the world as we know it has ended and mother nature starts taking back what’s hers. there are no zombies or cannibals or murderous bandits. the most valued members of the community are those who know how to garden and farm, sew and weave, treat wounds, work wood or build with bricks, cook from scratch.
people bond together to begin rebuilding instead of killing each other. everyone teaches each other whatever they do know and works together to figure out the stuff none of them know. books become incredibly valued resources because they’re often the only way to learn critical information. if someone is elderly, disabled, or otherwise unable to work at the same level as most of the community, they’re taken care of by the others, not told any sort of “survival of the fittest” bs.
as the generations ware on, communities begin expanding into small cities. some of the settlements even find ways to repurpose solar or wind power on a small scale and have electricity in some of their buildings. storytellers wander the countryside telling tales of the old world in return for some hot stew or a place to rest for the night, and the mythos of the new world start to incorporate elements of the past. the only thing that remains constant is that humans survive, and they do it by working together.
A CHILL AF MANGA ABOUT A ROBOT LADY RUNNING A COFFEE SHOP DURING THE DECLINE OF HUMANITY WHERE EVERYONE IS SUPER NICE AND HAPPY AND IT’S JUST REALLY LOVELY
IT IS LEGIT ONE OF MY FAVORITE SCI-FI WORKS AND A HUGE INSPIRATION FOR MY WRITING
IF YOU LIKE A QUIET END OF THE WORLD PLEASE CHECK IT OUT BLESS
Can I also recommend the webcomicEth’s Skinby Sfe R. Monster? It’s not exactly post-apocalyptic, but it’s an alternate history Pacific Northwest during the twilight of humanity. Small communities of people balancing themselves against the creatures and powers that have reclaimed the forests. Some technology still left from brighter days–floatplanes here and there, canned food–but a lot of things are recycled, scrounged, foraged, or made. Fishing. Kayaks. Magic. Plenty of snark. A grumpy selkie. You know.
Also, the main character’s nonbinary, so that’s rad.
A new species is evolving before scientists’ eyes in the eastern United States.
Wolves faced with a diminishing number of potential mates are lowering their standards and mating with other, similar species, reported The Economist.
The interbreeding began up to 200 years ago, as European settlers pushed into southern Ontario and cleared the animal’s habitat for farming and killed a large number of the wolves that lived there.
That also allowed coyotes to spread from the prairies, and the white farmers brought dogs into the region.
Over time, wolves began mating with their new, genetically similar neighbors.
The resulting offspring — which has been called the eastern coyote or, to some, the “coywolf” — now number in the millions, according to researchers at North Carolina State University.
Interspecies-bred animals are typically less vigorous than their parents, The Economist reported — if the offspring survive at all.
That’s not the case at all with the wolf-coyote-dog hybrid, which has developed into a sum greater than the whole of its parts.
At about 55 pounds, the hybrid animal is about twice as heavy as a standard coyote, and her large jaws, faster legs and muscular body allow her to take down small deer and even hunt moose in packs, and the animal is skilled at hunting in both open terrain and dense woodland.
An analysis of 437 hybrid animals found that coyote DNA dominates her genetic makeup, with about one-tenth of its DNA from dogs, usually larger dogs such as Doberman pinschers and German shepherds, and a quarter from wolves.
The animal’s cry starts out as a deep-pitched wolf howl that morphs into higher-pitched yipping — like a coyote.
Her dog DNA may carry an additional advantage.
Some scientists think the hybrid animal is able to adapt to city life — which neither coyotes or wolves have managed to do on their own — because her dog ancestry allows her to tolerate people and noise.
The coywolves have spread into some of the nation’s largest cities — including New York, Boston and Washington — using railway corridors.
The interbreeding allows the animal to diversify her diet and eat discarded food, along with rodents and smaller mammals — including cats, which coywolves eat skull and all — and they have evolved to become nocturnal to avoid humans.
The animals are also smart enough to learn to look both ways before crossing roads.
Not all researchers agree the animal is a distinct species, arguing that one species does not interbreed with another — although the hybrid’s existence raises the question of whether wolves and coyotes are distinct species in the first place.
But scientists who have studied the animal say the mixing of genes has been much faster, extensive and transformational than anyone had noticed until fairly recently.
“(This) amazing contemporary evolution story (is) happening right underneath our nose,” said Roland Kays, a researcher at North Carolina State.
THIS SHIT IS SO WILD AND IT’S ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. If you’d like to watch the entire Nature documentary referenced in that “watch this report” link, you can find the whole thing on Youtube. It’s a terrific documentary and a really interesting look at an animal most people don’t even seem to realize exists. The extent to which coywolves have adapted to urban life and the ways in which they’re very distinct from the species they’ve sprung from is pretty incredible.
Cannot recommend WDHDT highly enough. I’ve found it helpful not just for romantic relationships, but also for growing up w a “unexplainable/uncontrollable” dad.
IT HAS ALSO BEEN REALLY HELPFUL FOR UNDERSTANDING ONLINE MOB HARASSMENT.
So if you’ve ever been bombarded w threats to be raped/killed, (so…if you’re a minority and you’ve been on the Internet for a while), this book might be useful for getting clarity around the whole entitled, abusive mindset that drives certain kinds of people to behave that way. And by “getting clarity”, I mean (for me) being able to go “oh, that’s what’s happening” and not really feel scared anymore. Or angry, or drawn out into it, or anything.
And if you’re still standing around going “but how does something like GamerGate happen?” or “but why do men hit their wives?” or whatever – please read that book and learn something.
^^^^ truth WDHDT is fantastic at cutting down MRA bullshit and calling it what it really is
Please consider reading these. WDHDT is really, really helpful. And I know some of you are struggling with abusive relationships, friendships, families, etc. You’re not alone. There is help.
Gangsta takes place in the fictional city of Ergastulum and it is where the main subjects of the story, Twilights -or Tags- try to coexist with humans. And due to things such as prison overcrowding and becoming home to refugees, the city became a very populated and diverse place and you can see things such as interracial couples and even important characters that are POC/ mixed such as:
Nicolas Brown (mixed- Asian/White)
Alex Benedetto (mixed- Black/Asian)
Galahad Woehor (black)
Doug (mixed- Black/???)
Worick Arcangelo (white)
Yang (Chinese)
2. Disabled Main Character That Kicks Major Ass
One of the main characters, Nicolas Brown, is deaf and often communicates using sign language (and on occasions, he will talk though his voice is distorted and slurred).
However, despite Nicolas being deaf, this guy will easily kick someone’s ass all over town with his katana.
In fact, that’s what he’s most known for: being able to kick someone’s ass even though he can’t hear a thing. Making him notorious throughout the streets of Ergastulum.
There’s also another male main character, Worick Arcangelo, who only has one eye and is sight-impaired because of it. He doens’t let it get to him though and his disability doesn’t make him any less threatening than Nicolas and Ergastulum also knows to fear the one-contract holding normal who’s apart of the Benriya Trio.
3. Badass Female Characters
Probably one of the top reasons you should ever consider this series– the female characters are amazing. Despite some of the girl’s large busts, they aren’t being used for just plain fanservice and actually bring something to the show with varying aspects.
We have Alex, a former prostitute who suffers from PTSD,
but she is brave and won’t let her inability to fight stop her from jumping in to help her friends, even against people who are clearly stronger than her.
Loretta, one of the most accomplished girls in the story at a young age –15 to be precise– who is the leader of her own mafia family. She has men to do her bidding and to use at her disposal, but she blatantly refuses to sacrifice them and let them die needlessly– so she joins the fight too.
Connie, even when out numbered and overpowered due to her status as a normal(human)– she fights. She isn’t indestructible and she isn’t strong, but that’s exactly what makes Connie a powerhouse. She doesn’t step down and her willpower to survive and protect the people she cherishes most is outstanding.
And this is only to name a few of the beautiful women that grace this series (and the ones that aren’t even Twilights).
4. Accurate Use of Japanese SignLanguage
Though this possibly should have gone after reason number two, I digress. Another good reason to start looking at Gangsta is the fact that legitimate sign language is used and could be even be educational in the fact that you can practice reading it.
However, keep in mind that this JapaneseSign Language, so for those who already know some form of sign language– here’s a chance to pick up another type just in case you might actually be heading to Japan and encounter a person who knows it.
5. A LGBTQA Couple
Though not much has been explored on these two characters, Gina Paulklee and Ginger are two Twilight women that happen to be in an implied relationship with one another. Heavily so.
So if you want a series with an actual lesbian couple that isn’t just yuri-exclusive and it’s ACTUALLY canon, Gangsta is the series for you.
6. Nina
Nina is possibly one of the most precious characters in Gangsta and a constant ray of sunshine when things get too dark. She’s a nurse-in-training who works for a gruff doctor named Theo and is a very open-minded, gentle person who doesn’t discriminate people due to colour or species.
She’s not portrayed as a weak little girl either and will jump in a surgery as fast as possible, getting info as she prepares.
Also, Nina and Nicolas’s uncle/brother-niece/sister relationship is one of the most endearing and adorable things ever.
7. Delico
Another precious child who must be protected at all costs and is a total bae. (His tarot card representation is the hanged man like Kaneki, you know he needs a protection squad!)
8. Just An Interesting Series In General
Gangsta takes an interesting twist on things like discrimination with it’s dog tag wearing characters called Twilights and the mafia. The diverse cast of characters extends past the fact that they are different races and delve into deeper things like, what past events shaped up their current personality or reasons that lead to make certain decisions with their lives even if it wasn’t the best choice.
The girl characters are used for more than fanservice and there are more than just hetero couples, LGBTQA and interracial couples all included.
While this may be a phrase used to describe many other anime/manga, Gangsta is a series that is taking the otaku community by a storm due to bringing what other, more mainstream stories, fail to include in their storylines and Kohsuke is doing a wonderful job with it.
So at the very least, check out the first chapter or episode of Gangsta and give it a chance because this is a series that is worth a try.
“You and your friends fill your mouths with big words–Social Justice, Freedom, Revolution–and meanwhile people waste away, they fall ill, many of them die. Speeches don’t feed people. What the people need are fresh vegetables, and a good fish broth at least once a week. I’m only interested in the kinds of revolution that start off by getting people sat at the table.”
— José Eduardo Agualusa, A General Theory of Oblivion
A week after moving into a new apartment complex, Harry discovers the mailman doesn’t seem to know the difference between numbers 23 and 28. He’s not too mad about it when he finds out just how handsome his neighbour from apartment 28 really is.
Or the one where Harry and Louis keep mistakingly receiving each other’s mail (and also fall in love).
(If the author would like a physical button message me for details!)
A fanfic still lying heavy in my stomach, and if indulged in my thoughts on it further, definitely bringing up tears again. But so, so, so precious. It’s by @billowsandsmoke from 2016 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/6693841.
This is my long emotional comment on it, may it serve as a recommendation to read it (tiny spoilers ahead):
Amongst various (few) pieces of art I have found dealing with Severus Snape’s story, this story has instantly received a place of honour. Its delicacy, the most skilled use of language, the empathy for the characters the author expresses in their writing as well as the respect for the characters’ nature, with much regard to canon (even though so unfortunate for their both’ fates…), it left me stunned and paralysed after I finished reading.
Of course I could not refrain from crying, reading Luna’s summary and explanation of her friendship with Severus, which explained many things I was wondering about, even for me. And what touched me most, I believe, was the degree to which I could identify with how she perceived him, and the world around her, and even his point of view to some extent. Even though my personality is different when it comes to reaction to vulnerability, I realised it must include both components which the author brought up in the story, the attitude of"fighting back" as well as the patient search for a person’s soul. Perhaps to a less radical degree. Perhaps with more impulsivity, and less patience. Yet the way Luna opened up about her awareness of Severus’ attitude towards her, and how she considered him and his nature valid, valuable and precious, it reminded me of those times when I attempted to see the same in people around me who were given up by others- sometimes to my own demise, when I had been unsuccessful to extract their deeper kindness from within them.
And it hurt to read it, and to realise it, and was somehow comforting at the same time, that this behaviour might exist in certain people (even if in this case it was attributed to a fictional character). And it hurt for Severus, to not have experienced this degree of openness and freedom to express his own emotions. And still, it felt like a closure, because indeed he realised that Luna had felt him more than he thought possible.
Thank you so much, author. Please do not stop writing, it’s a blessing.
She’d remembered once questioning if she’d been wrong to want him. If those fleeting little betrayals of her heart had been somehow corrupted, at their core.
Now, however, the answer comes to her more easily.
After all, they had experienced — endured — every brutal intimacy together.
Why must she be deprived of this, too?
Title:forbidden appetites
Summary:An exploration of love, shame, and desire. Inej’s POV.
Author’s Note: Themuch-delayed part two of a fic exchange for the Bastards of the Barrel Discord server! Originally written for @violetfolgi – apologies for the wait!
Permafrost (Permagel in Catalan) was published in 2018 and was a great success both with the public and the literary critics. It has also been published translated to English.
Well, well, well. Guess who fell into the new gay pirates fandom? And guess who finished OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH and was immediately like, “I gotta find some fic to read to fill the void.” Despite that I swore up and down I wasn’t going to get drawn into another new fandom, five minutes after the final episode, I was opening up AO3 and clicking away like my life depended on it.
I thought it’d just be a fun, silly show to watch in between more serious ones! Just some cute pirate antics with some nice queer rep! Sure, maybe some heavier stuff might happen, but it was ultimately a silly pirates show and I wasn’t going to have real feelin– OH NO NOW I’M HIP DEEP IN FEELINGS AND I AM MAKING IT EVERYONE ELSE’S PROBLEM WITH ME. Because if fic is going to make me cry and/or laugh through my tears, I’m not suffering that alone. So, here, read a bunch of fic with me.
OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH FIC RECS: ✦He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by AuntieClimactic, ed/stede, NSFW, 14.4k “Here we go again,” he heard Lucius scream over Izzy’s furious cursing. ✦and he doesn’t mind the (ooh) by thatbug, ed/stede & cast, NSFW, 5.4k As a curious man, Captain Stede Bonnet determines that he should learn more about the great piratical pastime of buggery. Edward Teach is surprisingly unwilling to discuss. In which it’s much harder than Stede would expect to convince Blackbeard to fuck him up the ass. ✦do no harm, take no shit by holsmi, ed/stede & mary & cast, 2.1k Mary Bonnet receives some uninvited guests. ✦The Biblical Sense by Fyre, ed/stede, NSFW, 2.5k Ed’s eyes creased around the edges. Smiling. One could always tell by them, even if his beard and moustache and everything else hid his mouth. “I know you’re a bit new to the whole… seaman thing,” he said with that rumble of amusement in his voice, “but I thought even you’d recognise a come on when you saw one.” ✦echo your name (call it love) by treescape, ed/stede, 1.6k Or, Stede realizes he’s maybe, possibly started calling Ed rather revealing things. ✦Beyond Vanity by reserve, ed/stede, 2.3k After Izzy leaves, and Stede gets patched up, Ed uses the bathtub for something other than a nervous breakdown. ✦Hold me deep beneath your waves by makesometime, ed/stede, NSFW, 1.2k “Would you believe…” Stede breathes, voice shaky in that way that Ed’s come to learn means he’s excited, but like, in a nervous way. “That I’ve never done… this… before?” ✦this is not your grave, get out by morian, ed & lucius (& ed/stede & black pete/lucius), 10k Or: Lucius survives. For better or for worse. ✦Break down, it’s alright by rowenablade, ed/stede, NSFW, 3.2k “Stede.” Ed’s voice breaks, dragging Stede’s eyes back up from where they’ve been staring at the floor in shame. “Please.” ✦you reached out your hand to me by holsmi, ed/stede, 4.1k Stede Bonnet sneaks onboard the Revenge, and sets some things right. ✦the relationship counselor by Nanashi07, ed/stede & olu/jim & lucius, 4k Lucius Spriggs: the unofficial – and involuntary – relationship counselor of The Revenge. ✦peccadilloes by Badgerette, ed/stede, 2.1k On the benefits of literary references. Now with a variation on a theme. ✦ease one life the aching by treescape, ed/stede, 1.1k Or, Ed’s not used to being taken care of. Stede wants to change that. ✦separating salt from water by morian, ed/stede & cast, 6k Or: The Revenge has been becalmed for six days. Ed has bigger things to worry about, like sharks and being in love. ✦denial by huojuvuus, ed/stede & mary, 2.1k (or, mary builds an unlikely friendship and maybe saves her ex-husband’s relationship in the process.) ✦when you love it by mia_ugly, ed/stede, NSFW, 5.7k Stede’s being kissed before the door fully clicks shut behind him. ✦on the bed of this blue ocean by kirkaut, ed/stede, 9.6k [Or: Ed hears about Stede’s ‘death’ and promptly falls apart.] ✦Trick by Desdemon, ed/stede, NSFW, 4.2k Stede teaches Ed how to play piquet. ✦Two Captains and a Baby by triedunture, ed/stede, 9.2k The crew of The Revenge finds a lost infant during one of their bouts of fuckery. Stede and Ed play caretaker for one night. ✦every morning the world by treescape, ed/stede, NSFW, 1.1k Or, breakfast in bed doesn’t go exactly as planned, but that’s okay. ✦we were warnings by mia_ugly, ed/stede, NSFW, 13.1k Stede comes back. Ed does too. It just takes a little longer. ✦Never Been Sketched by Luddleston, ed/stede & lucius, 3.6k Or: Ed poses for a portrait in the nude, and Lucius has to watch Stede go through a life-altering internal crisis, witness a frankly upsetting level of sexual tension, and deal with the most fidgety portrait subject ever. At least he gets to ogle Blackbeard while he’s at it. For the sake of art. Obviously. ✦heartless by Nanashi07, ed/stede & izzy & frenchie & jim, 4.8k Stede seems determined to win Edward back. It must be why he keeps “accidentally” showing up in Edward’s life.
“The fuck?” Ed manages, instantly getting his foot stuck in a nearby bucket.
“Sh-shh!” Stede pushes two fingers against his lips to shut him up.
Ed goes still and a bit cross-eyed, staring down at the hand on his mouth. Stede moves it away, with a mouthed “sorry!” focusing intently on the sounds outside the shed instead.
In the alley, hurried steps and shouting voices rush past; they catch fragments of: “Where the fuck did they go then?” or “Keep looking!” and even “The short one looks like a bloody birthday cake, how do you lose that—”
Stede Bonnet’s agenda for attending the International Piracy Convention: rebrand, make some industry contacts, steal back his ship without being murdered by the keynote speaker, a.k.a. the vengeful love of his life.
thank you for rec! I also absolutely second the @auntieclimactic and morian recs and here are a few more:
The first letter appeared only a few weeks after Stede left him alone on that beach. Ed burnt the first, and the second, and the third. But they kept coming.
Or: how Edward Teach gained a pen pal, lost a first mate, reunited with an old friend, and learned something about seagulls.
“The robbing bit. I’m happy to oblige, just sort of in a major hurry.” He peered nervously out the back window of the carriage. Nobody was coming down the road but it seemed like he thought there might be soon. “And it’s very roomy in here. Space enough for you to draw your sword, even, if you’d like.”
If there’s a truism in his profession, it’s that fear is a better bet than love. A man fears you, you both know where you stand. Love, though, love’s a right fucker. Steals your footing out from under you, leaves you dizzy and useless as a green-arsed cabin boy on his first day at sea. But he doesn’t want to be thinking about this tonight. That’s why he’s drinking.
(Four months later, Ed’s on a bender in Nassau when Stede finally tracks him down.)
“I think that it’s time for me to be selfish now. And that starts with you.” When he looks back up at Buck, he can’t tell what he’s thinking. His expression is similar to when he told him about the will, so he’s not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
“I’m not telling you this because I want you to, I don’t know, I just don’t want you to feel obligated to say anything. I just want you to know.” Buck nods. He’s not sure he’ll be able to get this out if he keeps pausing. He looks back down.
Eddie can’t stop looking over at Buck during the ceremony. A part of him is thinking about his wedding, the rushed planning, the nerves he swallowed at the altar, and every second since the proposal. He’s thinking about how he thought that marriage, let alone a relationship, filled to the brim with love and devotion like Hen and Karen wasn’t in the cards for him.
Finding a partner who would care for Chris and then care for him the same way wasn’t the hard part because he had found that in Buck. From the moment they met, Buck had been there for him just because he wanted to be. He had seen Eddie at his worst and still loved him. The way he always managed to step in like it was nothing should’ve been overwhelming to Eddie, but choosing to let Buck in was the easy choice he’d ever made.
The hard part was not getting in his own way. He’s lucky Buck wasn’t letting up and that he’s always been a steady support because even if the pushes Eddie gave him were gentle, they were there anyway and most people would’ve taken the hint and given up.
Relationships: Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Azula & Mai (Avatar)
Characters: Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Azula (Avatar)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Ember Island (Avatar), Lesbian Mai (Avatar), Nonbinary Mai (Avatar), Autistic Mai (Avatar), Mai-centric (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Coming Out, Fluff, Established Relationship, Gender Dysphoria, Mailee Week 2022 (Avatar)
Word Count: 2155
Summary:
“Seriously,” Azula says. “Whatever you’re worried about being revealed isn’t going to come to light unless you want it to.”
(That’s the problem, though - Mai thinks maybe she does want that. If the island spills her secret, then she doesn’t have to worry about doing it herself.)
ember island reveals the true you, but mai is still trying to figure out who the ‘true her’ is
written for @maileeweek2022, day seven: ember islandor free day
Mai should tell her to stay with the Kyoshi Warriors, to stay somewhere safe, to not leave at all, to talk to her parents, to help her plan anything she needs, to take her to someone, to tell her that running away is not the solution, it never has been. She should do any number of those things.
Instead she says, “When do we leave?”
(ty lee runs away and mai follows)
banner by the lovely @boybff who also made art for this fic which you absolutely need to check out because it’s my favourite thing in the world and i don’t have the words to express how much i love it ! ily jax tytyty oughdnddkd i loved working with you and i’m so glad you liked this fic <3
He set us a task: to write a story creating our own urban myth. The lesson ended with the boys walking around the classroom like zombies and the girls arguing over which was worse, clowns verses Slenderman. I left the classroom alone and no one noticed.
Between the Lies / Cathy Macphail———————————— Jude is missing. When Abbie receives a text from her, everything changes. But the question is why is Jude missing? Does anyone know? Maybe Abbie, maybe Jude’s friends. No one is sure- a thrilling tale full of suspense and surprises! 4/5
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