Vaudevillain Girls and Violin Strings

And I just think that's neat.

The main thing I observe is that a lot of employees recommend makeup that is chemically incompatible. For example, if you ask them to recommend you a foundation and concealer, a lot of times they’ll pick two products that are chemically immiscible, so they’ll NEVER blend together successfully.

Trigger warning for graphic descriptions of injured and dead wildlife.

When a fireworks display occurs near a wild bird roost, the birds simultaneously explode into the night skies in utter panic, which can lead to huge numbers of deaths, usually because these birds either smash their skulls or break their necks as the result of flying into trees, fences, billboards, houses and other solid objects that they cannot see in the gloom and ensuing chaos.

Many of the startled birds who take flight fly at much higher altitudes and for much longer durations than they’re used to to escape the noise, which is energetically costly and physiologically stressful.

Small birds and bats can be knocked from the air and killed by the sonic shock. In 2010, 40 dead sparrows were discovered dead under a roost in a nature reserve after a local fireworks display. The manager of the reserve witnessed a tawny owl fluttering and convulsing on the ground after a particularly loud explosion. It died shortly after.

In Arkansas in 2010, some 5,000 red-winged blackbirds, European starlings, common grackles and brown-headed cowbirds suffered blunt-force trauma after colliding with cars, trees and buildings, an ornithologist from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission would tell National Geographic.

In 2008, federal officials showed that seabirds in the northern California town of Gualala abandoned their nests after a fireworks show, leaving their eggs vulnerable to predators.

Each year in Austin, Texas, the Congress Bridge bats can be seen fleeing the fireworks display en masse on weather radar, and emergences from their roost diminish noticeably in the days following the Fourth.

In 2018, the Galapagos banned the sale and use of pyrotechnics. According to the BBC, conservationists said that fireworks caused elevated heart rates, trembling and anxiety in many animals. 

The threat to wildlife doesn’t stop at startling lights and sounds; fireworks also have the potential of starting wildfires, directly affecting wildlife and destroying essential habitat. Litter from firecrackers, bottle rockets and other explosives can be choking hazards for wildlife and may be toxic if ingested.

So what do you do if you want to watch fireworks responsibly? Experts say municipalities are more likely to be aware of these dangers than private consumers. Their best advice is to stick to the shows put on by professionals and local governments, which tend to follow guidelines put forth by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, among others, about animal safety.

The National Audubon Society offers similar guidelines: “Commercial fireworks are concentrated in one location, rather than in several locations at once, which is what often happens in neighborhoods. This allows birds to take off and land again in a ‘safer’ location rather than continuing to flee noises coming at them from all directions.”

May we all smile more in July.

May we all experience ease in July.

May we all worry less in July.

May we all get good sleep in July.

The process is actually quite sophisticated, and requires the presence of a full-grown goth to trigger it. A pupal-stage proto-goth, at this point completely indistinguishable from any other small human child, only needs to encounter a mature specimen once - and while the initial imprinting that ensues will only take seconds, the incubation period often takes more than a decade, even several.

The first visible step of the transformation is triggered when the dormant goth suddenly gains awareness that they have free will and can do whatever they want with their appearance. While the progress may be gradual, or seem like the transformation happened all at once overnight, the initial seed was planted years ago. And now, in full bloom, a fully-fledged mature adult goth may finally be happy.

July 3rd, 2026

Happy July, friends!! Didn't read a ton this week - this heat is turning me into a slug. But still we persevere 💛

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Fandom: DC

Completed works:

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🌻never gonna give you up - clarakent  Gen, No Archive Warnings Apply 2,396 words, oneshot Published: April 2nd, 2020 

Summary: 

Bruce finds out there's something different about parenting when it comes to traumatized omegas.

Rec: short and sheer sweet fluff. I am deeply compelled by omega!Tim and alpha dad!Bruce who doesn’t have the slightest clue how to handle how much he cares about his son <3 

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🌻Frame of Reference - below21 ( @creamshiba ) background Bruce/Clark, No Archive Warnings Apply  4,820 words, oneshot Published: June 30th, 2026

Summary: 

When Bruce and Clark announce they're dating, Jason immediately hates the idea. He knows exactly what happens behind closed doors when two people start dating.

He’s not going to let Bruce get hurt.

Rec: Bruce and Clark getting together and Jason’s trauma rearing its head is SUCH an underexplored genre imo. I love how much Jason feels like a scared kid in this one, and how much Clark’s earnest sweetness manages to feel like a threat through Jason’s trauma-warped lens. And bonus points for good-big-brother Dick, who has the patience to actually try and figure out where Jason is coming from. 

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Ongoing Works:

❀ - updated within the last 6 months

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❀ 🌻 Elsewhere, Everywhere - MoonBoo Gen, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings 35,133 words, 11/? chapters Latest Update: June 29th, 2026

Summary: 

Tim, stuck on comms due to a broken leg, is attacked by a familiar cowled figure in the Batcave.

The problem? Bruce is still out on patrol.

An alternate Batman stranded far from home should be nothing more than a temporary complication. Instead, Tim finds himself growing close to a Bruce Wayne who has a Dick, a Jason, but no Tim.

And some doors, once opened, are hard to close.

Rec: we were gifted with TWO (2) chapters this week and I am FEASTING. The tension between Bruce and Other Bruce over Tim is so well done and painful and satisfying - and good big brother Jason!! Everyone wants what's best for Tim and no one is going about it in entirely the right way!!! 😭💕

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❀ 🌻 Broken Wings, Open Sky - greenlimetea Gen, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings 4,178 words, 3/? chapters Latest Update: July 1st, 2026

Summary:

Fathers disciplined you. It was just what they did.

Damian has survived years by following the rules, keeping his head down, and shielding his brothers. Then another Batman arrives — one with a soft voice and gentle hands.

Damian is certain it's a trick. He just has to make sure he's the one who pays the price for it.

Rec: This one is still in the early stages, but I am SO looking forward to seeing more - Damian's life at the start is pretty brutal, and as of the latest chapter, I can taste our alternate universe hurt/comfort around the corner!! I can't wait to see the direction this story takes our characters in (and for them to get the softness they deserve) <3

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

Fandom: The Pitt

Completed Works:

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🌻But at Last Came a Knock - Vamillepudding ( @vamillepudding )  Jack Abbot/Robby, No Archive Warnings Apply 5,867 words, oneshot Published: June 27th, 2026

Summary:

“I’m sorry,” Robby says slowly, stiffly, “I think I must have misheard you, because I’m pretty sure I just heard you tell me that my mother, whom I haven’t seen in almost fifty years, came to my place of work today, the one time this week that I wasn’t there.”

There are a ton of quick and cheap electrolyte drink recipes that you can find online. Tea, coffee, cocount water, milk, milk substitutes, juice, etc are all hydrating despite extremely persistent myths. Many fruits and veggies like cucumbers, watermelon, strawberries, bell peppers, etc have high water content and are a great way to hydrate while also getting vital nutrients. Popsicles are also a good way to stay cool and hydrated and you can buy them or make your own with whatever ingredients you want; there are recipes online, including ones for electrolyte popsicles, but you can also just do basic ones with your choice of fruit juice and whatever you want to add, like chunks of fresh or frozen fruit.

1. Eat fruit

2. Eat something with salt.

I had a day during the worst of the heatwave when I was a feeling really ill and I realised I hadn't had anything with sodium for a good while. I ate some crisps (chips) and immediately felt better. Was that the healthiest option? Maybe not. Was it the most accessible at the time? Absolutely