#here's a thing!

[areyoudreaminof]

The Day is Coming: Eris Week Day 2

It's Day 2 of @erisweekofficial! I really wanted to satisfy myself here and expand a bit more on Uncle Eris. His desire for a true family, the healing that has come with his young nieces, and his own reflection of his childhood. Just a short little treat. Enjoy!

Taking for granted This lifetime and what's up ahead

But the day is coming, the day is near The day is coming, the way is clear

My Morning Jacket-The Day is Coming

The boy sits with his new hounds, alone. 

The pups wriggle in his lap, around his feet. Slippery coats of smoke colored fur and pink paws. They whine and squeak as they crawl blindly across his lap and feet. He can only hold two or three at a time and their mother is exhausted, panting as she waits for more milk to come in. The boy makes sure to pet her too, to remind her she’s not alone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Uncle Eris, look! This one’s opening his eyes!” 

Eris turns to the little redheaded girl who’s gently holding a blueish gray pup in her fingers. His eldest niece is right, the pup's eyes are opening. Her brown eyes are lit up with excitement. The little golden haired girl on his lap gasps with wonder. His youngest niece hasn’t helped with the pups before, and Eris delights in it all. 

“It will take him a few days to make out shapes, but he can still recognize your smell and touch.” Eris tells his nieces. Cyra, the youngest, giggles as the pup sniffs and licks her fingers. The eldest, Mathilde, softly strokes the white splash of fur between the pups' eyes. 

“They’re so sweet,” Cyra whispers, “when do they start to play?” 

“In a few days, I’d wager,” Eris says with a smile, “You both will just have to stay until then, I think.” 

The girls squeal with delight. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boy sits alone amongst the trees. After his lessons with Father, his hands and back sting with emerging welts. So, he escapes to the oak groves where it is quiet. The wind does not hiss insults at him, only sighs softly. When he was younger, he and his mother would take long walks around the gardens, watching leaves fall. But since his lessons began he hardly sees his mother, his father and tutors now watch his every movement. So now, he inhales what little freedom he has left. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Me and Cricket are making a leaf maze!” Cyra chirps. Eris chuckles at the nicknames his brother gave to his nieces. The rest of their families use them, but Eris loves their names just as they are. 

“Is that so? Round or square?” 

“Square!” Mathilde says as she bounces over, “Me and Froggy can get more dead ends with a square. We’re going to have Mama and Papa do it when they come to get us too.” 

“Very good.” He kisses each of them on the nose, red with crisp autumn air. “Should I help?” 

“Yes!” his nieces giggle. Eris begins to design the maze with more leaves. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boy looks at the fire coming from his fingertips with terror. 

He had gotten angry at one of his brothers. They kicked him, broke a wooden post, then blamed him. He was sent to the racks for punishment and his father whipped him raw. Now, on the carpet of his room, the flames lick his skin. They do not hurt, but he can feel it. He feels the rage and anger. He feels the unrelenting fear in his blood as the fire crackles. Will his father beat him for this too? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eris opens Cyra’s small hand beneath his. Her dark golden skin almost glowing beneath his own pale hand. His youngest niece found that she could summon the Autumn flame at a very public gathering. The pride hadn’t left Eris since. He found he loved rubbing it in Helion’s face that only one of his beloved granddaughters got Day Court powers. Mathilde was disappointed at her own lack of fire, but she was happy for her sister. Lucien had the ability too, of course, but Eris had begged him to let Crya come to Autumn once a week to be trained. 

Eris would not say it aloud, but he wanted to train his own heir. 

“When you summon your flame, feel it in your fingertips. You were angry or scared, but what else did you feel?” 

Cyra wrinkles her brow, “It felt like the hounds licking at my fingertips, or when I poke myself on my needle when I quilt with Grandmother,” she shuts her eyes, tightly, “It’s under my skin sometimes. Like when my foot is asleep, or my heart’s beating fast after I go swimming. My blood feels warm too.” 

Eris nods he knows the feeling very well. “Open your eyes, dearest.” 

The Autumn Flames dances across her hand. Reds, oranges, and a deep blue burn brightly across her fingertips. Cyra stares at her flame with awe, and so does Eris. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The young man spits blood out from his mouth as his father strikes him again. 

“I gave you an order and you deliberately disobeyed me. Lucien makes for Spring, and why is that?” his father sneers. 

The young man says nothing, and his father grabs the young man by the throat, forcing him to the metal rack. Heavy cuffs strap the young man’s feet down, while his father snaps chains over his wrists. He turns and grabs an instrument off the table. The young man shuts his eyes, takes a breath, and tries to will himself away before the pain comes. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His brother stands before him, holding a small baby. His niece. 

Her skin is a deep golden color, tinged with pink, but the hair is unmistakable. Red as his own, the same red as her father and her grandmother. The baby’s mother smiles from her bed, Eris smiles back. 

“Her name is Mathilde,” Lucien whispers. He hands the bundle to Eris, who takes it slowly. For as many infant brothers as he’s held, this is different. 

“After mother’s sister,” Eris murmurs. The babe sleeps peacefully in his arms. Her full lips are puckered, her small pointed ears sticking out among fine red curls. He strokes her small hand that has escaped the swaddle. Mathilde opens her eyes as she grasps his finger tightly. She looks at him with russet eyes and it hits him then. He begins to sob. 

“He’s gone,” he whispers as he looks at Lucien, “He cannot touch us again. He’ll never corrupt her. She’s safe.” 

Lucien knows, of course he does. He says nothing though, just wraps his arm around Eris and sobs with him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The boy can feel the itch creep on his nose as he sits on the velvet chair, waiting for the artist to stop painting. He is bored and restless and his tunic itches. It is heavy with golden thread woven into leaves, while a thick, leather jerkin makes in sweat in the firelight and candelabras that populate the room. 

The old fae brushes away at his canvas, looking over spectacles and a hooked nose. He will finish a painting that resembles Eris, but makes sure to highlight the cruelty in his face, to make him resemble his lord father more. It will hang along the halls of the Forest House, collecting dust and trapping the boy for eternity in discomfort. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eris kicks his boots off as he sinks into his sofa. The fire crackles as Anais and Justinian, his oldest and most loyal hounds lay at his feet. The day with advisors and emissaries was a long one, full of squabbling and shouting. Now, Eris takes a moment to rest in his solar. 

He looks up above the fireplace where the first painting catches his eye. His nieces look out at him with mischief and laughter from the painting. Mathilde’s wild red hair is lifted as she jumps for joy, while Cyra’s dimples are visible with her smile. The leaves they’re kicking up seem to move and their own smoke hounds are caught in midair at their feet. Lucien was quite jealous that his daughters were given a smokehound. “Life’s certainly tough for you, isn’t it?” Eris had simply said. 

On another wall, portraits of the girls as infants hang. And above his desk, a painting of the three of them, in Autumn Court regalia, hangs. Eris smirks as he looks at his own smile, his nieces in each arm. Mathilde grins as if she knows a secret, while Cyra stares out with warmth in her eyes. Feyre painted all of them, of course. As their aunt, she too knew the girls and could capture their likeness in the canvas without having them pose for hours. Eris laughs at the details, because in their outfits, Feyre has painted a little creature into the threads to represent their nicknames. A cricket, for Mathilde, and a little frog for Cyra. 

Leaning his head back on the sofa, Eris closes his eyes and enjoys this moment of peace. It is Anais's grunts that bring him back. "You're right, old girl." he says, leaning down to pet her great head, "We must get some sleep, the girls are coming tomorrow." 

TAGLIST: @secret-third-thing @acourtofladydeath @born-to-riot @chunkypossum @elleybug @queercontrarian @iftheshoef1tz @yanny-77 @tunaababee @pippsmcgee @separatist-apologist @fieldofdaisiies

[riacte]

not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing [what would happen between earth and the moon if the earth stopped spinning as illustrated by xkcd randall munroe]

[modmad]

hey! there's zero esims left for the connecting gaza campaign as of today. i remember you promoting them earlier. could you give them a much needed boost?

oh dang! unfamiliar with that particular campaign, as I always donate via crips for e-sims because it's super easy to do, but regardless let's go people!

[kochei0]

I turn to Ares.

Thanks to Tyler Miles Lockett who allowed me to draw inspiration from his ARES piece for page 2! Look at his etsy page it's SICK

⚔️ If you want to read some queer retelling of arturian legends have a look at my webtoon

[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.

[sapphosdickandballs]

5 sexiest things a woman could wear

Full suit of armor

Just an oversized teeshirt

blood of her enemies

leather jacket

Super cool sword on her back

[madeleinefjall]

Knitted a moth sweater ✨ bought the pattern for it here!

[lesbianralzarek]

"life doesnt get better, you just get stronger" does NOT include ages 11-17. life does in fact just get better from there. those years are dogshit. like, you do get stronger but its mostly just a factor of not being 11-17 anymore. positive thinking helps but it doesnt fix whatevers going on at 15, you have to brute force through that one raw

[leafie-draws]

I think the biggest downside to having animal ears and a tail would be trying to mask your discomfort in public like imagine trying to play it cool in customer service but your tail keeps bristling

[kosmogrl]

[gibbearish]

love when ppl defend the aggressive monetization of the internet with "what, do you just expect it to be free and them not make a profit???" like. yeah that would be really nice actually i would love that:)! thanks for asking

[willgrahamscock]

[oars]

girl are you sure???????????????

[itsnicsalad]

wanted to get this idea out of my head before i move on to other things aye🤙

[rejoiceinsilverlight]

i think mabel somehow finds a picture of stan and ford's prom outfits and goes ham recreating the suits for her and dipper's prom