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saturnianprincess · 2 years ago

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Jupiter in Taurus

Jupiter is finally in Taurus, now is the time when all those fast paced decisions and rewards with Aries energy will be solidified and made more permanent.

A/N: I am so excited because it is my Jupiter return which will happen in a week! Usually a Jupiter Return starts with things working against you in order to align you to your destined path.

Here is my short analysis on how transit Jupiter influences you based on the house its stationed in your chart. Please note this is just a general theme, situations may change due to Natal and other transit aspects.

-> Do not copy/plagiarize my work <-

1st House

Major glow up, feeling more encouraged to try out new things to change your appearance etc. Channeling a lot of self-love energy and focusing on self development.

2nd House

Lots of financial gains and benefits. You may even spend more on some luxury products or make significant investments. Your surrounding aesthetics and style may change.

3rd House

Your communication and speech will become more profound and you may read and write a lot of spiritual and enlightening stuff. Possibly reconnecting with your school friends, siblings and childhood friends.

4th House

You may either out of home or relocate. Familial bonds which don’t serve you anymore may either break or get better. You will feel more connected to your roots and feel inclined to learn more about your ancestral heritage.

5th House

You will want to have fun and truly romanticizing your life. You will get into a serious romantic relationship and/or meet your soul family. Creativity will be at its zenith during this period. Lots of opportunities and doors opening up for you.

6th House

Lots of new changes to your daily routine, health and dietary habits. Will get improvements in aspects related to job and money. Your productivity levels will be higher than usual so be sure to care for your mental health.

7th House

Your existing relationships will get much stronger and reach a new level of commitment such as marriage, living with your S.O. also possibly relocating depending on other aspects. You will also have favorable outcomes when it comes to legal/business matters.

8th House

Major spiritual awakening. You may feel very enlightened and focus on soul-searching. Getting into occult and esoteric practices. Lots of shadow work and healing yourself. Learning to be more intimate and vulnerable with your partner/yourself. Major Karmic cycles ending for you.

9th House

You may want to pursue higher education or learn something new. You may tend to question beliefs and traditions you were taught. Your optimism and outlook on life is unmatched. You can settle abroad or migrate for work/studies. Lots of traveling in general and meeting foreigners.

10th House

Rise in career and social status. You may work or meet very impactful and powerful people. You will gain recognition for your hard-work and achievements.

11th House

A very social year! Joining a friend group or being part of a large community. Can meet your platonic soulmates/soul tribe.

12th House

Spiritual transformation and massive change of your own beliefs. Connecting to your higher self. Betrayals and hidden enemies coming to light but in a more of blessing in disguise.

▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️

©️saturnianprincess 2023 | Pictures from Pinterest

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#tarot community #astrology community #pari writes🍄#jupiter #planetary transits #jupiter transit #astrological houses #taurus #aries #jupiter in taurus

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dailycharacteroption · 4 months ago

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Menagerie Manager (Starfinder Archetype)

(art by CazadorR on DeviantArt)

I’ve talked about them before in previous entries, but I do like the solution that starfinder came up with for creature companions, not only providing efficient rules so that anyone can make use of them, but making it so easy to create your own, which let you create any sort of alien critter (and can absolutely be used as a sneaky back-end way to formulate the price of robots for player purchase, for those annoyed that construct creation and price was something never directly addressed).

Anything from familiars to robot guardians to ferocious tamed battlebeasts are all on the table here, but perhaps one last frustration is that one cannot have more than one beloved critter buddy.

…That is, unless you take the menagerie manager archetype!

Contrary to the name, characters with this archetype need not be zookeepers or any sort of professional animal handlers (though they absolutely can be). Instead, all that is really required is a nearly empathic knack for raising, training, and caring for multiple said companions without neglect, and what’s more, they’re simply better at it than other trainers, teaching their pets more tricks and how to act more independently yet loyally much more quickly.

But fret not, GMs, they don’t bring multiple beasts into combat at once. Rather, they train many beasts and companions for a variety of scenarios, and we’ll see exactly how below!

Starting out, these trainers learn the basics of training mounts, combat companions, or simply having a pet squox. Furthermore, their talent for raising multiple pets becomes immediately apparent, though obviously they only bring one of them out into the field at any time, the rest being stored somewhere such as on a ship or their home domicile or base.

Later on, their mastery of companions or mounts increases, and they can push them to move just a little bit faster.

Many companions are chosen for their adorable appearance and demeanor, and others for their fearsomeness, and some for a bit of both depending on what is emphasized or who you ask. With a bit of coaching, these masters can have their pets emphasize adorable or menacing behaviors to aid their master in diplomacy or intimidation, respectively.

Later on, their mastery of their pets improves, and the loyal companions learn how to drag their master to safety if they lose consciousness. (or at least protect their body).

At their zenith, they become true virtuosos of commanding their pets, and not only will they drag them to safety, but they also can retrieve an item for their master so that it is in their hand when they regain consciousness for any reason.

If you love the creature companion rules like I do and want a way to have many that you can switch between, this archetype is right up your alley! Remember that creature companions, unlike companions from Pathfinder, do require financial investment to level up, so at least some of your character’s budget is going to be focused on upgrading the companions that you use a lot. Beyond that, companion choices vary a lot in what they are good at, so consider what your character needs for different situations, such as small, sneaky companions for infiltration work, big strong ones for close combat, and so on. As for class choice, any of them can work out nicely, from the envoy operative with multiple cute but functional pets, to the mystic focused on being a far-future druid, to the mechanic with far many more robotic companions than just one drone, to the combat class with a loyal beast companion as either hunting aid or combat beast, and even various other casters sporting magical familiars.

If you’re going to have multiple companion creatures, it only makes sense to give every single one their own personality, quirks, and more to make them truly characters in their own right, but for some players that may be hard, so there’s no obligation to.

While they were once a beast trainer for the corps, Bulkas is now retired, and spends his time training animals for competitive challenges rather than outright warfare. However, the old hobgoblin still keeps his most loyal pets, which though old and scarred, are just as deadly as ever, much like their master.

The party is on the trail of a hidden jinsul enclave, thwarting their clandestine plans left and right. They’ve successfully proven to be a thorn in the enclave’s commander’s side, but they haven’t managed to catch him yet, especially since every time they see him, he seems to have a new robotic pet armed with deadly weaponry.

Tracing their history to long before interstellar travel was even a dream, the Agyi clan has mastered every single technique of survival and espionage, cultivating the very best shinobi, and later operatives in the entire galaxy. While all partake in at least the basics, some choose to specialize, such the Collar Path, which house masters of using all manner of companions for support on their missions.

#starfinder #archetype #menagerie manager #hobgoblin #jinsul #Starfinder Enhanced

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funishment-time · 1 year ago

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🌠 DANGANRONPA-THEMED CHARITY EVENT FOR TRANS LIFELINE, FAM

From now until the end of 2024, I’m raising money for Trans Lifeline by playing Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony…for the very first time.

And you humans can help with bingo cards (to win prizes).

TOTAL RAISED SO FAR AS OF 1/24: $1006/$2500

>DONATE $5 OR MORE FOR A BINGO CARD<

or learn more about the game by Clicking Through Below!

🌠 About Trans Lifeline:

Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline and microgrants 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.

They also, incidentally, will not contact the cops or emergency services without your consent. Since this is Tumblr, I doubt I need to state the importance of this nonprofit (or that policy).

🌠 About me (Iris Polaris):

I am a polar bear streamer and "VTuber" who specializes in occult, art, and nature content, as well as VNs, sims, RPGs, and survival games, all to learn about you silly primates. Danganronpa is kind-of all of those genres at once. Kind-of.

In the past I've raised about ~$2500 USD across two events. I want to beat that. Just POUND it, y'all. My goal this time around is to raise $2500 USD for Trans Lifeline.

🌠 How to participate:

DONATE. Donate any amount to the Trans Lifeline (minimum $5 USD) here at this event's Tiltify. Leave contact info (an e-mail, Tumblr username, etc) in the comment of the donation or when choosing a reward. NOTE: You must donate thru our Tiltify so I can keep track of the total and contact you.

RECEIVE YOUR CARD. After donating, you will receive a randomized PDF bingo card like this one at your provided e-mail, Tumblr username, etc within 48 hours. Each space on the card represents a prediction I have about v3, a reaction I may have to the characters, etc.

WATCH THE BIWEEKLY-ISH YT VIDEOS. I'll be playing the game offline (i.e. not streamed) with my Manager Bunny. However, every 2-4 weeks, I'll publish a 10 minute or less YouTube video on my account until we finish the game. These videos will be compiled montages of all the spaces participants can mark off that week. These will not be long play videos!

EARN A PRIZE. If you get a bingo, tell me when it happens! Contact me via e-mail ([email protected]), on Twitter (@IrisPolarisEN), on Discord (irispolaris), or here on Tumblr (funishment-time or iris-polaris). All bingo winners get to choose from the prize pool at the end of the event (see below) in order of their wins!

🌠 Prize pool:

For fairness' sake, every bingo winner gets to choose one prize, regardless of how many times they get a bingo. More prizes to be added soon!

DIGITAL PRIZES (UNLIMITED AVAILABLE UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED):

Character-themed phone BG commission: I'll make you a lovely little background for your phone based on existing official art. Examples (1 | 2 | 3).

Character-themed icon commission: I'll make you a lovely little 500x500 icon based on existing official art. Examples (1 | 2 | 3).

250-word general tarot reading: I'll pull a single card for you and give you an overview of what's to come. Here's an example.

Short astrological (zodiac) birthchart: I'll give you a short astrological birthchart that includes your Sun, Moon, and Rising signs. You must provide me your date of birth and location of birth, so don't choose this if you're not comfortable with that! Here's an example.

Bust-up sketch commission by Tane Aspen: 10 available. The wonderful Tane has donated art commissions to the cause! Here's an album of examples.

Bust-up sketch commission by YogurtFluff: 1 available. Darling YogurtFluff (aka Gracie) has donated another art commission to the cause! Here's examples of their art.

Twitch panel set commission by Jar of Rubies Art aka Zenith: 1 available. Are you a streamy streamer? Zenith, who made my own personal Twitch panels and overlays, has donated a commission for a set herself! Here's examples of her work.

Pixel art commission by @🌸 🌿 Faerieko. 1 available. Commission a chibi pixel bust from my dear Mama Faerieko! See a cute EXAMPLE.

PHYSICAL PRIZES (SHIPPING ADDRESS REQUIRED):

Iris-themed sticker set: 5 sets available. Three different ~"3 stickers by Studio Nekomata featuring yours truly.

Fortune-telling Bear patch: 2 available. A ~3" sew-on patch by Studio Nekomata featuring yours truly.

Iris-themed RPG charm: 2 available. A double-sided RPG-inspired charm by Studio Nekomata featuring yours truly.

Fortune-telling Bear charm: 5 available. A ~3" charm of yours truly, readin' the future and all that, with art by @faerieko.

1.5" Kaede & Shuichi buttons by MachineDean: 3 sets of 2 buttons available. Your delightful totally alive protagonists in adorable button form. (Pic)

DR v3-themed stickers by other folks. 2 available of each sticker. Choose three from these designs (album link - better/bigger images coming ASAP).

Please note that the presence of prizes from independent creators does NOT imply that they condone this event. Or even know about it. So don't ask them about stuff.

Donations to the prize pool are welcome, but not necessary. Please contact at me at [email protected] or here on Tumblr (funishment-time or iris-polaris) if you have a piece of merch or service (commissions, graphic design etc) you want to give.

🌠 Goal incentives:

MONODAM LEVEL: $100 raised. Art sketch request stream. Monodam turns me into a sketch robot for a stream. Beep boop bitch. ☑️ ACHIEVED AS OF 9/8, STREAM HELD 11/28

MONOPHANIE LEVEL: $500 raised. Giveaway. Detective Duo poster by Cheer puppy. Monophanie woke up in a good mood, so she's giving away a 16" by 20" poster of our favorite v3 protagonists...or, well, I guess, the only v3 protagonists. (This item will be given away on stream, date TBD.) ☑️ ACHIEVED AS OF 9/9

MONOKID LEVEL: $1000 raised. Danganronpa WWE content. I use whatever wrestling game I can pirate find and custom-make Danganronpa characters y'all vote on. Then we fight 'em. Offline-recorded video series. HOO YEAH!

MONOSUKE LEVEL: $1500 raised. Giveaway. DR1 Steam game key. Monosuke knows the best way to bring in business is to give people stuff. Any kind of stuff. DR1 isn't the game he's in, but like, does it matter? It's free! (This item will be given away on stream, date TBD.)

MONOTARO LEVEL: $2000 raised. Return of the hot sauce stream. Like Monotaro, I'm forgetful. Specifically, I've forgotten how much my previous hot sauce stream hurt me on my birthday. So we're going at it again, new sauces, new pain, date TBD.

MONOKUMA LEVEL: $2500+ raised. 12 hour marathon Summer Camp stream. Fulfill my goal of being the Ultimate Fundraiser and I'll sit and play Danganronpa S Ultimate Summer Camp for 12 hours nonstop. And do all the voices. Puhuhu...huhuhu. (Date TBD.)

MASTERMIND LEVEL: $3000+ raised. Every winner gets an additional prize. Peasants! We have been waiting for oh-so-long! Knock things out of the park and every bingo winner gets to choose an additional prize...and a sample of my famous home cooking! (Home cooking not included.)

🌠 Important dates:

DONATIONS ACCEPTED BEGINNING: August 21st, 2023

VIDEOS/EVENT BEGINS: Sept 9, 2023

VIDEOS/EVENT ENDS: When we're done with the game. Probably no later than December or January. Or maybe much sooner. This is going to take a while, actually. But we'll post about it everywhere (here, Twitter, etc), don't worry.

DONATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL: The event ends. See above. You can get a bingo card up until our last video, which will be announced well in advance (here, Twitter, etc). Note, however, you'll be at a slight disadvantage to choose a prize, as bingo winners get to choose in order of their wins.

🌠 Important links:

Trans Lifeline's website

Our fundraiser Tiltify (donate here! Remember: leave contact info!)

My YouTube channel (the bingo videos go here!)

My Discord, or my Twitter, or my Tumblrs (1 | 2), for updates

🌠 FAQ:

Where can I donate? Via our Tiltify! Include contact info in the comment of your donation if you want a bingo card.

Where can I find updates? You can find updates here on funishment-time or iris-polaris, on my YouTube, on my Twitter, or on my Discord.

Do any donations touch your wallet? Nope. All proceeds go directly to Trans Lifeline via Tiltify. I don't get a cent of it, not even for a second.

Do I have to donate via Tiltify to participate? Yes, sorry. This is the only way I can easily keep track. However, Tiltify accepts any form of currency IIRC.

Can I get a bingo card for a friend? Yes, but you must donate twice (or more), even if it means donating $5 USD each time. I will issue you two (or more) cards, and you can give them out as you wish.

Can I donate without participating in the bingo? Totes. Just ignore all the bingo stuff if you want. But you won't get any cool prizes!

What if, on the bingo card, I see a prediction that I know is true? If, for example, Miu survives the game and you know it, don't mark the space until I get to that point in the game. This means that you do not get a bingo until I get to that point in the game. (Example: if you need the "Miu survives" space to get a bingo, it's not a bingo until I get there. I tried to balance this out by providing spaces about the way I play the game, too.)

Is this really your first time playing v3? Yes. I know like two spoilers (the killer and victim of trial 1, for example) and I understand the characters' personalities from Summer Camp, but I've never played the game.

Isn't it a little weird to play a killing game...game for Trans Lifeline? Yeah, but like, the fandom is super queer anyway so why not.

Are you trans? Sort-of. Queer/genderweird, definitely. Any pronouns are fine. I like to think of my gender as..."bear."

🌠 BINGO VIDEOS SO FAR:

Week 1 (9/8): 5 spaces

Week 2 (9/21): 6 spaces

Week 3 (10/12): 4 spaces

Week 4 (11/12): 2 spaces

Week 5 (1/24): 3 spaces

✨ Thank you for spreading the word...or for participating! ✨

#danganronpa #ndrv3 #ndrv3 killing harmony #danganronpa ndrv3 #charity event #charity #trans lifeline #trans #transgender

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ms-m-astrologer · 6 months ago

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Ms M blows off steam

(And the annual plea for help)

Why, in the 21st Century, do people insist on cultural appropriation? And eco-unfriendly activities?

I have been reading a series of books (each written by a different author) about pagan-based spirituality, aimed at a Western audience (European, USA, Canadian, Australian), and just finished one which recommended working with various non-European deities. People seem to think, “Wow, what a cool practice - I want to do that, too.”

Speaking for just myself: this here 73% German-derived woman, living in the US of A, has no fucking business “borrowing” from other cultures’ pantheons. And if it isn’t your roots, then neither do you.

(I’ve done enough ancestry research to know I’m mostly from southern Germany - around the Black Forest - so when I find deities from that area, that’s where I direct myself. When there’s no equivalent, I use the rest of my Scots-Irish heritage.)

Another recommended the use of glitter for anything/everything - regular glitter qualifies as a microplastic and helps poison Mother Gaia further. No nature-based practitioner should condone such a thing.

(There are eco-friendly brands of glitter, but the author didn’t specifically refer to them - they’re too expensive for yours truly, but if that’s what floats your boat and you can afford it, go for those brands.)

In many pagan-specific books and articles, the astrology is (way) off, but that’s so prevalent I just blip over those parts.

(Example: the “zenith” is when the Sun is directly overhead - “high noon” - every single day, not just on this or that Sabbat.)

It really brings home to me how much our own experiences and our locale have to do with our practice.

+++ === *+=+* === +++

My “day job” is being a paraeducator in the public schools. It’s an hourly, not a salaried, position - which means when I’m not working (like now, in the summer), I don’t get paid. Sometimes I manage to save enough money, over the course of the academic year, to get me through the summer. Other times, I’m not so successful - inflation making food more expensive, unexpected medical bills, etc.

This summer is one of those “other times” - I could use some financial help, please! All this blog’s content is provided free of charge, because I know what it’s like to be unable to afford anything beyond basic survival (and to have to struggle just for that much), and I want to reach as many willing people as possible.

(Yes, I have adult children who could help out, and they’re both traveling pretty extensively/expensively in August - one to Amsterdam, the other to California. Plans are finalized and they’re fiscally unavailable to me in August.)

Two ways to send help:

Venmo @Mary_Brack

Paypal @MaryVBrack

I am really grateful for all of your support and encouragement! If you’re broke, too, don’t worry - just send me good thoughts. “Ms M has more money than she knows what to do with” has a nice vibe to it….

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necromatador · 9 months ago

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Below is some basic info and a drawing of each!

Chesslin Ken'ana; Drow Witch. Originally 4th edition D&D. Was originally searching for her lost half-brother to help free him from inherited slavery, showed up later in a different campaign a few years older and now working on her thesis on genius loci for mage college. Has a white-eyed crow familiar named Valdyn who she dresses in tiny sweatervests.

Luk; City Goblin Cleric. Originally Pathfinder 2e playtest. A goblin from an urban underground nest that was taken over by more violent outsider goblins. Luk ran away and tried to find a group that would help him free his home. He's a cleric of Desna, under her aspects of Luck (haha) and Freedom.

Theodosia "Todd" Sylvaine; Shifter Artificer. Originally 4th edition D&D; actually most notably used in FATE's Wild Blue setting. Became an outcast in her hometown after a jaunt into some fey-cursed woods ended up either revealing her werewolf nature or getting her cursed with it. Joined up with the Blue Wardens originally in an attempt to cure herself, but eventually became a top agent. Also known as Warden Mooneyes, and The Bookworm Werewolf.

Salakesh Marivaldi; Half-Orc Bard. Originally 4e D&D. The "adopted" son of the well-to-do Marivaldi merchant family, he's actually the unfavorite bastard son of Lady Marivaldi and her orc stable-hand. To save face, the family lied about fertility issues and nobly adopting an abandoned half-orc. When their first full son was born, Sal was dumped quickly and painted as a troublemaker. When he grew up he volunteered frequently to go on extended travel as a representative of the family so he could escape his home life. He has a passion for cooking, drinking songs, epic poetry, and zweihanders.

Skree; Aarakocra Monk. Originally 5e D&D. Skree was a famous actor in an equally famous theatre troupe until he made the mistake of angering a nobleman who had him blacklisted. In an effort to save his troupe from financial ruin, he negotiated their names clear as long as he left the city and never came back. He is attempting to make a living as an adventurer. It's harder than it looks.

The Scarred One; Vesk Mystic. Originally Starfinder. As a young Vesk, Scar was trapped in a cave during an avalanche on her snowy homeworld of Vesk-7. While stuck there, suffering from hypothermia and severe frostbite, she swears she saw the secret at the center of the universe: a massive field of black devouring the stars and planets alike with a hunger unmatched and eternally unsated. After her rescue, she developed psychic abilities that she trained to use to her benefit.

Pike Deepfisher; Kalo Operative/Mystic. Originally Starfinder. Born to a pair of famous Kalo fashion designers, Pike spent most of his childhood travelling and sickly until it was discovered that he was dangerously allergic in a chemical used in all rebreather technology on the market. Forced to stay at home under the care of nannies, and especially hurt when his younger sister was born and didn't have the same condition, he developed a bit of an attention-seeking drive that led to a life of crime. Eventually he was caught and hired by the head of a mega-corp called Zenith. By day he's a representative of their new line of rebreathers that he can use! By night he does corporate espionage for them. Also he starts dating the adopted son of the head of the company, a Lashunta named Ace.

T'k Threadborne; Thri-Kreen Monk. Originally 4e D&D. A travelling tailor by trade, T'k is terrified of only two things: being eaten and women. While he's not a powerful fighter, he can hold his own. While he someday wants to settle down and start his own family, he has...reservations at the moment.

Shochraos; Dragonborn Barbarian. Originally 4e D&D. Shochraos, or "Raos" as he prefers to go by, used to be a courier until one day he was attacked in the wilderness between towns by some monstrosity. Left scarred both mentally and physically, Raos struggles now with a berserk fury that rears its head whenever he finds himself in trouble.

Harlan; Hengeyokai Assassin. Originally 4e D&D. An Unseelie assassin, Harlan hates all things Seelie. He was captured on a mission outside the Feywild and experimented on by a crazed mage, who succeeded in turning him into a living Dragonlance. When he killed a dragon that was attacking not long after, it merged with him and became a part of him.

Zeruah; Hengeyokai Witch. Originally 4e D&D. The fortune-teller of a travelling circus of hengeyokai, Zeruah was found and rescued by the troupe's owner: Malachi the ferret hengeyokai. Little does he know that this strange fox escaped from a Fomorian who had enslaved and transplanted a cursed eye into them. They fear ever being caught again, and wear intricate eyepatches to both hide the eye and obscure their location from the Formorian.

Shaward P. Sinsinger; Tiefling Paladin. Originally 4e D&D. An orphaned young tiefling in a largely human town, he is a member of the town guard and a devout follower of the goddess of music and fairness. He can't abide lawlessness, but hasn't really had a chance to get out of his sheltered tiny town and experience the world.

#tabletop games #ttrpg #ttrpg character #tabletop character #ttrpg art

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zenithfinancial0 · 12 days ago

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taperwolf · 2 years ago

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A thrift store find that I didn't buy, because it's more esoteric than even I could manage to use, and I'm trying not to accumulate large useless things:

This is a Muntz Stereo-Pak player. This particular model is the home version; Stereo-Pak was the first prerecorded magnetic tape format for car audio, released in 1962, and a precursor to the 8-track tape. Music came in cartridges, inside of which would be a long loop of 4-track tape; on the tape would be two streams of music, with left and right channels for each.

You're meant to slide your tape cartridge up against the magnetic read head inside, guided by the brass grooves on the top. I haven't read anywhere that there were different sizes of cartridges, but the different lines on the face and the lack of hard guides suggests that to me. Once it's in place, one of the levers on the right flips a rubber pinch roller up to pull the tape past the head, playing back the stereo tracks. The other lever is a switch that pops the tape head between its upper and lower position, so you change it to change which tracks are playing.

(There was prerecorded audio for cars before then, because some loons decided to install phonographs. Chrysler's "Highway Hi-Fi" (1956-'59), for example, played special 16⅔ RPM records. For obvious reasons, there were problems with skipping, and the higher-pressure tone arms that tried to alleviate that wore the records out faster.)

The format and the players were developed for Earl "Madman" Muntz, an LA businessman known for an eccentric public persona and oddball marketing campaigns (inspiring such successors as "Go See Cal" Worthington and the "Crazy Eddie" electronics chain in New York). He started out with used car dealerships but his real love was electronics; he started Muntz TV in 1947, and was the first to sell a TV set for less than $100, new. He was a self-taught electrical engineer, and got his TVs to be so cheap through a technique still today called Muntzing. He'd decided that most engineers were designing conservatively, building redundancies and safety margins into their devices, so when his employees presented him with a prototype, he'd go at it with a pair of wire cutters. He'd start just snipping parts out until the thing stopped working — and then tell the engineer, "Well, I guess you have to put that last part back in."

(His TVs were fine in the cities, where big stations had strong signals, but worked quite poorly out in areas where the signals were weak; the parts he'd remove were the ones that boosted performance out there. This wasn't by accident, though; his target market was the city dweller with limited funds, and Muntz was content to let RCA and Zenith and such have the high performance market.)

Anyway, Muntz TV went bankrupt in 1959 after various hardships, and reorganized without "Madman" at the helm. (You may be able to make out the note under the logo on the player that Muntz Stereo is not affiliated with Muntz TV.). Muntz himself was still managing to do well with cars and consumer electronics, so he decided to combine the two with the Stereo-Pak. He had a great deal of success for a while with it, but it was later outcompeted by the 8-track player (which won economically because it used less tape to store the music and had a simpler mechanism, and became hugely popular once Ford started offering the players preinstalled). Muntz ran the company that put commercial recordings on the tapes, and that led to probably his biggest unforseen financial problem with these. See, there'd be the new big radio hit, the new big famous musical group, and he'd rush their album out to all the dealers — and when the new hotness inevitably became yesterday's news, the dealers would send the unsold tapes back and expect to exchange them, straight across, for the next new big hit.

#vintage technology #madman muntz #muntzing #thrift stores #magnetic tape

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magixfairyix · 24 days ago

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Iarcy BS

Because these two make my little heart happy.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Iorda trying to teach Darcy how to cook]

Iorda: Okay, so you first have to-

Iorda: Are you okay?

Darcy: *crying while cutting an onion* Why the fuck would you have me do this?

Iorda: It's an onion

Darcy: Is it poisonous?

Iorda: No

Darcy: Then why is it killing me?!

Iorda: Something about the chemicals? I think.

Darcy: ...

Iorda: Do you want me to cut the onion?

Darcy: ... yes please

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[The two of them sleeping, but in the middle of the night Darcy is restless due to coming back late from her work on Zenothe so they are hungry af]

Darcy: *slowly gets out of bed*

Iorda: Ugh... You okay?

Darcy: Yes, I'm fine. Sorry I woke you up

Iorda: What time did you get home last night?

Darcy: At 1am I think. I'll be back I'm just going to go over the kitchen quickly

Iorda: *starts to get up* I'm coming with, just a sec

Darcy: Oh no you're not

Iorda: But-

Darcy: *shuts her up with a pillow to the face* No you're not

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Darcy sitting on the couch when she hears a noise]

Darcy: ARE YOU OKAY?

Iorda: *who just walked into a wall* Yeah I'm fine

Darcy: Bitch, you and your spacial awareness

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Iorda waking up early, Darcy still asleep]

Iorda: Rise and shine-

Darcy: No

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[The two of them are watching a movie]

Iorda: Are... you okay?

Darcy: *holding in tears* Uhuh yeah I'm good

Iorda:

Darcy: Okay, what?

Iorda: It was a rat

Darcy: ...

Iorda: *smirking* A rat died and you-

Darcy: *trying not to chuckle* Don't start

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Darcy, who works in some creature preservation stuff on Zenothe with one of the main covens, walking into the apartment with a lump in her jacket]

Iorda: Hey! I-

Darcy: :)

Iorda: Okay what is that?

[Darcy opens her jacket to reveal a create looking like a white and light blue cross between a griffin and a cat, the size of the soccer ball]

Darcy: Our child

Iorda: ... you trust us to raise that thing?

Darcy: I mean, we've kept each other alive for this long

[The creature flutters up to Iorda onto her lap, and snuggles up to her]

Iorda: ...

Iorda, aka, the touch-starved little bitch: *bordering on tears* It's fluffy...

Darcy: So~

Iorda: We're keeping this thing

Darcy: I knew you'd see reason

Iorda: It's name is Ioaekeeau <3 (ero-yay-cee-yuh)

Darcy: ...

Iorda: You know, some of your name in Zenothian and mine in Zenothian merged together? If it sounds horrible, then-

Darcy: *also bordering on tears* No-no it's fine

Iorda: ;o;

Darcy: ;^;

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Ioaekeeau making noise in the middle of the night]

Iorda: *tierd sigh*

Darcy: *tierd grumble*

Iorda: I'm getting up...

Darcy: No. Then it'll learn that it always gets what it wants

Iorda: *fearing that Ioaekeeau is hurt or in danger, due to that lol trauma* But the child...

Darcy: *starts running her hand through Iorda's hair* The child is fine

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[The two of them walking around Zenith or someplace cold]

Darcy: Shit, it's cold

Iorda: Take my jacket

Darcy: No, you need it

Iorda: Bitch, I grew up in -30 weather, what are you on?

Or, Alternately...

[The two of them walking around Solaria]

Iorda: Ugh, it's warm

Darcy: ;)

Darcy: Well I-

Iorda: Make that joke again in public and I'm taking full custody of Ioaekeeau

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[During a regular day]

Iorda: Hey, poison can't kill us, right?

Darcy: I mean, we can still feel the effects, but yeah. Why?

[Camera pans to them filming a YouTube video]

Iorda: This is Iorda and Darcy! And here we have the most poisonous snake!

Darcy: With no anti-venom!

[Later, when they've somehow gotten to 20 million subscribers]

Icy *kicks down thier door:* WTF HAVE YOU TWO BEEN DOING?

Darcy: Thriving financially using the gifts we have been given

Icy: Darcy, you can't just-

Iorda: Oh no, it was my idea

Icy: ...

Icy: What?

Iorda: >:)

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Darcy sneaking around doing secret romantic date planning things, and Iorda has no idea where she is]

Iorda, to the Winx: Have any of you seen-

Iorda: Actually

Iorda: Why do I bother?

Iorda, to Icy and Stormy: Have you two seen Darcy?

Icy: No

Stormy: Nope

Musa: Why'd you ask them-

Iorda: Because after all the times you guys "haven't seen" Darcy during battles I doubt your answer would be reliable

Bloom: Rude

Tecna: ... but true

Stella: TECNA

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Darcy/Iorda, Icy/Bloom, and Stormy/Musa at Pride on Earth. They're all vibing, but some asshole starts yelling things and curisng]

Darcy: I'm gonna kill him...

Iorda: No. You will not

Darcy: I could

Iorda: I'm not bailing you out of jail

Stormy: I mean, she has nat 20 charisma so I doubt she'll get caught

Iorda: Not helping *rests head on Darcy's shoulder* Just ignore the thoughts of murder, and enjoy this, okay? <3

Darcy: Ugh, fine <3

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

[Meanwhile, Iorda having a fight with Alyssa, a student at Alfea. Who has been rude to her after Iorda went from fairy to a witch, and after she killed a Council Member while possessed]

Alyssa: Honestly, you two are perfect for each other. Two practically insane witches who don't deserve anything in life except death-

Iorda: ... wtf did you just say?

Alyssa: You and your little girlfriend might as well be better off dead-

[Iorda steps forward and grabs Alyssa's wrist, glaring]

Iorda: You can say all you want about me, Alyssa. But say another thing about Darcy like that, and we are going to have a problem. I have dealt with far worse than you, so don't pretend I can't deal with a little egotist who doesn't know her place.

Alyssa: ...

Iorda: Am I clear?

Alyssa: Fine

[Iorda lets go of her wrist and walks away]

Alyssa: Fucking insane...

Iorda: *turns around* You don't know the half of it

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

#winx club #winx club fanfiction #winx darcy #winx

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dxrkenedheights · 6 months ago

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Ranström Family & Info

--- Maternal Side

Lars Eriksson (1918-2003) & Hanna Svensson (1920 - 2005)

The Eriksson’s were a long standing name within the Maritime shipping industry in Sweden, Lars inheriting the company at just 20 years old when both his parents and older brother died within a house fire.

He married Hanna Svensson, a witch who’s family were heavily involved within supernatural medicine, study and alchemy.

They had several children together, none of who’s records now exist except for Greta Eriksson.

Greta Eriksson (1939 - Present) & Karl Nilsson (1937 - Present)

Greta was born and raised in Sweden, and met Karl in Los Angeles in the 50s. The Nilsson's were involved within the entertainment industry at the time and Karl was a manager.

Greta transitioned from alchemy studies and became an actress.

She suffered from mental health issues due to the abuse from her mother and father.

They were married and had three children, Agneta, Olin and Hugo.

They retired in Sweden and have lived there since the late 90s.

Olin and Hugo: Olin joined the air force at eighteen and is now estranged from the family. He now lives in Washington D.C with his wife and children. Hugo was an eratic party-goer, often disappearing for months. He is also estranged from the family, last known to be in San Francisco.

Agneta Nilsson (1964 - Present) & Olaf Ranström (1963 - Present)

Both Agneta and Olaf were born in New York City and into the entertainment industry.

Agneta was pursuing a career within acting when she met Olaf, who was working as a manager at his family owned company Zenith Entertainment.

They were married quickly, and had three children. Nina, Felix and Jakob.

Agneta's career in acting ended prematurely and she now is COO of Zenith Entertainment and Olaf is CEO.

--- Paternal Side

Johan Ranström (1918 - 2006) and Elsa Adel (1922 - 2010)

Johan was born in Sweden but his parents moved to New York City when he was young, using their financial prowess to begin their venture within the entertainment industry in the 1920s.

The Ranström's began Zenith Entertainment and established Radio City Music Hall in 1932.

Esla hailed from a prominent family of witches in Sweden who worked within finance. She was young when she met Johan, and her pregnancy saw them married under arrangement.

She was only 15 when she gave birth to their son Gustav.

Gustav Ranström (1937 - 2020) & Anna Adolphson (1941 - Present)

Gustav was born and raised in New York City, while Anna Adolphson was born and raised in Sweden. The Adpholson name was influential within the publishing industry.

Through this, Gustav and Anna met and were later married. They had three children, Olaf, Sven and Elisa.

Their marriage was not a happy one, especially with Gustav's alcoholism and violent nature.

Anna moved back to Sweden while her children were still young, leaving them with their father in New York City.

Sven & Elisa: For many years, both Sven and Elisa worked within Zenith Entertainment but when it came for their father to retire, they were muscled out of any running for the position of CEO by Olaf. Since, relationships with them have been strained. Elisa moved to Los Angeles, and Sven moved to Chicago.

#agnetaranstrom.muse #Updated Ranstrom shit #I love doing this HAHA

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posttexasstressdisorder · 1 year ago

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About That Radio Thing...

A Sort-of MasterPost in Zenith Mid-Century Industrial Design

Every once in awhile I get bitter about what I had thought was gonna be my "happy fun retirement project", because I ended up having to give them all up. I took a lot of really good photos of them in the process of selling them on eBay for literal pennies compared to the dollars I'd spent on them. So at least there's the pictures, and the knowledge.

I'm talkin' about my radios. Radio, real AM Radio used to be so incredible, before it became hate-radio. It was how I heard EVERYTHING first!

The year is 1971. I'm a musical-obsessive 12 year old and hearing Lennon's "Power To The People" come over the airwaves for literally the first time, along with everyone else! It felt incredible! It was how we all connected to the big energy of our time. In a way, it was our internet.

After my sweetie died I wanted to collect radios that I liked, radios with a certain kind of industrial-streamlined deco vibe, and boy I collected. In the span of a couple of years I managed to find/buy a large collection of Zenith radios in particular, along with a few choice others.

The main object of my obsession was the industrial design of most Zenith radios from 1939-1953, the work of one Robert Davol Budlong. His designs speak to me. Seeing the evolution of style from between those two dates is impressive.

So I was all set to enjoy being an old radio guy. Until I wasn't.

There are a lot of reasons the radio collecting thing just decidedly became NOT what I was going to do. First was finding out a lot of the "old radio enthusiasts" are mostly old nazi shits.

I had been excited about living just down the street from a "museum/club" building, but after I actually tried to interact a few times, that pretty much came crashing to a halt.

There was one younger guy who seemed OK, but as for any other interactions, not really. And it coincided with my financial downward spiral in such a way that I had to start selling off what had at least occupied my grieving mind (and eyes).

Eye candy becomes expendable when shit gets real. I ended up having to sell most of the radios. I kept one console, and a couple of small transistors. So I kinda had to grieve not only my sweetie, but the "eye candy" that had occupied me since she died.

Oh, and somehow in the shuffle of this shitshow of life this past 10 years, I once managed to leave the lock unlocked on my (supposedly secure and guarded) storage unit, and thirty of my prize radios and record players were literally wheeled out and stolen. About $2k worth.

And now, I'm too broke to collect a goddamn thing.

But at least I still have the pictures.

That's what started this. Every once in awhile I want to see them. It makes me happy to see all that amazing Budlong design again. Of the ones that worked, I can remember what each one sounded like. I also collected ads for certain models, catalog pages that they were part of, etc. There are posts about that, as well.

So I thought I'd just put all the links to the main radio posts I've made over the last few years, making this a Radio Masterpost of sorts.

Lots of mid-century industrial design eye candy. Yer welcome. Alternately, go to my page and just search "Zenith" or "radio", "radio ads", "catalog", "radio advertising" etc. I don't do the tag thing much, but the search works pretty good on my page, actually.

So yeah, the love affair with radios will stay mine, but it's bittersweet.

AND NOTE: THEY ARE ALL GONE, VERY SOLD. ANY EBAY LINKS ARE LONG, LONG DEAD.

Just search my blogpage to see some more. I'll try to gather all the various links together here.

Here's one last one for today. Another of Zenith's unicorns, the T545: Combination radio and 45-rpm-only record changer, in all its original bakelite splendour. This is another rare bird that, sadly, I only owned for a few months before having to give it up again. I hope the new owner has done the electronic/mechanical restore to it and that lit lives on. To have found one with absolutely no real damage to the bakelite, and brights that are BRIGHT, it's really rare! Feast your eyes.

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