#radical cat collective

[pennydykedaughter]

oc. 2024

The Radical Cat Collective has formed. Their tails are high and their claws are sharp!

[leebrontide]

Hi everyone!

I'm asking for a (free) favor from y'all.

I'm trying to get more people to sign up for my free monthly author newsletter, and I'd love for you to help me find people who might enjoy it.

Every month, I write an essay about a subject. I'm not just collecting contacts to send ads to!

Sometimes it's about writing process

A Unique Character Development Technique 

The Golden Girls, D&D, and The Newest Way I’m Refusing to Make Writing Solitary 

The Bananabook Method

Lies I Tell Myself, Security Blankets and Backstitch Drafting

On Listening When You Want to Throw Things and Break Stuff

And other times it's a deep dive into a research topic for my books

Why I’m Researching a 19th Century Cult This Month

Spider Goat is Real but is Not Marvel Affiliated

People Just Really Want to Say "Enhance"

That Most Intimate of Thrones

Whose Side is Your House On?

The Care and Feeding of Dream Homes

What Arguing About Captain America Taught Me About Psychotherapy

Nuclear Waste and the Ray Cat Solution

Sometimes it's about mental health, especially through the lenses of fantasy and scifi

Of Flesh and Gundams

What Feeling Are You Most Afraid Of?

Sometimes it's even about legal systems and their interactions with the medical field and expanding medical technologies

Tractors, Cybernetics and the Radical at the Radioshack

Because Everybody Was Calling for YA Scifi About HIPAA, Right? 

Or queer stuff

What Do We Celebrate?

What Stories Are You Made Of?

Or disability

Another Kind of Coziness 

Tinkering With Cyberpunk

Things I Stole from Julian Bashir

What Does Time Feel Like?

Or it could be anything else that I'm willing to think deeper about that month. You can browse the full archive over here.

AND it almost always includes pictures of my very cute cats!

So could you please boost, if you feel your followers might be into that?

The subscription signup is right here.

Help an indie author out?

[bonefall]

(dif anon) So is Ashfur grooming Shadowsight a plotline you would keep/rework in BB? I'm not so keen on the way canon used it to retcon his epilepsy, but I do think a plotline examining how clerics can be vulnerable to abuse from StarClan spirits is kinda compelling

Shadowsight's epilepsy is staying in BB, the Erins can try and take it away again over my dead body

Yes, that's staying and BB!StarClan was reworked with unfairness in mind.

This time around, I'm considering the idea that Ashfur didn't work completely alone. After the events of Squirrelflight’s Horror, Silverpelt's divisons are starting to crackle the stars.

Skystar and the other more traditional spirits are losing patience with the peace that Fire Alone brings, and the ways that the code has been bent.

They feel that honor is being lost in their descendants.

Even angels disrespect the collective; see how Skypelt has its own heaven? With a demon in its midst? There is blasphemy even in the skies.

Firestar and the more modern pantheon are ferociously defensive of the choices of the living. StarClan exists for them; not the other way around.

Meanwhile, Mousefur has gone missing. Others start to blink out, too. This is causing panic... and Ashfur keeps it quiet that he's the only one who knows where they've gone.

The angels that plan action probably were a small group to begin with, radical spirits. Skystar and Ashfur are two of them, and Ash is the "youngest." So when he comes down to the mortal plane and betrays them, very few other angels knew what had happened.

(I might even have a few angels be doing the various supernatural things in that first book, but slowly, Ashfur is wittling down their numbers until it's just him.)

I'm still working out specifics, but the other angels that Ashfur has consumed are giving him a massive power boost. He can use this to jump between planes freely, and he's able to do some whacky things like weave dreams and pull nightmares out of the Dark Forest.

The most important unique power he has, which he can do ALL on his own once he's absorbed enough starpower, is blast Shadowpaw with a bolt of lightning. The electric current runs through Shadowpaw's brand new scar, giving him a connection to StarClan like he's a little radio tower.

Thing is... when StarClan is blocked off, the only signal he receives is Ashfur's.

So, Shadowpaw.

From the time he was very young, Shadowkit has had an unhealthy relationship to life and death

He watched a lot of cats die before he was old enough to really understand it, and the only one who came back was Heartstar.

His epilepsy was so severe it would have been terminal. He was prepared to die as a kit.

Tawnypelt took him to the Tribe to learn more about treatments, bringing back a method of refining chamomile to manage the convulsions.

When people come back from death, it was to serve "a purpose."

He feels like he needs to be special, like he needs to find the great meaning in his life. The reason why he's still here.

In BB, there can be guardian angels. Cats you knew in life who decide to watch out for you in the afterlife. Moleflight is Jayfeather's, Shrewface is Squirrelflight’s. Ashfur poses as Shadowpaw's.

THAT is how I plan to address my criticism. Ashfur DOES build a very personal, trusting relationship with Shadowpaw, pretending to be the one who's here to give him the destiny he craves. Pretending like he's someone looking out for him.

I actually LIKE how desperate the situation was in-canon and I want to stress how none of this was Shadow's fault, so I also plan to keep that they had very little choice. Shadowpaw trusts his angel completely, and Ashfur coaches him on saying all the right things.

The older Clerics are suspicious, but... what else can they do?

Also, instead of framing this all as something Shadowpaw needs to "atone" for, I'm going to make certain cats unfairly scapegoat him for bringing the Impostor into the forest. Shadowpaw himself agrees with them, blaming himself, but he has to learn it wasn't his fault.

He DIDN'T let anyone down by failing to live up to great expectations, and there's no way he could have known that Ashfur was using him. This never happened before, he always made the choice he thought was right and tried to make up for harm done, and he's not responsible for what his abuser made him do.

I actually want to have him figure out some of this by talking to DF demons, towards the end. Cats faaaar more responsible for what they did in life than him.

Ravenwing in particular, who was also mislead by a rogue StarClan spirit, but... ultimately decided that if StarClan was right in their judgement.

He was told (by Birchface, but he still doesn't know who it was in particular) to make three kittens unsafe by revealing their parentage. His choice killed three innocent children, and lead to the Queen’s Rights.

And StarClan was furious that he'd ever believe they'd want something so CRUEL.

And even if they DID want something so cruel... "Then they wouldn't have been ancestors worth following. And that's why I believe it's right that I'm here."

As a Cleric, he had authority on their behalf. And if they would misuse it through him, he wishes he could have just given it right back.

And Shadowsight's lightbulb goes Ding!

The very last thing Ashfur does in TBC, when the jig is up and he's about to be killed by the Lights in the Mist and a bunch of Demons who have come to defend their home, is swallow a Founder-- Skystar.

He takes the level of a true god, and reaches a nearly undefeatable level of power. Instead of black water, he's so large, malicious, and has a gravitational pull so massive it starts destroying the afterlife. It shatters the purgatory (Meadow of Young Stars) into floating cosmic fragments, and Heaven and Hell are set to collide.

Shadowsight confronts Ashfur, politely explaining that he's, well... done a lot of thinking, and, he doesn't really want what he gave him. "You can, uh, have this back!"

And blasts the lightning from his scar right back at him, like a chain, holding the screeching eldrich horror in place. Every ally he's made, here in the DF, come down from StarClan, and as Lights in the Mist, jump to his side. They can't hold down Ashfur, but they can hold SHADOWSIGHT

While they're all supporting him, Bristlefrost sees the one chance to get rid of him, once and for all. A clear shot. She bolts, pounces, and SHOOTS right into Ashfur like a falling star, knocking them both off the edge of the heaven he destroyed, burning up in orbit with a monster a hundred times her size.

And after that, Shadowsight has to go home and live with this.

He gave up the very connection that made him so special, and now he has to go back to being a Cleric without StarClan.

but the other Clerics accept this. They have to. They were all complicit in the choices that allowed the Impostor to rise.

What Shadowsight learns is... everyone was part of this. From those who made the follies with him, to the supporters and rebels against the impostor, to those who helped him realize his worth, to Bristlefrost who ultimately killed Ashfur.

He is valuable because living is valuable.

Everyone, and everything, matters. All cats have a role to play, and he was never alone.

I want to close him out in BB!TBC on a tea scene that parallels the various points in his life. Others used to prepare his chamomile treatments FOR him, in careful doses, because it is a very serious medicine. Now, at the end, he's the one brewing it.

A fully fledged Cleric, who realizes he's never been alone. Cats who love him were around him the whole time, making his medicine, and they'll love him even after he's given up his powerful gift. So now he's at the stage in his life where HE can make that medicine, share his wisdom with others, and find fulfillment in the skills he's acquired over a hard life brightening.

[crackaneggonmynoodles]

⊱✿⊱✿⊰Intro ⊱✿⊰✿⊰

Hi, I'm eggnoodles. Welcome to my blog :3

⚠️⚠️Warning: I am gender critical/ a terf. I do not hate trans people or wish harm on anyone who is. I wanted to put this warning here because some people may not be comfortable interacting with a blog like that, so if you aren't, keep scrolling. otherwise, welcome to my blog. ⚠️⚠️

—𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

I'm 16, so don't be weird. I'm a girl, I only speak english (sadly). I want to make tumblr friends. I'm autistic and I have ADHD, and I like talking about it because it's a significant part of me. Sometimes I don't make much sense when I post. I'm not part of a specific religion, but I'm questioning my beliefs.

—𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

I have a mini Aussie named ginger (she lives with my mom) and a burmese mountain doodle named Finn (he lives with my dad.) During the school year I board at school, like college, and I want to go to art school when I graduate.

— 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

I like fashion and sewing, making art (specifically cartoons and comics), collecting random stuff (sonny angels, precious moments, posters, hair clips, etc), animated movies/shows, reading fanfiction, manga, analogue horror, weird internet mysteries, music, and eating sugary food (ice cream will be the death of me).

—𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

🛸　　　 　‘　°　　　•　　.’°•　　　🚀 ✯ 　　　★　*　　　　　°　 ‘ *　　“🛰 　°·　　                           🪐 .　　　•　° ★　•  ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇▇▆▅▄▃▁▂. Some media i <3:

SHOWS

° Arcane, Blue Eye Samurai, Vinland Saga, Serial Experiments Lain, Erased, KAIBA MY UNDERRATED FAVV, Attack on Titan, cardcaptor sakura, angel beats, Inuyasha, K-on, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, School-Live!, Kino's journey, Elfen Lied

MOVIES

°Nausicaa of the valley of the wind, Laputa, Princess Mononoke, Time of Eve, Wolf Children, The Animatrix, The Summer (korean lesbian movie so so underrated), Song of the Sea, Yobi the five tailed fox, Fantastic Planet, Perfect Blue, Millenium Actress, Spirited Away, Grave of the fireflies, Ponyo

° Non-animated: The Virgin Suicides, Thirteen, Juno, All about Lily chou chou, Kamikaze Girls, White Oleander, Ladybird, Jennifers body, pretty much any 70s-90s chickflick i watched with my mom (think Grease or Breakfast Club)

GRAPHIC NOVELS/BOOKS

°Chainsaw man, Oyasumi Punpun, On A Sunbeam, Spinning, Persepolis, Orange, I want to eat your pancreas, Attack on Titan

°Earthlings, No Longer Human, any poetry by Mary Oliver, and... I haven't read much lately give me recs pls ^_^

MUSIC

°Venetian Snares, Goreshit, Aphex Twin, Cynthoni/sewerslvt, 1-800-PAIN, Smashing Pumpkins, Kate Bush, Adrienne Lenker, Jun Togawa, Deftones, RADIOHEAD!!!!, Weezer, Sign Crushes Motorist, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, The beatles, Fiona Apple, Tommy February6, The Cure, L7, Courtney Love, Jack Off Jill, TV girl, Beabadoobee, Boâ, bjork

ARTISTS/OTHER STUFF

I like the art of aya takano, tillie walden, yoshitomo nara, kim jung gi, junko mizuno, si_ku, ken currie, daisuke igarashi, inio asano, gekidan inu curry, I also love analog horror (the tangi virus is my favorite one) and internet mysteries/lost media. Fashion archive/street snaps are really really awesome, I like Fruits magazine and Hel Looks.

My favorite food is french fries and ice cream TIED, but burritos are a close second. And pancakes, oh god... I like winter and fall a lot, because it's close to all the wintery holidays. And i love snow. I like cats a lot, foxes, rabbits, squirrels, caterpillars, MONKEYS AND PRIMATES OMGGGGG, and lots of other animals. I'm interested in really ancient history/civilizations, like Sumer. I like plushies too. And walking around in the woods, or sleeping a lotttt. And just weird stuff like random rabbit holes of research.

I'm questioning my exact political beliefs but I am interested in radical feminism. I do not identify fully with any political movements, I'm still learning.

I may express disagreement for certain ideologies, people, etc but I do not wish harm or ill will upon any such groups. If you disagree with me I am open to some debates but may not engage for long due to my own mental health and priorities. In the end we are all human and deserve a fulfilling life with one another.

I'm also very cringe and pretentious and if you have any feedback on any posts in which i try to say something of substance feel free to share.

I don't have a dni, if you're gross I'll block you. (I give a warning before I block, I won't randomly block you if we've been talking.) i mean, if you're some 4chan dwelling pdf file who wants to spam my asks with yaoi furry foot fetish art, thats an obvious dni, i guess just use common sense...

anyways ya be my friend pls

:3

[misssmeat]

30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30

In celebration of my next decade, I took some time to document some of the obvious and not-so-obvious pieces of wisdom I've collected in my life. I wrote this as an exercise to celebrate my own growth, but I thought I would share it.

I spent over half of my 20s with all of you, here on tumblr. It was a messy decade spent figuring out who I am, what I want, and how to create the life I dream of. I'm ending my 20s happier, more sure of myself, and excited for the future. Thanks for joining me on the journey.

Here's to the next decade of being older. Wiser. Sexier. Here's to 30.

Love and Relationships

Give it three dates if you’re on the fence about someone. Love at first sight (or first date) is rare.

If he’s significantly older and makes you feel special for being “mature for your age”… there is something very wrong. He’s gross, and I promise you’ll see it one day and be furious for your past self.

Co-dependency is not love. 

Your partner is not your therapist. Do not treat them as such. 

Holding hands is a superior form of intimacy. 

Sometimes love isn’t enough. 

As annoying and cliche as it is, self-love is the most important love you’ll discover. 

Be intentional in your relationships - intentionally make time, intentionally show care, intentionally respect your partner, intentionally adore. (This applies to friendships too.)

Strong relationships are built on strong foundations. Communication, trust, kindness.

Life is made of millions of tiny moments. The tiny moments make the difference more than the grand gestures. 

Sex and Kink

Sex is supposed to be fun. Too many people forget this. It’s adult playtime. Don’t take yourself too seriously. 

Your limits are sacred. Never let anyone convince you otherwise. 

There is no such thing as a “true” sub/Dom/etc. Do what makes you happy. It’s really that simple. 

Confidence is 75% of success in the bedroom. I never truly know what I’m doing, but if I act like I’m the hottest girl on earth… my partner goes nuts for me regardless.

Keep water near at all times.  

Bondage is much more physically taxing than you might imagine. A rope buddy taught me to keep chocolate near for the sugar boost after physically taxing positions. 

Sometimes things get messy. Don’t worry, it’s normal. 

Give feedback and be open to feedback. We are all different, so there should be a learning curve with each partner.

Butt stuff hurts a lot less if you train your muscles slowly over time. 

If you’re not in the mood, don’t feel pressure to force it. Respect what your body is telling you. Likewise, respect your partner if they aren’t in the mood. 

Everything Else 

Ladies - unlearn creating yourself for the male gaze. It’s overrated.

Western cooking isn’t always superior. See the fried egg in France vs. Hong Kong. I’ll die on this hill.

Your worth and value are not tied to anything you’re offering or producing. Existing is the most radical thing we can do. 

Find a hobby that doesn’t require the internet. I found painting and reading. 

Your energy is valuable. Be selective in where and how you invest it.

When washing your hair, go through your shampoo routine twice before conditioning.

Go on walks. Touch grass. Feel the sun on your skin.

When in doubt, adopt a cat. 

Go to therapy. No matter where you are on your mental health journey, therapy will probably be a game changer.

Do not underestimate the power of forgiveness. Holding onto anger is not as empowering as I once believed it was.

And one last bonus thought: no matter what, always make space for joy.

❤️.

[sillybub]

My disorganized two cents about PAC NYC Cats being humans:

I think the more divorced from the original cat context the nonrep is the funnier it is that they talk about everything from an explicitly cat perspective. Like "yeah that extremely debaucherous sexy human person rum tum tugger gets stuck in drawers and chases rats and mice. And we all want him carnally for it"

It's different and that's good!!!!!!!! If you're gonna deviate from the og production I love to see folks doing something VASTLY different and transformative. Like 90% of nonreps still play them as cats. It's fun to see them as not-cats imo.

Like I'm not gonna go to a nonrep wanting to see the normal dynamics and characterization. If I wanted them to be the same I'd watch 1998 again, give me all the recharacterizarions and reimaginings. Scrap Munk as a character and invent a new one that has a different deal.

Excited to see how certain characters are re-characterized or scrapped or invented?? Like strictly the only characters they gotta to keep are the ones that have their own songs for the most part. And those song characters may be interpreted VASTLY different as to how they're usually portrayed and I for one am pumped to see new shit

I get the thought of like "if you're gonna make it so different then why even do cats at all" but like. I think given the fact that Cats the Musical took the very basic and simple collection of Old Possum's poems and radically recontextualized them into the musical we all know and love, I think its actually very much in the spirit of Cats to take something's base form and give it a complete makeover

Like "ALW if you wanted to do a hypersexual dance show then why did you base it on children's poems?" well because wouldn't that be just a fun thing to pull off?

[solarbird]

I’m going to say one final thing about the Trump shooting, then turn the rest of this into a resource post, highlighting some useful information about Project 2025, JD Vance, and the two together, since there is some involvement.

I argued in the past that it doesn’t matter whether Trump’s ear was hit by a bullet or shrapnel, because it fucking doesn’t, it was still an assassination attempt. I’ve argued about how Democratic conspiracy theories give us more MAGA and give them something to counterbalance against January 6th.

But most importantly, going off about which happened gives Donald Trump more attention for something he wants attention about.

For a blessed few days, nobody was talking about the stinking orange buffoon, not really, and given that literally nothing changes about the story he wants to talk about if it’s shrapnel or if it’s a bullet, that was a really good thing. It was “fuckity-bye, ear” in the news and I was delighted for it.

Even talking about him overhyping the damage or whatever just gives it all more air.

Don’t give it – or him – any air. Don’t let him get up. Until and unless something actually major actually happens – not hypotheses or speculation, actually something major – keep it quiet, because it helps shift the focus back on him.

Keep the focus on Harris and on Vance. That’s what’s good for us. Not speculating about trivia nobody outside the obsessed cares about: himself, as victim.

Make sense? Good. I’m shutting up about it until and unless there’s some actual hard news, and I recommend you do too.

Have some more resources on Project 2025 and JD Vance; use them as appropriate when talking to your friends and family about the election, particularly the Trumpy ones:

This is a two-fer: Trump again denies Project 2025 — despite Vance writing foreword for chief architect’s book. This is the same book that calls progressives “unhumans” and praises the January 6th insurrectionists. So that’s fun.

You’ve heard the “childless cat ladies” with “no stake in America” quote, of course. Push comes to shove, he really doesn’t think women – certainly not childless women – should be able to vote. He doesn’t just come out and say it like the GOP candidate for governor in Nroth Carolina did, but it’s in there.

There are so many levels of Christofascism in the Project, here’s yet another one: A Jewish couple were rejected as foster parents because of their religion. This is the future Project 2025 envisions

FBI director issues warning on ‘frightening’ Project 2025, specifically its plans to make the FBI directly responsible not to the constitution but to one man, Donald Trump.

How J.D. Vance Went From Green Tech Investor to Climate Change Doubter – it’s about money and power, naturally.

JD Vance roadblocked dozens of US diplomats while he obsessed over their views on gay rights, because he really, really hates the queers.

Anybody remember the Spoils System in the Federal government? I kind of doubt it, because nobody – I mean, literally I’ve seen nobody – talks about it in relation to J.D. Vance’s radical plan to build a government of Trump loyalists based on Project 2025. Not only was it massively corrupt from top to bottom – absolute looting for the winning political party – but it even triggered the assassination of President James Garfield.

Enjoy this big collection of JD Vance being absolutely evil. He really hates women without children – no, he really hates women in general, and hating women who don’t have (white) children is only the start.

Here Vance supporting police tracking women’s periods for evidence of abortion.

There’s more, but this is getting pretty long. I’ll leave you with this last little nugget:

The AP had to take down their fact check about JD Vance never having sex with with a couch. This is because while he didn’t actually tell such a story in Hillbilly Elegy, they can’t prove a negative, so couch time is back on.

And with that, enjoy the weekend.

[ma1eficar]

I just finished the quest where you collect solas' memories and uhhhh I have some thoughts and they are not good

This is purely my own opinion and it's not at all positive so fair warning if you want to avoid bitching about the game

(major dragon age Veilguard spoilers under the cut, major lore-altering spoilers)

Haaaate what they've done with the Blight, the Titans, Solas and Mythal, etc

Hate hate hate it

They did not have to write their slave-freeing rebel as a disloyal murderer, but they did

And I hate it because (I'm going to show my irl political hand here) now more than ever Solas resembles that trope that mainstream media likes to do, of making your antagonist a person with leftist ideas addressing real and valid problems

but then you can't have your audience sympathize with the lefties toooo much so you write them doing cartoonishly evil shit, while also presenting a more moderate, less radical option as being better (i.e. killmonger, that cat girl rights thing from rwby, etc.)

They did not have to write him sacrificing his own unwitting friends and allies (the spirits) but they did

They did not have to have him commit a horrific unforgivable crime against the dwarves and Titans (also making him responsible for the most dangerous and evil thing in Thedas) but they did

And they did not have to present Mythal, an imperialist who owned slaves (unless they reconned that too idfk), as a voice of reason while also setting her up as a victim of evil leftists Solas' violence, but they did.

(And, might I add, they did not have to write Solas being willing to kill thousands of people in the first place)

I am pretty tired of this trope to begin with, but also the fact that they wrote Solas this way but still want me to sympathize with him is wild.

I will say I am still enjoying the game, because I quite like the companions and the combat style. But the writing is just. So disappointing so far. That's not even touching on their handling of the Antaam, and my confusion around the Crows.

My partner and I have spent the last few years doing a huge roleplay/writing project where we use the parts of dragon age we like as a basis, and change the stuff we don't like. And I just want to say I'm glad I have that, otherwise I'd be sad that this is where they went with ancient elves, Titans, and blight

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from The Revelator:

Japanese knotweed. Purple loosestrife. Kudzu. Mesquite. Giant hogweed. Bitou bush. What do these plants have in common? Easy: They’re among the most “invasive” plant species on the planet. When humans bring these highly adaptable, fast-growing plants to new ecosystems, whether it’s on purpose or by accident, native species often get squeezed out and pushed toward extinction.

But, unlike predators such as rats and cats — which have threatened animal species and caused extinctions around the globe — have displaced plants like kudzu ever actually driven another plant species extinct? The authors of a 2016 paper published in the journal AoB Plants couldn’t document any confirmed cases.

Not yet, anyway. But that’s only because globalization is a relatively recent phenomenon.

“The main reason why there is no clear evidence of extinction that can be exclusively attributed to plant invasions is that invasions have not been around long enough,” co-author Dave Richardson of the Centre for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, said in a prepared release. “Our research shows that plant extinction is an agonizingly slow process. However, red flags are evident in numerous locations around the world — species that now exist in fragmented populations, with radically reduced opportunities to reproduce.”

Richardson and co-author Paul Downey from the University of Canberra looked at these “red flags” and came up with a six-point “extinction trajectory” for native plant species facing threats from displaced vegetation:

Plants die more quickly than they can be replaced by their offspring in some locations.

Plants disappear from some locations entirely, but potential offspring remain as “propagules,” seeds or spores that could regenerate a new cohort of individuals.

Some locations lose both individual plants and their propagules. With no plants or seeds, this is a local extinction.

The last locations hosting a species lose their individual plants, but in some places seeds or spores remain in the soil.

The species is entirely lost in the wild, with no individuals or propagules. The only survivors are held in botanic collections.

The remaining plants are lost, and the remaining seeds or spores are no longer capable of becoming new plants.

Downey said that this research suggests we need to start managing threatened plants much earlier than we currently do.

[phantomfelinepaws]

✧༝┉˚*❋ mmrrp! ❋*˚┉༝✧

No DNI, bc yall niggas dont READ nor have any respect >_> 

Ya’ll can call me Phantom! (Like any good cat, however, I go by many names) 

I am a 27 year old (nonbinary/GNC) woman, I was born + raised as a woman, and I still feel a connection to femininity and womanhood, but I am not fully a woman. 

bodily I am Black + Aniyunwiya. 

Mentally I am a Feral Dog, Tiger & Leopard, and Bear. I am Rabbit and Deer hearted. I truly don’t care what anyone thinks about it. I will block any bigot on sight. 

My Song Lyrics

Dear God (Make me a Dog)

I am Phantom in the Snow

I’m Queer, Monogamous + Married to my amazing Hubwife (Any pronouns) 

I am also Fictosexual and Fictoromantic. I don’t label my political views aside from, extremely and radically Left-leaning. I believe we need a worldwide revolution to destroy the shackles we all wear. 

I am Diagnosed with Schizoaffective, AuDHD, C-PTSD, GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, MDD. 

I am also medically crippled and use a cane + walker

My physical disabilities include, but are not limited to, Arthritis, Colitis, Asthma, Allergies to most allergens, GERD, Chronic Constipation + Diarrhea, IBS, Fatty Liver, Chronic UTIs, Syncope, Chronic Cough, Chronic pain, Lumbosacral Disc Disease + Spondylolisthesis (Anterolisthesis), and Sciatica  

Phantom’s Fun Facts (under the cut)

Favorite Colours: Pastels and earthy browns, as well as light browns

Things I Collect: Rocks, sticks, leaves, flowers, bones, bottles + cans

Hobbies: Art, Song + Poetry writing. I’m going to start relearning to sew

Youtubers I Enjoy: Khadija Mbowe, Tee Noir, Intelexual Media, FD Signifer, lil bill, Tirrrb, Mayowa’s World, Star Puppy, Fat Charlie, Foreign Man in a Foreign Land/Foreign Fridays, Casual Geography, Olurinatti, Lindsay Nikole, Respect The Dead, Pugly, Therian Territory 

[pennydykedaughter]

oc. 2024.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Parker Molloy at The Present Age:

Alright, folks, let's talk about the strangest new trend in politics: calling your opponents "weird." Yes, you read that right. In the past week, the Democratic camp has decided that the best way to take on Trump and the GOP is to break out their middle school vocabulary. It all started when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (a potential VP pick, by the way) described GOP nominee Donald Trump and "cat lady"-obsessed running mate JD Vance as "just weird." From there, it's like the entire Democratic Party collectively went, "You know what? He's onto something," and ran with it. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Parker, are you seriously telling me that seasoned politicians are resorting to playground insults?" And the answer is... kind of, yeah. But here's the kicker: it's working. Or at least, it's getting one hell of a reaction.

The Evolution of Political Language

Remember when political debates were all about tax rates and foreign policy? Yeah, me neither. Welcome to the era of political discourse where calling your opponent "weird" passes for a campaign strategy. But before we judge too harshly, let's take a step back and look at how we got here.

Over the past few decades, we've seen a gradual shift from policy-focused debates to character-driven campaigns. It's no longer just about what a candidate plans to do, but who they are (or who they claim to be). This isn't entirely new; politicians have always tried to sell their personalities alongside their policies. But social media has cranked this up to eleven. In a world of tweets and TikToks, nuanced policy discussions don't exactly thrive. Instead, we get catchy slogans, memorable insults, and yes, apparently, the word "weird." It's like politics has merged with reality TV, and we're all just waiting for someone to say, "I'm not here to make friends." But here's the thing: as much as we might roll our eyes at this trend, it's not just about dumbing down the discourse. These simple, punchy messages often cut through the noise in a way that lengthy policy papers never could. They stick in people's minds, spark conversations (or Twitter wars), and sometimes reveal more about a candidate's values than any carefully crafted speech ever could.

Unpacking the Appeal of "Normal"

Let's talk about "normal" for a second. It's a concept that's been at the heart of conservative messaging for decades. The idea is simple: we're the normal ones, the real Americans, the default setting. Everyone else? Well, they're the outliers, the deviants, the ones trying to change everything. As writer A.R. Moxon puts it in a recent Twitter thread: ["What recent discourse is exposing is something I've been trying to say for years now, which is that there is little conservatives care more about than being considered the only normal ones by everyone else, and they'll use bullying and the threat of punishment to get it."]

This obsession with being seen as "normal" isn't just about feeling good. It's a powerful political tool. If you can convince people that your way of life is the default, then anything else becomes a threat. It's why we see so much fear-mongering about the "radical left" or the "gay agenda" or whatever the boogeyman of the week is. But here's where it gets interesting. By labeling the GOP as "weird," Democrats are flipping this script. They're challenging the very foundation of conservative identity politics. And boy, are conservatives not happy about it. Julia Serano, in her recent blog post, nails why this is hitting such a nerve: ["I think it has to do with the MAGA worldview being centered on them being the supposed norm. They are heavily invested in the notion that their perspective and lifestyle is the one true and righteous way that all others must follow. Calling them 'weird' upends this worldview."]

Parker Molloy with another gem of a post on the GOP’s weirdness to Americans who aren’t in the MAGA Cult.

See Also:

The Advocate: Democrats embrace ‘weird’ label, turning tables on conservative rhetoric often used against queer people

[fenmere]

Coming July 31st, 2024! (probably)

A sequel to the Sunspot Chronicles.

It's definitely not The Day the Earth Stood Still meets The Doom Patrol, but, before anything really happens, Erik of Aunti Zero's Coffee Collective thinks it could be described that way.

Narrowly rejected alternative titles: Phage goes to Portland, A Sunspot Pember in America, and How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Nanites

Authors' bio (my system):

Born in the mid '70s, the Inmara are the daughters of a couple of printers living in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. They used to work as a graphic designer and are intersex, ace, autistic, biromantic, polyamorous, trigender, trans, and a plural system with a high therian count. They've wanted to write novels since they were 14, but ended up making a webcomic titled Harmless Free Radicals in their early 20s. In 2015, while outlining the closure of that comic, they discovered that they were trans and plural, and quickly worked out they were autistic shortly after that. And that's when the novels started pouring out. They've written and self published most of the Sunspot Chronicles, a web series about plurality, gender, and familial relations on an alien generational starship. With the Tunnel Apparati Diaries they hope to craft a new entry point into the series that can also work as a sequel, and maybe to bring the story down a little closer to Earth. When not writing books, they live in an apartment with two of their girlfriends, a teenager, a cat named Tuck, a paralysis demon named Phage, and a computer with the latest version of Blender on it.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Punk Percy Jackson headcanons but by an actual punk instead of someone who thinks skateboarding is an aesthetic

So first off this will include my Pjo self-insert Lex de los Santos since i'm a book!Percy selfshiper(and Walker is my little guy so expect lots of appreciation for him on this blog too)and if you're gonna be hateful of that,please just scroll past thanks!Now lets get into it:

Always had the punk mindset as seen in canon by her being anti-authority,rebelling against all corruption she sees and being extremely protective and loving towards younger minorities

But was too poor to afford the clothes and piercings and such.Didn't bother him though since he cared more about acting and thinking punk than looking it

Thalia was his first real experience with the subculture headon and that's a big reason why he admired and was lowkey jealous of her along with a bit of gender envy

Goes to protests with and does charity work with Rachel

And she buys him a bunch of punk stuff(From punk bussinesses ofc,otherwise what's the point)

Learned to DIY so many things it's a running gag

Riot Grrrl and Mcr fan-Also not punk but stans Megan Thee Stallion,Ice Spice and Lo-Fi beats too.Also really likes Green Day!!

The specific types of punk Percy is are afropunk(i hc them as half afro-dominican and half black-greek),seapunk(NOT because of Poseidon but because of Sally)and either crustpunk or pastel punk depending wether we're talking her as a bigender transfem and a misc between masc and fem presentation or her as a super femme trans woman.Not for gender roles reasons obviously because that would be ridicioulous but i just think that their lives would be significantly so that leads to a few differences in personalities and tastes

Persephone Ameila has comics!Starfire hair and dyes her faded from gray to white streak sea blue to blend in,Perseo Isadore has dreads and keeps his as is because Lex finds it hot.Here are illustrations of them by @honeypotsworld and @leo-thecactus using bases from the Pjo graphic novels!!

Straight edge

His autism definitely contributes to how how he approaches punkness.Examples include how blunt he is in it and a funny one is that he loves googling the most bizzare ass sounding and/or looking foods to make and eat and calls it 'sticking it to the man' and Lex encourages and joins on both

Their patches jacket has spikes on the shoulders and pockets and frills around the collar and his patches are the dominican,autism and trans flags,the anarchy symbol and ones to represent his most important people-A black mermaid for Sally,a pink rose for Lex,a skull for Nico and a yellow diamond for Hazel.It has a good handful of pins and his collection is ever growing but his favorites are the cat one and the Riptide one Lex made him

Goes on estrogen but light dosages and for a short amount of time compared to full transitions and gets no surgeries.Wears makeup too(*Insert the putting makeup on your gf redraw meme but with Perlex*)and has a tongue ring,an eyebrow piercing and forward helix on both ears

Radicalized Nico and Hazel,who are now goth punk and pastel goth punk.The three of them and Lex are known as 'The Outcast Godlings' because of the usual treatment Hades and Pluto kids get that the first two were no exception to and Percy's and Lex's feelings of isolation and otherness even after getting to Camp Half Blood,all of which were thankfully resolved by the the end of Hoo and the begining of Tales of Dead Seas(My fansequel to it that happens instead of Toa and has them as the mcs)

Exclusively buys his video games and consoles and legos secondhand due to being anti-capitalism

Killed Luke in TLO not only because of being the hero of the prophecy but also because no actual punk wouldn't unalive a fascist who was also a serial ped0phile the second they got the chance.She made sure it was extra painful too and even had Nico use his soul erasing power we saw in BOO on him

Owns a pair of colbat blue and black demonias that Beckendorf got him which are a little tight on him now but he wears them anyway to remember him by

Them and Lex make clothes for Nico and Hazel with Sally's help and play the Team Parents role for them in general♡

Perlex is punk4punk but Lex is pastel punk and solarpunk!!They go on punk dates like going to concerts together in matching outfits and skateboarding and rollerblading in their opposites aesthetics board and skates and defacing public property together <3 Also Percy has the cocky flirty punk guy thing going on you usually see in male characters who are but it's a Lex exclusive

@angel-beloved @floof-ghostie @gummywormlimbs @biandbored

[leebrontide]

Shed Letters: the complete archive so far

For all the people who've followed me recently- at least SOME of whom must be actual people and not clickbait bots- I have a free monthly newsletter that I'm really proud of. If you like what I write here, you can access my once month efforts to present organized, spellchecked, researched thoughts, often with cool links for further reading.

If you wanna read about writing, ableism, queerness, psychology, research deep dives into history, science, and current events that are funneling into my writing, consider looking over some of what I have on offer, and maybe consider subscribing.

Also contains cat pictures!

Reblogs welcome!

You Heard It Here, First! An announcement of a co-authoring project in the works where we use a pulpy vampire romance to explore queer history in MN

What Stories Are You Made Of? A meditation on renegotiating my relationship to the problematic queer media I had access to in the 90s

What Do We Celebrate? Pics and the story of how I ended up throwing a T(ea) party to celebrate starting HRT, and my nonlinear path to hormone therapy

Why I’m Researching a 19th Century Cult This Month What’s a civil war era cult have to do with the scifi YA I’m writing? (Hint- they were literally trying to breed messiahs into existence).

Another Kind of Coziness How can anti-ableist theory make my writing space so damn cozy and effective?

A Unique Character Development Technique  Learn about one of my most ridiculous ways of intuitively developing new characters. 

The Golden Girls, D&D, and The Newest Way I’m Refusing to Make Writing Solitary This is actually all one topic

Tractors, Cybernetics and the Radical at the Radioshack That time I got radicalized by a Radioshack cashier and what it has to do with disability activism

The Cartoons Are Coming for Our Collective Trauma A therapist/YA writer’s thoughts about why kids shows are all about intergenerational trauma these days, and what I think it means for our future

People Who Need People Writing about The Giver, Each of Us a Desert, and what it’s been like having one of those faces that compels people to tell me things I have absolutely no business knowing

The Bananabook Method  What I call “The Bananabook Method” of book planning/pre-writing. Please enjoy my collection of absurd tiny colorful notebooks and this explanation of my *~process~*.

Because Everybody Was Calling for YA Scifi About HIPAA, Right? Why I’m writing about medical data privacy practices in scifi books for teens. Contains a LOT of info about the current systems and their limits.

Tinkering With Cyberpunk I was interviewed about cyberpunk and disabilities by the lovely Zuhura Ismail, whose wonderful cyberpunk art is also included in this edition.

Lies I Tell Myself, Security Blankets and Backstitch Drafting Another writing process post! Features a very nice cat picture, more writing with memory problems, and my proposal that creative project advice is only as useful as it is adaptable.

Of Flesh and Gundams What somatic psychology has to say about the pursuit of perfection and immortality via tech.

Gods and Ink - the new digital era of old school mythmaking and my newest tattoo.

[noraqrosa]

::SUPPORT INDEPENDENT TRANS ARTISTS TODAY ON TRANS DAY OF VISIBILITY

::hello all! i'm a plural nonbinary trans girl who produces beautifully psychedelic music, from bizarre electronic experiments to pop bops to beats and more!

::if you wanna support me, you can find where to buy & stream my music on the discography page of my website:

::i also have playlists on both Spotify and YouTube of everything i've put out since being birthed into the psychedelic haze that is Odio-hime!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4R5l6zSGCuycEnC2zX5zCF?si=ykTxRcr6RoOIDOxuJEO9sw

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5njomExfMMHOjLFMOLTNq4Foi2CcIYA-&si=WCTGresngVhkjwBW (some stuff on this list isn't on Spotify for one reason or another)

::you should also support @izukuleeyoung, another artist and musician with whom i often work, and @kirlian-light, another artist with whom i often collaborate and who makes a fckin amazing comic called Magical Stoner Karen (which you can read here). both of them have done album art for me and their work is exemplary.

::hope you enjoy whatever you decide to check out! my personal favorites i've made:

"Madeline" - an ascent of sound and vision

"X‐Trax, Pt. 2" & "Cymbalism" - a couple hard house trax leaning into drum n bass influences that are continuous from one to the next

"Unaware" - in a perfect world, this li'l SOPHIE-inspired weirdo pop song would've gone to #1 immediately upon release

"white rabbit" - my favorite cover i've released thus far

"fly collect" - one of my wildest electronic bops, this one's been a fan favorite based on feedback i've gotten from people

"Expand Ur Mind" - track i produced for izuku, all about the joys of imbibing w333d

"Decompose Me" - acid-washed pop that goes hard

"Black Cat" - another izuku track with radical lyrics and one of my favorite beats i've made

"Eve's Wild Ride" - a song commissioned by @poppetsisters (who also did the artwork for this single + for the "wondersong" single) as a theme song for their headmate Everything Poppet (Eve for short). super cheery and dancey. check out her stuff btw, it's some beautiful psychedelic art (and beyond)

::that's all for now, enjoy whatever you decide to peruse ^_~