#if anyone has some additional info or a correction please feel free to add that

[albonoooo]

if i ever hear someone say jah-lex, i'm throwing hands and here's why.*

the english g-sound is more of a category than a phonetic fact and thus called a phoneme (this is also the case for many other sounds). physical realisations of this (or any) speech sound are called phones. phones that function as alternant realisations of the same phoneme are known as allophones of the phoneme.

so, in the english language, the phoneme /g/ has two phones which function as allophones of this phoneme. they are the following:

1. the hard <g>

is a voiced velar plosive pronounced [ɡ]

voiced: the vocal folds are held together while producing this sound which causes a vibration referred to as 'voicing' (phonation)

velar: the sound is produced with the tongue body raised and retracted against the velum (place of articulation)

plosive: there's a complete closure at the point of articulation, so that no air can get past. then, the closure is suddenly released, resulting in a burst noise (manner of articulation)

[ɡ] is typically followed by back vowels <u, o, a> or consonants (for vowel charts, see the pictures below)

[g] is also the more common pronunciation of /g/ at the end of a word

2. the soft <g>

is a voiced post-alveolar affricate pronounced [ʤ]

voiced: see above

post-alveolar: the sound is produced with the tongue blade behind the alveolar ridge (place of articulation)

affricate: there's a stop-like closure at the point of articulation, followed by a slow release (manner of articulation)

[ʤ] is typically followed by front vowels <i, e, y>

please note that sometimes, hard pronunciation preceding front vowels may occur (think of the gif vs jif debate). this especially applies to words of germanic origin, loan words from other languages and irregular greco-latinate words.

(we can be happy it's only these two, in old english there were four.)

vowel charts of cardinal vowels; primary chart on the left and secondary chart on the right:

this alternation in pronunciation has its roots in a palatalization of <g> which took place in late latin (hence, some time between the 3rd and 6th century ad). palatalization is a sound change that leads to a palatalized articulation of a consonant, i. e. a manner of sound production in which a part of the tongue is moved close to the hard palate. in this particular case, the palatalization resulted in a different pronunciation of the letter <g> when followed by front vowels. due to orthographic convention, even languages that don't descend from latin inherited this feature. i'm pretty sure french pronunciation rules also had something to do with all this, but this is already too long.

especially the last part of this is if course incredibly brief and leaves out a lot of detail, but i think it serves the purpose of giving a broad overview which is all i wanted. in conclusion, galex is pronounced with a hard <g>. don't piss me off.

*i passed my 'introduction to english language and linguistics' module despite barely paying attention in the lectures and am thus qualified to talk about this.

[pansycritter]

Animal Jam Items for Art Commissions (Open)

Okay I've decided I wanna do them because the siren call of funny pixel items has been too great for me. I'm really only looking for items that I desperately want, but I will be willing to see other offers if you want a piece but don't have an item I want! I am offering reference sheets, fullbodies, headshots, and busts. Something important to note before you read the rest of this: I do not do refunds after the lineart has been finished. I will show you the sketch before I line and you can tell me corrections or additions you would like to make before I line. If you decide not to continue with the commission then that's okay, but you are NOT allowed to use the sketch I provided for ANYTHING because I do not do work for free! After the sketch is finalized and I am going to proceed with the lineart and coloring, I expect to get the items of our exchange. If you feel anxious doing the full exchange then we can do half. After the piece is done you can give me the rest. I don't intend on scamming anyone of course, but there are losers out there that have scammed so I understand the anxiety. You can ask for updates at any time and I intend to show you updates throughout the process! :) Anyway! Comm info under the cut

There will be 3 types of commissions. -My normal commissions (Procreate drawing). I feel most confident doing these because my hand can be a bit unsteady and stabilization helps me quite a bit. -AJPW masterpiece -AJ Classic masterpiece I can do reference sheets, fullbodies, headshots, or busts. I can draw pretty much any species of animal, some mech things, humans, and light gore (scratches, blood, yknow). I will not draw NSFW on in-game pieces. I can do nudity for a ref if you'd like. I will not draw headfeathers or headdresses on any animals. Please give me a different head item to draw because I do not feel comfortable drawing these. Reference sheets will only be available as my regular commission type. They're too large and complex for in game masterpieces. I can only do fullbodies, busts, and headshots for in-game masterpieces. I can draw ferals in game but I don't feel confident doing anthros in game due to the size of the canvas (especially if you want a fullbody). If you really want an anthro in a masterpiece then we can talk about it.

Pricing/what to expect: When I list items that I would want, then it's that item or the other items listed. For example, I would do a reference sheet for ONE alpha sword OR shark tail OR etc etc. The list isn't I want *all* of the items. I will also take equivalent value for the items listed.

Reference sheets come with 1 fullbody, 1 chibi with an outfit, and 1 headshot. If your character has a special back marking or item etc that you want to add then we can discuss whether that will be extra or not (if it's pretty simple idm). They will have a flat color or free use photo for the background and the character won't be shaded. Items I would accept for a ref: 1 alpha sword, 1 pair of snow leopard slippers, 1 shark tail, up to 9 black longs, 2 phantom beanies, or a mixture of party hats (rare original versions only). Equivalent to any of these items. Fullbodies, busts, and headshots will be flat colored only unless you would like shading, which would be a few den betas (up to 3). If you don't specify that you'd like shading then I won't shade them. The background will be a flat color, a free use photo, or a pride flag if you'd like.

For fullbodies I'm looking for: Beta elf armor tail (pref 1x white or 1x pink. Green or tan + small add like a few dbs). Lower grade party hats such as the orange, yellow, or green. 1x phantom beanie. Equivalent to any of these items. For busts and headshots: Probably just a mix of short collars and long wrists or den betas. I can also do multiple (up to 3) headshots for a more valuable item like beta tail armor (along with other things) or phantom beanie etc. It's been kind of hard to price my art in terms of animal jam items, but if you'd like to talk to me more about it or make an offer then my DMs are OPEN and you can also reply to this post! I'm also on toyhou.se with the user kibblecore! Related to my "will not draw" earlier, I do not accept headdresses or headfeathers for my art. I feel uncomfortable having those items and will just trade them away. Here are some examples of my art :)

The one that is just a sketch is an idea of what you will get if you get a ref comm. This oc is Laby and I haven't finalized their design yet which is why it's unfinished lol. I just made it as an example.

The rest of these photos are examples of my art. Some have shading and some do not. The image if the fox with the party hat is from AJ classic. I know the refs have quite boring colors for the backgrounds but that color can always be changed of course! Grey is just my default :) Also I can use a font to add your character's information instead of just my hand writing lol I suppose that's all! If you have any questions/are unclear on anything then please DM me or ask!!! :D

[tbb-appreciation-week]

Welcome to The Bad Batch Appreciation Week 2023!!!

The time for appreciating Clone Force 99 is near! The prompts have been revealed HERE, so we must set some rules. Seems fair, right? So, here they are:

Event Info & Rules

TBB APPRECIATION WEEK is a week-long, prompt-based creation challenge to celebrate our love for the Batchers and the show. There are 7 groups of prompts—one for each day of the week—, which can be used, skipped, or combined in any way you’d like. They are meant to be an inspiration without being taken literally (i.e., you don’t have to include the exact wording of prompts in your work). Feel free to interpret them at your convenience. For example, if the prompt is “anooba”, you can create either something about the animal, use it as a name/mascot of a sports team in your modern-day/our Earth AU, or as an analogy for someone with a voracious appetite. It’s up to you.

Each group contains a character plus 5 different prompts (SFW, AU/Trope, Dialogue, NSFW, and a color palette). As it says above, you can use any, some, or all of them. Also there's also a short list of jokers/alternatives that you can use only one time each to replace any of the main prompts. The idea is to give everyone as much creative freedom as possible. The participants can create works in any media they choose, including but not limited to: writing, art, edits, gifs, videos, playlists, cosplays, etc. The only restriction is that it needs to be focused on The Bad Batch.

Also, people can participate as much or as little as they want, meaning that you don’t have to do ALL the days if you can't/ don’t want to.

Collaborations are welcome and even encouraged. For example, if an artist and a writer want to work together, or a writer and a podficcer, or two writers, go for it!

When uploading TBB Appreciation Week content to your Tumblr blog, be sure to mention this blog and add the following hashtags:

#tbbaw2023

#the character of the day

#day 1, #day 2, #day 3, etc… (the corresponding day)

#medium (gifset, fic, podcast, fanart, etc.)

#trigger warnings, if applies. (Please do NOT to add “tw” in front or at the end but only use the word/trigger itself, because the way Tumblr tag blocker feature works, it makes it harder for people to block the right tag.) (List of trigger warnings)

#prompt(s) used

#nsfw (only for NSFW content)

#any other relevant tags go here

PLEASE BE DILIGENT WITH YOUR TAGGING (both by mentioning the blog and putting the necessary tags). That'll ensure that your post will be reblogged on this blog.

I'll do my best to reblogged everyone's posts, but if it passes 2–3 days and I haven't posted yours, please let me know.

In addition, you can also add your work to the Ao3 Collection if you want.

If you are posting NSFW fics or art on Tumblr, I ask that you use the Keep Reading break and/or the Community Labels to hide the NSFW portion of your work; and please, give the proper warnings; (If you don't know how to do a keep reading break on mobile, go to this tutorial). On Ao3, please, use the correct rating and warnings as well.

There won't be censorship in this event, so everyone is free to create whatever they want. Participants are expected to hold judgment to themselves of others and their works, even if they don't agree with or find it repulsive. That means that harassment of anyone or anything that they post (even if said work is something you personally find morally reprehensible) WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Anyone that breaks this rule will be banned from the event. Curate your own experience by blocking what upsets/squicks/triggers you, and leave everyone else alone. That's the importance of the correct tagging, as it says above.

If an author or artist has asked for constructive criticism, you may give it (with constructive being the keyword). However, refrain to give any of the unsolicited kind, as it can be discouraging for the author or artist.

Important!! Show support to other participants by liking, reblogging, AND commenting. But most of all, HAVE FUN!!! This is meant to be a lay-back event to show love for our favorite characters.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you all come up with!

If you have questions, you can check out the F.A.Q post. But if you don't find there the answer you're looking for, send me a message to the ask box or a DM, either in this blog or my fandom blog @nimata-beroya.

Thanks for reading, and happy creating!

[themanicnami]

READINGS OPEN INDEFINITELY

Hey guys! So as you know I’ve been dealing with some unfortunate circumstances due to COVID-19. Permanent lay-off from my main job effective as of Sept. 28th and unemployment in my state near impossible to get. I have an appointment with them but it will no longer let people file online. You can only do it by appointment now.

I know a lot of others are suffering severely as well - but if anyone has any spare income and wants a reading please feel free to IM me or send me an ask or (preferably) send me a submission form.

For readings I will need an email address to send the invoice to.

The Readings I Offer

Tarot Readings

A simple thing that many offer but with my readings you will receive images of the spreads and cards taken and any other addition items added (crystals drawing, colormancy, etc)

1 Card Reading - $1.50

3 Card Reading - $3.00

5 Card Reading - $5.00

10 Card Reading - $8.00

Custom Spreads or Requests - Up for Discussion

Past Life Readings

My bread and butter! Every interested in delving down into the lives you may have experienced in the past? Are you wanting to do some soul searching or get back to some of your old energy of those times? Well these readings are wonderful for self discovery, self reflection and to improve yourself over flaws of history.

Standard Reading (5 Cards) - $5.00

The standard past life reading is where I do a 5 card spread based off of the custom spread I created personally for past life readings. These readings will consist of: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life, and late life. Additional notes may be added to the reading by me.

Full Reading (10 Cards) - $8.50

The standard past life reading is where I do a 10 card spread based off of the custom spread I created personally for past life readings. These readings will consist of: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life, late life, how you were seen by others, your inner self/personality, your purpose in this life, if you met any of your soulmates, and how this life effects your current one. Additional notes may be added to the reading by me.

Full Reading + 3 Cards - $11.00

This reading is like the full reading, but with the addition of 3 more cards added to the end of the spread. These cards can be picked from a list of specifics that you wish to know more about this past life for more specific info. You may choose which of the three areas of the 10 you wish to add a card (or cards) to for more detail.

Full Reading + 5 Cards - $12.50

This reading is identical to the full reading with the addition of another 5 card spread afterwards. This additional 5 card spread will help us determine in more detail your past life in specific aspects: the time period, the location, your lifestyle (job, family, social class), your biggest fears and your goals/dreams of this life.

Small Reading - $3.00

This is my affordable cheaper option for those with a tighter budget. It is a smaller version of my standard reading featuring the first 5 cards of the standard reading: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life and late life.

Colormancy

My readings using custom colormancy cards made from my color theory test kit. With these colors much like other forms of card readings, I will use them and their alignments to draw answers for your questions or inquiries.

One Card - $1.00

Two Cards - $1.50

Three Cards - $2.50

Five Cards - $4.00

Crystal Throwing

A crystal throwing reading is using a bunch of different crystals and a large grid and tossing randomly selected crystals onto the grid and interpreting that for divination purposes. You may also do single drawn stones from a bag or box for single simple answers.

How the reading will work:

I will receive your question(s) and then using them as a guide will throw the crystals I draw onto my grid. I will interpret the patter, placement and the crystals correspondences to give you a detailed reading. I will also take a picture of the grid and the crystals upon it.

Pricing:

The price for a standard crystal reading will be $7.00 and for every additional throwing or question you would like to add is another $3.00.

I also have an option for if you want a Large Throwing consisting of answering 5 questions and taking the use of many more crystals than a standard throwing it is $11.50.

I also offer single stone drawings for $1.00 a stone.

Energy Readings

My energy readings are not the same as aura readings, I will read your energy via what visions I get, imagery, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings. I type out my readings while I experience them (likely with my eyes closed) and will go back through to correct spelling errors before sending. Sometimes these readings delve into divination other times they don’t. I will then take what I see, feel and witness and interpret it more deeply for you and send that.

The price is 6.50 for a basic energy reading. A full detailed or extended one with additional tarot cards, crystals or other added insights can be requested and price discussed.

If you need more details on energy readings feel free to look at my Energy Reading Page

Pendulum Readings

A simple reading but good for anyone who needs simple brief answers.

One Question = $1.00

Each additional Question = $1.00

5 Question Bundle = $4.50

10 Question Bundle = $9.00

Spirit or Entity Communication = IM me to discuss possible price depending on entity/spirit, length of reading and number of questions

Deity Communication/Entity Communication

Need some help communicating with a new deity, entity or spirit? I am happy to do my best to assist you with this!

Basic Deity Communication Spread - $12.00

This reading will be done with a spread I have made and used for deity communication to contact and get information from the deity. Additional cards may be added as needed each for $1.

Add Energy Reading - add. $5.00

If needed or desired I can add on an energy reading of you and possibly the deity/entity itself onto the standard basic reading above for an additional fee

Shufflemancy

A simple reading using the playlists I have saved and relating song themes, lyrics and emotions to determine the future or advice.

Price: $4.00 for a standard, $6.50 for two songs/extended reading

Readings are currently what are allowing me to buy groceries, pay off my transit pass and purchase necessities and stay ontop of things while my part-time job is covering rent at this time. I do not know if my job that let me go will open positions and call me in the future, they seemed to let everyone go/position removal as of this past week as an indication they may be shutting down until tourism improves. 

So if you are interested in readings please feel free to reach out and IM me or send me an ask/submission. I just need email addresses to send the invoices.

Readings usually take between 7 to 14 days and they are done Sundays through Tuesdays as to not interfere with my part-time hours.

Thank you all for helping me with this. If you cannot request a commission, please reblog and signal boost this if you can. Money will be tight, my city is about to fully shut down with little to no support from our local government. I also accept tips through my Ko-Fi page as well.

[dragonmarquise]

Just some additional info on the alternatives listed here, mainly in terms of how to download them:

For Inkscape, Krita, GIMP, and LibreOffice, you can just download their installers from the linked websites. GIMP in particular also has the option to download it via BitTorrent if you prefer that.

Though frankly, at least for Windows, I'd recommend Paint.NET over GIMP. And if you don't mind a browser-based option, there's always Photopea!

For Penpot, it requires an account (to be expected, since it's browser based rather than a downloadable app), but at least you have an option to make an account with them instead of an outside service/company (Google, Microsoft, etc).

For Okular, it's a bit more tricky. On Windows at least, the recommended (and apparently only) way to download the installer is via the Microsoft Store. But then that requires a Microsoft account, which not everyone wants to use, especially with privacy concerns. They don't link to any direct downloads on their site either, as far as I could find? I might have missed something though, please feel free to correct me on this.

The also have the option to let you download it from the GitHub repo and try and build that. But that's probably not the easiest option for most people.

So instead, KDE (the group behind Okular, and also Krita for that matter) have a website where you can download builds of their software. This is apparently meant mainly for testing (especially the master branches for each software), but hey, I downloaded Okular 24.05 from here and it seems to work fine so far?? So give it a try if you want, here is the page for what I downloaded. I am assuming it's based off the latest stable release for Windows. Or at least might be more stable than the master branch.

(If anyone has any clarifying info about the state of Okular, feel free to add onto this! Like I said, so far I'm doing okay with the test build, but I don't know for sure if it's really the best option on Windows besides the Microsoft Store.)

Adobe is going to spy on your projects. This is insane.

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: “Romantic Rail Getaway” Zuo Ran Route, Day 3

Translation Masterlist | Themis Event Masterlist

Zuo Ran Route: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Videos, where applicable, are hyperlinked on the headings in the post.

See under cut!

Part 1 – Kelosi Plaza – “Ruminating Over Kelosi City”

Kelosi City

According to everyone, Kelosi City was Rumbaliya’s famous capital of cuisine.

Many local specialty restaurants were scattered here, with the scent of food filling every part of the city.

Zuo Ran considerately looked for a travel guide to introduce us to Kelosi City.

With the travel guide’s patient, enthusiastic explanations, this capital of cuisine developed a detailed form in my heart.

Travel Guide: Ah, esteemed guests, welcome to Kelosi City.

Travel Guide: This is the Cuisine Arc opened in the romantic and artistic Rumbaliya, the islands that control the tastebuds and spirit!

MC: (An introduction method that’s full of artisticness… this must be one of the special characteristics of Kelosi City.)

MC: Mister Guide, could you give us a more detailed introduction?

Travel Guide: Of course, my esteemed guests.

INTERROGATION START

Special Attractions

MC: Could you give us a detailed recommendation of some special attractions here?

Travel Guide: Yes, I sincerely recommend you two to go see the Cuisine Museum and the Green-Shaded Castle.

Travel Guide: Those are our landmark attractions in Kelosi City.

Cuisine Museum

MC: The Cuisine Museum?

Travel Guide: Oh, that’s a museum that displays all sorts of cuisine-themed information.

Travel Guide: In the museum, the two of you can get a more detailed understanding of the developmental history of the Capital of Cuisine, Kelosi City.

MC: Is that so… I bet that when checking out the museum, it’ll be easy to get hungry.

Green-Shaded Castle

MC: What kind of place is the Green-Shaded Castle?

Travel Guide: The Green-Shaded Castle is a castle that’s been surrounded by green radish and flowers. Visitors have said that that place is as beautiful as a fairytale paradise.

Travel Guide: Esteemed guests, I highly recommend the two of you go there to see.

Travel Guide: Not only can you taste fantastical foods in the castle, but you can also enjoy an aristocratic service.

MC: (An aristocratic service and fantastical foods?)

MC: (What would those feel like? I’m suddenly feeling curious!)

Popular Foods

MC: Could you recommend the most popular foods here for us?

Travel Guide: The three major delicacies of Kelosi City, cheese mushroom vol-au-vents, pigeon meat pie, and beet lobsters.

Travel Guide: If you haven’t tried these three dishes, then you haven’t truly come to Kelosi City.

Cheese Mushroom Vol-au-Vents

MC: I kind of want to try cheese mushroom vol-au-vents.

Travel Guide: Esteemed lady, you truly do have taste.

Travel Guide: Cheese mushroom vol-au-vents mixes cheese with fresh mushrooms to make a special sauce, which is then stuffed into puff pastry and baked into a delicacy.

Travel Guide: Anyone who has tasted it will indulge in the richness of the cheese and the deliciousness of the mushrooms, to the point of being unable to free themselves.

MC: (That intense? Then I have to try it later!)

Pigeon Meat Pie

Zuo Ran: I’ve heard of pigeon meat pie before. This is a famous traditional dish of Rumbaliya.

Travel Guide: Mister, you’re right. I personally believe that this dish is the best for representing Rumbaliya’s local flavor!

Travel Guide: From the outside, it doesn’t look that different from typical savoury pies, but the meat filling is made from fresh, tender minced pigeon meat.

Travel Guide: When the taste of pigeon and the crispy savoury pie blend together, it becomes an incomparably enjoyable dish.

MC: (Whoa… I feel like this will definitely be delicious!)

Beet Lobster

MC: Is the beet lobster dish made from cooking the beets and lobster together?

Travel Guide: Esteemed lady, you are underestimating this dish too much. Kelosi City’s beet lobster dish is not this simple.

Travel Guide: For this dish, you must select the most tender beets, mince them, then add them into different seafoods including oysters and clams to simmer them into a sauce.

Travel Guide: When the seafood beet sauce is paired with the butter-fried lobster and taken to the table…

Travel Guide: The umami tastes of the seafood sauce and lobster work together, blending beautifully. Now this is the best taste.

MC: (Wow, I want to taste the beet lobster right now!)

INTERROGATION END

Travel Guide: Esteemed guests, feel free to ask anything else you want to know about.

MC: There’s nothing else – we now basically know what we need to, thank you.

Travel Guide: No problem, it’s my pleasure to answer your questions.

--

After bidding farewell to the travel guide, I turned on my phone and opened the trip map, looking up the locations of the attractions that the travel guide had mentioned.

MC: Hm… the Cuisine Museum and the Green-Shaded Castle seem to be in the same block…

MC: Lawyer Zuo, we can check out both places together later!

Zuo Ran: Sure. After seeing the museum, we can look for a place to eat… after, we can go to the Green-Shaded Castle.

MC: Okay, that’s perfect timing for tasting the dishes that the trip guide recommended!

 Part 2 – Cuisine Museum

[Gameplay]

 Part 3 – Green-Shaded Castle

[Gameplay]

 Part 4 – Kelosi Gourmet Area – “Restaurant Crisis”

MC: What exactly does the “fried air” mentioned in the info packet taste like…

After walking out of the Cuisine Museum, I was still discussing with Zuo Ran about the fun, creative cuisines that we had just seen in the museum.

MC: Fried moss, giant anglerfish braised noodles, lobster cuttlefish stew… I feel like they’re very particular dishes.

Zuo Ran: I found a local specialty restaurant…

Zuo Ran: The main hit at that restaurant is recreating the dishes at the museum while balancing the classic dishes of Rumbaliya.

MC: Lawyer Zuo, let’s go to that restaurant then?

My eager voice piqued a smile in Zuo Ran’s eyes.

Zuo Ran: Sure, I’ll call a cab.

--

Local Specialty Restaurant

Very soon, we arrived at the specialty restaurant Zuo Ran mentioned.

This restaurant was clean and organized, and the prices could be called fair.

Thus, we simply ordered some more local recommended dishes, experiencing the sumptuous happiness of cuisine.

However, this happiness ended right when we were paying the bill…

MC: No way, why are they making us pay this much money?! Boss, did you get it wrong?

Restaurant Boss: I’m willing to swear to God that the prices I’ve calculated are correct.

Zuo Ran: The unit prices on the receipt don’t match with the prices on the menu.

Restaurant Boss: What’s indicated on the menu is only the prices of the dishes themselves…

Restaurant Boss: But, please understand that there are also service fees, materials costs, processing costs, and so on that need to be added on in calculation.

MC: These additional costs were not explained in advance. We will not pay them!

Restaurant Boss: Oh! My God, I’m willing to guarantee that each cost charged by our restaurant is reasonable.

MC: Is the individual calculation of service fees, materials costs, and processing costs also reasonable?

Restaurant Boss: I really can’t believe that you’d actually bring up such a foolish question.

Restaurant Boss: If they are not calculated individually, how could we provide a more considerate service for guests?

MC: You’re obviously collecting fees at random and tricking customers!

[Gameplay]

Zuo Ran: We have already called the police. I recommend you keep your excuses just now for the police.

Restaurant Boss: Ugh, goddammit! Why can’t I get through with you?

The restaurant boss clearly couldn’t refute what I’d said, but he still remained stubbornly unreasonable.

Restaurant Boss: Hurry and pay up, then get out of my restaurant!

Restaurant Boss: If you stay in my restaurant for one more minute, I don’t know what I’ll end up doing.

--

Thusly, we were roughly chased outside by the boss.

Good thing the police came in time. Only then did the chaos stop.

After mediation, the restaurant boss was willing to collect payment based on the prices on the menu. Only with this did Zuo Ran and I manage to accept the results.

MC: … That restaurant boss went overboard!

MC: (If we were in Stellis City, I would definitely sue him into bankruptcy!)

Zuo Ran: I’m sorry, I didn’t think that restaurant would be like this…

He had just spoken, the sharp voice of a woman interjected from the roadside.

???: Look at these pitiful foreigners. Only you would go eat at those sorts of places.

The meaning behind these words was obvious. I couldn’t resist walking up to chat with her.

MC: May I ask, what were you… just talking about?

Local Resident: Ugh, a pitiful foreigner would actually ask this sort of question. I’m willing to bet that you haven’t come to Rumbaliya before.

MC: … It is indeed our first time here.

Local Resident: So what you’ve experienced is very typical – just as ordinary as the taste of the apple juice that Aunt Susanna makes next door to me.

MC: (This description…)

MC: My apologies, could you tell me about this in more detail?

Local Resident: Oh! I really can’t believe that you really don’t know nothing at all.

Local Resident: Alright then, I’ll tell you both out of the goodness of my heart.

--

INTERROGATION START

Problem with Local Specialty Restaurants

MC: Do… only foreign visitors patronize that restaurant?

Local Resident: That restaurant was a very popular major restaurant ten years ago.

Local Resident: Sadly… after foreign visitors like you started coming more and more, the restaurant prices became more and more expensive.

Local Resident: Heavens, God knows that I used to like their pigeon meat pie the best.

Past Prices

MC: Which also means… the prices at this restaurant used to be very normal?

Local Resident: Oh, of course. I really miss those old days.

Local Resident: In the past, the prices at this restaurant were cheap and the dishes delicious, and there weren’t any of these random service fees at all.

MC: (For real? This restaurant used to be so conscientious?)

Restaurant Boss

Zuo Ran: Has the boss of this restaurant changed before?

MC: (Makes sense… if the restaurant boss changed, it is indeed possible for prices to rise.)

Local Resident: I swear to God that the boss of this restaurant has never changed before.

Local Resident: Ugh, that fellow is pretty much like this because of greed, and only increased the prices because he wanted to make more money.

Local Resident: There are lots of visitors who don’t mind spending more, so these kinds of people end up succeeding.

Local Resident: What’s even more awful is how those bosses will directly raise the price, doubling the prices and selling them to foreign visitors.

Local Resident: The hearts of those detestable guys are as black as the soup in cuttlefish braised noodles!

MC: …

MC: (Though I don’t want to admit it, it looks like we really were tricked this time…)

INTERROGATION END

 Local Resident: Oh God, I got held up for so long with you…

Local Resident: My beloved Randy is still waiting for me to taste his apple pie.

Though I didn’t know who Randy was, it was obvious that this lady didn’t want to chat anymore with us about this.

MC: My apologies, we won’t hold you up anymore.

After hastily ending the conversation, Zuo Ran and I strolled along the bustling Kelosi Local Customs Road.

Unintentionally matching each other, we sunk into silence, feeling like there was something stifled in our hearts…

Heavy and gloomy, making us lose our desire to sightsee.

 Part 5 – Kelosi Local Customs Road

[Gameplay]

 Part 6 – Scenic Location Complication

Kelosi City Block

MC: …

The sky was gradually darkening, and the bustling, lively city was also gradually being dyed in the colours of quietude.

Only my depressed mood kept turning over and over, unconnected to this peace.

That restaurant boss’s unreasonable attitude kept appearing before my eyes.

--

[Flashback]

MC: These extra costs you’re talking about are all unreasonable. We will not pay them!

Restaurant Boss: Oh! My God, I’m willing to guarantee that each cost charged by our restaurant is reasonable.

MC: Is the individual calculation of service fees, materials costs, and processing costs also reasonable?

Restaurant Boss: I really can’t believe that you’d actually bring up such a foolish question.

Restaurant Boss: If they are not calculated individually, how could we provide a more considerate service for guests?

MC: You’re obviously collecting fees at random and tricking customers!

Zuo Ran: We have already called the police. I recommend you keep your excuses just now for the police.

Restaurant Boss: Oh, goddammit! Why can’t I get through with you?

The restaurant boss clearly couldn’t refute what I’d said, but he still remained stubbornly unreasonable.

Restaurant Boss: Hurry and pay up, then get out of my restaurant!

Restaurant Boss: If you stay in my restaurant for one more minute, I don’t know what I’ll end up doing.

[Flashback end]

--

Thinking about the restaurant boss’s attitude, arrogant despite being in the wrong as he shooed Zuo Ran and I out of the restaurant, I felt a headache.

Even worse, what happened after we left the restaurant told us that reality was far crueler than we had imagined.

MC: I thought that tricking guests was an outlier case, rather than being common.

Zuo Ran: It takes more than one cold day for ice to freeze three inches thick.

Zuo Ran: For the restaurant boss to be able to say these things, it indicates that he has long been used to using these despicable methods to trick foreign visitors.

MC: Yeah, those locals who chatted with us also said…

MC: “Some bosses will directly raise the price, doubling the prices and selling them to foreign visitors, who don’t know better anyways.”

MC: “That boss is comparably alright. There are even worse ones” – things like that…

Zuo Ran: Rumbaliya is a popular tourist destination and there’s significant traveler movement. Those who have been taken advantage of, yet don’t want to trouble others, will often choose to bear it in silence.

Zuo Ran: Those crooked businesses focus on this, and thus can act unscrupulously…

Zuo Ran: In addition, there are places where regulatory authorities haven’t done enough. Over time, these cases intensify more and more.

MC: I can’t just leave it alone like this! I’ll definitely expose these unreasonable random fee collection cases and stop these vile actions.

MC: Otherwise, every tourist who comes to Rumbaliya will run into what we encountered today!

The more I spoke, the angrier I got, my tone inevitably taking on an impatient mood.

Zuo Ran reached over and held my hand. That moment, some sort of feeling was transferred to me, from the warmth of his palm and through the fingers.

I suddenly stopped speaking, feeling like my heart had been immersed in a clear spring.

Zuo Ran: I understand what you are feeling. Your anger is not only because of what happened today; it’s also because you’re even more worried that something like this will keep happening…

Zuo Ran: And more people will be like us and encounter unfair treatment like this.

Zuo Ran: Don’t worry, I’ll help you.

Each one of Zuo Ran’s words were thorns that stuck in my throat.

He was like a clear spring soaking me. There was nothing I could hold back before him, and he could see through each one of my thoughts.

MC: … Lawyer Zuo, let’s think up of a way to collect evidence and solve this issue together.

Zuo Ran: Mhmm, let’s do it together.

Zuo Ran: Although… no need to be rush too much. We should think of a method slowly.

Zuo Ran: I’ve already sealed up today’s restaurant receipt as evidence.

Zuo Ran: Tomorrow, the train will arrive at James River station. As we sightsee, we can keep our eyes open for similar cases.

MC: Mhmm, as soon as we run into similar situations, we’ll retain the evidence!

Zuo Ran: Excellent. Our evidence will become a stepping stone to knock down the random fee collection cases.

The warmth transferred by his palm became warmer, like it was giving me a source of encouraging and confident power.

It irrepressibly gave rise to a belief – as long as I was with Zuo Ran, then anything I did would be successful.

That’s right, it must be this way.

[ohhgingersnaps]

Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19

Hi y’all! I’m seeing some posts floating around about hydroxychloroquine and I just want to present some data, because there is a bunch of misinformation out there and I think it’s good and important to be well-informed!

Obviously, part of the issue here is that COVID-19 is such a new disease and researchers just don’t have answers to a lot of questions. That’s how science works! Unfortunately, right now that means that we’re trying to make decisions while we’re also in the process of gathering data and figuring out how this disease works, so the recommendations keep shifting as new information comes in. Sawbones actually recently did this great episode on how to interpret a lot of the information/misinformation out there. They give a ton of useful info about what the different types of medical studies are (prospective vs. retrospective vs. case study), how to tell how reliable a journal article is, and so on. They also did a really great episode on hydroxychloroquine specifically (although that episode was aired in April, so we probably have newer information than what they discussed).

TL;DR There are a lot of articles out there (I’ve collected a bunch of them here). Almost all of the reliable ones I’ve found conclude that hydroxychloroquine isn’t effective in helping reduce COVID symptoms, but all of the data is still very preliminary due to the evolving nature of the situation.

Long post with a ton of references under the cut!!

A few important definitions and notes for looking at the following studies (info about the different types of studies pulled from here)...

A prospective study is the most reliable type, and it’s the type of study you probably think of when you think about a clinical trial. You take a sample population and assess their risk factors before they’re ill, and then you administer medicine/placebos, study, and collect information about the population as time progresses.

A retrospective study is based on data collected after the fact. This is still really useful, but it can sometimes become problematic if it depends on the memory of the people involved.

A case study is based on one specific person’s experience. It’s definitely better than a Twitter or Facebook post about someone’s personal experience with the virus because the story itself has been properly researched, analyzed, and vetted for inaccuracies, but one instance is never enough to provide solid data. [edit: solid enough data for policy-making, I mean.]

Things published on preprint servers (like MedRxiv) have not been peer-reviewed. This doesn’t mean that everything in those papers is a lie, but the test methods, gathered information, conclusions, and analysis of data haven’t been reviewed by other researchers to determine whether it makes sense, so always take papers published on these types of platforms with a grain of salt!

Some journals are more reliable than others, but it’s often hard to tell which ones are which if you’re not a researcher in the journal’s particular field. One useful metric is often impact factor (calculated based on how often the journal is cited vs how many articles are published), although sometimes that’s unreliable because the impact factor is usually also smaller for journals that deal with more specific fields of study. If the article itself is cited a lot, that’s also usually a good sign of reliability.

Here is just some of the Official Info (TM) I’ve been able to find...

FDA cautions against use... -- This is a press release from the FDA telling people not to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID treatments outside of a clinical trial, due to the potential for negative side effects. An FDA review of the potentially life-threatening side effects can be found here.

NIH halts clinical trials -- This isn’t an actual paper, it’s a press release, but it’s from the NIH website so I’m including it. They concluded mid-trial that hydroxychloroquine wasn’t a useful treatment and stopped the study Some more info on the study can be found on the page, although a detailed paper hasn’t been released.

The RECOVERY Initiative -- Similar to the NIH trials, these tests were stopped due to perceived lack of drug efficacy. Some additional info on the study is here. The study is associated with the University of Oxford, and their results for some other treatments are published in the New England Journal Of Medicine (NEJM) here.

And a few papers that found little to no impact on recovery...

Hydroxychloroquine with or without Azithromycin in Mild-to-Moderate Covid-19 -- The NEJM is considered highly reliable and is often cited as one of the most reliable medical journals, with an impact factor of 70.670. This is a randomized clinical trial with 667 patients. The study concludes that hydroxychloroquine does not make a significant difference in the status of patients 15 days after the drug is administered.

Hydroxychloroquine in Nonhospitalized Adults With Early COVID-19 -- I’d consider this journal reliable; its impact factor is 21.317, but it’s the most commonly cited journal in its subfield. This is a randomized double-blind trial on 491 patients with placebos. They found that there wasn’t a significant effect on non-hospitalized people with COVID symptoms and likely exposure. (Unfortunately only half had a positive test confirmation from a lab, due to the testing shortage in the US.)

Another randomized controlled study indicating no benefits in 293 non-hospitalized patients.

A paper in favor of its use...

Treatment with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and combination in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 -- Not a doctor, so I’m not sure about the reliability of this journal. Like, it’s published by Elsevier, but its impact factor is 3.202, which feels really low to me, so...? I’m mostly including it because I want to be balanced, and this is the article I see quoted most often in support of this drug’s use. This actually does show some improvement in the death rates of patients treated after hospitalization, with a 13% (with) vs. 26.4% (without) death rate. This is a retrospective study on 2,541 patients, but a lot of their other conclusions also run contrary to established data (ex. they report Caucasian patients as having a higher death rate). This press release has a good summary of the info in the paper.

And an interesting bonus! (Incidentally, I think Sawbones also discusses this case in their misinformation episode.)

The infamous retracted article in the Lancet -- The Lancet is probably one of the most widely-regarded medical journals, and a similar article by many of the same authors was retracted from NEJM around the same time. This study used a massive database of information on patients (Surgisphere). Interestingly, this study actually showed a negative impact on survivability, but questions about the reliability of the data arose and as a result, the paper was retracted by a majority of the authors. I include this to show the efficacy of the scientific process. We’re human beings and so the process definitely isn’t objective or perfect (the article was published in the first place, after all) but ideally, we should be calling each other out for incorrect or faulty data.

So most scientists aren’t saying that we know this drug doesn’t work! But touting it as a cure, when most of the reliable data so far is either inconclusive or negative, is actually harmful, for three reasons.

Hydroxychloroquine can cause serious, long-lasting side effects, especially if you’re not careful. Misrepresenting it as a cure will lead some people to seek it out, even outside of the clinical trials in the hospital; at least one person has already died from doing this.

As Sydnee points out in the Sawbones episode, the drug itself is necessary for some people with ongoing medical conditions (lupus, arthritis, etc), and unnecessary shortages of the drug will negatively impact them.

People keep spinning this as some “secret cure” that doctors don’t want people to know about. This makes people more likely to indulge risky behavior or disregard professional medical advice, which actively puts themselves and others at risk. Honestly, this sort of mistrust of experts is part of why the US doesn’t have this situation as under control as other countries do.

I’m a scientist but I’m definitely not a medical expert, so if anyone has corrections or additions, please feel free to add them!

[askovertherainbowblog]

Do you ever feel like your government is actively working to institute a theocracy right under your very nose, and all anyone can seem to do is tweet? (I’m not knocking the art of the well-placed tweet, by the way. Case and point the account pictured above.)

Here’s what’s going on in my part of the world, which is Alberta (Commonly known as the bible belt of Canada):

The recently elected UCP (United Conservative Party #UnderHisEye) has, by its inaction, effectively canceled a work group dedicated to eradicating the insidious and abusive practice of “reparative” therapy for LGBT+ persons. Minister of Health Tyler Shandro has claimed on twitter that he told the group they were welcome to continue meeting. However, according to Emma Graney of the Edmonton Journal, his office released a statement that “The working group has disbanded with the change in govt.” AKA, they’re pretending the group (which included a survivor of conversion therapy) doesn’t merit focus because conversion therapy/torture “doesn’t happen here.”

If you dig a little deeper, you’ll see this simply isn’t true. Of course, nobody is coming right out and calling their services conversion therapy. That would be bad PR. The practice is couched in the language of soul-searching, healing trauma, and respecting individual faith. Alberta survivor Kevin Schultz was undergoing private faith-based counseling to realign his sexual orientation as late as 2007. Journey Canada, formerly Living Waters, which claims to help folks “experience Jesus in their sexuality” (kinky?) still operates across Canada.

If anyone is in doubt, the Human Rights Campaign and the Canadian Psychology Association can shed light on why conversion therapy/counseling of any kind is deeply damaging and can even be life-threatening.

The previous NDP government at least gave the appearance of caring about the LGBT community. The UCP gives the appearance of wanting to give the appearance of caring. In any case, I kind of wonder, why not just oh I don’t know BAN CONVERSION THERAPY AS IF WE WERE A CIVILIZED 21ST CENTURY SOCIETY? The UCP certainly hasn’t shied away from taking bold action on controversial issues (eg. lowering minimum wage for minors like a bunch of literal cartoon Scrooge McDucks).

This conversion therapy fustercluck is one move in an alarmingly swift series of policy change plans the UCP has begun rolling out since April of this year. They have also pledged to remove key protections afforded to GSA’s (Gay-Straight Alliances, common “safe space” organizations for LGBT students found in secondary schools). This means teachers could, at their own discretion, be permitted to notify parents if their child joins a GSA. This would obviously defeat the whole purpose of GSA’s and put children at greater risk of abuse at home.

When urged to consult experts on why this was such a monumental mistake, and questioned about the purpose of his party’s decision, premier Kenney had this to say:

"I think it would be very rare [for parents to be notified]," Kenney said. "Probably only [when] dealing with very young kids or kids with unique emotional and mental health challenges."

AKA, he has no idea what the repercussions could be and is speaking in “likelihoods” like some kind of fiendish gremlin under a bridge, desperate to grant you three wishes whose loopholes will ruin your life. (PS: Back in 2006 Kenney bragged about working to repeal a spousal law that allowed gay men to visit their dying partners in the hospital during the AIDS crisis. So that’s the attitude we’re dealing with here.)

If you’re curious about what other draconian policies the UCP has lurking just around the corner you can read up on their full platform, which includes such gems as scrapping the carbon tax, pausing the K-12 curriculum review, pushing for more private health care options, and something ominously called the “climate war room.”

If you, like me, are having some serious Handmaid’s Tale flashbacks right now, you’re not being overdramatic. The erosion of minority and women’s rights at the hands of backsliding democracies worldwide is not some fad. It’s a real thing that is happening all around us while shiny apps are being pelted at us as a distraction.

So let’s move on to what can actually be done. Before I list some ideas, I want to cover a few key points. We’re often advised, as constituents of a district or riding, to take action by writing to our political representatives! Here’s why I think that’s a waste of time: the current political climate is extremely polarized. It’s a buzzword because it’s true. If your MLA is conservative, and you write them a letter urging them to see things your bleeding-heart liberal way... well, why would they care? You’re not even a part of the voter base they’re targeting, and they know it. They don’t need your support. Alberta voters skew overwhelmingly right-wing already.

My advice is to follow the money.

A PAC (Political Action Committee) is an organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates them to campaigns for or against candidates or legislation. Shaping Alberta’s Future is a PAC whose stated aim is to promote a conservative Alberta with Kenney at the helm. In 2018, they raised a whopping $170,000 in two weeks to fund UCP ads. Their financial disclosure documents are pretty lengthy and can be confusing if you don’t know what you’re looking for. That’s why I’ve broken down the info into a list of the major 5-figure contributors, all (you’ll be bowled over with shock to learn) men, most of them members of the Motor Dealership of Alberta for some reason.

For those of us who live in Alberta/Canada, that means we can do the following:

HERE is a link to a form letter addressing major donors to Shaping Alberta’s Future, politely urging them to bring matters of LGBT youth safety to the government’s attention.

HERE is a link to a list of specific donors, their contact information, and contribution amounts. This info can be filled into the indicated sections on the above letter.

Simply print, sign, and mail the letters to the addresses provided. Postage should be fairly inexpensive but if it’s an issue, take a photo of your signed letter and Canada Post receipt and I’ll etransfer you the value of your postage (within reason, guys!). If you can’t access Google drive, I’ll copy the letter to you by whatever method you prefer.

If you’d like to add information to the above list, or offer a correction, please message us or email askovertherainbowblog@gmail.com.

Additional things you can do (from anywhere):

Spreading the word always helps. Set up an email list or reddit thread. If you’re Albertan, print ten extra letters and ask a few friends to sign them. Pride month is just around the corner: bring a sheaf of letters with you to a parade and throw them in the air like confetti. (You’ll probably get some free condoms for your trouble; nice!)

Donations are not possible for everyone but if they’re possible for you, Youthsafe.net has a list of organizations that could use your support.

Stay vigilant. Read full articles covering both sides of the issues you’re investigating, and investigate in turn the veracity of your sources. Read posts from people you don’t agree with and, as infuriating as it is to have your person-hood invalidated by pseudo-scientific doctrine, pause to digest other points of view before formulating a vitriolic response. I’m not advising moderation (fuck moderation) but I am advising strategy.

Pursue local involvement. It’s tough to sit in front of a news cast in rural Canada and watch women in Alabama have their reproductive rights stripped from them, knowing a small donation to the ACLU is probably the most you can do short of upending your life to go on a march, and that won’t even move the needle much. But everyone, everywhere where voting happens, can march into a town hall and make their voice heard when it comes to the bullshit in their own community. The people around you want to get involved; they’re just not sure how to do it. Give them a means and they’ll stand beside you!

xoxo

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Sources about the origin of Aphrodite

I will keep adding to this post (by re-blogging) each time I have something new.

I thank @junkblog101 for giving the following sources:

1) Aphrodite's Origins: http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/aphrodite/origins.html

2) Book “Transformation of a goddess : Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite”: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10648962

3) Short description of Aphrodite/Venus figurines by the Museum of Art and Archeology: https://maa.missouri.edu/media-gallery/detail/71/322

4) A small pdf, part of a book, “The Olympian goddesses”: http://people.uncw.edu/deagona/MYTH/OlympianGodesses.pdf

My thoughts:

From those sources I have understood that there are some common elements between Aphrodite and eastern goddesses of love, but Aphrodite’s origin is still obscure.

I quote from the first: ”These divinities were associated with power, fertility, and war, and were characterized by fierce jealousy and aggressive sexuality” (For the Aphrodite figurine) “The nudity and breast-holding gesture are typical of much earlier Near Eastern figures, and make clear the importance that was ascribed to fertility and sexuality.” Also, “[Goddess Hathor’s] presence on this head (of an Aphrodite sculpture) again testifies to the Near Eastern elements that contributed to Aphrodite's identity at Cyprus.” The last one puzzles me a little. I haven’t read it was common for gods to have other gods in their crowns. Maybe it wasn’t the goddess Hathor but Eastern people who dressed in a similar manner as this goddess?

So, their common elements were: sexuality, power, fertility, war (not so much for Aphrodite, though), nudity and breast-holding gesture. Well, those are similarities, but at the same time they don’t say much. While they clearly show some influence (nothing existed in a vacuum), they are not much, or enough to suggest the one came from the other. Influenced, would be a better word. Also, Ishtar/Astarte and Aphrodite have different “dynamics” as goddesses and different stories. I am not aware of any common stories between them (inform me if you know any, please!).

I can’t comment for the book, since I haven’t read it yet.

I don’t think the third link gives information about Eastern influence. It just states it. And while I would love to take their word for that, I would love more to have them say why or how this connection exists between the goddesses.  

For the last link (and pdf) the things that I found in relation to eastern goddesses are these: “As a divine being, Aphrodite had close links with the Semetic goddess of love, Ishtar/Astarte, who was worshiped in Mesopotamia and Phoenicia. Aphrodite often bore the title “Heavenly” (Urania), while Astarte was invoked as the Queen of Heaven; and both goddesses were honored with incense altars and sacrifices of doves. Sacred prostitution, one of the best publicized aspects of the cult of Ishtar/Astarte, was also to be found in some of the centers of Aphrodite’s worship”. (Historical example of an athlete who dedicated women as prostitutes to an Aphrodite’s temple follows).

Moreover: “The Herodotus’ statement that the oldest cults of Aphrodite in Greece had been established in Phoenician settlers may contain a broader element of truth. The goddess had very strong associations with the island of Cyprus [...]. And from the time of Homer onwards the epithet most commonly applied to her was ‘Cypris’, or ‘the Cyprian’. It is possible that she started life as a local Cyprian love goddess who took on some of Astarte’s characteristics when the island was colonized by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC.[...] The reconstruction is speculative, however, for the picture of the goddess’s early development is still very unclear”.

Well, from what I gather from the last source, we know nothing for sure. If anything, the text actually suggests (with caution) that Aphrodite was a local Greek goddess and then she was influenced by cults of eastern love goddesses. And we are not sure of it either.

Why I am saying she was Greek when they say “local”? Greeks (Mycyneans) were already in Cyprus from 14th CBC*. (We are talking about Pre-historic Greeks and they lived in one of the periods of the Greek culture. Greek doesn’t necessarily mean classical Athens). As trade was happening, there were cultural exchanges between the East and the island. So again, because she was made in Greece (according to the last source), we shouldn’t say that there wasn’t any influence. There probably was. Also, people existed in the island before the Greeks came, so perhaps it was they who made the early form of the goddess. But in the Geometric era (see the Homeric epics and hymn) the goddess had already a Greek name and came from Greek gods. So,  if she came from residents of the island at all, she probably came from the Greeks.

*-Thomas, Carol G. and Conant, Craig: The Trojan War, pages 121–122. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. - A.D. Lacy. Greek Pottery in the Bronze Age

About Aphrodite’s identity as a Greek goddess:

Now if we accept she was indeed taken (for the argument’s sake) she is still distinctly Greek. She was already part of the pantheon in the Geometric era, when the Homeric epics and hymns were written, because she is in them. Her transition period could have been in 9th-8th centuries BC and maybe a little later. Until 381AC, when Greek polytheists started getting prosecuted, the Greeks had more than a millennia to make her a Greek goddess and give her her unique attributes and stories. For more than a thousand years Aphrodite has been into Greek/Hellenic households.

I am not saying the case of Aphrodite is closed because four sources are on the table. And I still haven’t read the book (2nd link)! I am sure there will be more good info there. So the picture is not completed.

Anyone who has found additional sources, pm me or tag me! And if you have something to say about the post, feel free to reblog and add stuff! Perhaps correct me even.

[bitchinparty]

BP 2020 Main Con Info Post

Here is the ginormous, one-stop-shopping con information post, including registration, hotel, con schedule, travel, tourist, and concomm contact information, to be updated as we go. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter or Dreamwidth for quick links to updates! You can also reach the concomm at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail at any time. General Information: When is Pacificon 2020? April 4 and 5, 2020, with an optional movie night and other activities on the evening of April 3. Where will it take place? At the Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn near Seattle, Washington. How do I sign up? The registration post—including detailed registration and payment information—is here. Full membership is $85, and is limited to 100 attendees. You must be at least 18 years old to attend. The current list of attendees will be posted soon. If you need some help with the registration fee, check out the financial assistance post. "Bitchin' Party"? Seriously? "Bitchin' Party" became the unofficial name of the con after some of the concomm had the misfortune of watching a gloriously bad TV show called Dante's Cove. Don't worry, we're not using it unironically.* *except that some of us totally are Hotel Information: The hotel is the Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn, located at 1800 Gilman Blvd, Issaquah, WA (here on Google Maps). The front desk number is 1-425-837-3600, and the fax number is 1-425-837-3635. How much does it cost? The con rate $124/king and $144/two queens, plus tax. A small number of cots will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis upon check-in. How do I reserve a room? You must reserve your room by March 3, 2020 in order to receive the con rate and be in the room block with all the other cool kids con attendees. If you're looking for a roommate, we'll link that thread once we get closer to the con. To reserve a room online: 1. Go here. 2. Select your arrival/departure dates, your number of rooms/guests, your preferred bed configuration, and then provide your information. Our group code is PWC402. (Note that you can only add ONE additional person's name to your reservation, so give some thought to who is likely to arrive first. It can also be changed later if necessary.) A credit card is required to hold the reservation, but no deposit is required. (They do have a disclaimer that they can place a hold on your card for the full amount of your stay, but FWIW, we've never seen that happen.) NOTE: If you have ANY question or problem with the reservation process (for example, if you did not get the correct rate quoted to you, or it says it doesn't have your preferred bed configuration available), PLEASE call the toll-free number at 1-877-STAY-HGI and talk to a real person (tell them you're reserving for the Pacific Writers' Conference). If for some reason that still doesn't resolve things, contact us at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail [dot] com and we will contact the hotel. To reserve over the phone: Call the main reservation line at 1-877-STAY-HGI and tell them you're reserving for the Pacific Writers' Conference (that is our sekkrit spy codename to civilians!). Make sure you specify whether you'd like a king room or two queens. Again, if you have any trouble—if they tell you our block is full or that the con rate isn't available—contact pacificwriterscon [at] gmail and we will contact the hotel. Hotel Amenities Room amenities include: - mini fridge - microwave - 42-inch HDTV - FREE wireless high-speed internet throughout the hotel Hotel amenities include: - on-site restaurant (including a bar) - room service - pool and hot tub - fitness center - free parking - complimentary shuttle available for transport within a five-mile radius of the hotel Check-in starts at 3 p.m., check-out is at noon. The con will be providing hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar on Saturday night, a full breakfast on Saturday and Sunday morning, and some snacks and beverages throughout both days. We'll post a complete menu a couple of weeks prior to the con. NOTE: We are NOT allowed to bring our own outside snacks into the meeting room. You are, however, welcome to eat or drink whatever you like in your own room. Area Amenities Within walking distance of the hotel, you'll find several fast food options, a couple of restaurants, a grocery store, a Starbucks (of course), and a liquor store. Within easy driving distance and within the range of the complimentary hotel shuttle, you'll find practically anything else you might need, including lots of food options, Costco, drugstores, Target, various banks, an organic grocery store, etc. Maps will be included with your welcome packet when you arrive. If you want to check out the lay of the land before then, Google Maps is your friend (see the hotel link above). Con events The con will officially run from 9 a.m. on April 4th until 5 p.m. on April 5th, with an optional movie night and other activities to get the ball rolling on the evening of April 3rd, and post-con movie-watching on the evening of the 5th. Panels Panels are being organized by the ConComm, with help from you. Final list of panels will be linked here once they are available. Always check out the panels tag for the latest info! Vidshow There will be a vidshow on Saturday night, details TBD. Check out the vidshow tag for the latest info! Room parties Room parties are totally encouraged (as long as noise is kept to a respectful level that won't get us in trouble with other guests/the hotel)! Please note, however: NO alcohol is allowed in the main con ballroom (except via the cash bar on Saturday night). Feel free to drink/eat whatever you want in your sleeping rooms. A list of things we will not have, because we are all casual and stuff: No celebrity guests (y'all are rockstars enough for us) No art show No dealers No free meals besides hors d'oeuvres on Saturday and breakfast on Saturday & Sunday What we do have is LOVE, people. SO MUCH LOVE. And bacon! Getting to the con: By air Airport You'll probably want to fly into Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport. Getting from the airport to the hotel The hotel is about 20 miles from Sea-Tac. The most affordable option is to take the light rail and connect to a bus; the light rail will get you from the airport to downtown Seattle for $2.50, and from downtown, there are several buses to Issaquah (average $2.50 fare) that will drop you off at the Issaquah Transit Center on 17th Ave NW, less than half a mile from the hotel (see the Metro Online Site for more info). Otherwise: - Taxi (in the vicinity of $55-$65 plus tip), Uber, or Lyft - Shuttle service - When the con gets closer, we'll open up a thread for anyone who wants to try to coordinate cab/shuttle-sharing with other attendees. - Rent a car (see below for driving directions) Getting to the con: Not by air The thread for roadtrip coordination will be posted closer to the con and linked here. By train or bus Amtrak and Greyhound both have stations in downtown Seattle. From there, you're about a 20-minute drive away from Issaquah. See below for driving directions. Local bus service is, as I said, not all that comprehensive, but it is pretty easy from downtown--the Metro Online site is here if you'd like to check out your options. By car: driving directions - As long as you are not east of Issaquah (including from Sea-Tac airport), take (as applicable) I-5 N, I-5 S, I-405 N, or I-405 S to I-90 E (toward Spokane). If you're east of Issaquah, take I-90 W. - From I-90, take exit 15 (WA-900 / 17th Ave NW). - Turn right at the light onto 17th Ave NW. - About a block down, turn right onto Gilman Blvd (by the Burger King). - The hotel will be about a block ahead of you on your right, behind the John L. Scott building. The hotel is here on Google Maps. Getting to the con: Other Travel by War Rig, Bifrost, tour bus, dog sled, Goat Van, stargate, wormhole, battlestar, firefly, TARDIS, Leviathan, Chevy Impala, Mystery Machine, or similar to be arranged by individual attendees. Roommates, rideshares, and airport transportation coordination Roommate, rideshare, and cab/Lyft/shuttle-share threads will be posted closer to the con! Weather It does not, in fact, rain ALL the time in Seattle. However, in the springtime, it tends to rain quite a bit. Bring a waterproof jacket if you have one, and maybe an umbrella if you plan to be out and about (though the hotel also has a few umbrellas you can borrow). Temperatures will probably be in the 50s/low 60s, but given climate change shenanigans, we cannot safely predict the weather. Basically, layers are highly recommended—not only is Seattle weather changeable (it snowed at our first BP; WHAAAT), but so are hotel temperatures (especially in meeting spaces, where they tend to crank the air conditioning), so being able to take off/add clothes as necessary is your best bet. Tourist information Downtown Seattle is about a 20-minute drive from Issaquah (up to about 45 minutes with traffic). For information about tourist activities available in the area, you can visit this site. Who's flying this thing? The mod team is intransitive, jedusaur, & pi. General questions/concerns/etc. should go to the ConComm at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail   Questions about registration should go to the ConComm at pacificwriterscon [at] gmail as well. As we get closer, we'll update this post with panel, vidshow, and other contact info, but the entire ConComm has access to the above email, and the appropriate person will answer any questions that come up, so that email address is your best bet! We're trying to tag posts as much as possible for ease of navigation. To view all the tags for the community, go here. See you in April!

[benjamclash-blog]

KINGSMAN: Win GEMS this weekend in our freindly clan "Donation Contest"!

Hello all! Benjam here :)

I would like to host a friendly clan competition for us all this weekend. It should get more members active, give us some friendly competition for two days and give everyone the chance to WIN FREE GEMS :)

Only available to members of the Kingsman Clan!

How to play/win: This weekend for 2 days, I (Benjam) will be keeping track of each players total donations (with the help of another clan member to verify my counts)

When: Starting this Friday (May 24th) evening at 11:59pm E.S.T and ending Sunday (May 26th) at 11:59pm E.S.T

Prizes: As of now, First place will get 1200 gems, second place will get 500 gems and depending on the turnout and amount of activity I may up the prizes and add 3rd place or a small prize awarded to a random clan member who at least hit 100 donations during the time period (just a random winner so even if someone is crushing donations it opens up a chance for everyone participating to win a prize too)

Who can win: Any clan member who joined the clan before the start date is eligible to win. If you join after the start time, sorry. You must stay a member during the 2 days and cannot leave or be kicked (you will be disqualified). Myself (Benjam) and BountyhuntyQ are NOT ELIGIBLE to win.

Other info:

I will take screen shots of everyones Current donation number at the start of the contest and post them screen shots on this Tumblr page.

If additional prizes are added, I will post to this page and send a clan message.

At end time of contest I will again take screen shots of everyones donation numbers and post those screen shots here.

I will take the difference between the ending count and beginning count of everyone, which will equal your total donations during the contest time.

I will post everyones donation count on this page as well after I do all the math and type it up.

Another clan member (I have 2 volunteers already) who will also verify my math to ensure I didnt miss count :)

Winners will be posted on this page and in a clan message by the following evening (at latest 48 hours later, it is a holiday weekend :) )

If you are a Winner: Please email me (My email will be in the clan message and posted here). Reason for the email is so I can know what platform you play the game on (Android, Apple or Windows phone) so I can provide the correct type of gift card for your winning gems and have your email address to privately send you the gift card code (instead of clan chat, duh).

On a side note: yes, the prizes will ACTUALLY be gift cards based of your gaming platform (so google play card, apple card or windows card), SO.... I suppose the money doesn't have to be spent in Clash Royale... but it is the only way I know at the time to award these prizes. If anyone has any better ideas or suggestions to award prizes so they are only able to spend the money in CR or gift Gems.... I would appreciate the input!

Lets have fun!!!

Any questions please feel free to ask!

This clan has awesome, respectful and fun members. So this is my way of saying thank you and lets keep doing what we are doing as a clan! If this works out well, maybe we can do something like this once a month :)

-Benjam

ps: I am almost 110% sure there are spelling and grammar errors in this and future posts :) lets let them slide :)

[finleyheller4-blog]

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[themanicnami]

READINGS ARE OPEN AGAIN

Hey guys! So after a bit of a health break and working part-time at just one of my jobs its time for me to open readings again. I still have very limited hours of about 20 a week and until tourism picks back up again (which can take months even after Covid ends) for my second job to start up again - budget is still tight!

I know a lot of others are suffering severely as well - but if anyone has any spare income and wants a reading please feel free to IM me or send me an ask or (preferably) send me a submission form.

The Readings I Offer

Tarot Readings

A simple thing that many offer but with my readings you will receive images of the spreads and cards taken and any other addition items added (crystals drawing, colormancy, etc)

1 Card Reading - $1.50

3 Card Reading - $3.00

5 Card Reading - $5.00

10 Card Reading - $8.00

Custom Spreads or Requests - Up for Discussion

Past Life Readings

My bread and butter! Every interested in delving down into the lives you may have experienced in the past? Are you wanting to do some soul searching or get back to some of your old energy of those times? Well these readings are wonderful for self discovery, self reflection and to improve yourself over flaws of history.

Standard Reading (5 Cards) - $5.00

The standard past life reading is where I do a 5 card spread based off of the custom spread I created personally for past life readings. These readings will consist of: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life, and late life. Additional notes may be added to the reading by me.

Full Reading (10 Cards) - $8.50

The standard past life reading is where I do a 10 card spread based off of the custom spread I created personally for past life readings. These readings will consist of: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life, late life, how you were seen by others, your inner self/personality, your purpose in this life, if you met any of your soulmates, and how this life effects your current one. Additional notes may be added to the reading by me.

Full Reading + 3 Cards - $11.00

This reading is like the full reading, but with the addition of 3 more cards added to the end of the spread. These cards can be picked from a list of specifics that you wish to know more about this past life for more specific info. You may choose which of the three areas of the 10 you wish to add a card (or cards) to for more detail. 

Full Reading + 5 Cards - $12.50

This reading is identical to the full reading with the addition of another 5 card spread afterwards. This additional 5 card spread will help us determine in more detail your past life in specific aspects: the time period, the location, your lifestyle (job, family, social class), your biggest fears and your goals/dreams of this life.

Small Reading - $3.00

This is my affordable cheaper option for those with a tighter budget. It is a smaller version of my standard reading featuring the first 5 cards of the standard reading: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life and late life. 

Colormancy

My readings using custom colormancy cards made from my color theory test kit. With these colors much like other forms of card readings, I will use them and their alignments to draw answers for your questions or inquiries.

One Card - $1.00

Two Cards - $1.50

Three Cards - $2.50

Five Cards - $4.00

Crystal Throwing

A crystal throwing reading is using a bunch of different crystals and a large grid and tossing randomly selected crystals onto the grid and interpreting that for divination purposes. You may also do single drawn stones from a bag or box for single simple answers.

How the reading will work:

I will receive your question(s) and then using them as a guide will throw the crystals I draw onto my grid. I will interpret the patter, placement and the crystals correspondences to give you a detailed reading. I will also take a picture of the grid and the crystals upon it.

Pricing:

The price for a standard crystal reading will be $7.00 and for every additional throwing or question you would like to add is another $3.00.

I also have an option for if you want a Large Throwing consisting of answering 5 questions and taking the use of many more crystals than a standard throwing it is $11.50.

I also offer single stone drawings for $1.00 a stone.

Energy Readings

My energy readings are not the same as aura readings, I will read your energy via what visions I get, imagery, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings. I type out my readings while I experience them (likely with my eyes closed) and will go back through to correct spelling errors before sending. Sometimes these readings delve into divination other times they don’t. I will then take what I see, feel and witness and interpret it more deeply for you and send that.

The price is 6.50 for a basic energy reading. A full detailed or extended one with additional tarot cards, crystals or other added insights can be requested and price discussed.

If you need more details on energy readings feel free to look at my Energy Reading Page

Pendulum Readings

A simple reading but good for anyone who needs simple brief answers.

One Question = $1.00

Each additional Question = $1.00

5 Question Bundle = $4.50

10 Question Bundle = $9.00

Spirit or Entity Communication = IM me to discuss possible price depending on entity/spirit, length of reading and number of questions

Deity Communication/Entity Communication

Need some help communicating with a new deity, entity or spirit? I am happy to do my best to assist you with this!

Basic Deity Communication Spread - $12.00

This reading will be done with a spread I have made and used for deity communication to contact and get information from the deity. Additional cards may be added as needed each for $1.

Add Energy Reading - add. $5.00

If needed or desired I can add on an energy reading of you and possibly the deity/entity itself onto the standard basic reading above for an additional fee 

Thank you all for helping me with this. If you cannot request a commission, please reblog and signal boost this if you can. Money will be tight, my city is about to fully shut down with little to no support from our local government. I also accept tips through my Ko-Fi page as well.

[nebulous-wanderings]

☆Tsukista 5th Stage: Supplemental Information☆

I didn’t see anyone talk about this yet, so here are my translations of some official Tsukista tweets (@tsukista) that contain side info on the Rabbits Kingdom play. Feel free to correct me/add anything!

See Part #2 from 11/26/17 -here-

The translations are below the cut since it’s kind of long, but if you want the TL;DR version: 

The play is about Shun going to meet Hajime since they’re from separate kingdoms, the play pamphlet has more info on the story

They asked the cast to comment on Shun’s emotions after finally being able to meet Hajime (the explanation used a weird figure of speech, read it below the cut)

There’s no “slipper song” or “charisma corner” segments (aka Mutsuki-kun and the other alter-egos) in Rabbits Kingdom because the play is more serious in nature

The “Mysterious Man” character’s official given name is “???” but you can come up with whatever nickname you want for him. Also they said this character is going to be “really cool” but they didn’t spoil anything else since they want everyone to look forward to it.

[11/24/17 Tweet Translations]

Good evening! This is “Business Tsukki” writing here! Opening day for the 5th Stage, Rabbits Kingdom, swiftly approaches. I’ll be introducing some supplemental info and backstory.

① 「The Story of Rabbits Kingdom」 The stage play will show the events that occur following the small story told in the play pamphlet. Shun of the White Rabbit world goes to meet Hajime of the Black Rabbit world. Hajime is welcoming his 15th year as reigning king.

② 「 Note 」 Words and anecdotes from the play pamphlet will appear in the following tweets. Even though I am trying to make it okay to not read this additional info, I think that even the people who will get the pamphlet at the theater will enjoy it more if they have read it once before going. ※Some tweets will contain info on venue sales, so please check if you are interested [T/N: I’m not translating those tweets since they’re about merch sales, ticket prices, etc.]

③ When meeting with the cast, their exchange while trying to explain Shun’s emotions getting to excitedly meet with Hajime went like something like: “He was overcome with emotion when he finally met the tsuchinoko* he had been searching for after so long.” “Did you get 300 million yen*!?” *this refers to the hunt for the mythical and elusive “tsuchinoko” which is a snake-like creature. People often post rewards in the form of large sums of money for the successful capture of a tsuchinoko. (Think of it like the hunt for Bigfoot lol)

④ In this particular play, due to the relationship between its composition and the play as a whole, the Tsukista “specialties” (if it can be called that) such as “the slipper song” and “charisma corner” are not present. I’m sure there are some people (and cast members) that were looking forward to it, but please understand. Rabbits can catch colds due to such temperature differences, you know... [T/N: basically, Rabbits Kingdom has a more serious/dire tone than any of the previous plays so jumping from something serious to the comical gag skits would ruin the atmosphere.]

⑤  「 Ayukawa-san as the “Mysterious Man” 」 Please enjoy it while at the theater because it’s going to be really cool. In the released visuals and in the play, the character name is noted as “???” but Ayukawa himself has seem to come up with this cooler nickname for him. Feel free to tweet your own nickname for the character below!

That’s all for the 5th stage play’s supplemental info and backstory! The cast and staff will be working their hardest up until the very rising of the curtains. The seasons are changing right now, so everyone please take good care of yourselves. The black and white rabbits would be happy if you enjoyed the play in healthy condition. Thanks for reading!

[sweetiesugarbird]

Hi! I have a rescue cockatiel that Ive had for around 2 years (Hes 3), but hes still very nippy and slightly aggressive. Hes the only bird in the household +has a very nice cage (I forget the measurements +cant find a measuring stick atm, but if need be to answer I can soon), we can't get him to eat anything but his pellets +he wont let me pet him, though he does step up +vet says hes healthy. I can send more info if necessary, but am I doing anything wrong? It may just be his disposition, idk.

He may not be entirely comfortable with being handled, or maybe you move too fast around him? He may also be territorial of his cage, it’s hard to tell. You might try just spending time around his cage, quietly talking to him or just hanging out. Help him see that you are nice and a friend! You can open his cage door and give him the chance to come out on his own time. He might not do this for a while, so be patient. Some birds just don’t like being petted, and that’s ok too. You aren’t doing anything wrong. 

Some tiels get very set in their ways and don’t want to try new food things. At least he is eating pellets instead of seeds! That is already a good thing. Try giving him novel food items to try (after checking for safety) and in different environments. He may not want to eat veggies from his food dish. Sugar never does! She will sometimes eat veggies from a clothespin on the side of the cage, but usually she likes them to be on the table, or she wants us to hold them for her! We try to encourage her to try things by pretending to eat them ourselves - tiels tend to want whatever YOU have, so if you have the yummy vegetables maybe he will be interested! Also don’t get discouraged if he doesn’t like the first thing you give him. Individual birds have individual preferences. Some tiels might eat fruit, like Reya enjoying a banana, but Sugar won’t go near it and prefers crunchy greens. Just keep trying! 

If the vet says he’s healthy that’s great! You don’t need to be worried about him. It would be good to work on these things with him but there is no reason for you to be concerned. 

Please anyone feel free to add additional advice or correct me if you feel I am mistaken! 

(Thanks to @tieltavern for demonstrations by Reya) 

[santeria]

Sorry to be annoying but I saw a while ago someone asked about asking your help on things, I was just wondering do you have some small tips from your first experience with commissions? Sorry for asking randomly! Love your work and personality!

you’re not being annoying at all!!  I’d be glad to help out in anyway i can!

Some things i realized were incredibly important with doing commissions is 

 * Keeping track of time, and making sure to schedule things as accurately as possible. You don’t wanna end up working on commissions at 2am  like i had to do lol

 * KEEP COMMISSION INFO HANDY!! Since i was doing commissions for a while, I ended up forgetting some details such as the correct amount to pay, how much it was added per additional characters, and the price for combinations such as half body lineart. Having to check every time was super annoying and even after checking my paranoid ass would just check 20 times more and still get it wrong the next time somehow.  

* Related to the previous tip, write down or make an excel spreadsheet where you can keep track of the details of a commission, the price, and whether it’s been paid or not. 

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head but if anyone else has got more, please feel free to add them!! It’s my first time doing commissions and I made some mistakes, but I don’t think you should let that discourage you!! Learn from your mistakes, and most importantly, have fun!!!     And get that money!!!  (gotta pay the bills somehow lol)