#used artificial turf

[captain-danwilds]

What do we canonically know about the Raven drills?

Here’s what I remember:

I’m pretty sure Kevin said there were eight of them and you couldn’t play until you mastered all eight.

The drills use cones and require enough power to knock them over.

The cones are numbered and you need to be able to go in any order that’s called.

But like what makes the drills increasingly difficult, is it the number of cones you’re expected to hit off a single hit (and thus relying on rebounds having the right angles and enough power to keep going)? Does the position of the cones change?

[sucktacular]

SORRY TO SAY BUT YOURE GONNA HAVE FRIENDS FOREVER AND THEY WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU DEARLY WHETHER YOU KNOW FOR SURE OR NOT. YOU CANT ESCAPE BEING LOVED AND I HOPE ITS SO GENTLE AND KEEPS THE DAYS GOING.

[ranjitsinh22]

[reasonsforhope]

"Legislative momentum against PFAS has surged this year, as at least 11 states enacted laws to restrict the use of “forever chemicals” in everyday consumer products or professional firefighting foam.

The legislation includes bans on PFAS in apparel, cleaning products, cookware, and cosmetic and menstrual products. Meanwhile, lawmakers in some states also passed measures that require industries to pay for testing or cleanup; order companies to disclose the use of PFAS in their products; and mandate or encourage the development of PFAS alternatives, according to Safer States, an alliance of environmental health groups focused on toxic chemicals.

In total this year, at least 16 states adopted 22 PFAS-related measures, according to the group. Since 2007, 30 states have approved 155 PFAS policies, the vast majority of them in the past five years.

The thousands of chemicals categorized as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, do not naturally break down and are found in the blood of 97% of Americans. Some PFAS compounds can harm the immune system, increase cancer risks and decrease fertility...

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released new standards limiting PFAS in drinking water. Water systems have five years to comply with the rules. Even before the EPA action, 11 states had set their own limits on PFAS in drinking water, starting with New Jersey in 2018.

Water utilities and chemical manufacturers are challenging the new EPA standards. But states also are heading to the courthouse: So far, 30 states have sued PFAS manufacturers or key users for contaminating water supplies and other natural resources, according to Safer States...

Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States, said one reason states have been so successful in enacting PFAS limits is that more companies are willing to stop using the chemicals.

“When California restricted PFAS in textiles, all of a sudden you saw companies like REI saying, ‘We can, we’re going to do that. We’re going to move to alternatives,’” Doll said.

In Vermont, state lawmakers in April unanimously approved a measure banning the manufacture and sale of PFAS in cosmetics, menstrual products, incontinence products, artificial turf, textiles and cookware.

“The same as everyone else, like Democrats, we want to make sure that we remove PFAS and get it out of products as soon as we can,” said Vermont Republican state Rep. Michael Marcotte, who said his district includes cosmetics manufacturer Rozelle Cosmetics, in Westfield.

Democratic state Sen. Virginia Lyons, the chief sponsor of the Vermont bill, said it is particularly important to get PFAS out of products that are essential to consumers.

“There are some consumer products where you can say, ‘I don’t need to buy that, because I don’t want PFAS,’” Lyons said. “But it’s really tough to say that [about] a menstrual product.”

California’s latest PFAS measure, which Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed last month, specifically bans the use of PFAS in menstrual products. Democratic Assemblymember Diane Papan, the author of the bill, said it was particularly strong because it covers both intentional and unintentional uses of PFAS, so “manufacturers will have to really be careful about what comes in their supply chain.”

While more states enact laws focused on specific products, Maine is preparing to implement the world’s first PFAS ban covering all consumer goods. The Maine law, which is scheduled to take effect in 2030, will include exceptions for “essential” products for which PFAS-free alternatives do not exist. Washington state has also taken a sweeping approach by giving regulators strict timelines to ban PFAS in many product categories.

[doodler16]

Charlie is just selfish and entitled. The show tries to make you think she’s caring but naive and than tries to trick you into thinking she’s saving people “you’ve touched so many souls” like no she didn’t! Husk, vaggie, alastor and her dad had to do the work for her all she did was cry, and whine that her hotel isn’t working, her dad didn’t believe in her dreams (he did, he just didn’t trust heaven and sinners and he’s not wrong) her speech in the finale before the fight was annoying because it wasn’t earned she did nothing, she didn’t inspire anyone. Others did everything for her and she taking all the credit. Hmm I wonder who that reminds me of?

Yeah, Anon I never understood why Lucifer and Vaggie say that to Charlie when in reality she hasn’t. I get it, they really believe that Charlie has been a positive influence and want to make her feel better but narratively it’s the exact opposite. Episode 1-5 illustrates that the hotel isn’t working and even Charlie is freaking out, but now episode 6 and beyond shows that the hotel works apparently.

Episode 3, Scrambled Eggs: the reason why Angel Dust, Niffty, Sir Pentious, and Husk bonded off screen and had the start of their artificial friendship was because of Vaggie and her turf war idea.

Episode 4, Masquerade: Husk out of all people manages to connect and get to the root of Angel Dust’s issues (even though majority of critics understandably here hate how the song was executed/written).

The most I give Charlie credit is for the initiative of wanting things to change unlike Lucifer and Lilith and her idea of the hotel because without it most of the characters wouldn’t have met or even interacted. The only people who Charlie truly touched was Lucifer and Vaggie, the worst part they aren’t even Charlie’s demographic. Sir Pentious is one of the sinners for a short amount of time that Charlie connected with, otherwise that’s it.

Funny enough, Lucifer was supposed to be a distant/emotional abuser parent. I would’ve loved to see that instead we got misunderstood dad #3. He didn’t do too much besides rebuild the hotel and beat up Adam. Alastor ironically and annoyingly barely contributed to the hotel unless it was convenient for him. But he definitely did play a role in episode 7, Hello Rosie along with overshadowing Charlie in the song, “Ready For It.”

Either way, Charlie for most part didn’t do much besides acting like a summer camp counselor who taught the characters stuff that anyone and their mother can do. Literally, some of the activities Charlie did throughout the first half of the show were things my private catholic middle school/high-school did for retreats. 💀

Episode 8 was very shallow and acted like everyone was pals or homies, when I know dang well most characters barely interacted with others or the information was told to us. Charlie really does remind of Vivziepop for all the wrong reasons, it’s crazy how series Charlie and her are so similar.

[aeriona]

How Inkfish Change their Ink Colour

Here's an extremely long, (poorly) illustrated speculatory post about how ink and inksports could THEORETICALLY work in Splatoon! yippee!

Ink is a mucous that Inklings, Octolings and Cuttlings produce with their ink sac, where it can be expelled through the mouth and siphon (and through the skin via the ink vessels, but don't worry about that just yet). You can take a look at my diagram of the ink vessels here.

Spitting up or sweating ink is a common stress response in ink-bearing cephalopods, it also serves as an extremely rude gesture if you happen to aim it at someone else's face.

Inkfish actually can't change ink colour on their own, so instead they have to rely on artificial means to brighten and saturate the colour into something more easily recognisable.

The history behind inksports is extensive. In ancient times, inkfish would use naturally occurring dyes (such as clay, plants etc.) to change their ink colour, often to denote a particular social group. In modern times, colours are artificially synthesised and treated to have a minimal impact on the inkfish's body as possible, as believe it or not constantly eating red clay wasn't exactly good for you.

The colour of an Inkling or Octoling's skin is determined by chromatophores, which can be basically any colour or shade they choose. The chromatophores function completely independently from the ink sac, so it's possible to have differing skin and ink colours (although you'd probably confuse your teammates a fair bit).

This is fine and cool and all, but how do inkfish prevent different team colours from just blending all together in a match? WELL! While turfing capsules also change ink colour, they can also alter the chemical qualities of the ink itself by introducing something called polarity!

There are two kinds of turfing ink- polar and nonpolar. In easy terms (I am not a chemist), it's what allows two different colours of ink to sit on top of each other in separate layers instead of diluting together like paint. Before a match starts, each turfing team is given dye capsules in their respective team colour, with each team having opposing polarities to prevent inks from mixing together during the game.

Before technology got involved, people would simply use oil and water to prevent one ink colour from mixing with another's. Nowadays, oil and fat derivatives are commonplace as it's less likely to cause health problems as the body slowly processes it out.

Splatting works when enemy ink reacts with the outermost ink vessels in an opposing team member's skin, forcing the victim to contract their ink sac and spit up all their ink (usually in the form of a super-jump back to spawn, though in the moment it's not uncommon to overshoot it). It's also possible to splat someone with blunt force trauma, but we tend to call that assault. Splatting is usually not dangerous, but it's still not a terribly pleasant experience and is somewhat painful, akin to a nasty static shock.

This splatting reaction is also why water is used in turf stages as a restrictive barrier, as water causes the same splatting reaction in the body as enemy ink does (at least until the dye wears off).

Okay that's all I got, I'm not gonna go into ink weapon mechanics because I'm tired... perhaps another day haha. Hopefully that all made sense and I apologise deeply if it didn't. Feel free to shoot me an ask if something needs to be cleared up or explained in further detail haha

[saint-ambrosef]

climate change fatalism is so exhausting. it easily becomes a ecological scapegoat to blame instead of humans taking accountability for how their individual actions affect the environment.

i had a conversation earlier in a fb garden group where a women told me that since desertification was changing her local landscape and making it harder to grow native plants, it was actually okay and even good of her to be planting invasive exotic species that could adapt to the "new normal" climate in her area so that the wildlife would have at least something for shade/shelter/food. in the same message she mentioned trying to eradicate native weeds on their acreage because it had no personal use to her or her non-native livestock.

and i was like. no girl. the desertification in your area has been caused by decades of bad agricultural land management practices, something that is fully reversible. those weeds you are ripping out provide more benefit to wildlife than your nasty exotics, and ranchers removing these "undesirable" natives for decades is why the land has grown barren. planting invasive exotics to replace the artificial loss of biodiversity will only hasten the problem you seek to fix.

but the point of my post isn't this specific woman, it's the general attitude she represents. it's a lot easier to blame the nebulous figure of climate change than to work toward ecological restoration. it's simpler to plant invasive exotics than to reverse decades of poor land management. it's more enjoyable to grow a pretty flowering shrub and pretend it's necessary due to climate change than to allow native ragweed to grow even though the allergies suck because it feeds the birds and pollinators. and it's a helluva lot easier to blame climate change for the worsening of your local environment than to admit that overgrazing your livestock and ripping out native plants just because they have no immediate value to you might have contributed heavily to the decline of your microbiome.

climate change has quickly become this collective responsibility that no one individual is responsible for, because it's so easy to blame the slightest change in environment on it. "we're running out of water because of climate change!" it's because urban landscaping practices channel away water instead of letting it soak into the groundwater wells, and turf lawns use 80% of the city water. "the city is so much hotter now!" yeah because twenty years ago developers planted fast-growing but short-lived/weak trees which have now all died, meaning our roads and neighborhoods have way less shade and foliage to absorb the heat. "the bees are disappearing because of climate change!" sharon it's because there's not a single thing in your yard that a native pollinator would recognize as a food source.

anyways i don't know where exactly i'm going with this. i guess i'm just tired of climate change fatalism because it removes personal incentive to do anything to reverse environmental harm that we could be fixing on an individual level. but "global warming" has become a very convenient excuse for many people, unfortunately.

just makes me wonder how often things blamed on climate change are actually a result of direct human actions that are reversible

[katsu28]

KAIT I LOVE U HI can i request Baby’s Breath - a wholesome moment with Hangman please?

hi thank you for requesting ily!! in honor of glen becoming a dog dad here is jake becoming one too i hope you enjoy it <3 (part of me wanted to scrap this and rewrite but we are embracing difference today folks!)

baby's breath: a wholesome moment, jake "hangman" seresin x reader, 1.4k

Growing up on a ranch, Hangman was no stranger to animals of all kinds. He’d always wanted a dog of his own when he finally settled down somewhere, but never got one because of how often he was gone on deployment. After you came into his life and made it clear you were going to stay, he brought up the topic of wanting to adopt a dog together. Thankfully, you wholeheartedly and very excitedly agreed with him. 

It was a win-win for everyone; Hangman would finally get his furry friend, you’d have someone to keep you company while Hangman was away, and the lucky pup would find a forever home with two people ready to spoil the absolute shit out of them. 

That was how you ended up here at Top Pup, Miramar’s biggest animal shelter. 

Hangman had heard his fair share of loud things before—jet engines, gale force winds, Rooster after a few too many beers—but he wasn’t expecting an animal shelter to be this…well, loud. He could hear the barking echoing off the walls of the place as soon as you both stepped inside, rattling and clanking of pens accompanying.

The woman at the front desk brought you out back to a wide pen lined with artificial turf, where dogs of all sizes roamed around interacting with other folks who’d had the same idea as yourselves today. 

As soon as you stepped into the fenced area, you were surrounded by dogs instantly, all of them nosing their way into the fray to get a sniff at a potential forever home. 

“Can we just adopt them all?” You asked, aiming a pout up at Jake as you tried your best to love on every single one of them. 

“I don’t think we have enough space for all of them, darlin’.” He chuckled, kneeling down next to you. A few of them left you to sniff at him and he welcomed them with open arms, giving a few chin scratches and rough pats that they thoroughly enjoyed. “How ‘bout we start with one and see how it goes, then we can talk about adding to the pack.” 

“You’re no fun.” You were only joking and Jake knew that.

He gave a playful shake of his head, grinning. “Bite me.” 

“C’mon girl, sic ‘em!” You joked towards the fluffy black dog currently enjoying your love, nodding in Jake’s direction. Her head tilted, tongue lolling out of her mouth and ears pricking up, but she made no move towards him. “You’re just a big ol’ sweetheart, aren’t you baby? Yes you are, I love you.”

Had you been paying a shred of attention to your boyfriend, you would’ve seen him snapping a quick photo for his not-so-secret album of pictures of you he scrolled through when he missed you whilst he was away. 

Time went by in a blur, and soon you lost track of how many dogs you’d met. They were all adorable and your earlier statement about wanting to adopt them all still stood, but none of them gave you that feeling—that zing that made you say ‘yes, this is the dog for us’. 

That was, until Jake caught your attention from across the yard. He was sitting cross-legged on the grass at the very corner of the yard, beaming at you as he waved you over. 

“Honey, come look at this little guy,” Jake called, excited. You ruffled the fur of the dog you were knelt next to one more time before making your way to where he was, spotting the tiniest pup you’d ever seen curled up on a pile of blankets a few feet away. “The lady said he and his four siblings had just been dropped at the door a few days ago, but the rest of ‘em have already been adopted. Said he’s been huddled away over here pretty much ever since. Didn’t even get a chance to give him a name yet.” 

The pup’s fur was a gorgeous white with cream markings on his face and ears and the same colored patches along his back, big dark eyes peering out at the two of you curiously. Jake put out a hand on the ground in front of you, making little kissy sounds to see if he’d show any interest. When all the puppy did was blink slowly, he kept his hand out, just in case. “He seems shy. I barely noticed him over here.” 

“Hi baby,” You cooed, taking a seat on the ground next to Jake. “You’re just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, little dude!” 

It took a little while for the puppy to warm up to the two of you, but you were more than happy to be patient. Eventually, he padded over to Jake on unsteady paws, sniffing at his outstretched hand tentatively. He was barely as long as his forearm. His little nose twitched a few times and then he promptly crawled into Jake’s lap, and you swore you could see your big tough boyfriend melt a little inside. 

You’d always talked about adopting a bigger dog—one Jake could rough-house with in the yard, one that would be able to protect you if need be when Jake wasn’t around. He’d told you about the dogs his family had when he was growing up, cattle herding dogs and big Shepherds that could (and did) knock his younger self to the ground. They were absolute sweethearts when it came to the family, he’d said, but loyal to a fault and wouldn’t hesitate to protect their loved ones. Kind of like Jake. 

Admittedly, you’d originally been leaning towards a larger dog too, but the tiny pup looked right at home comfortably nestled in Jake’s lap. This was the dog for you, and one look at Jake told you he was thinking the exact same thing. Soon enough, the paperwork had been filled out, adoption fee paid, and the pup was yours. 

A trip to the nearest pet store to grab everything you’d need proved too tiring for the little guy, who’d fallen in your arms before you had a chance to let him see what toys made his little ears perk up. Then you were home, settled on the floor of the living room in the pen Jake had set up next to the couch with your new furry little addition curled up on the floor between the two of you. He was awake now but still sleepy, trying to keep his head up to take in his new surroundings but starting to nod off again. 

“What should we name him?” Jake wondered aloud, tilting his head at you as his fingers scratched circles behind the pup’s ears. 

You shrugged, leaning back against the couch. “I dunno, throw some names at me.” 

“Uh…let’s see. How ‘bout Brisket?” 

“We get it, you’re from Texas,” You huffed, rolling your eyes playfully. Jake flicked your knee. You let your gaze fall on your pup, watching his eyes flutter shut the longer you stroked along his back. “You don’t look like a Brisket to me, my love.” 

“I thought I was your love?” 

“I can have two, can’t I?” 

“So long as that one doesn’t get any ideas,” Jake muttered, narrowing his eyes at the pup, who gave a tiny, tired growl. “Whoa, okay! Copy you loud and clear, big guy. No need to get all tough on me.”

“What about Fido?” 

“That’s so unoriginal. What are we, living in the 40’s?” 

“Snowball?” 

Jake fixed you to the spot with an unamused look. “I’m not naming our son Snowball. He’s gotta have a tough name. Something like…Turbo. Or Rambo. Bruiser!” 

You honestly didn’t really register the names he threw out, too focused on the first thing he’d said. “Our son? Does this mean we’re parents?” You asked softly, not able to fight the giddy grin working its way across your face. Jake slid a hand around the back of your neck, bringing you into the sweetest of kisses, fondness dripping like honey. 

“We’re parents, darlin’.” He repeated, smiling against your mouth. You suddenly flashed forward to the next time Jake would say those words, sometime far in the future with a baby of your own (human, not canine). It seemed so off in the distance, but you already knew in your heart it was something you both wanted eventually.

For now, you had all the love in the world to give your brand new fur baby.

“Parents of our yet to be named puppy.” 

“I still think Brisket is a solid option.” 

“We’ll workshop it.”

follow @katsu-library to be notified when i post new fics :)

[sustainabilitythoughts]

A more sustainable back yard

The article below provides sustainability tips on a variety of topics for your yard, including lawn care, fire pits, alternatives to peat moss, alternatives to artificial turf, and alternatives to impervious surfaces.  Some additional tips that are not in the article:

Select native plants to support local insects, birds, and animals. 

Don’t overwater.  If the area is soggy or water is running off into the street, cut back on watering.

Investigate non-toxic methods of pest and weed control.  When you do need to use pesticides or herbicides, use them only in the affected areas and follow instructions for how much to apply and how to dispose of empty containers.  Keep the chemicals out of the water supply; remember that chemicals in storm sewer water can enter natural waterways. 

Large areas of rock or concrete can raise the surrounding air temperature significantly on hot days. 

[mawofthemagnetar]

Completely Fixing Golf

A guide to completely fixing golf by someone who doesn't play golf

Okay so why are we doing this? because humans play games. There's nothing inherently wrong with that. Humans play games and invent new, silly games to play. Happens all the time. So I think completely cancelling an entire game is a bit sad. So. Let's completely fix golf.

CHANGE #1: FUCK GRASS!!!!

this one's pretty obvious. All that grass? tear it up. we don't need it. waste of water. bad for the environment. crops are dying you prick. so change one: no more grass. Let it go back to whatever the natural flora of the area is.

The holes and the flags can stay, they're pretty innocuous. "But snake I live on the prairies the grass will get too tall I can't see the hole" so mow a circle around the hole and ONLY THE HOLE and make the hole bigger. duh. this leads into

CHANGE #2: FUCK GOLF CLUBS!!!

okay this one's a bit misleading. You can keep the golf clubs if that's REALLY so important to you. you bring a little piece of artificial turf around to tee off with if you want to keep using clubs.

but you know what else you can use? a potato cannon. For the golf ball. hell yeah. Now it's an artillery practice game!!! This improves absolutely everything I think and there are no drawbacks. CHANGE 3#: NOTHING ELSE I'VE COMPLETELY FIXED GOLF.

"but snake I live in a heavily forested area and if we let the trees back-" so play between the trees. dumbass.

"But snake I live in a desert-" okay so you're telling me you have perfectly open fairways for your golfball cannon. With nothing in the way. And you can see the flag 'cause there's no foliage. Why are you complaining exactly?

"but snake-" Shush. Golf is fixed now.

[bigblueoctoling]

I Hate Octavio With All Of My Heart

I'm genuinely so pissed about Octavio being at the grand fest at all. Like it's genuinely a serious hampering on what is otherwise a really nice event. It's even worse that cuttlefish is there. This genuinely severely lowers my opinion of the Splatoon writers.

So like. On its face, I despise the general angle of going easy on Octavio. It's not headcanon that he's objectively a pretty terrible person for a lot of reasons- like, it feels very intentional that one is meant to read it like Octavio is an old war vet who's artificially keeping the "us vs them" mentality of the great turf war. It feels intentional that one is meant to read him as a very vain and controlling person who actively spreads propaganda (see Splatoon 1). It feels intentional that, at the *VERY* least, what Octavio did to Callie in Splatoon 2 was Bad, if not Morally Reprehensible. It feels like, with the way Octarian society is described in Octo Expansion and Side Order, we're textually meant to read the hyper-militarization of their society as a bad thing.

I feel like, if Splatoon was ultimately intending to present Octavio as a morally grey antihero type of character, they have completely and utterly failed to do so. Merely having him be the leader of Octarians doesn't implicitly make him a good guy just because Octarians are oppressed- Octavio is obviously, on some level, a figure with political power in Octarian society. Octo Expansion largely served to show that the surface world has progressed past the conflict of the Great War- so if Octarians are still facing oppression, that only really falls into the hands of the Octarian elite. If the intent was EVER to imply that that doesn't define Octavio, they made literally no effort to show it.

All of this being said, you could still argue that Octavio's help in Splatoon 3's ending is meant to represent him turning a new leaf- It's an argument that I'd still fervently disagree with, but you could hypothetically make that argument.

Except Splatoon also doesn't make that argument. Literally one line Marie says in the post-game has her posit that Octavio might have turned a new leaf- A line I've always hated, but it feels as though the game has just sort of ignored the busywork of actually showing that any change has been made to the primary antagonist of the franchise and has just leapt to the conclusion because Octavio has done one vaguely morally good action ever- an action done to save the planet, which obviously is also in his own personal best interest.

Isn't Octavio, like, a threat? Like, he literally has a criminal record and is a military leader, why is he allowed at this venue?

Moreover, why are Octavio and Cuttlefish suddenly chummy?

The fact that Octavio is sat with Cuttlefish makes this feel like a cheap, hollow gesture to appeal to the fandom- like, yeah, people like to ship cuttlefish and octavio, but that's not, like... basis to decide what the canon is? Like, you need to actually establish their relationship in the canon first, you need to show them interacting together LITERALLY A SINGLE TIME BEFORE JUST ACTING LIKE THEY'RE BEST FRIENDS WHEN EVERY SINGLE PREVIOUS INTERACTION BETWEEN THEM WAS DIRECTLY ANTAGONISTIC.

And, just to reiterate: I DESPISE the idea of shipping the two of them. Not for any moral reasons, I just personally find both characters wretched people. But like, if you wanted to do this, you should actually do it? Instead of just plopping a literal war criminal in the middle of a venue as if it's totally fine. Like I genuinely despise that he's here. It's so fucking lame.

I think if you actually give a shit about Octavio's character, you should be pissed too. Like... They're just acting like they've totally redeemed Octavio and he's gone through a whole redemption arc when he's done literally ONE GOOD THING EVER, and it was still something exclusively for his personal gain (the planet not being destroyed). This is pretty major character development they're just not actually bothering to do or explain they're just sort of shoving him and cuttlefish together as if that instantly makes them best friends. It's so fucking lame and pandering, it feels like the end of a cheap kids movie where they have a funny dance party and the main antagonist is also there for no reason.

Like, I genuinely gotta wonder, is it my fault? Am I the one who doesn't see the textual evidence of Octavio being a good guy, somehow? Have I somehow missed something? Because it genuinely feels like a complete rejection of how they've characterized him up to this point, to just suddenly act like Octavio has been redeemed and there's totally nothing wrong with being his best friend. Like I feel like I've been playing a different Splatoon Franchise than anyone who'd think that's normal.

[cosmica-galaxy]

Does Don Hookfang just like the mafia aesthetic or is he actually an organised crime ringleader? Also, is he wearing actual clothes or is it still all his own mimicry?

It's his own mimicry of Mafia Movies he used to watch before the collapse, they were his favorite. He's a Camera/TV hybrid, so he yearns for "pack living". He's the alpha of the group he reigns over and he has some notable underlings that respect and listen to him. Some camera mimics and other TV mimic hybrids like himself. They all share the mafia aesthetics because their leader, Don, thinks it makes them closer as a 'family', like in the movies. Also, he doesn't partake in crime necessarily. Crime really doesn't have holdings on the world like it used to...so it's more of a territory turf war kinda business. They make claims on territories and fight to keep their turf for their clan.

If they do hoard something that isn't drugs...then it would be sugar. I forgot to mention that TV mimics LOVE sugar. They obsess over the stuff! Other sweet stuff too! They love honey, sweeteners (artificial and genuine), and anything that else has a rich taste to it, like chocolate. If you gave a mimic some honeycomb/chocolate, they won't attack you and will let you pass through their territory unopposed. Give them a regular source of the stuff and you may find yourself with some loyal companions! Sugar is far more precious to them than drugs, so they actively fight for whatever is left in once-populated areas.

Those that grow sugar cane and other sweets, like honey, are revered and placed in high positions. Don, and his extended 'family', are some of the few that have managed to secure such delicacies. They live a mafia-like lifestyle, but they don't rely on crime like human mafias used to. They are more like...aggressive farmers. XD

I also like to envision that Don speaks with a Italian/city accent or a soft New York accent.

[raidante]

here’s some quick notes I’ve written in my phone about golems for those who are interested.

Random oc stuff 

Golems: a race of artificially grown organic soldiers by the world powers (UN) to fight the demon invasion of 1992. The war ended in 1995 after the AEON super computer overrides the kill switch and detonates nuclear Armageddon, after rushing suitable humans into underground evacuation vaults. AEON assumed control of the golems engineering and even after 30 years, the death of the original AEON (surviving as multiple computer programs called AEONs), these golems are produced in an endless cycle of fighting a war long lost. They now patrol and survey the market districts of Tokyo, waging turf wars against demons and having their parts recycled into new golems by Collectors. 

Types of Golems:

-foot soldiers. Most basic golem. On the ground soldiers for fighting. Use guns & swords. 

-Sniper units. They provide cover for foot soldiers. Explicitly use long range projectile weapons. 

-Commanders. Most units are guided by commander orders. They don’t fight but hide and transmit information.

-Mothers. Large, multi faceted golems that house the birthing chambers for new golems. They dispense units as they slowly roam Tokyo. They tend to stay close to their units. 

-Collectors. The only non biological golem. They are assist robots that collect golem body parts to be dispensed and recycled by the mothers. This perpetuates the endless production cycle. 

AEON program:

A supercomputer launched by the UN to help radically solve world problems as the world suffered more than ever decline in its populations, environments, and climate while crime escalated and war generated economic growth. When the demons invaded in 1992, AEON was requested to devote all processing powers to solving the demonic war. They created the program that wrote the first genetic makeup for golems, as humanity’s populations were rapidly decreasing and unsuitable for combat against demons. As humans slowly moved underground (those who could afford the shelter programs), golems fought demons on the surface. Demons created turf wars with the powerful among them challenging humanity’s world leaders. AEON came to the conclusion that nuclear Armageddon would be the last effort to cleanse demons off the world. Dispersing its original supercomputer program into smaller, denser AEON programs, it hacked the kill switch, fired the nukes, and changed the world. 30 years after, AEON survives as smaller programs, called AEONs, and they continue to run golem programming and have expanded it to become self sufficient. Most AEONs have forgotten their origins, and completely focus on demonic eradication, rather than ensuring humanity’s survival. 

[eggtrolls]

Good: got interviewed by the Wall Street Journal (HELLO) about the artificial turf situation and then spent a few hours hanging out with the angry mothers (+ the single cool nb person) at the park and gave them much of my cool park organizing wisdom (and ended up coming up with the name of their organization 💁🏻‍♀️). They’re super enthusiastic, they were really receptive to my ideas, and I’m jazzed to see what they come up with. They’re getting their name, website, and social media gang together and I’m going to hook them up with some park resources so they can turn up to the community board with at least one notch under their belt

Not good: They’re so brand new! None of them know anything about plants! They had never considered trying to clean up the park! They have no idea how the process of [checks notes] ANYTHING works and they’re snotty about it because they assume(d) everyone would immediately jump to address their complaints! ‘The park administrator lady was dismissive of us’ yeah because you were telling her how to do her job when you have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about re: the larger issue. What actions are you presenting besides saying ‘we don’t want you to do this’? You say you don’t want turf but you’ve presented zero alternatives, you have no plan on how to move forward given that construction has already started, you have nothing organized, you presented no factual information just a bunch of highly repetitive and emotional anecdotes including comparing synthetic turf and the lack of a report about its composition to the Soviet government’s handling of Chernobyl!!!!

Very not good: the majority of people know each other from a mother’s group so while we were being, you know, interviewed for a front page story in the WSJ, every! single! one! had their child either attached to their faces like a fucking barnacle or running around and pingponging off their bodies. At one point a little boy walked up a random woman, who was not his mother, and started hitting her leg and screaming I want cookies I want cookies like hello???? Whose fucking kid is this! And she just acted like it wasn’t incredibly annoying and he kept doing it until I said ‘other people are talking you need to wait your turn’ and then he was completely silent until a full five minutes later when his actual mother showed up. She then gave him a) a cookie b) an iPhone to play a video game (full volume) while seated directly next to the WSJ reporter until I suggested they move down the bench. Are you fucking kidding me. This is the metro New York reporter for a newspaper of record interviewing us about a major environmental cause. All of these kids are under THREE YEARS OLD WHY ARE THEY HERE when I’m trying to tell this journalist about the lack of a Parks capital budget!!!!!

Bonus: the park moms were joking that I don’t like kids because I was the only person childless who told a kid to stop behaving badly (insane and authoritarian behaviour To Them) but then they left and a tiny 5 year old girl named Esmé on a scooter zoomed over to me and asked if I would race her because she didn’t have any friends and we chased each other around for a bit while her parents smoked on a bench and she ran over my foot but apologized. When they left, she gave me a single piece of popcorn and two huge hugs and said that we were best buddies 🥺🥺🥺

[rndbuilders]

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This spacious 700 sq ft ADU is a perfect blend of style and practicality 🏡✨

Featuring two well-appointed bedrooms and a 2 sleek bathrooms, this unit is crafted with high-quality shaker cabinets, quartz countertops, and durable vinyl wood floors 💫 The attention to detail extends beyond the interior, Enjoy artificial turf, inviting cement sitting areas, block walls, charming planters, and elegant stucco finishes 😍

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[squidbiology]

How much ink can a ink fish produce. Bc I’m looking at stuff like a rainmaker and crab tank and that’s a lot more than a full ink tank and I’m wondering how it makes sense.

A lot.

Though it depends on the activity- inkfish constantly produce ink, though most times, it's just enough to fill their ink sac and provide stability. However, during times of high adrenaline (such as turf wars), ink is produced at a much, much higher rate. This is because, a few thousand years ago, "high adrenaline" meant "YOU MIGHT DIE"- so ink was produced for self defense.

However, because inkfish always want more, bigger, and cooler, they found a way to stimulate ink production artificially. Certain chemicals, if injected or ingested, cause you to produce a frankly insane amount of adrenaline, and thus, ink.

Of course, that is really taxing on your body. Like... almost dangerously so. But inklings thought it was so cool anyway.

So that's where limiters come in.

After a set amount of time/ink produced, most weapon kits will dispense to you a small tablet (or, for some more serious players, injected directly into you) which essentially puts your ink sac into overdrive. The limiter prevents you from just... taking a bunch of them. It's like an automatic pet food dispenser. It's just enough for it to be useful, but not overly taxing on your body, letting you 'rest' in between.

This is what allows special to create so much ink.

Some illegal rings that break the limiter or allow unlimited use of these drugs will find their players become exhausted or even hospitalized after a while- with potentially permenant damage to the ink sac.

That's also the stuff that's in Grizzco packets, by the way. Just the amount to be legal.