authorkimberlygrey:

Short Story Sunday No. uh..??

Okay so I thought I was pretty good about keeping my numbering straight on these things but I looked back and I was…not. So I’ll hopefully go and fix the numbers at some point.  

Anyway, no single prompt for this week, but it is another humans are weird type story wich you guys seem to like. I’ll probaly be writing more of that stuff in the future so that I can get used to a sci-fi setting for Woodsong, but there will be another Ascendant story coming soon. I might wait until next sunday, but I might post it early. 

“Come a little closer.”

Despite their wonderful eyesight, the humans do not like to stand close to the windows. Even when the ship draws near an visually pleasing feature, they hang back. When invited closer, they pale and laugh. “I’m close enough, thanks.”

Despite their boundless courage, the humans do not like to go outside of the ship. Even in the most dire of emergencies, they hesitate, they look to their comrades to see if anyone else will volunteer. When asked: “You race has dreamed of coming to space long before they were capable, are you not eager to experience it more closely?” They pale and laugh, too sharp, too high, closer to a sob. “I’m close enough, thanks.”

Despite their advanced hearing, the humans do not like to be approached without announcement. Even the most noisy of crew mates must call out to the humans, lest they sneak up upon them. When asked: “Why do you not listen more closely?” They pale and laugh and stare at the windows they will not approach. “I listen closely enough, thanks.”

Despite their great intelligence, the humans do not like to work on upgrading their ships. Even when other races make breakthroughs on their theories, they do not demand access to the new engines. When asked: “Why do you not wish your ships to go faster? You could be the first to see the edge of the galaxy?” They pale and laugh, there is no joy in their eyes, but something desperate. “We’re close enough to the edge, thanks.”

When I ask my human crew mates why they fear space so, they all pale and laugh, their eyes dart to the hull, where the void awaits them. Patient and silent. “You wouldn’t understand.” they all say.

“Please try to explain.” I entreat, and they do. They tell me what makes their boundless bravery quail, what makes their great intelligence twist in upon itself in the attempt to understand.

They tell me what they see with their wonderful eyesight. They tell me of the endless eyes that watch us as we drift through the void. More than that, they tell me what they hear with their advanced hearing. The voice that comes through the windows, through the hulls, through their very minds. The voice that whispers always:

“Come a little closer.”

zookeeperproblems:

birdsbugsandbones:

alithographica:

Science Fact Friday: Bird lungs! Just like every other part of a bird, they’re weird.

This gif shows the path of a single breath, but the circuit holds 2 breaths at a time. So when the bird inhales, the just-inhaled breath goes through Inhalation 1 while the previous breath goes through Inhalation 2. Rinse, repeat. Thus, the lungs are constantly receiving oxygen – in mammals, our oxygen content dips slightly between inhalations because there’s no fresh air coming in. We also don’t empty 100% of our lung volume so some air is “stale” even during an inhalation.

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Transcript below the break.

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Great animated diagram! Really easy to see why, when handling birds, you mustn’t squeeze them! You’ll literally stop them breathing.

Bird respiratory systems are one of the most interesting things I’ve learned about as a keeper.

sunshineyellowdocs:

you know what? give me trans peter parker. give me a peter who comes out to the avengers and gets acceptance and love. give me a peter who gets misgendered at work but can’t say anything or he’ll get fired. give me a peter who falls in love with deadpool in the suit and thinks that wade will be disappointed with what is under it, with a wade who thinks the same thing for a different reason. give me a peter who hasn’t come out to anyone yet and lives through being spiderman because it’s the only time he gets to truly be himself. 

give me trans peter parker please and thank you 

ironychan:

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: When you treat retail employees like shit, you become an instant joke. You are the story they tell over coffee to make their friends and family laugh at the idiot. You are the person they mimic in a squeaky voice.

Next time you want to yell at a retail employee, imagine them repeating what you are about to say in a squeaky voice. Because that will be your legacy.

Home Alone

iamvegorott:

Summary: Robbie wakes up to an empty house. A note on the table tells him the everyone’s out for a while and Robbie decides to try to do something nice. Too bad it doesn’t work out according to plan. 

Home Alone

Robbie let out a little squeak as he stretched and walked into the kitchen. He was usually the last one awake since no one had the heart to wake him up.

“Hi!” Robbie greeted happily, humming and tilting his head when he realized that he was alone in the room. It was weird. Henrik would be making coffee, Chase and Jackie would be cooking, Marvin and JJ would be setting the table and then Robbie would help Anti serve. Where were they?

Robbie went over to the table and saw that there was a piece of paper sitting on it and h recognized JJ’s pretty handwriting.

Went to store. There’s cereal in the cabinet. Be back in a few hours.

Robbie giggled, knowing that JJ’s note meant that the house had little to no food in it because no one felt like shopping. Looks like he was on his own for a while.

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