#during an ongoing pandemic especially

[sea-critter]

all i know is leslie would have still been masking up and i’m proud of that.

[icewindandboringhorror]

I’m always paranoid of my tumblr being deleted or malfunctioning or something like that someday, so here’s other places to find me/follow me, just in case lol

~ instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lucalicatte/

~ main youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/LucaLiCatte

~ games/sims youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@cloudycatte

~ facebook page (I rarely use this because I hate facebook but.. it at least allows text posts better than instagram does, so idk maybe I’d use it more if tumblr went away? lol) - https://www.facebook.com/cloudycatteart/

~ Other Links (stuff I don’t use often/isn’t Main enough to list here, like twitter, neopets, other tumblr sideblogs, youtube channels, etc.) are here - http://icewindandboringhorror.tumblr.com/otherlinks )

[ana-snz]

More thoughts on the recent snzblr discourse. I will try my best to be understanding and levelheaded about this, but this topic is very personal to me so forgive me if I’m not entirely able to.

I will start by saying that it is not “purity culture” or “moral panic” to say that having this kink does not excuse intentionally infecting unconsenting individuals with illness. There is a MASSIVE difference between enjoying a kink in a consensual setting or fantasizing about it (no one is saying you can’t do these things, you are not being shamed for your fantasies / desires!) and actually involving unwilling individuals in your kink.

Consent is the #1 most important thing in all kink spaces. Like yes we are all here for the same reason, and there may be a propensity to feel defensive if you feel you are being kink-shamed in what is supposed to be a space for us all to be as open and loud and unabashed about our desires as we want, but it is still absolutely crucial to delineate between what is fantasy and what is reality, and understand that our real life actions can and do have consequences. We are not living inside a sickfic, the ways in which we choose to engage in our kink MUST be consensual, respectful, responsible, and safe. It is the bare minimum for this, or any kink space.

It is not kink-shaming to say that non-consensual engagement is wrong and unethical, ESPECIALLY when it comes to something as potentially dangerous as illness. It’s also worth acknowledging that the dynamic of our community has been greatly impacted by COVID, just by the nature of what the kink entails, and that this sucks and is worth mourning, but just like with many other things the pandemic has impacted, we cannot hang on to this old way of being when it no longer is safe or realistic to do so. This is the way things are now, and it sucks, but we can still find SO much enjoyment and gratification and pleasure in the way things are now.

If you are feeling discomfort, if the points disabled people are bringing up around this topic are making you question yourself and your actions, that is likely something for you sit with and explore yourself, rather than trying to debate with disabled people on whether or not their reaction to inflammatory, ableist content is “moral panic”. Understand that this conversation is part of a much, much larger picture and that it is not isolated to just our community, but rather a reflection of a larger systemic response in which disabled people have been disbelieved, undermined, and discarded when it comes to our rights and safety during an ongoing pandemic.

If you didn’t read as much into *that* post as some of us did, great. You likely don’t have to be on hyper alert for this kind of content, but we see it all the time, everywhere. The casual downplaying of COVID and the flippancy about its risks are things we are all too familiar with, and tone policing marginalized folks when we get upset about harmful content is not the move. Listen to us, learn from us, be in solidarity with us. It may seem counterintuitive to you to care about these things in what many of us may see as just a place to escape and have a little fun, but respect is the backbone of kink spaces and we’d all fare well if we could remember that.

This was longer than I planned on it being, oops. I also blocked some people so I don’t even know who will see this but just wanted to add my piece. Love y’all bbs, stay safe ❤️

[flowercrowncrip]

Why am I against assisted suicide for disabled people who aren’t at end of life?

Here are some things that I’ve personally experienced when I’ve been in various treatable mental health crises as a severely disabled wheelchair user:

Being told by a mental health professional that there’s no hope for me and I’ll always be suicidal because my physical disabilities mean my life is objectively not worth living – and isn’t it such a shame they can’t help me end my life in this country (luckily I wasn’t thinking of my disability when I was wanting to die and this pissed me off enough to stay alive to spite them)

Being told by the talking therapy team at uni that I can’t do talking therapy because I have a (at the time severe) speech impairment and getting sent home with no alternative.

Being told that normally they’d hospitalise someone with my symptoms, but the mental health wards aren’t able to accommodate someone with my physical disabilities so they’re just going to send me home with extra meds and check up on me in a few days to make sure I’m still alive.

So accessing mental health support is harder for physically disabled people despite the huge impact of ableism on our mental health. Like constantly being told you’re not worth saving during the ongoing pandemic. The financial stress of fighting to get benefits that aren’t enough to comfortably live on. Homelessness or being trapped in inappropriate housing due to lack of physically and financially accessible housing. Fighting for appropriate pain management, diagnosis and treatment. Not having access to appropriate funding for carers, mobility aids or other basic daily living aids let alone adaptive equipment for hobbies like video games or painting. The avoidable impact of ableism on physically disabled people is endless but solvable

Until we believe as a society that severely disabled people can and usually do have a good quality of life especially if our needs are met, and until we are willing to actually meet those need, I don’t want to hear about how anyone should be helping certain disabled people to end our lives while preventing everyone else from acting on those same thoughts.

[iww-gnv]

In August of last year, Ascendant Studios developer Aaron (name changed for anonymity) was ready to take a well-deserved victory lap. He had crunched hard with many of his colleagues in the final sprint to complete Ascendant’s debut game, Immortals of Aveum, but the team had finally done it. He attended a launch party in the Bay Area where he celebrated with his colleagues, some of whom he said had to pay partially out of pocket to make the trip. But while the event was supposed to be jubilant, there was an uneasy atmosphere: it seemed like Immortals of Aveum wasn’t performing especially well. At the party, developers kept asking leadership how the game was doing, only to be met with non-committal answers. A few weeks later, almost half of the studio – Aaron included – had been laid off, with managers citing Immortals of Aveum’s underperformance. Ascendant Studios was just one of numerous studios that has laid off a chunk of its workforce in the last year and a half as part of an ongoing trend of mass layoffs impacting studios large and small. There have been many attempts to answer the question of why exactly this is happening, with analysts, CEOs, and other industry experts weighing in on discussions trying to explain it. The commonly-cited villain was fairly straightforward: COVID-19. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick actually put it quite effectively to us when we asked him about layoffs last November: "With regard to the industry, I do think people got a little fat and happy during the pandemic," he said. "I think there was a perception on the part of many that the music would never stop." Zelnick was stating a refrain we've heard elsewhere: the big surge in spending during the pandemic effectively tricked a lot of companies into overspending, overhiring, overestimating. Then, when games revenues leveled back out in 2022 or so as gamers left the house again, cuts had to be made. The ESA has touted this explanation, as has the IGDA. A Tencent business development director told NPR the same thing. It's a likely and understandable explanation given the havoc the pandemic wreaked everywhere. But it isn’t the entire story. Layoffs like the ones at Ascendant don’t fit in with the pandemic narrative. And with over 10,000 layoffs in 2023, and over 6,000 more in 2024, simply saying that companies got a little too eager during a global pandemic is starting to sound overly trite. Even executives are starting to sense they can’t rely on this explanation. In Riot Games’ public statement explaining the reasoning behind layoffs affecting 530 individuals, or 11% of all of Riot Games, Riot admitted that the decisions that led to these cuts were made long before the pandemic began.

[gumjrop]

The Weather

All areas of the country are now at High or Very High levels of COVID Transmission.

According to the new CDC National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) dashboard, all regions are experiencing increased COVID wastewater levels, with the Midwest being the highest. Nationally, wastewater levels are “very high.” Driven by the JN.1 variant, we are currently seeing the second highest wastewater levels since BA.1, the first Omicron wave in January 2022.

We continue to stress the importance of mitigating the spread of COVID, especially during this time of increasing transmission. Please continue to wear a high quality respirator mask (such as an N95) in indoor settings of any capacity, and postpone crowded events. In addition, make sure to take appropriate precautions when meeting with others.

Wins

Amidst this new surge, many hospitals – some responding to staffing shortages, and some responding to public pressure – have reinstated mask mandates. We celebrate the work of organizers across the country including those at Care Not COVID Chicagoland, COVID Safe Maryland, COVID Advocacy NY, and MaskBlocs around the country who organized a call-in to hospitals last week to demand they reinstate – and make permanent – masking policies.  A coalition protest by Sacramento Jewish Voices for Peace, Sunrise Movement Sacramento, International Jewish Anti-Zionist network, Bay Area JVP, & Youth 4 Palestine Sac organized a fully masked (N95!) and tested (2 days in a row!) pro-Palestine protest at the CA State Capitol in Sacramento last week.  ACTUP’s New York chapter has voted to require and provide KN95 masks at all upcoming meetings and actions “due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recent surge, as well as to increase safety from surveillance at protests.”  Solidarity means we protect each other, and these organizers are showing us the way!

Variants

JN.1, a BA.2.86 descendent, is rising to prominence quickly in the United States. Nowcast estimates predict that by 1/6/2024, JN.1 will account for 61.6% of circulating variants. According to preliminary non-peer reviewed data, the newest (XBB.1.5) booster helps to protect against the JN.1 variant. Conversely, older vaccines did not offer significant protection against JN.1.  It is important to receive the updated booster, especially since uptake is currently low–according to a poll conducted by Gallup, only 29% of 6,000 participants surveyed received the updated vaccine as of December 7, 2023. This is in stark contrast to flu vaccine rates, polled at 49%. This is likely due to an imbalance in public health messaging–while efforts were poured into advertising the flu vaccine, not as much emphasis was placed on receiving the updated booster.

Hospitalizations

Weekly COVID hospitalizations continue to trend upward, now at 34,798 for the week ending December 30, 2023. The numbers for currently hospitalized patients with COVID are also increasing, currently at 25,430. In terms of regional trends, the Northeast and Midwest are seeing higher rates of hospitalization. When reviewing these numbers we must also remember that patients who are already admitted for other reasons and are suffering from nosocomial, or hospital-acquired infections, are not accounted for in this data.

Hospitals are overwhelmed. Healthcare workers are demanding support from administrators. Read this account of ER nurses at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx who say that the hospital executives are refusing to open up vacant areas of the hospital to accommodate the surge in patients – leaving the ER dangerously overcrowded and forcing patients into hallway beds.

Long COVID

A new cross-sectional study published in Nature Communications found that Long COVID patients with post-exertional malaise (PEM) exhibit skeletal muscle changes that are exacerbated by exercise. PEM patients are also found to have unique pathophysiological changes, such as amyloid-containing deposits in muscle tissue. These findings contribute to mounting evidence that COVID infection can significantly damage the body, and more research is necessary in order to fully understand manifestations of Long COVID. If readers are curious, summarized findings can be found in this X (Twitter) thread, penned by one of the authors. Long COVID research is important. This is why it is essential that all Long COVID research centers adhere to the strictest infection prevention protocols. Read this account of a person disabled by Long COVID who dropped out of a study because the study personnel refused to mask. We saw this same phenomenon last spring at Stanford during a study of Paxlovid’s impact on Long COVID rates.

Take Action

This week Jewish Currents put out a report on The Epidemiological War on Gaza, which amplified WHO’s January 2nd announcement that “there are currently 424,639 [reported] cases of infectious disease in Gaza,” an area with only 2 million residents total. With the ongoing destruction of hospitals and deprivation of food and water and environmental pollution from continued bombardment, the occupying forces have ensured the conditions for continued deaths even in times of ceasefire. Call your representatives and join a protest this week to demand a ceasefire and the reconstruction of Palestinian medical infrastructure towards fair health access for all peoples! Let us support Massachusetts General Brigham Long COVID patients by telling the hospital to 1) meet all patient accessibility requests including wearing N95 respirators upon request and 2) make universal masking their new standard of care. They can be contacted through their contact form, or by calling 1-800-856-1983. Rashida Tlaib sent out an email blast informing constituents of the current surge. The message included acknowledgment of COVID’s airborne nature, recommendation to wear a well-fitting mask, a link to access free tests through USPS, and information on updated vaccines and COVID transmission. Let’s contact Congresswoman Tlaib and thank her for this invaluable action! 

Future Weather Reports

Starting next week, we will begin to publish the Weather Report on a bi-weekly basis. This will allow our team to focus on crafting action campaigns to push for a comprehensive public health approach to the pandemic, including mask mandates, paid sick leave policies, testing access, Long COVID research, next generation vaccines, indoor air quality regulations, and more. We hope to see you in our expanded actions to end the COVID pandemic soon to come!

[astramachina]

6 albums I’ve been listening to a lot lately! Plus one track from each that I’m especially fond of.

tagged by the wonderful @valenshawke!!

i haven't been doing much "full album" listening lately since going into a project usually means listening to a lot of tailored playlists, but i have been revisiting some... oldies.

Wish Upon A Blackstar - Celldweller; "Unshakeable" This was my first ever Celldweller album and it was introduced to me by a now defunct tumblr mutual about a decade ago. Apparently they thought "Blackstar" suited a character on my ongoing fic at the time, and I instantly fell in love with Klayton's music. "Unshakeable" is definitely on the playlist for one of my current MCs.

The Black Halo - Kamelot; "When the Lights Are Down" Kamelot is one of those bands Lil Goth me (freshman) got introduced to by an Elder Goth (senior) back in 2005, though "Ghost Opera" was technically the first ever song of theirs I ever listened to.

The Open Door - Evanescence; "Your Star" I wasn't joking about oldies. Again, surprising amount of MC vibes coming off this album which makes me fear for the poor guy's life.

POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR - Bring Me the Horizon; "1x1" So, the funny thing about "1x1" is that, at their core, every single one of my protagonists can be summed up by this one song and I don't know what that says about me as a writer. I mean, 'annihilation never looked so good' as a lyric never fails to make me want to headbang.

DEATH STRANDING: Timefall - Multiple artists; "Ghost" by Au/Ra My endgame as a creator is to become the next Hideo Kojima like I want to make my own company and make utterly self-indulgent and fucking insane shit how I want to make it and then have all my cool artist friends either star in it or record songs for soundtracks. That being said, I'm yet to come across a video game soundtrack that's just banger after banger after banger.

Love is Dead - CHVRCHES; "Graffiti" I came across this album during the beginning of the pandemic and I listened to it so many times that multiple people reached out to ask if my discord was glitched because the status kept showing the same songs over and over. I'm not sure why it latched onto me the way it did, but February 2020 was sure a time.

Honorable mentions!

7. Woman King - Iron & Wine; "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven"

8. Lifa - Heilung; "In Maidjan"

9. Pictures of Mountains - Cody Fry; "London" & "Photograph"

tagging @lucillesharpeapologist, @vanessaaftonsgirl, @opaleyedprince, @fortunatetragedy, @wrencatte SHOW ME YOUR MUSIC TASTES (but only if you want to, ofc!)

[clonerightsagenda]

I've talked about both of them before, but in honor of PGW day one (favorite episode/scene), Nica Stamatis and Isabelle Powell are still the two Greater Boston characters who have made me cry.

Nica Stamatis is one of the rawest, messiest depictions of grief I've ever seen. So many of her scenes, especially early on, had lines that lodged in me and didn't want to leave. "In that moment, I was famous." "Help me, I can't stop shaking." "It was like winning the lottery." (The actress's delivery is crucial here.) Now that season 4 is wrapped up I really need to do a relisten so I can experience her whole journey up to this point - she's gone through a lot.

Similarly, Isabelle Powell also stars in a few of the most memorable scenes and lines for me. Her story of wanting to let people in but not being able to, and of course her speech and the people's response during the exodus, which still tears me up. If Nica is someone who spends a lot of the show deliberately cutting herself off from community, Isabelle is someone whose circumstances make community more difficult but who puts the work in to build it anyway because she knows how important it is. That's very inspiring (and humbling) as someone who's disabled and a bit of a recluse in our ongoing pandemic, trying to figure out how to Do Activism while managing my own issues.

Listen to Greater Boston! They sure have women!

[trulybetty]

Social | (Dieter Bravo x OFC)

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x OFC Warnings: alcohol, minor drug reference, past relationships, drunk behaviour, this is Cliff Beasts Dieter now. Summary: Chaotic Dieter is just as chaotic when he's on the other side of the Atlantic and in another time zone. AO3: Linked

A/N: Inspired by both @wildemaven's text exchange series between Poppy & Dieter and @gnpwdrnwhiskey's between SunDrop & Ginger

Social

2021

With her phone in hand, Bryony rolled off her bed, pulling her hoodie over her head as she went, opening the door to the hallway, she called out, "Cricket! Where are you?"

"Down here!" came the shout from what sounds like the vicinity of the kitchen.

Yawning, Bryony went back to her phone as she padded down the stairs. Pulling up the UberEats app she had been scrolling through before Cricket's text interrupted her. If there was a silver lining to the pandemic, it was the convenience of ordering food and, most importantly, alcohol, to your front door at any hour.

"Why are you watching Cliff Beasts?" Bryony asked as she heard the unmistakable opening riffs of the terrible soft rock associated with its opening credits.

Bryony's open-plan living room, cum kitchen, was divided by the sectional where Cricket lay, her phone mere inches from her face. Bryony rolled her eyes as she saw her friend's glasses on the kitchen counter, less than five feet away from where Cricket lay. Picking them up, she gently tossed them onto her chest

"I'm not watching it," she unfolded her glasses and placed them on her face, "thank you," she mumbled as she continued to swipe away at her phone.

The tinny cacophony of music, dialogue, and sound effects poured from Cricket's phone's speakers as she rapidly swiped through a seemingly endless stream of TikTok videos. Pulling an open bottle of white wine from the fridge, Bryony gave it a cautious sniff, determining it didn't smell sour with a shrug, she grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet.

Uncorking what was left of the bottle, she poured two generous servings, marveling at the fact that there was even this much left. She chose to overlook the fact that just two nights ago, this had been the fourth bottle she and Cricket had opened during their wine night induced by quarantine. In the confines of her LA home during the ongoing pandemic, the two of them had decided to call it a night once they realized how tipsy they'd become. The realization had hit especially hard when, in the early hours of the morning, Cricket had drunkenly proposed video calling her ex.

"Bryony."

"Hmm?" she replied she replied, taking a healthy mouthful of the wine she'd just poured.

"I can't tell if I'm still hungover but... Is this actually Dieter Bravo doing a Tik Tok dance?" Cricket asked, having actually left the sofa to thrust the phone in Bryony's direction.

"What?" Bryony struggled to focus on the screen that was blurred from being too close to her face. Holding Cricket's wrist she pulled her friends arm back to try and better focus on the fast moving video clip on her phone.

Cocking her head to the side, she pulled her own glasses down from atop her head in an effort to stop squinting at the phone.

Lo and behold, there was the ever enigmatic Dieter Bravo, clothed in his signature robe and dark sunglasses, engaging in a TikTok dance with a fresh-faced influencer whose name Bryony couldn't quite recall. He moved with an unexpected rhythm, a hint of his old charm peeking through the absurdity of the situation.

Bryony flicked her thumb, scrolling past the video. But she found herself immediately returning to it.

"That's definitely Dieter," Bryony confirmed, pushing her glasses back up onto her head. She couldn't help but feel a pang of...something. Was it concern? Pity? She wasn't sure.

"Who knew Dieter had moves like that," Cricket remarked, her eyes still glued to the screen.

Bryony rolled her eyes but couldn't help a small, fond smile that curled on her lips. "He always could dance when he wanted to," she murmured, more to herself than to Cricket.

"Didn't he once say that social media was the epitome of all that's wrong with our society?" Cricket asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Bryony nodded, remembering Dieter's long, drunken rant about how social media was leading to the downfall of society. "Yes, he did. Said it would be the death of us all," she affirmed.

Cricket sighed, concern creeping into her tone. "I knew things were bad for him, but this... I've heard rumours that this whole shoot is a chaotic mess."

Bryony had also heard the whispers. The world was in the throes of the pandemic, and only a few daring studios were trying to produce something under the challenging conditions. There was Tom Cruise's latest instalment of Mission Impossible and now the infamous franchise, Cliff Beasts, which had managed to turn its catastrophic flop into some form of success.

Cricket shook her head, her expression filled with disbelief. "Why is he even starring in this dumpster fire of a movie?"

Bryony knew the answer all too well. Dieter had burned too many bridges, both metaphorically and literally. She'd run into Pierce, Dieter's long-time manager, who'd confided in her that Dieter's rampant social antics and frequent substance abuse had finally caught up with him. Major studios were steering clear of him, wary of his unpredictability. His career trajectory had suffered a nosedive, resulting in roles that, once upon a time, the Oscar recipient would have scorned.

"Who knows why he does half the things he does these days," Bryony murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She traced the rim of her wine glass with her fingertip, the cool condensation grounding her in the reality of the present moment.

Cricket swiped up on her phone, and a new video began playing - a clip from 'Hunger Strike'. The frame was filled with a younger, healthier Dieter. His eyes, raw and passionate, glowed with an intensity that tugged at Bryony's heart. There was no denying his talent. Dieter had delivered an unforgettable performance that had resonated with people worldwide, launching him into a new stratum of fame overnight that pathed the way to his Oscar win.

Nursing her wine, Bryony allowed her mind to wander back to those balmy days in Spain - the seemingly endless hours on set, the tight-knit bond between the cast and crew, and the intoxicating nights spent with Dieter under the starlit skies. It seemed so distant now, almost as if from another life.

After a long silence, Bryony found her voice again, her voice softer with nostalgia. "You remember when we shot this scene? God, it was so hot that day. But he... he was phenomenal."

Cricket, her gaze still anchored on the screen, grunted in agreement. She couldn't deny his talent, no matter how much she detested him. "Yeah, he was. Damn it, I hate to admit it, but the man's got skill. Makes it even more frustrating to see him throw it all away..." Her voice trailed off, leaving an unspoken sense of disappointment lingering in the air.

Bryony glanced at her, "Yeah," she echoed softly. "Such a waste."

A moment of silence passed between them, the air heavy with thoughts of Dieter and what could've been. But then, Cricket's eyes brightened, her mischievous grin resurfacing as she put her phone aside.

"Hey, are we going to order pizza or what?" she asked, her tone light, the melancholic atmosphere instantly dissipating. "And just so you know, Bry, no amount of your sweet talk is going to convince me to put pineapple on it. Not tonight, not ever."

---

If the soft buzz of her phone didn't wake her up, the glow of her lock screen indicating she had an incoming call did. Fumbling in the dark, Bryony's hand shot out for the offending phone on her bedside table and answered it without much thought to who it was calling her.

"''ello," she mumbled as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

There was a quiet sniff before she heard the fumbling of the phone on the other end be picked up, "Ah, Daff."

Bryony narrowed her eyes as she pulled her phone from her ear to look at the screen. She didn't need Google's assistance to know the +44 code at the start of the number meant this was a call from the UK, nor did she need any further confirmation it was Dieter Bravo at the other end with the use of her nickname used only by him.

"Dieter, it's the middle of the night here. Are you drunk or high right now?" her voice a mix of both annoyance and concern.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, followed by a sheepish laugh. "Maybe a little bit of both," he admitted , his voice tinged with a mix of embarrassment and defiance.

"How did you get my number anyway?"

"Rhys," Dieter admitted, vulnerability creeping into his voice, momentarily replacing the bravado.

Bryony groaned, massaging the bridge of her nose. Rhys 'did you know I used to be a professional rugby player' Morgan. The self-proclaimed bachelor was perhaps the only man who could rival Dieter's ego, and certainly the only one who could match him drink for drink and still emerge coherent.

A few weeks ago, she had received a message from her older brother. They'd been exchanging updates about their shared disappointment of missing Christmas in Wales due to travel restrictions - him holed up in London, her confined in LA. He'd casually mentioned that Dieter was also in England for filming. At the time, she hadn't thought much of it, nor had she felt the need to inquire further. Now, however, it didn't take a genius to deduce that Rhys and Dieter must have bent lockdown rules for a drinking spree in London.

Realising this, a wave of irritation washed over her. "You've got to be kidding me," she muttered under her breath. "You really shouldn't have called, Dieter."

Her blunt tone seemed to catch Dieter off guard. There was a pause on the other end, and Bryony could almost picture him - in a luxurious hotel room, a half-empty bottle of whisky on the table, his forehead creased as he struggled to understand why she wasn't playing along.

"Listen, Bryony..." Dieter's voice trailed off, the line crackling with his hesitation.

"What is it, Dieter?" she asked, her curiosity piqued despite her frustration.

There was a pause on the line, the only sound being the shallow rhythm of Dieter's breathing. Finally, he broke the silence with a blunt, "I'm... uh... lonely."

She sighed deeply. Of course, he was. Dieter was used to being the center of attention, the life of the party. Lockdown in a bubble for a film shoot would be especially hard on him. "That doesn't really surprise me, Dieter. It's lockdown. Everyone's lonely."

He let out a bitter chuckle. "No, Bry. Not like that. I mean...I miss...you know...certain things."

Certain things. The euphemism wasn't lost on her. She found herself rolling her eyes, a small laugh escaping her. Two years after their breakup, over half a year since they'd last seen each other, and he was calling her for phone sex? It was almost funny if it wasn't so typical of him.

"Dieter," she began, a touch of incredulity colouring her voice, "are you seriously calling me up, in the middle of the night, for...phone sex?"

"I...uh..." Dieter seemed to fumble for words for a moment before he eventually responded, with a resigned, "Yes."

Bryony blinked, stunned into silence. Of all the things he could have said, this was the last thing she had expected. She let out a shocked laugh, "You can't be serious..."

"I am," he replied, his voice dead serious. "Why not, Daff? I'm single, you're single."

Bryony was going to strangle her brother when she saw him next.

"Are you okay, Dieter?" The question slipped out before she could stop it, laced with a worry she no longer had a right to feel.

The silence stretched out on the other end of the line, long enough that Bryony began to wonder if he'd hung up. But then he laughed, a sound too bitter to be genuine. When he finally spoke, his voice had lost its previous vulnerability, replaced with the cocky bravado she was used to hearing in interviews and press conferences.

"I'm more than okay, Daff," he quipped, his voice brimming with faux nonchalance.

"Right, well..." Bryony trailed off, unsure of what to say. She was spared the trouble of finding the right words when Dieter abruptly ended the conversation, a knock at his door could be heard.

"Actually, come to think of it, I believe the blonde receptionist has been shooting me quite a few intriguing glances all evening. It might be high time I introduced myself in person. Seems like I won't be needing that phone sex, after all." His words hung in the air, a challenging note in his tone.

Without waiting for her response, the line abruptly went dead before Bryony could respond, left staring at her phone screen, the glow of the disconnected call illuminating her features in the dark room.

As the surreal nature of the conversation sank in, she let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. The universe seemed intent on keeping Dieter in her life, much to her chagrin. She shook her head, dropping the phone on the bed beside her, and lay back down. She knew sleep wasn't going to come easy.

[thebroccolination]

Is Hemp Rope Novel a Long Book or a Short Story?

So, Hemp Rope is going to be a completed novel as far as I’m aware. Sheep once shared that her publisher had found English translators for both Red Thread and Hemp Rope (once it’s finished), so I expect them one day!

Also I apologize because I’m about to go into a very long tangent about the writing process and the whole lead-up to Between Us in general. I just got very emotional and had to make a lot of words about it.

Okay so right now, Hemp Rope is up to chapter 13 or so? (I just tried to check but I can’t remember where I put the links to the Thai sites where Sheep uploads her work.) But it’s still far from finished. We’ll probably get through most of Hemp Rope’s material by episode 7.

Which is, in fact, what New recently said!

Hemp Rope is incomplete, which is part of why it took so long to finish the script for Between Us. (In addition to Sheep’s personal, ongoing struggle with mental and physical health and an incredibly harmful day job situation that she luckily got out of earlier this year.) Sheep had to not only adapt what she’d originally written as a novel for the screen, she also had to finish the story, rework the old parts of the novel that she’d written sporadically over five years from 2017-2021, make sure she was honoring the queer community with her portrayals of certain events and incidents within the story, try to create the best possible launch for BounPrem’s career as lead actors, and so much more. She made a thread to that effect in 2021 sharing how terrifying the whole process felt to her because more than anything she wanted to do well by BounPrem and New and the entire queer community with this script that people were screaming at her to finish faster so they could have their TV show. During a pandemic.

(I get very protective of her. She went through so much and I think Thai fandom is extremely supportive, but I saw a lot of pressure and insults from interfans who kept making jokes in various languages about how long it was taking and how funny it was. There were other factors that delayed BU, but none of them are especially funny, least of all what happened with Sheep. She deactivated her Twitter account once last autumn and has never really come back and interacted with fans the way she used to since.)

It touched my heart when New publicly announced last summer that he was giving her the time to rest and heal. He didn’t ask for a deadline or pressure her. He suffers from depression himself, and he was incredibly supportive and encouraging and gentle with the nightmare she was in. Even as he was trying to hold together a production studio and agency that was struggling during a pandemic able to film zero series under an abusive military government that’s hostile at best to the queer community of which he’s a member.

Like, I think these two are a powerful partnership because they understand and trust each other. When Sheep kept winning awards in 2021, she got so embarrassed about going back up onstage over and over that she asked New to come up with her so she wouldn’t be alone. She’s lovely. :’(

So yes! Hemp Rope is a novel.

And I’m so glad it’s finally being made into the series it deserves to be.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Daily Log 7

Trying out (probably just temporarily) making short daily-ish notes about things, in an attempt to see if it helps me be more reflective or productive lol.

Activities: Finished all of the little things I carved out of avocado pits, will maybe post pictures at some point? I painted some sections (like for the eye I carved, I made part of it white for contrast, etc.) and then generally glazed them with some shiny paint stuff. Now I really wish I had more avocado pits, I was unsure at first, but I have some new ideas.. I want to try inlaying stones like I've seen in some pictures, similar to the same ones I use for eyes in my sculptures. >:3 (random google image example of the stones inside, like this sort of thing V)

Low effort/small house cleaning tasks, did a few dishes, put up laundry, organized things, put up the recycling, paid bills, etc.

Still extremely sleepy and unfocused, it was hot last night and the cats woke me up multiple times so I only got a few hours of sleep and barely had any energy to do anything and also had a headache and back pain a lot of the day. ToT

Finally made an appointment I was supposed to make like 4 days ago lol..

Gave wet food to the cats (this is an ordeal because George eats way faster than Noodle, so I have to separate them and stand guard so George doesn't vacuum his up immediately then run over and try to eat all of his brothers food.. evil boy must be watched to prevent his crimes )

Edited videos for like.. 15 minutes but still have not been very productive on that front (or editing costume photos or anything) due to shoulder pain and stuff making it hard to type/use mouse much on the computer. grrbbb >:V

Spent 10 minutes looking up a weird pendant I had in my rock collection area and found out it's an old piece of costume jewelry from the 60s(?) and could be worth like $200 potentially, which is cool. I'm not sure if I'll sell it though because I do think it's quite unique and good for a prop when making wizard character inventories, etc, and I'd never be able to find anything like it again (it's this one below.. it's very weird.. looks like something a mage would have lol)

Translated the tapestry text for 5 minutes, and got out some tubs of clothes to start organizing them to sell outfits and stuff online, but then felt ill and had to go lay down so now the tubs are just sitting out on the floor ghgh..

Notable sights: It rained a bit and the sky was very pretty at one point. Didn't get to go outside today due to schedule/low energy, so no clovers or anything. Saw a fat squirrel out the window once though. Also when I was looking through my "rock collection" (which also includes marbles, dice, pieces of glass, stones, gems, rubber balls, seashells, smooth wood, jewelry scraps, etc. ggh.. really more "shiny things collection" but it's mostly rocks, so) for interesting stones to possibly put into avocado pits in the future, I saw a lot of pretty rocks I hadn't thought about in a while, so that was nice.

Goals moving forward: Focus on social activities, finding new friends in the places I want to move, communicating with ones I have. Physical therapy exercises. Finish and upload videos, edit costume pictures & etc. Do the new costumes I've planned. MAKE SCULPTURES at some point, I miss them.

Notable foods: Nothing really.. but it's an asparagus day tomorrow I think so.. >:)c hehehehe... Oh, I did try a bite of corn, which I really really love corn but am not supposed to have it on my diet. The miniscule morsel was sufficiently cherished. Still craving hearty stuff despite resuming my iron supplements lol..

[soberscientistlife]

Four years ago, when I released my memoir, Becoming, I traveled across the country and around the world, meeting so many incredible people—including many of you. It was a little bit scary to share so much of my story for the first time, but I was moved to see so many of you opening up and sharing your stories, too. And then, the pandemic hit, leaving us isolated at home during a time of uncertainty. And like everyone else, I had a lot of questions about how to overcome anxiety and fear when it felt like the ground was moving beneath us—and I heard those questions from so many of you as well. That’s when I began the writing process. I think of The Light We Carry as a toolbox of sorts. It’s a collection of practices and perspectives that I draw on when I need to stay balanced and confident, especially in times of anxiety and stress. Some of these tools are habits. Some are actual physical objects. Others are attitudes and beliefs from my ongoing journey of becoming. I poured a lot into this book, and my hope is that it might give you some ideas for your own journey. Because even when the world feels dark and uncertain, we always have the ability to kindle our own light by looking inside ourselves and then sharing it with others. With #TheLightWeCarry being released this Tuesday, I wanted to share some of the stories and ideas from my new book with all of you. I hope you’ll follow along. ❤️

Michelle Obama

[xxlovelynovaxx]

Once again annoyed at takes like the one below:

So, this take. ^ What does "extremely online" mean? "Gets upset about things that don't personally matter to me?" Okay, is this "gets upset about the existence of fiction I don't like" or "gets upset about actual bigotry that doesn't personally affect me"?

And then like, even aside from the microaggressive language against people who are aplatonic and such, it's so cool that you get to do things with tour numerous friends, in person, during an ongoing pandemic. /s

99 percent of my friends are online, because I'm disabled, immunosuppressed, and largely housebound. I often am not ABLE to do much more than online chats and sometimes movie nights or ttrpgs. Heck, one of my four local friends I usually do online with anyway because parking near me is too expensive for him and I can't usually get over to his place.

I can't make things with my hands a lot of the time due to, y'know, the disabilities. I am actively currently mourning the loss of the crafts and art I used to enjoy, and trying to get to the point where I can do a bit more, but I only have so much control over that.

And like, "go to bed at a normal time"? Okay, what's "normal"? Great that you don't have any sleep or circadian rhythm disorders or insomnia. Great that you're able to achieve "sleep hygiene" standards entirely set by a capitalist culture that demands you be awake and productive at the time most convenient to companies, when even from an evolutionary standpoint there are varying "normal" sleep schedules" for a reason.

Am I "extremely online" for being a less privileged (or less self-hating) disabled person that is upset by the healthism, ableism, and general condescension and disdain in this post for anyone who can't (or doesn't want to!) conform to arbitrary standards of "normalcy"? Am I "extremely online" for pointing out that just because something is normal and you've managed to fit in and benefit from doing so, doesn't make it "good"?

Am I extremely online for thinking that the moralization of things like hobbies, the number of friends you have, how you hang out with them, and your sleep habits directly and badly harms the disabled people who are already the most stigmatized and demonized?

Like, oh, does someone "not have friends" because they're a Bad Person With Bad Opinions or because it's such a common problem for people to abandon people with long term disabilities that you can't take two steps into disability advocacy spaces without seeing discussion of it?

Or perhaps, do they have a form of neurodivergence which causes social difficulties - anything from autism, to ASPD, to schizophrenia - that both drives ignorant supposedly "tolerant" people away and also can make a person prefer to not have friends and thrive alone in some cases? How often have you seen autistic people with more than the mildest of support needs talk about how badly we're judged for the most basic of harmless autistic behaviors? If you haven't heard it often, you haven't been listening.

I wrote a whole post about how shitty it is to conflate hobbies with morality (especially "productive" and "creative" ones, but even "consumptive" ones, just because you as an abled or less profoundly disabled person can engage with them. "But I can do them" is a statement of privilege, and you're bulldozing over more severely disabled people who CAN'T when you insist that if you can do things, everyone can.

That's "extremely online" I guess, because it forces you to confront your own privilege and complicity in ableism, even if your role is only lateral.

And I think I already covered sleep. Not only are different sleep schedules healthier for different folks, and not only are their disabilities that affect ability to sleep, but also... it doesn't really matter if a person sleeps healthily in the context of who they are as a person.

I do think that if any behavior were "extremely online" in a bad way (since, y'know, online is often the only place where disabled people can find community, especially during an ongoing pandemic, so I don't think that's inherently a bad thing) it's ignoring and speaking over the most vulnerable members of a marginalized group, whether you're in it or not.

I'd also say if you're judging whether something is "good" based on whether it's "normal", you're probably a really bad person, since y'know, transphobia, ableism, racism, antisemitism, and so many other forms of bigotry are absolutely normal, even in supposedly leftist spaces.

"Extremely/chronically/terminally online" has become the new "cringe", ever since it became no longer socially acceptable to call people cringe, with the added dimension of being used to shut down discussions of bigotry and call marginalized people "crazy" in a socially acceptable way.

Just say you can't take criticism for your harmful behaviors and think you're the Most Oppressed ™️ and that therefore no one could be less privileged or abled than you and go. At least it would be honest.

[yumeka-sxf]

Off to Anime Expo 2023!

My ITA backpack is ready!

And in case my favorite anime wasn't obvious enough already, I also put some pins on my badge lanyard!

So yeah, later today I'll be heading to Anime Expo (also known as AX), which is arguably the biggest anime convention in North America. Since I live near Los Angeles, I've been to the expo many times...this will be my thirteenth year attending! I've even saved all of my AX badges over the years ;)

(if you're wondering why I had to blur out parts of the badges, it's because they used to be personalized with every attendee's full name and city/state. They stopped doing that in 2015).

Even though I've been to AX many times, this will be my first convention since the pandemic, so I'm especially looking forward to it.

These are the events I'm planning to attend (emphasis on SxF related events of course):

Day 1, July 1st

-Spy x Family Panel featuring Takuya Eguchi

Start: 5:00PM End: 5:50PM

Day 2, July 2nd

-Production I.G x WIT

Start: 12:00PM End: 12:50PM

Day 3, July 3rd

-Bushiroad Panel

Start: 11:30AM End: 12:20PM

-Crunchyroll Industry Panel

Start: 3:30PM End: 4:50PM

Any time I have in between panels will be spent in the Exhibit Hall, where 100+ vendors will be selling all manner of anime goods, or Artist Alley, where 100+ artists will be selling their works. And when those places close in the evenings, I'll probably hang out in the Tabletop Gaming room playing Weiss Schwarz and Osica.

Obviously the SxF panel on Day 1 is my top priority. That would still be the case even if Eguchi wasn't part of it, but the fact that he will be there makes me even more excited! But anyone who's been to big fan conventions knows how crazy crowds can be, and unless an event has reservation tickets or something (which this one doesn't) it's all first come first serve. I know I'll have to get there at least a few hours early to ensure I can get a seat. This year AX will not be clearing rooms before or after most events, so that could help. Fingers crossed I can get in! The other events I want to attend will be crowded too, but not as bad as this one. I'm hopeful we'll get a sneak peek of SxF season 2...we've already gotten a movie trailer, and the movie comes out months after season 2, so maybe they're saving the season 2 teaser for AX!

Unfortunately I've been dealing with a health issue for the past month that has yet to be resolved. After weeks of pain in my gut and battling ongoing fatigue, I finally got a CT scan today and found out I have inflammation in my colon. I just started taking antibiotics that will hopefully get rid of it, but if not I'll have to get a colonscopy for further inspection. I wish I felt better so I could enjoy myself more, but I know I'll feel at least a little better once the adrenaline and excitement kicks in. Just keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get worse during the trip...I've been looking forward to this all year and would be devastated if it was ruined!

Anyway, I definitely plan to blog about my time at AX. Unfortunately most of the big events, especially ones with exclusive content, don't usually allow photos or video. But I'll do the best I can even if I can only recount my experiences in text! I'll try to make posts while I'm actually at the expo, but depending on how things go, I might not be able to do the bulk of my posting until after I return. However, I do plan to make more sporadic, real-time posts on my Twitter, so follow me there if you're interested!

[rhube]

Ageing doesn't cause conservatism:

Goddamn, this came for me where I live. Been thinking a lot about my own 'radicalisation' lately, although how radical you can be when you're bedbound half the time and anxious all the time is also something I wonder about.

I feel like I have, at every stage if my life, been a little to the left of my demographic, but leaning more and more left as I age. Some of that is exposure to other marginalisation and thought. Certainly being taught to question rigorously by philosophical training helps (although right-wing philosophers exist, and one should never make the mistake of thinking they are all stupid). But I cannot deny that my own increasing number of marginalisation (both realised and forced upon me) influenced that.

It is hard not to become more socialist when you learn what it is to not be able to work when you want to. Hard not to want housing reform when you have approached homelessness. Hard not want to let people select their own goddamn gender when you realise how much of people's mistreatment of you has been founded on gendered expectations that are based on a biological reality to which there is no necessary relation.

And yes, with every marginalisation there has come an increased pressure towards elimination. And never more so than in this ongoing pandemic.

I remember talking to friends in my early 20s who thought that one only made big changes in opinion when one was younger. I pointed out I had recently become vegetarian. They pointed out I had been thinking about it for four years previously. Fifteen+ years later, and they have recently become vegan.

Another friend paroted Douglas Adams (without attribution) who said that any new technology you encounter before the age of 35 is exciting, and anything after the age of 35 is newfangled garbage. We were all younger than 35 at the time, but my friend maintained he could feel the attitude coming in himself. I argued that ours (Millennials) was the generation that had become forced to accept the idea if constant change. I don't know if he has changed his view now we are both older than 35. I mostly stand by mine, although I increasingly think, with all the respect and love of a longtime fan, that Douglas Adams' assertion was very silly. Especially coming from a technophobe who died in his early 40s (RIP).

We all have a tendency to thing the wisdom we receive growing up is how it has always been and that's always been bollocks, but never more so than in the 20th and 21st centuries, during which the pace of social and technological change became blinding.

Some people do become and remain set in their ways. Clinging to conservatism with depressing rigor. It isn't that their views don't change - many conservatives are fine with gay marriage in the UK, for example - but they remain steadfast to their news sources and received opinions. Meanwhile, those of us who are increasingly adrift find ourselves at sea in an ocean of information that must be sifted for nuggets of truth. No single newspaper is reliable. Instead, I follow individual reporters and researchers now, and many of them.

But I am staying from the path that is so clearly crystallised above: people don't become more conservative as they get older. Marginalised people get killed off.

Anyway, read this whole fucking thread and let it radicalise you further.

And if you want a further reason to stay alive, this makes 'spite' become all the more satisfying. They've been actively trying to kill people like me, but I'm still here. And so are you.

[gamergirljournalist]

The "ethics" of using clone keycaps - a discussion about counterfeits

Images by @cutie-keebs

In June 2021, I joined a group buy for epbt Dreamscape, a keycap set inspired by BTS's album, Love Yourself. This keycap set was originally scheduled to be shipped around 2022. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Due to the long wait times these sets have and how limited they are, this led to my decision to use clones. As expected, not everyone is happy with this for good reason. But based on the current state of the hobby and how manufacturing times have increased since the pandemic, surely there is some fair argument for using counterfeit.

What are clone keycaps?

Clone keycaps are copies of sets made by designers. "Shady" people and companies would notice a demand for these products and produce a cheaper and in-stock version of these sets.

Normally, GMK sets would be the ones that get heavily copied. However, as more sought-after sets from different manufacturers enter group buy, it comes as no surprise that a company would copy these items.

Why are clones bad?

The simple answer to this is because "you're not supporting the original designer."

The Verge published a really good article about this in 2022, where it interviewed designers who had their designs cloned by others. These designers expressed their disappointment as people would go for the knock-offs and all their hard work went to waste. Especially when the novelties are original sketches.

However, there is an argument to be made that "you can't copyright colours." (Well, technically you can but you have to be a huge company like Barbie and Tiffany & Co. to have some sort of trademark on specific shades).

The concept of purchasing clones and knock-offs isn't new. From high fashion to trading card games, the ethics of using counterfeits has become a topic worth discussing, especially now as the cost of living increases.

Vice Australia released an article about the "twisted ethics" of purchasing high fashion dupes and people are mostly buying them for the brand. Meanwhile, Swifties began looking for alternatives to the Wonderstruck perfume that came out around 2011-2012 in preparation for the Eras Tour. In the Magic The Gathering scene, the discussion about proxies continues to be an ongoing thing, especially when there are good cards that won't be reprinted. This led to Wizard of the Coast releasing an article in 2016, stating that Proxies are fine, just don't use them in sanctioned/official events.

So clearly, there is a demand for these items, especially if they came in limited batches or if they're no longer being sold for various reasons.

My stance on using clones

My original stance on clones is this:

"You can use them during your very first keyboard build. Perhaps even your second. But the moment you're willing to invest in this hobby, you have no excuse to not support the original designer."

Your first build is to see if you would like to be part of this hobby. For starters, the keyset that you want may not be available due to missing the group buy date or will be entering this process. So, of course, clones would be your go-to.

My first build used KAT Arctic clones that I got from Ali Express. It was used on an NJ80, a cheap keyboard that cost less than $200 AUD. And guess what, I was happy with it. But the more I got into this hobby, I knew I couldn't rely on clones forever, especially due to their cheap quality and how it affects designers.

However, when keycaps take forever to be released, being patient isn't worth it anymore. Especially when you have a board just waiting to be used.

Case in point - the dreamscape build.

Why did I use clones?

The clone version of these keycaps was a good temporary measure since I really wanted to use my Ikki Aurora build and get an idea of how the finished product would look. Sure, it wasn't as pretty compared to the original. At the same time, the manufacturer that sold this set had a really bad reputation in the keyboard community.

But the fact this keyset took 2 YEARS for it to be shipped was overkill. The same can be said for KAT Artic. The group buy for this set ended in 2020, but extras in the Australian market weren't available until 2023. THAT'S THREE YEARS TO GET EXTRAS. I had to rely on multiple aftermarket purchases just to get a set. This led to duplicates and fortunately, there was a nice person who lived near my area who was willing to get them off my hands.

The "ethical way" to use clones

So, we know clones are bad. It affects designers and there are companies with shady reputations that would produce these sets. However, there is a demand for sets that either: had their group buy end years ago or are taking their sweet time to be produced.

Is there a good way to grab hold of sought-after keycaps? YES.

The answer: Make IN-STOCK VERSIONS!

The best part, this actually happening. The photo above is an official clone of GMK Modern Dolch Light called OTC Modo Light. While the spacebar was from the official GMK set, the rest of the keycaps were remakes of an old GMK set. These keycaps are still available for purchase on Omnitype.

Meanwhile, CannonKeys announced NicePBT in 2022 and had sets that were based on GMK sets. The store offered refunds to those who pre-ordered GMK keysets and wanted to opt-in to the in-stock version.

And don't get me started on the influx of various GMK Olivia keysets that float in various marketplaces like NovelKeys and Wuque Studios.

While it is very unlikely that every keyset ever made will have an in-stock variant, it's interesting to see that vendors and designers became open-minded to producing available keysets based on designs they've sold before. Not only are they cheaper than the GMK variants, but they also give those who are starting in the hobby to grab hold of official sets, even if the manufacturer is different. It's also important to point out that designers and vendors are opting for the in-stock model, which reduces the production of clone variants.

Unfortunately, there will be people who will go after clones. And that's fair since this hobby is so damn expensive. But if there is a key set that you want and was sold years ago, there is a slight chance that an in-stock variant exists somewhere.