#no donkeys bc we already have horses

[animalcrossingshowdown]

#misc polls #I tried to avoid animals that already exist or could easily be made with existing bases #like no owls bc blathers and celeste #no donkeys bc we already have horses #I know tortimer is a tortoise but think of the potential a shell has for designs #plus tortimer is very old I think a villager turtle would look substantially different #and lyle is an otter not a weasel #I also had long haired cat pointy eared dog and floppy eared rabbit on here but replaced them with more unique animals #had to really comb through littelest pet shop databases to think of some of these lmao

[troglobite]

okay i’m gonna ramble abt my pokemon and their names below the cut, now. pokemon scarlet is really fun so far!

okay so my starter was fuecoco, who is now a skeledirge, of course. his name is chamaco bc he is best boy. lol

i also have a mudsdale again! you all may remember (lol no you won’t) that my Number One Best Boy in pokemon shield was a mudsdale named jack! he was so named bc i--well, i typically do joke names for my pokemon. lol whatever comes to mind first as a reference, and then i spin off of that. so “jackass” for donkey (bc mudbrays look like lil donkeys) and therefore jack bc that’s a Name. lol

SO my mudsdale THIS time is a sweet gal whomst i’ve named jackie jr. she is PERFECT and i LOVE HER and she’s SO STRONG. she maxed out the friendship stat w me SO FUCKING FAST. we are at FIVE HEARTS and SOARING! she dodges attacks, withstands critical hits, LANDS critical hits, shakes off status effects--all bc she Loves Me and i LOVE HER. even chamaco, who is ALSO grossly overleveled for where i am, hasn’t maxed out his friendship w me! incredible. mudsdales are just my best friends, i guess. lol

i also just defeated the montenevera ghost gym which was REALLY FUCKING FUN!!!! i LOVE doubles battles now. lol

my team for that (only 4 of em got used, including jackie jr) was a tinkaton named molly, a dedenne named denow, a pawniard named godiva (who did not get used bc she is, unfortunately, not v fast & ryme’s pokemon were SO FAST), a sneasel named hash, and a dachsbun named sopapilla (also wasn’t used--ended up just not being required). 

molly the tinkaton is so named bc i think the tinkatinks look like baby dolls, so i named her after the american girl doll molly. lol 

dedenne is named denow bc denne (the way i say it, at least) just sounds like “then” so.....”now” lol

the pawniard godiva basically went knight/soldier --> horses --> “girl” pokemon --> lady godiva

sneasel named hash was shortened from the hash slinging slasher from spongebob lol

the dachsbun--every fidough and dashsbun i have is named after a different sweet pastry. i had already used a few others by the time i caught this one, so sopapilla she became. lol

other fun pokemon names i have

crabrawler named mr. krabs. obvious

a pawmi/pawmo named knope. pawmi sounded like pawnee as in pawnee indiana as in parks and rec. it’s yellow/blond, so knope after leslie knope. lol (however unlike leslie knope, this poor thing cannot accomplish anything; kept getting oneshotted in EVERY SINGLE BATTLE even with type AND level advantages, and always went last, so i removed them from the team)

a yellow/electric oricorio named graham. i haven’t used her on my team for a bit, but she was VERY fun bc she loved obliterating other pokemon and then doing her little cheerleader cheer. adorable. she’s named graham bc that was clea duvall’s character’s name in but i’m a cheerleader. lol

there’s also a bergmite named titanic. obvious.

a falinks named stratagem. 

i have a primeape named don john. this one is a bit of a story. the fucking thing wouldn’t stay in the FUCKING POKEBALL when i was trying to catch it. i just kept shouting BASTARD. FUCKER. and then when i caught it i was like i have to name this fucking bastard. so i went “who’s a famous shakespearean bastard” so don john it was bc that’s the bastard villain in much ado about nothing.

a bombirdier is named bomberjacket. obviously.

a bronzor named robro. for no real reason. robot-adjacent. bro as in pal.

a flittle named didi bc it looks like dexter’s sister from dexter’s laboratory.

a torkoal named orly in honor of the tortle orly from critical role campaign two. lol

a foongus named mogus. OBVIOUSLY. 

a grafaiai named jeff, in honor of jeff corwin, who loves funky little creechurs. it was either that or steve, but i already had one of those koala pokemon named irwin.

a zorua named hot topic. again, obvious.

a wiglett named wormy. obvious and also a spongebob reference

a red/fire oricorio named cecilia. i just looked up lists of famous flamenco dancers and chose a name. she is graham’s gf. lol

i also caught two finizen. one “boy” and one “girl”, whom i named frank and lisa, respectively. hoping i don’t need to explain that one. lol 

oh god i caught an espathra and named it limu. utter nonsense, but EXTREMELY funny.

i have a rolycoly named calcifer jr bc on my final team in pokemon shield i had a coalossal named calcifer. 

i didn’t bother doing this for all of the meowths and other kitty pokemon, but i do at least have one meowth named rumpleteazer. 

i have two girafarig--jeffrey and jessica. bc. toys r us. 

a naclstack named saltlick. boring and obvious.

all of the shinx that i caught were named something with an x at the end, like beatrix. 

similar to godiva, i have another pawniard named gallahad.

my silicobra is called sidewinder.

my mimikyu is called sadboi.

OH i can’t believe i forgot abt him! i have a charcadet named ZUKO! bc of course i had to.

oh i was proud of the silly names for my tadbulbs/bellibolts: philhamenta and floralescent. lolololol (filament and philhemina, floral and flourescent)

clodsire got the simple and beautiful name: clodia

a stunky named flower. bc Duh.

a cyclizar named garyl bc Also Duh.

a shroomish named alexis in honor of the black forager whomst i follow on instagram. lol

i named a murkrow hatred bc IT WOULD NOT STAY IN THE FUCKING BALL. IT TOOK LIKE 7 DIFFERENT MURKROW AND LIKE 25 BALLS JUST TO CATCH ONE. i was infuriated by the end of it.

oh i named the squawkabillies that i caught after the mother of rock n roll, so there’s rosetta and tharpe. and then also bruce just bc. lol

 my sandygast was named calvin bc it reminds me of the snowmen that calvin from calvin and hobbes used to make. lol

i named a skiddo shoom bc: goat. yuzu is the Goat. yuzu is too obvious and doesn’t have anything to do w a grass type pokemon. we call baby yuzu shoom bc he had a mushroom haircut for a long time. this skiddo is the “baby” form of its eventual evolution. and therefore: shoom.

i have a fletchling named gayle and a fletchinder named chris. in honor of chris fleming, bc fletchling reminded me of the name fleming. and gayle bc GAYLE! 

azumarill named tink bc i’m not creative.

oh my god i can’t believe i forgot. i have a klawf named tumblr. i don’t need to explain that one. lol

oh i have a shroodle named porfo. why? bc it looks UTTERLY FUCKING BIZARRE and vaguely resembled porfo, a character who is The Mascot of drawfee. 

i have a flabebe named moira. thoughts: flower = rose. the rose family from schitt’s creek. ~flabebe~ is how moira pronounces baby in the show. hence. moira.

a bonsly named james bond. hopefully also obvious.

the first smoliv i caught was named kalamata. bc that is the Best Kind of olive. lol

i named my rookidee (who is now a corvisquire) beth, after beth from queen’s gambit. bc. y’know, rook.

i also have a floatzel named yeet. lol

OH and most importantly i have a tandemaus named dubstep. bc deadmau5. 

OKAY THAT’S IT. just wanted to have some fun w the names n stuff. lol

so far my Absolute Precious Babies are:

jackie jr the mudsdale, chamaco the skeledirge, graham the electric oricorio, molly the tinkaton, tink the azumarill (who obliterated TWO team star fortresses almost entirely on her own), and denow the dedenne.

there are some other cuties, but these lil guys are the Bestest lil guys. lol

[anhed-nia]

BLOGTOBER 10/5/2022: THE ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932)

Rewatching this movie had me looking up the history of mules. I guess we've been making them since before 1,000 BC, out of usually a female horse and a male donkey. (This is apparently easier than the other way around for some reason that I'm too lazy to sort out) We like them because, as George Washington put it, "more docile than donkeys and cheap to maintain"—that is, it's easier for them to get and keep a job. You may have guessed already that I'm siphoning all this off of Wikipedia, so I'll add without further worry of sounding especially educated that Charles Darwin wrote: "The mule always appears to me a most surprising animal. That a hybrid should possess more reason, memory, obstinacy, social affection, powers of muscular endurance, and length of life, than either of its parents, seems to indicate that art has here outdone nature". The thing about the mule, though, as with many interspecies hybrids, is that you usually have to make them from scratch because of an imbalance of partnerable chromosomes. Not much has changed in this regard since the time of Darwin, but we still consider the mule to be worth the effort.

Why the hell was I talking about this? …Oh, it was because of the difference between H.G. Wells' 1896 novel The Isle of Doctor Moreau, and its most successful adaptation, Erle Kenton's ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. Despite the 1932 film being pre-code, it is inevitably less aggressive about torture than its literary predecessor, which was in part inspired by the contemporary anti-vivisection movement of the latter 1800s. There is only so much Kenton (a former animal exhibitor, whatever that's worth to you!) could show, or maybe that he was willing to describe, in terms of what happens in rogue vivisectionist Dr. Moreau's dreadful "House of Pain". The book is focused on Moreau's idea that being motivated by pain is a primitive characteristic, and that his homemade humans can be perfected through exposure therapy. He laments the inevitable return of the bestial characteristics in his test subjects, but believes that his necessarily agonizing creation process will ultimately bring the results he craves: "Each time I dip a living creature into the burning bath of pain, I say, this time I will burn out all the animal, this time I will make a rational creature of my own."

As a refresher, the exiled Moreau (played in the film by Charles Laughton, who of course is EVERYTHING in this movie) is trying to make a his own humans from the raw material of various living animals. Protagonist Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) is appalled by this discovery when misadventure delivers him to the titular island, but he is still slow to pick up on the fact that the alluring Lota (Kathleen Burke, who also joined co-writer Philip Wylie on MURDERS IN THE ZOO) may be a product of Moreau's process, despite the doctor's suspiciously aggressive attempts to hook them up. With his fiancee Ruth (Leila Hyams) still over the sea, Edward is happy to sample the wares until he discovers Lota's feline claws. It seems that he was able to preserve his naivete because of Moreau's promise that Lota is "pure Polynesian", which to him justifies the fact that she has little more intelligence than a house cat; I'm sure there is abundant scholarship on themes of racism and miscegenation in ISLAND, but since I'm not in the know, I'll just leave that there for someone else to pick up. What Moreau seems mostly concerned about is the fertility of his creations (specifically, whether they can produce new humans), and when it becomes clear that Edward isn't going to consummate with his catwoman, the doctor is disappointed—until Ruth arrives to rescue her man, attracting the attention of lonely Beast Men. For better or worse, we don't get to find out whether that would make for a fruitful union, because of the inevitable uprising of the creatures (led by Bela Lugosi) against their monstrous creator.

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS remains effectively disturbing after almost a century, but it's interesting to observe how it was censored. Themes of rape and forced parenthood were either a little too subtle to punish, or just not perceived as that big of a deal in the face of actual blasphemy. Sure, the vivisection element was problematic, but what really bothered censors was Moreau playing God. The British Board of Film Censors found the idea of humans controlling evolution "repulsive" and "unnatural", and in America the Production Code Administration insisted on the removal of any implication that Moreau had created the Beast Men himself. The film was also banned in multiple states just for its frank acceptance of the theory of evolution.

It's interesting how graphic sadism and sleaze can be upstaged so dramatically by ideological problems—although today we see a similar moral outrage on the part of audiences who demonstrate an increasing fervor for purely aspirational content. One hopes that people who condemn the ethical content of movies are paying equal attention to the new resurgence of book banning by authorities with whom young progressives would surely not wish to be identified. To my mind, it's perfectly natural to be offended by media, but the experience should be taken as more of an opportunity to explore your own feelings and context, than as grounds for wholesale rejection of the work in question.

Meanwhile, if you find yourself a little disappointed by the generically hairy dog- or ape-like appearance of the filmic Beast Men, versus their many and varied appearances in the novel, check this shit out!

#blogtober #blogtober 2022 #horror #sci-fi #science fiction #the isle of doctor moreau #the island of lost souls #monsters #adaptation #charles laughton #richard arlen #leila hyams #kathleen burke #bela lugosi #philip wylie #waldemar young

[heymeowmao]

[2021.07.05] - https://weibo.com/l/wblive/p/show/1022:2321324655709878092542

- Is it still lagging? It is? If it keeps lagging like this, let me tell you- I’m gonna go crazy.

- No one’s asking why I came to stream looking like this??? Ridiculous! - I’ve been filming- I was in the B group, but have been switched to the A group. There are still five more scenes to film before they get to me, and I calculated that they’d get to me around 12a; so I decided to come back to the hotel, but later when they call me I gotta go back and film.

- I came because I thought you all were missing me- I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what I choose to believe. Everyone already knows my schedule- even better than I do! After filming yesterday, we wrapped up pretty early- around 7p- and I was thinking of streaming, but the group asked me if I’d like to go out for dinner, so I did. - Comment: Did you digest it? - You think I would be so worried about not streaming that I can’t eat? No. Food’s food.

- Comment: You gotta make the most out of your hair and makeup? [t/n: bc sometimes LYN streams after doing another event, and he always says he can’t let the hair/makeup go to waste XD] - LYN: I actually was worried whether or not I can show you, but since we officially started filming the other day, I figure you all saw what you could see. [King of Light in Zichuan; LYN out here in full hair, makeup, and costume. (c)]

- I don’t get hung up on if I look cool or not, for filming. I just think the appearance needs to fit the role. If I wanted to look cool, I could always do it for an event or something. For filming, you’re there to support the work, not to look cool.

- Comment: Do you need to ride any horses for this one? - LYN: /sigh/ Do I need to ride a horse? Please think about it- what is the main method of transportation in historical dramas? Automobile? High speed train? It’s gonna be a horse. Or a horse-drawn carriage. Maybe a donkey. - LYN: My role makes medicines. Maybe I can get away with riding in the carriage. - Comment: Qing Gong (flying) - LYN: This production doesn’t seem to fit that criteria.

- Comment: This hairline... - LYN: What do you mean? What’s wrong with my hairline? This is a wig, it’s not my own hair! I told you all the last time, my hairline is here /gestures to the middle of his forehead, right above his eyebrows/

- Comment: You’re usually very mean! - LYN: Am I usually very mean? ... Who doesn’t have a temper, right? No, but why would you say that? Please tell me. Just so that I’m aware and I can adjust myself for the next time. Why do you think I’m mean? - LYN: Here’s how it is.. I’m not a... I don’t LOOK cute. I have mono-lids, small eyes. I’m pretty tall. Normally, when I’m not smiling, maybe people can get the impression that I’m not happy. It’s not that I’m unhappy, but I can’t go around smiling all the time! - LYN: Another thing is, when I’m on set- I know there are a lot of people there to... spectate. That’s your own freedom, but I think mutual understanding is needed. For example, I’m saying my line to my scene partner- I say my line- and right behind them I see ten people all looking at me. In that moment I lose all focus. It affects my acting, you know? So sometimes I could be unhappy about this- because it’s affecting my (and other’s) work.

[talks about uh.. paparazzi.]

- Comment: Do you have a CP in this drama? - LYN: Go read the novel.

[talking about his concert plans for next year]!

- LYN: The vinyls are being made. They weren’t released earlier because I wasn’t satisfied with the packaging. But they’re being made now!  Here’s how it works. If you NEED one to leave as a collectible, you should buy one. - Comment: Can I buy two? - LYN: Of course. What I was thinking was- the music- you’ve all heard it. It’s from my first album, so you’ve heard it a lot- and you can listen to it online as well- all my music is free. You’ve heard all the songs, but I just wanted to make the record because it’s meaningful to me. My very first album. If you need one buy one, but if you don’t need it, don’t sweat it. - Comment: What’s it made of? - LYN: What’s it made of????? - Comment: Are they signed? - LYN: Not as of yet. What I can promise you is this- if you buy it, and one day you see me on the street. Take out the vinyl and I will sign it for you. - Comment: I’ll never meet you. - LYN: One day, eventually, you will.

- Comment: I’ve always wanted to watch Liu-laoshi stream. I finally caught one. - LYN: No need to call me laoshi. Just call me “Xiao Ning.” If you’re younger than me call me “Ning-ge” and if you’re older call me “Xiao Ning.” There’s no need to be so polite. - LYN: Xiao Ning-ge is fine. We’re all around the same age. You all can’t be too much older or younger than I am.  - Comment: Uncle Liu. - LYN: That’s ok, fine. I don’t care. - LYN: There are always some people who watch my stream that are TOO polite. Ah.. you don’t need to be! Just call me “Ning-ge” and anything else... like “father” no- I don’t need that! No need to be that polite, I can’t uphold it. I’m definitely not as great as your parents, ok? Please cherish the family you have.

- Comment: You’re on the trending list - LYN: I am?  - Comment: Really - LYN: How come I don’t believe you? Please don’t trick me. /some time passes/ - LYN: Let me check. ... :( I’m 54. It doesn’t count as trending until I’m at least at 50.

- LYN: Just letting you know, I need to leave in 25 minutes to go back to filming. - Comment(s): Go. | Bye bye. | etc. - LYN: I’m leaving in 25 minutes! We still have time. Sit down, have a cup of tea.

- Comment: Go to film. I’m gonna climb the wall* [t/n: *”climb the wall” if i remember correctly, means they’re gonna leave the fandom lol] - LYN: Why? Why do you want to do that? /puts on sad music/ - LYN: You know, as... as someone who only debuted at 30 years old, it’s really not easy. I always have this fear- this fear that my fans only like younger people. I’m afraid to face the reality of fans “climbing the wall” (leaving) because... I feel like that’s the end for me. - LYN: Actually three years ago, when I first got popular, I really had a lot of fans. At the time they said they would be with me forever, that they would never leave me. But when I look back now, they’re all gone. At this point I’m used to it- but still if someone says they’ll leave I still feel a sting. I’m still someone who fears loss. So please, my friends, don’t climb the wall. - LYN: If one day you do leave me, don’t tell me. Just go quietly. Don’t even say goodbye.

- Comment: How about a song? - LYN: Oh, that’s right! Wearing this wig, I almost forgot I was a singer!

- Comment: Jiang Zhen De. - LYN: This song... people who come up to me and say “Oh, I really like you. Your song “Jiang Zhen De!” I feel these people don’t really know me, they’re not my real fans. I’ve released so many songs and you still only think of that one? - Comment: Pao Ma - LYN: It’s called “Zou Ma.”  - LYN: Then why don’t I sing “Zou Ni” for everyone? Do you want to hear it? [t/n: referencing his 5/29 stream, lol]

- LYN: Someone wants to see (Daimi)*, my dog. Go buy a dog look at for yourself. What do you want to see my dog for? You want to know what it feels like? You’re at work right? It’s like if your coworker went and asked you “Hey, can I go to your house and see your money?” Would you show them??? [t/n: guessing at the spelling here, not sure if it’s correct.. probably? 呆米?]

- Comment: Do you like cats? - LYN: I like to look at them, but I can’t raise one. I like those ones that look like they’ve been punched- they’re pretty cute. [LOL; the flat-flaced ones: persian, munchkin, himalayan, etc] I’m the type of person who- I don’t know if you’ll understand me, but- I can’t stand to raise something that ignores me. My impression of cats is that you feed them, clean up after them and everything, but when you call them- they don’t come. I wouldn’t be able to take it. But with a dog, they’ll come flying over as soon as you call them. And happily too!

#Liu Yuning #lyn livestream #(1:35:11) #oh! it's a short one! #meowmao works

[bandana-fox]

ok so today i went to the zoo I worked in a few years ago and there were some animals that were still alive and they even recognized me!!!

Samira, Pixie, the other horse who`s name I forgot?? They all recognized me, immediately came running over while making happy noises. Nice to see that Fee, the more aggressive horse who always wanted to chase me out or try to kick me is still there too. We never got along but it was nice to see her too.

Aaaand we still do not get along lol. I pet her, she is like “ugh” I go to see other animals and she just...gets mad??? Girl, make up your mind. You never made sense.

I don`t even like horses that much but those guys are so great. Pixie also recognized my mother (when she came to pick me up when I still worked there she usually went to him bc they got along great and he was always happy to see her; my mom likes horses and is great with them) and when she called him he was so excited

Sadly I have not seen the cat who used to roam around there but that was to expected since she was already like twenty back then, the goat Hektor (rip him that was the most cuddly and friendliest goat i have ever met) and the giant poitou donkey Ulise. Rip my guy, you were a gentle giant

Not sure if Lissy and Fatma (daugthers of Ulise) were the other two Poitou Donkeys I have seen because...they were seperated and didn`t came over. It`s been a while. But the two donkeys Rocky and Nadja were still there!!

But ahhh Samira and Pixie were such a surprise!! They are still there and still the gentle horses I remember. Bless them.

#it was a nice day tbh #brought back some memories #i did not like the zoo staff that much (tho lots seems to have changed and they also have new ones) #but like the animals were worth it

[ofcowardiceandkings]

and heres the last of the domestic animal doodles i started forever ago hfjdkjfdk

horses , so many horses ,, you had to know there’d be SO MUCH of em lmao tbh theres nothing particularly expansive here like the others but It Was Fun

EDIT: a second part of the colours chart is over here now !!

minor yelling under the cut, and here’s the other doodles if you wanna look; canon botw animals | og idea exploring arts | idea exploring arts big styley

not huge amounts to say here tbh compared to the others ive spared yall a horses lecture bc it could be lorge lol

the way .. botw handled horses was so fkcng good considered lbrh its entirely optional it was UGH nearly flawless ............... so ive basically just smushed some general horse knowledge into it and like ,, how population variation works + medieval horse things

i love the idea of different areas having different hossies .. im not sure HOW canon it is outside of stats but im just gonna say ive seen a lot more of certain colours in certain places whether its pertinent to stats or not

right so the botw horse model is CHUNKY which i LIVE FOR, but that meant i just threw the other classification of medieval horses out of the window because unless you do some intense breeding programmes you arent getting a classic rouncey out of that stock lmao .. i’ll mention as well that it means most botw horses would probably end up being in the heavy courser or draught territories, but with markedly higher numbers of destriers than were typical of your average medieval kingdom the other three (destrier, courser, palfrey) in historical context basically amount to; 1) an incredibly valuable and strong warhorse ideal for activities like jousting or carting around a fully armored knight, 2) a lighter, faster and much more common kind of warhorse for men-at-arms that could also be used as a hunter, and 3) another kind of highly valuable horse prized for its very smooth amble gait but used for hunting, ceremonies, or general riding instead of war - and was considered a good mount for nobles and especially noble women

i split out the two “bloodlines” too because its easier lol .. defined horse breeds really werent much of a thing for a long ass time especially in the way we think about them now. the white and gerudo lines are just distinct enough to say “yep thats that kind of horse lads!”

DONKEYS .. donkeydonkeydonkeys i love them the model is ADORABLE, im also guessing that like with the hylian retrievers theyre probably regionally variable since the compendium straight up says they are found with hylians only ?? anyway fluffy donkeys so why not

lads if you havent already you HAVE to look up draught mules theyre sweet as sugar .. mules need more love .... hinnies vary a bit more and tend to be smaller which is why there are less of them i guess but theyre good sweeties too ....... what im saying is that botw horses would make very cute and strong mules so i HAD to do it i just had to

One Flaw; stables are mean to the bone babies >:( they still wanna be horsies theyre just dead !! lbh i doubt they actually eat living horses lmao that brings out uh ssssooo many possibilities guys !!! forgive the wobbliness fjdkjfdk i had to keep reminding myself it was just sketches but i would have DIED without borrowing Tomás’ anatomy book

ahh, ye olde horse colour chart, yeeesss ,,, i tried to make sense of it as best i could using my KNOWLEDGE , several years doing fake horse things on dA, and a really good book called The Equine Tapestry ... extended colours on my st.ash here

and ye i designed all those different horse blankets based on patterns in the game and stable regions lol take a guess at where theyre all from if youre a big fat nerd like me !!!

#breath of the wild #legend of zelda #loz #loz botw #horses #donkeys #stalhorse #skeleton #mules #pilots doodles #rory's ramblings #zelda blogging #botw/totk blogging

[diangeloyoyok]

my review on pjo movies

first up with have The Lighting Thief obviously

 Poseidon’s entrance lowkey kinda fire but high key weird

‘it’s been many years’ didn’t y’all just have that winter solstice party together ???

‘if your son if the thief i will send him to the pits of tartarus’ ouch that hurt ngl

logan lerman 🥺

he would’ve been such a good percy if they did the movies when he was younger IDC IDC IDC

i stan black grover and just grover overall

i wish we got to see my bitch nancy

sally and percy sallY AND PERCY SALLY AND PERCY SALLY AND PERCY

gabe to me is just *hmm* perfect in this movie, he’s not as mean in the movies but he’s still an asshole ehehehe

i love Chiron actor i think it’s very accurate

also wtf chiron is bros with the big three lols 😹

y’all know jenna davis?- that’s who the girl who plays ms dodd’s looks like

so they just gonna ignore him and tak ab him while he’s RIGJT. THERE.

‘This is a pen. This is a pen.’

‘Are you guys crazy? This is a pen man!’

the scene with gabe makes me uncomfy bc percy says in the book gabe never hits percy in front of sally but ok 😗✌️

leaving percy was the *mOST* difficult thing poseidon *the GOD of water* has ever done wow percy is that cool

‘You’re half donkey?!”

i am da wittlest minotaur 😳✨🙈

such a subtle entrance to the camp love it

why y’all give percy the pen before he supposed to be a badass and rip the horn off wjth his hands but ig

wait so in this dumbass movie percy doesn’t even do anything to get the horn goodbye

i’m still very pissed that they took the scene of annabeth sayjng ‘you drool when you sleep’ but it’s fine i’m NOT fine

why is no one wearing camp shirts 🤬

they may be wrong but i didnt know it was ‘brUnner’ not ‘brUNner’

it’s kinda cute how when percy first sees annabeth he’s like ‘ooouuu who’s that name now 😌😏”

brown haired blue eyed looking ass BITCH

‘A real horses ass’ laughed a LITTLE

so the poseidon cabin is just *THAT* open poor percy no privacy

oh wait wth they already know his daddy poseidon 🤨

like everyone just knew ????

when did percy get new clothes the fuck

why did everyone laugh and shake their heads when chiron introduced percy what whores

omg luke 🥺

i know everyone knows this but it’s *SOOOOOOOOO* unrealistic annabeth and luke aren’t on the same team. like i’m pretty sure in the first book annabeth said they had a permanent allies type thing with the hermes cabin

‘that’s a sword! that’s a sword’ aw baby luke why’d you have to be evil 🙁🤚

where the FUCK did that bitch tryna be annabae come from

she realky said ‘i love trees🌲☺️❤️’

why does annabeth act like clarisse during capture the flag

also the fuCK WHERE MY BABY CLARISSE

why are there like actual 30 yr olds at camp

luke was so excited when he saw percy get up he said ‘omg no way✨’

so suddenly percy just knows sword play 😀

and deFEATS ANNABETH WE ALL KNOW HE CANT EVEN DO THAT NOW

y’all red heads a bunch of babies

i already know it’s coming

shit no

i hate it

i hate it so much

already ew’d out

‘i definitely have strong feelings for you, i just haven’t decided if they’re positive or negative yet.’

‘well you let me know when you figure it out’

‘you’ll be the first’

why they just drinking nectar for fun?? like bruh you tryna die or sum

after that i can’t watch anymore tonight

it’s been like 3 weeks but let’s not talk about that

i’m not even gonna comment on the campfire scene anymore my god

i like how in movies everyone is like “omg the underworld so scary percy you can’t go that’s so dangerous you will DIE”

and in the books they’re like “yeah it’s dangerous but whateva you 12 yr olds have fun down there bring me a souvenir!!”

why does luke have?? video?? games?? in?? his?? cabin??

WAIT LIKE A WHOLE ASS TECHNOLOGY SETUP WHAT

why is luke the only one in his cabin like where’s the stolls and chris 😳

you mean to tell me luke broke into hermes house just for like funzies and to steal shit?

sounds like travis and connor but ok✨

what the fuck even is the whole pearl plot

i don’t even wanna talk about the medusa scene

percy has an ipod 🤡

“i’ve only been in the outside world a few times” did you fucking practice driving those few times or WHAT

if percy could actually heal people with water wowie imagine how useful

why did percy bring swimming trunks on a quest

can this brown haired bitch shut up already

sally never took gabes last name excuse you 🤣

ofc it’s fucking fox news giving us that bullshit info on sally

they in nashville wee-doggie 🤠

‘hey it’s your mom’ obviously dumbass she has eyes

so they hid in the potty room for like 5 hours? huh

yeah let’s jus facetime lukey real quick 🥰

silly boy percy

“how flipping awesome was that”

does percy even know he can bend water in the first book

that’s gonna be an unexplainable statue for the workers tmrw

lotus hotel baby

the only reason this movie is watchable

vegas be lookin kinda fresh i wannna go

i wanna stay at the lotus hotel this place looks sick asf

lotus flower treats yummy yum

here comes gaga 😮

why they laugjing so much

wonder if nico likes gaga

imagine like 10 yr old nico just straight vibing there

grover pulling out the dance movies yessir 🤩

“no❤️ percy don’t eat the flower”

why didn’t percy just like grab the flowers and throw them

OOOO KESHA WE LOVE TO SEE IT

TIKTOK ON THE CLOCK BUT THE PARTY DONT STOP NOW WOAHWOAHWOAH

i’m bored ✨

ooo skeletons

charon my queen 👑🥳

“we drowned in a bathtub, all three of us” 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

i wish that was in the movie

i wish a lot of things were in the movie hit that is high

we’re in the same boat in the very same boat

how do you get seasick in an elevator- BOAT?

the way to the underworld is over the styx it’s a river

i know, you show off chicks

sexist much? go make a splash

i’ll splash you

it’s like watching titian’s clash, they’ll kill each other it they’ll kiss if we’re lucky they’ll end up in an abyss

um

anyways✨

hades do be looking kinda cool tho

that’s a cool ring you got there hades

omg mommy sally 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

how did percy not notice the lightening bolt in the damn shield befORE???

“it’s luke shield he betrayed us”

damn she switched sides real fast

this phoney bitch why does she want power and a war sis go plant shit

i refuse to believe hades is abusive sorry sis you ain’t fooling me

god where’s Juniper when you need her

so no fight between percy and aries 🤡

instead we have lukey pukey

omh he’s the lightening thief i did not see that coming ong 😳

^^ me on twitter after it’s revealed on the percy jackson tv show

can this luke character chile

percy pulled a harry styles and said “i’m falling” 😔

i’m thE SON OF POSEIDON I NEVER ASKED TO BE BUT IM THE SON OF POSEIDON

“yeah, i think i am the son of poseidon”

okay 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

omG i goT bUtTerFliEs

how does s-dog jusy know how to get to olympus did y’all get freaky up there or

that’s actually kinda how i imagine olympus looking so

i guess

good job

maybe

what is this ant man why they so small

“i have no connection to poseidon”

p-dog looked kinda hurted 😳

as if zeus would ever compliment percy

has athena ever told annabeth *or any of her kids* i’m proud of you

“i need to speak with him” “just this once”

yet we got poseidon showing up once in awhile just to say hi

7 months? 😀

percy was 7 months old?

now i don’t remember much but i don’t think it was that long luv ❤️

“always”

i thought i was watching percy jackson not harry potter tf is up

sally and percy have my whole heart

g-man got his horns

chiron 🥺✨

missed my main hoe 😍

why are there so many fucking campers

there’s like 500

let’s take a chill pill shall we

annabeth and percy look like siblings in this

 incest 😳

they bouta fiGHTshe better have won

k well that’s it thank the gods 😘

i’ll be back in like 4 months to review sea of monsters i need a break of bullshit

OH ITS NOT OVER

it’s gabe

he pulled a demi

stone cold

stone cold

everyone will be happier without him

#percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #pjo movies #so fucking stupid #anabeth chase #grover underwood #heroes of olympus #disney+ #pjo adaptation #percabeth #rick riordan

[tarredion]

3, 4, 10, 12 and 14! (also please have a big virtual hug ʕノ)ᴥ(ヾʔ - I hope that's the right one, I hope you feel better soon <3)

thanks for the ask nina :3 and u did get the right one!! <3 <3 <3 4 has already been answered, so,, go look

3) phil’s content or dan’s content? 🧸

this is a tough one.. there’s a reason i’m a dip a n d pip fan. 

though, bcs i’m a phillie at the core, maybe phil’s? it’s honestly the most difficult choice though, and i can barely choose - and if u’d asked me to choose between the -people- of dnp?? god no. never. why’d you even think of that

10) not a question but tag your favourite blog cause we all deserve happiness 🥰

aaa ok dont make me choose between my friends 0.o i’ll just uh like slide @/amazingphil in here (and not actually tag him ofc bcs that’d be embarrassing)

12) what’s your favourite series on danandphilgames? 🎮

ok so to narrow it down i decided it had to have more than two videos in it.. bcs reasons. also, dan vs phil is excluded bcs the games are so different and that gives more reasons to like it (as the more choice of games, the more of them i possibly enjoy, the more reason to pick it, y’know)

the donkey kong series are very enjoyable (even if dan does scream a lot, and phil says more than questionable things)

the sims are always good,,

undertale is long but it’s the only videos of a fun game i rlly have the patience to watch (because dan and phil) so

pokemon go is fun fun fun fun fun* * kazoo kid remix (jk)

google feud and horse prince are chaotic in their own ways - even if horse prince is almost too weird for me to rewatch; and reminds me of.. well. that

mario kart is top tier,, so is overcooked

and yet somehow, golf with friends is the fav one?? i had to examine all of these ones that i could consider and its the one i can say i like the most

14) are there any dnp videos that you just can’t watch for any reason? 📹

i try not to watch any with too many flashy sequences and loud noises, but outside of that, there’s only a few select i almost never rewatch. of course i have my favorites and, with that, the ones i rarely rewatch, but there aren’t many i actively avoid. though the first ones that come to mind are the dream daddy videos. i’m not quite sure why, but i just can’t stomach them as a whole. idk.

#dnp #ask game #me #..if i miss any tws pls tell me lol

[eschatologyguy]

TALMUD = LEAVEN

I believe it is the Talmud that the Lord Jesus was referring to as the leaven of the Pharisees. It is the one main thing that is blocking and preventing the Jews from reading what the OT is actually saying because they read it through the lens of the Talmud. All the comments of the ancient rabbis about the Lord Jesus in the Talmud are all derogatory, and no Jew would question their views, therefore perpetuating their erroneous interpretation.

It was understandable that the first century Jewish leaders would doubt the authenticity of the Messiah. If we were in their shoes we could have easily made the same mistake. They knew of Him as a boy growing up estranged from His half-siblings (Psalms 69:8) who I suspect - because of the proddings of gossips and busybodies - believed Him to be a child of another human father. In fact, none of his half siblings believed He was the Messiah until after His resurrection. No one prophecy would have probably allowed the ancient rabbis of the 1st century to identify who the Messiah would be in a definitive way. But one thing In prophecy stands out: the one which gave the date.

Daniel 9:25

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven (7) weeks, and threescore (60) and two (2) weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times."

Here we learn that there would be 69 "weeks" from the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem. From the terminus a quo or start date of March 14, 445 BC of the very day King Ataxerxes decreed that the Jews in Babylon could go home to rebuild Jerusalem, the ancient rabbis could have counted 69 weeks of years "unto the Messiah the Prince". Sixty-nine weeks of Jewish years would be exactly 173,880 days, which would terminate on August 6, 32AD. And what happened on August 6, 32AD? It was the day of Messiah's entering Jerusalem riding a donkey's foal bringing salvation, just as Zechariah 9:9 predicted. Had the ancient rabbis figured out Daniel 9:25, they could have just waited at Jerusalem's gates to see who would drop in. But they failed to figure it out. In fact, THEY WERE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR NOT KNOWING THE TIME OF THEIR VISITATION.

Luke 19:41-44

"And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, AT LEAST IN THIS THY DAY, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are HID from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; BECAUSE THOU KNEWEST NOT THE TIME OF THY VISITATION."

Yes, this is what this passage is really talking about. Another thing: here you have Zechariah 9:9 predicting the Messiah coming into the holy city on a foal of a donkey. Then you have other passages that predict the coming of a warring Messiah on a white horse judging the nations. Reading the Torah and the Tanakh through the lens of the Talmud would give the reader the conclusion that these are two different people. But reading the Old Testament without using the lens of the Talmud would give the reader of today a hint that it would be one Messiah coming twice. Why? Because the ancient rabbis in the Talmud have already given their opinions on the matter, and no Jew would dare question it. In the Talmud you can read what the ancient rabbis think about Yeshua - all of them derogatory - because what transpired contradicted their own interpretations.

But one Messiah coming twice?

Hosea 5:15

"I will go and return to My place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me [earnestly]."

How could "He" RETURN to His place if He had not left it first? And what SINGULAR OFFENCE could this verse be talking about? And what AFFLICTION could this be that would make His chosen people seek him earnestly? Without the Talmud as the lens for reading the OT, Jacob's Trouble or the Great Tribulation would come to mind, which will put the fear of God into every Jew. The Talmud is what Christ warned His disciples about as the leaven of the Pharisees, which is what is blinding the Jewish rabbis of today from seeing what the text of God's word is really saying and, as a result, ultimately holding Israelis back from accepting the Jewish Messiah. The date of Messiah's reconciliation with the remnant of Israel is laid out in Hosea 6:1-2.

Hosea 6:1-2

"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. AFTER TWO DAYS will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight."

Two "days", two thousand Jewish years or 720,000 days from the smiting of Sept. 6, 70AD (the date the temple was destroyed) and the remnant of the Jewish people are reconciled, just as Zach 12:10b prophesied.

Should you you be able to figure out the date, however, keep it to yourself. But pray Israel figures it out. Why? So that they won't be mislead by the false messiah who will come 7 years earlier. He will be able to deliver a global peace (Micah 5:5, Dan 9:27), which for the Jews is a messianic sign. Those who will be following that global leader will be taking his mark, and we all know what that means. By the way, the generation who witnessed the re-establishment of the state of Israel as seven-year-olds? They will be turning 100 by the time the Great Reconciliation of Hosea 6:1-2 takes place. And ALL the land God promised to Abraham's seed will finally go to them (Obadiah 1:7-21), from the Nile to the Euphrates (Gen 15:18), under the able rule of the King of Kings.

#Talmud=Leaven

[certifiedproblemcauser]

list of canadian animals that i feel like you could totally find in australia and nobody would think its weird

moose: basically horses but 20x more dangerous (head spikes), also have a bad temper. they  can fight off wolves so you bet your ass they can fight a dingo. only reason they might not is bc they’re called swamp donkeys and idk if theres swamps in australia

bobcat: okay im forgoing the fact that we have fucking lions in canada and giving you guys bobcats bc theyre like lynxes but all-terrain kinda. they dont give a singular fuck abt whats going on and even though theyre like the size of a housecat you see one outside your door when youre getting home from a drive you wait in the damn car and hope the cat doesnt strike you down with the wraith of parents who just saw your 49% average report card

black widow: you guys already have all the poisonous spiders n shit take another youll like her shes quiet

wolverines: like a cross between the honey badger and the tasmanian devil with a little bit of opossum thrown in. theyre deceptively fluffy but do not pet although i guess australians shouldnt have a problem with that. we named a superhero after them bc they shouldnt be fucked with

puffins: alright here’s an easy one for you puffins are basically warmer penguins they vibe and also have sick striped beaks

beavers: okay maybe another easy one but beavers can actually be really aggressive and with those teeth that is not something that you want to be bitten by. basically a smaller capybara but can live in the water and also teeth

bighorn sheep: sheep with big horns. they will fuck you up if given the chance. considering they live on mountains you might not want to let them

army worms: these little fuckers kill people every year but its not because theyre poisonous. nonono every 7 years they get together and fucking s w a r m the roads and walkways. once you squish them they turn bright fucking neon green and become slippery as hell, so if youve got a roadway full of them you might get a death to the worm army this year. people regularly join together on sidewalks to crush these fuckers and its one of the only bugs we actually do this to (minus the next thing on the list). you can also tell how evil they are bc they have tiny skulls all along their backs

pine beetles: HOO BOY I MADE THIS E N T I R E LIST BECAUSE OF THESE FUCKERS WHO DESERVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN H E L L . ACTUALLY FUCK IT THESE GUYS A R E THE LAST CIRCLE OF HELL. HUGE ASS FUCKING BEETLES WITH GIANT ANTENNA WHO W I L L GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO BITE YOU. IF ONES STUCK IN YOUR SHIRT YOULL HEAR IT LET OUT AN EARPIERCING SCREAM ONLY RIVALED BY THE DEATH OF GOD ITSELF BEFORE LATCHING ONTO AND INTO YOUR SKIN WITH GIANT F U C K I N G MANDIBLES AND NOT LETTING GO UNTIL ITS DEAD BECAUSE FUCK YOU, FUCK IT, FUCK EVERYTHING ITS HERE TO CAUSE YOU PAIN. worse than wasps, worse than stepping in a puddle with a sock on, 0/10, please fucking take them australia we Do Not need them

#phancy ramblings #australia #canada #list #is that a tag? #fuck it it is now #animals #wildlife #bugs

[extemporaneousmusings]

mauraaaa! do you have any historical au Harry headcanons re: that post about greco-roman masculinity?

BOY DO I EVER, JES.

((I am saving the castrati au ask you sent me earlier this week bc I have too many thoughts abt harry being unfair to Niall, lol classic...))

this is just gonna be a stream of consciousness dump but, the first big research project I did was for an article about depictions of Hephaistos on greek vases in the particular context of his return to Olympus after he fell/was booted off by Zeus/Hera/whomever. 

the return scenes typically have H(ephaistos) riding sidesaddle on a donkey that is usually sporting a big old boner, with Dionysos leading the procession and a whole bunch of drunken revelers making up the rest of the people. they usually all have boners too. the story goes that only when the gods sent Dionysos, the new, foreign, effeminate god to get Hepahistos hecka drunk, did he agree to return to Olympus, in this very undignified fashion. 

since he’s a God but more importantly a Man he should be riding a horse not a donkey, and definitely should NOT be riding sidesaddle--side note, isn’t it weird that ppl with dangly bits are supposed to straddle horses but ppl who don't, and therefore have the least potential danger for friction and other damage are not supposed to straddle things??--ANYWAY 

our standards of masculinity and femininity today are different from the greco-roman ideal (and let us remember that the term greco-roman spans an indeterminate amount of time that is {at the very smallest estimation} several hundred years and includes many social, political, and cultural groups so like, it’s not at all a monolith). BUT they are similar enough that we can sometimes kid ourselves into thinking that what the greeks thought was beautiful is what we consider beautiful. 

those nude male statues with all the abs & shit...sexy then & now, but for different reasons. 

finally kind of to the hornets nest that is Harry :: there’s a lot of discourse abt whether his outward physical presentation has any meaning whatsoever, and whether that meaning is imbibed with queerness is a shoot off of that trunk. Harry very clearly has, and is playing with contemporary ideas of what it is to be masculine or feminine. and now, with the help of smart people around him, like the Gucci creative team, he’s also playing with what it means to present as masculine or feminine in different eras. What you want to make out of this is up to you, but it is most definitely intended to attract attention and intrigue. 

what is a girl trained in the classics to make of all of this??? I already have an AU where he is unwillingly castrated because Castrati operated within a fascinating niche of gender in the early modern era in Western Europe, but if I were to take this back to the classical and hellenistic periods, there is of course theatrical shit I could invoke. In Greece none of the actors in dramas/comedies were female, even though there were female characters. But I’d probably want to go somewhere more ritualized and psychedelic, like Harry being a devotee to Persephone/Demeter because they were central to one of the biggest mystery cults in the ancient world and their worship involved both female and male participants, ultimately worshipping the circle of time and seasons and gender, which seems very Harry

#idk if this is at all what u wanted/were expecting Jes #but I'm accidentally 1 beer in #and having an ok brain day so! #here we are! #whentherewerebicycles

[workingforthewidow]

Turn Washingtons Spies Fic

Strap in kiddos bc this fucker is well over 30 pages in Word and 11,000 words. Should I have split it into parts probs but I worked on this bitch for months so here you go. It’s Ben/OC with some BFF Caleb, Simcoe/OC, Andre/OC. And the others are here too. 

Warnings: mentions of death/war/weapons/ lots of Simcoe hate. I the fluff queen wrote it so there shouldn't be anything to major. I did make Sky cry tho but she's emotional AF so oh well, it was happy cries I think.

This isn't a reader insert, I wrote it for my sister and I, so I used our names. 

   “Do you have to go with them? Can't you stay here? Please.” Ben’s grip on my hand tighten as if he believed if he continued to hold it and not let go, I couldn’t leave. 

   “I have to go back. I can’t let Sky and Papa go alone. They’ll forget to eat and sleep if I’m not there to remind them.” 

   “I’m sure they will be fine.” He was getting desperate.

   “I’ll come back you know that. These months will pass quickly then you can come to Scotland and bring me home. Write to me and I’ll write to you. I need to go. Papa will question me if I’m gone to long. I love you Ben.” 

   “I love you too.” He kissed me once then released his hold on my hand and I quickly made my way back to where Sky and Papa were waiting. 

   “Don’t worry you’ll see him again soon.” Sky whispered to me as we boarded the ship that would take up back to what was once our home, Scotland. 

   Once the war was over, ending in England’s defeat our father, Major Hewlett or Papa as we called him, decided it was best we go back to Scotland and try to restart the lives we left behind. But so much had changed since we had last been in Scotland. We had all fallen in love. The two of them were sadly left heartbroken. Well sadly for Papa. Sky could get over her heartbreak - that guy was a jerk. 

   After what felt like a lifetime, we finally landed in Scotland. A place I once dreamed about returning to but now I wanted nothing more then to leave.

   “Isn’t it wonderful to be home girls? I made arrangements for the house to be cleaned and ready for our return.” Papa said smiling. Both Sky and I put on a false smile for him. While my heart was left in America, she believed hers was in Canada but that was a lie and she needed to understand that he was a jerk and she could do better than him. 

   We arrived back to the home of our childhood. Everything was the same as it was when we left it years ago. Yet it was so different now. We each put our things in our rooms and settled into the sitting room. After a few minutes of sitting silence Papa decided to go out and check the land while Sky and I walked around the home we hadn't seen in a long time. Just as we started to prepare dinner a knock was heard from the front door.

   “How are people already showing up? We have been here all of five hours.” I groaned and opened the door to find a postal messenger. 

   “Letter for Miss Taylor Hewlett.” The man handed the envelope to me and tipped his head quickly before leaving. 

   “Well who was it?” Sky called from the kitchen. I walked in with a smile on my face. “They must not have stayed if you’re happy.” She laughed.

   “I got a letter from Ben.” 

   “What? How? Ships are not that fast.” 

   “He sent it before we left. Isn’t that sweet?” I smiled and read over the letter quickly before hiding it where I knew my father wouldn't find it. “I miss him.”

   “Just a few months and you will be with him again.”

   “Papa will never let me go. I imagine he’d rather have you married off to Simcoe. At least he was on the English side.” There was a time when I wouldn’t have worried this much. When Papa was happy with Anna Strong but then the engagement fell through and Papa went away for a while. 

   “Don’t cry Tay. You know Papa just wants what he thinks is best for us. He cares about us.” 

   “And what he thinks is best is not me being with Ben.” 

   “You don’t know that. Wait and see. Ben won’t be here for a few more months.” Sky tried to calm me. 

   “9 months 23 days. Give or take a day or two.” 

   “A day or two until what my dear?” Papa walked in returning from the land.

   “Tay was just saying it would take a day or so for us to readjust to life here. It has been quite a while since we were here.” Sky quickly covered for me.

   “Ah yes. Don’t worry. It won’t take long then things will be just like they were before that horrid war.” 

   -8 months later-

   Life was anything but back to normal. Just two months after being back Papa met a woman named Elizabeth and married her just four months later. She was a nice woman, who Papa wanted us to call Mother, but she wasn’t Anna. Anna Strong was the woman I wanted to call my mother. All I wanted was to be back in America. That’s where not only Ben was but also Caleb and Anna. 

   “Taylor, are you okay?” Elizabeth asked over dinner, “You look a bit distant.” 

   It was just her, Sky, and I tonight. Papa had been called away to help research a newly discovered planet and would not be home for a week.

   “She’s probably thinking about her Benji.” Sky said without a thought. I kicked her under the table and sent her a glare. 

   Elizabeth’s eyes lit up and she smiled at me, “Oh, who is Benji?”

   I sighed but answered anyway, “His name is Benjamin or Ben. Only Sky calls him Benji. He’s… he’s my…”

“He’s Tay’s fiancé. He’s from America.” Sky answered for me. “He will be here in a month or so to take her back to America.” 

“Your father hasn’t told me this.” Elizabeth said.

“He doesn’t know. I haven’t told him. I don’t know if he would approve. Ben was on the American side during the war. But Papa loves dramatic showings of romance so hopefully by Ben coming here and confessing his undying love for me again Papa will be swayed to let me go back with him.” 

“And I’ll go to find John.” Sky added in once I was done.

“You mean Ben and I will hunt down Simcoe.” I corrected her. 

Elizabeth looked at us extremely confused so before Sky could corrupt her thought I told her the truth about him.

“John Simcoe is who Skylar wants to marry. He is horrible man who has done horrible things and yet she still wants to be with him. He tried to kill Papa many times. Tortured my best friend Caleb to the brink of death. And has killed many of our friends and their family members.” 

“John Graves Simcoe. And he is not all that bad.” Sky tried to defend him but it was no use.

“Oh right how could I forget that name. I imagine he chose that name himself because of all the people he has put in the grave. Do you deny that he did any of the things I just mentioned?”

“We’ve all made mistakes, he’s changed and he’s trying his best. He gave Akinbode his freedom papers and he’s working on abolishing slavery. Isn’t that good enough?” 

“He. Tried. To. Kill. Papa.” 

“That was before he knew me. He wouldn’t dream of doing that now.” 

“Doesn’t matter. He has done nothing for me or anyone in our family expect for you. So Elizabeth that is who Simcoe is and you can probably understand why I want him gone.” I turned from Sky to look at Elizabeth who was wide eyed by this point. 

“He seems to be an interesting man. I cannot judge him without meeting him.” She was always trying to stay on both our good sides hoping one day we would call her ‘mom’.

“Hopefully you won’t. Papa hates him as much I do and will never let him in this house.” I said just as a knock was heard from the door. I left the dining table and opened the door, it was the messenger.

He looked out of breath like he had been running, “I apologize for calling at such a late hour but this letter is urgent.” He handed me an envelope before making his way back to his horse. 

“Who was it, Tay?” Sky asked when I returned. 

“Messenger. Urgent letter for me. Probably Ben, he’s so excited to see me.” I tore open the letter and started reading. I knew immediately it was not from Ben, it wasn’t his handwriting. I read the whole message three times over not believing the words. 

“Tay? What does it say?” Sky leaned over to try and read over my shoulder. 

“He’s not coming.” I dropped the letter on the table as tears started to form.

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked as Sky took the letter and started to read aloud.

“Taylor, I felt it was best you knew this so you did not stay in waiting for Ben. He is not leaving America. He has taken a job with the government and he has no time to step away at the moment. Knowing Ben he has probably made promises he will come for you just a little late but I doubt that happens. I am sorry and if you ever need anything you can call upon me. Abe” Sky’s voice was burning with hate by the end, “Dammit Abraham. Tay, you know Abe is an idiot. He probably misunderstood. Ben loves you. He is going to be here.”

“But what if he’s not, Sky? I would have wasted all my time.” 

“Don’t say that. It will be okay.” 

Neither of us noticed Elizabeth had left until she returned with a plate that held fresh made cookies. 

“I made these earlier while you two were out in the field with the horses.” 

“And donkey don’t forget Charles.” I reminded her and took a cookie. “Thank you.”

“You’re right. How could I forget Charles. And you’re welcome. I know how bad heartbreak can hurt.” Elizabeth smiled and sat back down. 

The rest of the week was spent trying to forget Ben and focus on Papa’s return. Once he was home he told us all of his time in the city and all the things he saw. It had been nearly two months since I received the letter from Abe and I had almost gotten over Ben until he showed up on our doorstep. 

“I’m here to see Miss Taylor Hewlett.” Even from upstairs I knew his voice. 

“And who may I ask are you?” Elizabeth’s voice also carried up the stairs. 

“I’m…”

“Ben.” I ran down the stairs and went to the door jumping into his arms. “I thought you weren’t coming. You had to stay in America.”

He let me down with a shocked and confused look, “Why would you think that?” 

I went back upstairs to my room and returned with the letter from Abe. “Abe sent this.” 

Ben took the letter from my hands and read over it. He shook his head multiple times and even rolled his eyes a few times.

“My dear, why would you ever listen Abe? You know he is only capable of limited things. It is true I am late because of my new position with the government but I promised I would return for you.” 

“You know I’m my father’s daughter. We Hewletts tend to over react at times. Like Papa will once he sees you.”

“Don’t worry. We can convince him.” Elizabeth spoke up.

“I hope so. Oh Ben this is my mother Elizabeth. Liz this is Ben, obviously.” I introduced the two.

“I’ve heard a lot about you Ben. It’s a pleasure to meet you in person.” 

“It’s nice to meet you as well Mrs. Hewlett.” Ben smiled and bowed slightly. 

The sound of running was heard through the house and Skylar ran into the room. 

“Who’s here? I saw someone ride up. BENJI! Oh wait I’m mad at you.” Her smile fell.

“Not anymore. We love him again. Abe was being Abe and messed things up.” I laughed and moved away from Ben so Sky could hug him. “Now we just have to tell Papa.” 

And as usually my father had the world’s best timing and returned home at that exact moment. 

“Mister Tallmadge what on earth are you doing here? I did not expect to ever see you again.” 

Ben and I looked at each other before Ben spoke up. “Major I am here to discuss with you a matter which is very important to me. Is there a place we may speak in private?” 

Papa gave him a questioning look but nodded and had Ben follow him to his study. 

“What’s going to happen? What if this doesn’t work?” I had no idea what Ben was planning and if he messed this up then Papa would never let us marry.

“Ben is a smart man, Tay. He will win over Papa and you two will be married in no time. Lets out and see the animals. You’ve haven’t seen your donkey in days.” Sky took my hand and led me outside.

“His name is Charles. Why can’t anyone remember his name? He’s not just a donkey he’s Charles.” I huffed annoyed but followed her anyway with Elizabeth following as well. 

We stayed in the field for what felt like hours before Papa came out to find us. 

“He is a nice fellow. Not what I expected from someone with such a close friendship with Abraham.” I looked at him expecting more. 

“So should we be celebrating?” Elizabeth asked hinting towards an engagement. 

“Has she accepted?” Papa answered and looked over to me. I smiled and hugged him before running into the house to find Ben. “If he did not show up at this time when did she plan on telling me?” He turned to Sky.

“I think him showing up was her plan. You know her, she’s blinded by love like the rest of us.” 

-6 months later- 

Ben and I returned to America shortly after our official engagement. It was wonderful to be back. I felt like I was back in my true home. 

“Damn Benny boy I can’t believe you really convinced her to come back to you.” I heard the voice of my best friend Caleb Brewster. 

“I really only returned so I could see you again Caleb, you know that. I missed my best friend.” I smiled and hugged him.

“Don’t let your sister hear you say that.” 

“She isn’t here. She’ll arrive in a few months. That is if we can keep her away from Canada and Simcoe.” I groaned.

Caleb rolled his eyes and laughed, “She’s still hung up on that arse?” 

“Very much so. I still think we should kill him.” 

“I agree and we both know Ben does as well.” 

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and catching each other up on our lives. It was during this conversation I brought up Anna Strong. 

“How is Anna? Ben told me Selah had returned.”

“Aye he did. They took the tavern back. Things are somewhat back to normal. She misses you and Skylar. Asked Ben about you anytime he got a letter.” 

“Is she in the tavern now? I want to see her.” I wanted to tell her about my time away and find out how her life was going now. Caleb nodded and we walked to the Strong Tavern. 

It was past working hours but we knew Anna wouldn’t mind. We walked in and saw Selah and Anna talking. 

“Sorry we’re closed for the day.” Anna said without looking away from her husband. 

“Even for your best friend?” 

Anna turned and smiled when she saw me. “Tay! I didn’t know you and Ben had gotten back. It’s been so long.” She hugged me tightly before turning to Selah. “Selah, this is Tay, Ben’s fiancé. Tay, this is my husband Selah.” 

“I’ve heard quite a lot about you, Miss.” True to the stories from Ben, Selah Strong was not a man of many words.

“No need for formalities. Just call me Tay. Anna I have so much to tell you. So much has happened and I need your help with something.” 

“And what might that be?” She asked.

“Sky is still head over heels for that vile Simcoe. Her plan is come here for the wedding then travel Canada to find him. Papa and Elizabeth, she’s Papa’s wife, will be here but they’ve already tried to stop her and it’s not working. So I figure maybe if you try to talk some sense into her when she gets here.” 

“Talk some sense into her? I’ll beat some sense into her. How can she still have feelings for that man after all he did?”

“She claims he has changed. I highly doubt that is true.” I shook my head. “I say we go to Canada, find him, and I don’t know maybe kill him.” 

“I second that.” Caleb agreed.

“While I too agree, we don’t have time. Our wedding is only two weeks away. Skylar will be here any day now.” Ben added, I was sure this was Ben’s way of trying to keep me out of danger and away from Simcoe. 

He was right though. There was no time to even come up with a plan on how to kill Simcoe, let alone get to Canada and find him. 

We stayed at Strong’s Tavern until late into the night. When it got to the point where I was falling asleep on Ben’s shoulder we decided it was time to return home. Ben practically carried me upstairs to our room and helped me out of my dress. 

“Where are you going?”  I hold onto his hand when he goes to leave.

“I just have to finish somethings in my study. I’ll be back shortly. I love you. Sleep well.” He smiled and closed the door as he left. I fell asleep almost as soon as he walked out.

When I woke up the next morning Ben was no where to be seen. His side of the bed didn’t even look like it was slept in. I got myself dressed and walked downstairs. I found Ben in his study asleep on his desk. I stood behind him and gently shook his shoulder.

“Ben, darling, wake up. It’s morning time to get up.” He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. “And this is why I say you shouldn’t work late into the night, you always fall asleep here. Come on, I’ll make breakfast.” 

We walked to the kitchen and Ben sat down almost falling asleep again.

“What time did you fall asleep?” I asked him as I started to make pancakes. 

“I don’t know. Around 4 maybe.”

“Ben thats not good for you.” 

“The thing he does that’s good for him is having you around. Oh breakfast I’m just in time.” As usual Caleb walked into our home like he owned the place and sat down next to Ben.

I laughed and sat a plate down in front of each of them. “You know Caleb one of these days you’re going to waltz in here and see something you probably shouldn’t.” 

“Nah I’ve seen Benny boy without his pants and I doubt you’re bad looking.” He smirked. 

I smacked on the side of the head, “You shouldn’t speak to a lady that way.” 

“I didn’t know Sky was here already.” Caleb laughed. If Sky heard him she would have hit him too. She may be able to dress up and act fancy when it was absolutely necessary but she much rather preferred to be doing something like shooting a pistol compared to going to a party. 

“She will be here any day now. As long as she didn’t run off to find Simcoe first. Canada is a big place she’ll never make it.” I noticed Ben and Caleb sharing a look before going back to eating. “What? What do you know? I know that look and I know you know something. So tell me, come on tell me.” 

They looked at each other again and Caleb shoved a piece of pancake in his mouth before gesturing that he couldn’t speak while eating.

Ben sighed and ran his hand down his face, “We may know where Simcoe is currently. Word is he is returning here to get the last of his belongings.” 

“I thought everything he left here was burned?”

“He had some connections left who seemed to like him enough to hold onto a few things.”

“So that means it will be easier to kill him? Ambush him on his way here. We’ll make it look like a robbery.” 

“Sweetheart put the knife down. You’re scaring me.” Ben stood up and took the knife from my hands. I hadn’t even noticed that I was holding it. “We are looking at our options. We can’t just kill him out right. We need probable cause.” 

“Probable cause!” Caleb finally stopped shoving food in his mouth and spoke again. “Probable cause! Benny look at everything he did to us. To our families. Remember what he did to…” 

“I remember what he did. I will not never forget but it’s been so long that if for some reason we are taken to court they will find a way to hang us. I promise he is going to pay for everything he did but we have to do it responsibly.” Ben interrupted him. None of us wanted Caleb to finish his last sentence. 

Before anyone could say anything the front door opened. 

“Tay! Benji! I have arrived!” Sky yelled.

“In the dining room,” I called back.

She dropped her luggage at the door and made her way to us. Once she was close enough I hugged her tight. It had been so long since we had last seen each other.

“I’ve missed you. It’s been so long. Are you hungry? There’s more food in the kitchen.” I said as our hug broke. 

“No thanks. I actually ate with Anna and Selah. I ran into them on my way here. It was funny at first. Seeing her without Papa. He and Liz send their love. They should be here next week. They left a few days after I did.” 

“Really? That’s sooner than expected. The wedding isn’t for a month.” 

“They missed you. You have the room don’t you?”

“Yes. We do. I’ll just have to clean the spare room. I moved everything out of the room for you into the other spare room. I guess I could move it all to Caleb’s room.” 

“Caleb lives here?” Sky looked over to Caleb who was once again eating. 

“No. He just has a room for those nights he’s too drunk to walk the extra few steps next door. He won’t need it while Papa and Liz are here. Boys clean the kitchen. Sky, I’ll show you upstairs.”

We left the boys downstairs and I helped Sky carry her bags to her room. Then we went to clean out a place for our parents.

“Why on earth do you have this much furniture? Why isn’t downstairs yet?” The room was full of couches and side tables. 

“We haven’t gotten around to it. Ben had everything moved up here before we moved in so that the bottom level could be cleaned. He wanted to make sure it was perfect for me. We haven’t had a need for it. Come on help me move it. It won’t take long.” 

We were able to move everything in a short amount of time then headed back downstairs. Luckily nothing was on fire. Caleb had a bad habit of almost burning down my house. 

“Everything is still in one piece. I’m shocked.” I looked around for any sign of fire. 

“Not everything. I broke a plate again. Sorry.” Caleb held up some shards of broken plate. “I’ll replace it after I finish helping Abe. Dumb arse still can’t get his door to shut properly.” He cleaned the final pieces of broken dish before leaving. 

“Abe is still causing problems?” Sky asked.

“Abe is always causing problems.” I replied. “Now catch me up on what has happened back in Scotland.” 

-One week later- 

Everything was set up and ready for Papa and Liz to visit, the house was clean, we had plenty of food, and Ben promised he would keep Abe as far away as he could until the actual day of the wedding.

“Are you sure it looks okay? Maybe we should wash the windows again.”

“It’s fine, Tay. It’s perfect. Besides I don’t think they would care. I’m sure they are just going to be happy to see you.”

“And not Abe. You did tell him to stay away right? I don’t want him to upset Papa.” 

Ben stood straighter, almost stiff, and looked anywhere but in my eyes which meant he hadn’t talked to Abe.

“Ben you promised. If you don’t talk to him I will and we both know that will not end pleasantly for anyone. It’s just for two weeks. Please go now. They will be here any day now.” I looked up to him with the most pitiful look I could muster up.

“Fine. I’ll go. Just know he probably won’t listen.” Ben said before heading out of the house. 

“Where is he off to?” Sky asked coming back into the house after her morning walk. 

“He’s going to tell Abe he isn’t allowed anywhere near this house or Papa until the day of the wedding. I don’t want him to do anything that might upset Papa. He’s done enough. Abe probably won’t listen but that will give you good reason to shoot him off the property since we both know Ben won’t do it.” 

“I can shoot him? Really?” Her eyes lit up at the thought.

“If he shows up anywhere near here or Papa. I want everything to be perfect. As long as Abe and Simcoe don’t show up it will be the perfect day. Really we only need to worry about Abe. Simcoe doesn’t have any idea about any of this.” 

“Right, of course. John has no idea about anything this.” Sky then went quiet for a moment which only meant one thing, she was lying.

“Skylar, what did you do?” I turned to look at her.

She laughed a bit and her eyes darted around, “I didn’t do anything. Nope nothing.” 

I continued to look at her with a threatening stare until she broke.

“I may have written to John to tell him I was returning to the states. He doesn’t know about Papa being here. I just told him I was coming see you and to return some of his things I hid away.” 

So she was his connection in the states. If she wasn’t my sister I probably would have killed her with my bare hands. I took a moment to compose my emotions before speaking again.

“Why would think it was a good idea to tell him to come here? Mail him his things. Or better yet burn them. Skylar, how many times must you be reminded of the things he did to our friends, to our family, to… Papa.” 

“He’s different with me. He loves me. Besides he was just doing what he thought was best. When he gets here, I’ll have him apologize. You have to learn to like him Tay. What’s going to happen when I marry him?” 

As soon as the words left her mouth I smacked her across the face. 

“You know that if you marry that vile monster, you will be disowned. Not just by Papa but by me, Ben, Caleb, and everyone here. You will have no one but your precious John. Which is more important to you? The family that has loved and cared for you your whole life or a man who you barely know and barely have spent any time with outside of the time you were kidnapped. The one good thing that man did was saving you but he also tainted your view of him. It’s like you worshiped him after that. Had Caleb not been injured I would have sent him after you. But why was he injured? Oh because Simcoe was torturing him! I will admit he was able to hide his joy in that well because when I came to him to help find you he made no mention of having my best friend locked in a cell on the verge of death. I think you should take time to reconsider your affection for him before it is too late.” 

She said nothing and walked straight out the front door. I followed her and stopped on the steps as she continued to walk away.

“Don’t come back until you’ve made up your mind. I don’t want to see you until you have realized what you really want out of this situation.” By this point she was gone and I was yelling to the wind. I went back in the house and waited for Ben to return from his visit with Abe.

**

“Abe wasn’t too happy about your request but Mary promised to try and keep him away from the house.” Ben said as he walked in. “I didn’t think it would be that easy but it… Why are you crying? What happened?” He sat next to me and wiped away my tears with his thumb. 

“Skylar. She still has it in her head she is going to marry Simcoe. Did you know she was his connection here? She’s the one holding on to his belongings. I told her she needs to figure out what she wants and not to return until she had everything straightened out. If she gains a husband she will lose a father and a sister.” 

Ben didn’t reply and I didn’t want him to say anything. I just wanted him be here. His presence itself was calming. We stayed this way for quite a while before someone knocked on the door. Ben stood and went to answered it. I heard the door open followed by the sound of hushed voices. Then I saw my Papa followed by Elizabeth.

“Do you know where she went?” I knew he was referring to Sky. That was probably what the whispering was about, Ben telling him what happened.

**

After walking for nearly an hour Sky realized how far she had gone. She had to be miles away from Ben and Tay’s home. She sat down on nearby fallen tree and thought about what Tay had said. Maybe she was right, Simcoe did do horrible things but he loved Sky. He told her many times of his love for her. She had never told Tay or her father but she had stayed in touch with Simcoe while in Scotland. Sky did not have much faith in religion but she could not doubt that there was someone or thing looking out for her since she was always able to get his letters from the postman without anyone in the house finding out.

She was so lost in thought she didn’t hear the footsteps coming up behind her.

“Sky, love, what are you doing here?” Sky jumped when she heard his voice. 

“John!” She jumped up and hugged him. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too but that doesn’t answer my question. Why are you alone in the woods?”

“Tay and I had a fight. I needed to get away for a while and gather my thoughts. What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t going to arrive for a month.” Sky asked him while still holding him in her arms. 

“I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to see you.” Simcoe broke their embrace and held her at arms length looking at her like he was trying to memorize every detail of her look. 

“You can’t be here. If Tay or anyone else finds out they will kill you. You must leave. Please for your own safety.” Sky begged him.

“I am not afraid of your family. I am a grown man, a Queen’s Ranger. I can handle myself. Do not worry about me. I have changed. I’m not the same man I was before. Let me meet your family as the man I am now. It may take time but I’m sure they will change their minds in time.” 

Sky thought it over and debated the chances anyone would shoot him. The chance of that happening was high if they had weapons on their persons but her sister had a rule about weapons in the house. The only ones Sky had seen was the gun Ben kept in a trunk in their bedroom and the one by the door. The only reason Tay allowed them was because they were the some of the ones he used in the war and Ben told her it made him feel better knowing he could protect her should someone break into the house in the night. 

After her internal debate she finally made her decision. “Okay. We can go but if anything happens we will leave immediately. No killing.” 

“No killing.” He agreed and took her hand in his as they walked towards Tay and Ben’s house.

**

Ben looked out the window and held in a groan. He turned and looked at me. “Sweetheart I need you to stay calm. Please be as calm as you can be.” 

“I’m always calm. Why?” I walked to the window and looked out. “Oh Sky’s back. That’s great. I’ll set her a place for a dinner.”

“Do you not see who is with her?” Ben questioned as he continued to watch Sky and Simcoe walk up the path that lead to the house.

“I’m in the dinning room I can’t hear you.” I shouted to him. 

The front door opened and Sky walked in with Simcoe in tow. Ben was standing in front of them within seconds. 

“Skylar have you gone mad? Your father is here. Why on earth have you brought him here?”

Before Sky could answer, I returned from the dinning room. “Sister, I’m so glad you’re back. I was so worried something had happened to you. Don’t worry you didn’t miss dinner. I just set your place. Papa and Liz are here. They can’t wait to see you. Come now, dinner is waiting.” I made no mention of Simcoe nor paid him any mind. I took Sky’s hand and walked to the dinning room. Ben and Simcoe glanced at each other before following. 

“Look Papa. Sky has returned. Isn’t that lovely?” I said as I sat down at one of the empty seats. 

“Yes I see. She brought someone with her.” Hewlett replied through his teeth. His eyes burned as he stared at Simcoe. 

“Papa I think you’re seeing things. No one else is here. You must be tired from the trip. I suggest going straight to bed after dinner.” I smiled and started eating. 

Everyone else in the room shared a confused and concerned face. Ben sat down next to me and Sky motioned for Simcoe to wait in the sitting room. Conversation during dinner consisted mostly of Papa and Liz’s travel. Anytime someone tried to bring up Simcoe I dismissed them and changed the topic. At one point I even brought up a trip to visit Judge Woodhull’s gravesite just to avoid Simcoe. After dinner was finished and the dishes cleaned Papa, Liz, and Sky went to the sitting room where Simcoe was still waiting. I tried to follow but Ben pulled me upstairs. 

“Darling, while I much enjoy time with you alone I think it’s important I spend time with my family while they are here.” 

“What are you doing? You can’t just make him disappear by denying his presence.” 

I went stiff and turned away from him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Ben. I’m not denying Papa is here.” 

“Tay, you know who I am talking about. Sky brought Simcoe here and you won’t acknowledge it. I don’t know why. Talk to me please.” He turned me around and held my face in his hands forcing me to look at him.

I sighed, took his hands off my face, and rested my head on his chest. Ben knew that meant I was close to breaking down, something I did not do often. 

“If I acknowledge he’s here then I have to acknowledge that my sister cares nothing for my happiness or yours or Papa’s or anyone in this town. It shows that she cares about him and herself more than she does about us. She did the one thing I asked her not to do.” 

“Sweetheart, she must have her reason. She wouldn’t do this for no reason. You know I am about as happy as you with what is happening. We must have clear heads and hear them out. Do you want me to hold my gun while he talks? If he says anything to upset you I’ll shoot him.” Ben was surprised when he felt me nod yes.  “Go downstairs. I’ll be there soon.” 

I went downstairs and sat in one of the empty arm chairs. I didn’t look at Simcoe or my sister who were sitting on one of the couches. Ben came down a few minutes later gun in hand. He sat next to me and turned to look at Sky and Simcoe.

“Skylar, please explain why you have brought Simcoe into our home even though it goes against the wishes of your sister and I.”

Sky’s eyes darted from me to Simcoe a few times before speaking. “He wants to apologize for everything. He is a changed man. Please give him give a chance.” She looked to Simcoe as a signal for him to speak.

“I have changed. If you allow me, I will show you I have learned from the error of my ways. I know I have done things to you and your family that are unforgivable but I do hope you will allow me the chance to prove I have changed.” When he spoke he looked directly at me knowing I would be the hardest person to get forgiveness from.

Without a word I stood up and left the room. I heard footsteps falling and knew instantly Caleb was following me. His heavy footfalls a dead give away. 

“So, still wanna kill him, aye?” 

“You know my feelings towards weaponry, right?”

“Well yes but by the way..”

“It took everything in my power not to take that gun from Ben and kill him right there in front of everyone. I don’t understand how Sky can do this to me, to all of us.” 

Caleb pulled me into a hug as I cried. 

“I don’t understand it either. I want him dead as much as you do. Ben feels the same. I imagine your dear Papa does as well. The only one who disagrees is your sister. Don’t worry though, this will be handled. I have a feeling things are going to change soon.” He promised as we walked back to the house. When we returned Sky and Simcoe had left. 

Papa and Liz stayed up long enough to say good night to me then headed up to the room we had offered to them. Caleb decided to stay the night as well in case Simcoe had anything planned. 

Little did we know then that Caleb’s feeling about things changing would be correct. Two nights before our wedding someone we never thought we’d see again was on our doorstep. It was late nearly 2 in the morning and it appeared I was the only one who was woken up by the knock.

“I am very sorry for the late hour but please tell me she’s here. I have to see her. I was told she was in town for your wedding. Congratulations. ” John Andre looked like a broken man. Which wasn’t that surprising seeing as he had spent nearly over a year in a prison cell. In all honestly he should have been hanged but Ben was able to get him a prison sentence as to not cause my sister the heartbreak of losing him. It took a lot of convincing but Ben was good with words. 

Andre was her first love but he was chasing after Peggy Shippen leaving Sky to fool herself into thinking she loved Simcoe.

“Keep your voice down.” I hushed him and pushed him away from the doorway before stepping out and closing the door behind. “There are three men in there that are still happy to hang you.” 

“Three? Besides your fiancé who else do you house?”

“His best friend and fellow solider, Caleb Brewster. And my father is currently with us. He wants you dead because you broke my sisters heart.” I crossed my arms as I spoke and gave him a glare.

“That is why I’m here. I want to talk to Skylar. All those months alone gave me much time to think and I realized Peggy is nothing compared to her. 

Skylar is who I truly love and she must know that. I will understand if she has found another but I would still like to speak to her. If I may. Why are you smiling like that? Please stop it’s scary. How is your face smiling that wide? That must hurt.” Andre took a full step back from me. 

“I will happily take you to my sister but it is very late. Please come in and rest. You can stay in the room intended for my sister. But stay quiet and don’t leave the room until I come for you.” 

He nodded in agreement and I let him into the house showing him to the upstairs room. 

I quickly returned to bed and prayed Ben was still sleeping. Thankfully he was and I didn’t have to answer any questions about who was at the door.

The next morning Ben took Papa and Liz around the town showing Liz everything and Papa the things that had changed. They had asked me to do it but I told them I was up late that night which wasn’t a complete lie. I was up late I just didn’t give them a reason. Caleb had gone back to his own home so that he could change clothes. 

As soon as everyone was out of the house I pulled Andre out of the room he had been hiding in. I handed him a cloak and instructed him to pull the hood tight. 

“I don’t want anyone to see you. Come, hurry.” 

We made our way to the local inn and went straight to Sky’s room. It only took a few threats to the inn keeper to find out which room was hers. 

“Breakfast! Time for waffles and chocolate! Just put it…” Sky’s sentence was cut off by one of the loudest screams I’ve ever heard. 

“Surprise. He wants to talk. I know Simcoe isn’t here, I saw him walking towards town, so you are free to talk. I love you, sister.” I shoved Andre into the room and closed the door. I considered staying and listening in on what happened but decided against incase Simcoe did return. I did not want to have any chance of seeing him. 

I quickly left the inn and went in search of one of my friends. I walked into the tavern and found Anna cleaning tables. 

“Oh Anna, I have the most marvelous news!” I said in a sing-song voice before sitting down at the table she was wiping down. 

“Are you going to share this news? Or make me guess?”

“I don’t have time for you to guess because you never will. You’ll want to sit down for this.” I waited for her to sit down before continuing my story. “Andre has returned. He showed up on my doorstep around 2 in the morning last night. He said that during his time in prison he realized how much he truly loved Sky and not Peggy. He wanted to talk to her and express his love to her!”

Anna took a minute to process everything I said before speaking, “But she loves Simcoe now? She gave up on Andre because he was chasing Peggy.” 

“No. She only thinks she loves Simcoe. What she really loves is the idea of Simcoe. Someone who showers her with attention, complements her, doesn’t ignore her at all, is clingy. I could go on but you get the idea. Once she realizes where her true love lies she will leave Simcoe, be with her one true love, they will attend my wedding, and everyone will live happily ever after. Except Simcoe because he will be dead. Yay.” Anyone within five miles could hear the cheerfulness in my voice. 

“Tay, your wedding is tomorrow. You think Andre is going to be able to win Sky back in 24 hours? Even if he does, Edmund won’t accept him. You know how protective he is of you girls.” 

“He’s letting me marry an American rebel spy. I’m sure he will be happy she’s not with Simcoe.” I shrugged and looked towards the door that had just opened. 

“I heard my name. I came to see if you needed my assistance.” Simcoe, once again thinking he owned the place, waltzed in and sat down. “Mrs. Strong, hello, I’d like a drink. Please.” 

I could tell he added the please as an after thought to try and show me he could be polite. I scowled at him and said goodbye to Anna before leaving. I figured by this point in the day Ben, Papa, and Liz would be back at home. Thankfully I was correct and Caleb was there as well. 

Liz seemed to notice my happiness and asked what happened while the group was gone.

“Well, shocking news, Andre has returned. He is currently confessing his love for Skylar.” I went on to explain everything that occurred the night before and this morning. “So there you have it. By this time tomorrow Ben and I will be married and Sky will not longer be in love with Simcoe. It’ll be perfect.” 

“You got out of bed in the night to answer the door without me? It could have been a murderer.” Of course that was the part of the story Ben caught. 

“Ben that is not the important part of this story. What is important is that Andre is going to win Sky back and Simcoe will be gone!” 

“What are you doing here?” Sky’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Ben had you sent to prison.” 

“My love the only real permeant sentence is death. I truly am thankful to the rebel major who spared my life.” 

“He did it for me. It wasn’t easy but he figured I would be upset if you were dead.”

“Is that your way of saying you wouldn’t care if I lived or died?” He stepped forward and tried to take her hand but she moved a step back. 

“Why do you care? Why are you here? Why aren’t you with Peggy?”

  “The answer to all three question is you. During my time in prison I had so much time to myself to think about my life and the choices I made that lead me where I was. I realized that I did not love her but I loved you. My biggest regret was that I had broken your heart to chase after someone who would never level to you. She could never live up to your intellect, your wit, your beauty. You are the only woman I will ever truly love. Tell me if you have found another to hold your heart and I will leave at once and never return. But I pray that you tell me otherwise and I have the chance to gain back your love.” At this point he was begging on his knees. 

Sky was in shock. She never excepted to see him again let alone have him confess his undying love for her. She was speechless. Her emotions were a mix of happiness for his confession, anger for the original betrayal, and confusion about her love for Simcoe. She truly believed she loved him but she also loved Andre. 

“I need a moment. Please.” She was finally able to open her mouth and let those few words out. 

“Of course. I will see if the inn keeper has a room for me. Though I imagine your sisters invitation to stay in her home is open. The bed was very comfortable.” 

Sky laughed, “You stayed with Tay? What did Ben say?”

“He didn’t know. She was able to hide me away before he or your father saw me. I will tell you the story at a later time. Take time to think. I will return for your answer.” He simply smiled at her before leaving the room. 

While Andre was getting settled into his own room at the inn Simcoe returned. 

“You’re upset.” The simple words from Simcoe caused more tears from Sky. She had made her decision and now had to tell everyone. 

“I’m sorry, John. So sorry.” She whispered and wiped the tears from her face. 

“What are you talking about? What happened while I was gone?” 

“Andre. He has returned.” She sighed and decided that it was best to be truthful with him, “I love him, John. I will forever be grateful for the time we shared but I must go to him.”

Simcoe said nothing but his face was a rainbow of emotions ranging from anger to sadness. 

“If this is what you want, I will respect this decision. Tell your sister how this ended. That I didn’t yell or throw things. No guns were fired. I peacefully walked away.” He kissed her on the cheek and took his bag. “You know my heart will always be a shrine to our love. Should you ever need anything you know how to contact me. Goodbye Skylar.” 

As he walked down the hall to the staircase he noticed Andre exiting his room. Simcoe looked at Andre for a split second before stepping onto the staircase. 

After Simcoe walked by him Andre returned to Sky. She was staring out the window watching Simcoe walk away.

“My dear?” Andre stood behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned into him and rested her cheek on his chest. 

“If it isn’t obvious I have chosen you.” She felt the movement of Andre’s chest as he chuckled slightly.

“I figured as such. If you need time, I understand.” 

“We should probably talk about a few things, like my father and future brother-in-law hating you.” 

Andre agreed and they each took a seat at the small table in the room. The couple talked for hours even skipping lunch. It wasn’t until Tay arrived to see how things had gone that they finally left the room. 

“John Andre you have given me the best wedding gift I could ever ask for, unless someone kills Simcoe than that will be the best. For right now though, you are the winner.” Tay clapped and smiled, “It’s dinner time. Come you need to meet everyone in a new light. Except Liz because you haven’t met her at all so clean slate with her. Come along hurry up the rain is starting and I didn’t bring the carriage we have to walk.” 

Just as the first flash of lightening struck the trio returned to Ben and Tay’s home where the family was waiting for them. Once the introductions were down the interrogation started. All three men, Ben, Caleb, and Hewlett, questioned Andre on his motives and intentions. It seemed all his answers lived up to what they wanted and Andre was invited to stay and attend the wedding happening the next day. 

We all sat down to dinner and discussed the plans for what would happen at the wedding. 

“I think all the guest are in town except George and Martha. The letter they sent said they would most likely arrive late into the night. While I was at the inn today I made them a reservation.” A moment after I said this a knock came from the door. 

Ben stood and went to answer it. “It’s a good thing you made extra servings of dinner, Tay.” Ben said as he returned with George and Martha following. I quickly stood and hugged them both. 

“It’s been far too long since I’ve last seen you.” 

“We would have been here sooner but an incident occurred that caused us to be late.” George explained as he and Martha sat down. “During the storm our carriage unfortunately hit a man. We were able to locate your towns doctor and he is being cared for there.”

“I wish we knew his name. I hope he is okay.” Martha added. “But that shouldn’t hinder the excitement of tomorrow’s events.” 

We changed the subject back to the wedding and the unnamed man was not mentioned again. Shortly after dinner plates were washed and put away everyone went to bed. Sky and Andre graciously offered to show the Washingtons to the inn. 

“Are you nervous?” Ben asked as we got into bed. 

“A little. Mainly I’m worried about tripping as I walk. Are you nervous?” 

“Not all. Tomorrow is going to the best day of our lives.”

“Such a romantic. We should sleep. The faster we sleep the faster we wake up. The faster we wake up the faster the we can get married.” We both laughed and went to bed. 

The morning came quickly and soon Sky, Liz, and Anna were whisking me away from Ben to get me dressed. 

“Stop fidgeting. I can’t curl your hair if you keep moving.” Anna ordered as she wrapped my hair around a hot curling rod. 

“She can’t help it she’s excited.” Sky laughed as she and Liz worked on pinning their hair styles into place. “She’s just so happy to rid herself of the Hewlett name.” 

“That is not at all true.” I stuck my tongue out at her and laughed. 

“Are you calling me a liar?” She gasped.

“Well I ain’t calling you a truther!” I came back at her which sent us all into a fit of laughter.

After we were all done joking around and getting ready we made our way to the church. As usual I was very early. I had a habit of always being the first one to an event.

“Why are we here before the reverend?” Sky asked sitting next to me on one of the benches. 

“One, you know I like to be super early and the first to an event. Two, Ben’s father is marrying us I’m sure he’s with Ben.” 

The four of us waited about an hour before Reverand Townsend arrived. 

“This is why you are so good for Benjamin. You will make sure he is always on time.” He chuckled and kissed my cheek. “You look lovely my dear. Ben won’t know what hit him.” 

The guest started arriving and soon we were just waiting for Ben and Caleb. 

“Tay, stop moving or he will see you. This is why the bride is suppose to be the last to arrive not the first.” Anna said as she pushed me back behind the back of the church wall. We had moved outside to hide me away before Ben arrived. 

Finally Papa and Caleb arrived and told us Ben was ready and waiting in the church. Liz and Anna made their way in and took their seats. Caleb and Sky joined arms and started the walk to the end of the aisle. They had a plan to high five at the end and I imagine from the few laughs that they actually did it. 

Then it was my turn. Papa took my arm and we stood at the door for a good minute without speaking. I turned to him and noticed tears on his cheeks. 

“Papa…” I smiled and wiped away the tears.

“My little girl. All grown up and getting married. I’m so proud of you. I’ve watched you go from spoiled little girl who thought the stars revolved around her to one of the most amazing young ladies I have had the privilege of knowing. I am honored to be your father. Raising you and your sister will always be the best thing I ever did. I think I did it right. You’ve gotten this far. Benjamin is a fine man. I know you will have a wonderful like together. Even if you are far from home. Don’t forget your dear old Papa okay?”

“I could never forget you Papa. And I think you did a pretty good job raising us. Maybe not the best in the eyes of the King seeing as I’m marrying an American spy but you know King George is jerk and not here. Then there’s the whole Sky and Simcoe thing but he’s gone now. Hopefully. So yeah you did pretty great. Now we should probably go in before Ben thinks I ran off on him.” 

The doors open and slowly we walked towards the end of the aisle. I looked up and found Ben’s sapphire eyes within a second. He looked so handsome wearing his uniform which was finally all cleaned up. As soon as we locked eyes he blushed. Once Papa and I reached the end I released his hand and took Ben’s. Papa kissed my cheek and sat down next to Liz. 

“We are gathered here today to witness the union of my idiot son and this beautiful young lady he somehow tricked into marrying him. Really dear, blink twice if you want to run.” I imagine if this were anyone else wedding he would have taken his job seriously but the Reverend and I had the same sense of humor. 

Soon it was time for the vows. I suggested just using the generic ones but Ben begged for ones we wrote ourself and I finally agreed.

“And now for the vows Benjamin she told me to make you go first.” the Reverend looked to his son.

Ben shook his head, “Of course she did.” He looked directly at me and took my hands, “I knew I wanted to marry you the first time I heard you speak. You were arguing with your sister about the war. Standing in the middle of town you acted as if no one was listening, including your father’s men who were standing no more than 10 feet away. Once I heard you say, ‘The Americans are going to win the war because they have better outfits.’ I knew I wanted to find out who you were. It took many attempts but I got your name and tracked you down. You were leaving Strong’s tavern and without thinking I took your arm. You turned and I’m pretty sure you were ready to kill me but instead you said “You have sapphire eyes. I want my children to have sapphire eyes.” I could on and quote every word you’ve ever said to me or even just around me. I hope to one day be able to quote every word that ever leaves your mouth. You are truly the love of my life and I hope to never be separated from you. I promise I will do my best to be the best husband you could ever dream of having. I love you.” 

Then it was my turn. 

“First, I didn’t cry just now so I win the bet.” I looked at Mary Woodhull who was sitting with her son Thomas. I rarely cry and she bet that I would cry at Ben’s vows. “Okay now I can start. I was totally going to punch you the first time we met. I mean really you should know better than to grab a lady by the arm late at night. Then I saw your eyes and I fell in love with them. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the rest of you. Someone once said “There are dreamers and there are realist in this world. You’d think the dreamers would find the dreamers, and the realist would find the realist, but more often than not, the opposite is true. See, the dreamers need the realist to keep them from soaring too close to the sun. And the realist? Well, without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground”. I like to think I’m a dreamer who has found my realist in you. I never thought I would find someone, besides my father and sister, who could put up with me the way you do. I know I can be stubborn and headstrong. Sometimes I jump the gun and get over excited over the little things. For a long time I flew too close to the sun and you brought me back down. And from what Caleb has told me I like to believe I’ve help you fly even just a little. Everyday I am thankful to have you. I love you with a love I never thought I had. I promise to love you with that love everyday for the rest of forever.”

Pretty sure everyone in the room was crying at that point. I can be pretty romantic if I try hard enough. 

Then it was time for rings. Caleb took them from his pocket and gave them to us. I carefully slipped the gold band on Ben’s finger and then he dropped mine. Thankfully Sky was able to grab it before it rolled away and Ben put it on my finger. He looked up from my hand and smiled adorably. 

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Ben gently kissed me then took my hand as we walked down the aisle. We went back to the Strong’s tavern for a reception. 

“Congratulations, you look lovely.” I heard Andre’s voice behind me and turned to see him and Sky together. 

“Thank you. I am so happy you are here and not that other person who almost tried to be here. Thankfully he isn’t here at all. Who even knows where Simcoe is currently? Don’t answer that. I don’t care because he isn’t here.” 

“Did you say a Simcoe was suppose to be here?” Martha Washington cut in as she walked up to hug me and Ben. George was off talking with Papa. “I ask because that is the name of the man our carriage hit last night. I saw the doctor this morning and asked his name.”

“Is he dead?” I said with such excitement in my voice that even Ben gave me a disapproving look.

“Thankfully no. He will live. Sadly they had to take both his legs. He’ll never walk again.” 

“He’ll be fine. Let’s change the subject. Weren’t Ben’s vows precious? He’s wonderful.” Really I could have gone on about Simcoe but today was my day. Well also kind of Ben’s day but mostly mine. 

The reception party went one for a few hours before everyone parted ways. Our immediate families, including Caleb, the Strongs, and Andre, returned to our home with us. 

We were all packed for our honeymoon, we were gong to France for a whole month. Sky helped me out of my wedding dress into one more suitable for travel.

“Be careful. Don’t get into fights. Don’t get hurt. If anyone tries to hurt you..”

“Papa, you’re talking to me not Sky. She gets hurt and into fights not me. Plus I have Ben to protect me.” I laughed as Papa continued on with is lists. Liz was able to stop him and they both hugged us goodbye. 

This pattern seemed to continue with Ben’s family before just our friends were left. Anna and Selah only stayed a few minutes longer before wishing us luck and saying goodbye. 

Caleb hugged me tight, even lifting me off the a ground a bit, then released me. “I know everyone said this but be careful. And have fun. Bring my Benny back to me. I promise the house will look the exact same when you get back.” 

Sky laughed, “I promise that I’ll make sure Caleb keeps his promise. Benjamin if anything happens to my sister I suggest you run. Though I will find you. I will kill you. Then I will throw your body into a fire.”

“I promise to make sure nothing happens.” Ben laughed causing her to hit him and tell him how serious she was. 

“Sky be nice. Please please please make sure Caleb keeps his promise. I do want to return to a house not a pile ash.” I heard Caleb grumble in the background about not burning anything down. “Andre, I would greatly appreciate having you and my sister for dinner once we return. I would like to get to you know better and outside the military.” 

“Of course. I look forward it. Have a pleasant trip. France is a beautiful country.” 

“Thank you. Watch out for my sister. She can be a hand full at times.” After I made that comment Sky stuck her tongue out at me. 

We said our final goodbye before Ben loaded our trunks onto a carriage. He helped me up before taking his own seat. 

“I can finally call you my wife. That makes me so happy.”

“And I can call you my husband. Today was perfect. Besides finding out Simcoe was still alive.”

“I swear if you mention Simcoe one time on this trip I will leave you in France.” 

“Thats fine. I can go find Layafette. I’m sure he would be happy to have me in his home.” 

“You are the worst human being I have ever met.” 

“Lies. I am the best. You married me. You had the choice so you can’t complain. You chose me.” I laughed and rested my head against his shoulder.

“Yes, I did and I am very thankful for that.”

~~A few years later~~

After our honeymoon Ben and I returned home to, thankfully, a not burned down house. Our first children, twin boys, were born a little over a year after our wedding, we named them George Washington and Edmund Samuel. Sky and Andre were in the midst of planning their own wedding, which everyone was very excited about. Papa and Liz discovered a new planet and were currently writing a book about it. Caleb was, well, still Caleb. He took his role of Uncle Caleb very seriously. For the most part everyone was happy, healthy, and thriving. Expect Simcoe because no one ever heard from him again after the town doctor stuck him on a boat to England. He might be dead who knows or cares. Not me. 

#turn #amc turn #turn amc #benjamin tallmadge #caleb brewster #turn washington's spies #anna strong #simcoe #abe woodhull #abe woodhull is a soggy cabbage

[welcometofigtown]

today a mule ive trimmed for over a year attacked me. like, reared up and charged at me while striking out. thankfully i was fast/lucky enough to only get my foot stepped on and wrench my ankle in a hole moving away bc he fucking MEANT it and i have no idea why. i had even trimmed the bottom of one foot already, set it down, went to pick it up again to rasp it, and that's when it happened. i tried to just come near him after a few minutes and he fucking lost it again, swung his ass around like he was going to kick the shit out of me.

the two donkeys at the same place were absolute asshats and kicked me a couple times but we got the work done. the tb i trimmed was twirling in circles in the barn aisle the entire time bc there were some other horses at the other end.

did not get paid any extra.

[nicksbiocorner]

Genetic Engineering News: Super-Babies Are Here!

The first genetic engineered babies are here. On November 25, 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui, claimed in an online video that he used CRISPR-Cas9, a gene-editing tool, to genetically engineer a pair of embryos to be HIV resistant. Let’s take a look at this consequential event and what it means for mankind. However, I feel it is important to first take a brief look at the history of mankind’s relationship with genetic engineering.

History of Humans and Genetic Engineering

Despite the futuristic overtones of “genetic engineering”, humanity has actually had a long history with the process. Even in prehistoric times, man would use selective and cross breeding techniques to engineer better crops and livestock! One example is the mule, which is a cross-breed between a male donkey and female horse, and has existed since 3000 BC. The techniques we have used to genetically engineer organisms has always been rudimentary at best but our techniques has improved over time. So much so, that now we are able to specify exactly what traits we wish an organism to exhibit. And upon examining key milestones throughout history, we can hone in on the events that paved the way for such specificity and were a precursor to the November 25, 2018 incident, the day the first genetically engineered humans were announced. Genetic Engineering Timeline •1859- The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. It’s release exposed humanity to the fact that populations evolve through a process called natural selection. •1865- Gregory Mendel developes a model of heredity, by cross breeding pea plants. His experiments garnered him the title of the father of modern genetics. •1866- The discovery that genetic materials (the blue print to heredity) resides in the nucleus of a cell by Ernst Haeckel. •1910- T.H. Morgan proves genetic material resides in chromosomes, which in turn resides in the cell’s nucleus. •1931- The discovery of physical recombination of DNA by scientist Rosalind Franklin. •1944- Oswald Avery discovers the role of DNA in Genetics. •1966- Marshall Nirenberg and Har Gobin Khorana deciphers the genetic code. •1976- Prenatal genetic diagnosis based of DNA discovered. •1978- The worlds first “test tube baby” born. A landmark achievement in the field of genetic engineering in humans. •1990- The human genome project launches. Our attempt to map the human genome. •2000- The completion of the Human Genome Project. •2018- He Jiankui, Chinese scientist, releases video claiming to have genetically modified human embryos which has come to term. ( Confirmed by the Chinese authorities)

He Jiankui, Chinese Scientist who claims to have genetically engineered humans. Photo curtosey of Wikimedia Commons Genetic engineering is not something new to mankind. However, we have never had more control of the process than we do today. And these contributions all led to the day that we were able to genetically engineer the first man.

November 25, 2018

On november 25, 2018, He Jiankui sent tremors through the world when he announces, through a well-coordinated media campaign, that two babies he genetically engineered had came to term. The story was first published in an MIT Technology Review article, then he strategically released a promotional video on YouTube the next day. In the video, you can watch here, He Jiankui claims “two beautiful little Chinese girls, named Lulu and Nana (the names, for obvious reasons, are pseudonyms) came crying into this world as healthy as any other baby a few weeks ago.” (no doubt, an attempt to alleviate the coming fears from this bombshell). He then states that the twins were born via IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), a medical procedure in which the female’s gamete (basically her sex cells..so her eggs) are fertilized outside of the human body. Then after insemination of the fathers sperm, when the then future twins were just a single cell, He Jiankui then genetically modified the DNA of the cell. We can discuss the specifics of that modification in another post, which I will place here via hyperlink, but till then lets focus on the fact that genetically engineered humans are here.

The Reception

The problem is that the topic of genetic engineering is a controversial one, much less genetic engineering done on humans. When He Jiankui performed his controversial gene-editing experiment, he did not consult the scientific community. As a result, the fallout from the scientific community was swift. Scientist world wide condemned his actions and none more so than those in his home country of China, where scientist are already concerned with their image of being the “wild west” of genetic engineering research. Fall out from the government was equally as swift. On revelations of his experiment, a statement was issued from China’s National health Commission in Beijing, “the incident is a serious violation of national laws, regulations and ethical guidelines”. The country’s Ministry of Science and Technology took it a step further and pledged to “work with relevant departments to jointly improve relevant laws and regulations and improve the scientific research ethics review system.” Despite the wide spread condemnation does this mean that genetically engineered super babies are here?

Super Babies, Are They Here?

Does this mean that genetically engineered super-babies are here? Actually no. When people envision a future where we are able to utilize genetic engineering to create “designer babies”, typically it is one in which humans are engineered to be stronger or smarter. These traits however, are not dictated by a single gene, which is all genetic engineering is capable of changing. For example, there are an estimated 93,000 different genes that code for height alone and only 697 of those genes having been identified! So while we are able to make changes to a single gene, to edit a embryo to develop into a human with hightened physical or mental abilities is far out of our reach at the moment. It also should be noted that genetic engineering done to humans is illegal in almost all countries accross the world. We are still a long way of from genetically engineered “ super babies”.

What It Actually Means For Mankind

Until this point, mankind’s genetic predisposition has solely depended on the process of natural selection. But now, we are posed to take from nature, or god whichever you believe, the right to govern our own genetic make-up. This does not mean that we will be able to somehow improve the human population by selecting arbitrarily defined desirable traits” and increasing their reoccurrence. That is almost entirely impossible with genetic engineering. What is it does mean however, is that for certain diseases arising from a incorrect variation among base pairs, such as sick cell, we may now be able to go inside of our cells and correct that variation essentially curing ourselves of genetic disorders. Related Article: Biological Immortality! Can Hummans Live Forever? Read the full article

#DesignerBabies #GeneticEngineering #GeneticallyModifiedOrganisms #Humans #genetics science scienceblogger sciencenews scienceisfun sciencelover sciencelife genetic geneticengineering biology molecularb

[sacrasm]

okay so i usually dont dream/remember my dreams and of course last night i remember what i assume is the later half of my dream 

and of course this one is all kinds of crazy.  im still confused.  how can you put a child lock on a car so it can only go 65 mph.  what is glitterball.   this is going to haunt me for the rest of my life

dont read if you want to keep your sanity intact.   (tl;dr: i hosted the weirdest house party, cars come capped at one speed, tyler hoechlin was our responsible adult of the night, everything seemed so unrealistic but totally shit we’d do.  i think im going crazy.)

it goes like this: 

for some reason im driving this dark blue fiat but it had a child lock on the gas.  it was literally impossible for the car to go anything but 65.  not any faster, not any slower, and if you held your foot down long enough you might get to 66.  

so im driving to my grandmother’s house, and pull up in the driveway, and when i get out my dad tells me that he hired a babysitter to make sure things don’t spiral out of control.  apparently i’m throwing a house party, except the house looks like my grandmother’s, but is actually my parent’s and the inside is a weird fusion of my grandmother’s home, a friend’s home, and the valley fair mall if any of you know what that looks like.

the babysitter gave me the evil eye when i went inside, and told me that just because there were 15+ teens in the house doesnt mean we can go wild and skip bedtime.  she looked like this little crotchety old blonde lady, like the kind you’d get for a sub in highschool that just hates any and all teenagers and stress knits.

i didn’t see anyone when i actually went into the house, aside from a comically large escalator and doorways and thirty or so pizza boxes in the kitchen.  some still have pizza in them, but no one knows which boxes. my fiat was in the middle of the living room.  the babysitter had a shotgun and told me that she’d use it if we got too raunchy.  tyler hoechlin was sitting in an armchair.  he complimented my car. 

for some odd reason the halls and doorways were all the size of one car, so you could drive in the hallways.  the fiat still had the child lock, so i just drove around the hallways at 66mph until i accidentally hit someone, that turned out to be one of my friends, who was riding a horse.  somehow he was fine and uninjured, as was his horse. he refused to answer to anything except napoleon, which doesn’t make sense because that friend isn’t short.

idk how but somehow i’m in a different room, the horse is on top of my car, and all of us are trying to do as much irresponsible shit that we could get away with before getting caught by the babysitter, like drinking copious amounts of alcohol and having indoor paintball tournaments.  time is a social construct inside the house and doesn’t exist, which we’re all fine with.  

and then i drove down a hallway and then a door opened, which the car hit at 66 mph and the door stayed intact.  two of my crushes were sitting in someone’s bedroom, which i guess was mine bc a ton of my shit was in there. they were playing a weird cards against humanity and truth or dare fusion game, that also included pokemon cards.  hoechlin is doing vertical pushups on my bed while simultaneously playing the strange card game.  he’s not doing so good. i went back out into the hallway and my best friend had a rainbow donkey pinata that was as tall as her shoulder.  we both couldve fit in it.  she told me that it was filled with the world’s greatest chocolate, but she refused to open it because she didn’t want to ruin the donkey.  irl that friend loves chocolate.  her boyfriend was following her around the house/mansion trying to convince her to just smash the paper mache donkey already.

i got back in the car, a different best friend was in the fiat with me.  she liked throwing smokebombs out the window at anyone she saw.  somehow she got her hands on a t-shirt cannon and shot confetti in people’s faces despite never leaving the car.  someone bet that i couldn’t kick a hole through a refrigerator. they lost the bet.  everyone was suddenly betting that i couldn’t kick through anything.  i could kick through anything as long as i was wearing my necklace.  my necklace gave me power.

all the tvs in the house only played the sports channel, which had this game going on 24/7 called glitterball.  it looked like football meets ice hockey, except there were pits on the field and whack-a-moles would pop up and players would slam into them or fall in.  there was no glitter involved.  someone stole the babysitter’s shotgun and was trying to shoot her since she kept interrupting us during shit but she was faster than sonic and kept matrix dodging the shotgun shells. tyler was rooting for us.  actually i think he started a betting pool with other celebrity friends to see who could shoot the babysitter.  it turned into a little hunger games, except we were all hunting the babysitter.

one of my other friend’s bedrooms since they all had rooms at my parent’s house was literally filled with weed.  there was a path big enough for a car to squeeze through and a sofa in the middle of the room but other than that, floor to wall weed.  nothing else.  he called it the posey room. he also had a lamborghini which also had a child lock, but his was stuck at 45 mph.  i always passed him in the halls in my tiny ass car even though the hallways are one car so idfk how i managed to pass him.  whenever he honked it was just a yeaaaaaaaaaa boiiiiiiiii.  there was a record player in the exact center of the house, suspended in midair.  it played whatever you wanted to hear the most.  we called i the record player of erised.  no one could hear what it played for themselves, and no one could give accurate descriptions of what they heard for someone.  someone would argue they heard smooth criminal, another would say moaning, and someone else would say fireworks.  we knew they weren’t right.  without fail hoechlin would always say it sounded like wonderwall.  we all looked at him funny because that was the only thing we found weird in the dream.

since the house was part mall there was a weird amc extension.  we watched a movie that was a combo of ferris bueller, me before you, avatar, and your name.  the friend with the pinata had a whole kiddie pool filled with popcorn and was sitting on the pinata, which was still intact even though someone had ran it over in the 45mph lambo.  i watched it get rekt.  but there it was, whole and fully intact.  the friend on the horse was still on the horse and refused to dismount, and managed to convince most of us that he was actually attached to it so he couldn’t get off.  i had seen him get off the horse to kick someone in the balls.  after the movie none of us could find the babysitter.  she disappeared.  we were all fine with that.  we found tyler eating leftover pizza in the kitchen and watching glitterball.  he said the babysitter left him in charge because she was sick of us.  we were fine with that as well.

the fridge that i put a hole in was the door to his room.  there was a camaro in there, and it was locked at 120mph.  my car was faster than his.  no one thought it was strange.  someone drank sriracha like it was water. someone else buttered the hardwood flooring and put lube on the doorknobs and faucets.  we all stayed in our cars for a while to avoid the buttery floors, all capped at different speeds.  the camaro was still the slowest, even slower than the horse. hoechlin’s car horn was just assorted swear words.  every time he honked it would stop our cars.  someone traded cars with him and just honked at random intervals .  we could hear the muted swearing every time our cars jerked to a stop.  eventually tyler traded back.

i got in a fight with my other friend about what would be in a sandwich called the lgbtq+.  i said edible glitter and anything the person making it wanted.  she said that was literally just glittery subway.  she argued that it had to be  lamb, grain, bacon, tabbouleh, quince, and an ingredient starting with the letter of the maker’s sexuality.   hoechlin said that we had to fight and whoever won would be right.  someone backhanded me before the fight started and i woke up.  what the fuck.

mildly concerning facts about this shitshow:

how does someones brain create this nightmare??  

why was i driving a fiat?? 

none of the neighbors filed an noise complaint. 

 im so confused.  

how did tyler hoechlin get into the house.  

do they even make pinatas bigger than small children

how does a fucking pinata survive a rollover from a lamborghini

why did no one stop us

we drank enough alcohol to die of poisoning three times over but werent drunk

a  room full of weed.  an entire room.

this is the second half so what was i doing before this

what was i doing

why did i dream this

what the fuck is wrong with me

if this was the second half, then what the hell happened in the first half

#my ridiculous family #just me saything things again #how about i never remember my dreams again yeah thanks #that was more than enough bullshit for me anyway