#write everything

[satzy]

Some heavy thoughts.

[badassunicorn2016]

Well, I started this blog 7 years ago with great intentions, and had a great almost 7 months posting and then I started grad school and anything other than grad school sorta fell by the wayside.

In the years between then and now, I’ve thought about picking up where I left off, but haven’t really found the motivation at the right time of the year.

So I’m sort letting the daily writing prompt/daily writing tip thing go after 7 years (it’s time 😂). While I stopped posting, I did continue writing (sporadically) and now that I am done with grad school I am actually taking a creative writing class for the first time ever and I am so excited!!!

It’s only just started, but one thing that my prof said that I’ve been ruminating over and want to share with you all is that a lot of people use backstory solely to justify a character’s actions. And if used like that, then it’s really easy to fall into common tropes and make your character feel very two dimensional. Instead, backstory should give your character depth. It can (and likely will) explain some of the character’s attributes/decisions/etc, but it should also add to the character in some way.

Idk I hope I’m explaining that right and in a way that makes sense.

For me, the example that comes to mind is from the show Miraculous Ladybug (I’m not caught up yet with what’s been released on Disney+ so PLEASE NO SPOILERS), where we have two characters, one of whom is a villain and one of whom is a superhero. Character one is a rich fashion designer with a wife who mysteriously disappeared and since then has rarely left his house and still grieves her. Character two grew up isolated, lost his mother as a child and his father is very distant, he was essentially raised by his father’s personal assistant. He was homeschooled, almost completely cut off from the outside world unless it was convenient for his father to parade him around.

Character one seems like he’s set up to be a Batman-like superhero, while character two is set up to be the villain with a chip on his shoulder.

But in reality, character one is the villain terrorizing Paris by preying on people’s negative emotions, while character two is an absolute cinnamon roll of a human who wholeheartedly accepts his role as second in command of a superhero duo, then a superhero team, led by a female superhero. He’s not even an antihero, he just absolutely loves Ladybug and is absolutely willing to accept that she is in charge from the get go. It does also explain some of his attributes/actions (why he loves being a superhero so much bc he finally gets the freedom he never got before; his worst nightmare is being locked up) but it *explains and adds*.

Like. They could’ve used his tragic Disney Princess background to justify making him an asshole. But they gave him the backstory while also making him the sweetest, kindest, ladybug simp possible.

There’s so many things this show gets right (this is just one of them) and even tho it’s a kids show I recommend everyone watch it (at least the earlier seasons… jury’s still out on what Disney has decided to do with it since they acquired it lol)

Anyway. Am hoping to share any other tidbits that I learn along the way, but based on that 7 year gap I am not making any promises 😂

[arson-jellyfish69]

AI disturbance overlays for those who don't have Ibis paint premium. found them on tiktok

[specialagentartemis]

“Be curious about what you’re writing about” is not stock Common Writing Advice but it really, really should be. There are a lot of written works that fail due to the authors just being obviously incurious about what they are writing about.

[evidently-endless]

i think we should remind musicians they can absolutely make up little stories for their songs btw. it doesn’t have to be about them at all. you can invent a guy and put him in situations to music. time honoured tradition in fact.

[almondpiglet]

ppl were drawing mikus from all over so heres habesha miku and her lil twin sibs rin and len!!

[sashayed]

eventually one has to come to terms with the fact that "conceive of myself as a person capable of tackling difficult things" is an achievable goal toward which one can take concrete steps whereas "have things be easy" is Not

[asgardian--angels]

Planet's Fucked: What Can You Do To Help? (Long Post)

Since nobody is talking about the existential threat to the climate and the environment a second Trump term/Republican government control will cause, which to me supersedes literally every other issue, I wanted to just say my two cents, and some things you can do to help. I am a conservation biologist, whose field was hit substantially by the first Trump presidency. I study wild bees, birds, and plants.

In case anyone forgot what he did last time, he gagged scientists' ability to talk about climate change, he tried zeroing budgets for agencies like the NOAA, he attempted to gut protections in the Endangered Species Act (mainly by redefining 'take' in a way that would allow corporations to destroy habitat of imperiled species with no ramifications), he tried to do the same for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (the law that offers official protection for native non-game birds), he sought to expand oil and coal extraction from federal protected lands, he shrunk the size of multiple national preserves, HE PULLED US OUT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT, and more.

We are at a crucial tipping point in being able to slow the pace of climate change, where we decide what emissions scenario we will operate at, with existential consequences for both the environment and people. We are also in the middle of the Sixth Mass Extinction, with the rate of species extinctions far surpassing background rates due completely to human actions. What we do now will determine the fate of the environment for hundreds or thousands of years - from our ability to grow key food crops (goodbye corn belt! I hated you anyway but), to the pressure on coastal communities that will face the brunt of sea level rise and intensifying extreme weather events, to desertification, ocean acidification, wildfires, melting permafrost (yay, outbreaks of deadly frozen viruses!), and a breaking down of ecosystems and ecosystem services due to continued habitat loss and species declines, especially insect declines. The fact that the environment is clearly a low priority issue despite the very real existential threat to so many people, is beyond my ability to understand. I do partly blame the public education system for offering no mandatory environmental science curriculum or any at all in most places. What it means is that it will take the support of everyone who does care to make any amount of difference in this steeply uphill battle.

There are not enough environmental scientists to solve these issues, not if public support is not on our side and the majority of the general public is either uninformed or actively hostile towards climate science (or any conservation science).

So what can you, my fellow Americans, do to help mitigate and minimize the inevitable damage that lay ahead?

I'm not going to tell you to recycle more or take shorter showers. I'll be honest, that stuff is a drop in the bucket. What does matter on the individual level is restoring and protecting habitat, reducing threats to at-risk species, reducing pesticide use, improving agricultural practices, and pushing for policy changes. Restoring CONNECTIVITY to our landscape - corridors of contiguous habitat - will make all the difference for wildlife to be able to survive a changing climate and continued human population expansion.

**Caveat that I work in the northeast with pollinators and birds so I cannot provide specific organizations for some topics, including climate change focused NGOs. Scientists on tumblr who specialize in other fields, please add your own recommended resources. **

We need two things: FUNDING and MANPOWER.

You may surprised to find that an insane amount of conservation work is carried out by volunteers. We don't ever have the funds to pay most of the people who want to help. If you really really care, consider going into a conservation-related field as a career. It's rewarding, passionate work.

At the national level, please support:

The Nature Conservancy

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Cornell Lab of Ornithology (including eBird)

National Audubon Society

Federal Duck Stamps (you don't need to be a hunter to buy one!)

These first four work to acquire and restore critical habitat, change environmental policy, and educate the public. There is almost certainly a Nature Conservancy-owned property within driving distance of you. Xerces plays a very large role in pollinator conservation, including sustainable agriculture, native bee monitoring programs, and the Bee City/Bee Campus USA programs. The Lab of O is one of the world's leaders in bird research and conservation. Audubon focuses on bird conservation. You can get annual memberships to these organizations and receive cool swag and/or a subscription to their publications which are well worth it. You can also volunteer your time; we need thousands of volunteers to do everything from conducting wildlife surveys, invasive species removal, providing outreach programming, managing habitat/clearing trails, planting trees, you name it. Federal Duck Stamps are the major revenue for wetland conservation; hunters need to buy them to hunt waterfowl but anyone can get them to collect!

THERE ARE DEFINITELY MORE, but these are a start.

Additionally, any federal or local organizations that seek to provide support and relief to those affected by hurricanes, sea level rise, any form of coastal climate change...

At the regional level:

These are a list of topics that affect major regions of the United States. Since I do not work in most of these areas I don't feel confident recommending specific organizations, but please seek resources relating to these as they are likely major conservation issues near you.

PRAIRIE CONSERVATION & PRAIRIE POTHOLE WETLANDS

DRYING OF THE COLORADO RIVER (good overview video linked)

PROTECTION OF ESTUARIES AND SALTMARSH, ESPECIALLY IN THE DELAWARE BAY AND LONG ISLAND (and mangroves further south, everglades etc; this includes restoring LIVING SHORELINES instead of concrete storm walls; also check out the likely-soon extinction of saltmarsh sparrows)

UNDAMMING MAJOR RIVERS (not just the Colorado; restoring salmon runs, restoring historic floodplains)

NATIVE POLLINATOR DECLINES (NOT honeybees. for fuck's sake. honeybees are non-native domesticated animals. don't you DARE get honeybee hives to 'save the bees')

WILDLIFE ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER (support the Mission Butterfly Center!)

INVASIVE PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES (this is everywhere but the specifics will differ regionally, dear lord please help Hawaii)

LOSS OF WETLANDS NATIONWIDE (some states have lost over 90% of their wetlands, I'm looking at you California, Ohio, Illinois)

INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE, esp in the CORN BELT and CALIFORNIA - this is an issue much bigger than each of us, but we can work incrementally to promote sustainable practices and create habitat in farmland-dominated areas. Support small, local farms, especially those that use soil regenerative practices, no-till agriculture, no pesticides/Integrated Pest Management/no neonicotinoids/at least non-persistent pesticides. We need more farmers enrolling in NRCS programs to put farmland in temporary or permanent wetland easements, or to rent the land for a 30-year solar farm cycle. We've lost over 99% of our prairies to corn and soybeans. Let's not make it 100%.

INDIGENOUS LAND-BACK EFFORTS/INDIGENOUS LAND MANAGEMENT/TEK (adding this because there have been increasing efforts not just for reparations but to also allow indigenous communities to steward and manage lands either fully independently or alongside western science, and it would have great benefits for both people and the land; I know others on here could speak much more on this. Please platform indigenous voices)

HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (get your neighbors to stop dumping fertilizers on their lawn next to lakes, reduce agricultural runoff)

OCEAN PLASTIC (it's not straws, it's mostly commercial fishing line/trawling equipment and microplastics)

A lot of these are interconnected. And of course not a complete list.

At the state and local level:

You probably have the most power to make change at the local level!

Support or volunteer at your local nature centers, local/state land conservancy non-profits (find out who owns&manages the preserves you like to hike at!), state fish & game dept/non-game program, local Audubon chapters (they do a LOT). Participate in a Christmas Bird Count!

Join local garden clubs, which install and maintain town plantings - encourage them to use NATIVE plants. Join a community garden!

Get your college campus or city/town certified in the Bee Campus USA/Bee City USA programs from the Xerces Society

Check out your state's official plant nursery, forest society, natural heritage program, anything that you could become a member of, get plants from, or volunteer at.

Volunteer to be part of your town's conservation commission, which makes decisions about land management and funding

Attend classes or volunteer with your land grant university's cooperative extension (including master gardener programs)

Literally any volunteer effort aimed at improving the local environment, whether that's picking up litter, pulling invasive plants, installing a local garden, planting trees in a city park, ANYTHING. make a positive change in your own sphere. learn the local issues affecting your nearby ecosystems. I guarantee some lake or river nearby is polluted

MAKE HABITAT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. Biggest thing you can do. Use plants native to your area in your yard or garden. Ditch your lawn. Don't use pesticides (including mosquito spraying, tick spraying, Roundup, etc). Don't use fertilizers that will run off into drinking water. Leave the leaves in your yard. Get your school/college to plant native gardens. Plant native trees (most trees planted in yards are not native). Remove invasive plants in your yard.

On this last point, HERE ARE EASY ONLINE RESOURCES TO FIND NATIVE PLANTS and LEARN ABOUT NATIVE GARDENING:

Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Resource Center

Pollinator Pathway

Audubon Native Plant Finder

Homegrown National Park (and Doug Tallamy's other books)

National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder (clunky but somewhat helpful)

Heather Holm (for prairie/midwest/northeast)

MonarchGard w/ Benjamin Vogt (for prairie/midwest)

Native Plant Trust (northeast & mid-atlantic)

Grow Native Massachusetts (northeast)

Habitat Gardening in Central New York (northeast)

There are many more - I'm not familiar with resources for western states. Print books are your biggest friend. Happy to provide a list of those.

Lastly, you can help scientists monitor species using citizen science. Contribute to iNaturalist, eBird, Bumblebee Watch, or any number of more geographically or taxonomically targeted programs (for instance, our state has a butterfly census carried out by citizen volunteers).

In short? Get curious, get educated, get involved. Notice your local nature, find out how it's threatened, and find out who's working to protect it that you can help with. The health of the planet, including our resilience to climate change, is determined by small local efforts to maintain and restore habitat. That is how we survive this. When government funding won't come, when we're beat back at every turn trying to get policy changed, it comes down to each individual person creating a safe refuge for nature.

Thanks for reading this far. Please feel free to add your own credible resources and organizations.

[interstellarsystem]

Nonhuman expressions of affection are great. Purring. Exposing weak points as a show of trust. Head bonks. Preening and chewing. Nuzzling. Biting. Intertwining tails. Feeding each other. Little chuffs, chatters, beeps and squeaks. Fluffing up of feathers, fur or other things. Dancing to impress. Cleaning their fur, scales, feathers or skin. Sharing body heat. Ears pointing toward those you care about to show your full attention is on them. Slow blinking.

[dimeadozencows]

You know it's over for you when you can draw a whole page of only one character

Shamelessly plugging (pun intended) my Ramb essay on my most popular post of him lol. (Check it out if you want, I think it turned out neat!!)

[eraserbread]

welcoming your husband, nanami, home from work with a little help from your toddler ✧

→ f!reader, toddler dad nanami, sfw

"daddy homeeeeee!"

"rin, wa-

zooming out of your lap like she hasn't seen him in years, rin is so full of energy you just spent the last two hours trying to drain from her. it's late afternoon—exactly her nap time.

your plan was to get her down before kento came home, but that's long forgotten. just like you, curled up on the little toddler bed your husband built.

when you're sitting up, your heart beats harder in anticipation. after all these years, you're still excited to see him, and your daughter is your carbon copy—you can't blame her. walking into the hallway, you hear him before you see him—the front door clicks, and he laughs. rin squeals.

"daddy!"

"hi, my darling! oh- careful, remember to keep fingers away from the door."

before he's even in the house, rin is blocking him, little hands pulling at the gap to open it further. "daddy, what doin'?"

"i'm saying hello to my little girl. what are you doing, rin? did you have a good day with your mother?" like a narrator, kento drops his work bag and scoops his daughter in his arms, big hand covering the entirety of her neck as he pulls her in for a welcome-home kiss.

you're watching them with a soft smile, leaning against the wall in the hallway, when he notices you. he gives a little sideways smile, steered back into conversation when rin sees his loving gaze falter.

"we colored... and play outside..." she begins, attention drifting off into space as she fixates on his tie. she's too distracted to see the quick glances you two are sharing. "n we play dressup. mommy wore pretty dress like princess."

"did she, now? did you take any pictures to show daddy?"

"mm-mm." she declares with a shake of the head, fitting hands making fists in the luxe fabric. "wan' it."

"oh, you want my tie?" as whipped as he is with you, he's even more gullible for his baby girl. one hand works it loose from his neck, arm barely flexing as he balances her in one. halfway off, he resorts to his teeth, pulling it loose and draping it over rin's neck—moreso her small shoulders. then, he turns, giving that split second of distraction to you.

"we missed you today," you smile, biting your lip as you approach them. she's so taken with her daddy's tie that she jumps when you approach, hand ruffling the slick part in her pigtailed hair.

"i missed my girls, too." his voice softens as you two stand so close that your breath becomes one. it's just a force of habit for him to lean in and press a kiss to your lips. like always, he lingers there for a second, brushing his nose against yours and smiling into your soft lips.

when rin wants her dad's attention again, she reaches out to pull at his shirt, pouting like it was her full-time job. "daddy, I don't wan' take nap."

kento chuckles against your lips, then pulls away, giving his daughter that fake stern stare he always gives you when your attitude rages. she reaches up, forgetting about the tie, and squeezes his cheek.

"oh, no." he replies, voice jumbled and muffled from her hold on his face. "we're taking a nap."

"did you see that link i sent you?" you ask, leaning against the counter as kento sheds his shoes—popping a few buttons on his dark blue shirt. "about her pre-school, it's expensive, but when I toured it-

"we'll get her signed up."

"i- thanks. also, ken-

"dada!!"

as he unlinks his cuffs and pulls his sleeves over his forearms, rin sprints out of her room with a stuffed bear in her hands. it's one she's had since she was a baby—torn and scuffed from constant love.

"yes, beautiful?" at his feet, she rises to her toes, waving it for him to reach and grab. "oh, thank you. I'll take good care of him."

and, she's off again. you watch her trip over her tiny bare feet, making a beeline back to her room.

"ken, she has to go to the doctor for an exam before she can enroll, I've been calling arou-

"daddy!!"

"yes, princess?" this time, at his feet, rin is waving a silver plastic tiara, tiny fist locked in the straight fabric of his pants. "oh, am I the princess?"

"dada wear." she states like she's on a mission, staring up at him sternly with those identical hazel wide-eyed stare.

so he does without further question. he combs his slicked hair back with his hand and slips the thing right over his head. you giggle, stifling back more as you cover your mouth. he's shameless—much less serious about himself since he's entered this phase of fatherhood. you love this way of being so much on him. it's like he's finally free from his burdens. but, you know the truth. he's only so carefree around his daughter.

"how do i look, hm?" he reads rin's stance—both arms stretched high like she wants to be picked up. she doesn't have to tell him twice, he's leaning over with a grunt, scooping her back into his safe arms. "am I a pretty princess?"

"no-

he gasps—fake as hell, but emotive enough to draw a series of innocent giggles right from his favorite source. "oh, I forgot—the prettiest princess around is my little nanami rin, hm?"

"mama!"

kento pulls her close for another kiss on the cheek, moving her to his side to carry her off to her room. you're just glad he's willing to subdue her to sleep today. she'll drift off in seconds if it's him at her side. "mm, no. mama's much more of a queen who rules with an iron fist."

"wha's that mean?"

[crispy-bonnie]

thinking about date everything characters (a harem maybe?) with a lover who's paranoid at night.

open curtains, unlocked doors, the general looming fear that someone might be watching, that type of thing. not bad security, just anxiety.

daisuke would help to double check that all the windows and the doors are locked, having a checklist at the ready just for them.

dorian and wyndolyn not only affirm they are locked, but make sure they are shut and locked tight. if it means bringing a bit more security to the house, then both are more than willing.

curt & rod make sure that all the curtains are closed and that nobody can peek inside without meeting the guarded gazes of curt & rod.

chance helps to distract from the fear by running through some adventures, mateo ensuring max comfort whilst chance is narrative his stories.

after being tuckered out, betty and mateo ensure warmth and comfort whilst being tucked into bed. lyric may pop by to read a couple stories in order to ease nerves.

[cryptidmickle]

shadow milk finding pv when he was healer cookie is so interesting to me, and full of drama

[lola-andheruniverse]

Write it out, write it all out, give it a break (a few hours or days) and then come back to it and READ IT OUT LOUD! Your brain process your thoughts and inner reading voice differently than when you're listening to someone or reading something out loud because these stimuli are external ones. So, while you're reading it out loud, your brain will try to interpret and understand what's being read and give you more clarity about what you were feeling and thinking at the time you wrote those words. This is an incredible self-awareness strategy that we use almost instinctively when we are children and teenagers (yes, I'm talking about those journals you kept hidden under your bed when you were young), but forget about it once we become grow ups. Lots of mental health professionals and therapists (me included) encourage journal writing from the go because it's not only helpful but very transformative.

[count-pudding]

Leon trying to get Merlin out and succeeding(at last!)

Merlin complaining

Cafe

The inspiration meme