#joe mammal imagine

[dfnkt]

So the "green revolution" is just gonna be neolibs destroying South America for lithium as it becomes increasingly uninhabitable huh. It looks like the game plan is basically, fuck those mountains and those forests and the HUGE carbon sink potential it has if we'd stop deforesting it. The Panama canal is gonna dry up? Guess we'll just build a highway across the fucking continent like we always wanted to anyway.

Can't wait to see how America treats all the climate refugees at our southern border that WE created. 10k people a day or more some days at present. Picture hundreds of thousands and then millions as crisis looms and remember how our government handles people in need, regardless of whether its the red dictator or the blue dictator. Consider how both parties already weaponize fears about immigration using "displacement" or "loss of culture" or lack of available resources aka artificial scarcity. And then fucktuple that and tell me that genocide Joe is gonna make things better. Tell me that the American nation can get exponentially more radical and survive. We will be at full scale war and brazen occupation of South America probably by 2040 if I had to ballpark it, but we'll see. South America will basically resemble USNATO prison camps and military states. I can already imagine the justifications we'll offer about making trade possible in the region, curbing "terrorism" et cetera. Basically we'll do exactly what we did and are still doing to the middle east.

Gonna be fascinating. I get more sure that I'm going to witness the fall of modern civilization in my lifetime every year considering we cannot survive a 2C+ climate, but we can't avoid that climate without such extremely rapid degrowth and rewilding that it is only theoretically possible in human manpower. Like, our best case scenario is basically "if the whole global economy shifted overnight and everything was severely kneecapped especially for the most gluttonous capitalists corporations by a really huge factor then we have the *chance* at having a habitable planet for humans by 2100, albeit at a reduced population and with a smaller habitable zone for the foreseeable hundreds of thousands of years." And every single day is a case of "we should have done this a day/year/decade/century ago". Meanwhile emissions are rapidly increasing at exponential rates. The political will does not exist to save the planet. Even if we made all the right changes now, we are already locked in to changes that will reduce the quality of life of everyone on this fucking planet in the lifetime of every Gen Z and younger, and most millennials, even in wealthy nations. We may well already have signed the commitment for as much as 4C or more degrees of warming by 2050. Guess what doesn't exist at +4C? The global capitalist economy. New iPhones. Oh, or vertebrate mammals. That's you. Your mom. Your dad. Your best friends and future children. All the food you eat and everything you've ever loved. Why are we not acknowledging that we are being thrown off the cliff like Disney's lemmings?

I feel like I'm insane, living in a parallel reality. We should be shutting everything down. Nothing matters more than this. We should, quite literally, be shutting the world down in order to save it. Nothing else will. You can thank neoliberals for pushing this disaster off of capitalism and onto people's "personal carbon footprint". None of my friends can talk about this subject because they are just all too afraid, which I always respect. I don't know anyone else familiar with the science of things either, so I have no one really to commiserate with about the profound grief of watching the world end. Even if I get to live out my natural lifespan, I will witness some of the most horrible atrocities that mankind has to offer. We all are witnessing that right now. If you don't think climate change could be an extinction level event in your lifetime, then you should really seriously evaluate what kind of life you want to live and then live it while you can. That is all any of us can do anymore.

#chat #im sure i sound schizoid and tbf i am on a new pill lmfao #however #this is just what the science says #and this is more like a diary anyway its not like i tag this shit for other people to find #i just want to be able to remember how i felt at this point in the collapse #2016 was my wake up call and it has literally gotten impossibly worse since then #we are in a period of accelerated warming #planet talk

[thorntonkrell-blog-blog]

Growing momentarily tired of F bombs, true crimes, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, we decided to turn on some classic teevee. We dialed up Beverly Hillbillies.

Granny Clampett believes that Jed Clampett is sick. Concerned for his health, she decides to use her traditional mountain remedies to treat him. She sends Jethro to find the ingredients. Jethro can only find a few of the ingredients. Yet he brings a huge stump into the house. He explains to granny that becaue he couldn't find any "stumpwater", he pulled the stump from the ground and suggested the Granny throw some water on the stump to produce "stumpwater" In a scene left to the imagination, I pictured Jed struggling mightily to pull this huge stump out of the ground and lugging it back to the mansion which produced a visual that gave me a grinespecially when after all tghat gargantuan effort, Granny tells him it won't work and tells Jethro to get that "thing" out of here. His Sysiphisian effort contines off screen and in my imagination.

In her effort to treat Jed, Granny mistakenly assumes that the wealthy banker, Mr. Drysdale, is also ill. She treats both Jed and Mr. Drysdale with her remedies, creating confusion and hilarity as Mr. Drysdale tries to navigate Granny's folk medicine practices.

As the episode progresses, Mr. Drysdale's own doctor becomes involved in the situation, leading to even more absurd situations as Granny's remedies affect various characters. The contrast between Granny's rustic and traditional methods and the modern medical practices of the doctor adds to the comedic tension.

Jed, Drysdale and Drysdale's doctor are all placed in Jed's bed by Jethro who locks the door behind him when he exits.

"The Beverly Hillbillies," a popular sitcom that aired from 1962 to 1971. centered around the Clampett family, a group of rural, newly wealthy individuals who move from their mountain home to the upscale Beverly Hills neighborhood, resulting in many humorous fish-out-of-water scenarios.

And nobody threw an F bomb.

A nice change of pace.

Somewhere in the middle of the episode, we started praising the efforts of Irene Ryan and her portrayal of ancient back woods Granny.

We conjectured that the actress was probably a very beautiful woman when she was young.

We turned off the teevee and went to sleep a little more light hearted than usual.

The next morning as usual, I was busy doing my writing. Lynn who is our CFO and purchasing agent had finished her accounting. I took a break and headed over to Facebook for a look. I scrolled down a few messages and then....and then....

Out of nowhere up pops a picture of Irene Ryan from the 1920's and she was indeed quite a beautiful woman.

Huh

How do these things happen?

We surmised that because we were watching the Hillbillies streamiing through a google medium that somehow our interest in the Hillbillies had been algorithmically noted in the bowels of a dark cloud somewhere which caused the unrequested picure of Granny to show up on my Facebook feed.

I don't know. I do know that after thousands of hours on social media, the only time that I've ever seen a picture of a young granny was less than 12 hours after wondering what she looked like.

Strange things are happening.

User what are some of the ingredients that Granny send Jethro to fetch ChatGPT In the "Beverly Hillbillies" episode "The Great Feud," where Granny tries her unconventional remedies on various characters, she sends Jethro to fetch a range of ingredients for her treatments. Some of the ingredients include:

Possum leaves: These are likely fictional and part of the humorous portrayal of Granny's traditional remedies.

Polecats: Polecats are actually a type of mammal, related to weasels and ferrets, but it's unlikely that Granny would be using them as ingredients. This is played for comedic effect.

Mule sweat: This is probably another humorous and fictional ingredient, as mule sweat would not typically be used in any medical treatment.

Mandrake root: Mandrake root is a real plant that has been historically associated with various superstitions and medicinal uses. However, it's not commonly used in modern medicine due to its toxicity.

Black widow spider venom: This is another unlikely and fictional ingredient. Black widow spider venom is toxic and dangerous, and it would not be used as part of a medical remedy.

The episode relies on the comedic contrast between Granny's eccentric mountain remedies and the reactions of the more modern characters in the show, particularly Mr. Drysdale and his doctor. The ingredients mentioned above are used to exaggerate Granny's unconventional approach to medicine and highlight the culture clash between her traditional beliefs and the modern world of Beverly Hills.

User what about stump water ChatGPT "Stump water" is a humorous and fictional term used in various shows and stories, including "The Beverly Hillbillies." In the context of the show, "stump water" is likely portrayed as a concoction or potion that Granny believes has some sort of medicinal or magical properties. However, it's important to note that "stump water" is not a real medical treatment or ingredient.

The term "stump water" is used for comedic effect to highlight the eccentric and unconventional nature of Granny's remedies. It's part of the show's portrayal of the Clampett family's rural background and their humorous interactions with the more sophisticated and modern world of Beverly Hills.

As with many elements in "The Beverly Hillbillies," the concept of "stump water" contributes to the show's comedic atmosphere by exaggerating the cultural differences between the characters and their contrasting backgrounds.

User Jethro couldn't find any stump water so he pulled a stump out of the ground and told Granny to pour some water on it which infuriated Granny ChatGPT It sounds like you're describing a specific comedic scene from "The Beverly Hillbillies" where Jethro's misunderstanding of Granny's instructions leads to a humorous situation. In this scene, Jethro's literal interpretation of Granny's request for "stump water" results in him pulling an actual stump out of the ground and suggesting that Granny pour water on it, which understandably frustrates Granny.

This type of misunderstanding and literal interpretation of Granny's instructions is a recurring theme in the show, often leading to comedic situations and adding to the humor of the culture clash between the Clampetts' rural background and the modern world of Beverly Hills.

It's worth noting that "The Beverly Hillbillies" was known for its lighthearted and humorous portrayal of the Clampett family's experiences as they navigate their new life among the wealthy elite in Beverly Hills. The show often used misunderstandings and eccentricities as a source of comedy.

[slut4dympna]

Hi!! I'm in desperate need for more content about Joe - especially after reading what you wrote.

Could you please give us more of it? 🥺

okay indulge me for a moment here : an au with joe and reader based on sally rooney's 'normal people'

allow me to explain

(warnings for mentions of sex, but only briefly as these are just hcs)

- i honestly had this in my head while i wrote my other joe fic but i just didnt really elaborate enough to clarify it

- but like... you coming from a more privileged background but being weird and not really having friends at all

- and joe obviously not coming from the best background but being very popular and actually having lots of friends

- i honestly see it as one of those academic rivalry type things at first

- theres one subject you're both really good at and you sort of have this private competition going on between you about who can do better

- but you both always seem to get the exact same scores and never have a clear winner or loser

- you rarely ever speak because no one ever speaks to you at school

- but the one time you do speak is when he comes into the shop your family owns

- he doesnt know why he started going there, he could never afford any of the stuff because its all high end shit

- but you got him talking that first time, which surprised you both since joe isnt really much of a talker, not unless you know him really well

- and since then he just keeps coming back

- eventually, one day, after the tension builds up, and this weird rapport begins between you, you end up taking him to the storage room in the back and fucking him there

- it starts this affair of sorts between you, where he comes to you for sex and strangely deep chats about life and love and family

- and he then proceeds not to talk to you at all at school

- he cant tell if it actually bothers you. and he convinces himself he doesnt care

- you secretly feel a little smug

- if you wanted to (and you dont, but, if you really wanted to) you could just tell everyone that you and joe have been fucking in secret and their opinions of the both of you would change entirely

- probably

- maybe

- but you wouldnt do that to joe. from what hes told you things are hard enough outside of school and he needs all the support he can get from his friends

- though from what he tells you, they arent always the greatest of friends to him

i have lots more ideas so lmk if you want more hcs or a full fic of this concept... if not i just needed it out of my system lol

#joe mammal #joe mammal x reader #joe mammal imagine #barry keoghan #barry keoghan x reader #barry keoghan imagine #barry keoghan x you #barry keoghan smut

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Bruh how do you think the twilight characters would react to a zombie apocalypse? I'm thinking like walking dead zombies. Aro's whole reason for creating the Volturi was to sustain the human race and then boom goes the dynamite!

I chose twd zombies because I find it interesting that they'll just eat anything. The cullens food source won't be safe. Would the Zombies even notice the vamps? Like technically they're undead, they won't smell appetizing. Would the vamps have any reaction to their blood? How would that blood affect the vamp if consumed?

How would they preserve human life? Like, this situation would be dire and the Volturi would probably come out of the wood works to do some damage control. I doubt the people will be thrilled about having to deal with another undead entity trying to eat them. I can't tell whether people would appreciate it or if they'd just end up doing more damage to themselves by attacking the vamps as well.

Or would the vamps be able to prevent it all together? Twd lore is complicated and I'm focusing on the tv adaptation, so if we focus of the timelines, it could work. At that point the cullens would still be doing their domestic bs and won't have to go into hiding. Carlisle would see first hand whats happening considering he's a doctor. Aro keeps up to date on literally everything so he'd probably notice.

Considering every human is infected and it lays dormant in the body untill they are bitten or die, I don't think they could prevent it.

God I can imagine how the other vamps would react. They have no care for human life, they probably wouldn't have the initiative to preserve humans. They'd probably eat us into extinction unless the Volturi put a stop to it. Aro would probably have a large portion of vamps culled.

I forgot, they have vampire!god in twilight. Siobhan would just wish it away and everything would be fine and dandy.

Bold of you to assume I've seen The Walking Dead.

But alright.

Honestly, in general it just means the Volturi are going to be working harder. If everyone's a zombie now that means the zombies aren't going to notice when vampires feast upon either them or the surviving humans. WOO HOO, FREE REAL ESTATE!

I imagine the Volturi will be very busy murdering everyone to convince them that, no, just because the humans are all diseased now does not mean the law is over. YOU WILL DROP THAT DYING HUMAN OUT OF YOUR MOUTH.

The Cullens, I imagine, have a miserable time but it's no worse than that time they were stuck in a dome. They become nomadic, give up on human society, and follow what remains of animals.

I imagine the Volturi are too busy doing containment with vampires (who will go nuts) to do much about the humans. They probably have kill on sight orders for zombies. It's the new Children of the Moon campaign, they are going to wipe out every single zombie in existence (AND NO, NOT YOU JOE SHMOE VAMPIRE, THE VOLTURI, ZOMBIES ARE NOT FOOD).

I imagine they're rather effective in this (and to that point I highly doubt vampires are TWD zombie food given how insanely fast, powerful, and hard their skin is. Or what their skin is even made of. I doubt they would even register as food).

As for whether they could stop it... I haven't seen this show so you tell me. I personally doubt it.

But they could certainly pull a genocide on the zombies and I imagine it'd be effective. The human race would still take a very heavy blow, of course, and if the numbers go too far down, we may never recover and vampires are still doomed to have to eat mammals and become the Cullens, but if they move fast enough when it becomes clear that this is an uncontainable problem then yes, the Volturi save us from zombies.

#twilight #the walking dead #twilight meta #twilight headcanon #twilight renaissance #the volturi #the cullens #meta #headcanon #opinion #quarthly

[ben-the-hyena]

For those (like me) who ship Pinstripe Potoroo X Komodo Joe

Like @ohfugecannada had rightly pointed out, what makes that ship "spicy" is in big part a good use of the rivals to lover trope. I may not be a huge fan of that trope, sometimes it does work and in this case it does because it makes the potential hilarious with their mutual racism (Joe hating mammals and Pin hating reptiles) yet having to work together when Cortex hires both (like in Twinsanity for instance) and how similar (both love money, are rich, play poker, love their weapons, respect deals, are morally grey and have a strong aesthetic) yet different (they have varying standards like Joe genuinely wanting to save the world while Pin just wants a reward whereas Pin accepts defeat while Joe rages cries and snarks, Pin does things alone while Joe needs Moe, Joe has a sword and Pin a gun so "modernity or at least close vintage VS ancient or at least far vintage" and obviously they mainly work for different docs) they are, and also with how their cages were next to each other bsck in the lab we can have fun with our imagination lol

But you know what could make that rivalry "spicier" and hilarious, past the complementary personalities rivalry and the species rivalry ?

Religion rivalry

Pinstripe was brainwashed into thinking he was Italian with Dr Cortex making him watch a series of noir and mafia movies during his mutation, like Pinstripe may know it is indeed fake in theory since after all potoroos don't exist there but he still took the name Don Pinstripelli Potorotti, has an accent and acts entirely like a Sicilian mafioso. And the Sicilian mafia as weird as it may sound since they are violent criminals with blood on their hands are known for being devault Catholics, having religious weddings, praying, owning religiojs icons and sometimes using part of their influence or illegal money for the local church if they want to. So chances are Pinstripe became Catholic or at least thinks he is as soon as he gained sapience

Komodo Joe and Komodo Bros' aesthetic is more ambiguous, they are DEFINETELY oriental/Eastern and must suffer from the "bah these cultures are all the same" syndrome 1990's Western media tended to have in fiction (who knows, maybe Cortex and Brio were part of the issue and showed tj various "vaguely Eastern" movies during their mutation so themselves don't know what they are in the end) since they sport in their home, clothes and weapons features that remind of Indonesia (which would make sense since Komodo dragons come from there) and Middle East like Indo-Persia and Araby. However one thing in common between these place : the main religion is Islam, so if the Komodo Bros were brainwashed into thinking they came from these places (if Middle East) or on the contrary embraced the place they come from (if Indonesia), chances are they bevame Muslim as soon as they gained sapience or at least think they are

So imagine Joe and Pinstripe in their rivalry taunting and fighting each other not just about their species but also about their faith because any pretext is good to enrage the other and they don't lack inspiration for that

Komodo Joe "JESUS WAS NOTHING BUT A PROPHET"

Pinstripe *UNHOLY YELLING AS HE FLIPS THE TABLE OVER*

#lol #religion #christianity #catholicism #islam #moi #enemies #fight #argue #troll #pinstripe potoroo #komodo joe #komodo bros #italy #sicily #mafia #middle east #indonesia #mutation #evolvo ray #i ship it ! #love is here #ohfugecannada #mammal #reptile #komodo dragon #potoroo #movie #brainwashing

[anoutlandishfanfic]

The Alaskan Endeavor: Ch2 - Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

So, again, this chapter update (can I call them PUPdates? they’re now PUPDATES) is in celebration of another race that finished up yesterday morning -- the Kuskokwim 300 aka The Kusko300, which is one of if not THE most competitive middle distance race in Western Alaska. We’ll get to the pups and more about racing in the next chapter but HERE WE HAVE THE MEETING Y’ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

You can find chapter one here or over at AO3!!

Claire That evening

The Murray’s residence wasn’t far from my flat above the Abernathy’s garage — nothing in this tiny hamlet was — and I decided to walk the four blocks, taking in a remarkable summer’s evening.

Joe had warned me that the shift in daylight hours was more extreme here in Kozebue — twenty-six miles above the Arctic Circle — than where we’d reconnected on Kodiak Island… and I had to admit he was right. I’d made good use of the black out curtains that were installed in the bedroom, shutting out the sun that insisted on shining well into the night and starting up again ungodly early in the morning. I knew I’d have no trouble making my way back on foot after dinner.

It would still be broad daylight.

I rounded the final corner and scanned the lane for my destination…

“It’s a blue house with white trim… second on the left,” Joe’s wife Gail had easily informed me, for the Abernathy’s and the Murray’s were old friends.

Gail’s eyes had held the same suspicious twinkle that Jenny’s had when she’d invited me for dinner and I had a sinking suspicion that I was about to be set up on a blind date, hosted by Jenny Murray herself. My new patient had mentioned she had a brother when she was in earlier and if I were the betting sort, I’d place my life savings on him being the man in question.

How on earth did you let yourself get roped into this, Beauchamp? I sighed ruefully to myself as I spotted the abode.

Crossing the street, I took a few deep breaths, trying to steady my pounding heart as I got closer to the Murray’s front door. It was no use, of course, for it had firmly lodged itself in my throat about a block and a half back, and I was left trembling slightly as I mounted the front steps.

Wiping sweaty palms on my pants, I lifted my hand and knocked. Once — twice — three times.

… Jamie

“Can you get that?” Jenny shouted from the kitchen, the usual clamor of my nieces and nephew interfering but not obscuring her words.

Passing the youngest back to her father, I stood and answered, “Aye, I’ve got it!”

I wiped at the deposit of crumbs that wee Katie had left behind on my shirtfront, tugging at the hem in an attempt to flatten out the wrinkles pressed into it by the same. I shook my head and gave it up, knowing it was useless and that it shouldn’t really matter anyway.

Rolling my eyes at the ridiculous concern for my own appearance, I turned into the front hall and padded quickly down the plush rug to the door.

I turned the knob and pulled — then stopped dead as the door opened.

Christ, she was beautiful.

Her pale cheeks were slightly flushed, which made the small smattering of freckles across her nose stand out like brilliant stars. The curls were coming out of a plait that was draped over one shoulder and it gave her a delightfully adventurous air. She was a brunette like Jenny, but not nearly quite so dark. The light streaming in from behind her set brilliant copper highlights aglow as she flipped the thick queue away, making it disappear behind her.

One perfectly arched brow rose in question of me — and I knew I was staring — but the ability to form coherent speech left me entirely as her eyes locked on to mine.

Brown would be a woefully inaccurate word to describe such a hue as hers. They were rich like a fine whisky, a deep amber that all at once soothed and pierced your soul.

Pull yerself together, you clotheid.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure and took a step back, sweeping a hand to usher her in.

“You, ah, must be Dr Claire,” I stammered, my lips still not completely able to do my bidding. “I’m Jamie, Jenny’s brother.”

Comprehension lit her eyes and she chuckled softly.

God, that sound.

It sent shockwaves up and down my spine and stood the hair on the back of my neck on end.

What I wouldn’t do to make her laugh like that again.

“Tell me, Jamie,” she kept her voice low, a conspiratorial gleam sneaking into her eyes. “Have Jenny and Gail been playing matchmaker with us?”

Raking a hand through my hair, I confessed dryly, “They’ve been trying to set me up for years.”

She tipped her head back and laughed outright and freely at my confirmation, commenting, “I thought so, but then I’d only met your sister this morning.”

“I’ve known her my whole life,” I grinned back at her. “Once Jen gets an idea in her head, it’s best to let her have at it ‘til it peters out on its own... unless it involves that wee fiend of hers.”

Delicate, slender fingers lifted to her lips as the color deepened in her cheeks, amusement still high in her voice, “Are you talking about Roger?”

“Right! Yes!” It was my turn to laugh. “You’ve met the numpty yourself.”

She grinned, “I’ve had the pleasure, yes.”

“Did she tell you he’s a service dog drop out?” I shook my head in mock derision.

Her eyes grew as big as saucers, nearly dropping the bag in her hand as she burst, “No!!”

“Oh, aye!” I scoffed, but my smile crept back in and betrayed my amusement at the whole ordeal.

“Too friendly… and easily distracted.”

“Are you two done bletherin’ out here?” My brother in law Ian stuck his head into the hallway, succinctly interrupting us with a knowing look.

“The food’s gettin’ cold!”

… Claire

Tucked between Jamie and his seven year old namesake, dinner was far from a dull affair. Jenny proved to be a remarkable cook and the table conversation ranged in topics from a nuanced detail of racing — that is, mushing — to my favorite animal.

“Do you mean in general,” I tested the waters, assembling another forkful of roast and potatoes, “or in a specific class or order?”

The little boy’s eyes lit up and I knew I’d found a topic that he particularly enjoyed… which was a stroke of luck for me, being that animals and their care was my field of expertise.

Thank God it wasn’t dinosaurs.

“Mammals!” He eagerly narrowed the field, then zeroed in even further, “What’s your favorite African mammal?!”

“Oh, that’s easy! A giraffe!” I supplied, my smile matching his. “I got to see them in the wild, you know… in Tanzania.”

This caught the attention of the rest of the table and began to field questions left and right about my time on the Serengeti. I didn't mind, as they were happy memories, and soon won over both the younger Jamie and his five year old sister Maggie with tales of elephants and zebras and all of the animals they’d only read about in books or seen on television.

“Did you see any lions?” Little Maggie’s voice dropped into what I supposed was her version of a whisper — as if one were right beside us — and she nearly vibrated with excitement as she asked again, “Did you see any lions, Dr Claire?!”

I heard Jamie, the elder and my supposed date for the evening, chuckle beside me and I wondered just what sort of mischief this little one could get into when she set her mind to it.

“I did see lions too, Maggie,” I assured her, taking on her affected stage whisper. “We went in a truck at night and had big flashlights and saw them getting a drink of water.”

“Dey sirsty,” two year old Katie informed the table proudly, making all of the adults grin.

I bit my lip to keep from chuckling at her innocent attempt at being involved in the conversation, but agreed, “They get very thirsty.”

“How’d ye wind up in Alaska, then?”

This turn in conversation came from Jamie’s father, an older man by the name of Brian.

“I went to university with Joe Abernathy in Seattle,” I supplied. “We went separate ways after graduation but I ran into him again when I was visiting my uncle on Kodiak Island… Joe offered me a position at his clinic and I couldn’t refuse.”

“He’s done a lot of good wi’ that practice of his,” Brian commented. “Been a dream of his for some time now.”

Nodding, I smiled at the memory of Joe’s eager rants and rails, “He spoke quite a bit about it in school. I knew how much it meant to him and was eager to help him in his cause.”

“He almost worked himself to death before you came along,” Jenny snorted, then shot me an apologetic look. “Bein’ the only vet in the Northwest Borough made for long hours an’ no rest.”

“That’s why I wanted to come… to ease the burden a bit.”

“Well, then you’re a saint, Dr Claire,” she sighed, surmising with a shake of her head.

“No,” I assured her quietly. “I’m just plain old Claire Beauchamp.”

… Jamie. After Dinner.

“Wait just a minute,” I protested. “You walked here?!”

We were at the front door again, this time in full control of my faculties, but the woman before me was quickly turning out to be more of an complexity than I ever imagined possible.

Her brow furrowed at this, as if she hadn’t thought of the incongruity of her walking the mile from the Abernathy’s to here on foot.

“Yes… why?”

“Well, it’s… it’s just that…'' I stammered, flummoxed. “Don’t you have somethin’ to drive?”

“Of course,” she looked at me as if I’d sprouted five heads from my shoulders. “I have a perfectly good vehicle, but why drive it four blocks when it’s beautiful outside and I can walk?”

I opened my mouth to respond to this and found I didn’t have a reasonable answer. She found great amusement in this and crossed her arms, waiting for me to respond.

Shaking my head, I gave it up and couldn’t help but smile as I offered to walk her home.

This took her by complete surprise and her jaw dropped, “Why?!”

“Well,” I pulled at the back of my neck, trying to come up with something and shrugged helplessly, “like you said… it’s a beautiful evening.”

Her brows nearly rose to her hairline, not buying this for one moment.

“Look, it’s the polite thing to do, aye? I know you live at the Abernathy’s because Joe told me… I’ll leave just as soon as you’ve made it to the front door, I promise,” I insisted. “Nothin more.”

She contemplated this, then clarified, “Just a walk?”

I dropped my hands, swinging my hands away from my sides in a clearing motion and then against them again with a soft pat.

“Just a walk.”

#outlander #outlander fanfic #the alaskan endeavor #the alaskan endeavor au #chapter 2 guess who's coming to dinner

[ivyonna10]

Rami Malek

Rami Malek is an American performer broadly known for his unprecedented acting and he's in like manner a producer. He have played in boundless hit movies and TV game plan. he's also thought to be considering the way that the 100 most convincing people inside the world beginning at 2019.

EARLY LIFE

Rami Malek's finished name is Rami Said Malek. He was brought into the world on twelfth May 1981 inside the city of Torrance, California inside the U.S. Regardless of the way that he's imagined inside the U.S, his people father Nelly Abdel-Malek and mother Said Malek are Greek and from Egypt. He also has one more settled sister named Yashmine. Since his father filled in as a trained professional and guide , they moved to the U.S. besides, got settled San Fernando Valley, consistent with Rami Malek. Malek also incorporates a twin kin, Sami who seems like him and was only four minutes more energetic than him.

Rami Malek was referred to getting some answers concerning his Greek culture and he was told about the centrality of their Greek roots by his people. because of his social differentiations inside the U.S, he felt that it was difficult to adjust and blend to the in vogue social orders in his immaturity. As a young kid , his parent's suspicions for him was to transform into a lawyer so he joined the conversation competition anyway he wasn't set up to impart the concentrates energetically. Notwithstanding, his teacher was amazed by the technique for his passionate interpretation.

Hence, rather than that, his teacher prescribed him to share and perform inside the play Zooman and as needs be the Sign. His play inside the resistance and his parent's positive reaction towards his show encouraged him to move into an acting calling. In 1999, Rami Malek proceeded onward from highschool and visited the University of Evansville to find more about theater and acting.

Business AND AWARDS

Rami Malek moved to ny , to go to the varsity for theater. He and his buddies met various creators and bosses and together they structure the Slant Theater Project. He and his mates who were from an indistinguishable field would make and play out the play of their own. Later on, he moved back to his people and he got related with projecting boss, Mali Finn. He was encouraged to show up for occupations in Hollywood so he worked at passing on pizzas and inverse side situations in diner making falafel and shawarma sandwiches.

During these events, he in like manner send his resume to varied creation houses anyway wasn't set up to get fill in as a performer. Rami Malek was debilitate and lost the vainglory to support add the film adventures so he decided to drop the acting calling yet following a year he was called by the projecting boss Mara Casey. Consequently, Malek got his initial segment inside the situational spoof sensation called Gilmore Girls which was circled in 2004. from that point the subsequent year, after scarcely any venue films, Malek played because the Pharaoh inside the Night of the Museum continuations which was conveyed on 2006, 2009 and 2014 independently. By then Rami Malek again went onto transforming into a theater performer.

Since the year 2010, Rami Malek's positions inside the TV as a supporting performer begins. inside the American action show TV called 24, Malek played as a supporting performer as a dread based oppressor , Marcos AI-Zacar. Malek was praised by Hanks who is besides notable American performer and pioneer producer, for his acting inside the film The Pacific. in view of his incredible introduction inside the film, he obtained various other supporting positions inside the hit movies much equivalent to the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 2, Short Term 12, Oldboy, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. He moreover expected minor positions in movies like Battleship and other Oscar-assigned movies much equivalent to the Master, Ain't Them Bodies Saints. He moreover voiced inside the repulsiveness game called Until Dawn.

In the year 2015, Rami Malek landed his first lead position inside the performance game plan called Mr. Robot. After the show was communicated on 24th June, 2015, it transformed into Malek's best ever breakout execution. Rami Malek was quickly acclaimed by the savants like USA Today, Entertainment Weekly and Backstage. For his show inside the Tv plan, he was assigned for four distinctions specifically, Satellite Award, Golden Globe Award and Dorian Award independently. After the most elevated purpose of the TV game plan, Rami Malek was moreover assigned for Best Actor during a Television Series-Drama. That year he won two distinctions specifically, Critic's Choices Television Award for Best Actor during a Drama Series, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor during a Drama Series.

Starting now and into the foreseeable future, Malek went onto playing different hit motion pictures and his next best ever a progression film was conveyed inside the year 2018. His film Bohemian Rhapsody got in excess of 900 million dollars inside the motion pictures far and wide. For his amazing acting inside the film, Rami Malek achieved four distinctions explicitly Academy Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe for Best Actor during a film , BAFTA Award for Best Actor during a Leading Role, Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor during a Leading Role Screen Actors Guild Award. Nowadays, Malek has been working in a couple of errands and besides making film with Sam Esmail who is that the producer of Mr. Robot.

Singular LIFE

Rami Malek is somewhat reluctant to correct his private life transparently and avoid interviews the best total as could be normal considering the present situation. Malek opened about his relationship alongside his co-star from the film Bohemian Rhapsody, Lucy Boyton. In a gathering, Rami Malek in like manner said that he's crazy with the London city and having the occasion to buy a home there. Notwithstanding the way that he keeps his concealed life secret from the general populace , he seizes the opportunity to meet and check out the records of outcasts. He venerates different encounters with different social orders.

Ensuing to playing inside the film Bohemian Rhapsody, he was moved by Freddie Mercury so he started filling in as a specialist with the HIV/AIDS care affiliation called RED. He has moreover performed distinctive philanthropic works like advancing and supporting different affiliations like Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). He moreover to Africa to find more about the HIV/AIDS condition and he have helped with social illicit relationship store for the removal of the disease.

He has the Official record on Instagram with only 4 posts as of recently .

Absolute resources

Melek's all out resources beginning at 2020 is 8 million dollars generally.

Barry Keoghan Ivyonna10  January 8, 2021  modify  comment

Barry Keoghan, who is best known for enjoying roles in films like "Dunkirk" and"The Killing of a Sacred Deer," is an Irish actor who has been active within the industry since 2011. He made it to the 27th position within the list of "Ireland's greatest film actors" curated by Irish Times in 2020. he's to seem as Druig within the upcoming MCU film titled "The Eternals." Early Life Barry Keoghan was born on October 18, 1992, in Summerhill, which is in Dublin. At the age of 12, his mother gave up the ghost thanks to a heroin overdose. His childhood was precarious, and he was in care for about seven years together with his brother. His older brother is known as Eric Keoghan. He lived in 13 foster homes. Later on, his grandmother took him in, and he lived together with her and his aunt. He visited O'Connell lyceum . Career Barry Keoghan started his career as an actor in 2011. In 2011, he acted during a short film titled "Stand Up," during which he played the role of "Stand up Bully." an equivalent year, he played Aido in "Between the Canals." He acted as Dave Donoghue in 3 episodes of "Fair City." He portrayed the role of Wayne for 6 episodes of "Love/Hate" in 2013. In 2016, he played the character named Cormac McDevitt in 4 episodes of "Rebellion." within the critically acclaimed miniseries called "Chernobyl," he acted as Pavel in 2 episodes. In 2019, he made an appearance in "Living With Lucy." In 2012, he acted within the psychological thriller film called "Stalker," where he worked as Tommy. an equivalent year, he acted sort of a younger version of Dublin Lad in "King of the Travellers." the subsequent year, appeared as a pizza guy in "Life's a Breeze." an equivalent year, he played Sean Meehan in "Stay" and acted as Ben during a short film titled "Wasted." In 2014, he appeared within the role of Sean Bannon in "'71". an equivalent year, he acted as Crusty in "Standby" and Aaron within the short film called "North." He acted within the role of Sean within the short film titled "The Break" in 2015. an equivalent year, he played the role of Ken in "Traders." He was seen as Joe within the drama film titled "Mammal" in 2016. In 2016, he acted as Windows in "Trespass Against Us" and as Shane within the short film titled "Candy Floss." the subsequent year, she worked as Pavel in "Light then ," as Martin Lang in "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" and as George Mills in "Dunkirk." In 2018, he appeared in two films: "American Animals" and "Black '47". In 2019, he acted as Dympha in "Calm With Horses." he's to seem as Scavenger in "The Green Knight" in 2020. The film is under post-production. In 201, he appears within the role of Druig in "Eternals" and as Stanley Merkel in "The Batman." Awards In 2017, Barry Keoghan won the "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" Award at the Dublin Film Critics' Circle for his "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." In 2018, for "The Killing of a Sacred Deer," he won the simplest Supporting Actor in "Chlotrudis Awards" and "Irish Film and Televisions Awards." Personal Life Barry Keoghan is dating Shona Guerin. In 2018, after several years of being during a relationship, they started cohabitation . Barry is additionally curious about boxing and is an amateur boxer. Shona may be a makeup artist and works in Sean Taaffe Hair & Beauty. Height, Weight, and Age Barry Keoghan stands 1.7 meters tall and weighs approximately 72 kg. as of September of 2020; he's 27 years old. Social Media Barry Keoghan is active on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. He has 100k followers on Instagram and 36.8k followers on Twitter as of September of 2020. Net Worth As of September of 2020, Barry Keoghan has an estimated net worth of US$ 1 million. it's stated that he makes US$ 124k yearly, from being the ambassador of Dior.

[erdiki]

Deniset had

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[encyclopika]

Animal Crossing Fish -Explained #54

Brought to you by a marine biologist going back to freshwater...

CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

Well, maybe just for a bit. We covered all the sharky stuff in ACNH, so let’s hit freshwater again. I realize I didn’t finish up with our South American fish, so let’s do that. We’ll start with the Dorado...if you’re as old as me, or just a fan of animated movies, then you’ll recognize the word from the (amazing) movie “El Dorado” (both fish and movie based in the legend of El Dorado), and that the word just means “golden” in Spanish:

The more you know~~

Anyway, this is a pretty rare fish in the river in ACNH, so you might wanna hunt for bait before going on your journey to fish up this profitable fish - 15,000 bells, friends! 

But anyway, I’ve expanded this group of fish to include “South American fish” rather than fish from the Amazon, because as big as that river basin is, the Dorado actually does not appear in it at all. Instead, the Dorado is native to river basins just south of the Amazon in South Brazil, Argentina, and surrounding countries. 

The Dorado (Salminus brasiliensis) is a member of the Characiformes, meaning that its closest relatives in the game are the Neon Tetra and Piranha. Lots of tetra-relatives are native to South America, so explains that. Unlike most fish you’d consider a tetra, the Dorado is an apex predator in its range, with few predators of its own once it reaches adult size, which can be 3 ft (100cm) long.

The rarity of this fish in the game is definitely derived from real life. They are considered a highly threatened species in their native countries, due to overfishing and dams that block their migrations to spawn. They are considered an attractive sport fish, growing very large, leaping from the water, and being particularly aggressive towards fly lures, so the fish brings in sport fishermen and therefore revenue, from all over. That’s usually when governments start protecting species - when they can bring in more money alive than dead. Proving this worth is typically the go-to of conservation and scientific endeavors when convincing a country to protect wildlife. I know - it sounds kinda nasty and icky to think that countries don’t think to protect wildlife just because they’re amazing and depriving future generations of them would be cruel, but that’s where we’re at. I’m in the “whatever it takes to conserve a species” camp; I’m not above finding out how a country or company can profit off a species if it means they’ll be protected. Lots of conservationists don’t like that on principle, but I don’t believe we should work so hard to conserve things, especially non-mammals that the average Joe doesn’t think twice about. 

The kicker, here, is that the Dorado is also an invasive species in neighboring river basins. Being such an aggressive predator, it is threatening native fish in those rivers...so some countries have found that they are protecting Dorado in some rivers, but not others. I can’t imagine the difficulty in explaining that to the people who live there. 

And there you have it. Fascinating stuff, no? 

#dorado #fish #animal crossing #South America #animal crossing new horizons #science in video games #animal crossing fish explained

[hellzyeahwebwielingessays]

Super Heroes are a HUMAN power fantasy Part 1

Master Post

Super Heroes are a HUMAN power fantasy Part 2

Osvaldo Oyola , J. Lamb and Noah Berlatsky (who hates super heroes on principle btw), along with other dumbasses, have often said they are male/white supremacist power fantasies.

Nah fam. They are nothing more and nothing less than a HUMAN power fantasy.

Follow me along here for a while.

Human beings are animals.

We are. That’s a simple matter of scientific fact.

When push comes to shove we are really, really, really smart monkeys who share something like 50+% genes in common with chimpanzees.

As animals and all forms of life the overwhelming majority of us are biologically hardwired towards one ultimate goal: survival.

The desire to survive drives us innately in ways that go unnoticed most of the time. As we evolved into smarter creatures with higher brain functions capable of comprehending the world around us and constructing complex relationships and societies, that survival instinct was reinterpreted through various means.

The survival instinct in human beings and other mammals takes several forms but most commonly can boil down to two things:

a)      Survival through preservation of the individual

b)      Survival through procreation

Type a) involves getting food, shelter, rest, avoiding and recovering from injury and of course defending one’s self from threats, which can take the form of other living creatures, including members of our own species.

Type b) involves spawning offspring and at the same time looking after their wellbeing.

But the survival instinct goes deeper than that because we are biologically hardwired to work towards the protection of our very species. That is the very reason why type a) and b) even exist. By preserving ourselves and our offspring our species survives.

We are also communal animals. Much like chimpanzees and gorillas we live in groups for mutual benefit and protection. Thus, as part of survival of ourselves, our offspring and our species, we have a biological investment in protecting members of our group and of our species.

But seemingly paradoxically we are also hardwired to compete with and fight one another. This likely a by-product of how in the wild we’d have to compete for resources like food and shelter. Sometimes this involves two different groups from the same species competing with one another for survival.

Why am I telling you this? Well, because deep down all those things I have just talked about are innate to 99% of all human beings. It is little wonder that as we as a species evolved we expressed these biological driving forces in certain ways no other creatures could.

This is where the concept of our deities, Gods and figures from folklore and myth come from.

Jupiter, Vishnu, Thor, Hercules, Sun Wukong, Sampson, the Biblical version of Jesus Christ.

Whether they adopt the form of human beings or other entities, virtually every single culture on Earth, even those in isolation of one another, have conceived of beings greater than themselves. Beings with abilities beyond the average human being. And they’ve also conceived of those beings from time to time using their abilities to defy the laws of nature (such as averting natural disasters), combat dangerous or malevolent forces/creatures/individuals, and/or safeguarding the lives of others.

It is a form of explaining the world around us, and an act of wish fulfilment of the human experience.

We want to survive and since we are by our nature group animals we desire to be protected. Thus we conceive beings greater than ourselves who could potentially do that.

We want to survive by preserving our individual selves, so we imagined beings that are so powerful that they are not as reliant upon rest and sustenance like normal people. And who are powerful enough that they either cannot be easily harmed and are are capable of defending themselves from potential threats.

We have within us a vested biological interest in preserving our species, and so are hardwired to protect members of our family/group; our kin. Thus as part of our human wish fulfilment fantasies we imagine beings we’d like to be who could have the power to protect members of our species.

We then come to the modern superhero.

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, etc. Fundamentally they are the exact same thing.

Individuals with powers beyond those of the average human being, who use those powers to help and protect people, typically from numerous threats (which most commonly take the form of individuals with malevolent intentions). This can include perceived social ills which plague society and by extension pose a threat to the survival or quality of life of ordinary citizens.

One can exchange Hercules fighting the mythological Hydra for Superman fighting Darkseid or Captain America fighting H.Y.D.R.A. terrorists and it is ultimately the same thing. Batman battling crime in Gotham city fundamentally is no different from Theseus defeating criminals and bandits on his travels. When Spider-Man swings into action to save Mary Jane from the Green Goblin, it is an expression of much the same thing the Indian deity Rama went through to save his bride Sita.

Many super heroes though are also vigilantes, someone who imposes their own sense of morality whilst working outside of the law. Vigilantes in the real world and in myths, folklore, fiction and so on can also be found throughout history. Perhaps the most notable example being Robin Hood, who denounced his noble status to steal from the rich and give what he took to the poor who were being over taxed and oppressed by a corrupt system. Other examples would be the Scarlet Pimpernel or Zorro.

What I am trying to say is that at their core, modern day super heroes are fundamentally modern riffs of the folkloric and mythic traditions and/or similar expressions of the universal human experience (which are informed by innate biological imperatives).

Ostensibly, in creating Superman (the first true superhero), Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were either:

a)      Consciously/subconsciously influenced by these older mythic stories when they created Superman (and thus birthed the entire genre), or

b)      basically tapped into the same kind of thinking which birthed Robin Hood, Hercules, Sun Wukong, etc. in the first place. Across the centuries great minds seemingly thought alike

Superman in particular was possibly heavily influenced by the figure of super strong Sampson or the Clay Golem of Prague, both of whom are part of Jewish religion and folklore (Siegel and Shuster being Jewish immigrants). He might even be seen as a kind of Moses figure. Someone sent away from his natural people to grow up elsewhere, but nevertheless destined for greatness. Or maybe he was just a messiah figure. Whether Siegel and Shuster had Jesus Christ in their minds at all or not, the Jewish religion does (I believe) talk about a saviour figure and Superman could very well be an expression of that.

Figuring into Superman’s creation was 1930s depression and the shadow of impending global war as Hitler was gathering power and invaded Poland the year after Superman was created. In his debut Superman is not only superhumanly powerful but uses these powers as a vigilante to do things like:

·         stop wife beaters

·         rescue someone framed for murder, whilst apprehending the real murderer

·         capture gangsters and rescue a kidnapped person (Lois Lane)

·         bring a corrupt politician to justice

This was an expression of 1930s fears and frustrations. Of Siegel and Shuster’s desires to right the wrongs of a system which was perceived to be broken…or at least envision someone who could do that seemingly impossible task.

The next year in 1939, Batman would come along and express many of these sentiments even more acutely, in particular when it came to crime.

As time went by and the superhero genre was consolidated and evolved, many heroes had their histories altered in order to make them more coherent. In Batman’s specific case his home of Gotham city was painted as so utterly corrupt from the lowest criminal to the most powerful political figures that Batman was literally the one and only effective deterrent to crime. Hope of legal or political reform was next to impossible, thus Batman’s brand of vigilantism was the only thing which could stand in the way of criminals from just doing whatever they wanted.

Bearing all this in mind the idea that the superhero genre is an inherent white construction (and therefore inherently racist, deliberately or otherwise) is, you know…fucking bullshit.

There is a difference between something defined by someone of one race or another and it being something which in indicative to them ONLY. There is also a difference between something having ‘white supremacist undertones’ and something simply being created at a certain point in time when cultural norms were (sadly) different to what they became later on.

As originally created Superman (and by extension the genre) was functionally the same kind of wish fulfilment expressesed by countless storytellers from countless cultures across human history, all informed by universal biological impulses to survive.

Yes, the superhero genre was created and constructed by white people and is therefore literally a ‘white construction’. Yes there weren’t many (if any) non-white characters outside of horrible racial stereotypes. Yes many of them took the law into their own hands.

But that doesn’t mean they are in support of white supremacist notions ala the Ku Klux Klan.

In fact given that Siegel and Shuster were of Jewish immigrant descent, one could argue that Superman was a reflection of how minorities need to be BETTER than the majority to be accepted and/or he was arguably an expression of their frustrations at being mistreated themselves an minorities.

On the other hand let’s say that ‘white supremacy’ strictly meant that superheroes operated with the belief in white people being the default, and as the majority, they were better than the non-whites. Superman was created at a time of segregation after all.

The problem is there is no evidence I know in support of Superman, by his mere existence, is consciously implying that white people are better than non-white people. I wouldn’t put it past Siegel and Shuster to believe that given the times they were from, but ALL media was like that. To an extent they honestly didn’t know any better. But just because they believed that and the social context of the time informed people of this, that doesn’t mean that those ideas are inherent to the superhero genre.

Because again, the superhero genre ultimately embodies beliefs and practices which date back throughout human history and can be found in many non-white cultures.

Yes. Their brand of heroism and the beliefs about heroism they embody were gifted to them by their white creators. And those creators were informed by white social norms (as in the white society they grew up in informed Siegel and Shuster that wife beating was bad). But that doesn’t mean that the superhero moral compass is inherently something that is itself white by design. Rather, it goes beyond that to form a mostly universal form of morality. And lest we forget American society and its laws were mostly informed by Jewish and Christian religious beliefs and practices, which themselves were not only innovated centuries before American society, but by people who were NOT white.

Yes, these superheroes are vigilantes, many of which wear masks and employ secret identities. But not only is that a matter of practicality within their work, as well as part of generating drama within the narrative, but this does not (as the above mentioned dumbasses believe) mean they are inheriting a legacy from the Ku Klux Klan.

Theseus and Robin Hood acted as vigilantes of a sort who again predate the KKK. The Scarlet Pimpernel is widely regarded as the originator of the secret identity trope, and he was created by a Hungarian born British woman!

Just because a superhero might act as a vigilante and impose their sense of morality outside of the law (maybe even using force to do it) doesn’t equate them with the KKK, because it completely and utterly ignores the specifics of the circumstances. It is like saying anyone who kills is a serial killer, when they might have killed for justifiable reasons. Superman and Batman might be operating as vigilantes with secret identities but we the readers can plainly see that they are genuinely justified in what they are doing.

But that’s because the writer has established that!

I hear you cry.

Yes that is true...so what though?

If the writer has set up circumstances which justify the superheroes actions then you can’t just IGNORE those. You can’t just choose the evidence you take under consideration to fit the conclusion you want. In this case that’d be the interpretation of superheroes are endorsements of white supremacist notions ala the KKK or police officers who abuse their powers.

That’s like desiring to interpret Star Wars as the story of white supremacy because the ‘black’ clad figures of the Empire are ultimately overthrown by the white Rebel Alliance and the ‘light side' of the force. It ignores the respective actions of the Empire and Alliance in-story.

It’s is presuming the Empire to represent black people and the Alliance white people in the first place and then working backwards from there. Equally it is presuming superheroes to be stand-ins for ACTUAL police officers or KKK style vigilantes in the first place.

And that cop analogy inherently doesn’t work because superheroes are only SIMILAR to cops. The analogy ultimately breaks down because they aren’t subject to ANY legal sanctions, many of them do not kill and their crime fighting efforts stereotypically takes the form of them intervening ONLY if they hear about a crime/crisis ahead of time or if they observe it in progress.

I mean one of the above morons conflated Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense to be a stand in for racial profiling which is an utterly inappropriate analogy. The Spider-Sense was originally constructed as a clumsy plot device that first and foremost operated as a personalised danger sense to Spider-Man of threats. Outside of contrived writing it categorically doesn’t alert him to ANY potential crime or criminal. And it doesn’t discriminate the way racial profiling does. It more often than not allows him to pinpoint precisely who might be a potential threat because they ARE a potential threat.

Spider-Man or Superman or Batman in the course of their work have these skills and it enables them to be ABOVE things like racial profiling. Again, taking their stalking of a potential criminal to be a tacit approval of police methods is an interpretation being overlaid ONTO   the superhero and then presumed to be factually what it is.

But it’s not.

It’s just an (mis)interpretation of what is going on informed by one person’s personal experiences and baggage through life. It is the same kind of logic which will take say a female character who has a male love interest as 100% definitely an enforcement of the idea that women ‘need a man’ to validate them when that isn’t necessarily the case of the story at all.

Building upon this is the oft-repeated interpretation that superheroes are fascists and are supportive of fascist values. That is an incredibly simplistic and literal reading of the superhero genre that ignores aspects plain as day on the page of the stories. It again is CHOOSES to see something in the concept which frankly misses the point but is nevertheless accepted as plain fact regardless.

An article in the Atlantic addresses this very eloquently:

This [fascist] reading of superheroes is common but wrong, a symptom of trying to impose political ideology on a universal, fictional myth. Superheroes do say something about the real world, but it’s something pretty uncontroversial: We want to see good triumph over evil, and “good” in this case means more than just defeating the bad guy—it means handling power responsibly.

The “fascism” metaphor breaks down pretty quickly when you think about it. Most superheroes defeat an evil power but do not retain any power for themselves. They ensure others’ freedom. They rarely deal with the government, and when they do it is with wariness, as in the Iron Man films, where Tony Stark refuses to hand over control of his inventions.

Indeed, superhero tales are full of subplots about how heroes limit their own power: hibernating once the big bad guy has been defeated, wearing disguises to live ordinary lives, choosing not to give into the temptation to ally with the villain or use their powers for profit or even civilizational progress. That’s because the creators of some of the most foundational superhero tales weren’t writing solely out of a power fantasy. They were writing out of a fantasy that a truly good people who find themselves with power might use that power only for good—and only in the face of extreme evil.

YES superheroes are a power fantasy.

But there is NOTHING wrong with power fantasies so long as one understands the distinction between the fiction and reality.

More than this...the hard truth is violence is part of being human. We are biologically hard wired to be violent and dominate others. That is innate to us like many, many, many animals. The flipside to that though is what also makes us human is the ability (and perhaps more importantly the DESIRE) to NOT be like that.

Most superhero fiction simultaneously offers us the opportunity to enforce those values whilst at the same time providing us with a safe outlet for our violent urges. We transfer those urges into the heroes and villains fighting one another. Kinda like how in Ancient Rome gladiator fights and other spectacles were used as a way of avoiding the populace of Rome from erupting into violence.

And don’t sit there and tell me that they ENCOURAGE violence.

If someone is going to be violent like that frankly there are almost ALWAYS further underlying factors often to do with their home life And

Human beings have been killing each other and acting in immoral ways LONG before the invention of popular media. Preventing ourselves from being like that is an act of learned control as we grow up. It is otherwise innate to our instincts.

Furthermore the concept of superheroes as being police officers who enforce the status quo and therefore help keep white people in power is incredibly flawed.

First of all Doc Ock nuking New York city hurts everyone regardless of race. Second of all Batman stopping a mugger in the middle of assaulting someone isn’t upholding white power, it’s just safeguarding life. Reading it as more than that is a projection these asshats are injecting INTO the stories themselves when they aren’t warranted.

Finally, the law might be stacked in favour of white power and minority suppression. But that not only has a lot to do with ABUSE of the law, but at the same time large chunks of the law are there legitimately for the well being of EVERYONE. It is illegal to murder someone, to mug them, to exploit them. None of that ensures white power, it ensures the well being of everyone. The problem is that those laws are often warped when being applied to minorities by the police force.

But superheroes don’t represent the police force. They represent something grander than the police force whilst at the same time representing what the police force SHOULD be like. The message isn’t ‘this is what the police are like’ or even ‘the police are heroes so anything they do is therefore a good thing’. It is providing a strong moral ideal and saying ‘You and everyone else should try to be like this’.

It is because of this that the superhero concept REVEALS the warts and shortcomings of the law and law enforcement as it really exists. Which was a part of 1930s frustrations Superman et al were giving vent to. Again, Action Comics #1 showed us corrupt politicians, commentating upon a flawed system.

Basically Superman being who he is doesn’t tell people that a police officer is justified when he racially profiles a black person as a criminal. Quite the opposite, he reveals us that they were WRONG in doing that because Superman would NEVER do that.

Ultimately, yeah these characters were created within a white context, but my point is fundamentally the same thing was created in non-white contexts as well throughout history.

Super Heroes are a HUMAN power fantasy Part 2

Master Post

#Marvel #DC #DC Comics #Marvel Comics #Super heroes #Superheroes #Superman #Batman #Wonder Woman #X-Men #Spider-Man #mythology #folklore #Robin Hood #Noah Berlatsky #Osvaldo Oyola

[72crowe89]

Tom and Martha’s Great Escape

The illuminated mirror highlights Martha Wayne’s angular face as her hair shifts from long and short, curly and straight, blonde, brunette, and red. Her husband Thomas stands in front of his dress rack in their joint dressing room perusing though the different suits the higher ups had provided.

“How do you think I should do my hair, Tom?”

Tom shrugs as he looks between a black tux and a navy suit with a double-breasted jacket. “Do what you like. You won’t be able to really see it anyway in the alleyway.”

Martha sighs. Eighty years, and she and Tom have been playing the same roles. Eighty years, throughout comics, television, movies, video games, cartoons, and more. Eighty years, and their fates are always the same: to die in that dark alley so Batman can live. To be a source of inspiration and pain for their son, having no characterization beyond that. Eighty years; no deviation, no choice.

She decides on curly, brunette, and short, a Jackie Kennedy bob with a Jewish curl. Turning towards Tom, she points to the tux. “You should go with that one. It looks specifically more like high society dinnerware.”

Tom smiles as he puts back the navy suit. “What will you be wearing, my dear?”

Martha rolls her eyes towards her own dress rack: stringy flapper dresses, backless evening dresses, little black dresses, etc...along with furs of every unfortunate mammal in the world. “No pants?” she wonders aloud, “It’s not like people are going to be focusing on them.”

“Yeah, but they’re going for a classical WASP appearance, even though you’re missing the P, so no pants.”

Martha rolls her eyes again and ultimately decided on a sleeveless green taffeta dress with yellow pumps and a white chinchilla fur coat. Of course, her outfit wasn’t complete. On her dresser, in a red velvet box a la Pretty Woman, sat the accursed pearl necklace. The necklace that sealed her and her husband’s fates. The small stones felt heavy on Martha’s neck, as if they carried her destiny.

“Wow. You’re beautiful.”

Martha turns around. The tuxedo fitted Tom like a glove, accentuating his height and broad shoulders. His face, usually accompanied by his trademark mustache, is clean shave. “You’re not too bad-looking yourself, Mr. Wayne” Martha says as she pushes him against a wall  and grabs his face.

“Martha, you’ll mess up your makeup!” says Tom, face turning red.

“Well, a wise man once said that nobody will see it anyway, so why not?”

“You should listen to him more.”

“And I would say that his words are the second best thing to come out of his mouth.”

As they go to press their lips together, the writer pounds their fists on the door. “Already. five minutes til showtime!”

Martha huffs as she wraps her arms around Tom. “Well, let’s get this over with.” Holding hands, they exit their dressing room. 

Opposite of them was the large dressing room of their 8-year-old son Bruce. His parents could hear the “NO’s” and “AAHHs” as he practiced his part in their death scene.

“It’s pretty messed up, isn’t it?” asks Martha, to which Tom grunts in consent. She quietly raps on the door. “Brucey?”

“Don’t talk to me!” comes the curt reply, “It’s going to be hard enough on set without you talking to me now.”

Martha and Tom give each other a sad look before walking away silently. As hard as it was to die in every adaptation, they couldn’t imagine watching their parents killed in front of them for eighty years straight. 

Tom squeezes her hand. “Don’t worry. He’ll get stronger with time.” Martha didn’t voice the doubt that she had nagging at her head.

As they headed to the set, they see Joe Chill off to the side with The Writer. Joe kept pulling the brim of his cap down over his eyes, a nervous tick that the Waynes had discovered after twenty years of knowing him. “So, am I just a random mugger, hired by the Mafia...”

“It doesn’t matter” says The Writer as he hands Joe a handgun. “Your only job is to kill Bruce’s parents. Don’t put anymore thought into it.” With that, The Writer leaves.

“Hey Joe” waves Tom. Joe turns around and starts to wave the hand with the gun before wisely switching hands.

“Hey Tom, Martha. Ready for the same old routine?”

Martha laughs. “At least your story has changed several times over the years. Remember when you were going by Jack Napier and you ended up being the Joker?”

“Ha, yeah, what was that, 30 years ago? I guess people got a kick out Batman’s greatest villain also being his first. Even though my story changes, killing you guys is all it revolves around.”

“As inspiring Bruce to become Batman is for all of us” says Tom.

“Everything about this is to inspire Batman” Martha as she looks up at the marquee for The Mask of Zorro. “Aren’t there any other pulp movies we can watch instead? The Shadow? The Grey Ghost? The Spider? The Black Bat? Or is that last one to on the nose?”

Tom reaches under Martha’s fur coat and massages her shoulders. “Don’t worry, dear. The Illustrator will more than likely not even draw inside the theater. You can sleep through the movie if you want.”

“Okay everyone, places!” shouts The Writer as Bruce, dressed in a beige suit with short pants and a red bow tie, runs and grabs each of his parents’ hands.

---

The Waynes walk hand-in-hand outside of the theater and into the dark alley. Martha always wondered well exactly were they supposed to be going when they go this way, but she knows it doesn’t matter; it’s just a means to an end.

“Hey.”

On cue, Joe comes lurking out of the shadows, pulling his hat over his eyes with one hand and pointing the handgun with the other. “Gimme your pearls, lady!”

Martha plays out the scene in her mind, a scene she’s acted out so many times that it’s muscle memory. Thomas will defend them, and Joe will shoot him. Joe will grab her pearls and end up shooting her as well. Bruce will scream and cry. For the rest of his life he will see Joe’s face in every villain he fights and his parents’ faces in every victim he can’t save. This, over everything, was too much for Martha to bear.

She pulls the necklace over her head. “You want the pearls? You can have them!” With all of her strength Martha launches the pearls at Joe, who drops the gun and catches it. He stands there completely dumbfounded. Moreover, both Tom and Bruce stand there with their mouths agape.

The enormity of the situation finally hits Martha. What has she done? Most Batman stories begin with their deaths, and now she’s probably prevented them. What happens now? What will The Writer do? Her heart starts racing until her eyes catch something strange. Beyond the alley, the land starts to floppily bend down, almost like...

“The end of the page!” she says aloud, and, without thinking, she sprints towards it and leaps off of the page, enveloped in darkness as she freefalls. After taking a second to realized what happened, Tom instinctively runs towards the page and jumps off of it. He compacts his body to minimize wind resistance, hoping to reach Martha. Through some miracle, her delicate fingers grasp his sturdy ones in the dark.

“What now?” he says.

Martha squeezes his hand. “I don’t know.”

---

Joe stares down at the pearls in his hands. Every story, whether genuine or as a front, starts with him demanding the pearls but killing Tom and Martha before he got them. Why did even ask for the pearls? For money? The Waynes are loaded; why didn’t he ever demand the money? As a front to hide that’s he really a hitman? Maybe. To wear them himself? His character is not developed enough to have any likes or dislikes. Now that he has the pearls without killing the Waynes, he doesn’t know what to do.

He looks over to Bruce, who is frozen on his knees as he looks at the bent page. Given their history, Joe and Bruce have never had the best relationship. Nevertheless, he goes over to him. “You okay, kid?”

“It’s all wrong.”

“Well, it is pretty unexpected...”

“It’s all wrong!” Bruce jumps up and fists his eyes as he paces back and forth. “You were supposed to kill my parents. It’s the reason why Batman even exists! The story can’t continue if that doesn’t happen. Gotham won’t have a protector if my parents aren’t killed.”

The color drains from Joe’s face. “You want your parents to die?”

A look of sadness passes the boy’s face before it becomes completely stoic. “What I want is not important; what’s important to Gotham and the story is all that matters.”

Bruce rips the pearls out of Joe’s hands and replaces them with his gun. “You have to kill my parents.”

“Bu-but I ha-have the pearls...”

“Joe, this is the only role you have in this story. You never show up before this point, and you barely show up afterward. What do you think is going to happen it you don’t complete your role?”

Joe looks down. “I-l’ll probably become a background character.”

“That’s right: a background character rather than inspiring the greatest hero in the world. Is that what you want?”

“No, but-”

“Good.” Grabbing Joe’s arm, he pulls him towards the page end. “We going to find my parents, you’re going to kill them, and that act will compel me to be Batman.”

With that, Bruce drags both of them over the edge and into the void.

#batman #bruce wayne #thomas wayne #tom wayne #martha wayne #martha kane #joe chill #joseph chilton

[slut4dympna]

Heyyy bestie! Just have a quick question, do you have any new fics planned??

boy, oh boy, do i have some fics planned .

CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS

NON-REQUESTED WORKS

'futile devices' - joe (mammal) x reader - rated E, 18+

sequel to 'care for you', very long awaited i am aware, thank you for being so patient with me. will contain copious amounts of both fluff and smut to make up for this <3

'old money' - dympna devers x reader - rated M, 18+

oneshot continuing the concept i proposed with my arranged marriage hcs a little while back. i've written it so it could easily be a standalone, but if people are interested, could also be a series !!

'i would never pretend to not know you' - joe (mammal) x reader - rated E, 18+

if you couldn't tell, a continuation of my normal people au. yes i had to make that quote the title, yes i do apologise for any heartbreak it may cause you.

REQUESTED WORKS

all of these are currently untitled simply because i am uncreative with titles and will not be able to settle on anything until i have finished the entire thing </3

martin (killing of a sacred deer) x reader - rated T

wherein you are martin's best friend, get jealous of him and kim, and then get thoroughly comforted by him. rated t for the canon-typical weirdness of martin's character and the whole story lol

the scavenger (green knight) x reader - rated T

just some general scavenger hcs because i am yet to write anything proper for him and wanted to start off simple ! again rated T for the canonical themes

martin (killing of a sacred deer) x goth!reader - rated T

martin rambling abt his sexy goth s/o because its what we all need . (promise there will actually be more plot than this)

dympna devers x reader - rated M, 17+

let me tell you this request alone is heartbreaking enough, i am only extending the suffering. only rated M because its so so angsty and is canon-typically dark and violent. if you're familiar with the ending of tasm2.... prepare your heart is all i can say

dympna devers x reader - rated T

some good old fashioned enemies to lovers <3 packed full of fluff to make up for the angst of the other dymp fic in progress

dympna devers x reader - rated T

maybe i'll sandwich the angst in between these other two because this one will be lovely and wholesome as well ! a little birthday themed drabble where dymp realises all you really need to have a good day is some time with him

TO BE POSTED SOON ...

12-day writing challenge - multiple barry characters x reader - all fics rated E (18+) for gore, violence, dark themes, etc.

in celebration of my return to this blog, i wanted to do a challenge / prompt series that really caters to my own writing interests. therefore, i would like to say, that these mini fics definitely will not be for everyone !! and that's okay !! i've taken six of my favourite / the most popular barry characters and over twelve days, will publish two fics for each of them. each fic is based on a goretober prompt selected randomly from a huge list i found. individual warnings will be posted with each mini fic, but here's the character and prompt schedule now to give you a little preview:

day one : dympna devers + run

day two : martin (koasd) + stitched together

day three : the scavenger (gk) + antlers

day four : joe (mammal) + organs

day five : george (dunkirk) + rotting

day six : druig + plant growth

day seven : dympna devers + darts

day eight : martin (koasd) + melting flesh

day nine : the scavenger (gk) + frostbite

day ten : joe (mammal) + self-mutilation

day eleven : george (dunkirk) + blind

day twelve : druig + marionette

i'm planning to start posting these at the end of this week / beginning of next week so stay tuned for that !!

i'm going to keep this as my masterlist of sorts until i have enough fics / pieces to make an actual one !! so check back here for updates on any of these very soon <3

#barry keoghan #barry keoghan x you #barry keoghan x reader #barry keoghan imagine #barry keoghan smut #druig #druig fic #druig headcanon #druig smut #druig eternals #druig blurb #dympna devers #dympna devers x you #dympna devers x reader #dympna devers imagine #joe mammal x reader #joe mammal #joe mammal imagine #george dunkirk #george dunkirk x reader #martin killing of a sacred deer #martin killing of a sacred deer x reader #killing of a sacred deer #green knight #the green knight #the scavenger green knight #the scavenger x reader

[scifigeneration]

The Matrix 20 years on: how a sci-fi film tackled big philosophical questions

by Richard Colledge

The Matrix was a box office hit, but it also explored some of western philosophy’s most interesting themes. HD Wallpapers Desktop/Warner Bros

Incredible as it may seem, the end of March marks 20 years since the release of the first film in the Matrix franchise directed by The Wachowski siblings. This “cyberpunk” sci-fi movie was a box office hit with its dystopian futuristic vision, distinctive fashion sense, and slick, innovative action sequences. But it was also a catalyst for popular discussion around some very big philosophical themes.

The film ccenterson a computer hacker, “Neo” (played by Keanu Reeves), who learns that his whole life has been lived within an elaborate, simulated reality. This computer-generated dream world was designed by an artificial intelligence of human creation, which industrially farms human bodies for energy while distracting them via a relatively pleasant parallel reality called the “matrix”.

‘Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real?’

This scenario recalls one of western philosophy’s most enduring thought experiments. In a famous passage from Plato’s Republic (ca 380 BCE), Plato has us imagine the human condition as being like a group of prisoners who have lived their lives underground and shackled, so that their experience of reality is limited to shadows projected onto their cave wall.

A freed prisoner, Plato suggests, would be startled to discover the truth about reality, and blinded by the brilliance of the sun. Should he return below, his companions would have no means to understand what he has experienced and surely think him mad. Leaving the captivity of ignorance is difficult.

In The Matrix, Neo is freed by rebel leader Morpheus (ironically, the name of the Greek God of sleep) by being awoken to real life for the first time. But unlike Plato’s prisoner, who discovers the “higher” reality beyond his cave, the world that awaits Neo is both desolate and horrifying.

Our fallible senses

The Matrix recalls several philosophical thought experiments. Warner Bros

The Matrix also trades on more recent philosophical questions famously posed by the 17th century Frenchman René Descartes, concerning our inability to be certain about the evidence of our senses, and our capacity to know anything definite about the world as it really is.

Descartes even noted the difficulty of being certain that human experience is not the result of either a dream or a malevolent systematic deception.

The latter scenario was updated in philosopher Hilary Putnam’s 1981 “brain in a vat” thought experiment, which imagines a scientist electrically manipulating a brain to induce sensations of normal life.

So ultimately, then, what is reality? The late 20th century French thinker Jean Baudrillard, whose book appears briefly (with an ironic touch) early in the film, wrote extensively on the ways in which contemporary mass society generates sophisticated imitations of reality that become so realistic they are mistaken for reality itself (like mistaking the map for the landscape, or the portrait for the person).

Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving in The Matrix. Warner Bros

Of course, there is no need for a matrix-like AI conspiracy to achieve this. We see it now, perhaps even more intensely than 20 years ago, in the dominance of “reality TV” and curated identities of social media.

In some respects, the film appears to be reaching for a view close to that of the 18th century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, who insisted that our senses do not simply copy the world; rather, reality conforms to the terms of our perception. We only ever experience the world as it is available through the partial spectrum of our senses.

The ethics of freedom

Ultimately, the Matrix trilogy proclaims that free individuals can change the future. But how should that freedom be exercised?

This dilemma is unfolded in the first film’s increasingly notorious red/blue pill scene, which raises the ethics of belief. Neo’s choice is to embrace either the “really real” (as exemplified by the red pill he is offered by Morpheus) or to return to his more normal “reality” (via the blue one).

This quandary was captured in a 1974 thought experiment by American philosopher, Robert Nozick. Given an “experience machine” capable of providing whatever experiences we desire, in a way indistinguishable from “real” ones, should we stubbornly prefer the truth of reality? Or can we feel free to reside within comfortable illusion?

In The Matrix we see the rebels resolutely rejecting the comforts of the matrix, preferring grim reality. But we also see the rebel traitor Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) desperately seeking reinsertion into pleasant simulated reality. “Ignorance is bliss,” he affirms.

The film’s chief villain, Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), darkly notes that unlike other mammals, (western) humanity insatiably consumes natural resources. The matrix, he suggests, is a “cure” for this human “contagion”.

We have heard much about the potential perils of AI, but perhaps there is something in Agent Smith’s accusation. In raising this tension, The Matrix still strikes a nerve – especially after 20 further years of insatiable consumption.

About The Author:

Richard Colledge is a Senior Lecturer & Head of the School of Philosophy at Australian Catholic University

This article was republished from our content partners at The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

#movies #science fiction movies #science fiction and fantasy #The Matrix #The Matrix 20th anniversary #scifi #futuristic #cyberpunk #featured

[rosecorcoranwrites]

Paranormal, Oddities, and Curiosities Reading List

All synopses are taken from either the Flagstaff Public Library catalog, Novelist.com, or my own fevered imagination.

Psychic warrior : inside the CIA's Stargate program : the true story of a soldier's espionage and awakening by David Morehouse

An ex-army officer reveals his experiences working for the CIA as a psychic and his spiritual transformation that led him to expose the CIA's Stargate program.

The big book of UFO facts, figures & truth : a comprehensive examination by Stephen Spignesi and William Birnes

In a mothership full of entertaining and informative chapters, Spignesi and Birnes, shed a revealing beam of light on the UFO phenomenon, from inexplicable cattle mutilations and modern astronauts who have seen UFOs, to close encounters of the third and fourth kind.

History decoded : the 10 greatest conspiracies of all time by Brad Meltzer and Keith Ferrell

A book inspired by the History Network show explores unexplained mysteries, including the truth about Area 51, the Nazi hunt for the Spear of Destiny, the fate of skyjacker DB Cooper, and more.

The Weiser field guide to cryptozoology : werewolves, dragons, skyfish, lizard men, and other fascinating creatures real and mysterious by Deena West Budd

West Budd surveys the field of cryptozoology—the study of "hidden" or "unknown" animals not recognized in standard zoology—giving readers tips on how to recognize and interact with hairy humanoids, giant mammals, and creatures of myth and legend.

The apparitionists : a tale of phantoms, fraud, photography, and the man who captured Lincoln's ghost by Peter Manseau

Manseau weaves together the early histories of photography and Spiritualism against the backdrop of the Civil War and the trial of one self-proclaimed spirit photographer.

Paranormal America : ghost encounters, UFO sightings, Bigfoot hunts, and other curiosities in religion and culture by Christopher Bader, Frederick Mencken, and Joe Baker

Rather than trying to prove or disprove strange phenomena, Paranormal America provides a portrait of Americans who believe in or have experienced such phenomena as ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs, psychic phenomena, astrology, and the power of mediums and examines how those beliefs shape their lives.

Phantom hitchhikers and other urban legends : the strange stories behind tall tales by Albert Jack

Jack probes the origins of urban legends, conspiracy theories, and old wives' tales and uncovers some eye-popping true stories that are even more far-fetched than their mythical counterparts.

Unsolved Arizona : a puzzling history of murder, mayhem & mystery by Jane Epinga

Eppinga details thirteen stories of disappearances, murders, lost treasure, and unsolved cases from the annals of Arizona history.

Beyond bizarre : frightening facts & bloodcurdling true tales by Varla Ventura

Ventura offers up scores of freaky facts, terrifying trivia, and stranger-than-fiction stories about everything from female pirates and creepy candy stripers to psychic predictions and virgin shark births.

Monster trek : the obsessive search for Bigfoot by Joe Gisondi

Gisondi brings to life the celebrities in bigfoot culture—people who explore remote wooded areas of the country for weeks at a time and spend thousands of dollars on infrared imagers, cameras, and high-end camping equipment—and ponders why these bigfoot hunters do what they do.

History's mysteries : people, places, and oddities lost in the sands of time by Brian Haughton

History's Mysteries explores of the archaeology, history, and mysteries of 35 ancient places worldwide, some of which are hotly debated by archeologists to the day.

When Churchill slaughtered sheep and Stalin robbed a bank : history's unknown chapters by Giles Milton

In this collection of obscure and addictive true tales from history, Milton presents outrageously unbelievable-- yet true-- stories from history.

Hoax : a history of deception : 5,000 years of fakes, forgeries, and fallacies by Ian Tattersall Peter Névraumont

Hoax begins with the first documented announcement of the end of the world in 2800 BC and winds its way through controversial tales such as the Loch Ness Monster and the Shroud of Turin, past proven fakes such as the Thomas Jefferson's ancient wine and the Davenport Tablets built by a lost race, and explores bald-faced lies in the worlds of art, science, literature, journalism, and finance.

Haunted : on ghosts, witches, vampires, zombies, and other monsters of the natural and supernatural worlds by Leo Braudy

Award-winning scholar and author Braudy explores how fear has been shaped over the years into images of monsters and monstrosity in the form of the monster from nature (King Kong), the created monster (Frankenstein), the monster from within (Mr. Hyde), and the monster from the past (Dracula). 

Ghosts : a natural history : 500 years of searching for proof by Roger Clarke

Looking at the history of ghost stories, ghost hunters, and some of the most haunted places of the last five hundred years, Clarke unfolds a story of class conflict, charlatans, and true believers.​

#booklr #bookblr #reading list #reading lists #book list #book lists #summer reading #summer reading challenge #summer reading program #paranormal book #paranormal nonfiction #curiousities #oddities #hoaxes #unsolved mysteries #book recommendations #book recommendation #nonfiction #paranormal #the unknown

[falke-scribblings]

I was getting restless not having anything to show for all my recent work. I’m nearly done with another draft! Here’s something to tide you and me over until then.

Nick loved every single aspect of the farm work that Judy had grown up with. He said so, every time they went back to visit her hundreds of siblings.

But there were some things that - despite his enthusiasm and his powerful curiosity - he just wasn't good at helping with.

His feet were just a bit too big to fit among the delicate furrows they tilled for spices and other small crops.

He didn't have the mechanical know-how to help Joe and his buddies with the tractors, though to be fair, torque regulation software and delicate linkage soldering went over everyone's head.

Even the kitchen, that center of the homestead that the Hopps family ran like an industrial machine, wasn't always a place for a fox. The first few days of every visit, an endless stream of kits pounced on his tail wherever he went. She sensed it was starting to make him uncomfortable.

So Judy had taken them both out from underfoot, out to the smaller fields where the family grew crops for its own use. The sun was low, the dirt was cool and lovingly tended between her toes, and they'd both found something they could do to help.

And now they had these rows of corn to themselves. Judy held up the big basket, and Nick reached for the ears at the tops of the stalks to snap them off.

"I don't think this one's ripe yet," Nick said. He sniffed at the corn in its husk. "I don't see any silk at the end."

"Then we can come back to it in a few days." Judy hefted the half-full basket and braced it on her hip. "If someone else doesn't get to it before then."

Nick smiled down at her haul. "Yeah, I imagine this trip will feed about ten of you, once."

"There are lots of able paws to keep it up." She set the load down to demonstrate. "Except we have to pull on the stalks to get to them, like this."

"Doesn't that hurt it?"

"Not really." Judy tossed the ear into the basket. "But you are faster at it. So thank you."

"Oh, good." Nick reached up and held the next stalk down so she could grab the corn. "Do you need any lightbulbs changed while I'm here?"

"You joke, but we actually might."

By the time they finished the row, Judy was tugging the full basket behind her. Nick paused to brush his paws and gave her his concerned attention.

"Can I help?"

"Thanks." She pulled it around one last time. "Normally there are teams."

"You could have fooled me." Nick bent down and, instead of grabbing the basket, scooped her up in his arms.

Judy squeaked.

"Thanks for teaching me how to pick corn," he murmured against her ears.

When she looked up at him he kissed her nose. She reached for his muzzle. "I'm glad we could find something."

Nick leaned them back against the stalks - and nearly fell over when they bent under their combined weight. They wound up sitting inside the first row, in the shade that dappled down from the leaves above them. Once Nick caught his balance, he seemed to decide the new arrangement worked just fine. He leaned back and pulled her close again.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your farm jeans?"

Judy smiled at his adventurous paws. "Careful. I think I leaned on some hydraulics in the garage."

"Mm. They pay good money for that look back in the city." He had his long nose under her cheek. She heard tight denim crackling under his claws.

Oh, he was definitely enjoying their time alone. Judy squirmed, as the temptation to leave the basket for later grew. But they were supposed to bring it back for dinner.

"Tonight," she said, and kissed his forehead. "When we're done with food." Again. "We'll bring some iced tea back out here and go for a walk."

Nick was playing it up, jealous and insistent and every inch the hungry fox. "Just the two of us."

"Just the two of us."

#zootopia #zootopia fanfiction #wildehopps #nick x judy

[orbemnews]

For Planet Earth, No Tourism is a Curse and a Blessing For the planet, the year without tourists was a curse and a blessing. With flights canceled, cruise ships mothballed and vacations largely scrapped, carbon emissions plummeted. Wildlife that usually kept a low profile amid a crush of tourists in vacation hot spots suddenly emerged. And a lack of cruise ships in places like Alaska meant that humpback whales could hear each other’s calls without the din of engines. That’s the good news. On the flip side, the disappearance of travelers wreaked its own strange havoc, not only on those who make their living in the tourism industry, but on wildlife itself, especially in developing countries. Many governments pay for conservation and enforcement through fees associated with tourism. As that revenue dried up, budgets were cut, resulting in increased poaching and illegal fishing in some areas. Illicit logging rose too, presenting a double-whammy for the environment. Because trees absorb and store carbon, cutting them down not only hurt wildlife habitats, but contributed to climate change. “We have seen many financial hits to the protection of nature,” said Joe Walston, executive vice president of global conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society. “But even where that hasn’t happened, in a lot of places people haven’t been able to get into the field to do their jobs because of Covid.” From the rise in rhino poaching in Botswana to the waning of noise pollution in Alaska, the lack of tourism has had a profound effect around the world. The question moving forward is which impacts will remain, and which will vanish, in the recovery. A change in the air While the pandemic’s impact on wildlife has varied widely from continent to continent, and country to country, its effect on air quality was felt more broadly. In the United States, greenhouse gas emissions last year fell more than 10 percent, as state and local governments imposed lockdowns and people stayed home, according to a report in January by the Rhodium Group, a research and consulting firm. The most dramatic results came from the transportation sector, which posted a 14.7 percent decrease. It’s impossible to tease out how much of that drop is from lost tourism versus business travel. And there is every expectation that as the pandemic loosens its grip, tourism will resume — likely with a vengeance. Still, the pandemic helped push American emissions below 1990 levels for the first time. Globally, carbon dioxide emissions fell 7 percent, or 2.6 billion metric tons, according to new data from international climate researchers. In terms of output, that is about double the annual emissions of Japan. “It’s a lot and it’s a little,” said Jason Smerdon, a climate scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “Historically, it’s a lot. It’s the largest single reduction percent-wise over the last 100 years. But when you think about the 7 percent in the context of what we need to do to mitigate climate change, it’s a little.” In late 2019, the United Nations Environment Program cautioned that global greenhouse gases would need to drop 7.6 percent every year between 2020 and 2030. That would keep the world on its trajectory of meeting the temperature goals set under the Paris Agreement, the 2016 accord signed by nearly 200 nations. “The 7 percent drop last year is on par with what we would need to do year after year,” Dr. Smerdon said. “Of course we wouldn’t want to do it the same way. A global pandemic and locking ourselves in our apartments is not the way to go about this.” Interestingly, the drop in other types of air pollution during the pandemic muddied the climate picture. Industrial aerosols, made up of soot, sulfates, nitrates and mineral dust, reflect sunlight back into space, thus cooling the planet. While their reduction was good for respiratory health, it had the effect of offsetting some of the climate benefits of cascading carbon emissions. For the climate activist Bill McKibben, one of the first to sound the alarm about global warming in his 1989 book, “The End of Nature,” the pandemic underscored that the climate crisis won’t be averted one plane ride or gallon of gas at a time. “We’ve come through this pandemic year when our lives changed more than any of us imagined they ever would,” Mr. McKibben said during a Zoom webinar hosted in February by the nonprofit Green Mountain Club of Vermont. “Everybody stopped flying; everybody stopped commuting,” he added. “Everybody just stayed at home. And emissions did go down, but they didn’t go down that much, maybe 10 percent with that incredible shift in our lifestyles. It means that most of the damage is located in the guts of our systems and we need to reach in and rip out the coal and gas and oil and stick in the efficiency, conservation and sun and wind.” Wildlife regroups Just as the impact of the pandemic on air quality is peppered with caveats, so too is its influence on wildlife. Animals slithered, crawled and stomped out of hiding across the globe, sometimes in farcical fashion. Last spring, a herd of Great Orme Kashmiri goats was spotted ambling through empty streets in Llandudno, a coastal town in northern Wales. And hundreds of monkeys — normally fed by tourists — were involved in a disturbing brawl outside of Bangkok, apparently fighting over food scraps. In meaningful ways, however, the pandemic revealed that wildlife will regroup if given the chance. In Thailand, where tourism plummeted after authorities banned international flights, leatherback turtles laid their eggs on the usually mobbed Phuket Beach. It was the first time nests were seen there in years, as the endangered sea turtles, the largest in the world, prefer to nest in seclusion. Similarly, in Koh Samui, Thailand’s second largest island, hawksbill turtles took over beaches that in 2018 hosted nearly three million tourists. The hatchlings were documented emerging from their nests and furiously moving their flippers toward the sea. For Petch Manopawitr, a marine conservation manager of the Wildlife Conservation Society Thailand, the sightings were proof that natural landscapes can recover quickly. “Both Ko Samui and Phuket have been overrun with tourists for so many years,” he said in a phone interview. “Many people had written off the turtles and thought they would not return. After Covid, there is talk about sustainability and how it needs to be embedded in tourism, and not just a niche market but all kinds of tourism.” Updated  March 6, 2021, 6:57 p.m. ET In addition to the sea turtles, elephants, leaf monkeys and dugongs (related to manatees) all made cameos in unlikely places in Thailand. “Dugongs are more visible because there is less boat traffic,” Mr. Manopawitr said. “The area that we were surprised to see dugongs was the eastern province of Bangkok. We didn’t know dugongs still existed there.” He and other conservationists believe that countries in the cross hairs of international tourism need to mitigate the myriad effects on the natural world, from plastic pollution to trampled parks. That message apparently reached the top levels of the Thai government. In September, the nation’s natural resources and environment minister, Varawut Silpa-archa, said he planned to shutter national parks in stages each year, from two to four months. The idea, he told Bloomberg News, is to set the stage so that “nature can rehabilitate itself.” An increase in poaching In other parts of Asia and across Africa, the disappearance of tourists has had nearly the opposite result. With safari tours scuttled and enforcement budgets decimated, poachers have plied their nefarious trade with impunity. At the same time, hungry villagers have streamed into protected areas to hunt and fish. There were reports of increased poaching of leopards and tigers in India, an uptick in the smuggling of falcons in Pakistan, and a surge in trafficking of rhino horns in South Africa and Botswana. Jim Sano, the World Wildlife Fund’s vice president for travel, tourism and conservation, said that in sub-Saharan Africa, the presence of tourists was a powerful deterrent. “It’s not only the game guards,” he said. “It’s the travelers wandering around with the guides that are omnipresent in these game areas. If the guides see poachers with automatic weapons, they report it.” In the Republic of Congo, the Wildlife Conservation Society has noticed an increase in trapping and hunting in and around protected areas. Emma J. Stokes, regional director of the Central Africa program for the organization, said that in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, monkeys and forest antelopes were being targeted for bushmeat. “It’s more expensive and difficult to get food during the pandemic and there is a lot of wildlife up there,” she said by phone. “We obviously want to deter people from hunting in the park, but we also have to understand what’s driving that because it’s more complex.” The Society and the Congolese government jointly manage the park, which spans 1,544 square miles of lowland rainforest — larger than Rhode Island. Because of the virus, the government imposed a national lockdown, halting public transportation. But the organization was able to arrange rides to markets since the park is considered an essential service. “We have also kept all 300 of our park staff employed,” she added. Largely absent: the whir of propellers, the hum of engines While animals around the world were subject to rifles and snares during the pandemic, one thing was missing: noise. The whir of helicopters diminished as some air tours were suspended. And cruise ships from the Adriatic Sea to the Gulf of Mexico were largely absent. That meant marine mammals and fish had a break from the rumble of engines and propellers. So did research scientists. Michelle Fournet is a marine ecologist who uses hydrophones (essentially aquatic microphones) to listen in on whales. Although the total number of cruise ships (a few hundred) pales in comparison to the total number of cargo ships (tens of thousands), Dr. Fournet says they have an outsize role in creating underwater racket. That is especially true in Alaska, a magnet for tourists in search of natural splendor. “Cargo ships are trying to make the most efficient run from point A to point B and they are going across open ocean where any animal they encounter, they encounter for a matter of hours,” she said. “But when you think about the concentration of cruise ships along coastal areas, especially in southeast Alaska, you basically have five months of near-constant vessel noise. We have a population of whales listening to them all the time.” Man-made noise during the pandemic dissipated in the waters near the capital of Juneau, as well as in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Dr. Fournet, a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University, observed a threefold decrease in ambient noise in Glacier Bay between 2019 and 2020. “That’s a really big drop in noise,” she said, “and all of that is associated with the cessation of these cruise ships.” Covid-19 opened a window onto whale sounds in Juneau as well. Last July, Dr. Fournet, who also directs the Sound Science Research Collective, a marine conservation nonprofit, had her team lower a hydrophone in the North Pass, a popular whale-watching destination. “In previous years,” she said, “you wouldn’t have been able to hear anything — just boats. This year we heard whales producing feeding calls, whales producing contact calls. We heard sound types that I have never heard before.” Farther south in Puget Sound, near Seattle, whale-watching tours were down 75 percent last year. Tour operators like Jeff Friedman, owner of Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching, insist that their presence on the water benefits whales since the captains make recreational boaters aware of whale activity and radio them to slow down. Whale-watching companies also donate to conservation groups and report sightings to researchers. “During the pandemic, there was a huge increase in the number of recreational boats out there,” said Mr. Friedman, who is also president of the Pacific Whale Watch Association. “It was similar to R.V.s. People decided to buy an R.V. or a boat. The majority of the time, boaters are not aware that the whales are present unless we let them know.” Two years ago, in a move to protect Puget Sound’s tiny population of Southern Resident killer whales, which number just 75, Washington’s Gov. Jay Inslee signed a law reducing boat speeds to 7 knots within a half nautical mile of the whales and increasing a buffer zone around them, among other things. Many cheered the protections. But environmental activists like Catherine W. Kilduff, a senior attorney in the oceans program at the Center for Biological Diversity, believe they did not go far enough. She wants the respite from noise that whales enjoyed during the pandemic to continue. “The best tourism is whale-watching from shore,” she said. Looking Ahead Debates like this are likely to continue as the world emerges from the pandemic and leisure travel resumes. Already, conservationists and business leaders are sharing their visions for a more sustainable future. Ed Bastian, Delta Air Lines’ chief executive, last year laid out a plan to become carbon neutral by spending $1 billion over 10 years on an assortment of strategies. Only 2.5 percent of global carbon emissions are traced to aviation, but a 2019 study suggested that could triple by midcentury. In the meantime, climate change activists are calling on the flying public to use their carbon budgets judiciously. Tom L. Green, a senior climate policy adviser with the David Suzuki Foundation, an environmental organization in Canada, said tourists might consider booking a flight only once every few years, saving their carbon footprint (and money) for a special journey. “Instead of taking many short trips, we could occasionally go away for a month or more and really get to know a place,” he said. For Mr. Walston of the Wildlife Conservation Society, tourists would be wise to put more effort into booking their next resort or cruise, looking at the operator’s commitment to sustainability. “My hope is not that we stop traveling to some of these wonderful places, because they will continue to inspire us to conserve nature globally,” he said. “But I would encourage anyone to do their homework. Spend as much time choosing a tour group or guide as a restaurant. The important thing is to build back the kind of tourism that supports nature.” Lisa W. Foderaro is a former reporter for The New York Times whose work has also appeared in National Geographic and Audubon Magazine. Source link Orbem News #Blessing #Curse #Earth #planet #Tourism