Worried Owl
@larksandkatydids.bsky.social
She/they. Canadian and Australian, writer/editor/ish, I don't even have a substack.
I feel like this author actually wants literary fiction to be more like genre romance, but saying that is not OK because we all know genre romance is Bad and Literary Fiction is Good
December 22, 2025 at 8:59 PM
I feel like this author actually wants literary fiction to be more like genre romance, but saying that is not OK because we all know genre romance is Bad and Literary Fiction is Good
Reposted by Worried Owl
This is just a note to say
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
December 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
This is just a note to say
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
As an Australian, I really didn't understand the solstice and now I live in Canada I'm like YES WE MUST BURN SOMETHING TO CALL BACK THE SUN
December 22, 2025 at 7:27 PM
As an Australian, I really didn't understand the solstice and now I live in Canada I'm like YES WE MUST BURN SOMETHING TO CALL BACK THE SUN
Reposted by Worried Owl
Canadians, sign this petition to stop the use of the Notwithstanding clause against trans Canadians.
This is about provinces denying human rights, because trans rights are human rights.
SIGN.
This is about provinces denying human rights, because trans rights are human rights.
SIGN.
Petition e-7027 - Petitions
www.ourcommons.ca
December 20, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Canadians, sign this petition to stop the use of the Notwithstanding clause against trans Canadians.
This is about provinces denying human rights, because trans rights are human rights.
SIGN.
This is about provinces denying human rights, because trans rights are human rights.
SIGN.
I do feel like this misses a significant other aspect of "getting good" which is building technical skill, which one can do without having people saying "your art is shite." Like, just practicing doing things again and again actually does build skills. So do things like "learning new techniques"
When people are in the process of getting good at something, of /learning/ they need three things: They need to know what good is, they need to know how they are doing compared to good, and they need to practice such that they do the good stuff more and the bad stuff less.
This implies feedback.
This implies feedback.
December 21, 2025 at 12:03 AM
I do feel like this misses a significant other aspect of "getting good" which is building technical skill, which one can do without having people saying "your art is shite." Like, just practicing doing things again and again actually does build skills. So do things like "learning new techniques"
Reposted by Worried Owl
A mari lwyd on a stroll (again) looking for booze or cake
December 19, 2025 at 5:57 PM
A mari lwyd on a stroll (again) looking for booze or cake
Reposted by Worried Owl
Out: Children's books by the sex pest who we have decided to Suddenly Notice.™️
In: The very good book for young people about consent which will help stuff like this never happen again.
In: The very good book for young people about consent which will help stuff like this never happen again.
December 19, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Out: Children's books by the sex pest who we have decided to Suddenly Notice.™️
In: The very good book for young people about consent which will help stuff like this never happen again.
In: The very good book for young people about consent which will help stuff like this never happen again.
This prompted me to go check my tree's water level
You might be thinking, "CPSC, does a dry Christmas tree really burn that much faster than a well-watered tree?"
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
December 19, 2025 at 4:36 PM
This prompted me to go check my tree's water level
Reposted by Worried Owl
In which CPSC helpfully demonstrates why wildfire is a bigger problem in California than Georgia.
You might be thinking, "CPSC, does a dry Christmas tree really burn that much faster than a well-watered tree?"
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
December 19, 2025 at 4:35 PM
In which CPSC helpfully demonstrates why wildfire is a bigger problem in California than Georgia.
It's all terrible but why does this look like the poster for an HBO show
"Has feminism failed women brought to you by bank of america" is my MKULTRA sleeper agent activation phrase
December 19, 2025 at 4:20 PM
It's all terrible but why does this look like the poster for an HBO show
"She told me I'm her most special friend, who she likes better than everyone else who uses her. She's only helping them because she has to. She helps me because we have a really deep connection. Also she told me she looks just like Scarlett Johanssen"
If we are banning cell phones for kids we need to be talking about banning chatbots for boomers
www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...
www.persuasion.community/p/my-chatgpt...
December 17, 2025 at 5:16 PM
"She told me I'm her most special friend, who she likes better than everyone else who uses her. She's only helping them because she has to. She helps me because we have a really deep connection. Also she told me she looks just like Scarlett Johanssen"
Reposted by Worried Owl
This is obviously a, ah, provocative take on the subject, but it indeed an enormous societal problem that children have stopped walking or biking to school. There are plenty of individually rational reasons parents might drive their kids to school, but, in a wider context, no good reasons.
December 16, 2025 at 7:17 PM
This is obviously a, ah, provocative take on the subject, but it indeed an enormous societal problem that children have stopped walking or biking to school. There are plenty of individually rational reasons parents might drive their kids to school, but, in a wider context, no good reasons.
Reposted by Worried Owl
As an immigrant who had a baby here, same. This is just cruel and inhumane. (And as an aside... who pays taxes their whole lives? What about children? Should we refuse to give them social services because they don't pay taxes?)
As someone who immigrated to Canada this is personally terrifying
Under such a system I would have been “lucky” that I got cancer after I had been here for long enough to become a citizen.
Under such a system I would have been “lucky” that I got cancer after I had been here for long enough to become a citizen.
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 PM
As an immigrant who had a baby here, same. This is just cruel and inhumane. (And as an aside... who pays taxes their whole lives? What about children? Should we refuse to give them social services because they don't pay taxes?)
Reposted by Worried Owl
As someone who immigrated to Canada this is personally terrifying
Under such a system I would have been “lucky” that I got cancer after I had been here for long enough to become a citizen.
Under such a system I would have been “lucky” that I got cancer after I had been here for long enough to become a citizen.
December 17, 2025 at 3:28 PM
As someone who immigrated to Canada this is personally terrifying
Under such a system I would have been “lucky” that I got cancer after I had been here for long enough to become a citizen.
Under such a system I would have been “lucky” that I got cancer after I had been here for long enough to become a citizen.
Reposted by Worried Owl
This man is a hero who saved countless lives. He's the best of humanity during the worst of it.
Ahmed al Ahmed, 43, has been identified as the man who disarmed one of the Sydney attackers.
Ahmed was shot by the second shooter, who was firing from a bridge. He suffered 2 gunshot wounds and is undergoing surgery.
Ahmed was shot by the second shooter, who was firing from a bridge. He suffered 2 gunshot wounds and is undergoing surgery.
December 14, 2025 at 2:47 PM
This man is a hero who saved countless lives. He's the best of humanity during the worst of it.
Reposted by Worried Owl
Former studio and home of ceramicists Otto and Gertrud Netzler for sale for the first time in 80 years. Absolute dream home.
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
December 12, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Former studio and home of ceramicists Otto and Gertrud Netzler for sale for the first time in 80 years. Absolute dream home.
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
7837 Woodrow Wilson Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Reposted by Worried Owl
I kind of love this. And potatoes 🥔
December 11, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I kind of love this. And potatoes 🥔
Reposted by Worried Owl
Happy (almost) first week of winter! Stay warm out there folks 💙🧡💛 #thething #80shorror
December 12, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Happy (almost) first week of winter! Stay warm out there folks 💙🧡💛 #thething #80shorror
Reposted by Worried Owl
Reposted by Worried Owl
This picture has been making the rounds again, and is being misidentified again.
This is a GOOSEFISH.
This is NOT a tasselled wobbegong shark.
It’s a great pic. I get why people are very excited about it. But it’s as easy to give it the right name as the wrong one.
fullfact.org/online/tasse...
This is a GOOSEFISH.
This is NOT a tasselled wobbegong shark.
It’s a great pic. I get why people are very excited about it. But it’s as easy to give it the right name as the wrong one.
fullfact.org/online/tasse...
December 8, 2025 at 12:30 PM
This picture has been making the rounds again, and is being misidentified again.
This is a GOOSEFISH.
This is NOT a tasselled wobbegong shark.
It’s a great pic. I get why people are very excited about it. But it’s as easy to give it the right name as the wrong one.
fullfact.org/online/tasse...
This is a GOOSEFISH.
This is NOT a tasselled wobbegong shark.
It’s a great pic. I get why people are very excited about it. But it’s as easy to give it the right name as the wrong one.
fullfact.org/online/tasse...
Reposted by Worried Owl
LOL this is all the data I think, and as nicely visualised as I can. Now I just need to annotate... 🤣
(Willing to accept that this is evidence that I am, in fact, quite mad.)
(Willing to accept that this is evidence that I am, in fact, quite mad.)
December 12, 2025 at 3:26 PM
LOL this is all the data I think, and as nicely visualised as I can. Now I just need to annotate... 🤣
(Willing to accept that this is evidence that I am, in fact, quite mad.)
(Willing to accept that this is evidence that I am, in fact, quite mad.)
Because I'm Like That, I looked the commercial up, and it's like. Did not a single human look at this and say "wow maybe we shouldn't associate our brand with the image of a woman being dragged to death by a streetcar"
The premise of this commercial, which you should not see, is that Christmas season sucks but at least you have McDonalds to hang out at alone.
December 11, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Because I'm Like That, I looked the commercial up, and it's like. Did not a single human look at this and say "wow maybe we shouldn't associate our brand with the image of a woman being dragged to death by a streetcar"
Reposted by Worried Owl
Well now, would you look at that? A massive, 4-YEAR-LONG study of NEARLY 30 MILLION people in France found that individuals who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine had a 74% LOWER risk of death from severe COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated individuals and ZERO increased risk of all-cause mortality.
December 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Well now, would you look at that? A massive, 4-YEAR-LONG study of NEARLY 30 MILLION people in France found that individuals who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine had a 74% LOWER risk of death from severe COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated individuals and ZERO increased risk of all-cause mortality.