Writer friends! If you're on Instagram, check out the hashtag #humanvoicesonly

There are a ton of voice actors and audiobook narrators organizing an event to protest AI voice narration in audiobooks which can steal their jobs, steal our words, and just create shittier audiobooks in general. As part of the event you can submit a small snippet of your writing and have it read by Human Voices Only for the event, which is great for publicity on both sides.

This was the link I found but it looks like there are a lot of narrators participating so look around!

I had an issue submitting my form and this narrator reached out to me personally to make sure I could still submit in time. And I just got back the sample that she read for me and it sounds!!! So good!!! I'll be sure to share the finished clip whenever she posts it and be sure to follow the hashtag on Instagram today to see all the other samples being posted by dozens of other authors and narrators! I'm actually crying over the fact that I can't afford to get an audiobook for Runaways made right now, I'm spending too much on editing and illustrations, but ONE DAY!!!

Thank God for sweethearts like this woman and for everyone else participating in this event. There's a lot of shit going on in the world these days but the friendship and wholesome interactions and genuine good will in the bookish community give me so much strength.

HERE IT ISSSSSSS!!!!!!

Taglist: ask to be added or removed!

@tiredlittleoldme @abalonetea @happyorogeny @weaver-of-fantasies-and-fables @quilloftheclouds @rainydaydarling @bladeverbenas-blog @andifthestarsweretodie @thelaughingstag @ladywithalamp @avrablake @prettylittlelyres @rainbowsnowflakee @theroseempress

these are my mutuals. they know who they are

I...tried to make a meme and got carried away and made A Thing that is like partially unfinished because i spent like 3 hours on it and then got tired.

I think this is mostly scientifically accurate but truth be told, there seems to be relatively little research on succession in regards to lawns specifically (as opposed to like, pastures). I am not exaggerating how bad they are for biodiversity though—recent research has referred to them as "ecological deserts."

Feel free to repost, no need for credit

Specified lines tag game

Tagged a while back by @indecentpause -- thank you! Let's see what I got here in Stars and Ships...

Rules: Find a line in your WIP that fits each of the parameters given to you, then give new prompts for the people you tag <3

A line about happiness: [Jax POV]

“Well then,” Quin said happily, over there in his element. “Prepare for jump.”

A line said in anger: [Aaliyah POV]

“Jax!” she barked, striding over to where the idiot himself was strapped into a seat like a law abiding citizen.

He jumped, unbuckled and stood up, which only served to make her angrier, because Jax was tall on a good day, and on a bad, he only looked taller.

A line about nature: [Quin POV]

The ride through the countryside was pleasant, if you ignored the oppressive sunlight sinking into Quin’s thick clothes, the rattle and bumps in the road, and the occasional large fly. Vivid green fields gave way to carefully tended rice plants, which turned into beds of wild foliage, large flat jagged leaves, small palm trees, and hundreds of thick vines, twining up and around anything within reach.

A line about nighttime: [Jax POV]

The sky was deep blue on the other side, nearly black, with only a few visible stars dotting the otherwise inky dark. Taking up most of the view was a large purple planet, boasting three different moons and one big swirl of blue in the center. As they watched, Quin’s middle screen blinked out information: current political leaders, climate and precise coordinates, and notable features.

Tags for anyone and everyone that sees this! And also @eli-writes-sometimes @writernopal @loopyhoopywrites @ahordeofwasps and @avrablake.

New lines:
A line about the color green
A line stuttered
A line about family
A line mentioning a weapon

jack in 15

i spun my picker wheel for this and it decided jack deserves some love. thank you @oh-no-another-idea for the tag <3 the rules are to pull 15 lines of dialogue for a character that you feel encapsulate them. jack has a lot of good lines, so let's go hunting :)

the raedoran cycle

1. "I played a prank on them and they didn't think it was funny." -- the thieves of morbhard, chapter 1
2. Jack turns to him with that wide grin and says over the cheers, “I’m going to steal the crown jewels.” -- the thieves of morbhard, chapter 2
3. “Old family heirloom that I’m finally willing to part with,” Jack says, the lie sounding nearly true on his lips. Not that Arthur thinks much about his lips. “It’s hard, but I prefer food security to sentimentality.” -- the thieves of morbhard, chapter 4
4. “I’ve won most of my gambles with the gods.” -- the thieves of morbhard, chapter 4
5. "Can I at least be a clueless prick inside?" Jack asks, gesturing at the door. "I'm sure the neighbors would appreciate a buffer between them and your yelling at me." -- the thieves of morbhard, chapter 5
6. “We're going to die,” Jack whimpers, but he treks along behind Arthur anyway. -- the thieves of morbhard, chapter 11
7. “No thanks,” Jack says, even as his stomach growls loudly. “My parents taught me not to eat strange witches' food.” -- the thieves of morbhard, chapter 11
8. Jack ponders for a few minutes, staring at the table instead of her. “If you turned into a venomous lizard,” he finally says, “would you be able to bite someone and poison them?” -- the witch of the west
9. "I'm a curse on your family." Jack gulps in shaking breaths. "I'm a curse." -- the witch of the west
10. “We’re all worried about Birdie,” Jack says, grim-faced. “You can’t go running off and putting her in danger—” -- the witch of the west
11. Jack throws his tea back like a shot. “I love being used as a magical magnifying glass.” -- the witch of the west
12. “I hope she kills [Fabin],” Jack grumbles, pressing his face into Arthur’s stomach. “Burns his stupid ass to a crisp.” -- the witch of the west
13. "Truthfully, sir," Jack says, with the glint in his eye that says he’s about to lie through his teeth. Arthur sucks in a breath, keeping focused on holding up his glamour. "My friend here is sweet on one of the kitchen maids, and I convinced my little brother to let me help him out. Anything for true love, you understand?" -- the witch of the west
14. "Gotta give me credit for boldness," Jack wheezes, closing his eyes when O'Leyne presses the knife further into his throat. -- the witch of the west
15. “Yep,” Jack says, popping the p. “I always knew I would end up in this castle somehow. Did I think it would be because the dead princess is actually a living witch who dragged me into her insane prophecy? No, no, I did not.” -- the witch of the west

taglist: @k--havok @oh-no-another-idea @lyssa-ink @space-writes

and tagging @akindofmagictoo @avrablake and @ink-flavored and anyone else who would like to join in to do this for a character <3

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don't curse me for doing a marketing i know you're all using these artists on your DND and OC playlists too 🫵

Learn more about Runaways Here!

Or if you already follow runaways, here's a sneak peek at some of the artists and songs I'll be sharing on the playlist this Friday! You might even find some new favorite artists this way, who knows?

Taglist: ask to be added or removed!

@tiredlittleoldme @abalonetea @happyorogeny @weaver-of-fantasies-and-fables @quilloftheclouds @rainydaydarling @bladeverbenas-blog @andifthestarsweretodie @thelaughingstag @ladywithalamp @avrablake @prettylittlelyres @rainbowsnowflakee @theroseempress

It's very endearing to me how many people are willing to keep an eye on a video feed so they can push a button and let a fish in the Netherlands get to the other side of a dam.

It is genuinely baffling to me, in a very kind and positive way, especially coupled with the local news continually going several shades of 'wtf, this thing is a roaring success again and we don't quite get why'. They've already quadrupled their capacity for simultaneous clicks and it's still nowhere near enough and there's just... Bewilderment.

1. I think people want to help the environment in small but tangible ways, which is hard right now because of.. well... because of The Horrors. And being able to say 'wow! I helped this creature cross a dam' makes you feel good.
2. I also think that most people can relate to a small, helpless creature trying to get from one place to another and there's a FUCKIN WALL in the way.

But to come back to point 1- Citizen Science fills a hole in the soul that wanted to go out on adventures and discover things when we were younger, but the study of it was hard or we didn't have the money or our schools were garbage. But you don't have to have a degree to do things like... press a button or download and use an app, or count or transcribe notes.

Anyways- here's some Citizen Science links if the Fish Doorbell makes you feel happy and you yearn for more ways to help scientists do stuff:

Foldit (folding proteins)

Fathomverse (sea animals)

Project Monarch (butterflies)

Bioblitz, an event where citizens identify as many species in an area within a period of time

Species Watch (animal species)

BOINC’s Compute for Science

Zooniverse is a website that hosts information on many citizen science projects

Label trees in aerial photos

Count cells in fossils and modern leaves

Digitize Atmospheric Data

Count penguins

US-based Citizen Science Database

eBird (bird identification)

Merlin (bird identification by sound)

iNaturalist (nature identification)

MapSwipe (collaboration between several Red Cross organizations and Doctors Without Borders, update vital geospatial data)

Smithsonian Archives Transcription Center