#((it's important so if you're an american please))

[kyoupann]

Hi, besties! I’m back to talk about Encanto and Encanto only because I’m tired of non-latinos/Hispanics posting their bland ass opinions on a movie they definitely did not care to understand <3 ( warning: spoilers, I guess)

1. "Abuela was evil and didn't deserve to be forgiven that quickly"

Amix, did we even watch the same movie? Because to me Alma wasn't forgiven on the spot. Not one of them said "sure abuelita don’t worry we still love you." And the thing is, in a toxic Hispanic household, you won't get an apology so easily. Alma admitted how she fucked up and that is a huge step for them as a family to start figuring out their own shit and how each member contributed to the cracks appearing. The moment where they all come together to rebuild their Casita is a perfect depiction of that; it takes days, months and years to pick up the pieces and put it back together, and maybe just then they can start healing.

Alma deserved to realise how much pain she was putting her family through and be given the opportunity to try to be better, and saying otherwise is interpreting the movie to fit your ideal ending. And the thing is, Alma had no malicious intent in her words and actions, once you know what happened to her, you notice everything she does and says is tightly tied to her traumatic past: bestie watched her town be invaded, her husband brutally murdered while holding her newborn triplets, became the leader of a whole ass new town the next morning and was probably never given the time to mourn.

And before any of y’all Abuela-haters come to me to say trauma is never an excuse: yeah, abuse can’t be justified under any circumstances, however, if you want to criticise Abuela’s character, you have to look where she is coming from. It’s not a matter of it’s fair or not, because in real life these situations most of the time are never fair to anyone involved.

2. "Omg, everyone was so mean towards Mirabel and Bruno, how could anyone allow that? That's so fucked up!"

Oh, wow, the privilege of watching a movie about intergenerational trauma and not noticing the trauma. Qusiese, chicaaa, pero no pudiese. LMAO I was going to go into how Alma, Isabela and Pepa treated Mirabel, but I feel that’ll be better left alone in their separate posts because it’s a lot. Instead I’m just going to explain why I think “We don’t talk about Bruno” was an attempt to protect Bruno from people shit-talking him even more.

It’s undeniable that the Madrigal family is obviously the equivalent of royalty in Encanto. They are a public figure and Abuela specifically works her ass off trying to maintain that image (yeah, by manipulating her family into being of service but). Because if shit went down, then she’d find herself having to flee her home again. Big yikes, nope.

Now, imagine, your youngest and only son who can see the future comes up with a prophecy about your home/family so bad that he runs away. Bruno may have done nothing wrong, but his disappearance brought a bad image to the family. So what did the family had to do to save face? Not talk about him. And more than it being a “fuck Bruno, all my homies hate Bruno” move, it is more of a “Hey, this is a sensitive topic and we as a family have decided to speak no more of it, thanks!” move, not only to cope with his absence, but to prevent townsfolk from also talking about him. It might not have been the nicest thing to do, but so was Bruno’s leaving without saying more. Please, stop infantilizing grown-ass men.

3. “The magic doesn’t make any sense”

HI, Welcome to Magical Realism! It does not need to make sense to you. It is what it is in its own world and its inhabitants accept it. If y’all can watch Marvel movies and eat that shit up as if it were the most complex worldbuilding in existence, then you can absolutely believe that miracles are a commonly accepted occurrence in this world.

What creates a miracle is not really important, because throughout the movie we’re not trying to make a new one, but to preserve the one that already Alma manifested. What determines what kind of gift each character gets is not important, or at the very least I’d think you’d be able to assume that it’s something related to their personality or a skill they excelled at. Being utterly rude, if you whine over how the magic doesn’t make any sense, I feel like you’re the type of person who wants to have every single thing explained in detail because you’re simply too lazy to use your imagination.

I find the magic in this movie very adequate to its context; in Latin-America, when you talk about a miracle it’s something of religious origin that cannot be explained by science (as opposed to English, in which it can be simply boiled down to something extraordinary). Additionally, “Milagro” is also used to refer to religious charms that can be carried on your person for protection and good luck. So, the candle serves as both types of miracles and I find that so damn cool.

Now, I’m not blindly in love with this movie to deny the fact that it definitely should’ve explored its world and characters so much more. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely one of the best movies the mouse has made in years and I do hope it gets some kind of show or whatever; it’s got the perfect elements for it.

P.d: do yourself a huge favour and listen to the Spanish version of Dos Oruguitas <3<3<3

[bebopsisyphus]

All my simpathy to people in the US witnessing their rights and authonomy being revoked, truly. It sucks and seeing y'all protesting in the streets is inspiring. But jesus christ, there are too many non-american people who are talking about this as if it was the end of the world for them. Babes? Never seen you this angry about political developments happening in your own countries. What's up with that?

[marlahey]

Hank Green + his friends made a whole YouTube channel dedicated to videos explaining how to vote in every. single. state. None of them are longer than three and a half minutes. Deadlines to register are fast approaching in a lot of places so it’s incredibly important that everyone is well informed about what they need to do in order to exercise their right and make their voice heard. Go forth, America. Show up for what you believe in. Make good choices. Please.

[ditzyanimebitch]

why does the us elections have to plague every other country's media, like i have no control over any of this please leave me alone and just tell me the results when it's over.

[batboyblog]

Senate 2022: You'd Better Vote!

If you're an American VERY IMPORTANT! elections are coming up on November 8th. Since the 2020 election the US Senate has been tied at 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans with Vice-President Harris casting the tie breaking vote that gives Democrats their majority. Even with such a tight margin Democrats have managed to pass the largest climate action taken by any country so far on earth (yet), lower prescription drug costs, pass the first gun control law since the 1990s , made lynching a federal crime after over 100 years of trying, made Juneteenth a federal holiday, confirmed the first black woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court, passed a trillion dollar infrastructure bill to rebuild our roads, bridges, transportation, better internet, clean water, and support electric cars, saved the US Post Office, passed a renewal of the Violence Against Women Act which had been in limbo since 2019.

Imagine all that the Democrats in the Senate could get done in the next 2 years with a stable majority? On the Flip side if Republicans net just one seat Mitch McConnell has made it clear there will be no progress if he's majority leader again. There are 35 Senate seats up on November 8th, I'm gonna list out the 9 seats with vulnerable Democrats who need re-electing and seats Democrats can flip to expand their majority. Everyone needs to vote, but voting is the start, the most basic thing you need to do, if you live in any of these states PLEASE sign up to volunteer for these candidates, to go talk to voters, to register new voters, to give rides to the polls etc. If you don't live in any of these states, you can still volunteer to make phone calls or text voters it's easy! if you have money to give please please give money campaigns are so expensive. Finally most of these campaigns have merch shops so if you feed more comfortable buying a shirt or a bag or whatever do that lots of them have cool pro-choice things.

Arizona

Mark Kelly (Re-elect)

Senator Mark Kelly was elected in a special election in 2020 and is running for a full term this year. Kelly is a former astronaut and the husband of gun violence survivor and gun control advocate Gabby Giffords. Kelly is a strong supporter of gun control an issue he's worked on with Giffords as an activist for 10 years before Congress. Republicans have nominated Blake Masters, who worked for one of Trump's top supporters, Peter Thiel, Thiel spent 13 million dollars to get Masters nominated. Masters calls himself a "America First Conservative" and a "hard-core nationalist". Masters has embraced the racist "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, supports Trump's conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen, is against gay marriage, says gun violence is all the fault of black people, and is against aid to Ukraine. Kelly is a good democrat, Masters is a white nationalist and election denier, we need Kelly back in the Senate, and we need to keep Masters far far away

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Florida

Val Demings (Flip)

Congresswoman Val Demings has represented the city of Orlando in the US House since 2017. Before that she served as Orlando's first woman chief of police. In Congress Demings has used her law enforcement background to lend credibility to gun control and police reform. Demings also served as one of the impeachment managers in Trump's first impeachment trial. If elected Val Demings will be Florida's first woman and first black Senator. Demings is running to unseat Republican Senator Marco Rubio. After running against Trump in the 2016 primaries Rubio became one of Trump's biggest supporters in Congress. Rubio reacted to the Parkland shooting in his state by doubling down on opposing any gun control, Val Demings voted to ban assault rifles. Rubio has also been a cheerleader for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' anti-LGBT/anti-Trans policies that bully queer students in Florida, he doesn't believe in the right to same sex marriage and is for banning books. Rubio also wants a total ban on abortion in all cases, Val Demings has a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America. Florida needs a strong supporter of Gun control, climate action, the right to choose, and LGBT rights in the Senate, Florida needs Demings not Rubio

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Georgia

Raphael Warnock (re-elect)

Senator Raphael Warnock was elected in a special election in 2020 and is running for a full 6 year term this year. Warnock is the first black senator from the State of Georgia and the first Democrat elected in 20 years. Before becoming a senator Warnock was the pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, which was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's church and a center of the 1960s civil rights movement. Warnock used his position to protest and fight against the death penalty, to expand medicare in Georgia, for gun control, and for voting rights. In the Senate, Senator Warnock has been one of the most outspoken on voting rights pushing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act named after his late friend Georgia Congressman John Lewis. Republicans for nominated former football player, and Trump super fan, Herschel Walker to try to unseat Senator Warnock. Walker vocally supported Trump's election lies, posting many times on social media that Biden did not win the 2020 election. Walker declared this week that climate action was "giving money to trees" and "don't we have enough trees?". Walker believes in a total ban on abortion, and is against LGBT rights. Walker is against gun control and floated the idea of the government monitoring all social media and internet usage by Americans instead of gun control. Walker beat his now ex-wife Cindy Grossman, and threatened her with a gun and knives multiple times, after the divorce Grossman feared Walker would kill her and her boyfriend. Walker also is a dead beat dad who has a number of children out of wedlock that he has no contact with, he has criticized black men many times for being absent fathers. The US Senate doesn't need a man who threatens to shoot women, re-elect Senator Warnock.

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Nevada

Catherine Cortez Masto (re-elect)

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto was narrowly elected in 2016 and his running for her second term in the Senate. Senator Cortez Masto is the first women elected to represent Nevada in the Senate and the first and to date ONLY Latina elected to the US Senate. When she was Nevada's attorney general Cortez Masto sued Bank of America for it's predatory lending practices and won nearly a billion dollars against the bank. As a US Senator Cortez Masto has been a major supporter of clean energy jobs and hopes to turn Nevada into the solar energy capital of America. Republicans have nominated former Nevada attorney general Adam Laxalt to try to unseat Cortez Masto. Laxalt spent his time as AG (2015-2019) suing the Obama Administration EPA to fight against strong climate regulations. Laxalt opposed a multi-state law suit against ExxonMobil for it's role in downplaying Climate change. Laxalt also sued the Obama administration to stop DACA, filed briefs supporting radical anti-abortion laws from Texas and Mississippi when they went to court, and sued the Obama Department of Labor to stop certain workers being paid over time. After leaving office Laxalt was the Chairman of Trump's 2020 re-election effort in Nevada. As Chairman Laxalt was the leading figure in the election conspiracy in Nevada claiming the election in his state was fraudulent and Biden hadn't really won Nevada. Laxalt has made many false claims of election fraud in Nevada in the 2020 election. Laxalt launched his 2022 campaign for Senate claiming "woke corporations" "academia" and "the radical left" have taken over America. Nevada has to send Cortez Masto, the only Latina in the Senate, back for another term, Laxalt is dangerously unfit.

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New Hampshire

Maggie Hassan (re-elect)

Senator Maggie Hassan was elected in the closest senate race of 2016 and is running for her second term in the senate. Senator Hassan was a key vote to save Obamacare from repel in 2017. During her time in the US Senate Senator Hassan has helped pass bills to more than double the funding to help treat the opioid crisis as well as banning surprise medical billing. Senator Hassan first ran for office 20 years ago as a way to advocate for her son who has Cerebral palsy, she's been a strong advocate for disability rights and special education through out her time in public service. Because New Hampshire has one of the latest primaries (September 13th) we don't know for sure which Republican will be nominated to face her in November. The front runner is a retired general named Don Bolduc. Bolduc's first foray into into politics was spinning and supporting 2020 election denial conspiracy theories, even after the January 6th riot. Bolduc has closely tied himself to Trump. Bolduc called fellow Republican, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu "Chinese Communist sympathizer" and accused him of "supports terrorism" for not being conservative enough and loyal to Trump enough. New Hampshire should send back a Senator who gets things done and not a wing-nut calling people in his own party communists and terrorists.

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North Carolina

Cheri Beasley (flip)

Former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Cheri Beasley is running to fill a Senate seat opened up by the retirement of Republican Senator Richard Burr. In 2008 Beasley became the first black women to win a state wide election in North Carolina when she was elected to the Court of Appeals. In 2012 she was appointed to the state Supreme Court and won election in 2014. She was appointed the Chief Justice in 2019 the first black woman to serve as the State's Chief Justice. Beasley lost by less than 500 votes her run for a full term as Chief Justice in 2020. In her time as a public defender and elected Judge and Justice Beasley has stressed fairness and equity. If elected she'd be the first black Senator from North Carolina. She's stressed health care and abortion rights as key issues of her campaign. Republicans have nominated Congressman Ted Budd to try to fill the seat. Congressman Budd is a member of the radical "House Freedom Caucus". He voted to repeal Obamacare in 2017. Budd was also a major support of Trump's attempt to over throw the result of the 2020 election. Congressman Budd voted against certifying the election result on January 6th, even after the capital had been stormed by violent Trump supporters. Budd is Trump's hand picked candidate for the North Carolina Senate seat, Budd only launched his campaign after meeting with Trump in Mar-a-Lago. North Carolina doesn't need an election denying Trump toady for Senator, send Cheri Beasley to Congress.

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Ohio

Tim Ryan (flip)

Congressman Tim Ryan is running to fill a Senate seat being opened up by the retirement of Republican Senator Rob Portman. Congressman Ryan has represented the Youngstown area of Ohio since 2003. In his time in Congress Ryan has been a champion of unions and American workers. His Senate run is focused on protecting American manufacturing jobs and bring well paying union jobs back to the American heart land. Ryan is strongly pro-choice. Republicans have nominated author and venture capitalist JD Vance. Vance is closely tied to Trump money man Peter Thiel as well as Arizona candidate and white nationalist Blake Masters. Vance has publicly said that women should stay in abusive marriages. Vance is against abortion in all cases even rape or health of the mother. Vance has also publicly stated he sees the populist, antisemitic, anti-LGBT dictatorship of Hungarian Prime Minster Viktor Orbán as a model for America. Vance talked about how he hopes in a second Trump term to purge all civil servants who don't agree with Trumpism and replace them with "our people". America does not need a pro-fascist who supports wife beating in the Senate, send Tim Ryan to the Senate instead.

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Pennsylvania

John Fetterman (flip)

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman is running to fill a seat opened by the retirement of Republican Senator Pat Toomey. First elected Lt Governor in 2018 Fetterman has used his platform to advocate the legalization of marijuana. Fetterman also is a vocal supporter of the LGBT community clashing with the Republican state legislature repeatedly about the display of a pride flag off the balcony of his official office at the state capital. Fetterman is running a campaign that is strongly pro-choice, supportive of criminal justice reform, and calls healthcare a human right. Republicans have nominated Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz. As a reality TV star "physician" Oz was criticized repeatedly for advocating fake cures and dangerous weight loss pills. During the Covid-19 pandemic Oz pushed Trump's favorite fake cure, Hydroxychloroquine, which is not a treatment for Covid. While running for the senate Oz has endorsed banning trans people from sports by law, and that trans youth are based on "false science". Oz is also says he'd vote to repeal Obamacare and strongly supports fracking. Pennsylvania doesn't need a flip flopping TV huckster from New Jersey as its Senator, election Fetterman.

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Wisconsin

Mandela Barnes (flip)

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes is running to unseat Republican Senator Ron Johnson. Barnes served in the state legislature from 2013 till 2017 before being elected Lt Governor in 2018, he is the first black person to win state wide office in Wisconsin. As Lt Governor Barnes served as the chair of the Climate Task Force putting forward a 55 point plan to combat climate change. Barnes has been a vocal supporter of policies like Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and marijuana legalization. If elected Barnes would be the first black Senator from Wisconsin and one of only two Senators in their 30s. Incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson has been Wisconsin's Senator since 2010 and is running for his 3rd term in office. In the Senate Johnson was one of Trump's strongest allies. Johnson was one of the main congressional pushers of the 2020 election conspiracy theories to the point his home town paper the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel called him a member of the "Sedition Caucus". Johnson also has pushed conspiracy theories that the January 6th riot was the fault of Nancy Pelosi or the FBI, and said he didn't think it was a big deal and felt safe during the attack because they were Trump supporters. Johnson has also pushed Covid misinformation, such as mouthwash as a treatment for Covid-19 or that "thousands" of deaths had been linked to the vaccine. Johnson has blamed mass shootings on a failure to teach "values" and is against gun control. in resent weeks Johnson has floated the idea of privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Protect Social Security, send Barnes to Congress.

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If you're one of the 85 million Americans who live in one of these States please PLEASE PLEASE remember to VOTE November 8th

Everyone remember to VOTE NOVEMBER 8th! vote in EVERY election from School Board on up to Governor and Senate, now more than ever all these elections matter and they matter a lot.

if you have $10, $5, even $1 to spare please please please think about giving it to one of these candidates, Democrats are passing big things and are running against the worst of the worst.

If you live in one of these states please please PLEASE think about giving just one weekend between now and Election Day to talk to voters and help turn out the vote. Even if you don't live in any of these states you can call or text voters in these states and help these campaigns

[mynameismad]

Please can I have some advice about making comics, specifically figuring out panel/page layout? Robber/Robert was beautiful and flowed so nicely

(Sorry, I know that’s a big ask, especially busy as you are! I would be grateful for even the smallest nugget of wisdom!)

Hey! I know you're specifically referencing Robber/Robert, but all of the tips I gave in my How To Draw Sakana series still mostly apply to the way I make comics!

I plot out important story beats first (and the ending) and fill in little jokes between those mostly on the fly.

Even though RR is mostly digital (unlike Sakana, which is totally traditional), I still thumbnail RR traditionally because it's easier for me to see the whole page that way, and really get a sense of how big each panel and each element within the panel needs to be. All other details are basically omitted at this point, it's really just figuring out page composition. I also write out the dialogue traditionally. Even if I have a good idea of what I want the characters to say in every panel, trying to come up with exact dialogue later in the process always spells disaster for me. So I try to figure out dialogue and thumbnails at the same time.

The 5 in 5 rule is still what governs my panel/page layouts! I feel like the last [5] rule is worded a little poorly: what I mean is that hands can also add a lot to character acting and should be present as often as possible to avoid having too many "talking heads" panels. Even if a page is dialogue heavy, at least having the character gesture with hands or even do a small task (like make coffee or something) during a conversation or monologue will be more satisfying to read. ALSO, BACKGROUNDS ARE GOOD. I know I'm in the minority of people who LOVE drawing very complicated backgrounds, but even a few little lines or shapes or colors here and there behind a character can keep them present in the environment. I always try to Avoid The Void, but it really depends on how important the setting is to your story. I only draw comics with very specific important settings for some reason lol.

RR is in an American comics format (so roughly 10"x15", which is a 2x3 ratio and can scale down to 6x9 for print.) Again, I think it's important to get as much of a sense of how the page will look in the thumbnail stage as possible, without bogging yourself down with too many details. Often characters will just be pegs with circles for heads (and in Rob's case, two little antenna lines that make him look like a cricket), but where they are and how big they are are most crucial. I'd even suggest thumbnailing two consecutive pages right next to each other so you can really see the flow from one to the next.

The rest of the pages only really apply if you're thinking about doing your comic completely traditional. Penciling, inking, and lettering DON'T need to happen on the same page/paper, but I'm used to that workflow so that's how I do it!

LETTERING IS STILL VERY IMPORTANT THOUGH. I'm sorry to be harsh, but there's nothing worse than bad letters on a great looking comic. If you're not feeling great about your lettering capabilities, I'd suggest taking some time with tutorials and practice to get something that really fits your comic style.

FINALLY, it's important to go out there and find comics that you LIKE and really study what they're doing, how they're doing it, and why it speaks to you. Currently I'm looking at a lot of Franco-Belgian comics, which are bigger than american or manga sizes, and CHOCK FULL of backgrounds usually. Some day I'd like to make something that looks similar, so I'm using every comic project I make as practice to get closer and closer to that style.

Anyways, I know that's a lot of images and text, so thank you if you got all the way through it, and I hope it's helpful! If there's something specific you're still confused about, I can always try to explain a little more. Thanks!

[breelandwalker]

Buck Moon 2022

Put on your flower crowns and your dancing shoes, it's time for the Buck Moon!

Buck Moon

The Buck Moon is the name given to the full moon in the month of July and is called this because at this time of year, the antlers on male deer are at the height of growth and impressiveness. This month also marks ANOTHER supermoon and the closest our darling satellite will be to Earth all year, so if you think the Moon looks a little larger in the sky this month, you're not wrong!

Other names for the July moon include Hay Moon and Wort Moon. North American Indigenous names for this moon include Salmon Moon (Tlingit), Berry Moon (Anishinaabe), Month of the Ripe Corn Moon (Cherokee), and Raspberry Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe).

The West Abenaki also call this the Thunder Moon in reference to the often-stormy summer weather. (This one is my personal favorite.)

What Does It Mean For Witches?

The July full moon continues June's template of planning for the future, this time with a focus on your passions and ambitions. Reflect on what you've accomplished so far this year and plan your next step.

Dream big and plan big, but don't give in to reckless urgency. Summer (and capitalist grind culture) gives us the urge to Go Go Go. Despite all this, it's important to take time to rest and recharge, lest we find ourselves burning out and losing our motivation.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

Celebrate your victories and revel in the abundance of the summer season. If you're inclined to do so, take a page from the deer and do a bit of prancing around a bonfire or your favorite flower arbor with some festive flowery headgear.

Go exploring! Find a local park or garden and take a stroll among the greenery, or use TV and the internet to explore and learn about faraway places. This is another opportune time to go and check out pick-your-own farms and farmers markets as well.

Apart from the usual full-moon festivities, I've always found this is an excellent time for weather-witching. Summer weather is notoriously fickle, but it is also highly malleable - one recalls that old Southern epithet of, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes."

If you're hoping to bring some rain to water your garden or break the back of a heat wave, this may be the time to do it. Make sure you take local weather patterns into account and try to draw on existing fronts and nearby precipitation to get the desired result. And keep in mind that with weather magic, less is more and one casting is enough. Asking for too much or asking too often can produce undesirable results. And if you manage to make it rain, be sure to collect some for moon water!

Happy Buck Moon, witches! 🌕🦌

Further Reading:

Buck Moon: Full Moon in July 2022, The Old Farmer's Almanac

Buck Moon 2022: The Awesome Spiritual Meaning of July's Full Moon, Amanda Brethauer, The Peculiar Brunette

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison

(If you're enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[toadstoolgardens]

Ethical Sources for Medicinal Seeds & Plants

If you grow (or are planning to grow) your own apothecary of herbs it's essential to find a healthy seed source! When we grow plants for medicine we create an intimate relationship with the plants' quality and healthy seeds are the foundation of that relationship.

Terms to Describe Seeds/Plants

Open-Pollinated: Pollinated by insects, birds, wind, or other natural forces. No human intervention. Tend to be easy to save these seeds and grow true to type. Almost all herbal seeds are open-pollinated.

Heirloom: Have been handed down for generations. Typically regional varieties with hand-selected specific traits. They are open-pollinated and have stable characteristics from season to season. More common with veggies than with herbs.

Hybrid: Created from cross-pollinating two species/varieties to get desired characteristics. Hybridization happens naturally in many plants and humans have been breeding plants like this for generations. Not true to seed season after season like open-pollinated or heirloom seeds. If you save seeds from hybrid plants it's tough to know what traits they'll grow (it's always fun to grow mysteries, but it's not the best for when you're growing medicines). Hybridized herb seeds are rare but potted herbs may be hybrids.

Cultivars: Cultivated varieties resulting from hybridization, selection, or natural mutations. Need to be propagated asexually (cuttings or division) to keep them true to type. Growing from seed the offspring usually won't have the same desired characteristics as the parent plant, so not the best for growing medicine. A plant mutt!🥰

GMO: Genetically modified in a laboratory to produce the desired characteristics. Humans modify the genes through practices like gene-splicing.

Cultivating seed sovereignty is so important! Put your money into purchasing ethical, organic, and sustainable seeds and save them season after season! In this era of big agribusiness and mega-corporations patenting and controlling the distribution of seeds and plants it's more important than ever.

Herbal Seed Suppliers & Nurseries in the United States

There's so many wonderful suppliers out there, please add your favorites if you have recommendations! Also some of these companies ship internationally! I believe all companies listed are all-star suppliers, but I always recommend vetting each source yourself as some may offer both conventionally grown and organic seeds. Be sure to purchase species native to your area!

Strictly Medicinal Seeds: Oregon based with the largest collection of organically grown medicinal herb seeds & plants. Highly recommend!

Prairie Moon Nursery: LOTS of native plants of the eastern and central United States. Very affordable, organically grown, and cooperatively owned. Highly recommend!

Alliance of Native Seed Keepers: Indigenous owned. Medicinal and culinary herbs, flowers, and veggie seeds. Their mission is to redevelop the spiritual bonds between Indigenous peoples and plants. Highly recommend!

Fedco Seeds: Cooperatively-owned & based in Maine. Wide variety of medicinal and culinary herbs, native plants, and edible shrubs and trees. LOTS of cold-hardy varieties if that fits your climate!

Southern Exposure Seeds: Heirloom varieties. LOTS of varieties that will thrive in the mid-Atlantic and southeast US if that fits your climate!

Native Seeds Search: Indigenous run nonprofit seed conservation organization based in Tucson, Arizona. Mission to conserve and promote arid-adapted crop diversity of the Southwest if this fits your climate! Works to ensure that Indigenous people continue to have access to traditional seeds through their Native American Seed Request Program.

Crimson Sage Medicinal Plants Nursery: Small, woman owned, & based in northwest California. Huge selection of rare and endangered live plants and hard-to-find native American and European herbs.

Eloheh Seeds: Indigenous owned, based at the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Jusice in Oregon. They have herb, flower, and vegetable seeds all organically grown, non-GMO, open-pollinated, and farm-direct source.

The Good Seed Co.: Based in Whitefish, Montana. Sells medicinal herbs, vegetables, and flower seeds selected for their permaculture value. Regionally adapted heirloom, open-pollinated, and non-GMO.

Hudson Valley Seed Co.: Based in Hudson Valley, New York. Certified organic, heirloom, and open-pollinated herb, flower, and vegetable seeds.

Indigenous Seed Initiative: Indigenous owned source for non-GMO wild and cultivated seeds from North America, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Melanated Organics: Black owned source for sustainable, non-hybrid, organic seeds. Lots of herbs, vegetable, and flower seeds. Also has a selection of teas, garden supplies, health products, and body products.

True Love Seeds: Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rare, open-pollinated, culturally important herbs, flowers, and vegetable seeds. All of their famers are committed to seed sovereignty and sustainable growing. They also have a Tumblr! @seedkeeping

Happy growing!🌱

Source

[skamenglishsubs]

Young Royals and pronunciation, part 2

Alright, let's continue this series of pronunciation guides for character names! I'll cover the remaining three main characters in this post, and I'll do a catch-up of minor characters later.

Let's start with August, have a listen:

If you're American, there's a good chance your particular dialect has gone through the cot-caught-merger, in which case congratulations, your English pronunciation of not-September is very close to how most Swedes would say the name. Just listen to Madison in the middle of the clip for a good example of that. If you're British or speak any other dialect of English that uses the vowel /ɔ/ here as in flaw or haunt or border, that's the wrong one, and you need to switch to /ɑ/ as in car or father.

Note that the Queen and Minou say his name with a diphthong, so instead of /ˈɑ:ɡəst/, they're saying /ˈɑʊɡəst/, same as in power or outer. Some of the other characters have a hint of this as well, so there's a range of acceptable ways of saying his name in Swedish.

Next up, Sara:

The biggest difference from English here is that in Swedish, both vowels are the same, so it's /saːra/ or saah-raah. Standard British pronunciation, /sɑːɹə/ is pretty close because it gets the first vowel right, but then sort of gives up and does a schwa at the end. Standard American pronunciation, /sɛɹə/, is on the other hand very far from the Swedish version.

If you're learning Swedish, one way that a native speaker will instantly clock you as a non-native is how you say 'r'. In English, 'r' is often silent, or said as an approximant or a flap. But in Swedish, they're slightly trilling, which means that the tip of your tongue should vibrate when you're saying it. If you listen to the clip again, you might pick it up, it's most prominent when Linda says "Sara rider", because Spanish also does it, although to a greater extent than Swedish. For an extreme example of trilling 'r', go watch any Lord of the Rings movie or tv-series, and listen to how the elves says words like Mordor or Sauron. But don't do that when you speak Swedish, it's too much trilling!

Finally, let's do Felice:

There's a bit of range in how characters say her name in the show, the length of the 'i' varies and Madison is probably the most consistent with her long /iː/, while August is all over the place. It's not important, say whatever you want, and the standard English pronunciation is perfectly ok.

Speaking of 'i', one way of doing a fake posh accent in Swedish, is by using the buzzing i or Lidingö-i. Thankfully, none of the characters in the show is using this sound, and you should not make this sound. Here's an aptly-named instructional video about it to show you what it sounds like: DON'T MAKE THIS HORRIBLE SWEDISH SOUND. You can learn how to do it from that video, but please don't. I mean it. Don't.

[separatist-apologist]

rank acotar characters by how long you could stand to be in a car with them? important factor: they decide what music is playing

Ranking ACOTAR characters based on an 8 hour roadtrip where they control the aux. Don't forget that I alone have the only right opinions in the fandom and therefore will be taking 0 feedback.

17. Beron- AM talk radio the WHOLE way with the most HEINOUS opinions a person can have. Loudly agrees and at times is arguing back with the guest through the speakers. Is he aware they can't HEAR HIM?

16. Amren- Doesn't like music. No road games, please.

15. Jurian- Dad rock. There is only so much Every Rose Has It's Thorns we can hear before its time to drive this car off a bridge. Pour exactly NO sugar on me, I am afraid of ants.

14. Gwyn- I'm SORRY, but she's giving very strong show tunes vibes. Spends the whole time singing, and yeah her voice. is beautiful but this is not American's Got Talent. This road trip is about classic jams, not showing off.

13. Nesta- Gruesome murder podcasts. Listens without flinching as the night grows darker. Thinks we should turn down that dark road as a short cut. Why is she cutting cheese with a hunting knife?

12. Tamlin- Country music, but it's like, pop-country and not country with feeling or country for murdering men. Barefoot blue jean night? Sir we're in New Jersey.

11. Eris Vanserra- Listens to The History Of Rome podcast the whole way. Jesus Christ man can we choose another point in history? NO. We will hear of these ancient battle tactics and we will be grateful. Only upside is Mike Duncan is a great story teller. Definitely asks for a sexual favor half way through, like I'm not DRIVING HELLO SIR?

10. Azriel- 2004 best of emo jams. Its a playlist he made himself, with all the classics. Become increasingly concerned when MCR's Helena comes on and he turns it up to belt with clear, obvious feeling. You okay, bro? Want to pull over for a taquito?

9. Vassa- Whatever is on the radio, like this isn't cornfield country. There is NOTHING but the sound of me mooing at the window ("cow") or the static as she flips station to station. Occasionally finds the most banger radio station filled with songs you forgot about, only for it to vanish right at the climax of a song you're both belting. Still, the spontaneity is fun

8. Rhys- NPR podcast. God it's informative and yeah it's interesting and the conversation it opens up keeps you both busy for hours so it's hard to completely complain. Spends a lot of time staring at his phone and fact-checking guests

7. Tarquin- Apple Music? I mean...I GUESS. He did his best, but his best is questionable. It's his own playlists and his taste in music if fun, if not eclectic. No one vibe- and he brought snacks.

6. Mor- Nothing but gossip. How does she know so much? Terrified to tell her about personal life, but have to admit hearing what disasters everyone else is really fills the time.

5. Emerie- PREPARED. Downloaded a mix of playlists AND podcasts, rotates them when the mood starts to flag. Never lets her finger off the phone, but also does not take requests, so stop asking. You get what you get.

4. Elain- It's pure pop and nothing else. Bouncy and upbeat, she came to have a good time with nothing in between. Outdoes Tarquin in snacks, and has a list of road games ready to go for when everyone is burned out with music.

3. Lucien- A playlist for every mood. Oh it's raining? It's sunny? Everyone is hungover and needs quiet? He's got you covered. The vibe never drags and is always appropriate, reading the room before you even know the tone has shifted.

2. Cassian- King of the excursion. Roadside America memorized, Cassian knows where every biggest wind chime, ball of yarn, and rocking chair is located. Somehow manages to keep everyone mostly on time. Stops for snacks instead of bringing his own because everyone knows the best food is at a rural gas station. Ranking jerky flavors for fun, and in between, keeps it easy with a steady jam of road trip faves.

1. Feyre Archeron- High Lady of the Road Trip herself. Turn off that podcast, turn up the music. Feet on the dash, gossip ready to GO. Can tell a story for HOURS, knows all the deets on everyone's messy lives. Planned ahead and found a hotel with a pool AND a bar. Playlist absolute perfection, based on the friends in the car.

[matthias-the-tulip]

parts i hope they keep in the red white and royal blue movie: a list.

for @failinginwhatdirection here you go

• "i'm going to throw up on you" at the stables

• "i'd rather be waterboarded" also at the stables

• "i bet he has a secret lovechild," nora says. "or he's gay. or he has a secret gay lovechild." "it's probably in case i see his equerry putting his batteries back in," alex says.

• midnight ice cream on instagram and "i didn't know you wore glasses."

• the awkward fist bump on "this morning"

• "do you mind?" in the cupboard at the hospital

• "you're not the prince of me"

• "i cannot believe even mortal peril will not prevent you from being the way you are."

• "are you psychoanalysing me? i don't think royal guests are allowed to do that."

• "is that the time you threatened to push me into the thames?"

• "no booty calls."

• "it was like you were trying to set him on fire with your mind."

• "don't let the papers print lies about me after i've garroted myself with my tie."

• "you are the thistle in the tender and sensitive arse crack of my life."

• the whole turkey situation but they really can't get rid of that it's too important - "buy a summer home in majorca with the turkey"

• mr wobbles and jabba cakes please.

• "you're jeff goldblum"

• "I BEG YOU TO NOT"

• "please do not attempt to steal my shine. you will fail and i will be embarrassed for you."

• "christ, you are as thick as it gets."

• alex falling while running with june cause he was thinking about henry

• "still waters, deep dicking.”

• “prince henry is a biscuit,” nora says, “let him sop you up.”

• "you're not going to kill him, are you?" she says. "probably not," alex tells her

• "i mean, er, should we, i dunno, slow down?" henry says, cringing so hard at himself that one eye closes. "go for dinner first, or-"

• "i'm going to die," henry says helplessly. "i'm going to kill you," alex tells him. "yes, you are," henry agrees.

• alex fixing his hair for him

• fucking eyelashes

• the whole polo kit situation. henry slowly putting his foot back on the floor 😂

• "you're a mad, spiteful, unmitigated demon, and i'm going to kiss you until you forget how to talk."

• birthday floggings et al

• i will staple your dick to the inside of your leg

• baby.

• "i miss you," alex says before he can stop himself. he instantly regrets it, but henry says, "i miss you too."

• "i want to... put my fingers in his mouth..." she moans, sounding horrified. (WE NEED JUNE)

• "if only you had known the mighty work of thine loins would be undone by a gay heir who likes it when american boys with chin dimples are mean to him."

• just the whole karaoke bar situation. plz.

• o captain, my captain

• "when at wimbledon."

• "i want to see a cage match between your grandmother and this fucking ghoul running against my mom"

• "and you are good. most things are awful most of the time, but you're good."

• "he is truly a picture, wearing an expression of bewildered panic and absolutely nothing else."

• all of zahra's little quips - "every time i see you, it takes another year off my life." - "ask me if i'm afraid of the crown."

• SEXUAL EXPERIMENTATION WITH FOREIGN MONARCHS: A GRAY AREA.

• EXPLORING YOUR SEXUALITY: HEALTHY, BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE WITH THE PRINCE OF ENGLAND?

• FEDERAL FUNDING, TRAVEL EXPENSES, BOOTY CALLS, AND YOU

• "some saucy tart once tried to impugn my virtue against an oil painting of him, and in the halls of memory, some things demand context."

• I GUESS THAT MAKES YOU. THE MF. NORTH STAR.

• a catholic moment

• santa maria is watching

• "philip is the heir and i'm the spare, and if that nervy bastard has a heart attack at thirty-five and i've got malaria, whither the spare?

• alex's meltdown outside kensington. very important. - "how 'bout i just keep yelling and we see which of the papers show up first!" he turns back to the window and starts flailing his arms too. "henry! your royal fucking highness!"

• henry nuzzling his nose behind alex's ear.

• "next time we shall visit some of the george III pieces and see if they burst into flame."

• DANCING TO YOUR SONG IN THE MUSEUM

• "once shaan managed to dislodge him from the chandelier"

• "i will physically fight your grandmother myself if i have to, okay? and, like, she's old. i know i can take her." "i wouldn't be so cocky," henry says with a small laugh. "she's full of dark surprises."

• "your spine's a ridge i'd die climbing"

• "check the fucking news, you horny little miscreant"

• you're my mean friend

• I 😭 LOVE 😭 HIM 😭 ON 😭 PURPOSE 😭 once again they can't leave that out if they do i'll k!ll someone

• "what are we even defending here, philip? what kind of legacy? what kind of family, that says, we'll take the murder, we'll take the raping and pillaging and the colonizing, we'll scrub it up nice and neat in a museum, but oh no, you're a bloody poof? that's beyond our sense of decorum! i've bloody well had it. i've sat about long enough letting you and gran and the weight of the damned world keep me pinned, and i'm finished. i don't care. you can take your legacy and your decorum and you can shove it up your fucking arse, philip. i'm done."

• "for what it's worth," he says to philip, "that is the bravest son of a bitch I've ever met."

• "I've been gay as a maypole since the day i came out of mum, philip."

• bea pouring the tea on philip's lap

• henry pulls alex close and kisses him, whispers, "i love you i love you i love you."

• never 😭 tell 😭 me 😭 the 😭 odds 😭

• "my life is a cosmic joke and you're not a real person"

• "listen, you've had your first big sex scandal. no more sitting at the kids' table."

• how to love each other in plain sight

• "holding henry's hand atop his own knee" in the portrait

• "all this fundraising for sobriety is going to drive me to drink."

• "I'm the prince of...here"

• "you spent a month of your gap year talking to yaks in mongolia, h."

• "i know it's a lot, but you give people hope. so, get back out there and be alex."

• the super six

• alex tripping on the magazine with them on the cover

• henry fixing june's hair

[when-wax-wings-melt]

Hey Summer! Do you have any tips on writing Jewish characters?

I do! Keep in mind that I'm a conservative-jewish American teenage girl so my experiences are certainly not universal or all-encompassing for every Jew (since every experience is different) but this is basic stuff that should help.

Naming your character:

Traditionally, babies are named after dead relatives. If you want to look for names, you can add that in as a detail. Keep in mind that being named after a relative doesn't necessarily mean you take the exact name; I was named after my great grandmother, and our names just have the same first letters.

Many Jewish names are Hebrew or Yiddish. They might come from the Torah (Adam or Moshe or Sara or Leah). You can Google Israeli or Hebrew names and their meanings, but common ones are Miriam, Aviva, Aliza, Noah (Noa for a girl), Nathan (or Natan), Ezra.

Please do not give your Jewish character the last name "Goldstein". While the name certainly exists and is common enough, it's become enough of a stereotype.

Last names can be difficult to navigate. Many Jews changed their last names to sound less Jewish when they came to the US or during world war ll but typically you can look up common Jewish last names and find what you want from the list.

Different types of Jews:

There are a lot of different kinds of Jews. Typically, we're divided into three basic categories: orthodox, conservative, and reform.

Orthodox are the strictest. There’s different kinds of Orthodox Jews, with ultra-Orthodox, the Jews typically portrayed in media, with the long beards, top hats, etc, and there’s modern Orthodox, who are more modern and have newer style clothes, modern culture, etc. If you're planning on writing an Orthodox character, there are a lot of different sections within that. Ultra-Orthodox will marry other Orthodox people and likely have as many kids as possible. They're very strict and the women dont participate in much modern culture; I don't know much about modern orthodox or their day to day lives, so I'm not an accurate source of how one would portray them. I’d ask an actual Orthodox person for this!

Conservative people prefer old traditions, but are flexible. They are a range from going to synagogue every week to only going on important holidays. Conservative people tend to keep kosher but not all do, and they do shabbat but not all will keep it. There are conservative women rabbis, but this was more recent. They're pretty okay with women but some more old style Jews will not approve of bat mitzvahs and such.

Reform Jews are the most relaxed about the Torah and most laws. There are less who keep kosher, services are shorter, they're more accepting of women and other people, more likely to marry out of the religion.

Conservative and reform are more integrated with regular life, and so are modern orthodox do a degree. If you want more detail about any of these, you can ask!

There are different types of Jews outside of the level of observance as well! Jews can be Ashkenazi or Sephardic (which are the main ones I’ve seen) or other lineages (which are smaller but still important) including the Eastern, Ethiopian, and Yemenite communities as well as others! These depend on what place your ancsestors came from. Different lineages might have different ways of chanting Torah, preparing food, interpreting Torah and laws, or vague rules, but many people are a mixture of the two depending on what traditions they prefer and who their teacher/family is. Unless your character is religious, they probably won’t make a huge distinction.

Traditions and holidays:

All Jewish holidays begin and end at night.

This includes Shabbat, which begins Friday night and ends Saturday night. Shabbat is a relaxation day. More observant Jews will abstain from any work or spending money, and avoid technology, which includes phones, ovens, cars, and electricity. Orthodox typically will leave their lights on and cook their food before Shabbat begins. Conservative will vary in observance and might drive but not spend money or just light candles and ignore the rest. Reform usually don't worry about it beyond lighting candles and maybe going to synagogue, but again, it will vary.

Your Jewish character will most likely celebrate Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, which take place during early autumn.

Yom Kippur: you go to synagogue for hours the morning after it begins. You fast (no food, water, gum, etc) from erev (the night of) Yom kippur and break the fast the following night. This is typically a fun party with friends. No work or school during this time, but some people let their kids go to school.

Rosh Hashanah: the Jewish new year! You skip work to go to synagogue the morning of, and you eat apples and honey and other sweet things to hope for a sweet coming year

Pesach (Passover) occurs around April or may and is an important holiday. It lasts eight days and no risen foods may be eaten during that time. The first night (and sometimes the second) there's a Seder with family and/or friends.

Hanukkah is not important but it's fun! Children like it because there's food and games

Yom Ha’atzmaut: Israeli Independence Day! Israelis obviously celebrate this more than American Jews, and celebrations differ; some don’t observe this at all, but a lot of synagogues hold a party or families will have Israeli foods for dinner. You don’t have to support Israel’s actions to eat the food.

Yom HaShoah: Holocaust remebrance day

There are a lot of other holidays during the year of varying importance! You can ask if you have questions!

Things to avoid:

I mentioned this before: don’t name your Jew [firstname] Goldstein. There are other good names for you to try!

Do not make your Jewish character: any sort of demon or demonic formed creature, unnaturally greedy or money-hoarding (there are levels to this one), oily/greasy, having a large nose, having horns or another trait associated with demons, a vampire (for drinking blood reasons), some sort of goblin, explicitly stated to be untrustworthy (especially in regards to business or banking), etc. If you’re worried that something might be iffy, you can ask!

Characters can be greedy without being stereotypical, and they can be ambitious just like anyone else. Jewish characters can definitely be villains, but there are degrees of what kind of villains they should be. Do they steal children? Are they slimy or manipulative? Do they have horns, red skin, or tails? Do they automatically hate Arabs or Palestinians? 

These are the most prevalent stereotypes out there. You can ask if you have any more questions

Extra:

When a member of the community dies, the family might hold Shiva, which is a seven day period where the family is provided food, help, company from friends and the community. The family shouldn’t have to cook or work too hard while they’re in mourning; this is a somber occasion, but it’s a chance for the family to be reminded they’re not alone. People will have normal conversations and give the family their condolences. Typical foods brought are brisket, fruit, veggie platters, kugel, bagels, and other long-lasting, easy to prepare dishes.

Common Jewish foods include kugel (sweet or savory noodles in a dish), blintzes (similar to crepes), knishes (filled dough, like baked dumplings), latkes (fried potato pancakes), shakshuka (eggs cooked in tomato sauce), and others. A huge part of Jewish culture is the food, and there are different ones for most holidays!

Brisses or baby namings are affairs for the whole community! The parents invite their friends and hold a party and announce the baby’s name (and gender, sometimes, although these aren’t typically gender reveals).

Bar/bat/bnei mitzvot are important ceremonies. A 13 y/old boy (or 12.5-13 y/old girl) will read Torah first time and lead at least part of the service. They get their tallis, become a full member of the community (a Jewish adult), receive gifts from the community, and typically hold a luncheon after. The service is on Saturday morning, but many will have Friday night services as well, and an afterparty that Saturday night

Feel free to add on/correct something if you’re Jewish or ask questions if you’re not! My inbox is always open!

[five-rivers]

Hello! About your Oblivious OFA AU thing, what if not only the users were unknowingly passing down the quirk, they instead think they're passing down some ghosts? Just, BAM you're haunted by some shadowy figures in your sleep.

"I haven't been entirely honest with you," said All Might, nervously, a month into the American Dream Aim To Pass training schedule.

This was enough to awaken a white-hot and paralyzing panic in Izuku. Had All Might changed his mind? Had he been lying about his quirk? About something else? It wouldn't be the first time someone had offered up something nice only to snatch it away. He'd only believed, only hoped that All Might was different.

Maybe he was only different in how much effort he was willing to put into the prank.

Tears began to form in his eyes.

"Oh, no," said All Might, coughing a little. "Not like that, my boy! I'm not-- Well, it is about my quirk-- Not like that," he repeated as Izuku burst into tears. "I swear, I am not going to abandon you or-- or whatever it is you think I'll do."

Izuku sniffed. "Really?"

"Truly. It's only... One for All isn't entirely a quirk." All Might looked away from Izuku, out over the mountains of garbage. "It isn't a quirk at all."

"Then... a piece of support gear?" asked Izuku. "Something that augments your quirk?" Please let it be something even a quirkless person could use.

"My boy..." All Might coughed. "I owe you so many apologies, and if you are angry with me after I tell you with this, I accept your feelings entirely."

Alright, now Izuku was scared for other reasons. "Are you dying?" he asked.

Blood spurted from All Might's mouth, and Izuku realized what a stupid and insensitive that question was.

"I- I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that!"

"I can't say I'm healthy, but--! Er. Well. No. It isn't about that. One for All is not a quirk, and I... have no quirk."

Izuku blinked. "You can punch things so hard you change the weather," he pointed out. "You can change what you look like so much you're practically a different person. Your weight changes."

"Quite so," said All Might. "Yet, One for All is not a quirk, and I have nothing else."

"But," whimpered Izuku, "what is it, then?"

"A transferable haunting," said All Might. He laughed a little. "I know it isn't very believable, but the transfer will start happening sooner or later, and you need to know before that happens."

"A haunting." Compared to that, a transferable quirk made much more sense. At least quirks existed.

"Yes. By seven ghosts, and myself when you die. That is the way it was with my mentor, and her predecessor as well."

"But that-- How would that give you super strength?"

"They can share their strength with the person they're haunting," said All Might. "I understand if you do not believe me."

It wasn't that he didn't believe All Might. Of course he believed All Might! He was All Might! And also apparently not tricking him for a prank, because people usually picked something much more believable that ghosts.

"But you will start to see the evidence soon enough if you continue down this path."

Izuku pulled out his notebook. Quirk or haunting, the best way to understand it was through some good old-fashioned analysis. "Okay, and what evidence will I see?"

.

Izuku tumbled out of bed, breathing hard, and immediately started groping for his phone. Half-blind with sleep, he opened his messaging app and typed in two words he could have spelled even with a severe concussion, second degree burns, and a morphine drip (he'd tested!).

Izuku:

ALL MIGHT

All Might:

What is it, Midoriya, my boy? It is very late. Are you in trouble? Do you need me to bail you out of jail for vigilantism?

Izuku stared at the message for a moment, before deciding his original topic was more important.

Izuku:

Ghosts!

All Might:

:) I'm so happy for you, my boy! It sounds like the transfer is going well!

Izuku:

Who is All for One?

All Might:

Wait, they talked to you?????????

Oh, Izuku did not like the sound of that.

[sarahmaclean]

when did people start saying "sexy"? this feels like a thing you would've researched before giving sesily that nickname and my own googling has been unfruitful

oooh! this is a GREAT question, and making me think that I should bring my favorite Twitter thing, Foul Language Etymology with Sarah, to Tumblr!

So! Those of you who have read Bombshell know that much of London calls Sesily Talbot "Sexily Talbot" which is supposed to shame her and only makes her more committed to f*cking things up. Fun writing fact, this happened because every time I typed Sesily while writing the first book she appears din--her sister Sophie's book, The Rogue Not Taken--autocorrect would correct Sesily to Sexily. And I was delighted. (Sometimes you just write where the universe leads you.)

BUT...you can't just let autocorrect from 2015 tell you what to write in 1830, so...you have to go to the source! The source, in this case, being the Oxford English Dictionary which is amazing and provides etymology on every word in the English language (at least the ones that have been around for a while). Fun additional fact: if you have a library card, you very likely have free access to the OED online. Get a library card. Libraries are the literal best.

So. To the tape!

"Sexily," as an adverb, meaning "In a sexy manner," is first seen in print in 1929 with the following line in New Statesman: Simply I will say—slowly, sinuously, but not, I hope, sexily, ‘Welcome, Miss Bumfiddle! welcome, Alimony!’ Which...well...I'm not quite sure what to say about that, except to say that I needed another explanation for her name.

"Sexy," as an adjective, meaning "Containing or characterized by explicit sexual content; erotic, risqué; bawdy, saucy," is an American word from the 1890s, first spelled seksy (Come on, America, Really?) in a text by Enoch Arnold Bennet that reads "Lane had decided..not to handle your work of genius, on the score that it was seksy & America didn't want no seks-problems." Now. I don't know if "work of genius" is a euphemism or what, but I can say America, in fact, has a fair share of seks-problems, so Lane is a dirty liar.

Now, an important thing to note is that words like this (foul language, words relating to sex, and slang), are often in common language for years before they end up in a dictionary. So it would be reasonable to suggest that "sexy" might have been around since the 1860s or 70s. But my book was in the 1830s, so I needed something earlier.

"Sex," as a noun, to describe male or female has been around for what historians refer to as "a long ass time." It's in the Bible. But that doesn't really work. What's worse? "Sex" as an action -- touching butts, if you will -- isn't in print until 1900! HOW! Literally HOW! Honestly, I don't know. Language is nonsense.

BUT. A writer who is procrastinating really will not be thwarted. Because there, way down on the list of OED references to "sex" is:

"Sex: slang or euphemistic. A person's genitals."

1664. T. Killigrew Princess  ii. ii, in  Comedies & Trag. 22 Another ha's gon through with the bargain... One that will find the way to her Sex, before you'le come to kissing her hand.

And there it is. The winner. Historical romance novelists have been referencing his or her sex for literal decades, and this is why! Even better, calling someone "Sexily" is even more slut-shamey than before now that it's literally referring to a body part. Perfection. Sexily can laugh in the face of society, Caleb can come absolutely unhinged, and on with the show.

Read all about it in Bombshell.

Also, as always when I talk about the way we police language, please accept this: Words are not inherently dirty. They are just words. When we police language--especially language used by marginalized groups--we are often policing something else entirely. If you're interested in how smashing the policing of language can also smash the patriarchy, please read Mona Eltahawy's The Seven Necessary Sins for Women & Girls.

[fantastic-nonsense]

to my fellow American followers: hi everyone! This is your resident annoying poli sci friend here to remind you that midterm elections are tomorrow (Tuesday, November 8th)! If you're able and haven't done so yet, please remember to go to the polls and vote tomorrow! While all elections are important and have major impacts on our day-to-day lives, this election is particularly important given that it will determine which party controls both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the next 2-4 years; several races across the country up and down the ballot are very close right now, and every vote makes a difference.

Do whatever last-minute research on both the candidates (federal, state, and local) and any state or local referrendums you might be asked to vote on that you need to do, but please go vote. Check this link to see what times the polls close in your state, and remember that as long as you're in line by the time polls close you're legally allowed to cast your vote!

[mccall-muffin]

Better late than never - Part 2 // Joe Liebgott x Reader

Summary: You and that particular paratrooper had to separate because of the war. When they finally return to Aldbourne, you are no longer there, but as fate would have it, you meet again in an unexpected place.

Warnings: Language, war wounds, Fluff

A/N: And here is Part 2 - hope you like iiiiiit :)

The Island, Holland - October 15, 1944

"Can you give me a hand?" you ask Beth, the nurse who is with you at the first aid station. You apply bandages to Alley's wounds. "Damn it," you curse and take a new bandage. "Just don't die on me here Mo, or Dot will kill me," you continue to grumble, and slowly the wounds stop bleeding. "At least I can send you back to her later."

When you found out that Joe's company was near you, you were happy. You've been working in Holland for a few months now and have already seen a lot. Before, mainly British soldiers were stationed in Holland, but now the Americans have come.

When they brought Alley to you, you were scared at first. He had been hit by shrapnel that night. "Y/N?" you then hear him whisper and look at him. "Mo, you're finally awake," you smile at him. "What are you doing here?" he asks. "We missed you at Aldbourne." "Yes, Dot wrote to tell me you were back. Shortly after you left in May I decided to help too. I was in France first and now I'm here." "Joe will be so pleased when he sees you."

You are silent and just look at Alley. "What?" he asks and you shake your head. "I... I don't know if I want to see him. It hurts too much, you know."

"You can't do that to him Y/N. You don't know how much he suffered when he found out you weren't home." You think for a moment. "If he doesn't find out I'm here, then he won't be bothered either, Mo." "Y/N..." "No Alley. I won't be here much longer anyway. They're transferring me to Belgium." Alley says no more and you finish bandaging his wounds. "You're going back to England Mo. You're going to get better and see Dot, yeah?" "Thanks Y/N." You say goodbye to Alley and go out to wash your hands.

"Should I believe my eyes or do you think they are lying to me?" you hear a voice and turn around. In front of you is Joe. He looks at you and you immediately see that he is bleeding from the neck. You drop the rag you were holding and the two of you look at each other. You take a step towards him. "You're bleeding," is all you say, but he says nothing. "And you're here." "I'm here." Then you can't stand it any longer. You bridge the last few steps and take him in your arms.

Joe pulls you close and buries his face in the crook of your neck. "Y/N," he breathes and gently strokes your back.

You sit down together and you bandage his wound as you tell him what you've been through and he tells you what he's been through. "They're going to send me to Belgium," you then say. "To Belgium?" "Yes, they have had some losses and casualties there, so they are sending some of us there." "I don't like it Y/N." "What do you mean?" "You, so close to the action of the war." You smile gently at him and take his hand in yours. "It's not like I'm this close to the front lines. Nothing will happen to me."

Joe unexpectedly leans forward and kisses you, "It doesn't matter. You're too important to me that I could bear to lose you, dear. I missed you at Aldbourne." "I missed you too, Joe. But I feel like I need to do this." Joe nods. You stand up together and he is still holding your hands.

"Hey Liebgott, stop flirting with the nurses," someone calls and Joe looks up. "Shut up, Tab." "Oh shit, that's Y/N!", Tab says then and gives you a quick hug. "It's good to see you. Now you can finally shut up about wanting to see her Joe." Joe gives Tab an angry look. Tab just grins. "Winters is looking for you, by the way, about the POW's. He wants to know how it went. Good to see you Y/N." Tab waves and then walks off again.

Joe then turns back to you. "I have to go," he says, looking at you with his dark eyes. "I know," you whisper back. Joe puts a hand to your cheek and strokes your thumb across it. "I..." he begins, but then you are interrupted again. "Joe! Come on we need you," Tab calls again and Joe looks up briefly. Then he turns back to you. He kisses you and you put your arms around his neck. "When are you going to be moved?" "We leave in two days." Joe nods, kisses you again briefly before he has to go to the others.

Bastogne, Belgium - December 23, 1944

It's cold. There's no other way to describe it. You've learned that some American soldiers have been stationed in the Bois Jacques Woods and have little to no medical supplies, so you've been tasked with getting as much there as you can. The problem is, when you got there, you were surrounded. The battalion stationed there then decided to send you further north, as it was apparently quieter there.

With your cloak wrapped tightly around you, you are accompanied by a lieutenant and two soldiers. Arriving at the CP, you spot a face you've seen a few times before. "Captain Winters?" asks the lieutenant, who looks up. But when he catches sight of you, he stumbles. "Yes?" "Here, this is from Colonel Sink." He thrusts a letter into Winters' hand. Winters reads it through and then looks back at you before the others take their leave.

"Miss Y/L/N?" "Sir?" "What are you doing here?" he asks and you take a few steps towards him. "They sent me to the front with medical supplies when we got surrounded. I guess your Colonel thought it would be safer up here." Winters looks at you and you can't read exactly what he's trying to say. "What makes him think that?" he then asks aloud, but not directly to anyone. "Very well, sit down."

You sit down next to him and he holds out a coffee. "I can help sir. If you have wounded, then I can help," you say quickly. "We can certainly use the help. I honestly don't quite understand where they get the idea that it's safer here." You press your lips together. "You're from Aldbourne aren't you?" asks Winters then, and you look at him in surprise before nodding.

"Captain Winters?" someone then says, and you look up. You would recognise that voice anywhere. Joe sees you and pauses in his movement. "Joe?" asks Winters, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Uh sorry sir, Lieutenant Welsh said the patrol was back and they saw some activity but nothing else happened." Winters nods. "Good, good. Could you find a foxhole for Miss Y/L/N, please? She's going to be staying with us for a while." Joe nods and you stand up.

When you have moved a little way from Winters, Joe stops, turns to you and takes you in his arms. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he then asks, holding you by the shoulders. "I was making medical deliveries when we got boxed in. I can't leave here." "But why the fuck are you here? Are they still in their right mind? Do you know how dangerous it is here?" "I don't know Joe. They said it was better than there." He shakes his head in disbelief. "Fuck, this can't be happening."

He takes you by the hand and pulls you towards a foxhole. You climb in behind him. "I hope you're ready for hell, love."

Bois Jacques Woods, Bastogne, Belgium - December 31, 1944 A week later

Joe wasn't exaggerating when he called this place hell. You were bombed several times and suffered heavy casualties. Joe made sure you always stayed close to him and shared the foxhole with him. As a CP Runner, he is fortunately not currently on the front line, but still the shelling reaches all the way to the rear.

Winters has ordered you to move the company a bit, which is why you are currently on your way to the new location. Always on guard, you walk alongside Joe. You are looking for the appropriate place and re-burying when it happens.

A gunshot is heard and then a searing pain goes through your upper left body. "Sniper!" someone shouts, but you are already going down. "Y/N!" shouts Joe and he immediately kneels down beside you, "MEDIC!" Joe holds you and puts your head on his knees. "Hey! Hey, stay with me will you?" he says, and he sees the wound under your left shoulder. "Fuck!", Joe curses and looks at you. "Hey, it's going to be okay, you hear me? You're going to be okay. Just stay with me." You're getting tired and you notice your eyes falling shut. "Y/N! Damn, you need to stay awake. Doc! Where the fuck are you!" Joe strokes your cheek. "Y/N, can you hear me? Stay with me. I... I fucking love you!" You feel the commotion start around you, but then you lose consciousness.

San Francisco, USA - December 31, 1954

Joe comes home after an exhausting day. Today is New Year's Eve and many people don't work, but he only wants the best for his family, which is why he also works on this day. Many still want a new hairstyle for the festivities in the evening.

"Darling, I'm home," he calls as he closes the door behind him. Then he hears running little feet on the stairs. "Oh oh, incoming," he says to himself, although this expression used to have a completely different meaning for him. "Daddy!" exclaims Joan Liebgott, jumping into her father's arms. Behind her comes James Liebgott, called Jim, and greets his father in the same way. "Well, you two? Did you keep Mummy on her toes today?" he asks and the children tell him in detail what they have experienced today. "Where's Joey?", Joe then asks and Jim points up. "He's with Mummy."

Joe puts his daughter back on her feet before going upstairs. On the dresser in the corridor he finds a letter.

Invitation to Reunion - 101st Airborne Division - 2nd Battalion - Easy Company

Joseph D. Liebgott

He briefly skims the lines and automatically remembers back. Of all the people he met and the people they lost. And then he thinks of you. Of the first time he saw you in the bar in Aldbourne. A smile creeps onto his face.

"Baby?" he then hears his wife call after him. He puts the invitation down and goes into the bedroom. The sight he sees there makes him light up.

"What's wrong?" Joe looks up. "What do you mean?" "You've got your pensive look on." "Oh, I just saw the invitation and it brought back memories." "Oh baby, I'm sorry about that." "It's all right, dear. I couldn't help thinking about the first time I saw you," he then says, coming towards you. He takes you in his arms and kisses you. Then he strokes your big belly. "Well, how is our number four?" "Very well it seems," you laugh, "she or he is very active today."

Joe smiles and kisses your belly. As he rises again, you wince, rubbing the spot where you were wounded that time. "What's wrong?" "You know, it's been ten years now, but sometimes it still hurts," you explain, and Joe nods in agreement, automatically reaching for the scar on his neck. "Worst day of my life," he then breathes and puts his arms around you, "I really thought I'd lost you." You laugh. "Yeah, and now you're stuck with me." "Nothing better than that my love," Joe grins and pulls you closer to him.

"I love you Mrs Liebgott." "And I love you Mr Liebgott."