Latest Posts by writer-dreamer-survivor-blog - Page 7

*googles ‘how to nominate reporter for Peabody Award’* x

By See Bang

unhappy reminder that amphibians are going through a pandemic right now and anything you can do to support conservation efforts would be greatly appreciated by literally everyone in the world

I SPENT. A WHOLE. FUCKING. SEMESTER. PAINTING THIS. MONTHS.

I WANT IT TO GET LOTS OF NOTES, GIVE IT LOTS OF NOTES, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW PAINSTAKING AND TIME INTENSIVE THIS WAS.

im a published poet

more people should talk about dan reynolds

in case you dont know who that is hes the lead singer of imagine dragons and an amazingly outspoken lgbt ally who specifically focuses on trying to help lgbt youth and i never see anyone on tumblr mention him or the work he does.

dan reynolds was raised mormon and in 2012 the first major imagine dragons single “its time” was on glee, and he started receiving letters from gay fans saying that they loved him and his music but that he probably didnt accept them because he was a mormon. he says that this broke his heart and he knew he had to do something.

not only is he really vocal about lgbt support and issues (which is more than i can say about a lot of people in the spotlight like he is) he created the loveloud foundation last year which is dedicated to supporting and helping lgbt teens and educate people about the things they go through, aiming to lower the rates of suicide, mental illness, drug use, etc.

the foundation puts on the annual loveloud festival in salt lake city, and the second one happened this past july. its an all-day music event that donates all of its profit to lgbt organizations (actually good ones, not shitty fake ones) and this year they raised ONE MILLION DOLLARS in one day.

but he and the people in charge of the festival actually GIVE A SHIT. a trans woman was harassed at the festival when she tried to use the restroom, being told she was in the wrong bathroom, and the loveloud festival not only immediately acknowledged it they ENCOURAGED other people to share any unpleasant experiences they had at the festival so they could reevaluate and figure out how to do better next year.

heres his speech from this year’s loveloud:

“…i wish you could understand… i wish you could see how much we care about you, how much we love you, how much we support you, how much we stand with you. i hope that tonight, and today, you know… you know that your sexuality is pure, and its true, and its clean. i hope that you know you are needed; we need you. i dont wanna hear any more stories of youth taking their lives in utah. we must change our culture. we must change the way we see each other. i know this culture! i know these people! i was raised in this world. i know it. i understand religion. i identify with the beautiful aspects of how i was raised. i cherish many of those things today as part of my life, but one thing that will not be part of my life, ‘cause it does not align with my heart, is to tell someone how to love, and who to love. it’s the most simple concept! its the first thing we’re taught! from a young age! all my girls [he has three daughters] know it. they come out of the womb, and they know, you love. you dont tell someone how to love; you just love. let… love and let love, thats it.

i accept you, i see you, i stand with you, i fight with you. til the end, i will fight with you. i love you all.”

i think allies could learn from him and the way he talks about being gay. its not just okay, its pure. its true. its clean. its perfect. specifically addressing the way gay love and sexuality is demonized and slandered.

idk. i just love dan reynolds and i think more people need to know about what he does.

oh theres a witch in these woods??? is she single???

holy fucking shit people simulated the 302 neurons in a worm’s brain with software, put it in a Lego robot and it behaves like a worm

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/weve-put-worms-mind-lego-robot-body-180953399/?no-ist

hey *flies into your tumblr dasboard wearing this*

Went to the World Taxidermy Show up in Missouri, it was pretty amazing.

Since I hate flying I drove there, and since I have a short attention span I made a lot of stops along the way.

Day 1 was coming to a close and I still hadn’t figured out where I was going to park for the night since planning ahead is for losers. Instead I picked a nearby state park at random and hoped for the best, and got it.

Providence Canyon state park in southern Georgia.

Apparently it’s the result of people messing up farming? I don’t know how you screw up growing plants badly enough to create a miniature replica of the grand canyon, but there you go. Hiking down into the canyon is easy enough, but coming back up with the royal bowling ball in my backpack was Not Great.

Onward I drove, watching the countryside gradually change. Soon something strange and unexpected began to appear along the roadsides.

Rocks!

Holy shit, just wild rocks laying around! Can you imagine?

Absolutely charmed and also concerned that I’d better pull over somewhere to get a closer look at these babies before I drove past them entirely, I pulled into Rickwood Caverns state park. 

Wasn’t feeling the paid mile-long hike through the depths of the earth just then, but there sure were a lot of rocks!

Moderately satisfied by the number and quality of wild rocks encountered, I moved on to Springfield Missouri for the convention. Antsy in the city, I utterly failed to take advantage of the convention events and instead fucked off to look at even more rocks.

Goddamn, would you believe this? These are the biggest rocks I’ve ever seen. Of course I climbed one. Then I remembered that I’m getting a little old to be clambering up rocks, and acutely aware of how breakable my bones are, and sheepishly climbed down.

Oh yeah, here’s a queer interspecies poly goose family and there’s nothing you can do about it.

I left the city as soon as I was done with the dealer room and had pictures of everything, lured by the siren call of a town called Hot Springs.

First though, a brief stop through a park in the mountains.

More rocks! And WATER! At the same time! Holy shit, what a world we live in. Did I shovel particularly enticing damp rocks into my pockets as I walked along? You bet your ass I did.

Onwards and upwards, into the Ozarks! And up, and up, at some point figuring out that you’re supposed to change into 2nd gear. Eventually the scenery was just too much and I desperately pulled over into a scenic overlook at a mountain top. This is so high, oh man. For added context my home town is 15 feet above sea level.

Slate! Just a whole wall of slate with water trickling down! Yes, obviously I stuffed more damp rocks into my pockets. It was time to move on though, the town of Hot Springs still called to me.

Oh, but there was time to stretch my legs at the Iron Springs state park. 

Finally though, we were closing in on the destination. Hot Springs, a town named for hot springs! Oh man, rocks have been pretty great so far, and springs continue to impress; I just cannot wait to see what adding geothermal activity to that mix looks like!

So hey, guess what? There aren’t actually hot springs for you to visit in motherfucking Hot Springs.

Bitter, but less bitter than I would otherwise be if I hadn’t spent the day driving through the most extravagantly fabulous roads you can imagine, I continued on towards home as it began to drizzle.

It was still raining the next day, putting a literal damper on any urge to explore. Still, a petrified forest in Mississippi? Drizzle or not, who could possibly resist that?

There was a giftshop full of rocks, and an overpriced lump of common sandstone from out further west polished into a sphere like a sandy gas giant replica caught my heart.

Kept moving, ended up in a skeezy gambling town. Tried to eat my lunch on a public dock, dumb mutt rushed into the gross water. No, stop…

I ended the day on the Gulf, hoping the morning would hold better things.

It held a bland beach and a dead remora, which I only barely resisted dragging along with me as a souvenir.

Back in Florida, but in less of a hurry this time. 

Moruti was unimpressed with the legendary Fountain of Youth, but perked up when she noticed a squirrel.

It turns out there -is- a waterfall in Florida, and it falls into a sinkhole. Because of course it does.

Now I’m back after a week, getting things back in order, catching up on responsibilities, settling into work mode again. Ignoring the phantom weight of a sandstone sphere for now.

these are all four-leafed clovers… seems like it’s a lot of luck

reblog for some good luck (always share positivity)!

Cleaning the oceans one step at a time

Two Australians created this container that collects plastic, paper, oil, fuel and detergent floating in the ocean. They want to implement it the middle of next year to clean up the sea worldwide. It seems a great idea. The only “but” as always is money, so they are raising funds to get to their goal. You can see their project and donations here.

Circus Tree: Six individual sycamore trees were shaped, bent, and braided to form this.

here’s a fantastic idea: how about Cards Against Humanity buys Tumblr??

The fact that the location of the world’s oldest tree has to be kept secret encapsulates everything that’s bad about humanity.

i see a lot of quotes from Lundy Bancroft’s excellent book Why Does He Do That circulating on this website, but i’ve never really seen the last chapter quoted. So this is an excerpt from it: “Creating an Abuse-free World”. 

(A note: the book is written for women who suffer intimate partner violence at the hands of men, because it is sorely needed and because that’s what the author has professional experience with. However, this insight is valuable for people of all genders, and also in situations in which the abuser is not a partner or former partner.)

“How can I help my daughter, sister, or friend who is being abused?

If you would like to make a significant difference in the life of an abused woman you care about, keep the following principle fresh in your mind: your goal is to be the complete opposite of what the abuser is.

THE ABUSER: Pressures her severely

SO YOU SHOULD: Be patient. Remember that it takes time for an abused woman to sort out her confusion and figure out how to handle her situation. It is not helpful for her to try to follow your timetable for when she should stand up to her partner, leave him, call the police, or whatever step you want her to take. You need to respect her judgement regarding when she is ready to take action - something her abuser never does.

THE ABUSER: Talks down to her

SO YOU SHOULD: Address her as an equal. Avoid all traces of condescension or superior knowledge in your voice. This caution applies just as much or more to professionals. If you speak to an abused woman as if you are smarter or wiser than she is, or as if she is going through something that could never happen to you, then you inadvertently confirm exactly what the abuser has been telling her, which is that she is beneath him. Remember, your actions speak louder than your words.

THE ABUSER: Thinks he knows what is good for her better than she does

SO YOU SHOULD: Treat her as the expert on her own life. Don’t assume that you know what she needs to do. I have sometimes given abused women suggestions that I thought were exactly right but turned out to be terrible for that particular situation. Ask her what she thinks might work and, without pressuring her, offer suggestions, respecting her explanations for why certain courses of action would not be helpful. Don’t tell her what to do.

THE ABUSER: Dominates conversations

SO YOU SHOULD: Listen more and talk less. The temptation may be great to convince her what a “jerk” he is, to analyze his motives, to give speeches covering entire chapters of this book. But talking too much inadvertently communicates to her that your thoughts are more important than hers, which is exactly how the abuser treats her. If you want her to value her own feelings and opinions, then you have to show her that you value them.

THE ABUSER: Believes he has the right to control her life

SO YOU SHOULD: Respect her right to self-determination. She is entitled to make decisions that are not exactly what you would choose, including the decision to stay with her abusive partner or to return to him after a separation. You can’t convince a woman that her life belongs to her if you are simultaneously acting like it belongs to you. Stay by her even when she makes choices that you don’t like.

THE ABUSER: Assumes he understands her children and their needs better than she does

SO YOU SHOULD: Assume that she is a competent, caring mother. Remember that there is no simple way to determine what is best for the children of an abused woman. Even if she leaves the abuser, the children’s problems are not necessarily over, and sometimes abusers actually create worse difficulties for the children postseparation than before. You cannot help her to find the best path for her children unless you have a realistic grasp of the complicated set of choices that face her.

THE ABUSER: Thinks for her

SO YOU SHOULD: Think with her. Don’t assume the role of teacher or rescuer. Instead, join forces with her as a respectful and equal team member.

Notice that being the opposite of the abuser does not simply mean saying the opposite of what he says. If he beseeches her with “Don’t leave me, don’t leave me,” and you stand on the other side badgering her with, “Leave him, leave him,” she will feel that you’re much like him; you are both pressuring her to accept your judgement of what she should do. Neither of you is asking the empowering question, “What do you want to do?”

mr. darcy: i love you. most ardently.

elizabeth bennet:

shoutout to paris hilton for not abandoning her ‘micropig’ 

when it turned out that it was a normal piggy who grew up to be a big fat fatty piggu

how many people could be working on actual problems in the world instead of being forced to do jobs that they are over-qualified for just because they dont want to go homeless and starve?

i love that one old timey 1910s trans dude who has a tiny wikipedia page for himself that he earned entirely due to him starting fights in bars and being the city’s hottest casanova

How abusive childhood teaches you to stay in abusive relationships:

you have to be obedient and submissive in your childhood if you don’t want to get beaten, you’re taught this is normal in life, so why should you doubt it when it happens in your relationship?

you’re supposed to care about everyone else more than yourself, you’re taught to provide comfort and be minimally or completely non-demanding of other family members, always put yourself last, and this is exactly what abusive partner will demand of you as well, how would you fight it if you’re taught this is just your place in life?

your appearance, interests, skills, achievements, and faults are constantly exposed to criticism, insults, humiliation and ridicule in abusive childhood, and you’re taught it’s normal, how are you supposed to fight it when it happens in a relationship?

you’re humiliated and ridiculed for seeking intimacy or try to express yourself in your childhood, how would you know it’s okay for you to desire understanding, consideration, reassurance and intimacy in your relationship?

if you’re used to being hit, humiliated, and having your objections to it ignored, or even worse, minimized and punished by even worse violence, how are you supposed to defend yourself when it happens in a sexual situation? how would you be able to know it’s wrong for another person to harm you if your parents have been doing it, and they supposedly love you?

if you’re taught to always be grateful that things aren’t worse, always compare yourself to someone who is tortured worse, how are you ever supposed to reach out and get help for being abused? how are you supposed to know when your situation is really, really bad? There’s always going to be someone somewhere in the world tortured worse, and this becomes a reason for you to suffer in silence.

Abusive parents are direct cause of abusive relationships, if your boundaries aren’t destroyed and your sense of what’s acceptable and to be tolerated in your close relationships skewed to allow abuse, you have much easier time rejecting abusive relationships later in life. 

I wish instead of yelling “You have to get out of abusive situations!!!” people said “We all owe to help you out in situations like this, you are a part of society and we’re all responsible for making sure you’re protected, it’s devastating you’ve been thru this all on your own and burden of dealing with it all alone will no longer be on your shoulders.”

I don’t want to see the good in my abuser.

I don’t want them to show me kindness.

I sure as hell don’t want their help.

I know it’s stubborn, but kindness only confuses me. It makes me feel like maybe I exaggerated my pain; as if my brain concocted events just to claim abuse.

Worst of all, it makes me feel like I need to forgive them.

I want to be able to say they were and will always be a horrible person; it’s much easier for my mind to categorize people in extremes.

Their intermittent kindness feels like a trap.

I think I find a solemn comfort in believing that certain people are undoubtedly evil.

Toothless’ expressions in httyd3.

Now that his saga has come to a close with How to Train Your Dragon 3, I gotta give appreciation to Toothless being one of my most favorite characters of all. It was love at first sight when I saw the original movie in theaters in 2010. I love characters who have strong personalities and definable traits without needing language, and Toothless is one of the best examples of this: his expressions, movements, all the little nuances in his growls and gazes and subtle body gestures - honestly, sometimes it’s hard to believe he’s not a real animal. The folks at Dreamworks did amazing work giving him such realistic creature qualities, and the amount of animation detail in the texture of his scales, the depth of his eyes, and just everything about him is full of the wonder and cuteness of any real animal. Although his story is finished, I’ll never get tired of seeings his adorable mug~!

I’m so glad my favorite boy got to end his journey on a high note. It’s been a great 9 years of following his development and I look forward to watching his movies again and again!

It costs you literally nothing to leave service dogs the fuck alone.

lmao, idk i see these screenshots from martin shkreli’s trial and i just see how potential jury members act for instance:

like yall what kinda opportunity are you passing up, you have a real live capitalist in here who fucked up so bad you actually get the chance to make him face consequences and you’re like “sorry i can’t be unbiased”

WHO CAN??? it’s just gonna end up being a bunch of rich people who are like “hm, yeah hurting poor people, i can be impartial, sure.”

instead it should be yall who actually care. just be like “haha, yeah i’m impartial i love justice” and then slap him with that guilty verdict. come on. 

The 3 stages of a cat yawn

Stage 1: cute tiny “O”-mouth.

Stage 2: sticky the tongue out real far

Stage 3: ENtirE FacE SPLItS opEn LiKE a lOVecRAFTIAn hoRROR, REvEALInG aN eNDLESS pIT of poiNts ANd blaDES oH GOD

You know that quote from Gone Girl where she’s talking about playing the role in the relationship of being the “cool girl”? Like honestly I’ve never related so heavily to a scene in my life like I’d never had my existence clocked like that like…