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Flashlight Fish Appreciation Post

Anomalopidae (lanterneye fishes or flashlight fishes) are a family of fish distinguished by bioluminescent organs located underneath their eyes, for which they are named.

These light organs contain luminous bacteria and can be "shut off" by the fish using either a dark lid or by being drawn into a pouch. They are used to communicate, attract prey, and evade predators.

These rarely seen fish are nocturnal and found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

[PHOTO TAKEN: JUNE 12TH, 2023 | Image ID: A photo of a brown horsefly with eyes that go from dark green to red, with two bands of red going across, on a car window, the underside reflected in said window /End ID.]

!~Yippee~!

Top Tips for Clues, Red Herrings, and Breadcrumbs

One of the most important parts of writing MYSTERY is figuring out what to do with clues and red herrings - and how to use them effectively. Here’s some advice that’s never steered me wrong: 

Hide the real clue before the false ones! Most people, so by extent your readers and your sleuth, tend to focus on the last piece of information presented to them. A good strategy is to mention/show your real clue and then quickly shift focus. 

Do a clue cluster! Squeeze your real clue in among a whole pile of red herrings or other clues, effectively hiding it in plain sight. This works especially well with multiple suspect mysteries. 

Struggling to think of what a clue could be? Try this list: 

Physical objects: Letters, notes, tickets, emails, keepsakes, text messages, diaries, etc. 

Dialogue: voicemail recordings, overheard conversations, hearsay, gossip, rumours. All of these can hold grains of truth! 

Red herrings distract and confound your protagonist and your reader, so you should be careful not to overuse them. Well balanced, red herrings should lead your characters down false paths to create confusion, tension, and suspense.

Contradictions! Have characters claim they did so-and-so at such-and-such a time, but other characters have evidence that contradicts this.

Balance! Avoid a clue that’s so obvious it’s like a neon sign saying “Look at me, I’m a clue!” but don’t make it so obscure it’ll be missed entirely. A good clue should leave a reader saying “Damn, I should have noticed that” 

Eternal Flame Falls sounds like the coolest concept for a fantasy book. A path you follow down into a ravine until you find an ever-burning flame inside of a waterfall? That’s fuckin metal! But it’s not in a fantasy book it’s like an hour away from my house I can literally go see it any time! I remember it like once a month and lose my shit over it every time

i hate my vegetable #myvegetable

(source)

[PHOTOS TAKEN: JULY 5TH, 2023 | Image IDs: Five photos of a black and brown bess beetle on a plank of light beige wood /End IDs.]

This was one of the tiniest dragonflies I have ever seen, and they were all over in the Masai Mara.

The closest species I have found is the Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens), but that doesn't seem quite right. The dragonflies I saw were darker and more metallic in tone, with gold-ish patches at the base of their wings. But I was still glad to learn about Wandering Gliders, because they are found all over the world and seem to migrate incredible distances, even crossing the Himalayas. Isn't that amazing? You can read about them here.