spacedoutrat

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getting my yearning surgically removed tomorrow

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the sooner people understand x reader as a literary device and not a blank slate for you get mad at for not actually being a blank slate, the more fun we’ll all have. the reader-insert will never be a perfect empty canvas. even without character and world motivation it’s just the sheer fact that these things are written by imperfect humans—some of them do it better than others but all of them will leave their dirty filthy thumbprints on ur precious mirror of a entryway, that’s literally just how creation works. it will never perfectly include everyone, it’s not meant to, they work exactly the same as other characters—the degree to which you relate to them will depend on the story, what they do, and who’s writing it (and you who’s reading it, of course).

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character i love so much i refuse to look him up on anything ever for the sake of my own sanity

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"im okay with gay and trans people i just don't wanna see it or hear about it" perchance that may be a sign that you are..... not... okay with it?

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Useful life hacks:

Spice up your prose and really make your writing stand out by using exciting active verbs such as "bite" and "tear" and "rend" and "rip" and "feed" and "hunt" and "devour" and "chase" and "run" and "eat" and

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i really do believe that the answer to a lot of people's self hatred is not to try and reassure them that they are wonderful and okay and enough, but instead to remind them theyre a completely unremarkable regular ass person who is not the center of the universe or especially important so why would they expect themselves to be some superhuman savior. like there really is a kernel of out of control self importance at the heart of thinking youre an evil lazy piece of shit. because why would you expect you be anything but just like some guy. if you wouldnt expect the guy who works at the vape shop or your mailman or whatever to be able to do something then why would you expect yourself to? youre just some random ass person. its fine

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A leucistic raven

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stop being silly in front of me

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So can we vote for Dire wolves now? (I know they are grey wolf based hybrids including jackle, red wolf, timber wolf, and artic fox dna arcoding to some sources idk how accurate that entire list is so please correct me) but still 😂

Nah, those aren’t Dire Wolves, sorry. 😅

What Colossal Biosciences did was examine some Dire Wolf (Aenocyon dirus) DNA and edited 14 genes of Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) DNA to match it. They even made sure to make the animals white, using a coat coloration gene expressed in Domestic Dogs, because they believe Dire Wolves would have been white (based on no published evidence; Dire Wolves were a temperate species and their coloration was more likely similar to jackals or Dholes).

DNA contains millions of genes. You can not make 20 changes in only 14 genes and have a whole other species, let alone a whole other genus.

Despite what the company is claiming, Gray Wolves are not the closest relatives of Dire Wolves, which we know from a (peer-reviewed) DNA study done in 2021. They are more close to jackals, African Wild Dogs, and Dholes than they are to wolves. Despite being around the same size, they do not share “99.5%” of the DNA of Gray Wolves; there are hundreds of thousands of genetic differences between the species.

What Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi are are three Gray Wolves that have been genetically modified to look like pop culture “Dire Wolves” from a TV Show. They do not contain any Dire Wolf DNA and they can not and will not fill the same niche that Dire Wolves did.

Apparently, Colossal is doing legit conservation work alongside their clickbait-y work, and they use the sensationalized concepts to get funding from rich idiots and celebrities. If they can get some Elon-Musk-awesomebro-type to fund their “Dire Wolf de-extinction”, they can use that money to clone critically endangered Red Wolves (Canis rufus) on the side.

Personally, I do not trust them. What they’re doing is shady and irresponsible, and even if it’s bringing in money for conservation it’s still misleading and misinforming the public about how DNA works and about how irreversible extinction actually is. It’s taking money that could be used to save the animals we still have, and instead using it to make a hairy Asian Elephant and claim that it’s a Mammoth.

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Sorry for yearning for the ocean on main. It will happen again.

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I don't think mirage likes his squadmates very much...

I LOVE his interactions with both of these characters -- he's just terrified shitless of them. So I felt really inspired as I was playing by the idea of him being stuck in a squad with these two.

The idea of them being as much, if not more of a danger and menace to their own team than they are to the opposite teams is really interesting to me and makes up for really interesting dynamics (and funny dialogue).

Save the poor guy 😭

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I love you speculative biology. I love you worldbuilding projects. I love you creature design. I love you fantasy biology. I love you speculative evolution. I love you science fiction.

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Gargantuan Fossorial Skink (Sphenomorphus latifasciatus), family Scincidae, found in New Guinea

photographs: Reptiles4all & Jari Cornelis

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If you care about your local wildlife, you won't let your cat free roam outside. There are ways to allow your cat some outside time that will keep both your cat and the local wildlife safe, if that's something you're set on. Enclosed outside spaces (catio, enclosed patio area, properly fenced-in and cat-proofed backyard) or taking your cat on walks are both great ways to get your cat outside while still keeping your cat and the local ecosystem protected.

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little sausage boy

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My friend showed me Alter from Apex……..

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ah yes. the classic "I can't sleep because it will be tomorrow in an instant and tomorrow requires things of me and I Simply Do Not Vibe With That". so I'll go through said tomorrow on 2 hours of sleep. very smart and once again no lessons will be learned