#Water and Waste

[muffinlevelchicanery]

[kedreeva]

There's some dude (derogatory) on FB who is PISSED people are pricing their farm fresh eggs at $2 and $3 a dozen instead of $4+, saying it's "disrespectful" and "undignified" and "I'm trying to feed my kids" like Sir, you are on a Facebook group page bitching about your neighbors egg prices because your pet chickens aren't earning you a living wage and you think it's your neighbors' fault, you do not have a leg to stand on here wrt dignity.

Also half the answers are like "I give them to friends and family free" or "I donate them to food banks" or "I'm making them affordable to folks who might not otherwise be able to get them now that they're so expensive in the store" and "if you think you're going to turn a profit keeping backyard chickens you have been wildly misled" and so on, and so forth, and I'm so living for it.

and I can tell you right now, he did NOT like my answer of "if you're trying to feed your kids, I hear eggs are edible."

[hellenhighwater]

Forbidden orange juice

[unnamed-atlas]

There's something really funny to me about Mumbo spotting the "Free us" banner Bdubs built in the cyber punk city and going "oh wow that's so dark omg" only to immediately return to building the ecological disaster destroying and poisoning the farmlands and water supply of his hometown caused by the lab he works in. My man, I'm not sure you have room to judge in that department, actually aksglsgsksb

[musubiki]

its been a while since my last summer mochi 🌺🏖️

[abbeyofcyn]

*phaneang curry contains peanuts

[lord-of-the-ducks]

Apologies to everyone who follows me because you’re about to be subjected to SO much Lisa Frankenstein posting, I am so deeply abnormal about this movie and I would not be surprised if it ended up being one of my top ten favorite movies of all time.

My only wish is that my theatre could have been more crowded, it was a pretty dead audience (pun intended) which meant I spent a solid 60% of my energy trying not to cause a scene every time there was a needle drop or anything that felt like it was specifically calling me out for being a weird little goth.

[tumblingxelian]

A Necessary Post - Yang, Taiyang & Seeing Red

I debated this being a message or a note or a reblog, but ultimately this warranted an essay. Because a hatred of nuance is not even remotely the reason why Tai is critiqued as a teacher or father.

With that fact in mind, let's begin:

During RWBY Volume 4, Episode 9: Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back Taiyang has a great deal of critical feedback for Yang regarding her fighting style, personality & Semblance.

The issue is that Tai's words and advice when compared to what we saw on screen before & afterwards demonstrate he does not understand how it works or how she used it.

So here for your reading pleasure if a more or less line by line breakdown of Tai's advice and why I don't feel it holds up & more to the point, why I don't believe Yang utilized it.

Taiyang: Do you realize that you used your Semblance to win every fight after the qualifiers?

Yang rightfully points out that her using Burn is no different than anyone else using their Semblances. I would add that Yang's Semblance only serves to enhance her already present abilities with damage taken in a fight. So her not using it would be stupidly holding back extra energy for no reason.

Tai's critique also fails to register that when using her Semblance to take out FNKI, Yang specifically disrupted the ground so Neon could not skate effectively & used the boost in power to turn Flynt's own weapon against him.

I will be addressing Mercury further down but she used it effectively and intellectually here and to great effect.

What's more, every other fights fighting style, weapons or both were literally built around their Semblances. Yang's threat level remains fairly consistent without her Semblance, all three of these other characters take a huge dip.

Taiyang: Because not everyone else's is basically a temper tantrum.

Ignoring that calling the manifestation of Yang's soul a temper tantrum is another in a long line if dickish things Tai says to Yang. Her Semblance literally does not work that way.

Her anger has jack and shit to do with it, this has been explained & demonstrated time and time again. Yang only gets a power boost when she's been injured, the fact she tends to be angry when using it is because being hurt sucks and she's usually in an intense fight. When the fight is going well and she still gets to use it she's not angry, as seen with a pleased smirk here:

So as before, Tai's critique is bereft of any merit, Yang's Semblance does not work that way.

Taiyang: I'm serious! Once you take damage, you can dish it back twice as hard, but that doesn't make you invincible!

Cite a time Yang thought she was invincible, cite it provably that Yang thought, said or indicated that she felt she was invincible. You can't because Yang never indicated as such this is something Tai is assuming about her at best.

& no her jumping in the Nevermore's mouth is not an example because she was not using her Semblance, did not take damage, it was a very effective strategy & seemingly either part of the plan, or was so easily understood that it could be safely and reliably worked into the plan. She wasn't using her Semblance here but finding evidence of risky behavior was hard, especially with her Semblance, go figure.

In fact every time Yang used her Semblance she did so only because someone landed a blow, which just happens in fights sometimes.

Taiyang: It's great when you're in a bind, but what happens if you miss? What happens if they're stronger? What then? Now you're just weak and tired!

We know what happens when Yang misses, she can swing again!

After the first blow on the Paladin she missed & needed help to catch it, her missing had zero impact on her Semblances.

As to what happens if they are stronger, um, she loses, that sometimes happens in fights. Its not something Yang can do anything about by holding back on extra strength. Not to quote Qrow but sometimes bad things happen. Other characters losing to stronger opponents don't get given this kind of diatribe's because its pointedly obvious that there was nothing to be done about it.

& on the final piece, she was very pointedly not weak and tired after using it. The only times she has been shown to be is when she was extremely low on Aura regardless in which cases not using her Semblance is a death sentence.

So again, we've established Tai's critique comes from nowhere & his understanding of her Semblance is nonexistent.

Taiyang: But you gotta keep your emotions in check. Keep a level head, and think before you act. Your Semblance is a great fallback, but you can't let yourself rely on it.

This is so painfully unfair it hurts.

No other character gets this kind of shit for expressing emotions in combat. In fact we see characters expressing emotions in battle all the time. Nor has she stopped displaying emotions in combat:

I already outlined how in all two of the Yang fights Tai actually witnessed she used strategy and retained excellent combat form. So again, baseless claims from Tai.

What's more, Yang primarily does use her Semblance as a fallback rather than rely on it in these fights. She only whipped it out against Mercury when he'd unleashed his seeming kill move on her and was confident he'd won.

Not using it here would be dumb and make no sense.

Yang doesn't rely on it to save her, she deploys it when it makes sense to & she has the energy or the need. This is more than we see from many characters.

Taiyang: It won't always save you. Obviously.

So now he is critiquing her for a fight he didn't even witness & knows jack shit about. So let's break this down once again:

Yang has spent the last 24 hours questions her sanity.

Yang's new home (Her words) is burning down.

Yang's sister is missing in all this chaos.

Then Yang's partner gets fucking stabbed, and the guy who did it is standing between them with a sword & gun, with fire all over Grimm all around.

Anything Yang can do he can counter, she tries to go around he only has to pivot. If she tries to fire from long range she might hit Blake. She tries an earth shock wave, she launches Blake into the fire.

She quite literally had no others options & zero time to try anything else because he can just shoot or stab Blake whenever he wants.

Taiyang: You definitely have your mom's stubbornness.

This, this right here is where all this is actually coming from. Tai is once again projecting Raven onto Yang despite them frankly having almost nothing in common.

With most of Yang's visible personality tells being inherited from Summer, such as the mother daughter shoulder check of V9. Thanks to chittychittyyangyang for the GIFs

Or as outlined in some songs with Yang's side of the lyrics explicitly citing how she is trying to fill the Summer shaped void in their lives.

Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day, I will be there to take all your fears away.

Taiyang: Your mother was... a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our team apart. And, it did a real number on our family.

Tai blames Raven for tearing their team apart. Save that by all accounts, barring her absence things seemed to be going fine. Qrow seemed to be present in their lives, Tai looked happy, the girls were happy & Summer at least seemed happy though we know she was covering up a lot of dread.

Keep in mind Tai is projecting Raven, the woman he blames for destroying the team and damaging the family onto his daughter who literally kept the family together after Summer died. Yang's established this, Ruby has established this, its canon.

Yang: I had to pick up the pieces. I had to keep things together. Alone. (pause) Weiss, if you have something to say, then say it. Ruby: If you thought we wouldn’t come for you, then you must’ve forgotten who raised me.

Tai was not the one holding that home or family together. Unless you think the writers are gonna randomly swerve & say both Yang & Ruby are big whiny liars for some utterly nonsensical reasons. So no, I don't take him seriously as a narrator or critique of Yang, I have no reason to.

But let's push on, because I'm not done.

Taiyang: You both act like the easiest way to tackle an obstacle is through it. (pointing at Zwei) That strength is all that matters in a fight.

Ah yes, Raven, the woman famously known for thinking the easiest way to deal with an obstacles is to tackle it head on. That's why she spent years adorning herself in a Grimm helmet that hid her eyes & raised a False Maiden to serve as her body double.

A woman so inclined to rely on her own raw strength that when she was ambushed by Salem's forces she decided to trick them into an ambush.

Then when fighting Cinder and was at a disadvantage she freezes her in place while making Cinder think she is going on the offensive leaving her to be crushed by Stalactites & also utilized mind games to distract her & deal the finishing blow... Cos she only relies on strength.

As to his final piece of advice I already address it up above, there was no way around Adam, the situation was fucked from the start.

Saying it was Yang's fault she was dismembered is no more than victim blaming, I stood by that in Volume 3 to to this day & beyond.

Taiyang: But if you just take a second look, then maybe you see... (walking toward her, stepping around Zwei) there's a way around as well.

But let's actually look at Seeing Red & if Yang listened to Tai's advice or if she not only ignored it but did the opposite of what he ordered.

Let's see she goes in with open aggression & emotions, and also takes many blows rather than going 'around' them somehow.

Yang, as if she were 'indestructible' outright tanks a massively charged up Aura beam for the purpose of increasing her strength.

Then burns through all of her Aura & Semblance energies delivering one direct blow, relying on it to save her & leaving her weak & tired.

Or in other words, she:

Yang didn't miss, but we know that isn't a real issue anyway.

Yang used her Semblance to 'win' the fight & very much did rely on it to save her.

Yang expressed anger & many other emotions in the battle & still continues to does so.

Yang willingly took huge risks that involved her being able to take tons of damage rather than go "Around" the problem.

Yang knew Adam was likely stronger given it was 2 V1 but relied on her Semblance to get her out of that bind and she was in fact left weak and tired.

This is also the first time she has done several of these things, or otherwise demonstrated these traits, such as being left weak and tired or willingly tanking big attacks rather than just being hit by surprise or due to being overwhelmed.

I don't take Tai's advice seriously because none of it was accurate or aligned with the Semblance we saw in action or had described to us.

I don't trust Tai's opinion on Yang because his take on her is explicitly informed by Raven & not the Yang we spent four & then five more volumes getting to know.

I don't take Tai's words over Yang's, Ruby's or what we see on screen because Tai is at best a secondary or minor character & a recurring theme in RWBY is the failure of older generations.

These failures are not just in the past but how they have been consistently failing the next generation as the story is being told. There is zero reason to think Tai is some magic exception to this narrative trend when much more well explored characters like Maria, Qrow, Ozpin, Ironwood, Raven, and hell, Summer Rose are not.

& that is my stance on that, thanks for tuning in!

[batboyblog]

Things Biden and the Democrats did, this week #22

June 7-14 2024

Vice-President Harris announced that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is moving to remove medical debt for people's credit score. This move will improve the credit rating of 15 million Americans. Millions of Americans struggling with debt from medical expenses can't get approved for a loan for a car, to start a small business or buy a home. The new rule will improve credit scores by an average of 20 points and lead to 22,000 additional mortgages being approved every year. This comes on top of efforts by the Biden Administration to buy up and forgive medical debt. Through money in the American Rescue Plan $7 billion dollars of medical debt will be forgiven by the end of 2026. To date state and local governments have used ARP funds to buy up and forgive the debt of 3 million Americans and counting.

The EPA, Department of Agriculture, and FDA announced a joint "National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics". The Strategy aimed to cut food waste by 50% by 2030. Currently 24% of municipal solid waste in landfills is food waste, and food waste accounts for 58% of methane emissions from landfills roughly the green house gas emissions of 60 coal-fired power plants every year. This connects to $200 million the EPA already has invested in recycling, the largest investment in recycling by the federal government in 30 years. The average American family loses $1,500 ever year in spoiled food, and the strategy through better labeling, packaging, and education hopes to save people money and reduce hunger as well as the environmental impact.

President Biden signed with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy a ten-year US-Ukraine Security Agreement. The Agreement is aimed at helping Ukraine win the war against Russia, as well as help Ukraine meet the standards it will have to be ready for EU and NATO memberships. President Biden also spearheaded efforts at the G7 meeting to secure $50 billion for Ukraine from the 7 top economic nations.

HHS announced $500 million for the development of new non-injection vaccines against Covid. The money is part of Project NextGen a $5 billion program to accelerate and streamline new Covid vaccines and treatments. The investment announced this week will support a clinical trial of 10,000 people testing a vaccine in pill form. It's also supporting two vaccines administered as nasal sprays that are in earlier stages of development. The government hopes that break throughs in non-needle based vaccines for Covid might be applied to other vaccinations thus making vaccines more widely available and more easily administered.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $404 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the region. This brings the total invested by the Biden administration in the Palestinians to $1.8 billion since taking office, over $600 million since the war started in October 2023. The money will focus on safe drinking water, health care, protection, education, shelter, and psychosocial support.

The Department of the Interior announced $142 million for drought resilience and boosting water supplies. The funding will provide about 40,000 acre-feet of annual recycled water, enough to support more than 160,000 people a year. It's funding water recycling programs in California, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada and Texas. It's also supporting 4 water desalination projects in Southern California. Desalination is proving to be an important tool used by countries with limited freshwater.

President Biden took the lead at the G7 on the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. The PGI is a global program to connect the developing world to investment in its infrastructure from the G7 nations. So far the US has invested $40 billion into the program with a goal of $200 billion by 2027. The G7 overall plans on $600 billion by 2027. There has been heavy investment in the Lobito Corridor, an economic zone that runs from Angola, through the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Zambia, the PGI has helped connect the 3 nations by rail allowing land locked Zambia and largely landlocked DRC access Angolan ports. The PGI also is investing in a $900 million solar farm in Angola. The PGI got a $5 billion dollar investment from Microsoft aimed at expanding digital access in Kenya, Indonesia, and Malaysia. The PGI's bold vision is to connect Africa and the Indian Ocean region economically through rail and transportation link as well as boost greener economic growth in the developing world and bring developing nations on-line.

[strawhatyami]

[1] [2]

[chronologiical]

you have no idea how happy i am that we get taisui at the end of this event

[nagito-kissmaeda]

nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart

Summary:

Komaeda is facing away from you, his broad shoulders are hunched uncomfortably and his head is bowed low down. You can see the full length of his spine, bumps protruding out from under his fragile skin. He’s shaking. “Hey…” You start. Komaeda turns his head and peers at you from over his shoulder, “Hello.” AKA: You help Komaeda wash his hair, and then you have sex in the shower

Contains: AFAB Reader, Explicit Sexual Content, Hurt/Comfort Word Count: 4,097 Read on AO3

It’s early evening on Jabberwock island, and you are lounging on the couch, slowly flipping through the page of a book. The story isn't gripping you, but you are too stubborn to return it to the library before you finish it. It is still nice to have something to occupy yourself, because these days you don’t spend much time outside of your cottage. 

The cottage that you share with Komaeda Nagito, specifically. Roomsharing was something negotiated very early after the first set of people exited the Neo-World Program. You were among them, and voted in favour. Everyone was in a dire spot, emotions were high and danger was even higher. Staying in at least groups of two made sure that everyone was safe, or at least safer. So every new person to leave the program was quickly assigned a partner who would live with them in their cottage and follow them around outside. Komaeda Nagito is your current charge, and he doesn’t go outside very often. So even a boring book helps to keep you occupied. Especially when Komaeda is absent. 

He’s in the shower, he’s been in there for a while. You know that he is in even more emotional distress than usual, the hand that had been until recently attached to his left forearm was removed just a few days ago, and while Souda is working on a prosthetic, it’s not going to be ready for at least a month. It’s been hard for him. 

Suddenly, you are pulled from your thoughts by a loud thud, followed by a gasp of shock. The sound of the water muffles almost everything, but you are sure that you can hear sobbing. Returning your book to the coffee table, you slowly make your way to the bathroom door and press your ear against it. Komaeda is crying. It's that horrible sort of crying too, where you are trying so hard to hold it back that your throat begins to ache. 

Trying not to draw attention to it, you gently knock on the door, “Komaeda-san, are you okay? I thought I heard something fall.” He sniffles, “I-I’m fine, you don’t need to worry.” You slump against the door, you should have known that Komaeda wouldn't admit that he needs help so easily. Swallowing, you reply, “I’m here to help, Komaeda-san. Please, let me.” “No I-” He’s cut off by a sob, and for a few moments all you can hear is crying and running water. “What do you need? Please. ” He sounds almost resigned when he replies, “I-I can’t get the shampoo open.” He laughs then, but it’s weak and ungenuine, “I’m as pathetic as ever, aren’t I?” “No! No, you’re not I-” You lose your words, unsure how you can help from the other side of this door. Biting your lower lip, you hedge your bets, “Can I come in?” The running water sounds louder than ever, making the absence of speech absolutely deafening. After what feels like an age, you hear a quiet, “Okay…”

The room is filled with steam when you open the door and gingerly step inside. Komaeda is facing away from you, his broad shoulders are hunched uncomfortably and his head is bowed low down. You can see the full length of his spine, bumps protruding out from under his fragile skin. He’s shaking. 

“Hey…” You start.

Komaeda turns his head and peers at you from over his shoulder, “Hello.” 

He looks a lot different like this, with his usual mass of curly hair clinging flat to his skull. It’s a lot longer when wet too, reaching an inch or so down past his shoulders. He turns his face away from you again and bends down to pick something up, you quickly realise he is now holding the bottle of shampoo out behind himself for you to come grab. 

Shucking your sweater and leaving it on the towel rack to prevent it from getting wet, you step towards the shower stall, but before you are able to grab the handle and pull the door open, Komaeda laughs weakly. “I apologise, for…subjecting you, to myself.” He breathes, he’s shaking again, “I hope you aren’t too disgusted.” You pull the door open, and grab the bottle of shampoo from his quivering hand, “I’m not.” you reply, quickly unscrewing the cap and passing it back into his awaiting hand, “I’m not disgusted at all.” Komaeda doesn’t offer a reply, but you do watch as he pours some of the shampoo onto the top of his head, and does his best to rub it in with only one available hand. There are a few moments where the remainder of his left arm lifts upward like he is still expecting there to be a hand there. 

He starts sobbing again. 

“Hey, it’s okay…” you say quickly, scrambling to think of what you can do to help, “Would it help if I did it for you? At least for tonight?” He slowly turns his head again, droplets of water are caught in his pale eyelashes, “I couldn’t…I couldn’t ask you to do that for someone like me.” “But would you let me?” He laughs again, it’s a sad little sound, but when he smiles it seems almost real, “I would.” That’s enough for you. 

Komaeda doesn't turn away this time, instead watching almost transfixed as you start tugging off your clothes. It’s going to be awkward, but there is little sense in getting them wet. Komaeda does quickly turn his head when you are left standing there in only your bra and panties, and he steps a little closer to the wall to leave you enough room to slip in behind him. 

The water is very warm. It almost burns. You wonder how he can stand it. 

There isn’t much space in the shower, you are almost pressed up against him, but you ignore this and reach upward to tangle your fingers in his hair. It’s very thin but feels nice between your fingers as you gently encourage the shampoo into a lather. It’s chamomile scented, subtle and clean. A pleased noise escapes him when you put pressure on his temples, and another one when you press your thumbs in at the base of his skull. You watch as his shoulders finally start to relax, angling downward in a soft line as you massage his hair. 

“Tilt your head back for me.” You whisper, so quietly that the falling water almost drowns out your voice. 

Komaeda does as asked, his hair falling backwards over his shoulders in a river of white. “Are your eyes closed?” He hums in reply and allows you to slowly comb through his hair with your fingers, removing any of the remaining suds. 

Your relationship with Komaeda has been strange ever since he woke up from the simulation. He doesn’t talk to you often and tries not to be around you much, despite you sharing a cottage. You can’t help wondering if it’s because he is trying to spare you the discomfort of his presence as he so often says, or if he might just…not like you very much. For all his posturing, you can tell that even Komaeda has his preferences, he and Tsumiki rarely get along, and while he is far more likely to get passive-aggressive than regular aggressive, it’s also pretty obvious that he has very little tolerance for Hanamura. 

Even in those cases though, Komaeda always smiles. You have gotten quite good at reading the subtleties of that smile. Whether it has a sharper mocking edge, or if he is using it to hide lingering sadness underneath. Sometimes it’s genuine, but not very often. You wish you could see his real smile more, but he doesn’t smile around you much at all. Not even disingenuously. 

You aren’t sure why.

Luckily his conditioner is on an easily reachable shelf, so you are able to grab it yourself. Pouring a little bit in your hand, you slowly rub it into his hair, it’s thin enough that he doesn’t need much of it. His hair usually looks so much thicker, but you suppose it’s just very curly and has very little actual weight to it. 

There are only a few tangles when you comb through it again and Komaeda doesn’t make any acknowledgement of pain, but you are familiar enough with him to know that even if he did feel any, Komaeda wouldn’t dare let you know it.

“All done.” You breathe, letting his hair drop free from your hands. 

For the first time, Komaeda turns entirely to face you. His hair is all combed backwards away from his face, leaving his eyes much more intense than usual. They’re a lot greener than you thought they were, and his lips are a lot pinker. 

Water pools at his collarbones, where they arch out almost painfully from beneath his paper-thin skin. The slope of his neck is long and intimidating, even when he is hunched over like this Komaeda is much taller than you. 

He stares down at you appraisingly, head tilted to the side as if he finds you endlessly curious, “Why?” 

The energy between the two of you has shifted. You can feel it, there is a rising tension, a panicked desperation that you are both trying to keep at bay. It’s unexpected, but you are surprised to find that it is hardly unwelcome. It feels like your words are all caught at the back of your throat, so you have to swallow thickly before you are able to answer his question.

“Why, what?” you reply, near breathlessly. 

Komaeda’s brow draws taught, he seems confused, “Ah, you see, I know very well that you drew the short straw when you were assigned to look after me out of everyone here.” he says quickly, factually, “I can only imagine how disappointed you must have been! So why even bother actually helping me?” You frown, upset at how readily he assumes this about you, “You talk like this happened by chance.”

He barks a laugh, “Well, it must have! How else could someone be convinced to-” “I asked! ” He freezes, you can see his bare chest heaving with laboured breath, his tongue darts out to wet his lip and the water falling all around is the only sound you hear until, “You…asked?” “I knew how difficult this would be for you. All of it, I mean.” you shrug one shoulder, trying to make this confession seem less momentous than it actually is, “I wanted to help you. So I asked to be assigned to you when you woke up.”

Komaeda’s expression twists into something that you are at first worried might be pain, and then he drops his head down, burying his face in the crook of your neck. “Don’t do this to me. You can’t care about me. You can’t .” He pleads, his breath warm on your skin.

You wrap one of your arms around him, heart racing as you do so, “What if I do?” you whisper, “What if I care about you more every single day, what then?” He makes a strangled sound, and his hand grips tightly to your bare waist. It feels so large pressed against you, “I’ll do something I shouldn’t, I know it! Something selfish ” Another sob breaks loose from his throat, and he tugs you up against him. You become suddenly very aware of just how naked the two of you are, but it’s hardly at the forefront of your mind. 

“Be selfish then.” You breathe, gently combing through his hair with your fingers, “You’re allowed that, just like everyone else.” You feel him shake his head, aching sobs preventing him from speaking clearly, “I’m not , I’m not like everyone else, given the chance I would just take and take and take .” His shoulders shake with wheezing peals of laughter, “I have nothing to offer the others, nothing to offer the world, nothing to offer you .”

The fact that he separates you from not just the others, but the whole world, makes fireworks alight in your chest. His hand moves from your waist to the small of your back, hugging you as tightly as he can with only one arm, still shivering with something trapped between laughter and sobs, “W-why- hahaha! Why should someone like me be allowed to take when I have nothing to give? It just- it doesn’t make sense! I don’t- I just-” You push him backward by the shoulders, just enough that you can look him in the eyes. They are rimmed with red, and his cheeks are pink and blotchy. Your brows pull together, and you reach out to cup his cheek in your palm. His eyes dart to your hand, and then back to your face, you offer him a smile, “You don’t have to be useful to exist, you know? It’s alright to just be.” you gently rub your thumb over his prominent cheekbone, “and I, for one, am glad that you are here.”

His breathing grows heavier, and even amongst the falling water, you can still catch the tears running down his cheeks. Komaeda’s fingers press firm enough against your skin that it almost hurts, like he is trying to anchor himself to you. He sucks in a desperate mouthful of air, lips half open as if he needs to say something, anything . 

Then, he finally breaks. 

Komaeda surges forward, pressing his body full against yours and kissing you with indescribable desperation. His large hand digs into the wet hair at the nape of your neck, fingers tangling in tight. You gasp into his mouth, the hand you have on his cheek moving around to cradle the back of his head. He whimpers aloud at the feeling of your fingers in his hair, angling his head to the side for easier access to your mouth. It’s difficult to keep your moans in check when his lips open beneath yours, and it becomes impossible when he takes your lower lip in between his and gently sucks on it. 

The two of you are a desperate mess, and with the hot water still raining down all around there is no reprieve from the unrelenting heat. Komaeda moves his hand to your hip, grasping tightly to your soft skin and doesn't so much push as he does guide you up against the glass wall of the shower. You gasp aloud, and he pulls away.

“We can stop.” He says quickly,  so quickly that it comes out sounding like a single word.

“No.” You reply just as fast, wanting to ensure that he doesn't get a chance to doubt how much you need him, “The glass is cold and it surprised me, that’s all.”

He giggles a little, and the smile he gives you is so close to being truly genuine that it makes your heart ache, “Ah, my apologies, then.”

He doesn't immediately return to kissing you, instead rubbing gentle circles on your hip bone with his thumb. He watches the way his own fingers move across your skin, mesmerised by it, as if he can barely even comprehend how he is able to touch you, that his fingers don’t pass straight through. You don’t interrupt him, inside absorbing the way his brows pinch when he focuses, the depth of his eyes. The gentle movement of his thumb sends shivers through you, though it’s clear that he is now more curious than desperate. 

“This is a terrible idea.” He whispers, “You know that, don’t you?” Despite his words, he makes no move to release you. His hand still grips tightly to your bare hip, his actions fully betraying his words. Komaeda thinks he should stop, but he really doesn't want to. You place your hand over where his rests, pressing it firmly against you, “I don’t think it’s a terrible idea.” you breathe, “Besides, what else could we possibly lose?” He makes a choked noise in the back of his throat, like he wants to argue but can’t bring himself to. In the shaky moment between words, you slowly bring his hand up your side and over the dip of your waist, all the way up. Komaeda swallows thickly, breath quickening as you gently move his hand to your breast. 

“Touch me.” He moans then, a sound so needy that it almost sounds like a plea. His hand squeezes your breast and he buries his face in the side of your neck again, “S-Soft…” he whimpers against you, hand squeezing firmer this time, “So soft…” You toss your head back in a moan of your own when you feel his lips latch onto the side of your throat. He’s moaning and huffing against you, sucking deep purple marks up the length of it. He repositions his hand a little so that he is able to circle your nipple with his thumb and that sends your hips immediately canting forward into his. Komaeda makes a desperate choked noise, and you can feel his arousal press firm against your lower belly. 

Komaeda pulls back just a little, enough that he can see the constellation of bruises he has left on the side of your throat. He laughs a little, “Aha! You’re real , and I am here, doing this to you.”

His assertion at the reality of this moment only makes the warmth in your belly grow fiercer. You hook your leg up over his hip, and Komaeda instinctively tries to steady you with his left arm. He giggles to himself, peering down at where he has the remainder of his forearm tucked under your raised knee, “How lucky, that still worked.” With the extra leverage, Komaeda rests his hand on the glass wall behind you and lifts your leg just enough for your sex to press against his. The sound he makes is nearly evangelical, a broken and passionate moan at the mere feeling of you against him. 

You loop your arms around his shoulders for balance, glad that he doesn’t feel the need to hide his face in your shoulder again, because it means you get to watch him. His eyes squeeze shut, and he clenches his teeth together as he tenderly rocks his hips against yours. You mewl at the feeling, resting your head back on the cool glass behind you. 

His eyes open, and he just stares at you. They’re greener towards the centre, rimmed with a shade so pale you could almost call it grey. His eyelashes are long and white, so close you could count them. His tongue darts out to wet his lips, and he is angelic . With hair clinging to him like a white veil, reaching all the way down to his collarbones, and the way his lips hang open with heavy breath. 

“Please…” Is all you are able to say, one word filled with such desperation that Komaeda nearly shatters at the gravity of it. 

He moves his hand down between the two of you, and lines himself up with your entrance. You release a stuttered little gasp when he brushes against you, and Komaeda shudders, “Ah…are you…are you sure? ” You get the sense this is the last time he will ask. 

“I’m sure.” You reply, and Komaeda leans down to rest his forehead against yours as he pushes himself forward. Your moans intermingle with the first inch, his more of a whine and yours more of a gasp. You move your hands to the back of his head, clutching tightly at his wet hair, breath coming hard and heavy as he inches in deep and deeper. When he bottoms out, Komaeda cries out, nearly sobbing . 

“I-I…aha! I’m-” he can barely even bring himself to say it. You save him the trouble, tilting your head up and slanting your lips against his. Komaeda makes a shocked sound into your mouth, his hand quickly jumping up to cup your cheek in his palm. His lips are soft and wet and warm, you dart your tongue out to run across the seam of his mouth and he welcomes you gratefully. Despite his near panicked desperation, his tongue is gentle with yours, licking into your mouth like he is addicted to your taste. 

You are still kissing him when he starts to move, and he swallows the desperate little gasps your release with each of his shaky thrusts. The water is starting to turn cold, the two of you have been in here for so long that the hot water is running out, it doesn’t matter. Komaeda’s hand moves down from your cheek to your chest, and he gently massages your breast while his tongue continues tangling with yours. Being this close to him, with him inside you, it’s suddenly impossible to imagine how you ever went without. You cling to him desperately, your blunt nails scratching at the nape of his neck and realise that you need him just as much as he needs you, if not even more. 

He thrusts harder, deeper, and your mouth leaves his so you can release a throaty moan at the feeling of him hitting that perfect spot inside, “R-Right there…” You manage to stammer, head resting back against the glass behind you, “Please… please… ” 

Komaeda whines, angling his hips in an attempt to hit the same spot again. He watches you, to make sure he’s doing it right, and he breaks out in a wide smile when your lips fall open in another shaky moan. There’s a perfect twisting of pleasure building inside you, growing more and more powerful with each of Komaeda’s movements. 

You can’t help but focus on all the places he is touching you. On where his large hand grips your breast, on the feeling of his forearm tucked under your knee, and then when he ducks his head down once again, the sensation of his lips on the side of your throat. He is everywhere, and that thought just brings you closer and closer. The water is still slowly cooling, and Komaeda huffs desperately against your neck, “I-I’m close…” Even hearing that sends a bolt of pleasure straight between your thighs, “M-Me too.” You swallow thickly, “Don’t stop” Komaeda breaks out in a bout of laughter, “Aha! I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.” he gently nips your neck, “You feel so good, do you know that?” he picks up the pace, moaning loudly against your skin, “Don’t you know what you are doing to me?” You can’t even answer, head lolling back in ecstasy as you feel your arousal reaching a fever pitch. In a near stupor, you wrap both of your arms around his shoulders and tug him forward until his chest is pressed fully against your, desperate for him to be completely and impossibly close to you. Komaeda is trembling against you, his thrusts turning rhythmless and desperate, you can hear his quickening breath in your ear and with a warbling cry, you shatter . 

You feel yourself go limp, only the wall behind you and Komaeda’s arm under your knee are keeping you upright. Your whole body feels loose and warm, but you still watch in adoration as Komaeda continues moving inside of you. His brow creasing, his teeth biting down on his lower lip and then with a howling broken cry, he tumbles over the edge. 

He lets your leg drop, his face falling to rest on your shoulder as his breathing slows. A surprised gasp escapes you when he pulls out, almost aching from the loss of him. He doesn’t have anything to say, and neither do you, simply letting your fingers run through his hair as he comes back down. 

You only have a moment to rest before the hot water disappears completely and both of you jump at the sudden cold. Komaeda quickly shuts the water off and turns back to you with a sleepy smile, “It appears we have used all the hot water.” You laugh, “Yes, it does.” He stands before you, his face soft and his smile finally finally genuine. You reach up and tuck some of his wet hair behind his ear, heart warming with something that might someday be love. You hope that you will be with him long enough to see that day. “We should, ah, probably get out now.” He says almost sheepishly. 

You smile, “Probably. Next time we should make sure not to waste so much water.” Komaeda’s face is awash in surprise, but it quickly settles back into that perfectly tender smile, “Yes, next time.” 

[wachinyeya]

Indian IT Worker Designs New Eco-Friendly Sewage Treatment Method with the Sacred Cow as His Inspiration https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/indian-it-worker-designs-new-eco-friendly-sewage-treatment-method-with-the-sacred-cow-as-his-inspiration/

Tharun Kumar began to imagine ways to build a better sewage treatment method that could produce good quality water without chemicals.

In 2017, Kumar started ECOSTP with the chambered stomach of the cow as his “bovine inspiration.”

Typical wastewater plants use aerobic bacteria, or metabolism with oxygen, to break down sewage, but this requires the ventilation system that continually runs on energy. Regular sewage treatment also tends to use chemicals, and has the presence of a full-time employee. Kumar has eliminated almost all of these drawbacks.

At the base of the ECOSTP septic tank is a layer of cow dung that provides the bacterial workers. With the water moving via gravity, it enters the second bacterial chamber before passing into the third space which is a filter of sand and gravel. The fourth chamber lies under a garden of select vascular plants which removes suspended solids, pathogens, nitrogen, and phosphorus, the latter two going to feed the plants.

The resulting water is graded by health inspectors as good quality for toilet water and gardening applications. With the aid of a grant from the US-based Biomimicry Solutions, ECOSTP now has 325 clients across 22 states in India, and their septic tanks are unmanned and unpowered, saving thousands in running costs.

“We are proud to have reclaimed 2 billion liters of sewage so far without power or chemicals.”

ECOSTP is now seeing if it’s possible to identify anaerobic bacteria that can remove the harmful compounds of industrial effluent.

[zootzar]

"..this is what you wanted to show me?"

"Superior to your filthy earthan oceans, isn't it?"

"..shut up zim."

[arckiaym]

Y'all remember when etho pink parrots happened? Yea me too here's what I drew for that, like a month ago 👍

[tategaminu]

Anyone else incredibly happy by the animation in the new clips?? It's awesome! the expressions?? Movements?? Rayla's action scene?? the 2D water??? like it seems the animation from S2/3 is back! Season four was... kind of bad and even if S5 was improved it still didn't have the smootheness of Arc 1 SO YIPEE