Join A Cleam, Head a Tub

Then I realised - MCS has only met the Emperor twice at this point. He's not had that much exposure to the man's decision-making process. Which means Lin Shu knew how to make his uncle think it was his own idea, and the tactic still works.

Which means the Emperor's always been like this.

This is not a case of a gradual decline. Xiao Xuan has always been the sort of manager you have to manage around.

Something something Erid is a high-pressure, no light planet with liquid water and bioluminescent, lure-based, energy efficient ocean creatures could develop; something something Eridians have close to no spatial memory and therefore worse scale? memory; something something Eridians are the apex land predator specifically.

These photos show the embryonic form of Limulus polyphemus, commonly known as the Atlantic horseshoe crab. The eggs of this species are initially opaque, with a grayish-blue, green, or pink coloration, but they become increasingly translucent as the embryos mature, providing a glimpse of the tiny horseshoe crabs developing within.

Above: several embryos twirling around in their eggs

The legs become visible roughly five days after fertilization, and the embryos begin to move shortly thereafter, eventually flexing their legs and twirling their bodies. They molt for the very first time just a few days later. Each embryo will shed its skin and grow a new one four times in total before it even hatches from the egg.

The color variations are likely related to the growth rate of each individual embryo, which can differ slightly based on the temperature, salinity, moisture, and oxygen levels around each egg. Certain colors can also arise from bacterial or fungal growth in the egg membrane.

Above: Limulus polyphemus embryos

The hatchlings finally emerge after 2-4 weeks. The freshly-hatched larvae measure less than 1cm long, and they look just like miniature versions of their adult form, except that they do not yet have tails (which are actually known as telsons) and their exoskeletons are still soft and translucent. These young horseshoe crabs are often described as "trilobite larvae."

Above: a young horseshoe crab discarding its egg

Atlantic horseshoe crabs generally spawn in May and June, with hundreds of thousands of individuals gathering along the coast on the night of the full moon and new moon. Each female lays up to 100,000 eggs per season, but very few of those offspring actually survive to adulthood. Most of the eggs are eaten or destroyed before they can even hatch, and many of the remaining larvae perish at some point during the 10 years that it takes for them to reach full maturity (i.e. the age at which they begin to reproduce).

Above: the freshly-hatched larvae

Wild horseshoe crabs can live to be more than 20 years old, and they can measure up to 60 centimeters (2 feet) long. They have 10 eyes in total, including two compound eyes that are specifically adapted for the purpose of finding a mate:

The most obvious eyes are the two lateral compound eyes. These are used for finding mates during the spawning season. Each compound eye has about 1,000 receptors or ommatidia. The cones and rods of the lateral eyes have a similar structure to those found in human eyes, but are around 100 times larger in size. At night, the lateral eyes are chemically stimulated to greatly increase the sensitivity of each receptor to light. This allows the horseshoe crab to identify other horseshoe crabs in the darkness.

Above: a close-up of a horseshoe crab's compound eye, which is covered in tiny hatchlings for some reason

Horseshoe crabs have been around for at least 445 million years, which means that these creatures are about 200 million years older than the dinosaurs and at least 50 million years older than trees, and yet their morphology has changed very little in that time. In fact, modern horseshoe crabs are frequently described as "living fossils," because they still look strikingly similar to their fossilized ancestors.

Above: the juvenile form of Tachypleus tridentatus, commonly known as the Chinese horseshoe crab

It's important to note that horseshoe crabs are not true crabs. In fact, they're not even crustaceans -- they belong to a completely different group of arthropods known as chelicerates, and they are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than they are to crabs.

Above: Tachypleus tridentatus and Limulus polyphemus

This is a revised/updated version of a post that I published about two years ago, with much more information, photos, and sources.

Sources & More Info:

iNaturalist: Horseshoe Crab Eggs

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Horseshoe Crab Life History

Current Zoology: Developmental Ecology of the American Horseshoe Crab

PBS: Once a Spawn a Time: Horseshoe Crabs Mob the Beach

Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute: Limulus polyphemus

National Wildlife Federation: Horseshoe Crabs

No, you can’t pet that dog. ✋Introducing the bush dog (Speothos venaticus)! This rare canid is so elusive that it was once known only from fossils and thought to be long extinct. It inhabits parts of South America from Panama to northern Argentina, where it can be found in packs of up to 12 individuals. With partially webbed feet, this critter is a skilled swimmer and spends much of its time around water. It hunts for a variety of rodents including agoutis, pacas, and capybaras. 

Without further ado:

Ivan Aivazovsky: an Appropriated Ukrainian Armenian Marinist

Let's start with the fact that his name was not Ivan Aivazovsky; his real birth name was Hovhannes Aivazian (Armenian: Հովհաննես Այվազյան), and he was a son of an Armenian merchant from Galicia, a region that has historically had a large Armenian population. Aka, a Galician Armenian. Even that name spelling is Galician, too.

The inside of the Armenian Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in Lviv (I've been there!)

Then why on earth do we even call him Ivan Aivazovsky, you ask? Good question!

To conform to the Russian-speaking environment of the Russian Empire, of course.

Why did he study in Saint Petersburg, then? Cause everyone and their mother did, since they literally had zero choice. No, seriously. Russian Empire didn't allow an academy of arts to be established in Ukraine, so most prominent Ukrainian artists at the time were forced to study in Saint Petersbourg. That's where he was first called Ivan, btw.

The artist himself didn't want to live in Saint Petersburg at all (a trait that you will actually find common across Ukrainian artists and cultural figures forced to live and study there). He loved Feodosia (Theodosia), Crimea, above all else, and even divorced his first wife due to not wanting to live in so called "cultural capital".

Can't really blame him, personally.

"But he painted russia!" Someone will say.

He was appointed as an official Russian Navy painter. It was his job. And aside from his literal job, he seldom painted russian landscape. You know what landscape and whose traditions he did paint a lot, though?

Uh-huh. Yeah.

Just look at this:

A Wedding in Ukraine. 1892.

You can tell it is a Ukrainian landscape, not even by the name, but by the white houses with thatched roofs and the clothes on the people, but also by the rather symbolic prevalence of blue and yellow (trust me, we'll return to that)

Don't believe me? Okay, here's another one:

Chumaks (Ukrainian salt merchants) in Malorossya (russian imperial name for Ukraine). 1890

You know what, there is one very peculiar painting of russia, though. One that was actually gifted by the artist himself to Emperor Nicholas I and that for some strange reason was only exhibited twice in russia:

Fire in Moscow. 1812 (quite possibly one of my favourite of his paintings for a reason)

The freaking irony? Burning Moscow? Gifted to its emperor?? Blue and yellow?

Oh. My. God!

Add to the fact that, as I've said, the work was exhibited in russia only twice: at the exhibition immediately after its painting and at the Tretyakov Gallery in 2016 at the exhibition dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the artist.

I wonder why.

Not to mention the author criticised russia in other paintings, such as this one, describing a famine in russia that they couldn't stop without the help of the USA:

Food Distribution. 1892

This one and another one, "The Relief Ship" or The Arrival of the Steamer "Missouri", 1892, were actually fully forbidden from being exhibited in russia, probably because they're a reminder of the worthlessness of the monarch who provoked the famine.

But of course, we love Aivazian for his marine paintings. I know you've probably all seen The Ninth Wave, but there are some I would rather introduce you to.

Crimean Tatars on the Seashore. 1850

This one showcases Aivazian's connection to Crimean Tatars, or Qırımtatarlar, the indigenous people of Crimea, Ukraine. Plus, what a breathtaking sunset. I long for the Black Sea just from looking at it, and it's hard for me to even imagine how a displaced Qirimli must feel 🫂

Valley of Mount Ararat. 1882

This one is not of the sea, but there's something so profound in how he paints his historical homeland. Look at these colours. They're soft, gentle, almost.

I am not Armenian, but that's probably how I'd paint the homeland I miss. Speaking of that:

Reeds on the Dnieper near the town of Oleshki. 1857

Dnipro. My sweet, sweet Dnipro. I live next to this river, and God, how much I miss it all the time studying abroad. There's nothing quite like that river to me in he whole wide world. (Notice the blue and yellow again btw?)

Last but not least, to feed into my second obsession:

Battle of Cesme at Night. 1848

Cause I want to and I will make a fanart of the Burning of the Ships from the Silmarillion based on this one, that's why.

So, in conclusion:

1. Hovhannes Aivazian was born into a family of a Ukrainian Armenian.

2. He didn't really have much choice in studying in Saint Petersburg, a city he hated, and changing his own name.

3. His job was painting russian military ships (and we all know where these go), but his own paintings depict lives of Ukrainians (with the whole blue and yellow theme), Qirimli and Armenians, as well as criticism of the Russian Empire (the burning Moscow one is insane).

So now you know why Hovhannes Aivazian is a Ukrainian Armenian painter, or at least no less so than a russian one, if not more.

Hey! Apparently I write articles on decolonising Ukrainian art now, too! You should check this one out, it's about Malevych!

Thanks for reading!

Despite being slapped upside the head by God, my put technically inclined neighbor has acquired TWO pallets of fireworks this year.

The state is of no help: my city police department has made it pretty clear they don't intend to respond to any fireworks calls this weekend. I've sent the pictures I took to the county tipline and received and automated email reply saying that it will take several weeks to process my case. Perhaps he will get jail time later, but this does not actually you know. Stop him from setting the neighborhood ablaze. Going up to his door the week prior and very politely asking him to move- not cancel, just relocate - his celebrations was met with calling me a "nosy bitch" and "I'll set one off in your ass!".

Sometimes God needs us to make our own miracles.

My miracle comes with several layers, and plenty of opportunities to back down without losing face. We'll see how many are needed.

The first wave has already been deployed: a psyop directed at the Visiting Mother In Law of the miscreant.

I got up at 8:30 AM this morning to make sure I'd be in the front yard of my house, casually doing yardwork with Herschel. His participation was essential.

Unfortunately I cannot say the same of the surrounding neighborhood, so it has been necessary to deploy The Stench.

-but my house has a porch on the second story that affords me a terrific view of my neighborhood and the Colorado Front Range and I was partaking of some peace before the 4th Of July Finger-Loss Festivities begin, and I have had a

~*Spiritual Experience*~

I just watched my neighbor try to unload an actual wooden pallet that had to have been forklifted into the back of his insecurity pickup worth of fireworks.

Except that he does not have a forklift in his garage.

He does have so much sports memorabilia and cardboard boxes of unsold MLM Merchandise and patriotically themed camping gear and posters of women in bikinis and flags of suspect political organizations in his garage that there is only BARELY enough space for the fireworks and certainly none for his truck.

So he had to unload the individual boxes of recreational explosives from the back of his truck and stack them in the minimal space he had cleared by hand. This is a tedious and time-consuming process as this neighbor has purchased a wide variety of recreational and locally illegal explosives instead of many of just a few types, so the individual boxes are rather small.

He begins, and this is crucial to what happens next, by cutting apart the industrial-grade saran wrap his explosives dealer had so carefully wrapped his merchandise in, and discarded it unsecured on his lawn.

Where Outdoor Conditions sometimes happen.

The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns

Men in Black

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Pacific Rim

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.