#edited with further info

[ghostoftheyear]

The DMMd Stage Plays

No one asked, but I can’t shut up about them, so I thought I’d talk a bit about these.

There’s a tradition, it seems like, of making stage plays about just about every subject imaginable in Japan. Search any anime you’re into on youtube and add “stage play”, and you will find everything. There are stage plays for Haikyuu!, Demon Slayer, SK8 the Infinity, Sailor Moon, Persona 5, Sarazanmai, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Given, Ace Attorney... that’s just off the top of my head. The productions are always creative and interestingly staged. If you’re into theater at all, I do recommend investigating.

It was a bit of a surprise, no doubt, that a stage play for DMMd ran in 2019, given that the game came out seven years prior; still, it did well enough to warrant another run, so we can’t argue with that. The production ran over a two-week period (stage plays don’t seem to be long-running; following any of the actors on social media, you’ll see they do several plays a year), and what’s particularly fascinating is that they did all of the love interest routes in that time period on alternate days.

The cast:

Nagata Seiichiro as Aoba

Kohatsu Allen as Koujaku

Yamagata Yuki as Clear

Tomizono Rikiya as Noiz

Takanori Yamaki as Mink

Yamazaki Shogo as Ren/Sei

Iwaki Naoya as Mizuki

Tominaga Yuya as Virus

Yoshioka Yu as Trip

Hayato Moriya as Akushima

The cast is rounded out by four dancers who added to the background in a variety of ways; Hayato Moriya also played multiple roles as a member of Bug Bomb, the person welcoming Aoba to Platinum Jail, and so on.

This was apparently not the highest-budget production out there, but they got around that with a stage resembling a generic Rhyme field onto which could be projected a variety of images, using that and lighting to make its appearance change significantly to the plot.

Unfortunately, due to (I believe) contractual issues, DVDs were not released for this production. They were livestreamed, and the final route was pro-filmed and can be rented on JP Hulu and U-Next, but that’s all we got. Sadface. However, there was a special after-show “curtain call” segment where the audience was allowed to film on their phones, resulting in a wave of clips that can be viewed here. In a couple of cases, Goatbed also performed “AI Catch” for this segment.

There was a wave of merch released for the plays, including bromides (postcard-size, collectible pictures, many of which can be found on secondary markets), a pamphlet, can badges and such. One presumes we will have another round of these with the new production.

Now the new production is coming up at the end of April 2023, and in addition to being “evolved” from the last one, a Virus/Trip route has been added. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes down, since before, it was only hinted at during the final route.

Recently and devastatingly, it was announced that Seiichiro would not be able to perform as Aoba again. While he was part of the initial lineup for this new cast, the official twitter stated that due to illness, he was being forced to step down and the role was recast with understudy Tsuchiya Naotake. I sincerely hope that Seiichiro is getting better and wish him all the best. Hopefully this is something he’ll be able to bounce back from. What’s particularly shattering is that Seiichiro has been working with Shogo on the recent run of Touken Ranbu in whatever incarnation it’s on now, so to have them not be reunited again absolutely sucks.

In other casting news, both the roles of Trip and Akushima were recast. Trip is now being played by Isono Dai, and Akushima by Makita Tetsuya. Presumably the dancers are all new as well; at the very least, I don’t recognize any of their faces, though as all the cast photos have everyone masked for safety, that makes it more of a challenge. The play is being directed by the same person as before, however.

As to whether DVD/BRs will be released this time, we can only hope that the legal issues have been worked out and we’ll get actual releases. If not, I’m sure there will at least be livestreams, though I haven’t seen anything announced yet. We will no doubt need a VPN for them at minimum; beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see.

[backmarkerr]

please....can u speak on the conspiracy

So the conspiracy (more like a theory, really) is that Kimi was pushed out of the team starting in 2008 to make way for Fernando, who was more appealing to the big sponsor coming in. Before you click out thinking "Max, that's stupid, no team would throw a championship for a sponsor." I agree! But keep in mind that they didn't throw the championship, they fully expected to win the WDC with Felipe (and almost did) and did in fact win the WCC in 2008 with Felipe and Kimi despite everything. But there were really suspicious things going on. So with that in mind...

It's 2008. Kimi has just won Malaysia, the second race of the season. Three days after his win, there's this:

.

Ok, kinda weird, but whatever. F1 runs on rumours, right? Suggesting that Kimi might retire when he's doing so well is silly. And in the article they seem to be pretty ambivalent over whether it would be Felipe or Kimi to leave.

Fast forward to Spain two races later. Kimi scores his second win of the season and takes the championship lead. The season is shaping up pretty well for the defence of the title, you’d think this would be a good time for him, but again, the story du jour is Ferrari wanting Alonso in Kimi’s seat for 2009.

[x] I guess now we know at least Massa's seat is secure...?

If you’re like me, that sounds stupid. The reigning champion just won the last GP and his contract runs until the end of 2010, so this media narrative makes no sense. Something pretty catastrophic would have to happen for that to ever come to fruition, right?

So anyway, he gets a first row start in Monaco. Great, that's almost a surefire win/points, right? Wrong, he got a drive-through penalty due to the team not fitting the wheels to the car on time before the race start. Not a great race and he ends up outside of the points. Lewis is now ahead in the WDC by 3 points. Not really a disaster, but...

[x] what on earth...

[x] again the talk of retirement.... I mean, it's weird, right?

Zero points in Canada due to being rear-ended in the pitlane, which the team can’t control. Then he’s back to being neck to neck with his teammate and Lewis by the time the British GP is done in early July, with all three drivers on 48 points. Good news, right? Just gotta stay on track and not fuck it up somehow.

[x] sigh... (this one's a little harder to source as it was printed media, but I've seen this exact interview quoted in different pages)

So anyway, they change his front suspension for the next race in Germany. Kimi has always been very sensitive to changes in the car, so he knew something was wrong. Ferrari (via Michael, who was then head of development) say he's just not adapting well to the upgrades. Maybe, sure, but why aren't you bringing upgrades that are geared towards your world champion?

(an interesting remark from Mark Hughes here if you scroll down to the comments, which adds weight to Kimi not being listened to when it came to car development in 2008)

Bar a podium in Hungary, Kimi scores 0 points in 4 out of the next 5 races. It takes until either Monza or Singapore (hello crashgate!) for Ferrari to put his suspension back as it was.

He proceeds to get 3 podiums in the remaining 3 races but it’s not enough to catch up. By Singapore he was already 27 points behind his teammate (reminder this is the old points system) and very much expected to play the supporting role. In the penultimate race in China he very obviously gave up P2 to his teammate:

"I know what the team expects." [x] / [x]

Yet the narrative in the media and from Ferrari themselves is that his motivation is bad and he's not assertive. It was so pervasive that to this day people still parrot it and say he just didn’t care after 2007, despite Kimi always stating he was fully committed and clearly getting annoyed whenever journalists asked about his motivation even years later.

Montezemolo at the end of 2008 even 'joked' that "Kimi in the recent races was replaced two or three times by a friend, but next year he'll be back." Basically saying that Kimi wasn't really present, you know? An interesting thing to say when this absent driver scored 18 points in the last 3 races (three consecutive P3s), while the one who was amazing and had the team's full backing scored 20 (P7, P2, P1).

A whole 2 points' difference, maybe someone should hire that "friend"...

So why did they do this?

Well, the theory is that Santander (I promise this isn’t like the dumb Sainztander takes) wanted a Spanish-Brazilian lineup due to financial interests (Spanish bank, big market in South America with a looming IPO in Brazil), so Kimi was basically being pressured out of the team from early 2008 onwards. Like I said at the start, the team weren’t really throwing away 2008, as they expected to win the WCC with both drivers (they did) and Massa to be able to win the WDC, which would of course be beneficial for their new sponsor. And he almost did. Almost.

[x] they're not in charge of driver selection but this specific driver line-up would good for them. (this archived copy of the article is from 2010, but the text makes it clear it's from 2009)

Of course at this point we have to wonder if a team like Ferrari would bow down to a sponsor's demands. I can't tell you what the internal considerations were or how much money was on the line, but it's also not like Santander were telling them to get rid of Kimi for a bad driver, you know? Fernando is a great driver, so from Ferrari's perspective they were just trading a great driver for another great driver who also appealed to this huge sponsor, and an Alonso-Massa line-up would be solid. And with the previous talk that Ferrari and Alonso had already inked a deal in 2008... It's just difficult to believe there isn't a grain of truth here.

So the alleged initial plan of having Alonso in 2009 was foiled when Kimi activated the renewal option in his contract. It was then that he was bought out of his last year (apparently paid for by Santander).

[from the book The Unknown Kimi Raikkonen]

As we can see, by the end Kimi was also fed up with what was going on, especially people pointing the finger at him and at his motivation, and his frustration is very clear in interviews like here at 2.35 and here:

Publicly, Ferrari said they wanted someone more in line with how Michael used to be (ironic since Montezemolo allegedly didn’t like how Michael made the team his), who could communicate with the team and give better feedback (ironic when Todt, Dyer, Stella and others said Kimi was very clear and precise.) Kimi himself has always stated that he wasn’t the issue, that his motivation was never lacking and that the real reason he was pushed out was politics and money.

[x]

[x]

If it had only been the mechanical stuff, I’d be willing to chalk it up to just bad luck and incompetence. Shit happens. But with all the rumours around it even before things went bad on the track and Kimi stating that his work and performance weren't the reason he was let go it becomes impossible for me to think there wasn’t an actual push going on to replace him.

Hell, even famed Ferrari fanboy Sebastian Vettel didn't think it was realistic for Kimi to return to Ferrary in 2014 precisely because Kimi isn't one for "bullshit" and "politics". Why would he choose to say that specifically? And according to Finnish media Kimi’s 2014 Ferrari negotiations included Montezemolo personally apologising to him. Now why would he apologise if they hadn’t done something wrong?

Personally I think Kimi's "certain people did certain things" refers to this. He never trashed anyone and always said he had no ill-feelings. And I believe him. But it doesn't mean nothing happened, lest we forget how well he handled Lotus not paying him.

The thing that really bothers me is that Kimi got the reputation for having low motivation and not caring about what he was doing (I heard that take just last month from an F1 youtuber, how Fernando was hired in 2010 because Kimi had mentally checked out 🙄), when obviously someone who wasn’t motivated and didn’t care would have simply called it quits under these circumstances. Instead he got P3 in the standings in 2008 (I know he’s talented, but he must have been trying at least a little), trained hard to lose enough weight to use KERS in 2009 (why would he do that if he didn’t care) and took the team’s only win that year despite the car being shit. Interestingly, pundits acknowledged his good performance complicated things when it came to Ferrari’s rumoured hiring of Alonso. So imagine how much more complicated things would have been had Kimi done better in 2008?

Anyway, this is long, but if you want something longer then I definitely recommend this post here. You might not agree completely with the original authors (there are parts where I wish there was more info), but I think they offer a lot of good research and information regarding the overall situation back in 2008/2009, and it's a good jump-off point for your own research.

But yeah. 2008 could have been everything. Or at least better.

[diathadevil]

Yeah okay I caved in and did some character sheets for Aideen.

First sketch is from tonight and the later two sketches I did 2 weeks ago when I initially got her design started and did the Klaus and Dee illustration, so if y'all see any inconsistency with the style or writing let's not talk about that shall we yeah.

There's so much stuff I wrote about her this past week to my friends I can only give y'all a fraction of what I wrote down here ;;;;;;;

[storm-of-feathers]

a?

[goodkiitty]

hey new voiceclaim just dropped for Nemmy!! i'm basing it off of Kaibutsu/P4 from Gin.ga Denset.su Weed!

yes you can laugh at me. i watch the dog anime.

(mun note: i dont know why tumblr hates me so, but if you want to hear the big brown dog talk skip to 10:10. can't seem to get it to play right then.)

[petr1kov]

can we get a johnny update? how much more do you think you’ll need to cover his treatment? i’m hoping i can donate once my next paycheck comes in 👉👈

first of all, thank you for asking! i want to talk more about his condition here but i don't want to come across as 'too much', so it's nice of you to show interest in knowing more and helping

i'll say more under the cut since i'll include some not-so-pretty pictures that some people don't want to see:

so far, the only thing we know for sure is that he has a nasty tumor that became infected, and another one growing on the other side of his mouth -- if you compare these pictures with the ones i took of him last week, you can see the difference:

i made that original post before i took him to the oncologist (in part to be able to afford a visit in the first place), so i only had what the first vet i took him to said to go off of, meaning, the surgery. but speaking to the oncologist, she said that given the state of his mouth, the only way to 'solve' this problem would be to completely remove his jaw, which, given his advanced age (don't know if i mentioned it before but johnny is around 16, so he's pretty old for a dog) would be pretty risky and painful and in her words, 'not worth it', given the fact that unlike a younger dog, he doesn't have years to acclimate with a new condition like this, and it would be stressful for him. assuming it would even be viable in the first place, that is.

on top of that, we've discovered that his tumor had not only grown but become infected, which made cytology and biopsy impossible until he healed of this infection first, exams he needs in order to determine the exact nature of his tumor and for the vet to know how to proceed after that. his symptoms and blood test indicate cancer, but there's a small chance that it's something else, so either way we need to do it to identify what it is.

in the meantime, we gave him an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory as well as medicine for pain, and we also took him to a bunch of other exams this week: another blood test, an x-ray, an ultrasound, and an echocardiogram. this is all both how healthy and strong he is overall, and so we can know if this cancer has metastasized anywhere else on his body. we are expected to return next thursday with his results, since by then, his infection will likely be gone (it has already stopped bleeding, at least).

all of that said, when it comes to money, the amount i have received on previous donations has already been a huge help as it has basically covered all we have done so far: the oncologist (180), the medicine (220, 66, and 100 total), the exams (can't remember each individually but it all amounted to 570). this is all in reais, but still, pretty expensive, and i definitely didn't have the money, especially not on such short notice, so i thank all who donated!

given how we still don't know for sure what his treatment will consist of, i cannot say how much more i will have to spend after that. i am very worried about it, believe me, because i know that no matter how it goes there WILL be a treatment and it WILL cost me, but i can't know just how much yet, so i can only speculate. given our previous visit, i think he'll likely need to undergo chemotherapy, but again, that's just my guess for now.

what i do know for sure is that next thursday, i will take him to the oncologist again where we will finally do a cytology test on him, and i'll take him to the dentist following that, since we need to determine exactly what can be done regarding his mouth. i have enough left for the oncologist, but not the dentist and the exam, which will cost about (250) combined. and i'm praying that the cytology will be enough because from what i've been told, a biopsy will cost over 1000, which is basically all the money i have received thus far on one single exam :|

also, as for how he's holding up, the medicine he's taking made him lose some of his appetite and he's a little down, but the vet said that is to be expected. i'm worried about that, because he was at least behaving normally a week before, and i can't say if it's the medicine or the disease making him act this way.

idk man, it's been pretty hard not just for me but for my family (mother and brother). my late father rescued johnny from the streets almost 10 years ago, when he was already an adult dog. he's been a fixture of our lives for a long time, and he's a pretty lively, loud dog. it's weird to see him like this. so yeah, no matter what happens, i just want what's best for him.

[starbuck]

i really have to stop being like “my Murder Mystery play is done” as if “done” means “just a few more little bits to write” and not “done”…

[gatalentan]

🗣 WRITERS AREN'T SHUTTING DOWN HOLLYWOOD THE STUDIOS ARE

Edit: This post popped off unexpectedly, so here is some further info & direct action you can take if this situation makes you as furious as it should:

Donate (crowdfund) food for the strikers

Learn more about the strike

WGA linktree

[shadowfoxsilver]

Some quick tips to spotting accounts that are pretending to be a Palestinian needing mutual aid. Please keep in mind that not all of them are scam accounts, and that some may legitimate blogs who just aren’t too knowledgeable on how tumblr works. This guide is based around what I go by when checking certain blogs and usually it’s a quick giveaway the blog is a scam.

Please read this post too from my other blog before you tell people don’t donate to gfms:

1. You was sent the ask as someone who regularly shares Palestine related content such as regular news updates of posts by other Palestinians who are regularly giving updates. You may also get these asks from sharing a popular post that is from the Palestine tag. If you post often about Palestine, you will always start getting these asks. These askers don’t care if you state don’t send the asks. They will anyway. Unfortunately minors also get sent asks.

2. The ask has odd formatting such as having odd quotation marks in it or unusual formatting that may indicate it’s been edited and copied from somewhere else. Often the ask is the same thing as the post itself minus a link to a donation site. These asks rarely change so searching it should pull up if it’s been sent to other bloggers and sometimes the asks are edited only to add new phrases to them in time.

3. The account is almost always a few days old or a week old or long depending on how often they have sent asks. Usually some may even be an hour old and reusing a familiar pfp/ask.

4. The blog has a few Palestine related posts or posts from random tags reblogged to pad out length and then no more. They will have no original posts besides the pinned post while occasionally answering asks that they may have received but otherwise nothing else and no further updates given either.

5. They may have a Linktree link that is called “GoFundMe” as if indicating they have a GoFundMe there. However, they don’t. When clicked on, the Linktree actually goes to a PayPal account whose name may not even match the one their supposed name is. They’ll say it’s a friend, but it’s just the same person not someone else. You’ll see this same name across multiple accounts after a while usually giving away it’s not legitimate even under a different theme.

6. The text used by the blogs are often real stories stolen from legitimate fundraisers and searching parts of it in your preferred search engine should pull up the sources. These sources make no mention of a tumblr account either or don’t have the PayPal account associated with them in the info. Scammers often impersonate a real person in need and will ignore you if you show them the source they copied from.

7. Legitimate Palestinians often link to their own GoFundMe posts that their friends have set up or post links to other social platforms they are found on. They will regularly post updates when possible, post sources to support them when necessary, and also generally have some method of verifying their legitimacy. They may often share links to support others as well or give links to charities that have been shown as reliable. They will have more original posts than just a single pinned one and regularly speak to other tumblr accounts beyond just an ask. Please don’t bother them with asks about possible scam accounts. There are many guides out there that can do that for you if you search. You may find verified fundraisers too.

8. Scammers don’t know anything about Palestine and will often have trouble once you ask them anything beyond the mutual aid post. They don’t know the languages decently and you can tell it pretty easily if you’re one who uses it regularly. Whatever the scammers use is often just copied off the site they got the post from. Sometimes the text is just reused from past scams such as asking for insulin that doesn’t last long.

9. These scammers can and will use names stolen off real Palestinians to look more legitimate and trustworthy. They change names constantly once one of their PayPal accounts is shut down.

10. If you do see a GoFundMe link on a blog, don’t immediately assume it’s a scam just because it’s a relatively new account. Check the post notes to see if anyone’s verified the account yet or wait a bit as it takes time. You likely can search around to see if anyone’s posted anything where the blog has been vetted by others. You may also see if the GoFundMe is referred to on other socials or on lists that compile verified and vetted fundraisers.

Please don’t let these scams deter you from sending support where it needs to go. Even if you can’t donate personally, there are other ways to help. If you are sending money, please make sure that it’s going to where it’s needed and the place it’s sent has been verified accordingly. If you find a blog is a scammer, and have been able to prove it, please make sure to alert anyone sharing the post and report the account.

[vhstown]

please stop scrolling and take the time to read this.

i don't think people understand the extent of the horror happening in palestine right now. "death" means nothing to people because of desensitisation so let me just tell you what white phosphorus is. it's being used in israeli munitions and has been and will continue to be fired across gaza and the palestinian borders.

white phosphorus burns when it comes into contact with oxygen (at nearly 800°C or 1500°F. the human body can withstand ~50°C for reference.) the air you breathe in ignites and it is near impossible extinguish. it sticks to clothing and skin and is very difficult to remove because it will continue to ignite in air. it burns flesh up to the bone and even past the bone because it penetrates tissue and is absorbed VERY easily. if you inhale it it'll destroy your respiratory tract and lungs. it can cause failure in multiple organs including the liver, kidneys and heart. it is being released in one of the most densely populated places on earth.

the only way to treat someone exposed to white phosphorus is to submerge them in saline or water and to pick out the substance with forceps, and when you undress a wound the substance can re-ignite. this is just ONE weapon that is being used to kill palestinian people right now. palestine does not have access to medical care, humanitarian aid, power, or internet. their hospitals are being bombed. gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world with over 50% of the population being children. many children are the sole survivors of their families. there are videos of children experiencing panic attacks and symptoms of ptsd. the fact that israel has committed war crimes in plain sight means that we can only imagine what will happen to the palestinians in complete darkness.

israel has and will continue to deny this. your interests and fandom will still be here, you will wake up tomorrow morning and see your friends and family, but an entire nation of people are being wiped off the map. being silent is being complacent. reblog, spread information, tell people in real life, attend protests, sign petitions, call your government offices, at the very least be angry and upset and horrified because once you become numb and indifferent and hopeless the oppressors will have already won.

what's happening right now is more than a genocide and once it becomes a part of history we'll wonder how the world let this happen. genocides have been part of all nations. just because it is far away does not mean you don't have to be concerned. the fact that YOUR governments and YOUR idols and the people around YOU are supporting the mass eradication of an entire group of people should scare you. it shouldn't make you feel anything less than sick and angry and disgusted. DO something about it, no matter how small you feel your voice is, because palestinians no longer have one.

[edit] links to some helpful reblogs: one & two

post on how you can help palestine

learn about palestine with this masterlist of info

+ a further reblog of mine

[edit 2] about palestinians "not having a voice" at the time i wrote this post internet connection was cut off entirely and even journalists weren't able to report for a period of time — that is all i meant by that. they of course have a voice and i never meant to undermine how people are risking their lives in gaza to get information out there and i apologise if thats what people took from it, it was not my intention but it is entirely my bad. please continue to spread information and updates from gaza as they come.

[ghostoftheyear]

Apparently there is no end to the good news as far as DRAMAtical Murder goes, because the stage plays are getting a revival.

The official twitter described it as an “evolution”, and also mentioned that an additional Virus/Trip route is being written. All of Most of the original actors are returning for their roles (Seii-chan already tweeted about being excited to apply all the things he’s learned since the original staging).

It’s a goddamned Christmas miracle is what it is.

[image ID: several Japanese actors’ headshots as tweeted for the return of the DMMd stage play. Top to bottom, left to right: Seiichiro Nagata, Allen Kohatsu, Rikiya Tomizono, Takanori Yamaki, Yuuki Yamagata, Isono Dai, Yu Yoshioka, Naoya Iwaki, Tetsuya Makita, Shogo Yamazaki. End ID]

[breelandwalker]

2024 Witches' Calendar

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2024 dates for the solstices, quarter days, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom.

Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area. Enjoy!

Solstices, Harvests, and Quarter Days

February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas

March 19 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day

June 20 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 25 - Wolf Moon ♌

February 24 - Snow Moon ♍

March 25 - Worm Moon ♎

April 23 - Pink Moon ♏

May 23 - Flower Moon ♐

June 21 - Strawberry Moon ♑

July 21 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑

August 19 - Sturgeon Moon* ♒

September 17 - Harvest Moon* ♓

October 17 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon)* ♈

November 15 - Frost Moon (or Beaver Moon)* ♉

December 15 - Cold Moon ♊

*- Supermoon

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. Once again this year, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 11 ♑

February 9 ♒

March 10 ♓

April 8 ♈

May 7 ♉

June 6 ♊

July 5 ♋

August 4 ♌

September 2 ♍

October 2 ♎

November 1 ♏

December 1 ♐

December 30 (black moon) ♑

Special Celestial Events

January 3-4 - Quadrantids meteor shower peak

March 25 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

April 8 - Total solar eclipse

April 22-23 - Lyrids meteor shower peak

May 6-7 - Eta Aquarids meteor shower peak

August 11-13 - Perseids meteor shower peak

August 19 - Sturgeon Supermoon / Seasonal Blue Moon

September 17 - Harvest Supermoon / Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

October 2 - "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse

October 17 - Hunter's Supermoon

October 21-22 - Orionids meteor shower peak

November 15 - Frost Supermoon

November 16-17 - Leonids meteor shower peak

December 13-14 - Geminids meteor shower peak

December 30 - Black Moon

(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)

Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)

April 1 - April 24

August 4 - August 27

November 25 - December 15

Happy Witching!

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree's Lunar Calendar Series

Bree's Secular Celebrations Series

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2024

Calendar-12 - 2024 Moon Phases

Full Moonology - 2024 Full Moon Calendar

AstroStyle - All the 2024 Full Moons

Your Zodiac Sign - Astrology Calendar 2024

Old Farmer's Almanac - Mercury Retrograde Dates 2023-2024

Lonely Planet - Best Star-gazing Events of 2024

Sea and Sky - Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2024

DarkSky International - Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing

Pagan Grimoire - Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar (2024 Edition)

=

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

EDIT: Mercury is stationed direct on Jan 1st, 2024. The source I used which stated it was in retrograde until the 18th had a typo.

EDIT: Fixed the zodiac signs for the full moons using a new source.

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

FYI artists and writers: some info regarding tumblr's new "third-party sharing" (aka selling your content to OpenAI and Midjourney)

You may have already seen the post by @staff regarding third-party sharing and how to opt out. You may have also already seen various news articles discussing the matter.

But here's a little further clarity re some questions I had, and you may too. Caveat: Not all of this is on official tumblr pages, so it's possible things may change.

(1) "I heard they already have access to my data and it doesn't really matter if I opt out"

From the 404 article:

A new FAQ section we reviewed is titled “What happens when you opt out?” states “If you opt out from the start, we will block crawlers from accessing your content by adding your site on a disallowed list. If you change your mind later, we also plan to update any partners about people who newly opt-out and ask that their content be removed from past sources and future training.”

So please, go click that opt-out button.

(2) Some future user: "I've been away from tumblr for months, and I just heard about all this. I didn't opt out before, so does it make a difference anymore?"

Another internal document shows that, on February 23, an employee asked in a staff-only thread, “Do we have assurances that if a user opts out of their data being shared with third parties that our existing data partners will be notified of such a change and remove their data?” Andrew Spittle, Automattic’s head of AI replied: “We will notify existing partners on a regular basis about anyone who's opted out since the last time we provided a list. I want this to be an ongoing process where we regularly advocate for past content to be excluded based on current preferences. We will ask that content be deleted and removed from any future training runs. I believe partners will honor this based on our conversations with them to this point. I don't think they gain much overall by retaining it.”

It should make a difference! Go click that button.

(3) "I opted out, but my art posts have been reblogged by so many people, and I don't know if they all opted out. What does that mean for my stuff?"

This answer is actually on the support page for the toggle:

This option will prevent your blog's content, even when reblogged, from being shared with our licensed network of content and research partners, including those that train AI models.

And some further clarification by the COO and a product manager:

zingring: A couple people from work have reached out to let me know that yes, it applies to reblogs of "don't scrape" content. If you opt out, your content is opted out, even in reblog form. cyle: yep, for reblogs, we're taking it so far as "if anybody in the reblog trail has opted out, all of the content in that reblog will be opted out", when a reblog could be scraped/shared.

So not only your reblogged posts, but anyone who contributed in a reblog (such as posts where someone has been inspired to draw fanart of the OP) will presumably be protected by your opt-out. (A good reason to opt out even if you yourself are not a creator.)

Furthermore, if you the OP were offline and didn't know about the opt-out, if someone contributed to a reblog and they are opted out, then your original work is also protected. (Which makes it very tempting to contribute "scrapeable content" now whenever I reblog from an abandoned/disused blog...)

(4) "What about deleted blogs? They can't opt out!"

I was told by someone (not official) that he read "deleted blogs are all opted-out by default". However, he didn't recall the source, and I can't find it, so I can't guarantee that info. If I get more details - like if/when tumblr puts up that FAQ as reported in the 404 article - I will add it here as soon as I can.

Edit, tumblr has updated their help page for the option to opt-out of third-party sharing! It now states:

The content which will not be shared with our licensed network of content and research partners, including those that train AI models, includes: • Posts and reblogs of posts from blogs who have enabled the "Prevent third-party sharing" option. • Posts and reblogs of posts from deleted blogs. • Posts and reblogs of posts from password-protected blogs. • Posts and reblogs of posts from explicit blogs. • Posts and reblogs of posts from suspended/deactivated blogs. • Private posts. • Drafts. • Messages. • Asks and submissions which have not been publicly posted. • Post+ subscriber-only posts. • Explicit posts.

So no need to worry about your old deleted blogs that still have reblogs floating around. *\o/*

But for your existing blogs, please use the opt out option. And a reminder of how to opt out, under the cut:

The opt-out toggle is in Blog Settings, and please note you need to do it for each one of your blogs / sideblogs.

On dashboard, the toggle is at https://www.tumblr.com/settings/blog/blogname [replace "blogname" as applicable] down by Visibility:

For mobile, you need the most recent update of the app. (Android version 33.4.1.100, iOs version 33.4.) Then go to your blog tab (the little person icon), and then the gear icon for Settings, then click Visibility.

Again, if you have a sideblog, go back to the blog tab, switch to it, and go to settings again. Repeat as necessary.

If you do not have access to the newest version of the app for whatever reason, you can also log into tumblr in your mobile browser. Same URL as per desktop above, same location.

Note you do not need to change settings in both desktop and the app, just one is fine.

I hope this helps!

[nappingpaperclip]

PLEASE REPOST

MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR GAZA

1:00PM Saturday January 13th, 2024 @ The National Mall 1600 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington DC

Please wear a KN-95 mask, and wear layered nondescript clothing and COVER YOUR FACE, HAIR, AND ANY IDENTIFYING FEATURES. I have seen many people use keffiyehs for this. Dress for cold weather but know marching warms you up quickly, so dress in layers you can remove and carry without uncovering your face and hair. Ideally you should bring a backpack to carry food, water, first aid, ID, etc. It may be good to bring multiple or removable parts of your outfit if you plan on walking from your residence or car.

If you bring a phone, turn off your Face/Touch ID, location services, and data.

Have your emergency contacts written on your body. Don’t record peoples faces. Stick with a group.

Bigotry & hatred will not be tolerated.

Even if you are unable to attend or are not USAmerican, please reblog and repost this to other social medias. You may have a follower or friend who can attend.

If you live within a couple of hours of DC, or even if you live further: talk to your local organizations! It is possible they may be able to organize transportation to this event. Most likely you will have to pay a fee, but it is likely going to be cheaper and safer than driving to DC and parking in their $40-$50/hour parking garages. Also look into Amtrak, Greyhound buses, or other means of transportation.

EDIT: fixed some info, also here is the HD graphic that includes the website

[aaa-week]

WELCOME TO AGATHA ALL ALONG WEEK!

All fanart makers & fanfic writers and edits are welcome.

1. What is agatha all along week?

Agatha all along week is being organised by us over at the discord server Evil Hags. People will be provided with a set of prompts for 7 days where they can either make fanart or fanfics (or anything else as long as it follows the prompt for the day.)

2. When is agatha all along week?

December 11th to December 18th

3. Who can you write about?

Anyone! Any of the agatha all along characters. Any ships you prefer, you can make them character/reader or character/character too.

4. Why are we doing this?

So, I was brainstorming over how to get over the depression season finale put us in & realised what better way to do it than gather the community. All of us on discord brainstormed and came up with AUs that we would all want to see.

PROMPT LIST

DAY 1

High School Au OR Single Mom/Teacher Au

DAY 2

non-magic OR band au

DAY 3

unrequited OR politics au

DAY 4

hurt/comfort OR pirates au

DAY 5

FREE DAY

DAY 6

arranged marriage OR soulmates au

DAY 7

forbidden OR royalty au

EXTRA INFO

• It's not compulsory to do both prompts for the day, you can choose between one or make a mix of both.

• It's not necessary that you post things for all days however it would be fun if you did.

• You can start preparing fanfics & fanart now onwards and on those days you will be posting them accordingly.

• You can post fics on both tumblr & ao3. Please use the tag #aaa week while posting. If you are posting on ao3, make a post on tumblr giving a link to the fic so that we can reblog it.

• If you have any further queries dm @hermslore or join the evil hags discord server to join discussion.

Feel free to reblog as much as you can and spread the word to all your favourite aaa content creators. x

[get-starfingered]

Hey, Ai Fairouz makes it very clear on her twitter bio that she does not want her pictures reposted so you should really take that post of the final VA day down

Hi, so I did not visit her page when I saw that tweet. It showed up on my feed, so I was not intentionally ignoring a boundary of hers. Having now seen this ask and checking her Twitter bio (and copying her bio and pasting it into Google Translate since the site wasn't offering to translate through Twitter itself) there is indeed a "Do not repost" noted.

My question is this: is this regarding any media she shares on her socials, or is it regarding her artwork specifically? I know she's an illustrator too, and typically artists do not agree to have their work reposted (unless asked, approved, and credited). Or is this a blanket boundary? My confusion largely comes from the fact that her photos are shared widely outside of her socials and I didn't see a pinned or linked statement delineating what she meant.

In fairness I can at least make the post unrebloggable in the meantime, though I would appreciate some info that makes certain that she doesn't want even her photos she shares reposted before deleting it.