who are you? i love you too.

quetzal, 20, he/she/it, bisexual bigender guy, plural (but my headmates use a different account). pfp from @rosey-arts’s picrew

[cactusfru1ts]

okay new pinned post!! extra stuff under the cut but ill keep the main links up here lol (i dont expect anybody to look at any of this for the record. its just here if u want it)

my listography / my pronouns.page / my twitter / my tag guide

some information about plurality

okay so hi im quetzal!! (its pronounced kinda like pretzel but with a k sound at the start, if youre wondering.) im 19, i use he/she/it pronouns and im extremely bisexual, among other things. all my original posts are tagged “#quetzposting” and are okay to reblog unless the tags say otherwise.

i have some longer lists of stuff i like on my listography but right now some of my big interests are my chemical romance, m*a*s*h, flight rising, and wings of fire. i also really like spiderman and the just dance games for the nintendo wii just sort of generally and conceptually and i listen to a very wide range of music.

i dont really have a dni but i dont particularly want to be followed by radfems, transmeds, "pro-shippers,” ace exclusionists, or anti-endos. i also dont really want to be followed by anyone who thinks queer people, particularly gnc queer people, are responsible for homophobia/transphobia/etc and/or have to use certain pronouns/terminology or be “respectable” to be a part of society. if youre not sure what all that means youre probably fine, if i look at your blog and i really dont want you interacting with me ill just block you.

i have a kinlist here if you wanna look at that, i do not mind doubles and would actually really love to talk to any other kin/fictives from wings of fire? or any sourcemates really. like... my dms are open i made this account for a reason. (i mean that wasnt the main reason but- yeah.) i also have a kin blog (@cactusfruit-kins) that i made so i wouldnt be paranoid about my kin posts showing up in random tumblr searches if you want to check that out

if theres anything else you wanna know your best bet is probably either checking my listography or (if theres not an answer there) sending me an ask! anon should be turned on, i might take a bit to respond (especially if im logged out/someone else is fronting) but i will try to get to it when i can!

[apolloendymion]

since mrs, ms, and mr are all descended from the latin word magister, i propose the gender neutral version should be mg, short for "mage"

[apolloendymion]

some people think this is a shitpost so i want to clarify that i am dead fucking serious. make mage the official gender neutral honorific NOW. i want it on my passport. i want it on my bank account. i want doctors and judges to use it for me. i don't care if it sounds a little silly. people thought "missus" sounded crass at first. call me mg.

[apolloendymion]

benefits of mg:

easy to pronounce, even for children (though kids 4 & younger may pronounce it more like "mayd" or "maygh")

ONE SYLLABLE!!! ("individual" is too goddamn LONG.) you have to be able to say it quickly and casually

ends in a soft vowel sound, so it'll flow right into the next word ("ind" halts the whole sentence)

fits neatly into the existing structure as a relative of master/mistress that can be abbreviated down to an m and one other letter

distinct enough that it can't be mistaken for either gendered term (if you call me mix I'll kill you. it sounds like miss with extra steps)

wizard.

drawbacks:

there aren't any

yes, i know about milligrams and magnesium. i don't give a shit. ms can also mean microsoft. who cares.

[punkitt-is-here]

magical girl but the person you become when you transform is not you. it is something else. and the line between you and your magical form is drawing ever closer and yet so far away

[punkitt-is-here]

[dissociacrip]

i saw that one disability-related post a while ago about dental care but i can't find it again so i'm gonna mention a few things as a (mild to moderately) mentally & physically disabled person, whose teeth hurt when i eat sweet stuff now + i've had a root canal due to a fall + i'm learning to take care of myself, that may or may not help other folks with their dental routine

note: i am not a dentist & this info is mostly what i've gleaned secondhand from dentists, so yeah, i am not an expert in any capacity

water flossers aren't as effective as regular flossing (doing both is actually what's most effective) but they're better than nothing & helpful in cases where coordination problems or other issues might prevent regular flossing technique (i imagine this also depends on the quality of the water flosser)

if you use one of the plastic pre-made floss picks things, rinse the string off in-between each time you use it to floss one side of a tooth, it's tedious but it mimics moving to a new (clean) part of the thread like you do with regular floss

if you get an automatic toothbrush, get one that does circular rotation rather than just vibrating or whatever, as this mimics the tools they use in a dentist's office + imitates the circular motion you're expected to make with a standard toothbrush (which is also hard with coordination issues), i got one that does this pretty cheap from walmart (it's an oral-b but i forgot the specific type) + it automatically times it for you

if you have white spots on your teeth that are uneven with the shade of the rest of the tooth those are potentially white spot lesions due to demineralization; whitening products can make this worse rather than help it, but some products can help with remineralization such as mi paste topical tooth creme, which contains calcium and phosphate (i have yet to try this myself but it seems to get suggested by a lot of dentists, orthodontists, etc. for white spots on teeth & it's also supposed to help with sensitivity and tooth health in general because the white spots are lesions so it's not purely cosmetic!)

it's advised to not rinse your mouth immediately after brushing as this potentially dilutes & reduces the effects of the flouride (if you use fluoride toothpaste), stuff says to wait at least 15 minutes or so

just giving your teeth a quick scrub (even if it's without toothpaste and just water) is better than not brushing your teeth at all

if you have trouble seeing a dentist for financial reasons, try to see if there are income-based or charity dental services in your area, sometimes dental schools also provide low-cost/free dental care

that's all i can think of for now, i wish i had more advice for people who struggle to be able to brush their teeth at all in general but this is all i got unfortunately :(

additionally - you're not bad, useless, gross, or a failure if you struggle to (or can't) maintain oral hygiene; this stuff is much easier for some people than it is to others & those who take it for granted like to forget that, no one deserves to be mocked or looked down on for being disabled & struggling to/not being able to do """basic""" stuff like this!

[inkyxward]

It REALLY is fucking funny how there is genuinely a distinct third faction in AI discourse on this site that is not "Pro-AI" but "The anti-AI crowd is talking about divine sparks of creativity and shit and I'm not about that"

[mysteriouslypleasantcat]

me

[carlyraejepsans]

[elementalmoments]

Because I've recently had one of those "your experiences are not universal" moments, please humor me

Which response most closely describes your relationship to thunderstorms?

Not from the US, I've probably experienced 10 or fewer in my life

Not from the US, I've probably experienced more than 10

Not from the US, they are or have been a staple of my local weather pattern

From the US, I've probably experienced 10 or fewer in my life

From the US, I've probably experienced more than 10

From the US, they are or have been a staple of my local weather pattern

Voting ended onMay 21, 2024

[beyondthisdarkhouse]

If anyone wants clarity on the distribution of thunderstorm conditions

[joy-haver]

I love my beautiful wife.

[captscout]

I made this shirt for my bestie at a screen printing party with a paint marker, a mission and a prayer

[walks-the-ages]

Without looking it up, when you first hear "Tornado Warning", what does that mean to you?

What do you think "Tornado Warning" means, compared to 'tornado watch'?

"A Tornado could possibly form in this storm. Prepare to take shelter if needed"

"A Tornado is currently forming/confirmed . Take shelter immediately!"

Voting ended onMay 16, 2024

[walks-the-ages]

What do you think "Tornado Watch" means?

"A Tornado could possibly form in this storm. Prepare to take shelter if needed"

"A Tornado is currently forming/confirmed. Take shelter immediately!"

Voting ended onMay 17, 2024

[walks-the-ages]

I have met. so many people in real life who do not know what "Tornado Watch" means, who do not know what "Tornado Warning" means.

literally 9 out of 10 (aka 90%) of people I meet think that "Tornado Watch" is the more dangerous alert, and think "Tornado Warning" is less severe.

Most people I meet who hear 'Tornado Warning' think it's a good idea to go outside and look at the cool clouds.

FEMA or whoever needs to officially change these stupid-ass names, or do one HELL of a public awareness campaign, because this can and will get people killed; there's already been multiple deadly tornadoes just this week.

https://www.noaa.gov/news/us-struck-with-more-than-100-tornadoes-heavy-snow-in-april

[ID: Caption from article: A powerful tornado near Waverly Road in the Lincoln, Nebraska, metro area on April 26, 2024. It shows a vast flat field with a massive tornado in the distance, funneling down from storm clouds in the foreground, while a bright and blue sky is visible behind the destructive storm, with houses in the distance. end ID]

Tornado Watch: Watch out, and be cautious! -- Keep an ear out for alerts, and make sure you know where you need to take shelter! A tornado could possibly form in this storm, and you need to be ready.

Tornado Watch is a good time to secure your pets in your safe area (in carriers/crates), grab important documents/belongings, make sure your valuable electronics are unplugged, etc.

.

Make sure you have flashlights (Ideally, that are not just your cellphone) with working batteries. If you have an emergency radio, keep it turned on and tuned to a local radio station. Bring bottled water and non-perishable food to your safe area.

.

If you have a basement, make sure there is a clear area for you to shelter in, and that everyone can get down the stairs/ladder safely.

.

If you do not have a basement, go to the lowest floor of your home, in a room away from as many windows as possible; if this room is your bathroom, take down the shower curtain rod (so it can't fall on you), and take down any other loose objects that could fall.

.

Bring some spare blankets and pillows into your safe area, both for comfort and extra protection.

.

Make sure your family knows that if a warning is sounded, or if signs of a tornado are seen or heard outside your home, that they need to go to the safe area immediately.

.

Make sure in advance that your family is wearing appropriate shoes + clothing in case of emergency, and that everyone has their phones charged and on hand.

Tornado Warning = Warning! A Tornado is currently forming or is already formed! -- Take shelter immediately on the lowest floor of your home away from windows!

Drop what you're doing and get to your safe area. You no longer have time for preparation-- your only focus now is getting to your safe area!

.

Alert family members, if they're not in the safe area already.

.

Once you are all in your safe area, close the door, have everyone huddle together as low to the ground as you can get, and wrap everyone up in your spare blankets, putting pillows over your heads, etc.

.

Try to keep everyone calm, if at all possible.

[beboots]

I literally have this image printed out on my bulletin board at work (my staff and I do a lot of work outdoors) :

[walks-the-ages]

[ID: a tweet by Normal Fire Department (Normal, IL) From May 3rd (unknown year) that reads "since We are under a severe thunderstorm watch this evening, It's a good time to go over the difference between a watch and a warning.

Watch: 🟧 [orange square emoji] : we have the ingredients to make tacos

Warning: 🟥[red square emoji] We are having tacos. Right now. "

Underneath the text is two images, one labled "taco watch" that has tortilla shells, ground meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, a jalapeno avocado and salsa sitting on a counter, showing taco ingredients.

The other image is labled "taco warning" and shows a fully assembled taco . End ID]

Okay, this graphic is genuinely genius because it is so funny, more people need to see this lol.

[cygniavenue]

also, even though this rarely happens, if you get an alert that says Tornado Emergency, that means you need to get underground or in your shelter immediately. Do not wait. Not doing so could get you killed.

i live in a place where nobody takes Watch or Warning very seriously, because tornadoes happen more where i live than anywhere else in the world. but as soon as the weather service declares an Emergency, everyone packs it up and gets their ass to the shelter.

[scoutsmoocrew]

[floofshy]

a story with that cyberpunk theme of “are you really human if you modify your body to gain power“, except the body modification is just strength training.

[eikotheblue]

parallel storyline with “these cognitive enhancements are making you INHUMAN and OUT OF TOUCH” but it’s just an education in statistics

[foone]

humans stop being “truly human” and become “cyborgs abominations never intended by god or nature” the moment we pick up a fork or pencil.

[melonbride]

… are you some medieval pope?

[foone]

I actually am a pope but not a medieval one.

But my point is that humans have an ability to modify our internal body map when we pick up a tool. Try to think about how you make movements with a pencil or fork, or how you drive a car. You don’t think “I need to move my fingers this way so it’ll lever the fork that way to pick up the noodles”, you instead just move your fork, just how when you pick up something with your hand you don’t have to think about how you’re using muscles in your arm and shoulder, you just do it.

When you’re holding a tool or operating a device, at a certain point it stops being about manipulating the tool/device, because you’ve internalized how it moves. Your body map now contains that tool as part of you, and you move it just as automatically and fluently as you do your biological body parts.

It takes a while to get to that point the first time, sure, but it takes humans a long time to just get the hang of walking, too. But once you do, it becomes second nature.

So my point is that we’re basically set up to be cyborgs, to be more that human. We’re a tool using species, and one way that manifests is that we’re really good at using tools, because we treat them as part of our body, so we don’t have to think about how we manipulate them. We instead think about how we use them to manipulate external things.

So because we can have pencils in our body map, we can write, because we think about making marks on the paper, not about moving fingers.

Because we can have knives and chisels and hammers and saws in our body map, we can build and cut and manipulate resources by thinking about the changes we’re making, not about the way we handle the tools.

The base of my argument is that “unmodified humanity” doesn’t exist (except maybe the tiniest of newborn babies) because we change ourselves to be better at what we’re doing. That’s how humanity works. There is no “pure natural state” to get back to, we’re built to change and adapt and people worried about “losing humanity” because of implants and prothesises and drugs and gene therapy are missing the point: of course they’ll change who we are as humans… Changing our form IS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN.

Like, I’ve talked about this before, but you can spot a London cab driver on a brain scan easier than you can tell male brains vs female brains, because learning how to do that changes the form and function of your brain to such a degree that you can detect it just by doing an MRI. You can tell if someone was an archer or a ballet dancer by the shape of their bones. You can tell what language a newborn’s parents speak because they babble in the same cadence and pitches as their soon-to-be-first-language, just from hearing it in the womb.

If you’re ever worried that something you do or become means you’re “less human”, don’t be. Becoming less “human” is the most human thing you can do.

[sparrowpharoh]

I’ve been trying so hard to explain this to people ever since I got promoted to forklift driver. How quickly my body map integrated this five ton machine into a natural extension of my being. I’m actually better at guessing the battery charge on my truck by the minute sluggishness in my lift actuators than I am at assessing my own hunger. I can clear turns around shelving units within an inch of my sideboards easier than I can avoid tripping over my own feet out of truck.

It doesn’t just make me stronger, faster, able to reach higher, it also makes me more graceful, more agile, more aware of my self and my surroundings.

Perhaps even more human.

[foone]

Exactly! Getting forklift certified makes you the next state of human evolution!

[stephendann]

Deus Ex: Forklift Certified

[trappper-johnathan]

[shametheshadow]

WHO GOT CAUGHT!?

[thetrashiestoftrash]

I love that the highlight is on playing Flight Rising when everything else on this list is objectively funnier

[rabbitpyromancer]

Wanted to see the entries covered by the circle. Heres a clean version for others.

[seiya234]

so. as a former 10 year TA, over the years i’ve come to the opinion that if you’re going to fuck around on your laptop instead of take notes that’s not my business you’re an adult, and it’s college and the idea of doing weird shame bullshit is kind of cringe

that being said this list is hysterical

[moveslikekeithrichards]

[ID: a very simply drawn three panel comic. the first panel shows a person approaching a cat that's laying on the floor and reaching down to hug her, saying "gertie." the second panel shows two coins falling from the person's shirt pocket. the third panel shows the coins bouncing off the cat, who doesn't care.]

[moveslikekeithrichards]

gertrude

[ID: a picture of an old, grumpy-looking brown tabby cat gazing dead-eyed into the camera.]

[drtanner]

I really wasn't prepared to see just how accurate the depiction of this cat was in that other post. :')

[paxamericana]

the x files is funny because at the time it was “progressive” or whatever to have the ultra-rational, levelheaded character be a woman

but it’s also a show where all the fucked up alien shit actually is real, so she’s just constantly wrong about everything

[cryptid-sighting]

What’s funny is how often they’re both wrong. Mulder will be like “the victims all had their livers scooped clean out this is obviously the aliens escalating from cattle mutilation” and Scully will be like “don’t be silly Mulder this is clearly just a serial killer who’s really good with surgical tools” and then it turns out the actual killer is an immortal sewer man who comes out ever quarterly century to feast on human liver.

[feather-ball]

I cannot stress enough that this is literally the plot of an actual episode

[desinteresse]

It’s funny when American authors come up with a new European nation so their main character can be a secret royal without the pain of researching a real nation. We should all start doing that with North America, just make up a new state. My protagonist lives in New Utahioshington which is the 51st state and located between Delaware and Maryland

[marley-manson]

I actually really love that Hawkeye seems to consider 'Hawkeye' his Real Name, much moreso than Ben or Benjamin, and to a much stricter extent than any other nicknames we see, like Trapper, or even Radar, who seems overjoyed when football player Billy refers to him as Walter. I get the impression that Trapper thinks of himself as John, Klinger thinks of himself as Max, Radar thinks of himself as Walter even if he's resigned to only being known by a different name, etc, but Hawkeye thinks of himself as Hawkeye.

People, including Hawkeye, pretty much only ever refer to him as Ben or Benjamin in legal contexts, when yelling at him, when using his full name to make a joke, or to demonstrate their obnoxiousness (eg the Stars and Stripes guy in Depressing News). Even Daniel's use of "Ben" in The Party was in a mildly chastising context. tbf an aunt uses it in a letter too once, neutrally, but that's just how extended family is in my experience lol. He introduces himself as Hawkeye, corrects people when they use his legal name, and his childhood friends, his uni friends, and his ex girlfriend from his residency years all refer to him as Hawkeye.

Idk why I love it really lol, but it's a detail that I just dig. The sense of individualism, maybe? Hawkeye doesn't care for his stupid president name so he latches onto one that does have meaning for him and makes it his real name as far as anyone except paperwork filers are concerned? I do admire that vibe. Or maybe it's just that I can get attached to the names for characters we're given in canon and dislike when other names are used for them, at least in the wrong context (eg Starsky and Hutch referring to each other by first name after they fuck despite having already been about as emotionally intimate as possible) and I find it validating that Hawkeye also seems to dislike his alternate name and never uses it lol.