Fandom Explosion

This post is nearly ten years old and I still think about this, honestly. Luke has no consciousness of the dangers and pressures in Leia’s life when he’s playing with his toy starship; she’s already had to become what he can only vaguely dream of. But she’s also never had to consider “where is tomorrow’s food and water coming from” to anything like the degree that Luke, Owen, and Beru do every day. Luke and Leia both make sure they’re armed when they leave home because their environments are so dangerous, in completely different ways.

You know, given how C. lupus, C. lupus familiaris, and C. latrans can all create perfectly viable hybrids, and that the proto-dogs that domestic dogs descended from much more resembled coyotes than wolves, it's not really a surprise that some yotes are experimenting with domestication.

Goddamn that lady must be fucking shredded to be able to chase down a coyote through a swamp.

"Don't let wild animals into your house, you are not going to make Dogs 2.0, you're going to get injured and the animal killed." is probably obvious enough advice that I don't need to put it in the tags as a reminder.

...I know more than four people on this site that have poisoned themselves trying out 'foraging guides' they found online, two people IRL who tried to keep raccoons at pets, and have a family member who got hospitalized for Cat Scratch Fever after grabbing a feral cat bare-handed. This is apparently, not obvious enough.

Could coyotes be domesticated, sometime down the line? I know there are animals like bears that could never be, but coyotes seem close enough to dogs for it to work in many many many many generations.

Could Coyotes be domesticated again? Yes and No.

Yes: They're REALLY closely related and already frequently interbreed with domestic dogs and are in a similar ecological position to the proto-dogs: comfortable living in and around human settlements, especially garbage dumps. Biologically, it's a VERY short hop (possibly as few as 2 or 3 mutations) to domestication for them.

No: The actual practicality of domesticating coyotes is negligible. Humans domesticated dogs in the first place because partially because we needed help with hunting, but probably mostly because we had fuck-all else to do for fun back then. In the modern age of readily available livestock and needing to monetize EVERYTHING or suffer for it, there isn't really much need or interest in domesticating coyotes. It'd take a large canine farming facility, similar to the fox farms of the early 1900's, multiple generations of careful genetic testing and manipulation, and would be goddamn impossible to zone or get insurance for.

The re-domestication of Cheetahs has a slightly better shot because there is a genuine need for LOTS of them as an ecological keystone species and there's decent odds of finding some rich idiots to back that project so they can have The Coolest Pet Cat.

we made a huge stink about the reblog change and they reversed it after a week. we need to give that same energy to this

various cicada-shaped knickknacks

Finished the book and felt the sudden urge to make this

also yes, he is wearing Ilyukhina's skirt

Individual strips under the cut:

Grace flipping his shit, statement.

Bonus:

It is one thing to be able to teach effectively, and another to manage a variety of different individuals needs while maintaining engagement. Every skill that Grace uses in his meeting of Rocky, and building a relationship with him, whether he remembers or not, are skills a good educator and mentor uses.

To not assume ill intent. To approach first with curiosity. To explain difficult concepts in a palatable way without condescension or malice. To empathize with one's situation and acknowledge how it may shape one's responses. To exercise patience. To adapt and shift gears in the face of uncertainty. To remain calm in the height of stress and remain a leader.

Grace as a scientist yes, but as a teacher, maintaining an openness to not only work with Rocky, but to also embrace his differences and utilize his strengths to find creative solutions that benefit both of them.

History is fraught with disputes and wars driven by ignorance and sustained by fear of unique cultures and experiences that are different to our own. It is practically in our DNA to reject or fear that of which is different to us, and so it is not weak to trust or to be kind. It is harder to be these things, because the opposing forces come so effortlessly.

Grace's inclination toward 'flight' instead of 'fight' is not an indicator of weakness. It is preservation. It is learned behavior. To take a step back, recalibrate and approach again. You do not win students over by being a fearless dictator. You win them over by treating them like people, and acknowledging where you yourself have room for growth. Ryland Grace is a coward for many reasons that define his narrative, but being trusting and kind are not among them.