#late night ranting

[linilunilumi]

Folge 1060 & 1061 (und wie Schloss Einstein an seinem eigenen Format zu versagen scheint)

Ne sorry, das lässt mich nicht los. Ich muss mich nochmal aufregen.

Ich weiß, wir woll(t)en alle sehen, dass Noah sich gegenüber Ava öffnet und über seine Gefühle und Colin redet und ja, wir brauchen diese Charakterentwicklung auch dringend! Aber Ava ist nicht nur Noahs Sorgenfresserin, sie hat auch ihre eigene Persönlichkeit, ihre eigenen Probleme und ihre eigene Storyline verdient. Der Fokus der Folgen schien dabei auch bereits eher auf ihrer Story zu liegen als auf der von Noah (dass man in einer solchen Serie die Handlung und Gespräche am besten so gestalten könnte oder sollte, dass beide Charaktere was davon haben, ignorieren wir jetzt mal kurz). Das Problem: auch für Ava waren die Folgen unglaublich oberflächlich und nichtssagend geschrieben!

Der Plot aus Folge 1060 war dabei eigentlich im Gesamten unnötig. Die Handlung besteht daraus, dass die beiden zu Avas Missfallen damit beauftragt werden, zusammen eine Kung-Fu Choreo einzustudieren. Ava täuscht beim Training vor, nicht damit zurecht zu kommen, weil sie von Noah und Joel unterschätzt wird und glänzt bei ihrem gemeinsamen Auftritt aber, sodass die beiden - zu Noahs Überraschung - eine sehr gute Note erhalten.

So weit, so gut. Keine sonderlich neue Idee, aber ergibt handlungsmäßig zumindest Sinn - jedoch nicht für Ava und Noah!!

Warum wurde sich der Plot für die beiden ausgesucht? Es hat nichts mit ihren eigentlichen Problemen und Persönlichkeiten zu tun.

Noah wurde bisher nie als jemand dargestellt, der andere (oder speziell Mädchen) als in irgendeiner Weise unfähiger oder minderwertiger behandelt hat - also kein Erlebnis, aus dem er lernen müsste. (Wenn schon eher Joel, der mit dieser ganzen "Sportmuffel"-Geschichte überhaupt angefangen hat...) Und Ava schien bisher auch nicht wie jemand, die Probleme damit habe, sich zu beweisen - für sie also auch kein großes Hindernis, sondern einfach ein kleiner Spaß? Rache an Noah?

[Und sollte sich herausstellen, dass die Story für Ava doch wichtig war - Minderwertigkeitskomplexe wegen ihres Bruders oder whatever - dann hätte man halt (so leid es mir auch tut) jemand anderes als Avas Partner nehmen müssen, damit Noah dann parallel dazu seine eigene Story haben kann. Simon als Sportler-Macho wäre (again: so leid es mir auch tut) die perfekte Wahl dafür gewesen.]

In Folge 1060 hat Noah knapp 7 Minuten Screen-Time; Ava etwas weniger als er, da Noah auch noch eine Szene mit Joel hat. Damit entspricht das zwar (knapp) der typischen Dreiteilung einer Schloss Einstein Folge, aber wir erfahren trotzdem NICHTS.

Wir wissen nach der Folge, dass...

... Ava gut in Kung-Fu ist (woher erfahren wir nicht) und scheinbar Spaß daran hat, Noah eins heimzuzahlen. ... und dass Joel früher ein Sportmuffel war, jetzt aber nicht mehr und sogar ein Kung-Fu Workshop belegt hat.

Joel! Um den ging es diese Folge gar nicht. (Auch wenn ich für jede neue Joel lore dankbar bin!)

Gut, damit haben wir eine gesamte Folge schon mal verschwendet.

In Folge 1061 sieht es nur wenig anders aus:

Noah und Ava haben plötzlich so viel Spaß zusammen, dass sie als Strafarbeit eine Tanzstunde für den Sportkurs organisieren müssen. Noah findet das in Ordnung, aber Ava ist von Anfang an nicht begeistert und gibt schließlich die Aufgabe an Massuda ab. Die Sportstunde verläuft klasse, aber Herr Hauser möchte ein ernstes Wort mit Ava reden. Die bietet an, eine andere Übung zum Thema Zusammenhalt zu bewältigen, aber Hauptsache sie müsse nicht tanzen!

Hier kommen wir endlich Avas Geschichte näher; aber es passiert trotzdem nichts und wir erfahren trotzdem nichts.

Um genau zu sein, erfahren wir bloß...

... dass Ava nicht tanzen möchte.

Keine Begründung, kein gar nichts.

Und das hat dann auch nichts mehr mit Spannung und Geheimnisse aufrecht halten zu tun, nein. Dann ist die Sendezeit einfach schlecht genutzt.

Dabei geschieht das Ganze in gerade mal knapp über 5 Minuten Screen-Time von Ava, dieses Mal mit etwas weniger Zeit für Noah. Hier sind wir dann auch schon weit entfernt von einer gleichmäßig aufgeteilten Folge für drei Handlungsstränge.

Dabei wäre das gewählte Setting eigentlich gar nicht schlecht! Gemeinsame Sportübungen, bei denen man Zeit miteinander verbringen muss, sich vertrauen muss, etc. Nur schreiben sich die Geschichten nicht von selbst, es müssen auch die dazugehörigen Gespräche stattfinden!

Das Mindset Modul - Herr Hauser sagt selbst in genau diesen Folgen darüber: "Mindset bedeutet auch, den Willen zu haben, sich ständig zu verbessern - in allen Belangen" "durch permanentes Üben, Körper und Geist in Einklang bringen"

Ja und wer könnte es wirklich dringend gebrauchen, Körper und Geist in Einklang zu bringen? Noah!

Statt ihn hier einen auf Vollprofi machen zu lassen, hätte Noah weiterhin mit seinem Kopf voll in Gedanken sein können und nach ihrem ersten kleinen Bonding-Moment aus Folge 1057 könnte er im Gespräch mit Ava etwas Luft rauslassen und versuchen, Klarheit für sich zu schaffen. (Er muss ja auch nicht direkt seine unsterbliche Liebe für Colin gestehen, aber einfach, wie es ihm geht, was ihm Angst macht usw. usw.)

Genauso in Folge 1061, da sagt Herr Hauser zu Ava: "Beim Tanzen lässt man sich aufeinander ein, man verfolgt gemeinsam ein Ziel, man stimmt sich ab. Damit hast du offensichtlich Schwierigkeiten."

Ja und wer hat dieses Problem noch? Noah!

Perfekte Grundlage für entweder weitere bonding Gespräche oder erstmal ein wenig Stress, weil die beiden es eben nicht schaffen, sich aufeinander einzulassen.

Und dann? Baut man darauf auf!!

Momentan ist einfach jede Storyline in mehrere kleine Kapitel aufgeteilt, die innerhalb einer Folge möglichst abgeschlossen werden müssen - demnach schafft man es in diesen 5 - 10 Minuten pro Folge auch keine tiefgründigen Geschichten zu erzählen, weil man bis zum Ende der Folge ein halbwegs rundes Ende gefunden haben muss und in der nächsten Folge dann wieder von Neuem anfangen muss.

Ob das der Grund ist, weshalb die ersten Folgen der Staffel schon wieder wie vergessen wirken? Als hätte Colin nie existiert? Als hätte Noah nicht in seinem Bett geweint und deswegen 5 Punkte kassiert? Ich weiß es nicht. Aber es macht das Ganze definitiv noch schlimmer.

Und das gilt nicht nur für unsere Lieblinge Noah, Ava und Joel. Das gilt gerade für so gut wie alle.

- Wir sehen Massuda und Elly eine gesamte Folge dabei zu, wie sie versuchen zu lernen.

- Wir sehen Tahmina dabei zu, wie sie unglaubwürdig lang einem Einhorn-Luftballon hinterher rennt oder wir hören zu, wie die Lehrer:innen uns erzählen, dass Tahmi Probleme in der Schule hat, statt uns zu zeigen, dass sie Probleme in der Schule hat.

- Die Bildungsgeschichte über Aufarbeitung der DDR-Geschichte wird als Schatzsuche über die ganze Staffel inszeniert, statt sie in den Unterricht zu integrieren. In einer Serie an einer Schule!

- usw.

Die Inhalte werden auf die 25 Minuten künstlich gestreckt, aber gleichzeitig fallen die Storylines in Betracht der ganzen Staffel flach, weil man von der Entwicklung on-screen kaum etwas mitbekommt.

Dabei kann das funktionieren - und gleichzeitig lustig sein! Joel hat auch eine gesamte Folge damit verbracht, sich Ideen auszudenken, um Colin zum Bleiben zu überzeugen. Dabei wurde aber auch stets verdeutlicht:

> Colins Freundschaft zu Julia > Die dicke Luft zwischen Noah und Colin > Colins Entschluss mit Noah abzuhaken > Joels Freundschaft zu Colin > Joels Engagement > Noahs vorgetäuscht gleichgültige Fassade > Noahs Trauer über Colins Abreise

Seit Colins Ausstieg aber? Es ist zwar schön zu sehen, dass es Noah besser zu gehen scheint und dass er und Ava sich gut zu verstehen scheinen, aber... das reicht nicht. Nicht, nachdem was in den ersten fünf Folgen angerissen wurde. Und das kann einem auch nicht einfach unkommentiert präsentiert werden.

Warum geht es ihm besser? Warum war er so traurig? Warum kann er sich die Gefühle zu Colin nicht eingestehen? Warum will Ava nicht tanzen? Warum, warum, warum???

Irgendwie laufen ihnen hier gerade die eigentlich guten Storylines und der gesamte Aufbau des Formats aus dem Ruder.

Ich entschuldige mich für das Geschwafel; ich habe keine Ahnung, ob es Sinn ergeben hat, was ich geschrieben habe; es ist 03:09 Uhr und ich musste das einfach loswerden; auch wenn ich die Hälfte wahrscheinlich vergessen habe.

[anna-hawk]

I'm finally watching the last 2 seasons of TWD and omg can it please stop? I always wondered why people disliked the end that much and now that I've finally watched further than S9 (the show is already getting worse and worse up til that season tbh), I get it. I'm doing all this because I wanna watch the spinoffs, but I'm both bored to no end and upset about what they do with some (a lot) of the characters. It's like, "hey, let's just kill x character, it doesn't really matter, right?" WRONG! 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

[ryderdire]

I think what gets me about thylacines is just. How much of myself and others i see in it.

Maybe it’s whacky but I see somthing who’s life is treated as less important because

it’s a monster, a dangerous beast, evil, “Sinful.”

And I look at the way the world looks at me.

how it feels like some people vaule my life less

because I am different I’m queer I’m neurodivergent I’m “sinful”

And I feel a kinda kinship.

But i survived.

the thylacine didn’t survive that view

. They’re gone they didn’t have the means to fight back angainst that like I do.

Their where just animals and I know that.

I don’t have much power in this world and I know that.

I want to do better by them.

I don’t want to forget those who didn’t survive that view.

And the stripes of the thylacine aren’t easy to forget

[torturedpoetspsychward]

the state of the world feels so incredibly draining lately

[last-words-ofashootingstar]

dial

i'm cast back in time, a soul aglow,

a four year old dreamer, standing tall on the step stool,

reaching for your sink with tiny hands, a world of bubbles i link.

eager hands forming wondrous gold suds,

immersed in a world, where troubles seem feeble,

and in that moment, you gently come behind,

a guardian angel, watching my mind unwind.

a whisper, a smile, assuring me you're here.

yet as the dawn breaks, reality awaits,

the pain isn't washed away.

do you visit me still? do you watch over and send me these dreams? i like to think so.

the scent of dial soap, it lingers on,

erasing fear, even when you are gone.

i can be brave, i just have to wash my hands.

for in my heart, i'll always be four,

on that step stool, forevermore.

[slechterick]

what the fuck. waarom zou je je vakantie in godsvredesnaam door tiktok laten plannen. waarom zou je überhaupt uren (meervoud!!!) in de rij staan voor een zakje patat. er bestaat geen friet op aarde die zoveel beter is dan die van een tent om de hoek dat het uren in de rij staan volstaat. in die tijd kun je letterlijk* van de ene kant van Amsterdam naar de andere fietsen en ruim tijd overhouden voor een bezoek aan het Anne Frank huis. en dan kies je ervoor om die tijd te besteden aan in de rij staan. voor patat. gefrituurde aardappelreepjes. je hebt een paar dagen dat je op vakantie bent en de bestemming kan bekijken. en dan kies je ervoor om die kostbare tijd naar de rug van de wachtende voor je te staren. ik snap hier dus geen snars van. ergens wil ik het kunnen onderschrijven aan tiktok brain rot, maar dat is een te gemakkelijke uitweg. dit voelt meer als blablabla leven door de lens van social media blablabla the Matrix blablabla iets in die zin

*vanaf Dierenopvang Amsterdam (~westerse uithoek) naar Science Park (~oosterse uithoek) is precies een uurtje. i know omdat ik maandenlang naar beide heb gefietst (niet tegelijkertijd) en tussen die twee locaties in woon. bedenk me nu ook dat je t kunt checken met een Maps app, maar die zijn niet altijd even accurate met tijdsinschattingen

[clownboybebop]

if you’re ever in the position to choose between giving up and accepting defeat, and actually trying to fight the ancient unkillable god that is about to peel apart reality like a string cheese, remember this: scientifically speaking, you might as well give it a shot!

1.there were trees at the beginning of the world! there were trees so long ago that they predate bacteria that causes wood to decay. when a tree fell, it would lie there in stasis and there wasn’t any way of breaking down wood xylem on a molecular level in that way.

2. it seems obvious to say, but wood eating bacteria are literally incapable of comprehending what they’re breaking down. It’s just not information conciously available to a microorganism. they don’t know what they’re deconstructing, where it came from, bacteria have no way to even fathom the existence of a tree as a concept.

3. Regardless of the facts above, the world we live in today is a world where wood inevitably decomposes

it is worth fighting the unkillable god no matter how pointless it seems. it is worth taking the risk even though youre trying to accomplish something impossible. the reality in which you live was also once reality in which trees didn’t rot. You live in a reality that allows for existence before the possibility of destruction. you live in a reality where uncomprehending microbes break down matter that is so far beyond the scope of their comprehension that it feels comical to specify something so obvious. you live in a reality that occasionally allows unshakeable physical truths to be altered with no warning.

It is worth fighting the unkillable god because trees are so old they predate the source of their destruction, and it still did not spare them. It is worth fighting the unkillable god because bacteria rots unthinkingly, because there is room in our cosmos for destruction without comprehension on the part of the destroyer. It is worth fighting the unkillable god because now and then reality retracts the promise of immortality without fanfare, and when that happens there is no mercy for the ancient. the unmaking is not softer for the desecrators ignorance. for all things, existence is endless until the exact point where it ends.

so you might as well try to kill the unkillable god. it doesn’t seem likely, but at the beginning of the world, trees didn’t rot. so you never know! you never know

[dichotomoustessellations]

I could have had it way fuckinf worse but ill always hate my parents for judging me and essentially complaining or scolding me that i need to have goals and never breaking down what the steps like that should look like but its because they didnt care what i wanted to do or what goals i had they wanted to be able to shit out a command at me and have me magically be what their version of successful is, along with a lot of other thinking they have telepathy douche bag bullshit

[catboybiologist]

So.

Re: tumblr bans of transfemmes.

Let's ignore PhotoMatt for a moment. Manbaby tech CEO doubling down on a stupid decision and making himself look like more of an ass doing so is not a new phenomena.

Tumblr has consistently said, in both public statements and leaked internal communication, that they're essentially running a skeleton crew.

They keep saying that they don't have the resources to moderate, manually review posts, have any kind of appeal process, or anything. So, as people have widely received communications about, they seemed to have automated a significant portion of the moderation to operate solely on the quantity of reports (probably with a basic filter, eg quantity of reports regarding a certain post, within a certain timeframe) to automatically ban or shadowban accounts.

And so, they wipe their hands, both to the users, the public, and their own consciousness, and go about their automated operations.

All of this is likely true. Tumblr, at this point, is essentially abandonware internally, a kind of weird vanity project/dumpster ground for server infrastructure for Automattic. Likely, they don't want the bad press of "shutting down" fully. Or maybe the trickle of revenue they get here just barely exceeds operating costs, so why not keep it around?

Whatever is the case, the bans are a result of an automated process working in the background. I'm giving them some benefit of the doubt here, of course, we can't know anything for certain- but it seems like the individual bans are not based on any specific, manual action.

And that doesn't fucking excuse anything.

Because at some point, multiple people sat down at tumblr, and decided how to cut costs.

And they decided that the bare minimum of report abuse prevention was one of the first things on the chopping block.

Before the boops. Before GUI reconfigures.

They decided to cut something that is necessary to manage online communities.

They decided to cut something that ensures any targeted group will have any kind of community online.

And then, after all of that, the only manual intervention is doubling down on the shitty decisions that the automated systems make, and plucking reasons out of their ass for why they were the right decisions all along.

It's pure silicon valley brain. Blame the computer often and always. Use it to shield the active decisions you made when designing the computer that way. Treat it as a fact of life as opposed to something they actively made decisions for.

Is tumblr staff hitting the banhammer on each transfemme one by one? No.

Is tumblr staff deliberately crafting a system that allows TERFs and other conservative bigots to get rid of the "undesirables" for them? Yup. But they sure as hell are trying to not say the quiet part out loud. If they can always point the finger somewhere else, to the advertisers, to the automated systems, to the TERFs, then they can always have juuusssttt enough plausible deniability.

But being the "queerest place on the internet" requires concious acknowledgement that queer people will be targets of harassment, and you will have to protect against that.

Side note, this is why I do try to keep my blog at least somewhat SFW. Its one of the main reasons why I choose not to reblog all of the posts I'm tagged in- if the post is overtly NSFW, I've probably seen it, appreciated it, and consciously decided my level of interaction with it mostly based on how "tumblr friendly" it is. Is that bowing down to them? A little. It's also my choice. I value the community I have here. The pushes that y'all have given me gave me the strength to transition, and honestly gives me a lot of motivation to research HRT biology as much as I can, among many other things.

Yeah, I post pictures that are clearly meant to be found attractive in ways that are generally not socially acceptable , but never actual NSFW. I would like to think that I'm pretty safe from bans, but hey. Who knows. I don't want to lose my follower base, and the community around it.

And yeah, I'm gonna annoyingly remind you of the other places to find me, make sure to check my pin. If you don't know where to go, just find me on reddit and go from there, I'll post about it if anything happens.

[liesandnights]

The mortifying ordeal of admitting you do want to be loved vs the mortifying ordeal of not wanting people to pity you or feel bad for you vs the mortifying ordeal of wanting to reciprocate affection but being useless vs the mortifying ordeal of being careless with others and actually feeling bad vs the mortifying ordeal of being perceived as vulnerable at all.

[yggdrasilhypno]

I love the idea of having buttons programmed into a sub’s brain, showing them weaknesses they never knew they had. Maybe there’s a button that, when activated, gets them into the deepest and sleepiest state of trance and programming they could dream of. They’d struggle at first, but as that button is pressed just a tad harder than before, it’s like their mind is being held down by that very same button. Each fleeting moment of consciousness and intelligence being squeezed out by a single finger putting the slightest amount of pressure on their tiny little brains, feeling every drop of resistance pushed out by the realization of how easy they are now. And how could they not be so very easy? All it would take is a single button press and they’re putty in your hands.

Of course, that wouldn’t be their only button either. Perhaps there’s one that, when pushed, gives them a deep desire to obey any command, just like a good drone should. An off switch for the brain, if you will. A free state where no thoughts lie behind those empty eyes, only yearning for programming and command. Once it’s pressed, they’re nothing but a husk to fill with whatever post hypnotic suggestion you dream of, too far gone to disobey.

Maybe there’s one connected to their sex drive, keeping them needy and pumping them full of arousal with each press. Another, a simple pleasure switch. One press is another dosage. Another little dopamine rush. Another little tingle. Another pulse that gets them even more addicted. Not to mention a button to completely neutralize their bodily controls. A simple off switch, if you will. One click and they’re too weak to even more. Too sapped of energy to think or act. Your loyal puppet.

Of course, at first they’d try to resist all of these buttons. But, you could always mix and match. Throw a hit of pleasure on top of their trance button, just to addict them even more to you. Turn off their control of their own body only to turn on their drone state. Pressing every button at once would fry the brain, but I don’t think they’d complain much~

Each button, another piece to the puzzle. Another element to make them the easiest hypnosub. And of course, easier is always better~

[i-am-the-n1-trash]

I'm rereading Tim Drake: Robin and honestly, Tim and Bernard's relationship just makes me so emotional. The fact that they both see each other as the 'bad one' in the relationship, with the other being their 'savior' says so much about their previous relationships.

Tim's biggest canon relationship is obviously Steph and, though I love her to death, their relationship was at points extremely unhealthy, and Tim was often shamed for his actions. He's the bad guy when Bruce won't let him tell her his name. He's the bad guy when Darla kisses him without consent. He's the bad guy for avoiding her when she comes back from faking her own death (against her will, I'm aware, but still), even though their relationship hadn't been in good terms at all when she 'died'.

Though Tim has his fair share of romantic relationships, only two outside of Steph, to me, are as meaningful or well-known enough to warrant exploring, and those are Ariana and Tam (There was definitely guilt with Lynx, but that was from the "she's possibly a criminal" kind, and his issues with Cassie come from a very different place too.)

In both these relationships, there are many times where Tim sees himself as the bad guy. With Ariana, he struggles with his growing feelings for Steph and the guilt of keeping a secret identity from someone he loves, not to mention the fact this is his first serious relationship and he constantly feels like he's messing up. With Tam, the secret isn't a problem anymore, but he ends up constantly putting her in danger just from knowing him, and that puts him off the idea of pursuing a relationship with her altogether.

With Bernard, though, it's the first time in a long time he has a complete fresh start. He's been stuck in a cycle of breaking up and making up with Steph, because they see each other as safe and familiar, but even that is something Tim feels guilty for.

Bernard is someone he knew, who Tim has enough history with to trust him, but who he is still getting to know now as the adults they've become, with no expectations of each other. He still sees himself as the bad guy, as the liar hiding his identity from him. They have a couple step backs, like when Tim has to ask him about the cult as Robin, but even then Bernard makes it clear that while he's angry, he understands why he's doing it, by doubling down on the fact that, regardless of Tim's current actions, their relationship is still a happy part of Bernard's life. (This comfort doesn't work that well, because Tim is a dumbass who doesn't realize Bernard knows he's Robin, but I digress.)

Essentially, to Tim, Bernard is the first baggage-free relationship he's had for a very long time, and he's somewhat plagues by the secrets he's keeping from him. To Tim, he is lying and putting him in danger, and Bernard, who he sees as a bright light in his life, deserves better.

On the other hand, we don't have that much info on Bernard's past relationships outside of Darla/Laura and Tim, but it's still easy to see that this boy is overflowing with self-deprecation.

In both Batman: Urban Legends and Tim Drake: Robin we see that his parents are, in the first one, very unaware of his life, and, in the second one, incredibly disapproving of his 'lifestyle' and even borderline emotionally abusive. Bernard really never met their expectations since he was young, and while he seems almost dismissive of this, you can tell it strikes him deep.

The one big thing we know about Bernard is the cult, and that already tells us everything we need to know. No one joins a cult if they have lot of self-love and confidence, especially not when the cult's main idea is to let go of all your problems through torture.

So when Tim, a guy he's had a crush on for years, someone he knows (or eventually finds out, the timeline is ambiguous) is not only a superhero, but his favorite superhero, Robin, he sees himself as dirty. As tainting Tim's heroism. Bernard is a likely depressed queer kid who fell victim to a cult, who has a history of self harm, with a bad relationship with his parents. To him, Tim is the one good thing in his life, and he says it outright even when they are having what's possibly their first big fight (unbeknownst to Tim, who, as I mentioned, is a dumbass <3).

He doesn't blame Tim at all for lying or keeping a secret identity, because Bernard sees himself as second to Robin in Tim's eyes and never once tries to fight back on that idea. Bernard considers Robin to be more important than himself, in general, and doesn't see anything wrong with that. To Bernard, Tim is the best thing that has ever happened to him, and the fact that they're dating is a blessing he doesn't believe he deserves.

In conclusion, these should like. Talk to each other. Please. And also both go to therapy. They love each other so much

[sparkly-caroline]

His ass did not sleep a wink lol

[torturedpoetspsychward]

just saw a reddit thread debating whether florence pugh is attractive? FLORENCE PUGH. i wish a meteor would just take all of us out right now

[fantasyinallforms]

Man...I'm getting really sick of seeing AI in places it dosent belong. Go detect cancer cells and leave my damn art and literature alone. I need an AI fly swatter at this point.

[decaf-lesbian]

RS isn't the only place in Brazil in a climate crisis and we need to talk about it.

the main thing i've talked about on this blog since last friday (may 3rd) is the catastrophic floods devastating my home state, Rio Grande do Sul, located in southern Brazil. it's an unprecedent tragedy that we won't be able to recover from anytime soon. but we also can't ignore what's happening in the rest of the country, so i decided to extensively rant about it.

over the course of a week, these historic floods have taken over a state the size of Ecuador, raising the levels of rivers and wiping out entire cities. i've said it before and i'll say it again: this is not natural, although some smooth-brained people might say it is. the last flood of this magnitude in my state was the flood of 1941, which was a result of 24 days of continuous rain, raising the level of the Guaíba lake to 4.75 meters.

the floods we're facing now raised the level of the lake up to 5.30 meters. and it only rained for seven days.

we all hear climate change deniers saying it's just the weather patterns, but it's impossible to deny the fact that human actions are changing them. we didn't have nearly as many torrential rainstorms here a couple years ago, not even in autumn (which is the usual season for it). yet, from 2022 to now, the frequency with which these occur have been cranked up to the max. i used to joke about how it rained every single week, but now it sounds less like a joke and more of a grim commentary on the sad reality we're living.

that's why, in addition to what's happening here, we really need to talk about the climate crisis in the other regions in Brazil.

the center-west and southeastern regions have been suffering from dry weather and a heatwave that has been going on for days (and will still go at LEAST up to may 10th). they are registering temperatures above 30° C/86°F, which means they are having perfect summer weather IN MID AUTUMN. i am not joking; São Paulo has registered an alarming temperature of 32° C/89,6°F, breaking the record for the highest temperature ever registered in a day of may for the last 81 years.

in the northeastern region, the end of last year was marked by an extreme drought intensified by the deforestation of the cerrado biome, which is crucial for maintaining water distribution. and this was basically in the countryside; the coast was the target of heavy torrential rains (and is currently under the threat of more rain). some cities registered an extreme and alarming 240mm of precipitation in just 24 HOURS.

and in the northern region and some parts of the center-west and northeastern regions, the number of wildfires from january to may is already the highest in recorded history (which began to be recorded in 1998 by Inpe): 17.421 spots. and the dry season in the biomes of the Amazon rainforest, cerrado, and pantanal HAS BARELY BEGUN. this is already a horrifying tragedy and it can become one of the worst catastrophes in the history of Brazil if we don't act on it fast.

ever single time something like this happens, scientists from all over the country (and all over the world) warn us of what can happen next. every single time, scientists extensively talk about the human actions that are directly and indirectly interfering with the environment. every single time, nobody listens. every. single. time.

and we still have time. we have the technology and the means to prevent this. and yet the government does absolutely NOTHING to help (hell, in my state only 0,2% of the budget was allocated to preventing climate disasters; an ABYSMALLY low R$50k, which is about US$9.850,00). everyone, and i mean EVERYONE, knows about the ever increasing frequency of extreme climate events. even the DENIERS WON'T DENY IT. this should be enough proof that we need to do something fast or we will irreversibly ruin the only place we can call home. but governments will always prioritize money over lives. always.

these disasters have always happened in Brazil, but they were far apart. this country should be blessed by god and beautiful by nature, like a popular song says. yet we are currently experiencing the worst climatic crisis we have ever seen here. and it will only get worse if we don't stop it now.