philosopher-under-the-sea

Latest Posts by philosopher-under-the-sea

Mermay 2025 - Day 3 🫧🐟

Mochizuki Honami - Manta Ray

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Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus Mobula. They have the largest brain-to-body ratio of all fish, and can pass the mirror test.

Stop everything. We literally have whale language. We just discovered definitive whale language. We can't translate it (yet) but we literally deciphered that whale calls are not random, and they're not simple. They follow linguistic patterns just like us. They have names for each other.

We're on the brink of ACTUALLY understanding what an animal is talking about, beyond basic warning cries. My childhood dream of being able to talk to animals is like, 1 step away from happening.

And omg if we ever do get to talk to whales, my adhd ass has a MILLION questions. Do they see/use the stars and moon to navigate? Do they have religion? Can they understand other whale species, or is it like trying to talk to a chimp? Do they like people-watching while we're on our boats whale-watching? Do they teach their offspring the way humans and apes do? What's the most annoying animal in the sea?

I want to tell them about us and our relationship to whales. How we have movies about them. We see their jaws in museums and marvel at how big they are. We try to save them when they wash up on the beach. How we made such a big push to outlaw whale hunting and bring back the whale population. How much I hated the novel Moby Dick.

I wonder if they would have questions for us? They can't really fathom the land the way we can understand the ocean. They might be able to see shorelines, maybe some islands. But think of how much land stuff a whale has never seen. They've never seen a cat, or a desert. I wonder if they would know that there must be more land, or assume that it's all just concentrated around the shore.

I imagine they would be curious about our boats, and why we can't swim very well. If they have culture, which I strongly believe they and most intelligent animals do, they might even remember stories passed down about whale hunting. They might ask why we suck at singing. Why do our fins look weird? How would we explain walking to a sea creature?

Of course, that is the one wrinkle - in all linguistic research and animal communication research, we haven't yet discovered a species that also asks questions the way we do. Apes don't seem to care about where or why things happen. They just make the tools and move on. At this point we have no reason to believe that a whale would need or want to ask questions. They have the ocean, they have their food, and they don't even make tools the way we do.

But still... can you imagine really having a conversation with a whale? How amazing and humbling it would be.

"It doesn't have to be like this. We could have it so much better"

Calligraffiti in Chicago, Illinois

aquarium outfit inspo

Literally part of the plot of His Dark Materials season 2

Solving conflict, not like a compromise or a "let's forget about this and move on", but really understanding why the other said or did what they said or did, and them understanding you, and both of you feeling closer and trusting the other more afterwards is one fucking amazing human experience.

I have a friend with whom I had a very sudden and painful conflict and she went no contact for 4 years, then she came back and asked to talk it out, and now it has been 10 years and how we solved this conflict got us so much closer.

But sometimes, there are some conflicts that will never get solved, some apologies we'll never get to make. Somewhere, someone is telling a story about what a dick you were, to a new friend, over a drink.

And I learned that it is ok. Conflict solving requires both parties being willing to try, the right timing, and sometimes some special communication and empathy skills. It cannot always work.

But when it does, and I get to understand myself and someone I love so much better thanks to it, it makes me so happy. I also trust people more after having even a minor conflict with them and see how we both handle it.

I'm grateful for all the conflicts that made me grow and feel loved and fought for afterward.

Quote's author and context: my best friend, 2025, south of France, sudden inspiration while biking home from a bar

FELLOW TUMBLR INHABITANTS, I call upon thee: you are invited to add thoughts and related stories, (diagrams and poems always welcome of course).

I feel this has creative potential and I want to witness where it can go ^^

The only reason why transphobes always ask “what is a woman” instead of “what is a man” is because we all know that a man is a featherless biped.

I am Philosopher Under The Sea. Lord of the crepe. Bringer of Us retroactively. Fear me, for I'm just exceptionally good for you.

New tag game! I'll start:

I am Pluto. Lord of the lord. Bringer of the lord. Fear me for I am not in the same place.

@abscshshhd @aneptunicperson @breadinhaler3 @bonsai-is-a-bottle-of-oj @boughtmender @dykeden @eatin-bread-n-cryin @earth2enpysea @feathereye12 @fluffyyyfrog9000 @faerieofthenight @geooo0oo @happylittleduckboy @hansel-the-idiot @juan1dupree23 @kakashiwearingthegetaboshihat875 @mentally-tori-261 @oscar-cant-draw @rafareba @shortmomma1993 @themuseinthewoods @unnamed-enby @zithergilt

and anyone else I didn't mention who wants to join in

note: you don't have to use your real name. I just used my user, and you can too lol

"It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was Us, then what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought on myself as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things."

Terry Pratchett in "Jingo"

Truly hate the way "did this person do something that actually harmed someone" and "do they deserve to be unpersoned for it" are considered the same question

Jelly

“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”

— Alexander den Heijer

"the world isn't kind" ok??? Much more importantly are you?????

I have come to the same conclusion. It is quite likely I won't become less sensitive and always have some strong, not fully rational feelings. But if I'm not a dick about it, neither to myself nor others, it is actually a good opportunity to learn about myself and give myself empathy. I can also be open with people about my sensitivities, this way they get to know me better, and we get closer. It also makes other people feel comfortable talking to me about their sensitive or irrational moments. I feel I learned more and more how to turn my thin skin into a journey of growth and connection, and to not wish it would get thicker.

”getting thicker skin” is great in theory but I think for some people “get better at handling your thin skin” is gonna be way more helpful advice. I have strong emotional reactions to criticism and they might never go away, but i can continue to try and handle each situation maturely and that’s the important part. Sometimes irrational feelings are chronic and living with them is better than trying to beat yourself up into not having them.

I feel that whatever part of the diagram I find myself in, my mind is capable of spinning a depressing and self-judgmental narrative about the situation. This post offers an alternative to rephrase these narratives and be more encouraging and empathetic to oneself. In the end, is it really our achievements that count, or the story we tell ourselves about the meaning of our life and what happens to us? Some people succeed so much and are never content, neither kind to themselves. Maybe being kind and encouraging towards ourselves through our journey is more important than what we can or can't do. Maybe we need both to fail and succeed, to persist and walk away, if we want to fully experience what it means to be alive. Maybe it is all just very interesting.

This post genuinely altered the trajectory of my life and how i make a lot of my decisions and i think about it so much

I think if there was a god it would look like a whale.

the thing about being nonbinary is that you really do start to forget that other people have such strict walls around what is and isn’t allowed for genders. i thought we all agreed that we made that up. could you climb out of the cave real quick and feel the sunshine for a minute.

aw hell yeah

goth manta goth manta goth manta goth manta goth manta

Link.

Your friends watching something for the first time and getting to that scene VS you, the knower.

so there's a new fish (Branchiostegus sanae). it's named after San from Princess Mononoke because of its cheek stripes and I'm in love with the picture they used to illustrate this:

San looking lovingly at this fish while it is giving me the worst side eye imaginable.

also:

perhaps?

Howl’s Moving Castle lava lamp with emo Howl as the lava

Since I'm therapist-posting recently:

Legitimately self-compassion is the biggest mental health life hack of all time. I'm NOT talking about self-esteem. You do NOT have to like yourself one bit. You don't have to believe that you're a good person who deserves good things. You just have to believe that you're a person who deserves the things all people deserve.

You can't get from "I'm the Worst" to "I'm a worthy and lovable person" without passing through "I'm just a regular fuckup like everybody else."

Try it on. If you're really addicted to being mean to yourself, you can start by framing it as I'm Not Special. Embrace being a regular fuckup like everybody else.

Replace “what if I regret this?” with “what if this sets me free?”

hope is a skill