just imagine, end of season 5, its the end of episode 8 and the party have defeated vecna, byler confessed, theyre happy.

we see the party heading off to college, new beginnings and all that. mikes helping will pack up his stuff into a pickup truck, he says something like "well, looks like we're all done, everything's strapped up!", will walks over to him from where he was saying his goodbyes to joyce, jonathan, hopper and el (shes going to a local college with max in this idk) and just with every bit of softness in the world says "thanks for helping me pack, mike, are you sure you don't mind bringing all this to chicago for me?" and mike's eyebrows just shoot up because he literally went to hell for this man, and in the most sassy tone you can imagine "uh, yeah, we're gonna need some type of furniture for our new place and the government hush fund didn't stretch that far" will lets out a little chuckle, "damn, its the least they could do after the last 7 years" "i know right", mike squawked out, "anyways we better start heading if we want to make it there before dinner, see you soon mrs. byers!" muffled tears of happiness can be heard from her, and her voice wobbles slightly when she shouts back "call me when you get there and send pictures of the apartment! i love you boys", even a sniffle can be heard from hopper when he shouts out some reminders for driving the long distance. as the boys get into the truck, will shouts "we'll be back for thanksgiving, you'll hardly know we're gone" and as mike pulls away from the newly renovated byers-hopper house, there's this perfect shot of a normal loving family wishing their son(s) off to college and in this moment everything is forgotten, no more upside down or vecna or demodogs, no more possessions or otherworldly connections, just two boys holding hands over the console of the car as they set off to a new city, knowing that no matter what happens they'll always have eachother.

me and michael, solid as they come

me and michael, its not a question now

I bought and read the sun and the star today and..... nobody talk to me rn. I can TELL where mark oshiro pulled through for us. this book is so unapologetically queer, and melded with rick's always wonderful action sequences makes for such a lovely read... it really solidifies Will and Nico's chemistry and history and the wonderful way they love both romantically and as friends.... it never fell into the miscommunication trope even when the boys argued, and instead had them talk it out and be so transparent the whole way through...... it was so cavity-inducing-ly cheesy with just the right moments of incredible fluff and tragedy. I just love them. I love how dorky they are together. two cringe fail (affectionate) losers who are just so so smitten by one another and putting in a beautiful and mature effort towards loving one another the exact way the other needs to be loved. I am just so happy that this book exists within the riordanverse canon

going insane about a crack theory that I shared with yesterday @lordystrange

I thought that it was very very silly because idk I might listen to music while imagining this theory playing out... BUT NOW IT MIGHT ACTUALLY HAPPEN WHAT THE FUCK? AM I A PSYCHIC? DO I NEED TO FIND OUT MORE STUFF FOR YOU GUYS WITH THIS NEW FOUND ABILITY?

(I might share with the class (you guys) soon but I just have to figure out how to write it down in a way that is comprehensible)

WEDNESDAY SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT BC I JUST FINISHED:

-literally threw UP at every Male Love Interest Interaction, Enid making out with Ajax? Literally was enough to make me settle Wenclair as sunk LIKE IT WAS T H A T BAD AND IVE BEEN A HYPED WENCLAIR WARRIOR SINCE AUGUST

-THAT BEING SAID OH MY GOD WE WERE RIGHT WITH ENID TRANSFORMING AND PROTECTING WEDNESDAY LIKE A TOTAL BADASS

-Backtracking a lot,,, that wink Enid gave Wednesday in episode two made my heart ascend. So many Wenclair crumbs in ep 2

-I’m really glad Tyler was the killer bc it gave him some depth, like I kept hating him fer NOT GETTING THE HINT AND LEAVING WEDNESDAY ALONE but looking back his insistence on being close to her was more akin to manipulating her so he wont be suspected so im glad he got interesting near the end

-IM SO CURIOUS ON BIANCA’S BACKGROUND ARGAHRHH SEASON TWO TELLL MMEEE MOREEE I LOVE HER SO MUCH

-My heart broke when Eugene got attacked, even before Wednesday declared it I could tell she looked out after him bc he reminded her of Pugsley

-But when he expressed interest in Enid? Fucken Wednesday did not HESITATE to tell him his shot was less than one percent LIKE DAMNNN GIRLIE jealous much?

-“he breaks your heart, I’ll nail his” Wednesday ur so in love u dumbass, literally the first day u met this girl u supposedly hated u end up telling her your most vulnerable secret (crying for Nero)?

-Wednesday fell first, Enid fell harder Truthers rise UPPPP

-Enid walking out of the woods covered in blood and wounds from a super traumatic experience, first thing she asks is, “Where’s Wednesday?” Maam, are you aware how much she means to you?

-Talking to the taxidermed squirrel about how much you’ll miss it rather than directly speaking to Wednesday? Gay gay homosexual gay behavior

-Xavier,,,, no. You’re better than this, like cmon dude. Stop trying so fucken hard and take the hint, LIKE U DONT EVEN HAVE A GOOD REASON LIKE TYLER TO KEEP STICKINNG AROUND

-WHAT CHEMISTRY? WHERE?

-I demand more Yoko screentime.

-Still giggling on Enid wrecking Tyler’s Hyde ass in order to protect Wednesday like she fucken JUMPKICKED HIM and proceeded to maul him fer hurting her best friend totally

-Wenclair’s break up was so necessary tho like ARGH YES ENID STAND UP FER URSELF AND TELL WEDNESDAY SHE KEEPS FUCKING OVER UR BOUNDARIES

-I will give Xavier credit fer calling out Wednesday as toxic BUT he literally couldve stopped getting involved like WHY were u at the Gates Mansion that night its so,,,, weird

-Speaking of the Gates Mansion, LOVED Wednesday’s little stare when Enid busted the door open when Tyler couldnt, fucken gay gay homosexual gay

-Wednesday in general was so cute with her gift of the snood Enid made her, instead of outright speaking her mind that she dislikes the gift, she tries to compromise with a, “lets save this for a special occasion, like a funeral”

-Small moments where Wednesday is clearly softer fer Enid SUPREMACYYYY

-Another good example was even back in episode two where they ran with the flag together and Wednesday let Enid touch her and wrap an arm around her shoulders and shit as Enid cheered it was SO cute

-Wednesday’s bigass smile when Fester appeared??? I love Fester in general but ARGH I love their bond

-Also love Wednesday’s evolution with her relationship with Thing and his death scene??? Like Enid slayed with telling Wednesday to treat him better i swear Wenclair are just SO GOOD FER EACH OTHER

-SO MUCH MORE CHEMISTRY THAN THEIR MALE LOVE INTERESTS

-Enid’s parents weren’t exactly what we were expecting but they still sucked (yes by just standing there and letting his daughter constantly be shit on by her mom Enid’s dad still sucked a little) and I was a ‘Enid is an only child’ truther but slay guess she has brothers

-There’s SO MUCH to talk about bc this show had its ups and downs,,, but we all know the crowning moment of the show. The Hug™️. Jenna Ortega is praised fer her ability to convey so much emotion with her eyes, and GODDAMNIT THAT ENTIRE HUG SCENE WAS SO SOFT AND TENDER AND PERFECT IN EVERY ASPECT THAT BODY LANGUAGE FUCKEN KILLED ME ESP WITH WEDNESDAY’S WIDE EYED EXPRESSION FROM SHOCK TO TOTAL REALIZATION THAT SHE COULDVE LOST ENID AND IS CLINGING ON FER DEAR LIFE MY GOD I COULDNT HAVE IMAGINED A BETTER HUG SCENE

-The way Wednesday walks kinda pressed up to Enid as she talks about visiting her in San Fran,,, yeah your honor theyre in love and Hunter was right, we beed to fight fer Wenclair I DONT CARE ABOUT AJAX X ENID BEING CANON I DONT CARE ABOUT XAVIERS ASS WENCLAIR ALL THE WAYYY BABBYYY

not at all ready for the canadian men because how could one ever be ready for the canadian men. literally WHAT is going to happen.

the weird thing about when someone dies is that they're never truly dead in my head. when i think about my grandpa, my grandma, my uncle, i dont think of them as dead. i think of them as just... gone for a while. some longer than others. i think about my cat sammy and my cat cassy and i feel like i could still look over and see them there beside me. i can see the way sammy would always cuddle right up to me and lay his head on my shoulder. i can see the way cassy would swivel his head at me when he wanted pets.

they're all dead. they're all gone. but i feel like i could see them again, just like old times. all i need to do is give them a call.

I feel like it's easier to guess the dynamics in season 2 of Arcane is easier to understand if you know that crows (i.e. Jinx and to a greater extent Zaun) don't vibe with ravens (Swain and thus Noxus in general). Like crows are hyper aggressive to raven in their territories. Ravens might be bigger, but crows attack them in a well organized fashion, rather than a group mobbing, they have split into small groups to handle the ravens. What's interesting is that crows are recorded to start the fights more often than not, but it's probably because ravens predate on crows and their eggs, they know a threat when they see one.

It's pretty on the nose the show went out of it's way to associate Jinx with a bird (crows) that's not only incredibly similar in appearance, intelligence, and cultural notoriety, but also are competitive with the ones (ravens) associated with Swain.

i'm surprised i haven't seen more people talking about the recent kate winslet show that deepthroats NATO & the U.S. state department so passionately that it must make even aaron sorkin blush. it was so incoherent and anti-communist that it even reaches into old school european anti-slav/balkan-coded white-on-white racist at times, twas truly a spectacle to behold!

I get hating people who use their phones while driving and it does bother me but his car is self driving so it bothers me significantly less when he does it tbh

tbh i really could not care less it is still illegal and still dangerous and i think until they are certified and truly labeled as fully automous it is still stupid to do so

GUESS WHAT FOLKS

round 2 is done!

congrats to nikolai, carmilla, dorian, gilgamesh, helene, mina, javert, jekyll, hamlet, nick, patroclus, mercutio, achilles, olivia, maurice and enjolras who are all making it to round 3

how iconic of them

maybe i  shouldnt be getting new books when i still havent finished reading the second kyoshi book or “kingdom of sand” but like the first one is really boring so far to be fair

Scientists at UC Riverside have demonstrated a new, RNA-based vaccine strategy that is effective against any strain of a virus and can be used safely even by babies or the immunocompromised.  Every year, researchers try to predict the four influenza strains that are most likely to be prevalent during the upcoming flu season. And every year, people line up to get their updated vaccine, hoping the researchers formulated the shot correctly. The same is true of COVID vaccines, which have been reformulated to target sub-variants of the most prevalent strains circulating in the U.S. This new strategy would eliminate the need to create all these different shots, because it targets a part of the viral genome that is common to all strains of a virus. The vaccine, how it works, and a demonstration of its efficacy in mice is described in a paper published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  “What I want to emphasize about this vaccine strategy is that it is broad,” said UCR virologist and paper author Rong Hai. “It is broadly applicable to any number of viruses, broadly effective against any variant of a virus, and safe for a broad spectrum of people. This could be the universal vaccine that we have been looking for.”

Continue Reading.

No paywall version here.

"Two and a half years ago, when I was asked to help write the most authoritative report on climate change in the United States, I hesitated...

In the end, I said yes, but reluctantly. Frankly, I was sick of admonishing people about how bad things could get. Scientists have raised the alarm over and over again, and still the temperature rises. Extreme events like heat waves, floods and droughts are becoming more severe and frequent, exactly as we predicted they would. We were proved right. It didn’t seem to matter.

Our report, which was released on Tuesday, contains more dire warnings. There are plenty of new reasons for despair. Thanks to recent scientific advances, we can now link climate change to specific extreme weather disasters, and we have a better understanding of how the feedback loops in the climate system can make warming even worse. We can also now more confidently forecast catastrophic outcomes if global emissions continue on their current trajectory.

But to me, the most surprising new finding in the Fifth National Climate Assessment is this: There has been genuine progress, too.

I’m used to mind-boggling numbers, and there are many of them in this report. Human beings have put about 1.6 trillion tons of carbon in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution — more than the weight of every living thing on Earth combined. But as we wrote the report, I learned other, even more mind-boggling numbers. In the last decade, the cost of wind energy has declined by 70 percent and solar has declined 90 percent. Renewables now make up 80 percent of new electricity generation capacity. Our country’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling, even as our G.D.P. and population grow.

In the report, we were tasked with projecting future climate change. We showed what the United States would look like if the world warms by 2 degrees Celsius. It wasn’t a pretty picture: more heat waves, more uncomfortably hot nights, more downpours, more droughts. If greenhouse emissions continue to rise, we could reach that point in the next couple of decades. If they fall a little, maybe we can stave it off until the middle of the century. But our findings also offered a glimmer of hope: If emissions fall dramatically, as the report suggested they could, we may never reach 2 degrees Celsius at all.

For the first time in my career, I felt something strange: optimism.

And that simple realization was enough to convince me that releasing yet another climate report was worthwhile.

Something has changed in the United States, and not just the climate. State, local and tribal governments all around the country have begun to take action. Some politicians now actually campaign on climate change, instead of ignoring or lying about it. Congress passed federal climate legislation — something I’d long regarded as impossible — in 2022 as we turned in the first draft.

[Note: She's talking about the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Act, which despite the names were the two biggest climate packages passed in US history. And their passage in mid 2022 was a big turning point: that's when, for the first time in decades, a lot of scientists started looking at the numbers - esp the ones that would come from the IRA's funding - and said "Wait, holy shit, we have an actual chance."]

And while the report stresses the urgency of limiting warming to prevent terrible risks, it has a new message, too: We can do this. We now know how to make the dramatic emissions cuts we’d need to limit warming, and it’s very possible to do this in a way that’s sustainable, healthy and fair.

The conversation has moved on, and the role of scientists has changed. We’re not just warning of danger anymore. We’re showing the way to safety.

I was wrong about those previous reports: They did matter, after all. While climate scientists were warning the world of disaster, a small army of scientists, engineers, policymakers and others were getting to work. These first responders have helped move us toward our climate goals. Our warnings did their job.

To limit global warming, we need many more people to get on board... We need to reach those who haven’t yet been moved by our warnings. I’m not talking about the fossil fuel industry here; nor do I particularly care about winning over the small but noisy group of committed climate deniers. But I believe we can reach the many people whose eyes glaze over when they hear yet another dire warning or see another report like the one we just published.

The reason is that now, we have a better story to tell. The evidence is clear: Responding to climate change will not only create a better world for our children and grandchildren, but it will also make the world better for us right now.

Eliminating the sources of greenhouse gas emissions will make our air and water cleaner, our economy stronger and our quality of life better. It could save hundreds of thousands or even millions of lives across the country through air quality benefits alone. Using land more wisely can both limit climate change and protect biodiversity. Climate change most strongly affects communities that get a raw deal in our society: people with low incomes, people of color, children and the elderly. And climate action can be an opportunity to redress legacies of racism, neglect and injustice.

I could still tell you scary stories about a future ravaged by climate change, and they’d be true, at least on the trajectory we’re currently on. But it’s also true that we have a once-in-human-history chance not only to prevent the worst effects but also to make the world better right now. It would be a shame to squander this opportunity. So I don’t just want to talk about the problems anymore. I want to talk about the solutions. Consider this your last warning from me."

-via New York Times. Opinion essay by leading climate scientist Kate Marvel. November 18, 2023.

Spain, Norway and Ireland have announced plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state, in a move that is likely to bolster the global Palestinian cause but strain relations with Israel. Palestinian statehood has been recognized by more than 130 out of 193 member states of the United Nations, according to the Palestine Liberation Organization. “Today, Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognize the state of Palestine. Each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told a news conference in Dublin. The recognition will come into force in all three countries on May 28, Irish foreign minister Micheál Martin said. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the war in Gaza has “made it clear that achieving peace and stability must be predicted on resolving the Palestinian question.” “In the midst of a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security,” Støre said. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said: “We will recognize the state of Palestine for peace, coherence and justice.”

Finally doing some emotional processing ✌

ICJ Ruling

Okay, let's get into this.

First of all, I get the frustration at the court not ordering a ceasefire. I was disappointed and frustrated at first too, since a ceasefire was the biggest and most important preliminary measure South Africa was requesting - and of course we just all want this horror to finally end for the people in Gaza. So I get the frustration and disappointment, I really do.

However, I do think this ruling is still a major win for South Africa, Palestine, and international law as a whole and here's why:

The court acknowledged that it has jurisdiction over this case and completely dismissed Israel's request to throw out the case as a whole. It will now determine at the merits stage (that will probably take years) whether Israel is actually commiting genocide.

The court acknowledged that Palestinians are a "distinct national or ethnic group and therefore deserving of protection under the genocide convention". Pull this out next time someone tells you "there's no such thing as Palestinians, they're all just Arabs".

The court acknowledged very unambiguously that "at least some" of Israel's actions being genocidal in nature is "plausible". South Africa has a case, officially. Israel is accused of genocide, in a way the ICJ deems "plausible", officially. This is huge. (And seriously, how freaking satisfying was it to hear all of those genocidal statements by Israeli politicians read out loud and used as justification for this rulling?)

The court might not have ordered a "ceasefire" in those words, but they did order Israel to "immediately end all genocidal acts" (which includes killing and injuring Palestinians) and submit proof that they actually did. How are they going to comply with this ruling without at least severly reducing or changing what they're doing in Gaza?

In fact, this wording might actually be more appropriate for a genocide (vs a war), as author and journalist Ali Abunimah notes on Twitter:

He's completely right. Israel lost today, by overwhelming majority (I mean, 15 to 2? I heard people predict the rulings would be very close, like 9 judges vs 8, but instead we got 15 to 2 (and even 16 to 1 on the humanitarian aid). Holy shit.) The court disimissed almost everything Israel's side of lawyers said, while acknowledging that South Africa's accusations are "plausible".

And this is important especially because of Mr Abunimah's second tweet there^. Because the question is, where do we go from here?

This ruling means that Israel is officially /possibly/ commiting genocide and that should have huge international consequences. The rest of the world now HAS to take these accusations seriously and stop arming and supporting Israel - and if they won't do it on their own, we, the people, have to make them. This is THE moment to rise up all around the world, especially in the countries most supportive of Israel (the US, the UK, Germany): Protest, call your representatives and demand a ceasefire and an end of arms deliveries to Israel.

We now have a legal case to back our demands: If Israel is, according to the ICJ, "plausibly" commiting genocide, then all of our governments are, according to the ICJ, "plausibly" guiltly of aiding in genocide. And we need to hold that over their heads and demand better. We need to do that right now and in huge numbers. Most politicians only care about themselves and saving their skin. We have to make them realize that they could be accused of aiding in genocide.

(As a German, I'm thinking of Germany here in particular: After South Africa's hearing, our government dismissed their case as having "no basis" - how are they going to keep saying that now that the ICJ officially thinks otherwise? Over the last months, people here have been arrested at protests for calling what's happening in Gaza a genocide. How are the police supposed to legally keep doing that now that the ICJ has officially deemed this accusation "plausible"? I used to be scared to use the word "genocide" at protests or write it on my protest signs - not anymore, have fun trying to arrest me for that when the ICJ literally has my back on this one 🖕🏻.)

So yeah - don't be defeatist about this, don't let Israel's narrative that they "won" (they didn't) take over. This might not be everything we wanted, but it's still a good result. Don't let what the court didn't say ("ceasefire"), distract you from the very important things that they did say. Let this be your motivation to get loud and active, especially if you live in any country that supports Israel. Put pressure on your governments to not be complicit in genocide, you now officially have the highest international court on your side.