#this person comes highly recommended by other folks locally

[not-poignant]

7 and 14 for the soft asks pls!

7. Who do you feel most like yourself around?

My roommate, Glen, though I still mask quite a lot around him as well. I'm still learning how to be most myself! I don't really know what that means. Since being diagnosed ASD L2, a lot of stuff has started to make sense re: why I just don't like socialising very much, and it's probably because I have never really been myself around other people.

But otherwise, definitely Glen. He's fine with my (very frequent) vocal stimming, and physical stimming, he understands some of my weirdnesses, he'll be the one to remind me of stuff I forget about (like that I'm super clumsy and maybe I shouldn't carry that full bowl of soup by myself into another room), etc. I'm very lucky to have someone in my life who not only doesn't mind some of my quirks, but openly enjoys them.

14. Whats something upcoming that you’re excited for?

Hmmm. HMMMMMM. Oh! I know. I am meeting someone new for a sensory/kink experience and while it's terrifying / nervewracking (new dynamic, new situation, new person, new negotiation/s), it's also extremely exciting and something I've been looking forward to for a long time. :D

--

From the soft asks meme!

[softberrybi]

A quick note...

Hello from your local AuDHD switch verse bisexual. I'm on this corner of the internet to have fun and spiral into whatever current hyperfixation has me by the throat.

Minors, please don't interact. My blog is for people 18+. I'm a big advocate for sex education and curiosity, and my particular Tumblr page just isn't the space for that. If you're looking for an age appropriate resource, I highly recommend checking out Scarleteen. It's a wonderful site dedicated to providing medically accurate and queer inclusive information about relationships, sex, identity, and so on.

My asks and messages are open. Wanna be friends??? Feel free to message me any timmmmme. If you’re looking to be flirty, please be respectful. Opening with nudes or demanding nudes or sexting is just not the move, okay? I've been involved in the kink community for many years and have met so many wonderful people, so my tolerance is very low for people who hide behind kink as an excuse to be shitty. Also, I have a queue going, so posts appearing doesn’t mean I’m actually online.

Please note I’m wary of porn blogs with no other content, and I hear the Jaws theme song in my head whenever I get one word messages in my inbox because those “hey” or “hi” openers tends to escalate quickly without my consent. Again, be chill. If I get a weird vibe at all, the block button and I are besties.

Be a kind person, okay? Transphobes, terfs, swerfs, antifeminists, racists, ableists, fatphobes, bigoted jerks DNI. Honestly, get well soon and cut that shit out.

If I ever accidentally interact with something I shouldn’t or tag something in a way that doesn’t feel good, please let me know so I can edit or delete immediately. I respect you.

🌶️ spicy info under the cut 🌶️

Being a verse switch is so fun, okay? I'm attracted to people regardless of gender, and it's just so fun to make people feel good.

I use the traffic light system (💚💛🛑) for consent check-ins. Here is my Yes/No list for both giving and receiving unless otherwise specified:

Yes - praise/worship, puppy play, edging/denial, overstimulation, biting/marking, puppy play, teratophilia rp, impact play (just not face slapping/hitting), gfd, daddy/mommy kink (just no age play or incest rp), strap play / pegging, breeding kink

I think it’s also worth mentioning that there are types of play that I’m happy to engage in even if I’m not personally turned on by them. Examples include foot fetish / nylon fetish play and tickling (as long as I’m not the one getting tickled; that’s a hard no for me)

Sometimes - I don’t really post about any of these on this blog, and if I do, I will be sure to tag those posts. I sometimes enjoy objectification, degradation, humiliation, light CNC, helping a partner enjoy some light CBT, e-stim, watersports (especially during primal/possessive play)

No thanks - Heavy CNC that involves genuine fear play, scat, age play, race play, pro-ED anything, misgendering/detrans, vore, gore (some blood is okay, but gore makes me feel faint), intox/chem, permanent harm/scarring, incest rp

Obvious no (and instant report and block) to actual assault or endangering anyone who can’t consent (e.g. anything to do with minors, bestiality, and so on)

This should go without saying, but if you have a partner / partners who will be hurt by you playing with someone else, please don’t flirt or try to play with me. I’m only down to play with folks engaging in ENM or single folks, okay? Be nice to your partner(s).

Also, since this has been coming up in my asks and dms quite a bit, I’m not looking for a sugar situation. I will just delete the ask/message 🤷‍♀️ Thanks!

[thefirsthogokage]

The level at which Drew Barrymore is fucking up is INSANE

[Image ID: a pair of tweets from from Claire Willett (@clairwillett) from September 11th, 2023 that read:

I know Twitter is not a universal barometer but boy if I was Drew Barrymore’s PR folks I would be gravely concerned about the number of well-known actors on here basically saying “WE WILL NOT BE FORGETTING THIS”

they’ll be skipping your couch on the next press junket, ma’am

unclear if this is a bad-faith question or not but I’ll say that just within the last hour in my own twitter feed I have seen

Joshua Malina

Bradley Whitford

Evan Handler

Anson Mount

Lisa Ann Walter

Roxane Gay

/End ID]

The link in the tweet leads you to the tweet below.

[Image ID: Lisa Ann Walter QT'd (on September 11th, 2023) a tweet of hers from April 17th, 2023 that reads:

Hang out with me & my new sister @DrewBarrymore Tmw!

On @DrewBarrymoreTV

I love her.

And you can tell by my enthusiastic oversharing.

Featuring - the gross recipe me and my High School BFF slapped together.

The tweet includes three tweets with the two of them from Barrymore's show.

The QT reads:

Don’t know why this is going around again-but please note the date: Before both strikes.

I’m a unionist.

I’m proudly re-elected to #SagAftra National & LA Local board. I’m on the NegComm. I chair LA women’s committee and am on WAY too many others. I’m also WGA.

I Don’t X lines

/End ID]

Other tweets that she was talking about:

[Image ID: a tweet from Bradley Whitford on September 11th, 2023 that is a QT of Variety tweeting this article about Drew Barrymore owning the decision to come back and claiming she's not violating strike rules (yes she is because hers is a WGA contracted production). It reads:

Oh, you own it. For sure, @DrewBarrymore. And we’ll never forget it.

/End ID.]

I'm sorry, my anxiety is going up a bit with all of the messiness this post, so I'm not going to do the IDs anymore, and my phone is being mean. But here are others, starting with Evan Handler:

Anson Mount:

Before that he also retweeted Bradley Whitford's tweet, but I'm running out of room.

Roxane Gay:

And there was another one where she rt'd someone basically backhandedly slamming Drew Barrymore for being the host of this year's National Book Awards.

And then, saving the best for last, Joshua Malina has been going scorched earth on Barrymore and reminding people The View is also scabbing. Honestly love seeing it and highly recommend him as someone to follow. A lot of retweets of others as well as original tweets:

He's talking about a hat with the thing that let's custom text scroll. What the person he QT'd is referring to is his hat saying "Drew Barrymore is a Scab".

He actually started hounding her on Sunday, after it was announced very late in the day that she was coming back on Monday.

I love Josh Malina.

Fuck Drew Barrymore.

Also, fuck every celebrity who crosses the picket lines. (This includes Oprah (who also hasn't donated any or her billions to Maui and instead asked others to donate even though she also has a home there which she got through shady deals and wouldn't let anyone use it as a shelter in an emergency) and Brook Shield's who went today.)

(Also fuck other celebs who liked Drew's post about coming back including Lily Collins, Cara Delevingne, Jennifer Aniston, Kristen Bell, and Jennifer Garner and I'm honestly not surprised by the four of those, don't know enough about the first one.)

[magicaguajiro]

Swamp Witch’s Guide to Pine Trees

For this post, I will be talking about lore of Pine across cultures, with a focus on my local species here in Florida, the Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii). I highly recommend researching the species native to your area, and forming a relationship with those trees.

Ecology:

Slash Pines are known to grow very tall and quickly, and thrive in the Scrub and Flatwoods. They have an avg. lifespan of about 150 years. They reach up and chase the Sun, and call down Lightning. This Lightning starts Fires that prevent Hardwood Hammock Species from moving in and dominating the scrub effectively protecting the biome. It is an evergreen and a conifer.

Pine as a Healer and Protector:

Pines are a common symbol of pushing through the winter, and its never fading needles remind us of the Sunny days to come. In my experience, Pine can have a very Solar nature when approached in matters of cleansing and healing is a very fiery cleansing energy, swords come to mind. Pine has been burned used in crosses and strung about the home to dispel melancholy it has also been used as medicine by Indigenous People in FL for centuries. This is where I draw my associations Avich healing from. This Solar energy can also cause it to come off a bit posh, but you just have to pay appropriately.

Slash Pine is known for its hard, dense wood. Also, as its role as protector through bringing fires to fend off the encroaching Oaks and Palms, clearly has the virtues of a Fighter and Protector. Once you have established a connection with a few dices, call on them to gaud you or to burn up any hexes with the next fire the call! Burning some needles or bark is also a great way to call the spirit into your space for workings and

communication.

Pine and the Otherworld

Pine being associated with the Otherworld is a mix of UPG and Tradition. In some places, Pines are considered Saturian and Connected to the Dead. Personally, I do consider Pine an Ancestral Ally as my family are Pineros from Isla de Pinos Cuba. I find Pine helps to be an intermediary between a practitioner and Spirits Ancestors and Others. The Seminole and Miccosukee tribes have belief regarding Pine as it relates to some of their Land Spirits. The type of spirit who live in the Pine are called 'Este Lopocke' and are 'little people' similar to the Fair Folk in the mischief and connection to the Plant world. This further shows its quality as an Otherworldly plant.

Offerings T have made to Pine Spirits:

-Tobacco, Loose or burned

-Alcohol, on an altar or sprinked on the plant

-Copper Coins

-Water from a Local River

-Prayer and Song

-Blood, your water

-Devoted and dedicated time

It can't go unsaid when talking about Florida Pines that many people, mainly poor black folks, unjustly lost their lives or became disabled from working in Turpentine plants in the 19th and 20th Centuries. This tragic history is intrinsically linked to the Tree now. You can read some of the recorded folklore from these Florida Turpentine Farms in the book ‘Of Mules and Men’ by Zora Neale Hurston. Pine is a great ally to have in your spiritual court and I love working with it as a protective, cleansing force.

Luz y Progreso 🕯️

[thesinglesock]

Heya! Sorry for the random message but I was looking through the bunad tags on tumblr and saw your post on fantastistakk? (I hope I’m spelling that right!!) i was wondering if you had any good resources on learning more about them or could share any more information on them! I’ve always loved norwegian bunads and I’d like to depict them + reference them more in art/writing but with further fantasy themes (hence the even greater fascination with fantastistakk) and have worried about coming across as ignorant when the last thing I want to do is do these wonderful dresses and their history a disservice! (I additionally ask just because when I look up fantastistakk specifically I get a lot of results in norwegian which is fine I just don’t want to end up with inaccurate info putting it through a rough translator online so i thought I’d ask!)

Thank you so much!

Hi and thanks for the ask! Please don't apologize I love talking bunad and fantasistakk :D

I really wish I could paste in a link to the Definitive Guide to Fantasistakk (English Edition), but unfortunately no such thing exists.

Mainly because this is what I would call a Folk Fashion Movement, in the sense that there is no big fashion house or designer* behind it, it consists of regular people digging up their mothers' sewing machines and having fun with learning traditional techniques in a new way. The closest thing you can get to valuable literary resources would be people's personal blog posts and the occasional news article, but they're all written in Norwegian, like you discovered. And while I get that machine translation can be awful, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you used it to research this topic, since most of the time the explaination of a fantasistakk essentially boils down to "I made it like this because I think it looks cool". (*there are a couple of notable fashion houses that do fantasi-stakk, like Eva Lie and Embla Bunader, and while they contribute to the trend, they don't control or own the movement.)

There are several ideals tied to the fantasi-stakk trend, so the reason someone might choose a fantasistakk instead of a bunad can vary. Some people make theirs from thrifted curtains because they're saving up for a "proper" bunad later, while others commision a carefully researched and deeply personal subversive tailor made piece of art based on their local dress tradition. In any case, the fantasistakk wouldn't exist without the traditional bunads, so you might want to look into those as well.

Luckily, you can find a lot of international resources on the traditional bunads, because they've been around for longer and one of the core ideas behind the bunad-movement was to document local dress traditions to prevent them from fading into obscurity. If you want to learn about the history of bunads I highly recommend this video by Kristine Vike, that takes a critical look at the idea of the Bunad. It really digs into the historical and political context that the bunad has and the history of how it evolved into what we know it as today.

I cannot overstate how well researched this video is, and also if you want to learn more about Norwegian dress history and textile arts in general, go check out her channel, it's a real gold mine.

But if you want resources for art inspiration, I'd encourage you to look up specific bunads to base your fantasistakk on. Each bunad has its roots in a geographical area and is made with the traditional techniques unique to that place. Some areas have more variety than others, but there's enough to write several books on each and every bunad.

Here's a handy list of pretty much every bunad (with a few Sami gakti as well), sorted by province:

Very few of the costumes in this list have English wikipedia articles attatched, but some of them have Norwegian articles, and I'm sure every single one of them has plenty of pictures to use for reference (pro tip: instagram hashtags. people love to tag their bunad pics with the name of their dress). And if you find one you're interested in, but you can't find any accessible information, I'd be happy to help you learn more about it :D

when it comes to being respectful and coming up with fantasistakk-designs, I'd say try not to worry too much about it, and just have fun! some people get mad when they see a teenager using a "non-traditional" shirt with their family heirloom vest, while others applaud them for showing both their heritage and their individuality. Doing your research is important if you want to depict historical dresses (and to give you more ideas of what a bunad can look like), but in contemporary norwegian culture a lot of us are mixing it up with modern garments and borrowing from other cultures and just making clothes we want to wear (just like our ancestors used to do before the standardized national costumes got popularized)

And on that note, I'll wrap this up with the banner picture from Embla Bunader's home page for inspiration:

(btw I'm officially rescinding the statement I made in the fantasistakk post, that Embla is "less extravagant", cause this past year they've Really been Cooking)

I wasn't really sure where to even begin answering this ask, since it's such a massive topic, but I hope I at least some of this information is useful :P

[wihinaphe-makhoche]

6/26/24: Pride in Dawnland, Folklore, Microaggressions, and Indigenous Queerness.

Queerness is and always has been.

In their 2023 talk, Passamaquoddy historian, medicine person, and maker Geo Neptune discusses gender, cultural identity, sexuality, and their craft at Bowdoin College.

I originally listened to this talk as a part of my American Folklore class this last semester. Understanding folklore as part of every human society, the ways in which we interact with it, and how it affects every aspect of our lives was truly eye-opening.

I digress. I could fill a book with the importance of folklore in cultural interaction, regardless of what "groups" one may be a part of.

I decided to open with Geo's talk and provide this as something of a baseline of where my thinking is coming from in this post. I highly recommend listening to the whole talk if you can.

Dawnland has always and always will have queer people. It will always have Indigenous queer people.

The Wabanaki have a very felt presence in the central and coastal Maine area where I'm from—especially Penobscot and Passamaquoddy, who live closest to Bangor. I recently had the pleasure of attending Bangor's 32nd Pride, an event which has become increasingly Indigenous since I first began attending back in 2017. Visit the website for the event now, and the first thing you will see is the image of the Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance walking in the parade. This has felt momentous, and an active effort by both (perhaps most importantly) Wabanaki people, as well as their non-Native queer allies.

Since "joining" the queer community at age ~13, I've had the pleasure of experiencing many different angles of my queer community. Something that I've appreciated on a local, "irl" level is the effort of integrating queer and Indigenous education. I first heard Geo Neptune speak on being Two-Spirit and Indigenous ways of engaging with sexuality, gender identity, and societal roles when I was about 15 years old at my first Rainbow Ball, a queer, alternative prom held in Western coastal Maine each year. Workshops during the day offered us opportunities to engage with queer adults and learn about our community's history, present, about safety, and various other topics (such as Geo's talk on Two-Spirits in Maine).

When I attended Pride last week (the largest in the history of the event), I was browsing stalls with my partner and best friend when I was stopped by a (white, non-Indigenous) sewist who complimented my skirt. I thanked her, saying that it was a ribbon skirt. I had bought this pink and blue ribbon skirt at the spring social on Indian Island this year, an event by and for the local Indigenous community. It was made by a very skilled older woman. I won't say the price, but it was expensive--I felt, though, given the history of ribbon skirts, and their role as a regalia item to some, this was a fair price. The price must be affected by the time, materials, energy, and cultural importance of the item.

This is why I was shocked when the sewist launched into a pitch about how she could make something similar for me for only $35 and began showing me her wares. While I was understanding as a fellow creative seeking to connect and make a living, comparing a clothing item with deep cultural importance and symbolism to an item of regular clothing did not sit right with me. It left me disgruntled and wrestling with my feelings.

Circling back to folklore, I and this sewist are of (assumedly) shared groups--Queer people, Mainers, and Americans. But I am Indigenous, and she is not. "Groups" in the folkloric sense are defined as two or more people that share something in common. All groups have folklore–material and nonmaterial. A ribbon skirt is folk art, a traditional article of clothing, and is important to Indigenous women both as an expression of identity and as a piece of regalia; It has deep historical and cultural meaning that is not understood by those outside of our group.

To the outsider, in seeing the skirt, it becomes a sum of the materials from a craft store (assumed to be relatively inexpensive) and effort (perhaps seen as minimal to a skilled and experienced sewist). In lacking cultural context, the entitlement lies in the assumption that a colonizer can replicate the importance of a garment cheaply. It stems from a lack of understanding of the other group, yes, but also a devaluation of cultural objects. The item is seen as clothing and not folk art.

Some people are just misinformed, awkward, and lacking in information. On one hand, I feel that this lack of education or social grace can't be held against them. On the other, the devaluation of a cultural garment by a settler is a microaggression that is perhaps symbolic of a greater issue in settler-Indigenous relations.

I want to clarify before I go any further that I don't feel any ill will towards this individual, and that I don't really know anything of her background; This anecdote simply means to serve as a lesson and rumination in the decolonization of thought and behavior.

In my previous post, I discussed Christianity and the entitlement that this religious tradition has given to colonizers. It is an inescapable reality that permeates American life, even if it is not something one religiously ascribes to. When Adam and Eve left Eden, all that the Earth had to provide was for the taking of man to eke out a survival. In the Christian-dominated Euro-American tradition, the relationship between humans and the world around them would be inherently selfish and destructive. This dogma of entitlement to the world around oneself permeates all of the interactions one has, and the decolonization of thought must be an active and continuous effort. 

As Queer people, we can only really guarantee in Queer spaces that we share a singular group (that being queerness). People will come from all walks of life, will be from differing and overlapping groups, and have a body of life experiences that are extremely diverse. This is the beauty of community. The effort made by Bangor Pride to express this diversity is admirable, and I am hopeful and excited about future events. This small interaction did not color the event for me, but provided an interesting thought discussion. 

If you made it to the end of my post, I want to thank you as usual for reading. Let me know your thoughts in my inbox, by commenting, reblogging, etc. Respectful and thoughtful discussion is always encouraged!

[kiwiana-writes]

1. I hope you feel better soon!

2. If you aren’t comfortable answering this or if this is overstepping, please just delete and ignore. You’re the monarch of kink and I’ve been a little overwhelmed by google, so I thought I’d ask you. The more D/s fic I read the more sure I am that I’m a sub. The interest in subbing isn’t new, but the sheer amount of space it’s taking up in my brain is. My partner is on the ace spectrum and I’m trying to figure out the best way for me to experiment. (She’s happy to try, but has no real interest in it and it doesn’t come naturally to her.) Do you have an recommendations for resources/communities that might be a good place to start exploring or talking to folks about this? TIA. 💋

Hey anon! Super safe space and you're definitely not overstepping, so don't even worry about it.

First of all, fucking love this journey for you, for real. Second of all, I wasn't super clear from your question whether you're looking to explore with other people outside of your relationship or just by yourself, so as with anything else, take what works for you from the below and discard what doesn't!

Have you come across Fetlife yet? This will obviously depend a bit on where you are geographically but they can be a GREAT resource for in person communities, meet ups etc. If you're interested in chatting to people/making local friends in the scene, look for any details about "munches" which are strictly social meetups, no one is going to be playing at those (unlike, say, a house party). There'll generally be greeters at those whose entire job is to talk to newbies and make them feel welcome. There's also plenty of online groups on FetLife, message board style, for basically any specific things you might be into that you can think of.

If this is something you're going to be exploring with other people (either your partner or others) I highly recommend reading up on sub frenzy. It doesn't seem to come up as often as things like sub drop and the basics of safewords/safety/etc but I think it's a really really important thing to be aware of as you dive into the world.

I don't want to like... overwhelm you but slide on back here any time, in the ask box if you wanna stay anon or into the DMs. Happy to point you in a few more specific directions if you need it ❤️

[zippers]

Anon, I don't know if you're comfortable with me posting your ask, but I hear you. Coming of the fog of the adoption narrative you grow up with is intense, and detangling the trauma that stems from it is even more so. I highly recommend you attend a (free!) peer support group run by Adoption Knowledge Affiliates. They are virtual and accept folks internationally, and there are also specific support groups for various intersectional identities.

There are other amazing groups out there, and you will have to look locally if you want an in-person meetup, but as an AKA volunteer myself I can not recommend that organization enough!

[grininfluencer]

Top 15 Food Micro Influencers in 2024

One of the oldest and most popular influencer niches on social media is food and cooking. These food micro influencers are generating awareness for the latest cuisine trends, encouraging fans to try different types of food, and recommending quality brands.

The Evolution of Foodie Influencers

When Instagram was brand new, one of the most popular posts was a snapped picture of food. It became a trend that stuck and is now a foodie tradition.

At first, people simply wanted to capture the beauty of a well-presented meal from their favorite restaurant or show off their dining experience to friends and family. Today, foodie creators hone their craft to not just snap a shot of their entree but to also tell a story behind their food photos and videos. Similarly, cooking creators use various online platforms to show fans special flavors and techniques. Food influencers encompass both restaurateurs and cooks with varying skill levels but each with their own authentic perspective.

What is the Connection Between Food Influencers and the Food Industry?

Most food creators specialize in content in one of three areas:

Cooks

Foodies

Travelers

All three have a particular effect on the greater food and beverage industry. From local restaurants to cookware and hospitality, brands are leveraging food creators to promote their products and services to their ideal target audience.

Cooking Creators

Cooking creators include professional chefs and hobbyists alike. These creators might make videos of their process, snap images, or post full recipes for followers on social media or on their personal blog. As influencers, they might partner with cookware, food (ingredients), or appliance brands to help followers make more informed purchases. These influencers might also promote their own products, including seasonings or published cookbooks.

Foodie Creators

Foodie creators love to eat out and try different types of food. Many foodies overlap into the travel industry to experience cuisine from other cultures. These influencers often review restaurants and grab flattering images of the food they eat. When it comes to promoting brands, they typically shout out a restaurant that exceeds their expectations and encourage fans to visit the location for themselves.

Travel Influencers

Travel influencers are also perfect fits as foodie influencers, because local dining is one of the most common aspects of a great trip. Their impact extends across different types of hospitality brands, including:

Restaurants

Hotels

Wineries

Bars

Amusement parks

Festivals

Cruises

Best Performing Content of Foodie Creators

Food social media is a highly visual category. As such, platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok are full of some of the finest foodie and cook creators online today.

Images

A beautiful, detailed image of food resonates well with most audiences. Creators may choose to publish their posts in studio or IRL (in real life) quality. The best food image posts include vibrant colors and relatable post captions.

Recipes

Creators use social media and personal blogs to post their favorite recipes. When sharing a recipe, readers love to hear compelling stories behind what inspired the recipe. Most bloggers or recipe influencers also post images or videos to accompany their written content.

Videos

Videos allow followers to see personality, motion, and story in a more engaging format. Food creators exist within short-form video platforms (like Instagram and TikTok) and long-form video platforms (like YouTube and Twitch).

Top 5 Food Micro Influencers on Instagram

Sancheir Austin Sancheir is a talented home chef on a mission to inspire folks to live a well-rounded life. You can check out her account for delicious and (mostly) simple recipes you can test out for dinner with your family.

Olga Shulpina Olga’s account has a next-level aesthetic that truly drives home the artistry at play in her recipes. Her food looks almost as if it should be in a picture frame rather than on a plate.

Tai Clark Tai is a culinary arts teacher dedicated to cooking with love. Her page is full of helpful tips for the at-home chef, with plenty of lifestyle content sprinkled on top.

Pierre Chirac Pierre is a talented French pastry chef. I don’t speak French, so it would probably be kind of hard to follow along with his recipes but I sure do want to eat everything I see.

Te Dong Te Dong is an LA-based sushi chef. He loves booze, too. Want to know what pairs best with a hamachi nigiri? Visit his page to find out that and plenty more!

Top 5 Food Micro Influencers on TikTok

Julianna Forster Jules is a Chicago real estate agent. And like any good real estate agent, she knows all the best places in the city to eat. If you’re from Chicago or planning to visit, stop by her page for some insider info.

Adventures of a Fat Guy They say never to trust a skinny chef and I don’t think our man here would argue with you. Come for some top-notch recipes and be sure to bring your appetite.

Magri Alberto Do you have a sweet tooth? Then you’re going to love Magri. This pastry chef is always in the kitchen playing with a bunch of dough and turning it into something so sweet enough to melt your heart.

Sixpackpiggy Sixpackpiggy is jacked and hungry. Follow him for some workout tips during the week, and on the weekend, learn how to have your cheat day in style.

Cooking Food She’s cooking food, folks! And she’s doing it in a big ‘ol wok, too. You never know what she’s going to put in there but it always comes out looking delicious.

Top 5 Micro Influencer Food Bloggers

Joshua Weissman Joshua Weissman is a professional chef who learned to cook as a way to cope with being bullied at school. Since both his parents were competent cooks, he learned many basic cooking skills from an early age. After achieving success in fine dining venues, he launched his blog to share tips, recipes, and connect with fans.

Lindsey Baruch Lindsey Baruch is a food and travel blogger with professional photography skills. Readers enjoy her unique combination of all three niches. She features her own recipes throughout her blog, as well as dining tips in various parts of the world.

Shivesh Bhatia Shivesh Bhatia learned to write in college where he majored in political science. Almost immediately, he found his calling as a baking influencer on Instagram and eventually launched his blog to maintain a collection of his fans’ favorite dessert recipes.

Hugh Harper Hugh Harper is a creator on the side. In his blog, he chronicles his international travels. His favorite things to blog about are local cuisine and fine dining everywhere he goes.

Rina, No Fuss Vegan Rina is a vegan food cook and creator. Years ago, she decided that vegan food was the best approach for her and her family, and she embraced the learning curve of shopping and preparing meals differently. Today, she offers recipes, tips, and tricks for those interested in a vegan lifestyle.

Conclusion

Food influencers exercise their unique skills to bring tasty meals to life. Not only does their content look delicious, but it also tells an endearing story that connects with their audience. Food, beverage, and hospitality brands that partner with food creators can forge more meaningful relationships with their audience.

Learn more about influencer marketing: Influencer Marketing 101

Written by GRIN Contributor GRIN is the pioneer behind the world’s first Creator Management platform built to support every brand’s journey to connecting with consumers through authentic creator relationships. Thousands of the world’s fastest-growing brands—including SKIMS, Warby Parker, Allbirds, Mejuri, and MVMT—use GRIN to make creators feel like trusted, empowered partners and work with them to build their brands into household names.

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[thebandcampdiaries]

The Sugar Hollows present: Radio Waves.

The Sugar Hollows is a band from Richmond, Virginia. The group has quickly been making waves in the local music scene, especially due to their ability to combine the intimacy of folk with the energy of rock in equal parts. The band’s self-titled debut album, released in 2023, was a fantastic introduction to their sound and vision. However, their recent sophomore record, “Radio Waves,” takes the sound to a deeper dimension. The band managed to sound more organic, yet at the same time more polished, perfecting their songwriting craft and taking their creativity in different directions while retaining the group’s personality and vision. The album unfolds through 10 songs.

The opening track, “Headin’ South,” has a swagger that is reminiscent of classic acts such as The Rolling Stones, but there’s also a more melodic component, which especially shines through in the vocals. “Time Machine” offers a different flavor, going for a mid-tempo groove and some earthy acoustic tones. The songwriting is reminiscent of the earnest lyricism of artists such as Jason Isbell but with a more incisive rock influence.

“Slow Lane” is another impactful yet melancholic moment, which is sure to please fans of artists like AA Bondy. “Just a Fool” brings in the more intimate side of this record, with a sparse arrangement that’s musically barer than other tracks on the album but no less emotionally powerful. “Silver Bullet” returns to the pure folk-rock format, with a steady arrangement and driving acoustic guitars, providing melody and rhythm in equal parts and locking in perfectly with the drums.

The following track, “Runaway (End of the World),” is perhaps one of the most upbeat songs on the album, with its faster tempo, nostalgic slide phrases, and jangly guitar tones. “Mean River” retains a similar dreamy sound but also dives into a 1970s-inspired tone, which might remind the audience of classic bands like Fleetwood Mac. “Shake n’Howdy” is another heavy stomper, a fast-paced track with a nice contrast between the energetic drums and the soothing guitar tones. Somewhere between indie rock and dreamy folk-pop, this is one of the most distinctive and personable songs on the album. Last but not least, the album comes to a close with “Get Down Town,” a song that feels incredibly dynamic and spontaneous, almost as if it evolved from the band jamming out. The “human” quality of this track is truly amazing, and it serves as a great closing number for a fantastic album.

Overall, the song of the production is one of the strongest points, besides the excellent songwriting. The album feels so natural and warm, capturing the dynamics of the musicians in the band to absolute perfection.

“Radio Waves” is highly recommended to fans of artists such as Wilco, Francis Moon, or Fleet Foxes, as it captures the perfect crossover between indie-folk and alternative rock. Find out more about The Sugar Hollows, and don’t miss out on “Radio Waves." You can also follow the band on Instagram for more!

[cloudwolfbane]

Some helpful info for trans folks. If you are thinking about or getting hrt, this is the most up to date guidelines for gender affirming care with the starting dose and max dose for hormones and other info: https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines

For those in the US that are looking for a doc, I would highly recommend checking out your local family medicine or internal medicine residency clinics. A residency clinic is staffed by resident doctors who completed medical school but need to have 3 years additional training under a board certified doctor called an attending before they can practice independently. Residents tend to be young millennials and gen Z’s with a great will to learn. Now to be fair they probably have never prescribed HRT and are learning how to do it on you, but most are friendly and eager and they have an attending keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. I tell my patient’s it’s like getting two doctors for the price of one. The visits tend to be longer and sometimes the hours get wildly out of hand, but we are still learning and we also take the sickest patients in the community (homeless, no insurance, fired from other clinics, etc) so sometimes the visit before yours can go an hour long because they are trying to save someone’s necrotic foot or once in my case, run across the street to deliver a baby.

I currently only have one trans patient that I started on HRT, but am eager for more. I feel kind of bad for how enthusiastically I responded to their end of the appointment request. I told them flat out that I didn’t know what I was doing, and I wanted them to come back in a week so I could do some research. I started slow and cautious because I didn’t know what I was doing, but I explained my plan and reasoning to the patient and asked if they wanted to do things faster and they seemed happy with the slow approach. I started with spironolactone because it helps decrease testosterone. I didn’t start estrogen at the same time, even though you can, because I hate prescribing two new things at once, because it’s difficult to figure out what could be causing side effects. You don’t really need base labs, but I wanted a basic metabolic panel and a testosterone level. The bmp is mostly to check potassium because spironolactone can cause it to increase which can cause deadly cardiac arrhythmias. Most people with healthy kidneys handle it fine, but I have seen it spike and in hrt you use way more than you usually use for like cirrhosis. The testosterone baseline is just nice for seeing where you are starting from. Then I added estrogen 2mg at a time with a max of 8mg a day. After that it’s just checking testosterone and estrogen levels to shoot for goals of afab people but it changes depending on person. Some people still want erections so you don’t want testosterone levels under 100 some don’t, everyone is different and happy in different levels, and of course this is all mtf specific, I haven’t actually prescribed ftm yet.

But anyways for people thinking about hrt, give your local residency clinic a try. I bet they will be more eager and understanding and explain things more than a lot of older docs.

[simplythetest]

Thoughts on Targeting Quality 2023

It's been a heck of a few years for me, personally and professionally. One thing that I am grateful for is returning to Targeting Quality 2023, the annual conference held by KWSQA. This year the conference was held in Cambridge, Ontario. Here are my thoughts on it.

Overall

The testing community is still a great community. Attendees were engaged, and even as someone who's done primarily test development for his career I was still able to have great discussions with testers about all kinds of topics.

The Talks

The first talk of the day on Presentation day that I saw was Bas Dijkstra's How well do you wield your tools? - The importance of craftsmanship in test automation which was a part of the automation track. One of the key messages in this talk was that test automation can and should be treated like production software development, which is something I've been saying for a long time. It is good to hear that this message is still coming through strong.

Test automation is definitely a mainstream topic in software development, but there's still so much that can be done by application developers in terms of test automation. Concepts like property-based testing, contract testing and security testing are all highly relevant for test development.

Fuzz testing: still not a common topic outside of the security engineering world

Another talk that I enjoyed was The Automation Firehose by Thomas Haver of M&T Bank. This talk gave a great overview of how to think about growing and scaling test automation teams with a superhero theme.

Ben Oconis' talk on breaking down silos in organizations sparked some thoughts from me and folks online about the role of "test specialist" in software organizations. Ben's talk was really good at outlining some organizational aspects to quality, which aren't necessarily "testing" skills but important nonetheless.

On this note, software testing is still a great place to learn about good team building practices. Lean Coffee, for example, is an excellent format for getting engaged folks to talk about a few different subjects in an effective (and time efficient!) manner. There were two sessions of lean coffee lead by Lisa Crispin and Janet Gregory. I attended one of these sessions, and I can't recommend trying lean coffee enough.

My favourite talk of the conference was the keynote, simply entitled STAIRS! by Jenny Bramble and Jenna Charlton. Entertaining and insightful, Jenny and Jenna show great examples of cognitive biases and how they can effect how products get designed using examples of stair designs (some of which were hilarious bad). This keynote showed that people in the testing community are digging into concepts such as design thinking and how that impacts testing work and quality, and doing so ahead of other in the software development world.

The Conference

I have to say: this is one of the best run conferences I have attended. Targeting Quality was 2 days this year, one day of workshops (which I did not attend but heard good things about) and one day of presentations.

The venue was well-prepared and suitable for the purpose, right down to stacks of pens and notepads available all over the place.

Food and drink was great, including delicious Portugese-style custard tarts at breakfast (a local delicacy, in my opinion)

The talks and schedule were well-organized and everything ran pretty much on time throughout the day. This is an underappreciated aspect of any conference, large or small.

Overall, this conference offered a lot of benefits for attendees and speakers. The hall-way track was lively, talks were great quality and speakers were well taken care of. The KWSQA board and Tina Fletcher should receive a round of applause for a great job.

[somerabbitholes]

Indian Non-Fiction

A list of books on India, almost all of which are by Indian writers; most of them are about history in one way or other but they also involve politics, culture, and religion. (Doesn’t include writing in Indian languages because most of my non-English reading has been limited to fiction). I’ve also added links to online editions for ones I found.

History

Pre-, Postcolonial India (+ other assorted history)

Land of Seven Rivers by Sanjeev Sanyal - looks at Indian history through its geography; great if you want an introduction. it’s a small book but has very interesting insights; definitely would recommend. Also check his Ocean of Churn, which looks at Indian history in terms of the Indian Ocean

The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvati by Michel Danino - looks into the research and evidence on the existence of the Sarasvati river and makes a case for its existence

Hooghly: The Global History of a River by Robert Ivermee - about Hooghly as a centre of a trans-Asiatic and trans-oceanic commercial network

Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization by Namit Arora - what it says, it’s new and was well-received; it paints a holistic picture to start you off

Modern South India by Rajmohan Gandhi - this one’s new, and I’ve only barely read it. It’s the history of south India from the coming of the Portuguese to modern times and it’s really important because we don’t study about this or even talk about this in mainstream conversations

India Moving by Chinmay Tumbe - on migration within India and how migrants and migrations has shaped history, politics, and policy

The Courtesan, the Mahatma, and the Italian Brahmin by Manu Pillai - a selection of stories (real ones) from Indian history; very engagingly written and very, very interesting stories. Also check other works by Pillai - The Ivory Throne and Rebel Sultans. He also writes a regular column for the Mint

Panipat by Vishwas Patil - (a translation from Marathi) a history of the Battle at Panipat in 1761, which basically created a vacuum for the East India Company to step in and grab power; really expansive and highly detailed

Rama and Ayodhya by Meenakshi Jain - on the Ramayana and its cultural spread across Indian since the ancient times; also about the Ayodhya movement

Decolonizing the Hindu Mind by Koenraad Elst - lays down the ideological and intellectual development of the broad umbrella Hindu revivalist movement; really good starting point to understand the rise and development of a significant chunk of Indian politics in post-independence years; really straightforward work, very clear in its objectives

1962: the War that Wasn’t by Shiv Kunal Verma - on the Sino-Indian conflict in 1962; haven’t read it yet, but it’s supposed to be one of the best ones on the conflict

1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh by Srinath Raghavan - on the creation of Bangladesh; places the history in a Cold War context and includes all stakeholders like the US, China and Russia; has multiple layers to its narrative.The Most Dangerous Place by Srinath Raghavan - on American foreign policy in South Asia right from the earliest times.

Cricket Country by Prashant Kidambi - about how cricket took hold in colonial India and the making of the first all-India cricket team; super excited about this book, I added it to my list too

A Corner of a Foreign Field by Ramchandra Guha - on the growth of cricket in India; takes into account race, caste, and religion in pre- and postcolonial times; looks at how the sport was adapted in local cultures and how it became an expression of resistance

Himalaya: A Human History by Ed Douglas - basically what it says; very thorough and very fresh; about more than India because it takes Himalaya as a unit and so it’s really transnational in its approach

Colonial India

Plassey by Sudeep Chakravarti - a very detailed study of the Battle of Plassey which kicked off the colonial project in India

India’s War: World War II and the Making of Modern South Asia by Srinath Raghavan - on India’s involvement and contribution in World War II

An Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor - about the economic impact of the British Empire in India; highly elaborate and detailed work on the economic drain in India during colonisation

Goa Inquisition by A. K. Priolkar - about the Portuguese colonisation of Goa and the subsequent evangelical campaign by the Portuguese crown and the Roman church; very, very, thorough and great if you (like me) know nothing about the whole thing

Hicky’s Bengal Gazette by James Otis - on the development and running of India’s first English newspaper; a fun read because honestly the story of the paper is very dramatic and full of political/colonial gossip; also tells you a lot about the early ideas of free press in colonial India

Sati: Evangelicals, Baptist Missionaries, and the Changing Colonial Discourse by Meenakshi Jain - about the discourse on sati and the need for reform; reviews the idea of the abolition of sati being a progressive act

Castes of Mind by Nicholas Dirks - about the intersection of caste, race, and colonial knowledge and policy

Politics, Sociology, Commentaries

The Indian Trilogy by V. S. Naipaul - a semi-autobiographical work on the kind of civilisation Naipaul sees India to be; very, very honest; paints a picture of postcolonial India over the years. the trilogy includes An Area of Darkness, India: A Wounded Civilization, and India: A Million Mutinies Now. I’ve only read the first one; but I’ve heard and read great things about them all

Republic of Caste by Anand Teltumbde - about caste in post-Independence India; looks at political and policy-related developments and their impact on caste dynamics; sort of subaltern history; it is a little difficult to understand if you don’t already have some amount of knowledge on Indian politics; also a very academic work so not exactly easy to read - I’ve only read parts of it myself

Annihilation of Caste by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar - technically a speech that was never delivered because it was thought to be too explosive; argues that caste is rooted in oppression and for the complete destruction of the caste system; an excellent work, although you do need to know about caste in its religious and political terms. Really just read all of his writing (it’s an entire 14 volume set), they’re excellent and far ahead of their time

The Idea of India by Sunil Khilnani - an analysis of sorts of what pre-colonial and colonial society and the freedom struggle mean for the republic and the kind of nation-building that has happened.

A New India of India: Individual Rights in a Civilisational State by Harsh Madhusudan, Rajeev Mantri - rethinks the “idea of India”; traces cultural and historical legacy in making of modern politics, and explores how individual rights are reconciled with the state’s goals; great thing is that it takes a fresh look at things; perfect to be read after The Idea of India 

10 Judgements that Changed India by Zia Mody - recounts ten most important legal cases and court rulings in India; good starting point at understanding how the law works and its development

Republic of Religion by Abhinav Chandrachud - about secularism and religion in India in light of colonial rule, and its implications in postcolonial India

India Unbound by Gurcharan Das - it’s a history from the Independence to 2000 that focuses largely on the political economy and unpacks the kind of growth we’ve seen; it mixes the personal with the political/economic progress and it’s really easy to get into; best when read with his India Grows at Night

People

Kanshiram by Badri Narayan - a biography of Kanshi Ram, who pretty much laid the foundation of modern Dalit political movement in post-independence India; looks into how the movement developed under Kanshi Ram; a useful insight into both the man as well as early Dalit politics in India

Savarkar by Vikram Sampath - first part of a two-part biography (second part isn’t out yet) on V. D. Savarkar, one of India’s first revolutionary freedom fighter; looks at an insane variety of sources and highly detailed; a must read.

History Men by T. C. A. Raghavan - about the friendship of three of colonial India’s first native historians (Sir Jadunath Sarkar, G. S. Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh) and how they collaborated and supported each other in writing Indian history using scientific methods; also looks at their contributions to Indian history in general

Rammohun Roy by Amiya P. Sen - a biography of colonial India’s first social and religious reformers who reinterpreted Hinduism for modern times; very well-written, great for understanding how early reform worked out

Daughters of the Sun by Ira Mukhoty - about women in the Mughal dynasty. note that it only looks at women connected to and part of the royal household, but an interesting read nonetheless. Her other work, Heroines: Powerful Indian Women in Myth and History is a wonderful book on women in history right from the ancient times; also analyses and explains the changing perceptions of women

R. N. Kao: Gentleman Spymaster by Nitin Gokhale - really, really, really interesting book on R. N. Kao and the development of India’s espionage machinery

Art

Indian Art by Partha Mitter - a history, he’s one of the best on Indian art, very useful

The Dance of Shiva by Ananda Coomaraswamy - a collection of essays on Indian artistic tradition in aesthetic and philosophical terms

The Spirit of Indian Painting by B. N. Goswamy - specifically about painting; explores different themes in different regionals tyles; also check other books by Goswamy, he’s kind of a big deal in art history

Indian Painting: the Lesser Known Traditions by Anna Dallapiccola - pretty much what it says; takes into account a ton of styles and traditions that are lumped together ‘folk art’

Cities, Travel etc

The Great Indian Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux - four-month journey from London to India by trains only; explores themes like colonialism, American imperialism, poverty. One of my favourites

The Epic City by Kushanava Chaudhary - memoir on Kolkata as the author explores and re-discovers the city when he comes back to it after staying in the US for most of his life; a lovely book, delves in the history of Kolkata a little in relation to how the city still feels it, how its people are still negotiating with it, and the kind of future the author sees for Kolkata

Bombay, Meri Jaan by Jerry Pinto & Naresh Fernandes - a collection of essays on Mumbai by a wide collection of people from Naipaul to Khushwant Singh to Manto and Salman Rushdie, compiled by Jerry Pinto; one of my favourites on the city

No Full Stops in India by Mark Tully - writings from when Tully was a journalist in India; commentaries on things he witnesses, also includes a fair amount of personal involvement; explores poverty, postcolonial development, religion and culture in post-independence India

Mumbai Fables by Gyan Prakash - a history of Mumbai city; looks at colonisation, industrial development, the regional politics, architecture and art, as well as the underworld/mafia

Banaras by Diana L. Eck - on Varanasi (Banaras), probably India’s holiest city; tells its history from its conception to now; blends religion, mythology, politics, and history. Also check Eck’s India: A Sacred Geography

The City of Djinns by William Dalrymple - semi-autobiography about living in Delhi; looks at the legacies of independence and partition while thinking about its past

The Book of Indian Journeys by Dom Moraes - it’s an anthology of essays and excerpts from works of a bunch of writers on travelling in India, it’s a favourite when I’m travelling

This is not exhaustive and I will keep updating when I find the time. I’ve tried to keep it diverse (and organised) in its content; hope you find something you like :)

[asleepinawell]

Book Recs

I was gonna do one of these at the end of the year, but I’ve somehow managed to read 26 books this year already (12 novellas, 14 novels), almost all featuring queer authors and/or characters so this is already a long list.

Note: There’s a few on here I was kind of meh about, but in most of those cases it was a ‘book might be good but it’s not for me so i’ll mention it to put it on people’s radar anyway’ type of thing. Insert the usual necessary tumblr disclaimer about all of this being only my opinion and your opinions are valid too etc etc.

In order of when I read them:

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir - Fantasy novella from the author of gideon the ninth that’s a twist on the classic princess trapped in a tower waiting for a prince story. Quite fun. (novella)

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht - Dark fantasy about revenge and magic. m/m couple but like I said it’s pretty dark and twisted all around so definitely not a happy queer romantic story. My opinion was interesting premise that could have been executed better and probably should have been a full novel to embellish on the world building potential. (novella)

A Memory Called Empire & A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine - Probably tied with murderbot as the best things I read this year. Scifi, f/f couple, wonderfully done exploration of what it means to fall in love with a culture that is destroying your own. More of the many queer anti-imperialist books that have come out recently and certainly some of the best. The second one is a direct continuation of the first. (2 novels)

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson - This is the third in the Baru Cormorant series (The Masquerade) and was my favorite so far. The second and third book were originally one book that got split I believe and the second book didn’t stand alone as well (though was still great), but the third book really made up for that. Dark fantasy world starring a queer woc whose country and culture is destroyed by the imperial forces of that world colonizing and assimilating them. She vows revenge and decides to work her way up within her enemy’s ranks to enact it from within and bring an empire to ruins. Really really fascinating study of so many different aspects of our own world and the systems which enable and allow bigotry and how bigoted and violent narratives are used to control minorities. This is definitely a darker series and I was particularly impressed with some of the commentary on the racism prevalent in non-intersectional feminism as depicted through a fantasy world. Can’t wait for the last one to come out! (3 novels, 1 forthcoming)

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells - There’s six of them--5 novella and a novel--and the first is All Systems Red. Told from the point of view of a self-aware droid/android that is rented out by a corporation to provide protection in a dystopian capitalist hellhole future that isn’t that unlike our current capitalist dystopia but is in space. Muderbot hacked the chip that controlled it and instead of going rogue just wants to be left alone to watch its favorite tv shows. Murderbot is painfully relatable and the books are both funny and poignant. Highly recommended. (5 novellas and a novel).

Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell - This was a m/m romance novel with a scifi backdrop of royal intrigue. Generally I’m more into scifi with a queer relationship in the background than vice versa, so it wasn’t my favorite, BUT I think it was still well written and someone looking for more of the romance angle would enjoy it. Has all your favorite romance tropes in it, especially the yearning. (novel)

The Divine Cities - Robert Jackson Bennett - Three book series. I’m very conflicted about this one. Set in a fantasy world where an enslaved nation overthrew the country enslaving them and now rules over them. It’s a story of what happens after the triumphant victory and within that it’s also a murder mystery tied into the dying magic of the conquered nation. It also has a six foot something naked oily viking man fist fight a cthulhu in a frozen river. The second book was by far my favorite, mostly due to the main character being brilliant. My conflict comes from the fact I don’t feel like the story treated its women and queer characters well. Like it had really great characters but it didn’t do great by them overall. That and the third book didn’t live up to the first two. But still definitely worth a read, can’t stress enough how cool some of the world building was. (3 novels)

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant - This might be the only one on here I disliked. It’s got a doomed boat voyage and creepy underwater terror and monsters and a super diverse cast of characters, but I just didn’t enjoy the writing style. While having a diverse cast is great, there were a lot of moments where it felt like characters were pausing to explain things about themselves that felt like a tumblr post rather than a normal conversation you might have while actively being hunted by monsters. I also bounced off all the characters. But a lot of people seem to have liked it so if you’re into horror and want a book with a f/f main couple then maybe you’ll enjoy it. (novel)

Dead Djinn Universe - P. Djèlí Clark - Around the early 1900′s, a man in Egypt discovers a way to access another world and bring Djinn and mysterious clockwork beings called Angels through. As a result, Egypt tells the British to get fucked and Cairo becomes one of the most powerful cities in the world. So Egypt, magic, djinn, a steampunk-ish vibe, oh and the main character is a butch queer woman who enjoys wearing dapper suits and looking fabulous while she investigates supernatural events. Her girlfriend is also mysterious and badass. And she has a cat. There’s three novella (one of which technically might be considered a short story) and then the first novel. You should absolutely read the novellas first (A Dead Djinn in Cairo, The Angel of Khan el-Khalili, The Haunting of Tram Car 015). Super fun and imaginative series. (3 novellas and a novel, more forthcoming)

River of Teeth & Taste of Marrow - Sarah Gailey - From the book description

“In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true. Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two. This was a terrible plan.”

Queer hippo riders!!!! Very much a western but with hippos. Main couple included a non-binary character. Loved the first one. The second one I was more meh about due to one of the characters I was supposed to like having obnoxious man pain that a woman had to take the brunt of the whole time. Also there were less hippos. But queer hippo riders! Definitely read the first one, and they’re both novellas so no reason not to read the second as well. (2 novellas)

A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers - I may be the only person who hasn’t read the long way to a small angry planet at this point, but I did grab her new novella and I loved it. It made me want to go sit out in the woods and feel peaceful. The world it’s set in feels like a peaceful post-apocalypse...or diverted apocalypse maybe. Humans built robots and robots gained sentience, but instead of rebelling they just up and left and went into the wilderness with a promise that the humans wouldn’t follow them.The remaining human society reshaped itself into something new and peaceful. It’s the story of a monk who leaves their habitual monking duties to go be a tea monk and then later wanders into the wilderness and becomes the first human in ages to meet a robot. Very sad there’s no fan art yet. (novella, more forthcoming)

The March North - Graydon Saunders - This was such a weird book that I’m not sure how to explain it. The prose style is hard to get used to and I suspect a lot of people will bounce off it in the first chapter. There’s no third person pronouns used at all and important events get mentioned once in passing and if you blink you’ll miss them. Set on a world where magic is extremely common to the point that rivers sometimes run with blood or fire and the local weeds are something out of a horror movie and most of the world is run by powerful sorcerer dictators, one country banded together (with the help of a few powerful sorcerers who were tired of all the bullshit) to form a free country where powerful sorcerers wouldn’t rule and the small magics of every day folks could be combined to work together. The story revolves around a Captain of the military force on the border who one day has three very powerful sorcerers sent to them by the main government with the hint that just maybe there’s about to be a big invasion (there is) with the implication of take these guys and go deal with this. The world building is extremely complex and very cool...when you can actually understand what the fuck is going on. There is also a murder sheep named Eustace who breathes fire and eats just about everything and is a Very Good Boy and belongs to the most terrifying sorcerer in the world who appears as a little old grandma with knitting. It had one of the most epic badass and wonderfully grotesque battles I’ve ever read. But yeah, it is not what I would call easy reading. Opinions may vary wildly. I did also read the second one (A Succession of Bad Days) in the series which was easier to follow and had a lot more details about the world, but overall I was more meh about it despite some cool aspects. The chapters and chapters of the extreme details of building a house that made up half the novel just weren’t my thing. (novels).

The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson - In this world parallels universes exist and we’ve discovered how to travel between them, but the catch is you can only go to worlds where the ‘you’ there is already dead. This turns into an uncomfortable look at who would be the people most likely to have died on many worlds and how things like class and race would fit into that and what we would actually use this ability for (if you guessed stealing resources and the stock market you’d be correct). The main character is a queer woc who travels between worlds with the assistance of her handler (another queer woc) who she has the hots for. She accidentally stumbles on a whole lot of mess and conspiracy and gets swept up in that. Really enjoyed it. (novel)

Witchmark - C.L. Polk - Fantasy world reminiscent of Victorian England (I think?) where a young man with magical gifts runs away from his powerful family to avoid being exploited by them. He joins the army and fights in a war and comes home to try and live a quiet life as a doctor, but a murder pulls him into a larger mystery that upturns his life. Also he’s extremely gay and there’s a prevalent m/m romance. This one was a fun-but-not-mind-blowing one for me. (novel, 2 more in the series I haven’t read)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon - This was one of those that everyone loved but I couldn’t get into for some reason. I tried twice and only got about halfway through the second time. It’s got dragons and queer ladies and fantasy world and all the things I like, but I wasn’t that invested in the main story (which included the f/f couple) and was more interested in the smaller story about a woman trying to become a dragon rider. There are few things that beat out a lady and her dragon friend story for me and that was the storyline that felt neglected and took a different turn right when we got to the part I’d been waiting for. But, I know a lot of people whose reading opinions I respect who loved it, and if you like epic fantasy with dragons and queens and treachery and pirates and queer characters then I’d say you should definitely give it a try. (novel)

Bonus: I didn’t read these series this year, but if you haven’t read them yet, you should.

Imperial Radch (Ancillary Justice) - Ann Leckie - Spaceship AI stuck in a human body out for revenge for their former captain, but that summary does not come close to doing it justice. Another one examining imperialism and also gender and race.(3 novels)

Kushiel's Legacy Series - Jacqueline Carey - This is two series, six books total, and starts with Kushiel's Dart. Alternate universe Renaissance-y Europe in a fantastical world where sex isn't shameful and sex workers are respected and prized. Lots of political intrigue and mystery. A lot of BDSM and kinky stuff too (the main character is a sexual masochist, oh and also bi!). I first read this series when I was fifteen or sixteen and it definitely made a big impression on me. Same author also wrote the Santa Olivia series which I’d also recommend. (6 novels)

The Locked Tomb (Gideon the Ninth) - Tamsyn Muir - I mean, if you follow me, you know. If you don’t follow me you still probably know. I’d have felt remiss to have left them off though. Lesbian Necormancers in Space. Memes! Skeletons! Biceps! Go read them. (2 novels, 2 forthcoming, 1 short story)

Books On My To Read List:

Fireheart Tiger - Aliette de Bodard

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water - Zen Cho

Black Sun - Rebecca Roanhorse

This Is How You Lose the TIme War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Ninefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee

Also, if anyone has any recs for scifi/fantasy books starring queer men (not necessarily having to do with a queer relationship) and written by queer men I’d love them. There’s a lot written by women, and some of them are great, but I’d love to read a story about queer men from their own perspective.

[zaffrenotes]

[RoD] Pixel Person MPC Tutorial - Part 1 - Supplies

I intended to just share the patterns for the Pixel People version of the RoD characters for @rodappreciationweek but a few folks expressed interest in more detailed instructions, so I spent entirely too much time writing up a How To guide because I'm a nerd. and a craft nerd. and then realized it was way too much information for one video, so I split it into 3 parts.

Part 1 will go over supplies, and includes the patterns, with a color chart. Part 2 will show you how I stitch one of the pixel people, and Part 3 will go over how to finish your project to display and/or wear.

First off, here's the shopping list to start things off - feel free to save this to your phone so you can refer to it when looking for stuff online/in person at your local craft store. JoAnn's will have 99% of the list, Michael's will have maybe 80%, and anything you can't find in person you can order online - while Amazon carries nearly all of these things, I highly recommend 123stitch.com as a specialized store. They carry an insane amount of inventory and they ship orders fast.

FABRIC

Aida (pronounced "eye-duh," "eye-ee-duh," or "ay-duh") is the fabric most commonly associated with cross stitching, especially for beginners. It's a stiff, gridded fabric with evenly spaced holes to pass the needle through. It's easiest to find in white, but it comes in other colors, and it's sold in a variety of "counts," which refers to the number of stitches in an inch. 11 or 14 count is good for beginners, 16 count or higher is good to include a lot of detail in a smaller workspace. DMC, Charles Craft, and Sensations are good brands.

Cotton is another option if you don't like the appearance of Aida. This can be any solid or patterned design you like, but aim for a quilting weight if this is your first time stitching. Something like cotton jersey would have too much stretch. Kona Cotton has a nice weave, but nearly anything in the quilting cotton section will work.

Linen is a third option, and the material I personally like to use for hand embroidery. It can have a very open weave or a tighter weave closer to cotton, and often includes "imperfections" where some of the threads are thick in spots, adding a textured feel to the material.

If you decide to stitch on cotton, linen, or a finished product like a sweatshirt or cloth napkin, you'll want to add Waste Canvas to your list. It looks similar to Aida cloth with the grid pattern, but you lay it over your fabric and use it as a template to create the same even stitching as you'd get with Aida. You can then remove it by dampening the work area and pulling the waste canvas threads out one by one; if it's a soluble version, you can submerge the finished piece in warm water to 10-20 minutes and the canvas will dissolve into the water. DMC and Charles Craft are good brands.

Additionally, for any cross stitch done on something that will be worn/washed with regular use (clothing, towels, napkins, etc.) you'll want to get Fusible Interfacing that will protect that backside of the material and aid in locking the stitches in place. It's sold on bolts in JoAnn's, typically near the cutting station in most of their stores. It looks like tissue paper, where one side is smooth and the other side is bumpy/textured. The bumps are glue that gets activated with a combination of heat and water (you will need an iron for this). You won't need much; a 1/4 yard strip would be more than enough. You just need enough to cover the stitched area of your finished piece. Pellon brand in P44 is something I use for all kinds of sewing projects. Do yourself a favor and find the discount/scrap bin near the cutting station or search the pre-cut fat quarters in the quilting aisle and pick something white/light colored to use as a pressing cloth.

EMBROIDERY HOOP/FRAME FOR STITCHING

Aida is generally pretty stiff on its own not to need a frame, but a hoop/frame is nice to use to keep the oils on your fingers from getting into the fabric (and it's nice to be able to hold something for a large pattern). Cotton and linen are too soft/flexible to stitch on their own, especially if you want tight and even stitches, so you'll definitely want a hoop in that case.

Hoops can either be wood, plastic, or sometimes metal. I prefer using wood, but feel free to get whatever you like. Anything larger than an 8" hoop will be cumbersome to hold in your hand, but aim for a hoop that gives you extra space outside of the dimensions of your pattern. For example, one pixel person on 14-count Aida will measure about 3/4 inch x 2.25 inches; one person on 8-count will measure 1 inch x 4 inches. If you're stitching the whole crew, an 8" hoop should be fine.

If you plan to display your finished piece in a hoop, pick up more than one - one to display, the other to use for stitching.

If you really get into cross stitch, something like a Q-snap frame will be kinder to your fabric while you work. Q-snaps are plastic tubes that form either a square or rectangular frame, and come with clamps to hold fabric in place. You can then roll the clamp to tighten the fabric if it loses tension while you stitch, versus pulling the fabric in a hoop to readjust tension, which can sometimes warp the stitches. Q-snaps are more expensive than hoops though. In the photo I have pieces of felt that I layer over the fabric, to give the clamps more of a grip and to protect the fabric.

SCISSORS

Pretty self-explanatory - you want a large-ish pair to cut and trim your fabric, waste canvas, and/or interfacing to size. They can be fancy dressmaker shears or utility scissors; just make sure they're nice and sharp.

You'll also want a smaller pair of embroidery/needlework snips to trim thread. Nail scissors would also work. PS - decorative snips are very cute and if you're like me you'll want to collect them just for fun, lol

EMBROIDERY FLOSS AND NEEDLES

Embroidery Floss - DMC and Anchor are the brands easiest to find in stores. I prefer DMC due to the wide variety of colors, and colorfastness even after years of use. You'll want the standard 6-strand skeins from either brand for cross stitch; don't mess with the corded perle cotton (I know they're pretty, but we want the smoother skeins so we can pull the threads apart later). I suggest going with DMC since not all the colors I used in my patterns have an equivalent shade in Anchor's inventory.

Embroidery and/or Tapestry needles are different from the standard sewing needles you might already have at home in a sewing kit (though sewing needles will come in handy for part of the process too). The eyes on embroidery/tapestry needles are larger to accommodate for multiple threads at once, or even silk ribbons for fancy embroidery work. There are tons of articles online that go into detail about the difference between needle sizes and when to use them, but the main difference is embroidery needles are usually longer and have sharper points to literally stab a hole through fabric; tapestry needles are shorter/thinner and have blunt (but still sharp if you poke your finger) points to go through open weaves. Pick up a pack to have multiple colors of floss threaded while you work; Clover, Bohin, and DMC are all good brands.

(not pictured) Bobbins - Little paper or plastic pieces used to wrap and store excess floss. They're good if you want to organize your floss in a floss box, and for labeling floss if you're working on something with a lot of colors.

[click to enlarge] Above is the chart that tells you all the different colors you'll need to get for each character. If you plan to do multiple characters that use some of the same numbers, it's fine to just pick up one skein of that color; you're only using a small portion of the floss so it will last you a VERY long time 😅

(I know the image quality sucks, but tumblr maxes out at 10 images per post. This breaks down where each floss color is used, depending on the character/outfit. You can view/download the patterns from my Google drive here to save to your phone or tablet, and use as a reference when stitching.

EXTRAS (FOR FINISHING YOUR STITCHING)

If you're a crafter of many things like me, you might already have some of this stuff in your home. I'll go into more detail on how/when to use these items in Part 3, but add what you need to your supply list to get everything in one go...

Sewing thread and sewing needles - nothing super fancy, just pick a thread in a contrasting color from whatever color your fabric is (e.g. stitching on white Aida? use green or navy thread.)

Chipboard or Mat board - pick up a sheet only if you're going to frame your finished piece in a picture frame where you pull the back out to open it. It's a thick fiber board that looks like cardboard. If you can't find any, the back material of a sketchpad will work, or you can use 2 layers from a cereal box for a less expensive DIY option.

Binder clips - you'll use these to hold fabric in place against the chipboard if you're framing your project in a picture frame.

Cardstock - optional if you plan to display your project in an embroidery hoop or front loading picture frame. You'd glue this to the backside of the hoop and/or layer over the stitched fabric to hide the raw edges.

Clothespins - if you plan to display your project in a hoop, clothespins will help press the fabric to the inner hoop while the glue dries.

Glue - only if you plan to display your project in a hoop. Fabric, tacky, craft, or hot glue; whatever your personal preference is.

PREP THE RED FLOSS

I can't speak for Anchor brand floss, but the red floss colors for DMC brand have a tendency to bleed onto fabric if the threads get wet. It's an annoying and painstaking effort to remove the stain from the fabric without removing color from nearby floss once a piece is already stitched, so I proactively wash my red floss if I plan to stitch on anything other than black fabric.

If you're stitching on Aida, you can probably skip this step since you won't need to wet the fabric. If you're stitching on something that uses waste canvas and the pixel person you're stitching has red in their pattern (Colt's red pants, MC's plaid flannel, MC's tube top, MC's red leather jacket) keep reading.

In a clean cup, add some warm water with a couple drops of dishwashing soap. Remove the paper bands from the floss skein and drop the floss in, soaking all the threads. Gently swirl the water in the cup to work it into the fibers, or carefully use your finger/a chopstick/end of a paintbrush to agitate the water without messing up the floss too much. After a minute or so, dump the water and rinse the floss until you no longer see soap bubbles when you give it a little squeeze. Lay it down on a clean cloth or towel somewhere to air dry.

Get ready for Part 2, where I'll show you how to stitch a mini MPC!

[bluekaddis]

hi! do you have any thoughts on free marches culture/fashion/inspirations etc? im trying to piece together some marcher names but i cant find any real world inspirations to draw from - my best guess rn is a blend of like, irish, english and greek with some slavic inspo from ferelden?

Hi!

It’s a very good ask, thank you!

The Free Marches are great for headcanons because we know so little about them. We know about Kirkwall but other than that? The possibilities are endless.

The Marchers are canonically descendants of both the Alamarri and the Tevinter people so I would expect some level of multi-ethnicity in all the city states. I also think that cities closer to Tevinter and Antiva (like Hasmal or Ansburg) would have more in common with those countries while cities like Kirkwall or Ostwick would resemble Ferelden more.

I've also checked the official titles in various cities because they might show the connections to other countries. Based on that the fact that the ruler of Ostwick bears the title of Teyrn may suggest that, at least at some point in history, Ostwick's political system was under strong influence of Fereldan culture. Similarly, the title of Duke in Wycome may suggest strong Orlesian influence.

These differences would affect accents, cuisine, perhaps some local holidays as well. As for fashion, I think that the differences between nobles in each city state would be far from striking as the court fashion has a tendency to be more unified across cities and even countries. The clothes and the hairstyles of the lower classes would be much more varied, though, and if you are looking for inspiration, it would be good to look through regional folk costumes across different countries.

As for real-life inspirations - I personally headcanon The Free Marches to represent Central Europe (more-or-less the borders of the Holy Roman Empire), the Balkans and Greece. I also like to add England to the mix because in my headcanon Ferelden is closer to Slavic than Anglo-Saxon culture. I especially headcanon Ostwick and Tantervale to have a bit of 19th century England vibe when it comes to their culture and aesthetics. More toned down in fashion compared to rococo-styled Orlais, with strict manners, where self-restraint and piousness are really valued. People from Ostwick would frown both on Orlesian hedonism and Fereldan straight-forwardness. But it’s just my personal take, made to serve my (sad) Trevelyan’s backstory. 🙂

I don't have well-defined ideas for other city states at the moment but I'm curious to hear other people's thoughts!

I know that it’s not much information but I hope that it helps you a bit 🙂 Have fun creating your own version of The Free Marches!

For good meta about The Free Marches I highly recommend:

* the map of The Free Marches with additional non-canon places added by @grogblogging

https://grogblogging.tumblr.com/post/155309281375/non-canon-map-of-the-free-marches-the-official-map

* Dragon Age Names Catalogue (for canon Marchers names) by @dalishious

https://dalishious.tumblr.com/post/653090877420503041/dragon-age-names-catalogue