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girldad!Sylus

Sylus, Leader of Onichynus, Ruler of the N109 zone, has vanished. His traces remain: crows with glowing eyes watch from lofty perches and his twin shadows carry about his business with an efficiency and brutality that belies their playful nature, but the man himself hasn't been seen in months. 

Rumors fly, of course. Some say that he's grown bored with his little kingdom and gone to expand his domain in distant lands. Others that he'd returned to whatever hellish dimension he'd appeared from all those years ago. 

In the shadows, some whisper darker tales. The kind that border on mutiny. Captured by the Hunters Association, lost his evol in a freak accident, dead at the hands of the twins who now seem to rule his empire. 

As the days pass and no evidence arises to dispel the rumors, the whispers grow bolder, turn to scheming around dingy bar tables and high end board rooms alike. If Sylus is gone, what's to prevent them from taking Onichynus’s power?

Plots are laid, plans put into motion. Weapons change hands in dark alleys. Violence bubbles beneath the surface, barely contained, all eyes set on the same goal: Onichynus.

And in a room in a distant castle, a phone rings. 

The sound cuts through the sun-drenched silence of the old stone room. On the couch, the man stirs. His disheveled silver hair and dark-circled eyes speak of busy days and sleepless nights. The culprit rests on his chest, a small puddle of drool dripping from her open mouth onto his shirt as she, for once, sleeps soundly. The phone’s ring is harsh in the sacred silence, and she makes a small noise of discontent, like the mewl of a kitten. The man stirs as well, one hand groping blindly for his phone while the other rests comfortingly on her back, large enough to span all the way across her tiny frame. He cracks an eye open to glance at the screen, scowling as he reads the name on the caller ID. 

“I told you not to bother me over trivial matters.” His voice is rough from sleep. An indistinct voice can be heard from the other end, then another, followed by a muffled explosion. He sits up abruptly, scowl deepening, though his grip on his precious bundle is as gentle as ever. “Is that so? It seems they’ve forgotten who they’re dealing with. Give me an hour. I’ll be there.”

As he stands, you emerge from the bedroom, swathed in a fluffy robe and drying your hair with a towel. You look more refreshed than you have in days. “Was that the twins?”

He nods, handing you the baby as he passes you, entering the bedroom to begin his transformation from doting father to Leader of Onichynus. His soft sweater is replaced with the stark black of his sharply tailored suit, the jacket hanging from his shoulders increasing the breadth of his already impressive frame. “It seems I’ve been away from the zone for too long. Certain people need a reminder of my true power.” 

Your eyes brighten and you take a step forward. “I can-”

“No,” he cuts you off, then chuckles as you pout. “You have a wound the size of a dinner plate on your uterus, sweetie. You should be resting.”

The baby makes a sound, wiggling in your grasp, and he looks at her with mock sternness. “You too, missy. Wait another decade or two, and I’ll consider it.” He cups her head with one large, calloused hand and lays a soft kiss on her forehead, then lifts his head to place another, longer kiss on your lips. 

“How long do you expect to be?” You murmur against his mouth. 

“No more than a few hours. All they need me for is a show of strength: I’ll disintegrate a few people, blow up a building or two, and be home in time for dinner. The twins can handle the rest.”

“You’d better be.” You brush a strand of hair away from his face. “I’ll make something for dinner.”

He gives you a disapproving look. “What part of ‘you should be resting’ don’t you understand?”

“Then you better hurry back to stop me,” your voice has a teasing lilt to it. You pat his cheek and then give his shoulder a shove. “Go on then, reclaim your empire, oh mighty dragon.”

He salutes you ironically, then, in a swirl of red mist, is gone.

Making a type of xuan paper (宣纸; fine paper used for calligraphy/painting) with Yunnan safflower and fresh high mountain tea leaf inclusions. This is Yunlong paper (云龙皮纸), which is made mainly from paper mulberry bark, and is categorised as "semi-raw".

Meet The World’s Most ‘Safeguarded’ Tree - A Jurassic Survivor Thought Extinct Until 1994 - by Scott Travers Contributor I write about the world of biology.

Forbes - Innovation - Science

Hidden in the remote canyons of Wollemi National Park, in New South Wales, Australia, is a tree so rare & ancient that its exact location remains a closely guarded secret.

The Wollemi Pine (Wollemia Nobilis), a conifer in the 200 million year-old Araucariaceae family, thought to have vanished from the planet - until a chance discovery in 1994 rewrote botanical history.

Since then, this prehistoric survivor has been at the center of 1 of the world’s most intense conservation efforts. Its wild population, numbering just a handful of trees, is strictly monitored, with measures in place protecting it from poaching, disease & environmental threats. Even those permitted to visit the site must undergo decontamination procedures, ensuring that this Jurassic relic remains untouched by modern dangers.

The Wollemi Pine Was Discovered In 1994—Purely By Chance

In September 1994, David Noble, a field officer with the New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife Service, was trekking through a deep, narrow gorge in Wollemi National Park. As an experienced bushwalker & canyon explorer, he had navigated the rugged terrain before - but this time, something caught his eye. Towering above the dense vegetation was a tree unlike anything he had ever seen. Its dark, knobby bark, which looked like bubbling chocolate and its fern-like foliage were eerily reminiscent of fossils he had encountered in books. Curious, he collected a few samples and took them back for identification.

What followed was one of the most shocking botanical discoveries of the century. Experts confirmed that the tree was not only a new species but also a completely new genus – Wollemia - a rare example of a “living fossil” (something like the Gingko biloba). With close relatives dating back to the Jurassic, the Wollemi pine had defied extinction, surviving in isolation within this hidden canyon, completely undisturbed.

The Wollemi Pine Is The ‘Botanical Equivalent Of A Small Dinosaur’

Noble took some samples to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, where they were examined by botanists Wyn Jones & Jan Allen, who recognized the significance of what they were looking at. They handed it over to Carrick Chambers, the then-Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, who claimed that it was the “botanical equivalent of finding a small dinosaur still alive on Earth.”

It’s not every day that a tree from the dinosaur era is found alive & thriving. It is a direct link to the ancient past, giving valuable insights into plant evolution & resilience.

The 1st order of business, after realizing there were only 100 trees in the wild, was securing their survival. Conservationists quickly restricted access to the site, ensuring that the trees would remain undisturbed. The exact location of the grove was kept confidential, and only a handful of researchers were allowed near it.

Strict biosecurity measures were put in place to prevent the introduction of pathogens, particularly Phytophthora cinnamomi, a deadly soil-borne disease that could wipe out the fragile population. Anyone permitted to visit had to undergo decontamination procedures to minimize the risk of contamination.

The Wollemi Pine Today - From Secrecy To A Symbol Of Conservation

Despite its fragile status, the iconic tree has not only survived but become a global conservation icon. Recognizing the need to safeguard its future, conservationists have worked ensuring that young trees now grow in botanic gardens & private collection the world over, far beyond the remote canyon where they were 1st  discovered.

The Wollemi Pine Is Now A ‘Diplomatic Gift’ & A Symbol Of Resilience

Over the years, the tree has taken on a new role in global diplomacy, symbolizing resilience, longevity & the importance of conservation. Seedlings have been planted in prestigious locations, including the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Kew Gardens in London & other protected sites around the world​.

These young pines act as ambassadors for biodiversity, reminding us that some of Earth’s most ancient species still need protection.

Wollemi Pine - A Future Beyond The Wild

In 2005, the Wollemi pine was made commercially available, allowing individuals & institutions to own & grow this prehistoric marvel​. The idea was simple: by putting the pines in backyards & botanic gardens, conservationists could reduce the risk of illegal poaching while securing a future for the species outside its vulnerable wild habitat.

Though the commercial partnership officially ended in 2010, many young trees continue to be cultivated worldwide. Today, owning a Wollemi pine is not just a novelty - it’s a small but meaningful act of conservation. Meanwhile, in its native habitat, the species remains under strict protection. As of 2021, only 46 adult trees remain in the wild, accompanied by many dozen juveniles​. Conservationists closely monitor the population, implementing biosecurity measures to shield the trees from disease, climate change & wildfires (the 2019-20 wildfire in Australia destroyed several Wollemi pines) – all of which pose a constant threat​.

What began as a secret discovery deep in the canyons of Wollemi National Park has now evolved into one of the most remarkable modern day conservation stories. While the species remains critically endangered, conservation efforts have helped secure its future beyond the wild. The Wollemi Pine now grows in gardens, research institutions & protected landscapes worldwide - but its survival in the wild still hangs in the balance. For a tree that coexisted with dinosaurs, that’s not a bad comeback.

The story of the Wollemi pine speaks to the amazing resilience of life on Earth. But it is also a reminder of how delicate and irreplaceable our natural world is. Take the free Connectedness To Nature Scale to learn how important nature is to you.

This was my first sweater knitted in the round, first stranded colourwork project, and my first time steeking. It was definitely my most challenging project so far, and a lot of learning and research was involved. I used a colourwork chart created by the very talented Molly Gifford, which is available for free on Ravelry

For reference, this is one of the fragments uncovered from the gravesite:

Some scholars think that the Oseberg tapestry includes the earliest known artistic depiction of Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn. So I added them to the sleeves as a little Easter egg.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2026/06/12/compelled-speech/#quishing

Long before "agentic AI," we had the idea that software would act as your agent on the internet. That's why the old-fashioned technical term for a browser is a "user agent." Your browser acts on your behalf to retrieve information and then show it to you, in the format you choose. It's your agent:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/07/treacherous-computing/#rewilding-the-internet

This is a powerful and profound idea. It is because browsers are our "agents" that we expect them to accept our directives, say, by blocking pop-ups, or by turning off autoplay sound, or by blocking commercial surveillance trackers:

https://privacybadger.org/

Your browser does all that because your browser works for you. The reason your browser can work for you is that the web is an open, standardized technology. In theory, anyone who follows the standards published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) can make a browser, and that web browser can connect to any web server. Browsers and servers are interoperable. It's the same force that means you can put anyone's gas in your gas-tank, or anyone's shoelaces in your shoes, or anyone's milk on your cereal.

But what if manufacturers could dictate those choices to you? What if your light socket refused to use a lightbulb unless it was officially blessed by the socket's manufacturer? What if your dishwasher refused to wash your dishes unless you bought them from one of the manufacturer's "dish partners"? What if your toaster refused to toast "unauthorized bread"?

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/unauthorized-bread-a-near-future-tale-of-refugees-and-sinister-iot-appliances/

It's hard to see how a company could win its market with this strategy. After all, if the dishes are really better than the competition's, you'd buy them voluntarily, without any need for law or technology to force the matter. The only reason to make a dishwasher that refuses a rival's dishes is if the manufacturer's own dishes are ugly, expensive, and/or badly made.

But once a company owns the market – once they've achieved dominance by buying out their rivals; by bribing potential competitors to stay out of their lane; and by engaging in deceptive conduct to trap key suppliers and customers – they could cement their dominance by blocking interoperability, keeping out rival dishes, milk, gas, lightbulbs, shoelaces and bread, capturing their whole market and squeezing it.

That's what Google has done, and that's what Google wants to do more of. Google's commercial behavior has been so unethical, deceptive and abusive that the company just lost three federal antitrust cases:

https://www.bigtechontrial.com/p/google-loses-the-adtech-monopolization

This thrice-convicted monopolist bribed Apple – more than $20b/year – to stay out of the search market:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/02/how-do-you-solve-problem-google-search-courts-must-enable-competition-while

They cheated app vendors, ripping them off with sky-high junk fees and onerous conditions that raised prices while lowering the share of your spending that went to the companies whose products you were paying for:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/boom-google-loses-antitrust-case

They cheated advertisers, rigging the ad market to gouge businesses on ad prices and underinvesting to fight rampant ad-fraud, sucking hundreds of billions out of the productive economy for overpriced ads that no one saw:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-prevails-landmark-antitrust-case-against-google

Google wasn't always this way. The "don't be evil" company owes its very existence to the open web ecosystem. When the company started to index the web in 1998, it was playing on an open field, where any web server could talk to any "user agent," even one whose user was a startup like Google, that was making a copy of every page on the server.

We're here, we're queer, we're really fucking tired so we're just gonna go straight to biting instead of feigning polite confusion if you're gonna be a bigot this time, just so you know.

Happy Pride!

┈┈───╼⊳⊰ 𝑨𝒅 𝑨𝒓𝒎𝒂 ⊱⊲╾───┈┈

Let's raise a glass to Prince Kremnos!🍷