the gentle sea cow is complacent

a place to gather my internet thoughts

[hotcrossedfangs]

[shounenchild]

my favorite part of this whole thing tbh

[victusinveritas]

[fforsythiaaa]

Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.

[hypokeimena]

#'this is present in the text' is often a good first step #but those second and third ones (naming it; describing its function) are vital (via @elucubrare)

[gloriousclio]

Luke Skywalker put away his targeting computer to destroy the Death Star so I don't need AI to help me write an email.

[she-ramen]

the she-ra reboot makes this video relevant again which means we are in the best timeline

[she-ramen]

the kids these days dont know this masterpiece…they will learn

[logan-exe]

the Masters of the Universe remake makes this video relevant again which means we are in the best timeline

[arinrowan]

Hiked in the desert near me that does exist. Went pretty well!

[arinrowan]

[arinrowan]

Also found blazing star and a type of mariposa lily, so happy all around.

[airitree]

DEAR, DONKEY SKIN

-

-

I had a visual imagining of this tale... [Art prints available on my store !!!]

[uzumaki-rebellion]

PBS posted this free on Youtube if you missed it on TV. "Exposing the Myth of Southern Charm".

Addendum 5/23/26:

The producer of this doc told folks on Threads that the actual title of this is "Natchez". This was a doc I was waiting to see last year, but PBS changed the name for their broadcasting.

[horsefriend]

[putnamspuppeteer]

For those who don't know: Ikumi Nakamura is the woman who was senior artist on Bayonetta, and designed the titular character along with Hideki Kamiya. Their greatest moment of bonding was over their insistence that Bayonetta keep her glasses on at all times. Nakamura cannot go to horny jail. She is the warden.

[brookietf]

[catgirlforeskin]

Happy pride month to her and her exclusively

[seraphiminn]

she made a comic about the experience on twitter

[catboybiologist]

happy pride

[ikindamaybewanthertositonmyface]

An Update from back in October I'm surprised wasn't added to this post. lol

[preserving-tiktok]

[taraljc]

This is an awesome use of what is probably a master's degree if not a doctorate and I am 100% thrilled that she shared it even though it was embarrassing and she squeaked.

[liminalbeauty]

Thank you, adorable scientist, for making people's lives better.

[punchspeedchunk]

As an Australian, THIS WOMAN IS A FUCKING GODSEND.

[notasapleasure]

this is Hannah Fry, Professor of the Public Understanding of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and president of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Eugene Quilt Show

This particular quilt caught my eye.

The leaves are hand printed - original linocut on fabric. Then I painted them with Tsukineko ink to get an ombre effect insides the leaves. The leaves and stems were attached by machine applique to a Hoffman Super Nova panel. My mom loved caladiums (and quilting) and so do I!

[longseasons]

[gwydionmisha]

Bonus: If I buy a book I get to keep it! The publisher can't turn up at my house at random and confiscate all the books I bought.

[thememedaddy]

[softwaring]

made a pride flag using landscape photos ive taken <3

[a-cup-of-fantasy]

another sketch done over a picture of myself

[turtleduckscribbles]

Vain(glorious)

~A deep dive into Warriors’s search for healing, and how Sky has something to do with it.

<< Prologue/Chapter 1 <<

△—△—△—△—△

Chapter 5: "The Jungle"

The sun had finally emerged in all its glory, sailing high above the forest on its journey across the cloudless sky. Light split open the lattice of branches to uncover a resplendent world beneath. The woods teemed with life in every direction: the perfect conditions for dispelling darkness in all its forms.

Still, it did little to cut through the jungle inside Warriors’s head.

He plodded through the dense Faron Woods, keeping pace behind Sky and Zelda. The two Skyloftians walked abreast on the trail, following a route known only to them. They were gabbing away about a mishmash of topics, smiley and spirited and brimming with good humor. But Warriors couldn’t keep up with any of it. Arcs of fire kept shooting through his midsection, partially relieved by the ice rod strapped to his hip. With his friends paving the way to the spring, his mind was freed up to its own devices, sorting through the noxious weeds entangling his sensibilities.

Darkness must not taint these hallowed grounds.

The voice bounced around inside his skull until it became thoroughly lodged in the snarl of weeds. He turned it over, picked it apart, parsing its every word.

This was disturbing.

Read on AO3.

[yasmeensh]

I am a huge fan of Turtle's work and Linked Universe fics. Naturally, I drew fanart. I kept thinking back to chapter 5 so I had to draw something <3

Go check out Turtle's work! Her writing is FANTASTIC! It's so immersive and crafted with great care, passion, and dedication to the source materials.

[byjove]

Someone mentioned how they were having a hard time creating a world for their fantasy fiction geographically because they kept reinventing the island of Britain, which also happened to my good close enemy George R. R. Martin. I would like to suggest North Carolina. I know that sounds absolutely ridiculous but North Carolina has an awesome geographic setup for a fantasy kingdom, I think. Inhospitable barrier islands, constantly shifting shoals in the sound, swamps with alligators, venomous snakes and carnivorous plants, lots of very flat and somewhat sparsely populated farmland, foothills, mines, mountains full of mysterious phenomenon that were originally very difficult to navigate and people still get lost in today. It kind of rocks.