FreeandClear3567

Welcome to my blog! Happy to have you here! A bit about me- Roman Catholic (Christian). Cisgender, Heterosexual, White male. American (U.S.A.). I love tumblr because it gives me access to diverse perspectives! Queer community friendly/trying to be a good ally! PS- Queer is a beautiful word and a valid identity. Prejudice is a poison. God bless you all! 😊✌️❤️ Pronouns He/Him I have a political side blog now- Who Will Stop the Rain. I have a religious/spiritual/Christian side blog now- Angel Wing Umbrella

[kosmogrl]

we got august this week

[jewfrogs]

the problem with autism is sometimes you want to do something (brave) but you need someone to gently walk you through each step so you know what will happen. and people don’t like doing that

[bobdylanslesbianlover]

i had to phone a taxi today, scary

[sga-owns-my-soul]

every time i see this post i think of that person who posted on reddit that they wanted to go to subway for the first time but they were scared they would say the wrong thing so someone gave them step by step instructions for the entire process and what all the choices would be and when they would ask what question and i just think

someone will

someone out there will see you and say "yes. the world is scary. but let me hold your hand and show you how to do it anyways"

everyone needs that someone, and everyone can be that someone

[warriorsdebt]

The subreddit r/explainlikeimscared is a surprisingly good resource for this. People are always very kind and thorough from what I've seen, and I spend a decent amount of time there giving walkthroughs and answering questions when I know the process.

[halfblackwolfdemon]

SHARING TO HELP SOMEONE ELSE OUT!

[night-vale-community-radio]

How to Successfully Study in the Library

bring all of your materials with you

find a nice quiet spot void of distractions 

make sure to take little breaks every half hour or so

maybe bring a little snack

don’t look at the giant floating baby

just don’t 

try to forget about the giant floating baby in the library 

use different colors of highlighters to organize your notes  

[night-vale-community-radio]

you folks think this is like a fuckin doctor who or phineas and ferb reference but nah this is the shit I gotta put up with every day

[the-indoorsy-geologist]

bruh you don’t even know

we’ve got THIS

[night-vale-community-radio]

hOLY SHIT

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

I used to think the READ owls were bad but it turns out I was spoiled re: libraries

[slothful-rabbit]

I laughed so fucking hard at this

[paint-lady]

[draconym]

The eye doctor is the most fun doctor you can go to. They never steal your blood. They never make you get naked and put on a paper dress. They're just like, "Can you see these letters? It's fine if you can't, we can fix that." And they don't even spell anything.

[draconym]

[orcboxer]

Every time I go they put me in a chair and they say look into this machine there's a hot air balloon or a farmhouse in there and I do and I'm like you're right I see it and they're like yeah keep admiring that hot air balloon or farmhouse and I do and I'm like this shit's quaint as fuck and then do you know what happens next they attack me they jumpscare me with air directly into my eyeballs and i fall out the chair and they say sorryyyy but they're NOT they wanted this to happen they KNEW about the jumpscare well now I'm wise to it now I know better when I go in and they say look at this bodacious hot air balloon I'm like NO WAY DUDE that balloon wishes me harm have at thee and I attack them and push them on the ground and spit on them

[spicy-apple-pie]

Talia slays no matter what she wears (figuratively and literally)

Commission Info / Kofi (members get comics a week early)

[freeandclear3567]

[wizardarchetypes]

i love truck stops in winter bc i love a little good old fashioned reconnaissance. i’m at a wyoming truck stop eating taco bell with a bunch of random truckers discussing road conditions like we’re in a high fantasy tavern & inn and we’re warning each other about monsters and highway men. everyone talking about where we’re coming from and going to and how bad it’ll be getting there.

THE tallest man i’ve ever seen in real life just stopped me in the hallway by the coin operated laundry apropos of nothing and asked “which direction are you going?” i said east and he said “good” and walked away.

i caught up with him and asked why and he said “west’s no good right now. i just came from there.”

apparently a truck jackknifed and has traffic backed up ten miles but he sounded for all the world like he just found his village raised to the ground by an evil mage’s army

[rosslynpaladin]

...it's super cool in a 'historian with goosebumps' kind of way that this whole experience is essentially timeless.

As long as we've had ROADS or even game trails this

very scene

has played out in brush shelters, shrines, taverns, inns, post stations, and hotel lobbies.

Humans, out upon the Ways, where danger may be, sharing information because we live when we cooperate and share and we all know it out there.

[cali]

soundscape of young green martian playing with pvc pipes

[dralphabet]

[dehydratedbunny]

I love this video so much it brings me so much joy every time it crosses my dash again

[homunculus-argument]

"I learned a lot from making this" is artist talk for "making this sucked ass and I'm not entirely happy with the result."

[animelionessmika]

^what artistic growth feels like

[veryfilthyshit]

agreed.

[istherewifiinhell]

[ID: a ball cap that says in english and chinese:

Don't rush to work / Don't be late for lunch 上班别急 / 午饭可别迟到了

END]

[melancholygirls]

I passed a flower shop next to a tattoo shop and at first I laughed because I thought it was ironic and then i freaked because IMAGINE YOUR OTP IN A FLORIST/TATTOO ARTIST AU

[stillalittlekid]

OMG I COULD TOTALLY IMAGINE THEM LIKE THAT IT WOULD BE SO PERFECT

[christ-with-a-why]

[hellsitegenetics]

String identified: a a t t a tatt a at t ag ca tgt t a c a t a ca AG T A T/TATT ATT A G C TTA AG T TAT T CT T ac tt!

Closest match: Hottonia palustris genome assembly, chromosome: 9 Common name: Water Violet

(image source)

[enslavedbyfaeries]

Paper: Arches 100% cotton/ cold press

Brushes: Da Vinci Casaneo mop/ Silver Black Velvet rounds/ Rosemary & Co

Paint: Schmincke/ Sennelier/ W&N Titanium White Gouache

[valtsv]

me, wearing nothing but a sheer plunge-neck ballgown that’s plastered to my skin from the rain, soaking wet and trembling with cold and fatigue as i stand outside the entrance to the castle: p-please help me ;) i’m s-so lost and s-scared ;) ;) i have no where to stay for the night ;) ;) ;)

the sexy vampire lady who answered the door, and to whom the castle belongs: of course ;) you poor thing ;) ;) come inside, you must be freezing… you may stay as long as you need to recover from your ordeal ;) ;) ;)

[whiteroserwby]

You walked up to that house in the rain on purpose

[valtsv]

[vstheworld]

the fuck else would I be sloshing around in a wet ballgown for

[nardacci-does-art]

I drew it…. & animated it…

[cannibalchicken]

[stateownedslut]

My stupid poser kidnapper wants to show me my missing person's poster but I don't think they do those any more and I kept saying this but they wouldn't listen until they wordlessly handed me a printout of a bbc article talking about it. They want to compose a ransom note with newspaper type but don't know how to buy newspapers as someone under 60 without looking suspicious. The other day I saw in the fridge a carton of oat milk with a home-printed photo of me obviously taken by them awkwardly glued to the side. I don't even get a basement. This is a one-bedroom flat.

[asteroidtroglodyte]

Did you tell your kidnapper there’s no money for Ransom yet or..?

[forgetting-how-to-breathe]

Book Rec! Lead and Roses: Love Songs at the End of the World by Natalie Ironside

Yesterday I rec’d @natalieironside ‘s book The Last Girl Scout. If you haven’t seen that yet, go check it out!

If you’ve read The Last Girl Scout, Lead & Roses will contain many familiar folks, as well as a few new ones. It’s full of nice little tidbits that occur before or after the narrative of TLGS. But, if you haven’t read that yet, that’s okay too! The five short stories collected into Lead and Roses are spread across the post-apocalypse landscape, featuring everything from horror to queer slice-of-life.

That said, this did serve as a nice sort of epilogue for me after finishing The Last Girl Scout. There are five thematically arranged shorts: Stories, The Last American, The White Goddess, Werewolf, and That’s a Christmas to Me. The Last American and Werewolf were especially interesting reads, as they deal mainly with perspectives of folks opposite those we see in TLGS.

Stories is a wonderful story about two women building a life and community together. The White Goddess has scientists stumbling onto trouble when they go on a research trip. There's really just a little bit of everything. That’s a Christmas to Me was wonderful and heartwarming to read, especially because I read it around the winter holidays.

If you read The Last Girl Scout first, Lead and Roses serves as a cool way to expand the information we have about the world, and serves as a nice farewell to familiar characters. (I don't know about y'all, but I always have a hard time moving on to other things after falling in love with characters/stories) And if you haven't read Natalie's debut novel first, then what you're getting instead is a sampler of absolutely amazing post-apocalyptic fiction across a span of genres, and glimpses at the truly interesting world Natalie has made. There's no wrong way to go here, so definitely go check it out, along with Natalie's other writing!

How to Support the Author

Recommend Lead and Roses: Love Songs at the End of the World to your local library!

Leave reviews on Goodreads/Amazon etc.

For more writing, check out her Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/natalieironside/

Where to Purchase Lead and Roses

For the ebook, check out Natalie’s Gumroad!

https://natalieironside.gumroad.com/l/LAR2021

Find the paperback on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08KGZKQ68

[natalieironside]

Oh goodness. Thank u so much <3

[kitstacean]

I finally got around to reading Lead and Roses and I can attest that Natalie's writing is incredible. The world is fascinating. The characters are amazing. The writing? Poignant, charming, and hilarious.

I bought L&R as a little sample to decide whether I should also get the Last Girl Scout - the answer is a RESOUNDING yes.

I loved every single one, but special mention to That's a Christmas to Me, which made me ugly-cry for a solid hour.

Do yourself a favour. Buy and read these books.

[natalieironside]

Shucks ❤