Omnium Gatherum

|| aj || twenty-something || she/her || || 🇨🇦 || ✍️ || 🎨 || 💃 ||❗WIP: Webcomic - "Witchcraft", Urban Fantasy Series - "True Guardian"

[aj-capone]

Shhhiiiiiiiitttttttttt.....

there are a bunch of active Mass Effect RPs out there.....

debating starting a new account, help.

[paulfrankjuliusthemonkey]

I've said this before and I'll say it again: it's more important to know and understand fully why something is harmful than it is to drop everything deemed problematic. It's performative and does nothing. People wonder why nobody has critical thinking skills and this is part of it because no one knows how to simousltansly critique and consume media. You need to use discernment.

[gloriousfatpoc]

Fat People In Motion: Majorettes

***Disclaimer: No interaction of any sort ( no reblogs/ likes) by any fitness, weight loss or thinspo blogs. You will be blocked if you do. ***

You’ve probably seen the above video a bunch of times. You have probably wondered who these women are and why the hell are they so damn awesome. Well, allow me to introduce, The Alabama State Honey Beez.

(The Honey Beez, 2017 (from l-r) Andrea Swain, Johnae Dean, Asia Banks, Quiana Reliford, DaQuendra Elston and Alexis Garrett)

You can thank band director Dr. James Oliver for the existence of this fine example of fat people in motion. When he began his tenure as bandleader for Alabama State University( ASU) in 2000, he noticed that The Stingettes, the other majorette team at ASU, were not accepting plus size girls into their troupe. Year after year, fat girls were turned away simply because of their weight. Many fat girls were left dejected and relegated to flag girl positions year after year. Dr. Oliver could not stand to see this occurring and in 2004, he hatched a plan. It was a fairly simple one: start a plus size majorette team at ASU. He and another colleague got together and started auditioning five fat flag girls to join the squad. He wanted to see what they could really do if given the proper outlet to shine.

(The Honey Beez, 2017)

The girls danced their hearts out and even came up with a signature move, move: a cartwheel into a split. After weeks of practice, the team had a name, The Honey Beez, and a chance to showcase their abilities. It was at the end of a game against Southern State in 2004. In sync dance moves and one cartwheel/split combo later and the audience was in love. Rounds of applause followed the girls as they left the field. Moments after the game was over, a mix of people came up to Dr. Oliver and shared their views on the girls. Many were in full support but as fatphobia is a disease that never rests, some felt he was making a mockery of the girls and urged him to never allow them to dance again. These negative views were swirling in Dr. Oliver’s head as he thought about the idea of the girls becoming the target of hurtful jokes and ridicule. He decided not to let them perform at the next game and contemplated what he should do next.

“Did I want to continue to deal with the negativity? Or did I want to keep this going because the crowd loves it?” Oliver asked himself. “But the girls love it too. I made the decision that I was going to keep going. I didn’t care what anybody said. I thought these girls deserved a platform and I’m going to keep them.”

With that mentality in mind, The Honey Beez were given back their stingers and the buzz around them has not died down since.

(The Honey Beez, 2017)

They are now a nationally recognized majorette dance team (with their own set of standards that anyone who wants to join must adhere to: A GPA of 2.5 or higher, the ability to do a cartwheel/split and you MUST be over 250 pounds)  who produce high-quality performances each time they perform. From appearing on national TV, on The Steve Harvey Show, trying out for ”America’s Got Talent”  appearing on the reality show, “Bama State Style” on Aspire TV,  while still dancing and performing for the school they love, The Honey Beez, along with their dance director, Ruth Williams, are one set of bees that show no sign of disappearing anytime soon.

[bigfatscience]

Dear Honey Beez, I love you!!

Teaching moment: I just love seeing fat people dancing and moving their bodies, but it is so rare in our thin-centric society. Or when we so see it, it is usually presented as a joke (Fat Monica anyone?). And because of that prejudice, you may find yourself comparing these amazing women to thin dancers and you may be thinking negatively about that comparison, or you may feel uncomfortable watching them dance. Confront that fat phobia! Fat bodies are different than thin bodies. We don’t move the same way that thin people move – and we shouldn’t! We are bigger and heavier! Our dancing looks different than thin people’s dancing, and that is glorious. Think about how strong these women must be to move around like this! Appreciate how flexible and nimble they are as they kick and jump back up off the ground, all while weighing double what their thin counterparts weigh. Look how they claim their space and revel in their embodiment. Again, fat people move differently than thin people, and if that makes you uncomfortable, then you have some prejudice to unpack and unlearn.

[nelleana-deactivated20250625]

[aj-capone]

Fat bodies can do everything skinny bodies can. 

[twofigs]

i am writing all the time except just like inside of me and not outside

[anarchapella]

Please fucking lie to your employer. Like they don’t need to know your mental health issues or what drugs you do. Ffs

[thecolorsfucked]

its not lying if its to employers or cops

and look up ur rights on what they can and cannot ask u many places ban asking about ur record and transportation status and things like that resources will also tell u how they reword sketchy questions so ur prepared

[mixingpumpkins]

Hey. Take it from a former HR person… this goes double right now. I just spent some time putting in some job applications myself (not for HR, lol) and got about 15 interviews. And idk if it’s because of COVID uncertainty or if places just don’t fucking care anymore because they know people are desperate for work, but the amount of straight up illegal shit my interviewers asked me was appalling. (That’s not even counting the questions that were technically legal but clearly fishing for information they’re not legally allowed to ask.)

A tame example? Two questions into a phone interview, the guy on the other end of the line asked: “How old are you?” I said “Excuse me?” - giving him a chance to rethink that. He didn’t. “How old are you?” “Sir, you are not allowed to ask me that question.” “Well, I want to know. I’m asking.” “And you’re legally not allowed to ask me that. I’m not required to tell you my age.” At that point, I guess he managed to remember an old HR bulletin or something (I hope to god he wasn’t actually HR himself), and he said, “Well, I need to know if you’re over the age of 18.” (Which is what he should have asked in the first place… or not, since that was in the application that he could have read.) “Yes. I’m over the age of 18.”  And we moved on. Two questions later, he tried another illegal question. I called him on it again and ended the interview, citing that a workplace with such a clear disregard for the law, especially upon first contact with a potential employee, was not going to be a good fit. (They offered me the job anyway, lol. I didn’t send a thank-you or a response.)

At a different interview, the majority of questions were “fishing” questions - just looking for that info they’re not actually allowed to ask. (This person was also either not really HR or an HR person who was exceptionally bad at their job.)

I could tell they were getting frustrated when I dodged answering the personal stuff, and they actually got extremely upset when I mentioned later in the interview (re: less relevant work experience) I had worked in HR. They were super flustered for the remainder of our time, and I watched them skip over questions on their sheet they had clearly planned on asking. They KNEW they were being sketchy and were counting on me not knowing anything about HR - or my rights - and so they got upset when I did. These were super tame examples. I’m begging you, if you’re job searching right now, PLEASE know your rights. Please know what interviewers are allowed to ask. Please don’t volunteer information or elaborate more than you’re required to about personal things. Save your words (and everyone’s time) by elaborating why you’re good for the position/what you can do. I may create a resource list on this shit later but PLEASE PLEASE KNOW THIS STUFF BEFORE YOU TALK TO AN EMPLOYER. This goes for anywhere you’re interviewing as well as your current employer. This also goes for HR. HR may be the person you go to when shitty stuff happens, but that doesn’t mean they’re your friend (or competent). They don’t need to know your age (beyond 16+, 18+, or 21+, depending on the job). They don’t need to know your medical history. (For the love of god, do NOT answer the “have you been diagnosed with depression?” question.) They don’t need to know if you have kids or whatever. They don’t need to know a LOT of those things that may appear on an application, including your veteran status, whether you’re on/have been on unemployment, etc. They’re not entitled to know specifics about your transportation (unless you’re using that transportation for the job, like Uber/delivery drivers). Look this up for your state/the job’s state. Beware questions like “What year did you graduate?” if you’re like me and don’t put dates on your resume (I just put amount of time spent at employers, not dates of employment). They’re fishing for your age. It’s “Oh, you know, 100 years ago,” if you feel comfortable making a joke, or “About [generic number, like 5 or 10] years ago” if not. Also beware things like the “What do you do in your free time?” question, even if you already work there. This is not a friendly getting-to-know-you question. This is a basis for judgement. Not up to an invisible standard? They’re going to be biased against you for pay raises, promotions, etc. Mention kids/lots of family/social engagements? That’s a tick against you for not being the kind of person who lives to work (yes, it’s gross and stupid). Mention lots of solitary things? Cool, that’s their mental note to ask more from you because you’re “not doing anything anyway.” By all means, be friendly with your coworkers/talk about shared interests if you want, but it is none of your boss’s business, and be aware what could get back to them.  Don’t. Tell. Employers. Shit.

[bitchesgetriches]

We wrote up a handy list of those illegal questions here:

10 Questions You Should Never Be Asked in a Job Interview 

[aj-capone]

Mass Effect Musings

With the re-release of my fave game, gonna be throwing around things that pop into my head.

Spoilers will be below the cut.

Musing #1: The Reapers and the fate of the Galaxy

I think a lot of people hate how the trilogy ended because it seems like nothing mattered, there was no “perfect” fairytale ending. Like, yeah, it’s a sci-fi opera/epic where you face and overcome overwhelming and impossible odds but, in the words of Linkin Park, “in the end it doesn’t even matter.”

Surprisingly, despite the fact I live for fairytale endings, I think the endings, regardless what choice you went with, is perfect.

The Reapers have, according to everything you discover, been around since forever. They’ve been routinely watching numerous societies rise up, and then wiping them out to make way for new societies. It’s improbably and unlikely that you, a single human in a galaxy of incredibly diverse species, after millions of years of this routine culling, would figure out a way to stop them, when literally no one ever has before you. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

Now, I’m not one by any means to argue that wiping out mass populations for the sake of new growth is beneficial (Thanos, anyone?) but I do understand the logic behind it. Which is why I understand the Reapers purpose, and why they just...do what they do.

Honestly, I wonder if it wouldn’t have been better if the Reapers hadn’t given a warning (in the form of Sovereign) that they were coming, to give everyone false hope that they could prepare and avoid their fate. I think it’s more...humane if the Reapers just whoosh in out of deep space, kill everyone they need to, and whoosh out again. No warning, no crippling fear with the edges of false hope.

[anexperimentallife]

[meetnategreen]

[eviltessmacher]

Those idiots who keep saying "it's both sides" are part of the problem. In fact, they're most of the problem.

[qualidude]

the positive difference it would have made in my life for my parents to talk to me this way as a child puts me in my grave to even consider

[missvanta-xoxo]

We breaking generational curses

[faded-doll]

I’m in tears. I’m ready to be a parent hands down because I can’t wait to just create the best space for a little human to grow and express themselves. Kids are so so smart, way smarter than we know but they need our patience too. Aww 🥺

[sugarcoatednightshade]

I once told my mom that when she speaks loudly she sounds angry and it scares me and makes me freeze up. She told me to toughen up. Honestly , bless these parents for doing what theirs couldn’t

[aj-capone]

Ya girl does not do backgrounds.

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Constellation Series by Keith Franklin

This artist on Instagram

[spitblossoms]

[imboredsothisistheresult]

Powers that hurt

telekinesis that gives the user a massive headache 

super strength that leaves them with sore muscles for days after use

pyrokinesis that gives a horrible burning sensation, felt even though there’s no physical evidence of it.

cryokinesis that chills them to the bones, leaving them with a desperate need to get someplace warm after every battle

heightened senses that mean the character is in a near-constant state of sensory overload

flight powers mean they have altitude related illness every time they go just a little to high a little to fast

aquakinesis that means that it’s harder to drown them but not impossible, that means they feel horrible when the humidity is too low

geokinesis that makes them terrified to be off the ground, whether they’re being carried or in a plane or flying in any way, they just hate it

[vanillaicesblog]

¬ Edinburgh, Scotland

[intosnarkness]

Hey, take it from someone creeping towards 40:

Ignore the fun police.

If you like it, order your steak well done. Get your bagel toasted with jam and butter. Put ice in your scotch and ketchup on your hotdog. Get red wine with fish and white with steak. Who cares?

If you want to, listen to pop music. Watch blockbuster popcorn flicks. Read dime store novels. Enjoy them.

Dye your hair or cut it off. Paint your fingernails blue. Wear whatever the fuck you want on your own time (ie, when not at a job or school or whatever where you can get penalized for breaking rules) as long as you aren’t like welding or shoveling snow.

Anyone who tries to tell you you’re wrong? Say “okay” and go back to what you were doing. You’re not hurting them by enjoying yourself or having things the way you like them.

There are no caveats or addendums to this. No “but what about x?” Nah. You’re allowed the things you like. You don’t have to justify your taste or apologize for it if it’s not hurting anyone.

And likewise, let other people live their lives. We’re all dead in the long run, so tend your own garden before you become fertilizer in it.

[aj-capone]

Oh hey, it’s Faye, my tiefling wizard

[aj-capone]

TIL that Menes, said by Manetho to be the first human king of Egypt, was killed by a hippo.

Manetho often had inaccurate records but my god, I hope that’s true. 

The first “human” Pharoah, killed by a hippopotamus? Should have stuck with the deity-kings.

[pissvortex]

currently have thousands of people yelling at me on twitter because i said drinking water regularly is healthier than only drinking soda and coffee occasionally

[pissvortex]

the water haters have logged on

[pissvortex]

for the love of god please help me

[gravityjunior]

[just-a-donut-who-reads]

How are these people not dead yet

[blueinkblot]

but you add water to a pot noodle - do you know how much salt is in those? like I love them too, don’t get me wrong, but that salt is going to dehydrate you too

seriously, how are these people not dead yet

[aj-capone]

I will NEVER understand people who take pride in not drinking water.

Just because your body is used to being dehydrated, doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Jeezusss