All My Favorite Things

This is a sideblog of @artemisblackwing

[vyskala]

“You called?”

Focusing on light or trying too. Been awhile since did a winged dragon…

Done in watercolour pencils, ink pens and pencils on tan paper.

[dragons-locator]

DRAGONS LOCATED

[image id: dragon on some rocks]

[tgirl-thucydides]

[oysters-aint-for-me]

[thecottageinthedark]

[petermorwood]

You have to listen to the basic melody a while before you start to improvise.

[welcomedhappiness]

Farewell online privacy

[tikalgirl]

What happened?

[welcomedhappiness]

Trump happened.

[pizzaalle]

just get a VPN?

[earth-ruins]

You can’t just tell people to ‘get a VPN (Virtual Private Network)’. Buying a VPN is like buying a house. It’s very very important. Having no VPN or having a ‘wrong’ one can seriously damage your life. Especially for Americans because their privacy laws are garbage. I am going to try explain why you should get a VPN but bare with me, I am from Germany and my English is far from perfect. 

Let’s start with a simple test. Click this link here: https://whatismyipaddress.com/ It will tell your IP adres, your ISP (internet service provider), and your location. The location might not be very accurate, but then again, it’s just a simple website. Imagine what the government can do!

So basically, everyone can find out where you live. But there is more danger. Your ISP. Your ISP logs your every move online and they are required to keep it in case the government wants access to it (or if a 3rd party wants to buy your data (yikes). They have everything. What websites you visit. How long you stay on a website. What you download. Your search terms. European laws are more subtle on this but if you are from the US you are #@*#&, especially because Trump doesn’t support the open internet. It’s scary but maybe in the future you can’t get a job because the recruiter knows your searched on ‘how to deal with depression’ or anythings else that’s supposed to be private because it’s your f*cking right. Or you get a $100k fine because you pirated a movie 15 years ago. You need a VPN. You’re dumb for not using one. but what does a VPN do?

A VPN encrypts all your data so if it were be intercepted no one can ‘crack the code’ and damage your privacy. 

Usually being online goes like this (simplified): Your computer —-> ISP (—–> keeps data —–> sells it)

But with a VPN it goes like: Your computer —–> VPN (encrypts data)—–> ISP (ISP can’t see shit)

Furthermore, a VPN hides your IP address and location by giving you another IP address located in Spain for example (you can often choose from a list and change as many times as you want).  

Now that you know why you should get a VPN and what is does it is important to educate yourself because people often choose the wrong VPN. VPN providers are also businesses and have to obey the law. If you choose a VPN provider located in the US then you are throwing your money away because the laws in the US shits on your privacy. If the US gov wants the provider to give all their logs they have to obey.  The ISP  still can’t see what you are doing online and sell your data but the US gov can interfere with your VPN provider so NEVER CHOOSE A PROVIDER LOCATED IN THE US. 

I just wanted to make that very clear so my followers don’t buy false security.

There is still more danger!  Who says your VPN provider isn’t selling your data? You need to check their logging policy. Do they keep logs? If yes, what for? For how long do they keep them? Tip: Choose a provider who doesn’t keep logs

More about law  The US is part of the Five Eyes program (the worst):  

The Five Eyes, often abbreviated as FVEY, is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. These countries are bound by the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence (source)

There is also a Nine Eyes (bit better) and Fourteen Eyes Program (better).  You don’t want a VPN provider who is located in one the Five Eyes countries.  If you had to choose go for a provider located in a country that’s part of the Fourteen Eyes Program or even better, go for a country that isn’t part of any program! 

I know this is a shitty explanation and please pardon my english but now it’s time to do your own research. Take your privacy seriously. Maybe WWIII breaks out and you get killed for liking the ‘wrong’ FB-page.  

Go to this website: https://thatoneprivacysite.net/simple-vpn-comparison-chart/

Make sure that your future VPN provider both has green boxes for Privacy Jurisdiction and Privacy Logging. 

I recommend ovpn.se and trust.zone. ovpn is located in Sweden so they are part of the 14 Eyes Program and they keep minimal logs. Their business ethics, however, are alright. 

Trustzone is located in the Seychelles. No country can interfere and their privacy jurisdiction is the best you can get. The US want your data but needs to get it from Trustzone? The Seychelles will simply give them the finger and wave them goodbye. However, this makes this provider very appealing for people who torrent and criminals because they keep no logs (and that is how it shoud be) Also,  there are almost no marketing efforts so this provider is one the cheapest)

Also, often providers such as ExpressVPN are being called ‘The Best’ on websites about VPNs but know that this is just marketing which also makes those provider more expensive (and they too shit on your privacy)

This must be the worst article you have ever read but please, please take your privacy very seriously.

EDIT: I got many people asking me which provider I use. For those who want to know, I use Trust Zone. They offer a free 3-day trial with no strings attached. But still do your own research! 

[writing-prompt-s]

I am also with Trustzone but I think you forgot to explain one of it’s most important features. It protects you when you are using someone else’s Wi-Fi. If you are at Starbucks and you use their Wi-Fi your privacy is at risk. Anyone with ill intentions could steal your information. Especially if you are using an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot. With a VPN your data gets encrypted so no one can steal it. 

[rabbittiddy]

Wait, what’s going, on? Did trump destroy internet privacy with a bill or something? Where’s the news? Oh wait, why am I getting visions of Alex Jones and selling water purifiers?

[thecrystalfems]

He hasn’t yet but he says he wants to. And if he is serious about it it would be really easy to do. Since all our data is already recorded, as the person above explained.

[coltrer]

Trump wants more surveillance of Muslim Americans. This in a country where internet privacy is already close to non-existent. 

Trust.Zone has a free trial. Use it. 

btw this post only has 11k notes? That’s quite disappointing for something this important. 

Don’t reblog this post to save a life. Reblog this to protect an entire family!

[imthedoctor12]

@earth-ruins @writing-prompt-s Should I get trustzone for my mobile device?

[writing-prompt-s]

If you use public Wi-Fi, then yes. Which VPN you use is up to you, amigo. Take @earth-ruins advice. Do your own research first. 

[writing-prompt-s]

@elvesfromthedeep​ just brought the current situation in the US to my attention (March 30, 2017). 

Sources

Anger as US internet privacy law scrapped 

Congress just voted to let internet providers sell your browsing history 

To all my friends in the US, please read this entire post. Making everyone aware of VPNs is going to be my mission. Your privacy matters. Please reblog this post.

[greeneyespurpleheart]

Don’t tell me you just wanted to scroll past this. Stop looking at pictures of cats for a moment, okay? Don’t you realize how important this is? This is dangerous! ‘America, the best FREE country in the world’ my ass.

With this new law your ISP can sell your Internet history which could include passwords, usernames, religion, credit card numbers, race and much more to the highest bidder. So here is what I want you to do. You are going to read the whole thing and before you think ’this is so important. Let me reblog this real quick and go back to admiring cats again-’ NO! Don’t reblog this. Take action first. Then reblog. Sign up for a free trial! Trust.Zone offers one (here). Yes. It might be difficult to set up a VPN for some people. But is that going to stop you from protecting yourself and your family? 30 minutes. 30 minutes is all that it takes. 5 if you know how to install software. The problem with some of you is that you see ‘difficult’ as something negative. I want you to see difficult differently. I need you to push through this stuff. You are going to protect yourself. There is nothing negative about that. VPNs are fun and costsaving too! A VPN bypasses geographical restrictions so you can access websites you normally can’t or you could start Netflix’s one month free trial over and over again- forever. And it’s legal! (unless you use it to buy weapons etc.,) Don’t tell yourself that you are too tired and that you will do this tomorrow. Because that isn’t going to happen and you know it. You have to do this right now. You only have to click on it. Don’t let this/shit/life just happen to you. Take yourself seriously. Get a VPN.

Privacy is not a privilege, it’s a fundamental human right

[warmhappycat]

Hey is thatoneprivacysite still good? The link works and it does take me to an article about vpns, but it just looks like an ad for expressvpn with extra steps.

[skeleskeeller]

No they switched to https://thatoneprivacysite.xyz/#simple-vpn-comparison a couple years ago

Welcome to the VPN Comparison!  This section is meant to be a resource to those who value their privacy, specifical...

[skeleskeeller]

I had Trust.Zone when this post first started making the rounds on Tumblr and I forgot about it after Biden took office. I recently sent them an email asking why my subscription wasn’t automatically renewed and why their website hasn’t changed since 2017(?). Their answer:

Shady people, good people, this company only cares about privacy and doesn’t care who it serves. But now with Trump and Musk this is the only VPN I’ll use.

[firerockt]

I understand some people might not want to use this VPN on moral grounds, but it’s genuinely one of the very few VPNs set up in a way that no authority can touch you. ExpressVPN and other ‘popular’ options operate in jurisdictions favorable for profits but their privacy is just a band-aid our government can easily rip off if it demands information. I’m a trans man, I’m afraid of our government, and at this point, I simply don’t care anymore.

[moonxchaos]

For a second I was like noooooo, not this long post again! Haven’t seen it in years and I always thought it was a bit extreme and exaggerated. Now that we are in 2025, I am like, nahh, these people knew what they were talking about all along. First time I am reblogging this.

[moonxchaos]

Also I don’t think anyone has said this yet but the free trial only requires an email address. No credit card details or anything. Refreshing.

[foxbridgeni]

Could someone please put the link to the free trial here? I don’t want to scroll back up 10 miles. Thank you.

[skeleskeeller]

here you go @foxbridgeni

Trust.Zone Free Trial

[moonfireroulette]

The argument against VPNs has always been, “but I have nothing to hide.” Now that an unpredictable lunatic is in charge, purging based on whatever whim strikes him, that sentiment is quickly fading. VPNs aren’t just about hiding personal secrets; they’re about protecting freedom, autonomy, and your basic right to live without unjust scrutiny or arbitrary persecution.

[bearcubsandicecreammachines]

Reblogging again bc this is important

[harkthorn]

Waiting for a friend. The dragon feels somewhat awkward, but it's nice to have a daily sketch that's a scene vs "just" a creature drawing

-3060

[paintings-from-the-past]

Corner of a Garden (1879) by John Singer Sargent

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

This is the most disturbing thing Sargent ever painted. It is like two bog monsters coming across a cottage garden, and considering whether or not to eat the little old lady who tends it... Unless they've already eaten her... There is a lot of red.

[unearthlore]

ditches be like "cite your sources" but actually have 0 scientific literacy and are the type to hold on to that ONE article they agree with instead of the measurability and repeatability of a variety of publications from all over the world

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

Wait, experiments need to be repeatable? That's super inconvenient.

[katelyn-danger]

Unironically, vegans need to be advocating for more and better sheep, llama, and alpaca farms. Wool is one of the best fabrics we have in terms of versatility, longevity and most importantly, insulation. Even wet, it retains 80% of it’s insulation potential.

AND IT DOESN’T SHED MICROPLASTICS

[katelyn-danger]

Like, there’s literally nothing you can do to a sheep that’s as morally reprehensible as dumping plastic down the gullet of literally every other living thing. You wanna talk about animal welfare? Talk about reducing the amount of microplastics produced by rayon, polyester, and spandex.

[guinea-big-deactivated20221004]

Bruh plant-based sources of clothing exist and are better for the environment and don’t involve slicing an animal’s throat open please shut the fuck up you cunt

[katelyn-danger]

THE WOOL GROWS BACK

[wizardshark]

Do they think you kill a sheep for it’s wool

[rosslynpaladin]

A LOT OF THEM DO THINK THIS. They get told this carp by PETA and the like.

People- wool animals are not killed for their wool/hair. Yaks, angora rabbits, angora goats, sheep, alpacas, llamas etc… We SHEAR THEM. Not Flay. Shear. With clippers.

Or some people just gather what falls off the critter, or in the case of “chien” which is dog fluff, you brush that off them.

Healthy happy animals make good fiber. It is monetarily foolish and useless to abuse your animals because then their fiber is bad. You can debate points of husbandry and some parts of industries need change so fight about that.

But wool is amazing.

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

Not sure why I'm weighing in on this. Anyway... While I'm in support of a wool industry, there are a few issues with it. Overall it's very humane.

The wool from young animals is much better quality than the wool from older animals, so animals are often culled for this reason. However, there's a lot of uses for poorer quality wool, so it's not as bad as you'd think, and the animals are usually a few years old when they're culled, so that's really only shaving the worst years of their lives off. So in some sense animals are killed for their wool, but it doesn't seem too bad to me. Also both males and females are used for wool, so they aren't culled based on gender, which is nice.

The shearing process can be traumatic because the sheep or goats are often cut, and pictures of that can look graphic, but... I had a fiber goat that I needed to shear, and I cut myself once with the electric shears, and it didn't hurt much -- the shears are so sharp that cuts hurt much less than you'd think. I was surprised. It healed right away too because the cut was so clean (no torn skin.) And shearing only needs to happen once or twice a year. Professional shearers usually don't cut the animal.

The environment for wool animals is always kept clean and nice, because otherwise the wool is too dirty to be of value, and generally the animals are healthy and comfortable for this reason.

Transporting the animals is also not as abusive as some people think. There are laws in America that say animals need to be let out in the middle of long trips to avoid too much stress. Also, when I transported my goats, I found that they tended to not eat or drink much on the trip, and actually it was best to drive a long distance with as few stops as possible to get them to their destination as fast as possible. Ruminants tend to eat and drink a lot at once, and then spend a huge amount of time digesting, so feeding them right before the trip is important so they'll basically spend the drive digesting. I always offered food and water during the entire drive, but it was rarely touched even when the trip took about 20 hours (driving plus a few stops) because the animals had already eaten. Some goats seem to only want to eat and drink once a day.

Each wool animal is worth a lot, so wool producers are not mistreating their animals too much because if the animal dies, they lose its value.

[mug-of-beans]

“The old magic persists thanks to it’s unfathomable power.”

No, the old magic persists because the new magic can’t run the legacy spells I need to do my job, and keeps trying to install spirits I don’t want or need onto my orb.

[aqueerkettleofish]

Look, if the new magic didn't have a personality construct that kept trying to tell me which spells to use, maybe I wouldn't still be using the old magic.

[wizard-council-bureaucrat]

Yes it had a deep blood cost, but at least it was a one time sacrifice and not this monthly bloodletting nonsense new age magic has

[wizard-archivist-official]

The old magic is robust enough to survive a decade of use and it's compatible with every wand, staff, scroll, and charm in our collection.

The new magic stops working after three days and every spell uses proprietary runes.

Our preferences, as an archiving institution, should be pretty clear.

[charlesoberonn]

You try to get guidance for the new magic and the king's sorcerers maybe will answer you in a few days with an unhelpful suggestion to buy the newest orb.

You need guidance for the old magic and a dozen retired middle-aged wizards will pop up to explain it to you rune by rune if necessary.

[dankxsinatra]

Elephants have learned highway robbery

[ladyoftheteaandblood]

@ms-cellanies

[thoughtportal]

Wisconsin man who showed up to support an anti-trans bill does something amazing - Queerty

“I have a very little knowledge of gay people and things like that there…” “I have a very little knowledge of gay people and things like tha

man showed up to support an anti-trans bill in my home state and then, because he had to wait hours to testify, he was stuck listening to queer folks rally against it

By the time it was his turn to speak, he'd changed his mind

Lawmakers in Wisconsin are currently debating a piece of anti-trans legislation. Assembly Bill 104 (AB104) is a legislative proposal that aims to prohibit gender transition medical interventions for individuals under 18 years of age.

On Wednesday, the assembly’s Committee on Health, Aging, and Long-Term Carelegislature hosted a hearing. Members of the public showed up to give testimony both for and against the bill.

ACLU Wisconsin says the event went on for over eight hours. Some people had to wait all afternoon to ensure they could voice their opinions.

A speech from one elderly man has now gone viral. ‘Larry’ says he turned up to support the legislation. He had to wait in the overflow room to have his moment to speak.

“First of all, I’d like to apologize to you people,” Larry says when he finally gets his chance to address lawmakers. “I was invited here to give my support for bill 104. I have a very little knowledge of gay people and things like that there. So when I came here, my eyes were opened. I was one of the critics that sat on the side and made the decision there was only two genders, so I got an education that was unbelievable.

“And I don’t know just exactly how to say this but my perspective for people have changed. So I don’t want to take up no more of your time. I’d like to apologize for being here and I learned a very lot about this group of people.”

As Larry gets up to leave, others in the room applaud him.

ACLU Wisconsin has shared the video on its social media channels.

“What a great man. The world needs more Larrys”

“This made me cry,” was one well-liked reply on TikTok. “He showed up. He listened. He learned. He changed his perspective. And then he spoke publicly. That is truly remarkable in this climate. Bravo Larry! I’d love to buy you a beer.”

Another said, “He could’ve just left. But he still chose to speak and publicly admit he had been ignorant on something and had since changed his mind. What a great man. The world needs more Larrys.”

On Instagram, someone else said, “Feeling so honored to have been able to witness his change of heart! This man sat in the overflow room for hours waiting their turn and got to witness beautiful and vulnerable testimony (as well as a lot of unhinged and illogical statements). We love to see growth!”

Someone else said, “There she is, that’s the America I remember.”

AB 104 is sponsored by 30 Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin. The state house has 54 GOP Reps against 45 Democratic. The upper house has 18 GOP senators against 15 Democrats.

As of last December, 26 states have passed laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. Such laws impact around 40% of all trans youth in the country.

[gay-frog-is-an-understatement]

Went to a park recently. Did some crappy photos along the way

@artemisblackwingfavorites

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

The park is beautiful!!! I've seen parks like this in movies, but not real life. The Greek revival architecture is so European... I mean, we have that in America too, but I haven't seen it quite on that scale... I feel like the Greek Gods would totally love that park.

The squirrel is SO CUTE!!!!! He has little tufties on his ears OMG!!!!!

[anexperimentallife]

[guiltycrunch]

[writerystuff]

More librarian humor

[heartseeker]

i think we should rename the Classic Tabby to Swirly Whirly Tabby. reblog if you also think we should rename the Classic Tabby to Swirly Whirly Tabby

[whatcoloristhatcat]

black classic tabby with low white spotting

[heartseeker]

i see how it is

[overgrown-ruins]

@amber-tortoiseshell

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

I had never seen this circular-type pattern before... How is this the classic? I'm genuinely very curious about this.

REBLOG FOR SCIENCE

Have you seen this circular-type pattern before? (As opposed to straight stripes.)

Yes, but it's rare.

Yes, and I don't know how common it is.

Yes, and it's common.

No

I'm unobservant. What are cats?

other (answer in comments or tags)

Voting ended onMar 3, 2025

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

Reblogging for larger sample size...

[gaywatermelon]

You know what time it is folks its 'rambling to myself' time

Growin up isolated from people my age and only ever hanging out w my mom's friends and a bunch of elderly ladies having tea since I was a baby really makes my grasp of age weird. I easily befriend elderly folks but struggle with people my age. I see someone my age and assume they're younger and then they're like "Im two years older than you" and Im like ?????? Youre so young though????? And then Im shocked w the realization that Im Not Very Old. Im not even 30 yet. I feel like Ive already hit the "do it on purpose" stage. I have a deep fondness for younger people/people my age, but I Dont Understand Them. My partner is two weeks on the dot younger than me and we are worlds apart language-wise bc they grew up friends with people several years *younger* than them, very online, very in the know of current trends. Meanwhile I'm over here in my sweater vest talking to my good friend John the nearly-retired philosophy professor. And neither of us know what my classmates are saying and he's trying to ask me and I'm like my good friend I have no clue. I am just as lost as you.

And I still feel so childish for not having my shit together. For not already being as sure of myself as all these older people, or being financially stable, or having my health under control. I'm disabled and chronically ill and burnt out and in debt (IN DEBT. THE ONE THING I SWORE TO NEVER BE.) and its like. Damn.

I just want to take my time. I'm so aware of how much time I have in this life thanks to all these peoole older than me, both in the sense that I know its arguably so painfully short (I WANT TO LEARN EVERYTHING) and in that I want to slow down and enjoy every long second of it. Take one or two classes at a time, work a quiet job for just enough to pay what I owe and set aside some, be able to take time to rest and heal when flare-ups and illness inevitably comes knocking.

Can I retire yet

[giragirameganedan]

still thinking about when i saw a girl on here with ~3 partners and one of them was a lesbian with a “MEN DNI” banner and one of them was a tboy with a “‘MEN DNI’ DNI” banner

[raptorofwar]

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

It took me a moment to remember where this tag comes from. It's from this ancient logic puzzle, the wolf, goat, and cabbage problem.

A farmer has a boat, and can only take one item with him at once: goat, cabbage, or wolf. He wants to ferry everything across without the wolf eating the goat or the goat eating the cabbage. (If he takes the goat across first, then the wolf, the wolf will eat the goat while the farmer goes back to get the cabbage.) The Wikipedia link above has the solution.

The wolf-goat-cabbage polycule would imply you can never safely leave your other lovers together. 😂 Every romantic encounter would be a logic puzzle.

@buteonine

[heartseeker]

i think we should rename the Classic Tabby to Swirly Whirly Tabby. reblog if you also think we should rename the Classic Tabby to Swirly Whirly Tabby

[whatcoloristhatcat]

black classic tabby with low white spotting

[heartseeker]

i see how it is

[overgrown-ruins]

@amber-tortoiseshell

[artemisblackwingfavorites]

I had never seen this circular-type pattern before... How is this the classic? I'm genuinely very curious about this.

REBLOG FOR SCIENCE

Have you seen this circular-type pattern before? (As opposed to straight stripes.)

Yes, but it's rare.

Yes, and I don't know how common it is.

Yes, and it's common.

No

I'm unobservant. What are cats?

other (answer in comments or tags)

Voting ended onMar 3, 2025