Queer Who Loves Stories

Sleep deprivation increases your risk for a myriad of serious illnesses like heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and stroke.

And that's just to name a few.

Some of the most important cellular work we do all day happens while we're sleeping. When we don't get enough quality sleep and rest, our cells literally can't effectively repair themselves.

It literally damages every system in our bodies.

Capitalism lies.

people in the comments will be like "okay but we could at least get rid of ticks and mosquitos because those spread disease."

we actually CANNOT get rid of ticks and mosquitos. not only do we plain lack the technology to lead a pointed extermination effort against them specifically without taking a score of other species down with them, but if we developed that technology and did eradicate mosquitos and ticks, it would be the catalyst of utter ecological collapse the likes of which i think people are not quite comprehending.

the problem is not the existence of bugs. the problem is that our current global systems ensure that specific Peoples in specific places are disproportionately impacted by zoonoses (illness spread between animals and humans).

those same populations also disproportionately lack access to preventative tools & PPE (down to things many of us take for granted so simply as effective bug spray), and crucially access to medical treatment.

the goal should not be an eradicating effort against bugs which would quite literally collapse entire ecosystems, but equitable access to healthcare, investment in medical research to improve preventative and acute treatment for zoonoses, and the destruction of systems which are currently rapidly increasing the threat of zoonoses worldwide (climate change!)

i am not defending the existence of bugs because i think they're cute and because i don't care about the devastating suffering zoonoses cause millions and millions of people.

Geordi--

Prev questions/dialogue: "Did the aliens get here?!" Could ask?: Maybe they could reprise their appearance in the earlier chapter, by sprinting up to the xenonite barrier again and chirping excitedly when they sense Meghan there?

Orchid--

Prev questions/dialogue: “[Grace] been gone for so so so long" “What are the metal circles on your clothes? You’ve never had those on before.” “[Bringing Grace's lanyard & pins was] so nice of them. Did you miss those decorations a lot?” Could ask?: Something about Meghan's clothes or physical accessories and how they differ from Grace's? Or "You're wearing [item] that Teacher Grace doesn't have. Does he need one of those? Do we need to get him one of those? We can talk to our parents and get them to get one for Teacher Grace!"

Chime--

Prev questions/dialogue: "[Time Grace has been gone from classes] It's been FOREVER!" Could ask?: Maybe excited demands for if MORE humans will be visiting the class, and WHICH of them will be visiting, and WHEN will they be visiting, and and and--

Pause--

Prev questions/dialogue: "How many aliens are here?” Could ask?: "How is Earth doing? Is it okay now [after the Astrophage problem]?"

Sequoia--

Prev questions/dialogue: “Missed you" “What are they called? The ones that were your students before?” “Did Stone and Heart miss you?” Could ask?: "Will you miss Teacher Grace, when you go away again?" (ooooooh boy, if Sequoia asks this one, it could open a whoooole can of worms...)

Maddie--

Prev questions/dialogue: (the one who raised three claws at once and toppled over <3 <3 <3) “Are [the other humans] all shaped like you?” “I had two more but now I have a different one […] Will Stone and Heart like us?” Could ask: "Do you teach the same way that Teacher Grace does?"

Gazelle, insisted to [Grace] that they wanted to be named after a “cool Earth animal”--

Prev questions/dialogue: “Have you gotten to meet [the other humans] already?” Could ask?: [after someone else asks about how Earth is doing] "Are the Earth animals doing okay now? Are the gazelles okay?!"

Prism--

Prev questions/dialogue: “Did you know any of [the new humans] when you lived on Earth?” Could ask?: "Is Teacher Grace as famous on Earth as he is on Erid?"

Minnow--

Prev questions/dialogue: “How grown up are [Heart and Stone] now?!” Could ask?: I bet SOMEBODY in that class has gotta ask Meghan how old she is, and marvel at how young that would be for an Eridian. Could be Minnow?

Mal--

Prev questions/dialogue: “Are they going to come visit us?” Could ask?: "Can you tell us about your own human students?"

Deimos, quiet kid--

Prev questions/dialogue: “Are the aliens nice? Like you?” Could ask?: I'm not sure whether or not an already-quiet kid would speak up to a brand-new alien, at least not right away? But maybe they would?

Phobos, Deimos' twin, more talkative--

Ough. Your thoughts on a possible question for Sequoia...that makes my heart hurt in all of the right ways. And Phobos saying something a little provacative/loaded without meaning to...yeah. Man. Yeah, they would.