way--laid reblogged
way--laid reblogged
"Treatment resistant depression" oh do you mean continued unhealthy circumstances?
*takes pills* wait why am i still not okay with living in a system that's openly hostile to human life and happiness? must be a real bad illness, huh
way--laid reblogged
Well. This is an unexpected honor. My fellow winners have said some very meaningful things up here on the stage tonight.
I want to talk to you about dead whales.
Whales are not immortal, so when they die, they don’t just float like really big goldfish—I mean, they do for a bit, and then the body sinks down, down, down, into the lightless depths.
If it happens to be in the Abyssal Zone when it dies, the whale will fall a very, very long way. It sinks, and sinks, and finally it hits the bottom, down in the dark, kicking up sand that may not have moved since our species came down from the trees.
And then the scavengers come, from miles around—the sharks, and the hagfish, and the ratfish, and things we don’t even have names for because we only see them when a whale dies. And they feed on the dead whale. Deep sea starfish crawl toward it, inch by inch, to feast on whale flesh.
And whales are gigantic. It takes, literally, years for the hagfish and the sharks to strip it to the bones.
And then other things come for the bones. There are creatures that spend their whole lives in the water column, just waiting for a whale to die. The zombie worm—and yes, we really call them that—emerges and drills into the whale’s bones. But only the females, because dating is hard when you’re a zombie worm, so if they meet a male in the water column, they swallow him.
And you would swear that there is not an ounce of whale left, but still they come, from miles around. And tube worms and zombie worms dig into the sand for yards in every direction, seeking the tiniest fragment of whale flesh, and they grow like flowers in this lightless garden down in the cold and the dark.
Isn’t. That. Cool?
Now, you’re probably all asking what whalefall has to do with awards ceremonies, or science fiction novelettes, and the answer is: absolutely nothing. But how often do I get to tell an audience this size about whalefall?
So, thanks to my publishers, my husband Kevin, and thank you all. I’m glad you liked my story. Y’all have a good night.
(if you’ve never seen a whalefall (because really, who has) we recently got high quality video from the EV Nautilus expedition and you should watch it here.)
Source: barnesandnoble.com
way--laid reblogged
the fact that smeyer is making another twilight book...the fact that its all about the creepy white boy...whew
anyways, help support the quileute tribe move to higher ground and take a few minutes on their official website and finally take a look at truth vs twilight for a simplified breakdown of the problems of their portrayal in the books (and click around for more in depth readings)
way--laid reblogged
really wanted to hear this post by @normal-horoscopes so i made my nightmare come true
aly-semi-archived-deactivated20
you deserve a life free of exploitation by a parasitic class
you deserve a life spent pursuing what will make you and your community thrive, not a life of menial labor to line the pockets of your boss
you deserve a life where your value extends beyond your ability to perform labor for someone who doesn’t care about you, except to the degree that you are necessary for his or her profits
you deserve better than capitalism
way--laid reblogged
semitics
The ol’ Razzle Dazzle
way--laid reblogged
I hate that I only appreciate photos days after taking them sometimes. Anyway I’ve been enjoying doing things with clothes and makeup lately, if you haven’t noticed.
way--laid reblogged
way--laid reblogged
I’ve been working these past few days on getting my big yellow truck ready for fishing/camping season. Just a few more weeks!
way--laid reblogged
happy 4/20
Benny The Surrogate Cat Dad
Benny gets the most joy when his human mom brings home rescued kittens, so he can help look after them and show them the same love that he received when he was rescued. Whenever Ellen brings home an orphan baby (or a box of babies), Benny anticipates their arrival and is filled with excitement. He becomes their dedicated surrogate dad, and his fatherly instinct kicks in the moment he sees a kitten.