#Planet. They’re just cheaper

[sayyestoheavensayyestome]

dumbest thing ever is being vocally against fur then eating meat

[daisybees]

not to stop being fun and cool and chill on main but i’ve been super dysphoric about my chest lately and it’s really starting to get to me

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Dogs

Alien: Why did you take me to here? Alien: You know I hate being outside. Human: How else would I get you to the greatest place on the planet? Alien: *About to ask question when sudden noise distracts them* Alien: *Reads sign on nearby post* Alien: What is a “Dog Park”? ----------------------------- Human: Unlike cats, dogs are man’s true best friend. Alien: And why is that? Human: Because they won’t brutally maim you if you pet them too long. -----------------------------

Alien: What does one do with their dog? Human: Play fetch mostly. Alien: What is fetch? Human: *Picks up ball and throws it* *Nearest dog sprints after it and brings it back* Alien: That’s it? Human: No; now comes the difficult part. Alien: Which is? Human: Trying to get the ball back. ---------------------------

Alien: Aren’t these creatures expensive to maintain? Human: Medical wise they are about the same as cats. Human: Entertainment wise they are much cheaper. Alien: How so? Human: *Picks up nearby stick and wobbles it around* *Golden retriever stops what it was doing and focuses on stick* *Tail begins wagging at turbo speed and they hunch down on two legs with their back legs up* Human: *Hands stick to alien friend* Now you try. Alien: Really? Alien: You think this will- Alien: *Notices dog now focusing entirely on him as he wobbles stick* Alien: Oh my gods…. Human: I know right? Alien: I have become their god now. ----------------------------

Alien: Do they have any weaknesses? Human: Don’t put a mirror in front of them. Alien: What happens if you do? *Pair turns as a dog begins loudly barking* *Pair see a dog barking aggressively at its own reflection* Human: Because of that. Alien: That doesn’t seem so- *Dog leaps at mirror and bonks its head* Human: See? Alien: Question withdrawn. -----------------------

Alien: May I try walking one of these dogs? Human: Are you sure? Human: You’ll need upper arm strength to restrain them if they get excited. Alien: *Looks down at tiny little corgi* Alien: I think I can handle them. *Chuckles* Human: Alright. *Hands leash over* Alien: *Begins walking dog around park* Alien: I don’t know what they were talking about. Alien: This is easy. *Random squirrel runs past corgi and Corgi chases after it* Alien: *Violently thrown to ground by sudden pull and dragged across the dog park* Human: *Watching his alien friend swear in his native language* I’d feel sorry over this, but I warned them so it’s okay to be funny. -------------------------

Alien: *Finally gets free of corgi leash and picks themselves off the ground* Alien: What…*Gasp* the….*double gasp* florp! Alien: How was that tiny creature so strong?! Human: The tiny ones are the most energetic. Human: The big ones are the giant babies of the species. Alien: How does that make any sense at all? Human: *Takes alien by the face and directs their gaze down at excited pitbull8 Human: Look at that smooshy face! Human: Nothing has to make sense when you look at that cute stupid smooshy face! -------------------------

*Dog comes up at starts nuzzling alien* Alien: Ah; you are an adorable creature. *picks up dog and cradles it like a baby* Alien: *Starts rubbing its belly* Human: *Notices and comes over* Human: I’m glad you’re starting to warm up to them. Alien: *Nods* They are enjoyable after a period. Human: Just as an FYI, that’s a Pug and when they’re on their back they can’t breathe. Alien: WHAT!? Alien: *Immediately puts dog down and it gasps several times* Alien: I didn’t….you mustn't think I would.. Human: Just wait a sec. *Alien watches pug take several more deep breaths before looking up at him and starts wagging tail again.* Alien: They are not very smart, are they? Human: We call that their “Derp” factor. ------------------------------

Human: Hey Greg. Human 2: Yo. Alien: What are you doing? Human 2: Playing “Hide and go seek” with my dog Burt. Alien: *Begins looking around* Where is this- *sees Burt standing behind bench poorly hid* Alien: I can see- Human 2: Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh. Human 2: Don’t make eye contact. Alien: Why not? Human 2: Because you need to wait five minutes searching the entire park before you find him; it makes him feel like a really good boi. Alien: But why not just- *Human 2 leans in close* Human 2: So help me if you look at him before those five minutes are up and make him sad I will hit you with my car. Alien: Wait what!? Alien: You can’t be serious! Human: *nods* Dog people take their pets happiness very seriously. Alien: But to hit someone with a car? Human: *Shrugs* I once shot a guy for throwing an empty soda can at my little bugger. Alien: You take your dog’s very…..seriously, I see. Human: Is there any other way?

[reasonsforhope]

"In cities across the country, people of color, many of them low income, live in neighborhoods criss-crossed by major thoroughfares and highways.

The housing there is often cheaper — it’s not considered particularly desirable to wake up amid traffic fumes and fall asleep to the rumble of vehicles over asphalt.

But the price of living there is steep: Exhaust from all those cars and trucks leads to higher rates of childhood asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary ailments. Many people die younger than they otherwise would have, and the medical costs and time lost to illness contributes to their poverty.

Imagine if none of those cars and trucks emitted any fumes at all, running instead on an electric charge. That would make a staggering difference in the trajectory, quality, and length of millions of lives, particularly those of young people growing up near freeways and other sources of air pollution, according to a study from the American Lung Association.

The study, released [February 28, 2024], found that a widespread transition to EVs could avoid nearly 3 million asthma attacks and hundreds of infant deaths, in addition to millions of lower and upper respiratory ailments...

Prior research by the American Lung Association found that 120 million people in the U.S. breathe unhealthy air daily, and 72 million live near a major trucking route — though, Barret added, there’s no safe threshold for air pollution. It affects everyone.

Bipartisan efforts to strengthen clean air standards have already made a difference across the country. In California, which, under the Clean Air Act, can set state rules stronger than national standards, 100 percent of new cars sold there must be zero emission by 2035.

[Note: The article doesn't explain this, but that is actually a much bigger deal than just California. Basically, due to historically extra terrible pollution, California is the only state that's allowed to allowed to set stronger emissions rules than the US government sets. However, one of the rules in the Clean Air Act is that any other state can choose to follow California's standards instead of the US government's. And California by itself is the world's fifth largest economy - ahead of all but four countries. California has a lot of buying power. So, between those two things, when California sets stricter standards for cars, the effects ripple outward massively, far beyond the state's borders.]

Truck manufacturers are, according to the state’s Air Resources Board, already exceeding anticipated zero-emissions truck sales, putting them two years ahead of schedule...

Other states have begun to take action, too, often reaching across partisan lines to do so. Maryland, Colorado, New Mexico, and Rhode Island adopted zero-emissions standards as of the end of 2023.

The Biden administration is taking similar steps, though it has slowed its progress after automakers and United Auto Workers pressured the administration to relax some of its more stringent EV transition requirements.

While Barret finds efforts to support the electrification of passenger vehicles exciting, he said the greatest culprits are diesel trucks. “These are 5 to 10 percent of the vehicles on the road, but they’re generating the majority of smog-forming emissions of ozone and nitrogen,” Barret said...

Lately, there’s been significant progress on truck decarbonization. The Biden administration has made promises to ensure that 30 percent of all big rigs sold are electric by 2030...

Such measures, combined with an increase in public EV charging stations, vehicle tax credits, and other incentives, could change American highways, not to mention health, for good."

-via GoodGoodGood, February 28, 2024

[chvnnie]

Bro, fkn made me tear up while I'm in my PMS week Lawd have mercy.

Your response was so sweet,

Okay but what would happen if they reunited years later when he has had children?

Would that spark be there?

Would he avoid her?

Would she not want to see him with another woman?

Will they enjoy one final night together?

Decisions, decisions 🤔

do you guys enjoy seeing me suffer like—

blaming you for how much I love this fucking couple and the way I couldn’t stop writing this!!! AND I TRIED!!!

it’s long. im apologizing now.

SMUT — MINORS DNI

You never fell out of contact with Chan.

Well, maybe for a few months. When everything was still fresh. It hurt too much to even see his name in your contact list; talking to him would have shattered every atom inside you.

Everything stops hurting eventually. When he called you one day, exactly five months and three days after the world ended, the pain was almost numbed. As your phone vibrated in your hand, you realized it wasn’t what you were that you missed. It was him. Chan. Your best friend, even long before the two of you became one.

You answered. And suddenly the atoms started to bounce together, the world rebuilding from scratch.

The years passed. The planet flourished. Not a day went by without a word shared between the two of you. Weddings were held — Chan’s, insistent that you were always meant to be by his side. Begging you to be his “best woman”.

“You were always meant to be at my wedding.” He said after you denied the request over and over, a little tipsy on the bottle of wine you were sharing at his engagement party. “Please. It can’t happen without you.”

The thought was shared, but never spoken. Off to the side isn’t where either of you pictured your place in it.

Yours. A spur of the moment decision, overwhelmed from planning a party that neither you or your husband really wanted. A quick search proved that tickets to Vegas were far cheaper. A bottle of shitty champagne was shared over fast food burgers that really weren’t that filling.

Or, you tell yourself it was the burger.

Your best friend almost passed out at your monthly double date night. After the shock wore off, and after he chugged a glass or two of bourbon, he smile at you from across the table.

But it looks a little sad.

“I guess you can’t help your wants, huh?”

Other milestones passed. Big birthdays, new jobs and promotions, two babies for Chan, a dog for you. All was well; the sun shining, flowers blooming, the world finally stable again.

The first earthquake came the day of the youngest’s third birthday party.

You’re in Chan’s kitchen, digging through the adult cooler for the seltzers you brought. Did somebody drink them all? Ugh, you knew that fucking bitch from across the street was being a little too sneaky with her beverage. Wait until you hit her with that cash request after the party—

The backdoor opens quickly, two sets of feet rushing inside followed by a loud slam. You jump, quickly hiding in the pantry before they can make it into the kitchen.

“Will you just talk to me?” It’s Chan.

“How many times are you going to ask me about it?” His wife. “Fuck, can you just drop it—“

“I just think it’s pretty convenient that your boss brings up another business trip, just the two of you, today.”

Silence. A drawer slams.

“Are you really going to ruin your son’s party like this, Christopher?”

The snicker Chan gives raises the hairs on your arm. “Are you really going to keep pretending like you’re not fucking your boss?”

You have to clasp a hand over your mouth to silence the loud gasp that escapes you. It’s not like it was any secret that they’re having problems; he confided in you months ago that things have started to get rocky. Never, ever, did you expect this, though.

She storms out, saying something under your breath that you can’t hear. Door slams. Chan sighs into the empty kitchen, probably running his fingers through his hair if had to guess—

“I know you’re in there.” He sounds defeated. “You left your phone on the counter.”

Shit.

Slowly, you crack the door open, peeking out of the dark pantry. Your friend is leaning against the sink, arms crossed across his broad chest. There’s a small smile on his pain stricken face, eyes crinkling at the outer corners. Age treated him well.

“I wasn’t listening.”

“You’ve always been a terrible liar.”

You step out of the pantry fully, walking slowly up to your friend. There’s enough space next to him for you, which you take. Leaning side by side, staring out the large window at the party. It carries on; children laughing, eating cake. Parents chatting, chasing kids. All this joy on the other side of the thin glass, completely oblivious to the trembling beneath their feet.

You speak first. “How long have you known?”

“A while.” Chan takes a deep breath, trying to relax his shoulders. “I had hoped when she switched departments it would stop but…yeah.”

Outside the window, the curly haired boy turns in a circle. His little eyes are wide and bright, searching the crowd of grownups for a familiar face. His mom’s back is turned, he doesn’t see her. Though you’re sure he’s actually speaking, all you see is his mouth move.

Dada?

When he can’t find him, another name comes from his mouth. Scanning the sea of people for you.

The second quake comes three months later.

Chan and his wife are in therapy, and though all appears well, the cracks are deep. Wide. You can see right through the facade.

It’s cold outside. Even through your thick jacket, you can feel the heavy winter breeze. It freezes your nose, numbs your lips. You walk quickly, dog trotting alongside you in the same rush. The little boots he wears protects his paws, yet he still whimpers.

When was the last time Christmas Eve was this cold?

There’s a fire crackling when you open the front door, your dog barely off the leash before she barrels to it. Jumping on her little boots, trying to warm up.

“Fuck, it’s cold.” You curse, shedding the many layers you wore. “I literally thought I was going to get frostbite.”

Your husband doesn’t give more than a hum in acknowledgment, nose in his book. Plopping on the couch next to him, you lean in to give him a kiss.

And he moves away.

“All good?” The concern is heavy in your voice.

Nothing. Just a hum.

“Can I have a kiss?”

“I’m busy.”

“Reading. The same book you read every winter.”

It’s harsh, the way he slams the book shut. When he looks up at you, you can help but recoil. Scooting just a bit back from him. The look in his eyes is so…different.

“Can you just give me some fucking space? Please?” He doesn’t raise his voice, and that makes it all the more concerning. Scary. “God, you’re so clingy all the time.”

Oh. Your eyes drop, lips pressing into a thin line. Jeez, why does this cut so deep? It’s not the first time he’s said it to you.

“I guess—I just thought, since it’s Christmas—“

“Eve.” He’s annoyed. You awkwardly adjust yourself on the couch, bringing a sweater clad hand to your face to wipe the tears you can’t help. “Oh, please, stop crying. It’s not that deep.”

There’s a tree on the planet. It’s tall, home to leaves that change colors. Usually, it’s day by day, depending on the waves and the weather and the stars. All day they’ve been a sparkly light green. Peace. A good color.

But they’ve started to bleed, something dark taking over the peace just as the ground begins to break.

Your husband picks the book up. Not another word to you. Heart in your stomach, you head towards the staircase. “I’m going to bed.”

He doesn’t look up from the book. “Take your fucking dog with you.”

The most impactful quake comes a mere three weeks later.

You’re sat on the living room floor, a brush handled by a five year old girl roughly running through your hair. It stings a little, but there’s no point in stopping her. She’s too stubborn to listen.

“Why don’t you wear braids?” She asked in her little voice.

“Never thought about it.” You shrug.

She sighs as if this is the most awful thing you could’ve have told her. “But you would be a princess if you wore them!”

You turn your head slightly, looking up at the girl. Her eyes are her father’s, along with the exasperated look she’s giving you.

“Shit, really?”

You cringe at the word choice, but the little girl doesn’t even flinch.

“Yes.” She sighs. “Turn around, I help you.”

Can’t really argue with that. Right as you think she’s taken at least half of your hair, Chan comes into the living room. Headed straight for the front door.

“Alright, the youngest is asleep.” He’s reaching for his coat, checking his watch obsessively. He’s late. “Pizza is on the way, don’t let the monster stay up too late.”

Finger guns to his daughter, who just ignored him. Not amused with his stupid joke.

“I shouldn’t be long, maybe three hours tops.” Chan says to you. “Changbin has kids to get home to, so I’ll be back before you can miss me too much.”

You flip him off. The daughter follows.

“Okay, don’t like do that at school or anything-“

“We’ll be alright.” You say, trying to get him out the door. Things have been more tense that usual lately; it took all of Changbin’s energy to convince him to get a drink with him. Nothing is going to keep him in this house. “Don’t have too much fun.”

The smile he gives you is so genuine. Real happiness. It’s been a while since you’ve seen that.

The pizza? Mediocre at best. The movie she picked? You hate how invested you were in that storyline. It’s like you blinked and it was time for bed, helping the little girl into her bright blue sheets.

She picks the book for you to read. Four pages, and she’s snoring.

You’ve never liked kids. Never really wanted them, either. While you still hold these sentiments, it’s hard to not like her. Her brother. There’s something about them that’s different, tugging on your heart so hard you think it will pop out of your chest.

Kids are awful. But Chan’s? You don’t think you’ll ever get enough of.

She’s been asleep about thirty minutes. Mindlessly, you click through the tv channel, trying to decide on something. Barely nine in the evening, and there’s nothing to watch? That seems like a scam—

Bang. Thunder. Flashes of lightning. The world shaking harder than it has since it’s birth about ten years ago. Chan storms inside his home, the heavy footsteps making you jump.

“Fuck!” You cry, holding a hand over your heart as you try to catch your breath. “You scared me—“

“She’s not on a trip.” He’s tearing off his coat, kicking off his shoes. Slamming the keys and wallet on the coffee table.

The wheels are turning slowly, but when they click, you feel cold. A blizzard tumbling through the planet. “What?”

Everything was fine. Chan was happy, talking with Changbin and sharing shitty wings over even shittier beer. For a second, he forgot. Forgot about his wife and her affair, the therapy that he honestly felt was a waste of time. The divorce papers in the top drawer of his office, already signed and ready to be present when his wife gets back.

He just needed to pee. Walking towards the back of the crowded bar, he saw a set of eyes he knew too well. It brings him to a halt, looking right at his wife. Who is staring right back at him. With the arm of her boss around her shoulders.

“How many times has she said she was going to be gone, just to stay in town with him?” Chan asks, his voice rising as the storm gets heavier. “Does she not give a shit about our children—“

“Who are sleeping.” You add, grabbing your friend’s biceps and squeezing them tightly. He’s getting too worked up. The feelings he had for her are long, long gone. Buried so deep they’ll never be found.

He’s not mad about the cheating. He’s mad about how she’s abandoned the children.

Chan nods before he sits on the couch. Head hanging in his hands, nails scratching his scalp. Exhausted. Lonely. Broken.

“Why did I fucking marry her?”

You take a seat next to him, leaning your head on his shoulder. Your best friend, your everything. Soulmates always seem like an unbelievable concept, until you met Chan. Without a doubt, he is one of yours.

Though, the universe still seems torn on the kind.

“She wasn’t always like this.” You reassure him. “Remember how hard you fell for her? It was really cute; you couldn’t stop talking about her. Nobody expected this, Chan.”

“I did.” When he looks at you, his eyes are dark. Wide. Solid, serious expression not waving even in the intense winds. “I always knew. She never loved me like I loved—“

The sentence isn’t finished. It doesn’t need to be.

Like that, the rain has stopped. Thunder silenced, sky dark. Time has been paused, standing still as you stare at each other in the dimly lit living room. It doesn’t feel like you’re breathing. Like anything is happening.

Except for a teeny, tiny spark. Rock against rock. Fire being invented once again.

Time resumes as Chan pulls you into his lap, lips colliding intensely. His tongue is heavy on yours, deeply kissing you as if to consume you. To make up for all the kisses that should have been.

This affair isn’t driven by hurt, by the agony caused at the hands of both your spouses. It isn’t jealousy, it isn’t hate. It’s a love that always was, always will, and was always meant to be at the core of the universe.

Even the apocalypse couldn’t destroy it.

Ten years. Ten years and Chan still knows how to touch you. The little place on your collarbone that turns you into jelly. How you love when he bites roughly on your nipples, the teasing of his fingers hooking under the waistband of your jeans.

“I hate that you got married in Vegas.” He says in a growl, lowering you onto the coffee table. “I hate that you didn’t fucking tell me until you got back.”

He yanks your jeans down, taking the soft cotton panties will them. Body bare for him once again.

“I hate that I wasn’t there.” The buttons become loose as he roughly takes his shirt off. He watches as your eyes travel, following his hands to the belt he’s pulling off. A familiar awe.

It’s cute. Sets his heart on fire in the best way possible.

Grabbing your chin, he tilts your head so you’re looking at him again.

“Pay attention to me when I talk to you, baby.” He says with a smile, wetting his lips before capturing yours again. “Don’t you want to know why I hated that so much?”

You blink slowly, giving a brief nod.

Hips against hips, the head of his cock works it’s way up and down your silt. A beautiful moan, a cold shiver. Everything falling into place as he lines himself up.

“Because I was going to say no.”

He doesn’t linger. Quickly, Chan buries himself inside you, fucking you with a passion you haven’t felt in years.

“How dare you-“ hands on either side of your head, he grips the coffee table for support. “—marry someone who isn’t me?”

You’re breathless. Jaw dropped, clinging onto his shoulders for dear life. It’s like no time has passed; fucking you like you need, like you deserve. Something only Chan has ever been able to do.

“You’re my girl, remember?” He grunts, eyes rolling back slightly when you clench around him. “How could you forget that?”

Shaking your head, your head rolls back. Full, wonderful moans like music to Chan’s ears.

“N-never did.” You admit, chest shaking with heavy breaths. “I’ve always been y-yours, Chan-“

When he kisses you, the world splits in two. Existence finally starting to make sense. Teeth and tongue, he loves you in the best way anyone ever has. Bodies becoming one, forces beyond your own making you whole once more.

He looks at you. Your heart skips a beat.

Has this world always been full of life, or is it all brand new? Could life exist without the two of you?

“Good.” Chan’s smile is like home. “Because I’ll never stop wanting you.”

[phoenixyfriend]

Flip the Hourglass 3

Chapter 3: Monster(?)

Anakin has some bad conversations

Read on AO3

-----------

Anakin has emergency credits on hand, but Republic currency is going to be difficult to offload to anyone who’s actually staying on planet. He has some peggats, a just in case measure he never fully outgrew, and one he is grateful for now. He saves the peggats for later, and drags Ahsoka Soka to the spaceport to find a more appropriate set of clothing for her. A few of the traders here do take credits, as they spend enough time going back and forth that they generally need both currencies in their coinpurse. It won’t work for everything, but fabrics and food and water are in supply here.

Soka complains, even whines a little, but he knows it’s mostly the heat and the dawning grief that they are slowly coming to terms with as a group. He lets her have a little bratting for her own good, as a teenager in a horrible situation. He still makes her get better clothing. Togruta are just as sensitive to solar radiation and the associated risk of cancer as humans.

“Ugh, I look like Obi-Wan,” she asserts.

“Not all beige is Obi-Wan,” Anakin tells her. He passes over the haggled price to the trader. He’s lucky in that his money is worth more now than it would be in a decade and a half, so everything certainly feels cheaper. Still more than he’s comfortable with, but it’s the cost of doing business. “You can wear your burgundy as a base layer, and the belt.”

“I don’t like beige,” Soka says. “It clashes with my markings.”

“Cheaper than white, and it reflects the sun better than dark colors,” Anakin reminds her, far from the first time. “I’m getting some too, you know.”

She sticks her tongue out at him.

It’s not just the color that she objects to, but that’s a safer point of contention than the loose and flowing shape of these clothes, or the fairly rough weave. It’s smoother than most of what can be purchased locally, unless one has far more funds than Anakin is willing to expend before he can secure a building and his family’s freedom; it’s also more expensive than the slave fabrics, but he can push the budget a tiny bit here on the Republic credits side. It’ll soften with a few washings, anyway, and the main concern he’s got is for temperature regulation and blocking the sun.

The shape… he doesn’t want her targeted for kidnapping. If she fights them off, she risks getting noticed by Gardulla and Jabba. If she doesn’t fight them off, Anakin will probably kill someone to get her back.

Shmi could probably talk him out of it. Rex might not bother.

At any rate, kidnappings are bad. Wear the shapeless dresses. Anakin got some for himself and the rest of them, too.

“What’s next?” Soka asks.

“Water,” he tells her. “Buying it from off-planet isn’t always easy for locals, but it’s the best option for using our remaining credits without losing most of it to currency exchange fees. Some food if we find it cheap, but water is probably still going to give us the most clang for our credits.”

Soka makes a face. Anakin ignores it.

They shop around, each carrying more and more products without a floating carrier for it. They get looks, of course, but nobody is too willing to ask why they’re not having difficulty with such weight. Too many options, and half of them are deadly to the asker.

Anakin’s comm rings. He picks up.

“Hey, General,” Rex’s too-easy voice greets, “tell me, how much trouble would I get if I shot someone?”

[freetheshit-outofyou]

We have been dumbed down so far that being an adult is just to damned hard for half of us. WTF? I get it, I am a father of 4, two girls two boys, shit gets hard sometimes but I've never not been able to function. If anything it has motivated me to figure out new ways to make it. I grew up poor, stayed poor for more than half my life. When I finally crack into the middle class (In my 50's) the left starts giving money away had over fist and killed the economy. According to this the government, paying for shit with my taxes that will not help me pay bills, will not make things cheaper at the store or at the pump is the answer. I'm sorry, the idea of investing tax money into fucking social infrastructure when our power, water, and road way infrastructures are falling apart infuriates me. We need adversity to grow as Humans, it's how we became the dominate species on the planet. Now we have to kid glove everything, bubble wrap everything until we live in these safe little government provided cocoons.

Free yourself.

[litoria-caerulea]

To any of my vestibular migraine friends: pressure reducing earplugs!!

I’m not sure exactly how each person is affected as there are a range of symptoms even in specific types of migraines, but for me most of the time I feel like there’s pressure in my ears, basically like how you feel on a plane but all the time.

I’ve been looking for a solution because obviously it’s very uncomfortable and fucking hurts, and recently I’ve tried pressure reducing earplugs that are meant for air travel. They’re not perfect but it reduces a LOT of the feeling! Plus they’re fairly inexpensive, mine were $8.50 CAD but I’m sure you can find them cheaper. The package says for best results they can be used a maximum of 5 times, but of course my broke ass is using them until they’re completely useless. (For anyone complaining about the sustainability may I remind you billionaires are the ones majorly fucking over the planet and medical devices are necessary for us.)

Just sending the recommendation out there since I know there’s not a lot that helps chronic migraines and doctors often don’t know what to recommend. I looked them up on my own after I saw them in a pharmacy and wondered if they’d work or not.

[caratmantra]

Why Lab-Grown Diamond Earrings Are a Perfect Choice for Women Seeking Affordable Luxury

Discover why lab-grown diamond earrings offer affordable luxury with the same sparkle, durability, and ethical benefits as mined diamonds. 

If you love the sparkle of diamond earrings but don’t want to spend too much, lab-grown diamond earrings might be exactly what you're looking for. These diamonds are just like the ones that come from the earth but are made in a lab. They’re stylish, affordable, and great for the environment. You still get the same luxury and shine, but with the added bonus of knowing your choice is more sustainable.

For those of us looking to enjoy sustainable luxury, lab-grown diamonds are a smart option. They let you sparkle with style while making a thoughtful, planet-friendly choice. Plus, lab-grown diamond earrings give you all the beauty and luxury without the high cost! Let’s look at why they’re such a great choice.

What is the Current Lab Grown Earrings Ongoing Trend?

When it comes to lab-grown diamond earring trends, there’s so much variety to explore. For those who love clean, modern looks, diamond stud earrings are a timeless choice. These styles often feature sleek lines and simple settings that allow the diamonds to shine on their own. Whether it’s a single large diamond or a pavé of smaller stones, these minimalist earrings are perfect for everyday wear. Diamond earrings for women, especially in this style, are great for adding just a touch of sparkle to any outfit.

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Rose gold is another rising trend, adding a warm, vintage vibe that complements most skin tones. Whether it’s for diamond earrings for men or women, this metal pairs beautifully with lab-grown diamonds, creating a look that feels both luxurious and modern.

And let's not forget the iconic diamond hoop earrings! There are various options, from slim, subtle hoops to bold, wide ones. Whether you want a casual look or something a bit more dramatic, lab-grown diamond earrings in hoop designs provide endless sparkle and style.

With so many options available, it’s easy to find the perfect pair of diamond earrings for women or men that suits your style—whether you prefer something minimalist, bold, or somewhere in between.

Let’s get deeper into why Lab-grown diamond earrings and other jewellery are better options than mined diamonds

They Look Just Like Real Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are actually considered real diamonds! The best part? Even experts can’t tell the difference without special equipment​. So, when you wear lab-grown diamond earrings, you’re getting the same beauty and shine as you would with mined diamonds—at a much lower cost.

Affordable and Still Luxurious

Lab-grown diamonds are usually 30-50% cheaper than mined diamonds​. The reason? Mining diamonds from the earth is expensive. It requires a lot of money, effort, and time. Lab-grown diamonds, on the other hand, are made in a lab, which makes the process faster and cheaper.

This means you can buy bigger or better-quality diamonds for the same amount of money. You don’t have to break the bank to enjoy beautiful diamond earrings that make you feel like a million bucks.

More Choices and Customization

Lab-grown diamonds come in all shapes, sizes, and even colours. Whether you want classic round diamond studs or something more unique, like a heart-shaped or coloured diamond, you have a lot of options. And because lab-grown diamonds are cheaper, you can experiment with different styles without overspending. Want a pair of pink diamond earrings? No problem! You can get all sorts of custom designs with lab-grown diamonds, giving you more ways to express your style.

Durable and Long-Lasting

Lab-grown diamonds are just as strong and durable as mined diamonds. Diamonds are one of the hardest materials on Earth, which means they won’t get scratched or damaged easily. Whether you’re wearing your earrings every day or saving them for special occasions, you can trust that lab-grown diamonds will stay beautiful for years to come.

The Modern Choice for Luxury

Lab-grown diamond earrings offer modern women the chance to own luxury jewelry without the guilt or high price. They’re beautiful, affordable, ethical, and eco-friendly. Why pay more when you can get the same dazzling look for less? By choosing lab-grown diamond earrings, you get to enjoy all the glamour of diamonds, plus the satisfaction of making a smart, responsible choice.

In summary, lab-grown diamond earrings offer the same sparkle, beauty, and lasting quality as natural diamonds, but at a much more affordable price. They’re not only kinder to your wallet but also better for the environment and ethically produced, allowing you to wear them with pride. Whether you’re treating yourself or choosing a thoughtful gift for someone special, lab-grown diamond earrings perfectly combine luxury, sustainability, and responsibility—without sacrificing any of the elegance you love.

[wuxiaphoenix]

Worldbuilding: Watch for Termites

In this modern world of steel, concrete, and electrons, we sometimes forget how much of our history was made of wood. Which means if you’re trying to set a story in the historical past, fantasy, or even in the future colonizing other planets, you may want to do extra research into what people have historically used wood and trees for.

Yes, especially if you’re colonizing another planet. 3D printers are all well and good, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper to grow what you want than to ship 3D feedstock up from and down into gravity wells. So, so many things can go wrong in an alien environment already. Keeping it simple, sourcing as much of your materials from the place you’re standing, can mean the difference between the success or failure of your colony - or even life and death.

And one of the first things you need to think about is that the primary wood product you need is not lumber.

It’s polewood. And Everything Else.

Lumber you get from felling a tree. You can only take it once. If, instead, you coppice (cut a tree back to ground level) or pollard (cut off the top branches of a tree) in winter, you can get polewood from the new sprouts. It could take years, a decade or more, but then you can cut it again. And again. Some coppiced chestnut trees in England have been going strong over 160 years, and we have historical records going back to at least the Romans of groves surviving over three centuries.

These poles, BTW, can be of significant size. The Japanese started pollarding their cedars for temple timbers about the 1500s. As in structural timber. Granted it took decades to grow, but you could come back and cut the same tree again in the next few decades. Talk about a renewable resource.

Polewood can be made into firewood, charcoal, tool handles, even tools themselves. There are people today who coppice trees specifically to grow all-wooden pitchforks. They take years to produce, but properly treated they’re more resilient than wood-and-metal constructs and apparently more user-friendly. I’m sure your characters can come up with even more uses.

And then there’s Everything Else. Which is a big category. Fruit. Nuts. Edible leaves. Animal fodder. Fiber; think baskets, paper, even cloth. Dyes. Medicines; quinine and willow aspirin are lifesavers. Spices like annatto, cinnamon, and cassia. Charcoal; for cooking, water purification, biochar to improve soil, black powder for your rifle in a pinch....

History’s not just carved in stone. Sometimes it’s grown in wood. Take advantage of it!

[rottenbrainstuff]

My 1984 AI novels post is still going around and I see a lot of people talking about government control and censorship and whatnot: I think the important thing to really, thoroughly realize is that what’s actually happening in real life here has NOTHING to do with the government: this is all 100% capitalism and the reach of large corporations and somehow I find that even more sinister. TikTok doublespeak isn’t government censorship, it’s social media bullshit. The widespread use of AI isn’t for government control, it’s so that corporations can produce media for consumption quicker and cheaper than using real people. Somehow I find that all even more depressing, I’m not sure why. Like it’s not even a political power play by some corrupt people at the top, it’s all just money, just money. Just some greedy monkeys who want all the bananas and they’re ruining the planet to get them all, even though there’s no way to even do anything with all those fucking bananas.

I just think it’s important to understand that. In 1984 it might be the government in control, and some people will say how 1984 is just a warning about how communism is evil. Then I think you run the very very real danger of not understanding how the events of the book can happen just about anywhere because humans are shitty and greedy.

[absolxguardian]

Pershing’s speech at the beginning shows what his core flaw is. Unlike Galen’s research into kyber crystals being able to fix an actual resource shortage, Pershing’s mother didn’t need organ cloning on every planet to be able to survive. She could have received a mechanical heart just like Breha Organa (organ cloning is the future IRL, but Star Wars has much better medical devices than seem actually possible). There isn’t a lack of resources here, but a failure in how they’re distributed. Besides, Pershings research is about improving cloning rather than making it cheaper (the New Republic would use standcasts to let rich people make designer babies. And if they can’t already make hybrids, it would also be used to make offspring for rich people that aren’t biologically compatible).

He seems to have always had an interest in biology, and I think he just convinced himself that perusing his pre-existing interest would be doing right by his mom. And it seems more achievable than fixing the deep inequality of the galaxy.  Which is why he didn’t go into medical devices or logistics.

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, continuing exploration:

Haskins

-Hahne Kedar Facility – Yet another planet that looks like Earth. Bioware, I’m begging you: At least try.

-In Mass Effect 1, exposition was often given by VI. For example, the HQ VI on Feros that the Krogan commander argued with or the core VI on Noveria that told you how to fix things.

In Mass Effect 2, exposition is often provided by computer logs.

I’m sure it’s cheaper (no voice acting!) and it lets the writers get creative, but I’d like to see some VIs as well.

-Bioware did the creepiness factor well in these missions. They play out like horror movies.

-Another good mission for a vanguard. Charging until I made it into the door past the mechs went well. It played out much more smoothly than prior playthroughs.

Normandy

-Email from Kate Bowman. She assumes Shepard’s death was actually them going undercover. Reasonable assumption.

Salahiel

-Ekuna – This planet is baffling. If it’s in the Terminus Systems, why does the Council decide who settles it?

The Council is not supposed to have any authority in the Terminus Systems, that’s why they’re the Terminus Systems and not C-Space.

Putting that aside and assuming that the Council does have authority, I can understand why they acted like they did. Letting the quarians settle the planet after illegally doing so would set bad precedent. Considering how precious garden worlds are, the competition for them must be fierce – I imagine who has the right to settle what world is reviewed by other species in C-Space closely.

Frankly, it also makes more sense for it to go to the elcor, considering the heavy gravity.

I know this world is often used as an example of the Council treating quarians poorly, but I’d have to know more to accept that. The quarians did settle it without permission. What happens when other species settle planets without permissions? Have the quarians petitioned for other worlds and been denied more frequently than other species? What is the criteria the Council uses to decide who gets dibs on what world?

Sahrabarik

-This is the system you start the game in once you complete Freedom’s Progress. It includes Urdak, a brown dwarf.

Notably, despite using the term repeatedly in the planet description it never explains what a brown dwarf is. I suppose it’s saving that for you to ask TIM later.

Fathar

-Korat – In 2047, slavers grabbed all the children on the planet. It’s implied they just grabbed children, since that’s all that’s mentioned in the description.

Why? Even if they had a special order for children (and let’s not think of the implications of that) surely it would have been more pragmatic to grab everyone. They could sell the children to those buyers and the adults to someone else.

-Lorek – Originally this was an asari colony. The batarian Hegemony annexed it in 1913. Terminus warlords have repeatedly failed to claim it for themselves.

Again: How does this work? The Terminus Systems are not part of C-Space. That’s why they have a different name. So what is an asari colony doing here?

Considering how often this is coming up, my conclusion is that the separation between C-Space and the Terminus Systems that ME1 abided by was dropped in ME2. The Terminus Systems are now under Council jurisdiction, but in practice their authority is weak and inconsistent.

So in other words, C-Space is the “good” side of the tracks where order is maintained, and the Terminus Systems are the “bad” side of the tracks that are technically part of the same government body but the police are rarely seen.

-N7 Lost Operative Mission – Shockingly, it’s once again an Earth-like world.

-So the data Eclipse has proves that Cerberus was involved in the rachni experiments. How does Eclipse even know about them?

I suppose they would have made it to the rumor mill by now, given the number of folks that crewed the original Normandy and the squad of Alliance marines that fended off waves of them on Nepmos. As they say, two can keep a secret if one is dead.

Still, you’d think there’d be more noise about it. Rachni are the boogeyman of Mass Effect; everyone is terrified of them coming back. I’d expect there to be more mass hysteria at just the possibility, never mind it being true.

-The Eclipse are tidy. There’s no blood in the interrogation room, despite the body still being there.

-Interesting that giving the data to Cerberus is neutral, but keeping it for yourself is renegade. ME2 continues to push that Cerberus isn’t that bad, really.

What’s strange is that you can give the data to the Alliance. Do you contact them directly or do you go through Edi? If the latter, I’m surprised that none of the chains on her prevent her from sending it, or at least giving a copy to Cerberus as well.

-At least the Alliance (and Bioware) have an excuse for it not being relevant in ME3: Anderson says it will take years to decode it.

[reasonsforhope]

"In cities across the country, people of color, many of them low income, live in neighborhoods criss-crossed by major thoroughfares and highways.

The housing there is often cheaper — it’s not considered particularly desirable to wake up amid traffic fumes and fall asleep to the rumble of vehicles over asphalt.

But the price of living there is steep: Exhaust from all those cars and trucks leads to higher rates of childhood asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and pulmonary ailments. Many people die younger than they otherwise would have, and the medical costs and time lost to illness contributes to their poverty.

Imagine if none of those cars and trucks emitted any fumes at all, running instead on an electric charge. That would make a staggering difference in the trajectory, quality, and length of millions of lives, particularly those of young people growing up near freeways and other sources of air pollution, according to a study from the American Lung Association.

The study, released [February 28, 2024], found that a widespread transition to EVs could avoid nearly 3 million asthma attacks and hundreds of infant deaths, in addition to millions of lower and upper respiratory ailments...

Prior research by the American Lung Association found that 120 million people in the U.S. breathe unhealthy air daily, and 72 million live near a major trucking route — though, Barret added, there’s no safe threshold for air pollution. It affects everyone.

Bipartisan efforts to strengthen clean air standards have already made a difference across the country. In California, which, under the Clean Air Act, can set state rules stronger than national standards, 100 percent of new cars sold there must be zero emission by 2035.

[Note: The article doesn't explain this, but that is actually a much bigger deal than just California. Basically, due to historically extra terrible pollution, California is the only state that's allowed to allowed to set stronger emissions rules than the US government sets. However, one of the rules in the Clean Air Act is that any other state can choose to follow California's standards instead of the US government's. And California by itself is the world's fifth largest economy - ahead of all but four countries. So, between those two things, when California sets stricter standards for cars, they effects ripple outward massively, far beyond the state's borders.]

Truck manufacturers are, according to the state’s Air Resources Board, already exceeding anticipated zero-emissions truck sales, putting them two years ahead of schedule...

Other states have begun to take action, too, often reaching across partisan lines to do so. Maryland, Colorado, New Mexico, and Rhode Island adopted zero-emissions standards as of the end of 2023.

The Biden administration is taking similar steps, though it has slowed its progress after automakers and United Auto Workers pressured the administration to relax some of its more stringent EV transition requirements.

While Barret finds efforts to support the electrification of passenger vehicles exciting, he said the greatest culprits are diesel trucks. “These are 5 to 10 percent of the vehicles on the road, but they’re generating the majority of smog-forming emissions of ozone and nitrogen,” Barret said...

Lately, there’s been significant progress on truck decarbonization. The Biden administration has made promises to ensure that 30 percent of all big rigs sold are electric by 2030...

Such measures, combined with an increase in public EV charging stations, vehicle tax credits, and other incentives, could change American highways, not to mention health, for good."

-via GoodGoodGood, February 28, 2024

[oneinathousand]

I’m incredibly sick of seeing Tatooine all the time in Star Wars, BUT I have an idea for a way they could take it in a different direction in the future… it becomes gentrified by tourism.

If they ever make new stories set many decades in the future like the now-Legends Legacy series, let’s imagine that the biographies of the Skywalkers become more well known over the years and eventually become part of the galaxy’s cultural consciousness like the Founding Fathers are to the U.S. and the various royal families are to the English, and some people realize, “Hey, these homes of a couple of the galaxy’s greatest heroes/enemies (the husk of the Lars home and Watto’s slave house) are still on this planet, we could make some money off of this!”

And so, entrepreneurs build up a whole tourist trap town around Luke and Anakin’s homes (you can’t show anyone Leia’s home anymore, Han didn’t seem to really have a steady home on Corellia, and Rey lived under junk, so these are the only options to make tourist traps from) , much like how the homes of many U.S. presidents have been preserved.

You could leave it like that, that the homes of Shmi and the Lars have been surrounded by pretty tacky gift shops and hotels, or you could go even further and have Tatooine be made into Las Vegas in space, that these tourist attractions spark even more business people across the planet to transform the biggest cities on the planet into desirable vacation destinations for the rest of the galaxy using the adage, “Come for the history, stay for the entertainment!”

It wouldn’t just be Luke and Anakin’s homes that become landmarks, but a few other places where they had shenanigans like the Mos Eisley Cantina or Jabba’s palace.

Pod racing really blows up in popularity, albeit with way more safety regulations than when Anakin participated so that the races can be broadcasted galaxy-wide, though like with NASCAR races there’s still a chance death could occur.

Huge zoos are built holding all the dangerous fauna both native to Tatooine and brought in from outside.

The Hutts finally agree to join the new Republic, and they’re less outwardly evil than before, following the formal abolishing of slavery, although many are still involved with criminal dealings.

Mos Eisley is the hub of all this, being the city closest to the historical landmarks, although several other cities are able to get some pieces of the pie by providing cheaper alternatives to much of the entertainment found in Mos Eisley.

Many Jawas are able to transition pretty smoothly into this new era, but the Tuskens… not so much, the cities hog pretty much all the resources and they encroach on their land.

Otherwise, I never want to see a desert planet ever again in Star Wars unless it looks completely different from any that have come before.

[heyclickadee]

Okay, while I’m waiting five years for this frame to render, here’s some thoughts I’ve been having about the whole practical effects vs digital effects debate.

See, on the one hand, I freaking love practical effects. Poorly done practical effects, well done practical effects, practical effects that haven’t aged well, practical effects that hold up and probably always will. Practical effects my beloved. There’s just something about having a thing actually be there, interacting with the light and the environment, having real weight, that I absolutely love. I absolutely want to see more of them in film.

On the other hand, I kind of bristle a bit when people argue that digital effects are easier, because…they’re really not. They’re cheaper a lot of the time, but that’s because the studios aren’t paying digital effects workers fairly. And they take up less space, of course, or maybe take up space differently. But they’re probably just as much work as the practical effects. You’re still having to come up with solutions to get things to look right, having to hit things with proverbial hammers until they behave, and definitely having to throw a whole bunch of math and art at a problem until it works. If there’s a cg dragon on screen, I promise that someone had to design that dragon, that someone else had to sculpt it (which isn’t less work even if it is happening on a computer), and then there’s the texturing and the rigging and probably coming up with solutions to get the rigging on the wings to work because dear lord is rigging the worst, and that’s besides animating, lighting, and compositing, and trying to get it to look like it belongs in a scene with everything else.

In fact, the reason why so many digital effects look iffy, especially on television, is because they’re a lot of work, but studios often won’t shell out the budget to allow the cg artists the time to do them properly. The cg animals in the cg Lion King look weirdly weightless and expressionless? Its not because cg is inherently bad (even though I think remaking The Lion King was inherently unnecessary, but that’s another story). It’s probably because the animators and riggers were either given the bad direction, or because they weren’t given the time to go back and refine the animation and give it the weight it needed and ended up having to rely on Maya (or whatever program they were using) to do a lot of the tweening, or something similar.

And there are also times when practical effects just will not work, sometimes because of safety or sometimes because cg is actually better suited for the situation. And there are even situations where audiences will assume an affect was digital, and then for it to turn out to be practical. So, for me, it’s not a debate over which kinds of effects are better. Its more about:

1. CG artists needing to be compensated fairly.

2. Studios and directors needing to not automatically default to cg effects.

3. Using the right kind of effect for the situation.

For example: The Dark Crystal: AOR needed to be puppetry and practical effects. A realistically rendered Dark Crystal universe would have been a complete disaster; that’s a fully built up from the ground fantasy universe that feels lived in because, in a way, it kind of is. They used digital effects here and there to touch things up or help with compositing (Lore, for example, is a puppet, but they used digital compositing to erase the puppeteers), and there’s a couple weird moments that are cg, but it’s the puppets and the practical effects that really shine. Alternatively—Prehistoric Planet. I’m sure there were practical effects used in some situations, but the animals in Prehistoric Planet needed to be cg, and realistically rendered cg, because the conceit of that series is that it’s a nature documentary. Now, do I also want to see a version of Prehistoric Planet that’s all puppets? Yep, but it would be a very different thing with a different result and feel.

So anyway, tl:dr: Digital effects and cg aren’t inherently bad; they do still require a lot of work; I think it should be less about getting rid of cg in favor of practical effects and more about knowing when to use cg, when to use practical effects, when to use various kinds and styles of animation, when to use everything together, depending on what kind of story you’re telling and what you’re trying to achieve instead of cg being the default.

And pay cg artists more.