#I always recommend trying it

[rinnysega]

what's floating? :0c

It’s where you shut yourself in a sensory deprivation tank (no lights or sounds) and float in epsom salt for an hour+

(You strip naked but the example is wearing a bathing suit)

I’ve been doing it for a few years now and it’s helped reduce stress, anxiety, depression etc, and improves sleep and creativity. It’s not a substitute for a therapist but it’s a great pairing to go with it (think of it like a glass of wine paired to a meal). Recently it’s been helping me heal from some mental and emotional trauma by allowing me to focus on myself and meditate with my thoughts with no outside influence or distractions.

It can be scary the first few times but when you let go of your fear and breathe, you really get to know a deep, spiritual side of yourself! And the salt makes your skin feel super soft 🥰

[m1stl3t03]

an illustration of one of my favorite scenes from dancing in a snow globe by incendir .

[mlobsters]

billie eilish and finneas - interview with zane lowe - may 21, 2024

finneas embarrassing billie ✅ it's not literal 😤😏✅ making points about the parasocial song interpretation trend ✅

Billie: We live in a world of like, somebody puts a song out and everyone is like, "So, this is who this is about and this is the entire story of what happened," and it doesn't even give the listener a chance to interpret it how they want to interpret it and how they naturally hear it.

part 2 for how this album was scary and honest

[omaano]

"Cassian's face is a brittle thing, no person's eyes should shine as painfully tearful as his. Kino offers his hand and Cassian - bright as the sun, steady as a roc, fluid as water Cassian - accepts it with shaking fingers. He tells Kino everything."

Art for we're spitting off the edge of the world by Xenomorphic for the 2024 Star Wars Big Bang @swbigbang. It is an amazing Canon Divergence Fix-it fic from one of the most memorable moments of Andor onwards, with beautiful prose that fits the mood of the show so so well and will make you feel just as deeply for these characters. Please give it a read and heap some love on my team's amazing and hardworking author, they were such a delight to work with!❤️

[e-louise-bates]

Instead of "20 books to $50k" or "how to increase readership by writing and publishing a book every month that is exactly like every other popular book out there," I need the kind of marketing advice that goes along the lines of, "hey, here's how to get a modest fanbase and sell enough books to justify this as a side gig without having to go crazy and spend more than you earn on marketing." Because honestly, all the advice I find these days either a) requires me to put way more time and money into marketing than I am able to do, or b) requires me to write fast and sloppy in very specific sub-genres, and that's really not why I write stories.

And like Emily Starr, I would--and will--continue to write stories regardless of how many people read them, but it would be nice to be able to reach more than a dozen readers, and to be able to reasonably look on my writing as a part-time job rather than an expensive hobby.

(It doesn't help that there are so many articles out there claiming that self-publishing is dead! It's gotten too bloated and now only a handful can make a living off it! But wait--traditional publishing is also dead! It's gotten too greedy and now only a handful can make a living off it! Mid-level authors? Whether traditionally published or self-published, they apparently no longer exist)

[silviakundera]

a snippet of the droll Duke Su from the source novel of The Double, to show how well the drama is capturing his vibes. (Spoilers obviously)

Seeing such a thrilling examination, [Kong Liu] felt it was more tiring than the usual practice drill. However, he was still happy. He spoke to Ji Heng, “Did you see? Jiang second miss was so powerful. Today was really an eye opened for everyone, this would let her be in the limelight. I suppose she’s very happy.”

“I think she is a little disappointed,” Ji Heng said.

“Disappointed?” Kong Liu doubted, “Why disappointed? She got first place. These damn six arts competitions are over, she’s number one in each and every one of them. What is to be disappointed about?”

“Unable to borrow a knife to kill somebody, naturally one is disappointed.” Ji Heng laughed lightly and stood up: “Today’s drama is also not bad, just there’s no blood, a bit simpler, let’s see another day.”

Then he walked away.

“Truly a pervert.” Kong Liu muttered. He thought of something and said, “You still haven’t judged!”

[reslari]

The lifting the lore does in glazing when none of the demigods are actually all that powerful is so funny. In fact, neither is Queen Marika.

When GRRM said, "I wrote these guys to be normal humans a long time pre-canon," he wasn't kidding.

Marika, all-consumingly powerful, can rewrite reality with the reality rewriting macguffin! Except where she can't rewrite her children AND herself not to be cursed, and can only just barely seal a couple of Outer Gods and not actually kill them. Where she can't just write the Hornsent or the Crucible out of existence, and instead has to sacrifice people for a miserable, honorless war. Turns out, she's just an average, rote god, but she has propaganda on her side, and maybe a slight homefield advantage. But she isn't special and never has been.

Radahn, mightiest demigod of the Shattering! Who got his ass kicked by some sewer-scented old man with a walking stick. Twice. Plus he couldn't properly siege Stormveil Castle. So his official score in "notable battles" is 1/3/1. That's a championship record if I've ever seen one, truly worthy of the "mightiest" title.

Malenia, the undefeated!!!! Because she had to throw her pride away just to *tie* the dude that got his ass kicked by a stinky geriatric, when she was actively trying to kill him. Sure, Caelid is a mess now, but all she did was slap an aeonia down; the scarlet aeonia and the rot itself propagated under its own power, she wasn't controlling it once it was unleashed.

Morgott: should therefore be as powerful or more than both of the above, but is a midgame boss, and not even a particularly difficult kill, with no particular skills other than a little holy magic, so who knows how he even got Radahn in the first place. Except if Radahn isn't actually as powerful as the glazing tells you he is, and therefore neither is Malenia.

And all of the above can get absolutely humbled by some naked dude with a stick.

I could also go on about how Miquella's plan makes a ton more sense if you take away the bullshit anime superpowers, but bullshit anime superpowers is what makes the video game a video game, so they gotta stay.

PS: "Prime Radahn" isn't actually that powerful; if his fight was only phase 1, he would be easier than Malenia, even before the nerfs. He is buffed by Miquella to be as punishing as he is in Phase 2 - You're not fighting "Prime Radahn" acting under his own power, you're fighting "Prime Radahn" with a pocket buff machine enhancing his abilities; it's the combined strength of Miquella and Radahn, actively trying to defeat you... and you STILL win.

But this is a poignant point about the way FromSoft makes their characters: Even in their "prime", they are still defeatable by a naked dude with a stick. Even in their "prime", they're not all-powerful. It's for the same reason FS never writes people in positions of power as unambiguously good: You are supposed to realize how falliable those in power are. You are supposed to question them, their intentions, and see through the illusion and transience of their "power". GRRM wrote the characters even weaker and more falliable than FS would, it seems, but even "buffed" - just like Radahn - they are still people, and just as susceptible to the faults that come with that.

[poltergeist-coffee]

∞

Hhmm Bagi? 👀

Also hey I'm back, school was killing me:D

- 🍽

song: Carnaval by Kamaitachi

[i-d-e-g-a-f]

i already have so many gripes with the original show and how they handle aang’s character arc and his relationship with katara/how they disserviced her by putting her in that relationship and i don’t trust netflix to fix ANY of that in the slightest, in fact i think they’ll probably make things i actually like about the original even worse and the actors are so young too oh my god Kiawentiio get behind me and it’s gonna be another horde of new fans rehashing the same tired old discourse i cannot do this again helpppp

[maingh0st]

Do you think the series would be considered a bully to romance? I honestly don’t think so since I don’t seem to find any characteristics that would categorize the series as such.

it mostly depends on how we want to define bully romance, but my answer would be... eh, not really?

for one thing, the folk of the air isn't a romance series. it's a fantasy series that contains a romantic subplot, sure, but I think anyone who's marketed the series based on a particular romance trope is going to be disappointed by how much politicking takes place.

maybe you'd call that semantic, though, because regardless of genre, there is a central romance. but I wouldn't really call jurdan's arc a bully romance, either, unless we want to be overly simplistic and say that he bullies her at one point + they fall in love eventually. the appeal of a bully romance seems to be that the bullying & the romancing are intrinsically connected, whereas with jurdan, the bullying is just kind of the initial dynamic that gives way to other dynamics, including eventual romance (after some just desserts & groveling lol).

enemies to lovers is definitely accurate, but if you're a bully romance girlie I'm just not sure these books are going to have the dynamic you're looking for, you know?

[blueskittlesart]

how do u play zelda games... or are u just very familiar w the lore without having played all of them? i only have a switch and have played botw and totk it's the only console i've ever had and i'd like to play more games like ocarina of time and wind waker and majoras mask but idk how to access them and also. expensive 😭

i've played every game I talk about on here! I try not to talk about ones i havent played bc i don't have a full understanding of them lol. for me it's been about 10 years since I started playing zelda games so I've had some time to get this many under my belt but I can definitely recommend some good games & methods for new players!

since you said you only have a switch, i'll start with legal ways to get older zelda games on the switch. many of these will be expensive and arent actually the method i recommend to play them but. for the sake of being thorough. im gonna mention them.

skyward sword HD remake (highly recommend!!) this game would probably be a pretty good starting point after botw and the remake is notably easier to play than the original. it is $60 tho when the original game was $30. so

NES and SNES virtual consoles which are free with a nintendo online subscription have the original zelda, zelda II, and a link to the past on them. as a new player i wouldnt SUPER recommend any of these but alttp is definitely worth it if you DO end up liking some of the more modern games in the series.

the dreaded n64 virtual console has oot on it but im just straight up gonna tell you not to buy that shit. oot is a must play but there are millions of better ways to play it

the fucking $60 links awakening remaster. don't buy this

the way I personally played most of my games is either via console or hacked console. if you're willing to invest in a secondhand wii to hack you can emulate basically any console that came before it, including the n64 for oot and the gamecube for wind waker. if you're willing to invest in OR you have an old 3ds lying around (preferably that hasnt been updated recently but you can get around that) you can hack it to play GB/GBA/DS/3DS games, which includes link's awakening, minish cap, albw, oot 3d, and majora's mask 3d!

if you're looking for a COMPLETELY free option, my next suggestion is emulation. you want a decent PC to be able to run most of this shit without speed drops, and some newer consoles won't run perfectly no matter what. wii games especially are really dicey because of their reliance on motion control so there's not a lot of emulators out there for them.

for anything before the N64 (majora & any game released before it) I recommend the MAME vintage game emulator. this thing was originally built for arcade games but runs a lot of vintage consoles pretty well too and is generally intuitive and user-friendly.

Visual Boy Advance is a good option for GBA games (link's awakening, 4 swords, minish cap, oracle games.) these may also work on MAME

Desmume for DS games (phantom hourgass, spirit tracks)

Citra for 3DS games (requires high processing speed & decent graphics card, most laptops will not run it) (oot & mm 3d, albw)

for gamecube (wind waker) I used dolphin emulator on my hacked wii so I can't vouch for how it'll run on anything else but i believe it should also be able to emulate wii games? (sksw, tp)

hope this helps fuel your loz adventures! if you ever have specific questions about emulation or hacking i might be able to help also lol i hate paying for games so i do this a lot

[notsofriendlyfriendlyreminder]

Movies you should watch °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

non-spoilery reccomendations, actors bolded, three movies incoming :>

Dead poets society (1989)

dark academia, coming of age, how I wish I was born a boy

Who is surprised that I'm mentioning this movie first? Not people who have seen my account. Especially if you watch House and like Wilson, Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) is the main character and trust, you will fall in love with him and all of his friends. Who doesn't want to see Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), the new student, come out of his shell thanks to the new friends he found? And see young minds stir thanks to the new english teacher John Keating (Robin Williams)? There are many scenes which will make you laugh, cry, and scream.

My personal rating: 5/5⭐, all time favourite in my household

────୨ৎ────

Much ado about nothing (1993)

Shakespeare drama, romance, period piece

The two literary teachers I had in my life didn't agree on much, but one thing was certain, "You can read dramas, but it's always better to watch it." This, in my opinion, is the most important aspect if you want to enjoy any act. This play in particular is one of Shakespeare's comedy, centering around two couples, Benedick (Kenneth Baragh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson), bickering, arguing, and on the other hand Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) and Hero (Kate Beckinsale). But the stacked cast doesn't end there! There's also the prince, Don Pedro (Denzel Washington) and Don John (Keanu Reeves). Watch to see if Benedick and Beatrice ever stop arguing, if Claudio and Hero do end together, and how much can the angry Don John cause just to find revenge.

My personal rating: 5/5⭐

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Brokeback Mountain (2005)

neo-western, romance, lgbt+

It wouldn't be possible for me to do a movie reccomendation list without Brokeback mountain. The best way to watch movies is to know nothing about them, and this is true with this movie also. The monologue (you will know which one I mean), is never escaping my soul. The beautiful scenery, the main duo Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), the women caught in it Alma (Michelle Williams) and Lureen (Anne Hathaway) and whatever happened on the mountain. While Much ado about nothing can be watched with any of your friends, I'd say this is a movie to watch alone or with someone you know you trust.

My personal rating: 5/5⭐ (Rewatched too many times)

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[unopenablebox]

congratulate me it's the 6 year anniversary of the time i apologized to 🌸 for wronging them by having experienced a desire to kiss them

[sharkneto]

Hey, sorry if this is a bit of a personal question - and feel free to ignore it if it is - but how did you know you wanted to start hrt? I am someone who IDs as transmasc and knows in an ideal world, I would've loved to have been born a guy. But the idea of going on hormones is terrifying because I can't figure out if I really want it... I worry about regretting it, or it making me 'unappealing' physically, or my friends judging me for it. Did you ever struggle with similar worries?

I think every person thinking about and starting HRT goes through this. A rite of passage, if you will, and also not a bad thing to do. HRT is a big step, some of the changes (especially on T) are irreversible. It's good to think through if it's a choice that's right for you or not.

That said, it's also Just A Thing You Can Do. I first started really questioning my gender at the end of 2020 (thank you, Elliot Page, for coming out and making me go "oh shit, you can do that?"). I got a therapist to talk about gender... Mid 2022? And started hormones spring 2023, top surgery a year later.

Before getting the therapist, I spent over a year Just Thinking About It. And a lot of the thoughts were around the changes on T and if I'd like them or not or if I'd regret them. If I'd be ugly, after being conventionally attractive as a woman.

It hits a point, though, where eventually you have to pull the plug one way or another. I spent a lot of time thinking about how my body would change on T. A Lot. With longing. I caught myself putting things off Until I Knew For Sure and because I didn't want to do it while being perceived as a woman. I was sitting, treading water for a hypothetical Later that I could start moving towards at any time. I was scared for the Teenage Round 2 phase, and didn't want to spend months being "ugly and awkward", but then the months passed anyway and I was still in the same spot.

HRT isn't an all-or-nothing thing, you can ease into it on a low dose. My doctor started me on a low dose and we ramped up over months. Some T changes can start pretty quickly (voice dropping, bottom growth - this isn't true for everyone, but was true for me). If these changes excite you, make you feel good - great! Keep going! If they scare you, feel wrong - stop. Assess. Figure out what about it isn't right (a gender therapist for all of this process is a Huge Help). In early days if you stop T, the changes can revert, for the most part. But you can always stop at any time.

The bigger thing I actively worked to wrap my head around before starting HRT is - Who Cares If You're Wrong? What's right for you now might not be right for you later. The idea of detransitioning was scary to me, society has such a weird spotlight on it, the Right uses people who have detransitioned as props against transition. But it shouldn't matter. At the end of the day, if I do change my mind, I'll know myself better, and I don't think it's wrong to chase and find comfort in your own body.

A year+ on T, I've mostly made it through the ugly duck phase, I think. I was lucky, I didn't get bad acne or get too oily or anything (after having horrible acne in my first puberty). Most of what I dealt with was the chronic baby face, where I was getting read as male but a teenager - I'm almost 30 and a woman wanted to card me over a free T-shirt at a baseball game because it had beer logos on it. After some middle months of changes and going "oh my god what am I doing" and not feeling confident in how this was all going to turn out, I think of myself as relatively attractive and I think I'm just going to get more vain as my beard comes in. Some of that is physical, sure, but I think a significant amount of that is me feeling more confident in myself and liking the body I'm in more. I was never a selfie or picture person, now I am. I joke I'm like a budgie, always looking at myself if there's a reflective surface nearby. I'm more excited to exercise, I'm interested in lifting weights for the first time, I'm curious what my body on T can do and become. Keep your eyes on the pieces that are going well, the changes exciting you, and let the rest catch up.

My social circle helped a lot. I'm very lucky and blessed to have great friends and family, all of whom are supportive. If you don't have friends who are supportive of you, that are judging you for exploring yourself rather than lifting you up for it, it's a sign to expand the social circle and find ones that are. Family is harder, but that's a thing you have to navigate for yourself and find your own boundaries for.

So, there's no ~one moment~ where you're 100% certain that medical transition is right for you. It's a huge unknown and you're changing the body you've had your entire life. At some point, though, you just have to jump and see how it lands. Part of being alive is making mistakes and doing things you might regret.

That said, the regret rate for trans people is something like 3%. The regret rate for knee surgery is something like 20%. Trust yourself.

[berenshand]

it's always superwholock this and superwholock that. as if rise of the brave tangled dragons wasn't way more weird

[violentviolette]

i miss kaneki