Stay Beautiful. Keep It Ugly.

and then, two months later....

Thank you (x)

One cat, Simon, was given the rank “Able Seacat Simon” after dutifully killing rats and mice that were destroying the HMS Amethyst’s food supplies. The ship had come under fire during the Chinese civil war and many of its crewmen had died. The cat had been gravely injured, too, but he picked out the shrapnel himself – seriously – and went straight to killing the rodents that were overrunning the ship. He unfortunately passed from his injuries two weeks before he was scheduled to receive the Dickin Medal. To this day, he is the only cat to receive this award.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the other side of No Man’s Land…

Meet Percy, mascot of HMLS (D20) “Daphne” with Lt Drader. Both survived the War, and Percy retired to live out his peacetime life in the Drader family home.

(Here’s a video clip; given how noisy, hot and smelly early tanks were, Percy seems remarkably unfazed.) 

A US Army tank cat, Mustard of the 321st, with a Renault FT light tank and its driver Sgt Postal…

A Royal Artillery kitten (the battery mascot)…

Pincher of HMS Vindex on what looks like a Sopwith Pup scout…

Togo, ship’s cat of HMS Dreadnought (though I’ve also seen “HMS Irresistible”)…

Ship’s cat of HMS Queen Elizabeth atop 15″ main battery…

And speaking of big ships and big guns…

Allow me to elaborate:

Usually every m/f couple we see in media consists of two conventionally attractive, young, skinny, allosexual, cishet, gender conforming, often white people. And you can always see the relationship coming a mile away.

Imagine how much better it would feel if you saw more of THESE kinds of m/f couples in media:

Fat characters involved in the relationship, and not made into a joke

Disabled characters involved in the relationship, and not made into a joke

A man happily in love with a gnc or masculine woman

A woman happily in love with a gnc or feminine man

Bisexual or pansexual men and women in love with the opposite sex (and bi for bi, Pan for Pan couples)

A man happily in love with a trans woman

A woman happily in love with a trans man

Trans for trans m/f couples

Asexual and gray-sexual people in romantic relationships and being respected in those relationships

Two middle aged people entering a new relationship, with the same attention and slow burn and tension as any young pairing (because middle aged and elder people have love lives too, and can fall in love again even if they’ve been married before!! See Kane/Abby in the 100.)

More POC x POC relationships!

A man who stays at home and takes care of kids x a working woman who isn’t criticized for not being home enough

Supportive parents to queer kids

Punk/alternative/goth m/f couples and parents (bc I just think that’s cool)

Couples who get together and then realize they’re better as friends, and have a healthy breakup while staying super close (and not creating secret drama)

Neurodivergent people involved in the relationship (adhd/autistic men and women infodumping to their supportive partner... happy stimming after a cute interaction with their crush.. it’s just so good) and not made into a joke or infantilized!

BUFF STRONK WOMAN x LIDDOL MAN VERY IN LOVE WITH HIS WIFE

People who aren’t conventionally attractive in a loving relationship, and there isn’t any drama or weird side plot about “learning to love someone for what’s on the inside!!”

and so many more I could think of!!!