Did you want to see birds? no? too bad

You will see birds and you will like them

[fishstickmonkey]

The mural in this picture is located on the tomb’s north wall and shows a black and white cat with a red ribbon on its neck and a silk strip ball in its mouth. People who worked as attendants to the tomb’s occupant can be seen in the background. The cat would presumably have been one of the tomb owner’s pets [Credit: Chinese Cultural Relics ] (via The Archaeology News Network: 1,000 year old Chinese tomb reveals murals, stars & poetry)

[thelostcanyon]

Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis), Willcox, Cochise County, Arizona.

[awkwardbirdsdreaming]

Bird #91 - Microraptor gui (EX)

Based on this incredible fossil. I return from the dead to bring you: my favourite dinosaur!!! Did you know powered flight/bird-like creatures likely evolved multiple times?? Modern birds are the only lineage that still persists, but many other pseudo-birds co-existed with them in the Jurassic and Cretaceous.

Also I still don't have my new ipad and apple pencil lol I'm waiting for the case to ship and it's gonna take A While.

[chic-a-gigot]

L'Art et la mode, no. 23, vol. 29, 6 juin 1908, Paris. Robe faite entièrement en rubans formant bouclettes, au bas. Jaquette de tulle brodé noir, rebrodé de motifs de soie. Création de Redfern pour l’Exposition de Londres 1908. Imp. d'art L. Lafontaine, Paris. Bibliothèque nationale de France

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode illustrée, no. 23, 6 juin 1909, Paris. Toilette d'été. Doc. Photo. Reutlinger. Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

Le modèle, provenant de Drecoll, est exécuté en linon blanc sur transparent de satin rose. La jupe, bordée dans le bas par un large ourlet, est cerclée par des entre-deux de Valenciennes coupés par de la broderie. Le corsage, brodé, est fait avec une guimpe en tulle plissé, encadrant un petit empiècement brodé. Ceinture drapée en satin Liberty rose.

Manches demi-longues en linon brodé, bordées de dentelle.

—

This design by Drecoll is crafted from white lawn over a pink satin underlayer. The skirt, finished with a wide hem, is encircled by Valenciennes lace insertions interspersed with embroidery. The embroidered bodice features a pleated tulle yoke framing a small embroidered inset. Draped sash in pink Liberty satin.

Elbow-length sleeves in embroidered lawn, edged with lace.

[milksockets]

'model abyan wears an accordion-pleated, empire-line, chiffon dress with embroidered bodice + fluted sleeves from pierre balmain in 1989' in vintage weddings: one hundred years of bridal fashion + style - marnie fogg (2011)

[bewbin]

EVERYOBODY GET DOWN HES TAKING A CREATIVE LIBERTY

[alaskanay]

American Kestrel | Raptors of North America

[tigerbaulm]

smea cmreaturem

[distance-does-not-matter]

@strawberrysquidforever

[iridescent-wildlife]

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). Family Troglodytidae, order Passeriformes.

Y'all might notice that my photos and watermark might look a lil different in the future. I've been using Photoshop to edit my photos since 2019, but it simply does not function on my laptop anymore. So I'm switching over to lightroom and it's been an adjustment. Bear with me as I transition into this 🙏

Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. June 2026.

[carabid]

In bed and Story just stopped moving, then turned to face out into the darkness and said, completely apropos of nothing “now we are free from the gladiator” and i got scared

[wizardarchetypes]

[forcewound]

blocking someone bc they’re personally annoying to you is always morally correct

[the-most-sublime-fool]

i've realised i'm the opposite of a tech early adopter. i'm an early abandoner. i always seem to be the first person in my circle to jump ship when a tech product/service overenshittifies. and good fucking riddance. i'll write letters to my friends and read paper books and find out about upcoming events by reading the posters on lampposts and billboards and i'll plan my transit using the public transport company's website and i'll go watch movies at the cinema and whatever fucking else you thought i was too lazy to do. i don't give a fuck man. you think your shithouse product is too essential and people are too addicted to stop using it? WRONG i will drop it like a hot potato. eat shit.

[the-most-sublime-fool]

hey so i thought i'd add to this post with some info about what kind of switches i've made or intend to make to stop using tech that overenshittified, became evil, etc. 

(idk if anyone will see this addition so i'll probably make this its own post later)

Replace: Netflix etc.

kanopy - available through public libraries and universities. check if yours has it. if not, ask them what they do have for streaming, and/or ask if they can look into joining kanopy!

beamafilm

internet archive - have a look around. there are tonnes of good classic film options! i have some good stuff bookmarked, hmu if you want links

also yeah, do go to your local cinema! 📽️🍿

Replace: Audible/Amazon eBooks

available through public libraries:

libby

borrowbox

cloudlibrary

freely available to anyone:

project gutenberg - the GOAT!!! (plus its aussie sister site gutenberg.net.au, which has books that are still under copyright in the u.s., as well as a wealth of australiana, australian history, and australian records)

faded page - same idea as PG. this one is canadian so this is where you can source public domain canadiana and canadian history.

librivox - the audiobook version of PG (free public domain audiobooks read by volunteers). it's a great concept, but be forewarned that the app's interface is really, truly awful.

Replace: Google search

there are a lot of lists out there, like this post i recently reblogged, so the good news is you have lots of options! remember that google still makes most of its $ from its search function, so making the switch is absolutely worth it even if you still use their other services.

anyway, the post i linked goes way more in-depth, but here are a few i've tried and liked:

qwant - my current go-to

4get - i intended to try this one but forgot, adding it because i think it'll be good

mojeek - it's like using google from 2005 (/pos)

marginalia search - find older, text-heavy websites, with commercial content filtered out.

Replace: Chrome

i think we all know this one but just in case...

firefox, with ublock origin installed

Replace: Google Suite (Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, etc.)

proton - it has mail, docs, sheets, storage, etc. see if you can share a plan with someone or join with your family because there are two-person and family plans that are more affordable.

otherwise, you can split it up and use multiple services, e.g. tuta for email, sync for storage, ellipsus for docs, etc. 

Replace: Google Maps

organic maps

your public transport org's website/app

Replace: Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, etc.

tumblr, lol. 

"but how will i stay in touch with my friends?"

talk to your friends. message them and say, "here's my email address, here's my phone number, here's my mailing address, what's yours? i'm leaving the app and i'd like to stay in touch." then, do that. make sure to reach out to them and invite them to hang out or just start a conversation using one of the above methods.

"how will i find out about what's going on near me?"

genuinely, read posters on lampposts and community billboards. 

see if your city/area has a website that shows upcoming events and keep an eye on it. 

find orgs/venues/galleries/theatres near you that do cool stuff and sign up for their mailing lists. 

ask people for recommendations.

go for a walk through an interesting neighbourhood. have a look around.

"but i need more human connection! i like feeling connected to people i don't know, too, and hearing all kinds of different perspectives."

postcrossing!!! i love it so much! send and receive postcards to and from different people around the world 💌

get a penpal! there are different penpal finding websites and subreddits out there.

tandem for language exchange

"what about facebook groups?"

i get it, if you're already in a group you want to participate in it's a bit tough because you don't want to ask the group to relocate just for you. but fwiw, meetup and butter provide similar functions. 

"what about facebook marketplace?"

yard sales

charity sales

op shops

whatever website equivalent exists in your area (kijiji, gumtree, etc.)

Replace: Spotify

this is a switch i haven't made yet. but from what i've heard, qobuz or deezer are good streaming alternatives.

support artists by purchasing music through bandcamp

also support artists by buying merch from their websites.

Replace: Goodreads

storygraph - i think it's pretty well-known, but just in case!

Replace: What's App

signal - even if you can only convince a couple people to move over and you still talk to other people on what's app, that's still a couple more conversations zuckerberg doesn't have his grubby little hands on. also, the more people make the switch, the more people will follow.

Replace: YouTube

i wish!

i don't know of any good substitutes. please share if you do!! my best solution atm is turn on ad blocker and use it as little as possible.

Replace: General mindless scrolling

ok, here's what i do.

download one of the aforementioned ebook apps (libby, borrowbox, cloudlibrary, or else open up project gutenberg if you can't get those) and take out an ebook.

when you find yourself scrolling endlessly on some social media app and you realise you want to stop but you just can't seem to get off your phone, switch over to your ebook app and read instead. (this will work best if you choose light but interesting ebooks that won't feel like a massive cerebral leap from passive media consumption).

even if it's just a couple of pages, it'll feel more productive and break the cycle of endless scrolling.

Parting words

it's a marathon, not a sprint. don't try to switch a bunch of stuff at once or you're setting yourself up to fail. take it one small step at a time. build new habits. figure out what works for you. i'm currently about two months into transitioning off of gmail/google suite and i've still got a while to go. i have over a decade's worth of files and photos to transfer over, and god knows how many accounts and contacts linked to my gmail. that switch doesn't happen overnight. you just gotta start and it takes as long as it takes. but the payoff is regaining control over your data, mental health, and spare time✌️

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

This phrase has already entered my vocabulary re: media criticism where like. The viewer has a concrete view of what they expect a story to be based on the tropes and cliches they're used to seeing together, and when that doesn't happen, they judge it as a failed depiction of what they assumed it was going to be instead of judging it as what it actually is.

"This show is problematic because the hero didn't kill the villain at the end": When does he steal the bread?

"These two characters who were close friends throughout the series don't kiss at the end! What the fuck?": When does he steal the bread?

"This feels like it's missing a conclusion! Like, the protagonist does bad stuff and because of a critical decision he makes as a result of his major character flaws, meets tragedy in the end! Where's the part where he learns better and brings is love back from the dead and becomes a good guy and gets a happy ending?": When does he steal the fucking bread??

[thetetra]

I heard this out as "When criticizing something, you must judge it for what it is, not what it isn't"

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

#this is why so many of us urge people to get a wider diet of stories

[dragonologist-phd]

the thing about heavy handed symbolism is that sometimes. it's fun.

[stupidlittlespirit]

This is so silly but I'm watching a short video essay on sincerity in cinema and the creator is talking about how he watched Lord of the Rings for the first time at 17. He explains that he'd grown so used to the 'ironic' meta style commentary in the movies of the 2010's that as he was watching the opening narration of LotR, he spent the entire time waiting for the joke to come. For someone to take it all back with a zinger line. He listened to Blanchett describe and explain the backstory, and he waited for the other comedic shoe to drop.

And he kept doing it. Scene after scene.

He spent the film expecting someone to make a joke about how unserious things were or to break the fourth wall or do some other self referential type thing.

Now, maybe I'm just at that point in my cycle or maybe I'm too delicate in general, but I literally teared up hearing that. Straight up cried a bit. It is so fucking sad that sincerity and genuineness is being bred out of people.

People say all the time 'this generation can't take anything seriously!' and really, is it any wonder? Younger people have been trained out of it. You are no longer encouraged to be genuine or show emotion or be honest. You are actively punished for it. In fact, you are almost guaranteed to suffer for it.

That is so fucked up. I'm sorry to go on a bit of a random ramble rant but it's so fucking gut wrenching to see younger people lose that element of themselves. You can't express your passion without being told you're 'crashing out' or 'cringe'. You have to live in this neutral state of fear of perception, and god forbid anybody step outside of it!

You're told you should only consume and succumb and be ironic and emotionless and cool.

Listen, if you're following me and you're like.... 25 or under, let's say. Please. I beg of you. Do not fall for this rhetoric. Please, for the love of all things, feel. Feel and create and be honest with yourself. Indulge in things that make you happy. Be sincere. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Do not let this hyper-capitalistic, hyper-consumerist, self-centred, individualist culture take that from you.

Bleed yourself into the work you create. Live. Don't fucking let anyone tell you different.

[apilgrimpassingby]

[feralfennecfox]

I love taking care of garter snakes so much