#and also other thing may be contributing to more energy recently

[turnip-root]

im really really high energy for it being like half an hour out from bedtime

[monbons]

Stitchy Sunday Musings

Thanks for the tag @thewholelemon. I also don't really have an update, but I did have a bit of a reflection I wanted to share today that I hope will speak to some of you---and selfishly---also keep me motivated on the days that are hard. So, with that, story time...

Exactly a year ago, I started my doll-stitching journey and the very first set of dolls I ever gifted were mermaids. I was inspired by @iamamythologicalcreature's gorgeous mer-May art.

This first set was entirely hand stitched because I did not have a sewing machine, nor did I think making dolls would become something I actively pursued in any real way. It was just something I did for fun---a way to channel my creative energy when the words wouldn't come while also paying tribute to some of my favorite fics and their authors.

Fast-forward to my newest dolls and the growth is almost unbelievable. You can see aspects of my final style in my very first dolls, but everything about this last set has evolved. This particular set represents just over 24 hours of work (a significant chunk of them on that tail that boasts 600+ hand-sewn sequins). I also experimented with new hair textures and colors, and apparently, I embroider eyebrows now. (As if making the eyes symmetrical wasn't hard enough!)

It may sound like I am boasting. I swear I am not. Instead, I wanted to post this because this is just one year of committing to a thing and working really fucking hard at it. It is also the kind of visible "success" that is so hard to get elsewhere.

When I first started contributing to fandom, it was as a writer. If your primary contribution to fandom is writing, it can be really hard to do a side-by-side comparison like this. As a result, we often rely on measures of growth or success that can be compared: kudos, reblogs, and comments obviously, but also word counts, fics published per year, etc. Honestly? None of those are reliable (and dare I say worthy?) measures of how beautiful a piece of work is, let alone a journey of growth and joy. It isn't to say they don't have their place, but "the numbers" aren't everything...and they can often feel disheartening.

Anyway, I've been feeling really down on myself recently for a whole host of reasons, but a huge contributor is that I've been having so much trouble with writing. For weeks, "the numbers" have haunted me. Not just the public numbers (I've wanted to scream into a pillow about kudos and likes more than once this year), but the private ones (I'm "behind" on words from this same point last year).

And then I took this humble doll offering to a book signing this past week and the author cried tears of joy, which made me cry. Several people in the signing line gasped when they held up my little merman and his love. Several others came up and talked to me about my art and wanted to know more. For the first time in months, I felt really proud of something I had made, and I guess this post is about holding on to that feeling. When I made these dolls, I wasn't trying to meet some external metric or creating for audience consumption. I wasn't even sure I would post my dolls anywhere since this isn't SnowBaz. I was simply making for the joy of it, and that night, which cannot be quantified in likes or comments or numbers of any kind, filled me up in a way I desperately needed.

Anyway, if you are still with me after this long ramble, thank you. Like I said, it was mostly for me. I wanted to remember that the beauty of my work actually can't be measured, no matter how much I try to do so. That I may not always be lucky enough to see the impact on others like I did with these dolls, but that doesn't make the effort any less valuable. And most of all, that none of that is the point. I wanted to make these dolls, I enjoyed making these dolls, and I am getting better at it because making dolls makes me happy. I needed to remember that. And if that was the case for me, I figured someone else might need to remember it too.

It feels weird to tag people in this, but hellos and high-fives from the philosophical doll factory anyway. May your creative endeavors bring you joy today and every day.

@alexalexinii, @argumentativeantitheticalg, @aristocratic-otter, @arthurkko, @artsyunderstudy, @bachusekart, @best--dress, @blackberrysummerblog, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @bookish-bogwitch, @confused-bi-queer, @cutestkilla, @drowninginships, @emeryhall, @facewithoutheart, @harrie-leithillustration, @hushed-chorus, @iamamythologicalcreature, @ic3que3n, @ileadacharmedlife, @katatsumuli, @larkral, @letraspal, @mooncello, @noblecorgi, @orange-peony, @prettygoododds, @raenestee, @rbkzz, @roomwithanopenfire, @run-for-chamo-miles, @rimeswithpurple, @shrekgogurt, @skeedelvee, @stitchyqueer, @supercutedinosaurs, @talentpiper11, @the-beard-of-edward-teach, @twinkle-twinkle-up-above, @theimpossibledemon, @thewholelemon, @wellbelesbian, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold, @jyae23, @j-trow-95

[gem-de-lune]

Vibe Check 12/12

Teenie Read: Sungchan

6 of Swords + 4 of Swords + Temperance [The Stars]

This is the combination of 3 questions. Firstly in regards to Sungchan's current state- he is generally well. He seems to be in a resting period of transition. He is calm though- very collected. Very put together. In comparison to the previous read for him he seems a lot more active in that he was actively seeking something or to solve something with others. But in this case, it's like that has already wrapped up, and things are in the process of moving without him having to really do much else. It's active in the sense of finding the path out of the storm and confidently making his way there.

With the 4 of Swords and Temperance these are supportive with the question of if there are any recent developments. It basically just reiterated the 6 of Swords but offered more perspective. As stated, he is not AS active because there is not much else to do other than follow the path and wait. Little by little something is brewing, so he is currently resting and preparing. There's a lot of "knowing" energy here. He is kinda secretive this time- or vague. But the general consensus is that there is something in place it is just going to be better to step away from negativity and chaos to let it play out.

This was confirmed for me with the Stars card which I asked in regards to having anything more he wanted to share in particular. The words "wait a bit, have some faith" popped out when reading this all together. Everything will balance out eventually- I think he is aware of this.

SM Current Energy regarding the situation

6 of Pentacles + 9 of Pentacles

I am feeling as though there has been a majority shift in a very specific way- pentacles...meaning money. They are looking at things for the long term as always. They are beginning to look at what is more profitable for the long term and realistically the growth they would like to accomplish. This has a lot to do with their saturn return in the 9th house i feel- and I am thinking they are seeing Seunghan has a moneymaker this way or a way to achieve this stability bc Riize is currently not stable. Specifically, I think they may believe the long-term benefits of his addition MAY contribute to a better outlook down the road. But it is just a sentiment, not a firm decision. Moreover- this sentiment seems to be very egotistical- in that as stated before- someone has convinced someone else who was against Seunghan's return- that this was their original thought. Oop.

What is the current plan to bring Seunghan back (from the people on his side at SM)

10 of Pentacles + 6 of Wands + King of Swords

Money money money and winning. This is a smart individual ensuring that long term monetary goals are met and that someone feels some kind of acclaim. Very similar to what I mentioned above and in other readings. Stability and the feeling of triumph- with a lower emphasis on how the acrual effected individuals feel on a personal level is what will lead to success in Seunghan's return. The emotions of others hold no value to the King unless it is going to bring the Pentacles or victory (6 of wands). He is also egotistical. Right now it's about guiding someone like a puppet by using their desires like a dangling carrot. Showing the results they want to see and letting them speak for themself. They probably have data analysts making presentations on pros and cons.

Is there anything we can do to convince SM to bring him back atp?

2 of Swords + 3 of Pentacles

Since this is a Yes/No question- the answer is Maybe. Right now, rather than focusing on convincing SM- it seems it is more important to create a more united front in the form of creative display or presentation of protest. Even if we try to convince SM- it seems that they have heard and seen all they need to see and hear. Right now we just need to back up the data and not mess up the statistics.

Oracle

Sun + Taurus

Never much to add on with this oracle specifically bc it speaks for itself- but i would emphasize that riling up the conservative bull is what is needed to see results quickly- and that we need not be negative. Like Sungchan- he is sitting in positivity and manifesting his outcome after putting in the work. We should be doing the same and then some.

Bottom of the Deck

King of Chalices + The Chariot

Sometimes I will flip another card on the bottom if it means something more, and yup, yup. I'm telling you rn....it is never a coincidence when cards like the Chariot continue to pop up over and over during readings for a specific topic. There is an emphasis on creativity and activity here. I read this in the last reading as well, but a creative project depicting all 7 members would be very impactful, is what I think.

Final Notes:

Sungchan is a Virgo and since I know Virgos verrrrrrrrry well (my bestie), if he is saying anything, he is saying to look at him and do as he does. Bc as a Virgo, he thinks yall can be dumb sometimes even if he finds it cute. Relax, wash your hands, clean your room. Don't be gross. Take a shot (if ur of age- chill) and chill out. This is a period in which resting is okay as long as we do not lose our passion. Take a break. Come back. Don't forget why we are doing this. Don't forget why we were so upset- because it was never about simply only wanting Seunghan back- it is about what having him back represented and still would represent: his innocence, changing of times, the legal accountability fans need to have on their foul actions, and the accountability the company needs to take for their idiotic choices. Don't forget, but don't be negative. Use positive rhetoric to show those things WILL happen- or rather, have already* happened.

[tallsc]

Okay something I'm noticing with the current Green arc (which I've found incredibly interesting as a whole btw, I've just been busy irl so haven't found the time or words to do a full analysis on or contribute to every amazing analysis I've seen by other people) is the glasses.

Note: I don't have Tiktok and don't really have the ability to view things on it, and I don't have an Instagram either, so I may be missing a few things. I'm mainly focusing on the Youtube aspect of this.

I've seen mention that Green's been losing energy, getting less involved with their friends, and generally doing more clickbait-y and iffy videos. But also they've been starting to wear these glasses more - and I think that's a pretty direct representation of when Green's behavior, energy, creations, and friendship have all been going downhill.

For the basketball, superhero saga, and most of the Minecraft vlog (also the Tiktok announcement, which I'm not sure where that fits in), Green has just been Green, no glasses or anything. And that's when they seem to have the most energy, and have been doing things with their friends. Sure it's silly and a bit over-the-top, but it seems like everyone's legitimately having fun, and everyone's involved. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the popups and stuff over the vlog video was done by other sticks just wildly tossing in effects like they did in the first official video.

But at the end of the vlog video, and for most of the recent things, Green put on these orange-rimmed sunglasses. And the end of the vlog video is when we first started seeing the rest of the CG looking less than pleased with the videos. And after that, Green's started doing things that not even they seem happy with - the couch challenge, or the eating grass.

So I believe the sunglasses are a symbol of that. Of abandoning friendship in favor of personal goals, and losing yourself and your enjoyment of the world in the process.

Because this isn't even the first time a similar pair of sunglasses were used to express that.

Orange abandoned their friends so Orange could do something they thought would be better and make them happier. Until they realized it didn't, and realized they were wrong, then they put down the glasses and went back for their friends.

Hopefully Green learns to put down the glasses too.

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Enhypen Energy check In (March)

Disclaimer: No facts, all alleged. This is my interpretation of the cards.

Okay, I want to look at where they are at energetically at this moment, so I like to start with my astrology deck to look at how they are as a group and then go to them individually. I just like to check in and share some insights with ya'll. Now, it starts off calm, but once I get to Sunghoon is where I get some tension and tea from the members.

Group energy: Well, there is some intense energy here with the Scorpio and Mars coming up for them as a group. There is a need to do some deep work and release some things as group. There is some tension, competition, a strong need to defend themselves, now it could be as a group and not about within each other but could be. I do want to ask how each feel about the other members as a whole, so we'll see.

I do get a sense of them being pretty grounded and stable. They are persistent and know how to stay the course. As a group they understand what needs to be done. They are overall pretty practical, so whatever troubles they may have. They find ways to continue moving forward. There is a sense of stability and security the group has. It isn't easy for them to keep pushing at times. There could be some resistance, but they show strength and resilience to handle it.

Heeseung

Okay, he isn't doing too bad. I see him being happy about what he has been able to achieve. There could be work he is finishing off right now. He may have bought something he enjoys recently as well. He seems to be enjoying his independence and his time alone. Or working towards finding financial independence. I see him taking a slower approach to do doing things. He is being more patient about how he goes about things. I wonder if he is learning to meditate more or just tapping into his emotions. It just seems he is trying to find peace within himself. I see him wanting to spend time alone a lot lately. He just seems focused on what he is doing right now. He seems very subdued at the moment.

He gave me the Death card for what his thoughts are on the members. This could mean he wants a change, to end some cycles, to leave some things from the past. I see him wanting an ending and rebirth to happen here. He seems in an energy of not wanting to mess with them and be in his own space at the moment, but there is an end of a phase happening with him and the members. This is a major arcana, so it is significant for his life journey.

Jay

It seems he is in a resting period. A time of peace for him. I see him also trying not to stress too much. It is interesting getting this energy with them seeming as busy as they are, but they may be trying to find peace through the chaos. He is trying to see the good in things and trying to find the blessings in all that he is doing. He may very well see the opportunities. Now, this 2 of Cups, makes me think of Jungwon, because this man does not show me he is romantically interested in someone, but when I read their energy. 2 of Cups did show up, so this gives me they created a special bond lately, or he sees an opportunity to make money off this connection or ship with Jungwon. It could be both. So, that is interesting.

He gave me the 6 of Pentacles for his thoughts on the members. That is a practical card. He feels they all put in the work. They all benefit one another and contribute to the team and put in the effort. He is the type to give to them. He may be of help and service to them and may feel he has to, because that is the type of person he is. He gives me that they all can depend on another.

Jake

Lovely cards here, so far all seem to be in as good of a place as they can be, but he seems to be in the best place or just showing that energetically. He seems pretty content and happy with what he has. A sense of feeling blessed and elatedness for all that is happening for him at the moment. He seems to be enjoying the company of others. This could be the members and enjoy celebrating the good times. Jake is someone who likes to keep the good vibes and energy up, so I can see that with this energy. He is someone who is hopeful. He probably prays and wishes for things to come out well for all of them. I can just see him hoping for the best. He tries to see the light out of the darkness for things.

He gave me 4 of Swords and 3 of Cups for the members. Yeah, he enjoys their company. They help relieve stress. They don't seem to annoy him or bother him at all. He adores the members. Overall, this group seems to be in a good place as a whole from what they are showing me. I can see him going out with the members a lot, having some drinks and fun times and laughs together.

Sunghoon

Well, he is giving me a bit of conflict here, he is not sure which direction to go in, he feels conflicted, or he is being pulled in many different directions. This could be due to his mom and her interfering constantly in his life. He may be conflicted about working with someone. It seems he is trying to run away from this connection or tie he may have to go in. Yeah, there isn't much here, this is pretty straight forward. He may be pulled to work with someone, not going to sugarcoat this, but possibly sleep with this person and he is trying to figure a way out of it allegedly.

He gave me the 7 of Wands for the members, so he may feel a need to defend himself against them. He may feel challenged by them or attacked. Maybe they want to help him somehow, but he may feel attacked by them helping him. This may be where the Mars energy is coming from in their group dynamic, so yeah, his view of them isn't as favorable.

Sunoo

Well, he is giving me he may think about stepping out of the group. I see him wanting change. Wanting some sort of shake up to happen. The Tower is about an abrupt change, a surprise happening. Things being bad before it gets better. Maybe there was some change that happened to him lately, but there is a major change that could have happened to him. I just see him wanting to step outside his comfort zone or outside the bubble. To be a bit freer and venture into new territory. He seems to have his heads in the clouds and imagines things and possible scenarios that could happen, but I am not sure he sees it as realistic or he just isn't realistic about the situation. Page of Cups also gives me surprise, so not sure what that surprise means. That can also mean unexpected things happening. Hmm, stay tuned for that if anything comes out of this in the physical.

Well, his thoughts on the members is the Hierophant, Sunoo sweetie that does not say much lol I pulled another card. He gave me the Judgment reversed. He could feel stifled, not able to grow, limited by them, possibly judged. Yeah, not highly positive cards here and he is hard to understand with this, so yeah, moving on. Energetically he gives me get me the fu** out of here, but not sure he will physically do this, since he may not find it practical or have the confidence to leave. I don't know how this will manifest in reality, but he has one foot out the door and one in with this energy.

Jungwon

He is in a giving energy or wanting to be of service and help others, but that does come without a reward for him. He is in the energy of giving and receiving right now. I also see him in the energy of ending things and wanting something new to come out of it. I do see him wanting to give love to the fans and enjoys receiving it from the fans as well. He is all about giving love and getting love right now. He doesn't want to share much, pretty straight forward and to the point. Basically, he is showing that he is doing his job and getting things in return, nothing more, nothing less.

Dude what is the knight of wands when it comes to the members. That doesn't say much. This is someone on the pursuit. Someone with a lot of passion and energy. He may see the members this way. A passionate bunch with loads of energy and creativity and this willingness to keep moving. That is his main focus with the members. Not sure he is focused on connecting with them too much right now. It is like we got to keep moving and keep that energy. He may like that about them. Usually, he is chatty af with me, but not today, he is not in the mood to communicate and share too much here.

Riki

I swear why does Riki and Sunoo always give me they want to get the fu** out of this group and company. He starts with the King of Wands. This is someone crazy creative, but also someone who wants to go solo and stand on their own. With the 8 of Cups, that signals wanting to leave behind something and go on their own journey. Energetically he wants to dip too. He wants to be able to shine on his own. He feels he can do that and be a star on his own. There is a lot of potential, more so KOW's is someone more than capable of standing on their own and he seems confident about it. The 4 of Wands gives me back home, so he may want to go back to Japan and have a career there. He wants to be in an environment he feels comfortable in and safe in, which could be back home.

Well, before I asked this question, he said they get on my nerves, that is what I heard, and he gave me the 10 of Swords, how the hell do I get so many different responses in one group. He may feel betrayed, mentally exhausted and burdened by them. This is a heavy energy, so there could be deep wounds he has here with them. He may also have a hard time opening up to them, so he may keep a lot to himself, which can be a burden to him. They tend to drain him mentally. Or he got a lot of thoughts about them that he keeps to himself. I also heard backstabbing bitches. I heard that twice, the first time ignored it, but hearing it twice, going to put it in. Not sure what that means. But there it is.

Anyway, it is wild to me that these members or groups on camera show so much closeness, but energetically I get a different picture. It is interesting.

Okay, so I thought this was going to be light, since the first members kept it light, but once I got to Sunghoon, it got real, so it isn't all sunshine and rainbows for them either. This kind of makes me curious to a dynamic reading for them like TXT, but this is a bigger group, so we'll see when I can get to that.

[venusgirltarot]

How Is Your Person Feeling About You? ࿐ྂ。

Disclaimer: This reading is for entertainment purposes only. Tarot readings are about possibilities based on your current energy. Energy is forever changing and nothing is set in stone. Always remember, you have your own free will to make whatever decision you feel is best.

If you would like a personal reading from me, you can get one here!

Pile 1 ࿐

Pile one, your person may be someone you knew years ago. A childhood friend or a short fling that just wasn’t right at the time. You’ve either found each other again or never left and have been friends this whole time. Your person feels like they never quite match up to you and I heard “your expectations” but I don’t think you have or have ever had expectations for them. You’ve always loved them as themselves but they don’t seem to realize that.

If you guys have been friends, they may have seen you in other relationships and compare themselves to your exes, always feeling like they don’t quite measure up. They also compare themselves to you, they feel like you always do things by the book and you’re very intelligent. Maybe they feel you’ve gone about things in the way society deems as “correct” or “ideal”. For example, going to college right after high school, getting good grades, holding a stable job, etc. or possibly have a good family and home life that they don’t have.

They may have taken the steps to turn themselves into the person they feel is deserving of you and your attention. Possibly becoming someone you don’t really recognize anymore. This could be because you don’t really recognize them but could also be because they’ve distanced themselves from you so you haven’t gotten the chance to know this new version of them because they haven’t given you that chance.

There’s a distance between the two of you that seems to he fueled by this stubbornness and refusal to let your guard down and just open up to each other. You may have been in or recently gotten out of a relationship that upset this person. They may have finally come to terms with their romantic feelings for you and we’re thinking about opening up to you when you got into this relationship and it made them distance themselves and possibly even have resentment for you and this relationship.

There’s a lack of communication that I really think the two of you could benefit from. I think a conversation could change everything for the two of you if you just have it a chance and opened up to each other.

During the reading I heard “always an angel never a god” from a boygenius song (I’m so sorry I can’t remember which) “never could quite measure up” “one step ahead of you” and I channeled the song “The Less I Know The Better” by Tame Impala

Pile 2 ࿐

You may have recently ended things with this person or cut ties and moved on. You felt your needs weren’t being met and the energy wasn’t being reciprocated so you “kept it moving” is what I heard and “nobody has time for that” as well 😭 you knew you were deserving of more so you decided to leave this connection behind and go find more and you made a good decision in doing that.

I kept hearing “Everything I Didn’t Say” by 5SOS when I was shuffling. It seems like your person understands that there’s more they could’ve done but at the same time, I don’t think they’re expressing that to you. They may have entered this connection with the idea that it would be “easy” or “low maintenance” so they could focus on their career and put you on the back burner and didn’t take any of your issues or needs seriously. They didn’t expect you to walk away but refuse to see that their lack of communication and refusal to contribute to it was the real downfall of the relationship.

They may have the idea that material things like clothes, flowers, dinners, etc. would’ve fixed it when emotional connection and vulnerability is what you really wanted. I heard “you didn’t ever really know me” there was a lack of any sort of connection in this relationship and this person’s failure to realize that just cements the fact that walking away is the best decision you could’ve made.

I think you would have fully supported them in pursuing their career had they communicated that with you but they failed to do that and continue to lack the communication and emotional maturity needed to maintain a stable and healthy relationship.

You have an amazing person coming in, pile 2. Someone that’s understand and appreciates you and your energy. Someone that doesn’t neglect you, your wants, or your needs. There’s someone coming in that is worth your time and energy but that is not this person and you did the right thing by walking away. Please don’t ever doubt that. I heard “stay true to yourself” and “keep it moving”

Pile 3 ࿐

Don’t hold yourself back, pile 3. You may have met this person recently at a group outing/event or work. I heard “that’s my man” while shuffling. This is oddly specific but Taylor Swift may have been playing in the background when you met this person. You may have been in a group of people but your full attention was on each other, even if you two didn’t notice the other staring. There were a lot of stolen glances between the two of you and very subtle flirting. Subtle enough that you’re still questioning whether or not they were flirting with you. They were. The feelings are very much mutual.

You may be rejecting yourself before this person gets the chance to. Shutting down the idea of the two of you as couple to save yourself from hurt because for some reason you’re so sure it won’t but what if it does? What if you talk to them and they tell you your feelings are mutual and you finally get to feel that love you see everyone else receiving but have never received yourself? Stop letting your fears and insecurities hold you back and take that chance.

You’re worthy of love and affection from not only yourself, but others as well. This person is not “too good” for you and it is possible that they could like you back because they do. I heard “like a lot” 😭 the feelings are most definitely mutual, stop doubting yourself. Stop thinking no one could ever have a crush on you because they can and they do because of course they would. You’re amazing, stop doubting that. Why are you fighting your own happiness? It’s here. The love you’ve been wanting and fantasizing about is here, fall into it and stop questioning yourself.

I don’t have to tell you what this person is feeling for you because your feelings are identical. What you feel for them they feel for you. You’re definitely mirroring each other. Don’t take anything too seriously and approach this connection in a light playful way and see where it goes.

I hope this reading has brought you some sort of peace, clarification, or happiness! Feedback is always appreciated :) have a good day or night. Sending you love and light!

[seafoamreadings]

week of june 16th, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: waxing cardinal vibe can be tense for you. mars is still bolstering up your resources, and it's a good time to move or start looking at new places to live, or new roommates, but you may otherwise have some difficulties at home, or reconciling your private life with your public persona.

taurus: the first stirrings of cancer season are lovely for your local community and neighborhood. time with a sibling if you have one is auspicious. either way, don't let the quality go to waste; you're not always so sociable, but you can quietly contribute to the world right around you or spend time with your local wildlife if you don't feel like participating face to face with people.

gemini: this week the world begins to slip from gemini season into cancer season. it's good to take a break from time to time and stay home to recharge. you become, at least temporarily, a financial wizard.

cancerians: several ingresses to your sign occur during this week. then a full moon in capricorn straight after the solstice (actually, for you especially, it starts a bit early.) this blesses (or shakes up, as needed) your relationships of all varieties but also your relationship with yourself. emotions may run high, but this is natural for you and you know what to do with them.

leo: on the one hand the intensely watery vibes may be uncomfortably vulnerable for you, or may sap your energy on some level. but on the other hand the solstice certainly affects solar-ruled you positively. if you feel a bit lethargic there's likely a good reason, so honor any need to slow down that you feel.

virgo: spend some quality time with your friends, or at least a social network. it doesn't have to be a big deal or a party, in fact smaller intimate meals (preferably home-cooked) are ideal for this. but prioritize your connections this week. even a friendly heartfelt text will be helpful.

libra: the focus of the season starts to migrate from academic and philosophical endeavors to perhaps crowning achievements or at least recognition for jobs you've done well. not everyone can do the things you do and it's nice to be seen! but don't rest too long on your laurels; the reputation can be built upon for even more benefit.

scorpio: overwhelmingly watery vibes cause many to feel like they are drowning but for you it is like you are at home, granted your home may be at the bottom of the sea. the "overwhelming" quality fits with the "intensity" your sign is so often accused of. it is deep. nothing shallow or too fanciful will do.

sagittarius: relationships you've developed in recent weeks reach a moment of truth in the coming weeks, especially this coming week. if it's been constructed to last, it deepens from now. if it was flimsy from the start, it begins here to fade away.

capricorn: this week's full moon right around the solstice highlights your self-relationship axis. we all know it's annoying and not even always true to hear people say that you have to love yourself before your relationships can coalesce nicely but in this lunar cycle, that's the way that it is.

aquarius: if you have been working on your routines, rituals, or spiritual side, this week's full moon and solstice can bring your efforts to fruition. if you have not, it is a good time to start, especially to begin practices in your daily life and habits like dietary changes, exercise plans, or breaking an addictive/compulsive behavior.

pisces: you're known for always being in your feelings or at least on some other plane of existence but this week may be extra mushy and emotional for piscean types. don't worry about it, live in it authentically, feel it, and let it go. you don't have to hoard your emotions.

[dipperdesperado]

Get Organized!

I recently made a post about how to get started in doing radical stuff. Said otherwise, that post was meant to answer the question, “Where do I go, when I know the world is fucked?” This post covers similar ground, but is more interested in the theoretical side of things. Not to say it won’t be practical. It’s just saying that if you’re not the kind of person that can read a little bit and feel confident to act, or you like having a little bit more scaffolding, that you also deserve a resource. I’m hoping to contribute to that today. As the title says, we’re going to be focusing on organizing. This is one of those things that is said a lot, but is actually defined much less often. Tangentially, you should be aware and ready for this for literally everything relating to politics. Any word that you hear used, you should always ask for a definition. Many a movement would have gone differently if folks spent more time trying to find semantic alignment. Anyway.

When I say organizing, I mean catalyzing the energy of folks, acting from a specific theory of change. A theory of change is a thought process or method to create some kind of social impact in a particular context. When the world sucks in some particular way, and you want it to stop sucking, the answer is to organize, in the way defined above. By organizing, we lean on the idea of collective power to create changes that are currently only afforded to those with authoritarian power. It’s a game of evening the odds.

I will also note that this assumes that you are going to be framing your work around broad-based movements, that have (mostly) aboveground (as in “legal”) tactics. This is not necessarily a statement of what is correct; small groups that are in concert with larger movements are also able to be successful, even when doing more confrontational tactics.

So, to organize, I’d say it would be useful to be involved in movements already. You can look at my radicalism 100 post to see how that could look. Either way you have to know what your where your niche(s) lie. In other words, what sits in the middle of the intersection between what you like to do, what you are good (or can become good/have a willingness to become good) at, and what is needed in your context. I tend to center the local level, because that is the area where influence is more tangible, and fits into how I see a resilient world coming to fruition. So, you have to ask yourself, “What can I do, that I would enjoy doing, in my community?” Then, you should find some other people who are in that same vibe. Depending on your approach, this may take no time at all, or a lot of time. I listed some ideas for finding folks in radicalism 100, but to reiterate: look for social medias and IRL presences of people who are into the same topics, and connect with them. See where you can plug in, and see where the contours of organizing in your local contexts are. Ideally you can see places where gaps can be filled.

Once you find an issue that you think has potential, and you have a couple of people to do some organizing with, you have what I think of as a catalyst group. This group is meant to start (or assist) in a certain kind of reaction, but not lead it. Trying to control movements is both futile and antithetical to liberation. So, to ground us, we have two very important ingredients: a topic/issue/area of focus to organize around, and a group of folks to work with. Once this is in place, you can co-create a strategy with your organizing team. I’d recommend employing an encircling strategy as your long-term or meta strategy, where multiple sub-strategies and campaigns happen within this frame. Essentially, this allows you to employ campaigns across a matrix of tactics. Within the encircling frame, you can create a campaign (what I consider a “short-term” strategy). Campaigns are a series of actions over time. Strategies are a series of campaigns over time.

A useful way to think of strategic planning is by separating the process into stages, grouped by movement size.

Small: Organize small actions/protests, figuring out ways to build movement visibility and interest

Medium: Focus on scaling up the participation, through mobilizing efforts. Promote your actions, get people involved, and encourage meaningful action.

Large: Create a movement. The kind of thing people hear about.

To organize on the smallest level, the easiest thing might be to just do plan actions that are well within your team’s capacity, organize those actions, and execute. If you can swing it, I’d really recommend to not lean too much into symbolic actions. There are risks with every action, no matter what legal frameworks your locality has. If you’re going to do something, you have to be very intentional with:

what you hope to accomplish through the action

a high likelihood of success for the action

doomsday planning in case something goes wrong

If you’re able to do this, then you will be leagues ahead of a lot of other folks. This is not to make it a race or a competition, but it is moreso to say you can symbolically represent and catalyze action without becoming a martyr.

As you’re doing actions, you should be refining your idea of who’s impacted by the issues more and more. As that picture gets clearer, you should spend more and more time understanding and listening to those folks. Ideally, you get to a point of co-creation, where you are enabling people to fight for themselves and build their autonomy. That is the kind of thing that prevents movements from dying. Organizers should be trying to put themselves out of business, in a sense. Catalysts should be able to come from anywhere.

To scale up, I’d recommend a focus on meeting folks. Take the ideas of deep canvassing, where you empathetically have conversations with whoever is impacted by the issue you’re responding to, through the lens of giving power to those people. Rather than asking them to feed into some established system of power, encourage them to take action into their own hands, as a collective.

I’d also recommend that as capacity grows, build a “positive” or “constructive” power. This can look like a lot of things. Whether it is a block club, neighborhood pod, community council, or community assembly, dedicate energy into creating spaces where people can start building their democratic and consensus muscles. These can simultaneously act as the training ground and alternative governance structure that allows folks to start making decisions for themselves in a very specific way.

This will ideally allow the movement to really start to be intersectional. It should be intersection minded from the outset, but that can be difficult to meaningfully actualize in the early stages of the movement. since single-issue movements are inherently brittle (if your movement revolves around getting something on a ballot, winning or losing just ends the movement)—there are throughlines that connect all movements, and those lines should be made visible and traveled. Environmentalists should fight for housing rights, LandBack, Reparations, and a host of other things. The more developed our networks, the stronger our movements will be.

[covid-safer-hotties]

How COVID-19 might increase risk of memory loss and cognitive decline - Published Aug 7, 2024

Of all frightening ways that the SARS-COV-2 virus affects the body, one of the more insidious is the effect of COVID-19 on the brain.

It is now clear that many patients suffering from COVID-19 exhibit neurological symptoms, from loss of smell, to delirium, to an increased risk of stroke. There are also longer-lasting consequences for the brain, including myalgic encephalomyelitis /chronic fatigue syndrome and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

These effects may be caused by direct viral infection of brain tissue. But growing evidence suggests additional indirect actions triggered via the virus’s infection of epithelial cells and the cardiovascular system, or through the immune system and inflammation, contribute to lasting neurological changes after COVID-19.

I am a neuroscientist specializing in how memories are formed, the role of immune cells in the brain and how memory is persistently disrupted after illness and immune activation. As I survey the emerging scientific literature, my question is: Will there be a COVID-19-related wave of memory deficits, cognitive decline and dementia cases in the future?

The immune system and the brain Many of the symptoms we attribute to an infection are really due to the protective responses of the immune system. A runny nose during a cold is not a direct effect of the virus, but a result of the immune system’s response to the cold virus. This is also true when it comes to feeling sick. The general malaise, tiredness, fever and social withdrawal are caused by activation of specialized immune cells in the brain, called neuroimmune cells, and signals in the brain.

These changes in brain and behavior, although annoying for our everyday lives, are highly adaptive and immensely beneficial. By resting, you allow the energy-demanding immune response to do its thing. A fever makes the body less hospitable to viruses and increases the efficiency of the immune system. Social withdrawal may help decrease spread of the virus.

In addition to changing behavior and regulating physiological responses during illness, the specialized immune system in the brain also plays a number of other roles. It has recently become clear that the neuroimmune cells that sit at the connections between brain cells (synapses), which provide energy and minute quantities of inflammatory signals, are essential for normal memory formation.

Unfortunately, this also provides a way in which illnesses like COVID-19 can cause both acute neurological symptoms and long-lasting issues in the brain.

During illness and inflammation, the specialized immune cells in the brain become activated, spewing vast quantities of inflammatory signals, and modifying how they communicate with neurons. For one type of cell, microglia, this means changing shape, withdrawing the spindly arms and becoming blobby, mobile cells that envelop potential pathogens or cell debris in their path. But, in doing so, they also destroy and eat the neuronal connections that are so important for memory storage.

Another type of neuroimmune cell called an astrocyte, typically wraps around the connection between neurons during illness-evoked activation and dumps inflammatory signals on these junctions, effectively preventing the changes in connections between neurons that store memories.

Because COVID-19 involves a massive release of inflammatory signals, the impact of this disease on memory is particularly interesting to me. That is because there are both short-term effects on cognition (delirium), and the potential for long-lasting changes in memory, attention and cognition. There is also an increased risk for cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, during aging.

How does inflammation exert long-lasting effects on memory? If activation of neuroimmune cells is limited to the duration of the illness, then how can inflammation cause long-lasting memory deficits or increase the risk of cognitive decline?

Both the brain and the immune system have specifically evolved to change as a consequence of experience, in order to neutralize danger and maximize survival. In the brain, changes in connections between neurons allows us to store memories and rapidly change behavior to escape threat, or seek food or social opportunities. The immune system has evolved to fine-tune the inflammatory response and antibody production against previously encountered pathogens.

Yet long-lasting changes in the brain after illness are also closely linked to increased risk for age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. The disruptive and destructive actions of neuroimmune cells and inflammatory signaling can permanently impair memory. This can occur through permanent damage to the neuronal connections or neurons themselves and also via more subtle changes in how neurons function.

The potential connection between COVID-19 and persistent effects on memory are based on observations of other illnesses. For example, many patients who recover from heart attack or bypass surgery report lasting cognitive deficits that become exaggerated during aging.

Another major illness with a similar cognitive complications is sepsis – multi-organ dysfunction triggered by inflammation. In animal models of these diseases, we also see impairments of memory, and changes in neuroimmune and neuronal function that persist weeks and months after illness.

[You’re too busy to read everything. We get it. That’s why we’ve got a weekly newsletter. Sign up for good Sunday reading. ]

Even mild inflammation, including chronic stress, are now recognized as risk factors for dementias and cognitive decline during aging.

In my own laboratory, I and my colleagues have also observed that even without bacterial or viral infection, triggering inflammatory signaling over a short-term period results in long-lasting changes in neuronal function in memory-related brain regions and memory impairments.

Does COVID-19 increase risk for cognitive decline? It will be many years before we know whether the COVID-19 infection causes an increased risk for cognitive decline or Alzheimer’s disease. But this risk may be decreased or mitigated through prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Prevention and treatment both rely on the ability to decrease the severity and duration of illness and inflammation. Intriguingly, very new research suggests that common vaccines, including the flu shot and pneumonia vaccines, may reduce risk for Alzheimer’s.

Additionally, several emerging treatments for COVID-19 are drugs that suppress excessive immune activation and inflammatory state. Potentially, these treatments will also reduce the impact of inflammation on the brain, and decrease the impact on long-term brain health.

COVID-19 will continue to impact health and well-being long after the pandemic is over. As such, it will be critical to continue to assess the effects of COVID-19 illness in vulnerability to later cognitive decline and dementias.

In doing so, researchers will likely gain critical new insight into the role of inflammation across the life-span in age-related cognitive decline. This will aid in the development of more effective strategies for prevention and treatment of these debilitating illnesses.

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Capital Conversations: Luke Arnold, Author of "The Fetch Phillips Archives"

By Maurice Burbridge | May 5, 2025

Photo Credit: Mark Fitzgerald

Actor-writer Luke Arnold disclosed the various experiences, opinions, and advice that contributed to the creation and success of "The Fetch Phillips Archives", a fantasy/noir series that follows the misadventures of the titular detective. The most recent entry, "Whisper in the Wind", was released last week.

“With Fetch Phillips in particular, there was a version of that story that I started writing at 18, for the first time and then again in my early 20s,” Arnold said. The final version of "The Last Smile in Sunder City", his debut novel, wasn’t published until 2020.

Originally, Arnold was influenced primarily by other media, but experiences in finding his voice and imagination helped him eventually turn those starting ideas into a full novel. He credits his work on “Black Sails” (the Emmy winning Starz show), as being “the best boot camp for a creative you could wish for.”

In regards to “Black Sails”, Arnold recalls thought provoking conversations with great co-stars and writers about scripts that demanded a certain level of literacy. “When you spend that time talking about story, the human experience, myth, allegory and all the elements that come with working on that kind of material, it hopefully gets you out of thinking of story only in terms of tropes, genre and plot,” Arnold said.

Arnold believes how he would have written Fetch in his youth is quite different from how he wrote Fetch when properly starting "The Last Smile in Sunder City.”

“I think the more time you spend trying to be a good person, trying to live up to your own ideals and fail and recorrect, the more nuanced you hopefully get in being able to understand and write any character,” Arnold stated.

However, he didn’t realize until much later on when he replayed it, that the video game “Final Fantasy VII” had influenced his initial ideas about the world, story and themes of Fetch Phillips. What he specifically appreciates about the game is how it captures what occurs when man-made technology is so close to divine/natural energy.

“And both the beauty that can come out of that, but also this sense of sacrilege and corruption that can sometimes be evident when you see what we’re doing to the world,” Arnold said.

Furthermore, he attributes the game’s impact on him, growing up in a generation where the climate crisis was uniquely prevalent. “In trying to understand such a big concept as what the world we are building is doing to the natural world beneath our feet, I think the imagery from that game was very much in my mind,” Arnold added.

A prevailing theme of the book (and series) is a fight for nuance, and the questioning of an easy answer. Despite his love for the noir stories that influenced him, Arnold wanted to take the archetype of the alcoholic gumshoe detective, and see the ineffectiveness of that sort of personality.

He says that young people, in particular young men, are brought up to idolize the lone wolf archetype, but as one gets older, they realize the importance of community involvement, which these heroes often actively ignore or avoid. In regards to Fetch, Arnold adds, “that’s the thing he’s learning over and over, as I think a lot of us do, that engaging with the people around us is usually the most constructive thing we can do.”

The best support he received when writing that first novel was, rather than specific advice, encouragement. He would recommend doing what he originally did, writing something small that other people may read, as constructive criticism and feedback are necessary fuels to confidently write longer works.

“Despite what anyone [says], there are very few people out there who can just sit down on their own and write many drafts of hundreds of thousands of words on just the belief that this will be good and someone will care about this. I think some positive reinforcement is really useful and some people are very hard on themselves,” Arnold said.

He would also recommend, if possible, finding other writers to have collaborative conversations with and provide each other feedback.

“That’s why I think a lot of fanfiction communities, people can be so prolific in that, because you have this community to work and that’s why a lot of people get started there, as much as anything, because you have this encouragement and have a good community. So finding that early on can be really useful.”

He remembers the second book in the series, “Dead Man in a Ditch”, being a joyous and pure writing experience, as the first hadn’t yet been released. “The first one where you don’t know anyone will read it at all is kind of exciting and then the second one where you’re riding high on the fact that you actually get to do this. They’re two experiences that you want to appreciate while they happen,” Arnold said.

“Dead Man in a Ditch” is, in part, about how disastrous it can be when lines between private corporations and state officials blur. Arnold finds it easiest to write about issues and things he’s passionate about, rather than actively conveying political messing. He recommends the example of George Saunders’ “A Swim in a Pond in the Rain,” a book about how some of the great moments in Russian art and literature were followed by terrible moments in history, a phenomena that Arnold continues to observe today.

“I still am not sure about the effectiveness of fiction and narrative on actually changing anyone's mind about any issue. I think a lot of times people, we're seeing it very much now, with huge great groups of people, who would define themselves as being geeks and nerds, who grew up on the same kind of media that I grew up on. The messages of all those books felt like somewhat left-leaning, socially conscious, stories about how you [should] care about other people, the dangers of fascism, and all these things that the same people who grew up on that, seem to have not taken any of those messages,” Arnold explained.

Nonetheless, Arnold thinks it’s important for any author to focus on their inner thoughts and opinions if they ever experience a lack of motivation, and enjoys testing out the pros and cons of potentially-political views in his work.

“I do think that hopefully leads to interesting fiction where we take some kind of catchphrase idea about the culture, society, the political environment of the moment, and play it out in this fantasy world and get to explore it in the safety of a book or fictional world.”

"One Foot in the Fade" is the third Fetch Phillips novel, and the first with (some) titled chapters, an intentional choice from Arnold, who says the book is largely about Fetch succumbing to the temptation of being the archetypal fantasy hero. He enjoyed playing with the expectations of readers who may have been wanting a more typical adventure story, as the series has continued to mix genres.

As for genre mixing, Arnold wanted to find a healthy balance of the melancholic themes typical in noir, but combined with spurts of optimism and magical energy. “I think the thing for people who like this series, out of everything, at the heart of it, those kind of dark twists of fate that happen in this world, throwing this kind of sacred, imaginative magic into a world where things are often twisted back on themselves in a dark way makes for really interesting little moments,” Arnold said.

Looking beyond "Whisper in the Wind", and how the series may culminate, Arnold finds that some plot elements were always there, but others evolved, or were created, throughout the writing, rewriting, and editing processes.

He says that this openness to allowing characters and plot details to change as they’re put into new situations provides an extra challenge: tying the situations of side characters to the main narrative so their role in moving the plot forward does not supersede their well-roundness as a character. “What you want at the end is everyone’s journeys to all kind of come together back towards a central goal.”

The series also follows multiple characters whose nostalgia for their past prevents them from enjoying any of the pleasures of the present and future. “You cannot stop it, things move forward and we are not in control of that. And so being somewhat at peace with that is the only way to actually make your way through the world, and that can be tough to do when it feels like the present and the future [are] not as magical as the past was,” Arnold says.

Fittingly, the novels take place in a fantasy world devoid of magic, where creatures who have enjoyed being made of and utilizing magic for centuries, are forced to live without it. Many of them, understandably, want to find any way possible to rekindle the literal and metaphorical magic of the past, often to terrible and/or inauthentic results.

Generally, Arnold finds questioning how to move forward much more beneficial than attempting to preserve the past, which he still deems important. “We’re getting into a time in history, and who would have thought it, where the actual rewriting of history is becoming a conversation. Going back and deleting things and throwing things out to control the story of the moment is a worrying trend,” Arnold said.

Along with "Whisper in the Wind," Arnold also released "Essentials" this year, his first graphic novel. About the process, Arnold said that he and co-writer Chris “Doc” Wyatt felt like their role was to inspire great artists to do some beautiful work, after-which they could rescript based off of the art, all of which would then be interpreted by letterers. “So it's kind of a very different experience as far as that kind of level of ownership you have over it and how many other people are kind of between your initial writing and the reader.”

He contrasts it with the “huge privilege” and “daunting responsibility” of writing a novel in prose, where solely the author controls what the reader gets.

A non-creative experience that Arnold is sure influenced his novels in prose was his work with Save the Children Australia, when he had a high access to media (having done Black Sails and the INXS miniseries), which made him beneficial for NGOs that serve the plights of the oft-ignored.

He recalls the importance of “those moments where you're there with people on the ground, and whether that's people who've fled Syria, or [are] in Nepal after an earthquake, or during the food crisis in South Sudan, people who are giving you their real story and asking you to go back to your country and share that story so that what they're going through can be seen and assistance can be given.”

When it comes to the understanding he had of how connected Australian (or American) politics and society could be to the lives of people suffering internationally, Arnold sees how the privilege of learning may have influenced the Fetch Phillips series. “When you're writing a character who's very much working out what good he can do in his world and how that affects everyone around him, I think that's definitely had an influence,” Arnold said.

"Whisper in the Wind," all other entries in the Fetch Phillips series and "Essentials" are available for purchase wherever you buy books, including The Book House, a local bookstore. UAlbany students can request to borrow copies of these books through an inter library loan on the University Libraries website.

Source: Albany Student Press Online

[mariacallous]

While solar power is growing at an extremely rapid clip, in absolute terms, the use of natural gas for electricity production has continued to outpace renewables. But that looks set to change in 2024, as the US Energy Information Agency (EIA) has run the numbers on the first half of the year and found that wind, solar, and batteries were each installed at a pace that dwarfs new natural gas generators. And the gap is expected to get dramatically larger before the year is over.

Solar, Batteries Booming

According to the EIA's numbers, about 20 gigawatts of new capacity was added in the first half of this year, and solar accounts for 60 percent of it. Over a third of the solar additions occurred in just two states, Texas and Florida. There were two projects that went live that were rated at over 600 megawatts of capacity, one in Texas, the other in Nevada.

Next up is batteries: The US saw 4.2 additional gigawatts of battery capacity during this period, meaning over 20 percent of the total new capacity. (Batteries are treated as the equivalent of a generating source by the EIA since they can dispatch electricity to the grid on demand, even if they can't do so continuously.) Texas and California alone accounted for over 60 percent of these additions; throw in Arizona and Nevada, and you're at 93 percent of the installed capacity.

The clear pattern here is that batteries are going where the solar is, allowing the power generated during the peak of the day to be used to meet demand after the sun sets. This will help existing solar plants avoid curtailing power production during the lower-demand periods in the spring and fall. In turn, this will improve the economic case for installing additional solar in states where its production can already regularly exceed demand.

Wind power, by contrast, is running at a more sedate pace, with only 2.5 GW of new capacity during the first six months of 2024. And for likely the last time this decade, additional nuclear power was placed on the grid, at the fourth 1.1-GW reactor (and second recent build) at the Vogtle site in Georgia. The only other additions came from natural-gas-powered facilities, but these totaled just 400 MW, or just 2 percent of total new capacity.

The EIA has also projected capacity additions out to the end of 2024 based on what's in the works, and the overall shape of things doesn't change much. However, the pace of installation goes up as developers rush to get their project operational within the current tax year. The EIA expects a bit over 60 GW of new capacity to be installed by the end of the year, with 37 GW of that coming in the form of solar power. Battery growth continues at a torrid pace, with 15 GW expected, or roughly a quarter of the total capacity additions for the year.

Wind will account for 7.1 GW of new capacity, and natural gas 2.6 GW. Throw in the contribution from nuclear, and 96 percent of the capacity additions of 2024 are expected to operate without any carbon emissions. Even if you choose to ignore the battery additions, the fraction of carbon-emitting capacity added remains extremely small, at only 6 percent.

Gradual Shifts on the Grid

Obviously, these numbers represent the peak production of these sources. Over a year, solar produces at about 25 percent of its rated capacity in the US, and wind at about 35 percent. The former number will likely decrease over time as solar becomes inexpensive enough to make economic sense in places that don't receive as much sunshine. By contrast, wind's capacity factor may increase as more offshore wind farms get completed. For natural gas, many of the newer plants are being designed to operate erratically so that they can provide power when renewables are underproducing.

A clearer sense of what's happening comes from looking at the generating sources that are being retired. The US saw 5.1 GW of capacity drop off the grid in the first half of 2024, and aside from 0.2 GW of “other,” all of it was fossil-fuel-powered, including 2.1 GW of coal capacity and 2.7 GW of natural gas. The latter includes a large 1.4-GW natural gas plant in Massachusetts.

But total retirements are expected to be just 7.5 GW this year—less than was retired in the first half of 2023. That's likely because the US saw electricity use rise by 5 percent in the first half of 2024, based on numbers the EIA released on Friday. (Note that this link will take you to more recent data a month from now.) It's unclear how much of that was due to weather—a lot of the country saw heat that likely boosted demand for air-conditioning—and how much could be accounted for by rising use in data centers and for the electrification of transit and appliances.

That data release includes details on where the US got its electricity during the first half of 2024. The changes aren't dramatic compared to where they were when we looked at things last month. Still, what has changed over the past month is good news for renewables. In May, wind and solar production were up 8.4 percent compared to the same period the year before. By June, they were up by over 12 percent.

Given the EIA's expectations for the rest of the year, the key question is likely to be whether the pace of new solar installations is going to be enough to offset the drop in production that will occur as the US shifts to the winter months.

[kat-rose-griffith]

Hi. I love you blog ❤️

But I have an unpleasant question to ask. I hope it doesn’t bring your mood down and I hope that you may have some advice.

I love the Bridgerton community here and I genuinely enjoy the series analyses and the memes and love and praise for the actors. But you know how the situation with Luke has been recently.

I had to block #lukola and lukola content since the comments are mostly generated under this tag. I know that not everyone is using it romantically but I hoped that it will bring down the amount of posts that make me see red or genuinely depressed me. And I still have to block users just to remove their posts from my dash even though I thought that the filter may help.

I want to generate positivity instead of fighting but some posts are just THAT outrageous that I feel the need to dismantle them. By doing that I feel like I keep the hate train rolling simply by bringing the content of these posts into question in order to point out how harmful they are. I’ve also tried doing nothing and ignoring, but it feels like I’m letting the baseless cruelty slide and letting my principles and who I am at the core down.

I’m not sure what to do anymore and I’m thinking about stepping away from all social media for a while. But this thought also makes me sad because I used to love it here and I still (sometimes) do.

Do you have any advice? How do you deal with this? Maybe I have to filter something more? Do you see any way to contribute something good without fighting but also without hiding and running away from the tide?

If I’ve overstepped, I am sorry, and if you decide to remove the ask or not answer it I would absolutely understand. Thank you for listening in any case ❤️

Oh my gosh you’re so sweet. Thank you so much for enjoying my blog. That means so much to me and I truly appreciate it!

As far as advice goes I don’t know if I have a lot. I know it can get really hard to not let other peoples hatred and negativity bring you down. It can get really frustrating especially when the hate is as illogical and unwarranted as the harassment that the bridgerton actors, especially Luke, have been getting. It’s not guaranteed but hopefully the aggression will die down with some time as people move on with their lives. Just know that you’re not alone in these feelings.

I’m personally pretty susceptible to this kind of negativity too. That’s why tumblr is my only form of social media. The way that I try to work with those reactionary feelings is pretty similar to what you’re already doing. Whenever I see something that affects me like that I just block it and move on. Sometimes I do forget to do that and get wrapped up in scrolling through the hate or typing up a response, but then I have to stop myself and think if it’s really worth my time. I remind myself that these people want attention and they want the notes on their posts to feel validated in their opinions. It is hard but the best course of action is to try to just ignore them because they’re truly not worth the stress or energy.

With that I do want to say don’t be afraid to vent your feelings on your own blog. If you don’t feel comfortable putting it in the tag or associating it with your blog because you don’t want to deal with those people harassing you there that’s completely fine. You can always leave it untagged, type it up but leave it in your drafts, create a side blog just for that, or block them when they leave an upsetting comment. I’ve just found that it’s helpful to me to let out how I feel on here instead of holding it in and it’s especially helpful when I find people who actually get it and share my feelings. That’s actually one of my favorite things about tumblr.

Another thing that I try to do is just make my blog a nice place that I’m proud of, which is why you liking my blog has made me very happy. I try to share as many things that I like as I can. With the negativity in the tag surrounding Luke I’ve just been trying to counter it with any positive post that comes to my mind to drown out how negative and hateful some people have been. These people aren’t the majority, they’re just loud. That’s why whenever I’ve been making posts about this season I’ve been putting them in Luke and Nicola’s tags. If you have other social media accounts spamming the cast and their tags with love, complements, or just anything that’s not hateful to counter the hate spamming that they get is always a good idea too.

All that being said if it is all too much I always recommend just stepping away from social media for a second. It can be very overwhelming and hard to remember that it’s not real life, so if you ever feel like it’s effecting you too much just check in with yourself and walk away, for at least a bit.

I know that’s not great advice, but I’m going to post this in all of the tags that I use for bridgerton to see if anyone else has any advice that might be a bit more helpful. I’m very sorry that you’ve been experiencing this too and I hope that it gets better. Thank you so much for liking my blog, that really did make my day

[odball]

ok so! coping with schizophrenia/schizoaffective on low dose/no antipsychotics (I do use mood stabilizers still) info under the cut

1. process your emotions as they come!! (you've gotta figure out how you process best, journalling, visual art, talking things over with someone you trust, exercise, nature walks, yoga, writing poetry, whatever works best for you!) by as they come I mean: literally ASAP!! don't let it have time to marinate and get lost in your subconscious without properly addressing it! something that helps this is really paying attention to where and how you feel emotions (example: I feel guilt and anxiety like a ball in my chest, when I notice I feel it I know I gotta talk to someone ASAP!)

2. OK you're recognizing something you hear/see might not be there think about what stressful events have occurred recently, how does it relate? is there a common trigger (feeling, memory, situation, even a passing thought that occurred before the experience!) try to write down the contributing factors and what the experience was if you have the time! (writing in your phones notes app can quickly work!) acknowledge the experience: i saw this, it made me feel this. next try to redirect your thinking to something else! (I'll explain what I mean by this in 3)

3. OK so the experience happened, but I don't know why? acknowledge it, acknowledge what things it made you feel! now think of something unrelated that doesnt evoke a strong emotional reaction from you, redirecting thinking allows me to not ruminate and not increase emotions related to the experience which just makes me personally spiral!

4. you have better insight!!! congrats and if u dont have better insight we will talk,abour redirecting less intense experiences!!! now you can treat the mild experiences you may still have akin to intrusive thoughts! once again, acknowledge, redirect! or, if you're able to, you might be able to just redirect and not use the mental energy to acknowledge them every time when you're confident!

5. if you struggle with going outside due to paranoia, try to focus more on your feet and listen to some music or talk on the phone! I know personally the less I focus on my surroundings on bad days the less my surroundings seem looming and threatening, also if you're afraid of other people and have the confidence: offering a smile when you pass by someone helps me feel less afraid of others and from all the bs I learned in DBT "wide smile open hands" DOES work, open body language and smiles do make me feel more at ease in public!

6. STIM!! my main one in public is closing my hands tight then opening them, sadly some stims are stigmatized but if you feel comfortable it does make it easier to be out of safe spaces!

7. delusions, this gets tricky! for me, it's not about "changing the belief" because let's be honest, it's basically impossible! what helps me, in, the beginning: was "ok so there's two possibilities, 1. your belief is factual, 2. it's not factual" you want to operate your decisions and actions under meeting in the middle, and not doing anything extreme! (example: "my neighbour's are always talking about me and it distresses me": ok! maybe say hi and ask them how they're doing next time you see them, maybe it could improve their view of you! and if not, you're building a little connection with someone you live near!) (example 2: I am being targeted: "I should maybe tell someone I'm feeling anxious (for whatever reason you feel comfortable sharing) and tell someone to keep in touch with me!" it does not confirm that you actually are being targeted but sets up a safety net which can help with the pain of being persecuted without feeling believed) also recommend looking into double bookkeeping!!

[anarchivalsystem]

We keep worrying that we're just being lazy or that our depression is acting up because we haven't been able to do much more than go to work & sleep lately. It's been... Frustrating.

But we did just accept a promotion we start training for sometime in May, as well as having one of our coworkers just walk out on his shift, quitting & putting all of us at at least 50hrs a week for the next few weeks. So we work for 10ish hours, walk home, spend maybe a couple of hours with the partner system, then sleep & do it again. Our disabilities have also been getting worse. Our back hurts more often than not thanks to the scoliosis, & so many of our mental issues come with chronic fatigue.

When we have energy, though, we have so much of it... Makes recognizing we actually do suffer from these issues harder, especially when things like our neotenism contributed to all this kind of just. Hitting us like a truck in the last 2 years after so many of what felt like limitless energy. It's hard.

Makes sense why so many of us who lost our Quirks in canon wound up here before we even knew that was a thing that happened to anyone in the series. Same for the chronic pain-havers & mood boosters, I guess.

It's just... Exhausting. Not being able to do anything I love. Barely able to write, haven't picked up a pen to draw in at least a week... It's just getting more & more exhausting. Partner system being here & the roomies getting excited about planning our wedding(!) has been the only things keeping the exhaustion from actually slipping into depression. I don't know what to do. I miss writing. I miss drawing. I miss games. I've been playing SDV mostly because I can pick it up & put it down quickly at work but if I play it for more than like. 10 minutes I start actively falling asleep. -Deku

We need to get my meds back in order. We've been off T since we lost our apt & now that we're safely housed I need to get us all back on it. Then I can get my update appt with my primary & get my ADHD meds back in order. Been on half my normal dose because the system thought it was exacerbating our anxiety. Turns out it was a reaction to pending homelessness & having our shitty ex-landlords breathing down our necks, who knew? We lived without hot water for over a year so even basic self-maintenance is a learning curve again because cold showers physically hurt the body.

Christ. No wonder we've had so many splits recently. It felt excessive, even for a fixation as long & deep-running as BNHA - so many of us are here we've practically made our own area in headspace. Apparently it's like the dorms the others stayed in foe a while; I wouldn't know. I've been handling our work shifts in the background with Hawks & neither of us are particularly artistic so less drawing at work makes sense. His demeanor has been helping me manage my own issues too, for the most part, but I do worry my presence & lack of general connection with creative pursuits in general are contributing to the issue. I prefer to read, & we don't really have anything to fill that void at present. We've caught up on every book series we were working through. I'll have to look into that.

Katsura forming has also taken a toll on the overall mental health, I believe. We are too uncomfortable to finish her source material but also desperately want to, if only to give her the closure she deserves (we know the ending isn't happy but we relish knowing that prick at least dies horribly), & she is terrified of just about everyone in both systems. Considering it's been a combination of yandere-oriented & BNHA introjects fronting/active lately I don't exactly blame her. We just haven't had anyone struggle this hard with appearing in... years. Since [redacted] in 2022, I'd say? Even people like myself, or Bojack coming out of dormancy, have settled in relatively easily. It's been giving the body chronic migraines again.

I just hope we figure something our soon. I'd like a break from background control & even our usual gatekeepers haven't been able to take it back. I'm not upset per se, just tired. That seems to be the word on loop whether we get sleep or not.

Tired.

Having the partner system to take care of has helped a lot. Especially with... Christ I didn't even mention the fucking gastroparesis. We fainted at work because eating has been so hard. In front of a fucking customer. Embarrassing. ...Going to go smoke & try to eat the food partner system was kind enough to bring us. - Chisaki

[myalgicencephalomyelitiscfstom]

Thank you to everyone who nominated me for an honorary doctorate

A failure, but I'm going to take it as a win.

Thanks to everyone who nominated me for this, or who has supported me in some other way over the years.

Text in image: I received some news out of the blue yesterday. I learned that I had been nominated for an honorary doctorate (Sc.D.) from TCD by Robert Saunders, but the nomination was unsuccessful. However, I'm going to take it as a win: only a maximum of 8-10 honorary degrees are given each year with the guidance that "Nominations are sought for individuals of integrity, judgment and exceptional achievement whose acceptance of an honorary degree would add lustre to this university. Conferring of an honorary degree acknowledges an outstanding contribution to scholarship, society, culture and /or civil society. Nominators should explain why the candidate may be considered the best in their particular category." It's easy to see why others might be considered a better fit, especially for a doctorate.

But I have been very heartened that the nomination for little ol' me, who has never had a full-time job nor even finished my primary degree, received so much support from such an array of people from a variety of backgrounds [scientists, medical professionals and other academics (44); journalists, broadcasters and politicians (7); advocates, patients, carers and representatives of charities and organisations (21); charities and organisations (14)]. The 34 text endorsements from so many people I know and admire were particularly touching.

In recent years, I have largely stepped away from my academic work which consumed so much of my time and energy for over a decade, to focus on running the Irish ME/CFS Association along with trying to get a bit more balance in my life, so it gives me a lot of comfort to think that my input has made an impression. Also, hopefully it might encourage others to get involved and try to improve the science in the field, along with helping the ME community in whatever way they feel they are able. I recognise I have been very lucky to have had such great support from my family, particularly my parents, who have allowed me to focus my limited time and energy on the cause for over 28 years.

Hopefully in the future the science will have moved on permanently and absent a cure, all those affected by ME/CFS (and similar conditions) will receive appropriate advice and support and what might be called simplistic or even mediaeval attitudes will be a thing of the past.

[frostfall-matches]

[ matchmaking... ]

@shadykazama : [ match report ready ]

✧ Iori Utahime

-> [ A relationship that will take some time to flourish. ] Utahime is rather stern and stoic in the way that she presents herself to strangers, especially anyone she interacts with in a professional capacity. With your initial awkwardness and difficulty with contributing to conversations, it takes a while for you two to really start interacting with and learning about each other. Still, Utahime is rather sweet despite her serious exterior, and she’s got a pretty good eye for people - she can tell you’re also sweet and kind even when you haven’t fully opened up.

-> [ While she finds strong scents to be bothersome, she does like having a subtle, relaxing scent permeating a space. ] Utahime tends to prefer the more natural, earthy scents over something overly sweet or sharp. Those candles claiming to be cinnamon bun or blueberry muffin make her nose scrunch. Rose water is a good one, though, and she’s rather fond of lavender. She makes sure to keep a few candles in your favorite scents on hand in her home and allows you to burn them whenever you want. When going over to your place, she likes trying to guess which scent was most recently used.

-> [ Utahime is fond of alcohol and beer… but she’d cut down for you. ] She knows what it’s like for someone you care about to have a vice that you consider distasteful or harmful (such as how she really wishes Shoko would stop smoking). When she learns of your disdain for alcohol, she immediately makes it a point to not drink around you. She normally saves it for when she’s hanging out with Shoko anyway, or when home alone in the evenings after a particularly difficult day, but your comfort and peace of mind are going to come first once you’re part of her life.

-> [ She LOVES dates involving food. ] It doesn’t matter whether you two are going out to eat somewhere, getting takeout and bringing it home, or cooking together at one of your respective homes - if the food is good, she’s all for it. Utahime is really attentive and remembers all your favorites and dislikes. If you have any go-to restaurants or dishes, that’s tucked away in her memory too. While she’s not really a dessert person, she does make sure to order something sweet for you to enjoy afterwards if you’ve got a sweet tooth (she doesn’t understand how you like mint chocolate anything, but you refuse to let her judgment bother you).

-> [ Utahime loves taking walks through Kyoto with you. ] Depending on where you’re typically stationed for work, you may be more accustomed to the busy, bustling city life of Tokyo, used to seeing the urban landscapes. Despite also being a major city, Kyoto has a much different pace, well known for its beautiful scenery. She loves bringing you out to the various scenic trails she knows of, enjoying the act of sharing a quiet, relaxing walk with you. It’s nice to just get away from everything for a while, especially given your hectic, stressful roles as jujutsu sorcerers.

-> [ Definitely a quality time girl, but melts into physical affection too. ] Utahime loves your gifts too, of course (she’s never going to turn down food from you), but sometimes she gets really shy when you gift her something really thoughtful and considerate. If you get her a bow in your favorite color, she’ll wear it all the time. She tends to show her affection by carving time out of her schedule for you, doing things that allow the two of you to focus on each other. She adores light, casual touches - brief hugs, cuddling sessions as you two have a show or movie playing, a quick squeeze to your hand as she passes by you - but is quick to understand if you’re not in the mood to be touched.

-> [ She finds that your cursed technique is quite versatile and works well with hers. ] Utahime’s cursed technique works well with most others, anyway - considering her ability amplifies the cursed energy of her allies - but you’re able to create stronger shadows and control them for much longer thanks to her. As dangerous and strenuous as your jobs can be at times, you find yourself truly enjoying going out on missions with her.

-> [ Though you’re often upset when you underperform, Utahime is here to lift you up. ] She may be stern, holding high standards for herself and those around her, but she’s very good at seeing the effort you’ve put into your skills and work. After all, her students love her and it isn’t hard to see why - her personality and the way she takes her instructing so seriously allows her to flourish in her role as a teacher. You might be overly hard on herself, but she always has genuine, kind praise for you. And if you’re open to advice, just let her know; she’s sure she can help you find a way to improve, even if you’re already good enough in her eyes.