#maybe that will change?

[jaimebluesq]

The Trust - CDrama Recommendation!!!

This post will NOT contain spoilers for the show, just my enthusiasm and spoiler-free screencaps :D

All righty! So I discovered this show on Viki the other day and binged it all in a week (yeah, I might have also been trying to relax my brain from panicking about 2 RBB fics to finish). I've actually had a hard time finishing shows lately - many I look up because there are actors I like but they're in the background and the main protagonists don't interest me much (looking at ChongZi - I wonder if they would issue a "Wang ZhuoCheng" cut without the main couple?). So often I'll look at shows and just give ones a try that sound interesting even if I've heard nothing about them from the peeps I follow on Tumblr or Youtube, and sometimes I hit gold.

What it's about:

The bulk of the story is about a Chinese Emperor and his Empress who've been estranged, and something happens in the first episode that has them switch bodies - yep, an Imperial political/harem drama that does a bodyswap! - and the consequences of this. It's mostly a rom-com type, lots of humour and the occasional silliness with some really good poignant moments, but the main 2 actors are also really good and have great chemistry! Not only do they have to act as their original characters but as each other as well. And there's a neat little thing the show did, that the Imperial storyline is actually fiction, part of a project written by a modern day couple in the middle of a divorce, so often the emotions and such of the Emperor and Empress mirrors that in the modern day couple. I just find it's a neat storytelling device!

As I mentioned, there's also imperial politics (the empress now has to deal with court and courtiers) and harem drama (the emperor now finds out what it's like to be one of his concubines and how they really act when he's not around) and I can't speak to any historical accuracy because it's not my background, but I found it to be very fun to watch.

Why I think my mutuals will like it:

Bodyswap shenanigans!

Good acting

Genuinely funny and made me smile.

... The Untamed/CQL actors!!!!! (Found accidentally, always fun when that happens!)

Aside from the main villain, I came to enjoy all of the characters, even the harem concubines that seemed to be villains in the beginning.

SHIPPABLE AS ALL HELL!!!!

Now let me introduce you to some of my favourite characters and ships because I am SO tempted to write for some of them. -- All images screencapped by me while watching on my PC

Let's start with Emperor Xiao Jinyun and his Empress Xu Yu: they're adorable and sweet together, have very different personalities and aptitudes, and really learned what it's like in the others' shoes. Not tempted to write for them, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.

Next, THIS PAIR who may very well live rent-free in my brain for a long while to come:

Recognize the guy on the left? It's our beloved Ouyang Zizhen channelling NHS as the Emperor's useless fan-carrying younger brother! And next to him is the court astrloger/diviner who carries the brain cell between the 2. I lived for every second these two were on screen together. Like this:

And this:

And THIS:

Yeah, I'm dead!!!

But they're not the only ones to pique my interest - nor the only ones with a familiar face! Because there is also these two:

To the left is the Empress' brother, and to the right... Wen Zhuliu! But no core-melting this time, he actually plays a doctor! And these two are quite sweet as well, like here:

And here:

But you know what? Why let the boys have all the fun? Because we also get these two schemers:

Vying for the Emperor's attention at first, but when his attention is elsewhere, well, girls gotta stick together, right?

And last but not least, these two - one of whom we've already met:

I am just SO FUCKING ENAMOURED with them! My bisexual heart is a-fluttering. I won't say anything about the lady on the right because it might be too spoilery, but I was very, very, very pleased with how they handled her storyline (again, I'm white/Canadian so take that with a grain of salt).

If you'd like to give it a try, it can be found on Viki, and I just found it on Youtube with English Subs

So that's my little spoiler-free recommendation! Have I tempted you yet?

[ionomycin]

temple at the end of the road

[qiinamii]

one braincell transfer (divided by four)

[0ffbeatqueer]

This is my new favourite headline I've seen all year lmaooo

[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.

[obsob]

i am a being capable of immeasurable love and whimsy

[humming-fly]

I love how Gerald was trying to keep Shadow from spoiling anything about the future meanwhile literally everything Shadow says and does around Maria is the biggest death flag ever

[andhumanslovedstories]

Watched the 2004 Phantom of the Opera film for the first time ever, ask me anything

[beebundt]

personal stuff made recently 🌼

[graysbullshit]

I have been vacinated about 30-45 times in my life. Do you know how much I paid for it? Not a dime.

My great-aunt had a tumor and had to treat it with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She was fully recovered. Do you know how much she paid for it? Not a dime.

One of Brazil's most famous tv show hosts who has been in show business for over 40 years with over 30 milion views had a kidney transplant this year. Do you know how much he paid for the transplant? Not a dime.

When my mother is bored she walks a block up to the public health center and gets a check up. Do you know how much she pays for this? Not a dime.

My mother has been going to the psychologist. Do you know much she has paid? Not a dime.

Does this enrage you? It should. When Luigi said "this" was a insult to the American people's intelligence he probably meant the mediatic circus around his person, but if we're to be honest you could say the same about USA's healthcare politics. Do not let them tell you it "has to be this way" and "there is no other way." There is. You CAN have better healthcare. You DON'T have to sell your house to pay your medical debt. They are MAKING you do this ON PURPOSE. Don't forget that.

I don't usually have any kindness to spare USAians, but we are with you in this one. The world is watching. You CAN turn this around! Don't let them desincourage you.

[eggbem]

Good Timeline Future Mikey, where, by the time he's thirty-nine, he actually looks thirty-nine and not ancient because of mystic overuse (← I fully subscribe to the headcanon that, in the movie, he looks so much older than his actual age because he overexerted his ninpō fighting the Krang)

Nothing wrong with Ancient Mikey! He is very valid and I love him! And my theory is that his future design was supposed to be reminiscent of Splinter's features. BUT I wanted to try my hand at designing what I think Mikey'd look like as a healthy future turtle.

He deserves all the hair.

Edit: So apparently, according to one of the show writers, the mystically-induced fast-aging is canon! (Sources here and here, thanks @thebadhalfofafandom!)

[uwanosorade]

Source

truly connected people on a staggering level. If you engage with anime, even if you dont like dbz, chances are the anime you like got to you because of dbz's popularity. If you like jrpgs, even if you've never played dragon quest, the games you do love almost certainly became a thing because someone in the 80s loved dragon quest. 68 is way too young but genuinely what a towering legacy.

[nidbaesenpai]

Happy one year anniversary ISAT! To celebrate I wanted to share the lil strips I made for my friends when they reached the end of the game! They're all meant to be snippets of life post game and a glimpse into the world I'm making for Loop.

[0hpotato]

old atla fanart from 2020 hihi

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[spookberry]

boxy got em 😔

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

HTB - Ch.02 - Part 1 ♪

CHAPTER 2 COVER -- Next >>

This is the chapter where the "The art might fluctuate in quality and style as I experiment with new techniques for inking and colouring." part on my pinned post will come into play, because I sure am experimenting with the colouring.