#at least which general age range i am

[im14andivebeen14foramonth]

the utter joy I just felt at remembering I have a whole bag of candy from trick or treating oh my god

genuine question tho that this just made me think of, do any of you still go trick or treating?

[gurorori]

um

[fangirl-erdariel]

It's actually fairly possible that Théoden's mother was still alive during the main events of LOTR. She has no year of death given in the appendices (also technically no year of birth, but that can at least be counted from the age difference between her and Thengel), or anywhere else that I would know of. Nor is there any direct reference to her being dead, or text worded in a way that would be impossible if she were still alive during LOTR that I know of. The firmest piece of evidence there is for her being dead is only her absence from the story.

Now, yes, it seems likely to me that Tolkien intended for Morwen of Lossarnach to be dead by the time of LOTR. But Tolkien can roll in his grave all he wants if it's important to him, I am going to discuss the possibility of her being alive nonetheless because I find it interesting.

The appendices mention that Morwen was 17 years younger than Thengel, which would mean she was born in 2922. If my math holds up, that would make her 97 in 3019 when most of the major battles of War of the Ring are fought, if she lives that long. Possibly 96 if she was born late in the year, since those battles happen in spring of that year.

She is Gondorian nobility, mentioned to be descended from the Princes of Dol Amroth, though I do not think the details of her relation to them are specified beyond that. And if we look at the two Gondorian noble families where we have any kind of data for their lifespans, that being the Stewards and the Princes of Dol Amroth - the last four Stewards of Gondor before Denethor each lived 98-100 years. The last four Princes before Imrahil live to be 93, 111, 105, and 114, respectfully, and Imrahil lives to 100 years old. As for the next generation or two after that, Faramir lived to 120 years old. Prince Imrahil's son Elphir was 101 when he died, and his son Alphros was 99. Éomer, grandchild of Morwen Steelsheen, lived to 93 years old, despite his other three grandparents being presumably Rohirrim, whose lifespan (at a quick glance through the list of the Kings of Rohan) usually seems to range between 70 and a few years past 80.

So if Morwen falls roughly into the same range with the Gondorian nobility whose lifespans are known, then, yeah, sure, maybe she's dead by the time the main events of LOTR happen. But it's just as possible that she'd still be alive and even have a couple more years left in her.

And I just find myself fascinated by that possibility.

On one hand, there's the tragedy of her outliving at least two of her children, and at least one of her grandchildren. But on the other hand, when you consider all the women, all the wives and mothers, who fall ill and die, or waste away from grief or the horror and weight of the shadow in the last three or so decades before War of the Ring (Finduilas of Dol Amroth, Théodwyn, Gilraen, though at least Gilraen didn't die as young as the other two; and while her death has nothing to do with grief or influence of the shadow, Elfhild the wife of Théoden dies in childbirth during that timespan), I also see a certain triumph in the idea of Morwen enduring it and living to see a time after Sauron, if only briefly.

But if she is still alive, where is she? I see three possible options. The first is that she is still in Edoras. The second is that she lives somewhere else in Rohan, either in some other house belonging to the royal family, or with one of her unnamed daughters and her family. The third is that at some point after Thengel's death, she returned to Gondor and her family there.

The still in Edoras option seems unlikely from a logical standpoint, since there's no mention of her as there really should have been if she were there. There's something narratively pretty delicious, at least to me, though, in the idea that she might have been there to witness firsthand her son's decline and yet been for whatever reason unable to intervene

Living somewhere in Rohan, probably with another of her children (she had two daughters after Théoden before Théodwyn, and one who's even at oldest still under five years older than Théoden, so any of them could pretty plausibly still be alive), would make some sense, if she had wanted to retire from court life but still remained within relatively easy distance of her children and grandchildren. It would also kind of still allow for her being very aware of what's going on in Meduseld, while offering a more easy excuse for why she's unable to intervene and also not mentioned at any points in the books.

And returning to Gondor at some point after Thengel had died and Théoden had settled into the position of the king and all her children were adults likewise makes sense. She and Thengel lived in Gondor for ten years before moving to Rohan when Thengel inherited the throne, so it seems likely she'd have retained strong ties to her family in Gondor, rather than all those being cut off by her marriage, and considering all we know of Lossarnach, as someone on the SWG discord pointed out when i mentioned these thoughts the other day, Lossarnach seems like a nice enough place to retire to. It would put her pretty solidly away from all the drama going on in Rohan, though, but maybe if you're into fluff, Éowyn and Faramir could make a visit to her in Lossarnach sometime after the war

Anyway. I just wanted to say. Maybe Morwen of Lossarnach isn't dead yet, when LOTR happens. Maybe she gets to see what she probably never thought would happen in her lifetime, or ever at all, Sauron being defeated, Gondor having a king again. She'd have to face horrible loss, yeah. But she'd also see a new sunrise, triumph and joy like no one dared to hope for. So. Maybe. Maybe she's still alive, long enough to see that

[silme-lorien]

jewelry in the cultures of middle earth

hi so a little disclaimer these are all my personal headcanons! if canon conflicts with it i kind of don’t really care. also this is going to be based around the third age and the depictions of culture that are shown in lotr/the hobbit

elves

so. i feel like we all could agree that elves are probably the ones that are most into jewelry.

i mean, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, circlets, rings (no pun intended)- you name it, they are wearing it.

i feel like they definitely pierce their ears, probably multiple piercings in each ear (they have a lot of real estate to work with so why not). i am debating if they do facial piercings but im leaning towards no. maybe they do but it’s not very common

they would also utilize bigger pieces of jewelry, as in draping chains around their waists like belts or wearing arm cuffs as well as hair jewelry and whatnot

i don’t think there is a lot of differentiation between “higher” and “lower” class elven jewelry, not that they really have a class system anyway, but like you could see a random elf wearing jewelry similar to that of a king or queen, perhaps a bit more toned down though. same for differentiation based on gender- there is none. male and female elves wear generally the same style and amount

their jewelry is often silver with natural elements, such as swirling or drooping patterns, earth-toned stones or jewels, and generally very free-flowing

dwarves

they are totally second place in jewelry loving. actually, maybe first place in jewelry loving- elves possibly wear more, but the dwarves have a very deep connection to the creation and wearing of it.

i imagine elves wearing jewelry as kind of a casual thing, something everyone does, whereas with dwarves it is most definitely a very personal and intimate action.

they often either make the jewelry themselves or are given it as a gift from a close family member, friend, or romantic partner, which is why they likely don’t wear as much.

their style can range, though it is always very sturdy, with geometric shapes, and reminiscent of the comfort and stability of caves and strong rock. this is both because of their lifestyle and their general demeanor. sometimes they have runes carved into their jewelry. they wear gold or silver, depending on the dwarf.

they pierce their ears and noses and possibly eyebrows as well, but their jewelry is small so as to not get caught in anything. (i don’t think they pierce their lips because you wouldn’t be able to see the piercing anyway and it would get caught in their beards. lol)

like elves, there is less of a differentiation based on gender, but since they have a more established class system i think that royalty would 100% wear more (see thorin and his jewelry disease)

humans

firstly i’m going to mainly be talking about gondor and rohan here

probably very similar to our “traditional” culture- women wear more and men wear barely any.

for women, they likely pierce their ears and wear bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

for men, they lean more towards rings (again no pun intended) and necklaces.

their jewelry is often passed down through generations, it’s not a common thing to purchase/create new. it is almost always gifted

i don’t think they do facial piercings, at least not commonly.

they wear gold and silver, and the style can change drastically depending on the persons lifestyle and class.

even royals/high status people do not wear much jewelry beyond a ring or a necklace, probably passed down through hundreds of generations and is a symbol of strength and power, or their family.

it is almost spiritual, a way to connect their lives with their ancestors or even with the valar

hobbits

they possibly wear a little, but definitely not very much at all.

their main interaction with the world outside of the shire is with men, so i assume they have picked up on men’s customs around it.

they don’t seem to have the resources to create it, so jewelry is almost a mythic concept to them- any hobbit with jewelry must be very rich or well-traveled indeed, as they must have gotten it from a man or elf, hence why everyone is so intrigued by bilbo’s ring.

on that note, since hobbits have such a defined class structure, hobbits of a lower class probably wear none at all while richer hobbits possibly wear some, though mostly necklaces or rings of great importance.

if a hobbit has the means to, they’ll give jewelry to another they’re romantically interested in, a custom that somebody must have heard the elves/humans do but now it’s far more prominent in hobbit culture than in any other.

they don’t really have a style of jewelry, but i imagine it is practical. no dangling or swaying and swirling shapes- similar to dwarven and human customs combined.

feel free to rb or comment with your own headcanons!! i would love to hear about them!

[help-itrappedmyself]

Birdflash Part 1

Guys, I am officially trying to be back on my bs. I have mostly recovered and am getting back in the swing of life as best as possible. My life is still a little crazy, I am still getting settled and back into a routine, but I hope I can start being more active and start writing more frequently.

With that news, here is part one of a prequel to Changes in Perspective starring Birdflash, and featuring a very tired overprotective Dad!Bruce (he's trying his best). From what I am imagining, this should come out to about 3 parts on Tumblr, and a one-shot on AO3.

The part is under the cut. Happy Reading!

Flash and Company have changed the timeline multiple times. Some that they have been aware of and some that they haven’t. They know that, and most try not to do it once they figure out what they’re doing in the first place. Every once in a while, there will be an attempt made on purpose to change something so big the changes to the timeline don’t matter in comparison.

They are not the only superheroes to try and change the timelines. Villains also make attempts to alter the timelines semi-frequently. There is a multiverse full of alternates and power sets and complications.

Bruce, ever a control freak, did not like learning this, and ever since Bruce found out about it, he worked to find a way to shield himself and his family from temporal readjustment. It was extremely difficult, and involved him requesting the help of magic users. And as it turns out, it was still impossible to implement temporal safeguards on the human mind. Apparently it was much too delicate and the force of the changes, magic, something, the brain couldn’t handle it.

However, Bruce and Zatanna did manage to find a way to safeguard the Batcomputer. It even pings a notification in the event of temporal anomalies. This meant that whenever anything messed up the timeline, the Bats could know about the change.

They would have to read about what the timeline was like before, but they wouldn’t have any real connection to the changes considering their brains automatically convert to the new timeline. 

This is not always necessary. Sometimes the changes to the timeline are obvious, and people remain aware of the way things were before, and how they are different now. It does not happen often. To this day there are only two known instances of the timeline being irreversibly altered, without memory modifications to go with it. 

One was the event caused by Superboy-Prime, which altered the timeline, killing many and reviving others. This change also caused Jason to revive, unknown at the time. 

The other change was indeed caused by one of the Flash brigade. It caused people to be able to connect with their ‘soulmates’, known because in a few alternate universes, this is commonplace. There are universes where soulmates are known from birth, and universes with many differing ways of connecting and finding your soulmate throughout your life. 

In this universe, it causes soulmates to bodyswap until they can reach each other. For some, this was easy. Some soulmates were already married, already dating, or at least already knew each other. Others were countries apart, stuck in places where they didn’t know the language, struggling to find their way back to each other. 

The soulmate phenomenon has caused panic and joy throughout the world. Chaos, divorces and weddings. Everyone knows what’s happening, but no one knows when or who until it happens.

For a while, everyone thought the change would only affect the younger generation, as sixteen was the most common age for the change to occur. But reports came in of older switches, age ranges varying and random. There were only two things they knew for sure.

The body swap always happens on the birthday of one of the pair, usually the younger.

It did not happen to anyone younger than sixteen.

They figured out what they could about the phenomenon and life moved on as best as it could. They had a lot going on at the time, these changes all occurring around the time when Bruce was dead (except not). 

Bruce came back to a new world, but adjusted quickly. He made plans and contingencies, and thought he was prepared for anything. 

And then he got a call from his son Dick, except the person on the phone was freaking out about being in someone else’s body.

“Dick?” Bruce asked, confused that his son would be calling him from upstairs, and worried that they had missed an injury from patrol or something.

“Sir! I woke up here, and I didn’t know where here was, and I was looking around and I recognized Dick Grayson in the mirror. Like, I am Dick Grayson right now, but I’m not, normally, and I know you're his dad, right? You adopted him? I didn’t know the phone password, but you’re one of his speed dial emergency contacts, so I figured you were a good person to call. And I needed to call somebody and I really need to call my family as well, but I was hoping you could help me?” The voice is fast, rambling and giving Bruce a headache.

“Yes, I’m his father. Who are you?” Bruce’s voice came out as a tired sigh, Alfred and Damian both looking at him from the kitchen table, confused and wary.

“Uh, Wally- Wallace West, Sir.”

Bruce wanted to faceplant. Instead he just ran a hand down his face, cursing the existence of speedsters.

“Where are you right now?” Bruce sighed. Dick had spent the night here, he was visiting Damian, who was still rather attached to Dick after their time together while Bruce was lost in the timestream. “Are you in his room? I can come get you?”

“I might have been in his room when I woke up here, but I tried to leave to figure out where I am and this house is massive and I think I got lost like five turns ago. I know I saw an art room at some point, like to make art not to display it, because there is art everywhere in this house. I came across some stairs, and I went down, because I figured down would lead me closer to the front of the house but I have come across at least one other staircase since then and I haven’t seen a window in a while.”

“Can you just,” Bruce stood and started to pace, both Damian and Alfred becoming more concerned. “Stop moving. Tell me what you can see and I will come get you.”

[olderthannetfic]

There is something confusing to me about older queer people (which is to say, older than I am, at a relatively young 24 years old) who get mad at original fiction whose worldbuilding involves neopronouns. I'm hoping maybe, ONTF, since you've been in queer spaces a lot longer than I have, you can explain why people have such a negative reaction to the idea.

Basically, I'm working on a novel based that takes white-throated sparrow biology and uses it for building blocks in the same way A/B/O takes (now debunked) wolf science and used it for building blocks. This means there are essentially four genders, the two viewed as more intelligent (brown-haired men and women) and the two viewed as more physical (white-haired men and women). Those two groups then get further divided along the lines of 'women are better at making smart decisions under pressure' and 'men are better at staying home and defending the children, as God intended'.

So it seemed natural to me that this worldwide quaternary system would result in at least some languages having pronoun sets for each of the four options. Some languages in real life have more complicated pronoun systems than that, particularly ones where there's a bunch of formal and informal pronouns. It'd also help the reader keep track of who was a part of what group without my having to turn around and state people's coloration constantly. Yes, these people are human, just as humans in A/B/O are, but society is fundamentally very different. I'm not throwing this in to just complicate things or sound smart or something. It's here because my minoring in Anthropology and majoring in Linguistics taught me language usage reflects the needs and values of a people.

The writing group I'm a part of IRL is mostly queer, mostly 40+, with some cishet women who are also present and active writers. The writing group I'm a part of on DW is mostly DWRPers, in their 30's and up, though no older than 50, and entirely queer. I did not expect these to be groups that were uncomfortable with the idea of "different world, different pronouns".

Instead the reception has ranged from suggestions it's pretentious or overthinking things to requests I reconsider doing it. I've been informed this could be seen as mocking the real life queer people who go by pronouns other than she, he, or they. One person asked if this was went to be me "artificially justifying" nonbinary pronouns and implying I didn't find them valid in the real world. That was an awkward conversation, to say the least.

In reality I wasn't really thinking about real life people who use nonbinary pronouns when I was writing. I was just asking, "Logically, wouldn't it make sense for things to work very differently under a quarternary than it does under a modern European binary?" and following my brain along to its' conclusions as it processed that.

I have gotten zero negative feedback from my queer friends my age regarding this. So obviously, generation and the experiences informing a generational context are key, here. I'm just... still lost on how anyone finds this objectionable.

Help?

--

Ahaha. Oh god.

Well, as a reader of sff in the 90s, the first reaction I have to such things is "IS THERE A CONLANG AND A MAP?" Because, man, the conlang people were some of the most tedious motherfuckers I ever had to deal with in sff spaces.

But broadly... I think the reasons queer people get annoyed about this stuff boil down to a couple of big factors:

Disrespectful children who don't know history

Idiot old people harrumphing about "history" they clearly failed to pay attention to while it was going on in the first place

I personally hate being asked to use new words most of the time. A few bits of fandom slang I'll pick up at once, but I'm usually like "Why would I call it 'spirk'? We already have 'K/S'!" *shakes cane*

If you're American, they're your "roommate", not your "flatmate". No, I don't care how much more precise this foreign term is, you pretentious wanker. (But then I'll use 'wanker' because fandom adopted that years ago...)

So my reaction to being asked to say aloud any pronoun not in very frequent circulation in my offline life is "Urrrgh. Do I have to?"

However, the reality is that people have been messing around with pronouns in English since forever. Do you see 'heo' in Modern English? No, you do not! (Not that it was gender neutral, but the point is that even words as ancient as pronouns have changed quite a bit.) The early internet was full of pronoun stuff in MUDs and the like. You had a choice of a lot more than just three in a bunch of these. People besides men and women have always been in queer communities.

So some people like to cry about neopronouns being actually neo, and they're just wrong.

As for the why do you care part...

There is a nasty habit in contemporary queer spaces to act like gay rights issues are solved. Bisexuality? Passe! etc. Gays and lesbians finally got a little mainstream acceptance only to suddenly be treated like the worst of the establishment by the queer youth. How dare?!?! It's even more egregious with bisexuality where the focus of a bunch of queer activism finally swung that way in the 90s... only to be sharply cut off in the 00s.

There's a real "You already got yours. Where's mine?" vibe to some queer discourse today, and it's directed at people who never got theirs. It shows up in demands for mentorship by people who've barely had a chance to escape a rocky start and figure out who they are themselves. It shows up in yowling about this or that bit of queer media we finally got not being progressive because it's the wrong letter of the acronym.

None of which has a damn thing to do with what pronouns you use in your novel, obviously, but I think some unresolved embattled feelings are why some older queer people are very weird about pronouns.

Some of them are also doing the old person version of throwing the weirdos under the bus to placate the normies. Respectability politics became a term long before the behavior was rife on tumblr.

--

If someone really does find it pretentious, though, and not just as a cover for crying about nonbinary identities being fake, I suspect they just remember how 1970s SFF was full of privileged anthropology students misunderstanding kinship systems from elsewhere in the world and then trying to tell everyone how ~deep~ their extremely contrived novels based on them were.

I'm not saying your writing is like this or that every one of these old sff novels was either, but when I hear "anthropology student", I groan internally. It's an instinctive reaction. It's less about the real fields and more about the bevvy of dilettantes I've run into over the years who'll say they study those things but really want to talk my ear off about Joseph fucking Campbell or the strong form of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis or something.

--

Those birds are a really cool source of inspiration. Like with A/B/O, the first thing I wonder is how queerness works in that context and how much people like to defy their designated roles.

Omegaverse started on porn logic, so "The one I say tops always tops!" makes sense. When it gets expanded to try to make it make logical sense as a whole world, I often enjoy it, but it can break down quickly if treated as biology is law. I don't know how often the birds veer off of their set patterns, but humans certainly would.

One place where I get a strong "Oh god, this again" feeling from people's plotbunnies is when they're trying to make up a sff society that strikes me as too rigid in a way that real humans aren't. I'll see people using fake wolf biology (not just for horny reasons) but never looking at what's going on with gender in contemporary Thailand or whatever. Like... Le Guin may have made sedoretus feel plausible, but nobody I've ever seen stanning the concept as something fandom should play with has. That's probably because Le Guin was using over-complicated social norms as a thing that breaks down and causes trouble, and "This should be the next A/B/O!" posts are treating it as something that actually works and is a good way to get the pair you don't ship separated while shipping poly.

"It'd also help the reader keep track of who was a part of what group without my having to turn around and state people's coloration constantly."

This, in particular, gives me that cold shudder of recognition from when Homestuck fandom was everywhere and everyone wanted to over-explain those stupid playing card suits and why I should care.

Your concept sounds neat, and I think a set of four pronouns could easily make sense there...

But I also think that if people need the pronouns to keep track of coloration, you haven't set up a system that feels organic enough or haven't given enough cues about how characters are treating each other or why. Use the pronouns too, but just keep that in mind. It's like the "m/m is hard because the pronouns don't tell me whose hand is where" problem. It's almost never actually a pronoun problem.

--

Anyone else have thoughts here?

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Hyracoidea

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Our next order of afrotherian mammals is Hyracoidea, commonly known as “hyraxes” or “dassies”. Today, only one family remains, Procaviidae, with three genera.

Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund animals with short tails. They are superficially similar to marmots or pikas but, as afrotherians, are much more closely related to elephants and sirenians. Unlike most other browsing and grazing animals, they do not use the incisors at the front of the jaw for slicing off leaves and grass; rather, they use the molar teeth at the side of the jaw. Their two upper incisors are instead small tusks which grow continuously through life. The four lower incisors are deeply grooved "comb teeth". Their feet have stumpy toes with hoof-like nails, and rubbery pads with numerous sweat glands, which may help the animal maintain its grip when quickly moving up steep, rocky surfaces or tree bark. Hyraxes have poorly developed internal temperature regulation, for which they compensate by behavioural thermoregulation, such as huddling together and basking in the sun. They live in family groups, with a single male that aggressively defends the territory from rivals. Where living space is abundant, the male may have sole access to multiple groups of females, each with its own range. The dominant male will keep watch on a high rock or branch and will give a shrill alarm if there is danger. The remaining males live solitary lives, often on the periphery of areas controlled by larger males, and mate only with younger females. Although not ruminants, hyraxes have complex, multichambered stomachs that allow symbiotic bacteria to break down tough plant materials. All hyraxes are limited to Africa, with the exception of the Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis) (image 1), which can also be found in some parts of the Middle East.

Male hyraxes lack a scrotum and their testicles remain tucked up in their abdominal cavity next to the kidneys, (as do those of elephants, manatees, and dugongs.) Female hyraxes have a pair of teats near their armpits (axilla) (as do elephants and sirenians) as well as four teats in their groin. Female hyraxes give birth of 1 to 4 young after a gestation period of seven to eight months, depending on the species. The young are weaned at 1–5 months of age, and reach sexual maturity at 16–17 months. Hyraxes have a life span of 9 to 14 years.

Through the Middle to Late Eocene, many different species of hyrax existed, varying from the size of a mouse to the size of a rhinoceros. The order remained widespread and diverse as late as the end of the Pliocene with representatives throughout most of Africa, Europe, and Asia.

Propaganda under the cut:

Modern hyraxes are relatively small animals, but some prehistoric species were quite large. Titanohyrax ultimus lived from the Early Eocene to the Early Oligocene in modern-day Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and was the size of a rhinoceros, with estimates of its body mass ranging from 600 kg (1,300 lb) to 1,300 kg (2,900 lb). Megalohyrax lived during the Early Oligocene of Africa and Asia Minor and was the size of a tapir, sometimes exceeding 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) in length. These larger forms may have eventually been displaced by the newly developed bovids, which were very efficient grazers and browsers.

Hyraxes urinate in a designated, communal area. Their viscous urine quickly dries and, over generations, accretes to form massive middens. These structures can date back thousands of years. The petrified urine itself is known as hyraceum and serves as a record of the environment, as well as being used as a South African folk remedy in the treatment of several medical disorders, including epilepsy and convulsions. Hyraceum is also used by perfumers, who tincture it in alcohol to yield a natural animal musk.

Hyraxes have highly charged myoglobin, which has been inferred to reflect an aquatic ancestry.

One of the proposed etymologies for "Spain" is that it may be a derivation of the Phoenician I-Shpania, meaning "island of hyraxes" or "land of hyraxes"

The nocturnal Southern Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus) has a loud call that sounds like a series of blood-curdling shrieks building up to a crescendo. These territorial calls are produced mainly by the males.

The Western Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis) (image 2 & 3) is an adept climber, quickly able to scale smooth tree trunks, and have been observed to climb up the edge of an open door with ease.

A Chimpanzee at Bossou was observed capturing a Western Tree Hyrax, carrying it to her nest, and sleeping with and grooming it. This suggests that chimpanzees in Bossou may not regard hyraxes as a prey animal, but more of a “pet.”

The Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax or Bush Hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei) has an umbraculum in the pupil of their eye extending from the iris. This enables them to stare into the sun and watch for aerial predators while they bask.

Where their ranges overlap, Bush Hyraxes (Heterohyrax brucei) are sometimes known to live with Rock Hyraxes (Procavia capensis) (image 1). However, different species of hyraxes do not interbreed because their sex organs vary significantly. Some behaviors observed in populations of Rock and Bush Hyraxes include caring for each other's young by sharing nurseries and inhabiting the same rock crevices.

Rock Hyraxes are the only living terrestrial afrotherians in the Middle East.

Rock Hyraxes make a loud, grunting sound while moving their jaws as if chewing, and this behaviour may be a sign of aggression. Some authors have proposed that observation of this behavior by ancient Israelites gave rise to the misconception given in Leviticus 11:4–8 that the hyrax chews its cud, but the hyrax is not a ruminant.

Rock Hyraxes that live in more "egalitarian" groups, in which social associations are spread more evenly among group members, survive longer. In addition, hyraxes are the first nonhuman species in which structural balance was described. They follow "the friend of my friend is my friend" rule, and avoid unbalanced social configurations.

Researchers have found rich syntactic structure and geographical variations in the calls of Rock Hyraxes, a first in the vocalization of mammalian taxa other than primates, cetaceans, and bats. Higher-ranked males tend to sing more often, and singing has been shown to be a marker of an individual hyrax's unique identity, where identity is expressed by unique vocal signatures.

The Rock Hyrax spends roughly 95% of its time resting. During this time, it can often be seen basking in the sun, which sometimes involves "heaping", where several animals pile on top of each other. This is thought to be an element of its complex thermoregulation.

[parachutingkitten]

Just so everyone is aware, ayathefly, the account who claims to be a temp voice actress for Dragons Rising, is almost certainly my cyber stalker from last month.

She has almost the exact same story as one of the stalker accounts used to try and befriend me. Back then she was a 23yo temp voice actress named Maya who had a comedically whimsical story about her not knowing information about the ducktales reboot she was hired for. This time she's a 23yo temp voice actress named Aya who has a comedically whimsical story about not knowing information about the Ninjago reboot she was hired for. Both the accounts used generic profile pics from classic cartoons, reblogged posts of mine shortly after creating their account, and had this manner of speaking in their posts which immediately set off alarm bells in my head.

In case you are not privy to the saga, this person made a bunch of false accusations about me on one account while defending me on another in order to, I guess, try and win my favor. This after harassing, threatening, and otherwise pestering me on a number of spam accounts. This includes the full range of pretending to be a fan with a tragic story about a dead brother, to weird sex foot fetish fantasies. Since then I have received emails claiming to be showrunners interested in my feedback which I'm also certain are her.

I have also linked them back to the zanenindroid account, and the parachutingkitfanpage, both abandoned at this point, presumably because they didn't get traction.

I need you to understand I was on the fence about sharing this information. Even if they're making my life annoying, this person has at times claimed to be 16 in messages to me in the past (I figure it's possible that the 23yo thing might just be her pretending to be my same age) and I don't want to be the guy who calls out a kid who lied on the internet to try and get friends- even if what they're doing is ABSOLUTELY inexcusable, it's only really affecting me. I know how to use the block button. Turning off non-follow messaging and anon asks is annoying, but not that huge a deal if it means cutting off avenues for them to contact me.

But recently my MOTHER informed me that she got some strange messages from someone claiming to be a 23yo voice actress, and tried gaslighting her into believing she knew her mom from a writing group like 10 years ago (which is not possible btw), and should TOTALY introduce her to me, because we're the same age, and both interested in animation.

I can't not talk about this anymore. When you bring my family into this, you lose any attempt at mercy from me.

Especially given we have quite a few minors in the fandom, I feel obligated to say something. I would not feel comfortable with anyone I know or care about interacting with this person, regardless of how harmless this person thinks their intentions are. They have proved themselves to be a manipulative, lying, unhinged, and obsessive personality willing to put someone they presumably like through some of the scariest scenarios you can find yourself in on the internet- and then drag your family into it. I would ask that you do not interact, do not give them the time of day, do not try to reason with them, and try your best not to be fooled by new accounts that pop up a week from now with suspiciously similar behavior, because I'm almost certain that will happen if Aya goes silent.

Maybe you think I'm paranoid, and over blowing things, and that's your call to make, but I would not be making this post if I did not feel strongly about this.

Even if somehow this is not the same person, and I am falsely linking these two nearly identical identities, at the very least Aya is not who she proports to be. She claims to have provided temp voices for season 3 just this month (temp voices being temporary voice work done before the actual actors are able to record their lines), but Devon Mack (voice actor for Arin) has confirmed that he was in the middle of recording the official dialogue for season 3 back in January of this year. The idea that the production team would only just now be recording TEMP dialogue for animation that's going to release in just a few months is an absolutely WILD claim. I can not convey to you what an insanely truncated timeline that would be. I don't even think that Dragons Rising is a the kind of show to use temp dialogue, none the less have the budget and time to hire out if they did need temp voices, rather than just using production members like most temp work.

Please, be careful out there everyone.

I'm praying I never have to address this again.

[yukirayu]

Slow Damage Timeline

After countless edits and reviews, I wish to share with you a project of mine: the Slow Damage timeline, which pinpoints (or approximates) how old a character is when a certain event in their life occurred.

Note: The link is in the image description (though I'll also share the direct link here, to be safe). 😉

The remarks below are also found in the spreadsheet, but I'll go ahead and share them here, just in case.

Remarks:

Some of the characters’ ages are confirmed, while others are left for us to guess. The latter half has their final ages (deceased or alive) colored red as a distinguisher, and I did the same for the latest year that the visual novel is likely to currently take place in.

The general age ranges of the characters when they'd attend school, regardless of the level of education, are merely an approximation, especially at university-level and onwards. I did some research on the education system in Japan (and China, for one case), but the answers vary from source to source, especially when I try to narrow it down to a specific course, so I'm just going with what seems most probable depending on each character's history (as well as personality).

What I've said in #2 also applies to the years in which each event is likely to have taken place. I can't guarantee that it's 100% accurate, but what I can at least say is that it's a close guess (in other words, it may have even happened 5 years earlier or later).

Try as I might, I couldn't include every single character because even as I gleaned through the VN and the artbook over and over, there's too little that we know about them. A few examples are Inada and the unnamed vampire.

As much as I wish I could, I never got around to playing Clean Dishes (the fact that it's a mobile game restricted to Japan being the primary reason). Anything I know of it is from the summaries and (currently ongoing) translations given about the story. but it is at least certain that the entire plot of the spinoff (including its epilogue and its own sequel drama CD) happen before the events of the main game, since a certain trio is still working for the Takasato Group, and Towa is still living in the clinic (as well as working there).

I have to stress that about 70% of the timeline's contents consists of educated guesses. The education aside (especially for some characters), the events in each person's timeline is confirmed to have occurred; the hard part is pinpointing the when for at least half of those events, given that the VN left only hints or even none at all.

I've updated this spreadsheet with all the information I could gather (and will still update it in the future whenever needed), but I am only one person so there still might be something that I missed. If you know anything that has yet to be here or requires some revisiting, DM me about it. Of course, please be civilized in your approach.

Extra: Also found in the spreadsheet is the status of each character per route, whether they're dead, alive, or if their fate is uncertain, especially when taking what happens in each route into account.

[so-i-did-this-thing]

So I’ve been on T for like 2-3 years, my face is full of facial hair yet i still sound incredibly feminine, the vocal pitch barely went down and I don’t know if it’s from me not being on it long enough but I’m beginning to get a little worried that I’m never going to sound like a guy ever :’) what should I do?

Heya, Anon. Sorry it took a bit to get back to you.

I'm sure you are aware that cis men have vocal ranges all over the place, and many would be misgendered on the phone. But I don't really find this very comforting, because dysphoria doesn't play nice. (So, I'd prefer if folks leaving notes don't bring up this obvious fact.)

Voice is definitely one of those uncertain factors with transition. Your speaking voice is probably close to settled, but your singing voice will still likely continue to change a few more years.

When your voice doesn't change enough on T to your liking, your main options are vocal training or surgery.

Vocal training can do a lot for a more masculine sound if you currently speak more with a "head" voice, have vocal fry, or have speech patterns generally thought of as "feminine" (like upspeak). It takes practice to change your vocal patterns, but is also obviously the least destructive to your vocal chords.

Surgery is another option, but I don't have any recommendations here, as I have just barely started research, myself. (I am very dysphoric about my voice.) There are procedures to relax vocal chords, which make them vibrate at a lower frequency. Downsides are that you lose speaking volume and your singing voice might be shot. I also haven't seen much research on how the surgery ages over time, other than the fact that, if you ever require intubation (like for general surgery), you need to let the surgical team know, as I guess there is some risk for damage. It also seems like the procedure is unpredictable in how much your voice changes, and it can even completely wreck your voice.

In my experience, resonance (which T tends to gift) and speech patterns are more important than actual pitch. So, I'd suggest finding a vocal coach to see what you have control over.

Good luck!

[written-with-blue-ink]

Good morning, Blue. Since Gaming requests are on hold until the poll ends, how about I start with a Cyno request? Please kindly consider this Cyno request: Based on Cyno's 'Least Favorite Food' voiceline about his desert rations. The other Matras start noticing Cyno eating a pinkish jelly from a jar after mealtimes. Upon inquiry, they find out it was a jar of Zaytun Peach jelly you, the General's wife, made after he made a comment on how tasteless the rations were.

Please also kindly take as long as you need with this request; I have no qualms in waiting. Furthermore, by no means feel obligated to prioritize this request over your other requests.

Hey hon! Finally got to one of your requests! I hope you enjoy it!

Cyno X GN/Fem Reader

Sweet as Sugar

“Have you seen the General Mahamatra,” one of the newer guards asked, hands still reached out to absorb the warmth of the fire.

“No, he left sometime after dinner, he’s been doing that a lot more lately than normal,” the other responded. “He didn’t use to do this, I think something might be up? I mean, this person we’re hunting was in the same Darshan and similar year as the General… Maybe they were friends and this is upsetting him?”

The newer member nodded, looking at the direction General Cyno went before pulling himself up. “I’m gonna go looking for him. Feel free to stay here and tend the fire.”

The other nodded, watching the other walk off towards the nearby stones before turning his attention back to feeding the flames.

“General Mahamatra Cyno,” he called out, turning the corner as he let his fingers run against the aged stone. “Are you al…”

The new scout wasn’t really sure what to expect, he most certainly wasn’t expecting to find sitting in a corner General Mahamatra Cyno, one of the most terrifying men in Sumeru, huddled around a jar and mid-putting a spoonful of pinkish preservatives in his mouth. Their eyes met, catching them both off guard before the newbie said, “Yeah… I’m just gonna go now…”

- A few days prior - 

“What’s wrong?” The voice rang in his ears and a warm hand reached across the dining room table and placed on his. Her hands were warm and just the placement on his made him melt. 

“Nothing really,” he looked into your eyes as he grasped your hand and rubbed his thumb over your knuckles. “I’m just gonna miss you and your cooking on this upcoming mission.”

He looked into your eyes as he watched them narrow in the way you did as you thought, shining as gears turned in your head. “It’s not that big of a deal,” he continued, squeezing your hand before returning to the meal. 

- - -

Cyno didn’t normally sleep in but he would the day before he had to go on another mission. Rest was needed for these long journeys and his back felt better on your shared bed than on the sleeping mats they used, plus the extra time with you was exactly what he wanted. 

He felt the sun rest on his skin as he reached out but felt nothing there. He opened his eyes, the world partially blurry, to see no one next to him, an empty half of the bed. He pulled himself out of the covers, feet placed on the floor, and walked up to the door. As he pulled the food open, the smell of sweetened and stewed fruits hit his nose. 

He walked down the hall, eyes looking to the kitchen as he watched you stirring a pot and humming to yourself. Hips swaying side to side in rhythm to the spoon’s movements. He didn’t say anything, walking past you and starting the water to do the dishes. 

“What are you doing out of bed,” you question, not even looking towards him as you stir the concoction in the pot, “go rest and enjoy your day off.”

“I am enjoying myself; I’m with you,” he says, scrubbing the few dirty dishes in the sink. “What about you? Why aren’t you in bed?”

You hum, lifting up the spoon and inspecting the pink mixture. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said last night, about missing my food. I decided I would make something for you.”

Walking over, you lift the spoon towards his lips which he happily takes. The sugary fruits were stewed and dissolved in his mouth with minimal effort; releasing all the tension from his shoulders as he melted. “Zaytun peach preserves. I’ll make something to accompany them, I’m just not sure what yet…”

His eyes watched you in admiration. Stepping closer, he stretched upwards and placed his lips on yours. The taste of sugar was still in his mouth as he placed his hand on your forearm. As the two of you released, you couldn’t help but quip, “Well, at least I know I added enough sugar!”

[offshore-brinicle]

Little personal Limbus theory that I've been working on for some time is that the Limbus Sinners' inciting indicents that led them down the path of joining the company, being the moment when their wish was born, all happened at the same time 3 years before the current story.

Thanks to some old leaks where people managed to dig up three of the Sinners' unobstructed profiles, we know Yi Sang and Sinclair's official ages are 29 and 20 respectively. Remove 3 years from that:

Yi Sang would have been 26, which is the age the narrator of The Wings claims to be, after leaving his wife behind once and for all and pressumably commiting suicide by jumping off the rooftop of a department store. 26 is the real Yi Sang's age at the time of his death as well, after his tuberculosis worsened imprisioned by the Japanese forces, so this means most likely he's left N Corp behind 3 years prior, avoiding such a fate, be it either death by his own hands in despair or torment at the hands of Hermann since she seems to threaten him with torture.

Sinclair on the other hand would have been 17 which aligns with him still being in high school when the incident with Kromer happened and also mentions in his observation log for Kromer that she has grown slightly taller since the last time they met, however what was of him and how he had survived for so long taking in count he woke up in the Backstreets after his family's murder is still a mystery.

Now recently, not only the Pequod crew speculate that they have been trapped inside The Whale for 3 years, but we get direct confirmation that Limbus!Heathcliff is from the Wuthering Heights timeskip thanks to his Queequeg ID.

The first one is pretty self-explenatory, they say it themselves, though it's dubious how true this is since they have no way of tell the passage of time inside the whale and even the woman who says this sounds somewhat unsure, and Pip who was a young child in Ishmael's memory still looks the same when we see him again in the present and it's difficult to say if this is a side effect of the Pallidfication. (on the other hand I am impressed at the growth rate of Ishmael's hair for being only 3 years)

On the other hand, Heathcliff's Queequeg ID mentions the event that led him to run away from Wuthering Heights in the original novel; he overhears Catherine saying to Nelly that marrying him would be "a disgrace to her", so driven by his anger and heartbreak he ran away, making his own fortune elsewhere so that he would return to the state seeking vengeance and to become someone who Catherine would be willing to marry. This had been implied before through his general behavior and his mugshot showing him still shabby and bruised as well as his N Corp story, but this leaves no room for questioning.

All of this means that if we go by the book, at least 3 years have passed since he left Wuthering Heights and Canto VI which is next and dedicated to him would correspond with Heathcliff's return to Wuthering Heights both in Limbus' story and in the book, meaning Catherine is most likely still alive, yet Heathcliff as a Sinner in Limbus Company is a far cry from the newly powerful version of Heatchliff that returns to the state in the book, so it's likely things will play out not quite the same.

Faust's line in the Walpurgisnacht cutscene says that the standard extraction timeline range is limited to 3 years between the past and future.

In this cutscene she also says that the extractions are powered by possibility itself, and the IDs that become available are also influenced by the Sinners' experiences at the company and how they come to reconsider themselves and each other, that's how for example we get N Corp. Sinclair and Spicebush Yi Sang after being faced with Kromer digging at Sinclair and telling him about the world where they work together, and then Yi Sang being so strongly affected internally by Dongbaek's death and ultimate fate, which would be the most intense story-focused examples so far, and if we eventually get a Captain Ahab ID for Ishmael, they had already established she was down the path of becoming another Ahab, and she herself did not realize this until they met again.

If all of the Sinners' great choices that led them down the path they are currently all happened 3 years ago and the initial extraction range is 3 years, it would make sense, since these would be the moments that weight on their mind most strongly, though there's also the case of Outis who has been on her own journey for at least 10 years going by the original Odyssey and how long ago The Smoke War was, same case for Gregor who's specific motives for joining are still unknown.

[scientia-rex]

I really appreciate your breakdown on all of this, it’s both enlightening and vindicating.

I am about 50kg (110lb) above my “recommended” weight and am still getting over my general upbringing that told me I am at fault for being so much bigger than my peers. I still get surprised every time I talk to professionals about it and they just shoot down my assumptions.

My GP told me my extra weight gain after changing my medication is not a concern because I am fit and healthy. My endocrinologist diagnosed my various hormonal conditions that I’ve had since puberty and made it clear that I wouldn’t be able to lose weight without actually starving myself, which of course he did not recommend. My psychiatrist responded to my anxiety about my weight by telling me about HAES paradigm- Healthy At Every Size - and that I should not chastise myself for something both beyond my control, and also not a concern. My first physical trainer, when I talked about wanting to lose weight, made it very clear that regular exercise would not help me lose weight. I saw a dietician and they made it clear that they would not feel comfortable trying to bring me down to a “normal” weight range but would be very happy to help me balance my nutritional needs and make sure I’m getting enough vitamins.

All of these certified professionals agreed - being big is not inherently a problem. And yet every time I see my parents they make at least one comment about how I need to be losing weight. And I know it’s because they care but it’s really disheartening. It’s also really exhausting trying to respond to them with what I’ve learned because even if I could cite my sources right then and there, they would still think I’m making excuses. Sometimes they believe my doctors but very often they respond with “okay but” and still insist I’m just not trying.

So yes I really really appreciate you standing your ground and trying to educate people despite all the naysayers. I’m sure your determination has helped people learn that maybe they can be happy with their bodies as they are.

I’m glad your professionals are getting it right. I’m sorry your parents aren’t. You might consider asking them to read Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture, or You Just Need to Lose Weight (and 19 Other Myths About Fat People), but you may also want to set a firm boundary: don’t talk about my weight or I will hang up/leave the house and go back to the hotel.

[starsandgutters]

21, 22, and 23 for Kevin and Aaron?

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

I AM a fic writer! Hello 🤗

Aaron:

BLUSHY!!! Love making him blush easy. Pink tips to his ears, spilling down his cheeks, exposing him when he’s so emotionally reserved.

I like making him cold because I also have bad circulation & we all love to project. Plus I think it’s the kind of consistent discomfort that will push him into scenarios where he accepts help he wouldn’t usually/allows people closer/is forced to show a vulnerability (which he hates).

Chubby Aaron Minyard!!! I don’t care if they’re athletes, I don’t care who claims it’s unrealistic (if they’re fueling right it’s actually not, a lot of young & even pro athletes are low BF due to poor fueling & often suffer REDS because of it and it’s less noticeable with male athletes as they don’t have period loss as an obvious sign!, like some of them still will be very thin/lean but some people’s bodies just hold more weight even with intense levels of activity!!), drag my body diverse characters from my cold dead hands with claw marks.

Pretty eyes looking honey coloured in direct sunlight 🫶🏻

Wry sense of humour & sharp intelligence with a diverse range of knowledge.

Little individual details that separate him from Andrew - dimple on the opposite side, more yellow than orange flecks in his eyes, freckles on his legs and more on his arms, slightly different placement of their moles, scar on his back, actually wears his reading glasses while Andrew denies needing them, and as they age Aaron will have deeper smile lines, and he’ll be leaner as Andrew keeps/builds his muscle mass for pro exy.

Little interests that he doesn’t really talk about but there’s signs sprinkled through his life. The ocean/sea creatures/space/the stars/books/RPGs (if you can’t have real friends at least you can play video games with a party of fictional companions!)/dinosaurs/dogs/animals in general/cooking (he loves that he has access to food now and he’s learned a useful life skill and he finds it soothing and also he can do it for other people as a sign of care)

Tying in with that, funky patterned socks. Like he’s always doing his best to appear normal/blend in/not draw attention to himself, but that’s his secret little fun bit of self expression for himself.

This is a lot of things. I could keep adding to this list. I love Aaron Minyard 💖

I mean if I didn’t like something I’d probably just not write it hahaha. He can be frustrating to get where I want sometimes because he’s so extremely hyperindependent and he doesn’t like to voice his desires or talk about his emotions.

Also I think writing verbal abuse doesn’t always come across with the gravity of hearing it. Sometimes abusive dialogue is not something that reads with a lot of impact, but it will be how it’s been said, or the repetition over years. Idk I find it hard to translate into writing because it never feels enough or often reads as overdramatised. So trying to write flashbacks to Tilda can suffer from that.

Kevin:

Kevin Day reads exy smut. Is it a silly little headcanon? Yes. But I’m emotionally attached to it now and it’s canon to ME.

Ready to infodump at a second’s notice, he’s just WAITING for the opening.

Back! Dimples!

IRIIIISH! Any excuse I get to write Irish Kevin Day, I will.

Grumpy sleepy Kevin. He will pass out anywhere. He is near impossible to wake up. He snores horrendously loud and denies it (as if he can hear himself when he’s asleep???). Has been known to drool on himself. Can’t get both his eyes to open at the same time but will still fight you first thing. Just a real nightmare.

It’s not so much I like it as in its a fun topic, but I think his relationship with food is an important part of how I write Kevin. He very much exhibits a lot of disordered eating, and from and outside view actually probably looks like he’s eating a pretty healthy diet for a standard person. But I think he has issues with orthorexia as a result of the Nest, that he undereats for the amount of training he does (and doesn’t consider the amount of EXTRA training he does on top of that!), and has a real preoccupation with healthy foods (and issues with applying moral value to what he eats. “Good” vs “bad”)

I like differentiating his public facade from who he is in private. Things like his perfected media smile where he knows his angles to show off his jaw and how wide to smile for a good ratio of teeth, versus his big dorky too many teeth slightly crooked grin he has when he’s genuinely excited. Charming media laugh versus ugly snort laugh when something catches him off guard and surprises a laugh from him. Incredibly polite public mask. Constant resting bitch face with matching cutting personality behind closed doors.

Praise kink.

My Kevin is autistic so I like to include small things to reflect that. There’s certain textures he doesn’t like (material wise, he’s a velvet hater. With food, he can be really fussy about things like aubergine), and he’s not always great at interpreting people’s facial expressions. He’s learned to be very good at masking due to media training, but he doesn’t always pick up on social cues in his personal life/often just decides to ignore them. Will get hyper focused in on his interests and sometimes forgets about other things in his life. He’ll also mirror back the way other people show care/affection for him since he didn’t really get socialised on that in the Nest.

Interests outside of exy! I love when he starts to relax and recover enough to explore other elements of himself 🫶🏻 reading his silly little smutty books for pleasure, watching documentaries or listening to podcasts on topics he’s interested in, I think he enjoys photography, finding different kinds of activity to move his body that aren’t just targeted towards improving his performance in exy, but things he can just enjoy (like hiking or swimming - yeah, they help his anaerobic capacity, but he’s not going hard at them like an extra element of training), and hearing live music (he already likes classical music but I think it hits different the first time he hears an orchestra performing live).

I also love Kevin. Are we surprised.

As with Tilda, I find it tricky to really capture the impact of his abuse in the Nest, because Riko often reads like a caricature of a cartoon villain when you start writing out his dialogue 😭

Also as primarily a KevAaron reader, Kevin often hurts Aaron a lot (usually unintentionally not picking up on a cue/not realising he’s doing something/skewing his priorities/making a blunt callous comment without considering the emotional impact), which, y’know, is good for plot, but bad for me, because I love my sweet perfect angel baby boy never did anything wrong in his life ever Aaron!!!

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to the character? Something you don't like?

I actually don’t read that much fic since I only read KevAaron & also spend most of my time on my own absurd word output 😭

I like a lot of the things I enjoy writing in them. I just really like them having interests & development beyond the books. I love thorough characterisation. And I like seeing in AUs how the core of the character is kept while exploring how they’d differ in the circumstance!

Things I dislike…

Aaron just being seen as an alternative to Andrew. It makes me rage lmao they’re so different !! (Now contrarily I think the angst of Aaron BELIEVING he’s a second choice after Andrew can be interesting, but I don’t like it being the reality, because I don’t think Aaron should settle for that. He deserves better 😌)

Aaron cheating on Katelyn. I just simply do not believe he would do this. (Whereas Kevin and Thea have their weird loose kind of open relationship thing going on so it’s slightly more palatable but I honestly don’t love that either.)

Also don’t love the way addiction is touched on sometimes but I think people just don’t have experience/knowledge of it and are trying to reflect what they’ve seen in other media.

And nothing wrong with this but having grown up with the only queer representation being stories of internalised homophobia & coming out angst, I am not interested in narratives that centre around that kind of plot line. This doesn’t just go for Kevin & Aaron, I don’t enjoy this in anything I read. If it’s touched upon that’s fine, but if it’s all that’s centred in their character, I am not interested 😅

(These are my preferences btw and don’t dictate the quality of anyone’s writing if they include these elements. They’re just. Not for me.)

23. Favorite picture of this character?

The famous press shot of Kevin changing his racquet to his left hand during the final match 🫶🏻

Hahaha I guess in this context this means fanart.

This has been my phone lock screen for several years. I just like the energy of it. Their little bitchy expressions. The casual closeness. THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE 🗣️🗣️🗣️ the fact there’s seats but they choose to stand. Aaron’s outfit (green lover Aaron is canon to me). Aaron’s freckles. Them being fucking nerds together. (Also this one. The possessive undertones. Kevin’s hand placement and Aaron’s side eye back)

Masslowart did fanart of Kinda Love which I am VERY emotional about 🥲 and all their KevAaron stuff is gorgeous.

All @hamrikaa KevAaron stuff is also stunning but this is like the prettiest Kevin I’ve ever seen. Love him in pink. (Also pride KevAaron ily)

I adore all of @naturecalls111 KevAaron comics & art 💖

Very real and human Aaron

It’s what Aaron deserves!!!

It’s what Aaron deserves pt 2 !! (Generally enjoy how @rainbowd00dles draws the Twinyards)

Soft Aaron (love to see it & also enjoy the body type)

[absolutebl]

Given the wide range of BL you've consumed and analyzed. I am curious at your perspective when comparing BLs made/written by men and those that were written by women, in a different direction, comparing BLs directed by men in comparison to women.

If you could have the time and give your perspective in this two sources of BL , that would be great.

Hum, I'm not sure how to answer this. Except in a kind of avoidance way because I question the premise.

I think, in general, in most of the film industry, the original writing has very little to do with the final result, because so many new voices and povs are imposed on it the moment it begins to be adapted. After a BL leaves its author (predominantly female) it goes to script, a writers room, and eventually into the hands of director and team. All those people are different genders (predominantly male). And all of them have a significant impact on the end result.

Sometimes the author has unprecedented influence (mame for example) but that's pretty unusual.

Statistically speaking, the origin IP (whether novel or graphic) is most likely written by a female and the resulting BL most likely directed by a male.

There are always exceptions, of course.

Even putting aside all the other people, mostly script writers, in between the two primaries (which I just don't think you can) it would be statistically challenging to draw any commonalities amongst female directors (since there are so few) or amongst male writers (for the same reason). In other words, we have many many examples of really only 1 of the 4 possible combinations, and all those examples are muddied by the nature of the filming process (not to mention the nature of gender).

In other words, it would be challenging for me to say things are generally preferable in any one version of the pairings.

I have liked BLs written and directed by women, written by a woman directed by a man, written by a man directed by a woman, or written and directed by men (although those last two I would struggle to name any BLs).

However, I have also liked and then disliked BLs from the same general team and combination of genders behind the creatives.

For me, at least, there doesn't seem to be a reliable team or a reliable writer or a reliable director whose BL product I will reliably love.

I would hesitate to place a predictor on my BL taste (or anyone else's) based on the gender of any part of the team behind a BL. That seems..... weird. Especially when queers and 3rd gender etc are involved (and we have always been involved in artistic spaces for as long as humans have existed, I suspect).

But then I feel that way about most entertainment, from music to books to plays to comedy to fashion. I can be a fan of a director's style but not like some of their shows, just as I can be a fan of an actor's performance but not the character they're playing, or a fan of a pair's chemistry but not in those roles, and so forth.

I think what youth and influencers and the internet age has forgotten is that it's okay to admire a creative individual and not slavishly adore everything that they produce. (For fuck's sake though, don't tell them that, you absolute troll.)

Creatives and creative teams also have their own taste, and that may conflict with yours. Especially with newer IP where you might want the same old same old and they need to evolved. Consumers of entertainment are remarkably resistant to creativity, innovation, and change (so oxymoronic) .

It's okay, maybe you'll like their next BL, song, book, painting, performance......

I have no idea how I got here but:

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

I do have some stuff on a queer lens here:

[bestanimal]

Round 3 - Mammalia - Peramelemorphia

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

The marsupial order Peramelemorphia contains the living families Peramelidae (“bandicoots”) and Thylacomyidae (“Greater Bilby”).

Peramelemorphs all tend to have a characteristic shape: a round, arch-backed body with a long, delicately tapering snout, upright ears, relatively long, thin legs, and a thin tail. They range from the size of a rat to the size of a rabbit. They are omnivorous, feeding mainly on soil-dwelling invertebrates, as well as seeds, fruit, and fungi. They possess a well-developed sense of smell and eyes that are adapted for nocturnal habits. They are are generally solitary, with females taking care of their young.

Female peramelemorphs have a pouch that opens to the rear, to protect their young while they dig for insects and their larvae. The gestation period of peramelemorphs is the shortest among mammals, at just 12-14 days. As in other marsupials, peramelemorph joeys are born as tiny, relatively undeveloped neonates and must crawl their way from the vagina to the pouch to latch on to a teat, where they will complete the rest of their development. Peramelemorph growth is fast, with bandicoots setting off on their own and becoming sexually mature at just three months of age. Female bilbies reach sexual maturity at five months of age, and male bilbies become sexually mature at eight months. This allows a given female to produce more than one litter per breeding season and gives peramelemorphs an unusually high reproductive rate compared to other marsupials.

Peramelemorphs originated in the Late Oligocene. Both the oldest modern bandicoot (Peramelid) and the oldest bilby (Thylacomyid) are known from Middle Miocene fossil deposits (around 15 million years old).

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The name bandicoot is based on the animal’s ratlike appearance. The name comes from an English corruption of an Indian word "pandi-kokku" meaning "pig-rat".

The smallest peramelemorph is the Mouse Bandicoot (Microperoryctes murina), which is 15–17.5 cm (5.9-6.9 in) long.

The Golden Bandicoot (Isoodon auratus) is especially adapted for life in hot, semi-arid environments. It has a low body temperature that is constantly changing, making it heterothermic. This allows the internal body temperature to fluctuate in response to extreme environmental temperatures without inhibiting and denaturing necessary proteins. Additionally, its low metabolic rate correlates to less heat being produced by the body, and a low thermal conductance does not allow the animal to capture and store heat well. A highly efficient panting mechanism allows for a low rate of evaporative water loss when cooling the body, conserving precious water.

The Northern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) is one of relatively few native Australian ground-dwelling mammals that is able to survive in urbanized landscapes, due to their generalized diet and habitat requirements.

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) (image 1) is the basis for the popular videogame character Crash Bandicoot, and was selected from a number of Tasmanian mammals by creators Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin for its appeal and relative obscurity.

Described in 2014, a fossil species of Miocene bandicoot found at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area was given the genus name Crash. It was given the species names bandicoot. Because paleontologists are just Like That.

Wiped out due to predation from introduced foxes and domestic cats, as well as land-clearing for farming, the Victorian subspecies of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) was declared Extinct in the Wild. Thanks to 30 years of conservation efforts, breeding the bandicoots in human care and establishing fox and cat-safe sanctuaries, the mainlaind population was changed from Extinct in the Wild to Endangered in September 2021, a first for Australian conservation!

The Giant Bandicoot (Peroryctes broadbenti) (image 3) is more than twice the weight of other bandicoots and adult males of the species can attain weights well in excess of 4 kg (8.8 lb).

Unlike bandicoots, Greater Bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) (image 2 and gif) are excellent burrowers and build extensive tunnel systems with their strong forelimbs and well-developed claws. Burrows spiral down, making it hard for predators to get in. A bilby typically makes several burrows within its home range, up to about a dozen; and moves between them, using them for shelter both from predators and the heat of the day, as they are desert-dwelling animals.

Greater Bilbies are generally solitary, however, there are some cases in which they travel in pairs. Pairs usually consist of two females as the sole caregivers of their offspring.

Greater Bilbies do not need to drink water, as they retain all the moisture they need from their food.

Because rabbits are invasive in Australia, introduced by European settlers, bilbies have been popularised as an Australian alternative to the Easter Bunny. Haigh's Chocolates in Adelaide made 950,000 chocolate ���Easter Bilbies” between 1993 and 2020, with proceeds donated to the Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia, which does environmental work to protect the indigenous biodiversity of Australia.

Today, only the Greater Bilby survives and is vulnerable, but the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura) is a recently extinct relative, having possibly survived into the 1960s. Its extinction was much “quieter” than that of the Thylacine, and was likely due to introductions of invasive predators like the domestic cat and red fox. Other “quiet extinctions” include that of the Desert Bandicoot (Perameles eremiana) which appears to have disappeared between about 1943 and 1960, and the Nullarbor Barred Bandicoot (Perameles papillon) which was last collected in 1928.

Today, many peramelemorph species are still threatened and endangered due to habitat fragmentation and introduced predators, as well as from competition with introduced rabbits. Areas designated to conserve vulnerable populations of bilbies and bandicoots have predator exclusion fences built around them, and must be heavily monitored for break-ins. In Currawinya National Park in Queensland, high-salinity flood waters damaged a predator exclusion fence, allowing feral cats to enter the sanctuary, wiping out all the bilbies in the park.