Rachel Kolar
@rachelkolar.bsky.social
Author of Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters, co-host of the Wonderful World of Darklords podcast. Halloween, writing, and a surprising amount of TTRPGs. She/her
I have a character from Salem thinking about the forests back home and wanted to include some specific trees, so I did a quick Google.
This is the dumbest timeline.
This is the dumbest timeline.
October 24, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I have a character from Salem thinking about the forests back home and wanted to include some specific trees, so I did a quick Google.
This is the dumbest timeline.
This is the dumbest timeline.
If you have a sudden need to read a fantasy novel about a Black girl kicking all the butt, I'm about 2/3 through A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney and it 100% fits the bill.
(I picked it up for Alice in Wonderland, but it feels more "10% Alice, 45% Buffy, 45% Sailor Moon." Which is JUST FINE.)
(I picked it up for Alice in Wonderland, but it feels more "10% Alice, 45% Buffy, 45% Sailor Moon." Which is JUST FINE.)
September 16, 2025 at 4:43 PM
If you have a sudden need to read a fantasy novel about a Black girl kicking all the butt, I'm about 2/3 through A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney and it 100% fits the bill.
(I picked it up for Alice in Wonderland, but it feels more "10% Alice, 45% Buffy, 45% Sailor Moon." Which is JUST FINE.)
(I picked it up for Alice in Wonderland, but it feels more "10% Alice, 45% Buffy, 45% Sailor Moon." Which is JUST FINE.)
Oh, this is cool! I love how Utena adjacent the third one is. Given how complex Utena is on gender, that feels perfect.
September 6, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Oh, this is cool! I love how Utena adjacent the third one is. Given how complex Utena is on gender, that feels perfect.
Me: okay, the kids are all at school, time to do some podcast stuff
Coraline: I'M NOT AT SCHOOL MOM
MOM, LET ME RUB MY FACE ALL OVER THE POP FILTER
MOM, I'M GOING TO WALK ON CRINKLY PAPER RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, IS THAT OKAY?
MOM, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MY CLAWS NEED SHARPENING
Coraline: I'M NOT AT SCHOOL MOM
MOM, LET ME RUB MY FACE ALL OVER THE POP FILTER
MOM, I'M GOING TO WALK ON CRINKLY PAPER RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, IS THAT OKAY?
MOM, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MY CLAWS NEED SHARPENING
September 2, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Me: okay, the kids are all at school, time to do some podcast stuff
Coraline: I'M NOT AT SCHOOL MOM
MOM, LET ME RUB MY FACE ALL OVER THE POP FILTER
MOM, I'M GOING TO WALK ON CRINKLY PAPER RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, IS THAT OKAY?
MOM, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MY CLAWS NEED SHARPENING
Coraline: I'M NOT AT SCHOOL MOM
MOM, LET ME RUB MY FACE ALL OVER THE POP FILTER
MOM, I'M GOING TO WALK ON CRINKLY PAPER RIGHT NEXT TO YOU, IS THAT OKAY?
MOM, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH MY CLAWS NEED SHARPENING
Please take a break from doomscrolling to admire this glorious potato butt
June 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Please take a break from doomscrolling to admire this glorious potato butt
The penguins came to protest!
April 5, 2025 at 10:34 PM
The penguins came to protest!
My daughter's favorite sign
April 5, 2025 at 10:33 PM
My daughter's favorite sign
Side 2 of daughter's sign. I'm just going to put her annotations in the alt text
April 5, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Side 2 of daughter's sign. I'm just going to put her annotations in the alt text
Side 1 of daughter's sign
April 5, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Side 1 of daughter's sign
My commencement speaker was David Foster Wallace with This Is Water. No way is anyone going to get a cooler commencement speaker than--
Oh. Yeah, okay.
Oh. Yeah, okay.
March 26, 2025 at 11:49 PM
My commencement speaker was David Foster Wallace with This Is Water. No way is anyone going to get a cooler commencement speaker than--
Oh. Yeah, okay.
Oh. Yeah, okay.
How my morning is going
March 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
How my morning is going
My mom carefully planned the placement of every plant in hers, which is also a great way to do it (and means you aren't going to have the seeds for your five-foot-tall evening primroses landing right in the front of your garden area so no one can see any other flowers, like me in 2023).
March 11, 2025 at 6:44 PM
My mom carefully planned the placement of every plant in hers, which is also a great way to do it (and means you aren't going to have the seeds for your five-foot-tall evening primroses landing right in the front of your garden area so no one can see any other flowers, like me in 2023).
4) I felt absolutely no pressure, because wildflowers thrive on neglect and anything I do to help them is gravy.
(Pictured: my little high-maintenance exceptions to the rule. Powdery mildew always comes for my black-eyed Susans. But everybody else thrives on neglect!)
(Pictured: my little high-maintenance exceptions to the rule. Powdery mildew always comes for my black-eyed Susans. But everybody else thrives on neglect!)
March 11, 2025 at 6:42 PM
4) I felt absolutely no pressure, because wildflowers thrive on neglect and anything I do to help them is gravy.
(Pictured: my little high-maintenance exceptions to the rule. Powdery mildew always comes for my black-eyed Susans. But everybody else thrives on neglect!)
(Pictured: my little high-maintenance exceptions to the rule. Powdery mildew always comes for my black-eyed Susans. But everybody else thrives on neglect!)
3) I got to make the world more beautiful in a small but significant way at a time when the world is very, very ugly.
(This is from last year. My crowning achievement as a pollinator gardener. I checked the wings, and that sucker is a monarch, not a viceroy.)
(This is from last year. My crowning achievement as a pollinator gardener. I checked the wings, and that sucker is a monarch, not a viceroy.)
March 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM
3) I got to make the world more beautiful in a small but significant way at a time when the world is very, very ugly.
(This is from last year. My crowning achievement as a pollinator gardener. I checked the wings, and that sucker is a monarch, not a viceroy.)
(This is from last year. My crowning achievement as a pollinator gardener. I checked the wings, and that sucker is a monarch, not a viceroy.)
2) I got to help the environment in a small but significant way in a time when it's easy to feel helpless.
(Here, have a pic from 2023)
(Here, have a pic from 2023)
March 11, 2025 at 6:39 PM
2) I got to help the environment in a small but significant way in a time when it's easy to feel helpless.
(Here, have a pic from 2023)
(Here, have a pic from 2023)
1) I got to spend some time outdoors doing a mindful activity. Always good.
(This is a pic from 2022 just to throw some pretty flower pictures into the mix. My garden absolutely does not look this good in mid-March.)
(This is a pic from 2022 just to throw some pretty flower pictures into the mix. My garden absolutely does not look this good in mid-March.)
March 11, 2025 at 6:37 PM
1) I got to spend some time outdoors doing a mindful activity. Always good.
(This is a pic from 2022 just to throw some pretty flower pictures into the mix. My garden absolutely does not look this good in mid-March.)
(This is a pic from 2022 just to throw some pretty flower pictures into the mix. My garden absolutely does not look this good in mid-March.)
I think the flood of people cancelling has crashed the cancellation page...
February 26, 2025 at 4:16 PM
I think the flood of people cancelling has crashed the cancellation page...
...I think the flood of requests has crashed WaPo's cancellation page
February 26, 2025 at 4:15 PM
...I think the flood of requests has crashed WaPo's cancellation page
You know those goofy educational videos where somebody carelessly says "springs aren't important" or whatever and then everyone is plunged into a nightmare world without springs?
I feel like I've been trapped in one of those for a month.
I feel like I've been trapped in one of those for a month.
February 20, 2025 at 12:26 AM
You know those goofy educational videos where somebody carelessly says "springs aren't important" or whatever and then everyone is plunged into a nightmare world without springs?
I feel like I've been trapped in one of those for a month.
I feel like I've been trapped in one of those for a month.
My 12yo summarizes her Warrior Cats fanfic to a scare actor who is regretting all her life choices.
(At the Field of Screams Valentine's Day haunt)
(At the Field of Screams Valentine's Day haunt)
February 15, 2025 at 6:16 PM
My 12yo summarizes her Warrior Cats fanfic to a scare actor who is regretting all her life choices.
(At the Field of Screams Valentine's Day haunt)
(At the Field of Screams Valentine's Day haunt)
AI does it again.
This is for the Children's Place Boys' Long Sleeve Pique Polo. Clicked "report a problem with product or seller," AFAIK that's all I can do
This is for the Children's Place Boys' Long Sleeve Pique Polo. Clicked "report a problem with product or seller," AFAIK that's all I can do
February 3, 2025 at 11:18 PM
AI does it again.
This is for the Children's Place Boys' Long Sleeve Pique Polo. Clicked "report a problem with product or seller," AFAIK that's all I can do
This is for the Children's Place Boys' Long Sleeve Pique Polo. Clicked "report a problem with product or seller," AFAIK that's all I can do
Our R2 took a little trip to Hoth
January 7, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Our R2 took a little trip to Hoth