vainglory

But get this: The same premise every time, but in wildly different times and places. Victorian England, the gentlemen went fuckshit with some nice sherry, wrote some questionable letters, worked together to compose an absolutely idiotic thinkpiece essay and sent it to the local newsprint (the publishing of it must be stopped) and for some reason there's an ostrich.

A troupe of travelling performers in the late Kofun period wake up in the stables of an inn, and the main plot point is the little beast sleeping on someone's chest. None of them have ever seen a cat before, but one knows enough to tell that those are imperial pets, and whoever's fucking cat that is will both be capable and willing to kill whoever stole it. So they'd better fucking return it.

Trans men have shared histories with lesbians who have shared histories with bisexual women who have shared histories with ace people who have shared histories with aro people have shared histories with gay men who have shared histories with trans women who have shared histories with nonbinary people who have shared histories with etc etc etc etc etc.

and non-Jews and antizionist refuse to listen to Jews or even liberal Zionists about what Zionism actually means,

And if Jews are overreacting about antisemitism or weaponizing antisemitism and their concerns are dismissed out of hand,

And if Jews talking about Zionism and antisemitism can't be trusted because they're manipulative, and they're lying,

And if any Jew that disagrees with non-Jews or calls out antisemitism gets labeled a "Zionist" according to the non-Jews' and antizionists' definition of the term,

And if any Jew or Israeli in public or any public institution like a synagogue or nonprofit is suspect of Zionism until they are proven otherwise,

And if "Zionists" are excluded from public life, open debate, or any free association,

And if all "Zionists" must go to concentration camps...

the lack of a space IS often a red flag for TERFs (and now TRFs too as apparently some people are using "transman" while referring to trans women with a space). you should side eye it's use. but at the same time, many trans people have been using the no-space versions for years. many trans people DON'T think of their gender as "equivalent to cis wo/men but with a trans modifier" and prefer the no-space version to signify that their wo/manhood is fundamentally trans. & a lot of times context or a little bit of research into the person can tell you whether it's likely a dogwhistle or a trans person applying the term to themself because it's their preferred language.

Crows May Grasp Basic Geometry: Study Finds the Brainy Birds Can Tell the Difference Between Shapes

Scientists tested crows on their ability to recognize “geometric regularity,” a skill previously assumed to be unique to humans

In a paper published in the journal Science Advances last week, researchers report that carrion crows can recognize “geometric regularity,” meaning they may discern traits like length of sides, parallel lines, right angles and symmetry. In the study, they could tell the difference between shapes like stars, crescents and squares, as well as between squares and irregular figures with four sides. Researchers once thought this ability was unique to humans. But the findings suggest that’s not true—and they hint at the possibility that other species may be capable of similar feats, too. “The crows show a sort of intuitive, strictly perceptual recognition of geometric properties,” says Giorgio Vallortigara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trento in Italy who was not involved with the work, to Scientific American’s Gayoung Lee...

"There was no attempt to engage. No appearance of curiosity. No indication that they had come to listen. They had come to perform."

Jews of the time still criticized Tolkien for having all his dwarves have all those characteristics. So when he wrote The Lord of the Rings, he specifically wrote Gimli as a noble warrior who has no interest in gold and cares more for artistry and beauty.

There's this bit from Fellowship of the Ring:

whats significant about this passage is that Galadriel's words here- "Dark is the water"- are an exact mirror of words Gimli himself said about Khazad-dûm in an earlier chapter. So when the Fellowship leaves Lorthlórien, Galadriel has no gift for Gimli, and asks what gift the Elves could give him. His response:

and then there's this bit about the Glittering Caves in The Two Towers. It's not a 180 of what was established in the Hobbit, but it builds on and fleshes out the Dwarves immensely and it's one of the most beautiful passages in the boom

Context: just after the siege of helm's deep when Legolas and Gimli are reunited after the battle, Gimli spent some time in the caves under the Hornburg, and this is what he has to say about it: