It's a blog!

I'm Req. She/her; Ace; Brain's doing all right these days. I love Terry Pratchett and science, and also some other things.

[runawaymarbles]

The thing I keep coming back to, with all the *gestures expansively* is that real life doesn't have peaceful epilogues.

Every single win has to be defended. Forever. I'm sorry. It sucks. The Nazis lost until they stopped losing. The US had abortion rights, and then 50 years later it didn't. Empires fall, and then they invade other countries again. Oppressive regimes are overthrown and replaced with other oppressive regimes. You will never finish the work etc etc etc. Which is why it's so fucking important to be able to acknowledge and celebrate progress, when it happens. The people who came before you didn't put in all that work for nothing, and you aren't, either. You can't save it all for the Ultimate Victory because there is never going to be an Ultimate Victory. There's no such thing as a time when everything is good, and ours shall not be the commune of Heaven.

[grison-in-space]

That's why it's so important to carve out periods of rest while the war is still going, too: the war will always be still going. There will never not be a threat to sort out. There will never not need to be people showing up to look after one another.

So you'd better stop thinking about activism as Crunch Time where if you can just work a little harder until $X point, you can pause and rest. There will always be another $X point. You need to build a way of volunteering and speaking and stepping up that incorporates rest and joy into your life: bread, so you have the strength to continue stepping up, and roses, so you remember why you did it in the first place.

You cannot do it all. You need to cherish your own ability to do the work you can, and you need to rest and take care of yourself--body and mind--if you want to be able to continue doing what you can over the long run.

[sanjerina]

In Judaism (the folks who brought you “you are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from doing it “) the importance of the Sabbath comes from this exact thing.

The idea is to take a break from carefully rebuilding the broken world, and instead to live, one day a week, as if the world is already whole. This is what sustains a community over the long, frustrating, blessed, utterly necessary work of sustaining love and fostering justice.

[ktempestbradford]

That we have so many narratives with the peaceful epilogue and not enough that show peace must be fought for consistently likely contributes to the problem OP outlined.

[cock-holliday]

“Butch” means queerly masculine. That’s it. The end. It’s queer masculinity. If you are masc and queer about it, congrats, you can use butch. If you go oh no am I masc enough to use this or am I queer enough to use it my question is, “do you wanna use it?” If your answer is yes then hey welcome to the butch club. We have jackets.

[chillyfeetsteak]

all i wanna do is eat nectarines and think about aurora borealis st. elmo’s fire gigantic jets ball lightning green flash earthquake lights and will-o-the-wisps

[chillyfeetsteak]

[biblically-accurate-lesbian]

SPECIAL INTEREST MENTIONED YALL!!!

Look at my jellyfish sprites boy

Sundogs

Asperitas clouds

[biblically-accurate-lesbian]

Glories

Russian Light Pillars

Nacreous Clouds

[biblically-accurate-lesbian]

Mammatus Clouds (tiddy clouds lol)

Morning glory clouds

St. Elmo's Fire

I could go on for HOURS!! Remember that the would around you is much weirder than you know and the only difference between magic and science is we put names to the latter!

[chillyfeetsteak]

see she gets it

[madnessofmen]

starting a collection. I'm calling it autistic sexting

[catasters]

[knight-errant-girl]

@i-identify-sneks-in-posts

[i-identify-sneks-in-posts]

Felis catus, Cat

[creekfiend]

kangaroos are like what if a scary muscle man occupied the ecological niche for deer

well I wouldn't like that very much. is what

[lesbianshepard]

fun fact about languages: a linguist who was studying aboriginal languages of Australia finally managed to track down a native speaker of the Mbabaram language in the 60s for his research. they talked a bit and he started by asking for the Mbabaram word for basic nouns. They went back and forth before he asked for the word for “dog” The man replied “dog” They had a bit of a “who’s on first” moment before realizing that, by complete coincidence,  Mbabaram and English both have the exact same word for dog.

[lesbianshepard]

on a similar note, a traditional Ojibwe greeting is “Nanaboozhoo” so when the French first landed in southern Canada they thought that they were saying “Bonjour!” Which is fucking wild to think about. Imagine crossing the ocean and the first people you meet in months somehow speak French. 

[yu-gi-oh-slavia]

[tuulikki]

Given that we famously don’t know the origin of the English word “dog”, I have decided to adopt an utterly batshit folk etymology conspiracy theory. As a treat.

[ribzinc]

For a while I just assumed that the English “potluck”, was derived from Chinook Jargon “potlatch”. Both describe comparable practices of guests contributing resources to a larger community-wide feast. But a little digging quickly reveals no etymological relation; instead of one, I got TWO! interesting linguistic insights into distinct cultures.

[jewishpangolin]

Fantastic False Cognates - Starkey Comics

False cognates are pairs of words that seem related, but aren’t. Here are some of these amazing linguistic coincidences. What are False Cong

Here’s some more!

[ceescedasticity]

‘Ciao’ is from what now.

Per Wiktionary—

Borrowed from Venetian s-ciao, sciavo (“slave”) (in particular the expression s-ciao vostro (literally “(I am) your slave”), in essence meaning “I am at your service”, or “your humble servant”), from Medieval Latin sclavus (“slave”) (whence also standard Italian schiavo); in the Venetian language originally pronounced /stʃaʊ/. Development and use is similar to the Southern German and Central European greeting of servus.

Okay then!

[kelpforestdwellers]

re: ‘nanaboozhoo’, it’s also frequently shortened to ‘boozhoo’, increasing the likelihood of it sounding like ‘bonjour.’ also those double ‘o’s are a long ‘o’ sound, not an English ‘oo’ sound like ‘boot’. and the 'zh’ sounds just like the 'j’ in 'bonjour,’ and the French notoriously do not explicitly pronounce the 'n’ or the 'r’. so 'boozhoo’ really sounds a lot like 'bonjour.’

[official-linguistics-post]

official linguistics post

[bulldog-butch]

i’m gonna say something controversial yet brave: sexuality labels are a convenient tool we use to define something that is undefinable

[kyleblackpaw]

they are a convenient shorthand for incredibly complex and unique ideas, which is why it's stupid to try and enforce rigid definitions on who can and can't identify as what

[without-ado]

(x)

[professionalchaoticdumbass]

IT

[dialupmodern]

FUCKEN

[virtualgirladvance]

WIMDY

[the2headedcalf-archive]

You know that Ada Limón poem where she’s like “i can’t help it i love the way men love”? my dad recently confessed to me that he became a shoemaker because they buried my grandma shoeless

oh…………………………………

[urlocalchangeling]

Accident Report in the Tall, Tall Weeds - Ada Limón

[generic-dumb-bitch]

[tundrakatiebean]

[gingernutsenthusiast]

@filmnoirsbian

[chambaeli]

[chandaniyan]

[chandaniyan]

[machineryangel]

[hynpos]

and persephone is back to getting dicked down by hades in the underworld

[swingsetindecember]

bold of you to assume she’s not doing the dicking 

[muffinrag]

“Hades is a bottom” is not the hot take I was expecting to see on my dash today, but I think it’s the one I needed

[was-sagt-der-fawkes]

@spiritspodcast

[theoldness]

[w-r-o-u-g-h-t]

this “bon appetit” meme has turned into some sort of bizarre telephone game where each incarnation sounds more and more different than the original. in what way does “bon appetit” sound like “osteoporosis”

[lady-dainty]

i don’t know but it’s cracking me up every time i even think about it

[catrad0rable]

bon appetit -> bone apple teeth -> bone ??? ??? -> osteoporosis

[transcrowleyy]

this has layers, man

[gallusrostromegalus]

OK So with the shit with the USPS going on:

1. Check your Voter registration to make sure everything is up to date.  If you can, request a Mail-In Ballot.  I live in CO, where all elections are Mail-In only now, so I get one anyway.

2. Fill out your ballot per the instructions on your Ballot.  Some Notes:

Read Instructions thoroughly, and fill out your Ballot in private.

Do NOT post pictures of your Ballot as this may invalidate it.  DO Post pictures of your “I Voted” sticker.

Make sure to vote for all the offices up for election- as important as the presidential election is, your mayor, governer, local school board and sherrif have a MUCH bigger impact on your immediate safety and quality of life.  Google your candidates, look up the Leauge of Women Voter’s Guides for a reliably Impartial rundown of your local candidates. 

Remember also that it is better to have someone in office that is only moderately incompotent, than it is to have someone that actively wants you dead.  It is the first step to having someone worthwhile next time.

If you wanted a third party option, your local elections are the best place to do this- my own city council has several Green Party members and it got me city-sponsored single-stream recycling! Its also moving the state legislature significantly farther left.

3. INSTEAD OF MAILING IT- LOOK UP WHERE YOUR BALLOT DROP-OFF LOCATIONS ARE. 

They’re boxes you drive or walk or bus or bike or whatever up to and drop your ballot in, and the elections officials will have it that evening. Pros of Ballot Drop-Off:

Can be turned in the same day you reccive your ballot, if you want to get this over with ASAP

Open 24/7, so you can drop it off whenever

Absolutely guaranteed to get your vote counted, regardless of what Donald does with the Post Office.

No waiting in line

No exposing yourself to the coronavirus

Most cities will have several ballot Drop-Off locations, at places like the grocery store, the county courthouse, city hall, at high schools etc.  Google your town or county name and “Ballot Drop Off Locations” and it’ll give you directions even.

Absolutely Save the USPS, but this is the BEST way to make sure your vote gets counted this

[kaypier-deactivated20200518]

More often than not I’ll crack into a sprawling fantasy series and, while I appreciate the luscious descriptions of furniture, landscapes, and clothing, all I’m focused on is that I don’t actually know how this world works. I only know what it looks like.  

Including some functionality to your universe can add to immersion and give your reader a strong foundation on which to build their mental model of your universe. 

You certainly don’t need to use all of these questions! In fact, I recommend against that, as all of these certainly won’t make it into your final draft. I personally find that starting my worldbuilding off with 5 to 10 functional questions helps pave the way for glittery and elaborate aesthetic development later on.

How is the healthcare funded in your world?

How does healthcare functionally differ between the wealthy and the poor? (i.e. can only the wealthy go to hospitals? do poor families often have to rely on back-alley procedures?)

Where are health centers (i.e. hospitals, small clinics, etc.) organized in your cities?

Does it differ in smaller towns?

How does this affect people’s ability to get healthcare?

Is healthcare magical, and if it is, how does that affect the healthcare system? 

If healing is instantaneous, how does that affect people’s views on injury, illness, and chronic ailments?

If you have both magical and physical healthcare, which one is deemed superior and how does that affect society? 

What illnesses are common in your world? 

How does this affect daily life? 

What do the people in your world think illnesses are? 

Is it a miasma theory? 

Humor theory? 

Demons? 

Do they know about biological viruses and bacteria? 

How does this affect healthcare?

How do people get water? 

Is the water sanitary and if not, how do they sanitize it?

How does agriculture work? 

Is it large corporations or individual farms?

What sort of agricultural technology exists in your world and how does it affect food production?

Are farmers wealthy or poor?

What sort of natural resources does your world/country(ies) have and how are they obtained?

How does this affect the average wealth of the country?

How does this wealth affect the culture? 

What livestock or beasts of burden are most valued? Least valued? Why?

What is considered a luxury good vs. a regular good?

What forms of transportation does your world have?

What classes use what forms of transportation?

How far has the average citizen traveled, given your transportation limitations?

Which cities are the most accessible and which are the least? Why?

How do popular transportation methods change how cities/towns are laid out?

Does your world have public transportation? What is it?

Is there a coming-of-age aspect to travel?

Describe your world’s postal system or whatever equivalent there is. 

Who pays for it? 

How reliable is it? 

Are there emergency methods for transporting information?

How does your world keep time (i.e. watches, sundials, water clock, etc.)?

Does your world have a currency system, barter system, or something else? 

If you have multiple countries, do different currencies have different values across said countries?

How does this affect travel?

Do you have banks in your world and if so, how are they run?

Who owns the banks? Government? Wealthy? How does this affect the economy and/or class system?

How does credit operate in your universe?

Does your world operate more on big corporations or small business? Something in between?

How are workers/labourers treated in your world? 

Are there workers unions and if so, what are common views on unions? 

Describe your tax system. If you don’t have a tax system, explain why and how your world is affected by that. 

Can certain social classes not own property, certain livestock, certain businesses, etc.? Why?

How are business records kept? Are business records kept?

If your world has technology, does your world prioritize developing entertainment tech, communications tech, transportation tech or something else entirely?

What does this say about your world?

How does this affect your economy?

To the closest approximation, what type of government does your world have? 

How are rulers/presidents/nobles put in place? 

How much power does an individual ruler have? 

Is there a veto process? 

If you have multiple countries, do they have different types of rulers?

Describe any large-scale alliances (i.e. countries, factions, etc.) that are present in your world. 

How did they come about and how are they maintained? 

Are they strained or peaceful? 

How does it affect the greater politics of your world?

Describe how wars are fought both internationally and nationally. 

Do methods of war differ between countries/races? 

What about philosophies about war?

If there is a military, what is its hierarchy structure?

How does the military recruit?

Is the military looked upon favourably in your society?

What weapons are used by each country/type of people during warfare, and how does that affect war strategies?

Describe the sentencing system of your world. 

Is your accused innocent until proven guilty, or guilty until proven innocent?

How are lawbreakers punished? 

If you have prisons, describe how they are organized and run, and who owns them. 

Does differing ownership change how the prisons operate?

What are the major ways in which laws between countries vary? 

Do laws between cities vary? If so, how and why?

How does citizenship work in your world? What rights and privileges do citizens have that others do not? 

Can certain classes or races not become citizens?

Are there certain taboo subjects or opinions that artist/authors/musicians are not allowed to depict (i.e. portraying the official religion in a negative light, explicit sexual material, etc.)? What does this say about your society?

How do people get around these censorship laws?

What is the official hierarchy of duty in your world? (i.e. is family the most important, or patriotism? What about clan?)

How many languages are there in your world, and how many languages share a common origin? 

How many people are multilingual? 

Which language is the most common?

How is multilingualism viewed?

How are different languages viewed? (i.e. is one language ugly/barbaric while another is romantic and sensual?)

Feel free to add your own questions in reblogs or in comments!

[regularlesbian]

come on

[margbarcis]

this is fucked up 

[ripleyandweeds]

something about this bird just unlocked something insane in scientists’ heads

[regularlesbian]

this is unlocking something insane in my head to be fair

[gallusrostromegalus]

One of my lesser-known achivements is being the first person to document the American Woodcock in Colorado for the Audubon Society* (much to the chagrin of my neighbor who’s been birding** for over 50 years***) but the only reason i got that photo was seeing that funky little dude on the other side of a small canyon in the mountains and was immediately siezed by a Primal Urge to get as close to his wobbleball as possible which resulted in me sliding down a cliff, jumping into, then swimming across a river, mountain goating up another cliff then belly-crawling through the grass of a meadow to get close enough to take several shots of him doing his little worm dance with a Noted Geographic Feature in the background.  

My total injuries for this stunt were thigh-long road rash, a twisted ankle, some kind of plant rash, two tick bites and a case of moderate hypothermia but I 100% Do Not Regret It.

Birds in general unlock something primal and untamed in the Human mind but these guys are on another level.

*Andews and Right allegedly documented one in 1992, and while Upstanding Birders who put a lot of honor in the sport and would not falsify a report, their report lacks evidence like a photo or recording, and even they admit that this seemed improbable and that they may have been mistaken.

**Birding is a Sport with points, teams, training seasons, long-standing rivalries and some really spectacular drama and frankly I’m amazed more people on this site aren’t into it, or at least the secondhand drama.

***Part of the Point System is that you develop a Life List of all the bird species you’ve seen in your lifetime, and the rarer a bird is, or the more out of it’s usual range it is, the more points it’s worth (there’s like, six systems for awarding points, but the only real prize is Bragging Rights). Deedee (the neighbor I’ve accidentally thrown assorted wildlife and a shovel at) has been competitively Birding for 50 years now and Her Life List is Extensive and Very Highly Ranked.

I have been Casually Birding since kindergarten when Grandma got me a Copy of Sibley’s Guide To Birds becuase I liked the pictures in it, and only formally for about seven years and... Well, between having 20/20 perfect color vision, a tyrannosaur-like attantion for Movement, the urge to flee into the Mountains to avoid humanity and apparently, The Devil’s Own Luck, I blew past her point count with the Vagrant Woodcock, two rare grouses, a very Odd Duck, and a Condor.

As an apology, I promised we’d go on a mutual trip to the mountains this spring because she wanted to “Learn Your Secrets” but then the plauge happened, and i forgot about it until i got an email in march declaring “YOU OWE ME A WOODCOCK!!”

****I haven’t told her about the Vagrant Trumpeter Swan from earlier this year. Salieri could only put up with so much Bullshit from Mozart before he did him in.

[qrgirl-deactivated20220303]

i swear to god gnc trans women are some of the most hated, alienated people on the planet. like even in lgbt spaces we’re expected to be pretty and conform to what everybody expects of us, and honestly fuck that

trans women who are butch lesbians deserve to be treated as the women they are, trans women who dont use she/her deserve to be treated as the women they are, trans women who do not comform deserve better. we deserve better.

fuck cis lgb people, trans men and nonbinary people who turn the other way when they see transmisogyny. the lgbt community has failed trans women by not even attempting to do anything about the specific oppression we face. it is not a safespace for us, it can oftentimes be even worse than simply existing out in public.

[cyberlesbiab-deactivated2021052]

I also wanna heavily blame the wealthier people in the trans community who’ve pushed the absolute hell out of the ‘passing’ standards to the point where it’s so mainstream you get truscum with million follower youtube platforms who’ve been out for 2 years and get all their information from subreddits full of privileged assholes

[qrgirl-deactivated20220303]

literally the ONLY good addition to this post, thank you.

[liberalsarecool]

Classic abuser strategy. Does something bad, blames you for it, makes you grateful to them when they stop. Repeat.

[samantha-shakespeare]

Boris used the same strategy and it worked! 

Do NOT underestimate this tactic.