booksandbobbins

[booksandbobbins]

[booksandbobbins]

Guys, it got so much freaking worse. KOSA is bad, but SCREEN is even worse, somehow.

"Sen. Mike Lee has introduced the SCREEN ACT, a bill that applies the "harmful to minors" standard used to ban LGBTQ+ books and resources in schools and libraries and apply it nationally to the internet.

Any site that has any amount of material "harmful to minors" would be forced to employ surveillance tech (biometric scans, ID uploads, background checks) to prevent minors from accessing "pornography."

You will not be surprised to learn that this is backed by the Heritage Foundation.

Unlike some of the state age-verification laws, many of which are being challenged in court, SC will be enforced by the FTC, which has the ability to levy fines, raid business and freeze bank accounts. Yes, meaning that even non-for-profits like Ao3 will suffer.

This is something for all US users to keep on their radar. Call your reps, call your senators, and spread the word to protect our archive!"

- When talking with Republicans play up the fact that this would force Elon to implement age verification systems on X (yes do call it X during the call). Elon's been threatening to primary Republicans who stand in his way so there's fear of him. Also play up concerns about "Liberals" doxxing people or Chinese hackers.

- When talking with Democrats, play up the connections to Project 2025 and suggest voters will not be happy to see Democrats siding with it.

Republicans:

Ted Cruz, Texas (Chairman) - Phone: (202) 224-5922

John Thune, South Dakota - Phone: (202) 224-2321

Roger Wicker, Mississippi - Phone: (202) 224-6253

Deb Fischer, Nebraska - Phone: (202) 224-6551

Jerry Moran, Kansas - Phone: (202) 224-6521

Dan Sullivan, Alaska - Phone: (202) 224-3004

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee - Phone: (202) 224-3344

Todd Young, Indiana - Phone: (202) 224-5623

Ted Budd, North Carolina - (202) 224-3154

Eric Schmitt, Missouri - (202) 224-5721

John Curtis, Utah - Phone: (202) 224-5251

Bernie Moreno, Ohio - Phone: 202-224-2315

Tim Sheehy, Montana - Phone: (202) 224-2644

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia - Phone: (202) 224-6472

Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming - Phone: (202) 224-3424

Democrats:

Maria Cantwell, Washington (Ranking Member) - Phone: (202) 224-3441

Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota - Phone: (202) 224-3244

Brian Schatz, Hawaii - Phone: (202) 224-3934

Ed Markey, Massachusetts - Phone: (202) 224-2742

Gary Peters, Michigan - Phone: (202) 224-6221

Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin - Phone: (202) 224-5653

Tammy Duckworth, Illinois - Phone: (202) 224-2854

Jacky Rosen, Nevada - Phone: (202) 224-6244

Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico - Phone: (202) 224-6621

John Hickenlooper, Colorado - Phone: (202) 224-5941

John Fetterman, Pennsylvania - Phone: (202) 224-4254

Andy Kim, New Jersey - Phone: (202) 224-4744

Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware - Phone: (202) 224-2441

SCRIPT

Hi, my name is [], and I am one of Senator []’s constituents. I live in [city, zip code - leave your full address if leaving a voicemail].

I am calling in regards to a bill that was recently introduced in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transport: the SCREEN act.

I am asking Senator [] to either take no action or vote against this bill because of its implications for freedom of speech. [insert one of the other concerns listed above]. Thank you for your time and for listening to my concerns.

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[booksandbobbins]

“i wish i could go out braless but-“ “i wish i didn’t have to shave but-“ “i wish i didn’t have to wear makeup but-“ STAND UPPPP FUCKING STAND UP JUST DO WHAT YOU WANT. NOBODY IS GOING TO SHOOT YOU OR ARREST YOU FOR BEING A LITTLE “UGLY” UOU WILL LIVE AND REALIZE THAT YOUVE BEEN IN A prison largely of your own making THIS WHOLE TIME

[booksandbobbins]

kids deserve so much more respect and it turns out that saying that is a great way to locate the horrible people in any community <3

[booksandbobbins]

well yeah i have a pet hydra and it only has one head. i'm not going to cut its head off just to make it look cooler, you asshole. that's seriously unethical. and i'm not letting you cut its head off either. if you really want a hydra with multiple heads, you should go for a rescue- but if you want your pet to look cooler at the cost of its physical health, maybe you shouldn't get any kind of pet at all. no, the hydra's not for guarding my evil tower, it's my pet. have you ever heard of a pet? like a puppy or a kitty? you think i can't defend my evil tower by my self?

[booksandbobbins]

Anyone with culinary inclinations should know that we have the more-or-less complete text of a cookbook from the Roman Empire. It often neglects to mention amounts, and some of the ingredients might not be so easy to find nowadays, but --

4. Rose Wine⁠ (Rosatum). Make rose wine in this manner: rose petals, the lower white part removed, sewed into a linen bag and immersed in wine for seven days. Thereupon add a sack of new petals which allow to draw for another seven days. Again remove the old petals and replace them by fresh ones for another week then strain the wine through the colander. Before serving, add honey sweetening to taste. Take care that only the best petals free from dew be used for soaking.

11. To Keep Cooked Sides of Pork or Beef or Tenderloins (Callum porcinum vel bubulum et unguellae coctae ut diu durent). Place them in a pickle of mustard, vinegar, salt and honey, covering meat entirely. And when ready to use you'll be surprised.

135. Elderberry Custard or Pie (Patina de sambuco⁠). A dish of elderberries, either hot or cold, is made in this manner:⁠ take elderberries, wash them; cook in water, skim and strain. Prepare a dish in which to cook the custard;⁠ crush 6 scruples of pepper with a little broth; add this to the elderberry pulp with another glass of broth, a glass of wine, a glass of raisin wine and as much as 4 ounces of oil. Put the dish in the hot bath and stir the contents. As soon as it is getting warm, quickly break 6 eggs and whipping them, incorporate them, in order to thicken the fluid. When thick enough sprinkle with pepper and serve up.

146. Vegetable Dinner (Patella ex olisatro⁠). Any kind of vegetables or herbs blanched off in water with a little soda; squeeze out the water arrange in a saucepan. Grind pepper, lovage, coriander, satury, onion with wine, broth, vinegar and oil; add this to the vegetables, stew all until nearly done and tie with roux. Sprinkle with thyme, finely ground pepper and serve. Any kind of vegetable⁠ may be prepared in the above manner, if you wish.

216. Roast Crane or Duck (Aliter gruem vel anatem assam). Pour over the roast bird this gravy: crush pepper, lovage, origany with broth, honey, a little vinegar and oil; boil it well, thicken with roux, strain. In this sauce place small pieces of parboiled pumpkin or colocasium⁠ so that they are finished in the sauce; also cook with it chicken feet and giblets all of which serve in a chafing dish, sprinkle with fine pepper and serve.

251. Spayed Sow's Womb⁠ (Vulvae steriles). Sterile sow's womb (also udder and belly) is prepared in this manner: take⁠ laser from Cyrene or Parthia, vinegar and broth.

289. Fresh Ham (Musteis⁠ petasonem⁠). A fresh ham is cooked with 2 pounds of barley and 25 figs. When done skin, glaze the surface with a fire shovel full of glowing coals, spread honey over it, or, what's better: put it in the oven covered with honey. When it has a nice color, put in a sauce pan raisin wine, pepper, a bunch of rue and pure wine to taste. When this sauce is done, pour half of it over the ham and in the other half soak specially made ginger bread⁠ The remnant of the sauce after most of it is thoroughly soaked into the bread, add to the ham.

323. Milk-fed Snails (Cochleas lacte pastas). Take snails and sponge them; pull them out of the shells by the membrane and place them for a day in a vessel with milk and salt.⁠ Renew the milk daily. Hourly⁠ clean the snails of all refuse, and when they are so fat that they can no longer retire to their shells fry them in oil and serve them with wine sauce. In a similar way they may be fed on a milk porridge.

435. Another Sauce for Boiled Fish (Aliter in pisce elixo). Prepare the fish carefully; in the mortar put salt, coriander seed, crush and mix well; turn the fish therein, put it in a pan, cover it and seal it with plaster⁠ cook it in the oven. When done retire the fish from the pan sprinkle with strong vinegar and serve.

[booksandbobbins]

“I’ve been a massage therapist for many years, now. I know what people look like. People have been undressing for me for a long time. I know what you look like: a glance at you, and I can picture pretty well what you’d look like on my table. Let’s start here with what nobody looks like: nobody looks like the people in magazines or movies. Not even models. Nobody. Lean people have a kind of rawboned, unfinished look about them that is very appealing. But they don’t have plump round breasts and plump round asses. You have plump round breasts and a plump round ass, you have a plump round belly and plump round thighs as well. That’s how it works. And that’s very appealing too. Woman have cellulite. All of them. It’s dimply and cute. It’s not a defect. It’s not a health problem. It’s the natural consequence of not consisting of photoshopped pixels, and not having emerged from an airbrush. Men have silly buttocks. Well, if most of your clients are women, anyway. You come to male buttocks and you say – what, this is it? They’re kind of scrawny and the tissue is jumpy because it’s unpadded; you have to dial back the pressure, or they’ll yelp. Adults sag. It doesn’t matter how fit they are. Every decade, an adult sags a little more. All of the tissue hangs a little looser. They wrinkle, too. I don’t know who put about the rumor that just old people wrinkle. You start wrinkling when you start sagging, as soon as you’re all grown up, and the process goes its merry way as long as you live. Which is hopefully a long, long time, right? Everybody on a massage table is beautiful. There are really no exceptions to this rule. At that first long sigh, at that first thought that “I can stop hanging on now, I’m safe” – a luminosity, a glow, begins. Within a few minutes the whole body is radiant with it. It suffuses the room: it suffuses the massage therapist too. People talk about massage therapists being caretakers, and I suppose we are: we like to look after people, and we’re easily moved to tenderness. But to let you in on a secret: I’m in it for the glow. I’ll tell you what people look like, really: they look like flames. Or like the stars, on a clear night in the wilderness.”

— What People Really Look Like

[booksandbobbins]

whoever made the decision to make umpires wear cameras... you are a legend

this is genuinely the funniest thing i've ever seen

[booksandbobbins]

my most american trait is that i love hanging out in a parking lot

[booksandbobbins]

I will always be so sad and angry that Eragon never recognized how horribly the elves treated him and that no one else helped protect him from it either. Oromis is so insidiously and inexcusably cruel to him and Eragon truly deserved the chance to escape that and see the damage he caused, and also to then beat Oromis into a bloody pulp. And Glaedr too, honestly. He's mostly gone unscathed in my past rants, largely because at least his personality isn't so insufferable, but he ain't shit either. He's fully complicit in all of Oromis's vile abuse, and adds to it himself in certain places. They more than earn Eragon's ire, but they all constantly belittle him and insist that they inherently know better than him about everything, and poor Eragon believes them, so he doesn't fight back. No!!! Every misgiving you have about them is true, and not only should you stand your ground, but you should also start maiming them!!!!!

Oromis's mannerisms are respectful, kind, and gentle, but they in no way indicate his actual feelings. It just serves as a guise, while their actions demonstrate that both he and Glaedr don't have a single shred of respect for Eragon. They don't trust him, they don't put faith in him, they don't care about his wellbeing, and they have so much contempt for him. And they do all that while they take everything from Eragon, demanding he sacrifice himself constantly, and not always just in the interest of beating the Empire! In some cases it's solely an expression of their resentment of him or a way to cut away at the parts of him they don't like.

And Eragon gives them everything, so earnestly and generously. Then they give him jack shit. They only give him whatever suits their intention to use him as a weapon, and even in that, they pick and choose things to withhold according to their disdain for him. Contempt is all he gets in return for his trust and loyalty.

And it makes me sad how Saphira isn't there for him in this. In her defense, she's very young and they harm her also by prioritizing her utility to them over anything else, which she sadly does not recognize either. But beyond that, the elves and Oromis and Glaedr specifically treat her far, far better than they treat Eragon. She's in no way responsible for their actions, but there are places where she enables the abuse. Most often through overlooking it, but sometimes when Eragon rightfully balks at their mistreatment, then turns to Saphira for her input, she tells him, "I trust them and I think you should be deferring to them."

Eragon is so earnest and compassionate and he deserves care, both in the form of other people caring about his wellbeing, and also through the chance for him to learn how he can and should care for himself. Yet at the end of the series, he's so conditioned to accept manipulation and abuse and I just want my poor boy to have a chance to rest and HEAL 😭

[booksandbobbins]

Having ocd is actually really fun when you're at work and unable to get a break from your own thoughts it rules it's really so awesome

[booksandbobbins]

op turned reblogs off but i need this one so bad

[booksandbobbins]

but no one is ever gonna love you more than i do

[booksandbobbins]

People will literally be doing anything on ao3

[booksandbobbins]

Ongoing list of series that involve strange towers, factories, dungeons, or other mystical structures:

Video games:

Fear and Hunger (The Dungeons of Fear and Hunger, the Hollow Tower)

Baroque/Baroque Syndrome (the Neuro Tower)

Pandora's Tower (the Thirteen Towers)

Lost in Shadow/A Shadow's Tale/Tower of Shadows (the tower)

Rune Factory, Legend of Zelda, Infinite Undiscovery (for various dungeon levels, honorable mentions)

Schuld (the dream worlds, honorable mention

Ib (the art world, honorable mention)

Witch's House (the house, honorable mention)

Books:

House of Leaves (The labyrinth)

House of Stairs (The stairs/the experiment)

Sapphique & Incarceron (Incarceron)

Dungeon Crawler Carl (The Crawl/the Dungeon)

Boxes (The Complex)

Tales from a Mall (The Fresh Malls, honorable mention)

Movies:

The Labyrinth (The labyrinth)

Cube/Hypercube/Cube zero (The Cube)

Meander/Meandre (The tunnels)

The Platform (the Vertical Self-Management Center)

Dave Made a Maze (the cardboard maze)

Art/Artists:

MC Escher

Ari Bach / @oozing-carbon

Tanaka Suguru / @doumyakutosi

TV series/Anime/Manga:

Sword Art Online (Castle Aincrad)

Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon (the dungeon)

[booksandbobbins]

I’ve made this post like six times but it still fucks me up the China’s mountains just look like that. Like I spent decades thinking it was stylistic but no, they just have different mountains over there.