Also waiting for some snow to come visit the west coast :(

If I hear one more person say "But I like it! It's so warm!" I'm gonna scream. I can count on my hands the number of days we've gotten a negative temperature number where I live. The grass is still green. I'm starting to see new buds on some trees.

It's all fun now. We get a nice, easy winter. We don't have to dress in a million layers, or shovel snow, or even worry about ice! Isn't this grand? /s

Winter isn't always fun, especially in a place like Canada that actually feels the effects of it. It sucks to have to put on five layers to walk to work, or to have to brush your car off and shovel the driveway, or try to navigate the highways in a storm. It sucks when you slip on a patch of black ice and land hard on your ass, or your coffee gets cold super fast if it's not in a double-walled travel mug. It sucks when the air hurts your face and your skin is really dry, and your breath can cause icicles to form on your hair. It sucks when the sunny days are the coldest and the grey days are a little warmer, but also snowy. But dammit, we're Canadian! Our sheer determination to make the most of winter is one of our biggest stereotypes and we embrace it! We saw that frozen pond and said "Let's play hockey on that!" or that snowy hill and said "Get me a toboggan." Our best drink cooler in the winter is the snowbank out back. Our greatest small talk starter is "Supposed to snow tonight." All of our best sports are ice or snow related. We hold festivals in the dead of winter that celebrate the fact that it is winter. We make candy by pouring maple syrup onto snow.

Winter is our season and we're losing it.

We were supposed to get a giant snowstorm this weekend and I was all set, my grocery shopping done, ready to hunker down for two days and watch the snow fall. We got a dusting so light my mother and I debated whether it had actually snowed or was just leftover from the last snow, and I frankly feel bamboozled.

Here's a few reminders about the current heat wave in australia and global warming.

Things you may not know:

2023 is the world's hottest year on record, and 2024 is looking to be worse.

Heatwaves are Australia's deadliest natural hazard. Let that sink in. It's not fires. We all know how devastating those are. It's not floods either. It's heat waves. It's not just a little heat, it's a hazard.

With the cost of living and inflation currently happening, a lot of people are rationing air conditioning or can't afford any. This puts more people at risk

It's not just the heat, but the humidity with it that adds to the danger

If you live in a suburban area, you are more at risk, as the concrete and lack of trees traps in the heat

The La Nina (sorry my laptop won't let me do the tilde) years we're going through are now hotter than El Nino years 50 years ago.

Risks with the heat wave and temperature rise in general:

Heat stroke can make you quite nauseous, so you may not be eating enough, making it harder for your body to look after itself.

There's such a thing as over-hydration and it can be just as serious as dehydration

With hotter nights it's harder to sleep - another thing effecting how well your body can handle things and cope

A cold beer can sound soothing, but alcohol warms you up, as well as dehydrating you, and causing lower blood sugar; keep this in mind as you enjoy, make sure you get plenty of water as being dehydrated with this shit is... let's say, subpar.

Heat exhaustion is real, no one is able to think lightning quick with the brain fog that comes with this heat. That means if you're not fully with it, things like driving become more dangerous

If you can't cool down within 30 minutes when you have heat exhaustion, or worse, heat stroke, it can become deadly

If you have a mental health disorder (and if you're on tumblr, chances are you're either neurodivergent, lgbt+, mentally ill or a funky mix) the heat literally changes your mood and exacerbates things. This has been linked to an increase in suicides and attempts, please make sure you have a support network in place, as if things are hard, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000.

There is a point where sweating doesn't help as the hair is saturated/there's high humidity and the sweat cannot evaporate, therefore not cooling you down

The heat can kill, the link at the bottom of the page tells you how

Safety tips:

YOU ARE NOT STRONGER THAN THE FUCKIN SUN!!! Please make sure you are wearing sunscreen if you have to be outside or even near a window. Sunburn and cancer aren't funny, it's painful and deadly.

Drink plenty of water. No one cares if you look uncool carrying around a water bottle, because they either are as well, or are putting themselves at risk. If you're putting a bottle of water in the freezer for the next day, make sure you have non-frozen water to drink straight away

Seek shade as much as possible, even if it's carrying a small umbrella with you, or literally just a cap. Anything is better than nothing. This includes sunnies.

Cold baths and showers. I don't care that they're not pleasant, they can save you. If you have heat stroke, one of the best things to do is to have a luke-warm bath (as this temperature will likely already be painful - I saw my sister go through it) and make it colder to cool yourself down SLOWLY (but really, best advice is to call the doctor, 000, or go to the hospital)

Keep an eye on your body temperature if you can. If it gets over 41'C, your body begins to basically cook itself inside out

If money is an issue and you have a working air conditioner, set it to a higher temperature and turn on a fan. This will make the air feel cooler while saving money

If you don't have an aircon, here's a link on how to create a makeshift one

Alternatively, take turns with your mates going to each others houses to all be in an air conditioned room, while saving money of not having your aircon on everyday.

Aloe Vera at night when you're sunburnt will help ease the pain and cool you down. Also things like using mint body wash will make you feel cooler

I know we're all sweaty but do NOT overdo it with the deodorant. It will clog up your pores, you won't be able to sweat... this is bad

Take a break from exercising; your body will not start to deteriorate muscle until about 3 weeks of not using said muscle passes (I learnt this from my physio). If you're struggling with the idea of not exercising for a while, you might be struggling with over-exercising or an eating disorder - please think this over and consult a doctor.If you need to continue exercise for medical reasons: make sure you are in a cool area, hydrated, have time to cool down after your workout, and do NOT attempt anything too intense. No HIIT or anything high intensity. Aim for things like yoga or pilates (it's not just for women!!!)

You can buy hand held misting fans from kmart for $5 (these really work... I was at a concert in 41'C heat and the lady next to me had one... it helped so much)

Now is not the time for body insecurity, you are fucking gorgeous, I swear, just put the fucking crop top and shorts on or go topless if you can. It's too hot for insecurity

Make sure you've got a good fly screen and leave your doors/windows open but locked over night to keep you cooler. If you don't have a fly screen, try putting a mesh curtain over the door/window.

Silk sheets are not a good plan, you want cotton for absorbancy

Stop having hot meals. You need something cooler, no one gives a shit if you're having weetbix for dinner if you're not dying from your body temperature rising!! It's already gonna rise from the energy expenditure of digestions! So just eat something cool, ok? And make sure you're getting enough carbs, they're not evil, they keep your brain functioning, and you need that extra help with the heat fog brain.

Last of all don't be afraid to call 000 or your country's emergency/crisis number. Thanks for reading and stay safe!

Here's the link to where I got most the info, feel free to add more info to this!!!

People are so fucking retarded. I keep having these interactions with people making small talk about the weather that goes like this.

Them: "Such a nice day out right"

Me: "Yeah it's great, nice and sunny."

Them: "Eh...well it's not really great. Nice for us but not great for humanity." They walk away*

Me: ???????????????

Me: 5 seconds later.... Oh they think because it's slightly warmer than normal for this time of year that means the world is coming to an end because of climate change....oh I get it they're a news watching retard.

And it's almost always older people who should know better because they've lived through more el ninos than anyone. Sometimes its warmer than usual...that's normal. We literally just had one of the mildest summers I can remember but it's sunny in March and people think the world is ending because they're gullible news watching retards who can be convinced of anything.

It's not even hot either the air is cold but the sun is shining. It's perfectly reasonable early spring weather. One lady was going on about how she's seeing insects and birds and squirrels out...like she was describing seeing demons and aliens like I was supposed to be troubled that fucking nature was happening. Get a fucking grip dipshits.

i often hear other parents complaining that their kids won't stop asking questions; that they have endless strings of "why?" and they get irritated that they don't have the sufficient answers for them.

if i can pat my own back about something, it's this: we don't have this problem. because i love when my kids ask questions. before they even learned how to talk, i wondered out loud with them. "do you notice this? do you see this? what is this phenomenon? why does this happen? how does this work?" they are now very good at observing things, asking questions, pondering possible answers out loud, and coming to me with anything that's confusing to them.

if i know the answer, i explain it as best as i can, even if it's something that might be out of left field and difficult to explain to a 5-6 year old -- religious myths, how el nino works, what covid-19 was, how babies are born, how people die. my 6 year old still doesn't know "the full details" of sex but she knows about anatomy, menstruation, sperm, eggs; she knows what it means to be gay, and how i feel about it, and how other people might feel about it. because we have these in-depth discussions, she's comfortable talking to me about anything she's wondering about, and she knows i will always respond and be a safe space for her. she can tell me she's in love with her best friend and thinks about kissing her all the time, and i can say, ok :)

and if there are things that she asks me about, and i don't know, or i don't feel i have a sufficient answer, i show her how we can look up the answer. where is michoacán? what time is it in japan? why are cars not as colorful as they used to be? why is it overcast in june? do you think one day we could cure all diseases? why do rich people have such big houses and don't share with the people who have none? how come sometimes my friend likes to be hugged and kissed and says she'll marry me, and sometimes she's rude to me and pushes me away? how could these questions ever be annoying to me? they are windows into her mind and her heart

I don't know if you'll see this sorry I just want to rant about those stupid swifties

Like I am so goddamn tired , there's a psychologist who comes on my feed and she's a swiftie and she's so fricking stupid and I really don't understand how she became a psychologist, she's so biased and calls herself a feminist when she only supports privileged women and she herself being privileged makes a mountain out of a molehill out of everything, calls people who don't like TS a misogynist 🤡 typical swiftie behaviour and like these people make tswift their entire personality, they are so out of touch , oh my God!!

They advocate for the environment but never ever blame Taylor , when asked why does she still support her , they make sarcastic replies and think they're so smart 😒

And also let's not forget the misandry these people just exude sometimes, so goddamn biased instead of caring about supporting actual oppressed women they will support a billionaire and a climate terrorist and they say that tswift and her fans are just victims because everyone makes fun of them and just how sad that is and how misogynistic other people who dont like her and her fans are.

Goes on to show no matter how much you study, the brainrot will never stop and the basic ability to even tell right from wrong will vanish , coming from a psychologist it's even more distasteful as psychologists aren't allowed to be biased.

It's just so sad , I just can't understand how can people support a climate terrorist at all , this year is gonna be one of the hottest ones because of El Nino and a lot of people and also a lot of animals are gonna suffer , we need to hold Taylor Swift and other billionaires accountable for their climate crimes.

What sort of earth are we gonna leave for the future generations ?

Her fans are so blinded by her that even the few smart ones fail to notice how she's exploiting them and how fake she is. I hate her for her personality. But these days as I learn more about how fucked up earth has become and how much people are struggling to just live, the more I hate her.

Her fans would be like, but there are loads of other people who destroy earth more than her. I don't get how that excuses her fucking up the world WE live in. Thinking about how billionaires are making the world suffer fills me with rage.

I wish we could see her pay for her actions but most times people like her get away with it.

CorreaCelestePriscila XD me di cuenta que hesperia es el tipo de personaje con sobrecarga de trabajo que a diferencia de querer tomar un descanso el se niega a hacerlo….los niños totalmente lo taclean o tienen que perseguirlo para dormir, verdad??

(Google translation: XD I realized that Hesperia is the type of character with work overload that unlike wanting to take a break he refuses to do it .... Children totally cup or have to chase him to sleep, right ???)

greentrickster: XD Yeah, he's definitely one of those people you have to chase down to make have a cup of tea and a nap - Hawkmoth takes no responsibility for his actions, but Hesperia takes too much responsibility for everyone's actions. Fortunately he's got the kids, who understand his importance and also care about him, as you said, but also it's really not they're job, because they're 14/15 and he's in his forties, he's right about that. He's a man naturally drawn to push the envelope in how much he expects from himself, but this particular scenario has him leaning to extremes even he wouldn't normally take.

And it's easy to say that the five of them are young adults, they're smart, strong, and capable, they're making their own decisions, this is their world and they have as much right to fight for it as anyone... and that's all true, very much so! The thing is, speaking as someone who - like Hesperia in this AU - is over the age of thirty and possessing of strong nurturing instincts, the urge to take responsibility and pressure away from young teenagers doesn't come from a place of disrespect or dismissiveness, but from wanting to keep them safe. Of knowing that they're entering a stage of life where they're going to really start testing their wings and their own limits while also still generally having that sense of immortality you have when you're younger and wanting to make a space where they can fly to their absolute limits while also leaving them a safe place to land or fall, and to pull them back before they get hurt in ways that can never be undone.

It makes for an interesting dynamic, because Gabriel is behaving as a genuinely good man in how he's trying to treat the kids, but he's hurting himself and in doing so risking the world never breaking free of the Supreme's grasp in the process. It'll take a lot of careful balancing to figure out a group dynamic where Hesperia's accepting support from the rest of the team without crossing a line and giving them a responsibility that they shouldn't have to carry. (Which is frankly a flavour of angst that would be 90% more interesting to me than any 'Gabriel's just a terrible dad in every universe' idea. There are only so many ways a character can be a terrible parent, but there's a far broader spectrum of ways to write a genuinely caring and decent character having to contend with a situation where they have to navigate an extremely complicated moral path where the lines between right and wrong are so heavily skewed due to the situation.)

If they were all adults, or if Gabriel was also a young teen, it would be a much simpler matter, he'd just need the occasional reminder that it's okay to let others share the burden and support him the way he supports them. But he's the eldest of the group by almost thirty years and the rest of the group is comprised entirely of minors, and that opens the story up for some truly delicious complications and intergroup conflict and bonding.

OoOoOoOoO

CorreaCelestePriscila: Vi en tumblr una publicación en la cuál hesperia tiene que recordarles a shadybug y claw noir que ahora son buenos…y al final una imagen de un hombre con correas para niños alrededor de dos niños……me hizo reír a carcajadas cuando me imaginé a hesperia con correas para niños alrededor de alya,Nino,claw, shady y Chloe

(Google translation: I saw a post on tumblr in which hesperia has to remind shadybug and claw noir that they are good now...and at the end a picture of a man with child restraints around two children......it made me laugh laughing when I imagined hesperia with child leashes around alya, nino, claw, shady and chloe)

greentrickster: XD XD XD Hardcore yes, they're doing a great job with their whole moral alignment shift, but there's still the odd time when their old supervillain ways are just so easy to accidentally slip into and the rest of the group has to run herd on them (and also stop them from being bad influences on Chloe. And also prevent Chloe from being a bad influence on them. Chloe, Shady, and Claw are the Trouble Trio in this universe, they're all here to smack down and verbally roast their enemies and I love that for them.

And this aspect makes them so hard to deal with at times, all three of them, but it's also surprisingly useful in regards to helping Hesperia and making sure he's okay. Because all three of these kids have their 'you're not the boss of me!' dials turned up to twelve, and they're only willing to listen if they think an adult or someone else has something worth saying. As mentioned in another post, Claw 100% appoints himself as team medic (which is great, because they need one and no one else wants to do it). Shady cheerfully (and much more sneakily) integrates herself into Gabriel's civilian life with a "Hi, I'm dating your son, I adore fashion, this is my portfolio, smile once while looking through it and I get to be your new intern" technique and proceeds to team up with Nathalie in regards to getting the namesake of the Gabriel line to not run himself ragged. She 100% does not care if anyone thinks she's dating Adrien solely as a career advancement technique, and anyone who tries to make it a problem for her can kiss her yoyo before it hits them in the face.

(Side note, Adrien didn't think he could fall for this girl any harder than he already has but hoo boy, was he ever wrong-)

As for Chloe, she gets the benefit of my love for the 'Chloe figures out Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities without being told' trope, and becomes the group schedule coordinator without anyone realizing what she's doing, primarily because she hasn't told anyone she that she knows. Having to hide Pollen for a month and some change made her realize that it can be kind of fun to know or have something no one else knows you do, even if it was extremely scary, but she's not on her own anymore and she figures that a couple of extra secret identities is safe enough to keep to herself. Marinette and Adrien are going slightly grey over how loose-lipped this girl seems to be with information about the resistance sometimes, Nino, Alya, and Gabriel are all very impressed at how often Shady and Claw manage to show up at just the right time without having prior knowledge of a meeting or mission, and Chloe's a busy but also very smug little bee. Turns out she likes coordinating more than just outfits, which eventually leads her to getting more involved in Alya's research and reconnaissance work, and the two of them getting to be better friends.

Ocean surface temperature so far this year...

This is terrifying by the way

I don't know what to do

Hit the streets. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Citizen Climate Assemblies. Litigation. We must take responsibility for our actions as a species.

But no matter what we do, this El Nino cycle is going to kill millions of people. Maybe if we take action, we can keep it below 10 million.

El santuario de los padres

Today was a tough day/week, for all of them really. The kids just were a bit much all over…and they needed a break. So, why not have a get together among cross dimensional friends and kids? Parent by parent, kid by kid, they walked through portals and stood in front of the six story Casita. 

There they all stood. Mamabuela, mamaisa, papa Bruno, mamalores, mamabel, papantonio (all by @gamerbearmira), pamamilo (by me), and Mamaluisa (by @yellowcry). Each of them had their own kid/kids with them and the parents looked…tired. But very happy they got this break.

(PS. Papa Bruno is Bruno who adopted Mirabel and Antonio because they were being neglected.)

“Hey luisa!” Mamabel waved at mamaluisa with her 12 year old daughter next to her. Mamaluisa waved back and so did ML! Mirabel (MLU = Mama luisa). Mamabel had 2 year old Antonio in her arms and the rest of her children in tow. 

“Hey tio!” Mamaisa waved at papa Bruno who had his 14 year old Mirabel and four year old Antonio with him. He waved back and so did his nino’s. Mamaisa was busy holding 3 year old Antonio and had 13 year old Camilo and Mirabel with her, as well as 17 year old Luisa. 

“Hola Lolo” Mamabuela waved at mamalores who had 11 year old Mirabel with her and 1 year old Antonio in her arms. Mamabuela had 12 year old Isabela, 10 year old Luisa, and six year old Mirabel with her. 

“Hey tonito!” pamamilo waved at papantonio who had 4 year old Mirabel with him. Pamamilo had 4 year old Antonio, 6 year old Isaac, 8 year old sophia, 9 year old macario, and 10 year old celeste. 

The very ground they stood on was a wide and long land full of luscious jungle. Beyond that was just a beautiful orange sunset. You could see that the jungle did end somewhere but too far for anyone to actually walk to. 

The trees and bushes gave sweet fruit and berries for the kids or adults to eat. The overall vibe was very joyful and warm. A large playground sat to the right of the house and that’s instantly where the kids above the age of 3 went. The older kids could easily watch the four year olds so it was no biggie leaving them alone. 

The tweens/teens such as PB! Mirabel, MLU! Mirabel, ML! Mirabel, MA! Isabela, and M! Mirabel, MI! Camilo, and MI! Luisa ran into the house and into a large decorated room for them to talk.  (PB = Papa Bruno, ML = Mamalores, MA = Mamabuela, MI = Mamaisa). 

As for the babies such as PB! Antonio, MI! Antonio, ML! Antonio, and MB! Antonio among other toddlers were put into a small play area next to the couch inside the living room. The “adults” all sat on their designated cushions and all let out a relaxed sigh. (And yes, I know, lot’s of baby Antonio’s)

“Tough day?” Mamabuela asked?

All she heard was tired sounds that clearly meant “yes”. Don’t get me wrong, they love their little munchkins to death, but please believe that taking care of them isn’t so easy. Especially when you're too young to even raise them…

“Antonio wouldn’t eat his vegetables for two hours” Papabruno pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Mirabel thought it was a good idea to make a toasted pb&j sandwich…almost burnt the kitchen down” Papatonio groaned. 

“Alejandra decided she wanted to see what leaves tasted like” Mamabel’s eye twitched

Parent by parent, they all listed what they went through from the following week and day. It was apparent that all of them were tired. 

“I need tea” Mamalores sighed when she put her hands on her head. A headache prominent in her head for three hours before she got here. 

“I need wine” Pamamilo chuckled

“Tea it is” Mamaisa got up and attempted to go toward the kitchen but someone stopped her. 

“I got it isa, you can relax” Papatonio put his hand on her shoulder and patted it. 

“I’m more closer to the kitchen” Mamalulu stood up, “I can go make it-”

Here we go

“Oh no, you guys can sit down, I can do it” Mamabel raised her hand in an up and down motion. Gesturing for them to sit. 

“I can do it, it’s no issue. Just tell me what tea you guys like” Pamamilo chimed in

“I can go, I don’t mind” Papabruno stood up

“I mentioned tea, so I should do it” Mamalores got off the couch, “you can sit d-”

CRASH….a window has been broken. And what went through the window? A baseball. Yards, miles, acres worth of land and yet the children decided to play baseball…directly near the house. 

And what made the situation funny, is that the outside was very quiet. Eerily quiet. Usually, the outside always sounded like kids at recess. Now?...ghost town. The kids all knew there was trouble ahead and this could be heard from outside-

“Why would you do that?” MB! Luisa shouted at ML! Mirabel. MB! Luisa sounded scared and panicked. 

“I don’t know! It was an accident!” ML! Mirabel sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“You're gonna die” MB! Mirabel said with blatant honesty.

Inside the house all of the “adults” looked very displeased and stared directly at the baseball. 

“How about we make our own tea and deal with that later” 

-

Here’s how sanctuary casita works:

Sanctuary Casita has about 50+ rooms inside of it. All of them are big or small depending on the kid or parent. 

Casita is six stories tall and wide as hell seeing as it needs to fit 50+ people. Sometimes the parents and kids stay long enough to sleep there but not all the time. 

It has a pool, LARGE kitchen, dance studio, library, and anything else you could think of. 

Yep, that’s about it. If you have any ideas for what else to add let me know. 

How the au works and Q&A

When the parents get stressed out they usually go to sanctuary casita for a break. 

How did they meet? Still trying to figure that out but it has to do with just a portal opening up in their room. 

All of the parents have a special pendant necklace (that was gifted to them by sanctuary Casita) they can call each other through. All they have to do is touch the pendant with a certain person in mind and they just call them. The kids above four have them too.

Do the other relatives of the parents know the sanctuary world exists? Depends on who you're asking. Papa bruno, Mamaluisa, and Mamalores, Mamabel: No/not yet. Papantonio, Mamabuela, and Pamamalio: yes. 

Do I plan on expanding this au?...sort of? I guess, mostly with incorrect quotes. 

How many times do they meet up? Every week or every other month.

Will there be angst in this au? only by request. Other than that, it's just wholesome family vibes.

I'm kinda curious, do you have an reason to give the miraculous for each characters? Like why turtle to Ivan?

I do! It links back to my au though- So congrats! More lore dump!

Because ive given Nathaniel and Marc the ladybug and cat miraculous, they get to distribute the other miraculous. They share responsibility for this and choose based on their own experiences with their friends/classmates.

The reason they share responsibility is different to canon because they learn quickly the importance of trust and teamwork (will be explained soon).

The moment the box was passed over to Ailes Rouges and Veilleuse, they discussed it together, without names and shared the miraculous between the two of them to look after until the time came for the appropriate hero.

(explainations below cut, lots of words, no art in this one lol)

Creation Box:

Butterfly + Peacock: Same as canon (right now anyway, considering giving Adrien the Peacock, something something angst), following same beginning point anyway.

Bee: Juleka - Nathaniels choice. The first choice for Juleka was actually the tiger (explained further down). But shes chosen as the bee officially. I know this girls got pent up rage shes too scared to show or let out without a mask. The bee will be good for her :)

Fox: Marinette - Marcs choice (His first choice would be Nath if its after theyve met and become friends outside their alter egos, but is either declined or unable to be found (for obvious reasons); though Nath would likely choose the same, torn between her and Alix). If youre looking for creativity, someone with a strong enough imagination to create and spin stories strong enough to convince another person its real? Marinettes perfect for the job. Especially creating illusions of people.

Turtle: Ivan - Nathaniels choice, if youre looking for defence, someone strong to help protect people, Ivans your guy. Hes seen it first hand, particularly with Mylene, but after years of being in the same class as him, hes experienced his protection too.

Zodiac Box:

Rooster: Markov - Nathaniels choice. This one was a bit of a gamble. Markov cant see kwamis, but if he can be akumatised, it stands to reason that he can be a hero. Despite being a robot, he still only gets one use of the roosters power, as hes not human the magic has to draw from his power and since hes so small, he only has a small bank to draw from. Despite this, being small gives him more leeway into where he can go, as my roosters power is rejuvination, its important that they can get around to other heroes easily.

Goat: Alix - Nathaniels choice. The goat in my au is all about movement, and who better for than than Alix. Not to mention, theyve been friends for years, Nathaniel would trust them with his life.

Rat: Nino - Nathaniels choice. If youre looking for someone to multitask, Ninos got experience. Particularly with herding people, experienced with his brother, and occasionally his own friends. Nathaniel used to be close with Nino in previous years but drifted apart before canon present. He still believes Nino is responsible and trustworthy enough for the job.

Ox: Luka - Marcs choice. (Nathaniel would choose the same). Who else could be calm enough not to flinch at the sight of oncoming danger. Hes the older sibling of Juleka (not twin), and often cool and laidback. While he may not be super close to either hero, he knows their identity, a magical suit doesnt change a persons heart song. Luka is the perfect candidate for the Ox, he trusts the magic enough to know it wont fail him. Its just a hunch but dont you think hes already experienced with this worlds magic?

Horse: Sabrina - Nathaniels reluctant pick. There is no other person Nath has seen who is so co-ordinated. Someone who knows exactly what is going on and when and where. Despite her dubious alegions in the classroom, she can be trusted to keep a plan on track. Also shes a horse-girl, dont @ me.

Dragon: Aroure/Mirelle - Marcs pick. A dragon is experienced in the elements, and who else is more experienced than Aroure and Mirelle. They both are aware and skilled in the weather area, this experience leads to incredible skill with the dragons power. They are rarely apart these days but are very busy with their jobs, so they both become the Dragon, they swap out with eachother when one or another is busy, and it works.

Snake: Max- Nathaniels choice. Max is a person who thinks in numbers. Hes able to keep an exact time line in his mind, able to run numbers and percentages on the spot. Max is simply the most efficient Snake. His ability to think logically lends to his skill, he can effectively keep track of whats happened and whats the best course of action. Nathaniel trusts his judgement and his silence, Max is smart enough to understand the concequences and risks of an alterego.

Pig: Kim - Nathaniels hesitant choice. Now honestly, Kims the obvious pick for a superhero, hes like.. classic superhero build and attitude. However, Nathaniel hasnt always had a particularly friendly attitude with him. So despite the present situation he will always be slightly on edge with Kim. Either way, hes a straight forward kind of guy, perfect for the hunt of the pig. Nathaniel can only hope he doesnt get too much to handle, maybe he'll see Kim in a different light after. Or maybe not.

Dog: Rose- Marcs pick (Nathaniel would choose the same). The dog is all about loyalty, friendship, lowering someones guard. Who else would be perfect for the job than Rose? She is able to see the good in a person no matter what, she can keep a persons attention long enough for a job to be done, if getting a job done through affection is not an option.

Monkey: Zoe.. or Adrien - Marcs choice, Zoe, once shes transfered from abroad, becomes a quick friend of Marcs. They both have bright senses of style and well like-calls-to-like. Shes pretty laidback and adaptable, she can work on her feet which works well for the monkey. Nathaniels choice, Adrien, is also fairly new to the social scene but Nathaniels hung out with him enough by proxy that he can get a grip on his personality. He, like Zoe, is pretty adaptable, maybe less laidback from what hes seen but always willing to try something. He doesnt give up, thats important for a monkey too. Also i dont want to leave Adrien out :(.

Rabbit: Alya - Marcs hesitant choice. Shes been seen around akuma attacks before, always with her phone out and recording. Despite this shes always able to help a citizen run away or hide. Shes also friends with Marinette and from what Marcs heard, shes fairly reliable. Theyre not close to eachother for Marc to be certain, but shes around attacks enough to be reliable, shes consistently helpful, and is fairly knowledgable in akuma related activities; she'll work.

Tiger: Kagami - Marcs choice. The tigers original holder was Juleka (chosen by Nathaniel). Who else would be best for going unnoticed than the invisible girl. However after using it once, she declined to use it again. Its not what she wants. Nathaniel understood, he could see it wasnt good for her. So, Marc chose Kagami next. Kagamis sneaky, able to sneak up on someone and not hesitate. If Juleka was like a rouge, Kagami is more like an assassin.

Drew Sheneman, Newark Star-Ledger

* * * * *

Bill McKibben writes: 

A planet at 420 parts per million co2 is a different planet than one at 275 parts per million. If Captain Kirk was landing on it, the first thing his tricorder would register is the composition of the atmosphere; when you’re talking planets, it’s a pretty basic data point. 

So we don’t really know what surprises are in store—though that news that the Antarctic current was starting to slow like a hose with a crimp is fair warning.

I don’t say all this in the service of despair, but of preparation. We need to be psychologically prepared for the fact that, for all we’ve tried to do together, this crisis is about to worsen. Forewarned is, to some small extent, forearmed. I suppose some might need to prepare themselves individually too, though that’s not my focus (Alex Steffen, the futurist, has begun offering courses on ‘ruggedization,’ which links personal preparation to community resilience, and defintiely beats buying out-of-date MREs from your favorite rightwing podcaster).

But we really need to be prepared politically. Each of these surges in warming unleashed by the next El Nino comes with new political possibilities, as people see and feel more clearly our peril. At the moment, our climate politics, like our climate itself, is a little stalled. The surge of change that came from Greta’s school strikes, the Paris accords, the Green New Deal has waned; we’re in a new stalemate where the oil industry has learned to rely on delay instead of denial. It often takes them a few years, but eventually they get good at working the politics—for the moment, for instance, they’ve got their captive state treasurers locking banks and asset managers in place with the charged that worrying about the fiscal implications of the climate crisis represents ‘woke capitalism.’

As the next round of savage heatwaves proceeds, it will come with new pressure for action from our governments and corporations. We need to be able to channel that pressure effectively, with key goals in mind: the absolute end to new fossil fuel development and exploration, the quick weaning from existing supplies of coal and gas and oil and with it the equally rapid buildout of cleaner sources of energy, the unwavering support for the places and people hardest hit. 

There will be all sorts of emotions; I hope that the anger people will rightly feel is channeled toward the corporate and legal destruction of the companies that have lied for three decades and still represent the largest barrier to change.It’s just the right moment for Not Too Late, a new anthology compiled by two old friends who are also among the most stalwart leaders of the climate fight. 

Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young-Latunatabua have managed something important: an alternative to doomism that isn’t sentimental or treacly, but absolutely serious. “Hope is not the guarantee that things will be okay,” 

Young-Lutunatabua says. “It’s the recognition that there’s spaciousness for action, that the future is uncertain, and in that uncertainty, we have space to step into and make the future we want.” I agree with that—with the caveat that the spaciousness doesn’t last forever. I have the strong instinct that this El Nino may be the last of these moments that the earth offers us in a time frame still relevant to making coherent and savvy civilization-scale change. We dare not misuse it.  

[Bill McKibbon]

Oz Rewatch 3: S2E06: Strange Bedfellows

Happy Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year! Haha, Sister and I watched a movie and ate hotpot and then for “dessert”, watched Oz. There was a lot of action in this episode. In the words of Sister, “Two guys got dethroned, another guy learned that boys can love boys, and LL Cool J was there too for some reason”. I don't really have too much to say about this episode. All things considered, it's an fun watch! Well, "fun" probably isn't the right word to use, but I didn't feel that much frustration with anything that happens here. There were less short story beats this episode and more longer stories, which is nice when the stories are actually intriguing (GILES...).

Storylines

Said continues to help Schillinger with his case; Diane and McManus are deposed by Said, during which they both lie. Afterwards, Said steps off the case

Mini: Adebisi and Bellinger communicate through notes

Peter Schibetta recovers from his poisoning and tries to get revenge, failing notably

El Norte starts to waver under Miguel’s hesitance to go to war; El Cid arrives

Jiggy Walker arrives at Em City, spinning tall tales; having abandoned Schillinger, Said adopts his fourth project for season 2 (which also ends in failure lol)

Giles -_- (he gets some toothpaste, and we can finally say we’ve seen the last of him for a bit)

Cyril O’Reily is caught for the murder of Preston Nathan

Beecher realises he’s in love with Keller; they kiss; Beecher’s alcoholism relapses

Sister: She’s been hanging out with the Sopranos too much! Me: ??? Sister: [shrugging] I saw a clip...

Sister: And that’s your favorite? The guy who gets punched and wants to go to war with everyone and looks like the chihuahua from Lady and the Tramp? Me: 😭 He's funny...

Sister: Shannon!!! [proceeds to talk for 5 minutes about how O'Reily doesn't deserve Shannon]

Sister: Hmm… what would you change a swastika into? A cross with a little box around it? Me: Like a window?

Sister: I’m surprised he’s such an educated guy and yet doesn’t know the ways of the Greek…? I thought lawyer people loved the Classics… Has he never read The Symposium?

Me: Is that what you were thinking about?! Sister: I MEAN... I was thinking something a little more decorative… Maybe like a little windmill or something.

Sister: EEEE! What did he say?! Me: He said it’s so cute. Sister: What did he say?! Me: He said it’s so cute.

Sister: Hm. He shaved off his face-defining facial hair. Hm.

Stray Thoughts:

Sister (once again failing to realize a Schibetta is basically out of the picture): … Maybe Little Nino and Miguel work together now that they’ve both been dethroned?

Peter asking Burrano not to tell Nino about his rape is always so sad to me. It's interesting, though, that Nino's influence continues on for so long in the show. I seem to recall in later seasons when Pancamo is in the hospital, he also apologises to Nino in his delirium, presumably for failing to protect Peter in Oz.

It’s so disappointing that Jiggy Walker turns out to be lying lol… you want to see Devlin go down soooo bad, and then he doesn’t.

Giles time weirdness: they make it seem like Giles has been insane in solitary for years, but then it turns out he had the cell next to Augustus Hill’s in Unit B before Emerald City opened, which means Giles has been in Solitary for at most 3 years. Or maybe I'm misremembering something.

Dr Prestopnik is so funny. I wish we got more of him throughout the show.

I really like the floating bunk bed set pieces from Hill's monologues this episode

They do an interesting "freeze frame" kind of thing with the crime flashbacks this episode where the actors freeze and the camera moves through the scene. I feel like this is new and that they don't really do it again in later episodes, but I'll have to pay attention in the future and see. There are also not really "crime flashbacks" in this episode so much as there are "crime intros".

Sister: They keep throwing moral lessons at Said like he’s in a children’s show…. This episode it was “Oh, don’t trust gossip without proof; you’ll get egg on your face!”, and before that, it was “sometimes you’re going to help someone and they’re still going to do drugs” and before that, “some battles you just can’t win; you gotta know the law to use the law”. And then before that it was “sometimes you just gotta take your blood pressure medication”....

Final Thoughts:

Sister: Oh NO… They (Beecher and Keller) still have to do their Liar Reveal scene!!! [rolls around in despair]

Me: Any thoughts on Miguel this episode? Sister: -_- Me: ...What could he have done to avoid this fate? Sister: [cackling] Well, the first mistake he made was that he didn’t have a plan. He should’ve given the other guys an outline for his criteria on what a worthy cause for going to war was, because his problem is basically that he isn’t really explaining why he won’t go to war, and that's hurting the other guy's (Chico's) feelings. So he needs to get a bullet point list or something to hand out and make sure they’re all on the same page. And then he needs to get a spray tan. Me: ??? Sister: Because that guy said he was too white.

I keep trying to tell my friends about the 1997 El Nino but most of them did not live in California at the time... And the more I dig, the more I realize how privileged I am.

Keep in mind I was in early elementary school, and I thought it was awesome. Still love rain, still pretty comfortable going out without an umbrella.

Here's what I took from it:

Mom thought the car floated away for a bit (it didn't)

Dad and stepmom were sick of me and brother tearing up the house, so they took us and our bikes specifically to go ride through the biggest puddles we could find. Keep in mind this is also early BMX mania. We thought we were the hottest shit, driving waves up to our shoulders

In short: some of my happier memories. I keep forgetting what year it was (my birthday is right after the official "start") so I keep googling it and finding just horrific disaster photos. Very bizarre but I think I'd rather know than not

04.16.23 Novel Forms of Chaos

Woke early. Cuppa coffee, watching climate drama Extrapolations. Episode 1 hits hard with a possible near future. Sends me searching.  Then, saw this: "And here’s the scary part. Even before that El Nino officially forms, we’re already seeing global ocean temperatures setting a new all-time record, breaking the one set in 2016. The next jump in temperature will start from such a high base that Jim Hansen, the world’s most renowned climatologist, recently predicted that not only will we see a new global record air temperature in 2024 (“even a little futz of an El Niño should be sufficient for record global temperature”), but that it could, at least temporarily, bust through the 1.5 degree mark that the world swore to avoid in Paris just eight years ago. Hansen’s not alone in the prediction “It’s very likely that the next big El Niño could take us over 1.5C,” said Prof Adam Scaife, the head of long-range prediction at the UK Met Office. “The probability of having the first year at 1.5C in the next five-year period is now about 50:50.” As this happens, novel forms of chaos will ensue. No human has ever left us a shred of evidence about what life is like on a globe with these average temperatures. I imagine the phrase “on steroids” will get a regular workout, but it’s not quite right, since pharmaceutical enhancements work on the existing body. A planet at 420 parts per million co2 is a different planet than one at 275 parts per million. If Captain Kirk was landing on it, the first thing his tricorder would register is the composition of the atmosphere; when you’re talking planets, it’s a pretty basic data point. So we don’t really know what surprises are in store—though that news that the Antarctic current was starting to slow like a hose with a crimp is fair warning." We're in for a stretch of heavy climate - Source for above clip Deep Antarctic current slowing?? Is this true? sez me Melting Antarctic ice predicted to cause rapid slowdown of deep ocean current by 2050 | the guardian "A team of Australian scientists looked at the deep ocean current below 4,000 metres that originates in the cold, fresh and dense waters that plunge down off Antarctica’s continental shelf and spread to ocean basins around the globe. Prof Matt England, of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales and a co-author of the research published in Nature, said the whole deep ocean current was heading for collapse on its current trajectory. “In the past, these circulations have taken more than 1,000 years or so to change, but this is happening over just a few decades. It’s way faster than we thought these circulations could slow down. “We are talking about the possible long-term extinction of an iconic water mass.” Welp. I want to be able to push this away with claims of untested science and doomsaying, but you know what? I cannot. So far, climate science predictions are on track. We are experiencing the things they described. In fact, climate changes are happening faster than scientists' earlier predictions.

OKAY SO the ask box is officially closed for the rest of 2023. You're welcome to contact me through DMs here if you like, or through my main blog @allbeendonebefore or art blog @acetechne, and of course I always appreciate your lovely tags and replies <3 Even if I read them right before bedtime and forget to respond, knowing that something I'm doing is resonating or making you laugh is a huge part of what keeps me going, especially when the news is grinding me down.

There are about 15 asks in the box (although sometimes asks get lost on my other blogs, so I will have to check there too). I am going to have access to my tablet for the next week and a half or so; I'm not sure what the situation will be when I leave for the coast yet but I do have some art supplies there to use. Traditional art takes either a lot longer or is a lot faster depending on the approach.

I'm aiming to be back in Alberta by early January - it's an El Nino year so hopefully I won't get trapped inside my house and have my flights cancelled like last year... haha.

Some projects on my mind for the blog include:

Alberta Story and the 20th century half of this timeline. This has to be done digitally and takes a lot of little historical visual research, so it will be a while.

Cloud Minding I am still thinking about this - and I have finally visited Vulcan since I started it! I just need to rejig the "point" of it since two years have passed since I started it.

Special Powers I want to do some research on this before I finish it, but I'll start it up again when I'm ready / open it up again to asks in the new year. It's pretty meta so I have to think about how to illustrate and conclude it.

Marion's intro will come at some point, don't you worry. It will involve me rehashing my same 2.5 jokes about Sherwood Park as expected.

More illustrations, of course! Traditional and digital, whatever. They happen when they happen - I just need to remember to use all the references I squirrel away and forget about.

Ideally I want to clear some space off my harddrive and see if I can resuscitate my old laptop long enough to get some of my csp files off it since I no longer have an editable copy of the references, but that won't be until next year most likely.

I know most people don't look at the desktop version of this blog, but part of me would also like to update the guide page since I haven't really touched it in over a year. I'm trying to be more diligent about linking together things and coming up with designated tags for mini-series so that they are findable when I need them.

Stickers! I have been thinking a lot about designing little sticker sets of plants, animals, landmarks, food etc. of the cities we call home. If you have any ideas for me, let me know!

If there's anything I'm missing or you have any ideas, give me a shout.

fun fact: this is the end of winter

I'm melting on the floor and it's FUCKING AUGUST (I'm from south hemisphere if it's not clear enough) and TODAY I'm complaining about one of the uNcOmMOn phenomenon of nature that coincidentally started when Earth's temperature have risen but that can be just a coincidence (and I said uNcOmMOn because that fucker appear EVERY SINGLE YEAR

So for those who is not familiar with basic concepts of well- wind, here's a photo I took from google that shows just what we need to know

So if you miss class or just don't remember it cold air and warm air are responsible for climate changes and can result in rain to hurricanes. But what we need to pay attention to are the Trade Winds which - among other things that are not important right now - is responsible to "move" warm water from South America to Australia and usually it keeps the climate cold on South America and as a trade it gives fish season on the Pacific coast. The El Nino changes it completely because it's basically the total vanishing of the Trade Winds. We don't fucking know why (well at least as far as I study this fucker we don't know why).

Oh and fun fact I mentioned fish season because the whole thing was first noticed exactly by fishermen when they noticed there were more sharks than fish.

But not only it makes the fish "vanish" they actually just swim in cold water which is usually more deep when this phenomenon happen this MOTHERFUCKER happens to make winter WARM because South America, especially the southern of Brazil, doesn't has a desert because of what we call "winged rivers" (or something like that I just translated and honestly I'm not in the mood to go search how we actually name it on English) that basically are ridiculously enormous amount of humidity coming from Amazon Rainforest that supposedly keeps the weather steady and not Saara Desert Level of Dry AND we usually have those by the summer when it rains by the end of the day IF NOT FOR THAT STUPID LITTLE SHIT I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT CREATES A FUCKING ENVIRONMENT TO RAINS ALL YEAR aaaaand if this isn't a problem enough where it supposed to be raining this season it isn't - so basically we get a whole year of warm humid weather in one part and warm dry weather in another. And as I said, if that was an occasional phenomenon we could manage it BUT IT HAPPEN EVERY YEAR. (Oh and also - he has a sister. Yeah. There's a La Nina but I don't know much about it so I can't say much.)

And if this whole ass rant isn't enough to measure my fucking discontent with this shit weather here's a actual image of El Niño

the river of blood in question is the little noisy fucker.