Because All Good Heroes Deserve Kidneys

Hello. I'm Elanor. There is nothing but nonsense here; mostly trees, with occasional shitposts about politics, walruses, video games, or my friend Phil. Eventually I will actually publish that book about queer Welsh werewolves I keep teasing you with (sorry) (I also delete anon hate without reading so tbh you might as well send it to your therapist instead xoxo)

[theprofessional-amateur]

link to bluesky post

[theprofessional-amateur]

In addition to how to turn various things, it includes:

Other useful AI Removal/Detection links

How to spot AI Hallucinations like a Reference Librarian (originally on Substack)

Library Freedom Project has a lot of handouts about AI on their Resources page

[anatomicalart]

This is relevant to art also because it is becoming increasingly difficult to find reference images online during simple searches.

[weedle-testaburger]

Shoutout to this Binface graphic for being hilarious, but I feel like we should also draw attention to the other reason Farage is (hopefully!) fucked. It's emerged that he apparently didn't know resigning his seat wouldn't end the investigations, just pause them, when he forced this by-election.

What that means is he can very probably be done not only for any financial offences, but for contempt of Parliament (when you interfere with Parliamentary business or investigations- Boris Johnson was kicked out of Parliament because he did that with Partygate).

And even better, if the investigations show he could have criminal charges brought against him, the fact he did that means that they could also potentially find him guilty of perverting the course of justice (trying to sabotage a criminal investigation), which is an even more serious crime than any of the financial fraud he's probably done.

And then, even if none of that happens, he's basically Streisand effect-ed himself into oblivion. The first thing you're likely to hear now after Farage's name is 'took £5 million from a crypto billionaire and £1 million from a convicted fraudster'. And he's freely admitted he took all that money and 'can spend it all on Ferraris' if he wants to.

Even if he isn't guilty of any misconduct (which is doubtful), no one but no one has any sympathy for a bloke complaining people don't like that he hoarded £6 million from criminals in the middle of a cost of living crisis. This is his legacy now, and it's so funny.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Well excuse the fuck out of you, Glimmora

[magicatthemasthead]

I have made a companion blog!

Magic at the Masthead is an LGBTQ+ inclusive tall ships game of adventure, magic, and romance. I've been commissioned to write it by Choice of Games.

You can find out all about it on my WIP forum page, and play the 60K word demo, here.

I made this blog specially for the game. It's going to be copies of my history and worldbuilding newsletter, Wheat Googling, pictures I draw of things from my games, and musings on the characters. Tumblr feels like the right place for RO musings...

Magic at the Masthead

You are the new first lieutenant on the MNS Meredith, a neat, fast little frigate in the Measarrean Navy. Officially, your orders are to get out there and harass the enemy. In fact, Measarrean naval intelligence has tasked you with finding out if there is any truth to the rumours that your enemies, the Oriolenn, have developed a weapon powerful enough to manipulate the fundamental laws of nature. It’s a mission that will take you into the heart of enemy territory, and challenge your crew to the utmost. And if you can find, or even claim, this weapon, what then? Will you allow it to transform the world forever? Claim it for yourself? Or attempt to destroy it?

Play as cis or trans; male (he/him), female (she/her), nonbinary (they/them), agender (e/em), or set your own pronouns; gay, straight, bisexual, asexual and/or aromantic with alternative ‘particular friend’ paths available for platonic intimacy.

Focus on naval prowess and hone your crew into a fighting force that can win any battle - with your tactical genius, of course.

Focus on naval intelligence and gain as much information as possible on the enemy’s plans - while using your skill and guile to sew sedition in their ranks.

Focus on natural philosophy, and become a world expert on magic and all the ways it can - or can’t - be harnessed.

Survive attacks from magical creatures and miasmic magical storms. Build diplomatic relationships with mer people. Build a happy and efficient ship - or let it become lubberly and mutinous.

Use your influence over your fellow officers to shape them into very different possible versions of themselves.

Map of the archipelagic world of the game

You

You are a newly qualified lieutenant in the Measarrean navy. You first went to sea at 14, so this has been your life for a long time. You’re now in your mid twenties, and your new captain has promoted you over the heads of your more senior new colleagues into the role of first lieutenant - second in command of the ship. You’re adept at the major skills needed for a sailor. But in the Measarrean navy, all command officers also have a second specialism, and you chose to be either a ship’s navigator, surgeon, or bard (something between a ship’s counsellor, a master of revels, and a cultural consultant). You also have some unique abilities that got you recruited for this secret mission in the first place.

Main NPCs

The following characters are available for romance, or to become particular friends (depending on how things play out - they might hate you!)

You will also have a high level of influence over the kinds of people they become by the end of the game, and what happens to them. They are all pansexual.

NOTE: I have used they/them/theirs throughout, but all genders are variable as detailed above.

Second Lieutenant (and navigator) Ferhan Ahmet [25, Measarrean Kuz-Kusi]. Dashing, intelligent, ruthless. Beloved by the crew for their daring and tactical innovation, they are also deeply ambitious, far more interested in their own professional progress than the good of the service. They are bold and forthright, and give short shrift to those they consider intellectually beneath them, but they take their responsibility to the people under their command very seriously, sacrificing their safety for their crew’s without a thought, and are passionately loyal to the small group of people they consider friends.

Third Lieutenant (and bard) Celyn Davies [24, White Maesarrean]. Celyn is very observant about things that interest them. Those things are magic, and people. They are a capable officer when they remember to be, but they come alive when engaging with their passions. They’ll spend hours on deck, wrapped in a cloak, studying the patterns of magical light on the surface of the water, or making extensive notes on the magical creatures that sometimes break from its depths. They get completely wrapped up in their intellectual passions, potentially to the extent of neglecting their duties. But they notice people, and are well loved among the crew for their quiet compassion.

Fourth Lieutenant (and Surgeon) Ellis Evans [27, Measarrean Malimbean]. Sweet, earnest, honorable. Tender hearted Ellis never wanted to go to sea, but it was the wish of their two very forceful diplomat parents, and they had no choice. Their true calling is as a doctor, and they are very good at it. They are trusting, tender hearted, and have an unfortunate hatred of violence. They think war is fundamentally A Bad Thing.

Magic (please note that you might have more fun inferring all this from the game than having it laid out for you here)

In this world, magic is a natural force, like the winds, or gravity, or the sun. It can be harnessed, but not controlled. There are three main elements to it. Here is how they are understood by the people of the world:

Magic heals and purifies. If you leave barrels of seawater out on deck, the salt will gradually sink to the bottom, leaving pure drinking water on top. If a person has an autoimmune disorder, their symptoms will be vastly improved at sea, where most of the magic is. If a person is trans, and they wish it, the magic will cause a Sea Change, in which their outer form comes to resemble their inner self.

Magic hates injustice. Try to take a group of people prisoner and transport them across the sea, and your ship’s wooden hull will petrify and break, the sails will molder, the food will spoil. Vengeful magical storms will assault the ship from above, and magical creatures will attack from below. The ship will sink before you’ve gone five miles. Try to invade a nation by sea, and you’d better be stealthy. If your intended victims spot you, the magic of the oceans will rise up in their defence, and your ships will suffer the same fate before they can reach the dock. Try to go to sea with a largely conscripted crew, and you’ll have a very hard time of it.

Magic is especially powerful at sea. All hospitals are on ships for this reason.

As it happens, the people of this pre-technology world have got quite a lot of this wrong. Maybe you’ll find out what’s really going on.

Do you like overthinking? Wordlbuilding? Obsessively managing fictional communities? Then you might enjoy my newsletter!

Content Warnings

This game is set on a tall ship during a war between nations with no technology and limited medical knowledge, so you should expect genre-typical content. The following things can happen:

Death of unnamed members of your crew in battle or through battle or starvation or sickness or accident.

Death of named tertiary characters through some of the above.

Mutilation or injury in battle.

Amputation without anesthetic.

Pre-technology naval medical care generally (blood, gore etc.)

The symptoms of scurvy, which can include old scars opening up.

The MC getting a chronic injury that never fully heals.

Violence with cutlasses, boarding axes and pistols.

Murder.

Drunkenness and alcohol consumption.

Drowning.

Classism.

Things that will not happen:

There will be no…

…transphobia, homophobia, biphobia, racism, sexism, ablism, ageism etc. Prejudice does exist in this world, but it is based around social class. The MC is middle class, so does not come in for this personally.

…sex scenes. There is romance, but everything fades to black beyond the level of heavy petting.

Feedback

I love feedback! I am deliberately putting up this demo very early in the process so the game can benefit from your insights as much as possible.

Please tell me:

What you loved (this really is very useful to know)

What didn’t work for you

Suggestions for changes

Hopes for what will happen later in the story

General comments

Sailing/ships/historical inaccuracies or inconsistencies (it is set in a fantasy world, but the ships are the same)

Anything about gender and sexuality that isn’t sitting right with you (especially if are LGBTQ+ - I am queer myself but obviously we are a diverse bunch!)

Requests for things you would like to see

Bug fixes

Points where you were confused

Spelling mistakes/Britishisms/weird grammar etc.

Genre cliches/suggestions. CYOA is a new passion for me, so please tell me if I am missing cool tricks, or putting in things that are old hat

Literally anything else you can think of. I have been writing for a long time, and I’m used to having maybe a handful of readers pre-release. The idea of an audience that can just literally tell you what they want before you actually finish something is VERY EXCITING!

Links

My Choice of Games WIP page. 

If you like worldbuilding and/or history, you might enjoy my new newsletter. It’s called Wheat Googling: speeding up your research one fanatical deep dive at a time. Right now, it’s all background detail for this game, so expect lots of chat about ships and how to blend history with magical worldbuilding.

My website, if you’d like to see what else I get up to.

My Bluesky, if you want to make friends.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Well this looks like it was grown in a lab to be Tumblr Catnip

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

What would have happened if Count Binface actually won? Would they have conceded?

No, he'd have been the duly elected MP for Clacton. They'd have had to work out how he could be sworn in while wearing the bin.

The comedian under the bin is actually a very switched on and politically minded guy, so ironically, he would have been an amazing champion of local causes. But he would also have done so in character as an intergalactic space lord

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Migraine sufferers, lend me your recommendations

My sister gets migraines, and is struggling to find things that will help. She is currently on week three of the worst one she's ever had. But her birthday is this week! And currently being ruined.

So, what helpful migraine related gifts can I get her? What do you find works?

Thank you muchly, I wish you all pain-free days

[northern-punk-lad]

It’s going to be an interesting few weeks following this result and it will empower reform voters

[invisible-goats]

and now he has to actually face the enquiry he was trying to avoid

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

That is a much higher voteshare to Binface than we expected, and much lower to both Reclaim and British Democratic Party, lol.

All round, though, it doesn't look good for Farage. It was a sham one-party election, so he can't play the "See? No one cares about my multimillion pound bribes, they still voted me in" card he was banking on. His only competition was a bin, and the bin actually did well. Meanwhile, as Goats says, he's now subject to the enquiry he tried to avoid.

He played a strategy that was supposed to be win-win, but the other major parties totally hamstrung it. And, credit where credit's due, the idea for the others to not stand this time was an absolutely genius move that, in fact, came from the static TV screen of a brain that belongs to, of all people, Kemi fucking Badenoch. Stopped clocks and that.

Meanwhile, polling shows Farage has actually lost a LOT of his voter base and support from the bribe thing. Again - even Kemi Badenoch is able to go "Hardly the man of the working class like he claims". So... Yeah. As OP says - interesting next few weeks coming

[hacash]

Pretty embarrassing as well that Farage’s excuse for not attending announcement of the results was that the police had told him there was a credible threat to his safety (as opposed to the real reason, which is that it’s pretty difficult to do a rousing victory speech when what you did was get more votes than a man with a bin on his head) and then a couple of hours later the local police come out with ‘yeah we definitely didn’t do that’.

[fission-mailure]

A lot of people are ragging on the 'cable diverted to avoid Dobby's grave after Harry Potter fans raise a stink' thing and while I also love ragging on Harry Potter fans being weird, in this case it looks like the story was completely made up.

tl;dr: There's no evidence the interview that this was mentioned in even exists, no evidence the route of the cable has ever changed, and the whole story seems to originate from one dude's podcast.

The story also broke into mainstream via the Daily Mail, who are ... rarely if ever honest or accurate.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

However, "Dobby's grave" is very factually still ruining an environmentally sensitive beach in a Welsh national park thanks to fans leaving painted stones and fucking socks there. That part is 100% true.

[molombo]

Have you ever wondered where all the fantasy worlds based on African and Black mythology are?

Well, today is your lucky day.

Check out ZAIROO - The First Pan-African Steampunk Fantasy

made by a Global Team with love

all art is from the gamebook, we dont use ai

Our game includes:

100 creatures and beings from across African and Black mythology (the first in history to do this)

Custom character creation

13 heroes to play or have as companions

13 creeds

12 kin

5 kingdoms and 2 regions representing the diverse cultures under the Pan‑African umbrella

6 adventures included within the book

400 pages of gorgeous art and worldbuilding to help you write stories and create art in an authentically Pan‑African setting

Your support makes it possible to bring a new face to the fantasy genre.

[northern-punk-lad]

It’s going to be an interesting few weeks following this result and it will empower reform voters

[invisible-goats]

and now he has to actually face the enquiry he was trying to avoid

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

That is a much higher voteshare to Binface than we expected, and much lower to both Reclaim and British Democratic Party, lol.

All round, though, it doesn't look good for Farage. It was a sham one-party election, so he can't play the "See? No one cares about my multimillion pound bribes, they still voted me in" card he was banking on. His only competition was a bin, and the bin actually did well. Meanwhile, as Goats says, he's now subject to the enquiry he tried to avoid.

He played a strategy that was supposed to be win-win, but the other major parties totally hamstrung it. And, credit where credit's due, the idea for the others to not stand this time was an absolutely genius move that, in fact, came from the static TV screen of a brain that belongs to, of all people, Kemi fucking Badenoch. Stopped clocks and that.

Meanwhile, polling shows Farage has actually lost a LOT of his voter base and support from the bribe thing. Again - even Kemi Badenoch is able to go "Hardly the man of the working class like he claims". So... Yeah. As OP says - interesting next few weeks coming

[dread-solomon]

Perisex trans people become intersex allys NOW or I am going to kill you

"males and females" "AFABs and AMABs" "TMEs and TMAs" "You're TME, you'll never understand how scary it is to be a girl with a penis in the women's bathroom" (said to me, person who was literally beat up in middle school for being a girl with a penis in the girl's bathroom) "AMABs can never get cervical cancer, that's an AFAB only thing" "they won't let trans kids have hormones, but they'll give them to cis kids for free" "you can't be cis and trans at the same time" you can't be transfem and transmasc" "You can't be transfem if you were AFAB" "You can't be transmasc if you were AMAB" "RMAB and RFAB? Now you're just making things up" "All intersex people are biologically nonbinary" "I want to transition into intersex" "I'm such a b*eddel/f*ta/h*rm" "You're intersex? I'm so jealous, that means you get an easier transition right?" "I wish I was intersex, then I could get myself pregnant" "Trans people are brain intersex" "So what does it look like?"

shut up Shut Up SHUT UP, my new rule is that until a perisex person has at very least read the interACT faq, they are not allowed to talk about intersex topics at all! And if they spout bullshit after doing that then I'm going to start biting!!!!!

[textpostscymraeg]

did you see the diffyg ar yr haul yesterday?

Ooooh, that's funny - I was just on the phone with someone and we discussed this very term!

So diffyg ar yr haul literally translates as "an absence of the sun" or "a flaw of the sun" - basically, it suggests there's a problem with the sun.

I can't help but wonder if this is a hangover from when early cultures saw eclipses as terrifying omens or a real problem with the sun, and not just the moon going on a jolly for a few minutes. Did early Welsh people look up at the darkening sky and go, "Ah, fuck, sun's broken"?

Anyway, I did see it; or rather, I saw the sky go dark. I didn't find out about the eclipse in time to sort out a safe way to look at it, so I just appreciated the darkness instead - even we undead horses have to look after our eyesockets!

[cacen]

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Hi Elanor! I’m seeing Steffan at the Fringe today because you recommended it and your Big Dog recaps etc got me through some of the lockdowns (I’m from Melbourne, Australia, we had the longest covid lockdowns in the world, wooooo go us). I’m looking forward to the show! Are you hanging around Edinburgh for any of the run?

Ooh, enjoy! He loves talking to the audience after, don't be afraid to go and say hi if you want; he gets a kick out of it when it's my Tumblr followers, too.

If you have any interest in it, I can also recommend my friend Phil, of whom I have spoken many times on here. He's in Hoots at the Apex (same venue as Steff, so an AIR CONDITIONED ROOM, this is not a drill) at 20.35. I have other recs too if you need them!

I'll be up from the 21st until the end, so I imagine we'll miss each other. But, I'm delighted my silly observations of the fall of the Tory party was useful, lol.

[thedancingbookworm]

@becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys He really did get a kick out of me telling him I knew his as your bath snacks butler!

It’s a shame we will miss each other at the Fringe but I can recommend the show to everyone!

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Haha! I'm delighted that was the story that came to your mind. Enjoy the rest of your Fringe!

[zoesupreme]

sailors used to mutiny and become pirates

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

I know ADHD is the Forgetfulness Disease and I know I have forgotten many seemingly unforgettable things in the past but being unable to remember how I have broken my apparently broken foot feels like a new low

[tlirsgender]

I am obsessed with fictional guys being really weird about each other. Hard at work in the plausible deniability mines. You know those pairings who would jerk each other off before they'd kiss

[tlirsgender]

I know I said fictional guys but I want to be alone with the person who tagged this as mclennon. Like from the beatles

[vraska-theunseen]

i have some interesting news for you

[tlirsgender]

Yeah okay then

[tlirsgender]

I think my favorite part of this post so far is the beatles fans in my notes 1. Acting like this is common knowledge & 2. Saying they got far weirder without elaborating. Alright

[shredsandpatches]

It also inspired the only good New York Post headline ever.

[tlirsgender]

BEAT THE MEATLES WAS REAL?

[oldmanpusspuss]

I wish to god I was joking or exaggerating but this is just factual beatles lore I'm so sorry for reblogging this for the 80th time op but the people need to know

[tlirsgender]

Question: what the hell

[scurator]

[tlirsgender]

Why does it just keep going

[hope-for-the-planet]

Indigenous cultural practices are a climate solution, report finds

Indigenous lands are crucial for climate mitigation and resilience. Research shows their health is a direct result of Indigenous stewardship

While this isn't news to anyone who works in this space, it is useful to have this water-is-wet research to affirm that Indigenous knowledge and land management are extremely effective at storing carbon and protecting biodiversity.

I want to draw special attention to this part of the article:

New research shows that approach overlooks the key role that Indigenous knowledge and culture can play in mitigating climate change. It also reveals a dangerous misconception that has taken hold in global climate discussions: the idea that Indigenous lands are so rich because they are remote or sparsely populated. Nothing could be further from the truth. The health of Indigenous lands and their ability to store vast quantities of carbon stem from the stewardship of the people who inhabit them.

[hope-for-the-planet]

I'm actually bringing this back around to say another important thing.

I get a fair number of asks and comments on my posts expressing sentiments like "human beings are a plague on this Earth", "humans ruin everything, we deserve to be wiped out", "humanity is inherently selfish, evil, and irredeemable".

I don't think the folks saying these things have bad intentions, I know their words come from a place of very understandable pain, fear, and anger. But to act as though humanity's impact on nature is inherently damaging and extractive is to erase thousands of years of Indigenous stewardship of nature. These ecosystems are thriving because there are humans living there.

This is your regular reminder that you don't need to feel guilty for being a human. You are part of nature--viewing humans as inherently separate from the rest of nature is actually part of the problem. You will be so much better served redirecting that guilt into supporting the humans who are helping nature or resisting those who are hurting it.