Bird identification is so fucked up in a really fun way you can’t understand until you get into it. For example, there is a type of goose called the cackling goose that looks exactly like a Canada goose except smaller and “cuter”. The cackling goose is way, way, more rare in most places than its relatively common cousin, so it’s on tons of birders life lists. Everyone wants to see a cackling (look in any bird ID group to see lots of hopeful people posting petite Canada geese). The two species regularly commingle, so sometimes a flock of those common parking lot birds will have the equivalent of a Pokémon shiny just hanging out in the middle of them.
How ridiculous and fun is that? I can never look at a big group of Canada geese without scrutinizing their ranks for an adorable little extremely rare cutie pie cackling goose. It reminds me a bit of mushroom harvesting minus the risk of death if you get it wrong
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Prompt 298
“So uh, is anyone gonna’ stop… that?” Honestly, no one here had ever had to deal with a borderline feral acting Batman, and Supes wasn’t there to do anything to help. Not to mention Diana just found their failure to do anything hilarious.
“I don’t know Hal, do you have any idea on how to get him out from vents he shouldn’t by any logical reason be able to fit into?”
“Well no, but I mean, it’s freaky! He just read a file, cursed more than I’ve ever heard him and just, okay, how did all of them even fit inside his cape-”
“Current theory is some sort of shadow dimension.”
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The year is 1995 and Mav disappears off radars on a mission overseas. He's declared MIA and then when satellite pictures of an F-14's wreck show up, declared KIA.
It's a hot August evening when Ice opens his front doors to see a Navy officer with a precisely folded flag in his arms and a JAG lawyer with a suitcase full of documents. Baby Goose should be already sleeping upstairs, preparing for their planned camping trip the day after.
Ice lets them in without a word.
They walk past the living room where Ice had been checking their tent for rust, straight to the kitchen table. They don't sit down.
"On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Navy—"
"Spare me the bullshit."
He's still holding the flag, letter on top of it, seal unbroken.
"Why are you even here? I'm not his—" Loved one. Ice was just—there. A close friend. A wingman. It doesn't matter whether he loves Mav or not, he will always be just someone in his life, not his loved one. "I'm just his best friend."
"Commander Mitchell stated this address as Bradley Bradshaw's main residence during deployment."
Jesus Christ. He can't—Bradley. What was he going to tell Bradley?
"Commander Mitchell's sole beneficiary is Bradley Bradshaw, and since he's a minor, we need to execute his will alongside our condolences." Bradley lost another parent. And all he has left is a will. "You've been named as Bradley Bradshaw's legal guardian if Commander Mitchell was—unable to take care of him."
"He's never told me that."
He didn't. Not even a word. He knew Mav had a will, they all did. But he never thought enough to make sense of the details.
It couldn't be Ice. He couldn't exist on paper in Mav's life or in Bradley's life.
"You can refuse—"
Ice phases out the words that come after — Mav can't be gone, Mav couldn't have left Bradley to him, Mav couldn't have thought he would be able to care for Bradley alone, without Mav's help and guidance. He couldn't have left them both there with broken hearts.
Ice doesn't believe this. It can't be true. If he stares long enough, the two officers in front of him are going to disappear and he will get a late night call from Mav from the ship and will wake up Baby Goose so they could chat and—
"Ice, I know I should be asleep but can we check if we got enough jars for bugs? I really want to—"
Ice finally comes back to the surroundings.
Bradley stands in the kitchen door, noticing the two people in there, in uniforms. "I'm sorry, sirs, I didn't know—"
At that exact moment, Bradley notices the flag and the unopen letter. He can see it nice and clear — his face falls and he doesn't look at anything but the goddamn flag and the stupid letter made on behalf of the President.
Ice stops breathing. "Bradley—"
"No," he says, shaking his head, so quiet. "Not again, no—"
Before Ice can say anything, Bradley is running back up the stairs.
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according to my women's study class reading, using "women" as a category to describe women is problematic because women might have different experiences with imperialism and socioeconomic class
Like. Yeah sure we don't have completely universal experiences as far as that goes, but that doesn't mean I don't have anything in common with women across the world. That we're not all oppressed under the patriarchy. That we don't have common ground in being women.
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I'm really disappointed that the Lassie and Jules subplot in Gus's Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy ended with Jules just... uninviting Lassie to her family Christmas celebrations because he was too awkward and anti-social.
Like, the entire point of her inviting him in the first place was so that he wouldn't be lonely on Christmas, and then HE ENDS UP ALONE ON CHRISTMAS ANYWAY?? When he couldn't socialize the way he was expected to (autism), Jules's first reaction was to not let him come over again.
The important thing here is that it's not even Christmas yet! The first time I saw the episode, I was waiting for something else to happen, for Jules to come up with a solution, but this scene here is just the end of the subplot. She lets him believe that he was "too cool" and that she was feeling jealous, which is still kind of uncomfortable. It also doesn't solve the problem of Lassie not having friends or family to spend the holidays with.
The thing that bugs me the most is that this seems so out of character for Jules. You're telling me that Juliet "gives cupcakes to all the new employees" O'Hara WOULDN'T care if Lassiter was left out? I just know that she would be doing EVERYTHING she could to make him stay and feel comfortable. She put so much effort into his birthday party, she remembered their work-iversary, I can't imagine she would be so embarrassed by him that she would give up on trying to make him feel included. If any of the other O'Haras made a comment or sly remark about his mannerisms, Juliet would shut them down with one stare.
I would have liked it if they had come up with another solution instead of just booting him (Like maybe Jules's nephews are playing with those little green army men toys and Lassie sits on the floor with them and helps them set up historically accurate battles. And they actually find it really cool).
Anyway, I just wanted to see Lassie getting adopted into the O'Hara family and not being alone during the holidays, since he's kind of like Juliet's brother anyway. Maybe the O'Hara family sits down to open presents and Lassie just stands off in the corner because obviously no one got him anything, right? But then Jules hands him a gift, and it is something perfect for him like a Clint Eastwood poster or the Grease soundtrack on vinyl. And he gives her a big hug while holding back tears. And it would still be a while before he meets Marlowe anyway, so maybe for the next few years, he goes over to the O'Haras for the holidays.
This subplot could have been so sweet and heartwarming, and there was a lot of missed potential. I'm not angry, but I think it was a strange writing choice. I know my girl Jules is better than this! :)
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