"are you picking up what I'm putting down" brother I am hefting that shit above my head with gusto

It started raining on their camping trip but they don’t seem to mind…

Part of the JessLupe Diecord server gift exchange, going to @loonylodestone. Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoy! :)

for norah! happy christmas! this artwork goes along with this fic on ao3

artwork for Jess/Lupe Winter Gift Exchange 2023

two bros, chillin in a cavern

GAY BUGS!!!!!!!!! ahhh look at them :)

DON'T LOOK AWAY.

And now the USA has stepped out of the way of an aid resolution... on the sole condition that Israel can continue bombing Gaza.

Oh, wait, sorry! I'm mistaken! The USA's other condition is that all the aid be inspected by a middleman, slowing down its rate of flow considerably! And they wanted it to be Israel, of course...

And to cap it off we get BUH DOO YOO CONDOM HAM ASS on an international politics scale. Fucking pathetic.

Days get longer now

A study that just came out demonstrates that outdoor cats are known to prey on over two thousands species of wild animal, from mammals to birds to insects. That includes 347 species that are endangered, threatened or otherwise of concern, and they've been a key factor of the permanent extinction of over 60 species. And while cats may not always bring home what they catch, chances are if your cat is allowed to roam unsupervised outside, they're killing your local wildlife.

Why is this so important? Worldwide, wild animal populations have decreased in number by 69% in the past fifty years; that means that in my lifetime (born in 1978), the sheer number of wild animals in the world has been decreased by over half. Even "common" wild species are less numerous than before. While habitat population is the single biggest cause of species endangerment and extinction overall, outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats are a significant cause as well. In fact, they are the single biggest cause of human-caused mortality in wild birds.

Most importantly, it's very, very simple to fix this problem: keep your cats indoors, and spay and neuter them. If your cat is bored, they need more enrichment, and there are plenty of ways to make your home more exciting for them, from bringing home cardboard boxes for them to explore, to playing with them more often. If you want your cat to get some outdoor enrichment, leash train them (yes, it can be done!) If you have the space and resources, build them a catio where they can be safe from outdoor dangers like predators and cars, while also keeping local wildlife safe from them.

If you just give into their whining and pawing at the door, then they know that that's what they have to do to get their way; I know it's a tough transition, but it's worth it in the end for everyone involved. Cats are domesticated, which means they are not native anywhere in the world; there are exactly zero ecosystems in which they belong, save for the safety of your home. It is your responsibility to give them an enriching environment without taking the shortcut of letting them go wreak havoc outside.

I like when animators shoot their reference footage themselves and post them besides their final product cause it always look something like this and I adore it

fandoms love to go ooooo you have to read this fic it's the most popular fic in the famdom it's a fandom classic and then you read it and it's bad

Repeating my COVID surge PSA: there is a major surge underway in many places right now. In the US, estimates are that we're seeing higher covid levels than 90% of the pandemic, with 1 in 35 people currently infected, so eg a gathering of 20 people has a 45% chance of having an infectious person present (source, posted 12/18/23 so they're already a couple days old and expected to rise through early January). It's common for people to be infectious without/before becoming symptomatic, and rapid tests miss a lot of cases.

You can protect yourself and your loved ones by declining invites for overly risky situations, wearing a well fitting high quality mask when you're sharing air with others (kn-94, N95), and following the People's CDC safer indoor gathering guide as much as you can

These will probably not come in time for Christmas, but Metrix tests are home NAAT tests that are considerably more accurate than rapids (but not quite as accurate as PCRs). They cost $25 each, require a reader, and take half an hour to run, so not as easy or affordable as rapids, but I like these for special occasions now that it's very difficult to get an affordable PCR test in the U.S.

Nice Bug of the Year Poll!!!

I've chosen the five Nice Bug posts from this year with the most notes. Please vote for your favorite!

(Links to each coordinating post below the poll so you can view the nice bugs before voting.)

Lipstick lady beetle post

Snake mantis post

Purple-gold jumper post

Southern African slug moth post

Yellow leatherleaf slug post

if people are allowed to post bad ai "art", i'm allowed to post bad actual art lol

Image description: fanart for Stardew Valley showing Emily surrounded by white and yellow stars. The background is blue. end Image description

Out of Touch

Yes

“tumblr is an echo chamber where people only see opinions of other people they agree with” please be serious. i have longtime beloved mutuals who are swifties. your experience is not universal

Looking forward to longer days, but enjoying these beautiful nights. Happy solstice!

If it was possible to like work part time and afford a place on your own anywhere it would change everything like the lives that would flourish the art that would be getting made the ideas and love and beauty that would be expressed it would change the world and they don’t want that…. They do not want that at all