every year small towns and indigenous communities across canada are burnt to nothing by horrific wildfires and americans go on the internet to complain about it and blame us bc the smoke has spread to their state. i’m so tired.
go yell at mark carney or your own local politicians about climate change and urge them to do more to stop it. the namaygoosisagagun first nation had their community destroyed today. you can find a link to donate to them here. donate to your local food bank. go to the beach next week when the smoke clears and you don’t have to think about it anymore while the people who’s lives have been destroyed will have to pick up the pieces and try to move forward when we are already in a huge cost of living crisis across the country.
for those unaware of the situation, an indian engineer, activist, innovator, education reformer, and environment activist who refused to patent his inventions, so that people could use them freely, and built a free school for underpriviliged kids, went on a hunger strike to demand accountability from the indian government for the massive amount of exam paper leaks that have occurred during this current government's rule. his name is sonam wangchuk, and today, on the 20th day of his hunger strike, he was forcefully apprehended by the delhi police, and taken into custody. so far, we have no idea where they've taken him, and during his apprehending, a large group of men forced their way onto the dais he was lying down on(because he's no longer capable of even sitting up in his current state), and held up screens to prevent people from even seeing or recording what they were doing to him behind them.
as a result of the latest paper leak-which was a medical entrance exam-20+ kids committed suicide. this man saw their plight, and decided to use a form of peaceful protest, that indian freedom fighters used, to fight against colonial rule. it's something that has barely gotten any media coverage, as most news channels and newspapers are tightly controlled by the government. there were plans to conduct a peaceful walk to the parliament, and before that could proceed, the police-armed in tactical gear-kidnapped a frail old man, who can't even stand without assistance. this is plain and simple fascism, please talk about it on your various social media platforms to put some pressure on the indian government for the immediate release of this man.
update on this post: we now know he's being kept at safdarjung hospital, and has not been allowed to leave, or have access to his phone or the internet. they have essentially arrested him for practicing his right to peaceful protest. a colleague of mine who works at safdarjung, has not been able to meet him or check on his condition.
Hey. If people aren't aware, Microsoft admitted they know who you and where you are at all times and will give your info to the police.
They have a Global Device Identifier (GDID) Tracker that functions as a fingerprint for your PC that can surpass VPNs, proxy servers and countries. Although it can't survive a clean reinstall of Windows (it can survive updates), because Microsoft forces you to go to the internet and log in into a Microsoft account, they will be able to get to you.
Microsoft kept it secret and it was only found out when the FBI tracked a hacker thanks to the information Microsoft gave them.
You should be paying attention to this, and possibly consider moving away from Windows. If a government, especially the US government, doesn't like you for some reason, this could be seriously concerning.
This article specifically notes:
For journalism, activism, or domestic abuse situations, skip Windows and use Linux routed through Tor instead of a commercial VPN. A GDID doesn’t care which VPN you use, only that it’s still the same Windows installation.
GDID is the persistent Windows ID that helped FBI trace a Scattered Spider hacker despite VPNs. Here's how it works and how to limit it.
Other important quotes:
What has researchers uneasy is everything else the case reveals. Costin Raiu, a well-known malware researcher, asked on the Three Buddy Problem podcast how much of this exists on other platforms, and whether it is linked more permanently to hardware. Matthew Hickey, another security researcher, called Windows “surveillance software”.
Two things back that up:
There’s no consent screen. A GDID gets assigned when you sign into a Microsoft Account. Apple’s advertising identifier needs an App Tracking Transparency prompt and a visible reset; Android’s works the same way. GDID has neither, and a Windows reinstall only gets you a new number Microsoft can still get back to the same account.
Then there’s activation. Massgrave, the group behind Microsoft Activation Scripts, notes that Windows setup sends hardware info to Microsoft and gets identifiers back, the same tokens later used for Store access and licensing: “It’s impossible to prevent Windows from getting a GDID without breaking activation and UWP app[s].” Anyone who lost a license after swapping a motherboard has already met a smaller version of this.
for those unaware today india experienced one of its biggest protests in half a decade. there were protests all over the nation for various causes but the major one was in delhi. all we asked for was the resignation of the education minister because he's failed the students of this nation time & time again. but we were met with brutality, the police had barricaded the main site of protest (jantar mantar). metro stations were shutdown, the public was restrained from reaching the protest site and all the adjoining areas had signal jammers to make sure the crowd had no access to constant updates. they had us blocked from all the sides. they were lathi (baton) charging students from one side & releasing tear gas from the other. you couldn't walk 100 m on streets without having a tear gas shell thrown at you. there were many students, women & kids bleeding — some from their head. some couldn't walk anymore. the police had removed their nameplates, covered their faces & acted with full impunity to resort to unprecedented levels of violence. they were pelting stones at us, beating up people for no reason, forcefully detaining them and attacking us constantly with tear gas & rubber bullets. they wouldn't let you exit either. the crowd was peaceful & looking out for each other yet they were met with violence. i made a friend who was all alone & she asked to join me & my friend because a policeman wouldn't leave her alone. he constantly prodded her for personal info, invited her back to the jeep saying they have food there, wouldn't stop following her around. you couldn't call or ask anyone for help, we were left to fend for ourselves & be on a constant lookout if you did not want to be beaten up to death by police. all for what? asking a resignation? shame on this country.
It’s recently been found that even hive insects rest. Bees will play with colorful toys. Ants sleep for about 1 minute but they do it so frequently it amounts to a few hours per day. Even trees take breaks.
The only things that work without rest are machines; literally everything that lives requires rest.
EVERYTHING THAT LIVES REQUIRES REST. STOP JUDGING YOURSELF FOR NOT BEING A ROBOT.
robots require very frequent breaks! welding machines generally have it programmed in that they can’t run so long they melt themselves. ive overseen two different manufacturing robots now and each of them were fragile, finicky idiots that require constant maintenance and repair. they pause in between moves, in between jobs. you’re always keeping an eye on programming errors, on coolant levels, on heat. you’re always pulling bits of scrap out of joints, sweeping up debris, washing off nozzles and untangling hoses. and even then it snaps a chain and takes a whole morning’s vacation.
I feel like simply calling JK Rowling a transphobe isn't strong enough anymore. Like. This is not your grandpa calling you by your deadname at a restaurant kind of transphobic. This is her wanting to eradicate all trans people (with an extra special hatred towards trans women specifically). This is her trying just that by personally funding transphobic hate groups with millions to push around laws in the UK. It is not hyperbolic to call her a dangerous, genocidal maniac.
It's not about cancelling a problematic writer. It's about literally trying to save lives by denying her as much money and power as possible.
A lot of cis people are treating her like an actress who pushes diet culture or a singer who is too sex forward for their tastes. Like she's an inconvenience to their moral comfort instead of the existential threat she is.
She is not that.
She is Elon Musk. She is Trump. She is a powerful monster with the money to end lives.
Giving her money and creating a demand for her books by engaging in fandom should be seen the same way owning a cybertruck is seen. Harry Potter gear is in the same category as MAGA gear.
I need to see the same disgust and outright hatred of her that I see about all the evil men in her category. I don't know if people see her as less dangerous because she's a woman or if people are worried that hating on a woman will get their feminist card revoked, but she needs to be taken more seriously by a lot of people. She's a big name heavy hitter with more money than anyone should be allowed to have.
I feel like simply calling JK Rowling a transphobe isn't strong enough anymore. Like. This is not your grandpa calling you by your deadname at a restaurant kind of transphobic. This is her wanting to eradicate all trans people (with an extra special hatred towards trans women specifically). This is her trying just that by personally funding transphobic hate groups with millions to push around laws in the UK. It is not hyperbolic to call her a dangerous, genocidal maniac.
It's not about cancelling a problematic writer. It's about literally trying to save lives by denying her as much money and power as possible.
A lot of cis people are treating her like an actress who pushes diet culture or a singer who is too sex forward for their tastes. Like she's an inconvenience to their moral comfort instead of the existential threat she is.
She is not that.
She is Elon Musk. She is Trump. She is a powerful monster with the money to end lives.
Giving her money and creating a demand for her books by engaging in fandom should be seen the same way owning a cybertruck is seen. Harry Potter gear is in the same category as MAGA gear.
I need to see the same disgust and outright hatred of her that I see about all the evil men in her category. I don't know if people see her as less dangerous because she's a woman or if people are worried that hating on a woman will get their feminist card revoked, but she needs to be taken more seriously by a lot of people. She's a big name heavy hitter with more money than anyone should be allowed to have.
the only reliable, effective way of "protecting children" is education. but people don't want to hear that because they don't actually care about protecting children, they care about protecting a mythologised ideal of innocence
WHA spoilers through Silver Eve, up to current.....
I'm sorta fascinated by Eoleo and Deanreldy and the parallels between them and how it's obvious the father's views and goals have been imparted to the son. Both are presented as deeply charismatic and approachable but have a ruthlessness underneath in their quest to attain what they want.
And what they want just happens to be in the possession of a certain master and apprentice currently in their care.
It's another really faceted adult/child relationship the manga likes to explore with masters and apprentices and parents and children and I like that we've gotten some non-witch characters with these dynamics.
The king and prince are so interesting to me because they both genuinely seem to care about helping and serving their people as monarchs and I never read that care as artifice. But, at the same time, they want every tool available to them and view magic as a tool they are specifically denied.
There is an elitism you can read into their words. They want this tool the witches have but speak of it as something they should hold to help the nation, seeing themselves as worthy of that power where the common person may not be.
And this makes me so worried for Beldaruit and Riliphin being around them for any continued amount of time because it's very obvious the father and son are directly targeting them both to obtain their magic.
They both heavily use charm as a weapon. Beldaruit sees through it pretty easily during their conversation and calls Deanreldy out, firmly rebuffing his interest. He seems very aware of what the king wants out of him and how he's using his position as healer as leverage to get something out of a person in a vulnerable spot.
Deanreldy instantly throws that right back in his face as he holds the view that witches do the exact same: offer help disguised as control.
The whole scene is uncomfortable in the way the king shifts tactics through the conversation, trying to win Bel with charm, logic, then by being vaguely threatening when the first two don't work.
There's a menacing, creepy intimacy to the way this is presented, with Bel on the bed gripping the sheets and the king looming over him in a position of power.
Bel is constantly presented through the panels looking up at the king, being framed as smaller or having to lean himself up to engage. And when it's clear Bedaruit isn't going to give him what he wants Deanreldy jokingly dismisses him and ends the conversation.
Someone online pointed out that it also seems the king has not offered Beldaruit the use of a mundane wheelchair, essentially trapping him in bed which leads to the bedsores and his need for treatment, lending an even more sinister edge to the situation.
Later, after Silver Eve, Deanreldy is incensed when the counterclock heals the wounds of the people he'd spent all night doctoring. Here I can honestly sort of understand his upset. He's likely been laboring for hours, fighting to keep wounded people alive and lost who knows how many, when the witches just come in and appear to 'instantly' fix everything.
But in retaliation he uses his position as king to forcefully tip the balance by kneeling to Beldaruit and Lagrah in front of his subjects when they're unable to stop him. He succeeds by backing the witches into a corner and literally forcing them to retreat.
Deanreldy truly seems to want the ability to wield magic as a tool and he will use whatever means necessary to get it.
Eoleo, on the other hand, seems more interested in rekindling the old partnership between king and witch.
He first forms a connection with Tetia when they met during Silver Eve and he's hiding from his bodyguards. From her he learns that the old bond between king and witch might be possible to achieve when she's so open to a friendship with him. He even says "In speaking with you, lady witch, I see a flicker of hope for a dream I'd thought impossible."
Tetia, much like Beldaruit, clocks him pretty quickly, seeming to realize she misstepped by so easily offering him friendship and later expressing discomfort with his proposal. Tetia is a very emotionally intelligent character so it's possible she read the undertones in Eoleo's seemingly innocent request.
Eoleo later meets Riliphin, reaching out to him with empathy while he was overwhelmed in the forest after the leech attack and separated from his master.
His interest in helping Riliphin when he was having a panic attack is presented as genuine. He sees his scars and offers him a way to ask for help if he's being abused. He sits with him, doesn't mock when he expresses fear of crowds, and offers advice that helps him calm down.
When Eoleo realizes that other people might be suffering in a similar way he wants to help and instantly hops to magic as a solution, asking Riliphin if he knows Tetia and seeking his aid to find her.
And Eoleo does succeed in getting Riliphin, Tetia, and the other apprentices to help the evacuated citizens. He does so by reaching out with empathy and friendship to the young witches who are more open to reciprocating this sort of relationship than their elders, which likely only reinforces Eoleo's belief that king and witch as partners can work.
After Silver Eve is over Tetia goes home and isn't in Eoleo's immediate sphere any more. It seems he shifts targets to Riliphin who is stuck in the castle while Beldaruit recovers from his broken arm. Like Tetia he's young and kind but unlike her, at least as far as we know, he has a history of being abused by people in authority.
Eoleo and Danreldy have different tactics when it comes to trying to get what they want but their views and some of their approaches parallel each other quite closely.
They both make a point to highlight the divide between witch and non-witch, Deanreldy to point out how old-fashioned it is and Eoleo to use it to put Riliphin at ease. Both takes seek to break down that barrier with their respective target.
They both use a tactic of being overly friendly and familiar with their witches. Eoleo employs a lot of physical touch, which he can likely better get away with given his age and how well he plays innocent.
Deanreldy leans on verbal familiarity, speaking to Beldaruit in a way that's not really proper between two leaders and also sweeping him up in his bold acts, forcing Bel to participate even if it's not overly wise to do so.
Both of them speak of 'their' witch and their powers as a tool they wish to acquire or something they wish to have. In Eoleo's case he first seems to be talking about Tetia specifically but after Silver Eve he may just be open to any witch.
I found that interesting because I wasn't sure if the story was trying to set up a relationship between Tetia and Eoleo in the vein of Richeh/Eunini. But Eoleo does the same disarming, eager-for-friendship play with Riliphin, so I get the feeling he's not quite so picky.
And now we're at a point where master and apprentice are stuck in the castle with these two for the time being, as Beldaruit requires more treatment.
The discomforting isolation is back when we see a few panels of Bel in bed, surrounded exclusively by the king's staff. It's an opulent space, not a prison cell, but for all intents Deanreldy essentially has Bel at his mercy, again weaponizing his position as ruler and healer to control 'his' witch. (Bel does not look happy about this.)
With Beldaruit in this position it's unsure how much supervision or protection he can provide his apprentice, leaving Riliphin to Eoleo's attentions.
The prince has already started up with the charm and working to build a close friendship with Riliphin much in the same way he did with Tetia.
With her he appealed to her outgoing and upbeat personality, with Riliphin he seems to focus more on his desire not to upset anyone in a way that feels like a guilt-trip. Which is uncomfortable in the light of Riliphin's past abuse.
Eoleo is breaking down the barrier in a slow, personal, 'soft' way in contrast to his father who took a direct, public route that instantly put Beldaruit and Lagrah on the defensive.
There's also a costuming thing going on. Eoleo asks to try on Tetia's hat and apprentice garb when they first meet, blurring the lines between them. There are some visual elements that tie Eoleo and Riliphin together too, such as the flared cut of their sleeves and a noticeable triangle shape to their collars.
Later, Eoleo has his guards clad Riliphin in the same feathered black cape he wore when they first met, tying their visual language even closer together, in a way that feels to me like Eoleo is claiming him.
I'm both anxious and interested to see where the plot goes with these four because I don't at all think it's anywhere near done yet.
These two are just so layered and intriguing to me as characters, with their complex motivations and differing ways of using their skills and abilities to acquire what they want.
I really want to like them both but they're dangerous too and pose real threats to Beldaruit and Riliphin on a personal scale and witchdom in general.
people on here who have been on 10-15+ years like myself...i don't know how they claim that there were never any Black bloggers on here, or that it was always such a white website. trudy gradientlair was on here. thisiswhiteprivilege was on here. there was a feminist citation project sara ahmed was involved in on here. there was someone on here whose username was wretchedoftheearth and that was how i learned who fanon was when i was 12, by googling those words. tumblr was the only place i knew i could go to get accurate & compassionate info about what happened to trayvon martin, when everyone around me irl was rabidly racist. the amount of reportage and scholarship that happened on here before the first big wave of bans was so huge and so much has been lost. where were you when it was happening??? why weren't you paying attention??
it's cause they never engaged with non white bloggers so they never noticed them disappearing. they got the tumblr they wanted, and those of us who aren't liberal/conservative fandom bloggers were robbed of our black and brown friends, and worst of all black and brown bloggers were robbed of a dpace that once was a legitimate vector for talking about black issues. at least some members of staff know what they are doing, it's like the war on drugs in this website the way they crush black people on this website.
I literally published an essay several years ago about how a lot of people stole the intellectual work that Black feminist bloggers on here published regularly to build this website and its reputation as we know it. White people love them some revisionist history.
The reason Tumblr became the bastion of intellectual discourse that it was known for--the reason the term "social justice warrior" even EXISTS as a derogatory descriptor--is because of the work of the Black bloggers who migrated to this site from 2009-2014 from LJ and Jezebel's forums. Myself included.
if i were rick instead of having sally and paul have estelle at like 40 (because as much as sally loves percy, having him made things undeniably hard for her as a single mom for some time, now when percy’s off to college she can enjoy maybe some traveling and general emptynest-ness), i would have them be childfree OR make like a foster program for campers so if they want to they could stay with a family like the jacksons during the school year and at camp for summer. that would especially be nice because these kids may not have reliable families and the jacksons could have a kid while also having the autonomy that comes with having a teen over a literal toddler, if that makes sense
Hi, we're three disabled women in a real hard spot. With savings drained and no job prospects to speak of, we're faced with a rapidly approaching eviction day. We need to be able to pay rent by the 21st, otherwise we're all going to end up on the street or worse.
Please donate here if you can. Any amount helps, even if you don't have a lot to spare. if you can't donate, a reblog still goes a long way. Thank you in advance
I do appreciate all the support on my post about Marlow Trottie, but yall need to do that kind of thing for Black trans women while they're still alive too. That's actually more important in a lot of ways.
please help my friend move to safer housing, shes a black trans woman who i love so dearly and who deserves every good opportunity that comes her way
EMERGENCY SURVIVAL FUNDS NEEDED
We are a Black trans disabled couple with a cat… Tori Peck needs your support for Survival Funds for Hea
the gfm is not yet updated to reflect this but we do need to reach $2,500 as soon as possible so she can move. her partner has a post fundraising for them with more payment info if ppl need ❤️
really grateful for how much traction this has gotten however we need $2k before the month ends and have raised only $223 of that! putting other pay info here:
For context, this is Jewish actor Miriam Margolyes. A self-identified dyke,she was professor sprout in the harry potter movies but she's been extremely prolific over five decades. She's pro trans and pro Palestinian.
Never forget how she went and spoke to trans women / trans fems and when she said something that was ignorant (she mentioned the expectation for them to shave), she listened when they corrected her and apologized immediately. Then, when the group explained how they express gender, she went "I understand" and continued to listen and learn.
She's always one of my favorite examples of someone with celebrity status retaining humanity and speaking up for minorities.
I didn't know she was pro Palestine until now, so that makes me even happier to hear.
The seeds have sprouted, and your spellbook awaits. Whether you're an apprentice, a Brimcap, or one of the Wise, there's a bundle waiting for you!
📅July 20 – August 24
🛒http://whaspellbook.bigcartel.com
✶WORDS OF THE WISE ✶
— “Magic exists to make people happy.”
For witches seeking the complete Spellbound experience, this bundle gathers our whole collection. Perfect for those who wish to master every circle on every page!✨🪄
✦ Eligible for all Stretch Goals!
✶GOODWILL OF HER GRACE✶
— “Learn from your failures, and it becomes knowledge.”
A carefully curated collection for witches who want a generous helping of Spellbound while travelling a little lighter.🍃📜
✦ Eligible for Cover Print and Diffraction Decal Stretch Goals!
✶SINCERITY OF THE SHIELD✶
— “The things that make you who you are will never disappear.”
For readers who wish to retreat inside their secret space with only the essential Spellbook, this bundle serves as a great starting point!📚✨
✦ Eligible for Cover Print Stretch Goal!
✶CONSENT OF THE CROWN✶
— “I have my own kind of magic!”
Can't receive physical mail? Study from the comfort of your own atelier with our digital edition, featuring the complete zine in PDF format alongside our digital merch bundle!💫
✦ Not Eligible for Stretch Goals!
✶STRETCH GOALS ✶
As more apprentices join our atelier, even more magical rewards will be unlocked! Gather your fellow witches, spread the word, and let's fill our atelier with even more magical inventions! 🌿🖋️✨
i have understood so many things about online leftist culture by the fact that when i said "your local community has people you will morally and politically disagree with but you cannot lock them out of accessing any tangible service you’re organising" one of the tags responding said "this isn’t about proshippers in here you’re not welcome" like. folks. focus with me. some of us are homeless here.
There's a disconnect happening here because the primary function of social media for most casual users is to form a circle of friends around the usual things that friendships are built on: shared interests and lifestyles and ideas of what is important and what is unacceptable. When people are mainly doing leftism on social media, this encourages thinking of leftism as centered around establishing high-minded social clubs.
For anyone who still isn't getting it from someone who helps people IRL: There's a difference between whom you're helping to feed at the mealshare and whom you're choosing to hang out with for fun after the mealshare. You don't have to invite a hungry person with opinions you don't like to play board games with you, but you do have to help keep them from starving if you're serious about leftist organizing.
[Image ID: Tumblr reply with username blocked out reading: *volunteering at the soup kitchen, holding a bowl hesitantly to my chest* what do you think about age gaps in ships /End ID]
What, You Egg? @apathyofthesympathetic - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
