#and won't re-stock

[futuristictheoristcowboy]

stupid fucking show should've come out sooner before i decided NOT TO BUY these two cute little charms of them

[resuri-art]

I'm going to the Geek Days convention next month! ♥

I know most of my follower on tumblr are outside of France (with at least a whole ocean between us) but I just wanted to share the little doodle I made to announce it :p

This is also why my shop will close the 15/02/2024 at 10am UTC+ so I can prepare for the con! ;)

[unproduciblesmackdown]

obligatorially thinking through [uhh "i don't dance" from hsm2 crossover with summer stock joke] instead i'm posting that umm "like me" from meta dcom musical "teen beach movie" crossover put it in summer stock ('50 movie) where the main problem is jane as mack (green) isn't telling gloria as lela (pink) to be more feminist as much as a dcom character a decade ago could do so (girlboss through personal choices, which eventually (sequel ending) lela does so hard she becomes a god in the teen beach cinematic multiverse which includes the "real world." win) but rather jane is hardworking enough to never Need to be ordered with increasing browbeating into doing things correctly, while gloria is so sillily insistent on thinking of herself as a person, oversensitive as she is, that she ends up with orville who is silly enough to be focused on his fiancee being a person with feelings, instead of romantically bossing her around, and doesn't mind that gloria has Too Much Moxie, while himself interestingly indeed having an arc about behaving more "correctly" that still only hinges on telling the other guy who's being pushy & demanding & mean to back off (his father) (gloria getting to do the same to joe When. while jane is like "oh whew i thought you were going to yell at me. wow i can hardly believe you aren't" to joe while their romantic future is assured to us) like gloria and orville as sympathetic & uncondemned & deserving of a happy ending too but also still like haha smh oh those two. surprise, the [husband ready to declare his demands and his wife who is hopefully so dutiful he doesn't even need to give them] dynamic isn't Timeless somehow. anyways every teen beach movie number rules also. and jordan fisher is there

[neverendingford]

.

[the-physicality]

"tomorrow we find out where paige is going" .... .tomorrow we find out which team has a 99% chance of drafting paige

[kiwiplaetzchen]

As Nosy held the sweet pastry in his paws, his eyes sparkled with gratitude and affection. He knew that Sebastian's words were filled with genuine love and care, and it warmed his little Niffler heart. With a gentle squeak, Nosy nudged the pastry towards Sebastian, silently offering to share it with his beloved companion.

Despite Nosys weakened state, he mustered all his strength and wiggled closer to Sebastian. The little Niffler wrapped his little paws around Sebastian's hand, attempting to give him a hug, his grip may have been a bit weak but it was filled with love and appreciation.

In that moment, Nosy couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and contentment. The Niffler let out another soft squeak as he tried to nuzzle his little snout against Sebastian's cheek. He knew that with Sebastian by his side, he would soon regain his strength and vitality. The thought of their future adventures together filled him with excitement and anticipation.

🥝💚🌸🖤 ~ 🥝💚🌸🖤 ~ 🥝💚🌸🖤

(@ask-sebastian 🖤 @lil-grem-draws 🌸 you already know how much this post, this overkill, knocked me out yesterday. I still find it difficult to find the right words, because everything I want to tell you just doesn't seem to be enough. I am just SO touched that I can't properly put it into words. And I'm so sorry for that, because I really want to convey how happy you made me!! You two mean a lot to me and I am so grateful that I met you!!! Thank you for everything!!!)

💚🌸🖤💚

Nurturing Nosy

Sebastian woke early, shifting groggily under his blankets as he instinctively reached out to scratch Nosy. Though he had long since provided his niffler with his very own cosy nest, Nosy always seemed to find his way into Sebastian’s bed–usually nestled into his hair, and Sebastian had long since accepted it. Sebastian's sleepy murmurings turned into concerned rumbles when his hand met with nothing but cool bed linen. He sat up and blearily blinked around but found no trace of Nosy in sight. 

Even with as much chaos as the wee niffler caused, it wasn’t like Nosy to not be around in the morning, and Sebastian was immediately concerned. Had Nosy snuck out in the night and gotten in trouble? Sebastian briefly wondered if he may have tried to break into Will’s room again but dismissed it as unlikely. They were already on thin ice with Nosy's repeated shenanigans, so if Nosy had succeeded in sneaking into the prefect’s room, Sebastian was certain that Will would have made it known, despite the early hour.

Propelled by concern, Sebastian hopped out of bed and quickly crossed the room. He opened the door just enough to stick his head out into the corridor and listened intently. 

No irate shouting. No suspicious crashes. 

He sniffed the air.

Nothing burning.

Something was definitely not right. 

His mind flooded with possible scenarios as to why Nosy was missing, and each one worried him more than the last. Adrenaline quickly chased away the last vestiges of sleep, and Sebastian grabbed the robes draped over his sitting chair and hastily dressed–calling Nosy all the while but to no avail. It wasn’t until he opened his wardrobe to retrieve his scarf that he noticed a pile of emerald and silver pooled around a few jutting tufts of teal fur at the bottom.

“There you are,” Sebastian said with a rush of relief. “Are you playing hide and seek again?” He crouched down and smiled smugly. “Well, I’ve won this round.”

The pile rustled and Nosy’s little snout pushed out from under the scarf and gave a weak honk. Sebastian’s brow knit with concern, and he pushed the fabric aside to find Nosy, all watery eyes and low whines and quite obviously not in a good state. 

Sebastian made a deeply concerned noise in his throat, but he pushed past the initial panic at having no idea what to do for a sick niffler and did what seemed most logical: he fashioned his scarf into a sling and gently tucked Nosy in–murmuring that everything would be fine–and then bolted to Professor Howin’s office.

Instinct proved fruitful, and Howin sent him on his way with a list of everything he needed to nurse Nosy back to health.

Sebastian got it all and then some. 

When he finally bustled back into his dorm some time later, he was completely winded from his frantic comings and goings. He’d skived off class and spent the day zipping about all the neighbouring villages in the valley until he was well equipped with every magical creature healing potion he could find; he bought out Brood and Peck for every creature comfort and all the gourmet treats they had in stock; he’d even swung by the kitchens and sweet-talked the elves into a basket full of the niffler’s favourite sweets. 

Only the best for Nosy.

Worry still etched his forehead and churned his gut as Sebastian undid the makeshift sling and wrapped the scarf around Nosy to keep him warm. Nosy snuffled and honked softly, already looking somewhat improved from the first dose of potion the professor administered that morning.

Sebastian gave him a tickle on his belly and cradled him close as he pottered around his room, busying himself with organising everything so that he was ready the moment Nosy was in need of another dose, something to fill his tummy, or just some tender love and care. 

He stopped when he noticed a small pouch on his bedside table that was not there earlier and opened the note resting on top. 

“Will left some shiny treats for you, Nosy. Isn’t that nice?” Sebastian fumbled to open the pouch with one hand, but eventually was able to wriggle his fingers inside and retrieve a few shiny treats. He held them out in his palm; Nosy gave them a few tentative sniffs, then eagerly took them and stuffed them into his pouch for safe keeping.

Sebastian couldn’t help but smile. There was a sudden rush of emotion seeing a glimmer of Nosy’s usual self, and he felt compelled to say something after the emotional whirlwind of the day, though he was unsure if the words were said more to soothe Nosy or himself.

 “I hope you know that I am forever grateful for that day in the corridor when you were thrown into my arms. Unconventional though our meeting was, somehow I just knew you were a very special niffler.”

Nosy’s snout twitched with interest and he made another soft noise, and Sebastian chuckled as he retrieved a small, sweet pastry from the basket and held it out. Nosy squirmed excitedly as he took it in his little paws. 

“You are a comfort whenever I am in need, always find the very best treats and most amazing treasures, and bring life and joy to everyone in this castle. You are the best companion any wizard could hope for, and I shall do everything I can to take care of you now, just as you always take care of me.”  

(art lovingly and generously provided by @lil-grem-draws)

---

(A very special post for a very special @kiwiplaetzchen. 🖤 Thank you for always bringing so much positivity and light to our lives. Never forget that you are a much beloved presence in the fandom and most valued friend.)

[elden-hicks]

A note for the fellow strugglers in TS1

Hey, it's Seth! I know how frustrating TS1 can be (considering it's age and being the first game in the franchise), so I am here to introduce a list of personal must have mods and programs, which I always use whenever I re-install the game to make it more user-friendly. The list itself is quite short, actually, since it only consists of my personal gameplay choice mods. So there's no building objects, deco, skins and heads there.

MODS AND CC

This calendar will report the day of the month to your sims and -- and this is amazing -- even introduce a concept of days off. Sims should have about every 6th and 7th day off. - THE ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE. It's in the painting section and costs 15 simoleons. Works a bit wonky with children, but otherwise a very useful mod to have.

Call work/give interview job phone plugins to give your sim a day off. - I use those mostly when sims have to take care of the baby.

A family mod by Gothi_family_4ever. - another must have in my collection, introduces the familial relationships in game! No more inappropriate relationships between relatives. It's a 0 simoleon painting, which you can delete once you've done.

A hacked frigde mod by the same author. - allows your sims to put their food into the refrigirator, call the household members for the meal, and requires the usage of products (like meat and in-game vegetables) in order to cook a dish instead of insta-paying. You kinda have to build a grocery shop for your sims, so they could buy the required products, I prefer to install the stalls into the pre-existing farm shop in Old Town area. P.S DON'T FORGET TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INSTALLING BEFORE DRAGGING ANY FILE. As much as I love this mod, I don't, for example, use their cereal add-on.

The Elixir ExpressiBuy Computer. - a computer that allows you to buy any in-game buyable product (like vacation gifts, grocery, tonics, etc etc) in stock. They won't magically appear overnight but would be brought by a special courier npc. It also allows your sim to research logic, creativity, culinary and mechanical skills. I'd also recommend diving further into their site, since they have a lot of cool and unique gameplay content as well!

MagiCo's Bookshelf of Dimensional Storage - the official Maxis item, that was in the 'Get Cool Stuff' section. Allows your sims to keep their magic coins and ingrediends in special bookshelf storage, I mostly use it so the kids could get the ingredients for their spells from the adults. It is in the Magic section, btw

The Magic Mirror - the only outright cheat object that I have in my possesion. This mirror refreshes your sims needs, builds skills, friends, stardom, etc. Saves headaches when you are not in the mood to fullfill your sims' mood, ha-ha.

PROGRAMS

SimEnchancer 3D - basically a program that allows you to change the basic sim's attributes, including their heads and bodytypes. If you are familiar with TS2's SimPE, you'd have the idea how it works. NOTE: if you have to run your TS1 game as an administrator, you'd have to open it up in the same vein as well. And don't forget to backup your UserData files when you are working with it, just in case!

The Sims Creator - the official Maxis program for players to create some basic skins content. The program is only suitable to work with head and skins textures and not the meshes! Likewise, if you have to open the game as an administrator, you'd have to do the same with that program.

NEIGHBORHOODS

This section for the fellow premade enjoyers out there, who mostly played TS2 before and decided to give the local premades a chance as well

Here you can download the original UserData 1 and 2 if you want to reset your neigborhoods as they were if you had already played the neighborhood before and want to start anew. The Sims Wiki also gives you an instruction for how to do so.

And here you can download the additional Maxis families like The Hatfield, The Maximus, The Mashuga, The Snooty, The Jones and that weird agent White House familes. For some reasons, some of them refused to function in my game, so I had to install the empty houses and recreate them by hand, using the SimEnchancer and Wikia to give them appropriate skills and careers.

OTHER

Sims 1 Alternative UI - refreshes your game by a margin. I really recomend this one!

Well, that's basically it! I hope, my list would help you as well!

[caldella]

Still kinda surprised by how many people post-Mastermind seem to miss these details RE the trial:

-Stolas can't refute the assassination attempt claims because he did not hear them and does not know they exist. He doesn't even know Striker was at that trial. He saw Blitzø's head about to go choppy choppy, guessed it was something to do with the illegal portion of IMP, and knew that almost definitely the Grimoire was involved. He acted accordingly.

- Trying to push back on the trial and get a handle on what had fully transpired wouldn't work. The people running that trial were making a show. They wanted to punish someone, publicly. Only an equally big show would catch their attention enough to get them to listen.

- Andrealphus and Stella have both demeaned Stolas in public since the start of S2. From Stella's Not Divorced party, this has been happening for years and is accepted. He's a laughing stock to his own social class. Part of Stolas' abuse has been a form of forced isolation by getting his peers to look down on him. The public has heard how pathetic he is. He probably knows the other upperclass won't listen to him unless he is dramatic enough for Andre to not turn the room back in his favor.

- Even if Blitzø had permission from Stolas to use the book, Stolas was not permitted to give the book out for that purpose. Andre states in the beginning of the episode that the deal with the Grimoire was incredibly illegal. Stolas' reasoning to Ozzie for the crystal was that it was a legal way to travel to the human world. Blitzø had been breaking the law by using the Grimoire. He was guilty of that, even if Stolas was complicit.

- Blitzø's crystal is registered, which almost definitely means it has an issue date and other info to track when it was given out. There are months/a year or more where IMP was publicly functioning before it. Functioning legally now doesn't absolve him of functioning illegally in the past.

- Blitzø admitted to using the book in court and admitted to attempting to steal it, which Stolas might not have known, but it was safe to assume at that point that the court had some proof of the book's use. Even if not, Stolas knew full well that IMP had been functioning illegally pre-crystal. This would've doomed Blitzø either way. The actual truth was still a death sentence for Blitzø.

There was no way for Stolas to pick apart the trial at that point, and telling the actual truth about the Grimoire would only split the blame between them. And the court was ready to kill Blitzø to let that blame serve as a lesson. His only way to completely absolve Blitzø of guilt was to pretend everything Blitzø did was Stolas' idea and turn all blame to himself.

(Editing to say this isn't bashing anyone who 'didn't get it,' I suppose just surprised at how largely some of these points are missed.)

[loveandleases]

*Rolls by semi-casually*

Christmas is near and OH NO - The ROs are in a pickle! What would be their last minute gift to MC? (As in, 'omfg-I-forgot-to-get-a-gift/the-gift-I-planned-fell-through and now I gotta get something last second!') Or would they tell the truth? Perhaps improvise?

Also: YOU BETTER BE GETTING REST AFTER UR FINALS, LEA OR SO HELP ME- OAO

So casual, never would have suspected it!

Such a cute ask, getting me into the seasonal mood for the holiday snippet!

❤️Cam -

Last-minute gift: He would make MC a photo collage of the photos he admires the most, some from when they were kids to now. He would even include some shots of scenery or Doggo. Top it off with a photo of their hands holding the keys to their apartment because it is 1. sentimental and 2. a significant day to him.

He would have planned MC's present for months, only to forget how close Christmas was. So, the present in question would have sold out when it came down to it. (It was Something MC wanted and either didn't think about it or refused to buy for themselves.)

💙 G -

Last minute gift: A sweater. It's not exactly a new sweater but new to MC. They would even attempt to embroider their names on it around the collar—or maybe along the cuff. Then, they'll offer MC a chance to spend time with some of the animals up for adoption at the clinic. If MC has Angela, prepare for her to be spoiled. G will pull out all the stops, bath and all. Free checkups for the year or longer.

G would pretend it was intentional. They wanted it to be sentimental...it's not because they accidentally ordered the wrong item, so it now sits in their closet. Nope...

💚 Kara -

Last minute gift: A massage to beat all massages! MC is in for a relaxing night. Kara will pamper MC from sun up to sun down. MC will get to watch their favorite movie and listen to their favorite music. She'll order anything MC wants to eat. Just let her handle the day.

Kara would be honest that she ordered the wrong thing. Make a cute anecdote out of it and play the mishap up in her favor.

💛 M -

Last minute gift: After spending about an hour in a downward spiral about forgetting to get MC something because they're sleep-deprived from finishing Chapter 3 of their novel. M will bunker down and write a story for MC. It's something that hits on things MC cares about, like doggo. They'll go so far as to design the cover page and even joke about giving MC a signed copy (reminiscent of the book they gave MC).

M will be so apologetic about forgetting that MC will get presents daily for the next month. They have money to burn, and no one better to spend it than MC.

💜 Isaac -

Last minute gift: A plant. It doesn't sound like much right off, but Isaac is very much a plant parent. Their mother used to have these flowering plants that were the apple of her eye. So really, it's a rather special present. Even if MC isn't a plant person, Isaac will offer to take care of it for them. If that doesn't work...gulp..."You can drive her." And by her, Isaac means the car.

They didn't forget, not at all. They just weren't able to get MC's gift because they worked two jobs.

🖤 Ardent -

Last minute gift: MC won't have to pay rent for the month. Not only that, but Ardent will get to all those menial little tasks that he's yet to get to at the apartment—re-caulking around the bathtub, retiling that one spot in the corner of the hall closet. He will be down on his hands and knees trying to make it up to MC. Plus, a homemade three-course meal.

Whatever he got MC, it just isn't in yet. Ardent is big on holidays; he has no choice due to his niece, so he is so repentant about it. But I promise MC's stocking will be stuffed to the brim.

(My last final is Friday morning! I'll take a break right after, I swear~ Also...Sylus myth 💀)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Palantir’s NHS-stealing Big Lie

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TUCSON (Mar 9-10), then SAN FRANCISCO (Mar 13), Anaheim, and more!

Capitalism's Big Lie in four words: "There is no alternative." Looters use this lie for cover, insisting that they're hard-nosed grownups living in the reality of human nature, incentives, and facts (which don't care about your feelings).

The point of "there is no alternative" is to extinguish the innovative imagination. "There is no alternative" is really "stop trying to think of alternatives, dammit." But there are always alternatives, and the only reason to demand that they be excluded from consideration is that these alternatives are manifestly superior to the looter's supposed inevitability.

Right now, there's an attempt underway to loot the NHS, the UK's single most beloved institution. The NHS has been under sustained assault for decades – budget cuts, overt and stealth privatisation, etc. But one of its crown jewels has been stubbournly resistant to being auctioned off: patient data. Not that HMG hasn't repeatedly tried to flog patient data – it's just that the public won't stand for it:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/21/nhs-data-platform-may-be-undermined-by-lack-of-public-trust-warn-campaigners

Patients – quite reasonably – do not trust the private sector to handle their sensitive medical records.

Now, this presents a real conundrum, because NHS patient data, taken as a whole, holds untold medical insights. The UK is a large and diverse country and those records in aggregate can help researchers understand the efficacy of various medicines and other interventions. Leaving that data inert and unanalysed will cost lives: in the UK, and all over the world.

For years, the stock answer to "how do we do science on NHS records without violating patient privacy?" has been "just anonymise the data." The claim is that if you replace patient names with random numbers, you can release the data to research partners without compromising patient privacy, because no one will be able to turn those numbers back into names.

It would be great if this were true, but it isn't. In theory and in practice, it is surprisingly easy to "re-identify" individuals in anonymous data-sets. To take an obvious example: we know which two dates former PM Tony Blair was given a specific treatment for a cardiac emergency, because this happened while he was in office. We also know Blair's date of birth. Check any trove of NHS data that records a person who matches those three facts and you've found Tony Blair – and all the private data contained alongside those public facts is now in the public domain, forever.

Not everyone has Tony Blair's reidentification hooks, but everyone has data in some kind of database, and those databases are continually being breached, leaked or intentionally released. A breach from a taxi service like Addison-Lee or Uber, or from Transport for London, will reveal the journeys that immediately preceded each prescription at each clinic or hospital in an "anonymous" NHS dataset, which can then be cross-referenced to databases of home addresses and workplaces. In an eyeblink, millions of Britons' records of receiving treatment for STIs or cancer can be connected with named individuals – again, forever.

Re-identification attacks are now considered inevitable; security researchers have made a sport out of seeing how little additional information they need to re-identify individuals in anonymised data-sets. A surprising number of people in any large data-set can be re-identified based on a single characteristic in the data-set.

Given all this, anonymous NHS data releases should have been ruled out years ago. Instead, NHS records are to be handed over to the US military surveillance company Palantir, a notorious human-rights abuser and supplier to the world's most disgusting authoritarian regimes. Palantir – founded by the far-right Trump bagman Peter Thiel – takes its name from the evil wizard Sauron's all-seeing orb in Lord of the Rings ("Sauron, are we the baddies?"):

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/01/the-palantir-will-see-you-now/#public-private-partnership

The argument for turning over Britons' most sensitive personal data to an offshore war-crimes company is "there is no alternative." The UK needs the medical insights in those NHS records, and this is the only way to get at them.

As with every instance of "there is no alternative," this turns out to be a lie. What's more, the alternative is vastly superior to this chumocratic sell-out, was Made in Britain, and is the envy of medical researchers the world 'round. That alternative is "trusted research environments." In a new article for the Good Law Project, I describe these nigh-miraculous tools for privacy-preserving, best-of-breed medical research:

https://goodlawproject.org/cory-doctorow-health-data-it-isnt-just-palantir-or-bust/

At the outset of the covid pandemic Oxford's Ben Goldacre and his colleagues set out to perform realtime analysis of the data flooding into NHS trusts up and down the country, in order to learn more about this new disease. To do so, they created Opensafely, an open-source database that was tied into each NHS trust's own patient record systems:

https://timharford.com/2022/07/how-to-save-more-lives-and-avoid-a-privacy-apocalypse/

Opensafely has its own database query language, built on SQL, but tailored to medical research. Researchers write programs in this language to extract aggregate data from each NHS trust's servers, posing medical questions of the data without ever directly touching it. These programs are published in advance on a git server, and are preflighted on synthetic NHS data on a test server. Once the program is approved, it is sent to the main Opensafely server, which then farms out parts of the query to each NHS trust, packages up the results, and publishes them to a public repository.

This is better than "the best of both worlds." This public scientific process, with peer review and disclosure built in, allows for frequent, complex analysis of NHS data without giving a single third party access to a a single patient record, ever. Opensafely was wildly successful: in just months, Opensafely collaborators published sixty blockbuster papers in Nature – science that shaped the world's response to the pandemic.

Opensafely was so successful that the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care commissioned a review of the programme with an eye to expanding it to serve as the nation's default way of conducting research on medical data:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/better-broader-safer-using-health-data-for-research-and-analysis/better-broader-safer-using-health-data-for-research-and-analysis

This approach is cheaper, safer, and more effective than handing hundreds of millions of pounds to Palantir and hoping they will manage the impossible: anonymising data well enough that it is never re-identified. Trusted Research Environments have been endorsed by national associations of doctors and researchers as the superior alternative to giving the NHS's data to Peter Thiel or any other sharp operator seeking a public contract.

As a lifelong privacy campaigner, I find this approach nothing short of inspiring. I would love for there to be a way for publishers and researchers to glean privacy-preserving insights from public library checkouts (such a system would prove an important counter to Amazon's proprietary god's-eye view of reading habits); or BBC podcasts or streaming video viewership.

You see, there is an alternative. We don't have to choose between science and privacy, or the public interest and private gain. There's always an alternative – if there wasn't, the other side wouldn't have to continuously repeat the lie that no alternative is possible.

Name your price for 18 of my DRM-free ebooks and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the Humble Cory Doctorow Bundle.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/08/the-fire-of-orodruin/#are-we-the-baddies

Image: Gage Skidmore (modified) https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peter_Thiel_(51876933345).jpg

CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

[badlywritingmagazine]

Wanna help a by-and-for transfem journal?

Wanna get involved?

Thank you everyone for your interest so far! If you have a sec, I’ve written a quick post about a few ways you can help. 

Lili Elbe, painted by Szív királynő, serving “journal reader” realness Do you have trans female mates?

Let your girl friends know. Share it amongst your networks. 

Can you read? 

Wonderful. Subscribe to this substack to be notified when an issue is released. 

Can you think?

If you’re a trans woman and you have feelings about something, send it to us. If you’re developing an idea, come chat with us over email (or arrange a phone call) and let’s figure it out together. 

Do you sell books and zines? 

Wonderful. Email me. Stock it. Perfect. I can also send you a poster version of our invitation to submit to print out. 

Have you written?

If you’re a trans woman who writes about things relevant to our lives, send it to me. If it is online and you worry that it won’t stay up forever, it’s affecting your job and life prospects, or that it is a reflection of its time and not 100% wise anymore, send it to me and get it archived. Archiving is part of the goal here. We’re not uncurated, but that doesn’t mean you should shrug and let the internet, time, transmisogyny and linkrot eat your hard work. 

If you’re a trans woman with jobs and obligations and you don’t like having your essay ‘Why dickgirls should commit more assassinations’ or ‘transgender materialism: towards a de/coterminous understanding of post tipping point transmisogyny’ or whatever attached to your name then send it to me and get it re/published under a pseudonym.

If we get a large number of submissions like this we will publish it as a separate supplement, but else it will come as a section within WBM.

Do you know grants?

Rates for unfunded zines and pamphlets suck. We want to pay the women well. Let us know if you know of funds or grants you think we fall under. We’ll be sending off applications. 

Can you help us host a launch party in a major city?

We envision low-cost evening events with discussion, trans women, and piles and piles of essays to talk about. (Can we crash on your couch?) We’re based in the UK, but are happy to come anywhere Ryanair goes where there’s a willing audience. 

Got an idea I don’t have? 

Ultimately, I want to keep this dirt simple. Essays come in, paper goes out. No columns, shite graphics. Couple core editors. Schedules loose enough to spend half the year depressed and still get it out. Stolen printer paper. Something that won’t collapse after two years. Posterity. 

That said, if you have an idea (and maybe if you want to do it), email us. Think you know enough people to get this translated and shipped somewhere else? Can you translate and know of a non-English language transfeminist text that’s not got much attention in the anglosphere? Maybe we can submit an application for a grant and distribute your translation? Understand distribution better than me? Do you have the wherewithal to manage a personals board? Something else? Anything except an agony aunt section. I’ve called dibs on that one. 

Do you have agonies? Issues? Want bad advice?

Write to the agony aunt. writingbadlymag snail symbol gmail dot com.

Do you have something to say which won't make a whole essay but is still worth saying?

Write a letter to the editor. Same email.

Addendum: Can you help us set up a website?

Websites we think are beautiful are dirt simple. Low-tech Magazine has a beautiful low-energy website. Filmmaker Margot McEwan has a lovely fitting website. Any thoughts or suggestions should be sent to the same email.

(update: we're all set now! Check out badly.press!)

See a good stack cutter?

If you see a cheap paper stack cutter for cheap, let me know. :)

Thanks all!

Forthcoming posts: information for writers, extracts from the issue.

[regainingparadise]

An incomplete list of potential headcanons re: Gerry Keay's brightly colored shirt in Italy

Because I am apparently obsessed with it. I welcome all additional absurd ideas

What kind of shirt is it?

Garish T-shirt that he bought in a tourist shop that says "I ❤️ROME"

Extremely fancy Italian designer silk shirt that will cause people to sing "Gay or European?"

A secret third thing?

WHY does he have it? (the question that keeps me up at night)

He fled Pinhole Books the instant Mary faded, only with the clothes on his back, so he had to stock up on new clothes in Italy

He bought it because he saw it and wanted it. He's going to have a nice goddam holiday in Italy, complete with shopping trips at local boutiques and lazy mornings at a cafe. If he wants a designer shirt or a tourist tshirt, he's' going to fucking get it.

An Italian grandma scolded him for looking all ratty and because he has mommy issues he promptly went and bought nice clothes.

Did he ever wear it after he returned?

No, he got into an altercation with a Leitner in Italy and it was destroyed (mild angst answer)

No, Mary destroyed it because he's not allowed to have nice things (big angst answer)

Yes, but only if he's somewhere where he's sure that he won't be seeing anyone he knows. He has a reputation to uphold here.

[kimetsu-no-yaiba-writings]

Akaza x pregnant demon reader (she's pregnant by him) sfw +nsfw headcanons

Ask and you shall receive! Thank you for requesting anon, I hope that you enjoy and that I've done your request justice.

If you want to request something for Akaza - or anyone else - then my askbox is always open and ready to receive, so slide something my way again when you have time (^__^.)

I'll be putting the NSFW headcanons beneath a 'Keep Reading' line, so minors DNI

And just as a final thing,

Akkkkkkaaaazzzaa (ﾉ∀`♥) My beloved!

Akaza with a pregnant S/O - SFW + NSFW Headcanons:

SFW:

Upon first finding out that your pregnant this man is frozen in the spot before actually crying

Gets extra protective

Doesn't like being away from your side for more then 20 minutes

He is absolutely a hover.... he's always by your side

Will attack on sight if he thinks anyone - and i mean anyone - looks like they might cause you and the little bean harm

Makes sure that there's nothing in the house that could potentially harm you - "I'm sanding down the corners cause i don't want them to poke you or harm you!"

Straight up tells Muzan that he's caring for his wife + baby so won't be doing anything else unless it helps his family - does this mid-meeting and then leaves

Somehow always comes back with something new, baby books (books for new parents), clothes for the baby and toys

No matter how random the cravings if he can't make it, he'll buy you it - and if he can't get it at all then he resorts to hugging you with apology after apology falling from his lips

"You want Teriyaki glazed apple slices with honey rice? AND spicy noodles with broth and boiled eggs...will your stomach even be able to handle that?"

Makes sure to stock up on snacks that you enjoy - keeps them in places you can't reach

When it gets to the point that he can feel the baby kick akaza is glued to you even more - Face and/or hand placed against your tummy to feel the baby with a soft coo + smile

Comes up with a thousand nicknames for the baby - e.g. baby bean, firecracker, little kicker - and no, he will not stop

Buys you bigger + airy clothes so your comfortable

Massages your shoulders, back and ankles when you complain of pain and soreness - When he's not there he buys a wheat bag which you can heat up

Lots more cushions and blankets around the house so your comfy and never get cold

Gets you one of those pregnancy pillows

Has a notebook filled with baby names, what toys re good for babies, what they should be sleeping and playing with - he's honestly very prepared for this child

Somehow managed to rope Kokushibou into helping make and paint the baby's room - as well as giving him advice on what to anticipate as a dad

NSFW:

Incredibly gentle with you - not that he wasn't before - especially since your so much more sensitive

He's more focused on making sure that your comfortable, so sticks to a couple of positions that don't harm/hurt your body - although he does enjoy reverse cowgirl and you on all fours (with your head and arms resting so you don't have the baby weight hurting you)

Sometimes standing up if you have the energy

Also enjoys sex while spooning

Spends more time preparing you - oral and fingers until your essence coats your shaking thighs as well as his face and hands

His hands wander, pinch and soothe your thighs, hips and chest until you whine to get touched more

Isn't gonna fuck you against the counter as much as he used too but he'll eat you out with vigor instead

Lots of over-stimulation - sometimes accidentally but usually on purpose with a smirk and a rumbling purr in his chest

More creampies!

Enjoy's pushing his cum back into your twitching hole afterwards - tracing shapes into your clit with it as he hums as your hips jump and thighs twitch at his touch

His breeding kink really kicks into full swing

The feeling of sliding into your wet plush heat without protection makes him even more feral especially now that you pregnant - its like knowing that your already filled with him, already baring a child, makes his brain works at a mile-a-minute

Won't admit that seeing how heavy + full your breasts get with milk - and how you glow the rounder your tummy gets - goes straight to his cock

....absolutely gonna drink your milk - a dark lust filling his eyes as he runs his tongue along your tender nipple before taking it into his mouth with an obscene moan

Will absolutely play with your nipples until your a whimpering and whining mess or until milk comes out

Kisses are more desperate - planting open mouthed kisses along the column of your throat before locking your lips together

Leaves hickies along your breasts and shoulders alot more

takes things slower and gentler

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @corrodedcoffinfest Seven Deadly Sins pop-up event.

Some Real Good

Prompt: Gluttony | Word Count: 1313 | Rating: T | CW: Alcohol Consumption | POV: Gareth | Relationship(s): Gareth & Eddie BFFs, Background Steddie | Tags: Corroded Coffin on Tour, Bus Travel, Road Manager Steve Harrington, Eddie: The Magpie, Gareth & Steve: Who Love Him Anyway

"What do you have in here, bricks?" Gareth asks, picking up one of Eddie's duffle bags, trying to wrangle it up into the open storage bin under the bus. It's not easy. For some reason Eddie's stuffed the fucker completely full today, and it's unwieldy.

"Yep. And sex toys," Eddie quips, and Gareth rolls his eyes. Unfortunately, Gareth knows that's not where Eddie keeps all the dirty shit he travels with. Because Gareth's seen it all, even if he wishes otherwise.

Eddie finally gets it wedged underneath, and they can roll out.

Meaning, Gareth forgets about the overfilled luggage, until the same thing happens at the next stop. It's definitely not going under there this time, because Gareth swears it's getting bulkier by the stop. 

Eddie's trying to re-zip the damn thing after rearranging, and it's clearly not going well. 

Gareth moves to squeeze both sides together so Eddie can zip it easier, when he catches sight of what's inside. 

"What the fuck?" Gareth says, letting go and picking up a travel size bar of soap, surely from one of the many hotel rooms they've stayed in. He digs his hand in, combing through the mess of small, plastic bottles. It's filled to the absolute brim with travel toiletries, and a variety of shit from green rooms. Mini liquor bottles from airplanes.

Eddie snatches the bag back from Gareth's hands, "They're free. We're supposed to take them." 

"No, we're supposed to use them if we need them. Which I know you don't. I've seen your bathroom bag."

It's definitely fully stocked.

"Well, someday I might need them," Eddie argues.

"Jesus Christ, Eddie. No you won't. This is insane, even for you."

Eddie's part magpie, they all know that, but this is a bridge too far.

"You never know," Eddie says, like he's being sane and rational. He's being neither.

"How is this - you - hoarding them under the bus any better than just leaving them behind? They still aren't being used, Eddie. And now we're just the ones lugging them around."

"I want them," Eddie argues and Gareth's hands find his own hair, pulling. Eddie can rarely be rationalized with on a good day, but this is beyond. 

"You will never need these. We can buy shampoo and soap. We do buy shampoo and soap. In appropriate quantities and in brands we actually like. You damn well know Steve has never once let any of us run out. The minute I toss an empty, a new one magically appears. Which, awesome. But also scary, because that means your boyfriend knows far too much about what I do in the bathroom."

Eddie smiles, but then is clearly headed back towards making excuses for his insane life decisions. His gluttony. His hoarding. 

"But-" 

Gareth pivots. He might not be able to reason with a crazy Eddie, but he knows someone who can, does, "Does Steve know about this? Because he's gonna shit."

And he will. Steve doesn't stand for superfluous anything on the road. He has everything down to a science. Last week he even made Gareth get rid of one of his jackets, because he'd apparently crossed the threshold of the acceptable amount of luggage, at least as far as Steve was concerned. 

Gareth liked that jacket.

So, Eddie squirreling away all the soap he can carry for no damn good reason? Not efficient in the slightest. Steve can't know about this, and he's gonna be pissed when he finds out. For sure.

"Just help me unload it," Eddie demands, and before he can ask what he means by that, Eddie slides forward the sticker-laden dead with the warped lid. Instead of tossing it, Goodie wants it fixed, so it's been taking up space, but when Eddie flips it open, it's absolutely jam-packed with more of his secret stash. 

"Oh my god. Wait, is this a growing up poor thing?" Gareth asks, and Eddie pauses. Gareth never wanted for anything. It may have just been the two of them, but Mama Jones had it under control.

If this is that, well, maybe Gareth could understand. Could give him a pass.

Eddie gives him a withering look, saying, "No. Wayne would hate this, too."

"Then why are you doing it? Damn," Gareth asks, laughing.

"Because we paid for it. And they just throw them away if we don't take them."

"That's crazy talk," Gareth answers.

"They do! And it's built into the price. Of the hotel rooms. The flights. The gig contracts."

"Eddie," Gareth says, then changes tactics. "Fine. I'm sure that's true. But, just. Move. Let me," Gareth says, nudging Eddie off to the side. "Get on the bus."

And somehow, Eddie listens, and does.

When Steve sidles up to him, and sees the red milk crates surrounding Gareth's feet in the hotel parking lot, Gareth sorting the loot, he's instantly irritated, "What're you doing? What's all this doing here?" Steve asks, arms waving. "For fuck's sake, Gareth, what have you been taking all this shit for? Do you know how much this extra weight affects gas mileage?"

And Steve seems to be doing that math in his head.

Gareth grinds his teeth together, "This was not me. This was Eddie."

"Oh," Steve says. Immediately changing his tune, softening, which is fucking annoying. Eddie would never have to get rid of a jacket.

Steve then asks, "What's the plan?"

Gareth nudges the crate full of liquor bottles, and they all clink together, "Day drinking?"

Steve puts his hands on his hips. 

Gareth picks up the one full of shampoo, "I was thinking about donating them to a homeless shelter or something. My mom volunteers at one back home. Says they always needed stuff like this. Eddie hoarding them isn't helping anyone, it's just as wasteful as leaving them to be tossed, right?"

And Steve pauses. Thinking.

"You can't donate liquor to the homeless," Steve says.

And Gareth laughs, "Well, I didn't mean the liquor. That we'll keep. Have some fun. I'm gonna deserve a drink or ten after sorting out this mess your boyfriend has made."

"Oh, he's my boyfriend when you don't like whatever he's doing, but your best friend any other time?"

Gareth laughs, and nudges against Steve's shoulder, "Exactly."

"Alright," Steve concedes.

Great. Awesome. Gareth had the idea, the plan, but he definitely needs Steve to be the one to figure out how to implement it.

And Steve does.

From then on, the sorted milk crates live in the under bus storage compartment. And now it's not just Eddie, no, now all of them save and throw their unused freebies into the correct ones after each stop. Soap. Shampoo. Conditioner. Lotion. And if they ask the front desk for toothbrushes or razors that they've forgotten from time to time, well, then that's their own business. 

And yeah, the liquor they keep for themselves. But they don't let it languish, hidden away. Instead they drink it, doing shots, playing cards as they rumble down the highway, getting tipsy as they cheat more and more blatantly at cards the drunker they get. It's fun. 

When a crate of toiletries gets full, Steve has a plan, a connection, of where they can donate it, wherever they currently are in the country.

It really doesn't take long for word to spread, and then there's a charitable foundation with a damn good purpose bearing Corroded Coffin's name, and several other touring bands helping. Reaching out to Steve. Their reputation precedes them: they're the heavy metal band that gives back. That they don't destroy hotel rooms, just rescue the toiletries from them that were destined for a landfill anyway.

Before long, many hotel managers start meeting them at check-in, handing over boxes of toiletries they want to donate to the cause.

Eddie's hoarding, his gluttony, turned on its head, and instead is being used for some real good.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @corrodedcoffinfest and follow along with the fun! 🦇

[seafoamreadings]

week of november 24th, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: this week's activity centers primarily around your 9th house; it is a great time to go (back?) to school, make philosophical or religious (re?)considerations, and plan for distant travel, although i would hold off until after mercury is direct again to actually buy any tickets or such.

taurus: while the energy is rather fiery at this time it is not so much a time for action as it is for passionate planning. any shared resources should be handled with caution and new ones - debts, loans, stocks, properties? - should not be added on or altered significantly for a while. on the other hand it's a pretty sweet time in intimate relationships, or for occult practices.

gemini: jupiter is still in your sign of course so nothing is going to go TERRIBLY awry, but be watchful for relationship turbulence. things may seem to go backwards and new things (issues, questions, or excitements) will pop up towards the end of the week too.

cancerians: a new moon this week puts you in a phase of intention-setting - but not quite action on those intentions yet - and ideally these plans and intentions are set around your routines and bodily wellness. if things don't seem to take off immediately, they're not supposed to. play a long game.

leo: fire vibes suit you very well and no retrograde can really slow you down when it comes to that. the new moon at the end of the week can be a bit emotionally heavy but really, even that is in sagittarius and makes a good indicator that you should be having a good fun time. a new romance may also spark.

virgo: sure, if you're a more mercurial virgo a mercury retrograde should never be discounted. but consider that you might be more heavily influenced by ceres, who this week sextiles neptune in your 7th house. this is good for romance, so you can have a lot of fun with this, although bear in mind that the vibes are not extremely great for turning romance into responsible commitments.

libra: don't let anyone scare you about mercury retrograde stuff this week. do be careful, of course, with messages, emails, and especially your vehicle if you have one, but all in all this is a pretty auspicious week for you, especially if you go a little bit out of your way to experience/learn some history of your local community and connect to the land you are on.

scorpio: while all mercury retrograde protocols always apply, this time around be cautious about your spending, finances, and values broadly speaking. it won't hurt to reconsider what really matters most to you in life, and what wealth is other than money.

sagittarius: if you're uncomfortable with the spotlight i have bad news for you. so much is happening in your sign that you can't help but be a focus. granted, you may not be under as much scrutiny as it feels. still, best to act with integrity and not get caught in any dishonesty or sordid affairs. a new moon in your sign at the end of the week is actually great for your sense of identity, your self concept, and your first impressions - so use that to your advantage.

capricorn: huge amounts of activity occur in sagittarius all week - likely your 12th house. keep a cool head. no addictive behavior if possible and no substance abuse, or, preferably even use if it can be managed. no flying off the handle or trying to escape the hard reality of what is. i'm preaching to the choir here, likely, but reality only improves for you if you handle it. no sweeping it under the rug.

aquarius: friendships fade in and out of your life over time, and sometimes back in again. retrogrades, starting with mercury this week, can create the illusion that you have lost some social connections you'd rather keep. but it really is an illusion; either that or that person was really not good for you in some way and it is a blessing they have retreated.

pisces: if you were planning to make any big career moves consider them hibernating or in torpor. it's temporary but it's a slowdown. delays will turn out to favor you, so don't despair. it's good for now to lie low and stay out of the public eye; a mysterious air about you will also benefit you.

watch the transit posts in real time to have the best guide through your week. want a little more? have a look at my patreon or ko-fi.

check out my etsy for a private reading or dm me to set up a reading through venmo, cashapp, or paypal.

[thejournaluser]

i ended up talking out of my own ass here but i didn't want to delete all of this so please note that all facts here are all stock knowledge and personal experience. do your own research, folks. do not use this for self-diagnosing purposes.

If ya ask me, episode 4 of The Amazing Digital Circus makes quite an accurate (but not perfect) demonstration of what Bipolar Disorder looks like. It's not the matter of "can't choose" or "too moody all the time". It's more than that. Just watch the episode and see for yourself.

The character's name who suffered this unfortunate disorder is Gangle, who is portrayed as a female humanoid ribbon who wears a fragile comedy mask in the beginning of the show that breaks before or during their usual adventures, and the gag is that she always ends up being sad because her mask keeps breaking.

But episode 4 was different. Her comedy mask broke too early, and Zooble instead gave her a substitute happy mask that won't break and might help giving her some form of happiness. Once she puts it on though, she says she feels "normal." Which usually signals the start of a manic episode.

Cue the adventure where they work a minimum wage, and a dead end job. Gangle is the shift manager and she is having a big manic episode. She moves left and right- a bright smile on her face that she can't seem to remove. I mean, why would she remove it right? She's happy. And everyone should be happy.

But then... pressure. Jax told her that he liked her better when sad. Ragatha, in an inebriated state, even told her that she liked Gangle better without the happy mask. It hurts her to know that people don't like her when she is feeling great. So she shuts down immediately, feeling discouraged with her manager work and hiding her face from everyone when she gets the chance.

That was, until, she faces Pomni, the main character of the show. Pomni tries to talk it out with someone, or maybe her herself. But Gangle takes none of it. She believes that no one in the circus likes her and even if they do try to act nice... their smile don't always feel genuine.

And thus, ending her manic episode completely. Try re-reading my previous paragraphs and identify which part of the story she starts having a depressive episode. Because at this point, Gangle locks herself in her office. A frown glued to her happy mask despite the name it has. And right when she walks down that kitchen, her world starts to blur as if one single conclusion starts to form inside her mind- and then Pomni intervenes.

She offers to take the closing shift and advises Gangle to go home early. Hesitant, Gangle still takes it. And with the extra time she has... Gangle takes off her mask... and throws it away.

I advise you to watch the episode and go to timestamp 19:35 - 20:30. It's a wonderful sequence.

So... post-adventure. Gangle isolates herself and blames everything that went wrong all on herself. Zooble tries to comfort her, of which she succeeds- But let's take a sec to hear what Gangle tells her first: "I messed everything up. The mask didn't work. And now, I don't think anybody wants to talk to me anymore."

Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder where an individual enters a "manic state" and they undergo erratic behavior partaking in impulsive thought or risky activities. And when an individual leaves this state... well, kind of imagine it as feeling an entire ocean dropped on you. Or feeling like you're in front of a live audience with no script.

You cringe at yourself, further delving more into a sea of self-loathing and regret. Realizing all of your wrongs and mistakes and how much it hurts the people around you. Take a moment to think about it. You hurt people that you're close with. How dare you.

Those are what you would think of if you have Bipolar Disorder. But, please take note that it is indeed a disorder which means it can be interpreted as something else and you also could be misdiagnosing yourself if you're using this essay as means to self-diagnose so please talk to a professional for that. This essay only uses one example of a manic episode and to see it holistically, make your own research.

And... uh... yeah. This is the end of the essay. I'm not really great in conclusions but... just remember that Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder than causes manic episodes. What happens after that is a series of guilt that causes self-loathing and anguish that results in a person needing to self-isolate and become the scapegoat of their own making.