Being a clown on the Internet used to be so easy. You used to could just quote a line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail or mumble something about Chuck Norris. Nowadays they actually expect you to be funny.
New York State Parks official IG posted about an owl they rescued but decided to use only the most wretched photos of this creature, including what EYE think is the best bird photograph ever taken
so this guy right he makes ancient egyptian themed furry costumes. he makes all kinds but mostly he specializes in Horus heads. it's his passion really. he loves to make the beautiful falcon head of the Sun God. anyway so he's at a con one day and he sees this whole bunch of people in middle kingdom dress with these indistinguishable animal heads. he's like. oh man these folks could really use a new source, i can hardly tell what animal those are! so he goes over and he says "hey guys! i see you are into ancient egyptian mythological themed furry costumes--if any of you are interested in being the radiant Son of Ra, I am the BEST in the business!"
and the group of people look at each other, then at him. awkward. finally one of them says: "uh. no thanks. we're all Set."
For a handy list of common plants that are toxic to cats, you can use this ASPCA fact sheet.
To double-check the safety of plants not on the sheet, search for them on the ASPCA website:
| ASPCA
the search tool is great because it tells you how a plant will actually affect your pet. some toxic plants will give your furbaby diarrhea (not ideal but survivable); others will shut down their kidneys (worst case scenario). always double-check if you’re worried about safety!
So he said it can't be a Black. So I said, "For God's sakes, Judge Murphy, that's the whole point of the Goddamn story!" So he said, "No, it can't be a Black". Bill just called him up and raised the roof, and finally they said, "Well, you gotta take the perspiration off". I had the stars glistening in the perspiration on his Black skin. Bill said, "Fuck you", and he hung up.
Just to add context for those not aware of the impact of this story.
The reason it was so important for narrative purposes, was that the plot concerns the visit of the Astronaut, in his completely opaque spacesuit, to a planet populated entirely by self-aware robots (originally from Earth) who have built their own society and are petitioning to be allowed to interact with Earth again as equals.
They have a democratic government and free choice of careers etc. as the orange robot serving as guide tells the Astronaut.
The Astronaut notices that there are two different types of robot on this world; the orange ones, who are in charge, gifted access to all information and facilities. and the blue robots, who are seen as more limited in function, have less access to information and resources, and are not allowed positions of power or as wide a choice of employment opportunities. Even transportation is segregated.
The Astronaut investigates further and discovers that the blue and orange robots are actually structurally identical, there is absolutely no difference between their potential or capabilities, and it is only because the orange robots are instructed by their Educator system to consider themselves superior, that the difference exists.
The Astronaut tells the robots they are not ready for re-alignment with Earth, until they come to terms with their own unfairness, and how Earth had had to deal with this issue themselves. When that time comes, the robots will be able to ally with Earth.
Then he leaves in his spaceship, and it's only in that one final panel that we see the Astronaut is black.
Not subtle, nor should it be, but for 1950 this was a breathtakingly powerful statement, perhaps the first of it's kind in the genre.
The black character was not a caricature, or comedy relief, he was a main character in his own right, a human who "simply" was black.
Ok, but this story is sadly revolutionary even now.
That is not just a human who happens to be black, as far as every other character in this story is concerned this is the most important, maybe even the only human they ever see, who happens to be black.
As depressing as that is, but a black person just casually representing the entirety of humanity is a breathtakingly powerfull statement even today, a quarter of a century later.
there are two competing sects on this website - one that uses the word "spicy" to mean "neurodivergent" and one that uses the word "spicy" to mean "sexual content." i do not like either of them
isn't it insane though how schizophrenic people are viewed as violent and dangerous by the majority of society when in reality schizophrenic people are nearly 14 times more likely to be on the receiving end of violence than to be the perpetrators...
1) schizophrenia hardly ever causes people to be violent so schizophrenic people aren’t more likely to be violent than anyone else
2) schizophrenic people’s autonomy is often taken away from them because of their schizophrenia. because the authorities and mental healthcare providers often automatically assume schizophrenic people to be violent, they’re more likely to immediately react to schizophrenic people's symptoms with violence, without even knowing for sure said schizophrenic person was going to be violent. all of this causes schizophrenic people to be more likely of being victims of violence and abuse. schizophrenic people also have a harder time getting out of abusive households because of the risk of their autonomy being taken away. if a schizophrenic person’s relative or partner is abusive, often the schizophrenic person has no way out of the situation, both because our disconnect from reality can result in us being easier to manipulate, and because the system is built in a way that it takes away our autonomy because of our condition.
also schizophrenic people and psychotic people in general, please do a lot of research before picking a provider for your own sake, and if they try to treat your psychosis in a way that you think is harmful then don’t hesitate to switch providers. your safety and wellbeing should be a priority over everything else.
I did see the blood, but I suppose I was kind of just theory-crafting lol.
But also, the four girls have blood on their fingers, dresses, and mouths (at least the two whose faces we can see) but the girl FACING the audience has no blood on her at all, as well as a vaguely surprised/neutral expression whereas the other two girls whose expression we can see are smiling; implying that something about HER is different. So, I’m gonna continue to believe that the astronaut somehow got gore-magicked into a bunny girl, and is now the girl facing the audience, confused that they got turned into a space bunny!
Something I really love doing is taking the power system from a piece of media and coming up with a completely new setting to explore it in. Some examples I’ve thought of include:
Nen (Hunter x Hunter):
While everyone can learn the same basic techniques, the true power of nen is to construct your own power based on your specialisation, skill, creativity, life experiences and training. You can also put arbitrary restrictions on your own abilities to increase their power (the stricter the more powerful). It’s overall one of the best designed power systems I’ve ever seen, and is honestly far too complex to explain fully here.
Imagine a setting in which specific groups/families hoard knowledge of how to construct specific nen abilities. Opposing factions would constantly be locked in an arms race and information war with their rivals. Struggling to steal each other’s knowledge and techniques, while at the same time developing and protecting their own.
This could be the stage for any number of supernatural, power based political/class dramas and/or conflicts. And that’s not even accounting for the chaotic influences of more random individuals with extremely specific techniques, agendas and allegiances.
Alternatively, in a less chaotic setting, you could have a school/academy for Nen. People learn the basic techniques and are then given guidance on how to construct their own Nen ability. You could slot this into any number of world settings.
Stands (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure):
A physical/ghostly manifestation of one’s soul, often with a specific ability and specialisation. The series already uses this power system amazingly in regards to fighting scenes. With characters having to juggle the effects of multiple complex abilities at once and try to outwit each other.
One thing JJBA doesn’t really do is explore the social ramifications of Stands. In part 8 there’s a few lines that explain how Stand users are often very secretive about their abilities, even to their close friends and family, as one’s Stand is literally a representation of of their soul, their true self. But the series never really goes any further with this idea.
Imagine how this could be used in a more socially intimate story. Explaining your Stand in detail to someone would be just about the most personal thing you could share with them. This could be used in a romantic setting. It could be used as a metaphor in a coming out story, to show someone’s acceptance or rejection of another’s true self.
Alternatively, if the setting is one where the general public knows about Stands (and people who have them are generally in the public eye), you could create a metaphor about how invasive and privacy destroying fame can be. The media, fans and internet constantly trying to pry as much personal information from you as possible, taken to 11 as the subject of their focus is your literal soul. This would also highlight the dangers involved, as having a well known Stand would make you more vulnerable to having its weaknesses exploited in combat.
Those are all the ones I can think of off the top of my head, but feel free to share if you have any more ideas :)
Cursed Energy, Sorcery and Domains (Jujutsu Kaisen):
In JJK cursed techniques are abilities that people are born with and are etched into them, fueled through Cursed Energy, the energy from negative emotions. However the truth is that all of these unique techniques stem from a person’s unique Domain, and inner world that represents them as a person (see the below video for more details).
With enough skill, a person can expand this domain into reality, effectively sealing them and their opponents inside a pocket dimension bubble governed by their power and abilities. In JJK this is seen as the pinnacle of sorcery.
This power system, with a few alterations to the sources of energy and techniques, could fit nicely into a Xianxia cultivation setting.
Instead of being born with a domain and techniques, a person could cultivate and build their own as they advance, forming their own ideal inner world. I imagine the stages of cultivation would looks something like (though probably with a lot more detail):
Stage 1: A person learns how to sense energy and interact with it so that they can begin intaking it for cultivation. Is otherwise just a normal human.
Stage 2: The person has absorbed enough energy to form their own internal store, they can now begin using this energy for basic things like body enhancement and minor techniques based on the energy type they absorb. Human limits are surpassed and supernatural powers can be learned. Personality is important here as the person can more easily intake and control energy types that fit them as a unique individual.
Stage 3: Once enough energy has been gathered, the person can compress their store into a solid internal core. This is the canvas for them to begin etching more advanced techniques onto, and the egg/womb/seed of their future domain. Personality, worldview and internal philosophy are important here, as if a technique that contradicts a person’s worldview is etched into their core, it can cause instability and cracks (simple e.g. a pacifist etching a cruel combat technique). The compression itself is difficult, and can cause physical and spiritual damage if unprepared. The person’s body is greatly enhanced, allowing mundane materials and small buildings to be broken with ease and reducing need for sustenance and rest. Still human mentally.
Stage 4: The core has been saturated with energy and there is no more room for etched techniques on the surface. The person must now compress and coalesce their core into a single point, a miniature singularity inside them. This allows them to begin fusing and intertwining their etched techniques, using them more fluidly and creatively than the rigid forms they held before. The goal of this is to compress everything into a singular concept, word or idea. Very few people make it past this stage, as any internal contradictions, justifications, conflict or uncertainty will interfere with the uniformity of the compression. This can lead to the person advancing no further in their cultivation. Or if they try to force the compression, damage to their core, energy, body and even soul. The body is essentially perfect at this stage, requiring no sustenance, air or sleep. Buildings can be casually destroyed, and entire towns with some effort. Mentally, the sorcerer begins to sacrifice their humanity, attempting to gather their entire being up in one concept. If a person can manage to form a perfect singularity, they can progress onto the final stage.
Stage 5: The singularity bursts in a miniature big bang, birthing a small internal realm and universe. The sorcerer is barely even human anymore, becoming more a personified representation of their chosen concept. Their body is mostly decorative at this stage, with their true self being their internal domain. Expanding this domain into reality allows its rules and techniques to be imposed on all within its range. A fight between two stage 5 sorcerers would be roiling mass of power and space, as the two pit their internalized concept and ideal against each other. These battles would be heavily metaphorical, behaving almost like an arguement between the concepts made manafest in reality.
I should note that this idea of becoming a concept or realm was inspired by Forge of Destiny, which is a long but excellent cultivation Xianxia series if you’re into that kind of thing.
In the Celestial Empire, a land ruled by Immortals and stalked by Spirits and Beasts, a young girl from the slums of an unimportant city is
As usual feel free to reply with your own thoughts and ideas :D
