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humanbeanvitaminsea · 8 months

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A message to Pro Palestinian Anti Israeli Western Liberals

Why is your hatred of Jews stronger than your love for Palestinians?

If your love for Palestinians is so blind that you're sucked into the propaganda machine that's helping keep them in a perpetual state of war for the past 75 years, that's a very messed up love indeed.

Why are you even commenting on this desperately sad conflict if you're not prepared to humanise either side? It's almost as though this is all for your entertainment.

Do you think Islamist extremism, terrorism, perpetual war and conflict are good for the Palestinian population?

Do you think it is fair on the Arabs, and their descendants, of the former British Mandate of Palestine, that their leaders not only refused the partition plan, but simultaneously refused to live peacefully alongside the Jewish people for the next 75 years?

Do you think it's in any way reasonable that they are called "refugees", even in their own country, long after all the other refugees from the second world war have been successfully resettled and have been allowed to move on with their lives like normal people? Seriously? You actually agree that it's fair to anyone involved to keep this sham going? Well your tax money has been funding UNWRA, who were set up to solve the refugee crisis. Instead, they deliberately perpetuated it for the next 75 years. It's absolutely outrageous! And it's not Israel's fault.

It's been 75 years of the Arab leadership refusing to allow their population to coexist peacefully with Israel.

You support this? Seriously?

You support the deeply antisemitic UNWRA school programmes that have bred generation after generation of children who, under different circumstances, with different education, could have been living peacefully alongside their Israeli neighbours, had they been allowed to? Had their leaders simply made an executive decision to teach coexistence instead of martyrdom, hatred for Jews and the denial of Jews' right to exist in their historic national homeland.

Why can't you see? Why do you hate Jews so much, that you help contribute to the terrible circumstances the Palestinian people have been forced into, by corrupt , self interested leaders, for the past 75 years?

Writing deeply antisemitic rants against Israel and its right to exist won't give the Palestinians a country. It will just lead to the increase in antisemitism in the country you live in.

Repeating the narrative of Palestinian terrorist organisations won't get Palestinians a country. It will just lead to the increase of antisemitism in the country you live in. But that's what you want, it seems. Because you clearly don't love Palestinians: you just hate Jews.

Had it not occurred to any of you that your antisemitic rants, protests and retweets and reblogs and shares are actually doing the opposite of helping Palestinians?

Don't you think that after 75 years, that blaming Israel for the situation the Palestinians are in, is merely helping perpetuate the cycle of violence?

Did you know that on October 7th, the victims of the brutal kibbutz massacres were people who dreamed of a future where the security fences and walls could come down so that they could live side by side with the residents of Gaza, without walls, without restrictions, without borders or checkpoints?

Did you know that many of the victims from the Nova Festival were people who dreamed of a future when they could dance together with the residents of Gaza?

Did you know that on the fridges of many of the burnt out homes of Kfar Aza and Kibbutz Be'eri were stickers of the Peace Now movement?

What is wrong with you?

If you genuinely care about Palestinians:

Why, instead of screaming online about how evil Israel is, how the Jews don't have the right to exist in their national homeland of Israel, don't you look into the positives of what Israelis and Palestinians have achieved together in the pursuit of peace and coexistence?

Why, instead of glorifying the very Islamist terrorist organisations which have made the Palestinians lives revolve around destructive plans to destroy Israel for the past 75 years, don't you look into ways Zionist Israelis and Palestinian peace activists have been working together to find ways to build a lasting peace?

Why, instead of denying the atrocities committed by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Popular Resistance Commitees, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Palestinian Freedom Movement and the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement on October 7th, don't you empathise with the victims and their families just as you empathise with the genuine victims of the war against Hamas in Gaza (instead of falling for Islamist and International Solidarity Movement propaganda, which is dedicated to the destruction of the Jews and the Jewish homeland).

How about actually bothering to look at what Israelis and Palestinians who support peaceful relations with Israel have been so desperately trying to achieve together for a future where both peoples can coexist together in the land. How about a moment of contemplation about the tragic and utterly pointless deaths of so many Israelis whose one dream was to achieve a lasting, positive, real peace alongside their Palestinian neighbours? They figured out too late that their Gazan friends had so utterly betrayed them. They paid with their lives for their love of the Palestinian people.

How dare you dehumanise the victims of October 7th.

If you love the Palestinians so much, why don't you do what poor, well meaning American Rachel Corrie did, and volunteer to be yet another human shield for Palestinian terrorist organisations? That's what she volunteered for: to be a human shield. Look it up if you don't believe me. And please understand my "why don't you" here isn't a suggestion. It's a call to use your brains, like poor, naive, foolish Rachel didn't.

The anti Zionist Palestinians didn't care about Rachel: they just wanted another martyr to make Israel look evil. Rachel lost her life, Israel got demonised a little bit more and the Palestinian Campaign to annihilate Israel carries on and on and on... with you liberal fools demonising a nation who would accept you in favour of a bunch of terrorists who use their own civilians as human shields, who have consistently tortured Palestinians who seek peaceful relations with Israel, who torture Palestinians for being gay, who think LGBTQ people are a mental problem. And that's putting it mildly. They think Queers for Palestine is disgusting and don't want your support, by the way.

The anti Zionist Palestinians didn't care about Vittorio Arrigoni. He was murdered by an Islamist Salafi terrorist group self identifying as "The Brigade of the Gallant Companion of the Prophet Mohammed bin Muslima".

You honestly believe the anti Zionist Palestinians care about you?

Enjoy your freedom in your comfortable Western nations while you can.

Because Israel isn't just fighting a war against Hamas for the safety of Israel. They are fighting a war that is seeping into your comfortable Western nations more and more every day. And when push comes to shove, if this war comes over here in more ways than just the psychological warfare we're currently fighting, I'd love to think my fellow countrymen had my back.

Right now, I feel completely surrounded on all sides, with no protection at all. Far right extremists on one side and far left extremists on the other. And you liberals supporting the same Islamist terrorists who celebrated the October 7th massacres against Israel.

And you wonder why so many Jews move to Israel.

Here's a video made in the West Bank. Don't you just love the woman at 8:26? It is people like her who are the future.

Stop supporting the terrorists who make the lives of her and people like her difficult. You think supporting Islamists by demonising Israel and spreading the Islamist propaganda anti Zionist narrative is going to make a better future for anyone in the region? Really?

And you think when you support Islamists to hate Jews that's going to make the West a safer place? Are you genuinely insane?

youtube

#Youtube

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noctis-tempore · 1 year

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Eros 1 and 3, Philautia 4, Storge 3, and Ludus 5 for Aza, Rini, and Jester boy :D

- tired

I GOT YOU

Is your OC romantic in the traditional sense? Do they enjoy giving or receiving gifts of flowers or confectionary? Or are there other courtship traditions from their culture of origin that are important to them?

For AZA, it takes him a while to do romantic things. He’s not at first initially romantic but after he’s more comfortable with you in the relationship, he’s super sweet <3 He prefers giving gifts for sure, he feels really bad if he receives them.

RINI is romantic when it’s beneficial for her. Her mind doesn’t really focus on the actual emotion, she’s focused on what the concept and reaction does for her. So she’ll play romantic until she simply doesn’t want to anymore. She doesn’t mind giving or receiving gifts.

JESTER BOY (i rlly need a name for him) is…well. When you say romantic in a traditional sense I think of roses and chocolates, but he’s a lot more intense than that. He’ll definitely THINK he’s being romantic but the way he acts is just another reason why he’s locked up 😭 He’s the kind of guy to drag corpses to your door like a cat and have pictures of you sleeping.

How do they feel about public displays of romantic affection? Does it make them uncomfortable? How do they feel if a romantic partner kisses them in public?

AZA doesn’t necessarily mind, but he prefers to keep affection private. Not that he doesn’t like it, quite the opposite. It’s just he gets too flustered beyond belief. He’ll stop functioning for like a minute or two 😭 If his romantic partner kissed him in public, he’s freezing up while his face turns red and internally screaming in the good way

RINI is neutral on it. She doesn’t really care, I mean the pack she controls is already affectionate in public. So she’s not really opposed to it ! If a romantic partner (run.) kisses her in public, she treats it like normal. You won’t really get a GENUINE reaction out of her because she’s just impossibly composed at all times

JESTER BOY loves it, he loves it so much 😭 He’s probably the one initiating it 24/7, he does not care who he’s in front of. He would snuggle up to anyone he cares about in public with zero shame ! If his romantic partner kissed him in public, I hope you’re ready for him to bite down HARD and kiss you 😭

Is your OC able to build close friendships with people very different from themselves? Perhaps in terms of culture, age or personality?

For AZA, it’s complicated. It all depends on how the person is because I guarantee you this man is NOT starting the conversation 😭 You kind of have to get him to warm up to you and that goes for EVERYONE

It won’t be a genuine friendship for RINI. Again, she’s focused on benefits and what it does for her rather than actually enjoying the presence of someone 😭 But it is very easy for her to make friends with ANYONE because she knows what she’s doing and can talk her way through anything really

JESTER BOY is…well, jester boy. He gets attached very easily to anyone. Whether they’re the complete opposite or the same doesn’t matter to him because in his eyes you’re now the light of his life !! What he considers close could be ANYTHING, he considers all of his friendships to be close

How far does parental approval (imagined or expressed) impact upon their current sense of self-worth? What might they sacrifice or attempt to achieve in order to ensure the approval of their parents?

For AZA, it HAD a huge impact on his sense of self worth. His parents sucked ASS, so any praise he got was like drops of fresh water in a dry desert. Now that he’s older, some of that has faded away. But it still has a huge impact on his self worth. He wouldn’t sacrifice EVERYTHING or anything at all really to get his parents approval now, he’s just accepted that his parents will always consider him a failure. He’s more focused on his sister and how she’s doing and dealing with anything. He wants to make sure she doesn’t go through what he had to.

RINI does not give a single FUCK BAXNSSBXJ Her family is all sorts of fucked up but they love each other and trust each other so they don’t really care about approval or anything 😭

JESTER BOY um killed his parents so….😰

What seduction techniques are most likely to be effective when it comes to your OC? Are there some things guaranteed to get them going? Or are they immune to such things?

Dude if you flirt with AZA, he’ll fold. Like it’s not hard at ALL to get him flustered. It could be the stupidest pickup line and he starts blushing like a school girl

RINI is immune to seduction techniques. It is like really hard for her to break composure. She’ll ACT like it would work but that never works out well for the other party

JESTER BOY doesn’t get regular seduction techniques. He just simply doesn’t 😭 BUT one thing that will get him is if you do the same things he does, just anything really. He’s incredibly delulu

#moochie answers #mocha & vaticinium #tired <3

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batterygarden · 2 years

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THANK UU PLZ SHARE ALL UR THOUGHTS AB IT 😭😭 the anime has yet to come and the fandom discussion is like nilch. YES I HAD THE BIGGEST CRUSH ON AZA HES SO FINE when he was on screen I was paying ATTENTION!! PLEASE tell me all ur thoughts ab him I’m actually begging you. And the way gabimaru 1) had a platonic relationship w a badass woman and 2) was so Devoted to yui. And Shugen is so fine too 😭 I am SO hyped for the anime I can’t wait for them all to finally be animated and the I’m my own god part w aza like 🤩🤩

AHH I just watched the trailer and it’s NUTS to see it w all the colors omg—so different to see everything look so vibrant vs the black and white. Esp the tensen w their hair…I will admit I also do… find the lord tensen hot 😞… but aza… hhhh i simply LOVE his character.

SO tough and strong; honestly at first I was like okay so… he’s just like bakugo? (im watching mha for the first time rn and they look kinda similar imo)… but his personality is different! He does like to do things his own way and is justifiably confident similarly but he’s also rlly.. mature! like he’s not particularly stubborn (aside from his unwavering will to live) or petty he’s just … a survivor. Like I get the sense he’d be the bigger person in disagreements if it wasn’t something he took super serious—I hc him to be really patient that way! Hmm like I’m imagining kinda condescending boyfriend! Aza ….

You’re watching him wash his face—observing as he scrubs his eyes all harsh then rubs his skin dry with a towel. You look so concerned when you correct him, all “baby you’re doing that so wrong! You’ve gotta treat your skin like it’s delicate.” And he could not care less about skin care but he listens to you explain the correct method in detail with this patient, almost patronizing little smirk on his face. Thanking you for the tips and pecking your temple after, thinking about how cute you are with the random things you spend your time worrying about. He doesn’t wash his face any different when he’s alone (his “harsh” method is way faster) but he’s sure to do it how you suggested if you’re ever in the room watching again.

(MIND YOU I have half the manga left to read so his character may develop further I wouldn’t know, pls be careful not to spoil I’ll likely finish it by Wednesday) And ur SO RIGHT the I’m my own god part was !!! Revolutionary. Also THIS:

HELLO???????? I genuinely moaned. FUCK he’s so …. Ugh! And don’t get me STARTED on how big he is plssss.

His reaction when I tell him I want him to tie me up and do whatever he wants to me after only our first date:

Also:

GOOD GOF the glasses fuck. He simply does not stop getting prettier (also I just got to the part where he gets some of the plant Tao or smth and oooooo OOO he’s going to get even more cool now huh 😞. )

#hells paradise spoilers #<idk the tag for this yet I’m scared to find it incase EYE get spoiled 😞#k I’m going to read more rn #an ask <3 #jigokuraku spoilers #I have more hcs for this aza but I think I’ll make it it’s own post some day #aza Jigokuraku #hells paradise #hell’s paradise #aza chobe

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orcinus-veterinarius · 2 years

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do you genuinely support seaworld? because if you do, then that is genuinely disapointing to me as i loved your content. dolphins (esp bottlenoses) are incredibly intelligent creatures with their own languages and cultures, can experience emotion in the same ways we do, and display self awareness on nearly the same level as us. there's no situation in which they should be kept in and bred in captivity, and dolphins that cannot live in the wild deserve to go to sanctuaries that are able to provide actual proper living space, respect, and care for them. they are real, living creatures, with their own personalities and identities. they shouldnt be abused and exploited for profit. it's inherently cruel, even if you personally dont view them as their own people as some (like me) do.

I'm sorry that you're disappointed. I thought I had been clear about my opinions on here but yes, I do support SeaWorld, just like I support every other AZA-accredited zoo and aquarium. I support their veterinarians and veterinary staff, people I've actually met or who have worked closely with many of my colleagues and mentors. I support their rescue teams, which have responded to over 40,000 individual marine animals in distress, and are currently one of only half a dozen facilities equipped to handle the Florida manatee unusual mortality event. I support their husbandry and training staff, folks who've made a career out of caring for animals and, like the trainers I currently work with, tirelessly advocating for their needs. I support their contributions to marine research, both through the parks and the independent Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute. I support the connection to the marine world that they provide children (and adults) like myself years ago, gifting them with a lifelong love for the ocean and its life.

At the moment, I'm completing a residential internship program with the medical team at a small marine park (not SeaWorld, but similar in many ways) as a complement to my ongoing education as a DVM student. I see and work with dolphins every day. You’re right, they are extremely intelligent. Each one is an individual, with his or her own distinct personality, likes and dislikes, best friends (human and dolphin), and favorite activities. Perhaps they are “people” in their own way, although from a scientific perspective I can’t anthropomorphize them to that extent. Their trainers are more intimately familiar with the dolphins’ moods and needs than the vast majority of people are with their own pets (speaking as a 7-year veteran of general practice and emergency vet hospitals), and every second of their work day revolves around the animals, be it enrichment, training, husbandry, diet prep, habitat maintenance or, yes, public presentations. Each dolphin has a specialized care plan, made for them by their own full-time veterinarian, to ensure they are always in peak body condition. They receive a full routine medical work-up (complete with bloodwork, fecal, urine, gastric, and chuff cytology) multiple time a year, far beyond what any domestic animal receives. Their diet consists of a wide variety of human-grade seafood, with each individual fish (hundreds of pounds a day) hand-checked by a trainer to ensure it has no defects. They are never, ever forced to participate in a session and usually happily do so, because exercising their minds and bodies is enriching for them. If not, no big deal, they will still get all the food they need.

About half of our dolphins are rescues, deemed non-releasable by the federal government (not the team who rehabbed them, or even the “higher ups” in aquarium/marine park management). These dolphins stranded when they were babies, too young to have learned what they needed from their mothers, or suffering from disabilites or chronic health conditions that would make survival in the wild impossible. Without “captivity,” they would be dead. Instead, I get to see them thrive every day, bonding with their trainers, playing with their dolphin friends, exploring their enrichment, and inspiring everyone who meets them. I’m sorry but no, I will never say these dolphins should be put to death or left to suffer an excrutiating fate in the wild. Not when I’ve seen the life they get to live instead.

An accredited “dolphin sanctaury” like you suggest, run by people with the proper training, resources, and (extensive) funding to care for these complex animals, does not exist. And if one did, it would be no different than any other accredited facility (many of which are “sea pen” habitats, which have their own pros and cons versus a traditional “tank” habitat) that is already open. There would still be training for husbandry, exercise, and enrichment. There would still be hand-fed diets. There would still be (nearly constant!) breeding behavior, just without any babies. And there would still be barriers keeping them from leaving although fun fact, the US Navy uses trained dolphins in open ocean missions and they always return to their human caregivers. The only thing missing would be the educational, inspirational experience aquariums give the public.

But don’t take my word for it. Last year, the Cetacean Welfare Study was published, the result of years of work by 43 different AZA and/or AMMPA-accredited institutes. It’s a collection of studies, the first of their kind, surveying the factors affecting welfare in managed cetaceans (mainly bottlenose dolphins but also Pacific white-sided dolphins and beluga whales), and oftentimes, it’s not what the general public might think. Both SeaWorld and my park were part of it.

Thanks for hearing me out. I don’t expect you to suddenly agree with me, but I hope you’ll try to understand. If you want to hear more of what I’ve said on this topic, please look at my #seaworld and #cetaceans tag.

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brucewaynehastoomanykids · 4 years

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I'm not who you think I am

Azarath metrion zinthos...

Aza--

The Titans alarm blared through the tower, distributing Raven's meditation session. She mentally groaned today was not the day to be dealing with villains.

For the last few weeks, it seemed like the world was out to get her. Between dealing with her own emotions, her father, Garfield and Jaime arguing over petty things that they would more likely forget about later, and Kori breathing down everyone's necks, she was bound to lose it at any point.

The only person in the tower that really didn't seem to give her any trouble was Damian. I mean, they were a couple after all, and even if they weren't, it wouldn't be anything new. However, in this case, Damian would always be the person she'd go to when she needed a break from everything and vice versa, but he had been gone for a little over a week on some, what Raven liked to call, 'Batman business', and wasn't expecting to be back for another few days. Sure, they had phone calls and video chats, but they would always come short because of something happening and one of them having to leave, leaving them barely any time to talk.

Raven ran down to the main area of the tower where her teammates were waiting. "What's the emergency?" She asked as she walked down the small flight of stairs.

"The Fearsome Five is causing a ruckus in the city." Kori began, leading the team out the door. "I've received reports of destruction, robbery, anything you could possibly think of, really."

"You know with Rob gone this ain't gonna be an even fight." Garfield said.

"We've taken The Fearsome Five down before without Damian." Raven said with a slight snap in her voice.

"Yeah, I know." He whined. "But it's a lot faster when he's here."

"Well, he's not." Now she was really snapping at him. Though she didn't really mean to. She was just frustrated with everything going on and, if she were honest, she desperately missed Damian and wanted him home. She muttered a quiet apology and walked ahead of her team.

The city was a mess. Buildings were crumbling on both ends of the street, some even catching on fire, bank alarms were ringing, children were crying and clinging to their mothers who were trying to find their way out of the ruckus. The entire scene made Raven sick. It reminded her of the destruction of Azarath, just to a minor degree. How someone could do something like this was beyond her.

The culprits in question emerged from the smoke and ash holding backs of money in each of their hands.

Jinx looked at the four, counting silently to herself before smirking, "Where's the pretty boy?"

Raven wasn't very appreciative of the cocky tone that came from the sorceress before her but still answered her calmly, "He's away. It's just us."

"What a shame. Just my luck, right?"

She threw an energy blast at the team and all hell broke loose. Starfire seized after both Shimmer and Mammoth, Blue Beatle came for Psimon, and Beast Boy after Gizmo, leaving Raven to deal with Jinx, blocking her attack with a shield of her own energy magic.

Both sides struggled for a while. Blast after blast and hit after hit, neither side seemed to be slowing down any time soon.

Raven was growing angrier at her fight. Jinx had been making snarky comments and taunts since the fight started and it was starting to drive her nuts.

"Is it true what they say?" Jinx as the two finally clashed, "That the little crystal on your head has your dad trapped?"

The question threw Raven off guard, causing her to weaken herself and giving Jinx the upper hand on pinning her to the ground.

"If it is true..." the sorceress began, leaning down towards the empath's face, "then I wonder what happens if I do this..."

She touched the small stone, sending a shock of magic through her fingers and into it. Raven's eyes went wide. She could feel herself losing all sanity she had left. All the anger and frustration she had built up until this point was about to make itself known. Her vision went from black to white, to red in a matter of seconds before she had completely blacked out.

Raven awoke in a cell. Her wrists were chained with cuffs that halted her magic. She recognized the cell from her visits to Damian's home: this was a cell in the Batcave. For a moment, she wondered how she had got there before bits and pieces came back to her. She remembered screaming of citizens and the yells of her friends trying to stop her. She remembered nearly killing everyone in sight and destroying nearby buildings and roads. Then she remembered a plane: the Batwing coming into Jump City.

"I must have fought Batman himself..." then, she realized, "Oh no... I must've fought Damian, too..."

She begins to think the worst at that point. She had feared for a while that Damian was only with her for research reasons because he didn't trust her. Because of this, she refused to ever look into his emotions. She couldn't bear the thought of finding out it was the truth. Thought, if that is, in fact, true, she'd definitely find out about it now.

She heard some yelling going on upstairs. She recognized the voices to be Bruce and Dick. It was difficult from where she was, but she tried to listen in on what they were saying.

"...ruce, aren't you being a little rash?"

Dick, she decided.

"She's a chaotic monster, Dick, she has to be restrained somehow."

Bruce...

"Look, all I'm saying is that we don't know what happened. This could be one huge misunder--"

"What misunderstanding, Dick?! You were there, you saw what she did, for God's sake, Dick, she tried to kill us!"

"You don't see the Titans every day, Bruce. I've seen this girl every day since she arrived and trust me she is anything but a monster. The only reason you--... Did you hear that?"

"Came from the roof."

"Wait is that..."

"She's getting away! Still think she's good, Dick?"

"Shut it."

There was running before silence filled the air.

"What was--" Raven began, but was cut off by a familiar voice.

"A distraction."

Raven snapped her head around to see Damian holding a pair of keys in his hand.

"Distracting him with his own holo-tech. Grayson's idea, actually. Still, we should hurry, my father is no fool." He unlocked the door and got the cuffs off Raven, who only looked down at her freed wrists in confusion. She snapped out of her trance when she saw Damian reach for her hand, leading her to a nearby motorbike that he was obviously planning to use as a getaway vehicle.

"What about your dad? Won't he come looking for us?"

"Grayson said he had a plan for convincing him to reconsider his wishes. Is it a good plan is still in question, but it's the only plan we have."

"Whatever you say..."

They were silent the whole way back to the tower, leaving the Empath to her thoughts. She mentally scolded herself for allowing Jinx to get that close to her but was madder at the fact that she caved into her advances so easily. She knew she was stronger than that, and wondered why she would have allowed herself to be overtaken by a low leveled witch. It was then she decided that Bruce was right, that she was too monstrous to be a hero.

The couple finally reached the doors of the tower. Raven put a hand on Damian's shoulder, stopping him from going inside.

"Wait, Damian..." she hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I wasn't sure you'd actually save me... thank you."

The boy wonder scoffed slightly. "You should know by now that I do not care what anyone else thinks. I will always back you up."

"You didn't let me finish... I think your father is right."

"What?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a serious look. "Damian, half the city is destroyed because of me. Hell, I tried to kill people I care about... besides, it's not like you probably trust me anyway. You've always been skeptical of people, even your friends, and family. And especially people who have done something like this." She flung a hand out, pointing at the city where reconstruction was still happening. "And not just that..."

"Then what else?"

"If I may be so blunt: you're not exactly the most hideous person in the world, and it doesn't help you share the blood of the biggest billionaire out there... you could've had anyone. You could have had someone better than me--someone more heroic than me... so why me? Why trust me? Why love me?"

He was silent for a moment. Shocked at what came out of the girl he loved so dearly. Truth be told, he loved everything about her. Even her faults. After a moment, he finally was able to respond, "Because you are the only one I want. You always have been... is that really so hard for you to believe?"

"Damian, listen..." She put both of her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye as she spoke. "I'm not who you think I am... I'm a demon who has her own demons. Ones you can't possibly imagine. And I don't want to hurt you because of those demons."

Damian smiled a rare but genuine smile. "And I pray one day you will allow me to meet them. But until then, I'm just pleased to stay by your side. You have already proven to me that you are trustworthy, Raven, time and time again. I know you believe that your outward appearance and your family history makes you a horrible being, but trust me, it doesn't... I think I'm a pretty good example of that. And even with recent events, I know this isn't fully your fault. I've already been in contact with Koriand'r, she told me everything. Besides, as you said, you, yourself, have demons."

Raven couldn't say anything. She only looked at him pleadingly to just leave her and live an at least semi-safer life, but he only continued to smile, saying, "You cannot convince me otherwise, beloved."

She sighed in defeat. "I figured as much... though I should warn you that there may come a day you regret that decision."

"Highly doubtful."

"What?"

"You heard me. You should know I could never regret you. Not for a moment."

Raven smiled, seeing as though there was no point in arguing with him. "You should probably go help Dick."

"Sadly, yes. You should get inside. I'm sure everyone is worried." He said, walking towards his bike. "I'll return shortly." And with that, he drove off.

Raven let out a sigh before turning a heal to walk into the tower, smiling slightly to herself.

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ten · 4 years

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🌿sólo si quieres! i hope you're doing well bb! be sure to stretch and stay hydrated

AZA my neck is literally gonna snap from looking down at my computer sm so thank u for the reminder 🥺‼️ ILU

i associate you with a mossy green! #177013 | you’re really down-to-earth and it shows every time we talk. you’re so genuine about everything you do, no matter how seemingly small the task may be. from spotify playlists to moodboards to gift giving (I LOVE YOU i’m actually using the pop socket rn, the yohan stickers are everywhere, & the little chick plushy is sitting on my bed hehe), you put your heart and soul into all that you do. it’s something that i know for a Fact that all of your friends appreciate and cherish about you. also, i feel like each of your actions/words are carefully planned in your head before you execute/speak them. because of this, you have a certain sense of wisdom and peace that that radiates from you both online and irl... i think it’s one your most endearing characteristics! you have the energies of both a quiet + calming forest and a cute little houseplant that i want to take care of :’)

#friends! send me your favourite emoji and i'll tell you what colour i associate with you^^#asks #@aza #im in love with u bro #i wanna meet u again pls come back once all of this is over #i need a big Aza Hug #mutuals

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mediioxumate · 4 years

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nonnie has more thoughts !!

same anon from before btw. so you know how your maruki is possessed by azathoth? well i'm thinking of a scenario where azathoth exposes itself as rogue to the thieves when it defends maruki after it should have been defeated. like azathoth could force maruki to fight more but it doesn't. i think it would contrast kandori and adachi's "possession reveals"

oooooooh yes yes!!! i love that a lot.

i feel like azathoth and maruki have an interesting relationship. because azathoth does come to care for maruki in its own way, its sifted through his memories and emotions, shared a goal, there’s definitely attachment there.

first, the value of a vessel, then likely shifts once it realizes that maruki genuinely cares for it too. sees it as his own salvation, a means to an end. but also... grateful to azathoth. especially once yaldy happens and he can connect with aza more directly, it’s a possession, but it’s also a willing partnership. then maruki starts to fall in battle and azathoth.... doesn’t want that.

@blueveines also mentioned when we were talking the other day about azathoth essentially manifesting maruki’s position/credentials as a therapist bc by all means he should not have them, lol. and assisting maruki in examining the human psyche, and what makes people happy - how to make them complacent. how conflict and misfortune is what creates fight and rebellion in humans.

#i love maruki sm #sobs #thank you so much for the questions!!!#muse; takuto maruki

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toxic-lucky · 5 years

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All the emojis for Joe -u know who i am dndndn

🌟 When your OC loses all hope, who do they turn to first? What helps make them feel better? What calms them down and reassures them? Why?

Joe is most likely to turn to either Aza or Christine. Normally some stories or walks make him feel better. Nothing actually calms him down except time, so if he’s freaking out you’re kinda boned.

☀️ What makes your OC genuinely happy? A person, an item, their hobby? Where is the place they’re happiest, or most at home? What is the happiest they’ve ever been?

I’d say freedom, but that’s never going to be something he can obtain, now is it?

🌙 If your OC could have one wish come true what would it be and why? Would there be consequences to this wish or would they regret it once they get what they want? What would they give in return for this wish to come true?

His wish is to be able to walk through the Realms without need of a prophet. The consequences of that would simply be breaking the world, things would start shattering and the Underground would start overlapping with the rest of the Realms, releasing captured Soulless. Of course Joe would regret it, since it would ruin all of his creations. He wouldn’t give anything, knowing the consequences.

❄️ What makes your OC sad, so sad that they can’t help but cry all day? How do they cheer themself up? Does their sadness upset any of their loved ones too?

Mark and Aza fighting. It doesn’t upset anyone due to the fact he hides it, and he cheers up by leaving the location and listening to some audio-books.

🔥 If your OC known for having temper tantrums? If not, what gets them really angry? What makes their blood BOIL? Is there anyway to calm them down or are they unstoppable? What are they like when they’re angry? Do they take it out on their loved ones?

Nope, he’s actually pretty level headed. I guess people doubting him, or assuming he’s not high-ranking due to his disability make him immediately destroy them (no coming back from that, have fun being soulless). He never takes it out on his loved ones, and he’s pretty much unstoppable unless Christine is there.

❤️ What would your OC’s ideal lover be like? Appearnce, personality, voice? Would their family approve or would it be civil war?

None! He’s always down for the occasional fling due to the fact his repulseness is fluid, but he’s aroace and not interested in a partner.

🕊️ Would your OC ever get married or are they already wed? If they’re married, describe what their wedding was like! If not, describe their ideal wedding (or do this if you feel like it anyway!)

They would never, honestly.

🍼 Does your OC have any children or want children? What names would they pick? Are they good with kids or a complete disaster?

I guess Aza and Mark are technically his kids? He’s not good with kids in the slightest though, so he dumps any children responsibilities on Christine.

☕ Give us one (or more if you feel like it) of your OCs deep dark secrets! Why do they keep it hidden? Spill the tea!

The scars he has around his eyes from ripping them out, they’re really bad to the point where they constantly look fresh. When he gets too emotional they start bleeding. He doesn’t like people to know this, probably for shock and intimidation value, but also because he knows it’s really hard to get blood out of things.

🍂 What are their opinions on the different seasons? Which one do they hate and which one do they love and why?

He doesn’t care, the Underground doesn’t have seasons.

🦋 If your OC could change everything (or just something) about their life would they? What would they change? What do they think would happen if they did? What would their loved ones think?

He wouldn’t change anything, he’s happy.

💐 Does your OC like flowers? What are their favourites? Do they keep a garden of some sort? What flowers would they use in a flower crown? (and if you like, research the meanings behind those flowers!)

He isn’t fond of flowers due to the smell always being too strong for him. In a flowercrown he’d probably wear Amaryllis, Bay, Begonias, Snapdragons, and Marjoram. (Pride, Glory, Beware, Deception, Happiness)

🌼 Write a short drabble from your OCs POV meeting their LI (or if they don’t have a love interest, their best friend. If you don’t want to do a drabble, describe their first meeting instead!)

Well, his best friend is his sister Christine. Their meeting was quite literally at the end of the world, and they got to watch the heat death of the universe before he posed the question, “what if we did this all again?”

🥀 Has your OC ever been hurt by someone they love? Ever been betrayed? Abused? Attacked? Give me the angst! (if you’d like, write a short drabble about it!)

Nope! No one dares to challenge him except Christine, who doesn’t have any issues with the way he runs things.

🏞️ If your OC could travel to anywhere in their world where would they go? Why? If they could live there would they?

Outside in any of the Realms, because he’s trapped in the Underground. He would totally live there.

🏡 Describe your OCs ideal house! Give us a tour around! What’s their garden like? Their bedroom? Kitchen? Where is it and how many people live there?

He doesn’t have one. He’s alright with the wing in the castle he has.

🔪 Has your OC ever killed someone? Ever had to defend themselves against violence? How did this make them feel? Or, alternatively, has your OC ever attacked someone? Seen someone die?

Yep, Joe is creation but that doesn’t mean he can’t destroy someone. It was never for defense, but it always made him feel strangely powerful, people begging for mercy and claiming they’ll do better if he grants them a second chance.

💎 Does your OC collect anything? Is there a reason? When did they start and is it beginning to turn into a little bit of a hoarding issue? What do they do with their collection?

Nope! Joe likes to keep his space pretty clean and sparse.

📚 If your OC was given some kind of forbiddon knowledge, what would they do with it? Would they tell anyone? Use it for evil or good? How would it change their outlook on life, if at all?

They’d tell Aza at the next tea party. It wouldn’t change his outlook on life, he’s creation and fate after all.

🌗 Early mornings or late nights? What do they spend their time doing during these hours?

Early mornings, he just walks around the castle before everyone is up and screaming. Occasionally he’ll talk with Danni down in the soul library.

👑 If your OC was made royal (or is royal) how would they use their power? Are they a good leader or bad? Do their subjects like them or is it ‘off with their head’? Do they enjoy being royal?

He enjoys being seen as royalty, and his subjects like him though do find him a bit strange. He’s seen as a fair leader, but anyone who ever got on his bad side never seemed the same if they got seen again at all.

💕 How is your OC like with physical affection? What are their boundries? Do they enjoy being touched or is that a no-go? Is there any reason behind this?

He loves hugs! Of course, with some warning. He startles easily and it can end up with some catastrophic effects due to his power, but otherwise with a bit of warning he’s a cuddly boy.

☁️ What’s something your OC wishes they could forget? Why is this? Or, what is something that your OC has forgotten? (or do both!)

Nothing.

👀 Describe your OC through the eyes of another person! (bonus + specify who)

He’s annoying, completely disregards the compatibility of people and messes up my job so often. He just shrugs it off as if it’s a game, and as if there’s no method to it. If I could smash his head in I probably would, but I knew better of course. He’s fine though, I guess he just needs to be entertained somehow. - Thoughts of Christine.

❓ A random fact or short drabble! Or make up your own question to ask the OC!

He finds it uncomfortable to change his bandages, which is why he suppresses most of his emotions so that he needs to change them less.

#asks #ask meme #joe #anon

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silenciawrites · 5 years

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Nano Day 10

Me: it took three tries, but my demons finally act like demons, yay! Also me: this is literally a healing scene, what the fuck

Ebony continues to be the world’s most oblivious person.

Word count: 40,100/50,000

Goals: Get to the end of Part 1 within the next 20k. (That won’t happen but I live in hope.)

Snippet:

“Did I not just say that you’re a terrible liar, Eb?” Ayra still sounds mild, but her eyes go cold and watchful as she focuses on Ebony’s face; all Ebony can really see is that deep and dreamy green. “What did you do with it?”

It?

Ayra doesn’t know about Aza. She thinks the Hearrteshard is an it. Ebony’s mind works sluggishly through the clouds that seem to have rolled in over the last few minutes—she has a number of options, none of them good. She can lie to Ayra and be immediately caught out; Ayra is too old and too canny for Ebony to pull one over on her. She can refuse to answer and spend a lot longer dealing with Ayra than she needs to, wasting valuable time that could be spent finding Aaron and Sparrow. She can tell Ayra the truth and put Aza into who knows what kind of danger—but she’s already in danger because of whatever’s happened here tonight.

Or…

It’s risky, but it’s the only possibility she sees, and maybe the only thing that will do Aza or herself any good at all. If she can just get Ayra focused on the thing rather than on the person…

“Do you mean that crystal thing?” she asks at last.

“Maybe.” Ayra’s tone is noncommittal. “Is that what you handled?”

Does it show on her skin or something? How does Ayra know what she’s touched? “She took it away with her,” she says. “My friend. She nearly died trying to save that stupid crystal thing. I helped her. She almost died. And someone in a car came for her. I don’t know where she is now.”

Ayra assesses her with a thoughtful gaze. “But you’ll meet her again, since you sent her away with someone.”

Her head feels sort of floaty, and she’s not entirely sure what they’re even talking about anymore. “Sure. Fine. Whatever. Yeah. But I gotta find Aaron and Sparrow first, since—” she waves a hand towards the church, “fire—”

“They’re fine. I would know if they were not,” says Ayra with calm authority, the same way she’d spoken of the Visionaries being dead. Ebony’s not at all sure how she would know, but she lets it pass. “See, your local heroes have already arrived.” She nods towards the shouting men crowding the front of the church, the water that’s starting to douse the flames. “Speaking of which…” She frowns at Ebony all of a sudden, as though coming to a realization. “You’re bleeding.”

“Yeah, probably.” Ebony smiles at her, feeling very light-headed all of a sudden. “Didn’t feel it though.”

Ayra circles around to look behind her, and when she comes back she’s scowling. “You didn’t think to mention he’d stabbed you?”

“Didn’t hurt. Kinda forgot. S’kind of annoying how you’re always so pretty, did you know that? Middle of an emergency and all.”

Ayra rolls her eyes. “Come here and sit,” she orders. “We’ll get back to your friend in a moment.” Flicking a hand, she dismisses the corpse at their feet. Ebony watches it vanish with blank fascination. When her eyes tick back to Ayra’s face, there’s something that might almost be faint concern. Then she looks up, and for the first time in...probably ages, Ebony sees Ayra actually smile, with nothing around the edges of it. “Ah, there you are.”

Ebony can’t quite get up the energy to actually turn her head, but she sort of lets it loll to the side, and from that angle she can see another woman coming out of the trees. She’s striking, tall and blonde and lovely, enough so that Ebony’s temporarily dazzled mind wonders if part of the deal of becoming a demon is being gifted unusual beauty. (Maybe she just keeps running into the pretty ones? But there’s got to be some benefit to giving up a peaceful afterlife. She sternly tells herself that these questions are not befitting of a priest’s daughter, even a priest’s daughter who’s been bound for Nekhril since the day she was born if his word can be taken for it.)

“Ebony,” says Ayra, and Ebony fights to bring her head back around to Ayra, “this is Lyssa.”

That name should mean something to her, but it won’t quite click. “Oh,” she says sleepily instead. “Hi.” She’s still looking at Ayra, and the words come out sort of slurred, but neither of the other two seem to care.

The blonde--Lyssa--comes around to her side. Ebony feels a hand, long and slim with oddly sharp fingertips, press against her back just above the wound. She knows it’s just above because the contact sets off a pulse of pain that jerks her back from the soothing semi-consciousness she’d begun to drift in. “Ow, shit—”

She feels it again, that vicious punch forward that must have had the knife in it the first time, and fuck, that hurts! When she tries to jerk forward, a number of her more creative curses leaving her lips, Lyssa’s other hand comes down on her shoulder and holds her firmly in place. “It’s less than pleasant, I know,” she says mildly. “But considering the amount of blood you’re losing, this really can’t wait.”

It burns like a swarm of wasps burrowing under her skin, and she can feel the way each individual muscle fiber, each strand of skin twists and writhes and pulls to knit back together. She’s lost any coherency but must be making some kind of noise because it hurts so fucking much; she thinks she’s screaming, but neither Ayra nor Lyssa react to it, so maybe she’s not.

Then all of a sudden it’s over, and Lyssa’s hands lift away from her skin. Ebony falls forward, catching herself on her hands. It takes her a minute of staring at the grass to stop shaking. “What the fuck,” she manages once she’s sure her voice will still work. Her throat feels raw. She’d definitely been screaming.

“Thaumaturgy isn’t really meant to heal,” says Lyssa absently. It’s genuinely galling how little interest is in her voice. “It can manage if you force it, but its nature will show.”

Ayra’s sitting in the grass beside her now, and Ebony’s not sure when she got there. “You were in rather rough shape,” she says. “Was your friend as badly off as you?”

“If she is, I’m sure not letting you do that for her,” Ebony rasps, not missing the amused look Lyssa gives her. “Something was wrong. I don’t know how bad. Enough that I had to get her out. What does it even matter, anyway? What do you care about some relic of the Saint?”

---

Tagging: @writekaywrite, @tinbramble, @toboldlywrite, @lady-redshield-writes. And one more shameless plug: I’m on the NaNo site at Silencia del Umbrae if you’re looking for NaNo buddies!

#Silencia writes #nano 2019 #nanowrimo #fantasy #story: Hearrtesverse #character: Ebony #character: Ayra #character: Lyssa

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anavalancheofflowers-blog · 6 years

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i just finished reading Turtles All the Way Down and i would just like to thank john green for writing this book that not only gave me a better understanding of what mental illness is like, but also left me pretty satisified and more knowledgeable.

it was a good ending. when i was getting closer to it i was afraid of letting aza go because i was pretty attached to her but he let her kind of gently pull herself away and it made for a great ending. thank you.

#turtles all the way down #john green #i feel like i understand what mental illness is like a lot more than before #like i must have been really ignorant wow #genuinely love and care about aza #i was afraid something tragic would happen like in tfios #i love everything about this book #thanks john green

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dullestbright · 5 years

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NO ONE SAYS GOODBYE UNLESS..

So, I read a reaaaaallllyyyyy good book after so long. Everyone has heard about it in this new world.

John Green. Turtles All The Way Down. Heard of it? Yes? I thought so.

Anyway, there are so many things about this book that have my heart. The way it talks about life. It threw me into a ‘spiral’ (read it, you will get what I am trying to say here).

*it is about a book I can’t just leave it like that, I’ll will have to do or at least put somethings that make you WANT to read it.*

I actually don’t know what genre I should put in in, because it’s love, teenage and a mild mystery at the same time.

The book is about a teenage girl named Aza, who has a mental illness and is consumed by her own thoughts. She can’t control them and thinks that she cannot control her actions. According to her every person is actually driven by circumstances. To her, her thoughts are ’turning and turning into a tightening gyre.’

Then comes her friend from her childhood who is not mentally ill but understands all the thoughts Aza has, as he too has lost so much in life. He is a son of a fraud father and is a big brother who has to take care of a troubled kid.

His name is Davis BTW. *I generally don’t remember the names. I remember faces and that is all I remember. They way Mr Green describes his eyes. The brown eyes. They mean a lot to me ‘cause they ‘make me feel like there was something worthwhile in the brown of my eyes too’*

His approach to life had me. I love how he loves his life even though it has a crazy ‘rhyme scheme’. He writes short poems and blog almost every day. One of my favs is

“The leaves are gone

You should me gone, too

I’d be done if I were you

Walking alone

In the frigid dawn.”

See what Mr Green did there? How he described the insecurity in such a beautiful way. (I genuinely hope that, that is what he was trying to do there because I am no good at literature and I so don’t wanna make a fool out of myself.)

Anyway, I don’t know what I am actually going with this. I just love how there are s many things in life which a just beautifully described. Maybe it’s the teenage heart in me speaking but I really love the book and I don’t know how to say it. I can actually not write. You will see how bad I am at it. And I am worst at actually writing down how I feel.

Coming to the book again. The two meet again and start to understand each other. Somehow, Aza overcomes her spiral thoughts when she is with him. Both of them are glad that she found someone who saw the same sky as each other. Even though in the end ‘circumstances’ make them part they are happy as ‘what is yours now isn’t yours forever.’

Aza knows that she will remember her first love as it is pure and will remind her that she is worth all the care and capable to receive and give love.

That’s all for the weirdest book review ever.

Bye.

“No One Says Goodbye Unless They Want To See You Again.”

(Ha. Ha. I know I was clever with the ending. No bragging. I promise.)

Because we break hearts, not promises.

*I have written every quote I like in this*

I hope the author of the book doesn't kill me after reading this . Please don't.

DULLESTBRIGHT ALL BRIGHT BECAUSE SHE LOVES THE BOOKKKKKKK!!!! XOXOXOXOX

#dullestbright #musiclover #books #john green #wanderer #wander #wanderlust #lovers #love quotes #love #self love #quotes #quoteoftheday

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petnews2day · 2 years

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Zoo gives new cheetah cub a puppy to help ease its overwhelming anxiety

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/?p=51487

Zoo gives new cheetah cub a puppy to help ease its overwhelming anxiety

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden has adopted a puppy to become an emotional support dog for their new cheetah cub – they’ll live alongside each other in the same enclosure

Rozi (pictured) will live in the same enclosure as puppy Daisy (

Image: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden)

Despite being known as a powerful predator in the animal world, cheetahs can become so anxious they end up shying away from their own kind.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, in America, recently welcomed a singleton cheetah cub, named Rozi, into their enclosure – and will soon be introducing her to her very own support dog.

In an attempt to socialise their new cub, she will live alongside puppy Daisy, who has been adopted from Animal Rescue Fund Inc, once she reaches a certain age.

Cat Ambassador Program (CAP) lead trainer Linda Castañeda said: “Canine companionship provides play and socialisation opportunities that humans cannot give the cub.”

Rozi will soon have her very own emotional support dog (

Image:

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden)

Daisy was adopted from Animal Rescue Fund Inc (

Image:

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden)

As cheetah mums do not receive enough stimulation from a single cub to produce an adequate milk supply, Rozi couldn’t be cared for by her mum at Wildlife Safari in Oregon.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Cheetah Species Survival Plan (SSP) identified Cincinnati Zoo as the best place for the cub to be raised.

“We have raised all of the eight cheetahs that are currently in the Cat Ambassador Program,” said Linda.

“The first few months are important for bonding and building trust, so we will be with her night and day.

“When she’s ready, she will join the other ambassadors and eventually participate in the Zoo’s Cheetah Encounter.”

The Cincinnati Zoo and Wildlife Safari are two of only ten facilities that participate in the AZA-accredited cheetah Breeding Center Coalition (BCC).

The BCC’s goal is to create a sustainable cheetah population that will prevent extinction of the world’s fastest land animal.

Cheetahs are endangered, and their population worldwide has shrunk from about 100,000 in 1,900 to an estimated 9,000 to 12,000 cheetahs today.

However, their shyness is not the only factor linked to their drop in numbers as their loss of habitat, lack of prey, and vulnerability to hunters has increased their risk of becoming extinct.

Little Rozi isn’t the only cheetah to have an emotional support dog as the Metro Richmond Zoo, in Virginia, America, introduced their cheetah, Kumbali, to yellow labrador retriever, Kago, to help ease the big cat’s anxiety.

A spokeswoman said: “Kumbali and Kago don’t even seem to recognise their differences in species, size, or colour. There is only acceptance.

“This unique companionship has captured the hearts of millions of people.”

The pair were introduced to each other in July 2015 when they were just two-months-old – and have been inseparable ever since.

Living harmoniously in the same enclosure, Kumbali and Kago spend their days playing and eating together, before cuddling up with one another when they get tired.

Do you have a cute dog story to share? Email [email protected].

Adorable dog finally finds new home after spending five years in kennels

Expert proves dogs genuinely love humans – and grieve when their owners die

#Dog News

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stephaniepaul · 6 years

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TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN

Characterization

MAJOR CHARACTERS:

Aza

Aza is the sixteen-year-old protagonist of the novel. She has anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She also fears bacteria, particularly C. diff. She has to compulsively re-open her finger wound, clean it, and re-bandage it several times per day to keep it clean and free from bacteria. Aza's fear of bacteria sends her into what she terms "thought spirals," in which her fearful thoughts take over her mind and send her into a panic. At these times, she doesn't feel that she's in control of her own thoughts. Aza resists taking her medication regularly, as she doesn’t like the feeling that something else is determining who she is and how she behaves.

Daisy

Daisy is Aza's best friend. She is bubbly, outgoing, and absolutely loves boys and Star Wars. Her life motto is "break hearts, not promises." She writes weekly installments of an ongoing fan fiction and is diligent about replying to reader comments about the story. Daisy is adamant throughout the novel that being poor doesn't make a person noble.

Mom

Mom is Aza's mother. She's a math teacher at Aza's high school. Although Mom does everything she can to help Aza, such as encouraging her to go to therapy and asking her about her sessions, she doesn't truly understand Aza's anxiety. She encourages Aza to "just not think about" whatever triggers her thought spirals and continues to ask Aza about her mental state, even though neither of these things helps Aza at all and sometimes even makes Aza feel worse. Nevertheless, Aza and her mother are very close and have a mutually respectful relationship.

Davis

Davis is Aza's love interest. He comes from a very wealthy family; his father, Davis Pickett Sr., owns the largest engineering firm in Indianapolis. His mother died when he was a child, and he originally met Aza at "sad camp," a camp for children who have lost a parent. He tries to separate himself from other people because he fears people just want to be close to him for his money. He loves astronomy and is blind to the privileges afforded to him because of his wealth

Davis Pickett Sr.

Davis Pickett, Sr. is one of the most successful businessmen in Indianapolis, though he disappears mysteriously right before the start of the novel after the police try to arrest him for fraud and embezzlement. He owns Pickett Engineering, the engineering firm that was commissioned to design a tunnel system to keep the sewers from overflowing into the river when it rains, though his firm never completed the project. Despite his financial success, Mr. Pickett is cold and generally disliked.

Mychal

Mychal is a classmate and friend of Aza and Daisy, and for a short time he's Daisy's boyfriend. He's a talented art student, though he's often very uncertain of himself.

Noah

Noah is Davis' younger brother. At thirteen, he still believes that his dad, Mr. Pickett, loves him, and he becomes depressed and starts acting out after his father disappears.

Dr. Singh

Dr. Singh is Aza's therapist. She uses both cognitive behavioral therapy and medication to help control Aza's anxiety and OCD. She encourages Aza to remind herself that her thoughts are just thoughts and don't actually control her, though Aza struggles greatly to accept this.

Dad

Dad is Aza's father, who died of (presumably) a heart attack while mowing the lawn about eight years prior to the start of the novel. Mom describes her husband as "a worrier" like Aza, and thinks that he would've understood Aza's anxiety better than she does. He enjoyed taking cell phone photos of the sky through tree branches, and Aza keeps his phone in working order so she can revisit the photographs on the phone.

Tua

Tua is Davis Pickett Sr.'s female tuatara, a very primitive species of reptile. She's about 40 years old and is expected to live to at least 150 years old. She's also set to "inherit" Mr. Pickett's fortune upon his death, though the money will actually go to the foundation that cares for her. Davis is scared of Tua and resents her because his father favors her over his own children.

Ayala

Ayala is a character in Daisy's Chewbacca fan fiction stories. She's modeled after Aza and shares her worrying personality. She's a horrible character who ruins everything for the other characters. Ayala serves as a point of contention in Aza and Daisy’s friendship when Aza discovers that Daisy has been writing stories that paint Aza (through the character of Ayala) in an unfavorable light.

MINOR CHARACTERS:

Lyle

Lyle is the groundskeeper at the Pickett estate. He seems to care deeply for the wellbeing of Davis and Noah and is initially very suspicious of Aza and Daisy.

Malik

Malik is the onsite zoologist at the Pickett estate. He cares for Tua, the tuatara that will receive the entirety of the Pickett inheritance upon Davis Pickett Sr.'s death. He's very passionate about his work, which Aza finds refreshing.

Rosa

Rosa is the house manager at the Pickett estate. She acts as a parent of sorts to Noahand Davis, though she leaves at six every night. Even though she seems to genuinely care for Noah and Davis, Davis insists that she's paid to do so.

Holly

Holly is Daisy and Aza's regular server at Applebee's. She doesn't find the girls charming because they habitually use coupons and never tip well.

Simon Morris

Simon Morris is Mr. Pickett's lawyer. He arranges to have a bank accept Daisy and Aza's deposits of the cash they received from Davis.

Elena

Elena is Daisy's eight-year-old sister. Daisy often has to babysit Elena when their parents have to work.

#bookreading

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ciameth · 7 years

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Can you name any alternative sites to the dodo? I like their content because I like watching animals, but I see that they are not a real animal conservation/ animal rights group. I just don’t know good alternatives with equal amounts and „quality“ (as in HD videos opposed to shaky cellphone) content

I can try! So, if quality videos of cute animals being cute is your thing, Zooborns is probably the best blog out there for frequent HD adorable content. It is an aggregation of baby animal videos and news from accredited zoo around the world. Zooborns also has a youtube channel and under their Subscriptions, there are a ton of zoo channels. AZA. EAZA, WAZA, ZAA accredited zoos have incredibly high standards for animal welfare, support species conservation and public education, and donate millions to conservation programs worldwide so you’re following a good and educational source that cares about the welfare of wild and captive exotic animals when you follow an accredited zoo blog. A lot of larger zoos have really good content online - blogs, twitters, tumblrs, youtube channels, etc - so depending on the medium you like, I’d seek out those. I’ll list a few of my top choices. They’re my favorites because they include a high proportion of pure animal content vs advertising, and because I’m fond of the zoos themselves:

San Diego Zoo’s Tumblr, their ZooNooz online magazine, Youtube, and San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Youtube

Woodland Park Zoo’s Youtube

Cincinnati Zoo’s (home of the adorable baby hippo Fiona) Youtube. Some of their animals (like the cheetahs and Fiona) have their own channels.

Dallas Zoo’s Twitter and Oregon Zoo’s Twitter

Andy N. Condor’s Facebook page. Even if you don’t like vultures, he will change your mind.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has a Facebook page that shares most of the best video content from their member zoos.

CARE Rescue Texas is an exotic animal sanctuary with mostly big cats and primates, California Wolf Center has wolves, to add some good unaccredited facilities’ channels to the list, because they exist.

If you want videos of animals in the wild, BBC Earth has a youtube channel full of clips from their documentaries. BBC makes the best nature documentaries IMO, but their channel also features good domestic animal clips. Their secondary channel BBC Earth Unplugged has even more stuff.

US Fish and Wildlife has a youtube channel that regularly features wildlife rescue and rehabilitation stories if that’s your favorite part of The Dodo.

There is a lot of good exotic animal content, but outside of individual pet owner’s blogs/channels, it is hard to find domestic pet video aggregators that actually credit the original owner of the video/picture and uncredited content is a big pet peeve of mine. It’s another problem I have with The Dodo. Like The Dodo, most other major aggregators of “cute” pet content regularly post videos depicting situations that are dangerous or stressful to the animal so I don’t have many of those to recommend (Animals In Predicaments is generally good about sourcing, and not posting any animals in genuine distress, but it’s not perfect).

However, here are some individual pet owner blog/channels I like:

Mr. Max TV has silly cockatoo videos. Sesame has silly cockatiel videos. Einstein is an African Grey who is quite the talker and clearly well-loved and well-kept. I am a huge bird nerd so unfortunately I’m not familiar with a lot of furry pet content. I have some friends who also work in the animal care field who like The Pipsqueakery, a pocket pet rescue. If anyone wants to chime in with good dog/cat/pocket pet blogs please do.

KaijuTegu has a great blog about pet reptiles with a whole lot of misc but very interesting topics thrown in.

Potamotrygonbio, aquarist and owner of Bisquick and IHOP the rays.

They’re all informative, portray pet ownership realistically, and best of all they don’t force animals into situations that are unsafe or stressful for the sake of creating content.

Some other animal blogs I recommend:

Reptelligence is a facebook group about reptile enrichment and training with lots of videos of reptiles exploring enrichment.

Dr. Ferox runs an outstanding veterinarian blog. Not a source of cute animal videos, but great content, very entertaining and informative.

You probably saw my post through why-animals-do-the-thing but I’ll just throw that out there as my favorite all around animal tumblr blog.

None of these are an exact replacement of the array of videos The Dodo offers but hopefully you find some of them entertaining!

#the dodo #pets #companion animals #cute animals #zoo animals

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