#Each Individual Person Is Very Individual

[inspired-lesson-plans]

Revisited

&Revised

Visual Arts, high school

Do Now:

Get into small groups. Do your normal warm-up drawing routine, read the 4 tweets by @Fencurary, and discuss the core message that the author is making, especially how it connects to your own artistic experience.

Direct Instruction:

Check for understanding about the message of the tweets. Then, ask them what they think they will see if you type "How to draw an elf" into google images before revealing the results.

*Pause for laughter*

Author's note. I got the same results even with Safe Search off.

Then, show the search results for "Fantasy Elf"

They're all skinny pretty white people, mostly drawn to look flawless. Lots of moody romance novel coloration.

Discuss how these portraits portray beauty, and whether or not we can see an individual personality in each "generic fantasy elf".

Contrast this with select search results for "Truck Driver"

None look perfect, but most have big broad smiles. Lots of wrinkles, varied skin color; their imperfections tell stories of who they are as individuals. It all feels real.

Discuss how these portraits portray beauty, and whether or not we can see an individual personality in each "generic truck driver".

Modeled Learning:

Show students how to perform @Fencurary's assignment.

Prepare your notebook / sketch page by blocking out space for 10-20 portraits.

Go on your own, personal social media account (or the school's staff website if this is prevented by firewall).

Find a picture of a very regular person. Not an influencer, nor anyone whose profession requires them to conform their appearance to an prescribed aesthetic.

Begin drawing their features, noting all the individual quirks of their face, posture, etc. What makes this person an individual human instead of an archetype.

Don't go overboard, just capture the details of the individual.

Repeat steps 3-5 until you have filled out all the blocked-out spaces.

Higher Order Learning:

Students work individually or in small groups (for chatting purposes) to do as instructed. This should be too much work to finish in class and must be completed for homework.

Note:

I thought a lot about this post about Ryoko Kui's character design work in Dungeon Meshi while writing this. So feel free to share it with the class while they work for futher inspiration.

[luulapants]

Some of you are falling hard for the Trump/Musk anti-federal worker propaganda. I think part of the problem is that a lot of people genuinely don't know how the federal government works, so here's an overview on the intended and current state of the so-called fourth branch of government, the federal bureaucracy:

Executive agencies are considered to be within the executive branch, officially, but can only be created, disbanded, funded, and have new leadership appointed through congressional approval. Well, in theory that is.

The majority of staff in federal agencies are called "career staff" who are nonpolitical civil servants who do every kind of work you can imagine, from IT to accounting to scientific field work to livestock inspections to nursing at VA hospitals. They do not, typically, change from one administration to the next, which is essential to ensure the government is able to continue functioning without interruption. These individuals of course can and do hold their own political opinions, but there are stringent rules on how, when, and where they can express them. It is arguably the most racially diverse workforce in the country. Many are veterans, and many are disabled.

Each agency is headed by a political office appointed by the president and confirmed by Congress. This includes a Secretary or Administrator and all of their hand-picked office staff, who are called "politicals." However, even before Congress confirms the president's nominee, the president can appoint an interim leader with no approval, who has essentially all the same powers but can't hold the position for very long. In short, even in those offices where a leader has not been confirmed by Congress, they are being led by Trump appointees.

When Trump makes an Executive Order, those orders are immediately dispensed through the executive agencies, who must abide by the letter of the order. I saw someone say NPS was "complying in advance" by taking the T off LGBT, but these changes were made across all agencies in direct response to Trump's "Defending Women" order. Any career who did not follow this order would have immediately been fired with cause, no unemployment eligibility, and in the current environment we also know their position would be permanently dissolved.

This is what we're dealing with right now. Trump (and his puppet master Musk) do not have the authority to dissolve government agencies, but they are trying to gut them, harassing careers and making the public turn against them, conducting illegal firings, threatening them into resigning. When people leave, their positions will disappear. Their intent is to diminish the staff until the agencies are non-functional. That's why careers are picking their battles. We're holding on by our fingernails to keep federal agencies alive and functioning. We're in the midst of a hostile takeover, a literal coup of the US government.

Yes, it's awful the T was removed on the website. We don't want this. But I promise that is small potatoes compared to the other battles being fought. I have trans coworkers being forced back to the office and they don't know what bathroom they can use. Our personal information is being leaked to hate groups. Careers are getting threats and spam to their work and personal emails. Most of us expect to be illegally fired. Soon. Last week was the largest layoff in American history, and it's just the beginning.

Please support federal workers. We are under attack.

[adventremnant]

tips that aren't the same list from 2006

you know exactly what dumbass list I mean, and none of that shit is practical, it's giving uwu ana butterfly and we all know it

hi, I'm angel, I'm a nutrition major, and here are tips to keep yourself safe and hide your eating habits that actually make sense. this will not be in any particular order, but

avoid ketosis. i know, i know, you heard it burns fat faster! it also makes you smell like a dog rolled in sharpies and makes you stupid. i'm not kidding, you will be slow as fuck. avoid keto at all costs, carbs are better and healthier than being caught and dumb

take electrolytes and pay close attention to your potassium intake. if you neglect this, you will damage your heart and muscles and run the risk of having a heart attack. i use liquid IV because I have POTS and need the extra sodium, but that brand is also good for ED-havers because it has extra b vitamins

take ultra strength prenatal vitamins. they contain extra folate, fish oil, and dha, all of which are necessary to protect your heart and brain when you're not intaking much food.

For other supplements, I recommend Metamucil to keep your bowels going, iron, vitamin c packets (will make the iron absorb better, I personally use the +immunity ones), b-complex, calcium-magnesium-zinc, and vitamin d. Make sure the b-complex contains b-12. Feel free to send me an ask or dm me for dosages because some of these will depend on where you live geographically or what food you are eating.

find a protein shake you like. I'm a muscle milk bitch personally, but fairlife, premier, etc, are all good. make sure it isn't a meal replacement shake, and make sure it contains at least 20g of protein. these contain vitamins beyond protein that will help you stay healthy. the protein will also keep you full. i recommend using it as milk in coffee because the coffee will also suppress hunger and act as a mild laxative without harming the bowels. don't take your iron along with this, as dairy will hinder the absorption of iron.

don't take laxatives. you're going to give yourself IBD. maybe once a month as an extra cleanout you can do a little miralax, but the natural route is always better. regularly drink coffee and drink specifically senna green tea, they're both natural laxatives. the metamucil i recommend will also keep you going. if you need a bigger laxative effect, blend a whole peeled and seeded orange, a few inches of peeled fresh ginger, juice from a whole lemon, add a tsp each of cracked black pepper and turmeric, blend with coconut water until it's a thin smoothie consistency. drink that, you'll be good.

the best thing you can do for yourself is hide your behaviors behind health food gym girlie orthorexic behaviors. nobody takes orthorexia seriously and they encourage those behaviors. you can cut out whatever the hell you want if you're crunchy and healthy about it.

don't go too crazy about it. old tips would tell you to act like you loved food and it's really obvious. being obsessed with food and cooking is weird and obvious. don't talk about food constantly and make it your whole personality to try to hide, it's bizarre and one of the signs they tell parents to look out for. you have to be nonchalant. food is whatever. you like it, you have favorite meals, but you get tired of tastes quickly, you're picky about textures, you don't like it once it gets cold, etc. it's just fuel and it's meaningless to you. you eat for your health, not for pleasure.

high impact workouts like HIIT and running may not be the best idea. some studies show that high impact exercise stimulates hunger hormones in some individuals. pilates, ballet, and yoga are low impact, high results, and give a very desirable aesthetic. they're also quiet and can be done with a yoga mat and maybe a theraband.

get a job. get a hobby. join a sport. being out of your house as much as possible gives you the largest opportunity for excuses. oh my job catered lunch, oh there were snacks at practice, oh so and so brought something to the knitting circle. this can also be an opportunity to earn or save money (or swindle your mom out of cash by obtaining money for concessions at games and then only getting a diet coke)

if you control your own food, maximize your nutrition. salmon, tuna, sardines. kale, chard, spinach. beans, lentils. berries. protein pasta. pasture raised eggs. the fancy filtered fairlife milk. your body will hold out so much longer if you're keeping it fueled with proper vitamins and minerals.

track your food using cronometer - if someone sees it on your phone and asks, you have a perfect built-in excuse. oh, you don't care about the calories, but it tracks vitamin and mineral intake, and you're trying to make sure you're getting enough of those because you have, say, an iron deficiency or you're worried you're not getting enough omega-3s.

anorexic hair is really obvious. it's from malnutrition and stress. absolutely ensure you're getting enough omega-3s and other fats in your diet (avocados, eggs, oily fish, nuts like walnuts) to avoid the anorexia hair and the sallow, dry skin. this is also why i insist you take vitamin d, iron, vitamin c, a b-complex, and a pre-natal with folate and dha, those will also protect your hair and skin health. also make sure you're trimming dead ends, get a deep conditioner and/or bond repair treatment, do scalp massages, and if it does fall out, start using a mousse for volume and get a cut to maximize volume to hide it.

keep up your oral, skin, and nail health, too. these can also be obvious indicators. if you're taking the vitamins and keeping to the foods i'm recommending, it'll help, but make sure you're brushing and flossing, use the nasty brown listerine, a good dry skin lotion like curel, and a nail oil. keep your nails short if they start peeling, but if they're peeling, you need to take more vitamin d and iron, or you could have celiac disease.

there's no such thing as a broken metabolism, and you can't boost or slow down your metabolism. those are myths. the only way to make your bmr higher is to have more muscle.

extra tip: if you start fainting, tell people you have or think you have POTS. work smarter not harder.

[beloveds-embrace]

🕸️ anon back on my shit:

(can be read a poly! 141)

the thing about the 141 is that they know how to take care of each other so well, but their individual versions of self care are not meeting any normal persons standards.

sitting with john in his office, just sharing space together, doing paperwork together, reading while he goes through files, organizing the piles he leaves on his desk. slowly making his office a bit more homey, getting a better chair that supports his back, changing out the lightbulbs bc fluorescent lighting gives the worst headaches, clearing out one of the deep drawers at the bottom of his desk, somehow fitting in a thick blanket and a fair sized pillow for his (but mostly your) use on those long nights, gifting him a pair of blue light glasses since you can see the way his brows furrow when he stares at the screen.

doing skincare with simon because that mask has to cause some hellish kind of dry skin and irritation and overall discomfort on his face and neck…and you can’t help but laugh when he’s got a sheet mask on or eye masks, his under eyes have to be suffering with all of that black liner smudged all over. slowly stocking his bathroom cabinet with moisturizers, face washes, sheet masks, eye masks, hand creams so so much more because maybe if he sees them every time he opens the cabinet to grab a something from the first aid kit, he’ll actually get to using what you’ve bought him (and — though it was originally reluctantly — he doesn’t want you to feel bad the next time you open the cabinet and see everything is the same way you left it, so he uses what you get him, and he never manages to run out of anything)

spending time with kyle and drawing together. sketching each other, the base, the rest of the 141, the trees, the sky, the sunset, all the places you want to go but never been, all the places you’ve been but never want to go again. perching in utterly insane places, spying on the rest of your team together, drawing them existing, content, sharing drawings and giggling together at the faces you capture. sharing earbuds and playing soft music, helping each other disconnect from the chaos of the day. buying a small tin set of watercolors and a paper pad to be be tucked into a pocket on his vest so that he won’t spend the trips to and from missions staring into space

lying on johnny’s floor gaming with him every once and a while, keeping your reactions sharp and timely with something that isn’t shooting a target or going for each others throats in a spar, making sure restless energy that can’t be spent running or fighting or shooting gets out somehow. yelling at the screen, screeching and shoving and smiling at one another while slamming the controller buttons unreasonably hard. buying him a game or two he mentioned so that the two of you can play after getting back from missions, keeping his games, controllers, and console organized and as clean as you can because johnny’s version of clean and yours are two very different things (and you just know he’ll end up tripping over the wires he leaves sticking out or spilling something and then he’ll pout and then have nowhere to put that restless energy and—)

cooking for all of them. buying good cookware to store in the tiny shared kitchenette, stocking the spice cabinet, getting actual plates instead of the flimsy paper dishes that have seen better days and utensils that can hold hefty bites of food and won’t snap in anyone’s grasp, making sure you note what foods they like, what snacks they reach for often, what recipes they favor the most, keeping a recipe book for all their favorites (and yours too). making three times the portion that the recipes call for because it can never hurt to have more food than less, and let’s be real, these men would be going feral for food that isn’t from the mess and also satisfies them. they don’t have to worry about eating too much bc there’s so damn much if it, all the time. actually looking forward for the later times of the day because it means a warm, fulfilling mean alongside the people they’ve come to care about, made by someone they’ve gotten so lucky to have at their side. making a pocket of home and finding peace in the job that offers neither.

[sunseed-fandump]

I saw your tarot analyses, do you have one for the reading in episode 7, the one Fortune Teller Cookie gives the gang in the inn?

*Cracks knuckles*

Alright, first one is a card everyone recognizes, because it's symbolism was used repeatedly throughout both episodes 7 and 8.

XVI - The Tower. Upright, it represents disaster, destruction, upheaval, trauma, sudden change, and chaos.

"The Tower represents change in the most radical and momentous sense. It is for this reason that the card itself visually looks so unnerving. But it doesn't necessarily have to be truly frightening or ominous. Because at the heart of this card, its message is foundational, groundbreaking change.

The kind of event that the Tower card marks does not have to be something terrible, like a disaster or a great loss. Change itself is a normal part of life that one has to embrace. But it can sometimes strike fear, for it means that we must abandon the truths that we have known prior to this event. The old ways are no longer useful, and you must find another set of beliefs, values and processes to take their place."

Next in the lineup seems to be VI - The Lovers. It stands for love, unions, partnerships, relationships, choices, romance, balance, and unity.

"The primary meaning within the Lovers is harmony, attractiveness, and perfection in a relationship. The trust and the unity that the lovers have gives each of them confidence and strength, empowering the other. The bond that they have created is very strong, and it can indicate that the two are joined in marriage, and other close and intimate relationships.

Another meaning behind the lovers card is the concept of choice - a choice between things that are opposing and mutually exclusive. This could be a dilemma that you need to think about carefully and make the best decision for your situation.

A more personal Lovers meaning that can apply to individuals is the development of your own personal belief systems, regardless of what are the societal norms. This is one of the times when you figure out what you are going to stand for, and what your philosophy in life will truly be. You must start making up your mind about what you find important and unimportant in your life. You should be as true to yourself as you can be, so you will be genuine and authentic to the people who are around you."

Now this last one really stumped me, as the symbolism doesn't seem to be too consistent with common depictions I'm familiar with. Then I remembered that these are Shadow Milk-ified Tarots that are supposed to be ominous looking. And then I also remembered that in some depictions of XIX - The Sun, the sun itself is drawn with a single massive eye. And I highly doubt an emo like Truthless Recluse would have a card depicting a happy sunny day in his deck. So we're going to continue assuming this is supposed to be The Sun. If I wind up being wrong, I'll just make an amendment later.

Upright, The Sun represents happiness, success, optimism, vitality, joy, confidence, happiness, and truth.

"The Sun card represents success, abundance, and radiance. Like the sun itself, it gives strength and vitality to all those that are lucky enough to feel its rays. There is much joy and happiness that is coming to you.

Because of your own personal fulfillment, you provide others with inspiration and joy as well. People are drawn to you because they are capable of seeing the warm and beautiful energy which you bring into their lives. You are also in a position in which you are capable of sharing your qualities as well as achievements with other people. You radiate love and affection towards those you care about the most."

All together, this could be seen as one big summary of PV's arc in this story. His emotional spiral, the choice he has to make between embracing despair or fighting through it, followed by his eventual Awakening. But then, what about what TR wrote while giving this reading?

Despite the optimism of the last card, I think TR - and by extension PV... Doubted himself. After all, when presented with a choice, it's always possible to make the wrong decision. And perhaps he was trying to spare himself the need to even make that choice in the first place with this warning. At this point, the Awakening hadn't happened yet, and TR hadn't seen the final outcome of that choice. He hadn't seen his Awakened self.

He's so very happy at the end that he wound up making the right one.

[flawseer]

What's your opinion of what everyone did after the sealing of Darkstalker in the legends book? It just seemed way too quick with how they just moved on from the horrors, as Fathom and Indigo had kids and Clearsight flew off to a new continent to have kids with and create a whole new tribe. On another note, considering how Fathom was kind of banished (from what I remember) and had kids split off from the Royal Family, do you think there may be a descendant of Fathom somewhere hiding with Animus powers? Or do you think they just ended up being adopted back into the royal family after being discovered?

I personally consider Legends: Darkstalker the best book in the series, in part because I believe Sutherland's writing shines when she is not binding herself to the 5 books arc structure.

That said, the ending does have a bit of that one particular prequel problem. You know, the one where the characters are confirmed to be at a certain location in the future, so they absolutely HAVE to end the prequel story getting to that location IMMEDIATELY.

That's what I was thinking with regards to Clearsight's ending. Now, everyone deals with trauma differently, so I can only comment on her actions from my own limited point of view. I don't think I could have done what she did, at least not so suddenly. She had relationships beyond Darkstalker, with Listener and her parents, whom she presumably was still on good terms with. Like, especially her parents I think never actually learned what happened to her. They might have continued living thinking their only daughter died in the evacuation.

When I think of that part of the book, I personally like to envision an epilogue where Clearsight returns to her parents and lives with the Nightwings for a while (a couple years maybe). Her parents are supportive and Listener is grateful and admires her friend for saving her family. So much so that she reverses her stance on futuresight and authors a scroll about it, crediting Clearsight as a master prophet (this is the scroll that Moonwatcher later reads).

But the other Nightwings still fear Darkstalker, and they remember his girlfriend who stood on stage with him and looked at him adoringly as Darkstalker massacred his own father (they don't know she was tricking Darkstalker). So there is public tension building at Clearsight living with them, and it begins to negatively impact the people who support her. In the end, Clearsight decides to leave the tribe, both to protect her loved ones from getting caught up in her fallout and to separate herself from all that trauma and find her fortune on the new continent.

Notably, she actually tells her friends and parents about that plan this time, and they don't spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened.

As for Fathom and any potential descendants, there is a 'realistic but boring' answer, and one that is a bit more interesting narratively.

The boring answer is that, yes, there are descendants of Fathom around. Lots of them. It is inevitable. If you take an individual and step back one generation, you find they will have 2 parents. Above that they have 4 grandparents. Then 8 great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents. At 10 generations back we are looking at 1024 theoretical ancestors. Now as these numbers get bigger, some of these lines will cross-breed with each other again, so the math isn't entirely clean, but just trust me that these numbers balloon really fast the more generations you go back.

Fathom was alive 2000 years ago. If we lean conservatively and say the average dragon has eggs at age 20, that means 100 generations have come and gone from then to today. The number of ancestors over this many generations is so high, you might pick any Seawing currently alive in present day and there will be a very decent chance of them having Fathom somewhere in their bloodline.

You go back far enough and everyone starts to be related to everyone else. Ancestry is funny like that.

For the more narratively interesting answer: I do believe Fathom re-integrated into the royal family again. One thing that needs to be kept in mind is that Pearl, like her brother, also had her entire life uprooted by the Royal Seawing Massacre. She was all at once dealing with the shock of losing her parents and the stress of having to now run the entire kingdom without being prepared for it at all. There was no time to process any grief, or the lingering fear. When she sent her brother away and forbade him to have children, that wasn't an act of malice, it was the only solution she could think of to keep everyone safe from the future threat of magic without also having to execute the last part of her family.

Neither of them ever had any ill will against the other. Pearl was dealt the shittiest of hands and she tried to make the best play she could at the time, while desperately trying to keep herself together. That is what I think.

As Pearl and Fathom got older and the situation in the Sea Kingdom stabilized, Pearl might have finally been able to reflect upon what happened and to process some of her neglected emotional turmoil. I believe Fathom eventually reached out again and they both found a way to reconcile, mending their fractured relationship. I don't know if Fathom moved back into the palace; perhaps he chose to stay away to keep the rest of the populace at ease. But I think his children or grand-children would eventually re-integrate into the royal family.

This turned out a bit wordy and the question was sitting in my inbox for a good while. But I hope this provides an interesting answer.

[starryeyedstray]

happy (late) valentine's day!!! the dbh crew are all dressed up and equipped with terrible pick-up lines for the dbh vday card exchange event!

you probably saw these all posted individually, but i'm reposting them altogether because i think they all just look so neat sitting side-by-side (and i may have intentionally matched some specific people in specific colors wearing specific outfits bc we out here shipping specific ships)

og posts are linked below in case you want to see me ramble about them connor | fire markus | luther | artist markus | north pink markus | sixty | john | nines | gavin

thank you for everyone who participated in my event!!!! you are all wonderful and amazing <3333 check out the event tag #dbh vday exchange 2025 to see all the cards!!!

sappy ramblings below the cut

i am feeling very emotional right now because of all the love being thrown around in the fandom the past few days!!!

seeing mutuals trading vday cards and being sappy and kind to each other. seeing everyone hype the flood of art. seeing people who weren't able to participate in the exchange event make their own valentine cards. me personally just receiving so much positivity for my vday art.

AHHH makes me wanna cry and i just wanna say thank you!!! everyone who is in my bubble of the dbh fandom has been so kind and supportive and i just appreciate y'all so much!!! i love being part of this fandom and meeting so many kind and creative and funny and just overall fantastic people.

thank you again for everyone who participated in my silly little impromptu event!!!! i hope we can do this again next year <333

[ezrasxfics]

looking at me

valentine’s day fic

-

abstragedy

-

3rd person

the circus grounds seemed to stretch on out for miles, though this was just an illusion, as in reality, it was a small environment - essentially a prison. one with too many overwhelming, saturated colours, akin to that of a children’s show. within this circus, there was a cast of characters, all equally exhausted with the energy and antics of their ringmaster: caine. though one individual was more vocal about this than the rest, zooble. it was almost like they found joy in being as moody as possible. well, except when it came to gangle, their best (and only) friend. she was a lot more timid than them, often letting jax walk all over her. zooble wouldn’t ever hesitate in helping her out, though. right now, the two were in zooble’s room, an array of colourful limbs that the two were sorting through was scattered on the floor. each one was more strange than the last, if that were even possible.

“how about this one, zooble?” gangle asks, holding up a striped arm, orange and black. she was helping them pick parts to spend the day wearing, as it was proving a very difficult task for them. they took the part, trying it on and contemplating for a few seconds before replying:

“yeah. this feels alright. kinda matches.” they say, bottom eyelids moving up to form a ‘smile’. “thanks for that. i don’t think i’ve ever seen this part before - nice to actually try something new for once, i guess.”

gangle returns the smile with her own, a genuine, soft one. every time zooble looked at her in that way, she got a fluttery feeling in her stomach, ‘cheeks’ dusted with pink. she broke eye contact, looking down at the floor to avoid their gaze. she had loved them for a long time, basically ever since she met them. they just.. made her feel comfortable in a way nobody else could. they were honest, they were genuine, they were kind - three of the things she valued most in a person. and on top of all that, they were really cool. they stood up for her, they were so good at art, they didn’t care what anyone thinks.

eventually, she speaks up.

“..zooble..?”

“mmhmm?” they seemed quite distracted with something, but the sound of her voice immediately took their whole attention, ready to hear what she wanted to say. their eyes were no longer half-lidded, but rather wide and soft, welcoming, friendly.

“i.. uhm.. i think- i think i’m in love with you..? i know this is sudden, but i’ve felt like this for a long time and i just have to tell you because it feels wrong to lie to you and-“

“gangle-“

“-and i just think you’re amazing— you’re perfect, you’re so kind, you look amazing, you’re everything i’ve ever wanted- and if you don’t want to be my friend anymore because of this, i’d completely understand—“

“gangle—“

“—because i’d feel the same..! i wouldn’t want a best friend who loves me like that—“

suddenly, a hand covered her mouth, gentle and caring.

“gangle— if you’d give me chance to speak- look, i love you too. so stop doubting yourself. just.. this is a lot.. i never thought— nevermind. i love you, okay..? i don’t think i look ama- i love you. i’m just new to this, okay? i’ve never been someone’s.. partner. i’m inexperienced. do you really want this?”

gangle didn’t hesitate for even a moment, nodding her head rapidly. she was so entirely overjoyed. the thought of zooble loving her back almost too good to be true. there was no way, she just had to be dreaming. even so, she was going to let her enjoy every second, even if she was convinced it was just a figment of her imagination.

she found herself climbing into their arms, wrapping her ribbons around their body, letting her eyes flutter closed in pure bliss as they ran their thumb in circles on her ‘hand’. there was no need for words in this moment, the silence speaking on its own - saying that the two were perfectly comfortable with each other, and they were all they needed.

after a while of the silent bliss, gangle spoke up again.

“i love you.”

“i love you too.”

-

hope you enjoyed!!! sorry this isn’t a request - i was feeling self indulgent for valentine’s day!! sigh i’m lonely/j

reblogs appreciated!!

[babybearnation]

esteban (alpha), mick (alpha) and lance (omega) with reader (omega)

(either poly or individual i do not mind :) )

- 🥄

why not both!?

gn!omega!reader

alpha!esteban ocon:

very protective over you, especially after he started getting waves of hate thrown his way, simply for existing

despite being protective, he isn't possessive - you are your own person, after all, and just because he's your mate, that doesn't mean he gets to control you and your actions

treats every day with you like he's still courting you - genuinely, he's the sweetest alpha ever, the best you could ask for

races his heart out for you but never pushes himself too far - he doesn't want to get hurt because he knows how much that'd ruin you

convinced you build the best nests even if your nests are just two of his jackets and a plushie - they're perfect to him because you made them

speaking of plushies - definitely gets you a custom made plushie that is imbued with his scent so, when you can't accompany him to races, you'll still have something to remind you of him

alpha!mick schumacher:

refuses to let you get into situations that are too dangerous not because he thinks you're incapable but because he worries about you a lot

much like esteban, mick isn't possessive at all, in fact he's very soft and sweet and he knows you're mated to him so why act all over the top, insane alpha with you?

everyone can tell that you two are in love because, whenever you're around, his scent turns so sweet and addictive

knows that, no matter what happens, you'll still be his biggest fan and for that he tries his best to give you the world

even though he's an alpha, mick actually loves building nests and will always offer to help you make one any time

loves scenting you and often does it without meaning to because he's too busy taking in your own scent to realise he's smothering you in his

omega!lance stroll:

an omega x omega pairing is very rare so that, coupled with all the hate lance gets, makes lance very protective over you and he does not care what people think

super possessive but only around unfamiliar alphas or alphas he dislikes because he worries you'll be swayed by their supposed ~alpha charms~ and leave him for one of them

your two sweet omega scents bounce off of and amplify each other so much that you're banned from the paddock unless one or both of you smothers yourselves in scent blockers

doesn't care about anyone else's opinion of him as long as you keep him happy and loved, and you do!

building nests is a team effort for you two - he can be chill and lazy sometimes but never when it comes to nests for you two

even though he can't get scentdrunk off of you because you're an omega, he's convinced that if he tries hard enough, he'll succeed, and that leads to him having his face in your scent glands 24/7

polyamorous!esteban/mick/lance:

two alphas and two omegas? heats and ruts are the easiest thing ever and the four of you are so happy together that no one can get in between you

you've got a whole big bundle of protectiveness and the smallest dash of possessiveness here - you all take care of each other in equal measures because balance is important

your combined scents are very potent and therefore you have to wear scent blockers when in the various different paddocks but when you're at home, the four of you stink up the place without care

if any of you need an opinion on something, the other three will happily provide their thoughts and give feedback - communication is very key for you four

you and lance are in charge of the nests but you really love it when mick and esteban help out too because they feel that much more homely when you work at them as a four

its not uncommon for you or lance to end up scentdrunk because your two alphas accidentally smothered you in their scent - they always take care of you when it happens though

© all rights to babybearnation 2025.

[theblasianwitch]

@creatingblackcharacters Is currently hosting an event for Black History Month. And I for one am so for it!!

Please have a look if you'd like to learn more about their challenge and participate

Not sure who to tag as I'm not sure how many people I know on here are artists or writers, but if you make things of any kind you can still participate. @crazycatsiren @thecomfywriter @venusrrvelez

For my contribution (the word feels wrong but my brain doesn't know what word to use at the moment): Szar Rei Ra, Jay Benu, Anthony Benu, Bora, Fiona Ra, and Xana.

In my series "Different Yet Same" I have many characters of varrying backgrounds. Everyone's background, upbringing, family history, and culture are as diverse as they are. I'm going to describe all of them, but put certain emphasis on one's I feel embody Black History and have something to offer in terms of being more culturally sensitive and understanding.

Szar Rei Ra is the main male character in my story. Without spoiling too much, he is a descendant of the Egyptian God Ra and has a heart for the people that was noticed and taken advantage of. Realizing and breaking away from that leads him into making a community of diverse individuals to help him with his role as an important figure for the future of the world on a whole.

Fiona Ra is Szar's older sister who was quite literally bound to the body and whims of a man via a curse placed by their older brother. She was released once the old patriarchal system was destroyed and is now trying to live life and use her divinity to help others while recovering from her trauma.

Jay and Anthony Benu are a married gay couple. Jay is from Libya and Anthony is from a secret society deep within West Africa. The creatures they are are based off of are from various African mythology but would be recognized, I hope, by my future readers from certain pop media of the 2000s where these creatures were white washed and Asian coated. The creatures they are heavily impact their outlook on life as Jay is more protective and pessimistic and Anthony is a symbol of life, prosperity and safety and is very optimistic. They serve as a hidden Easter egg to educate others on the origins and true nature of the creatures they are.

Bora is an intersex demi god who's upbringing led them to isolate themselves from society. In my second book they are forced to face the fact that they are one of the few gods on earth allowed to actually do anything for the people who have and still are suffering from the African Slave Trade and African Diaspora. The second book is very heavy on humanity suffering the consequences of their actions via divine intervention and having to come to terms with what they do and a need to change.

Xana is a North African bouda, a hyena shifter of African folklore and mythology, sometimes called a werehyena. Her story is part of the second book as well. Hyenas are a very female led and dominate species so her character and her people are used to show the determination and strength of Black women and just how much women do for society. Her people are one of the few matriarchal societies throughout the series.

I do hope people give my story the chance when it's first book is released in April. As a mixed race person who has suffered from all ends of my spectrum it serves to show just how connected we all are and to remind people of the humanity that exists within all of us. "There is nothing in this world that humanity hasn't done to another human." That is a quote that has stayed with me throughout my life as it is repeated quite a lot by my mother whenever injustice happens. World history, TRUE world history proves that and shows why so many people seem afraid of another set of people. Fear drives people more than anything, but we should not need to fear each other because we all bleed red; we all live on the same earth; we all are capable of the same emotions and therefore capable of both love and hate. All my life I've chosen love and only suffer from those who don't.

[gomzdrawfr]

Cash and Strawberries

♡︎ sugar daddy!Price x sugar baby!Raven ♡︎ unconventional sugar daddy/baby dynamic, slow burn, mutual pining, eventual smut...no promises part 1 ⋆ Valentine's Special (you're here) ⋆ part 2 ⋆ part 3

February 14th. The day where love is in the air, a day she wouldn’t have given much thought to if it had been any other time. But as she looked at the calendar and watched the date approach, her heart compelled her to move.

The day before Valentine’s day, she had gone and picked out the best strawberries she could find, the good kind. The ones sold separately in the local farm market instead of the prepackaged ones, so she could handpick each one individually herself. She could only hope the various videos of cooking moms on youtube, reddit posts and food blogs were right about picking the sweetest strawberries. Dark red, even under the green cap, with a pleasant aroma. The ones that smelled sweet even before she dipped them into smooth, melted dark chocolate.

She had considered white chocolate, but the very thought of seeing and smelling the sickenly sweet scent made her gagged. So here she was, stirring the pot, dipping strawberries, oldies romance playlist playing in the background, feeling way too eager for a silly celebration. 

The process had been frustrating at first. The coating didn’t sit right at time, part of the chocolate in the pot would clump together messily despite the even stirring, and she nearly burnt the first batch. The worst was prying the coated strawberries off the parchment paper because it would ruin the smooth coating.

But she kept at it, stubborn as always.

Hours passed, and she had finally packed them neatly in a cliché heart-shaped box, tied with a special silky white ribbon. She stared at the box, feeling proud and a bit...embarrassed? It was a little out of character for her, sure. But it felt right, it felt….nice. Price had been kind so far, and she really wanted to do something in return. 

Well, it was normal for sugar babies to do things like this, right?

But then his message came, along with a notification for her allowance—more than usual.

Won’t be able to meet today, love. Buy yourself something nice, yeah?

She stared at her phone longer than she should have. A small, aching disappointment settled in her chest. 

Of course, it was bound to happen.

This wasn’t some grand romance. He had been upfront from the start. She knew what this was, what she signed up for.

Despite the way her heart melted when he smiled at her. Despite how she missed the way his palm smoothed over her hair. Despite the way he looked at her, and for the first time in years, she felt genuinely cared for.

She swallowed down the disappointment quickly. 

It’s fine, she thought. Whatever. Got the money anyway. Let’s spend it on whatever the hell I want and just eat the damn strawberries.

She never even opened the box, nor did she went out for the day.

So when the knock at her door came, of course she was startled. It was nearly midnight, Valentine’s day was almost over, and she hadn’t expected anyone. 

She pulled the door open, and there he was. 

Price, standing at her doorstep, panting a bit as if he had just run up the stairs, a crumpled little box in one hand with a flimsy heart-shaped balloon, bobbing slightly with every breath he took. "Sorry, birdie, couldn’t get you much today. All the bloody shops were closed," he grumbled, looking a little sheepish as he handed her the box. The balloon wobbled in the air from his motion and bounced against her head. He exhaled through his nose, muttering something under his breath as he swatted it away, only for it to float right back and hit her cheek this time. With an exaggerated sigh, he grabbed the string in one hand to pull it away and, with the other, ruffled her hair as if to make up for it, giving her a soft, apologetic look before he glared at the balloon like it had personally wronged him. She looked down at the box in her hands. Inside, a slice of chocolate cake, slightly smudged and crushed.

Something sharp and sudden bloomed behind her ribs, bursting passed her lips in a quiet giggle, the ache from earlier swelled up and dissipated with relief so strong that she couldn't hold back her laugh, quiet and a little breathless.

She had spent the whole day moping in her bed, telling herself this was just another thing, another transaction she shouldn't get her hopes up for. And yet, the sight of him before her, all grumpy and winded, fighting a goddamn balloon on her doorstep at nearly midnight, instantly evaporated all those thoughts.

She shouldn’t. She really, really shouldn’t. But she took his sleeve and pulled him into her home, the balloon trailed close behind them like a third wheel.

Now, Price leaned against her cramped kitchen counter, watching in mild amusement and something softer when she pulled the little heart-shaped box from the fridge and set it beside his palm. 

He slowly pulled the ribbon apart, fingers brushing over the fabric as he picked up the faint scent of perfume she had sprayed on it. 

She made something for me.

“They were supposed to look better,” she mumbled, suddenly feeling ridiculous, hyper-aware of how some of the chocolate had melted before this, the once-smooth coating now a little uneven. She cursed herself internally for not putting them in the fridge sooner instead of wasting time sulking.

His voice was quiet, smooth, settling her nerves before they could start. 

"Feed me, darlin'."

She blinked at him, warmth creeping up her neck, but she obliged.

One by one, she picked them and pressed it carefully to his lips, watching as his mouth closed around the berry, his beard brushing her fingertips. His blue eyes focused on her, the corner of his eyes crinkling slightly when he chuckled, especially when bits of chocolate clung to his beard.

God, he was mesmerizing…heartwarming…

Then, he plucked the last one from the box himself, holding it between his teeth before leaning down close—too close—

He gave her a teasing smile, a nudge of his head, arms pulling her closer by her waist, a silent, “take a bite, sweetheart.”

Her breath caught, eyes darting between his and the berry. 

He didn’t move. Didn’t push. Just waited. Thumb brushing against her shirt in circles to support her.

Slowly, hesitantly, she leaned up, and took a bite. 

Their lips barely brushed, and she swore his head tilted to the side more and pulled her closer, as if he was reaching for a kiss—

She pulled back in nervousness, breath shaky and heart thumping loudly, the proximity and the almost kiss made her dizzy as she chewed slowly, staring at his mouth when he crunched the rest of the strawberry and licked his lips clean with his tongue.

That was dangerous. He was dangerous. 

He lifted a thumb, swiping away a stray drop of strawberry juice at the corner of her lips. His fingers lingered for half a second too long.

God, he wanted to kiss her. Maybe she’ll taste just as sweet as the strawberries. 

Soon. He thought to himself as he pulled back, licking his thumb clean before reaching for a tissue, smirking when he caught her flustered expression just as she turned and walked away, mumbling something along the lines of grabbing his coat and walking him back to his car. 

Soon, my birdie.

[wisteria-lodge]

To clarify, I included other peoples’ perspectives because it felt more accurate than just sending you my thoughts about me.

Okay, that's fair. And also a very Bird secondary (or Bird secondary model, in your case) thing to so. Giving me more "objective" data.

I often think of myself as cold, awkward, and a mess but I’ve been informed repeatedly that’s not true.

I will agree that it doesn't seem true, going from the anecdotes you've shared about your life. I'm going to say that this particular string of adjectives points more to a Burnt secondary - you don't feel immoral, stressed, or lost (more the sign of a burnt primary.) All of is is language about how you doubt your ability to problem-solve and exist in the world.

This could be because I still feel corroded by the childhood trauma, like there’s something tainted in me. That’s why I’m so bad at self-care. I care for people that I value and cherish, but I’m not one of them (I’m working on it.)  

Good. I mean, Loyalist who kicks themself out of the group is a whole specific thing in this system. Very Tony Stark (Snake Lion.) I am still tentatively liking Badger secondary for you. I'm wondering if you might like my Sally (Nightmare Before Christmas) sorting. She's got a Badger secondary that's been sort of 'poisoned' by her particular situation, she's built a 'safer' Bird secondary to live in.

It's interesting that you read me as prioritizing groups because I don’t really think of relationships that way. I prefer seeing friends 1-1 or in small groups where everyone’s individually friends with each other (as seen in my perfect day). But even then, I view the friendships as separate, overlapping connections, not as a group I’m loyal to. I’ve had friend groups fall apart, but it was fine because I stayed friends with the couple people I was close to. It’s nice hanging out with a group in this new city, but I’m more focused on developing individual friendships with a handful of people. 

Oh that's very, very interesting. Because now you're sounding a lot more Snake, and I'm wondering if that's it - you're a very expansive Snake. I mean I just brought up Tony Stark, and that's his entire deal.

When I’m stuck about a decision and talking to friends, I go separately to different people. But I usually know what I want. I didn’t question the opportunity I moved for, for example. Years ago, I did something similar, moving across the country where I didn’t know anyone. Back then, I felt trapped and had the chance to work on a political cause I cared a lot about. It was a way to make a difference and do what felt right, but it also made me feel alive. 

And then you will just drop in something that feels very classic Lion: Political cause, going at it alone, 'felt right' 'I know what I want.'

I was vague about my people for length, but in the interest of details: I care deeply about many friends—and love my cat more than almost anything—but my most important people are my little sibling, a college friend, and 2 friends from my old city (3 out of the 4 are badger secondaries, the other is a bird.) I used to think my college friend was the closest one could get to the platonic ideal of a person, but thankfully I’ve grown out of putting people on pedestals.

Oh that's very, very young Snake.

I will say it sounds like you have an unusually large inner circle for a Snake... but the way you think about them, and feel about them - yeah it's Snake, not Badger. And you know, if a Snake primary's People are safe and doing well... they will often model one of the other primaries over the top. This definitely sounds like it could be the case with you and Lion.

I wasn’t doing it deliberately, but I did know I acted differently around my lion secondary ex! Their fun energy was one of the reasons I liked them. And I wouldn’t care if a friend applied for that workshop scholarship, even if wasn’t strictly speaking necessary.

Yeah, you're not a Badger primary. That mirroring still sounds pretty Badger secondary though.

I didn’t because applying would’ve said I needed it and that’s misrepresenting myself (No clue why that matters so much.) But morality can differ; everyone weighs choices against their own conscience.

Hmmm. Identity angst like "misrepresenting myself" does often go with Lion primaries. Lying isn't an issue (if you view it as purely a problem-solving thing, which it sounds like you do.) But presenting *yourself* falsely is annoying to an Internal primary, because your inner self is the truest 'true' there is.

Frankly, I’m jealous of my snake primary friend because she’s not as rigid or worried about these things. 

And now I'm thinking you might be a Snake primary yourself! It's absolutely a thing to be jealous of people who share your sorting, but generally only if you aren't able to express that sorting yourself. Like if you're Burnt, for instance. But... you don't really seem Burnt? You talk about friends, you talk about going to them with problems, you seem to have a large, intact circle, which I wouldn't expect from a Burnt Snake....

Except... maybe you're almost like, stealth Burnt. You do say things like "People can hurt you, or they can leave, or change. Or you could leave them, or hurt them, or make a bad decision on who to trust. It just seems so precarious and vulnerable" which is pure Burnt Snake. You also talk about running solo across the country to follow Idealistic causes, in a way that you don't consider to be 100% healthy ("I know it’s not healthy to be consumed by a Purpose but I want to be.") And I have SEEN Burnt Snakes do this. People aren't safe, so model Lion and lock onto a Cause. (Lions do the inverse: Causes aren't safe, so lock onto a Person.)

I’d never considered being a badger primary before. Community is important, it’s good to help people, I’d help a stranger or an acquaintance if I easily could— but I wouldn’t feel guilty saying no. When I no longer loved my ex, I stopped feeling like I had to help her. I was also younger then. These days, I have fairly good boundaries with people. Nonexistent boundaries at my old job, but that was also tied up in the political cause. I’m still recovering from the burnout; friends said for years that I should leave but I ignored them until I couldn’t. I’m not involved in the cause anymore, but now I can prioritize my art. Maybe I’ll go back eventually, but I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would. 

Yeah, okay. I'm kinda liking Burnt Snake with a Lion model for you. (And your Snake Primary was at one point much more Burnt than it is now.) The Lion, the focus on political causes, it's a coping mechanism that turned unhealthy (which, sure, could point to a Badger on another person, but in that case I would expect more of a focus on either more on the organization, or the people they were helping. "Work until they get pissed about it" isn't really a Badger motto, it's a Lion motto.)

And not to get all 'tell me about your mother' - the inability to trust your family growing up, and the pressure to perform what sounds like a Badger secondary, it is going to make it harder to be vulnerable around the people you love, which is the Snake primary dream.

For my perfect day, I picked a prize because they’re more strategically useful: usually gives more money, can be included in bios, CVs, etc. Bread baking’s also more of an experiment for me than community. I love tweaking and inventing recipes. (My dad taught me how to bake; he can be a bit of a mad scientist with different types of flour.)

Aww yeah, and you're dad's a Bird secondary too. I see it. I enjoy the Bird secondary reasoning behind what sounds like a very cottage-core day.

Bread can also be unpredictable so it’s a little different every time! Cake, on the other hand, is challenging because all the planning is done in advance. It’s harder for me to make small adjustments (or be impulsive) on the fly. 

Little bit of Improvisation secondary energy getting in there? Interesting.

External validation/recognition is nice, but I don’t find it especially motivating. If I feel that I didn’t do a good job, other people liking it doesn’t really sway me.

Evidence of an internal primary (Lion or Snake.)

I’m more motivated by an internal drive, which, uh, hasn’t always worked out well. I did two theses as an undergrad: one for honors for one major, and another for my second major. Literally everyone in my life said I shouldn’t do the honors thesis, but I wanted to, so I did. That was one of the three big burnouts of my life, an ex had to give me an intervention—and if I went back in time, I’d do it again (but try to sleep/eat more).  I also don’t particularly yearn to trust everyone. I’m very private so that sounds uncomfortable. But I do want to be more vulnerable with people I love. I’m open to a point; I can keep even my very favorite people at an emotional arm’s length or isolate from them. Sometimes I think of love as deep water with seemingly no end. I’m working on being more vulnerable in therapy because it’s necessary for the intimacy I both crave and fear. 

Badger and Snake are such an interesting pair, because they are SO similar... but they're also flipped. Badger is External: they want their world to be safe, and to then to be a part of that world. Snake is Internal - they want to feel safe, they almost want to bring their chosen People into them, and make themselves a world that way.

Deep down, I’m still scared of the risk of fully trusting people. It feels like taking off armor and handing them a sharp knife. But that’s the work, to quote my therapist. (Romantic love is still entirely terrifying. I’ve only been in relationships that I knew would probably be temporary. Once, I realized I was falling in love with a close friend and completely panicked because there’s no way that could be casual.)  

This is the internal tragedy of the "fun" Snake character in a lot of media - flitting around, never settling down. Klaus Hargreeves gets into the pain of this, a bit.

Turning to my childhood, yes, I handled most of my problems and organized holidays, but I wasn’t an easy kid. (She loves me because I’m her child but has never really liked me. She tries at least.)

Just that matter-of-fact way you say that is so devastating. It sounds like you've processed it, at least.

I fought with my mom constantly. I’d find ways around my parents’ rules so I wasn’t technically breaking them—or figure out how to break them without getting caught. Concerning the party, I totally could’ve faked being social, that’s why my mom was frustrated. I just was bored and didn’t want to. 

Fighting with parents is just a human thing, but it's more common for someone with Lion in their sorting, either Primary or Secondary. Makes me think you built your fiery Lion primary coping mechanism pretty young, probably as a way to handle your family.

Is that a snake mask? I’m confused about the difference between badger and snake secondary shifting.  I bounce off energy/shift unconsciously because if I try it deliberately, I usually second guess myself, feel like I’m bad at it, then also feel guilty because it feels like the wrong way to do things. I worry I come across as fake, but I’m not. Even when it feels like I lose myself, reacting without thought, I’m still me. 

Okay, wow. If I had this bit all on it's own, I would 100% say that this is a description of Snake secondary shifting, and not Badger secondary mirroring. And I mean, we *know* that you were low-key required to do a Badger secondary thing by your family growing up. Does that mean the Badger is *also* a model, and underneath that is Snake? I mean if that's the case, no wonder you're confused about the difference.

The major difference between the two strategies is that Snakes are more conscious/deliberate about their switching. They will also switch multiple times during an interactions (Badgers usually don't, or at least they don't like to.) Snakes often have a 'face' that they wear for a specific person. Also, sadly, they are more likely to feel guilty about this way of doing things... especially if there's any Badger in their sorting or their environment. @air-in-words has written beautifully about the self-hating tendencies of Badger Snakes specifically.

These were the bits that really made me think Courtier Badger for you:

I can’t do it deliberately though, I overthink. It just…happens. Like I’m bad at flirting if I try but I’ve accidentally hit on people before. There’s been multiple times where I’ve had dinner with a friend and then realized it accidentally turned into a date. I do reflexively adjust to people’s energy around me. It isn’t conscious, but sometimes I shift too much and lose myself in it. I wasn’t doing it deliberately, but I did know I acted differently around my lion secondary ex!

Which is very, very Badger! But now I think I should have focused a little more on that "I overthink." Because that's Burnt secondary language, and specifically Burnt Snake language. You TRY to do it deliberately... but overthink.

Now that I think about it, deliberately shifting is easier around new people because I’m less worried. During that meeting, I was fully pretending I already knew the information. It was an external meeting so I didn’t know much about the person or company. I began by asking questions to learn more but also to stall while I was rapidly googling and putting pieces together with what I already knew. Thankfully this was on Zoom so I could get away with that. If it was in person, I probably still would’ve pretended but said something like “It’s been a bit, I’ll just double check if they updated their system.”

It was stressful but also exhilarating, reminding me of a game I played during a college seminar, where I would see how little of the reading I could do and still participate in class (most of the books were about like white men looking at trees, okay, it could only be so interesting.)

Oh that's EXTREMELY snake secondary. A Badger would not have fun doing that. And that's key, also. Using your secondary feels good, it feels powerful. It sounds like you've been living in your Prep-Work models kind of a lot recently. I'm not surprised they're a bit burnt out.

Describing this as a mask feels too distant from myself; it feels more like switching faces. However, I’ll also bounce off energy instinctively, without meaning to or a plan. 

... almost like you're improvising. This is definitely Snake language. I've definitely heard different Snakes use "mask" and "face." Badgers and Birds talk about their social shifting very differently.

I’m more comfortable being manipulative with language. I’ll make arguments that I know will appeal to the person, I’ll phrase things to match how they think. I’ll strategically leave things out.

Snake secondary.

I can be blunt, but usually only when I’m tired or around friends. 

Snake secondary going into Neutral.

I do over plan, but I also struggle with boring work or consistently working on a big project a little bit at a time. I thought badger secondaries valued diligence? I feel like I’m too restless. Could it be a model?

Again we've got some negative/self deprecating language attached to your prep-work secondaries. Badger secondaries get restless like anyone, but yes they do value diligence, and work for it's own sake. It takes a lot (too much probably) to get a Badger to cut corners, and that doesn't describe you.

The whole “learning how to be good at things, figuring out what situations need, and people liking me”— I do that because it works. It’s easily adaptable and a pleasant way to move through the world. But when I think about what I do for no gain but my own enjoyment, it’s like recreationally lying to Uber drivers. 

I've never heard a more Snake secondary thing in my life. Unless you count my Snake secondary mother, who likes to recreationally talk to MLM recruiters and pretend she's interested. Also that whole "I just do what works thing... you seem in a pretty good place with it right now, but that can be a huge sign of a Burnt secondary. When you're living in it, no type of problem solving is more fun or satisfying than any other. You just do whatever, until the thing gets done.

Anyways, I’m curious to see if this changes or reinforces any of your thoughts! Thank you for the time you’ve spent on my sorting and all your helpful writing on this system.  <3

You had a very interesting one. A lot of models. Here's what I think is going on with you in terms of the system:

You're a Double Snake, but growing up in an environment that wasn't especially conducive to a Double Snake. It didn't feel safe to trust people, and felt safer (and still satisfying) to trust causes instead. So you were a firey intense kid and you built a Lion primary model, and did that until it obviously wasn't working. You also have a snake secondary model, but are definitely conflicted about using it, and use it very sparingly if at all. You prefer to live in your Prepwork models (and you've got a lot of important Bird and Badger secondaries in their life, it is very common for Snakes to build models 'for' or at least inspired by the people around them.) The Badger seems... comfortable, and the Bird seems like a fun toy. However they both seem a little charred from overuse, at the present time.

I hope very much that you can find a way to relax back into both your Snake primary and your snake secondary a little more (without feeling guilty about it!) and not have to be putting in all this effort with the rest of your models all the time.

Thank you to R for such an excellent follow-up! If you'd like a Sorting of your very own, commissions are open on my ko-fi. :D

badger primary + badger secondary (slightly burnt-out bird secondary)

unBurning snake primary (lion model) + burnt snake secondary (badger model) (bird model)

 Hi, Wisteria! I’d love to get your perspective on my primary/secondary; it feels like I’ve been going in circles. This got so long omg, but hopefully it has everything you need. My guess would be that I’m a lion primary or snake primary (maybe burned?).

Interesting. Because Burned primaries... especially Burned internal primaries... often come across as an unhappy version of something else. Or else they think they're an *unsuccessful version* of something else. I'll keep an eye on that.

For secondary….not lion probably? I feel like I don’t really ~get~ lion secondaries, but they’re charmingly incomprehensible and have fun energy to bounce off of. This might be why I’ve dated multiple lion secondaries. An ex of mine once said that I was much more playful and sillier around them than with other people.

I'm wondering if you might be a Badger secondary. Courtier badgers can kind of unconsciously "bounce" off other people's energy like that, and the fact you didn't notice the change taking place, it had to be pointed out to you, makes me thinking that the shifting probably is unconscious.

I have a lot of Opinions about the proper/moral way to act in the world and they can be rigid (funny enough, lying isn’t on that list). I also tend to make most decisions into moral questions.

Oh that's some Bird primary energy right there. You're mentioning a list (even as a joke, even in passing) and you're talking about your Series of Opinions Which Answer Moral Questions, rather than "being passionate" or "being stubborn" or just listing me some of your positions... which would be the more Lion-flavored thing to do.

And not finding lying inherently morally objectionable - that's just a pretty standard utilitarian thing. I think that was John Stewart Mill's thing, it's only the purpose of the lie that's important.

Once I wanted to take a writing workshop that was kind of expensive. But I didn’t apply for one of the scholarships because I technically could afford the class, even though it was a stretch. Intellectually, I knew that it would’ve been fine but applying for the scholarship would’ve felt wrong.

Hm. The scholarship would have helped but it wasn't necessary... so you felt bad about taking away from someone who needed it more? That's sounding a bit like Badger primary need-basing to me. Badger? Badger-flavored Paragon Lion primary? I see what you're saying about Lion vs Bird though: intellectually knowing that something is probably fine, but not doing it because it just Feels Wrong is certainly Lion.

Things feeling “right” is so important to me. When I’m making a hard decision, I’ll make pro/con lists and talk it over with friends, but I’m always keeping an eye on my own gut feeling. It’s helpful when a friend suggests an option and my gut goes “NO”. Like, scratch that off the list! 

I mean, Birds *can* use their gut as decision-making factor. But because this anecdote is about problem solving strategies, it goes in the Secondary category. And this is pretty darn Badger secondary, using the group as such an important part of your problem solving strategy.

Normally I’d say something about wanting to try and make the world better but all I want to do right now is sit quietly and make art. That’s the burn out though.

That's a pretty idealist primary answer. But also... one you don't feel 100% great about, going by that caveat about "burn out." Starting to see why you think you might be specifically a Burnt Lion.

I’m usually fairly intense; a coworker once compared me to that army charging down the hill in the Narnia movie. 

That could honestly be any secondary, but what has me interested is that this is the second time you've used the words of someone outside of you (your ex, your coworker) to define yourself. Which is more of an external primary thing (Bird or Badger.)

(I framed it above as “making the world better” and that is something I really care about, but honestly, part of it is that I like winning.)

I mean, no one likes losing. And "making the world better"... like what person wouldn't say that? They'd all just have different ideas of what that meant.

Describing a fantasy feels overwhelming, my gut instinct is to say “feeling free” but that’s not concrete.

(correct :)

I guess my perfect day would be waking up early, getting lost in an art project for hours while bread bakes, going for a walk by the ocean, meeting up with friends for brunch, wandering around with them, getting the news that I won a prize for my art, having dinner with some other friends, and then going home to call a long-distance friend, read a book, and fall asleep cuddling my cat. 

Three separate outings with friends in one day! :D So what I'm getting from this is that community is really, REALLY important to you. Your perfect day involves meeting two groups of friends, catching up with a long distance friend (presumably someone who's harder to keep in touch with, so chatting with them is itself a bit of a fantasy in itself.) And then you win a prize, ie - you are recognized by the community for your art. Also fresh bread specifically is such a shareable baked good... and none of this is problem solving. I'm wondering if you might be a Badger primary, just going by how much community has been weighted in this ask so far.

One of my friends suggested that I might be a snake primary

And to keep count, this is the third time you are defining yourself with the words of someone in one of your communities.

because I value loyalty and friendship so highly. Most of my happiest moments, when I felt the safest, were being around close friends.

You use a lot of collective nouns, which is a trick I use to divide Snakes from Badgers (because of course, they're both Loyalists.) You've used the word "friends" five times. With Snakes I hear a lot more "my partner" "my sister" "my best friend."

I definitely rank people in my life, and I don’t feel bad about prioritizing my favorites over others.

Badgers do prioritize the people they like slightly more. Badgers are *people,* and people have preferences. But they are also very aware of who has the most *need.* Like that writing workshop scholarship: you didn't need it the most, and so you felt bad about taking it. I bet you would have felt equally bad if one of your friends who also didn't exactly need it applied.

However, I’m really, really bad at basic self-care (we’re talking “eating regular meals” and “getting enough sleep.”)

I mean, this can be evidence of all sorts of things I am not qualified to diagnose over the internet... but having trouble with self-care is something that Badgers historically struggle with. a lot.

(and something that Snakes, even Burned Snakes, don't really have a problem with.)

Also, I recently moved away from most of my friends for an incredible opportunity. I miss them, but I never seriously considered not going. 

I'm going to take a guess that this new opportunity involves a group of some kind. I mean, clearly you have a lot of different groups of friends, which is fantastic.

A different friend, who is a snake primary, pointed out that I always need some cause or project. I do tend to get caught up in things and vanish for a couple months but always reappear eventually.

That's interesting. Because so far, when you've talked about a cause or project, the the recognition/other people involved seems kind of key. You like "winning": It's "I won a prize for my art" not "I sold a piece." And that's amazing, that's a great way to keep up energy and motivation. It just means you've probably got an External primary. (Bird or Badger.)

I know it’s not healthy to be consumed by a Purpose but I want to be.

Going from the tone of this ask, you seem a very upbeat, lively, dynamic person. Except when you're talking about these Idealist causes. Then it goes from "my happiest moments, when I felt the safest, were being around close friends" to "I know I'll burn out" and "it's not healthy." Where is all that coming from?

It feels stabilizing, invigorating—and safer than centering people. I even get stressed about how much I love my cat. People can hurt you, or they can leave, or change. Or you could leave them, or hurt them, or make a bad decision on who to trust. It just seems so precarious and vulnerable. I’ve had a hard time my entire life opening up to people -

I'm just going to point out, that I've written a bunch of these, and objectively... it sure seems like you've opened up to a LOT of people during your life. Now, maybe that's not as many people as you would ideally like, but that's also kinda a Badger primary thing. In a perfect world, a Badger primary would like to be able trust everyone. But when doing that doesn't feel safe... then the Badger primary burns a little. And, Burned Loyalists have a way of looking like stressed-out Idealists. (the same way that Burned Idealists will look like stressed-out Loyalists.)

I'm honestly not getting much Burnt Badger energy from you though. Maybe like, a light toasting. On your bad days.

- or letting myself need them.

There we go. I mean partially, yes having trouble needing other people is a human thing. But Badgers primaries are so, so much happier being needed and useful themselves than the other way around. (It's why they tend to have boundary issues.)

I’ve cut friends out before and didn’t feel bad about it because they hurt people and didn’t take responsibility for their actions—

Sounds like they hurt the group? Which is a very Badger primary way of thinking about it, and a good example of Badger primary opt-out loyalty, versus Snape primary opt-in loyalty. A Badger will say 'I will care about you until you do xyz' while a Snake will say 'I won't care about you until you do xyz.'

but none of them were in my inner circle. On the other hand, I had a hard time setting up boundaries with an ex because I loved her and she needed help.

Boundary issues. Need-basing. (Badger)

(I used to wonder if she was a good person who sometimes did selfish things or a selfish person who was capable of great kindness. Eventually I decided the question was reductive and didn’t matter.)

I think you're right about that. I suspect we are all both, at different times.

My family is….complicated. I was the kid who had to be okay.

Ooof, I hear that.

Like, I started to organize the holiday cooking/baking schedules when I was a teenager. When I was a child, I went through some trauma that I kept hidden from everyone, including my parents, because, like, why would I tell an adult? What could they do? I was a mess, but learned how to seem like I was fine. I read my parents’ child psychology books so I could tell when they were using things from them on me. 

Yeah, this is brutal. It'd be brutal for anyone, but especially brutal for a Double Badger, which I suspect you are. You're describing a situation where, very young, your community just was not safe. It couldn't help you, or protect you, it was even trying to "trick" you (with child psychology methods.) And in that situation, what do you do? Well, you're a child so you go Invisible Badger, where your identity just /is/ whatever the group needs. And apparently... your family needed an easy kid who planned holiday get togethers.

My dad’s a double bird.

Maybe *that's* where some of your Birdy language is coming from.

My mom’s either a badger secondary or has a badger secondary model (maybe actor bird?). She has a very obvious Socializing Mode and it used to frustrate her that I didn’t follow suit. She once told me before a party “you’re charming when you want to be, so please want to” (the year before, I had brought my history textbook to this party so I could look studious and get out of talking to people). 

That is both very relatable, and has a number of potential causes. (I have a very hard time at a lot of holiday parties, I find them very overstimulating, and will absolutely find ways/excuses to tuck myself away for a little bit.)

Your mom strikes me as more an Actor Bird than a Courtier Badger. She just has this 'Social Mode' setting which she can just turn on, even if (presumably) she's not feeling it that day. And she thinks that you do too... but I think you might be wired differently. And that's the Courtier Badger thing: in the moment, you have to authentically /become/ the thing, or it doesn't work.

For years, I thought I was a bird secondary. I love systems, I love knowing things, I love having something in my back pocket. I even used to have a system to determine which color of heart emoji to text (it was based on the closeness of the friend and the level of affection expressed).

That's adorable. And honestly, very useful-sounding.

I find roles comforting. I used to do costuming for theater and I still pick out my own outfits like I’m dressing a character, paying attention to what mood/vibe it communicates.

All of that sounds extremely Bird secondary. I will say though... it sounds like you had to build a model to survive your childhood, you had to "learn how to seem like I was fine." Bird is the most common model to build (especially if your dad is right there as a model.)

The issue is I like roles until they feel restricting or boring or I’m annoyed and feel like causing problems on purpose. As a kid, I was fairly mischievous. I convinced this kid in my class that I had a treehouse in my backyard where two Dalmatians lived, just for the fun of it. 

That feeling of getting "stuck" in a role is absolutely something Actor Birds struggle with. This, and the example near the beginning about getting more Liony with your Lion friends, makes me think that what you really like is having the opportunity to bounce off other people's energy. I get that. It's what I'm doing right now.

Sometimes I find my plans and elaborate systems claustrophobic. I automatically reach for them when I’m feeling anxious, but do they actually help?

Sounds like your Bird model functions as coping mechanism. I mean it's also a toy that you like to play with, yes, with your costumes and your systems. But it doesn't sound like it's necessarily something that you want to live in.

But I don’t know how else to tackle problems.

I mean, I'm hearing that you like to reach out to your friends, and then have quiet periods where you just buckle up and do your own thing.

(I think that your Bird model is just a little bit... burnt out. You've been using it so much that it feels like a chore, and that's where a lot of this burnt secondary language is coming from.)

Still, planning can absolutely trip me up. Some of my most successful moments came from just reacting.

Courtier Badger (or Snake. And I guess a very social snake /is/ possible. But Snake secondaries, and especially Badger Snakes, have a way of being either a little more deliberate (or a little more *guilty*) when it comes their face-changing.)

I can’t do it deliberately though, I overthink. It just…happens. Like I’m bad at flirting if I try but I’ve accidentally hit on people before. There’s been multiple times where I’ve had dinner with a friend and then realized it accidentally turned into a date.

Yep. Relatable. Badger secondaries (and not just me) often talk about getting into a "flow" state where you're completely in tune with the other person, reflecting them or bouncing off them. Sometimes you're not even sure how you got to a certain place, and have to come back down.

Sometimes I’ll do things instinctively and then have to backtrack to explain my reasoning to others (when explaining how to filter information in a database, “vibes” is apparently an insufficient answer).

I feel the same way about editing. I *love* editing, and I am aware that at this point I edit based on "vibes." Like yes, I'm sure I could think about it and logically explain my choices, but that's not what the process in my head looks like.

If there’s nothing I can bounce off of or if I don’t know how to read a situation, I freeze up. 

This is why Badger is a Prep-Work secondary, even though Badger secondaries are not generally comforted by very elaborate plans the way that Birds are. You get better the more you know about a situation and the people who are involved with that situation.

I don’t think that I’m a badger secondary.

Interesting. :) Let's hear the reasoning.

I do work a lot, but it’s not in a consistent, methodical way. My phone lock screen used to say “Work until they get pissed about it.” Lately though, I’ve been wondering if this burn-out inducing work ethic actually leads to success. I’ve achieved things through sheer effort but

I'm wondering how much of this "methodical" work ethic is you over-using your Bird secondary a little bit. Too many charts, too much planning. I'm wondering if maybe your dad was like that... and maybe it worked for him, but it sounds like a chore for you.

it feels like I’ve gotten where I am more by learning how to be good at things, figuring out what situations need, and people liking me. 

That is a straightforward description of a Badger secondary. ESPECIALLY the 'figuring out what a situation needs' and 'people liking me.'

I do reflexively adjust to people’s energy around me. It isn’t conscious, but sometimes I shift too much and lose myself in it.

SO. BADGER. When I shift too much, I can have almost a slight hangover feeling afterwards.

Like, I’m so focused on the moment that I’m not thinking about a longer term strategy. 

Badger. (But you are prepping. Because you're learning.)

Shifting does feels like I’m fooling people a little. Improving my way through a meeting at work instead of being prepared ahead of time feels like I’m getting away with something or cheating.

Nope. That's the Bird secondary in your head talking.

Still, it comes in handy. I once was in a meeting about something I vaguely knew how to do, but it turned out that it was actually about this very technical aspect that I didn’t have experience in. So, as I was talking around the issue, I was googling and speed reading. 

See, this where I think Badgers actually do shine. Because yeah, you didn't know the specific topic. But you knew the other people there, you knew the company, you knew what was needed, and so I bet you were value added, even just keeping the energy up.

I really want to be this super organized, steady person but I’m just not. I’m mercurial, easily bored, and so restless.

It sounds like what works best for you is friends, and play, and that's something that can kind of go missing from your life. But you like you love your job, you're good at your job. And I think you need to give yourself (and your Bird secondary model) a break.

But I think I do need a routine? My old job was intense and I was constantly on call. Now I’m in a new job that is more predictable and has very flexible hours. I can go grocery shopping any day of the week and it’s overwhelming. I don’t know how to be structured without feeling stifled. 

Going from a job where you are constantly on call to one with flexible hours is just going to be an adjustment, no matter what. You've also just recently moved, and are presumably building up your community in this new place. I think you're going to be just fine. The fact that the job is predictable will help, the fact that you're working with other people will help.

Thank you for your time! Hope you have a good day!

You are very, very welcome. <3

Thank you to R for such an excellent submission. If you'd like a Sorting of your very own, commissions are open on my ko-fi. :D

If you'd like to read more about the system I'm using, my explanation is right here.

[crystalkleure]

I think this isn’t widely known. The desire to explore dark topics and grisly situations in fiction doesn’t necessarily come from the desire to partake in those things in real life, and frustration at the inability to do so.

It actually often comes from the exact opposite. It comes from fear.

It comes from the fear of potentially eventually being faced with those horrifying things in person. By exploring them in fiction, a person is allowed to plan out how to navigate the distressing situations without actually being in them. They are able to construct an intricate, detailed, horrible scenario, which allows them to grasp an understanding of it and thus subsequently puzzle out what can then be done to deal with it. Closely examining all the gory details of a gory situation, laying them out like a blueprint [or a map], is in fact crucial for then cathartically deconstructing and subverting it. Their subconscious is trying to figure out how to protect them from something that has been identified as a potential threat.

Humans are afraid of things we don’t understand. We are hardwired to fear the unknown, it’s a basic survival instinct. So, therefore, the key to fearing something less is to understand it more. Dissecting it, researching it extensively, and, often, fantasizing about it -- imagining what you would do to stay safe from it and/or brace yourself for it if you were hypothetically unfortunately ever actually faced with it, are cathartic behaviours.

Because it’s fiction, the methodology is not always realistic though, because it doesn’t have to be. A person who fears death might write about a character being brutally murdered, but then continuing to exist in some sort of afterlife. It’s still a case of “examine this horrifying situation and figure out how to make it fine,” it’s just that rather than “figure out how to avoid death in the first place,” the soothing “it’s fine” outcome the writer is exploring is “death is maybe not actually that bad.”

A person who is terrified of abduction might also write about a character who befriends or seduces their abductors and is thus unharmed by them. This is unrealistic, and is thus arguably pretty useless for the subconscious purpose of making the person actually better prepared for potential abduction IRL, but it is still successful at quelling their fear of it. And if their fear is irrational in the first place, they have no logical reason to think they WILL be abducted IRL, there’s really no need to be realistic about how to deal with it then -- they just needed some anxiety abatement.

Someone who is afraid of vampires might pretend to be one, attracted to the logic of “If I am this Powerful Thing myself, I can stand my ground against the other Powerful Things!”

Someone who is afraid of, I don’t know, vomiting [emetophobia is actually one of the most common phobias], might even develop a sexual fetish for vomit, because fear and horniness actually can’t coexist. Your brain can’t be in Fuck Mode and Fight Or Flight Mode at the same time. Monkey Brain says fucking’s gotta wait until you’re safe, because you’re vulnerable when you’re getting it on, so as a result of that, Monkey Brain assumes you must be safe if you’re in Fuck Mode. This is probably why you see so much porn of horror media monsters; someone can trick themself out of being afraid of something by figuring out how to be horny about it instead. The Horny overrides the Anxiety.

Fantasizing about how to outright avoid something scary is one Anxiety Countermeasure, but fantasizing about how to gain control of a scary situation -- and thus take its power away -- is also very common, and can manifest in many different ways due to the specificity of each individual person, and each individual hypothetical situation being examined. Planning on how to cope with a stressful situation may even be more healthy than trying to avoid it outright forever, in some cases. The two mental tactics might also coexist, like a Plan A and Plan B. Our brains are very messy and complicated.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

So like I've been having a really serious internal conversation about this with myself and @luulapants let me know if I'm distracting from rather than adding to here, I'll happily budge over to another post.

There's this debate that rolls through the activist community every few years about "changing the system from within" and whether or not it's a useful approach. I have always had a REALLY hard time with this conversation for reasons that are hard to convey to others but I'm gonna try here:

It is absolutely not debateable that systems change and dictate the actions of the individuals operating it, regardless of their praxis or moral approach because the literal function of systems like this is to muffle the variations and standard deviations across a societal need area, for better and for worse. You cannot change a system from within because internally these systems are stagnant and atrophying relics of "stability" implemented overtop a world of immeasurable and uncontrollable variables

Most people who are accused of "wanting to change the system from within" are being assigned a strawman, not an honest reading of their motivation and praxis. I know this because *I* get accused of doing this all the time and I have absolutely NEVER attempted to institute systemic change from the inside of the system, even on the rare occasions my action was strictly legislative or judicial. There is, for MANY OF US a difference between "this system will continue to exist with or without me until it is forced to change by external factors, and in the meantime real human beings are still depending on this system to survive, and I genuinely do not believe it is reasonable to ask us to abandon them as casualties of the system while we restrict out action from the outside. This is where multi-prong movements that were affiliated and loosely coordinated while operating in entirely different spheres of friction and resistance (aka diversity of tactics) comes in. For my classic example, you can see the voting rights activists over the 1800s and 1900s splitting organizations into militants, congressional relationships, community organization, and Martyrs. While these groups were rarely formally affiliated, the people in them knew each other, often shared strategy with each other, and acted of not in coordination than at least in awareness of what the other prongs of the movement were doing.

The question of whether or not "changing the system from the inside" is feasible is the WRONG question. The right question is "what do we do about the fact that, regardless of what you as an individual may believe about the role of these governing and authoritative bodies (I believe some not great things folks!), almost every single person living here has a loved one who is dependent on the functioning of these systems, or is dependent on those systems themselves. When they are attacked, what are the material implications for those under whom it creates a floor (whether with aid, employment, programs/"supports", etc)?"

What is the benefit and to whom of people in activism spaces deciding that anyone who is still affiliated with/employed by the federal government is an ideological traitor and doesn't deserve inclusion in or access to spaces of solidarity?

It is very important to me that I continue to do what I have always done and care for/support the people I am able to in the ways I am able to, and a far more pervasive amount of that than I think young activists may realize does include the apocraphyl lesbian who worked for Bush senior when he was considering banning queers from federal employment who told him "me and many other extremely important staffers will be removed if you do this", and we got Don't Ask Don't Tell instead. Was DADT good?? Fuck no. But the fed was GOING to hurt us some how. The queers "on the inside" were able to shift and transmute that harm, and the queers "on the outside" were able to challenge it and exentually end it.

I don't know that I have a point here and I certainly don't think I'm the grand arbiter of technique and strategy here but like.

My goal is to keep as many people alive as I can for as long as possible. Why does it feel like some folks chose the goal "be the most moral all the time without taking the time to understand the moral/ethical dilemmas actually being faced"?

Some of you are falling hard for the Trump/Musk anti-federal worker propaganda. I think part of the problem is that a lot of people genuinely don't know how the federal government works, so here's an overview on the intended and current state of the so-called fourth branch of government, the federal bureaucracy:

Executive agencies are considered to be within the executive branch, officially, but can only be created, disbanded, funded, and have new leadership appointed through congressional approval. Well, in theory that is.

The majority of staff in federal agencies are called "career staff" who are nonpolitical civil servants who do every kind of work you can imagine, from IT to accounting to scientific field work to livestock inspections to nursing at VA hospitals. They do not, typically, change from one administration to the next, which is essential to ensure the government is able to continue functioning without interruption. These individuals of course can and do hold their own political opinions, but there are stringent rules on how, when, and where they can express them. It is arguably the most racially diverse workforce in the country. Many are veterans, and many are disabled.

Each agency is headed by a political office appointed by the president and confirmed by Congress. This includes a Secretary or Administrator and all of their hand-picked office staff, who are called "politicals." However, even before Congress confirms the president's nominee, the president can appoint an interim leader with no approval, who has essentially all the same powers but can't hold the position for very long. In short, even in those offices where a leader has not been confirmed by Congress, they are being led by Trump appointees.

When Trump makes an Executive Order, those orders are immediately dispensed through the executive agencies, who must abide by the letter of the order. I saw someone say NPS was "complying in advance" by taking the T off LGBT, but these changes were made across all agencies in direct response to Trump's "Defending Women" order. Any career who did not follow this order would have immediately been fired with cause, no unemployment eligibility, and in the current environment we also know their position would be permanently dissolved.

This is what we're dealing with right now. Trump (and his puppet master Musk) do not have the authority to dissolve government agencies, but they are trying to gut them, harassing careers and making the public turn against them, conducting illegal firings, threatening them into resigning. When people leave, their positions will disappear. Their intent is to diminish the staff until the agencies are non-functional. That's why careers are picking their battles. We're holding on by our fingernails to keep federal agencies alive and functioning. We're in the midst of a hostile takeover, a literal coup of the US government.

Yes, it's awful the T was removed on the website. We don't want this. But I promise that is small potatoes compared to the other battles being fought. I have trans coworkers being forced back to the office and they don't know what bathroom they can use. Our personal information is being leaked to hate groups. Careers are getting threats and spam to their work and personal emails. Most of us expect to be illegally fired. Soon. Last week was the largest layoff in American history, and it's just the beginning.

Please support federal workers. We are under attack.