& you're by my side

AO3 Crosspost

Summary: In another universe, Obi-Wan Kenobi falls to General Grievous’s blades. In another universe, Obi-Wan Kenobi does not live to see the end of the war. In another universe, Anakin Skywalker hunts down General Grievous, intent on revenge.

someday when i’m gone away we’ll be all okay

The Force goes frighteningly silent.

Anakin doesn’t know what to make of it. He feels numb, empty, as though his insides have been scooped out and thrown away. The sounds of the dogfight taking place around him are muffled, like someone is covering his ears with cotton.

Happy World Oceans Day from your National Marine Sanctuary System!

The ocean sustains us: it provides food, medicines, and the air we breathe; it regulates our climate and weather; and it forms the basis of our economy. Plus, it’s a perfect place to relax, reflect, and play. 

Here you go: A giant squid with the creepiest fucking arms ever caught on video on an undersea oil rig.

Because! Bigfin Squid are really rarely seen past the juvenile stage. And, because we’ve never actually sampled an adult and they look radically different from the juvenile stage, we don’t really have a definitive idea of what this thing even is. We only think it’s an adult bigfin. And that’s cool as hell ‘cause it looks like an alien.

But the juveniles look like this:

Look at its little tenta-nubbins!

And I’d never seen a gif of the video or the video itself; I’d only seen this still of it:

Internet, I am a queer researcher of queer health and I have something to say.

A few weeks back, a study went viral about the relationship between marriage equality policy and queer teen suicide rates, and a lot of people reacted thusly: “queer mental health is better when we’re not discriminated against! BREAKING: SKY IS BLUE, WATER IS WET”

This happens a lot. People see research about a thing ~Everyone Already Knows~ and they mock it. Now I want to make two things really clear:

1. Everyone does not already know.

2. This shit can lose these projects their funding.

Did you know that media coverage is a crucial factor in funding allocation? When we submit our application for grant renewal, we have to provide a list of news articles about our research so they can decide whether the public cares enough about us to let us keep doing our work. And most research doesn’t get all that much coverage, so individual reactions can really matter. If the primary reaction to our publications is eyerolling, we legitimately might not be able to continue.

I’ve seen some frustration from people who believe this research funding would be better put to use “actually helping” the affected populations instead of–I don’t know, pinning them under microscopes or whatever it is they think we do. But funding for policy initiatives is driven by research. I know you wish politicians would listen to individual voices telling them where the problems are, but that’s honestly not a smart way to direct limited resources. We need solid evidence. And a lot of the areas that need the most attention aren’t obvious–who knew bisexual people are at a much higher risk for physical and mental health disparities than gay and lesbian people? Who would have guessed that transgender folks are more likely than any other group (including straight people) to be military veterans, but overwhelmingly don’t claim their benefits? I’m sure some people noticed these patterns, but they definitely weren’t common knowledge within the queer communities I’ve grown up around, and those findings are leading to direct action as we speak.

Accessories - including the Whale Bag, Shark Backpack and Turtle Purse - by Don Fisher Shop on Etsy