me one minute longer—with several incoherent threats of retaliation that, in their indefinite depth of virulency, smacked of King Lear.”

The famous reference to King Lear. It is a rather humorous reference, referring to Lockwood’s threats being moot, which is what I have been feeling throughout the chapter whenever Lockwood mentions that he is on the verge of beating up someone.

“I don’t know what would have concluded the scene, had there not been one person at hand rather more rational than myself, and more benevolent than my entertainer. This was Zillah, the stout housewife; who at length issued forth to inquire into the nature of the uproar. She thought that some of them had been laying violent hands on me; and, not daring to attack her master, she turned her vocal artillery against the younger scoundrel.”

Zillah is positioned as Lockwood’s benevolent savior so far in the narrative, but her hesitation in going against her master is a clue to her pragmatic nature.

“‘Well, Mr. Earnshaw,’ she cried, ‘I wonder what you’ll have agait next? Are we going to murder folk on our very door-stones? I see this house will never do for me—look at t’ poor lad, he’s fair choking! Wisht, wisht; you mun’n’t go on so. Come in, and I’ll cure that: there now, hold ye still.’”

Zillah calls Lockwood “poor lad”, I think Lockwood is supposed to be young and certainly younger than Zillah. I imagine him as someone in his mid to late twenties.

“He told Zillah to give me a glass of brandy, and then passed on to the inner room; while she condoled with me on my sorry predicament, and having obeyed his orders, whereby I was somewhat revived, ushered me to bed.”

Dun dun dunn...

@dahlia-coccinea

#wuthering heights #wh reread #wh reread 2021 #chapter 2

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theramseyloft · 3 years

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I revere pigeons. Their care and history is my special interest and they occupy my mind almost all the time. The knowledge that someone is deliberately hurting and neglecting ones they've stolen from caring, safer environments and people that were concerned for their wellbeing has me crying. Imagine being so empty as a person, to go so far as to injure a pigeon for imaginary internet points and attention.

I have been trying to work up the energy to write a post about this for weeks.

Christmas eve of 2018, my business page was contacted by some one looking for birds.

In January 2019, he let slip that he was a minor, and that his parents were adamantly opposed to him having birds.

Minors whose parents are not fully supportive of their choice of pet are a hard no in my screening process. He kept asking questions as if preparing to care for birds he expected me to sell or adopt to him, and every time, I would ask to speak to his legal guardian. He did everything he could, from telling me his mom would call me later, to eventually calling my personal phone in the middle of the night to try and coerce me into sneaking him birds under the cover of darkness. I got to the point where I would only answer his questions about available birds with "Have your legal guardian ask me." About this time, Palomacy's head, Elizabeth, came to me privately to warn me not to adopt to him. I know she thinks breeders will do anything for a sale, but my screening process for babies I have hatched is every bit as strict as my screening process for rescues. I told her I had no plans to. But confessed that I’d had a troubled history of using rescue as a coping mechanism for an abusive home situation when I was in college, and felt obligated to mentor him. I was also taken in by the charming 'enthusiastic teen who really wants to learn' facade that he's so artfully developed. So, when he used a different name to get into the Small Scale Rescue and House Pet/Therapy pigeon discord servers, and let slip who he was by accident, I was content to let him stay, hoping that the information we share would help him develop into a better care taker. But more and more red flags started popping up.

One pigeon’s bare neck, claimed to have been a wonky molt, but inflamed and bristling with filoplumes (The avian equivalent of whiskers;thin hair like feathers that also fall out during that heavy a molt)

The same bird claimed to have eaten playdough and thrown it up, in a photo with a cage full of green, moldy poop. (Where did the bird get playdough? Why was it allowed to get far enough to swallow it?)

The same bird claimed to have coins and chunks of carrot pulled out of his crop (things a pigeon can’t physically swallow unaided)

In every progressive photo, the feathers are thinner and more bedraggled and the bird himself was losing weight.

That pigeon mysteriously vanished, only got him to get two more, and mention nonchallantly after the fact that “Oh, puff died last week.”

His new pet pigeons, who supposedly lived in their own room in his house, got out while he was moving a couch.

He got, and promptly lost two other rescue birds from the rescue I posted about late in the summer that was shut down by her city and urgently needed homes for their birds.

When told Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue was going to be warned about adopting to him, this is what he posted on my education server:

He had his eye on a bird of mine (Frito), talking him down like he was undesirable or unadoptable, and reasoning that I’d have a hard time finding a home for him because of his bad personality.

Frito washed from therapy training due to INTENSE dislike of his harness.

That, and that he had developed a strong independent streak and prefered the company of other birds to people were the first things I told Brysen when he asked after that specific bird.

In one channel of the server, he would be talking to me about how he didn’t mind Frito just being a pretty house bird and would be ok if he never warmed up to being handled...

While, in another, he would be posting harnesses, asking if they would work for Frito, and asking other residents how to make an independent bird get used to being handled.

When I called him on it, he came into my DMs with this mess:

(The turn around in tone in the 12 hours I was too angry to respond is almost funny..)

Remember that rescue from earlier?

These are screenshots of her conversation with him (used with permission) about the birds that were lost, sent to the person in charge of Palomacy, where he was an active member on their platform at the time, to warn that he was preying on rescues to get more birds:

This conversation clearly illustrates that he was using us and Palomacy only to adapt the way he preys on rescues.

There is a reason he preys on rescues. We are hopeful for people to improve. So he expects infinite chances from us. And he expects that a correctly worded apology will erase any consequences. He preys on pigeons because there are no laws in the US concerning their welfare. Despite being domestic animals (the pigeons brought by Europeans to North America had been domesticated for thousands of years, and there were no natives of the same species or even in the Columba genus to mix back with); Pigeons are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources, which governs wildlife, and legally classifies them as an invasive pest. The Department of Agriculture is the one that presides over domestic animals and investigates animal cruelty. They may only act for the welfare of pigeons under the specific circumstance of the pigeons in question being meat breeds bred for squab intended for human consumption via restaurants. In any other instance, killing a pigeon by any means, including torture, is legally equivalent to pest control. There are no legal consequences for it.

After I blocked and banned him, it came to light through several sources in personal contact with him that he maimed, killed, and discarded 25 birds that we know of, and he is still trying to get more.

Several people who denied him birds shared screen shots with us proving that they were also sexually harassed and threatened with sexual violence by him.

Several of the people who came to us told us that they had also tried to warn Palomacy, but their comments were immediately erased.

Brysen was allowed to continue to speak openly on their platform with no consequences, allowing him to truthfully say that he was being mentored by Palomacy to lull smaller rescues into a false sense of security and convince them to give him birds.

They had two articles on their website about what a wonderful young rescuer he was, only taken down after they tried to claim I had doxxed an innocent child, and it was pointed out to them that their public articles had his full current address, date and place of birth, and a photo of him in front of his house. I had beef enough with the organization before this that I will not go into on this post, but I am disgusted by the way Elizabeth silenced her own admins and community members from warning other rescues and individuals and tried to shut the rescue up who sent the above screen shots when she came forward about the birds he tricked her into bringing to Ga who were immediately killed. And then blamed her for their deaths. @tutu.pigeon brought me those screen shots the day after I banned him and one of my server mods took it upon themself to be a voice for his other victims by creating the Instagram @exposing_helluva_duv What ever respect I might have had for Palomacy is permanently destroyed.

You cannot call yourself a rescue if you cover for a serial abuser, actively prevent his victims from warning the rest of their community, and then blame those victims for having been taken advantage of.

The harm that that, combined with everything else I have beef with, has done so out weighs any good that I can no longer, in good conscience, attempt to put aside our differences and meet in the middle.

I’m not gonna waste the energy to start any shit, and I don’t think any one else should either.

But I’m done trying to be any degree of supportive to them.

Gonna put my energy into encouraging more small shelters so there are better options.

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rebeccathenaturalist · 4 years

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Hey, everybody--this one’s pretty important, and time sensitive. Reblogs are REALLY appreciated to help get the word out!

I think the comic pretty much sums it up, but here are some relevant links in easy-to-click form:

Information on the Public Comment Period, including how to make said comment by email, snail mail, or hand delivery: http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=u.s.-fish-and-wildlife-service-solicits-public-input-on-proposed-rule-and-&_ID=36517

How to contact the President, your Senators and Representatives: http://www.usa.gov/elected-officials/

Information on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918: http://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php

List of Protected Species: http://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managed-species/migratory-bird-treaty-act-protected-species.php

A Seattle Times article on the proposed changes: http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/trump-administration-moves-to-ease-rules-against-killing-birds/

The three organizations I mentioned in the last panel:

The Audubon Society - http://www.audubon.org/

The Natural Resources Defense Council - http://www.nrdc.org/

The American Bird Conservancy - http://abcbirds.org/

Species portrayed: brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), northern flicker (Colaptes auratus), Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna), Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), red-tailed hawk [feather] (Buteo jamaicensis), American bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus), great blue heron [eggs] (Ardea herodias), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), great egret (Ardea alba), bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), American robin (Turdus migratorius)

Transcript under cut

Title: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act

[Panel 1: A brown pelican covered in oil stands forlornly on an oil-covered landscape.] If you’ve been paying attention to environmental news lately, you may have read that U.S. Fish and Wildlife weakened protection for almost every wild native bird in the country. Until recently, companies that killed birds in the process of oil drilling, mining, and other operations were subject to fines and other legal actions. Now, they can devastate bird populations with impunity.

[Panel 2: A black shadow breaks up into several flying passenger pigeons; the one on the farthers right falls to the ground.] The law that helped protect these birds is the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The United States passed itin 1918 after several species went extinct, and many more very nearly so, due to overhunting for feathers and meat at the turn of the century. We lost the passenger pigeon, the Carolina parakeet, and Laborador duck, among others, while the great egret was one of many that came close to total extermination. In addition to the pressures of hunting, habitat loss prevented species from having places to retreat to, leaving them less able to recover from our attacks, and causing even more endangerment and extinction.

[Panel 3: A northern flicker sits next to a red-tailed hawk feather; there is also an Anna’s hummingbird sitting on a nest, a mallard tail feather, a blue jay feather and great egret eggs, alongside a male northern cardinal and an American bushtit.] The MBTA makes it illegal to hunt, trap, kill, injure, sell or buy, or transport listed species, live or dead, as well as their feathers* nests, and eggs. Almost all wild native birds are listed, from raptors to songbirds, corvids to waterfowl, gulls to shorebirds. Certain exceptions are made for some game birds, and non-native species are not protected.

*This does include naturally shed, or molted, feathers, since otherwise plume hunters post-MBTA could just say “I found these on the ground!” when in fact they had poached the birds the feathers came from.

[Panel 4: Three hats are arranged in a row, each with feathers, wings, or an entire taxidermy bird on them. There are also two dead passenger pigeons, and a dead eastern bluebird and blue jay hang from their feet by cords on the right side.] Why so strict? The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a huge trend in feathered hats, some even displaying entire taxidermy birds. No species was safe. Ornithologist Frank Chapman counted 40 species represented on over 500 hats during two visits to New York City’s shopping district. This included a wide array, from blue jays to eagles, waxwings to woodpeckers. Some species were also hunted extensively to provide meat to restaurants. The passenger pigeon was a famous example, going from numbering in the billions and creating flocks that could block out the sun, to completely extinct - in the space of just a few decades.

[Panel 5: A great egret in breeding plumage feeds a fish to its two young in a nest in a tree.] The passage of the MBTA led to the end of the plume trade outside of a few domestic and other non-native species, and stopped the wholesale hunting of non-game birds for the table. It also required companies to factor in their impact on birds and penalized them when their activities led to incidental killing of protected species.

[Panel 6: A bald eagle lands on a piece of driftwood while another perches on a dead tree, while overlooking a landscape of dune grass, beach, and ocean.] Unsurprisingly, birds began to rebound just a few years after the MBTA was passed. Later laws like the Bald and Golden Eagle Act of 1940, and 1973′s Endangered Species Act helped add layers of protection to specific species. But the MBTA remained a wide-spanning defense for native birds in the United States.

[Panel 7: Three dead mallards lay alongside a polluted stream, while a metal pipe leaks toxic liquids into the water.] Industries that pollute, destroy habitat, or otherwise injures and kill birds and other wildlife have long sought to weaken the MBTA. The Trump Administration’s recent actions will hand these companies a free pass to kill MBTA-listed birds with impunity. As long as they can’t be proven to have killed the birds on purpose, they’re in the clear.

[Panel 8: A robin fledgling sits with its mouth open.] The birds that our country spent a century bringing back from the brink are now threatened with extinction again. Here are some ways to help them:

--The public comment period for these changes to the MBTA opened February 3 and goes until March 19 at:

tinyurl.com/uzroquj (scroll down for directions)

-Write to your federal elected officials, including the preseident, urging them to restore the MBTA. Tell your House representatives to support H.R. 5552, the Migratory Bird Protection Act, which restores what would be taken from the MBTA.

--Support organizations working to save the MBTA, like the Auduon Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the American Bird Conservancy.

--Educate your friends and family about this issue. Show them this comic and accompanying links at:

wyntkan.com/comic/mbta

#birds #wildlife #endangered species #animals #nature #mine

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peterstanslizzie · 4 years

Text

Reacting To: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Season 3 Episode 10)

This is it people! The series finale of Kipo; Let’s get to it.

Episode Title: Age of Wonderbeasts

Spoiler Warning: Kindly proceed if you’ve already seen the episode or are able to handle spoilers

Hopefully she’s getting dressed for her funeral lol

1. Continuing on from last episode, the fireworks rigged with the cure goes off and a bunch of embers start falling from the sky. One of the Humming Bombers got into contact with one of them while attempting to flee and immediately de-mutes. I thought the cure needed to go into their bloodstream? Unless, the ember actually burned through their skin. It that’s the case, wow that’s dark....

It’s awesome that Earl and Lily are helping Molly since Molly saved their children awhile back.

2. With her quick thinking, Kipo asks everyone to find shelter underneath her as she transforms into her Mega Jaguar form. However, that’s still not enough to protect everyone but luckily, the good humans step up to shield them with table cloths, which was heartwarming to see.

The mutes are thanking the humans for their act of kindness

OMG. Lio and Song hugging Scarlemagne? I’m here for it.

3. Thankfully, the fireworks ended and Kipo then pleads with Emilia one last time to stop what she’s doing. Emilia, hard-headed as ever isn’t one to back down at all and makes a drastic decision to inject herself with the mutagen she sourced from the Mega Walrus, transforming herself into one ugly Mega Mute.

Imagine seeing this in real life...shudders

4. I thought she was going to use the Mega Walrus’s DNA to make another cure that would affect Kipo. I didn’t think she would do this to herself. Kipo transforms back to her Mega form to take on Emilia before she could potentially hurt anyone.

How many Troyson kisses do we want? Yes...hehe

5. Troy and Benson are directing everyone back to find safety inside the old burrow while Wolf joins Kipo to assist her in battling Emilia. Kipo has the upper hand at first because Emilia isn’t used to being a Mega Mute. However, as the fight progresses, Emilia is starting to get better and is landing some solid hits on Kipo. But I feel like Kipo shouldn’t be losing to Emilia since she has much more experience fighting as a Mega. I guess they want us to feel like the stakes are high.

Man, this fight is actually pretty brutal. Emilia is whooping major jaguar ass here.

6. During the battle, Wolf notices Greta nearby and thinks that she has the cure to turn back Emilia into a human. So, hopefully they can steal the cure from Greta and use it as leverage to get Emilia to stop. They split up with Wolf going after Greta and Kipo continuing to fight off Emilia.

7. After taking a couple more punches, we see three of the Mega Dogs, the Mega Pigeon and the Mega Beaver heading their way towards the fight, with Jamack, Molly, Hoag, Amy, Zane, Label, Lio, Song, Scarlemagne, Dave, Benson and Mandu riding on them. I stan such supportive friends!

8. They each take turns kicking Emilia’s butt to buy Kipo some time to recover. Side note: It’s so cool that Jamack tells Emilia to do some “soul searching”! That’s literally the same line Kipo used on Jamack in Season 1 when he was an antagonist back then. During all of this, we see Emilia beginning to have some inner turmoil; It looks like she’s starting to lose herself in her current form.

9. We get to round 2 of Wolf vs Greta and it looks like the tables might turn in favor of Wolf but Greta is just too beefy for her to take on. While being held down in a pin, Wolf tries to butter her up with words by telling her that she’s not an idiot and she can think for herself, without the influence of Emilia. She also bribes her with all the pancakes she can eat if she hands over the cure to her and just like that, she agrees to hand it over. It’s so ironic that Greta is one of Emilia’s last followers but she’s so easily influenced to switch sides.

Again, I don’t get why Kipo is losing to Emilia so badly

10. Kipo is down for the count and Emilia turns her attention to her friends/family. As she’s about to crush Lio and Song, Kipo charges in last minute to take the devastating blow for them; She then falls unconscious. However, Emilia’s not done yet.

Scarlemagne’s death in 3...2...1

11. Oh no...here we go. Scarlemagne decides to play hero by making his attempt at saving Kipo. He basically gives his swan song to Lio and Song. I have a bad feeling he’s going to die and I’m not at all prepared to watch. He takes off on his favorite Flamingo vehicle from Season 1 and 2 and flies towards Emilia to distract her.

We haven’t heard this laugh in ages. Also, did anyone get chills when he tells Emilia to “leave her sister alone”?

12. He crashes his vehicle into Emilia causing her to lose focus and it sets off her ‘losing herself to the mega mute’ phase. This in turn, causes Scarlemagne to crash land somewhere in Skyscraper Ridge. Was it necessary for him to crash like that? If that’s the way he goes out, I’m gonna be honest here and say I would be very disappointed with that.

13. Emilia, who clearly is out of it runs off somewhere and Kipo, Wolf, Dave, Benson and Mandu all go after her with Lio and Song heading towards where Hugo/Scarlemagne crash landed. We then see the artistic representation of Emilia losing her mind to the mute, where her human form is quickly sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean.

14. They catch up to Emilia and they could see her being distraught. We also know the reason why she’s this way and it’s because she doesn’t have an anchor. I love it how whatever explanation we’re being told by the characters is something that the audience should know based on past episodes. Now that’s good storytelling.

15. Anyways, Kipo makes the decision to cure her because she thinks she doesn’t deserve to be punished this way. Really now? After all that she’s done? Maybe what Kipo means is that she deserves get whopped in her human form lol. After curing her, Kipo makes ANOTHER ATTEMPT (for the 3rd time) to convince her to make a change but of course this bitch isn’t going to change; She takes a shard of glass and tries to stab Kipo:

16. But our girl, Mandu quickly reacts and bites Emilia’s arm. She then loses her balance and falls stories high in the exact burrow her lab was located because we then see Fun Gus capturing her and taking her in as her “playdate”. Emilia is basically history.

17. Yesss! And this punishment is fitting since she will probably be Fun Gus’s plaything till she goes insane and dies. Not to mention she despises mutes. So, it’s a great way for her to go out. Bye!!! That’s what you get for killing your brother, you heartless monster. Can I also point out that once again, Mandu is the one to take out Emilia. She did beat her in season 2 when Wolf, Dave and Benson couldn’t and now in season 3, she’s the one to finish the job. Don’t mess with Mandu lol.

18. They head back to find where Scarlemagne, Lio and Song are but it’s almost too late because Hugo is dying. Kipo is in tears and I’m in tears too. Again, was it really necessary to kill him off? I felt like he’s more or less already redeemed as a character before this. He didn’t have to commit such a heroic act, which had cost his life. Ugh....And just like that, Hugo dies.....UGHHHHHH. I really don’t think he needed to die. If Catra (who committed just as many heinous acts, if not more than Hugo) got to live in She-Ra & The Princesses of Power, Hugo deserves to live too. I’m sorry...

19. Now it’s time for the epilogue set 5 years later, as told by an older Kipo. Let’s break it down:

Wolf’s Mega Corgi gave birth to a litter of puppies. Awww cuteness...

Wolf let her hair grow out and she looks AMAZING!!! Dayummmm

Benson and Troy own a successful restaurant together and they’re living the dream. Such domestic goals!

I got chills seeing Wolf and Benson walking side by side like that. They’ve grown up so much. It looks like they’re own their way to a picnic

Label and Zane is also running a gym together. Sweet!

Jamack is conductor for Las Vistas’s new transport system.

Dave is now a guest lecturer at what is seems to be Lio and Song’s new research lab, where he talks about some of his research findings and theories. Well, mostly theories.

I love Kipo’s new do’

20. We find out that Kipo is updating Hugo (spiritually) what has everybody been up to on his birthday.

Hugo gets a statue made in his honor, which is very fitting and Mandu...WOW MANDU has grown into an ADULT boar, with tusks and everything just like Bornak and Webber.

21. Kipo meets up with her besties and her family and they have their wonderful picnic in commemoration of Hugo’s birthday.

22. The scene cuts off to all of them having the time of their life riding on their Mega mutes. And that’s the official ending to the series. TEARS...

23. This has been an amazing show to watch, react and review. I can’t believe it only had 30 episodes but the story was so cohesive and felt complete on the most part. So you could say that this show wrapped up nicely. There are some loose ends that weren’t addressed/resolved at the end like the vaccine that Song and Lio were working on but I guess that could be something that’s explored further in future films hopefully.

24. I will also be making a couple of video essays that will be posted to my YouTube channel, PeterSaidWhat; The first one will be my full spoiler review of the final season and the second video will be Troyson-focused. I can’t wait for all of you to watch them. And finally, I want to thank you all for reading my episodic reviews and going on this incredible journey with me. It’s been a pleasure to have Kipo be a part of my life and I’m sure yours as well.

Much love,

Peter

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kae-karo · 5 years

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Hi I used to be into the phandom so much but fell out in like??? 2017??? Maybe??? Has anything big happened at all? Has anyone died/caught on fire ( ;) )??

oh dear god where do i begin??? well fortunately both our lads are still alive. let me just start with saying 2018 has been like. probably the best year for dnp to date? i’ll try to go in some kind of order here but bear with me i’ll touch on a bit of 2017 stuff and then go into 2018 for ya

so first of all i’m not sure when you left the phandom in 2017 but the lads moved out of their previous flat in april of last year (x) (april-ish it was def before they posted the vid)

also our dear lil dani snot on fire is no longer not on fire (x) so uhh is he on fire now ig? i mean yeah that’s arguably true

*insert phil’s badaladala sound bc on the scale of Significant Things i don’t think anything else massive happened*

day one of demon month, we got this amazing vid from phil wherein viewers (aka dan) picked his outfits n he looked like a snacc and a half (would’ve been 2 snaccs if he’d embraced the quiff sooner but that’s getting ahead of things) (x)

!!!! then a week or so later dan posted his vid ‘daniel and depression’ where he opened up abt his struggle with depression (x) which was imo the start of him just being more open about himself in general. he also started working with young minds (a mental health org for young people in the uk) and shortly thereafter with prince william’s program to help prevent cyberbullying

then! on the day love was invented! dnp released their board game, truth bombs (x - yeah i linked the second vid and not the first, and wot) which u can buy if you’d like but it’s a lot of fun (x)

then these idiots did a conjoined jumper baking challenge and didn’t fucking wear shirts under the jumper like what dumb gays idk (x) but it was real funny and Good Content

then early nov dnp announced the interactive introverts tour (x) and then uhhh it happened (like 80+ shows??? in a ton of countries???) (x) and they’re releasing the filming of it along with some bonus content like a director’s commentary and u can preorder it (x)

also pinof 9 happened which as a legacy phan u know is always a Thing but this year it was especially a Thing so i recommend catching up (x, and the bloops - x)

and phew okay that’s the majority of 2017 Important Events but before i go on to 2018 i’ll just recap a few important events from dapg (basically just some gamingmas stuff):

wherein dan smacked phil in the face

and phil crushed the presents but dan helped him up

where phil pretended not to remember gamingmas was happening, leading to the most iconic simultaneous heart eyes howell/love eyes lester to date

dnp singing baby it’s cold outside together whilst playing yasuhati

iconic pinof 9 moment

dnp play charades but it’s phil’s turn, and he’s touchy

the not my arms challenge!!! playing mario kart

okay! and before anyone starts yelling i know there’s more but god if i put every iconic thing in this post would break there’s Too Much so let’s hop into 2018 bc it’s gonna be a long one

first i cannot believe dan fucking gave phil a philussy cake and phil’s parents asked phil what it meant jfc dan (x)

THE EARRING!!! dan’s first selfie with the lil hoop and it never leaves and we love it (x)

phil is just trying to take a selfie and dan ruins it (x) spoiler alert: phil gets him back in colorado (x)

okay big sigh two large events happen in march: the first, dan’s ‘trying to live my truth’ vid (x) it basically dan saying ‘i’m still figuring things out but i want to be more authentic and true to myself, and also authenticity is important for some people to feel happy in life’ vid that a lot of people hyperfixated on the end line of, where he said he would go ‘laugh at a joke with a chocolate bar and...something else in my mouth’ which people assumed meant a dick and therefore it was a subtle coming out vid, dan did a liveshow afterward (x) wherein he said that wasn’t the point of the vid and people got mad at him for ‘backtracking’ (if u want more of my Opinions on this feel free to check em out - x)

the second v v big event happened at the end of march when phil posted this iconic selfie that would be the downfall of the fringe (x) this has been titled the quiffening by some

shortly after that he began styling his hair in a quiff permanently which was probably the best decision he’s made since responding to one of his obsessed fans back in 2009

quick detour dan’s proud of his hubby (x) for winning fortnite and ‘fuxkung’ is now what ‘fucking’ autocorrects to in my phone

we also had dan releasing his merch (x) which is basically all black and themed around the eclipse logo and ‘don’t talk to me’, though he just released the exist line for world mental health day which has his quote ‘have the courage to exist’. he’s also mentioned possibly wanting to do more creative things like wide-necked or asymmetrical shirts dan just do a fashion line pls oh and he mentioned in a recent ls he might do an internet support group mug sometime soon

and then,,,,,pigeonfest. we watched. five hours. of phil livestreaming their patio. and literally nothing happened bc someone was like down on the street feeding pigeons so there weren’t even any pigeons for like 90% of the liveshow. but he literally didn’t talk it was just five hours of their patio and we all watched it. we all just watched it like the whipped phannies we are (x)

and then we got a brief but overwhelming dose of,,,,,,something from the easter baking vid (x) phil was hopped up on sugar and also confidence from his quiff and probably smth else as well

everything just blows up from there we have giving the people what they want (x) where, in preparation for ii (for which the underlying theme was ‘giving people what they want’), dnp reacted to pinof 1, swapped clothes, did the ‘yoga challenge’, recreated ditl manchester, ‘got a dog’, and made phil say fuck. honestly it shook the entire phandom to its core at the time but like. i’m less shooketh now? it’s sort of just fallen by the wayside in terms of how unpredictable dnp have been this year

then phil drops week in the life of dnp shortly thereafter which is just very very domestic even for them and their ditl style vids??? (x) phil filming dan in bed being one of the big demon highlights at the time

it’s right around this time too that insta stories start and my god it just goes jfc like i don’t even have the mental capacity to recall all the Iconic ones but i recommend checking out this playlist (x) which has all the ii tour stories goddamn there were a lot though they really put out that content didn’t they

in early may we get phil talking about why he changed his emo hair (x) and arguably the first official vid of the casual rebrand - phil’s more open and genuinely vulnerable about his fears about making a change to his hair, and i don’t think we’ve ever seen him that open before. the vids don’t stop being open though, with what dnp text each other (x) giving us coop and doop along with other iconic stories, dnp basically sitting on top of each other in that and other gaming vids on the tour bus, phil being very open abt his attraction to men (x) and the iconic final google feud vid with way too much of a specific kind of Energy (x) (ofc again there are More Vids but i don’t have the time/mental capacity to recap them all so i’m pickin the Big Ones)

monochrome mates (x)

phew okay so the tour in general as well - like if u don’t mind spoilers, i did a big ol analysis of what that was all about (x) but one of many many highlights is dan calling he and phil “best friends and soulmates”

finally finally finally after months of waiting we also get some phil merch! (x) plant and animal themed, and he even released a lion plushie which sold out like instantly and he claimed he’d do more of but we have yet to see that. he says he’s got more ideas for other merch as well

now okay fast forward to october after the tour’s over bc i think the insta stories and the analysis cover it but then. then. then we get the pizza mukbang (x) thirty three minutes of dnp being more open and honest and casual than literally they’ve ever been on camera maybe ever, and i’m including liveshows in this statement. no holds barred, authentic vulnerable dnp. a religious experience

end of october spooky week hits us and i think the key vid to call out here is the creepy mind of phil lester bc i think it was another open honest authentic vid (x) where they talked a lot, casual domestic w.e got some insight into phil’s mind it was v good

and then they carve pumpkins jfc which was an experience (x) there were a lot of innuendos but also one of the first years they didn’t do a halloween baking in a while (though they have hinted at possibly doing christmas baking) idk i’m fully overwhelmed at this point lmao like a Lot happened this year

phew okay and Then just yesterday philly dropped his vid on why he went to (the) hospital (x) idk soz that’s a british thing i think like we say ‘the’ anyway. which i’ve been talking abt quite a lot lately but it was another very open and honest vid in which he expressed a lot of vulnerability and fear and perceived flaws and it was just a quality like. open vid.

jfc okay hope that helps obviously there’s a lot i didn’t mention, but this should at least get you caught up on some of the big stuff!! and while i’m at it have a few more Important Gifs from this year

a very important moment of communication whilst on tour, deciding whether or not they’re okay with doing a ‘third wheel’ pose

dan flinging himself off the chair in anger whilst playing getting over it

nose boop from phil’s instagram explore pages vid

subsequent nose boop from the extreme tetris vid

and a cheek boop from the overcooked 2 vid

dan pulling phil’s hand off the mouse in fear during spooky week, swamp simulator (shrek slender)

touchy!dan during pizza mukbang

oh god. okay. again, this is not everything, just a big list of some big events over the past year-ish. i’m sure i’ve missed some important stuff but i think i covered most of it! hope this helps ya get caught up dear!

#dnp #so dan and phil in 2018 eh #what's that about #phan #dip and pip #kt #anon #ask

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almaasi · 6 years

Text

The House That Wanted to Be a Garden

a magical, domestic 32k AU wherein Dean accidentally moves in with his neighbour, Cas, who is surprisingly okay with it. (illustrated!!)

☆

“Idjit.”

“Don’t you ‘idjit’ me, Bobby,” Dean retorted, adjusting the Impala’s wheels as they drove over a bump, which could’ve been a log, or not. “My baby’s not built for these backroads.”

“This ain’t a road at all,” Bobby grumbled, one hand on his baseball cap so the car’s jumping and jumbling wouldn’t knock it off. “Last time I came out here, I swore I’d never come back. And you’re a damn fool for makin’ me.” The car hit a ditch, and Bobby spat, “Idjit.”

Dean carefully steered through the thick forest brush, angling the front of his Chevy into the clearest space he saw.

He let the car roll up to the cabin, backing up over overgrown weeds and parking before he looked up. He glanced towards the sky – blue and sunny now they weren’t under twenty feet of tree cover – and then Dean properly noticed the building.

“That’s not a house,” he said in surprise. “That’s a shack.”

“Told ya,” Bobby said gruffly, arms folded.

Dean popped the trunk, then opened up the driver’s side door and set his boots on leaf litter. Drawing a deep breath, the scent of mulch and flowers coated the back of his tongue smoothly.

Sam’s Jeep came up behind them, clearly not having run into any trouble on the bumpy ground. As soon as the Jeep halted, the two engines ticked out of sync, cooling.

Sam excavated his too-tall body from the Jeep, like a construction crane trying to set itself upright. His hands went straight into his windbreaker pockets, now followed out by Jody on the other side, who looked more at ease in a flannel shirt than she ever looked in a business suit.

“Well, there is is,” Sam grinned, looking around. “Bobby’s safehouse.”

“Nothing safe about it,” Bobby muttered, scowling in the shade of his cap. “Ain’t a damn good thing coming of this.”

“Hey, think positive,” Jody said, turning to smile at the old man. “Dean wants a break to get back to nature. What’s closer to nature than this?” She thumbed over her shoulder at the sun-dappled woodland, all the trees sparkling with gold in the breeze.

Dean stood glumly, trying not to speak. The house looked like shit. This whole time he’d thought Bobby was exaggerating.

“You want help taking your stuff in?” Sam asked Dean, already heading to the Impala’s rear. “We can get you all set up before we head back to civilisation.”

Dean took a moment to look around. The sun warmed his face, a warm gush of summer air rising over his gelled hair and tickling at the loose ends. He drew a deep, encouraging breath, then smiled.

“You know what? I got it,” Dean said, brushing Sam away from the trunk. “I got my fishing gear, I got my guns, I got firestarters and I got my music.” He opened the trunk and beamed at the guitars and the vintage record player sitting safely in the trunk. “So I’m good. You guys – head back to headquarters. Make sure Charlie lets everyone know—” He hesitated, then grinned, hands in the pockets of his jacket.

“Here.” He pulled out his phone, taking a few steps away from the car, stumbling over moss and weird mushrooms as he went. He unlocked the phone screen, and started up his camera to record, lifting the phone up to get a good angle on his face. “Hey, what’s up, guys. This is it! Day one of my, uh... sabbatical. Take a look. Got me some trees, got me a river. Lotsa sunshine. Good for the health. My team’s got you covered while I’m gone, so Sammy’s gonna keep the ‘gram updated, and Charlie – y’all know Charlie, my publicist-slash-remixer? – she’s still working on getting the next album out, so make sure y’all follow her for updates.” Dean licked his lips, lowering the phone.

He began a new video, but took a moment to speak. “Look. Uh. Don’t anyone worry about me while I’m gone. Okay? I just need some time to reset. Get my head on right. And who knows, maybe I’ll find some inspiration out here. And I’ll come back with something better than ever. Thank you guys for letting me do this. Seriously, bottom of my heart.” He patted his chest twice. “Stay lovin’.” He smiled, winked into the camera, then ended the video.

Sam came up beside him, just as Dean added his best filter and Charlie’s Instagram handle to the video so people would see it.

“You all right?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah.” He handed over his phone. “Don’t hit send until you’re at least fifty miles away. Don’t want anyone stalking me. As much as I love meeting music-lovers when I least expect it, I really just... need to be alone for a while. Y’know? It’s— It’s so much. It’s been so much for so long, I gotta—”

“Hey.” Sam gripped Dean’s arm gently. “I get it.” He cocked his head towards Jody and Bobby, who came to join the conversation. “We all get it.”

Dean managed a small smile. “Thanks for letting me borrow your house, Bobby.”

“Place is haunted,” Bobby said firmly.

“It’s not haunted,” Jody said to Dean. “You have a good time out here, Dean. If you need anything – well, I guess you’re stuck with sending carrier pigeons. We’ll keep our windows open.”

“You’re sure we can’t help you unpack?” Sam insisted, looking bothered. “It’s a lot of heavy stuff.”

“Nah.” Dean knocked his brother’s chest. “This is where the fun starts. Weight training! I appreciate you comin’ to see me off though.”

Sam pressed a smile between his lips, then sighed and brought Dean in for a hug. “Don’t fall down a ditch or something. Or get eaten by bears.”

“What bears?” Dean said, pulling back. “Only bear out here is me.”

☆

keep reading !!

#The House That Wanted to Be a Garden #Destiel #Destiel fanfic #Destiel fic rec #Elmie writes things #Elmie makes things #post of postiness

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hongkongartman-mlee · 3 years

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The Mystery Of An Old French Mansion ‘V54’ Owned By Ms Angela Leong In Happy Valley Is The Source Of Good Art For Dennis Chung And Ka Hang LAM

Gladys Knight & The Pips sang:

“Why does it always seem the past is better

The winters were warmer

We look back and think

The grass was greener

The skies were bluer

The smiles were brighter…

And if we had the chance to do it all again

Tell me

Would we?

Could we?”

But, when you think of the good old days, think one word: death. Lucky that we are here but the people of the good old days have sadly all gone.

Many old buildings in Hong Kong are not protected by law although they are part of our beautiful past. Should we keep old buildings? Should history stand in the way of progress?

Happy Valley in Hong Kong is a 100-year-old tranquil district behind the bustling Causeway Bay. No.54 on Village Road is a very old, elegant and mysterious French-style house of originally about 20 rooms, inviting our mind to check the settled dust of the past on the stone slabs. The cheerful courtyard, where once boys and girls played, where the flowers bloomed under the golden sun rays, is at present just an empty enclosure where naughty pigeons fluttered. Rumour is that she has been abandoned for many years by a rich family, but waiting for a reason to become dignified again. The building developer in the 1920s was a legendary official and later a rich Eurasian mining businessman by the name of Ho Lui Hap(何侶俠). Happy Valley was first used as an army camp in 1840 by the British but a terrible epidemic fatally burst forth. There was a muddy river. It later became a cemetery area as well as a racecourse. Yet, the course caught fire in 1918 and more than 600 visitors were killed. In the 1920s, the Government settled on a plan to turn Happy Valley into a high-class European residential area of three-storey blocks and so Ho constructed the No.54 mansion(‘V54’). There have been incomplete records, due to Second World War, about the owners of the lot. Land titles show that in the 1950s, the mansion was mysteriously divided into 2 blocks and one was re-developed. The present heritage belonged to one Madam Chan Siu Sau Ying(陳蕭秀英). The former chairman of Po Leung Kuk, one of the oldest NGO in Hong Kong, Madam Angela Leong(梁安琪) bought the house in 2009 and leased it to Po Leung Kuk nominally as a community art place in 2015. V54 welcomes short-term residence at below-market rates to working artists in town. There are also regular art activities.

Dennis Chung(鍾家耀), a young curator in charge of the art activities in V54, told me more about it. He studied social work but turned over his first leaf by being a radio programmer in 2000. Later, he devoted himself to art administration and curatorship. Dennis was mild-mannered and said, “I took up the job out of 3 reasons. I love heritage buildings. V54 is nostalgic, romantic and mysterious. When I sit here, every angle at the ceiling, window, fireplace and corridor is a blessed adventure. I always wonder who lived here and how they spent their time in the house. Secondly, I do have a mission. In Hong Kong, old buildings are not getting respectable with age and this is a shame! We trash our old things and memories. We fail to realize how very much we need them. Architectural preservation can save Hong Kong’s good treasures which we once embodied and will strengthen the moral bonding of our society. Another feeling which never dies in my heart is the happiness of sharing. I believe we are responsible for each other’s happiness. Look at here: artists, neighbours, visitors and Po Leung Kuk colleagues interact mirthfully in the name of art and without any money consideration.”

I asked, “Time passes and life changes. How would you feel?” Dennis sighed, “Some people in Hong Kong tend to think demolition of old buildings is the justifiable domestic consumption of a city for a better future. I disagree. Now, when an old building is going to be torn down, people rush to go there, take photographs and write ‘How sad that is’ on social media platforms. There must be more than that? Do we give business to old shops and restaurants? Do we donate to preservation projects? Do we object to ruthless demolitions?”

I asked, “This is why you organised an exhibition for the young artist Ka Hang LAM(林嘉恒)?” Hang is in his early twenties, shy and courteous. He told me, “I was born in the 1990s. Film industry in Hong Kong was already declining. Honestly, I did not watch a lot of movies but my fondness for drawing, especially human portrait, led me to where I am. I enjoy displaying the likeness, personality and mood of a person. Having completed my graphic design studies, I created a Facebook Page which allowed people to discover what I have drawn but the responses were disappointing. One day, after I watched a Marvel movie, I painted a picture of Wonder Woman. The public reaction was suddenly overwhelming and amazing. Since then, I have kept on using films including Hong Kong productions and their posters as the focus of my artistic expression. Dennis recently discovered and asked me to do an exhibition of my work in V54.”

I was attracted by Hang’s creativity, “It is not oil or acrylic paint on the canvas. What is it?” Hang exhibited a triumphant smile, “Our generation is good at computer art. Computer plays an important role in my concept development, production and printing of each piece of my artwork. Also, I do not follow a film poster exactly. Mine are often a ‘derivative work’ which are re-creations of the original, in the form of adaptation or transformation. I shared a belief with Dennis that art does not have to be serious or complicated. Pleasurable and relevant art in the different districts of Hong Kong enhances our lives by stirring wonderful feelings and inspirations. It reminds even a man in the street that we are all creative and emotional beings.”

Giving back to our community is a good example of philanthropy. Without V54, we could not have had the benefit of beautiful art in an old and timeless architecture in Happy Valley. Thank you, Madam Angela Leong! You are great.

MLee

Introduction of Po Leung Kuk Acknowledgement – Online Museum https://youtu.be/8ID-_YWK2mU

Po Leung Kuk V54 Art Residence Acknowledgement - 保良局V54年青藝術家駐留計劃 https://youtu.be/fjdeJ16Y4eE

Historic Mansions on Yuk Sau Street, Happy Valley Acknowledgement – Explore with CVZ https://youtu.be/hpIkWs23PPM

Hong Kong Movie posters in the 60s to 80s Acknowledgement - Thomas Giam 嚴平凡 https://youtu.be/rF6chyd4RkQ

Love In A Fallen City Acknowledgement - Shaw Brothers https://youtu.be/W9fjN6vroVY

#V54 #No. 54 Village Road #Happy Valley快活谷 #Dennis Chung鍾家耀 #Ka Hang LAM林嘉恒 #Ho Lui Hap何侶俠 #Angela Leong梁安琪 #Chan Siu Sau Ying陳蕭秀英 #Gladys Knight & The Pips #1918 Racecourse Fire #Po Leung Kuk保良局 #Architectural Preservation #Marvel #Wonder Woman #derivative work

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hymn2000 · 6 years

Text

Called To Be A Rock - Frostiron feat. Spiderson AU fanfic - C4

Chapter 1 ��Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Comments/reviews/questions welcome as always

Overall Desc.: Peter is staying with Tony and Loki one summer while his aunt is away working/travelling.

Chapter Desc.: Loki’s recovering steadily. Tony finds himself entering dad-pep-talk mode after Peter has a question for him

Ship(s) involved: Tony x Loki aka Frostiron

Verse: Personal AU

Ongoing Warnings/themes/cw mentions: illness, domestic

Chapter 4 - Present All Your Pretty Feelings

Loki was very relieved to have the needle taken out. It left him with a nasty bruise on the back of his hand, but it meant, at least, that he was getting better. Banner had come round to check on him and had found he’d made significant progress. He left some oral antibiotics for Loki to continue to take for the next week, a box of ibuprofen, and a tired reminder to change his wound dressings regularly.

By the evening, Loki was feeling well enough to move about a bit, and after a long bath, he settled down and slept soundly until morning.

Loki was still feeling a bit groggy when he woke up. He went and had a long cool shower and afterwards pulled on a pair of black jeans and one of Tony’s old t-shirts. He kept a towel round his shoulders to keep his wet hair from dampening his top.

Tony smiled at him as he walked into the kitchen. “Good to see you with a bit of colour back in your cheeks: you’re looking better”

“I’m feeling better. Mostly” Loki replied sleepily, switching the kettle on.

“Here, sit down - let me do that” Tony said. “I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard”

“I’m not so weak that I can’t make a cup of tea” Loki said, but he smiled and sat down next to Peter at the breakfast bar.

Peter shifted a little. “I- I’m glad you’re feeling better now”

“So am I”

“What tea do you want?” Tony asked, opening Loki’s cupboard and taking down his mug.

Loki thought for a moment, rubbing his eyes. “...Lapsang”

“Huh? What’s that one?” Peter asked.

“Lapsang souchong” Loki yawned. “Chinese. It’s a smoky tea”

Tony left the tea to brew and came over. “Your hair’s still soaked”

He took the towel from round Loki’s shoulders and started towelling his hair dry.

“Do you really have to do that?” Loki grumbled, pretending to be annoyed.

“Yes. I don’t know why you don’t do it yourself. Have you got one of your combs in here?” he sighed, still rubbing gently but firmly. Loki was trying very hard to make it look like he wasn’t enjoying it. “You could do with a bit of a trim, really. It’s starting to get long again. You want it cut back into the neck again. You look cute when it’s shorter”

“There won’t be anything left to cut if you keep rubbing at it like that”

“Stop being a baby” he left the towel draped over him like a shawl and went to finish the tea. He brought it back over, setting it on the table for him and rummaging in one of the pigeon holes in search of a comb.

As always, Loki thoroughly enjoyed that first blissful sip of tea. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the heat of it on his face.

“Can I try it?” Peter asked.

Loki nodded, setting the mug back down. As he did so, Tony grabbed him by the shoulder and started dragging the comb through his hair.

“Owww! You don’t have to attack me!” Loki protested.

“Don’t be such a drama queen” Tony smirked, giving him a tap with the comb. “It’s all knotted. It’s all that tossing and turning that’s done it”

“I rather think it’s your doing rather than mine”

“Hey, what did I just say? Stop being a baby”

Loki gave up and let him get on with it. Tony soon moved to stand in front of him.

“I like this bit, personally” he said, tugging the little lock of hair that had fallen down over Loki’s forehead. “Cute”

Loki raised an eyebrow at him, and Tony laughed and combed it back into place. He put the comb down and kissed him on the nose.

“That’s better” he said, going over to the coffee machine.

Loki looked at Peter and nodded at his mug. “What do you think?”

“Oh-” he hadn’t tried any yet. He picked up the mug and took a few sips. “Well, it’s like no tea I’ve ever tasted”

Tony joined them at the breakfast bar with his own mug. “It wouldn’t be my drink of choice”

“It’s not bad: just different” Peter said. He handed the mug back to Loki. “Suits you though. It smells like you”

“What?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, that kinda dark, smoked smell”

Loki furrowed his brow. “You think I smell like tea?”

“Well, yeah. At least, you smell a bit like this tea... But not just that. Kinda also like mint and cigarettes and old books”

Loki looked at Tony, who nodded. “He’s not wrong. I like it: I think you smell nice. Like home”

“Don’t be so soppy” Loki said, but you could tell he was pleased.

Loki settled in his reading nook with another cup of tea (chai this time), while Tony and Peter went down to the workshop.

Initially they were quite busy, and because of this, the hours seemed to fly by. When there was a lull in proceedings and they were sat on opposite sides of the workbench working at their own pace, Peter decided to ask what had been on his mind throughout breakfast that morning.

“How did you know you loved him?”

Tony looked up. Peter still had his eyes on his work, but he’d paused, obviously waiting for an answer. Tony looked back to his own work.

“The same way I knew with people before him”

“I don’t think that’s really what I meant” Peter said, still not looking up. “I mean, how did you two get together?”

Tony hesitated. He was half-tempted to tell him to mind his own business. But, helped along by knowing Peter wasn’t the type to judge, he ended up giving in.

“I took a risk. It had taken me long enough to come to terms with in the first place, so I decided there was nothing else to lose. It was difficult when I finally admitted to myself that I had feelings for him” Tony admitted. “I’d never in my life experienced anything like it. I’d never once considered the possibility of falling for a man - and much less a man like Loki. Well, less a man, more a God. And someone as perfectly flawed as myself... I tried to ignore it initially. Once we’d gotten to know each other a bit, we hit it off. It wasn’t long before we started hanging out without Thor. Once he’d started to trust me and open up, he was so easy to talk to, and he made me laugh. For quite a while, we spent every Friday night sharing a bottle and basically just messing about. I used to look forward to it all week. So we did become good friends, and we got closer. That was all I thought it would ever be, and I was happy with that”

“So what changed it?”

Tony knew the answer without having to think. “Our first hug. I mean, we’d done the whole arm-round-shoulders-type hugs plenty, but one night when he was leaving he put his arms round me properly, and I hugged him back. And I felt something there. I remember catching myself grinning like an idiot after I’d shut the door after him, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I still kept telling myself I just liked him as a friend, that I was overthinking things. But it was in my head all that week, and about an hour before he turned up the next Friday, my heart was thumping with nerves and I had this stupid fluttery stomach ache, and I was suddenly nervous when he did get here. That’s when I knew, but I didn’t accept it properly for about another three weeks”

Peter had so many questions, so many comments, but he couldn’t choose how to word them. There were so many possibilities. In the end, he simply asked:

“So how did you tell him?”

“I didn’t, not really. Not with words, anyway” he set his tools down, thinking back somewhat fondly on the memory. “I knew I was going to have to let him know. I’d finished fighting with myself over what I was feeling, so now that I’d admitted and accepted it myself, I thought it best to let the other party know, even if it made a mess of things. I was a bit scared, to be honest. I was facing two levels of rejection: firstly that he might not like me back, and secondly that he might not like men at all. So it felt quite pressured. I didn’t plan how to do it. I went over hundreds of different ways to tell him. It didn’t go to plan.

So one night, he was over, and we were laughing as usual, with our drinks on the coffee table. And I knew I was moving closer to him, and he didn’t seem to really notice, but he kept giving me these little glances.. I can’t really remember what the conversation topic was; I just remember it was one of those ones where we were laughing so hard we were in tears. But anyway, we were calming down from one laughing fit, going a bit quiet, and I couldn’t stop looking at him. And he noticed, and he gave me this funny look. And I realised how close I was to him, but I didn’t care. I just moved closer and knelt up a bit, and he gave me another look, like he was about to ask what I was doing. And then I had my hand on his cheek, and he gave this other look, kind of scared and kind of confused at the same time, glancing at my hand and back at me. It was only a split second. I’d gotten too far to be able to back out, so I just kissed him”

Peter could picture the scene clearly in his head. He’d put his own equipment down to pay proper attention. “How did he react?”

“He froze, at first. It felt like time stood still as I looked at him. I let my hand drop and I felt like an idiot. I just wanted to turn and run. Loki just looked at me, and then he looked away and pulled back and I felt like I could just disappear on the spot. It was only a matter of moments, but it felt like hours... But then he looked back at me and then his lips were against mine again, and nothing had ever felt so right. It said more than words ever could. It was all said with that kiss; just that he felt the same. And I could never describe how relieved I was, and how good it felt”

“And the rest is history?” Peter said, suddenly feeling quite fuzzy inside himself.

Tony laughed. “Well, not quite! It was a bit longer before we made it official. When you open a door like that, you get another layer to a person, and you need to get to know each other in a different way. It was a case of talking about our feelings and all that soppy grown-up stuff until we were sure we could make a go of it. Music became very important during that time”

“Music?” Peter said doubtfully, thinking about the type of music Tony usually had playing in the car.

“Not the stuff on my usual playlist” Tony said, reading his mind. “We just put YouTube on and listened to whatever came up. We ended up listening to a lot of stuff I’d never have chosen. Lots of Take That and Abba, and a load of one-off tracks from various artists. Sounds a bit sad and embarrassing, but it’s a good way to make sense of things, giving it a soundtrack. Sometimes the most unlikely songs say the most perfect things”

“So do you have a song? Like, one that’s yours? Did you just sit and listen or did you talk about the songs too?”

“A bit of both” Tony said. He shook his head. “We don’t really have a song that’s ‘ours’. We’ve got songs with memories attached to them, but not a proper ‘this is our song’ song”

He sat back thinking about those early days. They were both suddenly so nervous of each other after that first kiss. The music gave them an excuse to get closer. “Just like in the club” Tony had said. He thought about how, especially at first, neither of them were sure who should make the first move, and there was a lot of clumsiness. But as time went on, the hand-holding turned into cuddling, the little pecks turned into proper kisses, and the carefully chosen words turned into complete open honestly.

Tony shook his head slightly and looked over at Peter.

“Right, that’s your little Tony Stark World of Love Pep Talk” he said, trying to revert back to serious-mentor mode. “Don’t be expecting another one any time soon”

#this is another shorter chapter sorry #frostiron #my writing #mcu fanfiction #marvel fanfiction

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jospeakma · 3 years

Text

Blog 4 The Gaze: In life and on zoom, with familiar faces and with unfamiliar faces

Related to lectures and workshops 09/11/2020

Is the gaze comforting or unsettling?

It can be both, depending on the situation and the relationship between the two people.

In life: an observation exercise

An observation homework - Sit for 30 minutes and observe what happened on the street outside. As instructed, I sat looking through a window of our house, observing what happened outside, followed with written notes of my observations of people’s behaviour, the environment and our wandering thoughts.

How would they react to my gaze, or I to theirs?

I decided I would make my observation through my youngest son’s bedroom window (who’s away at university). It is at the front of the house and looks directly onto the street. We live in a single-story dwelling on the edge of a village and it is quite rural. I was at eye level with passers-by. This is the best place to see what’s going on outside. I sat on his red swivel chair. It felt very neutral and I was looking out of his window as he would, almost as seeing the world through his eyes.

Fig. 1 Photograph by JS 2020

My notes:

“My first observation were the cars occasionally driving slowly by, then wait at the temporary traffic lights in front of our house. As usual, they couldn't resist looking at and into our house. When they saw me looking at them, they looked away, it made me feel a little uneasy. Was I being judged in some way? I did feel the urge to pretend to be doing something to disguise my looking at them. They probably wondered why I was sitting staring out of the window.

A couple walked by almost running and laughing and glanced at me as they passed. Were they wondering why I was sitting staring out of the window at them? They seemed preoccupied with each other anyway and they looked happy and excited about something. The man had a checked shirt and the woman was wearing a bobble hat, but it’s not a cold day, which is odd that she was so wrapped up.

Another couple walked by, but not as happy looking as the first couple. They were older and slower. The man spent quite a long time scanning our house and garden, I wondered about his thoughts. His hands were in his pockets, I recall and his back was hunched over. He saw me sitting in the window and he looked away. They walked on by.

My mind wandered to thinking of my son. He has a rose growing through his window (fig.1) from the outside, which is odd. How did it get through that tiny gap? It must’ve been there all the time and I hadn’t noticed before. I couldn’t help myself thinking if it was a sign of something; like a new romance!

I remember looking up at the pale blue sky with blurred white clouds moving very slowly across behind the tall lanky trees.

There’s a gap in the hedge across the road and you can see to the horizon. Mist was settling and blurring the distant hedges and trees.

A crow landed on a silver birch tree for a few seconds. I remember it drew my attention to the highlights of the birches white bark turning gold in the late afternoon sun.

I noticed the leaves turning shades of yellow and orange and falling from the tree.

It is a lovely autumn day.

A pigeon settled on a very high branch. The branch didn’t look strong enough to take its weight. It stayed there for quite a long time, swaying.

The happy couple walked past again, but in the opposite direction. This time they weren’t laughing anymore; they were smiling and walked close together. They saw me looking at them and slowly looked away - not that bothered by my gaze. They looked happy.

It was very still and the trees hardly moved. It made me aware of my tinnitus whistling in my head.

A squirrel appears at the base of the trees and he had something in his mouth, but scurried off and out of my sight. The pigeon was still at the top of the tree, swaying.

A blue small car drove by and slowed for the lights. I could hear the music thumping in the car.

The pigeon flew off into the hedge opposite and joined another pigeon. The hedge moved around as they fluttered in it.

The sun faded, but the leaves caught the last of the light, hanging, weighing the tree down.

I remember seeing and hearing quite a few motorbikes. I suppose because it was a dry sunny day. I know that because my eldest son rides a motorbike”

JS. 2020

I was surprised how quickly the time went by while I was sitting in the window looking out. My mind wandered from time to time to domestic duties, (which sometimes made me feel restless) and how my son was getting on at university in Leeds. I thought about them trapped in their rooms (as they were in a high tier) and hoped they were all keeping an eye on each other. It was a warm day and as my son’s bedroom window is south facing, I felt very comfortable. His swivel chair was quite soothing as I found myself gently swivelling from side to side.

Staring out of the window reminded me of a good very early memory of me as a child sitting at a window upstairs in our old family house. It gave me space, as I remember sitting for a long time, waiting to see my older sisters come home from school. I had a clear view down the road and would see them as they approached and run downstairs to meet them.

On Zoom: 1-1 Face to face in a break out room

An uneasy feeling waiting to find out who I would be gazing at in the break out room.

What a difference a smile makes! It could have been an uncomfortable mirror. We smiled at each other for most of the five minutes until we both started giggling simultaneously! I didn’t feel as uncomfortable as I thought I would. If we could talk, I wonder what we would have talked about? The bringing of art materials to the situation immediately adds an unspoken joint agreement, the beginning of a bond.

How does this transfer to the art therapy space?

· Having something to do makes a more relaxed and natural environment

· Movement breaks the silence

· The aim is to make the space more comfortable for the client

· Conversation is preferable

( Marshall-Tierny, A 2014)

· Art materials introduce the third dimension (fig.2); a triangular relationship (Springham & Huet 2018)

Figure 2. Image From visual journal JS. 2020.

Mirroring within the Studio practice: Break out group art making, free style!

How often does one find six people (including me) in such close proximity?

We’re all gazing at our screen, although It can feel as though everyone on the screen is gazing at you.

All six of us fitted perfectly on my screen (fig. 3) and here was my inspiration for my studio art. I feel Intersubjectivity is demonstrated in this image, where we will all have probably responded to a range of non-verbal signals to and from one another, while unconsciously making connections between each other. I felt a sense of togetherness, seeing us all fitting neatly on the screen and It felt respectful to draw my co students, as I was engaging with them and giving them my full attention. I found myself interested in the different positions of our heads and how some were looking down at their work more than others.

It made sense to me to make my art from the faces on the screen.

In a life situation your eyes would have to move greater distances to capture six faces within the frame of your gaze. My eyes could move comfortably from screen to sketch book and back up again. It felt very natural and comfortable.

After a while I told them they were my art to find another in the group had done the same!

Figure 3. Photograph from visual journal. JS. 2020.

References:

Marshall-Tierney, A. (2014) ‘Making art with and without patients in acute Settings’, International Journal of Art Therapy. [Online] 19 (3) pp. 96-106. DOI: 10.1080/17454832.2014.913256

Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/17454832.2014.913256 [Accessed: 30th October 2020]

Neil Springham & Val Huet (2018) ‘Art as Relational Encounter: An Ostensive Communication Theory of Art Therapy’, Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. [online] 35 (1) pp. 4-10. DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2018.1460103

Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07421656.2018.1460103 [Accessed: 23rd November 2020]

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orangememory · 6 years

Note

Jingyan/MCS where they adopt Fei Liu?

Finally filled this prompt! Emperor Jingyan and Consort Mei discussing Princely naming options for Fei Liu. The names were supplied by friends on discord and explained in a note at the bottom. Thanks for the prompt! Also dedicated to @kngfishergrl who inspires me to write bb!FL always.

“What do you think of ‘Chong’? It suits him well, he is alwayscharging through,” says Jingyan to his newest consort, comfortably ensconcedaround one arm, his cool head on Jingyan’s shoulder. “The Ministry of Rites hasalso recommended ‘Zhong’ for hisloyalty to you, and ‘Lie’ for hisbright nature.* You know Fei Liu best, you should pick a name that he wouldlike.”

Consort Mei just softly sighs,knowing it is useless to dissuade Jingyan when he has his mind set onsomething. He can sense Fei Liu in the gardens, playing around the elaboratetreasure traps and hunts Auntie Jing has set up for the child who gets bored soeasily. Fei Liu’s energy is much more different from how it was five years ago,the aura is less sinister, more refined, and definitely bright and raging, thewords Jingyan has used to describe him.

However, Fei Liu is a still achild, in mind if not body, and there are some things Jingyan may not seethrough. And some things in Jingyan’s heart that only Mei Changsu canunderstand.

“What are you thinking Xiao Shu?Answer me quickly, yes? Select one for him, the other title can be set asidefor Tingsheng.”

If only the answer was so simple,Mei Changsu sighs.

Jingyan lays a kiss on Xiao Shu’sforehead, and his nose brushes against the delicate filigree of the gold crownthat Xiao Shu wears, making him look so regal, so ethereal, the words Jingyanwould never use for his knobbly-kneed, mud-caked, mischief-loving cousin. Ithas been quite a journey, the years in between in abject loneliness, his ascentto the throne, fighting with the Court to marry Xiao Shu and adopt Fei Liu andTingsheng, pacifying all the officials censuring the Emperor for taking thescheming, sharp Su Zhe as a consort and children with a questionable past ashis own.

Jingyan can never give back LinShu his strength and vigour, but he can give him the highest place by his side.And he can give little Fei Liu and Tingsheng, who have had the most unfortunatelife, a secure, stable place – then Xiao Shu and Brother Qi can rest easy.

There is also the matter ofTingsheng. Jingyan still feels gutted when he cannot tell Tingsheng their truebond, that the throne should belong to him – and yet Jingyan has not even beenable to make him the prince that he deserves to be, yet. In some ways, this isa start, because the Court still defers to Fei Liu’s new Langya ranking, yetthey still murmur about Tingsheng’s background as a slave.

Tingsheng has grown up so fast,he has already headed to his first military post to the East. Jingyan will notsay it out loud, but he has instructed that all military reports from the Eastbe delivered at post-haste, and on a new schedule of every week instead ofevery two weeks.

Fei Liu shares his concern, andJingyan bonds with him over the little pigeon that comes from Tingsheng everytwo days, and Jingyan laughs as he reads aloud to Fei Liu all the youthful escapadesthat Tingsheng has detailed.

Tingsheng always signs off askingnot to show it to Father, and have Sir Su or Grandmother read it to Fei Liu. Inturn, Jingyan makes sure to write back on Fei Liu’s behalf, distorting hishandwriting. Fei Liu always tells Tingsheng about the latest cookies he ate,and how many people he beat that day.

Jingyan loves these littlemoments with the two children. The three of them have never had a real father,Jingyan muses, and maybe that’s why they bond.

Although Xiao Shu would kill himfor thinking that, for he has spoiled Fei Liu just like Tainainai indulged LinShu. Jingyan smiles as he even thinks of Tainainai’s and Xiao Shu’s commondeclarations of ‘but my baby has a good temper’ even as the Lin Shu and FeiLiu, the little hellions, wreaked their own brand of havoc everywhere.

“Jingyan.”

Jingyan snaps out of his reverieas he hears his name, and realises he is still waiting for Xiao Shu’s answer onthe matter. Fei Liu still needs a title, a legitimacy only Jingyan can give.

Xiao Shu’s lips brush Jingyan’sshoulder, as he continues, “Fei Liu doesn’t need a princely title, Jingyan. Wehave already battled to adopt him, and that is enough. I know why you’reworrying, but trust me, neither of us will hold anything against you.”

Jingyan’s forehead furrows. Whatdoes Xiao Shu mean? He just wants-

“You want to make my positionstable, show the Court that no one can take me from your side. Fei Liu andTingsheng are our children now, bridges that connects us, you have tostrengthen them as well. Do you really think I did not understand your worriesand your intentions? I grew up reading your mind, water-buffalo.”

Xiao Shu’s gentle but sharp wordspierce right through Jingyan’s façade. Grinning sheepishly, Jingyan realisesthat he can never hide anything from the boy who knows Jingyan better than hisown self. Jingyan has been fighting his own insecurities, the quiet emptinesson his own – and he’s tried to protect Xiao Shu from his failings.

Jingyan thanks the heavens thatXiao Shu knows him so well, too well in fact.

“I just-”

“You don’t have to worry Jingyan.I have my own methods to silence the critics. I don’t care about positions, wewill never be apart from each other again – and I will take down anyone whodares come between us.”

Xiao Shu’s voice turns to steelas he speaks these words, and Jingyan’s heart leaps because he can now trustXiao Shu to never abandon him again, as he had almost done after the Chiyancase had been resolved.

“As for Fei Liu, a princely titlewill only bring him worries. He will have to have a certain bearing andcomportment, learn how to plot and scheme, otherwise he will be ridiculed. Ihave already taken Fei Liu through two wars, for the rest of his life, I justwant him to be happy and carefree with us, to follow his own path of martial arts.You love him so much, and that is enough.”

Jingyan’s feels this rush ofwarmth, the way Xiao Shu sees through his pain.

“The Court is still willing togrant a title to Fei Liu for his martial accomplishments, and you wish to useit to pave a way for both his and Tingsheng’s future. For now, this is notrequired. The officials who say Tingsheng is from a traitor’s family, they canbe convinced slowly, as Tingsheng succeeds in his military career. And if theyaren’t, Consort Mei will return to being Su Zhe for some time. So, you justfocus on the Empire, and I will support you in every way.”

Xiao Shu’s last words are spokenwith a strength of resolve and love, that he will always protect Jingyan andthe children. Jingyan cannot help but lean in to lay a deep kiss on Xiao Shu,which he returns just as fiercely. They’re lost in each other for some time,not needing words, until there are excited noises from the garden which disturbthem.

Commander General Meng and theEmpress Dowager are praising Fei Liu for finding the hidden treasure, and theservants are clapping with glee. Fei Liu is beaming.

As Jingyan and Xiao Shu opentheir eyes to this sound of domestic bliss, they start chuckling.

“I will heed your words Xiao Shu,it’s enough if Fei Liu is happy and loved – and we shall wait for Tingsheng,”Jingyan promises.

“As usual, I am the smart one inthis relationship, you gurgling water-buffalo,” Xiao Shu teases.

“Yes, of course, I am only just asmall Emperor of this land, nothing important at all,” Jingyan retorts rightback with a smirk.

“Well, if you were smart, youwould know by now how many people Tingsheng has kissed – hmm?”

“Xiao Shu, what-”

“You think he doesn’t know youread his letters and imitate Fei Liu’s handwriting? He writes all the boringstuff to you, and the juicy stuff to me of course.”

Jingyan just puts his head in hishands. Xiao Shu always played him, aargh! And now he was training Tingsheng?What was his life coming to?

“I give up. If there were anypolite words for smartass and cheeky I would bestow those titles upon you two!”

“Well, I may just have asuggestion for my own Consort title. How about ‘lustful’? Because that is howyou make me feel all the time.”

Jingyan’s indignation is thensilenced with Lustful Consort Mei pouncing upon him. Xiao Shu always lived upto his titles, if nothing else in this world.

*Special thanks to Discord Friends who had answered the questions about Princely Titles.

1. 冲 chong(surge, charge) 2. 忠 zhong (loyal) 3. 刚 gang (firm, upright) 4. 烈 lie(bright, raging) 5. 齐 qi (order, fast) 6. 悫 que (honest & careful/simple) 7. 熹 xi (bright, dawn) 8. 翼 yi(wing, to assist the ruler)

1 - 4are better if he’s gonna get involved in military/war shenanigans, 5 - 8 ifit’s more court stuff xD

#Nirvana in Fire #lang ya bang #drabble #my writing #don't worry its fluff

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amandasarmada · 7 years

Photo

New York Mornings (Tumblr Exclusive)

Newt’s first morning back in New York. (Takes place right before chapter 3 of my story “Summer’s Cauldron”, but you really don’t need to read that to follow along.) Sweet, fun fluff. <3 <3 <3

The sun was already bright in the sky by the time Newt stumbled into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His body felt heavy as he collapsed into his chair, barely conscious as he took his first glance around the flat.

“Good morning.”

Newt paused, his response sticking in his throat. Tina shot him a glance as she moved toward the pantry, offering him a tired, early morning smile. She was already dressed for the day, her shiny brown hair falling neatly an inch above her blazer. Newt's eyes followed her progress across the kitchen, watching as she threw open the cupboard and set to work gathering various items and assembling them on the counter. “Do you need any help?” he asked.

“I've got it,” Tina muttered, sounding distracted. She was pouring coffee now, her movements careful and deliberate as she went about her task. Newt watched her contently for a few minutes, still not truly awake. His enjoyment was two-fold; he liked just being able to study her as she worked, even in such mundane tasks - there was something about the way she moved that never failed to mesmerise him – and more than anything, he loved this simple domesticity between them, how seamlessly they fit into each other's spaces.

Tina smirked, catching him staring as she turned around. Newt's heart gave a pleasant flutter as she crossed the kitchen to join him.

“...Hi,” she whispered, her fingers brushing over his shoulder. Newt smiled, sighing deeply as he found her hand. She'd paused behind him, her arms draped across his chest, leaning down just long enough to kiss his cheek. Tina grinned, her dark eyes flickering over him. “Did you sleep well?”

Newt chuckled. “You could say that,” he agreed, turning his head to get a better look at her. Tina bit her lip, moving closer for a proper kiss. Something powerful rose up inside him as they made contact, his chest expanding as Tina's soft mouth cradled his own.

Taptaptap.

Newt frowned at the noise, hesitating for only a moment before bringing his lips back to hers. Someone was knocking on the door, he realized, but whoever it was could wait; he'd waited too long for this moment to be interrupted. Newt lifted his other hand, weaving it through her hair as he intensified the kiss. He could feel Tina smiling against his mouth as she allowed him to pull her forward.

Taptaptap.

Newt opened his eyes, blinking at the change in light.

Someone was knocking, on the outside of his case. Realizing with a jolt where he was, and when, Newt scrambled out of bed, tossing clothes and books haphazardly around the room as he tried to remember where he'd put the bag containing his new dressrobes. A glance at his pocket watch told him he hadn't overslept, but it was definitely time to get moving.

Newt washed and dressed quickly, grimacing at his reflection as he yanked a comb through his hair. He was hurrying toward the ladder a moment later, sidestepping a stray runespoor and swearing under his breath as he tried to shake off the remnants of his dream. It had been a good one, but there was no time to dwell on it; he needed his wits about him today.

The Goldstein residence was quiet as Newt climbed out of the case, though a moment's pause suggested someone might be moving around in the kitchen. He set off in that direction, still blinking himself awake.

He found Queenie by the stove, her hair still in curlers. She looked half-asleep as she directed her wand all around the kitchen, bringing the kettle to a boil as a pancake flipped of its own accord in the frying pan behind her. She glanced at him as he hovered in the threshold, trying to smile and barely stifling a yawn. “Hey honey,” she said softly.

“...Good morning,” Newt mumbled, his voice coming out slightly hoarser than usual. He grimaced, trying to avoid eye contact as he moved toward the table. “I wasn't expecting to see you back this early.”

“I could say the same for you,” Queenie said breezily. “Long night?” she added, barely hiding her smirk.

Newt flushed, knowing his memories of the evening before were probably flashing vividly across her mind. “A bit,” he said lightly, unable to meet her gaze. They'd been up past two, talking and playing cards in the sanctuary of case, retiring long after Queenie and Jacob had excused themselves for the night.

Queenie smiled at him as she crossed the kitchen. “I knew you twos had a big day ahead of you,” she explained, turning off the stove with a flick of her wand. “So I thought it might help if you got a good home-cooked breakfast.”

Newt stared, his stomach giving a leap of interest at the sight of three heaping platters of eggs, pancake stacks, and toast floating over to the table. He felt a rush of gratitude as he suddenly remembered Queenie was very much not an early riser; she must have awoken specially to come over and prepare breakfast for them. Queenie beamed at him, overhearing his thoughts.

“It's nothin', sweetie,” she murmured, setting down his cup of tea. A shuffling noise by the doorway cut off Newt's reply.

“...Hmm. Morning,” Tina mumbled, covering her mouth to stifle a yawn. Newt glanced at her, finding it impossible not to smile. She was still in her pyjamas, her unbrushed hair creating a rumpled halo around her sleepy expression.

He tried very hard not to remember his dream as he listened to Tina shuffle to the fridge, her slippers pattering across the floor. Against his better judgment, he risked another glance; she was now peering morosely into a jug of milk, looking contemplative before deciding it was safe to drink. Newt stared at his plate, still watching her out of the corner of his eye.

“Sit down honey, I'll take care of it.”

Tina had reached for the coffee mug, only to have it slid out of her grasp before she could grab it. Tina nodded, yawning as she turned toward the table. “...Thanks,” she murmured gratefully, shooting her sister an exhausted smile.

Newt was still gazing stoically at his breakfast, rifling through ideas as to how to keep his mind occupied. He glanced up again at a flicker of movement, just in time to see Tina stretch. Newt tensed. He watched in silence as her pyjama top crawled up, revealing several inches of bare stomach. His mouth had suddenly gone dry. Newt clutched his fork a little tighter.

Tina slid into her chair, stifling another yawn as she pushed her hair out of her face. “Here, eat up,” Queenie whispered, setting down a plate in front of her.

“This looks great,” Tina mumbled, blinking down at it. “Thank you,” she added longingly, moaning as she brought the mug of coffee to her lips.

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something please...

Newt winced, staring stoutly at the table top as he repeated the words over and over again in his head. Tina turned to him.

“Did you sleep well?” she asked, her voice low as she managed a tired smile. Newt started.

“Sorry?” He stared at her, wondering if his heart was pounding as loudly as he suspected.

Tina picked up her fork, glancing at him as she took a bite of her eggs. “Were you comfortable enough in your case? Do you think you'd prefer the spare bed next time you sleep over?”

The...? Newt swallowed, having an involuntary flash of her bedroom. He remembered with a shiver a dream he'd had shortly after she'd left England; it had come at the end of an evening in which he'd taken ages to fall asleep, unable to stop thinking of her curled up in his bed. His sheets had smelled of her for days...

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something please...whether we be old and bald, or young with scabby knees....

“Newt?” Tina pressed, raising her eyebrows. He jerked up, startled. She was still staring at him, looking mildly concerned.

“Sorry.” Newt cleared his throat, his face burning. “I don't think I'm quite awake yet,” he said feebly, rubbing his temples.

Tina looked at him sympathetically. “It's probably the time difference,” she said calmly, taking another long swig of her coffee. Newt gave a quiet hum of agreement, cramming eggs into his mouth in the hope he wouldn't be expected to speak again.

“You want honey, honey?” Queenie glanced at him, her hand poised above his teacup.

Newt gave a noncommittal nod, refusing to look up. “Thank you,” he muttered.

Silence fell around the table, the only sounds that of a few stray pigeons chirping outside the window. Queenie moved away, starting to clear the counters. Newt barely tasted his food.

Once lodged in his mind, the sight of Tina spread luxuriously across his bed proved difficult to get rid of. She wasn't even indecent, he just liked imagining her looking so relaxed and intimate in her baggy old pyjamas, with that dark hair splayed across his pillow - yet the thought of another person sharing in these images was enough to leave a cold sweat all along his spine. Queenie took her seat beside him, taking a dainty bite of eggs before wiping her mouth. Newt felt a rush of dread.

Our heads could do with filling, with some interesting stuff – for now they're bare and full of air, dead flies and bits of fluff...

So teach us things worth knowing, bring back what we've forgot...Just do your best, we'll do the rest, and learn until our brains all rot.

Tina had finished with her breakfast; she laid her head down on her arms across the table, blinking sleepily. Newt took an enormous sip of tea, trying not to think about just how charming this image was. Next to him, Queenie sighed.

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, teach us something please-

“NEWT!” she exploded, her corkscrew curls bouncing as she turned her head. Newt dropped his fork, startled at her outburst.

“I’m tryin’ to stay out, alright?” she drawled patiently, flinching slightly nonetheless. “But you’re makin’ it impossible, sweetie.”

“Sorry,” he stammered, his cheeks twinging rosily. Tina glanced at him curiously, though resumed contemplating her breakfast without comment.

After a few awkward minutes Queenie climbed to her feet, announcing that she was going to start the laundry before going to pick up Jacob. “We'll be there at ten o'clock sharp though, don't you worry honey,” she added, flicking her wand so her dirty dishes began rinsing themselves off in the sink. Newt looked up at her words.

“You know you really don't have to do that,” he said quickly, feeling his face turn red. “I'm sure it'll be just a small affair-”

Queenie waved him off, smiling slightly as she slipped into the hallway. Tina stifled another heady yawn.

“Forgive me, Tina. I feel like an absolute cad asking you to wake up so early,” Newt muttered, looking at her apologetically. “And on a Saturday-”

“Don't be dumb, I'm usually at the office by now,” Tina said sleepily, shivering as she brought her mug to her lips. “Have some coffee if you're that tired,” she suggested, closing her eyes as she savoured the rush of caffeine. “It helps.”

Newt smirked, flashing her a quick grin. “I'm sure it does,” he said lightly, a teasing smile playing at his lips. “It's just a pity about the taste.” Tina grinned, rolling her eyes.

“We need to get going,” she added, peering up at the clock on the wall. “I'm not even ready yet,” she mumbled, rubbing the side of her face.

“As I said, if you're not up for it,” Newt offered, not quite looking at her.

“Can it,” she muttered, climbing to her feet. “Give me fifteen minutes. I just need to shower and get changed-”

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, HOGGY WARTY HOGWARTS, TEACH US SOMETH-

They both jumped, hearing the unmistakable sound of something breaking in the next room.

#newtina #fbawtft #newt scamander #tina goldstein #queenie goldstein #my fanfic #tumblr exclusive #summer's cauldron #summers cauldron #am i upset at the news that Newt apparently did not return to NY?#yes #but in my universe the ministry is very grateful about Newt's role in rescuing several other important prisoners from Nurmengard #so here we are #:) :) :)

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theramseyloft · 4 years

Text

Cognition and Sociology Research

When I was raising doves I found some research papers about pigeons categorizing things and learning the equivalent of words the way human children do.

At the time, I just thought it was neat.

But when we got the most pitiful pigeon I have ever seen into wildlife rehab (I'm their columbid specialist),

I built off of that research and started talking to him, like you would a nonverbal three year old.

Entirely on his own, he started alerting me for anxiety attacks, and even worked out how to bring me down from bad ones if he couldn't warn me fast enough.

He knew I was diabetic before I did, and also started alerting me for blood sugar spikes all on his own.

I'm an autistic woman with ADHD, PTSD, and pretty severe social anxiety.

My two biggest fears in public are anxiety attacks and over-stimulation.

Those of you with mental illness are aware that panic attacks and anxiety attacks are two different things.

A panic attack is a sudden reaction to a specific stimulus.

An anxiety attack is more of a straw that broke the camels back after a prolonged build up of stressors.

From my perspective, they feel exactly the same.

Because I am not aware of the build up of stress until I have that last straw moment, an anxiety attack can hit me out of nowhere, for absolutely no reason I am capable of discerning in the moment.

It makes going anywhere alone absolutely terrifying because I have no way of knowing when or if or even why I may suddenly have an anxiety attack.

Under enough duress, I can’t function. Like my brain just shorts out.

I get hit with a wave of exhaustion. All the energy drains out through the soles of my feet, and I'm just.. so deeply tired I could just crumple up where I stand.

Blood sugar spikes feel, to me, exactly like that stressed out shut down.

Ankhou can read that build up, and differentiate between anxiety, blood sugar, and just plain physically tired.

If I am actually just tired, Ankhou will wait for me to get comfortable, snuggle in with me, and join the nap.

When he becomes aware that I'm approaching the degree of stressed that preceeds an anxiety attack, he gets on my shoulder or in my lap and leans against my cheek or preens my hand: Letting me know I need to relax and providing me a soft stim to relax come down with.

If he stands on my chest and stretches to be eye level, that't my warning that I need to immediately find a place to sit down and pet him to prevent myself from shutting down entirely.

If he has not gotten to me soon enough and I am fully shut down, he gets in my lap and gently preens the underside of my forearm until I respond to stroke him.

If I'm having a blood sugar spike, he will do absolutely anything in his power to prevent me from falling asleep! He'll start by preening and nudging my hands to pet him. If I don’t respond, he bites my fingers.

If I don’t respond to that, he bites the back of my hand. Then the soft tender bit between my fingers, then my inner elbow, then my ear, then my cheek...

And then if absolutely nothing else will rouse me, he will bite my eyelid.

If absolutely nothing will get me to respond, he'll find who ever else is in the house and throw himself at their office or room door until they come check on me.

And I got to thinking: If a feral literally off the street would do that on his own...

What would happen if I selectively bred the birds most comfortable around and interested in people?

And gave them very basic training? Like responding to their name, loading eagerly into a carrier, comfortably wearing a harness, responding to a few simple commands like Step up...

At the time, I was raising show pigeons.

And one of the highest criteria for working with a breed was its tractability and docility.

So I already had this collection of the breeds that were easiest to handle, most physically fit, with the best parents instincts like tight setting of eggs and chicks and excellent feeding responses...

Letting them blend would mean I wouldn’t have to keep pairs penned anymore!

So I laid out sand on the floor to make cleaning easier, got them nest boxes and stacked them to the wall.

Got them shelves with hardware cloth supporting comfy rubber mats I could take out and hose off.

And let them pair up as they would.

I have a cap of 10 mature breeding pairs.

When a keeper baby hits 6 months, the adult of the same sex that is either least healthy, least friendly, or has the worst parenting record gets retired and adopted to their permanent home as a pet.

That's the only influencing I have over pairings.

The birds can otherwise do and bond as they please.

Babies who do not enjoy any aspect of the training program are not forced to continue. I just mark them as pet instead of potential therapy bird.

I record everything they do.

Who they pair with, how well they parented the babies, how the babies developed, who wants to sit with me, under what circumstance.

How treat motivated are they?

How much and where do they like to be petted?

How keen are they to sit with me with no treat reward vs. treat time?

Upon reaching maturity, does any of that change?

Pigeons are a very unusual sort of social among the columbidae.

Most other birds, including the vast majority of dove and pigeon species, see fully self feeding fledgelings as new competition for resources and drive them out of their territory.

They can feed off a rich ground together, but only watch out for and cooperate with their current mate. They do not seek out other birds’ company, they just happen to be in the same place at the same time.

Rock doves and their domesticated descendants' flocks are strikingly human like extended families.

Parents, grandkin, aunts, uncles, children, cousins, grand children: all live together year round in a nesting site that functions kinda like a human tribe or village.

Babies only ever leave the flock to start a new one when there are not enough resources to support the number of birds.

When they fledge and leave the nest, their dad takes over the bulk of their care. He feeds them, shows them where to find food, water, and nest material, and teaches them how to integrate into pigeon society.

When to be assertive so they don’t get crowded out and can get what they need, and when to defer to the status of an older, bigger bird to avoid being injured in a fight.

The rest of the flock will usually haze a peep the first day it's down: Basically each taking heir turn to assert "I'm older and bigger, and I out rank you." Knowing where they are in the chain of command makes things like coordinating flock foraging parties around avoiding predators and navigating changing weather conditions go smoothly when it's time to venture forth from the nesting grounds.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150609213053.htm

Pigeon society is democratic.

Every fully fledged bird has a say in where they go and what they do on missions.

The individual that knows the best places to find food, water, or nest material will lead the mission out to get that thing, and the bird who is best at navigating leads the foraging party back home afterwards.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100416214045.htm

Pigeon flocks are a meritocracy.

A mission leader earns that status by actually being the best at that specific task, and if some one else gets better at it, the flock will follow that bird instead.

https://www.audubon.org/news/in-homing-pigeon-flocks-bad-bosses-quickly-get-demoted

This one isn’t pigeon specific, but pigeons are SUPER communicative, and it would not surprise me to find that this applies to pigeon peeps as well.

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/baby-birds-communicate-eggs-hatch?fbclid=IwAR39CYrHAfFM6nAP8Rq3TvOox1p5vcb3Z87xqjPoiYNCwMoRvuQaWCeSFjs

Maybe less because their parents sit on them constantly, but I have seen evidence for peeps hatching with anxiety during a stressful time for the flock.

Pigeons, like baboons, are capable of higher level cognition.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090212141143.htm

In fact, their brains are wired a lot like ours!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130717095336.htm

Facial recognition is as important to them as it is to us, and it functions the same way ours does.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130717095336.htm

Like corvids, and unlike most parrots, pigeons recognize themselves in mirrors.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080613145535.htm

I have seen evidence that they can differentiate a mirror from a photo and a video, and can recognize themselves in a video with significant delay.

This degree of self awareness is why their name is the first concrete thing my babies learn.

When a baby reaches a week of age, it gets a name and observes the older birds at treat time in my lap.

I greet each individual by name and give them a safflower seed held between thumb and forefinger. (Making my hand look more bird head shaped than the usual talon or snake head shape that hands present to birds on an instinctive level)

There are often individuals in a flock who will feed any peep that toddles up and begs. By doing treat time this way, I take on this "auntie" roll for my flock and emulate the comfort of being fed by a big, protective parent.

When the baby starts to peck and beg me for seeds, I greet it by name and pop a safflower seed into its mouth just like the adults.

That baby learns that its name specifies that I am addressing it, and no other bird, and associates being addressed by name with getting something good.

The end result is a baby who knows and eagerly responds to their name.

The information in these three studies:

proving that pigeons categorize like we do https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140402095107.htm

They learn the equivalent of words the way human children do https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150204184447.htm

And pattern map with enough nuance to differentiate a word from an acronym the same number of letters. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160919111535.htm

was the basis of my linguistic training with Ankhou.

Language is a pattern of matching words to objects, places, individuals, actions, and concepts.

Pigeons are communicative, social learning pattern mappers, already wired to map the pattern of language by the same mechanic as a human toddler.

My job is to feed Ankhou the pattern by which humans vocally communicate and let him do with it what pigeons do best.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171204144805.htm

Pigeons understand abstracts like time and space.

Ankhou understands the abstract concepts of choice and consent, and is capable of giving me a clear yes or no answer.

And the exciting thing is that he isn’t special in that regard.

All pigeons are wired to learn language this way, and with patience and consistence, any of them at any age can be taught.

It's just easiest for babies who were raised with it.

Pigeon society is close enough to a big, extended human family that an individual pigeon can integrate easily into a human flock.

The more easily they can communicate with us and we can with them, the more easily they can integrate and the closer bonds they can form with their partner.

So the bulk of our research here at The Ramsey Loft is centered around decoding pigeon communication, pushing to see how much of ours they can be taught, what environment and methods are most conducive to teaching them, how big a part genetics play, and how accurately those traits can be selected for.

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autumn-in-phandom · 7 years

Text

MEET HOT DADDIES IN OUR AREA!

(That’s clickbait if I’ve ever seen it)

Dan and Phil play: Dream Daddy #2

0:01 I love Phil in his burgundy hearts shirt. 0:02 Dan’s shirt is a bit distracting but he looks really cute in it. 0:05 The dog *was* the most important thing last time. 0:08 The animated corgi added in and the effect that Phil bops it down with his fist while saying “sadly the owner was quite sassy” was quite satisfying. 0:25 Love the slow pan in intro with the logo and hearts. 0:29 Hearing Phil say “our old husband” is a bit surreal. 0:30 “died!” in sync 0:58 Reaffirming their dad choices are each other. 1:05 Is Dan chewing on something? 1:28 Dan sings “Dream Daddy” 1:39 “We apologize so much.”- Dan

1:52 “Bouncy baby Craig”- Phil (how Phil remembers names) 2:02 “That’s how to instantly be like ‘wrong number, bye.’”- Dan miming texting 2:10 “6 am, no. On the no pile straight away”-Dan “That is criminal.”- Phil 2:22 (I had to look up “swole”) 2:24 Two messages is a little bit desperate according to Phil 2:27 Dan feels sorry that he maybe doesn’t have anyone to do bro brunches with. 2:36 “Sure you wann ‘catch up’” innuendo according to Dan 2:50 “What year is it?”- in sync “3,300”- Phil 2:58 “That’s more Dan and Phil, being late for everything.”- Phil

3:06 Flash back to parents evening, so awkward, judging you to your face 3:23 Bright orange visitors sticker “right on the forehead”- Phil “Bonk”- Dan 3:28 “Haggard” has a wizard association with Phil 3:40 “A youth”- Dan 3:50 Lucien is what Phil wanted to look like in college. 3:55 Probably Dan’s best voice of this game. 4:22 Low rent Gerard Way burn reaction. 4:37 Phil thinks Hugo has “swanky clothes” 4:51 Phil singing “we’re not okay”

5:01 Phil’s “He’s gonna get the cane out” Dan’s reaction and Phil’s giggling while reading 5:25 “Good one” to Dan’s elbow blowing 5:38 I like that Dan just immediately goes for that bell sound effect 5:45 Phil describes their parent teacher conferences, teachers “sass us to our faces” 5:55 Dan’s half mouth teacher imitation we’ve seen in skits. I’m not sure why, but it bothers me a bit. 6:25 “First name basis” Dan dance “Watch out”- Phil 7:47 “I turn around and go damn, he really fills out those trousers.”- Daniel Howell 8:00 Hugo is “too stuffy”- Phil “I’m not into that”- Dan 8:13 “A wet book.” Okay Phil. (Books smell great I’m unstanning) 8:23 Phil clarifies the husband wasn’t killed by kangaroos.

8:35 James Corden singing with Harry Styles in the car reference. (Actually worth watching imo.) 9:22 Dan being disturbed by the father daughter talk in the car sounding like a sex talk. “That sounds like something else.” “Oh god, where’s this going?” 9:48 If I was Dan’s grandma following him on Twitter and watching his videos, I would be concerned by a lot more than just his language. (But they seem to be very close and he probably explained his humor to her long ago.) 10:40 “Is it a meme?”- Phil “Probably, a super ironic meme.”- Dan

11:25 “We know what a mall is.”- Phil 11:30 Dan remembers being shouted at for loitering 11:40 “Heck.”- a quiet and amused Dan 11:44 “Always go for Chinese.”- Dan 11:46 “Oh my god mall Chinese food is the best.”- Phil 12:00 “They have a great bond! Talk about your problems Amanda!”- Dan reacting to Dilddy and Amanda’s food humor 12:33 Their reaction to Phil having predicted the memes convo. 12:57 Dan’s Memeing of Life video reference. 13:06 Phil “lets” Dan say the swear word. Transitions into “dat boy” reference. 13:26 Dan’s over reaction to anti-establishment/capitalism rant, Phil practically rolling his eyes 13:43 “Okay, this is like, stop trying so hard to prove how cool and critical your opinions are, Brah. God. Jesus.”- Dan

14:30 Blue raspberry slushies are dangerous 14:40 Dan would have cried about MCR merch being ruined 14:48 And would still wear it 15:05 Yeah, Dan we all know what it’s trying to parody. 15:10 Both of them would rather go to Bed, Bath & Beyond (domestic <3) 15:23 “Don’t think that way Dilddy, you’re valid.”- Dan

15:35 “Guess the name. Vincent.”- Dan “Dracula.”- Phil “Just straight up Dracula.”- Dan cracking up 16:05 Dan is highly amused by “Edwardian dressage” 16:10 Phil looks done, admits “I’m not sure I’m going to date this one.” 16:28 “Not carrier pigeon? Wow, this guy is not carrying it through.”- Dan 16:30 Phil is liking his nail varnish 16:40 “All I know is that he’s way too high maintenance for me and I’m noping out of there.”- Dan (I like how in this case both Dan and Phil seem to be speaking as themselves not wanting to date Damien, not speaking about what’s right for Dilddy) 17:30 They are both “intrigued, but not at all interested.”

17:44 D&P would watch “Long Haul Paranormal Ice Road Ghost Truckers” 18:26 “Hop on the Reddits and down vote some comments.”- Dan 18:38 “Wow, productive day for Dilddy there, not.”- wow Dan 18:46 When did Dan start with the snorting? I feel like this is a somewhat recent development. 19:09 Furniture assembling is all about interpretation 19:16 “Dilddy continues to be the most relatable character ever.”- Seriously Dan, hush, you have no room to talk. 19:22 A few seconds later: “Yeah, its honest”

20:07 “They’ve got some punch going on, wieners, chairs, plants and lots of cakes. This is a damn good cookout if you ask me.”- Dan 20:25 Dan thinks Joesph sounds like Viktor from Yuri on Ice. 20:52 “Ohh, okay, can’t be a home wrecker then.”- Dan 21:19 “Wow Mary.”- Phil, dragging her 20:20 “I *love* her, literal goals.”- Dan 21:33 “All the guys!”- Dan doing a weird arm flap thing “Ohhh, there’s more guys”- Phil

21:40 Dan loosing total composure over Robert. 21:45 Rugged (edgy) vs rustic (like Amish, ok Dan) 21:50 “Why does he need the whisky, what does he want to do with the eyes? Fuck!“- Dan 22:00 Phil predicts that Dilddy and Robert are not going to get along 22:15 “He’s a bundle of laughs.”- Phil no likee, Dan likee very much

22:40 Phil’s whiny dad voice is a marvel 22:46 “Pleasantries!”- both 22:58 “Wow Amanda.”- Phil 23:06 “It’s Mat! He’s my fave!”- Phil 23:10 “What a cool guy and mysterious.”- Dan about Robert 23:14 “Boo.”- Dan at Brian, mumbles something about dog 23:18 “Edwardian!”- Dan about Damien 23:21 “Hella awkward.”- Dan about Hugo 23:28 “What a coincidence!” (that all the dads live on their cul-de-sac) 23:40 “Mysterious stranger and guy that was too boastful, that doesn’t seem like a good combination, I do want to get to know the mysterious guy more, but I kinda want to avoid Brian.”- Gee Dan, we can tell. 23:51 “Teacher- awkward, Mat- nice, Craig”- Dan, “We like Craig”- Phil

24:02 Look at that diverse group of hot dads! 24:08 “He needs help. Let’s go rescue Craig, that’s definitely what this is.”- Dan 24:16 “Oh my god, Hugo. Stop.”- Phil looking pained 24:36 “Like a Labrador.”- Dan (second Labrador mention this week) 24:44 Craig calls River “little bro” so Dan uses male pronoun only to find out seconds later River is a girl. “Poor baby.” 25:02 Hand quotes abound 25:11 Dan whispers “What the fuck does that mean?” He really wants to know the details of their college relationship 25:20 Daniel James Howell burnt pasta because he didn’t know he had to put water in it. Shame him.

25:50 Dan tells Phil to make Mat’s daughter sound a bit more cool 25:55 “Coot!” “Coot!” 26:00 “Mat is just too cute”- Dan (I thought for sure he was going to say too cool) 26:02 “Dreamboat”- Phil (Dan seems a bit surprised by Phil’s sudden statement) 26:06 “Delet”- Dan who is being slowly won over 26:20 Carmensita is such “an amazingly cool name” 26:23 “Fuck off Daisy. No one likes you Daisy.”- I swear to god, pausing during Dan’s outbursts reveal the best Phil faces 27:03 “Smoooking”- Dan lip shake thing 27:18 Can anyone make out what Dan says about Craig and Mat here? “There’s a… those two.”?

27:40 “Wow. Incredible.”- D “What a delinquent.”- P “Seriously.”- D 27:48 “I mean if you give him a name like Ernest he’s gonna rebel.”- Dan 27:53 “Shout out to any Ernests watching.”- Phil 28:10 Props to Phil for his moody teenage boy voice 28:20 “Woah, edge detected!”- Dan 28:28 What the heck was that Dan? 28:55 Dan thinks Dilddy is cool for not being pretentious 28:56 Dan would be friends with someone who says they’re “cool as a cucumber” 29:58 “From my experience, the moment you stop living with your parents you suddenly are like ‘I love my family!’ but maybe that’s just because you’re used to there being food in the house, and not having to do your own laundry.”- okay Dan, don’t ruin a nice thing. 30:40 “Diddly P!”

30:45 Phil asks Dan if he’s liking Damien’s aesthetic, Dan: “no”. 32:00 Damien Bloodmarch “too much” 32:20 “Wow. Smooth. He’s definitely a vampire.”- Phil 32:30 “Hello Amanda.”- in unison “We should do it at the same time.”- you just did Dan 32:53 “Can we all be Mary?”- Dan (with her wine goals) 33:37 Dan bangs the desk “Everything’s connected!” (Lucien and Damien) 33:45 “Fight! Fight! Fight!”- Dan 34:18 “Joesph is so wholesome, when he isn’t passively aggressively correcting his wife. It’s a facade”- Dan 34:30 “Edge detected!”- Dan 35:03 “The Satan number.”- Phil

35:47 “The Game of Thrones.”- Phil “Yeah sure, it better be”- Dan 35:55 Just going to call him Diddly 37:30 “Wow. I kind of like this. It’s like me, just constant, like joking, then double joking, then triple joking and then everyone’s like ‘wow, do you have a personality or are you just hiding it until layers of humor as a defense mechanism?’”- Dan (wow that went deep) 37:45 “It’s okay Dan.”- Phil, “I’m just kidding.”- Dan 39:39 “Ginger representation.”- Dan (not sure what that has to do with anything but they’re warming up to Brian 40:40 Phil loves the puns, Dan wants them to stop. Clearly Phil was meant to be the dad.

43:03 Dan is into the cauliflower, he will eat the cauliflower, he’s just putting that out there (he also put out a negative opinion on cucumbers not long ago I believe. What does it mean?) 44:00 Wine and Dine Mastermind sounds like something they’d watch 44:33 “Kiddo” reminds Dan of Sans 44:50 “Definitely” earned that ice cream sandwich 45:07 Dan helping Phil with assuaging and exacerbating 45:45 Phil’s dad performance kills me from here on 46:16 “Don’t complain about the attitude. If you want to be protective stick to the issue. So you could say I have a right to be concerned but is that a bit entitled?”- Dan, “I think just like I was scared.”- Phil “It shows vulnerability. That’s how to do it.”- Dan (very wise, what good dads, now good luck keeping a level head when you are actually upset) 46:46 “Say sorry Amanda.”- Phil 46:56 Paused here, D&P’s facial and body language accurately reflect how I feel about what Phil just said about his bedroom. Both their eyes move away from each other and they look tired.

47:22 Phil’s least favorite is Hugo, “He’s so stuffy. I mean intelligence can be attractive but I think when he’s just uhbuhburhburhbuhbahbah”- how’d that go again Phil?

47:30 “He’s got that walrus mustache.”- Dan

47:36 Phil is liking Mat: made banana bread, funny, sensitive and Craig: friend from college, quite funny, and doesn’t really fit in with the snarffle snarffle something

47:47 Dan likes the tall dark mysterious stranger (“Really?” asks Phil surprised, like it wasn’t obvious) cracking inappropriate jokes is literally himself, thinks the darkness might be a pretense and that he could be really soft and vulnerable on the inside “WHO KNOWS?!” Hmmm.

#dapgames #dnp games #dnp timestamps #dan and phil #phan

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