#advance communication co.

[bison2winquote]

After Mr. Hyde loses a life, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [NES] (Advance Communication Co./ Toho/ Bandai)

[earthyaries]

WAYS U CAN PLEASE SATURN ACCORDING TO UR SATURN PLACEMENT ♄

1H/ARIES SATURN: RESPECT URSELF. DO NOT ALTER UR BOUNDARIES TO BE LIKED. SELF IMPROVEMENT. PUT EFFORT INTO UR BODY/APPEARANCE. WORKOUT / BE ACTIVE. HEALTHY COMPETITION. PRACTICE OFTEN. BE CONFIDENT BUT NOT ABOVE OTHERS. SLOW DOWN. SELF GROWTH. DELIBERATE ACTIONS.

2H/TAURUS SATURN: DEVELOP STRONG VALUES. DO NOT UNDERMINE URSELF. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. INTENTIONAL SPENDING. HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD. TRY NOT TO OVERINDULGE ; TRY NOT TO WASTE. STOP SELF SABOTAGING. NO SELF DEPRECATING. APPRECIATE WHAT U HAVE. EXPRESS GRATITUDE. DONATE WHAT U CAN.

3H/GEMINI SATURN: THINK BEFORE U SPEAK ; SPEAK LESS THAN U DESIRE. STOP OVERSHARING. FOCUS ON UR CRAFT ; GET RID OF THE DISTRACTIONS. POWER IN THE TONGUE. PERSONAL MOTTOS. STAND FOR WHAT IS MORAL ; BE WELL INFORMED. HAVE HARD CONVOS WHEN NECESSARY. BE A SUPPORTIVE FRIEND. STOP COMPLAINING. FIND SOLUTIONS. ADAPT & OVERCOME.

4H/CANCER SATURN: CREATE BOUNDARIES & STICK TO THEM. BE OF SERVICE TO OTHERS WITHOUT SELF SACRIFICE. DO NOT BE OVERLY SELFISH. EXPRESS UR NEEDS. TAKE CARE OF UR MENTAL HEALTH. EMOTIONAL REGULATION. SELF CARE. BE SELECTIVE OF UR INNER CIRCLE. POUR INTO UR LOVED ONES. TREAT OTHERS WITH KINDNESS. KEEP UR LIVING SPACE CLEAN.

5H/LEO SATURN: LET GO OF SELF DOUBT. BRING UR VISION TO LIFE. MASTER UR CRAFT. BELIEVE IN URSELF & WORK TOWARDS UR GOALS. GET RID OF UR NEED FOR OUTSIDE APPROVAL. LOOK OUT FOR THE CHILDREN ; BE THE PERSON U NEEDED GROWING UP. WORK HARD, PLAY HARD. DELAYED GRATIFICATION.

6H/VIRGO SATURN: FOLLOW A ROUTINE. HEALTHY HABITS. STRUCTURE. KEEP UR SPACES ORGANIZED ; DE-CLUTTER. BE A FRIEND TO ANIMALS. TAKE GOOD CARE OF UR PET/S. PUT IN THE WORK EVERY DAY. OFFER A HELPING HAND. HONOR UR OWN TIME & ENERGY ; DO NOT ENGAGE IN ONE-SIDED RELATIONS.

7H/LIBRA SATURN: MAKE UR OWN DECISIONS. TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY. CRACK DOWN ON CO-DEPENDENCY ; AVOID SELF ISOLATION. LONGTERM RELATIONS. BE THE BIGGER PERSON. FORGIVE BUT DON’T FORGET. APPLY LESSONS FROM THE PAST. TREAD LIGHTLY. RESPECT THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU. FORM LASTING ALLIANCES.

8H/SCORPIO SATURN: KEEP THINGS TO URSELF. STAY PRIVATE. PRACTICE SELF CONTROL. RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF HARDSHIP. HOPE FOR THE BEST, PREPARE FOR THE WORST. SAVINGS/RAINY DAY RESOURCES. EMBRACE CHANGE. LEARN TO LET GO. RADICAL ACCEPTANCE. SEXUAL DISCIPLINE. XTRA EMPHASIS ON SAFE SEX!

9H/SAGITTARIUS SATURN: PRACTICE UR BELIEFS. WALK THE TALK. MANTRAS. LEARN FROM OTHERS ; COME TO UR OWN CONCLUSIONS. STUDY. BE AN ETERNAL STUDENT. ALLOW URSELF TO BE OUT OF UR ELEMENT. RESPECT OTHER CULTURES. MAKE UR OWN TRADITIONS. STAY HUMBLE. ACCEPT MULTIPLE TRUTHS. APPLY WHAT WORKS.

10H/CAPRICORN SATURN: KEEP UR EYES ON THE PRIZE. TRUST THAT ALL THINGS COME IN DUE TIME. KEEP URSELF MOTIVATED. WORK FOR WHAT U WANT. STAY CONSISTENT. PERSONAL LEGACY ; THINGS THAT LAST. BECOME UR OWN ROLE MODEL. DO IT URSELF / DO IT RIGHT. LIVE WITH KARMA IN MIND.

11H/AQUARIUS SATURN: LEAD THE WAY ; FURTHER THE CAUSE. BETTER THE COMMUNITY— CREATE UR OWN. BE CONSCIOUS OF WHOM U ASSOCIATE URSELF WITH. BEFRIEND PPL OLDER THAN URSELF. LONGTERM FRIENDSHIPS. LONGTERM RESULTS. ADVANCEMENT. NETWORKING. ONLINE INFLUENCE. SET THE STANDARD.

12/PISCES SATURN: ALL IN MODERATION. HEALTHY COPING METHODS & LIFESTYLE PRACTICES. CONSIDERATION. REFLECTION ; SELF AWARENESS. THERAPY. STANDARDS. LEAVE ONCE DISRESPECTED. NO FAKE FRIENDS. MIND OVER MATTER. MANIFESTATION. BE REAL WITH URSELF. SELF TRUST.

[reasonsforhope]

Holy crap, I didn't think Biden would be able to get the Climate Corps established without Congress. This is SUCH fantastic news.

--

"After being thwarted by Congress, President Joe Biden will use his executive authority to create a New Deal-style American Climate Corps that will serve as a major green jobs training program.

In an announcement Wednesday, the White House said the program will employ more than 20,000 young adults who will build trails, plant trees, help install solar panels and do other work to boost conservation and help prevent catastrophic wildfires.

The climate corps had been proposed in early versions of the sweeping climate law approved last year but was jettisoned amid strong opposition from Republicans and concerns about cost.

Democrats and environmental advocacy groups never gave up on the plan and pushed Biden in recent weeks to issue an executive order authorizing what the White House now calls the American Climate Corps.

“After years of demonstrating and fighting for a Climate Corps, we turned a generational rallying cry into a real jobs program that will put a new generation to work stopping the climate crisis,” said Varshini Prakash, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, an environmental group that has led the push for a climate corps.

With the new corps “and the historic climate investments won by our broader movement, the path towards a Green New Deal is beginning to become visible,” Prakash said...

...Environmental activists hailed the new jobs program, which is modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps, created in the 1930s by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, as part of the New Deal...

Lawmakers Weigh In

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had also encouraged Biden to create a climate corps, saying in a letter on Monday that “the climate crisis demands a whole-of-government response at an unprecedented scale.”

The lawmakers cited deadly heat waves in the Southwest and across the nation, as well as dangerous floods in New England and devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, among recent examples of climate-related disasters.

Democrats called creation of the climate corps “historic” and the first step toward fulfilling the vision of the Green New Deal.

“Today President Biden listened to the (environmental) movement, and he delivered with an American Climate Corps,” a beaming Markey said at a celebratory news conference outside the Capitol.

“We are starting to turn the green dream into a green reality,” added Ocasio-Cortez, who co-sponsored the Green New Deal legislation with Markey four years ago.

“You all are changing the world,” she told young activists.

Program Details and Grant Deadlines

The initiative will provide job training and service opportunities to work on a wide range of projects, including restoring coastal wetlands to protect communities from storm surges and flooding; clean energy projects such as wind and solar power; managing forests to prevent catastrophic wildfires; and energy efficient solutions to cut energy bills for consumers, the White House said.

Creation of the climate corps comes as the Environmental Protection Agency launches a $4.6 billion grant competition for states, municipalities and tribes to cut climate pollution and advance environmental justice. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants are funded by the 2022 climate law and are intended to drive community-driven solutions to slow climate change.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the grants will help “communities so they can chart their own paths toward the clean energy future.”

The deadline for states and municipalities to apply is April 1, with grants expected in late 2024. Tribes and territories must apply by May 1, with grants expected by early 2025."

-via Boston.com, September 21, 2023

[volixia669]

Labor.

Aristocrats.

Hoooooooooooooooooooo boy.

Okay, so, I guess some extreme leftists are...Really missing the forest for the trees.

As far as I can tell, a labor artistocrat is the concept of someone who is working class, but makes more money than your typical working class person.

Now, I’m sure some folks look at that and nod along, as it gives credence to the idea that those making $400k/year should be hated.

But in actuality, it only serves to further divide us and help the 1%.

It’s playing into an us vs. them narrative that is so tempting to jump for, only instead of the “them” being wealthy billionaires, it’s other working class people. It’s encouraging infighting, rather than going, “Hey, we should work together.” It’s saying that instead of trying to get everyone to a higher income bracket, we should snipe at those who reached that higher income bracket.

Incidentally, many of those who are making above 100k are a part of a union. An actual one, not the mob thing the cops have going on. Writer’s unions, acting unions, nursing unions, etc. Others, are working jobs like engineering or with computers that have become necessary in our society.

Now, this isn’t to say that Unions can’t be bad at times. Unions can absolutely be against, or leave out people of color, queer people, and sex workers. There have been pro-cop unions, unfortunately.

But.

That doesn’t mean the concept of rallying together to demand worker’s rights and fair compensation is bad. It DOES mean that more white people need to work on being antiracist, and that union policies need to be improved to account for systemic racism and other systemic bigotries.

It also doesn’t mean that those who’ve received higher wages because of unions, or because of numerous other factors are bad simply because they have higher wages.

It does mean that we need to unionize and rally together to demand fair wages and worker rights, among so many other things.

It does also mean that while there is no “labor aristocracy” to dismantle, there is a need for some folks to examine their privilege and recognize they are closer to those making 15k a year than those making billions.

(Oh, and for the third time, hey tankies, hey communists, that hammer and sickle in your bio? It represents the USSR aka an authoritarian regime which has been behind the deaths and genocides of millions. Also yes, that’s multiple genocides. From the holodomer, to targeting Jews, to targeting Mongolians among so much more. The USSR was bad, and its flag symbolizes death and authoritarianism.)

[arcsimper5]

Do you think Plo Koon's mask also has a translator inside it which makes his language understandable in basic?

Because being rather reptilian/insectoid in appearance, I assume that their main method of communication is probably screeching and clicks, rumbles and vibrations.

Also because:

Plo: ... and once Wolffe, Sinker and I give the signal, we will... *mask crackles, unintelligible screeching noises*

*Plo stops talking, adjusts his mask and tries again*

Plo: *more screeching*

Shinies: *horrified whimpering*

Plo: *sad eyes at Wolffe*

Wolffe: *rolls eyes* The General is having translation issues. What he said was 'once we give to signal, you are to advance and rendezvous with us at the marked co-ordinates'. Understood?

Plo: *gentle clicking noises*

Wolffe: And... *sighs* he says he's proud of us.

Everyone else: *stunned silence*

Plo: *soft screech*

Wolffe: *glaring at him* Really, General? Do I have... Ugh, fine. And the General says he... loves us... *blushes furiously*

Plo: *delighted clicking noises*

[metamatar]

To counter what they view as a rising tide of prejudice, the HAF and other Hindu American groups have turned to American Jewish organizations, which they have long seen as “the gold standard in terms of political activism,” as Maryland State Delegate Kumar Barve said in 2003. Since the early 2000s, Indian Americans have modeled their congressional activism on that of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and AIPAC; Indian lobbyists have partnered with these groups to achieve shared defense goals, including arms deals between India and Israel and a landmark nuclear agreement between India and the US. Along the way, these Jewish groups have trained a generation of Hindu lobbyists and advocates, offering strategies at joint summits and providing a steady stream of informal advice. “We shared with them the Jewish approach to political activism,” Ann Schaffer, an AJC leader, told the Forward in 2002. “We want to give them the tools to further their political agenda.” Shukla told Jewish Currents that the HAF continues to work closely with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the AJC, whether by “being co-amici curiae on briefs to the US Supreme Court,” or by “lending our support to one another’s letters to Congress.”

[...] Faced with rising scrutiny over India’s worsening human rights record, Hindu groups have used “the same playbook and even sometimes the same terms” as Israel-advocacy groups, “copy-pasted from the Zionist context,” said Nikhil Mandalaparthy of the anti-Hindutva group Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR). Hindu groups have especially taken note of their Jewish counterparts’ recent efforts to codify a definition of antisemitism—the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition—that places much criticism of Israel out-of-bounds, asserting that claims like “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” constitute examples of anti-Jewish bigotry.

[...] In 2003, Gary Ackerman—a Jewish former congressman who was awarded India’s third-highest civilian honor for helping to found the Congressional Caucus on India—told a gathering of AJC and AIPAC representatives and their Indian counterparts that “Israel [is] surrounded by 120 million Muslims,” while “India has 120 million [within].” Tom Lantos, another Jewish member of the caucus, likewise enjoined the two communities to collaborate: “We are drawn together by mindless, vicious, fanatic, Islamic terrorism.”

Driven by that sense of shared purpose, the AJC and AIPAC helped train new Indian American political groups—such as the Indian American Political Action Committee and the United States India Political Action Committee—to achieve their aims in Washington. The AJC hosted seminars on political activism in DC and New York; it also brought several delegations of Indian Americans to Israel to meet with members of the Israeli government and military. “We’re fighting the same extremist enemy,” the AJC’s capital region director Charles Brooks told the Forward in 2002.

[hihhasotherfixations]

I’m thinking about dragon hybrid Price as a dad to little dragon hybrid you.

This is more headcanon style than my usual and a little bit all over the place but I had to get it out because yes >:3

CW: none

Word Count: 1020

Price had always lived a solitary life. Dragon hybrids were relatively rare, and he didn’t exactly go out of his way to find a partner.

Purely by happenstance, he came across another. And almost out of obligation as well as it being mating season, they started a relationship. She quickly fell pregnant, but despite it all, it wasn’t meant to last.

Due to the more solitary nature of dragons, your mother left after you were born. Price didn’t blame her, the two hadn’t been incredibly close after all, only having gotten together during the mating season but not having an amazing connection beyond that. He was grateful she at least communicated her plan in advance so that he could prepare.

But when you were born, oh my. You were everything.

He took you home from the hospital alone, yet before he’d even gotten out of his car and into the house, he knew that a bond had formed that he could never sever.

Dragons were vain and prideful by nature. And for Price? His pride and vanity all poured into you. You were his. His creation, his child. He’d do anything for you, to keep you safe. And if necessary? He would protect you with the world as a shield.

The baby years are tough. Growing horns, wings and fangs is not pleasant. It can hurt and because of it, there are a lot of nights where you’re inconsolable, just crying in his arms as he tries to soothe you.

His wings folding around you seem to work best, creating a sort of cavern-like bubble where his warmth and heartbeat are the main sensations.

But even with that, the growing pains are sometimes too much and the poor captain had to lose sanity in favour of consoling you, rubbing ointment on your horns and massaging your tail and wings the best he could.

Yet the first time he sees your little tail wag when he walks into the baby room to feed you after waking you, all the sleepless nights are worth it.

You were starting to develop into a true dragon.

You stand in your box, holding onto the railing and bouncing excitedly on your feet. Your little horns poking through your unruly mop of hair while your wings are folded on your back.

“Hello, little lizard.” Price smiles, walking over to you. Immediately, you stick up your arms and he takes the hint, grabbing you under your armpits and lifting you up.

Holding you in his arms, he can feel you wiggle, trying to wag your tail - but you can’t.

Because now that your wings have finally started developing in earnest, he has needed to put preventative measures.

Where before your wings were papery and flexible, your tail stumpy and short, now both were getting some volume, the bones in them growing and lengthening - solidifying. And because of it, sleeping becomes dangerous.

In the past, many dragonlings have broken wings or tails by rolling around in their sleep, getting the limbs stuck under themselves and twisting too far.

Because of it, the wing-tail guard was invented. Used to pin said appendages against your body and cushioning them - allowing you to roll to your heart’s content while sleeping.

And now here you sat on his arm, the soft, black coloured cushioning moulded perfectly to fit your wings strapped to your back, your tail stuck between your legs, unable to wiggle or wag it.

“Come on, darling.” Price grinned, setting you down on the changing table and untying the straps, freeing your wings and tail back up.

And when your wings shift and move a little after he takes it off, oh how his heart jumps in excitement.

He’s been so eager, waiting for the day you finally open your wings for the first time.

For most dragonlings it happens around 1,5-2 years old. So you were right around that age.

He tries to encourage you by showing off his own wings. Anytime he has you on his lap, he spreads them wide, and you never fail to be completely mesmerised by it.

Seeing it, he tries to let you know you have your own, to encourage you to use them. He runs his hand down the muscles and bones of your wings, petting them down, getting you used to it by massaging the flesh and muscles, loosening them up.

It takes a lot of coaxing and weeks since you first tried, but finally, you manage to open up your wings and spread them.

And Price couldn’t be more proud.

Your wings are a carbon copy of his, except just a slight shade darker. And he knows that with a lot of training and upkeep, you’ll be just as strong a flier as he is.

Speaking of. Now that you’ve opened your wings for the first time? He can finally take you on your first flight.

Strapped to his chest with a harness, he gently stretches your wings out. It looks a little awkward, to have you dangling from his chest with your wings pancaked between your back and his front, but it’s important to get you used to flying, to using your wings.

The glee and pure joy that radiates off of you when you’re soaring in the clouds is unprecedented. You’re not scared, nervous or hesitant as he feared you might be, no. Instead, you’re kicking your feet, and screeching in delight. You keep tilting your head back to look at your dad and Price grins down at you, uncaring that your horns are stabbing into his sternum as his powerful wings flap, carrying the both of you through the sky.

The 141 know everything about you. Price can’t help himself. As stated before, dragons are proud creatures, and you are his pride.

He cannot help but share with the other most important people in his life.

And oh how they adore you too.

All in all, you are Price’s greatest treasure, and he can’t wait to see you grow up into your own, powerful dragon.

-

I would love to write more for this. If you want something elaborated or have your own idea and wanna see it written, please drop it in my ask box to give me an excuse to do so! ^^

[ventique18]

Book 7, Chapter 7, Episode 101:

So the DiaRamshackle squad landed in Ignihyde, where they meet the completely aware Idia. They had thought they got out of a dream into the "real world", but it turns out they're just outside of Lilia's dream but still within Malleus' magical domain expansion-- which is Idia's "dream" now. Proof of this is because Sebek's still wearing his armor.

At this point in time, apparently they haven't really conversed with Idia yet. Sebek barely remembers that Idia's the Ignihyde housewarden LOL.

Sebek: "... That's right! I knew I've seen that face before. You're Ignihyde's housewarden! Back at the entrance ceremony, you attended in some sort of board-like thing. This might be the first time I've seen you in proper form."

Sebek: "I am from Diasomnia, First Year, Class D, Seat 33, Sebek Zigvolt!!" WHY IS HE SO ENTHUSIASTIC LMAO

Sebek: "This dopey man right here is Silver. Second Year, from the same dormitory!!" (DOPEY DSJKNDAS HE'S BASICALLY SAYING HE LOOKS HIGH LMAO)

Idia: "Are Malleus and co.'s ears still fine from being blasted by this boombox everyday at close-range..."

Silver: "Everyone, on alert! Idia-senpai, Grim, prefect, get behind me and Sebek!"

AND SO SUDDENLY THEY'RE GETTING ATTACKED??

Idia: "Wuh?! What's this all of a sudden?! Ow, ow! I'm getting crushed between hard muscles and hard armor!"

IDIA????? IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME AND PLACE TO BE COMMENTING ON MUSCLES OMFG LMAO

So the "darkness" have come for Idia because they sensed that someone needs to be lulled back to sleep lol.

Grim: "Malleus might pop up again to say "You're awake?"..!"

Sebek: "The "darkness" are fine, though I do not know if we can win against Lord Malleus without Sir Lilia..."

"No, we are ready!"

Sebek: "Whether it be the darkness, or Lord Malleus... We will definitely strike back!!!"

Idia: "Uogh... Wai-- too close... Can't... breathe..!"

HE'S LITERALLY SHAKING BACK AND FORTH HELP

AND THEN SUDDENLY SOMEONE SPEAKS!

???: "About Malleus and the dark shadows... You don't need to worry about them for a while. I think he's spending considerable "resources" trying to get Lilia Vanrouge back to sleep."

Ortho: "Hehe, sorry for making you worry."

Apparently, Ortho's appearing in monitor mode for now because trying to appear as his usual form in Idia's dreams causes some serious errors.

Ortho: "Anyway... Everyone, brother's face is already turning blue from asphyxiation. Can you let him go now?"

So the two let go of him and Idia let's in a HUGE GASP FOR AIR

Idia: "ohh I almost descended to the underworld... Tha-thanks for the save, Ortho..."

So anyway, Sebek starts questioning the two what they mean by Malleus using up resources to put Lilia to sleep. Ortho starts the explanation by recounting events. That during Lilia's farewell party, Malleus put everyone to sleep-- no, froze time and space itself. But Ortho in particular managed to escape from the island through communications satellite. Everyone was shocked because Ortho could do something like that?! Ortho just laughs and says his "peculiarity" was helpful, because while he's not a mage and therefore cannot have a unique magic, he can transmit his "soul" through radio waves.

Sebek: "Loathe as I am to admit... but human advancement in machinery is amazing."

Silver chimes in and praises that Ortho's uniqueness is something they can never attain no matter how hard they train. Ortho moves on, explaining that he went to STYX headquarters and there, they hatched the plan for Ortho to infiltrate Sage Island in order to analyze Malleus' unique magic, Fae of Maleficence.

[librarycards]

hello! i apologize in advance this is probably something that you get asked a lot. but do you have any recs on literary magazines to submit to? im a trans poet, ive been writing for over a decade but never shared anything and ive been wanting to try to send my stuff to get it published somewhere. obv ive been google searching but theres so many big and small publications and i was wondering if you have ones you like especially and/or tips on how to choose a magazine/journal to submit to. thanks a lot! <3

no worries, thank you for reaching out!! i've been publishing for like 8 years + an editor for almost 4, so i always appreciate the opportunity to help people new to the world find ethical publications that will treat their work with the care it deserves.

first and foremost: there are going to be pubs out there that are awesome and i don't know about. you may be the one to discover them for yourself! one aid in finding the best mag for your work is the wonderful, writer-created chillsubs. it's a fantastic platform that keeps a huge list of mags and presses and their relevant stats, and lets you create an account and bookmark those you're interested in. everyone i know uses them, and it's very worth it given the sheer volume of mags out there.

i also have some recs of my own, ofc. i'm going to list them below. if they pay (which i prioritize) I'll mark them with a $. some are trans/queer focused and some aren't, but all are pubs i've either edited and/or published with and can confirm their ethics + respect for writers.

manywor(l)ds - my mag! i'm co-founder and eic. break genre _ shapeshift with us. ($)

Sinister Wisdom - old, well-regarded lesbian+ lit mag, now open to everyone who is/loves a dyke. I'm guest-editing an issue on Madness with them, now open for submissions!

fifth wheel press - run by a beloved friend and comrade of mine. i've published here. excellent transparency, care, great for first-timers. ($).

kith books - headed by trans literary icon kat blair. a mag/press/community centered around bodymind non-conformity and noncompliance.

Honey Literary - QTPOC-centered, unabashedly pop-culture + social justice oriented. the vibes are simply immaculate.

Whale Road Review - not queer/trans focused, more oriented toward....'grown up' poetry/prose/pedagogy papers. Katie Manning (eic) is a fucking gem.

Graphic Violence Lit - just had my first experience publishing with them, and their care + consideration for the whole writer is amazing. they publish boundary-pushing work.

beestung - one of the brainchildren of Sarah Clark. nb/gq/2s SFF. I just edited a few guest issues w them and have published with them. amazing work. ($)

A Velvet Giant - genrequeer work. the editors are experienced, enthusiastic, and amazing at promoting writers long after publication. it's a family! ($)

Ethel Zine + Press - handmade with love by Sara Lefsyk (as you can see, trans/nonbinary/2s sarahs dominate indie publishing, as well we should :3). Sara is a sensitive and care-full editor and bookmaker whose every publication is a work of art.

Protean - pro- as in proletariat. awesome left mag with a mix of politics and culture and everything in between. they take reprints! ($)

Mudroom - publish your work along with a picture of your mudroom/shoe rack. very responsive editors who will hype you tf up. ($)

The Institutionalized Review - for psych survivors. the editors concreteness of vision and dedication to their community know no bounds.

Just Femme + Dandy - queer and fashion-focused! led by the inimitable Addie Tsai. They pay *handsomely*. ($)

In addition, there are also some "big" mags I have had excellent experiences publishing with and wanted to shout out. These are harder for a beginner to break into, but worth keeping on your radar + have been fantastic to me as a writer.

Electric Lit

Split Lip Magazine

The Offing

Nat. Brut

Santa Fe Writers' Project

Bodega

New Orleans Review

Augur Magazine

I hope this is helpful to you + others! the literary world is ever-changing and this is just a snapshot. Hopefully you find some that you like!

[unluckiestmember]

Chainsaw Man x Short/Shy! Reader

Characters: Aki Hayakawa, Angel Devil, Kishibe, Denji and Yoshida Hirofumi

Tags: Fluff, teasing, established relationships, fluff, tolerance training, did I mention fluff?

Warnings: None. SFW.

A/N: It should have not taken me this long to make this. *slaps self on the wrist*. One of my favorites!

Aki Hayakawa

“Huh? I was laughing? Sorry. I just realized something about how short you are?… I’m not making fun of you. It’s just- Nevermind.”

Aki finds you to be kind of cute, but he would never say that in public, he has a reputation to keep of course. One thing he really loves about you is how short you are compared to him, finding it cute when you look up at him to ask questions or when you want a kiss.

He also loves how shy you can be, though sometimes he would prefer it if you weren’t so careful with what you want to say or do. At home, your nature was perfectly fine, but at work? He could tell it was something that could get you killed or force you to partake in missions you shouldn’t be participating in.

Aki can put up a front, but everyone knows that he cares deeply about you even if he doesn’t display PDA as much compared to his colleagues. Even Himeno makes fun of the fact that he’s so in love with you! All in all, he thinks you are the cutest and sweetest thing he’s ever met. But he won’t say that out loud. Nope. Never… But behind closed doors-

Angel Devil

“Wanna get ice cream after this mission?… Huh? Speak up. I can’t hear you… Still can’t hear you.”

Angel Devil loves your shy nature, but he’s also someone who wants you to grow out of it. He feels that due to you being so bashful you could be taken advantage of by the Public Safety, including Makima. And if it isn’t by your coworkers, it will definitely be by the world around you. So he loves to ask you questions and hear you give him an answer loud and proud, even if that is a rarity.

When he isn’t trying to gracefully mold you out of love, Angel finds your height to be a bit comforting due to being one of the shortest males in his group of colleagues. He doesn’t make fun of your height or is the kind of person to say you’re cute when you get mad because of your figure. Instead, he treats you with a higher respect compared to everyone in Public Safety, viewing you not just as his lover and co-worker, but also as his friend.

Outside of your personality possibly being a target for foes, Angel Devil loves everything about you.

Kishibe

“… Yeah. I’m gonna keep you.”

Kishibe is a bit of a weird man, usually keeping his emotions on lockdown and focusing mainly on his missions at hand in Public Safety. He seems like the kind of man who doesn’t have time for romance and lives deeply in the past, meaning his heart might still be hung on Quanxi.

But actually? He’s a bit of a sweetheart.

Though he’s a man of action, not a man of words. He doesn’t put his relationship with you in front of the world unless he feels threatened by someone in his Division. But even then, he knows how you can be around people and even himself, so he treads lightly in hopes of not scaring you off. It doesn’t make it any better that you are significantly shorter than him. So he just feels himself taken aback by your height difference and sometimes sees you not as a toy, but a plush that should be protected and kept at all costs.

Even if his communication skills could use a bit of tweaking along with his advances, he adores you and wants to protect you no matter what.

Denji

“Hey, uh, wanna cuddle again?… No, work was fine, I just uh, wanna hold you again. I like how I can easily wrap my arms around you and how you fit against me and… Stuff.”

Short, tall, loud or quiet, Denji does not give a damn as long as he’s getting some love! And boy do you give him love!

He’s like a big puppy when it comes to you, loving you in any way shape or form. He adores how bashful you are, even if sometimes it makes him think he’s said or done something wrong. It doesn’t make it better that when you are affectionate with him, he just. Melts. He stares at you like you are the creator of the world around him, like a divine entity that must be loved and respected for eternity.

When it comes to being short, Denji finds this to be his favorite trait about you since he can easily do things he’s seen in movies, tv and manga he wants to try out on you. He’ll twirl you around when he’s happy. He’ll help you reach for objects to grab without ridiculing you. He’ll bend down eagerly to kiss you on your lips. And he will definitely hold you so close and tight to his body when you sleep together.

You are so precious to him. Words just can’t describe how much he loves you…

Yoshida Hirofumi

“Can I get a kiss?… You missed… Oh, you missed again. Missed. Hey, what’s going on with your aim?”

Yoshida can be a bit of a goofball dating you. He thinks you are cute as a shy soft bean in his eyes, but he will try to push you out of your comfort zone gently with his actions.

He can be playful, pushing you to initiate some moments between you two and even forcing you to speak up. But trust me when I say he’s not just getting off to you having to take the first step. If he wants to hold and kiss you and partake in cute activities with you, he will.

Though he can be a comedian of sorts, he makes sure that you are safe away from his job. He knows because of your personality that if you were to get in the middle of his work you could get hurt. And if you ever got hurt? He wouldn’t know what to do with himself… As his lover, you mean so much to him even if he gives off casual dating energy. Just ask him. And he’ll tell you how special you are.

He loves you. Don’t forget that.

Chainsaw Man requests are currently open! :D

Likes and retweets are always appreciated! I love you all, be safe and have a good day! <3

[flowery-laser-blasts]

It's the year 2023 and so much has changed...

Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable-Possible, now in their mid-thirties, work alongside Global Justice with their own specialized team (including Wade, Felix, and Jim & Tim). As for Dr. Drakken and Shego... After helping prevent the invasion of the Warlordians, Dr. Drakken and Shego were pardoned from almost all of their prior crimes against the safety of the world and eventually became, in their own words, 'neutral'. At times, they even aid Team Possible with intel, after all; who knows more about how villains do than ex-villains?

Dr. Drakken started working on his own world-improving inventions because he realized that 'positive' recognition from the world feels better than being despised by everyone, and this way he can rub it even more into James Possible's face... Shego became an elite mercenary/hitwoman after tutoring the best of the best agents of Global Justice for 5 years -it was part of her 'community service'- She now works separately from everyone, but always comes back home before Drakken finishes making dinner.

One day, Dr. Drakken thought of a hypothesis: if television programs are just a glimpse into an alternative reality and aliens exist with their ultra-advanced technology, then who says that alternative timelines aren't real? "Maybe we could learn from that to improve ours!"

He worked tirelessly on trying to find out if alternative universes or timelines exist, maybe ones where he and Shego were always good and Possible and Stoppable were the baddies, imagine!

But then he found something...

Dr. Drakken found out that there was a timeline that lined up exactly with the one they were in, except something was drastically different. It was stuck in some kind of purgatory; stuck in place but also as if looping over and over again. Separate from everything surrounding it but at the same time trying to free itself from its slumbering state.

Drakken looked into it, fascinated that this timeline could co-exist with theirs but at the same time not. What changed? Then it hit him.

"Tempus Simia... that Monkey plan-- It actually happened!?" Dr. Drakken sometimes ruminated on the weird feelings he had on the day the trio, and Shego, decided to abruptly give up on that time-traveling plan. None of them ever said or mentioned anything about it to one another, especially Monkey Fist... he became different. Drakken wished he could ask him about what happened that day, but alas the man became a supernaturally petrified lawn ornament.

"Did Monkey Fist know something about that statue that we didn't? Did the plan work? Is that what that timeline is?" Drakken became ansty, he needed to know what happened. Not that he was going to return to being evil, no-no, this was purely scientific, and well- curiosity took the upper hand. Perhaps he was a fair ruler in this 'time capsule'.

After months and months of calculations and testing, he managed to do it; Drakken succeeded in making a portal device that could connect and stabilize the broken timeline to ours. Shego wasn't entirely sure about this plan but decided to stick around to ensure the man wouldn't end up killing himself and everyone on the planet in some freak accident.

After flipping the switches and turning on the safety protocols, the machine started producing a whirling sound. No sooner did a small portal form, giving them a glimpse of the dystopian world of the Supreme One. "Wow, that-- is that me?" Shego pointed at a fallen statue. "Sheesh, who would've thought the sidekick could ever take over the world, right Drew?" Shego teasingly jabbed his arm, making Drakken roll his eyes in response. "Shego, dumpling, darling love of my life, I've apologized thousands of times already, can you finally let it go?!" He received a snicker in response, "I guess not, nevertheless, let me concentra--!" A loud bang snapped the two out of their banter, "Dr. D? What was that?!" Shego instinctively lit her hands as the room turned dark for a moment, the whirling sounds of the portal device intensified, and no sooner bright red warning signs started flashing while a deafening alarm went off around them. Shego looked at Drakken, who was frantically trying to close the portal. "Something's trying to push its way into here! I-- I haven't been able to properly secure that part yet-- Shego!" Drakken's face paled as he looked back in the direction of the portal.

"The Supreme One, actually." An icy chill went through Shego's spine as she heard her own voice coming from directly behind her. "I already thought, what took you so long Doc? It's not fun being stuck in time; ain' I right, Dr. D?" Both Shego and Drakken watched in disbelieve at the arrival of the Supreme One's sidekick, who within seconds hurled himself at the machinery, destroying most of it and breaking off the connection to the fractured timeline.

Drakken tried to jump in and save what was left by making his flowers restrain the brute, but the man ripped the foliage away from him as if it were nothing. The sidekick threw Drakken aside and blocked Shego from trying to get to him, holding her in a lock.

The supreme one stepped closer and looked at her restrained self.

"Now that botany-boy is taken care of... tell us, Shego: Where is Kimmie?"

---

I hope you guys like my little sequel idea for 'A Sitch in Time'. I absolutely love this TV movie!! I'm not much of a writer but it was so much fun imagining this story while drawing!! As for the future designs of everyone: - Kim's outfit is based on Stephen Silver's older Kim design. - Ron now has a utility belt that actually works and gloves that can help him control his Mystical Monkey Powers. - Shego's outfit stayed relatively the same with some adjustments, why change what works right? - Dr. Drakken (now Professor Lipsky) traded his blue lab coat for a white one... dress codes apply at his shared workplace, but he still wears a blue dress shirt underneath it. Aside from that his eyes aren't as good as they used to be and his contact lenses were out of the question since they tampered with the eye-scanning-security-device (he ended up being left outside of the lab for 3 hours because of it), so now he just wears glasses.

I also wanted to include Rufus in the story; Now a senior rodent, Rufus spends his retirement days around the lab assisting Drakken with various experiments and small talk while Kim and Ron are on missions. Hope you enjoyed both the drawing and the mini fanfic!!

[bettyfrommars]

poltergeist!Eddie x Reader

welcome back to The Nightmare Factory

Masterlist

This is part of a collection of blurbs about Eddie only being able to communicate with you through your nightmares. This time, he uses his newly acquired skills to avenge you. wc:961

A/N: I've been having so much fun with this, and I always love getting ideas and feedback from you all. I have a feeling these blurbs will start to get longer as the story progresses, and we finally get to know the man behind the nightmares.

18+ONLY, mature content, harassment, poltergeist activity, nightmares

--------

When Eddie found out that one of your coworkers was harassing you and made you cry, he couldn’t let it go.  

The night he found out, he was on his way to haunt someone else’s dreams, hovering as a shadow person in the corner, and there you were— on the phone telling one of your friends about what had happened.  You weren’t returning the sexual advances of the guy at your office, and so he proceeded to tease you and spread rumors about you, and your boss wouldn't do anything about it.  

Eddie came to the Nightmare Factory on his day off to beg his supervisor Kevin—the ventriloquist doll in a sailor suit—for some overtime, and he got it.

Armed with his new and invisible job title, Eddie took his time to get to know the lay of the land in your office.  The co-worker in question—he discovered his name was Jared—worked three cubicles down from you.  Eddie found you hunched over at your desk, with your head in your hands.  You needed to go to the bathroom, but you didn’t want to walk in that direction because you knew Jared would say something snide to you or throw a balled-up piece of paper at your face and then laugh hysterically.  

When you finally did get the nerve to rush to where the restrooms were, Eddie knocked Jared’s full cup of coffee over so it slipped all over his keyboard.  Eddie chuckled to himself as he put his hands in his pockets and watched the guy scramble to clean it up.  

Later that night, Eddie followed Jared home; he would’ve rather been spending time with you, but this was a worthy sacrifice.  The guy lived alone, which Eddie was thankful for, but other people being in the house would not have stopped him from doing what he needed to do.

He was patient; he waited in the walls for Jared to change out of his work clothes and relax.  

Eddie started simple.  When Jared returned to the kitchen area, Eddie blew the candle out that Jared lit.

And then he blew it out again

And again

And again

Until Jared used up the last of his matches in the box and threw the empty container in frustration. In a huff, he went over to turn the tv on, but it snapped to static and then returned to black, as if it had been unplugged.

“What the fuck?” Jared hissed.  There was a tv tray there next to his recliner and he knocked it over in his frustration.

The overhead lights flickered, and then the three ceiling bulbs popped in the kitchen and everything went dark.

“Son of a bitch,” Jared grumbled, pawing around in the dark for the light switch.

“What did you call me?” Eddie said in his ear.

Jared screamed and jumped back, arms flailing, tripping over himself until his back hit the wall.  

Jared’s adrenaline surged in the deafening silence as he tried to see around him in the dark, body frozen against the wall.

After a good minute, Jared dropped his shoulders, took a deep breath, and convinced himself that it was just a power outage, and his imagination was running away with him.

Across the room, the candle lit itself, offering a flicker of light in the darkness.

And then it flew across the kitchen counter, caught air, and the glass canister shattered against the wall.

Jared’s cry was bloodcurdling as he bolted for the front door, slipping on the throw rug, losing his balance, but then he had to stop short because Eddie propelled a kitchen chair along the linoleum to crash in front of him.

Choking back tears, Jared sprang in the other direction, down the hall to his bedroom and spun around to shut the door as fast as he could, locking it with a click.  

He leaned against the door, breathless, anticipating footsteps in the hall.

“Boo,” Eddie hissed in his ear.

Jared whisked his arms around as if trying to fight off a bug, hysterical, and charged ahead for his final line of defense which was to lock himself in the bathroom.

He flicked the light on immediately, pushing the lock in on the doorknob.  “What the hell do you want from me?” Jared asked through the door.  

That was when the mirror on the medicine cabinet fogged up as if someone blew hot breath on it.  Slowly, with a squeak of a finger on glass, an invisible hand spelled out three words, telling Jared to leave you alone.  

Jared sank to the ground sobbing, just before Eddie broke the mirror with his fist and it crashed to the sink.

—------

You were having so much anxiety about going back to work, you had to take a sleeping pill that night.

Eddie came by on his way back from Jared’s and hovered at your ear while you slept.  “I took care of it,” he whispered.  “You don’t have to worry about that guy anymore.”

His shift was over a while ago, and he could see the monster under your bed giving him a shrug like, “what are you doing here, buddy? This one is mine tonight.”

Eddie didn’t like how other workers from the factory got to spend time with you, and that was a problem he would work on solving in the near future.  

As it turns out, you had the best sleep of your life. 

You cringed when the elevator dinged open the next day at your job, waiting to see Jared there, making fun of your outfit or the way you looked—but he never showed up to work that day.  

You found out later on that he quit.

No one heard from Jared ever again. 

[bigbigtruck]

Hi EK!!

I was wondering if I could possibly get your advice on something. You absolutely don't have to answer this. It's A LOT.

So, I'm an undergrad senior who's about to graduate from university, and I want to make comics professionally. I'm really on the fence about getting an MFA in Sequential Art. Shit's EXPENSIVE, but I'm really looking for community and networking opportunities and I know cons exist, but im not sure I'll get the same kind of connections with other artists I would than if I went back to school.

Do you believe that it's possible to have a successful career in comics without getting a degree in comics?

Thanks for your time!

vvvrrrrmmmmmm [quickly taking to the air in a little Cessna with a banner that reads:]

Comics is a low-paying, physically punishing job with no security. PLEASE DON'T GO DEEP INTO DEBT TO LEARN COMICS.

Learning by diving in and doing it, getting your hands in the muck, with guidance from texts like Understanding Comics or a series of remote or online classes, is a way more affordable option.

The Cartoonists' Co-Op is working on gathering resources for comic artists, and is definitely worth looking into: http://cartoonist.coop

And... that's as far as I'm qualified to answer, I'm a little embarrassed to say.

So opening this up: I know some folks who follow me on here are genuinely successful and / or have done advanced education in comics. What are your experiences? If you're successful, how did you get where you are, and how did education figure into that?

[gothhabiba]

Israel has long been accused of  "pinkwashing"  – the practice of whitewashing or obscuring the abuse and maltreatment of the Palestinian people behind an often embellished version of its record on LGBTQ+ rights.

It presents itself as a forward-thinking, liberal democracy – the only state in the Middle East which respects its LGBTQ+ citizens. This gives the impression that it simply isn't in Israel's nature to violate Palestinian human rights or national sovereignty.Palestine and Palestinians are then cast, without nuance or exception, as the polar opposites of Israel and Israelis – backwards, illiberal, undemocratic, homophobic. Who then are the international community and well-intentioned private citizens to believe and support?

Ahmad Safi is the co-founder of the Palestinian Animal League (PAL). PAL is a collective of animal rights activists operating throughout the West Bank. They are also ardent advocates of Palestinian self-determination. [...]

For Safi, the successful propagation of the Israeli pinkwashing narrative has spawned what he terms "veganwashing." "The Israelis are using veganism and animal rights to clean up their image around the world," Safi told The New Arab. This time, an animal-loving depiction of Israel is juxtaposed with a view of Palestine as a haven for animal abuse. And just as with pinkwashing, Israel's track record on animal rights is not quite as rosy as one might be led to believe.

In fact, according to an OECD report published earlier this year, Israel is the sixth biggest per capita consumer of meat and the number one per capita consumer of poultry.

Moreover, The Guardianhas documented the horrific treatment experienced by farm animals subjected to live export from Australia and Europe to Israel. The squalid, unsanitary conditions aboard the boats and trucks which bring these animals to their final destinations are torturous. Those who have perished or will soon perish are unceremoniously dumped and left to decompose throughout the desert.

Palestinian national emancipation and intersectionality

It is here that Palestinian national emancipation enters the debate. Safi remarks that PAL is keen to dispel Israeli veganwashing propaganda. In demonstrating that "it is not just Israelis and Europeans who are leading this fight," but Palestinians too, PAL advances the Palestinian national cause. The example provided by their activism shatters the illusion that they and their fellow citizens are inherently regressive in comparison to the Israelis.

But animal rights are not merely a vehicle for achieving national emancipation – they are part and parcel of the same struggle. In the words of PAL's Executive Director, Ahlam Tarayra, "It's not enough to raise the Palestinian flag. If you want to liberate your land, you need to work on building a strong society that cares for all who inhabit it. Palestine is the people, the animals, the plants, everything." [...]

Perhaps the clearest-cut evidence for PAL's intersectional position comes in the form of the so-called Separation Wall, which PAL refers to as the 'Apartheid Wall.' The Apartheid Wall does not discriminate between species: Palestinian farmers are cut off from their land, while other mammals are prevented from observing their natural migratory patterns. Furthermore, just as Palestinian human families are ripped apart, so too are the red fox and the gazelle separated from their mates.

Moreover, just as with the Apartheid Wall, it is not just Palestinian humans who find themselves victimised by the IDF. Safi reports witnessing many occasions where Israeli soldiers have shot and killed stray dogs who attempted to play with their military dogs while on their way to conduct raids in his refugee camp. [...] Safi and Tarayra both separately recounted a story in which a woman repeatedly pleaded with them to collaborate with a vegan IDF soldier to bring three puppies to an animal shelter. Tarayra in particular was shocked at the idea that this soldier could properly be described as a vegan. "Does he have a vegan machine gun, with vegan bullets?" she enquired.

– Nick McAlpin, "How Israel uses animal rights to 'veganwash' the occupation," The New Arab (2019).

[hldailyupdate]

We are absolutely heartbroken at the evil murders that happened last night at Club Q in Colorado Springs.

We grieve for the beautiful souls lost, and send our deepest love and strength to all those affected by the senseless attack on our community.

To the five that lost their lives last night, and the hundreds that have been killed over the years, we remember you. 🤍

Below are some links to help the victims of Club Q, as well as some resources for any affected:

Support for the Club Q Families and Survivors

Victims of Club Q Colorado Springs Mass Shooting

Classroom of Compassion in Colorado Springs, CO

If you’re in Colorado, please consider donating blood to help the survivors.

Donate to One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equality for (LGBTQ) Coloradans and their families.

Resources and updates for those affected can be found here.

[renthony]

From the article:

As Republicans nationwide continue to sound the alarm about how children are supposedly being indoctrinated and “groomed” into adopting LGBTQ identities at school, West Virginia legislators are pushing a new kind of crackdown on books deemed “obscene.” The idea is as simple as it is chilling: make librarians and teachers criminally liable for providing such material to kids. House Bill 4654, introduced by Republican Delegate Brandon Steele, passed in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Friday by a vote of 85-12 and now heads to the state Senate. (The “nays” included all 11 Democrats in the House.) Rather than establishing a new law, HB 4654 would simply strike the first two exemptions to an existing code prohibiting the “preparation, distribution, or exhibition of obscene matter to minors.” These include any “bona fide school” presenting the content as part of a “local or state approved curriculum,” as well as any “public library, or museum, which is displaying or distributing any obscene matter to a minor only when the minor was accompanied by his or her parent.” Steele argued in the chamber ahead of the vote that removing those protections against criminal liability for teachers, librarians, and other educators is crucial to children’s safety. “I’m here to protect our young people and make sure they are not put in a vulnerable position where they are presented with pure pornography in an effort to groom them and prepare them for a potential sexual abuse or sexual assault,” he said. Tony Hodge, co-chair of the West Virginia GOP, warned that opponents of the bill “want obscene material available to children.” But the bill’s detractors say it’s a clear attempt to purge books and information that may challenge strict conservative values from institutions of learning. The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia noted that fearmongering about “pedophile librarians” brought HB 4654 out of committee and onto the House floor. “The bill is designed to create confusion for educators about what kinds of materials can be taught or displayed,” the nonprofit chapter posted last week on X (formerly Twitter). It also accused proponents of using examples of allegedly criminal content that did not meet the definition of obscenity. In the West Virginia criminal code, “obscenity” is — as elsewhere — broadly described. It includes matter “intended to appeal to the prurient interest,” or that an “average person, applying community standards, would find depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexually explicit conduct,” or that a “reasonable person would find, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.” Such wide-ranging definitions have been key to lawsuits attempting to restrict the availability of books about gender and sexual identity.