#Body transformation USA

[dreamfly-fitness1]

mental health awareness

[cuteweightloss]

[theastrohub]

what city you should live in based on your moon sign ⏾

astrology can help you make an informed decision for something as significant as where one will live. and especially if you are a more hedonistic person like myself, choosing a place to live with a focus on personal satisfaction is a guaranteed upgrade in quality of life. it also helps you narrow down what your true emotional needs are and live a life more in alignment with your truest self.

choosing what city to live in based on your moon sign helps an individual with emotional fulfillment, being able to create a sense of belonging, stress reduction, enhanced creativity and productivity, better romantic and platonic relationships, and so much more.

here are my thoughts on your ideal city based on your moon sign:

一

⏾ virgo moon 一

kobe, japan + washington, D.C. (USA) + zurich, switzerland

you likely prefer a clean, walkable city that is health-conscious. ideal cities have paved roads, a lack of industrial machines or well-regulated factories, and a structured, straightforward urban planning model. a city safe enough to raise babies and young children is your benchmark. you value a city that emphasizes logical aspects of life. air pollution and trash management are crucial, so you'd thrive in cities with high air quality indexes, like those mentioned above.

一

⏾ libra moon 一

florence, italy + brooklyn, new york + capetown, south africa + amsterdam, netherlands + paris, france

as one of my favorite moon signs, you truly appreciate beauty, harmony, and aesthetics in where and how you live. you love cultured cities with plenty of artistic experiences. perhaps you're an artist yourself, seeking communities where you can express that creativity. a city that offers a balance of cityscape, mountainscape, and access to bodies of water appeals to your sense of harmony. you’re drawn to colorful, multicultural environments where you can accumulate luxury goods.

一

⏾ scorpio moon 一

new orleans, louisiana + mumbai, india + providence, rhode island

this one is tricky because scorpio Moons are known for being extremely intense and private, which doesn't always translate to a livable city (think Bermuda Triangle). however, you likely value transformative experiences and a form of social power. you want to be in a city that matches your intensity—a place that might be politically involved, spiritually inclined, or even part of some controversy. communities where you can explore taboo subjects or rise within social hierarchies are ideal for you.

一

⏾ sagittarius moon 一

toronto, canada + prage, czech republic + krabi, thailand + dubai, UAE

as one of the more hedonistic moon signs, you crave freedom—to be, to do, to have, etc. you prefer cities with a lot of versatility for living, offering options like big homes, sprawling lofts, small cozy one-bedrooms, and everything in between. cultured and religious cities appeal to your belief system, which is crucial to you. You need a place where you can live your philosophies freely and have fun. a city with many opportunities for adventure and easy access to other exciting places is essential. think road trips, bungee jumping, scuba diving.

一

⏾ capricorn moon 一

london, england + manhattan, new york + melbourne, australia

one word: old-fashioned. capricorns are often seen as traditional, and there's a reason for that. as a capricorn moon, you value cities that operate like institutions—places that have stood the test of time without much change to their foundation. ambition and hard work are of utmost importance, so cities with a professional or hustle culture appeal to you. you are drawn to cities in countries with a strong identity or culture that gratify your sense of tradition. cities where you can network, accumulate wealth, and indulge in luxuries are your ideal.

一

⏾ aquarius moon 一

san francisco, california + rome, italy + new orleans, louisiana + portland, oregon

with pluto in aquarius, I anticipate more moves for aquarius moons, which is great because this is the most community-centered sign in my opinion. aquarius moons value living in cities where they can positively contribute, socialize, and build relationships based on shared interests. you are drawn to innovative, creative cities that are always ahead of trends. you also appreciate cities that are civically mindful and contribute to humanitarian efforts on both local and grand scales.

一

⏾ pisces moon 一

bali, indonesia + bora bora, french polynesia + rome, italy + paris, france

pisces moons are one of the moon signs that truly need to feel "drawn" to a place before visiting or residing there. emotional fulfillment, romance, and creativity are non-negotiable for pisces moons. because of this, beautiful, artistic cities with many opportunities to be near bodies of water are ideal. beach cities and honeymoon destinations are perfect for pisces Moons' empathic and sensitive nature. A city with a calm undercurrent is essential to satisfy your need for rest and peace.

一

⏾ aries moon 一

rome, italy + los angeles, california + tokyo, japan + cairo, egypt + mumbai, india

similar to capricorn moon, its cardinal sibling, aries moons need the opportunity to keep on the go wherever they live. For this reason, you're best suited to "cities that never sleep"—places where you can stay active, compete in major global industries, and reach newer heights. you're drawn to cities with fiery traditions and those that excel in national rankings. you also appreciate cities that are vocal about their value systems and embrace trends.

一

⏾ taurus moon 一

honolulu, hawaii + havana, cuba + las vegas, nevada + ibiza, spain + tokyo, japan

much like libra moons, venus-ruled moons love venus-ruled cities. taurus moons enjoy cities that are comfortable in every sense—materially, socially, politically, and aesthetically. you appreciate cities that are openly hedonistic—notorious vacation spots are actually great places for you to establish yourself. cities with strong tourism markets are good for your desire for material success as they are epicenters of culture and attract people from all walks of life.

一

⏾ gemini moon 一

chicago, illinois + boston, massachusetts + cairo, egypt + lisbon, portugal

as a gemini moon, cities that are versatile, education-centered, and logical are appealing to you. you thrive in places where "everyone knows everyone" and socializing is a priority. cities known for their educational institutions and vibrant social life satisfy your need for variety and communication. cities with a strong tourist presence are also appealing, as you enjoy the ability to feel like a tourist in your own city at any time.

一

⏾ cancer moon 一

sydney, australia + niagara falls , new york + instanbul, turkey + berne, switzerland + mogadishu, somalia

cancer moons love domestic cities that are more feminine in nature. Like their sister sign capricorn, they strongly value traditions, both cultural and social, but in a softer manner. they prefer cities with a strong influence by women and things traditionally associated with women, like fashion, beauty, and the arts. cities with beaches and a strong luminary presence are essential, as they are the water-bearers of the zodiac. cities with a balance between domesticity and capitalism appeal to their need for material security and a good home. a city with a strong real estate market and that is ideal for newlyweds and families is also preferred.

一

⏾ leo moon 一

los angeles, california + miami, florida + mexico city, mexico + marrakesh, morocco + ibiza, spain

much like aquarius moons, the need to be around people is prominent with leo moons. leo moons value being in cities that honor appearance and aesthetics. being seen, being talked about, romance, and play are priority for a leo moon when moving. a city where they can explore artistic pursuits and new cultures. cities that promote health and wellness and image. cities with social hierarchies and strong social networks. cities that are "popular" with the whole world. also cities that are known for night-life and social life. cities where you can regularly rub elbows with important people and indulge in the grandiosities of life.

⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎⁎

the moon in astrology is a gateway to a deeper understanding of one's desires, needs, and motivations which can help in making better-informed decisions on where to move or establish a life. I highly suggest you take this into consideration on your next trip or relocation.

thank you for reading 💋

@astrobaeza

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[hotmentransformed]

Team USA

The city of Paris was alive with excitement as the 2024 Olympics drew people from around the globe. Among the crowds of tourists and athletes was Jesse, an American traveler with a love for adventure. Fascinated by the event and the athleticism on display, he felt an irresistible urge to experience the Olympics from a closer perspective. He had always been a rather meek man but had envied the raw athleticism and power that these athletes embodied. After saving up since the previous games, he was finally able to afford a trip to Europe for these games. Driven by curiosity and a sense of mischief, Jesse decided to sneak into the Olympic Village, to get close to the Olympians he had admired for so long.

Knowing this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in proximity to his idols,  he had to make sure he made the most of this trip and didn’t fuck it up. Despite his meek statute, his confident demeanor and clever deception got him beyond the security, and he managed to enter the facility, blending into the vibrant atmosphere of the athletes' quarters. He wandered the village, soaking in the energy and marveling at the athletes he admired from afar.

Word of his entry got around, and soon guards were searching for him. As he heard French men shouting down the hall, he knew he needed to hide. Jesse twisted the nearest doorknob to him, and surprisingly, it was unlocked. Pushing it open, he threw his body inside and closed and locked the door behind him. Inside, the lights were dim. Now that he was safe from the guards, the adrenaline he had been riding was starting to wear off, and fatigue began to set in. Looking around the space, he noticed that the room was incredibly simple, with two beds with Paris 2024 sheets, a fan, and a clothes rack.

Exhausted from his adventure and his narrow escape, Jesse lay down on one of the beds to rest and regain his energy before making his daring escape. But the makeshift mattress was surprisingly comfortable, and even though the guards were still probably looking for him, Jesse quickly lulled into a deep sleep. 

As Jesse slept, a peculiar warmth spread through his body, enveloping him in a comforting embrace. His limbs felt heavy yet relaxed as if they were being gently molded by an unseen force. His breathing deepened, his chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm. The sensation was soothing, yet beneath it was an underlying intensity, a pulsing energy that coursed through his veins.

His body began to change. His hands, once ordinary, grew larger and more defined, the fingers thickening with callouses. His arms swelled with muscle, biceps and triceps becoming well-defined, veins standing out against the skin. His shoulders widened, giving him a more powerful and athletic build.

His chest expanded, pectoral muscles firming up as his heart beat stronger and more steadily. His abdominal muscles tightened, forming a sculpted six-pack that spoke of strength and endurance. His legs, too, transformed, becoming muscular and sinewy, the calves and thighs bulging with new power.

Jesse’s jawline became more pronounced, his cheekbones higher, giving his face a more chiseled appearance. His skin, once pale from his travels, took on a healthier glow as if he had spent years training outdoors under the sun. 

When Jesse awoke, he felt a strange surge of energy and vitality coursing through him. He sat up, blinking in the morning light, and noticed the gymnast's uniform hanging neatly on a chair, adorned with the letters USA. Confused but intrigued, he stood and moved towards the mirror.

The reflection that greeted him was stunning. Jesse stared, eyes wide, at the image of a powerful, athletic man. The person in the mirror was undeniably him, yet also a stranger. His body, now sculpted and strong, moved with a grace and ease that felt both new and familiar.

As Jesse struggled to understand what had happened, the door opened, and a young man in a Team USA singlet walked in. "Hey Brody, you're up!” the man said casually as if everything was perfectly normal.

Brody blinked, trying to reconcile the confusion in his mind with the reality before him. “You’re running late! The competition starts soon… you’d better get dressed!”

 "Yeah, okay,” Brody with an unfamiliar deep voice.

The other man closed the door and Brody picked up the singlet. He pulled his now-massive thighs through the spandex and pulled the outfit over his muscular body. His bulky arms flexed as he held the singlet open for the rest of his body to enter. The spandex hugged his abdomen, displaying his six-pack through the fabric, and his pecs pushed against the top and he held the shoulder straps. 

He let go of the straps of the singlet that he had been holding. With a snap onto his broad shoulders, he remembered everything: growing up in Tennessee, waking up early every morning to work out and train, enrolling at Stanford to compete, and qualifying for the Olympics.

Now knowing that he earned his right to be here, Brody strutted out of his room with a newfound bravado and through the Olympic village towards the shuttle to the gymnastics complex. Within the hour, he was there, on the mats warming up to compete for the gold in front of the world.

He was representing the best country in the world. He was the best of the best, and he was going to give the world one hell of a show.

[alphajocklover]

Hi, ummm im an exchange student, im from Argentina studying in USA for a semester, im staying with a family, they are very good people, but also they are big fans of sports, they always invite me to watch football, or baseball, i have refused because im always studying, but yesterday they were acting strange, they said they were going today to the stadium and i was going with them no matter what, today i had planned to have a video call with my family in argentina, but i cant find my laptop, or my phone, also the only tshirt i could find, is a 3xl tshirt of a football team, and my skin is getting darker and darker like theirs, is something happening to me?

Hey there! I had no idea I had any followers from Argentina. I’m surprised my blog has had that wide of a reach. Though, from what you’ve told me, you probably won’t be from Argentina very long. There are a number of possibilities as for why you’re changing, like that you somehow accidentally entered a magical exchange program, or that your host family is responsible and using some method to transform you. Regardless of what is causing the change, the result they are going for is pretty clear: You’re becoming a real member of your host family, both in body and spirit. They’re african american, so the new you is african american. They’re into sports, so you’ll be into sports. They’re jocks, so now you’re a jock. 

You’re probably panicking, at least a little, but that won’t last long. Over the next few hours you’ll slowly forget about your old life. You’ll forget about growing up as a nerdy kid in Argentina and remember being a sexy american jock. You’ll forget your odd body, and even your family, as your mind is filled with playing sports, working out and picking up hotties of whichever gender you prefer. Slowly your panic will turn to cocky confidence and excitement for tonight's game! You always love watching the pros out there with your family. You can still remember the first football game your dad took you too. Or at least you will soon. 

For what it's worth, your new life will be a good one. You’re super attractive, have a body most young men would die for, have parents who are proud of you and a little brother who practically worships the ground you walk on. You’ll be happy, confident, successful, and cool. You won’t have to worry about your family. An exchange program is just that: an exchange. Even if it was your host family using a spell on you and not the exchange program itself doing the change, magic… while, I won’t say anything as cheesy as ‘magic comes with a price’ but… magic does have a sense of humor. Whoever got to go to Argentina as part of the exchange probably got transformed too. Not into you, since it clearly isn’t an exact exchange, but probably into someone who fits perfectly into his host family.

I hope that turns out. Maybe we’ll hear from him sometime.

[transmutationisms]

could you talk more on eds and biopolitics?

sure, so this is broad strokes and it's also worth reiterating that the energy deficit characteristic of EDs can have a lot of different causes besides intentional food restriction—food insecurity is a huge and underrecognised factor here but there are many others. so when i talk about intentional restriction and the desire to be thin / lose weight, i'm not suggesting these are universal characteristics or causes of EDs.

anyway though, in the context of discussing these things, and particularly the relationship between 'diet culture' and EDs, a perennial frustration to me is that i often hear people fall back on the idea that the desire to be thin comes about as a result of the beauty standards perpetuated in mass media, fashion adverts, &c, without any subsequent interrogation of why it is that beauty itself is now so heavily dependent on thinness. after all, plenty of people have pointed out this is not a universal; beauty varies in different times and places, what is described or depicted as beautiful in historical records doesn't necessarily have much overlap with today's hegemonic standards, and so forth.

so when historicising this phenomenon it becomes very clear that the euro/anglo standard of thinness as beauty is, one, part of the ideological apparatus justifying colonialism thru the creation of race and white supremacy. sabrina strings and da'shaun harrison have written on this. two, the thin ideal is also inextricably tied up in medical discourses defining the ideal body as one that is economically productive, with the promise being that if the populace can be transformed into 'healthy',*** useful, hardworking citizens, the state benefits. control of bodyweight is therefore certainly a means of demonstrating one's supposed self-control, moral discipline, &c, but it is also a demand expressed in medical terms: these two discourses merge and overlap, and are both part of the capitalist state's transformation of its citizenry into a biological resource that can be controlled, managed, and exploited to bourgeois ends (profit): hence, biopolitics.

(***the story of how 'health' itself comes to be so dependent on thinness is obviously a critical piece of all this but this post is long as shit already so suffice it to say that this conflation is also not obvious, necessary, universal, &c &c)

medico-political discourses in the 19th century tended to talk about the dangers of both over- and under-weight more than what we hear now; similarly, if you think about something like wilbur atwater's calorie-value charts, these were explicitly intended to guide labourers to the most calorie-dense foods, because to atwater the central danger to be avoided was starvation among the workforce. these days in wealthy countries like the us, you are much more likely to hear about weight management in the context of demands to reduce; this is of course following moves like the WHO declaring an 'obesity epidemic' in 1997, and the rise in the usa of more explicitly nationalist, militaristic weight-loss rhetoric in the post-9/11 era.

however, my position is that these demands for thinness, and the beauty standard that follows and justifies them, are not a departure from earlier 19th- and 20th-century scientific nutrition advice, just an evolution that, for a multitude of reasons (politics, medical professional interests, insurance company practices, &c) has simply come to focus more on the ostensible economic and national threat posed by fatness. the underlying logic bears the biopolitical throughline: the state has, or ought to have, an interest in enforcing the health of its population, and as part of this demands that you the individual surveil and alter your weight according to the scientific guidelines du jour.

this is fertile ground for the development of what, in extreme form, we regard as ED pathology. first, because even the most purely 'health'-motivated individual engaging in the required degree of bodily monitoring and caloric restriction is liable to respond to energy deficit in ways that can become diagnosably distressing. second, because the morals of 'health' are never far from standards of beauty; thinness is sold in overtly profitable ways (the diet and weight-loss industries) and furthermore, our idea of beauty is often a kind of post hoc justification for the thinness already being demanded by state and medical authorities. which is really just to say, beauty is part of the ideological superstructure both resulting from and invoked as a justification for the material conditions of capitalist biopolitics. again this is very broad strokes, but imo it is a much more useful framework to understand EDs than simply presenting them as a result of desiring thinness because it is glorified in The Media, because... reasons (essentially the rené girard model, lol).

[floral-ashes]

🚨📚 Today is release day for my new book Gender/Fucking: The Pleasures and Politics of Living in a Gendered Body!

Asking what we can learn from sexual arousal, the book takes an incredibly raw and thought-provoking look at community, queerness, fetishization, trauma, and hope.

I decided to go with an indie press that believed in the book and its transformative potential. But it means we don’t have the marketing budget of Penguin et al. I really need your collective help with spreading the word about it. Because it could benefit so many.

Early readers told me it’s a book that unmakes you and puts you back together piece by piece. It hurts, it troubles, and it nourishes. It gives voice to truths that were hidden deep in your bones. That’s how I felt writing it, and what I hope I get to share with all readers.

I’ve joked a few times with friends that this is a book best read one orgasm per chapter. But it has more than a grain of truth to it. I do believe that we can learn from arousal, instead of seeing it as the antithesis of knowledge. Don’t disavow the truths of the body.

The book is an ode to the messiness of human experience. I wrote it as a way of healing and of connecting with others. While I foremost wrote it with other queer and trans people in mind, everyone can see themselves in this book and gain from it. We all share in humanity.

This year has been rough, between the intense harassment, death threats, and hate hitting really close to home. Knowing that this book was coming out has sustained me. Knowing that I would have this moment of community, of shared passion, has been a balm on those psychic wounds.

Once you get your copy, post pictures and share your impressions as you read under the hashtag #GenderFucking. You can also tag me! This book is a journey. You will feel deeply. You will have many thoughts. Some challenging, some cathartic, some freeing. All worthwhile.

You can also help me out by posting reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. If you want to write a longer review for a blog or a magazine, or suggest it for review at your favourite newspaper or magazine, that would be tremendous! All help spreading the word is truly appreciated.

Ignite the flames of passion and curiosity. Join me in embracing the raw, vibrant truth of our gendered existence.

Find it at your local bookstore or order it online here (USA).

For those outside the USA, I created a list of places you can buy it online. It also lets you suggest more websites that carry it.

[chthonic-cassandra]

what vampire musicals are there? asking bc of the tag meme you posted a few days(?) ago where you said it was pretty accurate aside from no vampire musicals... i know wildhorn dracula, but what else? (and which are good?)

Thank you for asking a question which allows me to indulge myself by recounting all this. The question of "good," however, is rather fraught, and I ask everyone to remember that these opinions are just my own.

The (probably) first, and the only one to achieve significant success, was Jim Steinman's Tanz der Vampire/Dance of the Vampires, first stage in 1997. Tanz was an adaptation of Roman Polanski's comedic vampire movie The Fearless Vampire Killers, and features "Total Eclipse of the Heart," a song Steinman always intended to be about vampires. Tonally, the musical veers wildly between the broad comedy of the source film and something approaching sincerity and the comedy sections have never really worked for me, but it's certainly the most musically sophisticated of the vampire musicals and at its best, like in the major ballad sung by the lead vampire character about the loves he has killed (here sung by original cast Steve Barton, and here by Drew Sarich, who is in all the major vampire musicals and who we shall have more to say about anon) it's spectacular gothy camp glory.

Tanz was incredibly popular in Austria, where it was first staged, and then throughout Europe and in Japan. However, when it was brought to Broadway it was drastically rewritten, partly at the behest of Michael Crawford, starring in the show and anxious about changes in his body and being compared to his career-making performance in Phantom of the Opera. The comedy was foregrounded and the show was constantly being rewritten, to the point that the actors didn't know how their parts might change performance to performance. I didn't see the Broadway production, but it is accounted by all to be a colossal failure. The show remains popular worldwide to this day, but has not received another major staging in North America.

Next comes the Frank Wildhorn Dracula the Muiscal, which I know you know about, but as it is vital to this narrative I must give some explanation. Wildhorn is a sort of mid-tier musical theater composer, known for melodrama and period pieces. After the popular (though not critical) success of his Jekyll & Hyde musical (1997 on Broadway) he co-wrote Dracula with lyricist Don Black, premiering on Broadway on 2004.

While I maintain that Dracula the Musical has been unjustly maligned by comparison with some other works of musical theater, it is admittedly a mess, and the Broadway production, which was, despite highly publicized special effects, shockingly static, did it no favors. It tries to do far too many things, combining sections of relatively close novel adaptation (Christopher Hampton's book is often quietly strong) with a messily shoehorned Dracula/Mina romance. The score is variable, ranging, even just in Dracula's material, from the rousing "Life After Life" as Dracula welcomes the transformed Lucy, to his cringe-inducing "The Longer I Live". (I still think almost all of the music and lyrics are better than those of Les Miserables but then again I think most things are better than the Les Miserables musical.) The Broadway production had a reasonably strong cast, including Melissa Errico as Mina and Kelli O'Hara as Lucy, but it failed nearly as badly as the American version of Tanz had, if not quite so dramatically.

Wildhorn subsequently brought DtM to Europe, where it enjoyed significantly more success, first in a stripped down modern production in St. Gallen starring Drew Sarich and then in Vienna where the role of Van Helsing was expanded for popular star Uwe Kröger. It's continued to be performed in Europe and Asia, and in some USA community theaters.

Next up was Elton John's Lestat in 2007. One would expect that this musical would have been wonderfully over-the-top glam rock, but somehow Lestat ended up being one of the most staid things I have ever seen. Filled with forgettable music (even if we all do want to see Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson doing "Embrace It". It was further brought down by a lackluster performance of the title character by Hugh Panaro, previously known for his mediocre (sorry Panaro fans!) turn in Phantom. It was enlivened slightly by Carolee Carmello as Gabrielle earning one of the show's only Tony nominations and Drew Sarich (there he is again!) playing a decidedly not book accurate but very entertaining Armand. It also involved a Buddhist monk Marius de Romanus, but I constantly question whether this was a fever dream of mine. Lestat was yet another failure on Broadway and, as far as I can tell, has had no real subsequent afterlife, though I've been wondering if that might change with the IwtV show (and Sam Reid's evident enjoyment of the musical!).

Those are the major vampire musicals, for what they are! But there are also some others which never got even this level of attention, including:

Two dueling French-language Dracula musicals with almost the exact same name, Dracula - L'amour plus fort que la mort and Dracula - Entre l'amour et la mort

A Nosferatu musical which is a strong contender for the worst lyrics I have ever heard but also entertains me

another mysterious Dracula musical made in the UK with songs of wildly varying qualities, but containing the only Mina hero ballad with which I am familiar

There are also edge cases like Bat Boy and Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I would not call vampire musicals but someone else might.

Anyway! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share some of the truly disproportionate amount of information I have about this topic in my head. I hope this brought some entertainment.

[olympeline]

More thoughts on national animal forms in Hetalia:

Their beast selves are slightly bigger than what’s considered normal for the species. Not to such a degree that they’d look like freaks, but big enough to make you take a second glance.

They’re incapable of human speech while in animal form. I’m on the fence as to whether they’d be able to speak to each other as beasts or whether they’d have to change back to hold a conversation. Leaning towards the latter, honestly. These forms are wild and primal and speech of any kind just feels too human.

The appearance of a nation’s human guise stays mostly consistent throughout their lives, but their animal form is different. It can change radically depending on what’s happening in the world. This is most often seen with territories and settler colonies who break away and ascend to true nationhood. Like Alfred, who only became a bald eagle after the USA won independence from the British Empire. Before that he was a young lion. And if you’re wondering whether a super badass Lion King style battle ever took place between him and Arthur during their war? I’m happy to inform you the answer is: yes. Absolutely Hell Yes it did. 👌

Only real animals count. So no unicorn form for Scotland, dragon for Wales, etc. They’re cool but I prefer the consistency of everyone having creatures that actually exist, you know? Oh and, if you’re curious, I picture Scotland’s animal form being a stag. Not sure about Wales’s yet.

Speaking of the UK family, Arthur is a lion but he didn’t start out that way. He was a rabbit in the distant past. Quite the transformation. When did he change? Hard to say. Definitely not before Roman Britain ended. Most likely it would have been either during the reign of William the Conqueror, or else at the start of the Hundred Years War.

The manner in which an animal form changes depends on the circumstances behind why it’s changing in the first place. For Alfred, who won his freedom in battle’s flame, it was a fast, violent, and painful process. The first night after the war was won, Alfred bloodily tore off his golden lion’s pelt and cast it into the fire. Then he resculpted his fleshy, naked, skinless body and reclothed it in a bald eagle’s feathers. The whole thing was over before the sun rose above the newly made country. And as agonising as it was, it was also a relief for Alfred. His lion’s skin hadn’t felt right ever since the start of the war. It itched, and chafed, and burned, and almost drove Alfred mad. Even as a human, it tickled and whined and gnawed at him in the back of his mind. Only getting worse as the war dragged on. Eventually Alfred was assuming his beast form regularly just so he could bite and tear at himself in a frenzy. The revolutionaries got used to seeing their fledgling country covered in the wounds he’d gouged into himself in a futile attempt to find relief. None came until victory was won and he could cast off his lion form - and his old self - for good.

Meanwhile Matthew, who peacefully slipped into a fluffy lion cub form after Arthur won him from Francis, was very different. His independence was gradual and diplomatic so there was no need for a violent ripping of flesh. Instead, over time, Matthew quietly started using his lion form less and less the more Canada drew away from Britain. Until one day, when he badly needed release from the trappings of the human world, he assumed his beast form for the first time in decades. Only to find it had changed. Something Mattie had been expecting for a while but it was still a shock when it suddenly happened. There wasn’t any pain or anguish for him, though. Just a small feeling of wistfulness at the realisation he’d never wear his lion form again. It’s fine, though: a Canadian horse suited him better. Fit like a glove right from the start.

Mattie ultimately becoming a horse is funny too because, while I haven’t made up my mind yet about what Francis should be, a horse is an option I’m considering. Which would mean Matthew went from French foal, to British cub, then ultimately back to horse again, lol.

Maybe…maybe a horse is good for Francis? Maybe? Urgh, I don’t know! Seriously, I’ve only just started this AU thing and already Francis has become the bane of my existence. 😂 France is a world power and England’s historical rival. So his animal form would need to be something that could not just fight, but win against a lion. Yeah, a rooster ain’t cutting it, lmao. A big destrier style war horse could conceivably kill a lion by kicking or trampling it. Horses are prey animals but that doesn’t mean predators aren’t still scared af of a horse’s kick caving in their skulls and smashing their bones to powder. Also, historically horses are symbols of wealth, grace, war, and just plain pretty to boot. All of which fit Francis. My only other idea is that he’d be another lion. Because England got its lion from French nobility. Or maybe he’d be a lion up until the French Revolution? Then he’d pull an Alfred and rip off his pelt - or have it ripped off him by force during the Reign of Terror - and be remade as a horse. Lions are one of the symbols of monarchy so it’s some nice imagery there. Napoleon relied heavily on his cavalry too. Yeah, it could work. Maybe…? What do you guys think? Any other ideas? Post em below if you have em.

A nation-person doesn’t always change their animal form completely if their real world circumstances are altered. Take Argentina for example; a Spanish colony who started as a black calf and still remained a bull after locking horns with Antonio and driving him out of his part of South America. A bull suited Argentina so a bull he stayed. Though his coat and horns did turn from black to silver post-independence. Argentina. Land of beef. Land of silver. Silver bull, geddit?

Finally, there’s the differing effects of conquest where the original inhabitants of the land aren’t replaced like what happened in the Americas. Cases like Romano: a nation whose animal form never changed through all his ups and downs. Not after Antonio conquered him, not after being set free, and not after unification with Feliciano. Romano remained an Italian wolf through it all. Change was possible but it never happened for him. I guess it would depend on factors like how much of the original culture survives, how tightly the controlled nation is under the thumb of the master nation, etc. In the most extreme cases a conquered nation’s animal form might change completely to mirror that of their conqueror. Other times they might shift only a little. Like, say, if Ireland’s original animal was a wolf. Then, after being crushed and occupied by England, that wolf began to look more doglike. Symbolic of the English (later British) goal of “taming” wild Ireland. Stuff like that. A case by case basis, really.

(That’s all for now. Hope you enjoyed reading. I’m tagging this as my national animals AU ☺️)

[comrade-kimberly]

From Palestine To The World, October 2024 by Queers In Palestine.

Language: Unworded by colonial violence, resisting erasure

After a year of an ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing, attempts of expansion by the Zionist settler-colonial project, and of our ongoing steadfast global revolt, we are delivering a message from Palestine, to the world, while words cannot convey the depths of our collective trauma or the radical resistance we embody. Words collapse as we bear witness to the destruction of bodies, lands, histories, and futures. Language can no longer hold the weight of our suffering, our rage, our endless grief. It cannot do justice to our feelings and experiences. While capitalism and colonialism’s forces of death and destruction are wounding the world, we are still determined to deliver our voice, we are still moved by the force of life, and will always move with and towards it.

Palestine and Lebanon: One land in grief and struggle

The Zionist colonial entity still exists because colonial and imperialist powers are supporting and funding it. These are the same powers that produced the Sykes-Picot colonial agreement that fragmented Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and other Arab nations in 1916 by enforcing borders on our lands. We live with the implications of these systems. We deeply embody the knowledge of this violence, and have been trying to warn the world that these powers neither see our humanity nor respect our sovereignty. The world’s promises of justice and accountability through colonial international laws and institutions only reproduce violence and harm with no transformation. The very existence of these colonial powers is built on the (social) death and exploitation of others. The same tactics of annihilation that have been used in Gaza since last October are now also used in Lebanon. They are reaching us all––from surveillance tools of political repression, to weapons for direct killings. From corporations to other colonial structures, if we do not dismantle these systems, they will continue to consume us all.

Zionism: Threat against humanity

Zionist settler colonialism has been perpetrated against the land of Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine. But it does not stop there: Zionism is a global threat. While Palestine is used as the Zionist entity’s testing-ground to develop technologies of oppression (including cyber invasions and technological warfare) to control the people and suppress resistance worldwide, these Zionist inventions are exported and used for state violence to further colonial, imperial and capitalist expansion. The Zionist entity’s influence extends to geopolitics and resource extraction across Latin America and Africa––from mining projects in Namibia, to diamond extraction in Angola, and ‘Cop City’ in the USA–– and its aggression can only be contained through struggle and abolition.

The myth of individualism and separation

Individualism is an instrument of the systems of (neo)liberalism, racial capitalism and colonialism. It is designed to destroy our collectives and community practices through fragmentation and separation––from each other, the land, the planet and universe, and from ourselves. The illusion of separation denies our autonomy, our sovereignty over our bodies and land. We resist this colonial myth of individualism that serves oppressive systems. We are interdependent and our struggles are interconnected and intersectional––there is no such thing as individual liberation. No one is free, until we are all free.

On the path of abolition and transformation

Our reality, and our queer, feminist, radical truths, cannot be quantified. They cannot be reduced to data, to screens, to consumable images. The genocidal violence we face and resist everyday, is not an event to be documented. This deep rupture is a tearing apart of the fabric of life that demands something more than mere speech. It demands action and transformation. And it necessitates abolition. Abolition not just through the dismantling of prisons and the destruction of all carceral systems—but the refusal of all structures that seek to imprison and kill our bodies, our desires, our lands, our futures. Abolition is a direct confrontation with the forces that seek to erase us on the path towards life-affirming and systemic transformation, it is to radically imagine and build a different future from the present.

Hope as a radical practice

Our bodies ache with exhaustion, our spirits bruised by the relentless weight of oppression. In this land stolen from us, where we live the genocide in our every moment, hope is a radical practice. We are warriors, survivors, rebels. We will not be extinguished. The world’s indifference is a betrayal––we know that. We will not allow our disappointment to consume us. Fuelled by our collective rage and grief, we unite and empower us. Still amidst these difficult times, we channel our hope as a collective force of resistance to the very foundation of these unjust systems, in Palestine and everywhere. We will not only survive this genocide, we will thrive––reclaiming our stolen land and building a future free from the chains of patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism and zionism.

Constant transformative struggle towards collective liberation

One year later, we continue to call for the world to:

Be radical, feminist, queer, intersectional, decolonial, and abolitionist in our resistances: fuelled by rage, love and longing for justice, transformation and collective liberation.

Resist the hegemonic colonial narrative: do not stop talking about Palestine with your kin, queer siblings, friends and community. Challenge the colonial and Islamophobic framing of Palestinian and racialized voices as antisemitic.

Escalate all forms of disruption of the colonial and capitalist systems enabling this violence. Rage and strike against the use of your labor and tax money to fund, support, and endorse settler colonialism and genocide. Fight against governments and hold them accountable for their military, diplomatic, economic, and political relations with and support to Israel.

Rage and grieve as radical forces for change: together we channel our anger and grief towards a world free of Zionism and all other systems of oppression.

Radically imagine a different world and put this imagination into practice by organizing to fight current systems and build the future from the present.

Always re-membering: honoring those we have lost, and standing steadfast in resistance by all means possible.

[margareth-lv]

🪄👗 The magical qualities of the dresses by Claire Fraser 👗🪄

First of all, thanks for the inspiration (and for the season 3 photos) @samcait-love! All the credit goes to you! In today's post, I used the photos you uploaded in your yesterday's reblog of my post.

*** *** ***

Who among us hasn't dreamed of a magical dress? A piece of clothing that has magical properties, like the cloak of invisibility in the Harry Potter books. Or a dress that grows (or shrinks) by itself, depending on how your body looks (and feels) on any given day. I'd give a lot for clothes like that, seriously.

*** *** ***

Claire Fraser has not only magically travelled back in time to meet her 'dashing Highlander', she also has such a magical wardrobe (although she doesn't brag about it!). I think the comparison of the pictures says more than words can ever say. Season 3 vs. season 4.

👀 👀 👀

*** *** ***

But miracles don't only happen on film sets.

So, the crème de la crème of my post today. My favourite Outlander fan guide: Lose weight (in Photoshop) in a month (and then 'gain' it back).

I give you Caitríona Balfe for the British Independent Film Awards on 5 December 2021 (on the left). And on the right, a photo shoot for the article "Caitríona Balfe's Celtic Conquest, From Outlander to Belfast" published in Vanity Fair on 6 January 2022.

*** *** *** On the left Vanity Fair on 6 January 2022 and on the right The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on 12 January 2022.

🤰🏻

*** *** ***

Finally, on the right, a group photo during the Focus Features Belfast screening at the West Hollywood EDITION, Los Angeles, CA, USA on January 28, 2022.

Side note: of course, I am aware that the photo shoot for the article published in Vanity Fair in early January 2022 must have taken place much earlier. Nevertheless, Caitríona underwent a mysterious physical transformation in late 2021/early 2022 during the infamous 'Belfast' promotion.

But we're not going to ask the question why. Because that would be bodyshaming a new postpartum mother. In my opinion, it was another pregnancy. But of course I don't know anything and I'm deluded.

💁🏻‍♀️

[January 17, 2024]

[haveyouplayedthisttrpg]

Have you played ViscerArms ?

By Kate Briggs

In a small 90s town in the middle of nowhere, USA, only one Scooby Gang of teens can save the world from an alien threat, by transforming their bodies into horrific towering flesh creatures! Equal parts sentai, magical girl, and Degrassi in influence, ViscerArms is a mid-weight narrative RPG system about 90s nostalgia and school antics. Fight giant monsters, steal the test answers, and make it home for dinner!

All you need is some d4s, a willing GM, and a fun concept for a magical meat mech. Also, the OST to Tony Hawk Pro Skater, if you can get it.

[brokehorrorfan]

Protector. Provider. Predator. British werewolf film The Beast Within will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 22 via Well Go USA.

Broke Horror Fan is giving away three copies of The Beast Within on Blu-ray. To enter, email brokehorrorfan@gmail.com with THE BEAST WITHIN in the subject line. In the body, include your name and mailing address.

One entry permitted per address. This contest is open to US residents only. Three winners will be randomly drawn next week.

Alexander J. Farrell makes his feature directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with Greer Ellison. Kit Harington stars with Ashleigh Cummings, Caoilinn Springall, and James Cosmo.

After a series of strange events leads her to question her family’s isolated life on a fortified compound deep in the English wilds, 10-year-old Willow follows her parents on one of their secret late-night treks to the heart of the ancient forest. But upon witnessing her father undergo a terrible transformation, she too becomes ensnared by the dark ancestral secret they’ve tried so desperately to conceal.

[master-ray5]

The King's (Chibi) Crisis

While I plan on posting something bigger tomorrow for Usamamo Week 2024 (run by @random-mailbox and @lilliebellfanfics), I decided to use the prompt for "Free Day" to finally post something I have had in mind for a while. I'm putting in my "Innocent Royal Affairs" series but the prompt helped me finally get it down on paper. Links first but then I'll post the whole fic underneath:

     “ACHOO!” 

     Mamoru’s eyes went wide and he jumped out of bed as the sound came over the baby monitor. He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure his wife was safe before he ran out the room, across the hall, and into the nursery. Mamoru was by the crib of Princess Chiba-Usa in record time. He opened a drawer, pulled out digital medical gloves, and ran a complete diagnosis by scanning his daughter. 

HR: Normal

BP: 95/58

Temp: 100.1

    “Dear lord,” Mamoru gasped as he read the results. “Computer, open a channel to the family of wisdom.” 

     “Boss,” Zoisite grumbled as he answered the call, slowly rousing. “It’s late. What’s wrong?” 

     “Chibi-Usa is ill,” Mamoru reported firmly. 

     “What’s her symptoms,” Ami asked, as she sat up in bed next to Zoisite when she heard Mamoru’s words. “What’s wrong with the little princess?” 

     “She has a 100.1 fever and is sniffling,” Mamoru explained, his eyes darting from the results to his daughter and back multiple times. “She’s sleeping peacefully now.” 

     “So let me get this straight?” Zoisite groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She has her first cold?”

     “Yes! I want a full workout to make sure it's not magic related,” Mamoru ordered, a plan forming in his head. “I want you to run a comparison on the database of all known youmas, droids, and known monster types. I need to make sure she hasn’t been poisoned in someway” 

     Zoisite exchanged a look with his wife before he responded. “I’m hanging up now.” 

     “What?” Mamoru grunted, his body becoming tense at his friend’s response. “My daughter is sick. She needs a complete diagnosis.” 

     “Mamoru,” Ami sighed as she laid her head down on her pillow. “You are a former doctor, so you are blessed with an abundance of information. You need to get a handle on it or it will consume you.” 

     “That being said my wife needs her own sleep for the baby she’s carrying,” Zoisite sighed as his hand reached out and caressed Ami’s stomach. “Just get a washcloth, dab her head, and try to get some rest.”

     “What about,” Mamoru countered but the line went dead. “Hello? Damn it! Computer, dial the family of strength.” 

     “Mmmhuhm,” Nephrite grumbled as the call connected. “Wuh, wuzzup?” 

     “My daughter is displaying a low grade fever,” Mamoru reported, his eyes locked on Chibi-Usa’s vitals. “Have there been any anomalies sighted in the area in the last few days?” 

     “Numh, Mumuh,” Makoto replied in something between a snort, yawn, and a groan. “Mmm.” 

     “I want you to get to the control room and do a full city wide search to make sure there are no disturbances,” Mamoru commanded. “If you run every scan possible it should only take like…5 hours.” 

     A loud crunching sound came through the speaker which Mamoru could only assume was Nephrite destroying his communicator again. The replacement he received would be the 4th one this year alone. Mamoru intended on making sure they came out of his paycheck. 

     Chibi-usa grumbled and began to roll in her sleep causing Mamoru’s heart to clench. She was uncomfortable he could tell and he wanted to make sure everything was fine with her. He immediately dialed the next group in his contact. 

     "Jadeite,” Mamoru called when his general picked up. “I need you to hit the library. I want you to look through all the research materials and see if a minor fever may be related to any known curse."

     “I’ve got a curse I can show him,” Rei hissed before turning over and pulling a pillow over her head. 

     “Boss, you need to calm down,” Jadeite insisted, picking up his communicator to talk into it properly. His other hand reached over and stroked his wife’s back affectionately. “Zoisite already messaged everyone and let us know you are freaking out and overreacting. I’m going to turn off my communicator now and nothing short of a Class Five, world ending disaster is going to turn it back on.” 

     “I am not freaking out or overreacting,” Mamoru stated firmly. “Now come make sure my baby hasn’t been cursed by a demon or I will banish you to the frigid depths of space.” 

     “Good night Mamoru,” Jadeite replied before ending the call. Mamoru felt his entire body tense from the lack of respect he was receiving. 

     "What the hell? Call the family of leaders,” Mamoru ordered the computer. “Kunzite I want…"

    “Damn it Mamoru!” Minako roared. Not through the communicator but instead her voice carried from her and Kunzite’s wing of the castle. “It’s three in the morning! Some of us are trying to have sex!” 

     “Blast it all,” Mamoru roared as he turned towards the door and began to head towards pulling all of his generals out of bed by their hair. “I swear when I get a hold of them….” 

     Mamoru stopped as the door to the nursery opened and his wife came in with a sleepy look in her eyes. 

     “I can hear you through the baby monitor.” Usagi yawned as she moved past her husband and towards the cradle. “You‘re freaking everyone out.”

     “But Usa…,” Mamoru stumbled, his mind still going a mile a minute. “Chibi-Usa could have been poisoned by a demon, cursed by a youma, or…” 

     “Or maybe she caught a cold when we took her out for a ride in the stroller,” Usagi suggested as she placed the washcloth she had brought in against her daughter’s warm head. She picked up her tiny daughter and sat in the rocking chair close by. “She’s going to be fine Mamo. Calm down.” 

     “But…,,” Mamoru struggled, his mind overwhelmed with all the possibilities of everything terrible fate which could befall his baby. “She’s…”

     “It’s okay little one,” Usagi sang to her daughter as she began rocking her. With her hair down nursing their daughter back to health and wearing her white nightgown, Mamoru thought his wife looked like an angel. He often thought of her as such but moments like this made it even harder for him to think she was absolutely sent from heaven. “Daddy is just being silly.”

     “I’m just…,” Mamoru stopped as he watched how Chibi-Usa stopped fusing as she was rocked back to sleep. His gaze dropped to the med gloves he was still wearing and a smile formed on his face as he realized just how foolish he had been acting. “You’re right…daddy is just being silly.”

O.O.O

Come back tomorrow when my first Non-Senshi AU story finally drops. It's a nice light read clocking in at...11k!!

[maddiesbookshelves]

USA Book haul 📚

I limited myself to 4 books because I didn't have a very big bag, and I only bought The Sunbearer Trials in hardback after a week of thinking about it because it was used and so half of its usual price. However, all of those are books I've been wanting to read for a while and have heard very good things about. Although, I did buy All These Sunken Souls mostly because of Joel Rochester, aka fictionalfates (go check out their yt channel/insta), who wrote one of the short stories in the anthology

If you're curious about these books, here are some summaries:

All These Sunken Souls: A Black Horror Anthology, edited by Circe Moskowitz

We are all familiar with tropes of the horror genre: slasher and victims, demon and the possessed. Bloody screams, haunted visions, and the peddler of wares we aren’t sure we can trust. In this young adult horror anthology, readers will get a little bit of everything they love—and a lot of what they fear—through a twisted blend of horror lenses, from the thoughtful to the terrifying.

Camp Damascus, by Chuck Tingle

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

The Sunbearer Trials, by Aiden Thomas

As each new decade begins, ten semidioses are selected by the god Sol as the most worthy to compete in The Sunbearer Trials. The winner carries light and life to all the temples of Reino del Sol, but the loser will be sacrificed to Sol, their body used to fuel the Sun Stones that will protect the people of Reino del Sol for the next ten years.

Teo, a 17-year-old Jade semidiós and the trans son of Quetzal, has never worried about the Trials…or rather, he’s only worried for others.

But then, for the first time in over a century, Sol chooses a semidiós who isn’t a Gold. In fact, he chooses two. Now they must compete in five mysterious trials, against opponents who are both more powerful and better trained, for fame, glory, and their own survival.

A Dowry Of Blood, by S.T. Gibson

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.

Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband's dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

See below for bonus Ramsès content

[rpfisfine]

an overview of the things we watched during my turbofolk seminar for @roadwhores @lofimp3 and my other balkan (and non-balkan) followers who might be interested

(my professor is bulgarian for context and unfortunately she hasn’t made the presentation with all the additional information public yet so these r just my personal notes & things ive remembered.Thumbs up)

we started with the only balkan song that is on the voyager golden record which i thought was sooooo beautiful as someone from a country who didn’t have anything interesting to contribute to the golden record besides the greeting to the universe i feel very humbled and reverent to have listened to it

goran bregović - bella ciao & kalashnikov at sziget festival 2012 (our professor mentioned that he’s kind of a piece of shit who steals songs from marginalized communities and profits off of it and has been actively sued for it in the past so i made sure to shake my head while i was listening to show that i didn’t agree with his actions)

recordings of traditional folk songs being performed at serbian weddings I forgot to write the performer’s name down but he played the clarinet beautifully and someone stuck a bill to his forehead while he was playing to show their appreciation which I think we need to bring back)

we talked abt ceca quite extensively and also looked at one paparazzi photo of her with some politician guy who besides being her biggest fan in the world is also apparently a huge fan of vinnetou & robert de niro which i thought was kind of a slay personally

we watched one lepa brena video from the 80s and one from the 90s to see the transformation of her style and the sound of her music throughout the years

+ also clips of her wedding to boba which we compared to ceca’s wedding to the serbian mobster who then ended up being assasinated (we didn’t touch on ceca’s personal criminal history too much but after a brief glimpse at her wikipedia page I think we should have im slightly obsessed with her i think)

the most aggressively 90s and vaguely bisexual music video by saška vaseva abt clubbing and drinking….loved it

neshto netipichno (probably not spelled right but i copied it from the yt title) by ivana

azis!!!!!!!!! he’s such an icon to me our professor showed us a selection of his mvs ranging from the time when he wasn’t out as a gay man yet to i think his most recent song so we kind of witnessed his whole transformation from his like full blown drag stuff (i.e "hop" - SLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) to his most recent very aggressively masculine & americanized style but i am literally actually legitimately obsessed with his look from his old videos i need to look exactly like him immediately like . Are you kidding me

we ended with dubioza kolektiv - USA & no escape from balkan and i kind of want to tattoo the lyrics of the second song on my body if im being honest i respect what these guys have going on

overall it was definitely the best seminar from this course and im so glad i dragged my lifeless body out of bed in the morning to attend it bc i cannot even imagine missing out on it you guys have a very wonderful culture and i loved that 80s & 90s balkan music videos literally look identical to czech mvs from that time I felt a deep sense of kinship while watching them. Long live yugoslavia ❤️