#this just hits major events

[crowdsourcedloner]

in an attempt to work out a timeline, here's a vague series of events surrounding the squad prior to (and very early into) arr

(~60 years before present) Verre is born, raised, and trained in the Skatay Range as a scout.

(~30 years before present) Verre finds a strange device that leads Garlean invaders to her home village, destroying it in the process. In her grief she resolves to wander as an exile, seeking new technology in an attempt to curb her rampant curiosity and crushing guilt.

(~26 years before present) A hrothgar queen-to-be leaves her home village in an attempt to claim absolute freedom, though she is unknowingly pregnant at the time. She gives birth to a daughter during her travels.

(~25 years before present) Zezene "Zen" Zene arrives in Ul'dah claiming to hail from the freshly conquered Dalmasca, but no records of their life there exist. They begin to carve out a meager life as a thief and information broker.

(~25 years before present) The hrothgar woman finds an auracite shard and becomes enthralled by it, becoming increasingly paranoid and controlling of those around her. She resolves to train herself and her daughter as a weapon to combat her delusions.

(~21 years before present) Zen has fully integrated into the Ul'dahn underground, becoming a staple contact for many ne'er-do-well's. They note a group of contacts that want to get out of the life of crime and begin to formulate a plan.

(~19 years before present) The daughter has her first echo vision, earning great disapproval from her mother and losing her name in the process. She stays with her mother in an attempt to regain favor.

(~19 years before present) Zen opens a 'hunting hall' to be their base of operations - a front for their information gathering gig and a way to help people go legit should they desire it.

(~18 years before present) Zen hears rumors of a strange viera visiting the shops of Ul'dah asking for machinery. They successfully track down the mystery individual and recruit Verre to their operation as a tinker.

(~16-17 years before present) Yomi is born in an underwater raen village. She is terribly sheltered, but educated well and set up to inherit her mother's position as oracle.

(~15 years before present) In response to the Battle of Silvertear, Zen establishes ties to Clan Centurio and the adventurer's guild, despite the latter's waning popularity at the time.

(~12 years before present) The daughter is abandoned by her mother after failing to regain her favor. She namelessly wanders as a mercenary, convinced that her visions are a symptom of madness.

(~10 years before present) Verre tells Zen about her past, revealing her still-fresh grief for the first time. Zen encourages Verre to see them and their operation as a family of sorts in an attempt to soothe her.

(~5 years before present) Zen brings Garlean scrap to Verre so she can tinker with it. Verre passes along her findings to the Eorzean Alliance, namely about structural weaknesses and stress points. She also uses the scrap to build an air conditioning unit, much to Zen's confusion.

(~5 years before present) In the final leadup to the Calamity, Verre asks to fight at Cartenau alongside the Eorzean Alliance. Zen has a bad feeling and talks her out of it, sparing her from the front lines.

(~2 years before present) Yomi's mother receives an ill omen about her daughter and the danger she will associate with.

(~1 year before present) Yomi's mother tricks her into exile under the guise of pilgrimage, hoping to spare her village from impending doom. Yomi sets her sights on Eorzea, oblivious to the truth and the state of the realm at large.

(~1 year before present) Yomi arrives in Ul'dah and immediately falls for an obvious scam, only to be saved by Zen's timely interference. They offer to give her a place to stay and work to do, which she graciously accepts, meeting Verre in the process.

(~week before present) The nameless mercenary, weary and despairing after long years of wandering alone, sets her sights on Ul'dah's adventurer's guild.

(present, start of ARR) Upon arriving at the Ul'dahn adventurer's guild and being prompted to provide a name, the mercenary took the name of Nailah, though she is reluctant to introduce herself as such.

(present, start of ARR) By chance, Zen recognizes Nailah as a newcomer and decides to try and give her a place to stay, as she seemed down on her luck. In their attempt to help they learn her name and use it in conversation, causing her to become extremely defensive and leave upset.

[themanlykittenkayden]

I don’t know if anyone else feels this way, but every day that passes that we don’t see the return of players “unable to log on for lore reasons”, the more anxiety builds up in my chest that something Big will happen soon

I’m not sure what, but there just seems to be this collective breath being held on the server underneath the building of the egg island, black concrete, personal and federation plot lines, and I’m afraid at some point it will be built just enough to crack and send us tumbling into chaos again

[rahabs]

The Tudors ran so Wulf Hall could shuffle awkwardly around reiterating the same tired old Tudor stereotypes while claiming to be something new.

[comfortlesshurt]

first side story rough draft is DONE (i know, didn't quite hit the 5k, but that's a rough number and i have no more story to tell here, so 4.9k is FINE)

and it has a real name now

and i am so normal about the fact that i can't post this until i start posting the main story for a few months, ughhhhh

[faggling]

I love taking care of people omggg 😍😍😍

[chaosintheavenue]

Miscellaneous Skyline photography:

New fauna- Thrashers! Honestly, I was so damn disappointed that they only drop intestine. Also met a 'Commie bear' on a mini island with a Chinese flag, which seems to move in super slow motion... yeah.

[princesscallyie]

It’s seem like I can’t escape the “people don’t want to come to work so now I gotta do their mess” shenanigans…

[elftwink]

started working on an older unfinished project today which necessitated me trying to decipher my notes and plot outline from 4+ years ago (an outline that was actually already fucked anyway because I accidentally fucked up the chronology when I was actively writing it and never bothered to fix my notes) and can I just say. what in the shit does half of this mean

[kazscrows]

Was real disappointing that we got like… most of CK’s plot like….

Now what???

[dragonji]

being a student is always going so well until it Isn't .

[jesskasb]

rewatching the witcher episode six and catching a lot of things i didnt the first time and look at me in the eyes.

this is crazy to me like he just straight up directly tells geralt "let's run away together" and he says this is an attempt to work out what pleases him? and of course right before this scene geralt almost dies so it's like jaskier is revaluating what he wants and values and determines that his ideal future is living in the coast with geralt. but like obviously this is not possible because jaskier may be a free man able to do what he wants considering he is more of a side character but geralt has a world changing destiny to fulfill with ciri and a romantic fate with yen. even without that i dont think theres any universe where they could end up together seriously like "geralt has two hands" sure but i dont think he wants jaskier's (i dont remember what happens in season 2 but as far as i know i am right) and honestly in comparison to yen i get it. she is everything

i also cant believe he wrote this about her like jesus he needs to stop being a hater and find a new guy to fall for cause girl he doesnt want you and thats that. get over it no need to blame yen for it "im weak my love and i am wanting" jesus fucking christ get it together

[dangerous-disposition]

thinking about Cassini, my dad, and grief tonight. probably gonna listen to Sleeping At Last then go to bed.

[xkurtwagner]

.

[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.

[faroresson]

You know what? at least when pride events in a city were run BY THE VENUES AND PEOPLE IN THE CITY rather than an errant council of municipal planning, the events were actually organized

[terryblepun]

I finally have my asd/ADHD assessment in the morning and it's hitting me so hard. I'm beyond ready for this.