#shark soapbox

[shark-myths]

tell me more about the writing class!

I would loving nothing more!

so my long-time writing crush @alienfuckeronmain (seriously, we became pairing rivals in a now-deceased fandom more than 20 years ago) runs an amazing writing class annually. It is fully virtual and recorded, so you can attend synchronously (I recommend this because the Q&A after the lecture is invaluable!) or whenever works best for you. It focuses on writing as a LIFESTYLE, something sustainable and full of joy, healing the productivity/perfection trauma many of us come to associate with the craft. it focuses not on sharing and critiquing writing but on how to support yourself and your life so that you can DO it, for fun and for love, in a way that works for you. it is such a healthy and beautiful approach to my favorite thing in the world, I highly recommend the course. The website is here and the instagram account, bloodinkbonewriting, also has a lot of info and promo material. Phoenix herself is an incredible talent with some recently published books I highly recommend. She’s most famous for being canceled in various fandoms, writing the finest one direction fic you can imagine, being the master of dead dove and fucked-up dynamics, and of course, humanized Cars fic.

self-disclosure / soapbox time: I work as a psychologist, and I so frequently encounter grown-ass adults who made all the right choices. They put away ‘childish’ things like hobbies and passion and silliness and intensity, they prioritized all the values our culture prizes, and they end up feeling so fucking empty and bleak. I constantly connect to gratitude about my daily writing practice, about my relentless and unprofitable pursuit of writing for joy. I have been writing rpf since I was thirteen years old. I thought I *invented* it and would certainly go to hell for my ingenuity. And it is the richest part of my life. I meet all the best people this way. I love who I am and the way I live because of being connected to art and community—a community of transformative work and creativity and passion, of screeching about our favorite things without self-consciousness or self-erasure. I genuinely believe this is the best part of my self and life. (except for my cats.) and when I encounter the dullness and misery of a life at the grindstone, I know beyond doubt that writing and fandom are my #1 protective factor. They are the reason I don’t feel that burned out and hollow way about my good, good life.

if you do one thing for yourself, find a way to create and connect joyfully and without the evaluative eye of others upon you. and if you have lost the way to doing that with writing because of the world we live in or, worse, the educational system and endless pressure to make your art profitable—blood ink bone has my highest recommendation as a gentle way to recover that path within yourself!

[dammit-theclown]

In hindsight one of the best decisions i ever made was doing everything in my power to prevent predatory fuckin “you need ‘perfect’ teeth or you’ll literally die” cosmetic dentists from shaving off my mamelons considering my disabled ass is currently chipping a front tooth on fucking water glasses every other week

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for breaking up with someone over fishkeeping and cat food? I know how the title sounds but hear me out. This happened a couple years ago and I'm still friends with the people this happened with but it still weighs on me. So I have always been kind of militant about husbandry when it comes to the animals I keep(autistic, it' a special interest) and I don't really like to deal with people who don't take caring for living creatures they willingly bring into their home seriously. I sold a fish tank to my, then, partner J who wanted to get into fish keeping. J and D, our other partner, lived together. After taking the tank home and cleaning it up we were throwing around ideas for what to put in it. It wasn't too big but also not small, but he kept throwing out species that would far outgrow the tank or species that would fight and kill each other. Every time I shot these species down J took it well, realizing the space was either too small or they would die and didn't want the fish in improper conditions but D kept telling me not to "squash his creativity" and he could "do whatever as long as it made him happy". At this I obviously hopped on my soapbox about how it's our duty as animal owners to give the animals we keep proper conditions and D went absolutely off on me and mentioned how I care "too much" about how other people keep their animals and had always made her feel bad about how she feeds her cats and now I was doing this. For context my cat eats a raw diet. I did a lot of research and talked to my vet and he's doing wonderfully while one of her cats is extremely overweight to the point he waddles instead of walking and the other two are getting there as well, both of which I've brought up concerns about but I have NEVER shamed the way she fed her animals. She had been interested in the interest I had taken and had ASKED for better quality food recommendations, so I gave them, but NEVER told her she had to feed them a certain way. A majority of our conversations were just me info-dumping and her being happy to listen and ask questions occasionally. Anyway J kind of backed out of the conversation at this and D and I went back and forth a bit before D finally said "I don't think this relationship is going to work out if you won't let this go"(This being I have pointed out one of her cats is grossly overweight a couple times and it's extremely unhealthy, especially since he's aging now) so I said "Yeah I think so too. This is something I clearly care a lot about and I'm not going to be with someone who puts their own or their partner's feelings over the well-being of the animals they are responsible for"(referencing when she said a few times when talking about the fish that it was okay if the fish killed each other or died from improper conditions as long as J was happy with how the tank looked and "it's not like we're putting kittens in with sharks, they're Just Fish") and we broke up there and then. Since then we've still stayed close friends after a short break from each other(I'm actually her Man of Honor in her upcoming wedding to J!) and she's actually made moves to better the quality of the food she buys her cats and is working on getting her obese cat's weight down and J's fish tank hobby is going very well(with proper keeping standards!!). But the situation at the time still weighs on me and even though we're genuinely too busy with work and life to make a relationship work anymore anyway and that was also a factor of the breakup.... AITA for beginning a breakup over animal husbandry?

What are these acronyms?

[lovelylotusf1]

ohh that prompt game seems fun!!! how about 23/9 for max!!

Thank you for the lovely prompt anon <3 I focused a bit more on 9, but there's still some of prompt 23 - loss of abilities/skills in there. You didn't specify a ship, so I left it a bit ambiguous. But, it definitely has Max/Oscar vibes! Prompt list for if you want me to put drivers into Situations :D

Sleep deprivation

“A question for Max. What happened in turn 9 today?”

“I don't know, you fucking tell me.”

Max knows this single moment will be clipped to hell and back. He knows that PR will chew him out for it, and that it will cause the reporters to jump on him like sharks smelling blood. But he doesn't fucking care. Not when the incessant flashing of cameras makes his head swim and the endless stream of chatter from the interviewers melts together into a noise that sounds like he's developing god damn tinnitus.

There's a nervous giggle to his right, but when he turns his head he doesn't know where exactly it came from. Oscar's sitting next to him, and there's Lando, too, and since when are their faces so blurry? Max squints, trying to determine the exact point where they're blurring together into a kind of super McLaren driver. The thought makes him snort.

“It seems like you lost control of the car there for a second,” the interviewer rambles on, but Max is busy blinking the world back into focus. “Was it driver error that caused you to almost hit the barriers there?”

Oh wait, Lando and Oscar aren’t melting. Lando's just leaning into Oscar like he doesn't know about the concept of personal space. All gooey and smiley and why does that smile look a bit pained?

Suddenly, there's a foot nudging against his, and Max remembers that he needs to answer something.

“That question is stupid, so I won't answer it. I finished third, didn't I?”

Finishing P3 is embarrassing, he doesn’t need the question that will undoubtedly come next to tell him that. It'll probably be about whether he's okay with that place or if he's lost his ambition. About the multiple rookie mistakes he made throughout the race. The trip through the gravel. Only the pitstop strategy and a lucky safety car saved him from being kicked down to the cold and unforgiving fourth place.

For someone else, it might be passable. Not for Max. Never for Max.

Someone else shouts out another question. Max stares into the vague direction of it until Oscar picks up the microphone and answers something that doesn’t manage to go through the fog of his brain.

The rest of the post-race interview is torture, and by the end of it, his head is pounding and he's trying to hold back shivers that are probably from a fever he's developing. Great. Simply lovely.

When he's on his way to get to his motorhome, a hand on his shoulder stops him. “You were really weird today.” It’s Oscar’s voice. Good. Max couldn't stand anyone else right now. “Are you okay?”

Max lets himself melt into the touch a little. Allows himself the simple comfort of someone else's warmth. “I think I fucking fell ill,” he spits out. “I slept a total of three hours between cold shivers and not being able to breathe through my nose.”

The hand on his shoulder tightens. It’s Oscar's tell that he's really angry about something but doesn't want to show it directly on his face. Max is a little proud of himself, proud that he remembers that tiny detail even when his brain feels like a soapbox driven by a snail instead of the usual pace of the RB19.

“Okay, that's totally fine. Racing while sick is nice. Cool that you did that.” Max might be dead tired, but he can still hear the sarcasm dripping from Oscar’s words. “Let's get you to bed.”

“So forward. I thought that you needed to ask Lando for permission to do that with other people. Or you already asked, of course.”

Oscar laughs, that high-pitched one he sometimes lets out when someone surprises him. His arm wraps around Max's waist, guides him the last couple of steps to the door of his motorhome and beyond it. Huh. Max hasn’t even noticed that they've been walking towards his bedroom.

“I really think you need to sleep a bit. I'll stay if you need something.”

Oscar firmly but gently pushes him onto the bed. And Max lets him do it without objections. A warm feeling spreading through his body as he closes his eyes with a content sigh.

People who might be interested in Max/Oscar: @wisteriagoesvroom @maaxverstappen

[biillys]

do u think billy was a little shark activist like do u think when someone tried to talk shit about sharks billy got on his little soapbox ranting about how sharks LIVE there about how its their HOME about how shark attacks are actually so rare and how sharks are more likely to swim away than attack like do we think billy had BIG feelings about sharks

[darth-emerald]

Time for me to get up on my Generation Loss soapbox! (Note: spoilers) CW//: Death, Suicide, Human Experimentation, and Derealization mentions

1. My primary theory when it comes to how it may play out with episode three is that Ranboo is gonna further realize what actually happened with the last two episodes, and it is gonna play out in one of two ways: Ranboo will attempt to take Showfall down and die/sacrifice himself in some way (a victory at a cost, so to speak) as a result, or there is the possibility that Ranboo will discover that Showfall will hunt him down after he escapes. At least, if he even escapes at all.

2. How the masks may work (my own personal take), I am a part of the majority in saying that it interfaces directly with Ranboo’s brain and central nervous system (the cerebellum, occipital lobe, and possibly his spinal cord, in addition to influencing further portions, such as the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and Broca’s area when it has full control), and my theory as to how they control the others and how the grey mask they put on Sneeg works, is that they were most likely implanted with a similar device, albeit subdermally and smaller, to control them. I believe the resistance and occasional breaks of control is caused by one thing: adrenaline. Notice when Ranboo has moments of lucidity and complete control he is nervous, confused, and on edge, and the moment where Sneeg broke and ran, he was terrified (most likely seeing Charlie’s mangled and screaming state, as Jerma implied he was doing) and Austin was the most aware as he was not only afraid, but also seemed agitated, there does seem to be the exception of Jerma himself. He seems to be trusted due to seniority (having done it for 30+ years) but is still somewhat controlled. The design of the implants and masks are flawed as they don’t seem to be equipped to deal with adrenaline and glitch out a bit when exposed, allowing the subject to see past the imposed neurological “family friendly” filter temporarily before it takes control back from the subject (as seen in the surgery scene in episode 2).

3. This theory is a bit more on the speculative end of the spectrum, but I believe that, seeing as Sneeg and Charlie died in episode one and came back in two, I believe that they, along with the other “actors” are being cloned repeatedly, so that if a beloved character dies (Such as Sneeg when he gets eaten by the Sharpickster [my portmanteau of Shark Pickle Lobster]) they can be brought back in a different role each time (hence why they are so nonchalant about killing 80% of the cast) I believe it is entirely possible that Ranboo himself was subjected to this, he is “The Hero” after all.

4. The motive/why is Showfall Doing this? I think I can give a possible idea as to what in the form of speculation. I think they are using this for the purpose of human experimentation (ala a corporately funded Stanford Prison Experiment or MKULTRA) to test their neural filtering tech, and just framing it as a show for the sake of making some extra money, another possibility is that Showfall is incorporating subliminal messages and is trying to brainwash and desensitize the audience to gore, torture, and violence for the sake of whatever The Founder’s mission is.

5. My thoughts on what may happen with The Lossfield Incident/Generation 2. It could be a prequel or follow up to The Social Experiments, us seeing Ranboo on the lead up to being captured, or a bit after TSE trying to take Showfall and/or The Founder down.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk

[bates--boy]

Which topics could Peter always soapbox about? Some silly ones? And some serious ones?

// Something that I've realized, and I think it's because he was literally born to defend against enemies, is that he's going to defend anyone or anything that he sees as "the little guy".

He could go on about the ocean and how the global population needs to do more about aquatic species going extinct or rising sea levels, because what hell are the dolphins and starfish going to do? And he would defend sharks to his dying breath, because Jaws was a huge disservice and the worst mistake in cinematic history.

Peter could soapbox about the merits of hip-hop as an art, and the "urban" culture that he loves so much and recognizes as an ever-changing and growing culture within Western civilization, utilized as a way for marginalized people to survive and keep their identity alive in the face of hostile domination.

Otherwise, he'd be soapboxing about celebrities and microcelebrities and movies. Don't get him started on Shark Tales, which he will hail as a cult classic children's masterpiece, almost up there with SpongeBob SquarePants. Almost, because it's not as informational as SS (which still surprised and impressed Peter as a marine biologist), but it literally has Martin Scorsese in its cast, and that is something!

[robertwalton]

Writing ask

1, 3, 5, 11, 23 :)

COLLEEN. the way i saw this and thought very contentedly "well thats nice i should answer right away" and then immediately forgot you sent the ask & went to make dinner for like two hours... THANK U!!! okay.

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

tbh so many but the most egregious one is the robert victor breakup heartbreak divorce story. i want to write abt victor coming back and trying to rebuild a relationship with robert/june/all their friends while they both struggle with the pain/get to know each other and themselves as the new people they have grown into after their 3 years apart. i've written bits and pieces about it, but the most defining images i have of the story haven't gone down on paper yet. honestly the reason why i haven't written it yet is because it's soooo heavy and so Real................. i don't feel like i have the necessary life experience to successfully capture it (yet!). i need to either 1) be in my thirties 2) have tried to repair and reignite an insane gay relationship after a heartwrenching breakup OR 3) be touched by true blue beauty that inspires me so strongly in such a blaze of clarity that i can't not write it in spite of everything holding me back

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

HAHA i start at the start and that's usually pretty easy, but then the bigger it gets the more i pull it apart and start new sections beyond what i already have and go against chronology etc. i can't write straight front to back... like when i wrote successions, i'm pretty sure i leapt ahead to the aquarium scene WAY early on and built the whole sequence around two major visions: 1) luma's duel with anaris and 2) the image of the shark inside the tank. so i started with those two concepts and then wrote in all directions everywhere at once bit by bit. and on a larger level that's true for the entire writing process. i bounce around constantly whittling away on different sections throughout the story and that helps a LOT when it comes to tying ideas and themes together across the entire narrative. it does mean i have to rewrite conversations and exposition constantly to reflect updated context, tone, or what my characters know/believe, which means editing is, frankly, sooo brutal. BUT WORTH IT

i normally think of it as a surgery... like i get as much of a draft as possible and then i cut it open and start chopping and screwing and then at the end i stitch it all back up

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing?

oh my god there have been so many... it's always the character i don't think has legs to stand on that ends up having the best and brightest most interesting personality and backstory forever. cher. kennick (tbh!). theodred. esme. corinthia. JACKDAW. jackdaw surprises me every time i write him!!!! but most importantly. anaris... not to get back on my successions soapbox but i want u to know that anaris was originally "supposed to" be a straight up and down evil villain with no redeeming or even interesting qualities. and then the story as a whole turned into this kinda beautiful epic about two men who are uncomfortably similar but disgusted by each other's life choices/values & who (despite their very best efforts) end up finding profound meaning and even humanity in their father-son relationship UGH ANARIS!!!!!!! he's a bastard but he's SUCH an interesting bastard and i could write him all day. let's not even forget about the kretz/anaris crackfic because i think that opened up even more interesting parts of his character (i mean. he's an - as far as his own definition goes - entirely heterosexual man who would still rather bottom for men for release/physical pleasure than admit to women that he doesn't have a penis and therefore can't fulfill his own criteria for masculinity, sexually speaking. which i personally think is just so sad and so flawed and so self destructive and fascinating. i mean. lol. colleen it does NOT align with the worldbuilding you released for mestrus today LOLLLL. BUT it's already set in stone it's in print so i'm keeping it)

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

HAHA well. i "started" writing as soon as i learned how to read (brag LOL). i have always loved narrative... ive always been making little books and stories... before i knew enough words to write actual stories i was drawing little comic strips and worldbuilding... but for the purpose of this question i'm going to point to the very first "book" i ever finished writing, which i wrote when i was 12! i still have a physical printed out copy of it :-) spiral bound with a cover. since then i would Like to say i've improved just about every single aspect of my writing period. but one thing i kinda pride myself on now that i didn't have back then is character voice. all my characters used to be kinda samey... i watch out for that now and i Try to make characters think and talk differently.

for example i want louriz and mira to be looking at the same situation and have unique opinions about it & respond to it in completely different ways. i try to keep in mind how character psychology would frame whatever it is they're trying to say. i Try to keep speaking patterns consistent and unique so you can tell what character said what even if there are no tags. SHRUG. i don't know if i'm even THAT good at it but it's something i KNOW has improved since i started, bc i actually think about it now and do my best

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

mama mia... it's too obvious to say that i'm trans, and on the transgender website i don't think that's even an obscure experience... um... um...................... WELL HERE'S ONE. my entire friend group top to bottom is made up of passionate and creative artists and writers, which means i'm always seeing creation & art explode around me!!!!! (this is the life... bohemia...) when you're exposed to art and poetry and galaxy brain ideas all the time, from your entire social group, it can only help your writing! even when i'm stuck in creative blocks, my brain is tapped into this constant flow of creation and inspiration and sometimes just seeing other people write kinda starts the engine. I LOVE MY FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tonypinkgrave]

creature comfort ･ﾟ★

☾ summary : V pipes up, “There was a radiant blue coat over on the other wall, by the way. It was a— ah, jewel tone, I believe is what they call it.”

“No thanks. I prefer to not be garish.” Despite his supposed rejection, Vergil peeks over to where the coat is located.

“Oh, learned from your mistakes as an unfashionable teen?”

3.1k words

post-DMC5

wholesome, fluffy shopping trip

snark, awkward human interactions, and existential crises abundant!

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】

An issue that Vergil hasn’t had to deal with in years returned with a vengeance shortly after he returned from Hell. It’s the simplest need, one that every human is familiar with.

He needs clothes.

It’s not embarrassing, shopping is a popular pastime for some! But, he couldn’t bring himself to ask Dante or Nero, and definitely not the ladies, about nearby stores and shopping centers. It was already humiliating enough when Vergil had walked out of his room in too baggy of pants and a goofy T-shirt courtesy of his twin.

He was reminded of the stark differences in their figures, not just by the mirror but by Dante’s and Trish’s snickering. That will never happen again. He deserves better, dammit!

And so, against his better judgment, Vergil brings his human half along. Which V was coming along regardless as the lively spirit of his ego is his shadow— wherever Vergil goes, V is right on his heels, whispering into his ears.

That alone was something that took a while to become accustomed to. Vergil has always had a vocal conscience, or soul, depending on how you spin it, but having what feels like a separate entity that is both him and yet not him inside his head is a very new sensation. He likens it to having an angel on his shoulder, except this angel isn’t exactly an angel, and there’s no devil to balance out V’s asinine arguments. Of course, there is a devil inside him, roaring and seething, but he prefers to keep it caged. Urizen doesn’t deserve a soapbox, not ever again.

So, with their combined might and brain cells, the half-devil and the sweetest of angels manage to find a mall in the heart of the now rebuilt Red Grave City. The humans’ ability (“Will you stop calling them humans like you’re an outsider, Vergil?” V says within the confines of Vergil’s skull.) to bounce back from such a tragedy caused by the Qliphoth is commendable; although, judging by the sparkle and gloss of the mall, he suspects hedonism and vanity boosted the majority of their morale.

Vergil enters the shopping mall, a frosty gust of A/C smacking him in the face as he passes electronic doors. Once he’s blinked the chill out of his eyes and surveys the corridors of retail before him, Vergil realizes the extent of his mistakes. People —Are you happy now, V?— are everywhere, most of them much shorter than him, in raucous clusters. Their voices, amounting to a loud hum of gibberish, mixed with the glare of overhead lighting, skylights, and neon signs have the poor man thrown headfirst into sensory overload.

He hasn’t been around such a crowd in who knows how long, and even when he did slither through the bustle of society back as a teenager, he never willingly threw himself into the proverbial shark tank.

V chuckles, the sound echoing inside Vergil’s ribs, “Proverbial shark tank... You truly find them to be that frightening?”

Vergil rolls his eyes. “Not frightening in that sense. You know full well what I mean.”

Being part of his very personality, V does understand, his childish jibes aside. Demons are predictable and hardly stray from their innate desires, such as their bloodlust and violent tendencies. By scent alone, it’s easy to discern what kind of threat a demon may be.

People… are different, considerably so. Vergil is familiar with the basics of psychology and the plethora of theories regarding the human psyche and morality— he’s read enough books and has had enough run-ins with all types of personalities to be able to traverse the obstacle course that is the human population, but that doesn’t make this any smoother.

click here to read more ♡

[narratingvoice]

What's your favorite shark?

Oh! How did you know I love marine animals? I don't think I've really talked about it before, but I just think it's really cool that there's so much water covering the Earth and it's all teeming full of strange little guys. I can't even fathom how big the oceans are compared to my little world. We probably haven't even discovered 10% of the total species that might be down there! Isn't that exciting?

Anyway, I think all sharks are fascinating, but my favourite shark is definitely the night shark, Carcharhinus signatus. They are found widely throughout the Atlantic and are so named for their nocturnal behaviour. They live in schools that travel together, constantly going from shallower to deeper water and back again over the course of a day. They're fairly big fellows at around 2 meters in length and they have an exceptionally pointy snout, which I think is cute! Honestly, we don't know a lot about them for certain because most of the research has been done on populations off the coast of Brazil, so it may not be true across the species. That kind of mysteriousness intrigues me. But what really sets this particular shark ahead of the rest for me are its striking green eyes:

Isn't that just beautiful? I feel like it's staring into my soul. I would kill to be able to go into the ocean and see a real one. And maybe hug it. I know that would tear my skin up but I'd just respawn afterward.

If I may get on my soapbox for a minute: I know a lot of humans view sharks as scary or threatening, but these cutie pies pose no danger to you! They just want to swim around the continental shelf and eat fish in peace. The night shark has been classified as an endangered species, so please don't support hunting it for any reason! It's been hunted for its fins and oil, as well as getting caught in other commercial fishing nets, and I worry about them sometimes. I hope they're doing okay down there.

[angelmichelangelo]

What do you think would be each of the alters hyperfixations? We know that Steven loves Ancient Egypt but do you have any headcanons for the others? :)

*runs to this ask with my little meow meow folder spilling all over the place* YES! YES I HAVE HEADCANONS !!

so steven does indeed love ancient egypt to the point where it’s his special interest! i think that would tie into other kinds of hyperfixations that relate, like how mentioned the mummy (1999) in a previous post :) @purpleshallot added the fun little detail that he’d definitely be talking about it non stop just to explain all the inaccuracies and all the things they got right!

marc definitely had a hyperfixation on sharks. he knows everything about all kinds of sharks and maybe wanted to be some sort of marine biologist when he was a kid. he’s the kid that had books on megaladon’s and would be ready to spew of a reel of facts about them because SHARKS. am i just saying this because this was also me? yes. yes i am.

jake’s hyperfixation would be motorsports i feel like? he loves all kinds of races: soapbox racing to f1 type. nascar also. i honestly don’t have a lot for jake but i imagine he has little model cars he likes to collect based on what types of sports cars he likes the most. the ones you either have to make yourself or paint because i imagine that’s pretty soothing for him :)

[carma-bis]

Soapbox time, all the hate around that baby shark song actually rubs me the wrong way and it’s a perfect example of why America just fucking sucks.

I learned that song in girl scouts in Germany when I was around 4-5 years old because it’s a simple song with hand/arm motions and rhythm. It’s just a mental/physical exercise for kids because that’s GOOD FOR KIDS!! It had no lasting impact on my mental and wasn’t even that annoying.

Then Americans just randomly started shit talking how annoying the song is (what, 15 years later?) and how kids won’t stop singing it like huh idk maybe the issue is your kid getting free unlimited internet access to youtube and 0 actual enrichment from you, their parent, not the actual song?

Idk. Like let kids be kids. Maybe teach them the hand motions and do it with them. Idk. Fucking parent I guess. Off my soapbox now.

[elminx]

Energy Update: Pluto Retrograde, April 2021

My favorite astrologer Stephen Arroyo has a term that he liked to call "double whammy" for when you see a repeating pattern in astrology that further accentuates certain energy. That is what is going on this week - we are getting a pretty intense double whammy as we are coming off of our full moon in Scorpio (ruled, of course, by Pluto) that peaked late Monday night and then Pluto stationed retrograde yesterday evening.

There is a mystery to Plutonian energy - is it a planet? is it something else? it certainly doesn't share an orbit with any other planets in our solar system and has a "moon" that it moves with which is almost as large as it is itself. The conflict over Pluto and its status in our solar system is a great analogy for its energy signature. Pluto is still a little bit beyond categorization - it is somehow, beyond us. And yet, we are touched by it.

The outer three planets are a little beyond human comprehension - they act upon us and we just need to "deal with it". They remind us that despite our free will there is "something" beyond us - whether you want to call it God, or fate, or science.

It is worth noting that Pluto was part of the major stellium of planets in Capricorn that plagued the world (too soon?) through most of last year. Though all of the other planets have moved on, Pluto remains in Capricorn and will for the next couple of years. Because Pluto at most affects our subconscious, it is deeply rooted within our shadows - after the Traumatic Event has passed, you still need to work your way through the trauma. Pluto is the voice in the back of your head that tells you that you cannot go back - that back doesn't exist anymore.

Most times, Plutonian energy is so "behind the scenes" that you don't even feel it unless it is making a strong aspect to something in your personal charts - this is not one of those times.

It makes sense - there is a lot of work that needs doing. Many things have fallen apart - as Pluto retrogrades, we will be called to re-examine the pieces. Do they fit back together to make something new? What needs to be discarded? What should be kept? Pluto calls for doing this work for a deep soul-place: there are no easy answers.

The energy is going to be felt all through the week (at the least - longer for some if your chart is activated or you have big stuff to move in your personal life) and it is supported by the Sun-Uranus conjunction that is already present going exact on Friday. Things fall apart when they don't work anymore. How do you handle it when things fall apart? Is it your instinct to tear it all down and start anew, or to fix things? Somewhere in between? You may be asked to reexamine those instincts during this time, maybe even pivot to a new way of being/experiencing change. If this happens, know that you are right on time.

After the year that we've had, nobody wants to have to do any more hard work or heavy lifting - I get it (so, so much). Both Pluto and Uranus are reminders that we don't get to choose the "best time" to do the work - perhaps even because often we are unwilling to go into the shadow-cave on our own.

There is no anecdote to this energy but you can make it easier on yourself. Really embrace going with the flow this week will help - recognize that when things come up during these intense moments, it is a sign that something needs clearance. This is a week to do what needs doing when it comes up - veer away from strict timelines and rigid to-do lists. It is a week to pause and reflect rather than react. To lay witness to what comes out without going into judgment.

Stay away from your soapbox - let's all admit that everybody knows what they should be doing by now and no amount of grandstanding is going to change anybody's minds. Stay in your lane and out of the shark's house because the masses will be biting this week. Expect to find people stuck in a state of reaction - it's a good week for daily reminders that how other people react to you is as much about how they feel about themselves as it will ever be about you.

Mostly, it's just a week to be the observer of your own shit. What rises to the surface this week is in need to further exploration - if you're too "in it" right now, write it down to return to it later. Look for the own "double whammies" in your life - repeated patterns are a sign of something important that needs addressing. Pluto comes to us through a haze of intuition - if something stinks, there's a reason (unless you think everything stinks, and then it may be you - no judgment here, we all stink sometimes...).

Like all retrograde cycles, Pluto retrograde is a reminder that sometimes we have to move back over past territory before we can blaze forward on a new path. Pluto will be joined soon by Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury - remember not to lie to yourself as you reevaluate. If something needs to go, it needs to go. Do yourself the kindness of getting over your own shit.

We are less than a month out now from our Suns approach to the N. Node aka our eclipse point so things are going to increasingly feel a bit "fated" from now through the entirety of June. I hate using the term "fate" because it is so maligned culturally and misunderstood. People equate it to nonsense like "soul mates" - whereas it's a concept better suited to the idea that you are forced to face the things that you need to personally overcome over and over throughout your life until you learn and integrate those lessons.

If those lessons come back around again, know that you always have the power to transmute the experience by truly looking at it and growing from it rather than passively experiencing it. It doesn't matter how many times you've fallen in that hole if this time you see the hole coming and avoid it.

Do you like my work? Please consider supporting me by Buying Me A Ko-Fi.

[tomeandflickcorner]

Movie ask- JAWS

never seen | want to see | the worst | bad | whatever | not my thing | good | great | favorite | masterpiece

Jaws is a solid film and deserves its spot on the list of classic movies.  Unfortunately, it looses some points in my book because of its negative impact on the general public’s outlook towards sharks.  This movie sadly led to people having a prejudice against sharks that never really went away (as evidenced by how Hollywood is still making killer shark movies), and that resulted in a lot of fishermen going out and indiscriminately killing sharks.  Which only resulted in significant damage to marine ecosystems and disrupts ocean conservation efforts.  (And don’t get me started on shark fin soup!)

Sorry for the soapbox rant, but I feel really strongly about this.  Sharks are not mindless, bloodthirsty killers.  They’re amazing creatures and important apex predators.  Us humans don’t even taste good to them!  

Ask me about a film

[christinaroseandrews]

It’s Shark Week 2020

And I’ve got a ranty review for you about a romance novel featuring sharks.

If you missed the previous part, you can find it here:  Part One.

Part 2

So I’ve ranted about Grace, our heroine, which means that it’s time to tackle the really, really shitty hero. If you thought Grace was bad, wait until you meet our “hero” Alec Galloway.

I hate him. 

I hate him so much that I was not rooting for him at all during the book. He’s the kind of asshole who claims to be feminist but actually is a raging misogynist with a full-blown case of toxic masculinity. (I’m looking at you Joss Whedon.)

Alec is possessive. Mansplainy. And stalkery. I mean, when we first meet him he’s staking out Grace at a conference to talk her into letting him be her filmmaker after she’s already rejected him. He doesn’t take no for an answer and weasels and wheedles his way onto her crew.

Pro-tip: If someone doesn’t respect your “no” for something non-sexual, they likely will not respect your “no” for something sexual. If you want to see how someone will behave when put on the spot, say no to them on something that doesn’t matter and see what happens. A good trick for dating is saying that a date/time/location doesn’t work and suggesting an alternative. It lets you know what to expect.

He’s also clearly an Expy of Andy Casagrande who is one of Discovery and Shark Week’s resident cameramen, bros, and person who will do unsafe crap because it makes good television. Like Ocean Ramsay many shark scientists are iffy about Andy Casagrande. He’s a great cameraman. He shouldn’t be the expert and he often is. It’s a problem because he’s about making good television not promoting actual research... but I’m ranting.

Here, let me give you a taste of our hero...

He feels like he needs to save the day even when help isn’t needed or, more importantly, asked for.

Seriously. Don’t touch people without their permission. And definitely don’t pick them up. Like Oh my gods.

He’s sexist.

Dude, maybe she didn’t feel like joking. She doesn’t owe you anything. For all you know, she jokes all the time with her friends (in fact, she does). Maybe you’re the problem!

Alec is ableist.

 As a note, Felix is a shark. Yep... it’s one of the famous shark attacks that happen in this book.

Anyway... look at the ableism! Implying that someone is crazy, insane, having a marble knocked loose, etc. is ableist. There’s a lot of ableist language in our society and we often refer to things that are out of control, unpredictable, or unusual with terms that imply that mental illness is bad. This is why the stigma of having a mental illness is so high. Why people would rather die than get treatment. Why people view getting tested and diagnosed as problem.

It’s not.

Getting a diagnosis of a mental illness, if you have one, is the first step in recovery and management. People with mental illnesses are awesome. And I can guarantee you know someone with a mental illness... 1-4 Americans has a diagnosed mental illness... and that’s just diagnosed... there’s a high probability that the number is higher.

Gets off the soapbox... have a shark.

Back to Asshole Alec.

He’s a misogynist.

This kind of commentary is way too common in the book. It’s a fucking mess.

Worse (yes he gets worse) Alec’s also a coercive bastard on top of being sexist, ableist, and a misogynist...

Spoiler Alert... this is a one star book...

Like it could be anything else.

The problem with this is that it is something that date rapists and abusers do. It’s a guilt trip. It’s coercion. And it immediately makes the sex dubious consent at best. There are so many examples of men doing this to women who say no... which the “We can’t.” is her saying no.

A good rule of consent is to assume that anything other than an enthusiastic “Yes” is a “No.” In our society women are conditioned not to tell a man no, it’s dangerous for us. So we’ll deflect, distract, and make excuses. That is why anything other than a verbal “yes” and its variants has to be a “no.”

Yes, I am going to harp on consent here. It’s important.

The author also conflates Jealousy and possessiveness as “GOOD” emotions to have in a relationship. It isn’t and they aren’t. Jealousy and Possessiveness are signs of a lack of trust. They’re signs of objectification. They’re warning signs.

Taken to an extreme... jealousy and possessiveness are both hallmarks of domestic abuse. They’re hallmarks of stalkers. They’re hallmarks of a bad relationship. There’s a difference between wanting to be with someone and wanting to own them, mark them, brand them.

Here’s some examples from the book.

Grace is jealous. And Alec is being a dick.

Don’t worry... Alec is also a possessive ass.

Both leads constantly become jealous when a member of the opposite sex approaches them... or they think about their love interests prior relationships. Jealousy is not an attractive trait. It is possession it is possessiveness. It’s not romantic and jealousy is something that leads to many women being killed on a regular basis.

The thing is... the author listed a whole slew of editors that she used (which note I’m not going after this book for technical errors -- factual, sure -- and I’m definitely hitting the book on storytelling choices but from a technical and line editing standpoint the story was solid). However, this book desperately needed a good sensitivity editor or six. Like I’ve already hit some racism, ableism, and consent issues and there’s more to come.  But I think this post has gotten long enough.

Until Next time! Go here for Part Three!

If you like these kind of ranty (and honest) reviews, please consider supporting us here! These do take a long time to write.

[allofthemliches]

there’s a cover of teenage dirtbag by amy shark that’s so Soft and filled with Longing and I love to imagine it’s from beau’s perspective about jester so that’s my soapbox pitch for the evening