ANOMALOCARIS: GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

Desalination is the process of generating freshwater from brackish or saltwater, usually through the process of reverse osmosis. While this can be a very useful tool in water shortages, it also has some pretty huge drawbacks--reverse osmosis requires a lot of energy, requires chemical treatment of the water, and produces concentrated brine as a waste product which can be harmful to aquatic ecosystems.

But he also,

Throws fits when things don't go his way. Not a "I'm a bad bitch" destroying everything-type fit, but tossing a trash can, breaking a screen-type fit.

Cries. A lot.

Pleads. He begs.

Doesn't answer the call to action.

Shows weakness. Being a coward and being fearful are two things he defines himself with.

Doesn't end up with the girl. In fact, that girl isn't even interested and he isn't, either.

Cherishes friendship over a romantic plot or something stereotypically brave like, "I'm going to save Rocky so I can save his world." No, he wants to save his friend, first and foremost.

Squeaks. He squeals. He screams, loudly and very high pitched. He whines. He complains. He physically struggles to open a jar. He's clumsy as hell. He makes some of the least graceful noises one can make.

Is not afraid to be the primitive species lowkey.

If you are getting gender affirming surgery, especially if it’s your first major surgery, PLEASE be aware that you can become SEVERELY depressed afterwards ESPECIALLY if you have a history of depression or suicidal ideation.

Post op depression is a natural reaction to the crazy mix of hormones your body goes through after major surgery as well as the stress and anxiety of recovery. Think of it like an adrenaline crash, but dragged out longer.

For me it kicked in about 6 weeks after top surgery and the worst of it lasted until about 10 weeks post op. EVERYTHING felt IMPOSSIBLE. None of the skills I’d been practicing worked. I thought everything was going to be bad forever. I didn’t attempt, but I was in the hospital. If it wasn’t for my support system I probably would have attempted.

This is not regret, but it can feel like it. I remain happy about my results to this day (going on six years later).

This is not you failing to maintain your mental health, but it can make you feel like a failure.

Things are not hopeless, but through the haze of this depression they can feel hopeless.

It can be terrifyingly sudden or it can sneak up on you. I didn’t even realize what was going on until after the depression finally passed and my mental health went back to normal.

I am writing this post because nobody told me about this before my top surgery. I was caught completely off guard. For my subsequent surgeries being aware has made all the difference. Being able to treat those symptoms as an expected and normal part of the healing journey has made them far easier to deal with. Because even when my emotions go to dark places I *know* they will pass. I have been able to tell the bad thoughts to take a bad seat and focus on healing.

Aroace Ryland Grace Pics + Textposts Part Four

Im famous

I'm starved of Devil's Minion so I drew them.

That said, I've been getting a lot of questions from friends asking for advice on dealing with this bullshit, especially if you're somewhere where air-conditioning isn't widely available.

1. Electrolytes. Everyone tells you to hydrate, but if you're sweating balls and flushing yourself out with fluid, you're not just losing water, you're losing salt. You don't need to buy those fancy liquid IV packs if you don't want to; I literally just dump a little pack of salt in my water bottle every now and then because I stole a shit ton of them from my school's café last semester because they were free. This is to keep yourself from passing out. Sports drinks or salty foods work too.

2. Get yourself a fan. Any sort of handheld thing that can blow air on you. Don't use your own hand as a fan because you'll exert more energy than it's worth.

3. If you are immediately feeling hot, you are going to try and get ice, a damp cloth, or something vaguely cool, and you are going to press it to the inside of your wrists, the back of your neck, and behind/under your ears. The veins/arteries are really close to the skin here which I believe is most of why this works so well for cooling you down.

4. Pressure points aside, just pour water on yourself. If you need to regulate your body temp, do so. No one is judging you, I promise.

5. SUNSCREEN PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THE SUN IS A DEADLY LAZY

6. Get yourself a UV / SPF shirt. Something lightweight that will shield you, in a material that will cool you down. You can also get it all the way wet and then wear it, if that's viable for you. You won't be walking around dripping—it'll just cool you down significantly.

7. I've seen some people talk about putting clothes, especially things like socks, underwear, and hijabs into the freezer overnight? Have never done this personally but fair enough. Same principle as above.

8. If you feel yourself getting hot, say something early. Heat stroke is no joke. "A cold baby dies, a hot baby dies" applies to adults too.

9. If it's dry heat, stay in the shade. If it's the humidity getting you, godspeed.

10. Don't open the windows when it's hot. This is a trap. You think the air flow will help. But the air is hot and not your friend. Windows stay closed unless you specifically want the outside air coming in.