[drawingden]

Fire Tutorial by kantakerro

[exeggcute]

lol I am in such a stressed-out blind rage today from insurance bullshit that I wrote up a glossary of health insurance terms (things like deductibles, premiums, and copays) because all the free guides online are unnecessarily complicated and the only way you can squeeze a dime out of these bullshit companies is to understand their overly-complicated policies. give em hell

[nerdlingwrites]

This is a GREAT guide folks - it’s simple, straightforward, and deals well with the overly complicated alphabet soup of medical insurance. Knowing this stuff can prove REALLY helpful, and the examples used are a great resource. 

[utopians]

you know I was a migratory bird once

[queen-of-the-merry-men]

When writing always remember… a character flaw is only a flaw until becomes useful. 

Is your protagonist manipulative? Well that’s awful… until they manipulate the antagonist into making a decision that saves the lives of their friends. 

Is your protagonist a skeptic? Well that’s not good… until someone tries to lie to them. 

Is your protagonist overprotective? That sucks… until someone they love is in danger. 

Is your protagonist remorseless? Well that makes them pretty unlikeable… until a hard decision has to be made. 

[saeronovace]

[susiephone]

The flipside is also true!

Your protagonist is honest? That’s good… until their survival depends on them being able to lie convincingly.

Your protagonist is brave? That’s good… until they foolishly run headlong into danger without a thought for the consequences.

Your protagonist is forgiving and able to see good in everyone? That’s good… until they continually forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it, and get taken advantage of because they can’t fathom that some people just suck.

Your protagonist is funny? That’s good… until they piss off everyone around them because they don’t seem to be taking the situation seriously, and they keep avoiding dealing with their problems by hiding behind humor.

Most personality traits aren’t inherently good or bad. It’s all about context, and how far they go.

[woolgrass]

First ever egg tanned lamb hide, all completed!! So happy with how it turned out for a first time. I still have 3 more to do, they'll turn out a lot better :)

[gardencorekid]

With all the talk about telling people to start planting and growing crops to feed themselves and their communities during this time of crisis, I’m surprised I haven’t seen much about HOW MUCH to plant to feed people. Here’s a good article to serve as a jumping-off point, to give people an idea of when to plant and how much to plant to keep people fed. Keep in mind that unless you live on a fairly sizeable plot of land that has ideal growing conditions, you probably won’t be able to completely feed a family of four, at least with traditional gardening methods. However, you can still heavily supplement your diet with homegrown food if you plot your garden carefully.

How Much to Plant per Person in the Vegetable Garden

It's time to plan the vegetable garden, but how much should you plant per person to feed your family?

Some things you can do to save space include growing plants in stackable towers rather than flat rows. Not everything can grow this way, but growing herbs or even strawberries or some kinds of tomatoes in them can save a lot of space. Bonus points if you can get some vertical vining plants like beans or tomatoes to grow up the sides of them to maximize the space used.

Hanging planters can also be used for things like tomatoes, herbs, some berries, etc. The people who grew up watching TV in the 2000s may remember ads for the topsy-turvy tomato planter. I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of them, but it may be good inspiration for creative DIY hanging planters.

Many people don’t seem to know this (to be fair, it’s not very intuitive), but small melons and gourds can be grown vertically on a trellis. You will need pantyhose or something else that can act like a sling for when the fruit gets large enough, and you’ll also want to make sure the trellis is very sturdy. Here is an example of a watermelon growing on a trellis, with squash growing in the background:

Other good options that require a bit more DIY are hydroponics towers and walls. It’s basically just a series of pipes with holes for plants to grow out of. The only downside is they will require very regular fertilization and supplementation with other micronutrients that are essential for plant growth, because the plants are typically grown in either a non-nutritious medium like coconut coir or nothing at all.

Planter walls are the next step down, basically just building shelves with pots in them to fill with soil. Put these on a wall that gets good morning sun and some afternoon sunlight for best results. These and hydroponics both also have the advantage of being able to hook up to your gutters so that rainwater will go towards watering your plants rather than just being wasted.

If you want to get really fancy, aquaponics is the next step up. With aquaponics, you create a system that circulates water between plants and a tank full of fish. The fish waste provides fertilizer for the plants, and the plants help filter out the waste so the water stays cleaner. I’ve heard they’re a bit tricky to establish, but once you find the right balance, all you’ll need to do is feed the fish. This has the added bonus of providing a source of fish for people who can’t eat things like nuts and legumes but need protein. Here is a link to an article explaining what aquaponics is, how it works, and how it differs from hydroponics.

What is Aquaponics? | The Aquaponic Source

WHAT IS AQUAPONICS? What is Aquaponics? Many definitions of aquaponics recognize the ‘ponics’ part of this word for hydroponics which is gro

I also want to add that if you don’t have the space or ability to maintain a large garden, there are other options. Find or create a group with access to enough food to supplement or completely fulfill your diet, and offer another service. If you have space for a vermicompost bin or tower, that can still help contribute to the garden. Learning other skills like soap making, cooking, sewing/knitting/crocheting, electrical skills like wiring and soldering, welding, woodworking/carpentry, etc. means you will still have valuable skills to contribute towards the group, and this will set up the basis for a larger mutual aid network within your community.

[queeranarchism]

Unless you have a huge amount of land, resources, a shitload of free time and a lot of gardening skills, trying to live completely off your own garden within a year is a ridiculous idea.

Most of us can’t do it ever even if we use all our space perfectly. Some of us can do it after years of building those skills, and we might still have bad years. And in the end, what does it get us? Self-reliance is a right-wing preppers dream but it isn’t what we should be aiming for.

If we’re thinking about collective survival and we’re looking at food as part of that survival, there’s two things that work:

Start a community garden. Bring together the resources, time and skills by getting together in a big group. 

Or learn to grow a few crops really well and share them with all your friends. 

The last one is what I’m going for and it works great. You can chose a few crops that are perfect for your soil, shade/sun conditions, skill level, amount of time, etc. Perfect those crops so you’ll have a huge harvest, and share share share. With a couple of friends doing the same, it’s much easier to get to a point where you’re no longer relying on stores for your fruit and veg.

[queeranarchism]

If you have permanent long term space but limited time? Fruit trees and berry bushes.

If you have a lot of nice soil and can do physically exhausting work? Potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini.

If you have a green house? SOOOO many tomatoes. Fruits that require warmth. etc.

Are you a gardening nerd with time and an interest in learning complicated plants? Take on the challenges like broccoli, cauliflower and depending on your needs, location and options, maybe cannabis? Or build a permaculture garden if that’s your thing.

If you have a balcony or window sill or prefer to do light work in high mobile planters due to limited space or mobility? Leafy greens, herbs, radishes, carrots, maybe a small tomato plant.

Together, we have complementary needs and abilities.

[woolgrass]

Hide tanning day #6...

A final breaking of the skin off of the frame and then smokin'! Had to go do a quick forage in the river valley to gather rotten wood. Damp, rotten wood creates the most smoke.

[woolgrass]

Today my new hand carders came in the mail! I spent an hour carding my washed golden yak fiber to get used to carding. so satisfyingggg and now my yak is all ready for needle felting!

[art-and-things-of-beauty]

Dogs by Georges Frédéric Rötig (1873-1961).

[apeironfarm]

2 things. 1) So excited to grow these winged beans! 2) Look how many varieties we've got to grow this year! And this is only the pole beans.

Seed saving is really important to me and last year it was so easy to save bean seeds. Actually, most of the dry beans we harvested went to eating and that left enough for growing for the next two or three years. Since we are still so busy installing the infrastructure here, I decided to prioritize growing foods with the easiest to save seed. We don't have time for saving anything else so that led us to what we are now calling The Year of the Bean. Good thing I love beans! Not only that, but they are an important homesteading staple since they save brilliantly and can feed you all winter, even here where we have 5 months to survive before we can really harvest anything in significant amounts. Beans are also incredibly energy efficient to save. They require no canning, no freezing, just a somewhat dry place to live. As if all that isn't enough, they'll pump our brand new beds full of nitrogen as they grow.

Is there anything as perfect as a bean? Probably every other plant, but right now I'm totally wowed by the bean.

[lunefrog]

not to be native on main but like, it’s everyone’s responsibility to steward the land they’re on. like you’re required. if you’re in america the people who own the land aren’t around to steward it so pick up the slack. learn how people cultivated and cared for the land you’re on. if you’re an animist there’s really no excuse. man, i get disabilities and stuff (i’m disabled myself) but you gotta do something. get some native grasses and toss em into your yard. mow your grass a little higher. leave a little strip that’s completely untouched so native wildlife can take residence there. cultivate a relationship with the land you’re on, not only for magical reasons (and you WILL get magical benefits) but also because the earth is deserving of love and respect in itself. 

[thats-howthelightgets-in]

@everyone in the comments like “I can’t wait till I have a house to steward the land on!” You know no one says it has to be your land, right? I steward a local creek- I keep it clean, I feed the spirits, I pick up glass and destroy invasive species as best I can, I do my duty to the genus locorum that tend the land spiritually.

So, because I like learning opportunities, here’s how to steward land.

Pick a spot. An abandoned lot, a road ditch, a cemetery, a creek, a path though the woods, a piece of timber bordering a park, whatever.

If it isn’t your land and you really don’t like doing illegal shit (smh), get permission to tend it.

If you’re magically inclined, get to know the spirits there, set up altar space with items that won’t be litter if they get loose, or that won’t make animals sick if they get into them. Only do this if appropriate. I have an altar beside the creek on a few big, flat stones, but this might be less appropriate in an often visited cemetery.

Start with what’s there. If it’s all grass, mow it higher. Pick up the trash. Prune the trees and large plants, learn to identify the plants that are there and if they’re native or not.

Next step up, destroy invasive species (if you’re certain they’re invasive.) Emerald ash borers are easy to identify. Kudzu is a little less so. Water what needs watering, weed what needs weeding.

Start planting, if you can. Learn from the native people on your land if you have access to them- otherwise, check an extension office or university. Plant native species in varieties that will coexist. Start removing grass, if appropriate. Probably shouldn’t remove grass in a cemetery, but if the ditch you’re tending is just regular bluegrass, smother that shit out and start planting better things.

Make certain the area is habitable for native species of animals and insects. I cannot STRESS ENOUGH how important it is to make sure your area is accessible and habitable for native species, especially native pollinators. I live in the prairie area, and if I see one more “native species haven” with no flowers or only red ones, I’m going to flip my shit.

Finally, LISTEN TO NATIVES. If it’s your land, consider participating in a land-back program. If you ask for advice, listen to it. Check the websites that most tribes have for this purpose. And BE RESPECTFUL.

This is all I have for yall, go fuckin wild.

[woolgrass]

Lamb hide process day #3!

[woolgrass]

Lamb hide tanning process day #2

[woolgrass]

Lamb hide tanning process day #1

[sunnydwrites]

Writing Tips Masterlist

Last updated April 9, 2021.

World-Building

4 Tips for Writing Magic

Creating a Culture

Totalitarian Governments

Creating a Distinct World

Creating (Fictional) Medicine

Describing New Settings

Writing a War

Writing a War with Superheroes / Magic / Fantasy

70 Questions for World-Building

Creating Superstitions

49 Questions for Creating a Religion

The Tie Between Characters and World-Building

34 Questions for Creating a Government

36 Questions for Music in World-Building

Creating a New Species

42 Questions for Creating an Education System

Characters

Developing Character Appearance

Developing Character Personality

Multilingual Characters

Creating a Wardrobe

How to Name Your Characters

Your Characters vs. Already-Established Characters

Effective Point-of-View Character

Writing an Impactful Death

Writing with Archetypes

Designing Your Characters

Mute Characters

Thinning Your Cast

Not Enough Characters?

84 Questions for Developing Plot and Character Roles

Sexuality without a Relationship

Consistent Personalities

Skills and Knowledge

Creating Conflict

Character Arcs

Sympathetic Characters

Name vs. Pronouns and When to Use Them

Creating Character Voice

Characters Who Are Learning Another Language

Character Fears

Finding Motivations

Creating Character Flaws

Emotionless Characters

Relationships

Dynamic Relationships

Sibling Relationships

Believable Romance

Characters Who Don’t Know How to Relationship

Complementary Character Traits

Writing a Slow-Burn Romance

Characters Who Fall Out of Love

Groups of Characters

Making Compatible Characters

Emotions

Frustration

Grief

Fear

Planning & Plotting

Planning a Series

Writing an Outline

Tips for Writing Subplots

Non-Point-of-View Romantic Subplots

Avoiding Generic Plots

Planning and Pace

Editing & Prose

Writing with Emotion

Controlling Pace with Detail

Steps of the Editing Phase

Descriptions in Context

Imagery

Dialogue

Showing vs. Telling

What is passive voice?

Reworking Moments of Exposition

Adverbs

When to Cut Your Content

Avoiding Cliches in Your Story

The Importance of Vocabulary

Writing Beginning Paragraphs

Motivation

How to Balance Multiple Projects

How to Fall Back in Love with Your Story

Writing Every Day?

Sticking with Your Story

Getting (Back) Into the Writing Habit

Setting Realistic Goals

Shiny New Idea Syndrome

Positive Writing Mindset

Staying Motivated on Your Projects

Getting in “The Zone”

Keeping Writing Logs

Avoiding Burnout

Breaking Out of Writer’s Block

Scenes

Quick Decisions

Travel Scenes

Breakdown in the Shower

General Writing & Miscellaneous

The Joys of the First Draft

Injuries

Creating Suspense

Writing Poison

Prophecies

A Word to Young Writers

Making a Moodboard

Consuming with the Producer Mindset

For First-Time Writers

Building Your Writing Skill

Advice for Student Writers

How to Do Research

How to Maximize Your Writing Time

How to Make Your Book Look Like a Book

On Experimenting in Writing

When to Use Multiple Points of View

Building Theme

Becoming a Beta Reader

Background Music While Writing

Why Committing to a Project Can Be Stressful

Warm-Ups for Writers

Determining Your Story’s Genre

Why do we get stressed when we don’t write?

Writing Short Stories

If my work helps you or your writing, please consider supporting me my joining my Patreon!

[terranlifeform]

[silvysartfulness]

The finished result! I’m so ridiculously proud and pleased with how it turned out!

This was an ordinary door + 3 pieces of mdf board. I carved and sculpted them with my dremel multitool, inspired by the carvings I saw in Bali, mounted them and then painted and sanded the whole thing in several layers before adding a final tint of gold. 💙

The door and side panel I sculpted myself. The top carving is from Bali.