#these are CHEAP folx

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

I was gonna ask you to talk about the Beat, since I drive one, but I saw that you already talked about them in your Cappuccino post! Thank you for talking about my favorite car 😊

(fun fact! The passenger side seat is actually smaller than the driver side, and is unable to recline)

I did indeed!

Also, wow, I knew that the center console was actually an off-center console to offer a bit more space to the driver but I had no idea even the seats differed! I guess it would make sense the passenger seat doesn't recline, since by the time you're making different seats you might as well only put the reclining hardware in the one that actually has something behind it (a little storage cubby, for those unaware).

Wait. That's behind the passenger seat. Are you telling me they put locking storage behind the seat that doesn't recline? What the fuck

Anyhow, yeah, I love the Beat. In me the tides of desire and fear, the two motivators of mankind, struggle against each other about it due to my desire to have one colliding with my fear that, should I get a minuscule Japanese spider that makes up for its lackluster power figures and overall straight line speed with sound and character in spades, phenomenal handling and great reliability, the Miata I have so long dreamed of will suddenly look like a diluted version of the car I already have. And is experiencing something better than your lifelong dream worth making all those years of dreaming build up to such a letdown as to make you drop your wish right at the cusp of fulfilling it? Is achieving heights greater than you could dream of worth noticing the summit you'd spent years climbing towards below you, realizing you climbed right past? Wow, now that I put it in writing, the answer is SO obviously a yes and even questioning it reeks of fear of growth lemme go check what the cheapest one is

[himikochan]

Heyyo friends I wanted to share my recently finished object! I try to do at least 1 sweater a year that challenges my knitting and crafting skills. This year I picked steeking- a technique where a knitted object is sewn and cut into- and this one also delightfully used up a bunch of yarn that I had purchased in 2020 for a different project (I tried to make a pattern for a Feather and Fan dolman sleeved cardigan and there's a reason no one has done that, at least in the colorway I did, it was hideous-- that being said, I did chart out how to do an in pattern feather and fan increase so I have that tucked away).

I've recently de-stashed a lot of yarn: there's no shame in admitting that what makes you feel creative and comfortable has changed! And you should be okay with letting half-finished projects go if you don't want to finish them! My grandma has moved into a community for seniors on fixed incomes, who are often on the hunt for cheap/free crafting supplies, and the folx in her building were absolutely delighted to accept the skeins that I didn't love anymore!

I have been thinking a lot about how I want the space I live in to look; especially because I'm privileged to have been gifted so many crafting/art supplies over the years, purchased some and had my interests change, I've been on and off struggling with my mental health, and I've been really prioritizing making my space easier to keep tidy and "sparking joy" so to speak. So now my yarn stash and tools largely fits into 1 bin! I don't necessarily have projects in mind for them, but they more closely align with the colors I like to wear now, textures I like to knit with, and it's a manageable amount for me to paw through when I'm ready to cast on a new project.

All of the yarn for the abandoned dolman cardigan was saved from being re-homed and I was committed to using at least some of it because I had a good amount of it! I had purchased 5 cakes of Palette in Cosmopolitan (a fuschia fingering weight), 4 of Aloft in Cosmopolitan (a fuschia lace mohair), and 4 of Wool of the Andes Sport in Ash (a grey sport weight) from Knitpicks. I knew I wanted to make a cozy sweater out of it but the fuschia and grey color palette was a little too stark for the designs I've been into lately.

On Local Yarn Store day this year, I had picked up a skein of ColourLab DK by West Yorkshire Spinners in Tutti Frutti from Firefly Fiber Arts Studio (a self striping DK weight yarn in yellow/purple/pink/magenta/orange) because I thought it would look interesting with those colors! I DID NOT THINK ABOUT HOW THEY WERE ALL DIFFERENT WEIGHTS THOUGH!!! don't worry it ends up okay

I ended up picking the pattern Flower Power by Anna Johanna because it was a steeked color work sweater that used 3 different colors- it's meant to be knit entirely in a DK weight which is what my multicolor is. Sport weight, my grey, is a little lighter than DK but I knew wouldn't be too much of an issue. My fuschias were held together but a fingering weight and lace held together is still functionally much smaller than than a DK.

I struggle with gauge and my gauge changes as I knit, so swatching only helps me so much. My projects have a tendency to grow during blocking, especially length-wise. I was between sizes so I sized down and basically knit the length at 60% of what I wanted (so pre-blocked the sleeves were just past my elbows and they blocked out to my wrists). For the yoke, I followed the pattern as written but used size 6/4mm needles (I swapped to the recommended size 7/4.5mm for rows of a single color) because I knit my colorwork a little loosely. When I got to the body, my fingering weight was just too thin so I held it double and still sized up to size 10/6mm needles so I would have a nice cushy fabric.

I still ended up with a full cake and a half of Palette and Aloft, a half skein of ColorLab, and probably 2 of Wool of the Andes Sport. But I used so much of what I had and I have a cool new cardigan!!!

The pattern was well written and the design is super cute! I will say, the bottom half of the last set of flowers is a little tight but I suspect that's an issue with me sizing down and my gauge issues. I don't think that's a pattern issue, that's my bad, and really it just affects the drape when I raise my arms up which isn't really an issue. Additionally, if I had sized up I think the body of the sweater would have been too big for me. Maybe I should have used the bust dart option in the pattern but I didn't think it would be necessary (TL;DR it's probably my shoulders causing the issue but because of the way 3D patterning works with yokes, the tension can migrate to the chest even if you don't have a large chest).

While I like my cardigan very very very much, I can now see that these stripes weren't the best pick to show off the flower pattern. I can see the flowers more now than pre-blocked, but the stripes are a little too bold and detract a bit from the overall effect. IMO it looks like a technicolor cheetah print, which I like, but it's not the flowers I was thinking haha. The length of the dyed stripes is very long, which I normally like, but a shorter or smaller stripe might have softened the bold yellow line. Additionally, those colors are the same intensity as the grey: if I had replaced the grey with a white or light grey, the multicolor stripes might have shown more.....

This was my first time steeking and I loved it! I followed the prep instructions in the pattern and followed along with Katie Green's tutorial on cutting steeks. It was very very fun and NGL it was exhilarating cutting through something I had knitted!

The buttons also came from my stash, my mama gave them to me a few years ago :')

so like I'm feeling the normal PROJECT NAUGHTY and I LOVE PROJECT and in 2 weeks, when it's cold again, I will love them :3

.

PS I just finished writing this post and I'm a bingus and just realized this is my second sweater this year (I count the year ending on my birthday) and I never finished my post on the Soldotna sweater

PPS I tried a knitting machine at the library and I loved the experience! I think that's my new thing to learn and tinker with and, because I love the feeling of fingering weight and struggle with gauge for fingering weight, I bid on one and GOT one at a steal! It'll be here next week, thinking of names to give them :)

[kirikiri1]

Surprise Tumblr round of commissions!

OPEN SLOTS: 2

New opening for "commissions"! I say that with quotation marks because I'm not looking to monetize this hobby (I want to have fun! Also, that wouldn't work under their license!), so the process won't be standard.

1) What can you get? One hoop, 10cm diameter (as in the pictures), depicting something from an episode of The Magnus Archives (check episode availability at link in my bio!). I don't do full color portraiture, so it'll have to be more abstract or else line art only. 

2) How does this work? You message me on this app with the episode in question, and, if there's a specific scene or imagery you're interested in or a preference for straight up embroidery versus the mixed fluffy stuff I do, that as well. We discuss if that works, and if we agree, you donate 50 US dollars to The Okra Project (food for black trans folx), your local Food Not Bombs (food for people in need), Palestine Children Relief Fund, Donbas SOS (Ukrainian civilians), RAICES (legal services for immigrants), or ActBlue (abortion funds) and I make you a hoop. There won't be revisions, because a) that's hard to do with embroidery and b) like I said, I want to have fun, so you'll have to trust that you'll like what I make. I will give you process updates though if you'd like, so you can have some input then. Please only do this if you are confident you won't regret it. When the hoop is done, you PayPal me the cost of shipping (typically between 7 and 15 Euros, ships from Germany), and then I mail it out to you.

3) How long will this take? Well, once I start stitching your hoop, it should take about a week or two. But since I'll do these in the order that they come in in and have a day job, it may take a few weeks for me to get started. Figure in another month for it to arrive outside of Europe.

4) Will more slots open up? Maybe! So long as it's fun, I will do more.

5) 50 dollars?? Really?? Yes really, and that's actually very, very cheap given that these take me up to 20 hours depending on the level of detail and techniques used. Plus material costs. Plus it goes to a good cause, so there will be no negotiating on this point.

[glowoomii]

question, between plume and folx, which is better? i’m on a waitlist for very cheap hrt (that i can trust, ik people who use it), but in the meantime i would like to get on one of those two. neither accept my insurance as far as i can tell. i have money set aside for them, so i can definitely afford them, at least for a while. which would yall say is the better option?

[theoriginaleppieblack-blog]

Its 1998 (they're the kind of guys that look like tired versions of their highschool selves in their 30s,) They got their Pride flag at OP's bookstore /sex shop. (https://www.gregsourplace.com/about-our-place). OPs is short for "Our Place" and its the center of the LGBT+ community in Indy - has been since 1980.

Steve is so excited that there is a new flag specifically for bi folx. Bi guys got a lot of shit in the 80s and 90s because they were painted as the villians in the AIDS crisis so its nice to get that positive representation. They're at the street fair on Massachusetts Ave. In downtown Indianapolis ( called Mass Ave. or sometimes "Little Castro" its Indy's gayborhood.) and they'll dance until 4 am on OPs dance floor before heading off to find an open diner or Waffle House to eat fried potatoes doused in hot sauce and crispy bacon (said to be a hangover assuming you also stay hydrated).

They throw their hearts into caring for the community's most vulnerable members. Steve's passion for Indy's AIDS Walk is the least of their contributions. He's got bereavement training and death doula certification and even a CNA licence. A born caretaker both paid and unpaid; he takes on patients other nurses won't touch. Even though it means he and Eddie have to start testing every six months. Eddie draws the line at latex covering everything style safe sex. "If there's an accident with a patient's blood and you turn up positive - then we go through it together." He said.

Eddie's contributions to the community tend to be more informal - he's armed with a willingly lent van, a sympathetic ear and an index card file stuffed with recipes bequeathed to him by his Meemaw. Appalachiana-tough, he can make good food cheap and always has room for one more at the table. His Hoosier hospitality also often extends to people couch surfing -- to Steve's fond exasperation. Young queers in central Indiana come to know that the Munsons' place (Steve did a legal name change) is a safe place to stay for the first couple of days after your folks kick you out. Nobody knows how to navigate Social Services and informal networks of mutual aid like Eddie Munson so, if you don't come to an understanding with your folks, he'll help you find your feet in no time.

By 1998 the sense of AIDS as a crisis is winding down - its more of a chronic condition hovering in the background, just like what the new drug combinations are making of HIV positive status. They're thinking now about moving on to a new challenges like maybe making Eddie's work with queer youth more formal. Maybe being foster parents is in their future? They're willing to take on the kids no one else wants.

A/N I'm queer, a lifelong resident of the not so great state of Indiana and from the 1980s (b. 1972). I've danced all night at OPs. Also there is an Appalachian diaspora in southern Indiana and I definitely see Eddie and Wayne Munson as part of that fragile and economically impoverished culture.

I just drew these nerds on stream

Baby boy’s first pride and he’s having a nice time 🩷💜💙

[iconiczuko]

Why do people like folx? When I saw it at first, I thought someone had misspelled the word "fox".

the term “latinx” was coined by nonbinary people for self-identification bc “latina” and “latino” are both gendered. “latinx” is a useful word because it’s a gender-neutral version of smth that was previously gendered.

then uhhh basically a bunch of liberal ~kweers~ decided to disregard the linguistic context of “latinx” by creating “folx”: a gender-neutral version of an already gender-neutral word. +”folx” is used most commonly by white/non-latinx people so like... i dunno, imo its both useless and disrespectful.

[themadcapmathematician]

My sister got me this really nice eye shadow pallet and the colors are gorgeous and it stays on super well...im actually considering investing in better make up tbqh

[things-about-cars-in-posts]

hello! as a celebration of me finally getting my driving license (shoutout to my instructor, he is an absolute saint and has forever changed my perspective on cars and car nerds), i thought i'd ask about your opinion on the cars my family owns — the Škoda Fabia I (the specific one we have is a combi from late 2004. slowly perishing, mainly of rust) and Kia Cee'd (2013??). is there anything remarkable about these two?

Ah, the Ceed, as Kia cowardly renamed it in 2018, in a decision I deliberately reject as I keep on referring to it as Cee apostrophe d, as Top Gear liked to call the earlier model they gave celebrities to go try to get themselves killed on tape, Tom Cruise getting the closest because of course it would be him.

Notice how nary an ounce of steering was given up whatsoever. Man was just balancing the car with the throttle in the true racing driver spirit of "If I die I die and if I don't this'll be a good time".

However, this is a bit of a sidetrack, as that's not your car - that'll be one o' deez, which whether as a 5 door...

...station wagon...

...or its bafflingly named coupe version (Pro_Cee'd????)...

...looks sharp as a goddamn tack in my books. In fact, wanna know how that's not just cheap flattery? That station wagon was actually the car I was pushing for our family to get when ours needed changing! Life didn't grace us with the opportunity, however, and so we ended up replacing our grey Citroën Picasso MPV with another (the ole' Xsara Picasso to C4 Picasso pipeline) which served us decently over a couple years before developing woes and getting passed on to family friends more willing to deal with them. Weird car, that C4 Picasso. Most of the steering wheel didn't turn.

Now, you may ask why those French folx would do that. And the answer is in the word French. I can just imagine the designers asking feedback about the handbrake and getting all giddy as they look at them struggle to figure out where it is. Actually, go on, you try!

Wait, wait, we're once again getting sidetracked, we've still not addressed the Fabia! And that's a crime, because it was a hugely important car for Škoda: as Volkswagen's involvement with the company had turned from shareholder to owner its involvement in the cars had turned from help to codevelopment, making the Fabia a humongous departure from Škodas of old. However, for the latest Octavia, no closer to those hunksajunk, the rave reviews had been no match against Škoda's brand image, which was so terrible that even Wikipedia feels comfortable saying they were laughing stocks.

So for the Fabia, Škoda turned to marketing agency Fallon London for a very bold advertising campaign. So bold in fact that I didn't even stumble into it through my passion for cars, but through my study of marketing. And it's so simple you could miss it. (...it's in the lower right.)

This simple idea, and how hard they doubled down on it...

...completely turned Skoda's fortunes around, in a brand repositioning so successful that all of Fallon's Škoda-related ads received awards. Including this one.

That's not even an ad for Škoda. That's an ad for themselves.

Links in blue are posts of mine about the topic in question: if you liked this post, you might like those - or the blog’s Discord server, linked in the pinned post!

[whitehotharlots]

Duh duh duh why would the USA blow up the Nordstream pipeline duh duh duh

US intelligence agencies were worried the dedication of the German government to helping maintain the profits of American munitions companies might get weakened once pensioners start freezing to death. That’s it. This is not complicated. 

Up until now, NATO membership was a zero risk proposition for European neoliberals. They pony up one fiftieth of one percent of the cost whenever we recognize a new country needs to be liberated from its natural resources. In exchange, we help them suppress their domestic left movements and we ensure that the natives of their former colonies don't do anything uppity, like attempt to raise the minimum wage to seventy five cents an hour.

It's a win-win: they do nothing but lend us token support and refuse to condemn our war crimes, and then they get a near-limitless supply of cheap labor and resources. Hell, they don’t even have to pay for their own militaries! They can go hog wild on cheap rail and healthcare while the people who live in the hellhole that is the engine of this consensus receive $300,000 bills every time we are hospitalized from overdosing on corn. 

But, oh no, turns out the gravy train has left the station and now you're gonna have to suffer. Sorry, folx. We gave up on the Middle East and now we’re targeting those dastardly Asiatics because college educated women have become convinced that Vladimir Putin watches Fox News. I know, I’m sorry, it’s inconvenient, but we’re run the numbers and this is the best path forward. Also, thank you very much for shutting down all your nuclear plants you’re really saving the world with that one. But, uhh, yeah, a bunch of you are going to need to lose your homes and/or die for this to work. 

If we allowed for democracy to occur anywhere in the world, this might lead to--gasp--worker's parties taking control, which may in turn lead to something less than complete adoration and acceptance of the will of the US security state. We cannot have that.

So, fuck it, we get rid of their escape hatch. You ain’t voting your way into cheap gas. If we have to kill an ecosystem, so be it. Your pain is a small price for our continued dominance. And as an added benefit, this all but ensures the rapid rise of extreme right-wing parties who will make some idiotic d gestures toward nationalism but be even more amenable to our military bullshit.

Just... seriously. Come on:

[himikochan]

Himiko’s Very Unofficial Review of Circular Knitting  Needles

hey hey a friend of mine has been getting into knitting and I decided to pull out my smattering of needles and compare them to each other

Susan Bates Fixed Needles ($5-10)

Okay we’ve all seen these at Joann Fabrics before and I don’t think they’re so bad. They come in a small range of cable lengths and needle sizes- so you need to buy a new pair for every size you want and need to loop them in order to knit anything smaller than 29″ (I think that’s the only length). They are very lightweight and smooth, though the join between the cable and needle can catch on your yarn sometimes.

-Available in chain craft stores and online

-Light weight and cheap

-Not Sharp

-Cable would crease very easily and stay creased, so knitting small objects can cause bends in your cables that are hard to remove

HiyaHiya (fixed needles $5-10: interchangable sets $80-250)

I’ll be honest, I have not had first hand experience with their interchangable sets but the general consensus is that their interchangables have a smooth taper and tight fit (very good). I’ve had generally positive experiences with their fixed length needles. Their needles come in stainless steel or bamboo and regular tips and sharps: what you like in this regard is a personal preference, but Hiya Hiya offers sharp versions of all their needles which a lot of people swear by. They have a full range of fixed needle cable lengths and needle sizes. Their needles are very very smooth and their cable is a very thin nylon. The cable is very thin and bouncy and resists kinking or bending, however they do have a slight memory so you’ll occasionally need to run them under hot water to smooth them out.

-Available in specialty yarn stores and online

-Very light weight and single sets are cheap

-Exceptionally smooth

-Available in sharps and non-sharps

-Cables available in many sizes and very bouncy

ChiaoGoo (fixed needles $10-20: interchangable sets $120-250)

Ah yes, the iconic red cables.

I’ve purchased some of their fixed needles and demoed their interchangable sets in stores- both are good! The join for their interchangable needles is a little shorter but they fit very tightly (good). Their needles come in stainless steel or bamboo and short and long tips: again needle length is very much a personal preference but some folx find they are more ergonomic if you are prone to hand strain and I believe they also offer a slanted join line of needles for people who need that accommodation. They have a full range of fixed needle cable lengths and needle sizes. Their needles tend to have a slight... grip(?) in my experience, so your stitches are less prone to slipping around the needles. The cable is a little more firm than the HiyaHiyas but has a strong core which resists the kinks Susan Bates get.

-Available in specialty yarn stores and online

-Very light weight

-Bamboo and steel needles have slight grip on yarn

-Single needle sets are slightly more money

-Available with shorter and longer needle tips

-They’ve expanded into a few different cable types- generally flexible

KnitPicks (fixed needles $8-11: interchangable sets $50-125)

I own two sets of these interchangable needles, I have 0 experience with their fixed length needles. The join for their interchangable needles is a good length but I’ll occasionally have to tighten the join. They have a somewhat limited range of fixed needle sizes- they offer 16″ cable length with most needle sizes and more cable lengths for small needle sizes- but offer a full range of interchangables. Their needles come nickle plated or bamboo with non-sharp tips: they do offer their bamboo needles in a few bright colorways and short tips for their interchangable sets. They also offer squared needles which some knitters find more comfortable and even out gauge issues. Their needles are smooth and their cable about the same level of firm as ChiaoGoo but will occasionally need to be unbent if you’re doing magic loop for too long.

-Available online, not widely available in stores but they offer “tester” kits

-Different colorways for bamboo needles

-Interchangable sets are on the cheaper side

-Available with shorter and longer needle tips for interchangables

-Available as a more square shape

Final Thoughts

I’ve shopped around needles quite a while before I settled on my current set of interchangables. Since I put down and pick up so many different projects, I’m loath to part with any of my sets of needles and I don’t regret trying out different brands- when I bought fixed length needles from different brands they were each perfect for my projects so you should really think what you prioritize for your needles. Susan Bates were a fair price for trying out and I could get them at a lot of stores. HiyaHiya had the best cables for me and I liked the sharps as an early tight knitter. ChiaoGoo had the most sizes available in knitting stores and you can pick the most ergonomic option for you. KnitPicks was middle of the road between those brands but the price point matched my interest at the time (plus I was recently gifted a set of purples which I love to look at).

.

Got some thoughts? I’d love to hear them

[elierlick]

Hey~

My trans friend is having a very difficult time finding affordable hormone treatment therapy. As of now she has to rely on insurance, and that’s either going to take months or not even going to happen…do you by chance know if any organizations that can help her out? Please send me a ASAP message if you can. She’s in a dark place and I’m so worried about her. Please help.

I wish I knew where you were located so I could be more specific. Out-of-network benefits usually cover 40%-60% of the cost via reimbursement. However, there are several national/multi-state options:

1. Planned Parenthood offers cheap (often free) hormone therapy options.

2. Folx is run by queer and trans people and offers rates starting at $59 a month. It's available in 31 states.

3. Plume offers overpriced ($99/month) virtual care in 33 states. BUT if you reach out they will sometimes provide discounted rates for those in need.

4. MyTransHealth doesn't offer hormones but it helps you find providers who do in your area!

5. There are other extremely expensive options such as True U Clinic and QueerDOC. Their regular rates border on exploitation but maybe if you email directly they can help?

6. I normally give my friends hormones. I don't know you or your friend but perhaps someone you know would be open to helping?

[the-chumbucket]

Folx. Riddle me this… How in the ever-loving FUCK did Puff NOT BREAK UP with Eugene in Kooky Cooks??

H O W

Like. Man was so cheap he wouldn’t take her out to a proper fancy dinner. She was accidentally fed SpongeBob for dinner, whom she hates with every fibre of her being.

LIKE?? GIRL. Y U STILL WITH HIM, YOU DON’T HAVE TO SETTLE FOR THAT KIND OF TREATMENT???

[kirikiri1]

ALL SLOTS FILLED

I've decided to try out "commissions". I say that with quotation marks because I'm not looking to monetize this hobby (I want to have fun! Also, that wouldn't work under their license!), so the process won't be standard.

1) What can you get? One hoop, 10cm diameter (as in the pictures), depicting something from an episode of the Magnus Archives of your choice. As you can see from the below, I don't do portraiture, so it'll have to be more abstract. There's more examples of my hoops on this profile, if you're not sure what's possible.

2) So how does this work? You message me on this app with the episode in question, and, if there's a specific scene or imagery you're interested in or a preference for straight up embroidery versus the mixed fluffy stuff I do, that as well. We discuss of that works, and if we agree, you donate 50 US dollars to The Okra Project (food for black trans folx), your local Food Not Bombs (food for people in need), or RAICES (legal services for immigrants), and I make you a hoop. There won't be revisions, because a) that's hard to do with embroidery and b) like I said, I want to have fun, so you'll have to trust that you'll like what I make. I will give you process updates though if you'd like, so you can have some input then. Please only do this if you are confident you won't regret it. When the hoop is done, you PayPal me the cost of shipping (typically between 7 and 13 Euros, ships from Germany), and then I mail it out to you.

3) How long will this take? Well, once I start on your hoop, it should take no more than a week. But since I'll do these in the order that they come in in, it may take a couple of weeks for me to get started. Mailing is slow right now due to Covid and the holidays, so figure in another month for it to arrive.

4) Will more slots open up? Maybe! This is my pilot project, and if it's fun, I may do more.

5) Fifty dollars?? Really?? Yes really, and that's actually very, very cheap given that these take me up to 20 hours depending on the level of detail and techniques used. Plus material costs. Plus it goes to a good cause, so there will be no negotiating on this point.

6) Notes? Just be nice, please.

[tmitransitioning]

What is the best way to get on Hrt estrogen and male blockers

this answer would vary so much depending on what country you're in, if you're in the USA- what state you're in, how old you are, what kind of health insurance/financial situation you have. If you're in the USA, often one of the easiest, most accessible options is Planned Parenthood- but not all states offer HRT. If you're fine with finances, you can use an online service like Plume or Folx (not a specific recommendation) that has legit gender doctors who monitor your transition and conduct virtual visits- but that's not cheap. if you have insurance (or state insurance/medicaid), you'll likely need to go through a preferred provider- call the number associated with your plan and ask them. If you type "informed consent transgender healthcare" plus your location, you're likely to find the best resources near you that will help you get started right away, but don't underestimate the importance of emotional/mental health support during this time.

[radley-writes]

hey!!! I saw that you pole dance (really well btw!!!) - do you mind if I ask how you got started? I’m thinking about trying it but I’m really out of shape and sort of clueless on where to even start :’))

Oh gosh, that’s so sweet of you to say! Thank you!

There are so many ways to get into pole! Of course, things are difficult currently, giving the ongoing panoramic situation. 

I guess my best tip would be to wait for sports centres to open, and see if you can find a club near you that offers beginners classes? I wouldn’t recommend investing in the equipment and trying a beginners’ online class. You might find that you hate it, or just that you can’t stand the very specific Pole Pain that comes with the sport! 

But in-person classes are great. Every pole class I’ve ever attended has had a super body-positive, welcoming attitude for folx at all levels of fitness. Super unintimidating. 

The best classes (I’ve found!) have a low ratio of students to pole. Outside of the pandabear lockdown, the class I help teach has 2 students to a pole. That’s perfect, because one of you can take a breather while the other one practices. But I’ve been to classes with like, 6/7 students per pole, which just... doesn’t... work. So - yeah! That’s something to be aware of!

To start with, especially if you’re self-conscious, you can practically do the class in leggings and a t-shirt! It’s only when you move onto the higher levels that clothes have to come off. You can buy special pole-wear even then, but it’s best to use your own strength, fine muscle control and proprioception to ‘stick’ to the pole, rather than relying on grippy clothes.

Once you have a few basics down - and, I’d say, once you’ve safely been taught to invert - you can always get your own X-pole second-hand (I’ve seen them go for pretty cheap, under £50 for older used models!) and set things up to practice at home. That makes it way easier to progress!

As for my own pole journey, I got started at uni. I, uh, trained to a pretty advanced level in one year by dint of Hyperfocus Obsession, then... gave myself a bunch of horrible injuries by falling off in one way or another, and stopped for three years before getting back into it again. I think I’ll be eternally recovering from that... I still have a fucky shoulder and my back’s never quite been the same, lol.

But I really hope you manage to find a class! It’s such a great sport!

[casburtoncreates]

A Fishing Trip Like No Other: The Sinking of Palma Flora

By Viktorin Maise, Menagerie Coast Travel Correspondent

Now don’t get me wrong; I’m a city boy at heart. Always have been, always will be. I was born in Rexxentrum, lived there all my life, and until very recently, I probably would have said I’ll die there, too. Unfortunately, in the last few weeks some, shall we say, delicate circumstances led me to quit the bright lights of the big city for more distant, less lawful climes. I decided to take the opportunity to make some new memories on a well-deserved vacation, taking in the sun and sights of a town that’s been recommended to me many times in the past: Palma Flora.

This jewel of the Menagerie Coast is known for its golden beaches, annual shark-hunting festival, and exquisitely crafted, extremely high-proof alcohol. Or at least it was known for these things, until it more recently became known for sinking six fathoms under the sea without warning, having been taken over by weird fish-folx that can somehow control the local marine fauna. While this was perhaps not the dream vacation I was hoping for when I arrived, I must give the islanders credit for the fact that, up until that fateful day, the place had been absolutely heavenly.

I was staying at a small inn just off the beach, for prices that, while not exactly cheap, were still very fair for the area. The food, it must be said, had been glorious; plenty of fresh, flaky grilled fish and leafy, green vegetables washed in saltwater. The local speciality, yellow crab simmered with goodberries and coconut, had been on my plate for dinner every night since I’d arrived. I’d spent some time earlier on the docks, sketching the ships, and since then I’d returned to the beach, savouring the feeling of the sand between my toes and cool wavelets lapping around my ankles. The heavy scent of tropical flowers on the breeze and the rushing whisper of the waves was almost soporific. A little way off, I could see an aggressively ginger halfling, using their human-sized shield as a sunshade. The extent of their sunburn seemed to suggest that so far, their method was proving unsuccessful. Beyond them, further up the beach, revellers gathered for the first festival event: a competitive shark hunt, featuring the winners from previous years and a slew of new contestants, mainly islander youths. I watched as a travelling bard pulled out bagpipes and began to play- I will say that, while I personally hate the bagpipes, they played with surprising skill and dexterity, drawing quite a crowd. Beside them, a tiefling, carrying a sword almost the size of the bard’s entire body, drained the rest of her cocktail glass in a single gulp, and proceeded to dance on a table. From my distant spot I could just hear the clicking of her cloven hooves in time with the bagpipes’ wails, along with the faint cheers of the crowd. I felt at peace with my fellow man- more so than I’ve ever been.

The devastation of the hours that followed- the crackling and rumbling of the earthquake, and the flooding, invasion and panicked evacuation that followed- seems almost unreal; stark and bloody against the dreamlike calm that preceded it. While casualties were thankfully few, the fate of Palma Flora serves as a grim reminder to the citizens of the Menagerie Coast that what the ocean provides, it can also take away in an instant. The cries of the gulls, the burning hot sand, the oiled veteran shark hunters flexing and bobbing like puffed up street pigeons- none of these lasted in the face of the sea’s onslaught. All that remained were the twin tastes of sea salt and blood.

While Palma Flora itself is obviously no longer accepting tourism, several other locations on the Menagerie Coast have sworn to uphold the customs and traditions of the lost island, including, notably, Darktow Isle, the inhabitants of which have offered to host the same annual shark hunting festival I initially sought to attend. Most former islanders of the area have relocated, either to Port Damali to re-join city life, or further afield to Port Zoon and Burialli. A few stayed behind, manning ships such as the Windchaser, which takes explorers to the flooded Palma Flora isle, in an attempt to salvage something from their lost home. Not many things survived the sinking of the island, with most residents simply grabbing a few keepsakes and valuables.

I myself have booked a trip on the Windchaser, hoping that, with the friends I’ve made during this unexpected detour, we can explore the ruins and find some kind of explanation, helping to bring the ex-islanders some closure.

In the meantime, if anyone is interested in buying what may possibly be the last bottle of Palma Flora rum in existence, let me know. I’m sure we can make a deal.