#Death at SeaWorld

[orcinus-veterinarius]

For the first time in recent history, a killer whale stranded in the Southeastern United States. The 21-foot, 5,000 pound adult female passed away very shortly after beaching in Flagler County, Florida on January 11, 2023, and her body was transported to SeaWorld Orlando for necropsy (animal autopsy). The death appears to be the result of natural illness, with no anthropogenic factors.

Orcas are extremely rare off the eastern coast of Florida, and this could well be a once in a lifetime occurrence. After decomposition, the whale’s skeleton will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

[phantom-of-notre-dame]

Books Read in 2024

Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity by David Kirby (December 27, 2023- February 10, 2024)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Feb. 10- Feb. 20)

Complete Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm (Feb. 20- April 3)

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (April 3- April 27)

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (April 27- July 1)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (July 1- July 30)

The Divine Comedy by Dante (July 30- Nov. 26)

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli (Nov. 26- Dec. 16)

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Dec. 16- Dec. 27)

Caligula by Albert Camus (Dec. 27-)

[cetacean-central]

Kiska the last captive orca in Canada has passed away, 😔

[jmventre]

Information, including travel logistics, speakers, lecture schedule & more for the orca & people gathering called #Superpod8

Location: Friday Harbor, WA, USA

When: 18-21 July 2023 

Theme: Remembering Ken & Blackfish at Ten 

[nerdgul]

Aquariums are honestly pre sweet for any animal small enough to be housed by them which is basically anything but a shark, dolphin or fucking, whale. But jellyfish? They have no idea what the fucks going on and are just as content being a floating bag of goo in miles of open ocean as they are being a bag of goo in an enclosed space free of pointy goo puncturing items

One thing that pisses me off is people seeing fish in aquariums (the establishments, not home aquariums) and being like “It’s so sad because the ocean is so big and the tank is so small and they’ll never know freedom blah blah blah-“ I’m not talking about sharks and marine mammals here but the majority of fish are not at all bothered by being in an aquarium instead of the open ocean. Like, I personally would love to be a little clown fish in one of those big reef tanks. Fed regularly. Whole team of people monitoring my health and well-being. No predators. Medicated if I show signs of illness. Aquarium fish have cushy gigs in comparison to their wild companions.

[beurvixen]

watched free willy for the first time in 15+ years. might fuck around and become a marine biologist.

[james-silenthill]

You're really like huh I suppose jaws 1 is a good movie like it's fine. And then you watch all of its sequels immediately after it and you're like wait. Wait yeah that was a really fucking good movie

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Oooooh here we go. We have the cetacean “experts” joining in to justify the bad handling of Moo Deng and discrediting me/shooting the messenger because I support responsible cetacean management. Because everyone just made up their mind that you can’t give dolphins the habitat they need because “it’s not the ocean.”

But it’s apparently totally okay to give other species substandard habitats. I guess Moo Deng doesn’t really NEED to live in a jungle. Concrete is fine for her :)

Now we do know that dolphins can thrive in human care and “suffering all the time” isn’t actually the case (at least, not from this generalisation basis there can absolutely be poor welfare in bad facilities) and basically any time anyone mentions the word SeaWorld everyone loses the ability to critically think.

You know what we never do with cetaceans? Grab at and harass their babies for clout. The only time we ever interact with the calf in those early days is to check their health parameters. And it is always with active participation and consent.

It’s important that we make sure the calf is doing well, especially in those critical early days where the calf is so vulnerable. So, with positive reinforcement, we teach the mother to bring over her calf voluntarily and do a very gentle restraint to collect samples.

This is the only time we’re touching the calf. And not every facility does this either, some will stay completely hands off besides feeding the mother.

But this is how you do safe, respectful and stress free animal husbandry, actually using desensitisation and conditioning positive emotional responses to being handled:

When watching this video, keep in mind that restraining a dolphin physically with only a few people is almost impossible. This dolphin is staying with her carers because she trusts them and she has a relationship with them.

I know this dolphin and the people in this video. It’s an incredible thing to see cooperative care like this in action.

Commentary and tags like the one above goes to show how the “trust the keeper” argument is only for selective species that are being used for clout.

But trust the people who work with dolphins or orcas? Trust the people that work in dolphin welfare and who actively work to measure and improve it? No, because everyone and their dog are apparently cetacean welfare experts because they regurgitate Blackfish or the talking points of a handful of lobbyists parading as scientists.

And they’ll even use violent wording and thinly veiled death threats against keepers, justifying it with this idea that they want to “liberate” animals that they don’t have any idea about caring for.

Anyway here’s a bunch of research on dolphin welfare that supports positive welfare states in human care :)

• There are no scientific studies suggesting that dolphins in marine mammal facilities are more prone to disease than dolphins in the wild. In fact, peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that the immune systems of wild dolphins are much more challenged than the immune systems of dolphins in human care (refs 1-2)

• Similarly, there are no scientific studies suggesting that dolphins in marine mammal facilities are any more stressed than dolphins in the wild. On the contrary, studies have shown that cortisol levels (i.e., the “stress hormone”) of dolphins in marine mammal facilities are either very similar to, or lower than, cortisol levels of wild dolphins, depending on the technique used to obtain the samples (See review in ref 3).

• Bottlenose dolphins in U.S facilities are living as long or longer than their wild counterparts (ref 4)

• Average life expectancy from 2001-2015 was 41.6 years in SeaWorld orcas, showing significant improvements in veterinary care and welfare (ref 5)

• Aggression and agonistic behaviour made up 1-2% of observed behaviours in orcas at Loro Parque, debunking claims of hyper aggression and chronic stress from supposed poor social structures. (ref 6)

(1) Ruiz, C. L., Nollens, H. H., Venn-Watson, S., Green, L. G., Wells, R. S., Walsh, M. T., ... & Jacobson, E. R. (2009). Baseline circulating immunoglobulin G levels in managed collection and free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Developmental & Comparative Immunology, 33(4), 449-455.

(2) Fair, P. A., Schaefer, A. M., Houser, D. S., Bossart, G. D., Romano, T. A., Champagne, C. D., ... & Reif, J. S. (2017). The environment as a driver of immune and endocrine responses in dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). PLoS ONE, 12(5), e0176202.

(3) Proie, S. (2013). A systematic review of cortisol levels in wild and captive Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), killer whale, (Orcinus orca), and beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas). MA Thesis, Evergreen State College.

(4) Jaakkola, K., & Willis, K. (2019). How long do dolphins live? Survival rates and life expectancies for bottlenose dolphins in zoological facilities vs. wild populations. Marine Mammal Science.

(5) Robeck, T. R., Willis, K., Scarpuzzi, M. R., & O’Brien, J. K. (2015). Comparisons of Life-History Parameters between Free-Ranging and Captive Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) Populations for Application Toward Species Management. Journal of Mammalogy, 96(5), 1055–1070. http://doi.org/ 10.1093/jmammal/gyv113

(6) Sánchez-Hernández, P., Krasheninnikova, A., Almunia, J., & Molina-Borja, M. (2019). Social interaction analysis in captive orcas ( Orcinus orca ) . Zoo Biology, (April), 1–11. http://doi.org/ 10.1002/zoo.21502

Positive behavioural states are demonstrated in cetaceans in human care: Peer-reviewed scientific studies show that:

• Dolphins show anticipatory behaviors before sessions of interacting with their trainers (with no food involvement). This shows they view the interactions themselves as positive. (ref 1)

• An increase in dolphin behavioral diversity and play behavior following interactive programs suggest that such programs are in fact enriching for the dolphins and add to their psychological well-being (refs 2-3).

• Dolphins observed swimming in sync with each other at zoological facilities displayed optimistic judgements in optimistic bias tests, indicating positive welfare. (ref 4)

• When given the choice, dolphins in one study showed a preference for being in a smaller pool, despite having access to larger pools, indicating that size of pool may not be influencing dolphin movement preferences. (ref 5)

(1) Clegg, I. L., Rödel, H. G., Boivin, X., & Delfour, F. (2018). Looking forward to interacting with their caretakers: dolphins’ anticipatory behaviour indicates motivation to participate in specific events. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 202, 85-93.

(2) Miller, L. J., Mellen, J., Greer, T., & Kuczaj, S. A. (2011). The effects of education programmes on Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) behaviour. Animal Welfare, 20, 159-172.

(3) Trone, M., Kuczaj, S., & Solangi, M. (2005). Does participation in Dolphin–Human Interaction Programs affect bottlenose dolphin behaviour? Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 93, 363-374.

(4) Clegg, I. L., Rödel, H. G., & Delfour, F. (2017). Bottlenose dolphins engaging in more social affiliative behaviour judge ambiguous cues more optimistically. Behavioural brain research, 322, 115-122.

(5) Melissa R. Shyan , David Merritt, N. M., & Kohlmeier, K. B. & J. T. (2010). Effects of Pool Size on Free- Choice Selections by Atlantic Bottlenosed Dolphins at One Zoo Facility. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 5(3), 203–213. http://doi.org/10.1207/S15327604JAWS0503

Note how this is a body of evidence from multiple sources that are being developed and complied over time. That is what science is all about.

Anyone who tells you that the science is finalised on something eg. Lori Marino and Naomi Rose insisting that the science is settled on cetacean welfare being inherently bad in human care - be very very skeptical of them. They are trying to sell you ideology over science (and they’d love for you to donate your money to their sanctuary that hasn’t passed any approval to build for 5 years)

The science is rarely “settled” on anything.

As for SeaWorld themselves, they have not published enough welfare data for us to discuss. But their animals do show signs of positive welfare states including active participation in health care and training, engagement with enrichment, ability to learn and adapt (stressed animals can’t learn complex behaviours and won’t participate in sessions), stable social structures with occasional conflict ect.

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

Who wants to bet these "documentaries" are just regurgitating Blackfish and they haven't done any other research?

Or consider the learning history of an animal that never saw a person in the water with him until Keltie fell in and was dragged under by the two dominant females who regularly bullied him out of having possession of toys.

Makes you wonder WHY Tilikum had such significant resource guarding issues around toys and WHY he was never swam with or taught waterwork to.

But people just want to portray him as "psycho whale gone mad" and ignore the trainers who worked with him and who adored him and, by following the Tili protocols that were taught to every trainer in Shamu Stadium in Orlando, they never felt overly unsafe around him.

Yet there are still people gleefully wishing for the death of trainers who still do waterwork in Japan or hoping a trainer gets dragged in a SeaWorld. There's this vile fascination and exploitation of Dawn's death that continues to this day. And, thanks to Blackfish, Dawn and Tilikum's memory will always be forever tarnished.

YouTube has been on a roll with recommendations lately

[thevividai]

They can never make me hate you Tilikum 🫶🏻

For those who don’t know Tilikum was a 35 year old male orca who was kidnapped from his pod at two years old to be sold off to a park in canada called “Sea land” where he got abused by the other orcas because the trainer wouldn’t feed the other orcas if Tilly didn’t do the trick right (mind you he was a BABY.)

He killed a girl named Keltie Byrne while at Sealand. While his motives for that was unclear it was theorized to be because of his frustration since he was constantly raked and abused by the other orcas every night.

A while later Tilly was sold to SeaWorld where he was constantly used as a “breeder” because of his size and genetics despite his record of killing people. One day the morning shift found a dead naked man in Tilly’s tank later identified as David P Dukes who had broken into seaworld and had seemingly tried to swim with Tilly, He was found drowned with several injuries. Seaworld said Tilly hadn’t killed him and that he was just was trying to play with the corpse. Which i have a 50/50 opinion on, i could see Tilly trying to play with the body but also i could see Tilly being the cause of David’s death. Mainly because Tilly also got abused and outcasted by the orcas at SeaWorld, His only company was the humans who he was trained by, He was constantly stressed and starved and hurt due to both seaworld and the orcas. He had no output for his emotions. Just a empty concrete pool too small for him, So either way he had done something to David wether he be alive or dead, I just think Tilly was doing it out of frustration.

Despite this happening Tilly was still used in shows and in a breeding program, Trainers said that Tilly was eager to please and happy to be around them, He was also incredibly gentle with his very sick offspring even though the calf ended up dying (i can’t remember their gender and i can’t find it anywhere but they were possibly male, they didn’t even get named.)

Tilikum didn’t want to be a violent orca. He just wanted to be free. He spent his entire life in what was basically a bathtub with iirc 27 other orcas. Imagine being locked in a bathtub your entire life with people who hate you and want to hurt you. Only ever getting fed if you do tricks right.

That was Tilikum’s life.

In 2010 during a dine with shamu, Tilikum had went above and beyond on a trick, But he hadn’t heard the whistle to come back and get his reward, When he had come to get it his trainer, Dawn Brancheu had to tell him no since he hadn’t come at the recall, She was also running low on fish to which Tilikum could tell thanks to the ice rolling around in the bucket.

Tilikum should NOT have been in these shows in the first place. While i sympathize and love Tilikum it does NOT change the fact he was a liability to the trainers. Tilikum should’ve been released back into the wild after what happened with Keltie, If they had done that ALL of this could’ve been prevented. But because of Greed they kept him in captivity to be abused starved hurt and blamed.

He was frustrated and hungry, And Dawn had gotten on a laying platform WHICH SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED. Tilikum was known to be possessive and potentially aggressive if met with the right situation. Tilikum had swam up to Dawn after a while, Tilikum had lashed out and grabbed Dawn and drowned her in front of a horrified crowd. After they retrieved Dawn’s body Tilikum was seen near her corpse looking at her and vocalizing.

And even after that, TILIKUM WAS STILL USED IN SHOWS.

That should have NEVER been allowed. While it had been forbidden after for trainers to be in the water it didn’t stop SeaWorld from abusing Tilikum. They left him in a too small pool ALONE for 80% of his life after Dawn’s tragic death. In 2013 a film called BlackFish (which is on Netflix) came out shedding some light on what had happened to Tilikum and other orcas.

In 2017 Tilikum died alone, hurt, starved, and suffering because of a respiratory infection.

They could never make me hate Tilly.

It wasn’t his fault.

It wasn’t Dawn’s fault.

It wasn’t David’s fault.

It wasn’t Keltie’s fault.

It was entirely SeaWorld/Land’s fault.

[bree-cheesy]

Forever and Always

Jschlatt x Ped Nurse fem!reader

I hope you guys like this! I'm actually kind of proud of it and really hope you guys are proud of it too!

Warnings: child cancer patient death, this is def angsty, hospitals?, some kissing at the end (no smut, sorry).

Words: 1,511

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Being the roommate of a very popular youtuber and streamer- when you’re not famous yourself at all- is a lot of pressure. You don’t like to be in his streams or videos, so whenever he’s filming or streaming, you have to lock yourself in your room till he’s done. You two had been friends and roommates since he moved to Austin. You both moved around a lot, but you didn’t really mind it because you weren’t alone doing it. Jay kind of felt like your rock in ways. Something that always pretty much stayed the same. Aside from the occasional haircut or different hoodie.

Yes, you had a little crush on him. Couldn’t really help it because he always had cute nicknames for you, always super touchy. Not to mention he was the only guy who actually ever listened to you.

Your job was pretty demanding. You were a pediatric nurse. Your whole job revolved around kids. Being around kids that much, you obviously start to feel like an older sister to them. Doing everything in your power to make sure they’re comfortable and not scared. Especially for the ones in critical care, or the ones with life risking illnesses. But, getting attached is dangerous. When the ones who are on end of life care eventually reach the end of their life, you’re just broken for days. Blaming yourself for not doing anything more for them, even though you know you did everything in your power for them. They never passed away sad, always surrounded by loved ones and the team helping them.

Today was different, though. You had a patient. A 7 year old girl with stage 4 lung cancer. She was an orphan. No family and was thrown into the hospital by her foster family and just left behind. She had been under the hospital’s care for 5 months and you formed a strong bond with her. She felt like a little sister to you. She was doing so good. She was getting better. Then, close to the end of your shift, her heart monitor went flat while a doctor was in there talking to her. It was like your whole world stopped. The cancer grew so much in what felt overnight, blocking her lungs, not letting any oxygen get in. There was no saving her. She was really gone.

When you finally got to your car after staying 2 hours overshift, helping everyone with the little girl, you completely broke down. You stayed pretty good at being neutral in the hospital, but it was just too much. How hadn’t any of you seen her cancer growing? I failed. I failed her. You almost couldn’t drive home, stopping a few times just to try and collect yourself. Pulling up to the house, you saw a car parked in front of the house. Shit. You totally forgot. Jay got home from being away in Japan today. You were so excited all day because you missed him so bad. Now look at you. A total mess. He had a super long day of travel and now he’s gonna have to deal with you being a blubbering snotty mess.

Pressing your forehead against the steering wheel, you sighed, trying to gather your emotions. When you looked up you saw him. Standing on the porch, holding the black and orange cats, smiling like a dork in that stupid Seaworld hoodie and basketball shorts. That would usually be enough to brighten your mood and make you laugh, but tonight it just made it all worse. You let out a sob and pressed your hands against your face, leaning your head back against the headrest. Jay frowned and quickly let the cats back inside, rushing over to your car and opening the door.

His arms instantly wrapped around you, his body acting like a huge cocoon of warmth and comfort for you. Sobbing into his chest- dirtying his hoodie with your tears- he rubbed your back and held you close, pressing his cheek to the top of your head. “What’s going on, hun?” His voice was soft and concerned in your ear, making you break down even harder. He gently picked you up bridal style and carried you inside the house, sitting down with you in his lap on the couch. “Gotta talk to me, sweets. Can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“She's gone.” Your voice was scratchy and quiet. Schlatt’s heart broke seeing you like this. He didn’t know how to help you. His baby was sad, the little voice in his head whispered. Who was she? He was trying to remember if you mention anyone in recent history being close to death.

“Who’s gone?” He kept his voice gentle and rocked you in his lap a little.

“Remember the little girl who had cancer? The orphan?” He nodded- his heart sinking- and you sniffled, wiping the tears away. “H-Her cancer grew… blocked the oxygen from getting to her lungs.” You let out another heart wrenching sob and he held you closer, gently kissing your forehead. “I couldn’t help her, Jay…. I didn’t even see her cancer was growing! I failed her… I wasn’t with her when she died. I promised her I would be there with her!”

He shook his head and forced your chin up to look him in the eyes. “Babe, you did everything you could to help her. You had no control over what happened. She was sick, baby…. You did more for that little girl than anyone probably ever had before in her life.”

Knowing he was right, you nodded and leaned the side of your head against his chest, just trying to focus on his steady heartbeat in your ear. When you eventually stopped crying, you managed to get up to take a shower and get in pajamas. Luckily you had the next two days off. You probably would’ve called out anyway if you didn’t have them off. When you got out of the shower, you saw stuff laid out on your bed. A smile formed on your face. They were little gifts Jay got for you while he was away. He always did that for you when he went on a trip, but this time it just felt so much more substantial. After looking at what they were, you heard him in the kitchen.

A frown formed on your face when your mind started racing. He was always doing things for you. Always comforting you on bad days, always buying you things you’ve shown interest in, face timing you on your breaks at work just to try and make you laugh because he knows how rough your job is. He was always just there. Your heart started racing. This wasn’t just a crush, this was love. You were in love with him.

Gaining all the courage you could possibly muster at that moment, you rushed out of your room and to where he was in the kitchen. He was making food for the both of you. He looked up at you and smiled. “Good shower? Help a little bit? I’m making this chicken thing Ted told me to try-” Before he could say anything else, you grabbed his face and kissed him. His hands took a second to land on your hips, but when they did, he pulled you close and kissed you back, letting out a soft grunt. Fuck. It was so much better than you ever imagined. His lips were so soft and tasted like cherry chapstick, his facial hair lightly scratched at your cheeks in the best way possible, his hands roamed the length of your back, keeping you pressed up close against him.

When you finally pulled away, his eyes were wide with shock, lips parted and tongue nervously running across his bottom lip. “I love you.” The words came out before you could stop them, and you saw a deep red spread across his cheeks and nose, a smile forming on his lips. “Damnit Jonathan, say something!” Your voice came out needier than you wanted it to, but it got the message across because his lips landed on yours again, sucking out the last bit of anxiety left in your body.

Your arms wrapped around his neck and you moaned softly into his mouth. He pulled away after a few seconds and pressed his forehead against yours, lightly rubbing his nose against yours, smiling wide. You giggled and he started peppering your face with soft kisses, making you blush a bright scarlett. “God, I love you too, toots.” His voice was laced with amusement and just pure adoration. He couldn’t even believe what was happening. You in his arms, your lips on his. It was everything he imagined and more.

He vowed to you that he’d treat you like the princess you are, promising to never cause you pain or heartache. Because why would he do anything less. You were his girl now. He wasn’t just gonna let it go. He was forever and always yours, and you were his.

-- Bree <3

————————-

Someone give me ideas of what to write with him or Ted 😭 I don’t have anymore ideas

[orcinus-veterinarius]

Rest in Peace, Keto... second born calf of Kalina, the first "Baby Shamu." Keto sired three calves in his life, only one of whom (Adán) survived to adulthood. He was 29 years old, the average life expectancy for wild male orcas. My condolences to the veterinary and animal care teams at Loro Parque.

[soleminisanction]

Issue 6 of "The Saga of the Super Sons" answers an important question: where the fuck has Dick been in this scenario?

Answer, apparently: At college.

Which is... where Bruce Junior is supposed to be. Bruce Junior, whose mother Bruce almost certainly met years after he took Dick in as a ward. Bruce Junior, who appears to be younger than Dick, but not by that much.

If you came at a Silver or Bronze Age writer with today's modern "but why is this character still 17" bullshit, I think they'd laugh directly in your face.

By the by, Dick is here because Bruce has been murdered.

I guess some things never change.

This does present an amusing comparison with the more modern takes on the subject like Prodigal/Knightfall, Gotham Knights (the game) and Battle for the Cowl, because here the boys treat Batman like something they expect to be left to one of them in Bruce's legal, actual will, like the one read out loud by his lawyer, implying the lawyer would be in on the whole secret identity thing.

When that obviously doesn't happen they come to an agreement to both... team up? But also compete? To find out who murdered Bruce, and whoever does the actual uncovering wins the cowl. This, for... reasons involves seal hunting in the Arctic and, ah... northern Native people. Which means a lot of use of a certain slur that all Natives in that biome used to (and still do) get lumped under, which I shall endeavor to write around but just know, there's a lot of it. Like, a lot. A loooooot.

Less awkwardly, check out what Dick Dillin apparently thought a killer whale looked like:

Hell, look at those mildly demonic black seals. I know this was pre-Internet dude but you could've gone to your local library. Or picked up a Seaworld ad.

Another thing that apparently never changes: Super-Sons comics insisting that only blood relatives count as "real" children.

To be fair, I wasn't actually expecting to see Dick referred to as Bruce's son at all in this. And Bruce Jr. is the only one who says this, and he's pretty consistently portrayed as the more immature and bratty one in this equation, so it doesn't really feel like the story is "agreeing" with him, it's just an interesting parallel.

Of course, because this is the 70s, they don't have any consideration for things like tactical costume changes or the realities of being mostly normal guys in the Arctic. So, though the boys arrive wearing sensible parkas, once they change into their superhero costumes Dick is just, snow shoeing through the tundra and water skiing behind a seal in his short sleeves and bare legs.

You'll probably be grateful to hear that the white industrial seal hunter is in fact the bad guy of this story -- this is actually one of the more cohesive stories in the saga so far in that regard. Simon Link was exploiting the land by killing too many seals, and then massacred part of the native village when they fought back trying to stop him, so this man Malook wanted to kill him. But, unable to find him and unable to get the white authorities to listen to him, he instead traveled to America to target his business partner, Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Junior is appalled by the accusations but, interestingly, Dick is willing to hear the guy out. When Link's crime is exposed (with the help of the Supers Senior and Junior, natch), he tries to escape across the ice.... disguised as a seal... aaaaand...

Huh. Okay then. Justice is served, I guess.

Oh also Bruce Senior's still alive.

I mean... good on you for realizing the need to make amends for funding exploitative colonialism, Brucie-boy, but did you have to do it in a way that put your son through the exact same trauma you went through? Complete with the murder mystery dinner theater death scene?

Not to mention your poor wife, do you know how much shit you two have put her through in the last however long it's been?? Junior faked his death complete with a full funeral in the first issue of the saga and now you're doing the same thing! If you actually did marry Talia she'll gut you both the next time she sees you and probably Dick too just because she's never liked him.

Anyway, for a parting shot, check out the image they used to advertise this story on the cover, it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Beware the Ominous Pixie Boot!

[robocatfan]

An angry summary of Speak the Ocean by Rebecca Enzor -Part 1

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

(well more of a combination of a summary, a rant, a critique/review and nitpicking, but you get the idea)

Because in my eternal search for more books about dangerous mermaids, I found this little book with such an interesting premise (it’s essentially mermaids in Seaworld) that i just had to read it. And since those sorts of stories don’t tend to be pretty good, I had high hopes for this story.

However, not only did it waste such a cool concept, but it disappointed and pissed me off so much that I decided “you know what? If I had to contend with this thing, I will bring everyone else down with me!”

… and also to spare anyone who doesn’t want to read it, but it’s curious about it , from suffering the same (not good!) brain rot I have thanks to this.

I’ll be doing this two or three chapters at a time because I noticed that my summaries… ended up a bit long.

Anyway. Lets begin.

Preface 1

The book starts by showing us an in-universe training manual for employees about interacting with the mer, as well as what to do if someone falls into the tank with them.

It tells us that unless they are doing a certain task (like using an electroshocker- yes, that’s its name), personnel must remain at least 3 feet from the water - which contradicts what we see a few chapters later, but we’ll get to that eventually - and if they need to work near the water, 4 personnel must be present and the water must be cooled and spiked with sedatives if necessary.

It follows up by saying that if someone falls into the tank with a mer inside, the person closest to the electroshocker ™ should place it in the water, and if the mer doesn’t react to it, they should shock them… while the person is still in the water. Yeah sure, that will help a lot with keeping them alive!

Meanwhile two people should use a net to separate the mer from the person while a third (the one with the shocker or the one in the water? Idk) keeps an eye on them. If they can’t trap the mer however, they are allowed to use the electroshocker ™ liberally- while again, the person they are trying to save is still in the water!

I get it’s a quick life or death situation, but come on! Tranquilizer guns and darts exist for a reason!

Chapter 1- Finn

This chapter introduces us to Finn, our human protagonist and a worker in Oceanica, the only mermaid marine park in the world. Also as you will see from this point forward… I hate his absolute, bigass di-

The story starts with Finn’s narration telling us that contrary to what Corporate - aka Delmara/ Aunt D, the owner of the place - tells the public, the mer they work with are very dangerous. which is proven by the fact that one of them killed Craig, one of the trainers, just the night prior. Which is why they are now preparing to euthanize it.

His friend Serge notices he’s nervous about it and tries to reassure him by telling him that Bismuth the mer (they name them after the elements of the periodic table) and his companions, the twins Fluorine and Chlorine, were already chilled. It doesn’t help much.

In his narration he says that six years have passed since humans have discovered merfolk, and in four of those years he’s been forced to kill six mers after they killed an equal number of his companions. Though in spite of his nervousness and current sadness for Craig, the fact that he can bring up the death of people he knew about so casually means that he’s pretty desensitized to it.

They both go to the room where their practice tank is stored and meet with two of their coworkers Madison and Natalie (Maddy is the only important one here, trust me). And since the mers have already been placed there, they get to work.

Btw all that i have summarized so far takes place within 8 paragraphs (one of which is just for one of the character´s dialogue), none of which give us a clear idea of how the characters or most of their surroundings look like.

And as expected, this chapter also shows us the mer for the first time, with barely, if any build up to their first appearance. And much like the humans, there are no noteworthy descriptions that could help us visualize how they look like save for specific details that apply to just one individual, with those being Bismuth’s dark green scales and the twins’ icy blue eyes and hair.

Speaking of the twins, apparently they are part of Oceanica’s second most famous show, and are only here to watch their companion die so they’ll be discouraged from misbehaving like he did. According to Finn that strategy worked on previous mers… although sometimes it just backfires completely.

As they prepare the net and electroshocker ™ (the process being described in just one paragraph btw), Finn says that euthanizing a mer isn’t easy since they are huge, they are many regulations with dealing with them and, according to him, they are the perfect predator… although there are no scenes in the story to support that idea, nor at the very least shows us why he has come to such conclusion.

Anyway, in the span of just four paragraphs that look more like a draft listing actions rather than a proper final scene, Serge electrocutes the trio, allowing the other three to trap Bismuth in a net and lift him from the water while his tank companions swim around and do nothing to help him.

And after snapping at Maddy for not moving with him by reminding her to pay attention or she’ll end up like her recently deceased companion — Finn injects Bismuth with a liquid that kills him instantly, which also causes him to dissolve into foam.

However, as he’s dissolving faster than my initial hopes for this book, one of the lines holding the nets unravels, and in the chaos Finn slips in a puddle of the mer’s remains , hits his knee, and falls into the tank with the twins. Like he deserves.

He tries to flee, but the mers hold him down with their claws. But instead of immediately going for that soft, vulnerable throat, Chlorine, this supposed “perfect predator”, just pierces his shoulders, giving Finn the opportunity to reach for her gills and fucking rip them off. And before her sister can retaliate, Serge electrocutes them both.

Unsurprisingly, this has consequences.

Finn ends up comatose for two days, and even though his mother is worried sick - since she has lost her husband who disappeared while in a trip to find the merfolk, and is justifyingly worried that her son also works with them - and the doctors told him to not swim while he still had the stitches from his shoulder wound, this guy insists on going out for a swim in a reef in spite of Serge’s protests.

Oh and he also says that “he can’t let his sister make fun of him for getting his ass kicked by girls.”

… oh and those living family members he has have almost no importance in the story. They are just. There.

As they are traveling in the fishing boat that used to belong to his dad, Finn asks Serge what became of the twins. And he casually, very casually, reveals that the stars of their second most popular show are now fucking dead.

There’s no talk about how the public is gonna react to this, nor how this very huge loss will affect their finances, not even if they held a funeral for their recently deceased coworker. Just that they gotta pull more mers out of the ocean to replace the twins and they’ll need a new trainer for them. Which Finn, in spite of his current medical orders, plans to become.

Though he does bristle at the memory of killing Chlorine… And also says that this isn’t the worst way in which he has killed a mer.

…WHAT-

Oh and also it’s revealed to us that Delmara used to be his father’s teaching assistant, and Finn has been working for her since he was fifteen years old after helping her document the existence of the first mer they’d found.

On their way, the pair come across a beach that has been vacated due to a recent mer attack the night prior. The reasons as to why it happened, nor the attack itself are ever explained or brought up again. Not even in the chapters with the mer pov, where we see where their kind - which should include the attacker - lives.

Finally they arrive on the reef, and as he swims through it, Finn muses that if the stories about people becoming mer were true, he’d stay in the water forever. But as it stands, working with them is the closest he’ll ever be to being a part of the ocean … even though he recently killed and constantly tortures the same creatures he says he wants to become.

[lonelywretchjervistetch]

We're in really difficult times as a nation here in the United States of America. But in those moments where it just feels like too much, remember this:

Aquaman once had a walrus sidekick named Tusky who faked his death and ran away to SeaWorld to escape his loveless relationship with his walrus wife.

- Aquaman vol. 5 (1994) Annual #3

That is all. Have an excellent day and hang in there.

[krabkrab-wontshutup]

A Dove among Ravens

Aka I redesigned Dove Grayson, my old Magnus Chase oc!! His name is now Nastasiya, and he is still the son of Aphrodite, but is no longer the grandchild of loki. Also, ive never posted about him before, so heres a long ass list of all my notes about him!! Content warning for a very weird death, this is the riordanverse we’re talking about.

Full Name: Nastasiya Grayson

Gender: FtM

Family: [Mother] Aphrodite | [Father] George Grayson

Age: 16

Species: Demigod of Aphrodite

Affiliation: Valhalla

Residence: Floor 19

Weapons: Chain sword - A sword that, when you hit a button on the hilt, turns into a chain-bladed whip. Becomes a rose gold chain necklace when glamored. Designed by a hephaestus kid.

Status: Einherjar

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History: Nastasiya is the demigod son of the goddess Aphrodite and George Grayson, a passionate historian whose adventures took him across the globe. After being sent to camp half-blood two years prior, Nastasiya was killed at sixteen trying to defend a group of schoolchildren from a nemean lion, which had been mistakenly placed in a zoo.

Fatal Flaw: Pride

Physical Appearance: Nastasiya has fiery red hair, which cascades around his neck in soft ringlet curls. His eyes seem to shift in color with an almost magical quality, adding an air of mystery to his gaze and always matching his outfit. His soft skin is slightly tanned, and he’s absolutely covered in freckles. He wears a lot of light colors- whites, pinks, and beiges mostly. A rose gold chain, which becomes his sword when needed, is a consistent accessory, as rose gold is the only metal he incorporates into his style. He takes pride in his large hooked nose and is often seen sporting round rose gold glasses.

Personality: He possesses a flair for the dramatic, embodying the very essence of his mother’s aesthetic- Roses, Flowing silk, pearls, and perfection. His taste for the finer things in life is evident in everything he does. Like his father, Nastasiya is a romantic at heart; he often finds himself lost in poetic thoughts, expressing himself with an extensive vocabulary that captivates those around him.

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General Abilities: Poetry, Strange knack for identifying perfumes and colognes, Able to lie very well and can tell when other people are lying, never messes up nail polish when applying it, The god of vibe reading, Master of comebacks and witty remarks, Able to speak fluent french, Always gives the best advice he can (When he’s not hissing and telling people to kill their abusers)

Demigod Powers: Charmspeak, Emotion reading, Amokinesis, Communication with Aphrodite’s sacred animals (Doves, Sparrows, Swans, Dolphins), (After death) Blessing of Aphrodite (Never has to worry about his looks ever because favoritism), [He’s supposed to be more powerful than your average aphrodite kid because he’s kind of the favorite]

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CONCEPT: The first Greek demigod to enter Valhalla (That we know of). Idk i figured greek demigods die in battle all the time, why not consider if one of them was found by a valkyrie? Besides, it's not like demigods of aphrodite and demigods of freyja are all that different. My idea is that the runes misidentify his vibes as freyja vibes but he’s all like “Uh, that doesn’t sound right; I know my mom is Aphrodite.” Cue cup dropping because Greek demigods in valhalla?? Unheard of before now!

SUITE: The room has a table in the center and a circular bed in one corner, with a lace and pearl canopy curtain hanging around it and gorgeous plush blankets. There’s a tv stand on the side of the room opposite the bed, and a wall of books near the bed. One large, circular window sits at the back wall. It has two latches at the center, and curtains in the same style as the canopy bed. A picture frame sat on the window sill. The picture is of Nastasiya, Aphrodite, and George at seaworld for Nastasiya’s twelfth birthday - the only time Aphrodite ever visited. Next to the picture frame is a bag of pearlescent pink runes. The room is lit by candlelight, and the wall directly behind the bed has all the posters from his bunk at camp half blood, as well as a “Cabin 10” poster.