This Is Beautiful

Happy Fourth of July

aka: the day that scared the ever living shit out of every dog that’s ever lived.

*deku panicking*

Creds to bakuqou for the ideaaaa!!

Everyone after reading the new MHA chapter

On reptile and invertebrate cognition...

Something that bothers me when people talk about the cognitive limitations of certain animals is that vague, human-centric words get thrown around and treated like Indisputable Science. When really, the definitions attached to those words are really important.

Example 1: “Reptiles don’t feel happiness”

Well, what exactly do you mean by “happiness”? Do you mean the exact combination of cognitive and emotional sensation that constitutes human happiness? Reptiles certainly don’t experience human happiness, but neither do canines or birds (which don’t even experience mammalian happiness), and we don’t usually go around saying that dogs or parrots don’t feel happiness. We understand that dogs and parrots experience a positive emotional state that is similar to human happiness.

Reptiles aren’t as cognitively or emotionally complex as dogs, parrots, or humans, but they still experience pleasure and can form positive associations. Should we call that happiness? Is a positive emotional state, characterized by high levels of pleasure, an absence of pain, and all current needs being adequately met not a primitive version of what we call happiness?

Same with “reptiles don’t feel emotions”. Well, no, they don’t experience anything approaching the intensity of human emotions, as they don’t have big, thinky cortexes to attach meaning to the emotional reactions of their limbic system. But recent studies have shown that reptiles do have a primitive version of the limbic system and even the neocortex (that whole “reptile brain, mammal brain, human brain” theory has been all disproved by recent science).

At the very least reptiles experience the primitive emotions of pleasure and fear. There are even reptiles that mate for life and form social bonds (even to the point of caring for offspring that are not their own) and reptiles do actually have their own version of the hormone oxytocin (it’s so similar that vets can administer oxytocin to eggbound reptiles to make them lay). So there’s likely more emotional complexity there than we currently understand.

Example 2: “Tarantulas can’t learn”

What do you mean by “learn”? Do you mean that you can’t train a tarantula to spin on command? Or do you mean that a tarantula isn’t capable of changing its present behavior based on past experiences?

Pretty much any animal that can encode memories of past experiences can learn. Recent science has shown that even some plants may be able to somehow encode past experiences and become desensitized to repetitive stimuli and they don’t even have brains.

Like most animals, tarantulas will dampen their reaction to repeated stimuli. A tarantula that is regularly picked up will eventually have a less dramatic response to the stimulus of being placed into a hand. That’s a type of learning.

Tarantulas can also learn to associate a particular stimulus with an event that repeatedly comes afterward (like Pavlov’s Dogs). They will very quickly attune to the set of stimuli that occurs right before feeding time or their cage being opened. That’s learning.

Fun Fact: Studies have shown cockroaches can learn this way too and that cockroaches can recognize and show preferences for individual humans. Hissing cockroaches placed in the hands of someone they recognize are less likely to defensively hiss than when placed in the hands of a stranger.

This may seem like a silly thing to be bothered by, but the reality is that the way we talk about animal cognition can have a real, tangible impact on their welfare.

People can jump pretty quickly from “reptiles don’t experience happiness/emotion” to “reptiles can’t experience pain/discomfort”. Which can lead to devaluing the welfare of reptiles or assuming that as long as the animal is alive and not actively ill or injured there’s nothing else to worry about. This kind of thinking is a big part of the major pushback against enrichment in certain reptile keeping circles.

Similarly, enrichment is almost unheard of in most of insect and arachnid keeping despite the fact that there is a growing scientific consensus (and even a handful of studies) that invertebrates can benefit from enrichment. There also aren’t any welfare laws governing experiments on invertebrates (except cephalopods) because they’re largely considered to be akin to instinctual robots and unable to feel pain or discomfort.

As people who know the difference, it is really important to use specific language and explain what we mean when talking about the cognitive capabilities of animals (especially often maligned and misunderstood animals).

more witnesses to the elusive soft bakugo

Credit: @juliehangart

So I found this new brush set and to test it all I decided to draw some bnha fantasy au stuff ^^

(the todoroki one is my fave btw)

“It’s fine now, young man!”

Every Fic I’ve Ever Written

Because someone requested I do this :)

Amateur Ghost Hunters: Tumblr Master Post | AO3

One And the Same: Tumblr Post | AO3

Short Prompt Requests: “You need to wake up because I can’t do this without you.” | “Im not jealous.” | “I could kiss you right now!” | “I’m going to take care of you, okay?” 

Frilly Pink Apron: Tumblr Post | AO3

Where Did You Go?: Tumblr Master Post | AO3

Don’t Play With Your Food: Tumblr Post | AO3

Twin Stars Week:

Day 1: Tumblr Post

Day 2: Tumblr Post

Day 3: Tumblr Post

Day 4: Tumblr Post

Day 5: Tumblr Post

Promise Ring: Tumblr Post | AO3

Workplace Relationship: First Chapter (Tumblr) | AO3

Capacity to Love (Uncompleted, on hiatus): Tumblr Master Post

The Shrinekeeper and the Harvest God: Tumblr Master Post | AO3

Bakudeku Positivity Week

Day 1 / Honeymoon: Tumblr Post | AO3

Day 2 / If You’d Have Me: Tumblr Post | AO3

Day 3 / Blinded: Tumblr Post | AO3

Day 4 / Aim for the Heart: Tumblr Post | AO3

Day 5 / Karma: Tumblr Post | AO3

Day 6 / A Series of Dumb Decisions that Actually Turns Out Okay: Tumblr Post | AO3

Day 7 / Together: Tumblr Post | AO3

Where the Road Leads: First Chapter (Tumblr) | AO3

The Prince and The Frog: Tumblr Post | AO3

Talking it Out: Tumblr Post | AO3

Halloween:

An Unlikely Pair: Tumblr Post | AO3

The Witching Hours: Tumblr Post | AO3

Mine: Tumblr Post | AO3

The Kiss: Tumblr Master Post | AO3

5,000 Words for 5,000 Followers:

Call Me, Nerd. Tumblr Post | AO3

First Date, First Kiss Tumblr Post | AO3

I’m Not Your Husband (But I Could Be Your Boyfriend) Tumblr Post | AO3

Three Christmases: AO3

As Right as Right Now: Tumblr Post | AO3

Foster-Mates: Tumblr Master Post | AO3

The Vessel of the Seer: Tumblr Master Post | AO3

Quirk Shenanigans:

Opposite Personality: Tumblr Post | AO3

Time Travel: First Chapter (Tumblr) | AO3

Kid Katsuki: Tumblr Post | AO3

Playful Rationality: Tumblr Master Post | AO3

Empty My Inbox Challenge:

All Your Fault: Tumblr Post | AO3

Say it Again: Tumblr Post | AO3

I Believe in You: Tumblr Post | AO3

Kacchan-Sugoi: Tumblr Post | AO3

In Your Care: Tumblr Post | AO3

Love Language: Tumblr Post | AO3

9 Prompts for 9,000 Followers:

hug | muse | fairytale | defense | fate | harm | pressure | villain | partner

AO3

I like how dolphins breach with such vivacity

whales breach with grace

sharks breach with power

… then fucking manta rays be like

“there goes Billy fulfilling his dreams”