#Why aren't we doing more about global warming

[zenaidamacrouras1]

Yesterday my kids went to Paleo camp (? It was an option and I needed childcare) and learned about the impacts of the asteroid hitting and I was talking about how the subsequent ocean acidification caused the base level of life in the ocean (foraminifera) to all die and that created a chain reaction of mass ocean death.

And my son said "But an asteroid isn't going to hit our planet again right?" (Great fear)

And daughter said "no because scientists watch for asteroids and are learning how to push them away with rockets"

And I said, "yeah an asteroid isn't a problem but we still might have that chain reaction of near complete ocean death because of ocean acidification due to global warming because the lower critters on the ocean food chain have carbon shells which dissolve in acid like if you put an egg in vinegar. That's probably going to happen in your lifetime. I don't know why scientists are worried about asteroids."

And then they blinked at me in horror, and then my son asked where tar pits come from and if he needs to worry about getting stuck in one.

[remember-the-fanfics]

An asked 'I feel like if Adam met the gen Z overlord before he came to the hotel they talk circles around him.'

But it came out as their first interaction, they still roasting Adam when they can.

Set in the first episode

-

"Ah yes, the first man. The reason I had to live my life and have responsibilities. So wonderful." Said (Y/n), after Adam revealed who he actually was..

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking too? I'm the dickmaster!" Adam said finally noticing (Y/n)'s presence in the room.

"Well being the first man, you really had nothing else to compare it to." They told him with a smile.

"This is (Y/n), they came with me because-."

"I don't trust any of you so I'm making sure Charlie stays safe." (Y/n) finished the sentence not wanting Charlie to soften any words with the Angels.

"No sinner should be here, I should end you for even setting a foot in here." Said Lute, glaring and getting close to (Y/n), who just glared back while getting up from their chair.

"Test me, bit-." Getting interrupted by Charlie pulling them back into their chair. (Y/n) looked at Charlie with a upset glare but settled back down while Lute returned back to Adam's side.

"I want to discuss biggest problem." Said Charlie, trying to get back on track on why she was here.

"Oh herpes. Yeah, that's a bitch." Adam replied.

"Seems to be a you problem." Said (Y/n), seeming already done with Adam.

"No! Our... other biggest problem."

"Ugly people? Math? Global Warming? No wait, that's earth problem." Said Adam, earning a deadpan look from Charlie, who (Y/n) patted on the back.

"You can't change stupid, Charlie. No matter how you try." They whispered to Charlie. "But hey maybe he isn't a complete moron."

Which (Y/n) completely took back after tuning in to Adam being on a different topic now. Being sexist and boasting his own masculinity.

"Do you cope by being a complete ass?" They said, Adam completely ignoring (Y/n) went on.

"-expects you to pay the check but you're like 'Hey, I thought you wanted equality."

"I'm gonna kill him." Said (Y/n), looking at Charlie.

"No! Our shared problem of overpopulation in Hell!" Charlie finally said before (Y/n) could try and kill him.

"Ohh, well that's not a problem! We got that covered." Adam said before turning to Lute. "Lute, how many demons did you kill this year?"

"A good 275 this year, sir."

"275? Woah, badass! Awesome job, danger tits! Pound it." Adam said putting his hand up for a fist bump which Lute did.

"That's not good! They aren't your people to kill!" Said (Y/n), upset with how casual the two seem to be about it. "They are Charlie's people, me including."

"Well that must suck for you." Said Adam before laughing, making (Y/n) pissed. But Charlie jumped in before they could get any more heated about it.

"But these are souls...Humans souls just the same as the ones you have up in heaven." Said Charlie, getting (Y/n) to sit back down.

"They're not the same. They had their chance and they earned damnation." Lute coldly said before looking at (Y/n). "Like you."

"Oooo, so scary." Said (Y/n), flipping Lute off.

"You're wrong. Sinners made mistakes, sure, but everyone makes mistakes." Said Charlie.

"Angels don't make mistakes."

"You really believe that?" Said Charlie and (Y/n).

"I know that."

"Yeah, I've never made a mistake in my fucking life." Said Adam.

"Didn't you get kicked out of the Garden?" (Y/n) asked him.

"That was one tim-."

"And apparently had your first wife leave you."

"Low blow, tiny." Adam said before Lute walk around the table to where Charlie and (Y/n) was seated.

"The only reason you're still here is because daddy gave you and your hellborn kind a pardon from an exorcist blade. How does that feel, to know how little you matter?" Lute said, taunting Charlie.

"Bitch, he probably did that because he cares about her." Said (Y/n), glaring at Lute. "So go fuck yourself with a chainsaw."

"Nothing is stopping me from killing you now, sinner." Lute said, getting close to (Y/n)'s face for to long before moving on.

"Opps, almost out of time. Guess we should get into it." Said Adam.

"Oh fuck!" Said Charlie, getting her presentation ready. "Okay I've got a lot to get through and not a lot of time and I feel like you weren't hearing me before so here it goes."

-I ain't typing a whole ass song-

"-Ugh, Shit!" Said Charlie, after (Y/n) and her got pushed out of the room.

"Mother- trucker!" Yelled (Y/n), not wanting motherfucker and Adam in the same sentence or thought. "Dude that hurt like a buttcheck on a stick." They said getting off the floor and helping Charlie up.

"Are you okay? You weren't treated kindly in there." Asked Charlie.

"It's fine, I knew what I was walking into when I came with you." Said (Y/n), shrugging.

"I'm sorry you got dragged here for nothing." Charlie said before getting a side hug from (Y/n).

"You got nothing to apologize for. I knew from the dipshit's face from the start it would be a long shot if he is in charge."

"Thank you, (Y/n)."

"Soo.. 6 months, huh? I have to go back to my territory to get ahead start with that but I'll meet you at the hotel afterwards, okay?"

"Alright, see you then!"

"Byyyyeee~" With that (Y/n) took off to their territory.

-

"(Y/n)... where have I heard that name before?"

[elbiotipo]

in the face of things like the floods in Brazil, how do you have ANY hope that the biosphere won’t be completely and utterly destroyed? I’m at my wit’s end. It seems like we’ve passed the point of no return. There isn’t any hope

how do you keep motivated

The biosphere won't ever be completely and utterly destroyed. Unless an asteroid impact boils the oceans away, that's just hyperbole.

And the FIRST thing you need to stop doing about climate change right now is hyperbole, because 1) that's the new strategy of "let's keep things as they are" people, "climate change is irreversible and we're all doomed so why do anything" and 2) it makes people to think you don't know what you're talking about and you're just a pointless doomer so they don't even listen. I'm a biologist, but you also should know what biosphere is, you know our biosphere has passed through several mass extinctions and has survived. Use the right terms.

What do I mean by this, am I being a condescending pedant? No, well maybe a little and I apologize, but my point is, it means that to talk about climate change, you need to know what's at risk. It's not "the Earth will warm 2°C and EVERYTHING WILL DIE", it's NOT. Global warming in such a short timescale means the disruption of global climate and weather in unpredictable ways which leads to natural catastrophes such as these. It means the disruption of ecosystems and agroecosystems because of this, in ways that we don't fully understand because it involves many factors. At the very worst case scenario, it means crop failures with all that implies, and we've already seen this with droughts, but even then, it would require adaptation and food distribution, just as today. There is a lot more to climate change, but what's important here is that it doesn't mean that we will all catch fire or drown when the average temperature reaches a certain degree. There is not such thing as a "point of no return".

What can we do about this? First of all, assist those who are inmediatly affected by these natural disasters. Second of all, recognize that these things will increase and start building up measures against it; change land use and preserve forests and wetlands so that floods have natural sinks, build defenses and canals in cities, reforest and protect land affected by drought, every place will have to adapt in a different way. Third, and this is already happening, transition away from fossils and aim at decarbonization, not only stop emissions but actually reverse them.

I say this is already happening because as of right now, solar and wind energy is at its cheapest ever and coal plants aren't being built nearly anywhere anymore. This transition is going through very rough times as the fossil fuel industries are very powerful, and this is why governments need to be pressured by popular action to complete it once and for all. But the results are already there. The worst case scenario of a 4°C warming planet, which would have meant crop failures and total melting of the ice caps, is increasingly far away, we are NO longer in the business as usual scenario. Are we there yet? No. Is a warming over 1.5°C inevitable? Most probably yes. Will this cause disasters and will require a tremendous effort to fight back? Definitevely. But every effort counts. Every coal plant that closes, every hectare of forest preserved, every time people choose nature over profit, every effort counts towards keeping us away from catastrophe.

Do you efffort then! Go get educated instead of dooming, learn what a biosphere is! And a biosphere isn't a small thing, you won't save it alone. It will take the efforts of millions of people to protect it. Millions of people who are already hard at work. Educate yourself and join them!

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Can I ask for a quick run down on what damage ark has done?

ark: survival evolved has countless prehistoric creatures inside of it that are not particularly well known. when people search for information on said critters, ark results are often the first to come up. the way the animals are portrayed in the game, in terms of physical appearance, are extremely inaccurate. designs from the game have been replicated and used by many people, including professionals (such as documentary makers), for their own designs, perpetuating that inaccurate idea. Heck, the Stephen Fry documentary has Ark dinos.

the inaccuracies aren't trivial, when we're depicting prehistoric animals people do not have a frame of reference to compare them to to understand what they were like. If you draw an elephant wrong, people can look up what an elephant looks like, or see one at the zoo. we don't have that for the dead.

Instead, you look up an image, and you see what's on google, which is often yet more inaccurate images. And suddenly, someone has a very skewed and incorrect view of prehistoric life

then on top of that, because the critters ark has aren't well known, sometimes ALL the results on google are just inaccurate depictions from ark

this has real consequences. as a docent, I had just as many people become extremely disappointed when I told them that ARK had it wrong as I did Jurassic World.

why does reality and accuracy matter? well

reality isn't going away, and we have to acknowledge that. you can't just create a new one. we have the one and only reality and its consequences to deal with. see: global warming happening literally right now

the idea that reality can be whatever you want it to be or that opinions matter when it comes to facts is exactly how politicians and other people who desire control manipulate people. see the "fake news" phenomenon

people ignoring reality and how it functions leads to a variety of extremely bad things, including cults, hate groups, and - once again - global fucking warming

as such, anything that makes it seem like reality is more murky than we know - such as filling a google images result section with inaccurate portrayals - makes people question the fact that reality is, actually, unmoveable

in this case, birds being living dinosaurs and dinosaurs being portrayed accurately is extremely important for people to know because it demonstrates that humans are not actually the "main character" of planet earth, and we have to stop acting like it (there is no main character)

why do we have to stop acting like it? well, for one, the extreme amounts of destruction we've caused on this planet. for two, because we can go extinct, we operate under the same rules as all life (one such rule is more diversity = more chances for survival), and we have to stop clowning around and arguing about shit that doesn't matter and actually focus on repairing the harm that we have done to the planet and to each other

so yeah. that's why accuracy in paleomedia matters.

because reality matters.

and reality isn't up for debate.

p. s. I don't care that it's a fictional game that says its fictional, if people are coming to me with misconceptions from a thing and thinking they're real, then that thing has fucked up. end of story. and I had *so many* ark fans come to me at the Field Museum. so many.

[five-rivers]

Prompt idea: Undergrowth wants his Daughter back. Whatever it takes

This got way off track, but... here you go.

.

A vast and nameless rainforest spread itself over several islands in the warmer regions of the Ghost Zone, reaching out hungrily in all directions. Although the rainforest of the mortal plane shrunk, this forest only grew.

Many ghosts made their homes in this rainforest, and civilizations, too, empires, kingdoms, and tribes driven to extinction on Earth finding a second life among spectral branches and vines. Of course, one could say the same of nearly anywhere in the Ghost Zone. It was, after all, an afterlife.

Undergrowth also resided here. Along with his family.

"Why is he sulking this time?" asked Silvagenitus, lying along a reaching upper branch and peering down through the understory to the depths Undergrowth lurked in.

"What is he always sulking about?" asked Liana rhetorically. "As if those skyscrapers won't be trellises in another few hundred years or so. This is the ice age all over again."

"I don't know," said Canopy. "This seems different. And he isn't wrong that humans have destroyed a lot of forests the past few centuries."

"Here, let's ask Mycorrhiza," said Liana. "Oi! Mycorrhiza! What's Undergrowth sulking about?"

"I'M NOT SULKING!" rasped Undergrowth, clawing his way halfway up the nearest tree trunk.

"He won't say," said Mycorrhiza, quietly. "Something about humans."

Undergrowth snarled.

"Well," said Silvagenitus, reasonably, "we can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on."

Undergrowth snarled and grumbled some more. "My children–" he started.

"Oh, here we go again," said Liana. "They aren't children if they don't think."

"My daughter–"

"Your what?" chorused the other ghosts.

Undergrowth sneered. "It's not like you care."

"It's hard to care if you don't tell us anything," said Canopy. "But a daughter, really?"

"A precious seed among human refuse," said Undergrowth with a sniff. "We only had a brief time together before she was unfairly lured away by that horrible boy, but I would do anything to get her back."

"Anything but ask your family for help," commented Liana.

"I will win her back–"

"Has your daughter actually been taken, or did she just leave?" asked Liana.

"It's that boy's fault. He's no good for her, that cold-hearted little weed."

"I hate to be the one to bring this up," said Mycorrhiza, "but did you actually ask her if she wanted to be your daughter? Or talk to her at any point? You do have to do that with real children, you know."

"You do have a bit of a consent problem," agreed Liana.

"I don't want to hear that from the two of you parasites."

"Excuse you, I'm symbiotic."

"Okay, so you'll do anything but ask for our help or actually talk to your daughter, is that right?" asked Liana. "What actually was your plan here? Because I don't get it."

"It would be helpful to know what you intended to do about this," said Canopy.

"I will unmake that pestilent city–"

"Ah, there isn't a plan, then," said Liana.

"You should have a better plan," agreed Silvagenitus. "Maybe a gift. What does she like? Any hobbies?"

"She has a great love of all things green and growing," said Undergrowth. "And I am not apologizing."

"We don't expect you to, honestly," said Liana.

"But we will help you, won't we?" said Silvagenitus, graciously.

"Of course," said Liana. "We are family, after all. I want to meet my niece, too!"

.

Mycorrhiza went first. They were more subtle than their siblings, better able to sink into the ground and sneak. Humans didn't often pay heed to what lay within the soil, and neither did their ghosts.

Also, the seasons were beginning to turn, and Mycorrhiza's siblings didn't deal well with cold. They could prepare the way for them.

.

"There are a lot of mushrooms this year, huh," said Danny, leaning over an indigo and orange toadstool. "I've never seen one like this before."

"It's because of global warming," said Sam confidently. "All these oil and coal companies pumping chemicals into the air with no thought to how that's going to affect the ecosystem."

"You might as well blame something closer to home," said Tucker with a scoff. "Like, you know, Undergrowth, Vortex, the portal to hell in Danny’s basement…"

"Don't call the Ghost Zone hell," said Danny. "We've got friends there."

"Yeah, and Danny's parents should have been way more careful. Like, who knows what kind of crap the portal lets out into the environment? I mean, beyond the ghosts."

"Yeah, they could have tried a little harder to make things safe," said Danny with a sigh. "You don't have to tell me that."

.

Pamela Manson looked out her dining roo. window and scowled. "How much do we pay that gardener?" she asked.

"I don't remember offhand," said Jeremy Manson. "I'm sure it's reasonable. Why, dear?"

"Well, if they can't keep those awful mushrooms off our lawn, it's obviously too much."

"I think they're great," said Sam. "Weren't you the one complaining about how there isn't any color in the garden in the fall? This'll change things, won't it?"

"Samantha Analise Manson, if I find out you seeded our lawn with those weeds–"

"Mushrooms don't even work like that! They aren't plants!"

"I don't care what they are. They're ugly, and– Where are you going, young lady?"

"School!" Sam shouted angrily over her shoulder before slamming the door behind her. And good riddance!

.

"So," said Silvagenitus, clearly in a good mood, "what's your verdict? Our niece? This mysterious boy?"

"Our niece is lovely, and her human parents are awful. If Undergrowth hadn't already claimed her, I'd be tempted. As for the boy… Being angry with him is like being angry at winter. It's ridiculous."

"Undergrowth is a little ridiculous at times, isn't he? I suppose that is what little brothers are like."

.

Danny frowned up at the cloud of fog over the trees in the park. "Is it just me," he said, "or do those clouds look a little green?"

"Could be," said Tucker. He took off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt. "Hard to tell with the light. Do you think it's 'cause ectoplasm's gotten into the water cycle or something?"

"It wouldn't surprise me, but I hope not," said Sam.

"Yeah," said Danny, shuddering. "Can you imagine? The hot dogs are bad enough, but what if all the roadkill in the city came to life? Or whatever is dead in the sewers and rain drains? Or you're eating a sandwich outside and it starts to rain, and now you've got to fight off bologna on rye… I'm going to check it out. You guys go ahead without me."

"Don't forget the English homework!" shouted Tucker after him as he flew up and towards the park.

.

"Ugh," said Pamela Manson, "why has there been so much fog lately? It's so dreary."

"The weather doesn't exist to please you, Mom," said Sam, rolling her eyes.

Although… Danny had called her last night and said that he'd felt something in the clouds, although he hadn't found a ghost. So maybe her mother had a right to complain after all. The fog had been thick in their neighborhood. On the other hand, the weather really was just like that, sometimes.

.

"How is it?" asked Canopy.

"What's 'it'?" asked Mycorrhiza, playfully.

"The girl, the boy, the city, the soil, the… artificiality. The pollution."

"Oh, it's not so bad as all that," said Silvagenitus. "Much better than… When was it? Fifty years ago? When were we last on this side of the veil?"

.

"Okay," muttered Danny, "I can accept the mushrooms, and the green clouds, but this? This isn't natural."

He and Tucker stared down the street, Danny floating a few feet in the air. Yesterday, the street had been an entirely unremarkable one, only of interest to Danny and Tucker because it led into Sam's neighborhood. Yesterday, it had a few normal trees - just barely past the sapling stage - and today, each of those trees had grown dozens of feet, tall upper branches reaching into the sky.

Those new branches dwarfed the original trees, and also had massively different leaves, each one dark, thick, broad, and waxy, unlike the smaller leaves of the trees they grew from.

"Yeah, I don't think this is structurally sound," said Tucker, gently pushing on a slender tree trunk. The whole tree swayed. "Undergrowth?"

"No," said Danny. "It feels different. It all feels different." He shook himself. "Ugh, my skin feels all prickly. It's like whatever it is has been here for a while, but I haven't been able to find them. Come on, let's go find Sam."

.

"So, your neighborhood's turned into a jungle," said Danny.

Sam rolled her eyes. "My parents consider it a personal attack. Figure out what ghost did this?"

"Not yet. I'm sure I'll get attacked sooner or later, though. What about you? How are you holding up? After all, you know, the whole thing with Undergrowth…"

"Come on, I'm not letting one bad week dictate my life and keep me away from the things I like. You guys haven't, after all."

"I still have nightmares," pointed out Danny.

"And you don't let them stop you. Besides, this is kind of cool, and also not hurting anything yet, right?"

"Yeah," said Danny. "That's true."

.

"Okay, you've got everything ready for me over here? Because I'm so tired of Undergrowth's whining."

"Yes, Liana, we're ready for you," said Silvagenitus, tiredly. "We've been ready for you for a month at least."

"Hey, no need to get snippy."

"Hey! Hey! Liana, you're here. Guess what? She thinks I'm cool."

"Wow, that's a first for you, huh?"

.

"Yeah," said Danny, glaring at the curtains of flowering, glowing vines. "I'm drawing the line here. Yoohoo! Ghosts! Ghosts! I'm talking to you! Come on out! I'm sick of waiting for the other shoe to drop! If it's Undergrowth– well, you'd better bet I'll be kicking your butt for coming back out here after what you did to Sam!"

"Hey, what about me?" asked Tucker. "I got one of those vines plugged into my neck, too."

"And Tucker!"

"I don't know if this is a good idea, Danny…"

"I don't care! I've been stressing about this since the mushrooms, and you'd better believe I'm ready to fight!"

"Well," said Mycorrhiza, "if you put it like that…"

A circle of mushrooms sprung up around the three teens, and a glowing green portal opened inside of it. Two fell through, and the third dove after them.

They landed among ghostly branches, and four large ghosts grinned at them.

"So," said Canopy, "humans. Let's talk."

.

"Let me get this straight," said Tucker. "You're Undergrowth's siblings, and he recruited you to hold some kind of… family intervention so Sam will join him on his take over the world mission again?"

"Well, it's more that he complained so much that we got curious, but, yes, essentially," said Silvagenitus. He passed Danny a cup-sized and shaped flower full of nectar. Danny held it loosely, as if he was afraid it'd bite him.

"Who does he think he is?" demanded Sam. "He has no right to talk to me at all– He doesn't have the right to be anywhere near me, and he somehow thinks he's my father? Is he crazy?"

"What about the conquering the world thing?" said Danny, who looked vaguely ill. "Shouldn't we focus on that?"

Sam waved him off. "They've been here for over a month and haven't hurt anyone or anything except for my parents' sense of aesthetics. Besides, they've been great for the local ecosystem. Where was I? Right. That jerk Undergrowth–"

.

Liana sidled up to Undergrowth. "Hey," she said, smugly. "You'll be happy to know our plan worked. She's coming to talk to you."

Undergrowth brightened. "She is?"

"Well. It's more that she's coming to yell at you, and bringing her friends to beat you up, but baby steps. After all, you did start your relationship with mind control."

"I hate you."

"Sorry, I'm too busy for you to hate me. I'm too busy thinking up birthday presents for my niece– oh, but you don't even know when that is. Ha ha."

.

"Do you think sending Liana to tell him was the right choice?" asked Silvagenitus.

"Eh," said Mycorrhiza, "better to get it out of the way, now. Consider it softening him up for Sam."

[tobyfoxfacts]

SHOULD TOBY FOX BE PRESIDENT??

Heres the pros and cons

Pros

1. He made a game all about befriending your enemies.

He's a natural at building bridges so he may be able to repair any hard feelings between countries that the US cut off in the past.

2. He's a business man

Toby is self employed and has people who works under him. He started from the bottom. He worked on his first game in someone's basement. He earned his success.

3. He's great at money management and project planning

He made undertale pretty much on his own and organized any assistance he needed. He's great working on teams and had done many collaborations.

4. He likes the girls and the gays!!

Toby would let us all be trans and queer. He has 2 lesbian couples in his games, a non binary main protagonist, and is a total mommas boy. He wouldn't wanna take away her rights.

5. He doesn't hate drag queens

Toby has been seen wearing skirts and dresses as costumes or cosplays. He's worn makeup and dresses for costumes.... so he wouldn't hate someone for doing the same.

6. He supports the environment

Toby has a degree in environmental science. Why would he get a degree in that if he didn't believe in global warming? He would help repair the environment and make our country more echo friendly. As a science major he knows vaccines aren't fake and would be a great role model.

7. He slips under the discrimination radar

This is cynical, but based on Toby's appearance, he has advantages in the political world. "Straight looking," pale skinned, rich, Christian, cisgender man who went to a prestigious college. So, heck... he'd get a chance even if he genuinely sucked because politics are rigged. Even if he thought Hulu was part of Hawaii and they made a streaming service... he would still make it to the finals.

Don't let anyone find out he's a dress wearing autistic furry that makes songs about mpreg.

8. He has a great education

Toby went to a college that focuses on law and business. There's a chance that he took some classes on the side about those subjects.

9. He's a level headed guy and stays out of drama

Toby's never gotten caught up in drama and he's not a trouble starter. He'd never initiate a war.

10. G-n outlaws

We already know that Toby isn't enthusiastic about violence and believes in thinking before hurting. He would totally make more anti g-n proposals

11. He loves animals

He'd totally help prevent animal cruelty and k1ll shelters. Toby literally thinks he's a dog...

12. He hates taxes

He grew up in New Hampshire so moving to Boston must have been a shocker. He might be able to make taxes more reasonable, or do something useful with the money.

13. Japan loves him

His buddies in Japan (zun, sakurai, etc) have said Toby blends right in with the people in Japan. He's very polite. SUPER important.

14. He's young

He's level headed and isn't fucked on dementia medication while making life altering decisions for the next generation. He's involved and up to date with modern culture, and knows what people want.

15. He's a cutie

Must I say more?

16. He's a cultural icon

Gen z would vote for him cause they already know Toby's great. Plus everyone who doesn't care about politics would find it hilarious to see toby in the white house.

Why toby shouldn't be president

1. He's too short to see over the podium

2. He's stage fright

3. He'd eat the declaration of independence

4. He doesn't want to be

5. No more delrarune :(

[speedyslothboi]

I spent an hour making a flower crown today. I'd never made one before. It didn't turn out very good; clumsy knots and and sticky fingers and broken petals but I still put it on and smiled. I never got that kind of childhood. I wondered if this is what healing feels like: sitting on a picnic table, gently warmed by the sun, breathing in the world. I have so much to do (an ap psych test in three days, ethics bowl nationals and science olympiad state to prepare for, a read through for the play on Monday) and instead I went outside and listened to the birds.

Then I got home and cried. Because 30,000 people will never get to make a flower crown again (and how many never had? It took me 17 years. That's more time than many of them ever got). I haven't breathed clearly in 6 months; a weight on my chest and a pit in my stomach but for one hour, I felt like I could breathe, the smell of grass unfamiliar but comfortable (and how many died in that time? Trapped under rubble? The weight on their chests real).

I feel like I've been sitting Shiva for strangers halfway across the world but I'll die before I finish mourning (575 years is a lot to ask of this body). I'm not doing a very good job. But what else can I do but remember? I don't know know what to do with myself. I'm heartbroken and horrified and I am so angry. I go to school and hear kids talk about tik tok drama and I want to grab them and shake them and yell "how can you think about anything else? How can breathe around your guilt well enough to speak?" I feel like I know to much and too little, never informed fast enough. I feel like I'm grieving and like I have no right to grieve. I'm tired. I'm not doing well (I can't remember the last time I brushed my teeth and I still need to schedule my fillings and do my laundry and change my sheets) but I feel so selfish doing anything to make myself happy, like I'm stealing joy I don't deserve. And I know that I'm burnt-out (years into it) and that I have to take care of myself too but I just don't know how to carry all this grief. And this isn't about me (I'm making it about me, aren't I?)

This will be the first presidential election I get to vote in and I can't vote for him, I can't. And I'm scared. People keep saying it's selfish not to but I'm the one who will face the consequences. I'm one of the "vulnerable" people (does that make it self-sacrificial? Does that make it okay? To risk my communities if I am at risk too?)

Paul Alexander died three weeks ago. I can't stop thinking about him. (Most of the articles won't tell you why though; that one of the most vulnerable members of society was abandoned to a disease that has killed 3 million). I keep seeing inspiration porn articles about how he didn't let his disability "stop him" (I feel like I'm "letting" mine stop me). None of them mention "I love the sun, but I haven't felt it in a long time. It's lonely." (I feel lonely all the time but I didn't feel lonely at the park, with dirt in my fingernails. I don't really believe in heaven but I hope it exists so Paul can sit in the sun again). I think of Paul and I am filled with rage. 5,000 people die of covid every week; that's one person every five minutes (how is that okay? how could you abandon us for "normal"?) and I'm one of three people out of 2200 at my school who still wear a mask. I got the most recent booster two days ago (the one only the "vulnerable" can get as if long covid isn't becoming an increasingly documented mass disabling event. And the genocide is one too. And what about the countries we blocked from getting vaccines with patents. How dare we condemn the global south to suffer without vaccines only to stop getting them). And I need to buy more masks (yet another expense to exist while disabled) and they aren't free anymore so it's another 3 hours of work. Cases keep rising despite the lack of testing and wastewater doesn't lie. And whats the new variant? News isnt reporting on it anymore because "no one cares" (I care. I need to believe others would care if they knew. Maybe thats just wishful thinking) I still have at home tests but their negatives feel like taunts (a positive is a positive though, I remember)

I don't really have any friends. I have acquaintances and people I work with for projects but I don't want them to be my friends. My mom and my therapist keep telling me to reach out and do things with them (I know it would be good for me to socialize but doing so would put me at risk. They can't even wear a mask, and I'm supposed to choose to spend extra time with them?) Neither my mom or therapist wears a mask. (My mom fought for me when doctors didn't believe anything was wrong. Fought for 7 years to get a diagnosis and now she won't protect me.) I go to the doctors and even they aren't wearing masks (didn't you learn your lesson?).

I've seen people complain about "boycott fatigue" and I'm just wonder how you are surprised? I lost faith 2 years ago when people decided that disabled people's lives weren't worth discomfort (I used to value the nuance, how it isnt that simple. Now my compassion is shot. My empathy used up on three million deaths. But it is, isnt it? Simple that is. You just dont care enough). When the accessibility we begged for for years that had been "impossible" was suddenly "easy" when everyone needed and then taken away just as quickly. The second you could leave us behind, you did. So how could I be surprised people would do the same for Falastin? I love theatre, and I'm excited for too much light. But half of them will walk in with Starbucks on Monday (and none of them will be wearing a mask) and I know these people will never truly be my people (I resent them and love them but mostly I'm disappointed.)

I've been crying alot. I never used to cry. Sometimes I feel like that means I'm healing (some of the time I wonder if I have the right to heal right now). It's like this grief keeps overflowing but the world keeps turning (and how can everyone keep living right now?) and homework keeps coming and the genocide keeps happening and I need to get back to making my magma composition notes. (I left the flower crown at the park. I felt guilty about picking the flowers; that must be bad for the environment, right? How selfish, to kill things just to make a silly crown, and I didnt even do it very well. It fell apart within a minute. An hour of work crumpled in my hands. A moment of enjoyment stolen at the cost of life, what a bad vegan I am. Anyway, i left the flowers there, to decompose where they were born)

[rykno-j]

Ignorance (j/jk)

Summary: a new AC is installed to their shared dorm, and g/eto is (unfortunately) sensitive to the cold temperature

Ship: s/atos/ugu- they sleep together so its pretty established

Notes: i noted s/hoko calls g/ojo and g/eto by their surnames in the anime so i'll be keeping it the same way here.

the fic was just supposed to be g/eto falling sick due to the temperature, but it took a turn at the end where g/ojo experiences what a cold is for the first time.

3.2k words.

-----------------------------------------

"Waahh- It feels so much better in our room now.. Seriously, why didn't we ask for this sooner?"

"We never needed it before, it never used to be this warm."

"Ahh, ah yeah. It's because of global warming."

Geto opened his mouth to argue that it was due to them sleeping huddled together, buried in each others embrace that caused the heat, but he decided to keep quiet.

Satoru has recently invited him to sleep over permanenly, and after a few weeks, they decided to send in a request for an aircon.

In all honesty, Geto was fine with the temperature. But Gojo would wake up and complain about the heat, ending their hug. Geto was getting annoyed with it.

So now it whirled overhead.

Geto had not been able to sleep well, he admits this to himself only. He had never been too good with low temperatures, with the way his nose would start to run and with the way an itch would form at the back of his increasingly dry throat.

Tonight was no different. Despite being under the blanket and cuddled from behind, Geto found himself shivering.

It wasn't violent enough to wake Gojo up, though. Geto doubted anything would wake the other up anyway. They had tired each other out after a whole night of activity, the weight of Gojo's fingers still somewhat lingering over his wrists.

Geto stares at the small green light of the aircon. Too cold. It was way too cold.

He inhales sharply as gojo hugs him tighter from behind. Right. Satoru had a habit of doing that.

Unfortunately, the wave of cold air that entered his lungs was quite unwelcomed. Geto could feel it tickling his airways.

"..hih-N'Gxt!!"

He didn't remember it being this bad the first day the aircon got installed. It had to be his lack of sleep. More than that, his throat had been uncharacteristically dry since a few days ago

Geto swallowed as a way to test the waters. No pain. He was fine, at least for now.

Pulling the blanket up to his chin, Geto exhaled, feeling the warm of his breath against his cheek. He's fine.

Morning rolled around much faster than he had anticipated.

----

"Ohayo Suguruu--"

Geto felt Gojo rubbing his head against his chest, bright blue eyes staring straight at him. He looked so endearing like this, Geto couldn't help but place a kiss on his forehead.

"Ohayo, Satoru.."

His voice had come out scratchier than normal, but he was sure it was overlookable due to it being early in the morning.

Gojo leapt out of bed, stretching himself awake. His hair poked out of his head from all different directions. To that, Gojo quickly ran a hand down his scalp.

Geto smiled to himself. Waking up like this everyday was pure bliss. Now if only he wasn't as tired as he was..

"Suguruu- c'mon, we need to go for our morning run before Sensei comes for our throats again."

Not waiting for Geto's response, Gojo takes off his shirt, bending over to dig through the drawers for his school track uniform.

Geto watches from where he was, still lying down, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. Satoru looked so damn good just by doing absolutely anything.

"Suguru? Aren't you getting up? We have to go."

"Mm, I'll catch up later.. wna lie down a little bit more."

"Ehhh..? Something wrong? Did I tire you out too much last night?" Gojo looked over to him, slight mirth in his eyes.

"Yeah, exactly that."

"Ahh, I'm sorry, heheh." (he was not sorry). "I'll see you at the track then. Half an hour max, alright? You need to run at least a round to make it convincing."

"Mm.."

Gojo turned to leave the room, before he changed his mind, scrambling over to where Geto was, leaning over to press a kiss against his temple.

"Okayyy, byeee-♡"

Geto huffed to himself. Seriously, who was the older one here? Still, he would do anything for the other. Anything.

"..hiH' hitchh-w!! hah'tzchh!!"

Anything. Even at the expense of himself.

Geto knew sooner or later he would come down with something. He always did, whenever the temperature got a little low. During the winter seasons, it was absolute hell. But at least he could dress warmly then.

In their shared dorm? Not so much.

"..hAH'dZzchh!! ..snff-"

The back of his wrist was already coated with a layer of mist. Nothing he couldn't handle. Some sleep would get rid of it, he was sure.

Geto blinked at the green light of the air-conditioner. He should.. he should really switch that off..

Curling into the warm pocket of space that Gojo had left behind, Geto drifted off once again.

-----

"Suguru- SUGURU-!!! Oiii, I thought I told you half hour max?!"

What was going on?

Geto was shaken awake, bright light invading his eyes as he opened them. The warm blanket around him was then yanked off roughly. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Satoru-"

"QUICK! HE'S GOING TO MAKE US CLEAN THE STOREROOM AGAIN!"

Geto felt his wrist being pulled as he was lifted off the bed. Another tug sent him flying out of the room, Gojo pulling him towards the shared bathing area.

He felt cold water splash onto his face.

"?!"

"Water. We have to make it convincing that you ran a few laps." Gojo stepped back, analysing him for awhile. "Alright. You look tired enough to pass, let's go, quickly!"

"Satoru.. I'm still in my sleepwear.."

"Heh? ..Eh?? EHHH-!!"

Gojo led him into the courtyard after a quick change of clothes. The sun had barely started to rise. Added with the consistent evaporation of the water on his skin, Geto couldn't help the light quivers that ran down his frame.

Really.. every morning with Satoru was sure to be an entertaining one, albeit tiring.

-----

Lunch was no different, say for the dull throbbing that had started to form throughout his head. Beside him, Gojo was talking on and on about how ugly his piece of lettuce looked.

"Shoko-!! I'm telling you! It looks juuust like the curse we exorcised last week. This part is its arms, here's the head.. Suguru- oi Suguru, it looks like it, doesn't it?"

Geto felt a jab to his rib.

"What-?" (his voice broke)

"It looks like it, right? Right?"

"Mm, yeah, yeah it does.." What was Satoru on about this time?

"See?!!" Gojo leaned back happily, waving the food item in front of Shoko, who looked extremely unamused.

Geto stared at his own tray. Inbetween closing his eyes, rubbing his temples and trying not to sneeze, he swore he had eaten more than what was left on his plate.

There was still time before the next lesson. If he took a rest now, his body might just make it in time. With that, he stood up.

"I'm going back first."

"Hahh? Suguru- I thought we were supposed to play basketball later?"

"Mm, yeah. I'm going to go get ready first."

Gojo flashed him an OK! symbol before he turned back to the table.

Now it was just a matter of how long he could keep up this guise.

Geto slid open the doors to the dorm, a wave of cold air 'welcoming' him. If he hadn't been gripping onto the door frame, Geto was sure his knees would have given way.

Shit. With their hurry this morning, they had forgot to turn off the aircon. Geto swears that if he pours water on the floor, it was going to freeze over.

The controller. Where was it? He had to turn this monstrosity off.

Geto fumbled through the mountain of Gojo's belongings on the table. Seriously, Satoru had to learn how to tidy up after himself.

Admist the searching, Geto accidentally knocks off one of their long metal rulers, and it hits the floor with a loud clang.

There goes the rest of his headache.

Finger pressed against his temple, Geto gave up looking for the controller. He wouldn't be surprised if Gojo had accidentally stuffed it into his school bag, which was currently on his person.

Well whatever.

Geto pulled open the cupboard with an effort, pulling out a few of his thicker jackets meant for winter. Throwing them onto the bed, Geto joined them shortly.

He would keep them before Satoru came to bug him for the game of basketball. He would keep them before- before..

Geto's eyelids felt heavy. He'd finish that thought later.. later.

-----

Back at the lunch table:

"Gojo.."

"Mm?" He pauses mid-bite. "What is it?"

Shoko sighs, playing with the lighter between her fingers. "You need to be a lot more sensitive, you know that?"

"Sensitive? You mean to cursed energy? My eyes already do that, don't worry."

"Idiot. I meant that you should be more sensitive to Geto."

"..Suguru? My eyes can tell apart his cursed energy from others."

Shoko sighs again, pressing her lighter onto the table. "Not that."

"Then? You mean I should be less rough with him when we-"

"Not that! I Do Not want to hear about that!"

Gojo smirks. "Alright, alright."

"..Anyway, didn't you notice anything wrong with him?" Shoko says instead.

"Mm? Ah.. I guess Suguru hasn't insulted my intelligence today."

"That's why I'm doing it right now."

Gojo feigns hurt as Shoko pulls out a cigarette.

"Cutting to the chase, Geto seemed barely able to stay awake just now."

He supposes she does have a point. Suguru had been exceptionally sluggish today, but he was sure it was nothing to be worried about, nothing a sugared drink can't fix.

"..Seriously Gojo, didn't you notice how tired he looked when he left the table?"

In all honesty, he had not.

"..So, do I really need to spell it out for you?"

Gojo sheepishly looked away as Shoko shot him a look that screamed "you suck!"

"I'll go check on him."

"Mm, thank me later."

-----

In the hallway:

Gojo made his way quickly to their dorm. Now that Shoko had mentioned it, he couldn't get it out of his head that something had indeed been up with the other.

Firstly, what was up with that whole 'sleeping-in' episode? He knew for a fact that Suguru was always the one chasing him to get changed and leave.

And Geto hadn't asked him to stop playing with his food during lunch, not once. Even though he was normally the one who ensured that Gojo's food actually made its way into his mouth.

Not to mention leaving the table alone. Suguru almost never went anywhere without him.

Picking futher, Gojo remembers how tired Geto looked in the morning, as if he didn't get a wink of sleep.

Had he really not noticed before?

Thinking about it now would do him no good. Steadying himself, Gojo slides open the door.

----

"Suguruu- are you there?"

Even in the dim room, Gojo could make out the mess of blankets on their bed. He could hear Geto's shallow breaths. They sounded.. rough.. for someone who was supposedly asleep.

Something was definitely wrong. Hadn't Suguru said he was heading back to the dorms to get changed for basketb- oh. Oh of course. How could he have been so dense? The other had probably said that in an attempt to escape the lunch table.

Gojo closes the door behind him, afraid the light from outside might wake Geto up. He clenched his fist. Open, close, open.

Dammit.

How was he supposed to approach the other?

Gojo had never been in a situation like this before. In his eyes, there was nothing wrong with Suguru. His flow of cursed energy was stable, though muted. But that normally happened when he was asleep.

What was wrong, then?

As Gojo neared the bed, he saw the edge of the blanket get tugged upwards.

He reached over, tugging the blanket back down.

"Suguru, are-"

His eyes widened.

Gojo remembers how his teachers would drill into his head the concept of "searching for signs of curses using their residuals" when he first joined Jujutsu High.

Of course, he could already do that naturally with his six eyes.

But this. This was something else entirely.

What he saw in front of him was not something that would ever have been written into any mission handbook.

Gojo's eyes traced over what was presented to him when Geto looked at him hazily, as if he just woke up from restless sleep.

Cheeks flushed.

Eyes unfocused.

Nose tinted pink.

Small quivers in the fingers gripping the blanket.

"Sa-toru..?"

And when he spoke, it was as soft as ever, with an added edge of roughness that made Gojo's heart run laps around his ribcage. His voice sounded like a running river that had flowed over a particularly rocky path.

If residuals showed signs of curses in the area, what did these show?

Gojo reached out gently. He wanted to know, needed to know.

"Sugu-"

Before he could finish the sentence, however, Geto turned sharply to the side.

"..hh' w-wait.. I.. hH'gNxXt!! ..hAH'nGxt!! .. snff-!! ..m'sorry.."

"Aahh- no. It's okay- are you okay?" Gojo felt his voice catch in his throat. He had never seen Geto like this before. It scared him.

But a part of him subconsciously made his hand move to Geto's neck, pressing in softly.

He was warm, extremely warm.

In an attempt to help, Gojo tugs the blanket off Geto's body.

"..Suguru, you're going to give yourself heatstroke, take the jackets off.."

"N-No, you don't g-Hh'!! ..get it.. it's c-chH'!! hah'Ngxtt!! hih'dNxggt!! hH'gNxx-chh!! ..it's cold.."

"It is?" A genuine question.

Gojo turned to the messy table, digging through the mess of papers and unopened sweet packets. When he came up with nothing, Gojo turned to another messy pile on the floor.

"Why didn't you just say something?"

Geto watched as Gojo fished the remote out from under a discarded mission file.

The aircon went off with a beep, leaving behind a sudden dense feeling in the air. The shift in pressure placed a fuzzy feeling in Geto's sinuses.

"..hh'nGx-tch!! hH'gNxxt-iw!!"

Gojo tilted a curious head in his direction.

"Why are you still sneezing? I turned it off."

Geto shot an annoyed glance at him. "That's n-not ..hH-! ..h'Ngxt!! ..not how colds work."

"Oh." Gojo replied, dumbfounded.

"..Do you even know what that is?"

To that, Gojo nodded. "Yes, but I was told that colds are a sign of weakness, that I shouldn't get them, because I'm supposed to be the strongest, so I don't have much experience with them."

"Who told you that..?"

"The people who raised me, of course."

Geto was suddenly glad that they no longer had a hand in raising his friend. Seriously, driving these thoughts into the head of a child was wrong, even if said child was the bearer of two of the most broken abilities.

"Anyway.." Gojo continued, "Suguru, you sure it's a cold? You're strong too, so I didn't think you could.. get colds."

Geto sighed. One step at a time, it seems.

"Everyone can get them."

"Ah, really?"

"..Surely you've gotten a fever before?"

"Fever?"

Geto sighed again, reaching out to grab Gojo's hand, pressing it against his forehead.

"Tryna tell me how hot you are?" Gojo smirks slightly. "Seriously though, isn't that because you've literally dressed yourself for winter?"

He points at the jackets Geto had sitting around him.

Geto exhales slowly from his mouth. Just how was he going to explain this?

"..When someone falls sick, they get a fever, and that makes them feel cold, because of the difference in temperature between the body and the surrounding air."

"..Then why didn't you just turn the aircon off just now?"

"Because I couldn't find the damn remote through all the mess!" After raising his voice slightly, Geto turns away to cough softly into his fist. Ah, he shouldn't have done that.

Next to him, Gojo reaches for the half empty bottle of water across the table before uncapping it, passing it to the other.

For someone so seemingly oblivious to the things happening around him, Satoru was surprisingly considerate at times, Geto notes with a smile.

"That doesn't explain why this is all pink though," Gojo says suddenly, stepping up so he can press a finger to the very tip of Geto's nose.

"Sa-hH'!! hIH'dZtcHH!! haH'EhkshH!! ..Satoru! Don't..dohH'!! ..hi'tgNxtt!! ..don't do that.."

"So that's how your sneezes sound like without you pinching them away!"

Geto froze in place. Ah.. the fit had set on so quickly that he didn't have time to stifle. He hadn't even realised. A blush creeped up onto his cheeks.

"Seriously though, why do you always do that?"

Geto looked away, hoping the flush wouldn't deepen. "It's not.. well, it's not-"

"..Everyone does it, right?" Gojo interrupted. "Just like you told me everyone can catch colds, everyone sneezes too, so why are you so shy about it?"

"..Well yes, but using that same logic, you won't just change your clothes in front of anyone, would you?"

Gojo went silent for awhile, as if he was contemplating something deeply. Seconds later, he turned to Geto with a small smile.

"So I'm special then!"

"Hm?"

"Because you sneezed in front of me."

Before Geto could calm himself down enough to give an answer, Gojo bent down, pressing his lips gently against the edge of Geto's eye.

"Suguruu, was the aircon really bothering you that much? You've got eyebags."

"Mm."

"Why didn't you say anything then?" Gojo asks again.

"..You were enjoying it, so I thought I'd-"

"Sacrifice yourself for me??"

"..It's not that dramatic, Satoru."

"Yeah but still," Gojo pouts a little before speaking. "I would have suffered through the heat for you."

Yet again he proves to be considerate. How was he to respond to that?

"But then you always.. always-" ..always break the hug when it gets too hot. Geto catches himself before the rest of that sentence slips out, but the other seemed to get its implication.

"I didnt want us to wake up all sweaty, that's all. But if you're okay with it, I won't let go."

Geto opened his mouth in an attempt to deny the fact he liked being hugged, but Gojo quickly circled around to his side of the bed, leaning forward to kiss Geto's temple.

"I heard sleep helps to make colds better."

"That's what I was trying to do before you barged in and tugged my blanket off."

"Heh, a consequence of moving in with me."

"Mm. I'm not backing out, though."

"Hah! As if I would let you do such a thing."

Geto couldn't help the soft laugher that escaped him, even if it made him bend over with a light coughing fit.

"Alright alright.." Gojo said, patting Geto's back gently. "Take off the damn jacket, I wna hug you."

"..As you wish."

----

The rest of the day was spent lazily in bed, with Geto occasionally waking up just to dissolve into rapid fits that left him exhausted and clinging onto Gojo for comfort.

Seriously, if colds made Suguru this touchy, he wouldn't mind helping the other through a few more.

-end-

-------------------------------------------

Finishing notes:

Filling up plot holes: the teacher cancelled lessons for the rest of the day, since it was hand-to-hand combat. with geto sick and gojo having no partner to spar with, the lesson was postponed. that's why satosugu could just stay in bed. ofc, they would have either way.

Yeah gojo caught geto's cold after this, and experienced his first sick, yay!

Sorry for the once again plot>snz fic, but that's normally how my stuff goes

Also at the beginning of the fic i wonder if anyone got the global warming reference hahsvagj

tysm for reading agshhs

-- 2 weeks to Shibuya --

[fivenightsatcaros]

just to clarify parts of that one post that i think are weird, i don't want people to get the wrong message and think i'm just hating

"The fact some of them complain about shein and temu ON TIKTOK is also so wild to me like WTF??"

"IMO it all ties into media influence. They cry about overconsumption but over-consume TikTok and Instagram reels. They say they aren't basic but in reality they're just basic in a different font. "

watching a lot of tiktok and instagram videos is not the same as overconsuming by buying things. people are allowed to criticize consumption culture while also enjoying tiktok, you can't equate the two

"Global warming?? They still drive cars and order shit from overseas companies."

again, not the same. you can criticize a society you are a part of ; lots of people need cars to get around they can't just throw their cars away... people that drive are not single handedly setting fire to earth, it is never really the fault of the consumer when the thing that they are consuming has become necessary to commute. something something walkable cities something something public transportation. as for ordering things from overseas companies, i guess i agree ??? i hate the fact that shein and temu have become so normalized to the point where people have no shame in publicly supporting these companies but it can be the only option in certain situations

"Gender wars/sexism?? They make trends like 'man or bear' that DIVIDE men and women even more."

lmfao no

people who complain about gender wars just piss me off in general. it gives "why can't we all just get along" energy. the "man or bear" thing was not a trend in the same way a lot of phrases trend on that app, it was something that came from women expressing their discomfort/unease around men. the difference between a man and a bear in this case is that you can tell a bear's intentions, making a lot of women feel safer around them because at least that is something you can navigate. her claim is that this divides men and women even more, but like, no ??? it was never meant to do that. men are the ones who divide women and men, not the other way around (femicide, abortion bans, the way a lot of men weaponize sa when a woman even slightly shows her opinions). if men see these videos on tiktok and decide to spread hatred towards women that is on them.

sidenote - men are not oppressed, misandry is not truly real.

the effects of misogyny : ⚰️

the effects of misandry : wittle man have hurt feewings 🥺

[notbeingnoticed]

Here's an article that illustrates how I get skeptical and don't know how to react to climate change crises promoted in the media.

So... the images are beautiful and striking. There are six of them.

One is fires in California, used to illustrate how climate change is destroying the world through wildfires.

Except that California wildfires are caused by man doing things like sparking power lines or throwing cigarettes out of a car or arson, and the phenomena has been shown not to be related to climate change. (The Tubbs fire, from the images, was caused by faulty electrical equipment). Some will argue that climate change is making the fires worse, but there is far more evidence that poor forest and brush management combined with increased human activity in general (driving around, smoking, using electricity) is responsible for the increased damage and frequency of fires. It also doesn't show the amazing way nature reclaims burned areas. I live in one such place, where the visible remains of a brush fire have basically disappeared over the course of 8 years.

Another is the Aral Sea disappearing. Very visible. Except the article itself admits the sea is disappearing not because of climate change, but because of bad Russian water management and the building of dams to divert the water. Why did they present it as an example of climate change then?

Then we have the iceberg breaking off. OK, this one I don't know about. I do know it is perfectly normal for icebergs to break off, that's how we get them floating around in the ocean. This is a normal process.

But is this one breaking more rapidly or in an unusual manner? Uh... dunno. The article admits that two other ice calving events in the same area were caused by natural forces (i.e. not global warming). So... is this different? I am confused.

Then there's the receding Barnes ice cap on Baffin island. OK, this I can visually see some change and there is some evidence it might be because of global warming. I think. But given the disingenuous items elsewhere in the article my skepticism is kicking in.

Then there's the arctic sea shore receding. They had to look pretty hard for this one, because there doesn't appear to be much overwhelming evidence that the sea has claimed land in other areas of the world, or even other areas of the arctic. In spite of repeated dire and panicked warnings predicting the contrary, the Maldives are fine, Barrow is fine. The article even states this land is eroding due to storms, not being flooded by sea level rise, though the implication and subtle suggestion is that sea level rise is the thing we need to worry about.

So again, I see the earth is changing, but the reasons for it seem to be muddled. The changes are blamed on global warming, except if you look into it in more detail, it turns out... not really? Or only in some cases?

Then there's the image of solar panels being built in the desert. What they don't mention is how many solar power generation plants have failed to produce the desired amount of energy. That happened to a large solar plant in the California desert, where the contracting electric company has cut off their agreement because they aren't getting the promised level of electricity from the solar plant.

It also doesn't mention the huge land space required by these solar power installations, how inefficient they are, and the disruption to the environment that takes place for these space hungry solar electric plants that don't produce nearly enough electricity. (Conservationists in California scream about the impact of the solar power plants).

So from this article I have several takeaways.

First, there is some evidence that some ice caps have been shrinking, and maybe there is some ice shelf breakup due to global warming. There's some Alaskan coastline receding though it's unclear how much of this is due to global warming.

Second, that it is necessary to lie and say that fires and lakes drying up are due to climate change in order to make your point... uh... because there isn't enough evidence otherwise?

And lastly, they want to illustrate what a great thing solar is but in doing so they sort of forget to mention that it chews up huge amounts of space, costs a lot more, harms the environment, and the example used is in the #1 carbon polluting country in the world.

I read articles like this all the time and there is such a mix of truth along with falsehood and disingenuous reporting it makes me question the stuff that looks real and probably is real. If they lie about wildfires, are they lying about the ice caps? If they lie about lakes drying up, are they lying about the reasons why the Larsen C ice shelf broke?

Sure. Climate change is real, the climate has always changed and continues to change. But how much of it is due to man-made global warming and more importantly, what the actual impacts are going to be? I simply don't trust the media. They are hell-bent on presenting an agenda and will cherry-pick facts to support the agenda, not giving a complete and clear picture.

I am certain that some of the things that are reported are accurate and that global warming is happening. But what exactly is going on? I can't tell because I literally can't trust the news any more.

All this produces what I am. Skeptical. Not a denier, not an advocate, just... skeptical.

[transfemme-shelterdog]

Timothy Francis LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have had an insurmountable impact on modern Christianity, and some of you aren't ready to have this conversation.

For those who aren't aware, these two men are the authors of the Left Behind series of books, which has 16 books, 5 movies, and a children's book series, that follows a group of people from the Rapture, onto the end of the Tribulation period, where Jesus comes back for a mighty war to wipe out the forces of Satan.

This book series was arguably the next most popular book, next to the Bible, and still is, for many Christians. Enter any thrift shop, and you're guaranteed to find at least a few of these books in the used books section.

These books are essentially AO3 fan-fiction where the authors took vague symbolism from AD 81–96, and applied it to modern geo-politics, and invented a whole storyline to fit the two author's views on things such as Judaism, Catholicism, the United Nations, Liberal Secularism, and other concepts that are either not in the Bible, or are completely different from our modern understanding of it (Judaism has evolved from the times of Jesus for example).

This book series took what was essentially a fringe view from the 1800s, that's not even held by a lot of denominations today, and made it mainstream and easy to market through average level prose.

So, how has one series that is really only known for shitty Nick Cage films, and books that aren't really seen outside of church libraries affected non-Christians globally?

Well, global warming for example. Many, many, people think that because "Jesus is coming back soon" that we don't need to do anything to prevent the destruction of the world we live in, because it's all going to be gone in a few years anyways, so why should I care?

They often cite the book of Genesis, where God pledges to never kill the world again with water, and by their logic, the ice caps can't be melting because God promised to never flood the world again.

Many policy decisions also center around this, such as global support for Israel by Conservative and Liberal (yes, even Liberals, who are often Christian too) parties, as there's this ongoing belief that one must support Israel, as they're a vital part in "End Time's Prophecy", and that any day now, the Anti-Christ will arise in the Middle East, preform miracles, and be declared the Messiah (falsely), which then starts the war of Gog and Magog, with Russia, Syria, and other countries around the globe partaking in it.

Name any modern shitty policy, and it can be traced back to the concept of the Rapture. Abortion? Anti-Trans/Gay laws? Gun control? All of these have links to Pre-Millennial Dispensationalism.

Some scholars have written on this, such as Bart Ehrman when he wrote the book Armageddon, but I have yet to see any scholar write about the more nitty gritty stuff that you see from pastors and random schmucks on YouTube, that I've seen growing up in a family that believes in this stuff.

Hard to believe that a letter written about a conspiracy theory back ~1950 years ago, is being used to backslide human rights and throw gas on the extinction of life on the planet.

Thanks John Nelson Darby!

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form: Tropical Climate

Hi, I'm trying to build a world in a tropical climate that is always between 30-40 degrees year round. But I've never actually lived in such an area, although I've visited. It is crazy hot for me and even worse, there was barely any air con. I absolutely sweltered. Is it some kind of microevolution that allows people to live there just like people living in the Himalayas? But tropical climates are quite wide spread and aren't a niche like the Himalayas? Or maybe it's just me. Of course I know that there was no air con over 100 years ago, but global warming certainly warmed things up recently. I don't know but I always hear of people adapting to very cold weather, but nothing about the heat?

Feral: I don’t know that there’s really any microevolution involved, as that would imply a genetic, heritable change. 40C is pretty hot to be sure, but 30-35C is still within the range of normal for human habitation. That is, afterall, below the average human body temperature. Sweat will be the main physiological source of thermoregulation, so humidity will play a factor: the lower the relative humidity, the higher temperatures a human can withstand. There is definitely acclimation at play with hot temperatures, just like there’s acclimation with colder temperatures. Generally, if you are in an area of the world where AC is typical, you are acclimated to a temperature lower than what would be expected for that same area 100+ years ago (not accounting for climate change). 

I think a lot of adapting to hot weather is about adapting habits for regulating your body temperature, like water intake, clothing, and sunscreen. If you’re like a lot of people from temperate climates when traveling to hotter climates, you probably don’t drink enough water. You likely also dress mainly in synthetic fibers or cotton, which are not ideal. Linen, hemp, and wool are all hydrophobic fibers, which means they don’t absorb water, like sweat and the humidity from the air outside, allowing evaporation off the skin for natural cooling. Believe it or not, sunscreen doesn’t just help to prevent skin cancer; it also helps regulate your temperature while you’re wearing it by preventing the depletion of nitric oxide in your skin from UV exposure. People living in hot climates are also likely to have waking/sleeping habits that coincide with keeping out of the sun and not doing labor during the hottest parts of the day, for example, the Spanish siesta. Consider the natural food options people in hotter or tropical climates will have access to; you’ll notice that it’s not a lot of starchy root vegetables, which is fine because people there don’t need the extra carbs for the body to process for warmth.

But, of course, individual humans are going to have individual reactions. I’m from the American South, where it’s hot and humid. I’ll go outside in sweatpants in 32C weather, but that is not considered normal here. Nor is it normal in American Northeast, where my cousin grew up, for people to be outside in several inches of snow and still wearing flip flops, and yet my cousin does just that. We understand some factors as to why this is, but not all reasons are completely clear.

When dealing with tropical climates in particular where the humidity is much higher, the wind is a very important consideration for comfort. That’s why when we think of tropical climates, we’re often thinking of beaches, even though that’s not a requirement for climate. Human habitation is more likely to spring up around bodies of water that encourage breezes.

Something to consider is your climate. Do you have a wet and dry season? A monsoon? Or is rainfall steady through the year? If it rains at dusk like clockwork every day, people will adjust for that. If there's a dry season then water storage will be a big deal. If it rains constantly then that will leach nutrients from the soil, making agriculture more difficult - there's a reason the most agriculturally productive places in the tropics are volcanic or where rivers deposit silt, most rainforest soils are extremely poor. If there's a strong dry season and a strong wet season, or a monsoon, flooding is likely to be a problem.*

Speaking of, adapting our surroundings via the built environment is a major way humans stay cool. I’m not sure where you’re from, but you’ve probably noticed at least some the homogenization and globalization of architecture. I think of the American Suburban Home as the quintessential example of this. The ubiquity across a country with 9 climate zones (in the contiguous states) would simply not be possible without central air & heating and the precursors of the 20th century. 

Buildings used to be adaptations to the specific variables of the plot of land they were being constructed on. This is a factor in vernacular architecture. There are a few features common throughout much of the world based on climate factors.

Height: buildings where it is very hot are traditionally taller. There are a few ways this might manifest: steep rooflines, stilts which promote under floor board breezes (also important where it’s likely to flood), or sometimes narrow, even tower-like, structures. This helps to take advantage of the stack, or chimney, effect, which naturally ventilates the structure.

Width &/or Depth: buildings were it is very hot are traditionally skinnier in at least one of these dimensions, depending on the orientation of the lot. This allows for strong cross-breezes, as all windows, doors, and other ventilation points can be easily and uniformly placed across from one another. 

Integrated Exterior Shade: lanais, verandas, piazzas (of the Charleston variety), porches, and interior courtyards (like those found in riads) all help provide shade at those aforementioned ventilation points so the air coming through is cooled, not to mention preventing direct sunlight from heating the interior. They can also provide space for additional important functions like sleeping porches. 

Material: There are a lot of materials that are traditionally used based on the specific climate types (and therefore availability) to control the thermal mass; you’ll just need to pay attention to the thermal properties, like conductivity and diffusivity. Adobe, earth shelter, and logs will be found in hotter climates. And of course, the color of those materials will impact the heat absorption. It’s generally understood that white will reflect more light and therefore more heat than black, which will absorb it all and pass it into the interiors. 

For more modern construction, check out this brochure from the National (USA) Renewable Energy Laboratory.

*Thanks to Utuabzu for this paragraph.

Licorice: I used to live in a VERY HOT country in North Africa that was 30-40 for much of the year. For the local people, this was normal; they did not seem at all bothered by this heat and very few of the houses had air conditioning. When the temperature dropped below 25 they started putting on their winter coats and wooly jumpers. If you grow up in that climate and you’re used to it, it’s comfortable for you. 

NB This was a desert climate - hot and dry - rather than a hot and wet tropical country. But I’m sure the same principle applies: if it’s what you’re used to, it’s comfortable for you. 

[lady-hammerlock]

So back in the day... (a quick search informs me it was 1994) there was a little point and click adventure game called Beneath a Steel Sky. I wasn't a gamer at the time so I didn't play it then, but I did play it later and fall in love with it. I bonded with a previous romantic partner over it, we commissioned art of it, and I bought and played it again when it was re-released for Android/iOS.

It has only recently come to my attention that a sequel, Beyond a Steel Sky, was released in 2020. How I didn't find out about it over the last four years is a fucking mystery but it probably has something to do with how fucked the last few years have been, both on a global and personal scale.

Why should you care?

Because Beyond A Steel Sky is beautiful. I know I have a lot of followers that appreciate a good story-based game, and if you miss the old style of point and click then this does a wonderful job without having quite as much trial and error or wonky logic as a lot of old point and clicks.

It also has the following:

- The setting is a part post-apocalyptic, part dystopian Australia, with a lot of Australian in-jokes for the Aussies and an interesting setting for everyone else.

- Positive representation for plus-sized women and women of colour, most notably Australian First Nations.

- A great sense of humour, both in terms of how you solve problems and just general dialogue.

- The ability to cause absolute chaos and fuck around beyond what is just required of you to progress the story.

- A surprisingly deep and thought-provoking story (I should warn that the first game was light-hearted until about 80% of the way through when it suddenly became much more dark and horrific. The sequel does something similar but is a bit more gradual about it.)

- A great dynamic between the two main characters. Is it a romance? A bromance? Whatever you decide it is wonderfully complex, incredibly codependent, and both heart-warming and heartbreaking at the same time. It should be noted that it is not quite canon, and it is definitely not going to be to everyone's taste considering it is Human/AI and considering some of the things that go down in both games, but I am shipping it so hard right now and absolutely fascinated by the possibilities.

- Neil Newbon. He plays a baddie and is as fabulous as always.

- A robot that writes poetry. And has some of the best lines in the game. I just love Tarquin okay?

- Joey. I know I already listed his dynamic with Foster above, but he is such peak blorbo to me right now that he is his own entry. I mean look at him in one of his many bodies here. Don't you just wanna hug it?

Friend shaped.

To be fair the games aren't perfect. I think you can still play Beneath on GOG, but it is definitely a product of it's time. The character animation in Beyond isn't great, but the art style is cartoony enough that it isn't too distracting.

Now, for the reasons I'm making this post. Obviously I want more people to find and fall in love with these games. If you're into them already, great! Come scream about them with me. If not, the sequel is on sale on both Steam and Playstation at the moment for only a few dollars.

I am also opening up fic requests specifically for Steel Sky right now because there are 0 fics on A03 at the moment. 0. I need to change that. Anything Foster/Joey will be an immediate yes (even if it's Savior Joey) but I will be open to other prompts as well.

[jim-fetter-illustrations]

Stupidity is what always does us in,... all the advanced technology in the world just can't fight plain dumb stupidity....

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone votes as if they had a fucking clue as to what climate change and global warming was all about?

I'm talking about the scientific aspects of it and how it came to be, not the political leaders interpretation of it that "We are handling it",........... because we aren't!

Draw some conclusions,.....have an inference about something besides a text on your cell phone for humanity's sake, and realize the world doesn't revolve around your eventuality, and think of everyone else's happenstance as it relates to you,....... then stop acting like it's not your problem, because you vote for all of it to flourish and your doing it on the most part,.... Your polluting yourself!

Both Republican and Democrat leadership don't give a damn about your personal life, they are more concerned with their own wealth to give-a-shit about you, so why do you keep voting for these despicable politicians?

Vote humanitarian, independent of the two party corruption.

Or continue to believe moving to Mars will save us all,.......... but what exactly happened to cause the problem in the first place?....... We Human Beings polluted the earth, is was us, not the lower animals, it was us, and now we think we can move to Mars and what,..........Pollute it as well, because that's how we progress,....... think about it.....

[arbitrarygreay]

"Why Jpop?" archive links

Ray Mescallado was the foundational influence on how I view fandom, and I have linked and reread this particular series of posts countless times over the years. Given that all of his blogs are now offline, one can only find these posts with direct urls to put into the Wayback Machine. So here's the compilation of what may be the best ode to "Cute Japanese Girl" sub-cultures on the internet. Part One: An Introduction

And sometimes the question creeps on me unbidden: Why does my taste in music suck so much? Are all those cute, unattainable Japanese teenage girls worth such a price? So what is it about Jpop exactly? Do I really think the music sucks? (No.) Do I think it's inferior to the music I used to listen to? (That's a case-by-case basis, isn't it?) Is it really just because I like to watch cute teenage girls? (Um...) Am I becoming a Japanophile and just refuse to admit it? (Well...) There's a bunch of different reasons - as well as some "natural" conclusions which aren't as natural as people may think.

Part Two: It Ain't Because of Anime

In my head, anime and Jpop inhabit different imaginative spaces, different kinds of pleasure, from one another.

Part Three: The Rules of Attraction

Like hip hop's more commercial side, it seems more honest - more bracingly refreshing - to consider music as part of a larger system of commerce and art. Taken in that perspective, refusing to take advantage of all the performance and marketing possibilities is both stupid and self-destructive.

Part Four: Kawaii Sexy Kakoi

Popular culture becomes a way to express and contain individual wishes that would run against community wishes. However, it isn't a fulfillment of those individual wishes - rather, it inhabits an imaginative space that's very distinct from reality and reality-based aspirations.

Part Five: The Cult of Authenticity

The pose of authenticity doesn't fit into something as brazenly artificial, as something aggressively commercial, as Jpop. And in a culture where so many people strut to seem "real", when the word real has to be placed in goddamn quotation marks to denote the pose and not the actuality - well, the warm smile of Jpop's open capitalist ambitions is a welcome relief. (And perhaps it's even more compelling for non-Japanese, who are able to isolate the Jpop experience from the larger commercial matrix.)

Part Six: Shiny Happy People

Strangely, then, Jpop is a great way to keep me grounded about the world around me. Or at least not be such a self-righteous prick about the people and situations around me.

Part Seven: The Collector

Because the best part about Jpop collecting is that we're talking about idols here - performers who want that kind of attention lavished upon them. It's difficult to imagine someone becoming an idol singer and claiming, "This is too commercial. Maybe we shouldn't do a commercial for Pocky or Chupa Chups - it'd ruin the music, the integrity of our sound."

Part Eight: That Whole Japanophile Thing

A strong interest in another culture is often considered suspect, a sign of some intense dissatisfaction. We live in an increasingly global world, but there are some people who want to narrow that global view out of one kind of myopia or another: the myopia that claims one's native country is the best and nobody can say otherwise, and the myopia that claims some other country is the best and so I'll make up for having such a shitty native country by acting like a jackass in worshipping that other, idealized country.

Part Nine: Concluding Remarks

If there's anything to be achieved from prolonged examinations of pop cultural preference, it's a widened awareness - a heightened sensitivity - to the fine points that make popular culture so powerful... and ultimately, so contentious. I don't expect that explaining why I like Jpop means other people will go, "Aha! Now I have the key to enjoying something I'd previously thought was caterwauling commercialized crap. Thank you for this invaluable service, Ray."

[warsofasoiaf]

If I recall correctly, you aren't a fan of the Green New Deal. What problems do you have with it specifically? I don't think it is a secret or a hot take to suggest that the United States needs to invest more in renewable clean energy to combat global warming (more like mitigate it). But what about the details of the GND do you have an issue with?

If all it ever did was chart a method to carbon neutrality or carbon-negative power generation, that would be one thing. It doesn't do that, it's a policy as grandiose as it is threadbare. What little we have is very weak on substance, ignores a great deal of substantive and effective environmental reforms (carbon taxation, adjustable border rates) and carbon-neutral energy generation (nuclear power), and devotes massive spending to policies that are politically unworkable and do little if anything to help reduce carbon emissions. In short, the GND is a deeply unserious proposal from deeply unserious people.

My problem is that the economic underpinnings of the proposals outlined in the GND rely on MMT, which is fringe economic pseudoscience. It rests on a misunderstanding of fiat currency and has a long track record of its concepts not panning out in practice. It's central premise of currency valuation being fixed due to its utility in the satisfaction of public debt (taxation), is invalidated for the fact that currency is often used in the satisfaction of private debt (purchasing of goods and services between consumer and seller) due to its utility as a convenient medium - hence why when more money is printed, prices rise in the form of inflation, to maintain the currency's utility in the satisfaction of private debt. While L. Randall Wray might argue that there is no "simple proportionate relationship exists between rises in the money supply and rises in the general price level," history and the economic present handily rebut this thesis. Printing money doesn't change overall supply, and so prices adjust to compensate for the eroded worth of currency; this has been proven time and time again. We've seen what elevated inflation rates do to countries that feel their sting - they reduce climate targets and restart coal energy to boost energy production to reduce energy costs and stave off domestic discontent. Moreover, the idea of a 10-year national mobilization will simply fail to sustain itself when inflationary pressures force a change of government and the project is cancelled, which means a whole lot of wasted time and wasted resources on a vanity project. As long as this pseudoscience continues to dominate their thinking, I must accept that GND proponents are an obstacle to substantive climate reform.

Thanks for the question, Bruin.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King