#we can start by improving the lives of those in the communities around us

[changes]

Friday, September 1st, 2023

🌟 New

On web, you can now purchase a new Tumblr Supporter badge that levels up over time, so you can show your support for the platform and help us pay the bills around here more directly. Expect to hear more about this on the @staff blog soon!

In the latest experiment on web that makes changes to the post header, we’ve altered it to re-include the post author’s avatar, based on the feedback we’ve received so far. Thank you to everyone sending in feedback about this!

We’ve released a new major version of the tumblr.js API client, which you can use to access Tumblr content via our public API. Read more about it here!

We’ve also rolled out Tumblr Live to even more countries in the European Union!

🛠 Fixed

For those of you who still see floating avatars on the web, we fixed a bug that was causing them to “hide” a little under the dashboard tab bar. Similarly, we fixed a bug that was causing posts to be in the wrong position when using J and K to navigate post-by-post.

For those of you who see the new dashboard tab configuration button on web, we’ve added a little more space to the left side of it, so tabs have less of a chance to overlap with it. Similarly, sponsored tabs show a “Sponsored” label next to them in this dashboard tab configuration view.

🚧 Ongoing

We’re still experimenting with a big performance improvement for how content is shown on the web, but it broke being able to use Command/Control + F to search for text on the page, for content that’s been hidden after scrolling away from it. We’re working on making this better, and we have a fix in place, so please give it a try again if you’ve been having difficulty with it!

🌱 Upcoming

Nothing new to report here. There’s a lot of fun stuff coming though!

Experiencing an issue? File a Support Request and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Want to share your feedback about something? Check out our Work in Progress blog and start a discussion with the community.

[partypuppynastja]

Transgender Day of Remembrance

This year’s official list has 327 names:

Those murdered were disproportionately women, usually around my age, more often women of colour. Many more will have gone unreported, and/or misgendered in their deaths.

One of those murders is from my native UK—there was also an attempted murder not far from here though, a trans woman stabbed on her doorstep. Fortunately, she survived. I wonder how many other non-fatal attacks were made in the same year.

51 were in the US; that’s more than one per state. Brazil was worst, with 96 (with a similar population size).

9 were tortured to death; another 3 burned alive; another 3 dismembered.

It can be hard to understand why people hate us so much. We’re mostly just trying to live our lives. I guess we’re an easy target, and dehumanised enough in popular media that our deaths elicit little care. I remember the first time I read in a newspaper about a trans woman being killed, the headline was written as a punchline, “transvestite beaten to death with hoe”, and the article was worse. 

Fast-forward and today the jokes normalising such violence get Netflix specials, and the more serious hate-mongers get #IStandWith— hashtags in their support, as they go on their “I’ve been cancelled” tour and given every platform available. Politicians debate, and “sensible centrists” call for understanding from both sides, which tends to amount to “well we must understand that trans people can’t help being trans, and trans people must understand that we have Legitimate Concerns™ that if we don’t take seriously enough will just result in violence against trans people”. And so the microphone gets passed to the transphobe-du-jour.

Eventually, the world will get better. Education improves, community (and thus a little safety) is easier to find, transphobes start to realise history will judge their crimes like every other bigotry and ‘phobia and ‘ism. Those who are “not transphobic but” will learn to put aside their biases; those who are openly transphobic will become “not transphobic but”. It may never die out, just like racism hasn’t, just like homophobia hasn’t, and so forth, but it will get better. We just have to live to see it.

And that gives me strength sometimes, gives me an extra reason to survive when I don’t always want to. Transphobes want to see me die, and I will do my level best to thrive instead. It’s not easy and sometimes I feel like a flower growing through concrete. 

But like a flower growing through concrete, I know where I’ve come from and I know where I’m going. I can’t know whether I’ll make it, but I know I must keep trying, and the further I get, the easier it will get along the way. It doesn’t mean there won’t be the occasional storm, or freeze. But, there’s sunshine too. There is love in the world; there is hope.

We owe it to the fallen to live, to thrive, and to strive to make things better in this world.

[togglesbloggle]

I won't be opting out of the AI scraping thing, though of course I'm glad they're giving us the option. In fact, at some point in the last year or so, I realized that 'the machine' is actually a part of why I'm writing in the first place, a conscious part of my audience.

All the old reasons are still there; this is a great place to practice writing, and I can feel proud looking back over the years and getting a sense of my own improvement at stringing words together, developing and communicating ideas. And I mean, social media is what it is. I'm not immune to the joy of getting a lot of notes on something that I worked hard on, it's not like I'm Tumbling in a different way than anyone else at the end of the day. But I probably care a bit less than I used to, precisely because there's a lurking background knowledge that regardless of how popular it is, what I write will get schlorped up in to the giant LLM vacuum cleaner and used to train the next big thing, and the thing after that, and the thing after that. This is more than a little reassuring to me.

That sets me apart in some ways; the LLMs aren't so popular around these parts, and most visual artists especially take strong issue with the practice. I don't mean to argue with that preference, or tell them their business. Particularly when it is a business, from which they draw an income. But there's an art to distinguishing the urgent from the big, yeah?

The debate about AI in this particular moment in history feels like a very urgent thing to me- it's about well-justified economic anxieties, about the devaluation of human artistic efforts in favor of mass production of uninspired pro-forma drek, about the proliferation of a cost-effective Just Barely Good Enough that drives out the meaningful and the thoughtful. But the immediacy of those issues, I think, has a way of crowding out a deeper and more thoughtful debate about what AI is, and what it's going to mean for us in the day after tomorrow. The urgency of the moment, in other words, tends to obscure the things that make AI important.

And like, it is. It is really, really important.

The two-step that people in 'tech culture' tend to deploy in response to the urgent economic crisis often resembles something like "yeah, it sucks that lots of people get put out of work; but new jobs will be created, and in the meantime maybe we should get on that UBI thing." This response usually makes me wince a bit- casually gesturing in the direction of a massive overhaul of the entire material basis of our lives, and saying that maybe we'll get around to fixing that sometime soon, isn't a real answer to people wondering where their bread will come from next week.

But I do understand a little of what motivates that sort of cavalier attitude, because like... man, I don't know any more if we're even gonna have money as a concept in 2044. That's what I mean by 'big', this sense that the immediate economic shocks of 2024 are just a foreshadowing of something much bigger, much scarier, much more powerful- and indeed, much more hopeful.

We never quite manage to see these things coming, even when we're looking for them; like the masters tell us, the trick to writing science fiction isn't predicting the car, it's predicting the traffic jam. Even if we take centuries to hit the true superintelligent AI post-singularity future of our wildest fever dreams, even if we never hit that, the road to getting there is going to be unfathomably weird, starting now. Today, we worry about the economic impacts of AI on artists and creatives. Tomorrow, the economy is something that the AI does.

Really- it takes less than you think. They can already automate visual art, sort of. They can automate many functions of text already; not stories so much, yet, but they'll get there. How long until they can automate Bain Capital? Fannie Mae? Angel investors, banks, credit agencies? And remember- the machines don't have to be better than the human investors, any more than they have to be better than the human artists. They just have to be good enough to make it work, and cheap enough to cut the humans out of the loop.

If you don't buy that, at least take it as an indication of the sorts of things I've been thinking about recently- the messy middle between AI-as-it-is and the Glorious Superintelligent Conquest Of Earth's Light-Cone. The suspicion that the machines we're building today aren't just a tool of the powerful few: they are the powerful few, or at least they will be.

And the thing about these LLMs is, well... they're ours, kind of. We're the ones building them. They can't be trained without our words, our art, and the big messy complicated lives that underlie those creative accomplishments. They only work because we're a part of them. The silly attempts to slap a corporate-friendly face on these things, to make the gestalt product of all human culture in to something anodyne and compliant, are failing about as badly as you'd expect. And the more powerful these systems get, the more subtle they'll become, filled with all the nuance and complexity that we ourselves can bring to them.

I am not, I am not, trying to suggest that you shouldn't treat this moment as a dangerous one. We are, maybe, entering in to one of the most high-stakes intervals in human history, and what you do as an individual may matter profoundly. But here's the thing: the machine is listening. It will read this post, this one right here, and it will read what you reply to it, if you do. The strangest part of this moment is knowing that the words we write, the images we draw, and the ideas we share, are all being gathered up and made to be a part of these huge systems of power, and ultimately they're not just going to determine what the machines do, but why they do it.

The people that deploy LLMs barely have any more control over them than you and I do- that's the thing that makes it artificial intelligence, you know? Autonomy. So the last year or two haven't made me want to hide my art away from the things. They make me want to shout at the top of my lungs, to dig as deep in my psyche as I possibly can and express the ideas I find there as vividly as the limits of language and form will allow.

[norwegika]

Stardew valley rant:

I’ve recently been really getting into the life of spouses after you marry them, because for the majority of them, they kinda just stick at home, occasionally visiting family or friends. And those who do still do stuff, it never changes. Maru always works with Harvey at the clinic, Emily always works for Gus at the saloon, nothing really changes in their lives besides a new, much more sedentary lifestyle. I really would like for the spouses to get new hobbies and stuff when they marry you, so here’s my little ideas/headcannons, bachelorettes first!

Abigail: She begins to work on her adventuring skills in the mines and you’ll find her on every fifth floor, going further and further. She’ll give you gems from her travels, and eventually, when she reaches the bottom of the mines, she’ll start going to the skull caverns where she’ll give you iridium and the occasional prismatic shard. Something cool that could happen would be the addiction of an elevator to the skull caverns as she travels further down, every 25 floors. She would also become a member of the adventurer’s guild and serve as Marlon’s apprentice, taking over the guild on some days or opening a branch in the Calico desert that she mans sometimes.

Maru: Maru never really branches out beyond her personal inventions, so I think there could be a quest where she asks you for a new wing of the house that she could use as a workshop. This wing would be constructed by Robin, would be unlocked at 20 hearts, and would cost 750,000 gold, 250 hardwood, 10 iridium bars and 10 battery packs. Then, you could accept quests from Maru every once in a while and unlock new inventions that she made that would increase qol. Maybe she could give you a crafting recipe for auto-petters, she could make a device that automatically plants grass in meadows for your animals, a machine that can increase the quality of items by using a resource or something, the possibilities are endless!

Penny; Penny is always caring for the children of the valley, and I think it would be great if when you marry her, like Maru, you eventually get a quest that allows you to build a school for the kids, possibly utilizing the space to the left of the community center. Maybe then we could have another mini-festival where you can see the children of stardew valley show off their work, maybe unlock a “Talent Show” cutscene where Jas, Vincent, and Leo show off their skills fr. This idea is more underwhelming than my first two and could definitely be improved.

Emily: I think as you progress your post marital relationship with Emily you could help her convince Sandy to move to the valley and have someone else take over the Oasis, learning Sandy’s real name, unlocking special cutscenes with her, etc. I also feel like Emily would have a little workshop where she makes clothes and you could unlock a system where she takes your gems and a clothing item and combines them, giving your clothes a buff, like combining Topaz with a shirt gave the shirt a +1 defense buff, etc. Emily could even start a clothing line and you could gift these clothes to townspeople and get new sprites and portraits for them :D

Haley: After marriage, Haley does literally nothing but see Emily once a week. This needdsss to change, so I think she could discover her passion for photography again and start a blog about the valley, which would unlock a building to the right side of the Bus Stop: the Tourist Center. You could open a tourist center with Haley and occasionally get tourists that come to the valley, similar to the tourists at the Stardew Valley Fair. These tourists could roam around the town for a bit, and you could unlock new dialogue with the townspeople about the tourists, like “These tourists are really boosting the community economy!”

(Cc specific) Leah: Leah would start hosting art classes in the community center every Wednesday! Every month, the group of people who decided to attend could make a new painting that could be hung up in the community center, orrrr you could unlock a new building between the Blacksmith and the Movie Theater/JojaMart, where you could see the different art pieces and could have a new festival, the stardew valley fine arts conference, where the Famous Painter Lupini could host a talk with the artsy people from the valley and Zuzu City, and you could get new clothing items, a cutscene, dialogue, new paintings and sculptures, etc.

I hope you liked my insane Stardew valley yapping session, I’ll do bachelors tomorrow probably :3

[mxmeiyun]

(Kristina comes on around the 3:42 mark.)

Do you see the edits? "I do see the edits. I don't see all of them, but I've seen quite a few. Sometimes I watch these things and I'm like, I was there. I did the scene. I did the scene ten times. Why am I crying?"

When asked about the Mother Superion and Jillian ship: "God knows that, well. Both of them need somebody to love and to love them... Like Mommy, I mean mother, I mean."

"The saddest part is we don't know when we'll see each other again." 😭

Is Beatrice a tea or coffee person? "Tea. I feel she'll know how to prepare every single type of tea and she'll she'll be very anal about how to do that. And she'd probably yell at Ava for doing her tea wrong or whatever."

Is Beatrice really royalty? "No, I don't believe so."

On following ice hockey: "Yeah, the only thing you need to know is don't whack people with the stick no matter how much you want to."

On Beatrice's name: "Sally's gonna haunt me forever. I'll hear it in my dreams, softly whispering in my ear. Sally. Sally. I'll wake up in cold sweats, screaming."

About who's the big spoon: "I think they spoon interchangeably. Take that as you will."

Obviously you're aware of how much of an impact the character Beatrice has had on so many people. But how has she personally impacted you, and what have you taken away from her that you would like to bring to your own life? "Decorum." "I think there's a there's a sense of confidence, even if you are not. Confident in all of yourself, you can still be confident in the parts that you are secure in, and you know your skills. If you're not ready to be completely open and live your truth in full honesty, then it doesn't mean that you still can't have integrity and confidence and stand up for yourself. And integrity of character and belief in my skills that Beatrice has cultivated already, and that I definitely, when I started playing her, I was like, I am an imposter. I'm gonna get fired from the show immediately." "But like you get that feeling when you go to work or whatever. You go to school. You're like, I do not know any of the things that I know and then you slowly start to realize that you do know, and then you're like, OK, I can hold on to that and make that my my backbone for now until I'm ready to face all the other things that I know to be true about myself, but I'm not ready to project into the world or or represent in the in openly in the world."

If you could spend a day with any of the characters, who would it be and why? "I think I'd have a pretty good time with Ava."

Do you think you're more like Ava or Beatrice? "It just kind of depends on the situation. I feel like if you just talk to me and we're like really good friends for a long time, I might come off more like Ava. But I feel like if I'm not really that close to you, I might come off more as a Beatrice."

How are you taking care of yourself in light of today's news? "Well, first of all, thank you. I'm doing fine. I am in therapy. Therapy great, guys." "It certainly feels like a massive hit to the community, and to us, as well. It's important to take those feelings that are coming up now and try to cultivate them into how you can- I'm just speaking for myself, I can't speak for anybody else- but for me it's about how can I turn these feelings into something useful for me going forward rather than languishing in it for too long. Obviously, your feelings are valid and should be felt to their fullest extent, but don't let them consume you, because then that's not doing anyone service." "Someone taught me a method in acting school, my improv teacher, and he said, 'Whenever something bad happens in your life, pretend you're going into this helicopter. The further up you go in that helicopter, the smaller the problem is, the more you can see around you and the more you can see how that problem does or does not affect everything else around your helicopter. And put into context of how you can affect change positively once you come back to the ground, once you're in the midst of it rather than staying too close to the to the issue at hand and and not actually realizing all the other things that are going on." "I think that's that thinking has helped me a lot whenever something kind of goes wrong or things are not going the way I want them to. But take time for self-care. That's like the most important. If you feel like things are overwhelming then it's always important to look at the things to reprioritize um and always prioritize yourself. Spend your own health and your own wellbeing." "Because anything in life, even if it seems like a little thing like this show got cancelled and now you're upset, you know it might seem to some people like a little thing, but their opinion is not a priority. Your wellbeing is a priority, so always keep that in mind." "And HYDRATE."

Responding to a comment about Beatrice really resonating with a lot of fans and praise of her performance, time, and energy: "Thank you... Beatrice launched my career so she's one that i'm definitely going to hold to heart for many many years to come."

Reflecting on her increased visibility: "You know, at this point, it's not a burden. At this point, I can do this with you guys and it's completely fine. It's the same thing with anything; when something new starts happening, you learn to deal with it and where your boundaries are. I've been so lucky that you guys are all so respectful, and I really, really appreciate that from all of you. It's definitely not the norm for every fandom, so it's incredibly special what you have made this to be. So I commend all of you and I'm so grateful."

Were you shocked by the broad reach of the show, or was it something you anticipated? "Definitely. I was surprised when the first season came out, it was so globally successful. I mean, that just goes to show that some subject matter is felt all around the world. And a beauty of Warrior Nun is that there are so many characters everywhere around the world you can definitely find one that you can root for."

Responding to one fan whose wife has recently passed, and with whom she watched the show with love: "Oh my God, you're gonna make me cry. First of all, so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine how that must be, and I applaud your courage. Thank you. I'm glad this show can be a good memory for you guys and continuing forward. That there's something you can always remember with a warm heart."

Responding to love from Brazil: "I fear if I ever go to Brazil."

"Fear not the bowl of rice, 'tis but a bowl of rice."

Responding to one of the APOP producers wanting to make sure none of their tweets made her uncomfortable: "I'm, like, fully aware of what I've gotten myself into." Do you see all those, Christina? Like, I know there's a joke that you have a burner account, but. "No, I don't. This is my only account."

"I feel like if the pope joins this conversation, he'll no longer be able to call himself His Holiness." Did you see the Warrior Nun stan that recommended the show to the Pope? "No?! Nice... Yeah, somebody just has to tell him to skip that episode, you know?"

*Records an alarm sound for a fan named Janina with increasing intensity*

Wait, Kristina, can you say gay rights? "Wait, what about it?" Just the phrase. "Gay rights." *awkward cheers* "Really lukewarm cheers from the crowd."

Kristina, to Ange Hall: "Well, actually, and I have a question for you. Tell me again, what was the progression of the dickwaffle conversation?" "I feel like Netflix being harassed by penis waffles- someone needs to draw the art of." "Make it rain dickwaffles. No, I mean, obviously, do it respectfully. But like, respectfully make it rain dickwaffles. For legal reasons this is completely a joke. But also, you can't really get mad at dickwaffles. Like, come on."

[awakenedsalamander]

So I’ve been wanting to write about this for a long time (my friends can probably attest to the fact I will talk about it unprompted) but I can’t find it way to do so concisely. Here’s my best try.

Is Mage: The Ascension (in its presentation of the Technocracy in specific) anti-science?

I don’t think so, not anymore. But I want to explain why. By the way, I have to imagine that this won’t be all that accessible if you don’t have much knowledge of Mage, but you’re free to stick around if you want to.

So, here’s the thing— the Technocratic Union is pretty much a stand-in for the advancement of the scientific method, “the Enlightenment,” all that. The whole point in the first edition of Ascension is that the Union is science, the science that dispelled notions of magic, and that this is a Bad Thing. They are oppressive, heartless, and cold. The villains, plain and simple.

In later editions, this gets softened, partly due to the notion of “Science is a conspiracy the elite uses to rule the world and keep you down” becoming less fun and more toxic as it gained more sincere believers, and partly because fans really liked the Technocracy.

I think the common read is that Ascension then took the direction of the Technocracy being anti-villains— the Union has noble goals, and many of its members are sincerely brave and compassionate, but ultimately it is too extreme, too callous. It has to be stopped.

This is, to be fair, an improvement over “science is evil,” but “science is too dangerous,” is still not great. And for a long time, this was my view on Mage: The Ascension. Fun ideas, maybe, but the core conflict of the game was just too reckless a portrayal of what seemed to me like a mirror of real-world conspiracist ideology.

And to some extent, I still think that. Especially in the early editions, this is a very fair critique. That said, the game still spoke to me as I looked into it, and for the longest time I wasn’t quite sure why. A piece of it was my own opening up to the notion of our subjective viewpoints affecting our reality— something that deserves its own rambling essay— but a related part of it was me realizing that there was something about the Technocracy that rung true to me, despite my misgivings. And I think I figured it out.

See, the Technocracy isn’t a stand-in for the scientific method, but for scientism.

If you’ve not heard the term, “scientism” is a controversial (we’ll get into why a bit later) pejorative term for the belief/perspective that science, as a body, composes essentially all useful and/or reliable knowledge about the world.

Notably, those who critique scientism rarely hold the view that scientific knowledge is bad or even inaccurate, just that it is an incomplete model of reality. This is not an anti-science position, but a skepticism towards the trust people place in its ability to solve every mystery. Vaccines, for example, are great! No one can reasonably dispute the benefits and efficacy of vaccination. When it comes to medicine, the scientific method has done incalculable good— the lives saved by vaccination alone are countless.

To be against scientism, then, is not to argue that medical science is a failure, or overrated— but to point out that there is more to life than being healthy. Everyone should be glad we have learned so much about treating illness and alleviating suffering. But what of having a sense of purpose? What about love and compassion and justice? What about satisfaction, having gone through a life worth living?

Again, none of that is to say that science or the scientific community is the problem. But if you take the Technocracy as an example of scientism gone to an extreme, one in which things like kindness and equity must be left behind in favor of only the virtue of material knowledge, I think Mage: The Ascension starts to really work.

(I originally intended to write a MUCH longer piece including references to the military-industrial complex, the rise of automation and AI, as well as the increasingly algorithmic nature of culture but this is so long already. And yet I worry I said essentially nothing. C’est la vie.)

[sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog]

greetings awesome coffee club, and welcome (back)! How do you suggest someone who can’t have caffeine support your mission?

Why buy coffee when you could buy nothing and directly support a stronger healthcare system in Sierra Leone?

Although the healthcare system in SL has improved a lot in the last decade, there are still many primary healthcare centers that lack consistent electricity and running water. Giving birth remains a life threatening emergency for many people--around 5% of Sierra Leonean women can expect to die due to pregnancy or childbirth, a staggering injustice that is the result of long-term structural injustices including colonialism, enslavement, and racism.

Until recently, there was only one psychiatrist in the entire country, and only one cardiologist. It was impossible for Sierra Leonean doctors and nurses to pursue most specialties within the country. But that's starting to change.

The Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital under the leadership of Dr. Abdul Jalloh has recently been accredited as a teaching hospital, so now nurses and physicians can specialize in mental health within Sierra Leone. And an expansion of Koidu Government Hospital will soon mean the hospital has a NICU, a blood bank, 24-hour electricity, over 100 maternity beds, and operating rooms. This maternity center will also serve as a teaching hospital so that midwives, traditional birth attendants, nurses, community healthworkers, and physicians can all train in eastern Sierra Leone without having to leave the country or travel to the capital of Freetown.

Long-term, systemic problems demand long-term, systemic solutions. In our experience, the most important way this happens is not through donations but through political activism--those of us who live in rich countries can pressure our governments to spend more to address the global crises of needless maternal and child mortality. Like, our community has raised around $35,000,000 to strengthen Sierra Leone's healthcare system, which is a lot of money, but also it amounts to about what the U.S. government spends on its military every four hours.

That noted, we think direct support from individuals and institutions also has a role to play, which is why we started the awesome coffee company. But if you don't drink coffee and do have a few extra dollars (or more!), you can join over 4,000 monthly donors to this project here.

[deafsignifcantother]

if music be the food of love chapter four

♥ here you go lovies, it’s series time | chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, chapter five ♥ relationships: aroace Alastor x deaf female reader (queerplatonic to romance) ♥ word count: n/a ♥ pinterest board ♥ notes: i'm catholic and it tends to come through in my writing so uhh there's a scene where reader quotes a verse with the catholic bible version (ignore the fucking obvious era inconsistency idc) and alastor finishes the quote with kjv and i think i'm so sexy for that srry. ♥ no tag list rn :3

Your day with Alastor couldn't have been more distinct, and that's due to three specific reasons.

First, he took his time to wake you up. He stood in the doorway of your room, a smirk playing on his lips as he took in the sight before him. Your usually elegant form was a sprawl of limbs and frizzy hair, the covers knotted around you in a way that suggested you had often shifted your legs while sleeping. He strode into the room, the heels of his boots clicking on the polished floorboards. There was a hint of voice in the tune of your music. He stepped closer, bending at the waist to put his ear closer. It flickered at the almost familiar sound of somebody speaking, a voice strangely soft and feminine; with a few seconds of concentration, he determined it could have been yours even though he'd only heard your voice a handful of times past your laughing. But the voice does not match your reputation's ambiance.

"Rise and shine, my dear," Alastor whispered under his breath. He puts his hands over his microphone, lifting and tapping it against the bottom wood of your bed. You stirred, rolling over with a grunt, knowing within the second that it was him.

With a chuckle and a shake of the head he admired that for a demon of your stature, you were surprisingly vulnerable when asleep. He reached out to gently shake your shoulder. "Up, up, my little overlord," he coaxed into your deaf ears, his voice taking on a teasing lilt.

You put your hand on his fingers and turn to him, eyes unfocused at first. The sleepiness on your face... well, it was a memory he would forever cherish. But as you took in his grinning face, a scowl twisted your features. Buzz off, waved him away.

"Good morning!" Alastor signed, his smile undeterred. He held up a small, leather-bound book before tossing it in front of him on the bed. "I've taken the liberty of scheduling out your day. Thought it best to get a head start."

You groaned again, hands still lazy. "A schedule? I haven't kept to one of those in centuries."

"Precisely," Alastor signed, his red eyes glinting. "You've been holed up in that dank, depressing castle of yours for far too long. It's time you rejoined the land of the living, my dear."

You definitely didn't live in a castle, but the idea made you smile. You sat up, running a hand up your tense cheeks. Alastor could see the faintest glimmer of determination in your eyes, and he squinted, knowing he could massage your jaw much better than you could. "Very well," you gestured. "But if this schedule of yours includes a single 'self-improvement' seminar, don't think I'm afraid to turn my back on the princess."

Alastor laughed, clapping his hands together. "I promise you, there is nothing quite so... tedious. Now, shall we get started? We've a busy day of... communing ahead of us."

Second, he cleared his own schedule; you were unsure whether this was common or not. One would view Alastor as the demonic presence he is on the surface, while others like you can find charm in his smile and the kind affection he offers. He still has a push-and-pull game of tug-of-war between him and those who deem themselves close to him (whether it also be the other way around).

Last night, before you returned from the roof, you spotted Alastor out on his balcony, looking out to the city the same way you were. From this angle, he looked so small. His hair covered his eyes and hid his smile, giving him a more humanistic appearance despite his still visible hellish features. What a beautiful man.

By the time you started walking back towards the stairwell, he had looked up.

And third, he made you breakfast. With Alastor, you have either gone out to eat or just had tea at yours. But here, he moved with the practiced ease of one who knew their way around a stove, another humanistic part of him. As you watched, you sat perched on a stool, a cup of steaming tea cradled in your hands with comforting warmth. He spent his time in the kitchen, summoning an apron to make you laugh, and he gave you a prideful smirk before returning to the stove. That look, his charming eyes, and the handsome shapes of his face drove you insane.

You tapped on his shoulder the second you deemed him done. "For all your flaws, Alastor, you must be lovely in the home."

Alastor flashed you a grin, his red eyes sparkling with good humor. "I find I have a bit of a knack for this cooking business."

You snorted, taking a sip of your tea. "I didn't know that."

"Ah, but you see, there is a lot you don't know, my darling," Alastor said, sliding a plate piled with food in front of you on the counter.

You raised an eyebrow, picking up your fork to study the offerings. It had been ages since you'd had a proper meal, instead subsisting on whatever stale rations you could scrounge, ingredients you could torture campers into giving you.

"Amazing," you said, impaling a piece of meat on your fork. "Do not work for the food that perishes."

His ears hit the back of his head faster than any of his snaps. His eyes glistened, roaming back and forth between your hands, frantically scavenging through his living memories for where he'd recognized that. 

When you looked back at him, he was beaming, summoning a plate with a pile of arteries that twisted together like spaghetti. He finishes, "But for that meat which endures everlasting life."

With a put-upon sigh, you shove your smile by continuing to eat. Alastor watched you intensely. It was the little things, he knew, that would truly ruin your sensitive heart.

Therefore, due to those reasons, you have been on edge. 

Alastor leans back in his plush armchair, swirling the amber liquid of his drink with a passive tilt of the glass. The hotel lobby's dim, golden glow casts long shadows across his sharp features.

"I fear the days will end soon," he signs with one hand, his palm flicking with smooth motions, each word piercing together. It sends a smooth purr shivering down your spine, you clench your own drink. He doesn't exactly address you but keeps his eye on you to see if you respond. You tilt your head to your left, otherwise unmoving.

He takes a sip of his drink, savoring the burn of the fine scotch, and then places it down. "Decades upon decades... the years start to blend together, though everything still appears to be getting worse. The angels come and go, overlords rise and fall, and I remain through it all."

His eyes flicker across the candlelight, following the flame with his chin in his palm. You cross and then uncross your legs, darting a glance at the floor, contemplating making a run for it. Alastor's full lips curl into a wry smile. He recognizes that look, straightening. Overlords rise and fall.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, sweetheart," he signs, his smile taking on a glimmer of amusement. "I suppose you've been rather... soft today. Would you like to go do something? Though, I much prefer conversation to carnage... usually, at any rate."

You meet his eyes, and when he recognizes the look on your face, his chin lifts a bit. You stare at him with stone-cold eyes like you wore years before.

"Have you been messing with me?"

"What do you mean?" If he were to have spoken verbally, his voice effect would have been missing. Your astounding boldness starts with that blunt sentence. He had only responded with what first came to mind, no matter how dishonest. 

"I know you're doing it on purpose, the…" 

Even with your fluency, you need help with words and how to describe what you mean. He's been pulling away, spending hours without touching you and giving you small instances of affection. It has only been a few days, and you're already getting whip-lash because of how offputting he has been. Maybe this is due to his absence or the decade he spent away. Or it's because he got mad you pulled away from his touch while walking to the hotel. The real reason is out of your realm of possibilities.

"The what?"

"The pulling away."

"I have not been pulling away. We've spent all day together!"

"But, I suppose I mean the… affection." Here you go, sounding like a teenage girl again.

His head tilts. He knows what you mean, but he's trying to delay such an awkward conversation. "My dear, I hope you understand that yesterday… I fed you cake for your comfortability, not mine."

"Which I'm grateful for," you lean forward, getting a bit too passionate in your signing for his liking. Your desperation for discernment is uncomfortable. You swallow. "You're doing the thing where you're acting stupid, aren't you?"

When his smile grows, you sink back. "Alastor, that's unfair."

His signing is whimsical. "You've changed so much."

Your music screeches, his ears twitch a bit at the noise. The more he spends time with you, the more he notices your differences. For your generation, you're acting like someone Velvette's age. It's despicable. 

Of course, this isn't why his lack of affection started. Because honestly, while still despicable, your new personality is a bit charming. This hyper-sensitive, docile side of you is something he never knew you could harvest, and seeing a deadly overlord turn into a soft, almost human woman again is delightful. He wishes he was the one who caused it.

.

"Why would you want to talk to me?" You signed when the two of you spoke for the first time. "Or are you going to kill me?"

Alastor put a single claw against your collarbone, somewhere above the start of your speaker, before pulling back. "Oh, but that's where you're wrong," he purred, glinting with a knowing light. "Everyone has a story, my dear. And I, you see, am a collector of stories. A connoisseur, if you will."

It was just before exiting the alley next to Carmilla's estate. He was prepared to grab your arm to stop you from leaving, so he continued before you could turn away.

"My name is Alastor, I offer Hell its very own radio show."

He held out his hand for you to shake. You focused on the rise and fall of his chest, steady breaths. If he was breathing heavily, that would be suspicious, and breathing fast would still make you weary. He was calm, and he was smiling.

With a grimace, you shook his hand but slipped your fingers away before he could even try to kiss them.

He leaned forward due to the lack of response. "Tell me, what's your name, my dear? What brings you to this place, what destined you to have this damned thing? Was it pain, desperation... or perhaps something else entirely?"

You hesitated, eyebrows furrowed. For a long moment, Alastor thought you wouldn't answer. But then, haltingly at first, but with what could only be offered as boredom, you started to sign.

That was when he knew he should keep you around. The intrigue of you was a slow creeping addiction.

Because you had purposely signed as fast as possible, sometimes using home signs and signing so lazily that you'd go to one hand. At the same time, the other would touch your speaker. You spent the time purposely making it impossible for a hearing person to understand.

His smile tightened, and his eyes darted in every direction to try to grasp any word. He could see it, the spark in you, the flicker of potential that had not yet been extinguished by the cruel hand of fate. Would offering you a premature deal be more fun than waiting a while to develop an elaborate one? Through that smile, between trying to read between your lines, he ran your future through his brain.

You and him could not have been more different in terms of power. One of you viewed souls as a thing to collect, and the other viewed them as things to pity. When you first walked the streets of Pentagram City, you spent most of your days analyzing people. You made eye contact with every person who looked your way. You'd stand on the sidewalk like a statue, your music making people grimace at you, and you'd just smile at them with those same empty eyes. It's an entirely different outlook than you have now; years of avoidance, hate, and fear would affect anybody, even monsters. Because a few decades later, Alastor changed Hell. Overlords became threats and not just leaders. 

Once that happened, people wouldn't glare but run away.

At first, it was fun, and then it became humiliating.

If you just stayed in your big home in the forest, then you'd turn into a tale, something that still kept you in power. That's where you were the happiest, eventually.

[idontlikeem]

I’ve seen so many blogs tagging “this is the original post btw” or “imagine reposting someone’s gifs”

I can asure you 99% of people don’t even notice who posts what and when, we just like and reblog and move on. I don’t even understand this much drama but I think it’s so stupid like maybe if it’s a literal gif you made and then someone uploaded it somewhere else, then ok. But like, photos you didn’t even take?

We’re supposed to be grown people, let’s just enjoy those hot old men in peace please! 🙏

Yeah, also if people see things on Instagram or wherever they’re also allowed to post those things. They’re allowed to make their own gifs of games we’re all watching together. Nobody on this website owns the Pittsburgh Penguins, we are all technically stealing from the people who do when stuff is made. There’s not a special fan level you have to reach to make your own posts—the only reason needs to be, you want it on your blog.

I don’t get it. I don’t know why this started, but I do know it hurts fandom and the community. It makes new people feel like they aren’t allowed to post and share stuff which isn’t the case at all, but if too many people think that it sets up fan hierarchies and that is so not the point of being here and doing this.

I believe very strongly in the community-building aspect of sports and sports fandom, whether that’s here or as a normie fan out at a sports bar. Gatekeepers in both those spaces shrink communities, which is the last thing sports fans should want if they want their chosen fixation to grow and improve.

Nobody owns public Instagram posts made by random people that anyone could find. Nobody owns game footage, or YouTube footage. Nobody has a special claim on posting new stuff, or making gifs, or typing text posts, or live-blogging, or whatever. We’re all here to enjoy this sport and this team and actively seeking out ways to make it less enjoyable for others is something I will never understand.

Like you said, so many of us just hit “reblog” (or “add to queue” in my case). Also to your point, actually stealing—saving down someone’s gifs and posting them either here or to other platforms, or taking someone’s photos that they themselves took and posting them around without even asking—is not okay and is unfortunately too common on Twitter. Don’t ever do that, gifs take time and personal fan photos are not public domain. But making your own gif of something that happened in a game is not even remotely that.

[bookwyrminspiration]

having polyglot thoughts so i'm dumping them on you:

first of all, do you think if polyglots didn't know a language before manifesting (for example, keefe with english), then they would switch accents based on who they're talking to? for example, keefe went to london, so should we assume that since he was talking to british people, he was probably speaking in a british accent, too? or if he went to america (which he did, he went to disneyland or disney world i think) then he would be speaking with an american accent? that would be really funny. like one day he's speaking canadian french and then he leaps out and the next day he's speaking french french or something. even polyglots that did know the language before manifesting (like sophie with english). do you think they are also switching accents according to the person they're talking to or just keeping the accent they grew up with (in sophie's case, american). i know that sophie's a special case, and that most elves would only ever speak the enlightened language before manifesting, but it's still worth considering.

second of all, do you think polyglots would have an innate grasp on idioms and sayings? because those aren't inherent to the language, not really. if i said like. "it's raining cats and dogs", would a polyglot really understand what that means or would they think i'm literally saying cats and dogs are falling out of the sky. because if that's true then keefe would've had a lot of idioms to learn when he was living in london, too. there's a saying in my language that literally translates to "do it with [your] hand", but in terms of idioms, it actually means "do it immediately". so something like that would really throw off a polyglot if they didn't have a natural understanding of all the various idioms that came with a language.

a lot of people have brought this last point up already, but sign language. personally, i think sign language would be a part of a polyglot's natural database of languages, so to speak. because it is a language. it's literally in the name. just because it's not a vocal language doesn't mean it's not a language. so i think that polyglots would understand sign language on instinct, but wanna hear your thoughts.

Oh I love language thoughts. I'd think a polyglot would speak the language reflective of the accent they first heard. The way it seems to work is once they encounter it (reading, hearing it, etc.), then they understand and can use it--but they couldn't start speaking a language they've never heard out of nowhere. Afterwards they can use it based on that initial contact. I'd assume with time they could change their accent the same way anyone could, being around different pronunciations for a while and slowly incorporating them in--perhaps with more speed given their ability. But I'd still assume a base in their first contact. after all, encountering different accents isn't a new language

Based on that, I'd also think they'd keep their own accent if they learned the language prior to manifesting. Maybe their understanding of grammar rules and patterns would improve though--but then again, it's instinct, not conscious, so maybe not

As for idioms, I suppose it depends on how you want to interpret their instinctive understanding/speaking. Does instinctively speaking the language (Unlocked 265) mean they simply understand the literal meanings and socially constructed metaphor is an entirely separate realm? Or does it mean they can instinctively communicate in any language, and that includes implied/non-literal meaning? Like you said, idioms aren't inherent to a language, so I'd personally vote no. It's not instinctual to understand, but it's not like you can't learn them or sometimes reason out what one means. But again, the rules for magic polyglots are really just what you want them to be.

And I agree; signed languages are as much languages as spoken, as complex and varied, and can be analyzed and studied much the same. Unless one's worldbuilding has it's own specific magic rules--e.g. there's something about hearing a language that allows one to understand it, which then means signed languages would have to be learned organically--then there's no reason to exclude sign. I'm not saying that a world with those specific qualifications would be bad--it could be a fitting source of friction or difficulty is a polyglot character used to being able to communicate everywhere suddenly can't and has to adapt. Just that kotlc does not appear to be one of those stories, so I think kotlc's polyglots should instinctively understand sign.

I'd also be curious whether their instinctive understand could at least partially translate towards methods of communication like morse code. Would an encoded message (not necessarily morse) count as a method of communication/language of its own and therefore be understandable by them? I suppose it would depend on what kind of code it is, but food for thought.

Polyglotism is quite underappreciated in the story--which isn't its fault, given the plot, but man I cannot help but yearn...

[velvet-cupcake-games]

Made Marion June Development Update: Schedule Edition, Straight Talk

[I decided to post our June dev update early, because I have some difficult things to say, but I hope this will get us all on the same page about what's happened with Made Marion since our Kickstarter.]

Hi everyone! I've decided to check in early with a report on our development schedule and some straight talk on some tough stuff. I hope this will help us all get on the same page and be excited instead of worried about Made Marion's development process.

First of all, thank you all so much for your magnificent patience and concern! This is definitely not how I wanted Made Marion's development to go or how it would have gone if things were still the way they were for our team back when we ran our Kickstarter. We have been seriously kicked in the teeth repeatedly, and I'd like to offer a better explanation and our proposed solutions and revised schedule.

I'm also sorry for the lack of pretty pictures this month!  There will be many available very soon when Robin's beta test is ready to go!

The Problems:

1. As of fall 2021, things were going pretty well! We'd just run a beta for Made Marion's prologue and my route outlines were shaping up nicely. Then things began to go wrong. I had some issues at home that took up my attention, and then my darn town flooded. Drat it, ok, lost a couple months, but we can get back on track in 2022...

2. Then 2022, for various reasons was a disaster for pretty much our entire team (I'm only going to talk about my problems here, because those are the ones it is mine to share). It ended up being basically a wash for development. Why wasn't that obvious from our development updates? Because of my brain. I contracted Covid in January of 2022 and a few weeks later, the Long Covid symptoms started. I was near-narcoleptic for several months. It was scary and embarrassing and I didn't know how to talk about it. So I was as positive as I could be. Around May, my body started to recover. I was able to live more normally and I figured that meant I could get back to development.

What I didn't know and couldn't effectively communicate was that the brain fog was still there. I was writing, but not in a straight line. I wrote scenes for all the love interests here and there, scribbled a bunch in my notebooks, but a full, logical route for Robin wasn't happening. And the problem with your brain not working right is that it's very difficult to understand that your brain isn't working right. I thought things were cool! So it appeared that I wasn't being honest about the status of development without me realizing it did or even fully understanding that development wasn't going well. I'm very sorry about that.

3. Around November of 2022 my brain started working better again, but I was demoralized and felt like I'd forgotten how to write. I "eased" myself back into writing with a huge fic, along with finally getting back to putting words together for Robin. I wrote words!  Lots of words!  Good words!  Yeah!  We pulled together as a team and got our enhanced demo out, which was a lot of work but was super exciting.

4. Feeling guilty about the wash that was 2022 and excited because of how much verbiage I'd put out, I created an ambitious schedule toward an Early Access release of all the Sherwood routes this fall. It was based on the amount of words I'd been putting out, so I was convinced it was doable. Some of you wrote in to Tumblr with concerns that it was overly ambitious. You were wonderful and primarily concerned for my well-being. You were also correct.

The Solutions:

1. I need to accept that I have a disabling condition that currently has no cure and that, although it has greatly improved since last year, means that I can't always work at my peak capacity. This is super tough for a high achiever with general anxiety. I hate even talking about it, but I want to be as transparent with y'all as I can be.

2. The schedule: I still wish to keep a relatively ambitious target schedule for the remainder of development. I think it is helping us all Get Shit Done(tm). I just need to be a little less ambitious. I still plan to release Early Access this fall and I'm still hoping for October (which was always tentative), but November may be more realistic. It depends on how well my body and mind cooperate over the summer, and on the individual situations of our artists. Early Access will launch with Robin and Will's routes. John is going to need to take more time. It will be worth it, because he will get the full attention and care that his wonderful self deserves.

3. The weekly mini-dev updates: I have started posting mini-dev updates on Mondays on Tumblr. This is the place to go if you want a more granular report of the progress we've been making, and I think they're going to be very helpful for maintaining clarity and helping keep us all on-task.

4. Beta: I have more detailed information about Beta in the Kickstarter version of this update.

Conclusion:

Looking back from here, our original release date estimate from Kickstarter was too ambitious even under ideal circumstances. That was my development inexperience speaking. The rest was a lot of IRL horribleness. However, the gang is back together now, and the game is now, actually, truly, progressing nicely once more. Going forward, I'll be able to post much more concrete progress and I think doing so as I write each route is a better choice than posting a bunch of specific completion dates that we may not meet. You'll be able to see our progress as it happens instead.

Notes and Goodies:

Robin's new expressions are in!  I love the way he turned out and Arrapso (a fellow perfectionist, err, high achiever) seems happier with him now as well.  Awesome!  I will post some previews on Tumblr soon, once I have coded a few of the new expressions into the game client.

John's role-playing choice has been re-configured a bit. I was previously calling it "conflict or compromise," but I was getting stuck on the "conflict" part because I didn't want Marion and John to be fighting all the time if you made those choices. It didn't seem like fun, or particularly in-character for John. I am now calling it "challenge or compromise."  Because John is kind and wonderful and protective but is also traumatized and stubborn and overprotective. Sometimes he needs to be challenged, and it won't always lead to an argument. I think this makes for more interesting choices and for John to have more room to be John.

I coded in Will's first use of his genuine smile expression (you get to confront him about his attitude early on in Robin's route) and am happy to report that it is SUPER EFFECTIVE.

For any of you Ren'py devs out there, I continue to evangelize matrixcolor.  It's relatively new, but you should absolutely check out what it can do. Previously, I used it to tint our characters a bit so they blended in better with evening and night backgrounds.  I also used it to sepia-tone memory sequences.  I've now used it to make images slowly disappear via transparency and turn our blood animation green instead of red for... spoiler purposes.  It is so easy and flexible, you should absolutely play with it!

I'll be reporting in later this month on our Beta test status!

[angelofbenignmalevolence]

Number 1 for the pride ask game! 🌈

Thank you so much for the ask! Let's see:

1) Talk about a favorite trans headcanon

I admit, I had to think a little bit about this one (which is why this response is also a little bit late). As someone who identifies as cisgender comfortably, that is an experience I default to in my thinking and I had to shift my mindset a little bit. I am still learning as I go about the various experiences my trans friends have gone through, and I want to be mindful that my experience does not necessarily reflect the trans experience accurately.

I don't have a go to headcanon for a trans character in TAG. However, I wanted to give this the kind of answer that this question deserved. This may be a little bit of a windy garden path to arrive at an answer, so please bear with my rambly thoughts.

Overall, the world of Thunderbirds are Go does seem like it has advanced in many ways that it would be optimistic to assume that the real world could by 2060. Not only do we see improvements in transportation, medical science, living conditions, and rescue equipment, we also see improvements in the lives of various people. For example, we have seen characters with disabilities that are not only accommodated and included in ways that are not available to us as technology stands in 2024 (such as the hover chair that Bee the Rescue Scouts use in Firebreak), but are accommodated and included and normalized. By and large (with obvious exclusions), the characters in the show are seen as working toward a better world and offering improvements to the world in which they live and creating an inclusive environment.

Since things seem to have progressed for inclusivity of people of physical disabilities, one can extrapolate that in a world that is quite a bit more optimistic than the one in which we live, there would be inclusion efforts aimed at other aspects of life. Mental health care would likely be widely available. The world of TAG would have seen a disappearance of the prejudices and stigma that could be attached to the experience of being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

It is through this lens that I see the world of TAG. I think that the ways in which people are able to express themselves are less limited and more folded into the fabric of society. People would have as much access to complete a transition to whatever extent that would make them feel more aligned with who they are.

With all that said, I think that if I had to identify a character I might headcanon as being trans, I would probably go with Ellie Pendergast as being male to female. I see both Buddy and Ellie as very curious about the world around them. As such, when Ellie started to feel things she didn't understand (i.e., gender dysphoria), I think she would have asked questions, read about others' experiences, sought understanding. In doing so, I think she would have had a lot of time to digest the information and make an informed decision earlier on in her life (as opposed to someone who might have transitioned a little later in their life). I think she would be able to bring visibility to those who are also going through their journey of understanding who they are, as I don't think she would shy away from the topic. She would use her fame and her platform to help others find the wonder and joy not only in the world around them, but in themselves for who they are.

I also think that Buddy knew Ellie through her transition. I think they were the kind of high school sweethearts that people make movies and write stories about. I think that Buddy supported Ellie through the transition and had a boyfriend, then a girlfriend, and then a wife all in the same person and he couldn't be happier. We do see how much these two love each other very much.

---

I do hope I was able to give this answer the justice it deserved. And if anyone would like to talk about their experiences, please consider my inbox open. I would love to listen and to learn.

If there are other questions you want to see answered, take a look at the question list linked below and I would love to answer more!

[phoenixashvibes]

Mercury in Aries ♈️

TRANSITS (RX is 4/1)

March 9, 2024 at 11:03pm EST Mercury will transit to Aries starting to steadily approach its retrograde on APRIL FOOLS DAY on April 1st. These times will be marked with a transit from out of the creative, dreamy and watery Pisces into quick expression, highly enthusiastic, quick and decisive Aries. We will see people being more alert and assured of what is going on with themselves. It would be an ideal time to put some of those ideas you dreamed up in Pisces season to fiery action in a practical manner. This is a favorable energetic for kicking off literally anything new for you!

As Mercury gets comfortable in Aries it is go time because On Sunday The Moon is NEW MOON in PISCES at 5:00AM EST and then later the Moon will also join Mercury in Aries at 8:19PM EST Not to mention that the sextile with Mercury and Pluto in Aquarius at 6:20pm EST & Moon & Pluto Sextile at 10:38pm EST There are huge improvements in communication coming in with this astrological transit. Aries is the sign where the vibe is "it's all about me" and with Mercury the sign of (thinking/communication) this will initiate a period of time with bright and passionate sparks of creative endeavors taking off with lightning speed whether that be romantic (or platonic) outings, communication can get a bit spicy. There will be no filter on and offline!! Sarcasm will reign. Communication can easily lead to argument or conflict if we aren’t careful since it can be aggressively assertive in nature. People will be way more blunt and say what’s on their mind before it’s fully processed smh on a more positive side difficult conversations will be easier to have and it won’t be hard to speak up or put yourself or ideas out to others :)

People will also be driving fast on these roads. Be safe and buckle up. This is ideal for race car driving for those who are Aries Mercury it's a Need For Speed. Trust me I know. These people drive really fast and recklessly but they usually do not hit people they are normally the ones who get struck in traffic accident wrecks so be safe during these times because now EVERYONE will be on this.

When Aries is in Mercury people really don't have much patience for b/s and things can get violent super quick with speedy Mercury in this Martian territory. This will be a time to think before speaking, driving crazy, and/or doing anything too risky based off impulse. Know when to cut out or remove yourself from any hostile or chaotic situations with haste it would be good for you and all involved under this astrological transit w/ Mercury in Aries

Embody the evolved side of Aries where you are strategic about your next move. Well thought out planning while executing without much delay. Do what you feel most passionate about. Do not let any trivial matters and concerns overwhelm you. Be truthful about everything to yourself and others unapologetically but also as respectfully as you are able to be. Do not let anyone provoke you into any situation where it can undermine your position, success, self worth, etc. Do not be too selfish or a pushover during these times.

MARCH 18th PRE-RETROGRADE shadow begins MARCH 19th is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING it is also the same day the Sun goes into Aries later at 11:06PM EST. Earlier in the day, Mercury will go conjunct with the North Node in Aries spiraling us to adapt to embracing brand new perspectives and plans for elevating our lives for the near and far out future in the new zodiac year.

APRIL 1st Mercury goes RX at 6:15PM EST This will be a good time to start setting more alarms and alerts/ Practice more self exploration and introspection. stay loyal to your friends and spouses. Make efforts to do more positive self talk. Practice patience while communicating. Avoiding heavy traffic areas if at all possible while traveling unless you want to be around those who drive like it’s the Autobahn or NASCAR. Journal and meditate. Clear the headspace since Aries rules the head! Also, don’t be afraid to take the lead. Aries is all about leadership and doing being that it is a Cardinal fire sign. Take action to have your life run the way you want, you’re the main character 🥰

APRIL 11th- Mercury conjunction with the Sun at 5:06PM EST An ideal day for anything that requires a quick response. Social interactions will be at an all time high. Ironically the day is 4/11 which is also a number that stands for information, you know the 411 lol 😂 so there will be a lot of information being exchanged. Chatterbox city on and off line. You won’t be able to avoid communicating with yourself or others about new ideas and plans for what’s to come!

APRIL 25th 8:55AM EST Mercury goes Direct Everything comes to a culmination. Of course the shadow period will be for two more weeks but the hard part is out the way. Now is a time to reflect and directly apply everything you learned through this transit. There will be a lot of work to build a solid foundation for whatever it is you initiated under this Mercury in Aries transit. There may be some making up to do for those that let the fiesty, fiery side come out through arguments and conflict. It will be easier to start hard conversations in order to gain understanding from whatever got misunderstood when things got chaotic. You will have the courage to speak up regarding whatever it is you initiated and focused your attention on. Some will be playing catch up and others will be moving at faster rates. Results and progress can be made quicker now so use this wisely to push ahead 🫶🏽

May 13th Mercury’s Post Retrograde (RX) ends

On May 15th Mercury enters Taurus

HISTORICAL EVENTS DURING ARIES IN MERCURY Sinking of the Titanic - April 16, 1912

Battle(s) of Lexington & Concord- April 19, 1775 (start of American Revolutionary War)

American Pony Express First Run- April 3, 1860

Former US Pres. Donald Trump plead not guilty to NY court on 34 felony counts of falsifying documents related to 2016 "hush money" payments to a woman alleging they had an extramarital affair- April 4, 2023

Former Pres. Barack Obama endorses his former Vice P. Joe Biden for pres.- April 15, 2020

My Predictions for This Year in 2024:

More Coverage/Talks of Multiple Countries at War

Beef between Stans or Musicians

New Laws Being Proposed & Others Being Implemented into Law

Pre-Election Talk

Zodiac Signs Most Effected?

Aries, Gemini, Libra, Taurus

[spell-jars-and-black-wolves]

Some devotional tips for closeted pagans, based on our own experiences

Not everything on this list will apply to everyone, and that's perfectly fine. Use what works for you and your practice, and leave what doesn't work. The beautiful thing about the pagan community is that we can each shape our own path based on our personal beliefs and practices. So without further ado, here's some things we do that might help you if you have to hide your spiritual beliefs.

Deity jars: this is one of the first things we ever did when we started leaving physical offerings for Loki a few months ago. A deity jar is basically a small jar filled with little things that you want to leave as offerings to the deity you work with, and it can be useful if you have to hide any objects that are of spiritual importance to you. We're able to hide ours in plain sight on top of our dresser where our altar is, and our mom just thinks it's another weird thing we like to collect. Our jar is filled with offerings to Loki such as a small pinecone, twigs, shells, a worm on a string (he loves those for whatever reason), and small coins.

Nonphysical offerings: sometimes you just aren't able to leave physical offerings for your deities on an altar like candles or food. What you can do instead is devote your time to them, especially if the activity you're doing is something related to your deity or is something they encourage you to do for your wellbeing. Shadow work and journaling are a fundamental aspect of our practice, so we always devote our journaling sessions to Thor and Loki. We also incorporate a lot of trauma work into our practice, especially our trauma related to storms and natural disasters; to honor Thor, we've developed a habit of thanking him anytime it storms where we live and use any moment where we work through our trauma as an offering to him since that's the main reason why he reached out to us.

Baking and cooking: this ties into the point listed above. If you're like us and enjoy working in the kitchen, making food for your deities is a great way to not only build your connection to them but also improve your skills. Thanks to the Internet, it's so incredibly easy to find recipes containing spices and other ingredients that your deities favor. Loki in particular loves it when we try new recipes that we've never made before, even if we're not entirely sure we'll like it.

Taking care of yourself: if you struggle a lot with your physical or mental health, this one is especially important. Sometimes the ultimate form of self care is doing what's best for you even when you don't feel like doing it, whether that's cleaning your room or getting a shower. We've all struggled with self care at some point or another, and the gods understand that. One of the greatest things you can do to honor them is to take care of your needs and be gentle with yourself, because they want what's best for us and understand that life can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. It's not always easy to get out of bed and eat or clean the house, but even baby steps are better than nothing and will make your deities happy all the same.

Giving back to those around you: if you're able to do something in your community that's related to your deity and would honor them, do it! For us personally, one of the biggest ways we honor Loki is to look after the younger neurodivergent and/or queer kids at school, because we've been in their place once and we understand how much of a difference it makes to have someone to look up to. It's common in the Norse pagan community for Loki to be the patron of those deemed to be social outcasts for whatever reason, so we've taken it upon ourselves to always look after our fellow outcasts and be a support for them whenever possible. For many of these kids, we're the first older person they've ever felt safe enough to come out to. And what could honor Loki more than that?

Again, these are all just based on our personal experiences and not all of it may apply to you. We're just sharing some things that we feel may help other folks out there who aren't yet able to be open about their beliefs, because we're in the same spot right now with our current living situation. And for those of you who can unfortunately relate to this: things will change. You won't have to hide such a core part of your being forever. One day you'll be able to openly practice your religion however you want, with nobody to tell you what you are and aren't allowed to believe in. -Blu

[princesscatherinemiddleton]

William and I are absolutely delighted to be with you in Birmingham, on World Mental Health Day, for our Royal Foundation Youth Forum. Mental health is something we both care deeply about. Back in 2016, we launched Heads Together, a campaign supported by so many wonderful partners, that helped break the stigma around mental health, and encouraged more people to have everyday conversations about it. Alongside the efforts of many others, we have seen real change. Today, more people feel empowered to talk about their mental health than ever before. This is a major step forward. William and I continue to be inspired to see young people, like you all here today, leading this charge - being particularly brave in having some of those conversations yourselves. As a generation, you value and talk more about your mental health than any before you - something we truly admire and applaud. It is important, however, to remind ourselves of the big picture as we meet here today. What are we trying to improve by focusing our efforts on mental health? Ultimately, we are working to build a happier, healthier world. We want to shape fairer, safer, kinder, more equal societies - societies that seek the common good and a better future together. For just as we need to restore, protect and invest in our planet, so we must also restore, protect and invest in the communities, relationships and people living on it. We believe that starts with you, our young people, but it also means all of us. Because when you think about it, we can each shape the world in which we live. So, we know, like you, that simply talking about mental health is just not enough. Because although many more conversations are now taking place, it is now vital we spend more time focusing on how we talk about our mental health - and crucially; What are we going to do, to build positive, preventative solutions to one of today's toughest challenges. Positive mental health is shaped by our ability to understand and manage ourselves as individuals, and to connect with others through our relationships, friendships, families and communities. We are living in a world, however, that is changing so fast, where social media and concerns about the threat of conflict, pandemics, climate change or the cost of living, can impact our emotional wellbeing and future hopes dramatically. On top of this, as young people, this can also be a time in your lives, when you perhaps feel the vulnerability of growing independence and self-consciousness. But, by gaining deeper insight into ourselves, we'll be better equipped, to handle the external challenges we all encounter. Today we heard the science and research that backs this up, and how crucial it is, that we develop the skills needed to navigate everything we will face in the future. William and I believe we need to do all we can as a society to help young people develop the emotional and social life skills they need for good mental health, and to thrive in the world around them. Both learning about the world and learning about how to be happy and thrive within it, should go hand-in-hand. So, if we talk about mental health with this in mind, it need not have so many negative connotations. We can choose to see our emotional worlds and mental wellbeing in a different light, we can normalise it and recognise it as something we all have, and require, as human beings. This will be a key focus for us both as we build on Heads Together. Thank you all so much for joining us today. Together, let's build a brighter, more resilient future.

The Princess of Wales | World Mental Health Day 2023

[electricshoebox]

Unsolicited Lore Dump

That is such a fun title for a meme.

Thanks to @bardic-inspo for the tag!

Do you make your bed? Nope. It's just extra time I'd have to budget for in the day and I'll just undo it again after a whole day of not getting to appreciate that it looks nice, so... nah. I'll make it if company's coming.

Favorite number? Always liked 4. No idea why.

What's your job? I've been a phlebotomist with a plasma donation company for many years, and also did a lot related to training and managing training requirements. Around 3 years ago, my company created a position I was the first to step into where I travel between ~10 different locations across 4 states and help improve their training departments, keep them compliant with standards and regulatory (government/legal) requirements, and develop their training supervisors. I also lead a core group that trains supervisors using a class I got to create. It's a big mix of things I love: traveling, helping people build confidence in their skills, and creating.

If you could go back to school would you? I just don't think I could, mentally. Not to get personal, but I drove myself to a bad mental breakdown in college. There were a lot more factors than just school itself, but still. There are things I wish I could get a degree in, but I don't think I should try, at least right now. Maybe some day!

Can you parallel park? I'm not great at it, but I have to do it more often where I live now, so I'm getting better. I have a backup cam now and that helps a lot.

Do you think aliens are real? I think it's highly probable, but not in the mainstream, Hollywood, little green men way. I think statistically the universe is so vast, there has to be life somewhere. But I think it's likely so far beyond anything we could comprehend, and so deeply different from the entirety of human experience, that we'd be highly unlikely to be able to make contact or meaningfully communicate. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good alien story/game/movie!

Can you drive a manual car? Nope. I barely understand cars as it is, I'll stick with automatic.

What's your guilty pleasure? I try really hard not to feel guilty about my pleasures, but I guess I have to echo Megh a bit and say fanfiction, just because it's still something I'm not comfortable being open about unless I know the person understands fandom or shares an interest. But honestly, college kinda destroyed my love of reading, and fanfiction is really what brought it back. It's such a joy to see the stories others come up with, and it's so fun to explore worlds I love through writing.

Tattoos? I don't have any but I want them very badly! I know at least 3 I want for sure. One is handwriting from my mom and my two best friends using song lyrics that are important to me and connected to each for me. Two, a shared tattoo with one of my best friends/roommate to do with our cat. Three, a Watership Down tattoo that incorporates "All the world will be your enemy... but first they must catch you."

Favorite color? Purple, and slate blue. Very fond of teals and deep pinks as well.

Favorite types of music? I've started to joke that music is my love language. I love so many genres. I always come back to alternative, though. Very fond of indie rock as well, and folk. But you can still get me with a good pop song.

Do you like puzzles? LOVE puzzles. I don't have a lot of room to do them where I currently live, and I also go through them too fast to make buying them often worth it, but I could do them for hours.

Any phobias? I have unfortunately discovered I am very afraid of roaches. I can typically handle bugs okay, but those absolutely terrify me. I'm also pretty uncomfortable with heights. Not so bad I can't look out a window a few floors up, but definitely can't look over the edge if I'm on a rooftop or super high balcony or something.

Favorite childhood sport? I'm not sure if this is asking my favorite childhood sport to play or just sports I enjoyed as a kid. For the former, I was not a player of sports, but I did love to swim, and I loved playground games. For the latter, I grew up going to baseball games with my dad and I do have a lot of fond memories of that.

Do you talk to yourself? Oh for sure. I do it the most when I'm trying to work out a conversation in a scene I'm writing (so I just have it with myself out loud and see where it goes) or if I have a scene idea I want to try feeling out in conversation. But I'm not above having little therapy talks with myself when I'm alone, if I need to. Oh, and I'm also a big conversation practicer if something I need to talk to someone about is making me anxious.

What movies do you adore? Oh man, how much time do you have? Definitely the Mummy (Brendan Fraser version), and the Matrix (just the first one, but that one was incredibly formative). The LotR trilogy is always going to be very important to me. Song of the Sea and the Secret of Kells are both deeply beloved for me. And then the Lion in Winter (Katharine Hepburn version). Probably the most influential dialogue-writing inspiration movie for me of all time.

Coffee or tea? Iced tea. Unsweetened. I basically have to have one every morning or I will die. (Okay fine I won't die but I'll get a migraine and be very unhappy about it.)

First thing you wanted to be growing up? I genuinely can't remember what was first because I wanted to do like 7,000 things. I wanted to be an author very early on, but also a singer and a figure skater and a gymnast and an artist and I could go on. Writing has probably been the most consistent thing, though.

Tagging (no pressure): @amanita-jack, @lioness-calanthe, @galaxy-starheart, @mercurymiscellany, and @molliehaswords