Latest Posts by margotstjust545 - Page 3
People forget that you can light a bonfire with a candle; that's what this felt like to me.
on endlings, and despair
Hey, y'all. It's...been a rough couple of weeks. So, I thought--better to light a single candle, right?
If you're familiar with wildlife conservation success stories, then you're likely also familiar with their exact polar opposite. The Northern White Rhino. Conservation's poster child for despair. Our greatest and most high-profile utter failure. We slaughtered them for wealth and status, and applied the brakes too slow. Changed course too late.
We poured everything we had into trying to save them, and we failed.
We lost them. They died. The last surviving male was named Sudan. He died in 2018, elderly and sick. His genetic material is preserved, along with frozen semen from other long-dead males, but only as an exercise in futility. Only two females survive--a mother and daughter, Najin and Fatu.
Both of them are infertile. They still live; but the Northern White Rhinoceros is extinct. Gone forever.
In 2023, an experimental procedure was attempted, a hail-mary desperation play to extract healthy eggs from the surviving females.
It worked.
The extracted eggs were flown to a genetics lab, and artificially fertilized using the sperm of lost Northern males. The frozen semen that we kept, all this time, even after we knew that the only living females were incapable of becoming pregnant.
It worked.
Thirty northern white rhino embryos were created and cryogenically preserved, but with no ability to do anything with them, it was a thin hope at best. In 2024, for the first time, an extremely experimental IVF treatment was attempted on a SOUTHERN white rhino--a related subspecies.
It worked.
The embryo transplanted as part of the experiment had no northern blood--but the pregnancy took. The surgery was safe for the mother. The fetus was healthy. The procedure is viable. Surrogate Southern candidates have already been identified to carry the Northern embryos. Rhinoceros pregnancies are sixteen months long, and the implantation hasn't happened yet. It will take time, before we know. Despair is fast and loud. Hope is slower, softer. Stronger, in the end.
The first round may not take. We'll learn from it. It's what we do. We'll try again. Do better, the next time. Fail again, maybe. Learn more. Try harder.
This will not save the species. Not overnight. The numbers will be very low, with no genetic diversity to speak of. It's a holding action, nothing more.
Nothing less.
One generation won't save a species. But even a single calf will buy us time. Not quite gone, not yet. One more generation. One more endling. One more chance. And if we seize it, we might just get another after that. We're getting damn good at gene editing. At stem-cell research. In the length of a single rhino lifetime, we'll get even better.
For decades, we have been in a holding action with no hope in sight. Researchers, geneticists, environmentalists, wildlife rehabbers. Dedicated and heroic Kenyan rangers have kept the last surviving NWRs under 24/7 armed guard, line-of-sight, eyes-on, never resting, never relaxing their guard. Knowing, all the while, that their vigilance was for nothing. Would save nothing. This is a dead species--an elderly male, two females so closely related that their offspring couldn't interbreed even if they could produce any--and they can't.
Northern white rhino conservation was the most devastatingly hopeless cause in the world.
Two years from now, that dead species may welcome a whole new generation.
It's a holding action, just a holding action, but not "just". There is a monument, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where the last white rhinos have lived and will die. It was created at the point where we knew--not believed, knew--that the species was past all hope. It memorializes, by name there were so few, the last of the northern white rhinos. Most of the markers have brief descriptions--where the endling rhino lived, how it was rescued, how it died.
One marker bears only these words: SUDAN | Last male Northern White Rhino.
If even a single surrogate someday bears a son, we have erased the writing on that plaque forever.
All we can manage is a holding action? Then we hold. We hold hard and fast and long, use our fingernails if we have to. But hold. Even and perhaps especially when we are past all hope.
We never know what miracle we might be buying time for.
Jonah should really have taken this as an object lesson as to Spiderman's willingness to stay down. Amazing Spiderman 20
✩ Make your own Kyrii Plushie ✩
Thank you @free-sewing-patterns and @jestersneopia for asking so kindly for me to release my pattern dupe! :3 These guys are very intricate little plushies so I did my best to make something comprehensive. I also made detailed instructions which I will include after the readmore, so long post ahead!
McD's Plush Kyrii
What you will need:
•The two included images printed on 8.5"x11" (A4/Letter) paper.
•Enough of your desired Fabrics (reference the pattern size on your paper, you don't really need much at all)
✩ I recommend a short pile faux fur or other nonstretch fabric for the two body colors, and a long pile (1-4cm) faux fur for the mane and tail.
✩ You can also make the mane and tail using yarn or doll hair wefts by attaching them (sewn or glued) to a backing fabric like cotton or felt.
•Scissors or precision knife to cut fabric.
•Sewing implements (needle, pins, thimble, thread scissors, etc.)
•Thread matching one or both of your body color fabrics.
•black thread or embroidery floss for the mouth embroidery.
✩embroidery floss or thread in your desired eye colors (recommended a white for sclera, an iris color, and a black for outlines)✩OR✩buttons or safety eyes in your desired size and color.
•Stuffing (two or three handfuls of polyfill will do the job)
✩ribbon or cord to use as arm tension band and/or a loop to clip hardware like keychains and backpack hangers.
((✩ optional ))
General note: default suggested stitch length is 3mm apart unless stated otherwise.
Step 1
Print out the pattern, making sure to format your printer to use the full page with no margins. Check print preview to be sure nothing is cut off. (I made the piece inventory sheet to sort of offset any default margin weirdness but I'm new to this so let me know if it messes up.)
Step 2
Conceptualize your design and gather your materials. Are you cloning one of the plushies already out there, or making your own design? It is always good to keep reference on hand during any art project!
What special design elements are you translating to plush form? Keep in mind this pattern is small and intricate and it might be easier to omit or simplify certain design elements if you are working from something more detailed.
The cutting guide assumes 1 base color, 1 accent color, and 1 fur color with no significant shape, size, or design difference to the original McD's plushie. (Only a few fixes for symmetry and fur direction.)
Step 3
Prepare your base material for cutting. If you are doing embroidery or applique designs this may be easier while the fabric is flat and whole. Same with fur wefting, do anything like that while you have one big piece of fabric to work with. Trace the pattern pieces using chalk, heat erase pen, or some other washable marking tool using the cut guide provided. (I recommend cutting out any shape you need to add details to from the pieces inventory page, then trace those pieces on your fabric in roughly the same positions as the cut guide page.) Then do any embroidery or details you need to do while the pattern is flat.
Embroidery tips:
• Use a stiff backing piece like interfacing or felt behind your fabric to make the embroidery more durable and stiff.
•Use a back stitch or chain for lines, line in color for crisp color-changes.
•Parallel vertical lines close together catch the light and read as blocks of color best.
•Don't use stitches that are too long or loose, build stitches up diagonally like a brick pattern instead, the key is to attempt to stay parallel.
•If you are using sewing thread instead of embroidery thread, use two or three strands at once to save time.
•When you are done, cut away your backing fabric/interfacing a little outside where your embroidery stops so as not to interfere with future seams.
Step 4
Cut out your materials. If you didn't need to trace from the pieces inventory for pre-cut details, then you can just pin the cut guide paper to your fabric and cut it directly. Otherwise simply follow your trace and cut out your pieces. Be sure to keep track of which pieces go on the left and right of your plushie.
Step 5
Begin assembly by sewing all your darts first, those will be on each side of your face, inner leg, arm bottom, belly, and back pieces. Follow the blue lines that appear anywhere that says "dart" and any sew lines that create a V-like dip in the perimeter of the piece (like the arm bottom and belly pieces). Fold the seam allowance inside your seam so that the right sides of the fabric end up with a clean, unnoticeable seam. I recommend a tight, short straight-stitch about 2mm apart on darts.
Step 6
Make the loose body parts.
Sew together ears, arms, and tail by placing right sides together and sewing around based on the solid black lines in the pattern.
•Each ear will have a base color piece and an accent color piece. Make sure their shape lines up so that right sides of the fabric are together. The ear pieces are fairly flat and their sew lines should line up perfectly. Use any stitch you are comfortable with, straight stitch about 3mm apart works just fine.
•Sew one top arm piece and one bottom arm piece together for each arm. The discrepancy in their shapes creates a slight twist that gives the arm part a tube-like shape. I recommend pinning the pieces at the ends and wrist first to get the tension/gathering correct on the arm part. Any stitch works but a straight stitch will probably be easier to keep track of tension with or to rip if you make a mistake and need to retry. Keep it tight, about 2mm apart.
•For the tail, sandwich your pieces right sides together so that all the fur is tucked inside and you can sew the edges with a secure stitch like a whip or back stitch.(about 3-4mm apart) You might need to pick or brush out the fibers if they get caught in the seam.
Once you finish each piece, flip it inside out, wrong sides should remain inside while the right sides of the fabric show and all seam allowance remains inside. If any edges are having trouble flipping inside out, use a thin tool like a crochet hook or chopstick to prod them from the inside.
Stuff the 2 arms until they hold a 3D shape, firm fill recommended. Leave the other pieces in this step unstuffed.
You should have two ears, two arms, and one fluffy tail.
Step 7
Shape the face.
With the dart now sewn into the cheek, the two seams with the || registration marks should be much closer in length. Line the seam up according to the marks and fudge the rest of the length using tension. I recommend using a ladder stitch on the right sides while keeping in mind the general size of the seam allowance.
Repeat on the other side.
When you are done, your face piece should have curvy cheeks.
Step 8
Build up the head.
Connect the forehead piece to the face piece, the curve's center goes right above the nose.
Sew in the chin piece along lower jaw.
There is a bit of leeway into how long the ears will be and which angle they stick out. For best results, give it a test right side out and pin where you like the ears to stay.
The ears go into the notches on the top of the face piece, about half of the ear should fit into that notch. Sew it into that notch, any remaining ear folds around that top seam towards the forehead and is stitched down to give the ear a slight curve that helps it remain upright.
When you're finished you should have the (bald) head.
Step 9
Construct the body.
Sew the two inner leg pieces onto the sides of the belly piece.
Sew the back pieces onto the belly and inner leg piece, leaving the arm notches alone to make the arm holes. Sew all the way around the inner leg and to the center line on the belly where the dart seam sits. There may be some overlap/extra on the back piece.
Sandwich the tail between the two back pieces and sew them together. You can adjust the angle of the tail before you sew it in, the original plushie has its tail sticking up behind the back. (Tip: if you fully close the tail seam you can use a loose couple of stitches to attach it to the body to make a hanging tail that wags when you pick up and shake the plushie.)
Your current parts should be a head, a body, two arms, and the hair piece.
Step 10
Attaching the hair piece to the head.
(OPTIONAL): First, if you want to add a keychain loop like the original plushies, snip two tiny holes into the backing of your hair piece about 6mm apart and feed a small length of cord or ribbon inside to create a loop on the outside.
Leave plenty of slack on the ends of the loop for a more sturdy hold.
Secure the loop and holes with a lot of sewing and/or glue to keep the fur fabric from fraying. Stitch down the ends of the cord/ribbon to the backing of your hair piece.
Start sewing the hair piece to the head beginning with the hairline along the forehead to get it nice and clean. Next sew across the ears and down the face piece on both sides.
Your head should now have hair, with the rest of the mane hanging down behind.
Step 11
Sew head to body.
Make sure the chin piece lines up to the belly piece, the bottom of the head should line up with the rest of the back piece on either side.
Next, sew down one side of the hair piece to the back piece, connecting the bottom edge to the seam near the tail and stopping.
Leave the other side seam of the hair piece open for arm adjustment and stuffing.
Step 12
Attach the arms.
Tension Band Explanation:
The original plushies have an arm tension band inside to keep the plushie's shape and seams intact when pulling on the arms. Generally I think this can be skipped without much issue, but could be a good idea if you plan to use this as a bag hanger or keychain plush, as the arms are the extremities most susceptible to getting caught on things, and when they are secured more comprehensibly they are less likely to rip the plush apart when yanked. Not a big deal if you just plan to keep them around the house.
(OPTIONAL): If you want to install your own arm tension band, start with the plushie right-sides-out. Sew the band to one arm and pull it taught through the chest to the other arm, securing the tension band before sewing the arms into the body piece.
To sew the arms, be sure to pose them and pin them in place right-side out first. (originals usually have one arm down and the other up on their chins/waving, though they vary a lot and there are plenty of ways to position them for different expressions.)
Then, either turn insideout again or ladder stitch the arms into place.
Almost there! You should have all your pattern pieces together at this point.
Step 13
Stuffing the plushie.
Make sure your plushie is right side out, with no incorrect seams or holes other than one of the seams between the hair piece and back piece. If you need to, gently prod a crochet hook or chopstick along the backs of seams to turn them out.
OPTIONAL: To make a weighted plush, add a small mesh bag of plastic pellets or weight of your choice to the bottom of the plushie before stuffing.
Add in your polyfill, pillow fluff, yarn fibers, scraps, or whatever you decide to stuff the plushie with, paying attention to the density of the stuffing.
I recommend keeping the head and feet more densely stuffed to keep their shape while leaving the body a bit more loose for a squishable belly.
Step 14
Close up the last seam.
Using a ladder stitch, close up your last seam, pulling tight and tying off your thread at the end for a clean, invisible seam.
Now that all the seams are in, you can now brush or pick any long fibers from the hair and tail out of the seams.
The plushie is whole! You can keep it like it is, or do some thread sculpting for a more finished look!
Step 15
Thread Sculpting.
(OPTIONAL):
Using thread in the color of your body fabrics, you can pull tension at various points to create a more sculpted shape. The original had two through the face (vertically through the chin up behind the forehead, and horizontally between the corners of the eyes), and two over top of each hand and foot to look like the separation of the toes. See the original pattern pieces for precise placement.
And that's it! You should have a finished plush kyrii!
If you have any questions or concerns please contact doggyspeak. Feel free to use this pattern, share it, or edit it with or without credit.
PLEASE DO NOT SELL THIS PATTERN OR INSTRUCTIONS! IT IS BOTH NOT ORIGINALLY DESIGNED BY ME AND ALSO SOMETHING I'VE WORKED VERY HARD ON!
If you would like to see more pattern reconstructions from me, show me your finished plushies and provide feedback and suggestions to me. I would love to see what you have made and hear what you'd like to see next! ^o^
It's rather telling that while I would guess you're referring to Torch's latest (and strangest) alien paramour, he's got enough weird stuff in his backstory that I can't be entirely sure.
Now Doris, I'm sure Johnny must be THE most frustraiting boyfriend in the universe But you must know that that's not a promise he can morally keep in all circumstances Amazing Spiderman 21
As fun as it is to watch Spider-Man being (reluctant eventual) friends with the Human Torch, I find it much more amusing to track Peter Parker's hilarious history with Johnny Storm.
"You changed my life with your insipring words" + fucking off immediately. Followed by "you sunuvabitch, you stole my girl with your wiley nerdy boringness!"(regarding a girl Peter actively could not give two shits about). Followed by years of teenage antagonism only evened out when they team up to build a dune buggy together.
I mean Johnny has every reason to get a dressing down. He's acting like a jealous neanderthal. Amazing Spiderman 21
Johnny being asked to supress the part of him that's flaming for the sake of a traditional relationship doesn't seem like the healthiest dynamic ever. XD Luckily he later gets to be true to himself by dating a bunch of aliens, each weirder than the last :)
Now Doris, I'm sure Johnny must be THE most frustraiting boyfriend in the universe But you must know that that's not a promise he can morally keep in all circumstances Amazing Spiderman 21
Tiny alien gets a pet
All the proportionate social skills of a spider.
A reeeeeally big one.
Truly Peter your superpower is fucking up your social life. Amazing Spiderman 17
soooooo we all agree that @contact-guy has completely altered our brain chemistries, yes?
Isn't that just Lex Luthor at his core?
He could ALWAYS just stop. He is who he is because he never will.
Lex could just stop. Right now. He's cleared his slate, faked his own death, the list of people who have any idea is in the single digits. Superman is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. The people adore him, he has the power to do real, long term good for the world. He could just. STOP. Action Comics 672
How have I never heard this!? Amazing song, spectacular animation, and whatever the heck sort of tonal dissonance you get singing a song about avoiding supernatural threats while blithely picking a fight with nature and all its dangers.
Love this song so much, best in the whole franchise
I'd like to think this misconception is the result of a deliberate snow job on the part of the younger Ms. Watson. For the purpose of getting an in with the cute boy next door, natch. I mean, MJ *is* an actress, is she not?
HA! And I say again HA That's like the winning entrant in a "explain what MJ is NOT" contest. Amazing Spiderman 15
Love this song so much, best in the whole franchise
(in marty voice) doc…. doc bro get up… bro don’t play with me like that… doc bro doc…..
Someone who is A. transgender and B. funnier than me should do something with this. Amazing Spiderman 14
When I first read this I asked my teen-in-the-’60s-age relative about that very issue. Received a whole lecture about the differences between ‘going on a date’ and ‘dating’ and ‘going steady’ etc. Social distinctions (apparently less well-defined in modern times) that would allow for Archie to date both Betty and Veronica without ‘cheating’ on either.
General take away was that what Peter is doing here (not telling two ladies about each other) was idiotic, but not necessarily unexpected, or even unethical.
Liz is discovering a woman's desire for a partner who can hold a conversation for more than 30 seconds. Amazing Spiderman 14
Always remember, kids, Spiders are ambush predators!
Yea, wonderful tactics guys. You sealed yourself in a dark cave with a man who doesn't need to see and can stick to any solid surface. Amazing Spiderman 14
You can argue that the first modern novel was one of these. 'Ivanhoe' has hella issues, obviously, but when I read through it in grade school you better believe my Robin Hood loving butt was psyched to see my hero show up in the middle and set things straight.
Given the proliferation of the various Herlock Sholmes style expies, that pretty much already exists.
And OCs for various fandoms are just another way of putting your own dolls in someone else's playhouse.
It all comes back around.
A recurring theme in late medieval literature is stories which are ostensibly tales of King Arthur or Robin Hood or some other popular or legendary figure, except in practice the narrative mostly concerns the tribulations of wholly original characters, with the figure the story is purportedly about appearing only briefly, often in a peripheral or supporting role, essentially as an excuse to use that figure's mythos as a framing device for original fiction.
You occasionally bump into a similar conceit in contemporary fan-media, but I have to wonder how widespread the device would be if it weren't for the warping influence of copyright on popular culture. Imagine if there was an entire body of respectable mainstream fiction, spanning a wide range of genres and mediums, unified solely by the fact that somewhere in the middle Batman shows up.
Although it's when he stops dodging that they REALLY have to worry
The New York underworld is going to find out via experience that he CAN, in fact, dodge them forever. Amazing Spiderman 10
One of Spidey's first (and still one of his finest) chilling moments of superhuman intimidation. This is a teenager, and up til this he mostly moved like one. As opposed to, you know, a force of pure primal fury.
Notice that Peter's stride is not even MOMENTARILY halted by the gangsters trying to tackle him. Amazing Spiderman 11
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENIBUYFR5ZRYEYKUVUTIDERYAEEYKTUBGHKCYR
The Empty House - part 3
-Part One
-Part Two
"I moved my head to look at the cabinet behind me. When I turned again Sherlock Holmes was standing smiling at me across my study table. I rose to my feet, stared at him for some seconds in utter amazement, and then it appears that I must have fainted for the first and the last time in my life. Certainly a grey mist swirled before my eyes, and when it cleared I found my collar-ends undone and the tingling after-taste of brandy upon my lips. Holmes was bending over my chair, his flask in his hand. “My dear Watson,” said the well-remembered voice, “I owe you a thousand apologies."
(this is in the Watson's Sketchbook series! but it's also a great standalone to send to your friends to illustrate why sherlock holmes is gay)
also - shoutout to @haedraulics for doing a sketch of mid-hiatus Holmes with long hair that captivated my heart so much I needed to include that idea!
@oh-tobeafrog thank you for inspiring me with this galaxy brain take on my two favorite marvel heroes :)
original post here
I have no idea how, but this artist has created a picture that looks more like Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne than any comic panel. I'm almost totally face blind and tell the bats apart mostly by context and memorizing costumes, and YET. As soon as I saw this picture I knew which Batman and Robin it was meant to depict. Excellent use of body language personality cues, truly surreal experience, 10/10 would startle in consternation like a newly-awoken cat again.
🌻 comm for gee! thank you 💖
You'd think so, wouldn't you? To be fair to the hospital, I don't really see any reason to keep a geiger counter by the blood bags.
Flash will spend a lot of time in the coming years getting his heart dragged out by force, a little at a time.
Also Peter they would probably notice if your blood had some noticable amount of radioactivity before giving it to her. Amazing Spiderman 10
Messaging people for the first time is so hard. What am I supposed to say? Like, "You seem really odd and your blog intrigues me. Do you want to have philosophical conversations or perhaps talk about fictional characters?" What! Whatever. I will just follow you back and stare at your blog with my big beautiful brown eyes.