#dolphins inactives

[davidwarner3]

Dolphins RB De'Von Achane (ankle) active for Thursday night vs. Bills

Full video

Full video

[sinclair-scrambles]

Daydreaming of holding a strike from Shining Nikki so us players (the stylists) can send the message that yes, Paper Games, we're tired of waiting for you to implement features that already should be there

Such as more diverse skin colors for one

[coffeegnomee]

This conversation with Mane has got me thinking about what it is about Spokeishere that made him such an incredible villain.

And I realized that Spoke never cared about player activity. That wasn't his main goal.

All his plots were around doing the plot with whomever was around, and usually, since it was server ending, he actively didn't want players to be active. (the cleansing is interesting and i'll get to it later)

Like, season 3 Spoke wanted to ban everyone off the server. And here was a PrinceZam actively trying to stop him. Spoke didn't care if everyone else gave up, that was the point. He wanted everyone to give up. But Zam would just NOT give up.

The finale therefore revolved around getting Zam in particular to give up, and trying to ban everyone else off the server.

Spoke needs players to care about his plots, but it's not about generalized player activity.

In s4, over the whole season, but specifically once he got the wormhole barrel on lifesteal, he started doing little stream events with each player that he could get to long on. Individually inviting them to be active.

Vortex and Mapicc hide and seek that won them wormhole items. (bro got vortexdragon to log on I mean come on) Going on Zam's stream and making poopies, bringing poopies to Bacon's streams and Planet's streams and making a playhouse for players to try and survive. Making Peepees the warden during Zam's fight with Mapicc partially on Mapicc's request, then making a maze for players to go through and survive. Joining Zam's stream to splash the po potion on him. Telling Planet to stream and showing off some of the wormhole items. Joining Zam's stream when Branzy logged on and giving Branzy the dolphin potion.

Just so many little events played with the members who already were active, or asking specific members to log on and doing something with them.

And that got a huge roster of members who were mildly aware of what was going on so as things ramped up they understood the context.

But it was never about getting people to care about the server again, he just created an environment where they had fun and therefore did care about the server.

And as the season approached its end, he told Parrot that if he and 3ht could survive the wormhole they would win.

And the people who were inactive who logged onto the event were presented with absolute chaos but it was clear they were opposing spoke so they naturally gravitated to asking Parrot what he needed and that got them involved.

The wormhole was a protect the president event, with clear sides. But if you didn't show up it didn't matter to Spoke. It was on 3ht and Parrot to convince people to help them, they would be hunted down regardless.

And that event showed just how good Spoke is at keeping an eye out on hopelessness and pressing forward or laying off or keeping op items in reserve or asking parrot what items to ban so that there was no way for 3ht to be banned before at minimum the final hour.

He is phenomenal at understanding hope and making sure it stays high.

The Cleansing was a little different, it was started, iiuc, because players weren't active and out of the conclusion that that was because there was a heart discrepancy.

So the end goal was to make it easier for player to be active, but that wasn't the goal of the arc. The goal of the arc was to kill every player once. They didn't have the goal to get everyone to care about lifesteal again, they just killed you once if you logged on, and in one day killed, what, 6 players? By doing such a scandalously brutal first day (and with an exploit) it created an intrigue to everyone else and an opposition formed. And because the cleansers wanted more players to log on to harvest hearts from, they were perfectly happy to oblige the dirties with the fights they wanted in retribution for the hearts they had already taken.

They didn't just want the members active, they needed them to be active so they could engage in a fight and kill them.

And when a member logged on that wasn't normally active, everyone knew they would be targeted by the cleansers and worked to save them. It was clear they were in danger.

And that engagement brought more interest, and that interest created a large group and before you knew it Clown was getting bloodthirsty and created a side team to get all the hearts and now there were three teams and everyone ganged up on decimation and Clown got bed trapped and the cleaners won and the hearts were distributed and it was lifesteal's most highly rated event.

But this event-based plot that will work with just whoever is active, and whoever is active will naturally get whoever is not active to be active, and that will get the whole server active without you trying, is a wholly unique mindset that Spoke has that is different from any member who has tried to be the villain.

The abyss, to their credit, once they became a scavenger hunt event, saw wildly more player activity than when they were just a hole to the void. And Medusa and the s4 prison were both events as well, and they saw a good amount of intrigue.

[tibby-art]

erm. another hitman au ask i'm wondering how much power the NHO has? over Hermit City n stuff. are there like- different quadrants of their organisation? like for tech, historical research, surveillance, hitmen etc ? also sry i know nothing abt NHO convex watchers n stuff. very interested tho.

also do bdubs beef etho n doc have like. matching suits. are they best friends. do they hang out near the water cooler and braid eachothers hair. do they have matching Business Bracelets? with letter cubes and pretty beads. stars gummybears dolphins heart shaped ones. i think that's a sign of true best friendship in the workplace <3 anywho

so basically the NHO is an early season 5 thing, they’re the New Hermit Order and they clashed heads with the ConVex a bit (they made it canon that they ate the nho to explain the nho becoming inactive towards the end of season 5. because why not)

“Running with the name, i think the NHO in this au is focused on maintaining order in the city, so taking down criminals as well as taking care of any weird anomaly that may threaten the city (anything from an outbreak of mobs to someone gaining weird powers overnight). Before they were hitmen, the ConVex were the most wanted criminals in Hermit City, and it took the NHO a very long time to finally catch them and make a deal with them. The NHO is Beef, Doc, Etho and Bdubs, so I think they’re the four heads of the organization, each with their own areas of expertise that they manage. (I think Bdubs and Beef are more focused on infrastructure, Bdubs being the builder that he is and Beef being an expert mapmaker/planner, while Doc and Etho are more focused on redstone machinery and technology. Doc is a bit more into insane experiments about it while Etho is more just like, helping implement solar-powered crosswalk signs or something dope and chill like that)

also that last bit is 100% true they deny everything though

[autumn-foxfire]

Movie 20!

This one is pretty sad T-T At least the ending.

Amuro, this is NOT the time to pick petty fights with Akai. Imagine being the owner of that red car sent flying though T-T Must have been terrifying.

Although, all these pile ups are the reason why police actually stop chasing criminals when they get in congested areas so innocents won't be harms by the recklessness of an escaping criminal and the idiots who decided to chase after them in a crowded location (yes I am calling you out Amuro).

I wonder if Akai's car is his own or if it belongs to the Kudo's.

Akai: Please help with the cleanup.

James turning on the TV: ...For gods sake Akai.

It's kind of funny for Shinichi to describe Amuro's hatred of Akai as something that is returned because Akai just seems to have fun with it.

Vermouth <3 My favourite evil lady.

Only Shinichi would notice something odd by sniffing XD

The kids are so pure of heart. They were so excited to go on the ferris wheel but the moment someone needed help they ditched all of those plans to help them. And it's because of these pure hearts that the ending happens T-T

Looks like the movies haven't forgotten Ai's BO sense.

I love the difference between Ai's approach to the organization and Shinichi's. Ai knows they can't be left alone but because she's scared of them she's extremely cautious about how she handles them to the point of inaction, meanwhile Shinichi is too obsessive with them to the point of being reckless if he doesn't have others to keep him in check which can put others in a lot of danger.

And it's because of this they struggle to communicate when it comes to the BO.

I can't believe they're just letting Shinichi have evidence XD They put so much faith in a 7 year old.

Shinichi has taught the kids well though, when in doubt, use Takagi to get intelligence.

The dolphin charm T-T

Ai and Shinichi have the deepest moments in this series and we love them for it.

And this is how they get Ran in danger so Shinichi can have his "save" Ran moment. I wish they wouldn't do this with her character and just give her a fucking role instead.

Sonoko: Why didn't you invite Shinichi?

Ran without fail: First, why would I? And secondly, how?

And of course Sonoko suggests Shinichi is "cheating" (you can't cheat on a person you're not dating) because these two are never allowed to do things for themselves, they must have to always be together or it's suspicious.

Fuck the romance of this series, I swear to god it's so fucking gross.

Time for Amuro and Akai to have a homoerotic fight on top of a ferris wheel. And what a beautiful backdrop for this fight it is.

Meanwhile Shinichi is doing their jobs by finding he bombs.

Shinichi: AKAI WHY AREN'T YOU DOING YOUR JOB?!

Akai: Sorry Shinichi, a lil bitch wants to fight me first.

Sonoko, I'm sorry but it's pretty hypocritical calling Ran a pushover for not believing Shinichi is having an affair but will just let Ran allow Shinichi to walk all over her normally. If you truly care about Ran, get her to ditch him.

I can't remember if canon has shared that Rei knows Matsuda before of it is first revealed in this movie.

And Shinichi has won another org member over with his charms. Or maybe she was going to only tell Rum until she's forced to have a change of plans.

Amuro: I don't know what happened but I can use the light.

Shinichi: I fell through the ferris wheel because of Gin. You're welcome.

Gin pressing the button over and over expecting a result is pretty fucking funny. He's like push push. Oh it broke.

Well time for Plan C! Guns!

Akai is not having a good time this movie. He's trying to be badass but he keeps being stopped. Sadly for him, this movie's focus is on Curacao.

Gin is such a lil bitch though. He's like "well if my detonater won't work, I'll just use the gun."

I don't know how the org manages to stay hidden when they pull shit like this.

Akai finally gets to have his moment.

Gin is still a lil bitch.

Awww Ai used her own body to protect Ayumi.

Amuro and Akai make a great team when they work together so they should bury the hatchet and just bury themselves inside each other instead.

CURACAO T-T I can't believe we actually had someone crushed to death in Detective Conan.

And Ai is traumatized.

Someone get her to therapy, please. And Shinichi because he's realised what just happened too.

LIKE DAMN WHAT A DEPRESSING ENDING.

Shinichi and Ai can never tell the kids the truth T-T Even though it's due to the kids that everyone's lives were saved.

[askscribblestuff]

//EPIC!! I don't know if anyone's ever done this but!!!

lmk if i missed any :3 :3

Current animatic blog list :)

@animaticaskblog - animatic, lineart, doodle, that one purple animatic whos stuck in a void

@asktrianglesblog - outline, illustration , draft, triangle ? ?

@asksketchanything - sketch

@askbri0 - brio ..

@catlord47 - edit

@someoneyoudontneed2know - the um silly guy who doesnt have name

@askrenderanything - render

@timequalitys - quality

@askdiagramanything - diagram nowayy

@birdimatic-tweet - the bird guy uh yeah

@askdepictionanything depiction

@bugmatic - ...well.. its bugmatic,,.,

@askstoryboardandonionskin - onionskin and storyboardd

@ask-dolphinanything - dolphin

@animaticverse-confessional - previously warmup and canvas, now its a confessional !! i still wanted to include them tho

and meee Yay wajhhooyay @askscribblestuff and @donttalktojpeg and @quoteasks inactive/uh not in use anymore @askscrappyandlayer - scrappy , layer @askweedmatic - weedmatic. i hate him @inconstantpainonelies - SPOOKY IS FUCKGING BACK LETS GO user @inconstantpainwelie - i dont even know anymore dude @boptherealone - im going to k

if you wanna be added to this, simply reply to this post or follow me or dm me or whatever. ueah

[rabbitcruiser]

Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Marine Mammal Rescue Day is celebrated on April 27 annually. It is a holiday initiative by the state of California’s Senate. This day honors the people who have made a positive difference in the lives of marine mammals, such as wildlife biologists, veterinarians, and animal care specialists. It is also a day to consider our individual contributions to climate change that affect marine mammals’ lives. For the west coast, spring is the peak of animal rescue season owing to disease and famine. Action is conducted by marine mammal rescue organizations.

History of Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Toni Atkins, a California State Senator, passed the bill that designates April 27 as Marine Mammal Rescue Day. The celebration began in 2017. Gratitude is also given to the Marine Mammal Stranding Network for its continued dedication to the rescue, rehabilitation, and return of creatures stranded off the coast of California. The Marine Mammal Rescue Day celebration may be fairly recent, but the work of these marine mammal rescues has been in existence for far longer.

In 1975, The Marine Mammal Center (T.M.M.C.), formerly known as The California Marine Mammal Center, a private and non-profit organization based in the United States was founded to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured, ill, or abandoned marine animals. Lloyd Smalley, Pat Arrigoni, and Paul Maxwell created it in Sausalito, California. T.M.M.C. has rescued nearly 23,000 marine mammals since 1975. It also acts as a research and education facility for marine animals such as whales, dolphins, pinnipeds (seals, walruses, and sea lions), otters, manatees, and dugongs.

Many water species require medical assistance due to illness or damage. Polluted waters, marine trash, and illegal fishing gears injure and kill aquatic life in general. The ocean has been polluted and tainted as a result of human acts and inaction. The waters have warmed as a result of climate change, and the patterns in which fish swim have changed. Young marine mammals are frequently unable to travel long distances or dive deep enough to get the food they require. All types of aquatic life are harmed by illegal fishing gear, pollution, and garbage. This is where aquatic mammal rescuers and specialists come in, devoting their time, energy, and resources to safeguard the safety of the marine life that we all should care about.

Marine Mammal Rescue Day timeline

1972

Marine Mammal Protection Act

President Richard Nixon signs the Marine Mammal Protection Act (M.M.P.A.) into law, establishing a national policy.

1975

The Marine Mammal Center

The Marine Mammal Center (T.M.M.C.), a private and non-profit organization based in the United States, is founded.

1992

Foundation for Marine Animal Husbandry

The Foundation for Marine Animal Husbandry, a nonprofit organization in Florida, opens.

2017

Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Toni Atkins, a California State Senator, creates Marine Mammal Rescue Day through a bill.

Marine Mammal Rescue Day FAQs

What are baby whales called?

Baby whales are referred to as ‘calves.’

What are the kinds of marine mammals?

Cetaceans, pinnipeds, sirenians, and marine fissipeds are the four taxonomic groups that make up marine mammals.

Do dolphins lay eggs?

Dolphins are mammals. Thus, they do not lay eggs. Instead, they give live birth to their young.

How to Observe Marine Mammal Rescue Day

Reduce, reuse, recycle: Simple steps to improve your actions to assist in reducing marine body pollution can make a tremendous difference. Reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible. Single-use plastic should be avoided and other trash should be disposed of sustainably.

Learn about ocean conservation: Learn as much as you can about ocean conservation. Discover what it entails and how you can help. Know about ocean conservation organizations and consider donating to support their objectives.

Volunteer yourself: Make yourself available to help marine conservation charities. Joining and volunteering with beach cleanup is one of many ways to do so. It may not seem like much but if everyone performed their modest part, we could have a significant influence collectively.

5 Interesting Facts About Marine Mammals

Sea otters have deft hands: Sea otters have deft hands for smashing sea urchins off rocks.

Sleeping with one eye open: Dolphins only sleep with one half of their brain and one eye closed at a time.

Semi-aquatic creatures: Sea lions are semi-aquatic creatures.

Penguin proposal: During mating season, several species of male penguins "propose" to their lady with a pebble.

Elephant relatives: Manatees are related to elephants and have more in common with them than they do with dolphins or whales.

Why Marine Mammal Rescue Day is Important

Human and marine life interaction: Whale watching benefits local economies in a variety of ways. According to studies, people can derive economic benefits from simply knowing that marine mammals are present and healthy even if they are unable to see them.

Marine mammal protection: The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects all 125 species of marine mammals that live in American waters. This makes it illegal to harm a marine mammal in any way that would interfere with its normal behavior.

It promotes a healthy ocean ecosystem: Maintaining the equilibrium of marine ecosystems requires robust marine mammal populations. Reduced numbers of whales, dolphins, or seals can have unpredictably negative consequences for other key species such as fish, birds, and invertebrates.

Source

[shipfishwrites]

come play at this rp it's good i promise. promise

21+ ✧ post-AIVAS ✧ non-canon ✧ queer-friendly

Sorrow’s Forge is entering its Open Beta. Join us for the Western Weyr Winter Festival starting July 1st – there will be new pets and opportunities for RP.

✧ ✧ ✧

Six hundred years have passed since the destruction of Thread and Pern finds itself coming to the close of a technological and cultural golden age. Humans, dragons, whers, and dolphins struggle to ensure their place in the world and lawlessness spreads with each passing day of unrest. 

Do the people of Pern even have time to pay attention to the message received from long-forgotten Earth, begging for help?

✧ ✧ ✧

✧ Discord-based RP! We’ll walk you through it, no worries

✧ Chill vibe! We’re all adults with lives and distractions and we don’t punish inactivity

✧ Science fantasy! Your dragon has a Twitter handle and she gets more retweets than you

✧ You can play a wher! Even a purple one with racing stripes

✧ Queer/LGBTQ+ community

✧ Create your own factions! Especially evil ones

✧ Room for nuance! We celebrate dark backstories and angsty roleplay

[stargazer-sims]

Postscript (Journal Entry #61)

Journal Entry #60 // STORY INDEX

Yuri

Hello everyone! Guess where we are!

If you guessed Sulani, then you'd be correct. I suppose the golden sand and gorgeous blue ocean behind me were a giveaway, weren't they? I couldn't resist recording my final entry out here on the deck of our rented beach house. It seems fitting somehow to end our journal in the place that inspired the creation of it; beautiful, magical Sulani.

Victor and I talked about whether or not we wanted to continue documenting our lives once we relocated to Willow Creek, and we agreed that it's time to close the curtain on this particular show. Our journal has served us well. It’s allowed us to work through some very difficult thoughts and feelings, and I believe it's helped us grow, or at least helped us to mark our growth. But, we both feel we've moved beyond it now. We want to focus on new and different things.

Still, I had to make one last video, just to tell you about my big reward. Yes, our adventure in this tropical paradise is indeed the thing I hinted about in my previous entry.

Of course you know we were planning to travel here anyway, but Victor came up with the plan that we should go as soon as we could after I completed my sixty consecutive days of being formula-free. He pitched the idea to my parents, who are paying for the trip, and they thought it was brilliant. I successfully made it to my sixtieth day on October first, and we left Willow Creek on the fourth.

The timing turned out to be excellent, as our first wedding anniversary was yesterday, the eighth of October. I couldn't have asked for a more fitting way to celebrate it.

Yesterday morning, Victor woke me up early so we could watch the sunrise together. Then, we packed a picnic breakfast and walked along the beach until we found the perfect spot to enjoy it.

Later in the morning, we went on an ocean sightseeing tour. I'd never been in a boat bigger than a dinghy or canoe before, and I'd never been out on the ocean. At first I was nervous, but it didn't take me long to relax, and I discovered that I quite like boats.

Our tour guide said that we might see merpeople. I wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but Victor seemed convinced. He still swears he met a real merman when he was here last time.

I probably don't need to tell you that we didn't actually see merpeople, but that didn't diminish the tour in any way. In one place, we sailed past an inactive volcano, and in another place the water was so clear that we were able to look over the side of the boat and see a coral garden and dozens of brightly-coloured fish. We saw dolphins too, and they didn't seem afraid of humans. They swam right up to the boat, nearly close enough to touch.

I'll admit I kind of fell in love with them. Last night, Victor got online and found a place where people can swim with dolphins. We're going there tomorrow afternoon, and I can hardly wait.

After our boat tour, we explored some of the little souvenir stands and food stalls along the waterfront in town, where we bought postcards, snacks, and matching t-shirts. Then we boarded a decrepit old bus that took us to our afternoon excursion to a community garden where we could pick fruit.

That was one of the activities I'd really been looking forward to, and I was absolutely delighted that we were able to harvest our own pineapples as well as some other tropical delicacies. Pineapple was the thing I'd most wanted to try, and I wanted my first taste of it to be freshly picked.

If you've never handled a pineapple before, here's a bit of advice. Don't hug them, even if you're excited. They're very thorny.

I let Victor have the honour of cutting up our pineapple when we got back to our rental. He joked that it was a lot like me, prickly and difficult to hug, but bright and sweet on the inside. As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn't say he was wrong. I'm wary of strangers, and being hugged really isn't my thing unless Victor is the one who's hugging me. When we’d first started living together, I didn't even like letting him do it, but eventually he worked his way past the thorns and got down to the sweet part.

The inside of the pineapple was vibrant yellow, and the aroma coming from it was divine. Once Victor was done cutting it, he put all the pieces in a big blue plastic bowl we found in one of the cabinets, and carried it outside to the deck. I followed him, my mouth watering in anticipation.

I was momentarily startled when I realized the mere thought of eating the tropical fruit we'd picked was making me salivate. It was an utterly foreign sensation, but not unwelcome. Something like that had never happened to me before, and I wondered briefly how I'd managed to live for twenty-six years and never experience firsthand what 'mouth-watering' really meant. Slightly embarrassed, I swallowed several times.

Victor gave me a quizzical look. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I said, as I sat across from him at the small patio table. The bowl of pineapple was between us, and I gave it a small nod. "I just... really want to eat that and I was, ah... I was literally drooling over it a little."

Victor laughed. "Is this gonna be like that first strawberry after you got your G-tube?"

"It's going to be better," I said.

"Well then, let's see." He picked up a spear of pineapple and extended his arm toward me. "Here, I'll hold it for you."

"No." I shook my head. "I want to do it myself."

"Okay." Victor pulled his hand back, still grasping the fruit he'd taken from the bowl, but he didn't bite into it. Clearly, he was waiting for me to go first. He smiled encouragingly. "You got this."

I selected a piece that I judged to be as big as the one Victor had chosen. The fruit was sticky with juice and pleasantly warm from the sun shining on it, and if I'd thought the scent was heavenly while the pineapple was still in the bowl, it was positively transcendent up close. I took a deep breath, just savouring it for a moment until my mouth started watering again.

I wasn't shy about my first bite. The old me would've nibbled tentatively, too afraid to get a proper mouthful, but not this version of me. The new, brave Yuri fit as much of the pineapple spear into his mouth as seemed reasonable, and bit with confidence. Pineapple juice ran down my chin, and more trickled over my hand from the piece I was still holding, and I didn't care.

It was as if a thousand tiny explosions of pleasure went off simultaneously inside my mouth. The flavour of the pineapple was both tart and sweet, and the texture was firm but not difficult to chew. It was amazing, the best thing I'd ever tasted, and the peak of sensual gratification was so intense that I think my brain might've switched itself off for a second or two.

I opened my eyes to discover Victor staring at me. He still held his untouched piece of pineapple, and I think he must've been watching me the entire time.

"Wow," was all he said.

I looked around for a napkin or paper towel. Belatedly remembering we hadn't brought any outside with us, I wiped my sticky face with the back of my hand instead. All that accomplished was to make more of a mess, but I resolved not to worry about it. I could always wash up later.

I licked some juice off my thumb. "What?"

"The look on your face… I guess I don't need to ask if it's good."

"It's..." I struggled to find a sufficient word to describe it, but then quickly decided a single word would not be enough. "It tastes like joy. Like dreams come true, and new beginnings, and the promise of wonderful things."

"Wow," Victor said again. "All that from pineapple?"

I smiled. "Have you ever experienced a feeling like you know you're exactly where you're supposed to be in life? That you've got everything you'd ever wanted up to that point?"

"I'm not sure," he confessed. "There are still a few things I want. But if you're asking whether or not I'm happy, don't worry. I am."

"It makes me happy to know you're happy, but that's not quite what I meant," I said. "For the longest time, I didn't even know what being happy would feel like. I didn't let myself have dreams, and I was scared to make plans or set goals because I didn't think I could ever achieve anything and I didn't want to have to cope with the pain when I failed."

"But, you've done loads of awesome stuff this year," Victor said. "You've been totally crushing your goals."

"Because I finally saw that I'd never understand what happiness felt like if I didn't start trying," I said. "Eating that first strawberry after my surgery... taking the first step felt so good. I knew I wanted to keep on feeling like that."

"And now you do?"

"Yes. Now I do."

This has been a year of change for me, a year of learning, and perhaps the most important lesson I've learned is that I'm responsible for my own happiness. I've also discovered that happiness is a journey. The road isn't always smooth, but setbacks and challenges aren't a sign of failure. They're opportunities to try again, several times over if necessary, and now I see that neither my success nor my worth as a person are defined by how many attempts I have to make.

My newfound understanding has been nothing short of empowering for me. It's allowed me to take charge of my life in ways I'd never done before, and to make choices for myself that support my well-being and place less accountability on the people around me. And do you know what? It feels good. Until recently, I never would've imagined that taking on so much responsibility would make me feel so free and strong.

It's fitting for a love story to end with 'they lived happily ever after', and I don't think mine should be an exception. The story I’ve been telling through our journal is my love story after all, not just with my beautiful Victor, but with myself. I'm proud of the person I'm becoming, and I love his courage and resilience and his newly-opened mind that's ready to be filled with amazing possibilities.

Now that I know what happiness feels like, I can say with confidence, I will live happily ever after.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

An Oyster's Pearl

Fandom: DC Comics

Summary: Shortly after moving in with Joseph Wilson, Grant Wilson makes friends with a fellow pledge for a fraternity. During this time, Grant grapples with realizations about his childhood trauma, his sexuality, and his relationships with his father and siblings.

Chapters: 7/?

Characters: Grant Wilson, Joseph Wilson, Rose Wilson, Dick Grayson, Slade Wilson, William Randolph Wintergreen, Original Character(s)

Relationships: Grant Wilson/Original Character, DickJoey

Additional Tags: University AU, No Capes AU, Angst, Deaf Joseph Wilson, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Grant Wilson has a Sexuality Crisis, Frat Boy Grant Wilson

Chapter Seven: Sleeping Dogs

The game was probably my best all season. Even my team noticed. I was on fire the whole night, and we won. Afterward, I took my contrast bath and nearly fell asleep in the tub. I shook my head to wake myself and got dressed before walking to the parking lot. Lixin offered to drive, and I nodded. He congratulated me on the game and didn't mind that I was too tired to speak. I took a cool shower as soon as I got home, and we had pizza for dinner. I introduced Rose to Lixin, and in my exhaustion, I forgot to explain that was my new nickname for him. "I'm Ken. Lixin is just what Grant calls me," Lixin explained. Joey and Rose nodded while I sat on the couch, eating dinner and doing my homework.

After an hour or so, I got ready for bed. Lixin showered and followed me. I fell into a sleep so deep I don't think I moved once. When I woke up, my body was pressed against Lixin's, so close I could smell his soap. Lixin woke up before I could move, and we met eyes. "Grant, are you cold?" Lixin whispered. I pulled away and lay on my back.

"Yeah... Sorry. I think I'm still cold from earlier," I lied. To be honest, his body felt so nice against my skin. He slept in a loose, thin fabric shirt and dolphin shorts. My bare chest against the fabric of his shirt made me wish I'd held on a few seconds longer. Lixin fell asleep, leaving me to think, and finally, I admitted defeat and got something to eat. Joey sat at the table, eating a bowl of fruit. "Is Ken sleeping in your room?" Joey asked. I nodded. "Where are you sleeping?"

"Next to him, why?" I questioned. Joey raised his eyebrows and offered me some of his fruit. "You're offering to share your food with me? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just that—. Well, you don't like to touch people. It doesn't seem like something you'd be comfortable with," Joey replied.

"I'm getting there... Lixin's a cool dude," I replied, "Joey, you've got tons of friends... Have you ever—? Nevermind."

"What?" Joey questioned. I shook my head and made myself a sandwich. "Grant, you had a great game today. There's no way they'll turn you down for Tau Psi after that."

"That's nice... Joey, you know how sometimes you'll ask me about my life when I left, and I get pissed off?" I asked. He nodded. "I'm starting to realize why I hate talking about it so much."

"Why?" Joey asked. I didn't answer.

The truth was, I was confused when I left home. I didn't know anything about myself, so I did everything the way Slade would've. I enrolled myself in a military school, and from there, I went straight into the Marine Corps. I did my four years active and four years inactive, but I always felt like something was missing inside of me. When I reconnected with Joey, I thought that emptiness would go away, but he came out to me and made everything so much worse. It wasn't his sexuality that I had a problem with. Hear me out. It was the fact that he seemed so sure of himself. I couldn't say anything about myself with certainty. I think Joey misinterpreted it as me being homophobic, but really I loved that he was happy. I was jealous because I didn't know how to get to that point.

Meeting Lixin made me realize that I never filled the empty space in my life with anything. When I met him, I felt like we clicked, like he was the missing piece. The only problem was I didn't know what that said about me. I never imagined a man would make me so happy. I always thought I'd find the perfect woman and settle down, and that would be the end of things. But Lixin awakened something in me that I didn't understand, and I couldn't shake the feeling that it would change how I defined myself forever.

Joey placed a gentle hand on my wrist, and I looked at him. He saw it. It was written all over my face, and part of me felt like Joey knew everything. He knew things I didn't know. "You see something, don't you?" I asked. Joey blinked hard, but I knew he was withholding something from me. "Joey, please."

"It's not for me to say... You're really messed up about this, aren't you?" Joey questioned. I nodded.

"I've been messed up about this my whole life," I answered. Joey wrinkled his nose and cocked his head. Real confusion. We weren't talking about the same thing. I finished my sandwich and washed my hands and dishes. Then, I returned to bed, and Lixin rolled over and draped his arm over my chest. Once the initial panic subsided, I held his arm in my hands and closed my eyes.

The weight of his arm eventually was enough to put me to sleep, and I had dreams of camping again. Except I was happy. Lixin was there, and we sat on a hill underneath the stars. He turned to me in the dark and ran a finger against my cheek. "Are you cold?" Lixin asked. I nodded, and he leaned over my face and kissed me. On the lips.

I sat up with a start, frightening him awake. I couldn't catch my breath as I tried to come to terms with what I'd dreamt. Lixin touching my arm to calm me down made it worse. I was more confused than I would've been had it been anyone else. I didn't know what to do, so I sat frozen and panting as he asked me if I was okay. I shook my head. He stopped touching me and leaned over the bed to get something from his bag. Finally, he came back up with a bracelet. "Smell this," Lixin whispered. I obeyed and sniffed it. All I could smell was lavender, and my breathing returned to normal. He touched my neck and nodded at me. "You good?"

"Yeah, sorry," I apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Keep the bracelet, by the way. I've got a bunch of them," Lixin yawned.

I turned to him and opened my mouth to tell him about my dream, but I couldn't speak. Lixin smiled at me. "How old are you, Grant?" Lixin questioned.

"Twenty-five," I replied, "Why?"

"I thought you were my age... I'm twenty-four," Lixin disclosed. He shut his eyes and started humming. I lay on my back, and it lulled me to sleep. I wondered if he did it on purpose. I was glad he did. I slept the rest of the night without a problem.

When I woke up for school on Wednesday, Lixin was asleep so close to me that I could smell my conditioner in his hair. I lay there in silence for a while, breathing him in until he took a sharp inhale. "Gotta get ready for class," Lixin muttered, "You wanna hit the bathroom first?"

"No, I'm good. You can go first," I replied. Lixin sat up and dragged himself out of bed, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Joey came in shortly after he left and waved. I waved back.

"You sleep with him dressed like that?" Joey questioned.

"If I drink before eight, will you drive me to school?" I asked. Joey raised his brow. "Hypothetically speaking..."

"You probably shouldn't have a drink before noon. It's not a good look," Joey replied, "Are you alright?"

"No, but I'll get there," I replied honestly.

[misfitwashere]

Beware the Weak Man

Thoughts from the Munich Security Conference

TIMOTHY SNYDER

FEB 22

Who is the weak man?  You shall know him by his itinerary.  The weak man knows that Ukraine is what matters, so he goes to Texas.  The weak man of Congress buys some casual clothes, has a staffer write a speech about the border, and recites it word-for-word.  A real invasion is replaced by a pretend one.  The weak man invites us to fear phantoms rather than face issues. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson did this, as did other American legislators seeking excuses not to help Ukraine.  While I was in Munich, Elon Musk put on a cowboy hat and took his turn.  In fall 2022, when Ukraine might have won the war, Musk cut the Ukrainians off from Starlink.  Rather than going to Ukraine and learning, he made a profoundly bad decision on the basis of personal fear. 

The Munich Security Conference is a place where people get together to take action.  Unlike Johnson and Musk, Senator J.D. Vance was at least present.  But he was there to demotivate.  Invited to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelens’kyi, Vance made his excuses.  Rather than looking a courageous man in the eye, he retreated to his hotel room and searched for "dolphin" and "women" on the internet.

At a meeting I attended, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that her country would donate its entire stock of artillery shells to Ukraine. Vance stood outside the building and said that we should give up.  He told the leaders of a democracy (but not to their faces) to give up territory.  If the Ukrainians followed his advice, the chain of events would be similar to what happened the last time fascism was appeased in Munich: the collapse of faith in order, and a world war.

Ukraine could win, if Americans would help; but our weak men have cut off the weapons.  Musk spreads Russian propaganda.  Vance amplifies Russian foreign policy.  Trump follows Putin’s wishes.  Johnson maneuvers for months to block a vote on aid to Ukraine.  And so the Ukrainians, fighting for their lives, run out of artillery shells, and must withdraw from losses from Avdiivka. 

The weak man kills because he lacks the energy to act and consumes the energy of others.  He scorns those who struggle with real danger, and want them to fail and die. 

The problem is not masculinity.  Radek Sikorski, the foreign minister of Poland, is a man’s man from central casting: good looks, deep voice, firm stare, bad jokes.  When not in office, he was raising money for pickup trucks and driving them to the front.  At Munich, plenty of competent men were at work: such as Czech President Petr Pavel, a former general, who has been searching the world for artillery shells to send to Ukraine.  The problem is brittle masculinity, the male form of weakness that substitutes mendacious prattle for necessary action. 

Instead of aiding Ukraine, the weak men of Congress have dedicated months to a long series of lies that have wasted the energy and good faith of others.  First Johnson said that he wanted to protect the border and would pass aid for Ukraine if it was connected to a border bill; then, when presented with exactly this solution, he rejected it.  When aid for Ukraine was then separated from the border issue in another bill, he rejected that too, on the grounds that the border was not mentioned.  The weak men of Congress want inaction both at the border and in Ukraine.  They only mention the one to explain why they are not acting on the other.

After this parade, Johnson called to House of Representatives to recess.  But Johnson himself is not on vacation.  He has to put on a tie and abase himself before Trump in Florida.  In the photograph Johnson posted, Trump lacks the strength to raise his thumb.  Trump submits to Putin, and encourages Russia to attack American allies. 

And Putin, in his turn, is all fear.  He kills opponents because he fears that a younger generation might do better.  He attacks Ukraine because he cannot stand the thought of democracy in Russia.  The submission chain that runs through Johnson and Trump to Putin ends in a vacuum. 

The danger is that this vacuum will consume our democracy.  The weak man runs from danger by running for office.  Not strong enough to believe in law or to live by it, the weak man breaks laws and then tries to break law itself.  Putin wants to die in his bed.  And so we will soon have another fake Russian presidential election.  Trump wants to pardon himself or otherwise avoid prosecution for all the crimes he seems to know he has committed.  For the weak man, fear is everything, and fear must also become everything for us.

On the first day of the Munich Security Conference, the news arrived that Alexei Navalny, the foremost Russian oppositionist, had been killed in Russian prison. Navalny was known for his courage.  He had returned to Russia after Russian authorities poisoned him. After his poisoning, but before he returned to Russia, he telephoned the Russian secret police, impersonated one of its officers, and elicited the truth about what happened.  He was also courageous enough to be a friend to his friends and a father to his children.

Weak men therefore find Navalny unbearable.  Putin cannot say his name.  Nor can Musk -- and the social media platform he owns suspended the account of Navalny’s widow.  Trump claimed that Navalny died to show how much Trump suffers.  Navalny committed no crimes, but drew attention to those of oligarchs.  Trump is a wannabe oligarch who says that, should he become president again, he will round up and imprison his political opponents.  He wants to be able to do with all Americans what Putin did to Navalny.  And, like Putin, he will claim to be the victim as he does so.  The weak man always says that he is the victim.

One way the weak man kills is by broadcasting his fears.  Putin might or might not have given a direct order to kill Navalny.  More likely it was an indirect suggestion, picked up by other weak men.  On January 6th, 2021, Trump used language other weak men understood.  He now uses the internet to encourage violence against elected representatives, prosecutors, and judges.  He prepares for a second coup attempt.

Munich is a city full of resonances for a historian.  Hitler’s first coup attempt took place here.  After his second one, the one that succeeded after an election, he let others understand what he wanted done.  Like Putin, and for that matter like Trump, he made his general wishes known, and let others turn them into fearful acts.  And so institutions changed, and society altered, and life became fear.

Americans don’t tend to learn from foreign examples or from the past.  We don’t recognize a politics of fear, which makes us vulnerable to it.  We assume that any action they take from personal fear must be justified.  And so we normalize fear, and spread it, and institutionalize it. 

The Republican Party is becoming a party of fear, in which Republicans fear other Republicans, fear their constituents, and fear Trump, which means fearing Russia.  Republicans enter the submission chain that binds them to Trump, and to Putin, and then rationalize what they have done.  From the position, actual cooperation with actual Russians no longer seems to be a problem, as we have just seen in the attempt to impeach Biden with the help of Russian lies, and for that matter in a series of events going back a decade.

Americans beyond the cult of MAGA submit in a different way.  They decide that the weak man is the strong man, and thereby make it so.  They instruct us, absurdly, that the war in Ukraine or the work of democracy makes us "fatigued."  If we think that labor and courage are bad things, we are conceding the point — and our democracy — to the weak man.  But the work itself is invigorating, and is the example of those doing the work.

American newspapers instruct us that Biden is old.  If he’s old (goes the thinking), he must be weak; and if he is weak, then we are permitted to give up.  But Biden is not weak.  He is not running away from prison, or from anything else.  He does not act from fear.  He gets work done.  His record is one of the strongest in the history of the American presidency.  And he went to Ukraine with zero military protection.  That was courageous.  No other president has ever done that. 

In Munich I thought of the Ukrainian writer Stanislav Aseyev, whom I last saw in Kyiv.  He survived a Russian torture camp, tracked down his own persecutor, and wrote a book about it.  Aseyev is now at the front in the Ukrainian army.  He doesn’t like being in a bunker, because it reminds him of his cell.  I saw another Ukrainian soldier I know at the conference.  The last time I talked to him he had his right pants leg tied below the amputation.  This time he had a prosthesis.  He stood and spoke of the “spirit of freedom.” 

It is absurd, in such a world, where so much is at stake, where so much is to be won, to speak of our “fatigue” either with the struggle in Ukraine or the struggle for our own democracy.  Doing so is the prologue to a story of weakness, which ends with the victory of the weak man.  When we fall in line behind the fearful, when we forget the “spirit of freedom,” we help the weak men create a politics of fear.  When we obey in advance, we invite the weak man to take power over our souls, which then means power over our politics.

In 2024, a year of war and a year of elections, a year that will test decency and democracy, the weak man wants to see his fear in our eyes.  We will need the courage to admire the courageous, and to say something that might feel risky.  For example: we believe in our values, and we believe in our strength.  Ukraine can win this war, Biden can win this election, and democracy can thrive.

[blubunny-artist]

Hello my friend!

Sorry for the inactive in Tumblr. So we have a announcement. We change the name into Blubunny_Artist because people will might confused about the name "Triangle". As a result, it's official rebrand. So, here's the character reference sheet:

Description

Blubunny

Blubunny is the Engineer blue bunny character but he can appear every series or games that you have because he was a Games or Series Investigative. He can contact with Toby the Dolphin, Spark the Seal & Beats Magnet including Rainbow Magneta. Gender: He / Him Species: Bunny / Rabbit He was curious, cautious, hardworker, cool and Silly. His job was The Game Developer, Investigative & Engineer. His Power was Teleporter, Fly, Speed & Telekinesis. His equipment was Phone, Tablet, Laptop, Sci-Fi Glasses & Alert Panel. One thing that he hated is the Glitched, Error code & Game or Series Bugs. He use his glasses to delete all the bugs and some errors. But only one problem, if the other world was having a lot of glitched, Errors & Bugs & reaching a breaking point, He immediately use the Alert Panel quickly to evacuating everyone into a safety. He can only appear in 1% Chance, expect me. (End of Reference Sheet)

Of course, we're updating the waterwark that include bunny can fly

If you want to know about this character, ask me and you're welcome. So, I'll see you in Tumblr and Twitter / X.

[jaijaitbinks]

Abzû!AU for OPM where Saitama is the MC and Genos is a guardian that watches over that part of the sea Saitama found himself restoring life to.

Genos was completely comfortable in his solitude, surrounded by sea life of both animal and plant. Or, at least he did, before the death and entrapment of that sealife forced him to stone, in an inactive limbo until life was restored. In silence, made to sit in the center of his decaying home, he despised the machinery that forced him into a statue prison and forced him to watch as more and more plants and creatures died.

Saitama, a diver for fun, set out to find this "enriched with life" spot out in the middle ocean, because he wanted to just. See it for himself, as a man who adores nature. Going to areas full of sealife was one of his few joys in life, and restoring them to a much brighter, stabler condition even more so. After the war, some places were just ruined, and there didn't seem to be anyone out there besides him who could help.

So, Saitama swims out to this part of the ocean, a place Saitama only learned of through ancient scripts he'd found in his adventures, explores. Eventually, he comes across the glowing little temple pillar, standing in the middle of a gloomy, dark and dead sort of small ravine. He swims towards it, along with his little Robo companion he names King, stopping just above this glowing blue pool shining from the top. He doesn't really think about it, just lets his curiosity consume him and he swims into it.

When he opens his eyes, he finds himself in this sort of spiritual realm. It looks like a temple that he'd awoken in, a pool of night sky-looking water below him but he moves around by swimming, as if he was still inside the sea. There's pillars on the outside of the temple, bright and slightly transparent like ghosts. And although that draws his attention, what draws him in more is a statue in the center of the temple. It depicts some sort of deity, a sword in one hand and an eel wrapped loosely around their neck like a boa. Something compels him to touch their free hand, give them a sweet touch before pulling away and swimming towards the outer pillar he's being lead to. A glowing path lit his way to it.

When he reaches it, he comes across this little odd bubble floating in the middle. And he doesn't think much as he reaches into his own chest, and shares his lifeforce with it, placing the piece tenderly into it.

A tower of coral, a school of fish, and manta ray spirits emerge from the pillar as the bubble glows and blinds him. He doesn't get the chance to see them before he returns to the mortal realm, and awakens back in that ravine. Only, it's full of life now, bright and teeming. And below the temple tower, there's that same pool of water. Water under the water. It's odd, but he can't find it in himself to investigate further. Not when manta rays were swimming by.

He takes a moment to fawn over the sea life before carrying on, invested in his exploration a lot more now. Two large temple doors opened for him that he did not see before, and he went on through. The walls were painted in... what looked like scriptures and depictions of some kind of tribe? He didn't know, but it slowed down his swimming for a second.

He goes on to travel through a mechanical doorway across a larger ravine, getting caught in a tide that sweeps him through caverns and caves full of fish and luminous algae, traveling with schools of fish and gorgeous dolphins at his side.

Eventually, he emerges in a far more open area, painted in pretty pinks of corals, overflowing with marine life. He can even spot some grey reefsharks.

He looks up, noticing an odd silhouette from above. And sees the same man from the statue in the spirit realm.

[yukihime242]

The school assignments has really absorbed years of my life... But I am glad to say that I am free from that burden (temporarily), and I can get back to my games (temporarily).

There’s a lot for me to catch up on. I have drawings, crocheting, downloading new game patches, editing and uploading videos... Wow, I really do have a lot.

(GIF Source: Giphy thru’ Google Image Search)

1️⃣ Genshin Impact’s new patch generates a whole new meme

(Picture Source: Genshin Impact thru’ Google Image Search)

Genshin Impact’s new patch, V3.6, was released on 12 April 2023. I am a little over a week behind on the updates. I am quite stoked for this new patch because I will get to see Scaramouche... sorry, Wanderer in the new event of the game. I am very very VERY curious to know why Cyno and Wanderer were fighting in the trailer.

I am probably gonna spend my weekend catching up on the game, from building my characters, pulling the new characters, to catching up with Nahida’s story quest just to unlock the new map area.

But what is really funny about this new patch came with a fan-made video of Kaveh, the roommate of Alhaitham. Go to YouTube, search for “Genshin Impact The Diagnosis”, and click on the video seen in the screenshot below.

2️⃣ Sky Children of the Light - An inactive experience for me

(Picture Source: That Sky Game thru’ Google Image Search)

I am actually on break from the game due to lack of people to play with. But the new season, Season of Passage, seems very enticing for me to come back. I have already missed a few days of the season but most likely will start my journey after reset today.

The one thing that enticed me was one of the cosmetics from one of the spirits. It is very similar to the Season of Enchantment’s Ultimate Gift which is immensely popular with the Ikeman troupe. Given that I usually don on an Ikeman style, I think I should have that Passage cosmetic.

Another reason for me to return to the game is the Days of Nature which features new ocean cape. 

(Picture Source: ThatGameCompany on YouTube thru’ Google Image Search)

Just look at that cape! It is unique and has beautiful colour hues resembling the ocean. Moreover, a new light creature, the dolphin is also being presented in the Days of Nature. 

3️⃣ Skeptical of Honkai Star Rail

(Picture Source: Epic Games thru’ Google Image Search)

Honkai Star Rail is set to release on this coming Wednesday, 26 April 2023. I am both excited and skeptic of the game. 

I have seen the gameplay from a stream (beta version) and I am excited to download and try the game. The battle mechanics is also different from the usual seen in both Honkai and Genshin. Of course, given that it is made by Hoyoverse/Mihoyo, there is a high chance that battling is not gonna be as easy as it sounds.

On the other hand, given my experience with Honkai Impact, I am worried that I may not enjoy Honkai Star Rail. I did try playing Honkai Impact in the past but despite the raving reviews of how good and enjoyable it is, I could not join in the same sentiments. Given how Honkai Star Rail is a spin-off game from the Honkai Impact game, I just hope that it would provide a better experience.

4️⃣ Grind, grind, grinding in Animal Crossing 

(Picture Source: GamesRadar thru’ Google Image Search)

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a post on my progress in Animal Crossing. And the game progress is still pretty much the same. Grinding to get K.K. Slider to come to the island.

I managed to source for the ninth villager, who is a wolf, and my island rating went up to 2 stars. Right now, I have to decorate the hell out of my island just to increase the island rating to 3 stars. 

I think I will have to temporarily just go with the flow and in order to get the island rating up so that K.K. Slider will come to the island and I can finally get my hands on that terra-forming kit!

I am okay.

[diaswackyimagedump]

So, I’m going to reply to here rather than later on in this absolute disaster post thread because there is a more reasonable and important discussion to be had about it than whatever the fuck happened there. I’ve got a long response that is essentially just a scattered pro-longevity research essay, so if you’re just not interested in that feel free to ignore this response and move on.

1) “it happens to everyone, it’s inevitable” isn’t itself the best take. Zoe Bee goes into this a bit in the video “Prager U and the Politics of Pain” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhWxDgJv7PI ) , but right-leaning political angles will often dumb-down problems that carry with them harms as “inevitable” and not something to bother further examining to see if harm can be reduced, so as to justify specific inactions politically aligned with them such as inaction on climate change or covid. While I cannot say this is definitely the case for all possible deaths ever, past, present or future, I can say that the reality of death by age-related illnesses specifically is that they operate under observable mechanics that can be interfered with and are becoming increasingly more easily done so, and thus should not be so easily dismissed. I would not advise ever leaning on “it’s inevitable” in an argument and leaving it at that, because in situations like this one further examination tends to prove little if anything framed as such actually being so. 2) This point is directed at sno-fitzroy, but regarding aging as “unnatural” is an absolute nonsense take. I would, however, also like to note that the a wide variety of things that are harmful beyond the aging process are also natural and exist separate from human constructs (looking at you, dolphins). Just as well, I find arguments that frame human artifice as “unnatural” to be similarly unconvincing. We are a very small sample size of species, with a very easily visible impact due to our actions by their sheer magnitude, but the rudimentary/low magnitude forms of technology and society development have been frequently observed in the animal kingdom outside of humans (prairie dog language is something everyone should learn more about). As such, I feel associating “natural” with “good” as you implicitly do by joining “aging” and “unnatural” in an argument about aging being bad is just not great argument. 3) (sorry this one’s the longest) I feel we should really be looking at this as a discussion about bodily autonomy, harm reduction, and how we deal with disability. The fact of the matter is nobody dies of old age, people die of insufficiently treated illnesses that all develop over the course of our lives due to the aging process, and any medicines that successfully treat these things more effectively will invariably have direct consequences on a person's ability to die from them. I don’t think it’s too hot a take that people should be able to consent to changes done to their body, it would not be a very pregnancy pro-choice position in an argument to say otherwise, and moreover I believe that people should have a right to change their bodies to fit the life they desire to live, for it would not be a very pro-trans rights position in an argument to suggest otherwise. Thus I feel it’s important to say I believe that any physiological process whose regular function unmodified would lead to an outcome not consented to, that can be interfered with in such a way as to lead to an outcome that is consented to, should be interfered with in such a way. That should be a pretty mormal take for these parts, yeah? Above, in the response by sno-fitzroy, I see a very warped position based on a limited understanding of a very real situation, which is that most of the illnesses that accrue with age result in a lower quality of life and the development of disabilities. This is an important part of the disagreements on the matter, that having an anti-aging position tends to circle back around to some pretty ableist talking points. Hardcore anti-aging people (such as anti-wrinkle communities) will frame getting old as something universally horrible in health and appearance, and that to them nobody should ever live a life so horrible and thus we should stop aging all together for everyone, erasing it. This is, of course, pretty fucked, especially for the people who are in their youth living with disabilities/chronic illnesses of similar impact on their lives but are otherwise happy in their lives and embrace this aspect of themselves, which is something they should have the right to do. Differing appearance, behavior and ability should always be accommodated without compromise, and it is pretty appalling how quickly many of the harder anti-aging crowd will unknowingly (or fully knowingly) throw people with disabilities under the bus by arguing for the eradication of things that may define those people and matter to them individually. It is a very important thing I feel to make sure that all places can accommodate people of all abilities and appearances, and that is something I feel most societies that could be acting upon are definitely lagging behind on. That said, it is important and right I feel to make sure that tools exists for these people to opt into should they choose under the belief that it would improve their quality of life. To compare to different ranges of disabilities, consider how we might support those with physical disability, like disability to mobility. Buildings should obviously all have ramps and elevators for people who need wheeled mobility aids to move, but I feel people who believe they would be happier with prosthetic limbs or a spine bypass surgery should have unhindered access to them as well, you know? Or let’s look at neurodivergent people like myself? I’m pretty sure it’s a reasonable take to say we should not be shunned or even regarded in any way as Other, but those that would seek medication to improve some aspect of their lives should definitely have access to those medications which can do this, and be supported in getting those medications, right? Not a hot take, yeah? What someone believes is a limitation to their life for them should be up to them to decide 100%, and I feel it is important to make sure nobody feels limited at base (in this case with aging, I feel nobody should ever have to live feeling like their life will not be long enough to satisfy them) while also having access to whatever tools they feel they need to overcome a limitation they believe they suffer under that is not at base addressed (in this case, medical tech that would allow them to continue to consciously exist and pursue whatever unfulfilled aspect of their life they deemed relevant to them past the timeframe typically allowed by an unmodified body). 4) For those that would see an aged form as one to eliminate due to superficial reasons, I would strongly disagree, I feel it is one that should be embraced and accepted, to appear mature or experienced is not bad and I find people who reject it very confusing. It is pretty nasty how these people treat the physical characteristics of aging and the way they do so, while technically not traditional ableism, is definitely ageist by projecting a body standard that excludes those that have embraced the appearances that come with old age, and is a behavior in the anti-aging community that needs to be fucking unlearned if we really support bodily autonomy. That said, I also believe even the most superficial angle for anti-age proponents, such as the anti-wrinkle crowd, ought to have access to a means fulfilling their shallow vanity. I say this simply because to say they shouldn’t is not a very pro-body art position to make in an argument. I unfortunately have to say as someone who supports cosmetic bodily modification/art I can’t really fault the action of using anti-aging medicine for what they believe to be achieving a self-actualizing form, one that overall happens to be just themselves but less wrinkly. We’re Urabrask stans in this house, so the old and weathered form is accepted and appreciated, but we also embrace those that would remake themselves however they wish. Do what you want with you. 5) (sorry, another long one) An important angle of the discussion that I feel is obviously known but not really addressed in sufficient light is how corps and billionaires are basically subverting emerging fields and technologies that could and should be accessible to everyone? To elaborate for this discussion’s context, as previously established, nobody dies of old age, just health complications relating to old age, and thus any initiative with a legitimate medical background seeking to increase human lifespan is in reality an initiative trying to develop medicines that prevent or cure specific kinds of ailment caused by the aging process, right? Well, many such initiatives do actually exist and, thanks to the fact that we kinda sorta live in the future and not the 90s anymore, it’s turning out that more than a couple of these initiatives are developing fruitful research that could see use within the lifetimes of people currently living today. The problem is, well, they need funding as all initiatives in this hellscape economic/elitist academic system do, and because the stated goal is so easily dismissed by the uninterested or the uninformed these initiatives are desperate, and turn to whatever promises they can. Enter big money and fucking crypto. Currently Lifespan.io and the Methuselah Foundation, two of the bigger names in the field of research funding and advocacy, have been dealing with cryptobros, advertising for web 3 bullshit, and I believe the Methuselah foundation had at one point put out NFTs? And that’s fucking sick, because the medicines these foundations are trying to promote are good, actually, in that they would increase the bodily autonomy and quality of life improvement options for any place that had access to them, but then here come these fuckwads who would take hopes related to these initiatives and try to exploit the fact that many of the people invested are extremely so by existential fear or by desperation for relief from current life quality-lowering illness and thus vulnerable to empty promise. I see this time and time again, and it makes want to tear my hair out, because when I do I also see discussion around this as a fault of the science, as if only the ultra wealthy could ever want not to live with what develops from sufficient age, and these initiatives are nothing more than an extension of their greed. As someone who hopes for a society not driven by profit incentive but by self actualization, where people live their lives until they are satisfied with the lives they lived, however long that might be, and ALSO because I am someone in academia trying to tread water with all this societal/economic bullshit going on, this is endlessly frustrating. Tools and medicine people could be benefiting from are being subverted by late stage capitalism, have been for decades, and quite frankly I’d appreciate it if people looked at emerging new tech and, for once, said “what if we subvert it the other way?” instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater and vilifying/dismissing the field itself. Hopefully these points are, like, better to chew on than whatever the fuck sno-fitzroy was going on about in that discussion I skipped to reply here as food for thought, and I hope this leads to a more understanding conversation on the matter. If I fucked up my editing or my reasoning somewhere, please let me know, I am have adhd/autism and my ability to proofread my own work is nonexistent.

scrunching my face real hard rn

[teramangalameditationmusic]

Breathing deep, with cautious grace, Love's soft touch in an unhurried pace.

A spark of magic, an eerie glow, The witch of serenity, casting slow. To take the edge off, to lift the soul, In inactivity, we find ourselves whole.

Nature’s arms, a calming hold, Every day, stories told. Endurance builds, the aura strong, Determined spirits carry on.

With breath roused, yet painless stride, A thrilling strength we cannot hide. Toughness wrapped in moments still, Peaceful passions, a tempered will.

Mental clarity, a gauzy light, Shadows dance in the quiet night. Meditation’s hymn, an ode so sweet, Where magical whispers and moments meet.

Compelling silence, coruscating scenes, Amidst deep relaxation, the soul gleans. In tranquility’s spell, the heart takes flight, Uncluttered, serene, beneath the moon’s sight.

A tale of time, love, and breath, From playful birth to quiet death. Amid mindful moments, calm unfurls, In this arena, peace conquers worlds.

Bright melodies and sultry dreams, Dolphin calls and fond memories. Evolution of heart, body, mind, In meditative space, what we seek, we find.

Affectionate, hopeful, bound by song, Energy flows, serene, strong. With each calmction, bold or light, We walk the path, wrapped in twilight.

Namaste whispers, perfect and true, Nature smiles, bidding us renew. Reiki hands, gentle and wide, Healing waves, an endless tide.

So, journey on with thoughtful breath, In moments subtle, between life and death. Stouthearted, uplifted, in contemplative glow, Embrace the magic only stillness can show.