#ask keet

[morningnoodles]

Behold! 'Tis I, the mysterious Bagginshield Cryptid, returned from the deep woods and here to visit you with another Bagginshield question. . . What is your favourite headcanon?

hello Bagginshield Cryptid!! it's so good to see you, hope you've been doing well ☆

i can't just say one because there are sooo many great headcanons out there haha! but these three are the prominent ones in my mind recently:

Thorin immediately being attracted to Bilbo when he first arrived at Bag End. you have no idea how much i love it when fic writers mention that in their fics. giggling, kicking my feet, burying my head in my pillow.

literally anything food-related. i am a h0e for food-centric storytelling. in particular, the headcanon that Thorin is used to eating less than the average dwarf and even skipping meals altogether because of how he's lived his whole life and Bilbo simply refuses that to continue in his presence. PLEASE. this wonderful post by @wildflower182 is *chefs kiss* a perfect example of this hc

this one's a little sad and had been in my mind the whole time i worked on my grief piece for bagginshieldtober: i think about how Bilbo probably forgot about the acorn for a whilst when he arrived home from Erebor. i think about how, when he finally found it in the pockets of his tattered coat he is struck with bittersweet melancholy. he'd use a kerchief to wipe it clean of any dust and carefully place it on his writing desk. how he'd spend so much time looking at it sometimes instead of starting his book. i think about how long it probably took him to finally decide to plant the acorn. bury it in the ground.

[genderjester]

Hiiii can you do satoru with d2 ? 🥰🫰

hell yesssss<33

[literalliterature]

rolls into your inbox. a laika in seraphim or keet in sea angel i think would be very fun

Did both because as I said these are exactly the palettes I would have picked for each of them, you genius. Also in my head they are besties.

Thank you!!!!

palette challenge by @ultrainfinitepit

[ID copied from alt: The first image shows a shoulders-up portrait of a young woman in a graphic style done in a limited palette of white, oranges, and pinks. About half of her face is dark-skinned, while the other half is lighter and made of slime. She also has an extra eye on this side. Her neck-length hair is textured and shaved on one side, with a couple of lighter streaks running through it. She also has a tail with multicolored feathers at the tip. She grins widely and winks as she looks up toward a few white, five-pointed stars shooting over her. The background shows stripes in the approximate colors of the lesbian flag. The second image shows a shoulders-up portrait of a young woman in profile, done in a sketchy style with a palette of yellow, white, and various shades of blue. She is fat and has faintly visible white freckles on her cheeks, as well as a couple of scars on her face and arm. Her hair is dark and wavy with white streaks throughout it and is tied back. She wears a headband and a pendant around her neck in the shape of an abstracted wave. She smiles as she looks outward. The background shows shining blue water and a blazing white sun in a yellow sky. End ID.]

[gyroshrike]

wanted to tell you that I originally followed you cuz you discovered one of my alltime favorite shows (Legion of Superheroes) and it was fun watching you on your journey and then fall into the Brainysupes shipping hell with me, but then I kinda stayed cuz it's so delightful to see your reblogs on my dash?? idk just wanted to tell you you've made me smile numerous times, keep being you

Ahhhhhhhh ;0; That's so sweet you don't even know. This just completely made my day bluughouhhgfgh TToTT I can't get over it, I just look at it and smile

Here's some silly little doodles for you ;w; ;w; ;w; I promise I'm not done with Legion stuff :'D

[artistfingers]

just wanted to tell you that seeing you on my dash for any reason sparks me so much joy you have no idea ty for existing

WAUGHHH YOURE TOO SWEET THANK YOU

[pyroweasel]

△

asking hazel how he REALLY feels about fleece deep down in his heart of hearts :p

and on a lighter note -

asking keet, hypothetically, if he HAD to choose either fable or crim, and the one he didnt choose would disappear forever, who would he choose.

Hazel -

Scale of 1 to 10 how much he doesn't want to answer this question: 0-2. Lower score if he knows he has to be honest and *knows* what that honest answer is. Slightly higher score if he thinks 'the answer is obvious and I don't want to answer because it's asinine'

But answering it honestly - they're either one of very, very few people he has, or the only thing he's got at all (depending on au). Their existence is desperately important to him, and give it long enough their existence is intregal to who he is as a person - and if he *had* to put a name to it he'd call them a friend. (But we are well aware this is as close to love as Hazel gets)

-

Keet at a solid 0 for desire to answer this question - how is this a lighter note?!

Obviously he'd try to circumvent the answer by providing a third option - he goes and they both stay.

But for a question he cannot provide a third answer or any nuance, and *must* answer - he'd choose to keep Fable. And feel really, really bad about it.

(imo Crim should give him some grace because I think they'd also choose Fable)

[orcinus-veterinarius]

I’ve been scrolling through your blog for about an hour now and wow!! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and insight. I actually live right next to Penn Cove where the infamous roundup took place so myself and the other locals are very sensitive when it comes to the whales here. You’ve opened a new door that I can’t wait to share with my whale watching group 👍💙

Thank you for your kind words! Your whales are spectacular 🤩 how wonderful that you get to see them on the regular!

You’ll have to let me know how it goes. I imagine it’s a sore subject… it was a tragic thing that never should’ve happened. But if any good came of it, I believe it was Kalina— the first “Baby Shamu”—whose father Winston was taken during the Penn Cove captures. Thanks to her and her parents’ legacy, killer whales went from widely hated to internationally adored.

[horrendoushag]

I follow a lot of Danny Phantom blogs and all of you are being hit by a rando anon asking the weirdest thing, but always along the lines of "You feel like the kid/person who would- X" (I'm going deep in my dash tho so this ask was probably end of july/early august)

yeahhh that happened a few weeks ago and I was so confused. it was funny tho, and I think the anon got it right with a few people

[elvain]

What's a series/comic that you're currently reading for your Big Marvel Journey that has surprised you, as far as how much you're enjoying it? Like i.e. you didn't know anything about it going into it or didn't think you would like it, but you really are now.

dazzler 100%. i never expected to go so crazy for dazzler at ALL. the hawkeye mini also surprised me and the magik mini! but the full, real answer is dazzler without a doubt. i knew i would love the avengers, FF, UXM, etc etc. i even knew i would love most of the solos im reading. but at the time, dazzler was just another comic on the list to get through 1981. she changed me

[hart269]

Slithering Hearts

Chapter 9

Pairing : Regulus Black x Fem! reader

Synopsis : You begin an unlikely friendship with the little Black. And soon your whole life seems to have become a tumultuous pathway. The catch, James Potter is your brother.

A/N : The plot thickens as Sirius runs away from home.

Masterlist / Series Masterlist

Through the incessants knocking of the door at midnight, you had managed to be there first. Considering you were already awake, you had been the first to respond to the knocks, though you gripped your wand tight. It was storming outside, rain pelting down on the Potter Manor. Keets, your house elf stood behind you, although she argues to there first, you managed to keep her behind. You pried the door just as the frantic knocking stopped.

Out of all the things you had expected, a drenched Sirius Black wasn't one of them. He looked shabby, thin as if he hadn't eaten all summer. His knuckles were red and pale, clutching a small bag on one. His face had little cuts on them, and there were tears running down his face mixed with the rain water.

"Hello baby potter" he croaked. Another round of thunder cackled, as his body slumped, you screamed for James, lifting Sirius who was on his knees. Keets rushed to call your mom. James came running, running his hands through his tousled hair. Eyes widening at the sight of Sirius, he rushed to take him in his arms, getting his t-shirt soaked.

"Hey, Padfoot" James brushed his wet hair behind, "Be with me alright"

Sirius however kept crying, buried in his bestfriend's shoulder. The footsteps on the stairs, indicated, your parents rushing downstairs.

Sirius finally parted, "I had nowhere else to go, my mother she wanted me to join him".

Your eyes darted to the door, as if waiting for another figure to step in, coming back in disappointment.

James rubbed his back, "Join who, Sirius"

Sirius looked up in misery or fury, you couldn't tell, "Voldemort". Euphemia gasped hearing that name.

Sirius shook his head, "Euphs, I'm sorry for coming at this hour but I can't go back to that house".

Fleamont stepped forward, "Absolutely not, there is no chance you're going back to that house."

Sirius nodded, tears of appreciation flowed down his pale cheeks. Euphemia however looked in concern, "Sirius, dear, are you hurt?".

He however only gave a little grunt, "Nothing that bad", which in all its seriousness probably didn't mean much."

Your mom nodded, "I'll send some potions for you, James, honey take him to your room."

James moved with a "Yes mum". You left soon too, your mind still wandering about Reg, why didn't he come with Sirius, did they not let him, was he hurt or worse, Sirius didn't say anything to indicate his whereabouts.

You asked him that after breakfast, he however scoffed while you felt your heart sank, "I would advise you to stay away from him, he isn't what you think he is"

You weren't to back down soon, "Why would I, I have spent more time with him in the past few years than you did, I know him, Sirius, he isn't bad"

He sighed, "You're blinded by your itty bitty crush, he is just like them, he didn't even" He choked, "He didn't even seem to have an idea of what he's getting himself into, he's just mommy's little boy who will do whatever she tells him to"

"Do you really think of him like that because I know for a fact that he hates living there as much as you do, you think he likes to be there, that he enjoys being in her presence" you snapped.

He shook his head, glowering "Really, he wasn't the one who got punished for being in a different house, he wasn't the one his mother hates for simply fucking existing"

You took a deep breath, "You're right Sirius, you are, doesn't means he's that better off is it, you both live in the same house, and not to mention he loves you Sirius, he does, he won't say it, you won't say it but he is your brot-"

"Stop it, stop defending him, are you listening to yourself, he is fiooling you, he has turned to their side, no matter what you or I feel, he is gone to them".

Maybe the truth wasn't that Sirius never wanted to talk to Regulus, maybe it was that everytime he wanted to his brain shut him off. To admit he felt sympathy from his brother would have him accept Reg's pain along with his own, and he didn't feel brave enough to do so.

Summer went quietly, not a letter from Reg. You and Sirius eventually became civil with each other, hanging out all together. Soon, he became an unofficial Potter, heck he accidentaly called Euphemia mom once and now he had stuck with it.

The ride to Hogwarts express was filled with apprehension, you were sitting next to Amelia. You were hearing her talk about her Summer ignoring the sting you felt realising Regulus was now plainly ignoring you.

You knew there had to be something but you decided to wait until you could find him alone, which was near impossible. He wasn't to be seen in astronomy tower either. You waited and waited, until you snapped, dragging him away from Rosier and shoving him into an emoty classroom. Locking the door behind, you pointed the wand at his neck, "Any last words, Black?"

"Last words huh, you''re gonna kill me Potter, you can't even seem to stay away from me" he leaned over you.

"I bet ghost Regulus would be nicer, you have been avoiding me like a plague, some friend you are" You stared back at him with ferocity and an unrecognised softness.

"Then go, what are you waiting for?" he said, not looking at you.

"Is that it, Reg, Is that all you have to say, all you can say, have I not listened patiently to whatever troubles you" your voice went soft with each syllable.

"What do you want me to tell you, you know what happened, he left to your house, not a letter, not a note, in the dead of night, he just left, I didn't even know where until much letter"

His fingers fumbled with his robes.

You took his hand, "You can come too, Reg. Run away from there, come with me"

He hesitated, "I can't, It's too late for me anyways"

Your eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean too late Reg?"

Regulus didn't look at you, "You should leave while it's still time, you can still save yourself"

You scoffed, "I don't need anyone to save from me, not from you. Do you know how many times I'v been told to leave you and I told off every time, and now you are doing the same".

He slumped against the wall, his hand still clutched in yours, "Maybe they were right?"

"Right about what, Reg right about what, can you be fucking clear" the words burnt in your throat. Frustration clawing its way in.

His eyes were filled with pain, as he looked at you in desperation, alternating his choice between telling you to leave him alone or to stay forever. He decided in the end, to let you decide, for he couldn't find a way out of his misery. And he had known you more than he had known himself.

He slided the cloak covering his arm, hearing you gasp gave him the confirmation that you had seen it, the mark. The hollow eyes of the skull that bore onto him every single time he saw it, haunting him.

Your fingers brushed over it, testing that it wasn't a mere part of your hallucination. That it was really there. You flinched as if it had burned and he suspected it may have, charred something. You took a shuddering breath, you had thought of many possibilities but this, this was different from all of them. The horror of reality outweighed your imagination.

You looked at him to find him already looking at you, his expression grim, his eyes distressed, pained. "Did you agree to this?".

One question that you beleived was the most crucial one now.

"Not directly, no, The night after Sirius was gone, I had nowhere to run, I couldn't leave, I had no magic, I was surrounded by them, so many of them" He choked, a lone tear escaped his eyes. You gently brushed it away, he dropped his hands onto your cheek. "I couldn't tell them no, he was there, he said it was an honour that I was his youngest soldier but I felt anything but so. I felt vile and it wouldn't go away" He glared at the mark, sniffling. Rubbing it harshly while more tears fell.

You held both his hands, stopping him. You slowly snaked your arms around his waist, pulling hin gently towards you. His body remained tense, until he too wrapped his hands around you, head dropping into the crook of your neck. He tightened his grip, engulfing you in him. His body was shaking. You gently rubbed circles in his back.

"It's okay, Reg, everything will be fine." He just clutched you tighter until he couldn't feel his hands or his feelings. Was it bad that you personally wanted to murder his parents?

Taglist : @shycreationdreamland @mp-littlebit @girlbooklover555 @godofstory @misacc08 @starchaser-lily @moonywastakenn @lovemelikecrazyiloveyoucrazy @skepvids @venomsvl @hecateschildren @rainyroads @heizoulvr

[lucawrites11]

more unsolicited evie bronze-walsh headcanons but this time with a video so you can understand exactly where i am coming from

the start of her unwavering adoration for ice cream

it's summer 2015, after the world cup, evie's eight months old and she started to eat solid foods and everything and it's warm. the british heatwave is heatwave-ing and it's the middle of the season (the season's were different in 2015)

man city are in a run of good form having just beaten arsenal away with lucy scoring so it's ice cream time for some of the girls (toni duggan, demi stokes, jen beattie, jill scott, keets, steph houghton, karen bardsley) to celebrate and some of the england arsenal girls (alex scott, jordan nobbs, casey stoney) end up joining them in the park near borehamwood after the game to eat ice cream (it's so hot they can't even be pissed about losing and playing in the paddling pool with evie sounded too fun)

there's an ice cream van and everyone eating some and jill is like "has evie had ice cream yet?". lucy says "no" and jill lets her try some of her ice cream. it's chocolate flavour. and evie reacts a little like this:

it's downhill from there. it's one of the first foods that evie learns to ask for. she always wants it, on multiple occasions she has managed to lie to people and get multiple in a day. at the euros in 2017 they had a groupchat dedicated solely to saying if evie had had ice cream that day or not because of how good she was at lying and manipulating them into getting it for her

jill forever takes credit for giving evie her first taste of ice cream, never shuts up about it and claims that makes her the favourite because she introduced evie to her favourite thing

[morningnoodles]

Hi noodles! Just wondering if you have a ko-fi or Patreon at all? I’d love to support you somehow! Your art is so lovely!

this made me cry at 8 in the morning 🥹

*shoos away the dust bunnies and soot sprites* it’s an old one connected to my ig art account but here it is: Ko-Fi

thank you for wanting to support me, anon. truly it means a lot ಥ‿ಥ♡

[thequeenofsarcaasm]

Chapter 9 of Love is in the hands

Thanks again to @bearhaviour for inspiring 50% of the nastiness of this chapter and to @fah-keet for always encouraging me to take artistic decisions that will lead me to hell.

Summary

After getting kicked out of his home for being queer, Suguru comes across his childhood sweetheart in a strange gay bar that is owned by his new “family”: a bunch of queer social rejects who were taken in by Yuki, an eccentric matriarch. He finds a new home (and his lost love) there.

Glimpse

“I don’t think I ever made someone cum that hard and that says a lot for coming from an ex professional piece of ass as myself. Are you okay?” Satoru asks.

“Still a bit overwhelmed. I’m sorry,” Suguru says, feeling gross over the mix of cum and sweat covering his body. 

“It’s okay. I think I should be the one apologizing,” Satoru says with a laugh. Gently, he rubs a warm, humid towel over his partner’s bare abdomen to get rid of any trace of their previous activities.

“You were great. I just-yeah. You were great. Too great even. My skirt- Shoot.” Suguru covers his forehead with his hands and shakes his head. Suddenly his voice is tangled up again and his cheeks are wet, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on with me,” he sniffles. 

“Did my dick break my boyfriend? Did these people even pay me what I was worth?” Satoru asks himself aloud. But his attempt at humor is fruitless. Suguru can’t stop sobbing.

“Suguru,” Satoru discards the towel and pulls him in a tight embrace.”What’s wrong? Is it because of your parents?” he asks against his hair while gently petting it. 

“I’m fine. I just need a few minutes,” Suguru reassures in ragged breaths. What an embarrassing day for him. 

“Do you think tea would help calm you down?” Satoru asks. “Lavender maybe?” he suggests. His voice is so kind, so loving and his gaze so tender that the tears threaten to flow again.

“Maybe,” Suguru says.

Satoru collects his cum stained t-shirt and shorts from the floor and slips into them. Hopefully, he won’t meet anyone on his way. “Just give me two minutes. Okay? I’ll go fetch you some. Cuddle with my Kuromi while I’m gone. She smells just like me.” He leans down for a quick forehead kiss and walks out urgently. 

Indeed, Kuromi proves herself to be a great placeholder while Satoru is gone. Suguru fights against the cold by holding on tight to her, cradling her head like a human child. A few minutes later, Satoru comes back with his favorite mug, the one not even Suguru is allowed to touch, in normal circumstances at least. 

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asks as he hands it to Suguru and sits on the edge of the bed..

“Yes. I-That pounding was for the books. Are you mad at me or something?” Suguru jokes. The mug is warm against his palms.

“I just got carried away,” Satoru laughs shyly. 

“Well, you might be a brute but you sure are great at aftercare. Thank you, Satoru,” Suguru says with a smile. The tears are gone.

“It’s the least I could do after making you cry. You were hot though. Super hot,” Satoru comments shamelessly.

His partner can’t help but chuckle. “I heard you the first time. You’re a sadist,” he says. 

“Can’t help it.” Satoru shrugs. “I’m not really normal about you,” he admits. “Besides, you’re not especially kind to my body either.”

“Can you remove your t-shirt and turn around for me?” Suguru asks as he places the mug on the bedside table and scrawls closer to examine Satoru’s back. He traces the red stripes with the tip of his fingers, earning a slight shudder from Satoru. “Does it hurt?”

Satoru turns his head to look at him. “Nah. It’s fine. I deserved it anyways,” he reassures. “You better trim those nails though. An accident could happen.”

“Do it for me later?” Suguru asks.

“Sure.” Satoru says.

The raven scoots even closer to him, pressing his chest against his back. “I love you, Satoru. With all my heart.” he whispers against Satoru’s shoulder, nuzzling him closely.

“Why so sentimental suddenly? Are you going to cry again?” Satoru taunts.

“I'm still dick drunk. Don’t mind me,” Suguru says. “Wait,” he perks up. “ Maybe I really am a cock slut.”.

Satoru claps his hands proudly. “Congratulations, you just unlocked the skill of self awareness,” he jokes.

‘Stop teasing,” Suguru giggles, more at the memories awakened by the clapping sounds than anything else. He rubs his cheek against Satoru’s freshly shaved undercut and leaves a little kiss just underneath. “ Hey Satoru,” he calls softly. “Do you think I should try something new with my hair?”

[literalliterature]

your OC Keet and Arsonist's Lullaby for the color palette challenge?

A little cute, a little spooky, as it should be

Thank you for the request!

[ID: A full-body drawing of Keet floating in water, done in a limited palette of deep blues, pinks, and white. She is a thick-set young woman with dark hair that has light streaks throughout and light freckles across her cheeks. She wears a fur capelet over her dress. Fish swim and bubbles float around her. In three different sections of the drawing, there are square panels overlaid over her, and where the panels are present, everything turns to bone: part of her skull and ribcage, her humerus, and some of the skeletons of the fish are visible. In the top right corner, the palette is shown, named "#82 Arsonist's Lullaby." End ID.]

[gyroshrike]

yooo watching green lantern animated series now too? I have this whole theory about the show and what they did with the characters (100% just speculation and 100% NOT a complaint cuz it's something I love to see) but I realized as I was explaining it it'd just spoil the whole show! So all I will say is that since I know you enjoyed the plot of another show, this show does it harder and you will have so much fun

Yes, I am! And I very much appreciate the no spoilers! But once I finish, you can definitely share. :D

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

hello! I just wanted to know your thoughts on orcas living in accredited facilities. are they thriving, or are they too smart to be 'locked up' as ARAs say? I've been debating myself on this for a while, and I wanted to ask someone ^^^

Are captive killer whales doomed and depressed? Was it right to end the breeding program?

Hi there! Thank you for being curious and asking these questions!

I can tell you that current welfare data of killer whales in accredited facilities does suggest positive welfare eg. demonstrating optimistic welfare states and demonstrating healthy social and reconciliation behaviours in Loro Parque orcas. (source) (source)

Unfortunately we just don't have a whole lot of welfare data for killer whales the same way we do for bottlenose dolphins. But that's sort of a generalised answer.

I want to address your questions specifically though.

Are orcas "too smart" for being in human care?

I'd say that the intelligence or the supposed hyper intelligence of cetaceans has been overblown and has been the source of contention since John Lilley came on the scene in the 60's making wild claims about hyper intelligent dolphins that speak their own language that still persist to this day (never mind the guy killed dolphins in his experimental brain scans and gave them LSD... the 60's were wild).

The people claiming orcas are too intelligent are people like Dr. Lori Marino - a neuroscientist who makes unsubstantiated claims about cetacean intelligence and draws conclusions about intelligence and cognition from brain scans. Can brain structure give you some data to make educated guesses on intelligence? Sure. But you can't then draw conclusions about welfare about animals you've never examined or done a welfare assessment of.

None of the people making these claims have done objective welfare assessments with access to health and veterinary records.

Lori, as well as other lobbyists like Naomi Rose and Ingrid Visser, have been called out by the scientific community more than once on publishing papers that make unsubstantiated claims about welfare.

My colleagues published this paper refuted their claims that orcas were being "damaged" by captivity (using human comparisons of prisoner of war camps despite human and killer whale brains being separated by millions of years of evolution) . But the media had already picked up the catchy, shocking paper that got published by a journal with no cetacean experience ( the Journal of Veterinary Behavior who also refused to retract the paper despite letters from cetacean welfare scientists)

There is unfortunately a huge problem of lobbyists who are lobbying governments to change laws on cetacean welfare who are using science to skew data for their personal beliefs. And they are absolutely shameless and will block any other scientists that try to refute them.

If anything, intelligence creates adaptability. There's a reason we have bottlenose dolphins in human care around the world but not harbor porpoises. Bottlenose dolphins are socially intelligent and more easily adapt to new environments and bond with human care takers. Orcas are similar, though environmental change has been reported to upset them a lot more. They are very socially intelligent, which makes them very interested in learning and being curious and bonding with human caretakers.

If captive orcas were truly so utterly broken the way they're depicted by media and these "studies" they would not be able to learn new behaviours, they would not eat and play and socialise and they would not engage with the trainers and guests.

See a whole playlist of SeaWorld orcas in their free time - it really helps you look beyond those 10 second "sad SeaWorld orca" videos (it's usually just Keet resting because that's what he prefers to do in his spare time)

Are orcas in accredited facilities "depressed" or suffering in any way?

Now when it comes down to actual welfare of orcas in accredited facilities - based on anecdotal and scientific evidence, statements from trainers I've talked to who work with the animals every day (no they're not getting paid any more than minimum wage and speak freely), what I've witnessed through many hours of observation ect.

I can say with a fair amount of certainty that these orcas are not abused, depressed, doomed or going insane. They have a robust enrichment program, get the best vet care in the world (I'm sure @orcinus-veterinarius can attest to that), are engaged and motivated to learn regardless of satiety (though they'll have their off days of course) and they have good stable social structures that rarely see any hyper aggression (but aggression is normal in social groups too).

Could it be better?

Absolutely. If it were up to me, they would have the Blue World project done and built, bigger habitats, more novel enrichment ideas to encourage hunting behaviour that's not just Big Ball TM (they love it and it's easy but we can do better), more autonomy of habitat eg. being able to turn on water jets when they want to.

And waterwork would still be a thing trainers can do - not for shows but for the unmatched relationship building and desensitisation that it gave these animals. It actually made them safer to be in the water with (look at Kamagowa Sea World orca waterwork and how blaise they are with their whales - those whales will allow any sort of nonsense and someone falling in their pool wouldn't worry me at all)

What about the breeding ban:

I understand why they stopped breeding to appease the public but unfortunately it has introduced other welfare problems. Female orcas cannot be on Regumate - birth control - for longer than a year or it'll destroy her body very quickly. So separation of females and males occurs. And that can be really stressful - especially for matriarchs like Katina who had to be separated from Makaio.

Breeding bans are not done with the welfare in mind. They're done as a sanctimonious "save the babies" effort to "protect" them from no actual documented suffering. While denying animals the natural and very instinctive behaviours of reproduction.

It's amazing how much a calf can enrich a pod. Everyone pitches in to babysit and watch out for them, to teach them how to play and how to learn. It's really sad that the orcas of SeaWorld have been denied that now and it'll be very sad to see them die off one by one until there's only one very lonely whale left.

Anyway I hope that answers some questions. Happy to answer any more you might have.