#acoustic surveys

[southernassessors24]

Ensure your home's air quality with expert air pressure testing services in Dorset, and Oxfordshire. Trust our accredited assessments today. Southern Assessors

[pockets-and-paint]

living with me is really just having to listen to my fortnightly "very fun activity" ideas (small ecological studies I want to run outside the apartment)

[thermosonics]

Best Industrial Acoustic Consultancy | Noise Survey and Dispute Settlement - Thermosonics

[allyourfearsarecomingtrue]

only 6-8 vaquitas detected in the latest survey? and no new calves? kill me kill me kill me kill me

[xtruss]

Can Wind Turbines Make You Sick?

The United States ranks first in the world for electricity generated from wind, according to the Department of Energy. But for some, the shifting winds of the renewable energy revolution isn’t a pleasant one.

— By Kelsey Tsipis | Published: Wednesday June 27, 2018 | NOVA — PBS

Twenty-five peer-reviewed studies have found that living near wind turbines does not pose a risk on human health. Photo Credit: Daniel Brock/Flickr

The amount of wind power generated in America has nearly doubled in recent years. Today, the United States ranks first in the world for electricity generated from wind, according to the Department of Energy . But for some, the shifting winds of the renewable energy revolution isn’t a pleasant one.

In places like Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont where industrial wind turbine projects have recently been introduced, residents have reported symptoms such as nausea, sleep disorders, fatigue, and increased stress that they account to a low-frequency hum—a combination of audible bass sounds and inaudible vibrations—generated by the turbines. In one instance , an air traffic controller attributed a near-fatal mistake on the insomnia and stress he experienced after a wind turbine was installed near his home in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

As public support for renewable energy technologies like wind gains traction, some local communities are putting their foot down, arguing that these efforts shouldn’t come at the expense of their health. But whether the sound, audible or inaudible, actually impacts human health remains a deeply contested issue.

Scientific consensus suggests it does not. Twenty-five peer-reviewed studies have found that living near wind turbines does not pose a risk on human health. The studies looked at a range of health effects from hearing loss, nausea, and sleep disorders to dizziness, blood pressure, tinnitus, and more. Recently, a new study using retrospective data reported that stress, as measured by hair cortisol levels, was not associated with proximity to wind turbines.

The study, published in the June issue of The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America , found no direct link between residents’ distance from wind turbines in Ontario and Prince Edward Island and sleep disturbances, blood pressure, or stress. The stress levels were both self-reported and measured via hair cortisol levels, a hormone secreted under stress that prepares the body for its fight-or-flight response.

“It’s not that we don’t believe that people aren’t feeling well or aren’t sleeping well,” said Sandra Sulsky, one of the study’s co-authors and an epidemiologist at Ramboll, an international engineering consultancy company. “What we don’t know is how that is related to presence or absence of a wind turbine.”

The study used publically available data from a 2013 public health survey commissioned by the Canadian government, called the Community Noise and Health Survey, which is the only large-scale study on both subjective (self-reported symptoms) and objective (cortisol levels, blood pressure, heart rate, sleep monitoring) health outcomes in relation to living near wind turbines. Both the original 2013 study and new retrospective analysis found that wind turbine noise and proximity, respectively, were not associated with any adverse outcomes except for annoyance.

However, the results of the two studies deviated in one interesting way. The recent analysis found that the closer the respondents lived to wind turbines the lower they ranked the quality of life of their environment. The original study found no link between sound levels and these quality of life ratings. Though because there is no baseline data for the sample, Sulsky said, it’s difficult to distinguish whether respondents were dissatisfied before the wind turbines were installed.

“But it does suggest that there’s something other than sound itself that influences those perceptions,” Sulsky said.

With no proven biological basis for the reported symptoms, some have pointed to the ���nocebo effect” as the cause of the complaints. The nocebo effect is akin to the placebo effect, where an individual’s positive perception towards a drug or treatment produces positive results, except in the nocebo effect, it’s negative attitudes and negative results.

The idea that a nocebo effect may be driving people’s reported problems is backed up by a 2014 study that pointed out that health complaints are more common in areas with the most negative publicity about the alleged harmful effects of turbines. A large-scale population survey in the Netherlands found that reports of stress and sleep disturbance were more common in areas where the turbines were visible.

For those living in the shadows of the wind turbines, there is little debate that the turbines have damaged their previously bucolic way of life. Annette Smith, the head of the group Vermonters for a Clean Environment and a long-time critic of industrial wind projects, said the projects have “destroyed the community.”

“If you just talk to people who live around these things, there’s no question that people are getting sick,” Smith said.

Through the grassroots organization she heads, Smith has helped organize public hearings for residents who report serious illnesses as well as lost hobbies such as gardening due to infrasound vibrations. In one case, a resident named Luann Therrien, who lives less than a mile from a 400-foot turbine, said she initially supported the wind projects.

“We were not against the turbines before they went in [but after] we were dizzy, had vertigo like you wouldn’t believe,” she said at one hearing .

One theory from residents as to why these effects don’t show up in the studies is that the Vermont mountains funnel the sound in a way that the flatlands of the Midwest do not. Others say some people may just be more susceptible than others to the inaudible noise, like sea sickness.

In response to these lobbying efforts, Smith said the utility companies have shown no willingness to talk about tangible solutions, such as real-time monitoring of noise, like what happens at airports. “They just deny it happens,” she said.

Apart from noise, Smith has what she calls “a menu” of other issues with industrial wind projects in residential areas. She cites the environmental effects of building roads and blasting ridge lines, changes to the topography of the land, and changes in wildlife populations. Smith, who lives “off the grid” with solar panels and the occasional diesel generator supplying her electricity, questions whether a commitment to this carbon-free source of electricity comes at too large of an expense to the rural communities that house them.

“We’re all expected to solve the energy issues of the world if we don’t want wind,” Smith said. “And I think that there are many other ways of developing and getting energy that people aren’t sacrificed or getting sick or leaving their homes… or being ridiculed.”

As to whether complaints from nearby residents will put a halt to wind power’s expanse in the U.S., recent data suggest they will not. From 2011 to 2016 electricity generated from wind turbines rose from 120 million to 226 million megawatt hours in the United States—a rise that also has not produced an increase in evidence of adverse health outcomes.

“It’s natural to look for causes, and something that seems to be new in the environment is a natural conclusion to draw,” Sulsky said. “But so far the evidence doesn’t support a causal association.”

— July 26th, 2023

[reasonsforhope]

"The Seychelles has become a major tourist destination for beachgoing and scuba diving, but it’s not only humans that are beginning to flock to this island.

In what marine biologists have described as a “phenomenal finding,” a survey of whales around the territorial waters of this archipelagic nation revealed the presence of blue whales—over a dozen.

It’s the first time they’ve been seen in these warm seas since 1966, and it’s a wonderful milestone in a long and increasingly successful recovery for the world’s largest animal.

The Seychelles are located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa, and they were historically a stopover point for Soviet whalers en route to Antarctica. The years 1963 to 1966 were particularly difficult for whales here, and many were taken before the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling put an end to the practice of hunting baleen whales in 1973.

Since 1966, no dedicated investigation of whales in the Seychelles had been made until 2020, when a partnership of four universities conducted an acoustic survey over the period of two years.

They made five different sightings of groups of up to 10 animals.

“This was a phenomenal finding,” Jeremy Kiszka, a co-author of the paper from Florida International University, wrote in The Conversation. “We were prepared to not see any blue whales due to the high level of hunting that occurred fairly recently and absolutely no information was available since the last blue whale was killed in the region in 1964.” ...

The team behind the survey sent images taken of the whales’ dorsal sides to a database to see if any of them had been recorded before, and amid the reel, not a single one was a match with any other photographed whale.

This, the team suggests, means they have probably never been seen before, which for a species that big might seem strange, but along with there being only 5,000 to 15,000 on Earth, they migrate vast distances while diving deep, making recording their movements incredibly challenging.

The survey identified 23 whale species in total using hydroponic mics over 2 years with peak activity coming between December and April. This is a fascinating finding that suggests something about the seas around the Seychelles makes for excellent whale habitat."

-via Good News Network, April 30, 2024

[thatlovelywitch]

𝙰𝙾𝚃 𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙾𝚁 𝙰𝚄 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝚃𝙾 𝙲𝙾𝙿𝙴 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃 2

✨Falco Grice's cheeks have never seen a day of rest since he joined the cast. They are everyone's personal squishie or stress ball and they're always red when he goes home

✨ Levi has another signature other than the iconic cut: kohl. No matter the fit, his eyes are kohled on the red carpet

✨ Levi and Hange did a hit psychological horror movie together as the main leads. Theatre was shook, Tiktok was shook, Theatre was shook and people watched it for.....the amazing plot (the plot was Hange in a lacy black bar and low rise jeans covered in blood and Levi in the shower)

✨ Sasha has taken singing/music lessons since she was a kid, so she has a beautiful voice and can play the electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and keyboard. She has a music career aside from acting, and her songs tend to go viral Tiktok for cute trends. Her music has Clairo or Mazzy Star vibes, but she also likes it a bit risque so expect some softer R&B Kehlani type beats too. She tends to forget a lot of her fans are kids though LOL apology statements have been released (left a lip stick mark on an adult male fan's shirt and humped the floor while there were kids in the audience chile)

✨ Armin is THE SWEETEST EVER to kid fans like kid fans are his favorite and it shows. He'll always doodle a heart or sumn when he signs an autograph and you bet he'll go all soft complimenting the kid's mini plushie of him or their little Survey Corps cape

"Aww look at your cape yknow little buddy I had one too but it's not as cool as yours"

✨ Historia and Ymir. NOBODY has deciphered to this day if they're besties or dating it's that confusing and they don't make it any easier to guess.

✨ Annie and Mikasa call each other "wifey" and people try and start like imaginary beef between them like 13 year olds with too much time lol and all the while they're gossiping at award shows and feeding each other pudding or having sleepovers

✨ Zeke is a swiftie and he was the most EMBARRASSING CELEB MEMBER IN THE CROWD 😭 my brotha was twerking during more sensual or hardcore songs and he was getting drunk back there

✨ Erwin is NEVER dodging Captain America allegations he's tried to deny the rumors of him replacing Chris Evans since 2013 to no avail

✨ Erwin is a girl dad who keeps his relationship with his wife very private but sometimes he shares pictures of his life as a married man. The fandom will never get over him in a pink wig

✨ Pieck is a pretty privilege Tiktok lipsync star and we love that for her

✨ Jean and Connie did the Buzzfeed thirst tweets video tgt

✨ "Dude listen I've been goin to the bathroom with him for a decade now and it's more of a pony than a horse"

"Istg if yo bald head don't-"

✨ Eren Yeager reposts bad mafia x y/n Tiktok POV's of him

✨ Eren calls his fans pookie

[usafphantom2]

The SR-71, unofficially known as the “Blackbird,” is a long-range, advanced, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Lockheed A-12 and YF-12A aircraft. The first flight of an SR-71 took place on Dec. 22, 1964, and the first SR-71 to enter service was delivered to the 4200th (later 9th) Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., in January 1966.

Throughout its nearly 24-year career, the SR-71 remained the world’s fastest and highest-flying operational aircraft. From 80,000 feet, it could survey 100,000 square miles of Earth’s surface per hour.

In 1969, on the Night Before Christmas, my father Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield, SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO), flew a North Pole night mission. To honor him I’m going to share this story.

This is the Night Before Christmas as told by a Habu.

Late In 1969, shortly after I was crewed with Bob Spencer, we were tasked to fly a night mission to the North Pole. Night missions were very rare in those days because of St. Martins crash (summer of 1967) at night when navigation system failed. We were one of the most experienced SR crews and we were told that the Russians were doing something with our submarines at night at a station they had built on the ice near the North Pole. It was believed that our Side Looking, High Resolution Radar System could gain valuable intelligence by spying on the unsuspecting Russians in the middle of the night. I found out a few years ago what the Russians were doing, setting up acoustic sensors so they could track our submarines under the ice cape.

We launched from Beale at night, flew north to Alaska and refueled over the central part on a Northern heading. Once we were full of fuel, we lit the afterburners and climbed to about seventy five-thousand feet heading north to the ice station. The tanker was briefed to continue to fly north in case we lost an engine. There was no place to land and our emergency procedure was to turn around 180 degrees and do a head on rendezvous with the tanker on one engine.

As we departed Alaska heading North with the after burners blazing, I looked out the window at the barren land and ice. I could see well because of star light. We had no moon that night. The thought came to my mind, “this is really risky business,” and if anything goes wrong they will never find us. Nothing went wrong, I turned on the Side Looking Radar (SLR), looked at the location and took the images. Returned to Alaska and refueled from the tanker and returned to Beale.

The SLR had a great resolution plus the speed of the SR traveling three thousand feet per second caused the antenna to believe it was much longer. The SLR could image out to eighty miles to the side of the SR so if the site was manned they would not hear our sonic boom. The CIA found out that the station was not manned during the worst part of winter. When not manned, the CIA landed a few people by parachute to find out what was going on at the station. They found everything to include code books. The men were recovered by being snatched up into a low flying aircraft.

This event has been documented by book and a movie.

The night of the mission, the family had gone to bed at the regular time. I got out of bed, went to the flight line, flew the mission and returned home to the bed. The next morning as the family sat around the table having breakfast ,I thought to myself, no one would believe where I was last night, the North Pole right before Christmas?

Be sure to check out Linda Sheffield Miller (Col Richard (Butch) Sheffield’s daughter, Col. Sheffield was an SR-71 Reconnaissance Systems Officer) Born into the wild blue yonder Habubrats

@Habubrats71 via X

[what-have-you-contained]

⊹₊⟡⋆ venue shopping ⋆⟡₊⊹

🌼 || 🪻

✦ pairing: Killer & Red, implied Murder Time Trio + Husband Trio

✦ summary: Red drags Killer on an inspection for a potential wedding venue.

✦ word count: 817

✦ a/n: Hi there! I'm just gonna drop the second part to this series of MTT joint wedding preparation (*^_^*) Enjoy!

Killer adjusts his sunglasses as he leans against the glossy black car, watching Red pace back and forth as he surveys the area. The venue they’re looking at right now is an old winery with a lush garden. Very old-school and dreamy, and definitely not his taste at all. But hey, it’s a wedding, so maybe a little bit fancy should be the way to go.

Still, he can be critical for all he wants – it’s also his wedding after all.

“This place’s too stuffy,” Killer calls out, smirking when he sees Red turns to look at him with an annoyed expression on his face.

“It’s a classic,” Red snaps. “And don’t lean the car. You’ll scuff the paint.”

Killer moves a hand to his mouth, faking an exaggerated gasp. “Oh no, not the car! The most important thing in the wedding!”

Red glares at him with enough heat to melt steel. “Oh, shut up. At least Murder has taste, unlike you, obviously. He’d appreciate something with class.”

“Obviously.” Killer rolls his eyes. “Because nothing screams ‘class’ like a haunted warehouse, of course.”

“At least this place has a roof. Your suggestion is a literal junkyard.”

Killer smirks. “Junkyards are fun. Murder likes fun.”

“Oh stars, please give me strength…” Red mutters under his breath, then turns on his heels and walks towards the door into the building. “Let’s just get this over with.”

The interior inside is just as grand and majestic as the exterior outside, with crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and a huge dancefloor for at least a hundred people. Killer whistles, hands in his pockets as he looks around. “Fancy. I didn’t know you’re into this kind of décor, Red.”

“Someone has to be serious for the big day, since you’re definitely not doing it.”

“Wow, harsh words,” Killer says, feigning a wounded expression. “Dustbunny would cry if he found out his future hubby is such a meanie.”

Red’s eye sockets twitch, but he sadly doesn’t rise up to the bait. Instead, he steps ahead, turning his attention to the clipboard in his hand. “We’ll need to check the acoustics for the ceremony, confirm there’s a place for catering, and ensure there’s enough parking space for guests.”

Killer gives a fake yawn. “Boring. How about we skip straight to the fun part? This is a winery – where’s the open bar at?” He grins when Red gives him a half-hearted glare. “Come on, I know you’re dying for it. You and Murder both. How many times did you have to drag him to bed after a drunken night, huh?”

Red pauses, turning to Killer with an indescribable look. “Actually, he’s been trying to go sober.”

Killer blinks, genuinely taken off guard. “Really? This is Murder we’re talking about?”

“Yeah, well…” Red shrugs his shoulders. “It’s not easy, but he’s trying. We’re both trying. He’s been through enough. No need for booze to make things worse.”

“Huh…” Killer’s grin falls just a bit, losing its usual sharpness. They lapse into an awkward silence as Red continues to inspect the place while Killer just hangs behind and looks around with indifference.

Finally, when the sun starts to set, they go back to the car. Red sits in the driver’s seat while Killer settles in the passenger’s seat.

“So,” Killer hums. “What’s the verdict? Is it too bougie for all of us? Please tell me it’s too bougie.”

Red sighs, adjusting his seatbelt. “It’s not too bad. Might be a bit… well, bougie, as you said. A bit too spacious too. Not sure how many guests we’re gonna settle on.”

Killer chuckles, leaning back on his seat. “Heh, I was right.” He crosses in arms, then after a moment, continues in a softer tone. “You know, it’s still weird seeing you two together. But… in a good way. Murder deserves someone like you. Reliable, steady – well, for him anyway.”

Red blinks, surprised at the words. “… Thanks? I’m not sure if that was a backhanded compliment or not, but I’ll let it slide.”

“Just take the compliment, edgelord.”

“Okay, sure, whatever,” Red rolls his eyes, though there’s some hints of gentleness when he looks over Killer. “You’re… not as terrible as I remember. Color’s been good for you too. Smoothed out those rough edges.”

“Geez, don’t let that get around. I’ve got a reputation to keep.”

“Now who’s the edgelord here?” Red chuckles, and Killer joins him. “Seriously, you’re less of an asshole nowadays.”

“Well,” Killer stretches, letting out a satisfied sound. “Murder deserves the best. And if that means playing nice with you, I’ll do it.”

“Nice is a stretch…” Red raises an eye ridge. “But I’ll take it.”

“That’s as nice as I can possibly be for you, Red,” Killer smirks. “Gotta keep most for my darling after all.” He winks, and Red groans at him. The car starts, and they ride off into the sunset.

dividers by @\drinkthesky here

[turn-my-hollow-purple]

AOT Band AU

I don't know where this concept came from and I have no idea if anyone's done this before but here... it's food for my cult in some capacity. Let me know if y'all want lyric snippets or whatever (I've put too much thought into this)

The first band would be Eren, Mikasa, and Armin and they would be called Walls of Freedom

This is a post-rock/indie concept band with dark, aggressive vocals and intense music

Eren is the main vocalist with gritty and raw vocals and he plays the bass. Mikasa is the guitarist (skillful) and she plays both electric and acoustic. Armin plays keyboard to add an electronic texture to the sound

Their hit songs: "Beyond", "Path's of Destiny", "To You, in 2000 years"

2. The second band is that of Jean, Sasha, and Connie and they are called The Gas Canisters

This band started as a joke but they actually love it. It's a fun garage-pop punk and rap band style like music made in their mom's basement (ironic).

Jean is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist. Connie handles backing vocals and is the funkiest drummer ever, constant head banging. Sasha handles the bass guitar and she's a god at it.

Their hit songs: "Broken Blades", "Survey Shenanigans", "Punchline"

3. The third band is Levi, Erwin, and Hange's called The Vanguard

They are a progressive rock band, intense and experimental with strange compositions and hardcore lyrics

Levi is the lead guitarist and drummer. Erwin is the lead singer and he handles all the lyric writing (think his speech). Hange is just a being of chaos and can play anything they need... bass, violin, keyboard, synthesizers.

Their hit songs: "Humanity's Spear", "A Dying Light", "Experimental Tendencies"

4. The fourth band grouping is Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt called Broken Promises

This band is what I like to call "sleepy, soft emo" genre. It's emo style music with tired-like lyrics, very melancholy and mournful

Annie is the lead singer with a bored stylistic voice and rocks that bass look. Reiner plays guitar (primarily acoustic for their sleep-emo vibe) and drums if they ever need it. Bertholdt plays the keyboard.

Their hit songs: "Cracks in the Shield", "Hardened Hearts", "Silent Colossus"

5. The fifth and final band is a two man concept between Historia and Ymir called Bloom and Ruin

They are a beautiful indie-folk band with lgbt undertones (of course). Think The Crane Wives-esque

Ymir is the guitarist and lead vocalist and Historia is the keyboardist and backing vocalist. That may be controversial but allow me to explain... Historia is the epitome of angelic, soprano, haunting back vocals that allow you to ascend with Ymir as an alto base tone. *chefs kiss*

Their hit songs: "Letters to You", "Sins and Salvations", "Bound by Fate"

[manessha545]

Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, Argentina: The Teatro Colón (Columbus Theatre) is a historic opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acoustics expert Leo Beranek among leading international opera and orchestra directors, the Teatro Colón has the room with the best acoustics for opera and the second best for concerts in the world. Wikipedia

[southernassessors24]

Ensure your home's air quality with expert air pressure testing services in Dorset, and Oxfordshire. Trust our accredited assessments today. Southern Assessors

[tixdixl]

Happy Birthday, Kingsley! - Room Relaxation

Vignette Part 2

[Diasomnia Dorm, Hallway]

Kingsley is walking down the hall towards his dorm room and hears another set of footsteps. He stops and peers over his shoulder. Gia is following behind him with a stack of papers. Kingsley’s posture does not change, nor does his expression.

Kingsley: …?

Gia: Hey, you got this thing you gotta do, I'll fill it out for you but just tell me what to put so I can get it back to Lilia.

Kingsley: What, like I can't do it myself?

Gia: You won't.

Kingsley: Touché… What is it?

Gia: Some sort of survey… says: 「Survey on Quality of Life Improvements for the Student Body」.

Kingsley lets out a slight huff of disapproval.

Gia: See… told ya.

Kingsley: Fair enough.

Instead of actually fully approaching the dorm room, Kingsley deliberately waits outside a ways down the hall. He sits on the ground. Gia stares down at him.

Gia: Not going inside?

Kingsley: I’d prefer to interact with them as little as possible.

Gia: Afraid of losing too many brain cells?

Kingsley, smirking: That and I’d prefer to wind down in total privacy.

Gia nods in understanding.

The two can hear Kingsley’s dorm mates from down the hall. Their voices, though muffled by the door, echo from the acoustics of the hallway.

Roommate A: It seems like they want feedback on what it's like living on campus.

Roommate B: What, like they want us to voice our complaints?

Roommate A: Something like that.

Roommate C: Tell ya what? I’d love to not have a roommate with a giant stick up his ass.

Roommate B: That’s not a stick; it’s an entire log.

Gia glances down at Kingsley.

Gia: Wanna see a dead body?

Kingsley, quirking a brow: Sure…?

Gia approaches the door fully and jiggles the door knob.

The room erupts in high pitched shrieks.

Roommate A: H-HE'S NEVER HERE WHEN WE'RE HERE.

Roommate B: Y-you think he heard us?

Roommate C: Aw, man- dude, we are so DEAD.

Roommate A: I’ve heard that he’s nearly killed a ton of students.

Roommate B: I’ve heard that even Lilia and Malleus have had to get involved.

Roommate C starts whimpering.

Roommate B: Man– j-just pretend we said nothing. Maybe he won’t actually do anything.

Gia just makes a silent little huff laugh.

Kingsley lets out a singular small chuckle.

Gia then sits down beside Kingsley.

Kingsley: I suppose we can work on that survey while they clean themselves up.

Gia: You think they shit their pants?

Kingsley: You don’t?

Gia just smirks.

The duo go through the survey and enjoy each other’s company as the night wanes. Eventually, the trio in the room quiets down, and it seems like all movement has stopped on the other side.

The giant grandfather clock that’s in the alcove chimes quietly.

Gia: Hey, what time is it?

Kingsley glances over to the clock.

Kingsley: hm… it’s midnight already.

With a completely blank expression, Gia reaches into their bag and pulls out a box covered in aluminum foil. When Kingsley takes it, it’s warm.

Kingsley furrows his brows at Gia.

Gia: They’re rellenitos de platano.

Kingsley: …why?

Gia: …Happy Birthday.

Without letting him say anything else, Gia scoops up the paperwork, gets up on their feet, and leaves down the hallway.

[Diasomnia Dorm - Kingsley’s Room]

Kingsley navigates his room in near total darkness. He grabs a few of his belongings, a mesh hygiene bag and his sleepwear, before heading out once again.

After showering and washing out the product from his hair, he heads back to his room.

---

A/N: Thank you @ramshacklerumble for letting me use your shrimp. It's incredible how genuinely difficult it is to write for a character-monologue based vignette when it's frankly incredibly OOC for him to monologue to himself. Adding a secondary character genuinely helped get the ball rolling on this. ^^;

Part 1

Part 3

Tag list: @ramshacklerumble @the-trinket-witch @elenauaurs @rainesol @boopshoops

@cyanide-latte @winterweary @inmateofthemind @theleechyskrunkly @thehollowwriter

@lumdays @twstinginthewind @twistedwonderlandshenanigans

Lmk if you want added/removed

[abiiors]

haunt // bed - pt. 2

a note about the banner: the photo in it is only meant to describe the dress, not the race, body type, hair colour, etc of the reader <3

a/n: truly out here manifesting the g and charli wedding with this one

minors dni!! part 1, part 3

wc: 3.3k

matty gently clinks a fork against his champagne flute, demanding the attention of the room. 

you are standing in a corner, leaning against one of the pillars and surveying the room as you casually sip on some champagne yourself. it’s good stuff, bubbly but not too sweet. it fills up your head with fuzzy goodness. enough to make you smile at the insufferable man in the ridiculously nice suit over the rim of your glass. 

“speech!” someone yells at the back of the room and a few weak laughs echo before everyone focuses their attention on the best man.

“george, charli,” he raises the glass at the couple who have their arms around each other, leaning into each other. “six months ago, you asked me if i would write something for the first dance. i was terrified, at first,” he laughs, “of fucking up, naturally. i wanted my best friends to have the perfect wedding that i did.”

you’re suddenly aware of his eyes on you; a kind of soft intensity that’s hard to look away from. his wedding—your wedding—was indeed perfect. you just didn’t think he would still have that opinion. a warmth spreads through your chest; it’s the alcohol, you tell your brain. stop drinking like a fish if you don’t want heartburn by the end of the night. but this warmth is tingly…it lingers too long in your stomach, perhaps in your whole body. 

“i did write something for you,” he continues, looking away after a second, “and i hope you love it as much as i love you.” he smiles and a cheer goes up. 

you straighten in your spot, no longer leaning leisurely against the column. someone brings out an acoustic guitar, making you very aware of the fact that this is the first time in almost a year that you will hear him sing. a small tremor goes through your hands and the liquid sloshes dangerously in the flute. 

someone brings out a stool for him to sit on, and fixes a mic in front of him. people clear the dance floor, making room for the newlyweds. you stay transfixed in your spot; unable to move and desperate to flee. 

what’s worse is that his date is already behind him, running a hand over his arm. she stumbles slightly and it’s not a surprise, you’ve already seen her down two glasses of wine. maybe that’s the key to this evening. 

you look at george and charli on the dancefloor, already swaying softly in each other’s arms before he’s even begun strumming the guitar, completely lost in each other. is this what you and matty had looked like all those years ago? 

your sour mood is not fair to them. this is their day, not yours. you should be honoured that charli’s asked you to be in the wedding party, not sulk in the corner like a seven year old being denied her favourite toy. 

you stare at the champagne, at the bubbles rising up to the surface rapidly. time to suck it up and stop being a little bitch. with a surge of newfound annoyance, you knock the glass back, drinking the entirety of it in one go. you stagger, lightheaded for one solid moment, but it passes and matty strikes the first chord on his guitar. 

his voice is all around you, echoing so clearly that for a second you wonder if it’s just the two of you in the room. his fingers move effortlessly on the frets while his other hand stums away at the strings, slows down to pluck them individually during slower moments and then speeds up again. 

it’s not surprising that he sings of love and happiness. his words are full of emotions and when they fall short, the sweet tune compensates for it. what surprises you is how it makes you well up with tears. 

matty has his eyes closed, smiling softly as he sings the lyrics. “so splash me with water / when we do the dishes together / i’ll take it over kisses in the rain”

one perfect curl falls on his forehead and just like that you’re back in a warm kitchen, past nine in the evening, hands slippery from the dish soap, singing along to the best of queen. matty’s hips bumping into yours as he gets too immersed into a song and forgets to rinse the plate properly. you reaching up to immediately flick him on the wrist. him tickling you as revenge, wet hands leaving damp spots on your old t-shirt. 

there were happy days. in your heart, you knew it wasn’t all lonely nights and a cold bed. 

his voice is replaced by loud claps and cheers as soon as the song ends. you open your eyes to a room full of people in some state of tearing up. charli has her head on george’s chest, blissfully unaware of the others. you’re glad the tears running down your face are not out of place. 

“matty, that was wonderful!” his date chimes in loudly, breaking the spell. 

this is the first time you’re hearing her voice. it’s high-pitched and american so when she says his name, it sounds more like ‘maddie’. and you’re once again fighting a losing battle with your brain not to stereotype her further. 

“thanks, babe,” he turns to her and gives her a warm smile. the kind that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners, the kind that makes him look twenty-two again. 

the kind that feels like a gut punch to you. 

“careful, darling,” denise’s voice startles you. she’s been standing close to you this whole time—just a bit ahead, watching matty just like you had been. 

“careful,” she says again, “the glass might break.”

“what?” you follow her line of sight, right down to the glass in your hands and your death grip on it. your knuckles are white, clutching the delicate stem so tightly. she’s right, the glass might break any minute. 

“oh…uh, sorry.” heat rises up the back of your neck and up your cheeks. “i didn’t realise.”

“‘s alright,” she smiles, studying your face for a moment. “i just don’t want you to get hurt.”

the party is in full swing around you, and you have found one more thing your ex-husband was wrong about. whiskey does start to taste exceptionally amazing; especially when you’re trying not to throttle not one but two people in front of you. 

“dance with me!” charli calls for you from somewhere on the dancefloor. 

she’s already discarded her heels somewhere in the corner in favour of comfy shoes and sweated off her makeup. but she still looks stunning and radiates with joy at the centre of the dancefloor. “come onnnnn,” she calls for you again, almost slurring her words, and makes a run to drag you to the dance floor. 

“i can’t dance in heels,” you laugh, trying to get out of the dancing without offending her. the heels do hurt, not as much as you’re making it out to be but your feet are starting to get sore now. 

standing and sulking in one spot all evening will do that. 

“so take them off!” she’s in front of you now, holding onto your wrist and pouting like a kid. she knows you can’t resist that face. “please!! you can’t say no to me today, come on!”

it takes absolutely two seconds for you to give in. she’s right, you can’t—you shouldn’t—say no to her. not today of all days. 

“only for ten minutes,” you grumble and set the glass aside. then, on second thought, you pick it back up and down the last two sips. it burns as it goes down but this fuzz is good. this fuzz will help you ignore the man and the blonde in his arms.

as long as it makes charli happy. and by the looks of it, she’s ecstatic; loudly singing along to a brittany spears hit. you shake your head at her, laughing at first and then joining in. this is fun—normal wedding fun. this is what you’re supposed to be doing at a close friend’s wedding. you are meant to get wasted and dance like a dork on the dance floor. 

you even get twirled around by ross as soon as he sees you dancing. it’s almost like the old times, all your friends having fun together again. and for a brief, blissful moment the presence of the date doesn’t even bother you. 

until you feel yourself trip over your dress and stumble. right into a pair of familiar arms.

he grunts, first from being so unexpectedly knocked into and then when your elbow hits him in the stomach. a small amount of satisfaction sparks in your brain but quickly gets overshadowed by a flood of mortification. 

your entire back is pressed up to matty’s chest, almost a lovers embrace as he steadies you on your feet. 

“careful, darling” he warns, bending to whisper it right in your ear. funny how he repeats the same words his mother had said twenty minutes ago, yet you doubt the thumping of your heart has anything to do with the dancing you’ve been doing. 

the retort is on the tip of your tongue, don’t call me that, four small words that simply refuse to come out. 

“thank you,” you reply breathlessly, clearing your throat against the sudden lump that’s lodged there. 

“steady?” he asks.

his scent is all around you, the same fucking cologne he has worn for the last decade. the same perfume that you can still smell on your pillows sometimes, no matter how many times you wash them. 

“mm-hmm,” you nod, “you can let go now.” you make it a point to stare straight ahead at a bland spot on the wall. fuck your body for hyper-focusing on his heartbeat, fuck your head for spinning at one whiff of his cologne. and absolutely fuck your heart for breaking the second he lets go of you. 

you stay still, only just touching him, still staring ahead until charli comes in your line of vision again. from this close you can smell the alcohol on her breath. she’s almost wasted at this point. 

which is why it’s not really a shock when she gasps loudly. 

“oh my god!” she slaps a hand on her mouth, eyes wide and excited. “you, me, george, and matty. like the old times!” she squeals, slurring half the words. 

“char, no. no—”

“we should dance!” she declares.

“no, pl—”

“george, come here,” she yells over you, unbothered by your protests. and you know you’re doomed when an equally inebriated george comes into view. 

there’s no way of getting out of this. the brittany song is on the last of its notes, about to change into something else. a sense of dread gnaws at your stomach. 

“no, cha—”

“let’s get it over with.” it’s matty, placing a hand on your elbow and spinning you around to face him. he is so close, close enough for you to note the light stubble on his face; not clean-shaven like you’d thought at first. you know exactly what the stubble would feel like if you ran a hand over his face. 

his pink lips are parted slightly, his chest rises and falls with each breath he takes, and his curls fall on his forehead. your hand twitches, desperate to brush them away because you know by the end of the night, they will be falling into his eyes. your stomach turns at the thought of how easily the urge comes. every feeling, every old habit rushing back to hit you full force. 

“shall we?” he asks again, hand extended and waiting for you to take it. but all you can do is stare at it dumbly.

“right,” he says, placing his hand on yours for emphasis, “i don’t want to do it either. but i want to make my friends happy.” 

his friends? indignation flares in your chest, burning hotter than the alcohol. suddenly any and all resurging feelings you’d felt for him just minutes ago evaporate into thin air. if he wants to act like he’s doing you a favour, then fine! if he wants to be an asshole then you can be a bitch right back. the song begins, something sweet and romantic but you narrow your eyes at him, ready for the battle to begin. 

and if you are to win it, then you can’t be focusing too hard on the way his hand comes to rest on the small of your back; warm and reassuring and so so familiar. you can’t be relishing the feel of his warm breath on your shoulder, sending small, delicious tingles down your spine; can’t deliberately feel the way his hips press into yours, creating friction and something much more urgent. 

no! so you square your shoulders and stand tall. 

let’s get this over with then. 

he steps to one side as the music begins to pick up; ever accustomed to taking the lead, and you step to the other side; equally determined to make this difficult for him. he knows of course, because he knows you and how your mind works. more importantly, he knows how your grudges work. 

“are you really going to be difficult again?” he asks, just low enough for you to hear it over the music. “you can’t keep your pettiness aside for five minutes?”

his voice skitters over your bones, taunting and gravelly; matty from years and years ago who would raise goosebumps on your skin and make your blood heat up just by looking at you. 

“my pettiness,” you grit out, “is none of your fucking concern.”

“it is when it’s my best friend’s wedding,” he cuts you off sharply.

“your best friend? as if they are no one to me?”

he tuts, condescending little shit, “can’t have the attention taken away from you for one second can you?”

your voices are rising; no longer the harsh whispers from before. and the distance between your bodies is almost negligible. his hand clutches tightly, is it his intention to hurt or to hold on? you don’t know. you don’t think he knows either. 

“says the man who constantly whines for validation like a little baby,” you spit out, noses almost touching each other’s. 

his eyes, warm and hazel once, are cold hard chips of brown. the anger in them turns his veins red. you imagine he’s seeing red right now, especially as his gaze dips to your mouth—painted red and curled in a sneer. 

“you really have reached a new low, haven’t you, matthew?” you laugh in his face, brutally and sharp enough to cut. a sick and twisted part of you relishes in the fact that his date can see you in his arms. “oh, what must your arm candy think of you for twirling your ex around like this.”

“arm candy?” he scoffs, clearly taken aback. he must have imagined the wedding to be a fancy affair where he would get waisted and twirl his date around until they go back home and fuck in a drunken, sloppy rhythm. he would grope at her breasts like a starved man and she would hook her legs around his waist; much like how you once used to. then she would fall to her knees and satisfy all his needs. “don’t bring grace into—”

“grace?” you snap out of your disturbing train of thoughts about your ex-husband’s bedroom habits. instead, you choose to find happiness in the fact that it won’t be as smooth sailing for him as he thought. “oh, you’ve got to be fucking with me, yeah? your toy is called grace?”

you regret the words as soon as they’re out of your mouth. and not even for the right reasons. 

“that sounds an awful lot like jealousy, darling” matty croons, finding his footing once again. 

your breath hitches. the word is meant to be a weapon, hell, you two are right in the middle of an almost screaming match (again) yet he precisely knows how to wound you with his words (like always).

“don’t,” you warn. you’re falling for the bait by doing so, you know it, he knows it. but you’ll take the small bit of defeat over this. for emphasis, you yank your hand out of his and place it on his chest, as if to push him away. 

his chest heaves slightly and suddenly you’re very aware of the muscles under the fitting white shirt. you should move away, fuck, you should stop touching his chest but your blood turns to lead, heats up your entire body as rage courses freely. 

“don’t pin this on me.” you push him back just slightly, “it’s your need to overcompensate,” another push, “that’s why we’re here,” a third push. 

and then his massive hand is wrapping over yours. you have no time to involuntarily mourn the loss of it on your waist; those tingles have already moved to your hand. 

“losing your cool?” he tuts. 

the infuriating bastard!

there’s a sudden urge to stomp on his feet with your four-inch heels, or better yet, to just knee him in the crotch. but you happen to catch the look on charli’s face. her eyes are wide, worried. this shouldn’t be happening. none of this should be happening. you’re not supposed to be creating a scene at one of your best friends’ wedding. 

“would you look at that…” you peel yourself off him. the lump in your throat is almost overwhelming now and you’d be damned before you cry in front of him again. “you’re ruining your best friend’s wedding.”

before matty can reply, you turn on your heel, keeping your eyes sharply on the exit. this is too much. this evening was a mistake. saying yes to the dance was a mistake. coming here…

a lone tear escapes, tiny and pathetic. it makes you want to slap yourself that you would put your disdain for matty over your love for charli. after everything she’s done for you in the last ten months, after every night you’d spent crying in her bed and in her arms, this is the least you could have done. and yet you’ve failed; as a friend, as a wife, even as a person at this point. 

footsteps slap on the marble floor behind you, getting closer as you step out into the corridor. of course, he’d follow. of course, he wouldn’t know when to leave it alone, picking at all your wounds that are only just scabbing over. 

“stop!” he calls out, “you fucking coward.”

the shock of it alone is enough to freeze you in your place. 

“what did you just say to me?” you blink at him slowly, taking in his cold eyes and lips pressed in a thin line. 

“you fucking coward,” he repeats, “running away from every situation when it gets tough.”

“fuck you, matty,” you spit out, taking a step forward. “fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,” you punctuate each of them with a jab to his chest, stabbing your nails repeatedly into the soft spot over his heart. let him feel it. let him experience a million small deaths. 

“what? nothing witty to say now?” his hand wraps around your wrist, holding it still in place. no matter how much you struggle, he won’t let go. 

his face is inches away. he moves forward, backing you against the wall, holding onto your wrist tightly, mouth open and almost panting as if he can’t get enough air. 

you can’t either. your head spins; so close to him, too close. your faces are inches away and involuntarily you stare at his lips, trembling with rage. this whole evening was a mistake but that doesn’t stop you from fisting your hands in his shirt and crashing your mouth onto his.

lemme know what you think pls <33 🤭

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

During a few weeks each year or so, an international team of scientists spends long days at sea searching for the most endangered marine mammal on Earth: the vaquita porpoise. The species is teetering on the edge of extinction, with recent surveys estimating around 10 individuals in the area where they’ve been considered most likely to live.

Results from this year’s survey, issued on Tuesday, were disappointing: Researchers estimate they saw six to eight individual vaquitas there, the lowest result ever recorded.

Still, the scientific team and the Mexican government cautioned that the population had not necessarily declined, emphasizing that more vaquitas may exist outside the search area. Since at least 2019, the visual surveys have focused on one zone where acoustic monitoring and other research has suggested the remaining animals congregate.

“It’s worrisome,” said Barbara Taylor, a longtime vaquita researcher who led the survey. “We just need to go out and find out whether the vaquitas have moved someplace else and adapt the management accordingly.”

The world’s smallest porpoise, vaquitas have rounded faces with panda-like markings around their eyes and lips that seem to pull up into a Mona Lisa smile. Their name in Spanish, vaquita marina, means little sea cow.

The individuals observed during the survey appeared in good health. One group of four included a yearling.

Vaquitas live only in the Gulf of California, the body of water that separates Baja California from the Mexican mainland. Their numbers have been decimated by gill nets, a type of fishing gear that uses huge, drifting nets to trap shrimp and fish. Vaquitas (and other marine mammals and sea turtles) can get entangled in the nets and drown.

Illegal targeting of a fish called the totoaba, itself endangered, has pushed vaquitas to the brink. The totoaba’s swim bladder sells for high prices in East Asia, attracting organized crime and fueling violent confrontations. Gill nets for totoaba are especially lethal to vaquitas.

[reasonsforhope]

"[There is] fantastic news for species conservation after new populations of the gorgeous ‘Skywalker’ gibbon, known to science for only 6 years, were recently found living in the politically chaotic nation of Myanmar.

Also called the hoolock gibbon, this dainty vocalist was first described in 2017 living in the extreme south of China on a mountain in Yunnan. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, the population was estimated to number a paltry 150 individuals, but others were believed to live in Myanmar.

Even before the recent military junta usurped the president and plunged the country into civil war, Myanmar [was a difficult place to conduct field studies, especially extensive or ongoing ones, due to ongoing conflict.]

[Although they are] now in open revolt against the military junta, [the Myanmar states of Shan and Kachin] were nevertheless destinations for an intrepid team of scientists from the Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, Fauna & Flora International–Myanmar Programme, the IUCN’s ape specialist group, and field researchers from universities in England, China, and the US.

Together, they conducted acoustic surveys, collected non-invasive DNA sampling, and took photographs for morphological identification at six sites in Kachin State and three sites in Shan State. With the help of the Myanmar conservationists, the team also interviewed locals dwelling in rural forested areas, small conservation programs, and timber companies about the frequency of sightings and the hunting pressure.

Population estimates of unknown quality and scientific rigor conducted in 2013 suggested there might be 65,000 hoolock gibbons in Myanmar, but the matter became much more complicated after the classification of the Skywalker gibbon as a separate species from the eastern hoolock gibbon—where before they were confused as the same.

“We were able to genetically identify 44 new groups of Skywalker gibbons in Myanmar,” said senior author Tierra Smiley Evans, research faculty at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and contributing author. “This is a huge resource and success story for Myanmar.”

These gibbons sing to each other at dawn for around 22 minutes, and consume 36 different plant species; choosing fruit first, and flowers later. They seldom sleep in the same tree two nights in a row to avoid predation, and can’t swim so are often confined to territories by river systems.

The team that discovered them in China in 2017 loved Star Wars, and called them tianxing which is Chinese pinyin for “heaven movement;” a nod not only to their favorite sci-fi franchise, but also to China’s ancient history. In the famous Book of Change [aka the I Ching] of the Zhou Dynasty [1046 BCE to 265 BCE], a divination poem refers to gibbons specifically, and uses tianxing as a verb to describe their movements.

The interviews were a source of great data for the scientists. For starters, nearly all individuals in both the Kachin and Shan states could identify a Skywalker gibbon by sight and by playback of its singing, lending the exercise a good degree of reliability...

“Biologists did not believe Skywalker gibbons could live in the small remaining patches in Southern Shan State before we started this project,” Pyae Phyo Aung, executive director of Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, told the UC Davis press.

“I am delighted with our field team members who have done an excellent job, within a short period of time, building community trust for further conservation actions. This area is degraded forest. It is really important for Myanmar and China to consider extending conservation approaches for the Skywalker gibbon to this new geographic area.”

Nearly 32,000 square kilometers, or around 8 million acres of forestland in Eastern Myanmar are suitable gibbon habitat, and while existing forest reserves like Paung Taung and Mae Nei Laung are quite large, they remain unprotected. For this reason, the survey team recommended they remain considered ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List until habitat protections improve."

-via Good News Network, February 21, 2024