Insert Clever Title Here

Raivana just about everywhere else; the two names are related, ask about it if you want. Pronouns she/her. Attemps to write and art might be posted depending on anxiaty levels. I don't know what to put here. Hi?

[hometoursandotherstuff]

1891 Schuster Mansion Bed & Breakfast in Milwaukee, WI is for sale, completely furnished, including antiques, and it has an innkeepers quarters. 8bds, 7ba, + 2 half baths, 12,400sqft, $1,899,900 (Zillow's est.: $1,778,300)

This home has been very well-maintained and restored, and they have the receipts for all of the improvements.

This private breakfast room is so beautiful with its glass ceiling.

The sitting room. They have a list of small appliances and things that aren't included in the sale, and I'm happy to report that the peacock is staying.

The powder room. The curtains in this house are incredible.

There are 2 dining rooms for guests.

The commercial kitchen.

The pantry is totally still vintage, though.

Interesting suite on the first floor has a stepdown bathroom/sitting room.

The other rooms are upstairs.

Beautiful big bedrooms with gorgeous original fireplaces and so many lovely antiques.

Very nice vintage bath. I wonder what it costs to keep this place clean. There's so much stuff.

Very nice sitting room up here.

Oh, this room is so pretty.

The finished attic is all new. It's like a studio apt., so it must be for the owner.

Outside, it looks like the garage was newly renovated. It's huge.

Large yard with beautiful grounds for the guests. 0.36 acre lot.

This is lovely. 0.36acre lot.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3209-W-Wells-St-Milwaukee-WI-53208/40469409_zpid/?

[wonderstruck]

If you see this you’re legally obligated to reblog and tag with the book you’re currently reading

[depsidase]

[jarl-deathwolf]

If anyone would like to read a thorough take down of Sparta as a state not worth emulating, then ive got just the series of articles for you!

[heroineimages]

Reblogging because pissing on Sparta is one of my hobbies. And yes, totally check out the link above. Brett has a lot of great discussion and scholarship on why Sparta was proto-fascist garbage, and he presents it with both snark and accessibility.

[fierceawakening]

Holy shit. That’s… that’s worse than I thought it would be. Yikes.

[doctorjanedee]

Reblogging because more people should read the ACOUP Sparta takedown and fewer people should get their concept of history from fucking 300.

[fierceawakening]

No one should get their concept of history from 300, and I say that as someone who enjoyed 300. 300 is a comicbookification of a legend, and legends are already exaggerations.

[disorganisedautodidact]

A Great Divorce has also done an audio version of the ACOUP Spart takedown if audio is easier for you!

[tiktoks-i-enjoyed]

Clip of Lucy Dacus on the Las Culturistas podcast.

[tj-crochets]

My grandma just called and, among other things, said “You have hips. That’s good! Men like hips!” and then she interrupted herself to say “Women like hips. People of your preferred gender like hips. I can never remember”  And I was like “Thanks grandma! My preferred gender is none of them, no thanks.” and she was like “Okay, no one will comment on your hips!” very self satisfied, like “aha, I have figured it out” I think like half her grandkids are some variety of not-straight and she can’t always remember which is which but she is the epitome of like “she’s a little confused, but she’s got the spirit!”

[tj-crochets]

Update: I gave it some thought and my estimate was wrong. Of the grandkids that are out, it’s 1/3, not ½

[tj-crochets]

I told my grandma that I’d told my friends about what she said and that some of y’all had said you wished she was your grandma, and she said “Well, you can never have too many grandkids!”  So like…consider her your honorary grandma* I guess? *if you want an honorary grandma, that is

[tj-crochets]

Update on my grandma: I told her my hair was standing up, but instead of straight line it was diagonal and she said “That’s okay, you’ve never been straight!” and then laughed so hard at her own joke I thought she was going to drop the phone

[tj-crochets]

Happy almost pride month! Have my confused-but-supportive grandma!

[tj-crochets]

An update: my grandma just called me to ask if I knew it was pride month

[tj-crochets]

Happy pride month!!

[joeyclaire]

my mom’s trans allyship is on another level

[joeyclaire]

she once called my friend’s deadname “that stupid thing his mom calls him”

[asideoftrashplease]

I was once talking to my 75 year old Chinese dad in passing about a trans friend of mine not getting along with her family and he asked why and I said err, because she's trans, dad.

He asked: "Oh, was she the only son or something before *waves hand*?" and I was like, warily, no she has two brothers. And he responded with a great deal of confusion: "Then what's their problem?!?!"

Later on: "Anyway, even if she WAS the only son, that's not her problem, that's THEIR problem. They should have had more sons if they were going to be bothered about it."

[jackdaw-kraai]

Knowing what I know about chinese culture there’s something so beautifully simple about his logic of “no son to carry on family name/look after them in old age/all the other stuff? Skill issue! Should’ve had more sons! Should’ve kept the family unit strong yourself! Blaming your daughter for your own failure of family planning is W E A K!” and then he learns there are more sons and it completely breaks his train of logic because if yes to more sons then why issue?? You have two others and you’re mad you don’t have three?? Whack. Greedy.

I can already envision him as an ancient lord of a powerful house looking down his nose at the latest messenger bringing gossip from the house of his offspring’s friend and going “now they have a daughter to marry into another family for powerful alliances and two sons to take over her former duties and somehow they’re still complaining about their good fortune? They shall not survive the winter.” and then sipping his tea with all the grim satisfaction of someone about to watch an unnecessary soap opera of drama unfold from a safe distance or something

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I like this 1977 Spanish Villa style house in Gibsonia, PA. It's light, airy, and big. 6bds, 5ba, 3,236sqft. $625k (Zillow's est.: $626,300)

Large, open entry.

2 steps down, the main living area. They have the dining room here, but I think it's supposed to be the living room. There's even the fireplace here.

Instead, they put the living room here, next to the stairs.

The kitchen's very nice. It's big and has large windows for plenty of sunlight.

Nice size main bedroom.

They made this room the closet/dressing room.

Look at this- 2 separate toilets.

The main bedroom is on the 1st floor and the others are upstairs.

Large shower room. This is very nice, instead of a half bath.

Love this room, it's so pretty.

And, it has a door to a terrace.

This is lovely.

It also has a nice ensuite.

This room is smaller, but also very nice.

Good size nursery, too.

Another nice bath. They're standard 3pcs., but roomier than average.

I don't think that the basement is finished, but it's so decorated, you can't tell.

Big, private multi-level deck.

This part has a pool.

Then the grill is here, plus a big picnic table.

And, some more seating up on this level.

0,55 acre lot

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3031-Marie-Dr-Gibsonia-PA-15044/11298829_zpid/?

[simkaye]

Pride prints are back in stock but leaving soon! 🐹🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[blumineck]

Archery x flower arranging

This was actually really fun!

Anyway, don’t forget I’m still raising money to test a bunch of things in a suit of armour:

The Bluminarmour Project

Blumineck is trying to fun a video series doing fun and serious historical and fantasy testing in fitted plate armour.

[shutyourmoustache]

When my mother forgets a word, she is the queen of coming up with new words. Words that would take a third National Treasure movie to fully decipher. I was talking to her yesterday, and she said this: “You know the time for los jibbities is coming up. You must be so excited!” Oh, is it time for los jibbities already? I must have missed it on my calendar. Are we celebrating something? “Of course! We should all be celebrating, shouldn’t we?” OK, so los jibbities is a happy thing. It’s not like something is giving you the heebie-jeebies, which would have been my one and only guess. “Los heebie-jeebies? Now you’re making things up...and this is my show.” You’re right. The time for los jibbities is coming up. Is this a season? “Yes, the season for love. The season for pride.” OK, los jibbities. “Yeah, sound it out.” Los…jibbities. LGBTs! “Sí, mira cuz you’re gay!” “You couldn’t just say pride season? You couldn’t just… *laughs*

[party-gilmore]

HAPPY LOS JIBBITIES EVERYBODY!!!

[greatmountainfloofsquatch]

The time for Los Jibbities has arrived!

[hometoursandotherstuff]

1920 historic residence in Ashland, PA can be multi-use if the new owner wants to open up a business, too. It has 6bds, 4ba, 4,073sqft, cut $14.1k to $264,900 (Zillow's est.: $261,400) The seller is open to accepting Bitcoin, XRP, or Cronos as a portion of the purchase price. It's a HUGE house for the price.

The entrance hall.

This large room is more of a casual family room, not the formal living room.

The living room is much fancier with it's pretty blue fireplace and stairs.

Here's a 1/2 bath.

And, off the sitting room, there's a spacious dining room with a large window seat.

The kitchen is enormous.

Another vintage 1/2 bath. The house is very plain. It needs some decoration and pretty wallpaper or something.

Nice original stairs to the bedrooms.

Nice main bedroom.

It looks like it has this lovely terrace.

Updated full bath.

This smaller bedroom is nice.

Very large bedroom.

The bedrooms are all very big.

Another updated bath.

This must be the last level. Nice shelving on the landing. They did this house a disservice by painting so much gray.

This wall of storage is lovely. It could be beautiful.

The bedrooms in this house are incredibly large.

Look at this. 2 couches, a bed, and still room to spare.

Back downstairs, they're using the brick sunroom for a home gym.

Vast cellar space.

They made their own wine cellar. It has potential.

There's a brick patio for a yard. 3,049sqft lot

What a cute vintage garage.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/431-Centre-St-Ashland-PA-17921/204642135_zpid/?

[iconuk01]

"The Source"

by Luo Li Rong

View this post on Instagram

[iconuk01]

Yes, this is Luo Yi Rong, who absolutely is the same sculptor from that astonishingly inept self-own by an idiot.

[kayarai]

This is a sculpture, yeah? A clay one? Good lord how precise the weight distribution on that thing must be for it to be free standing.

Either that or there’s some damn near invisible extra support structure which would also be extremely impressive

[hatersmad]

thinking about that one wordless calvin and hobbes sunday strip thats just calvins dad ditching his work to go play in the snow... its going to make me cry

[hatersmad]

ohhhh my god

[faithful-grigori]

”#I LOVE that the comic keeps the lens on Calvin’s dad to the degree of not even showing Calvin’s excited face when his dad surprises him, #You can see the joy and excitement of the moment in his pose and reflected in his dad’s expression, #it’s a great little artistic decision, #I realized what gets me about it it’s the hat covering his dad’s head and hair so the dad just looks like Calvin. #you don’t HAVE to show Calvin! You already see him in the dad becoming a kid for a moment you only have to draw that once”

[hometoursandotherstuff]

The 1896 Coykendall House in Kingston, NY has a pending sale, but the owner wants the realtor to continue showing it in case the deal falls thru. (I would be pissed- you mean a mort. app. is pending and I will likely not be able to buy it?) 3bds, 3ba, 5,424sqft, $1.865m (Zillow's est.: $1,711,200)

Actually, it was on the market before, and was re-listed 35 days ago, so the previous sale must've fallen through.

The beautiful entrance hall and fireplace. I would be on that bench reading, w/my iced tea or needlework.

Look at the sink in the powder room.

Fabulous big sitting room has an alcove large enough to fit a piano.

The library in the tower. Look at how the shelves fit the rounded walls.

What craftsmanship. Beautiful dining room with a built-in China cabinet.

These cabinets in the kitchen look original. And, ones that aren't, match perfectly.

On the way up the stairs, there's a sitting alcove in the tower.

The main bedroom features 2 closets separated by a built-in seating alcove.

Nicely renovated bath.

Gorgeous family room.

Another large bedroom.

And, another nice bath.

Cute round room in the tower.

This is the proper way to restore a vintage bath.

There's a finished attic.

The bath up here has a modern take on a Victorian shower.

Look at the beautiful balcony.

So many outdoor porches and terraces.

0.52 acre lot.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/77-W-Chestnut-St-Kingston-NY-12401/459642047_zpid/?

[fxhdskjz]

art is just iteration and reiteration and this one single paragraph changed my life

[kayarai]

So, I’ve heard this story before but something I just thought of: it doesn’t seem like there was any rule saying that the “quality” group could ONLY make one pot; just that they would only be JUDGED for one pot.

So, theoretically, there was nothing stopping the “quality” group from ALSO just making making a million pots, practicing and refining their technique as they did so and learning what the word “quality” meant, in terms of pot creation and finding the methods that worked best for them. Then going through their creations and deciding which among them met their criteria for “quality” the best.

But, it would seem, that nobody in the “quality” group did that. Instead, they read and theorized and tried to figure out how to make the “best” “quality” pot while getting their hands dirty as little as possible.

There was nobody stoping them but themselves.

[take-a-dip-in-the-deadpool]

If you like frogs. Or possums. Or cool builds. Or happiness. This is the video for you.

[gahdamnpunk]

American Girl stories were the best tbh

[that-catholic-shinobi]

Dude, read the books, she and her mom freed themselves in Book 1. We don’t disrespect American Girl in this house

[allthefandomss]

Don’t you dare disrespect Addy, or any of my girls for that matter. American Girl used to be legit. Good stories, good dolls, good movies.

[smugkoalas]

Felicity’s story was set in the beginnings of the American Revolution, and addressed the conflict that she faced when her loved ones were split between patriots and loyalists. It also covered the effects of animal abuse, and forgiving those who are unforgivable.

Samantha’s stories centered around the growth of industrial America, women’s suffrage, child abuse, and corruption in places of power. Also, it emphasises how dramatically adoption into a caring family can turn a life around.

Kit’s story is one of my favorites. Her family is hit hard by the Great Depression, and they begin taking in boarders and raise chickens to help make ends meet. Her books include themes of poverty, police brutality, homelessness, prejudice, and the importance of unity in difficult times.

Molly’s father, a doctor, is drafted during the Second World War. Throughout her story, friends of hers suffer the loss of their husbands, sons, and brothers overseas. Her mother leaves the traditional housewife position and works full-time to help with the war effort. They also take in an English refugee child, who learns to open up after a life of traumatic experience.

American Girl stories have always featured the very harsh realities of America through the years. But they’re always presented honestly, yet in ways that kids can understand. They just go to show that you don’t have to live in a perfect time to be a real American girl.

[chaos-in-the-making]

Dont you fucking dare disrespect the American Girls in my house. ESPECIALLY Addy!! That was my first REAL contact with the horrors of slavery, as I read about her father being whipped and sold and her mother escaping with her to freedom, but also how freedom was still a struggle.

A slave doll. Please. Read the books.

[ironwoman359]

Don’t forget Kirsten, the Swedish immigrant who had to deal with balancing her own culture and learning the english language and customs of her classmates, or Kaya (full name Kaya'aton'my, or She Who Arranges Rocks) , the brave but careless girl from the Nez Perce tribe, or Josefina, the Mexican girl learning to be a healer.

And then there are the later dolls, that kids younger than me would have grown up with (I was just outgrowing American Girl as these came out), like Rebecca, the Jewish girl who dreams of becoming an actress in the budding film industry, or  Julie, who fights against her school’s gender policy surrounding sports in the 70s, or  Nanea, the Hawaiian girl whose father worked at Pearl Harbor.

These books, these characters, are fantastic pictures into life for girls in America throughout the years, they pull no punches with the horrors that these girls had to face in their different time periods, and in many cases I learned more history from these series than social studies at school. And that’s without even mentioning the “girl of the year” series where characters are created in the modern world to help girls deal with issues like friend problems, moving, or bullying. We do NOT disrespect American Girl in this house.

[razzleberryjam]

American Girl is probably going to be the only exposure young girls are going to get to history from a female perspective. This is actually kind of important considering that in history classes we dont really get that exposure. We dont hear about what women felt and endured during these time periods cause schools are too busy teaching us about what happened from the male perspective, which is not unimportant, but we need both. Girls need both.

[star-linedsoul]

These books were such a crucial part of my childhood and shaped my love of history, which still ensures today. These books can be a young girl’s first lessons in diversity and cultural awareness (hopefully burying that insensitive “we’re all Americans” tripe) and looking at history from more perspectives than just that taught in school. They also are an example of how women have ALWAYS been part of history, which some people would rather us not believe.

I think Kit and Kaya were the newest American Girls when I started “aging out” of the books, but hearing about some of these kinda makes me want to revisit them!

[breezeinmonochromenight]

I wasn’t gonna say anything, but you know what?

Nah.

OP (of the tweet thread) was either a actively trying to start shit or is just a huge fucking moron. Probably both.

I’d like to point out that the company that makes American Girl dolls actually doesn’t skimp when doing their research and they don’t make the dolls with the intent to be offensive in any way:

[physicsandfandoms]

And they departed from the norm in Kaya’s doll to fit her culture! The other dolls all show their teeth, and Kaya does not because that is considered rude in the Nez Perce culture!

It is absolutely true that these books covered the stuff in history that was absent from our history books. I still distinctly remember reading about Addy being forced to eat bugs she missed on tobacco plants, and that started me out from a different perspective and made it easier for me to know to reject the sanitized version of the slave trade we’re taught in school. And these books are targeted at ages 8+, which is a pretty critical time for developing your own thinking and morals.

[lunacorva]

Reblogging for general awesome

[hey-marlie]

when i was in 3rd grade i was reading the Meet Addy book at school & a couple boys made fun of me for reading a “doll book” - my teacher overheard & started reading Meet Addy to the class after every recess. everyone became extremely invested & by the end of the year we had read the entire collection of Addy books & did a presentation on the civil war at the end of the year that we all presented to the class one by one.

i think back on this & realize that as third graders we were talking about how awful slavery was & because we were simply innocent kids without any societal or institutional influence yet, all of us could kept saying “why would you treat a HUMAN like that ?!” this one girl for her birthday invited all of us for her party & she got the Addy doll - every single one of us (boys included) held her & was in awe of this doll - it was such a touching experience.

i went back home about a year ago & ran into my third grade teacher in the grocery store. she said that year opened up a whole new teaching structure for her. she now reads american girl stories to her students starting day one of class every day to calm them down after recess & she’ll get through maybe four or five sets of books a year. she has the dolls in the room with packets on information from the doll’s time period that her students can “check out” to take home for weekends to care for them.

we oftentimes overlook how powerful toys can be in influencing young children & american girl honestly knew that kids could read intense moments in history & synthesize the issues to learn how to be a better person. my grandma bought me my first doll, molly, when i was only six & the dolls became a huge part of my childhood. when i turned 21 a couple years ago - we were living in minneapolis - she took me to have lunch for my birthday at the american doll place in the mall of america & bought me the Addy doll for my birthday. it was such a powerful moment i hasn’t expected.

i’ve since gotten rid of majority of my childhood toys, but i still have every single one of my dolls & all the books that i plan on gifting to my future children.

[iamthecutestofborg]

I’m white and my first real introduction to slavery and the underground railroad was Addy. She was a young girl like me I could connect to and care about her story. American Girl does a great job of making history relevant to kids.

[boldlygoing-nowhere]

Also American Girl sells all sorts of books unrelated to the dolls. The Care and Keeping of You books were super important as I started puberty and were the most comprehensive, non judgemental account of what was going to happen.

They also have “the smart girls guide” series which covers topics like crushes, worry, middle school, drama and gossip, sports, friendship, the digital world, communication, money, confidence, etc.

[iamthecutestofborg]

Oh I had those too and I loved them!

[fishfrommars]

I want to say I think there was an American Girl Doll magazine series that came out, but don’t quote me on that. there were lots of helpful girl guides that used the American girls as examples for doing good or learning lessons or trying to understand why girls did what they did

I learned a lot of my core beliefs from these girls.

I remember being very invested in Molly, Addy, and Kaya. Mostly cuz I look like Molly, and the other two had a lot of information on two of my favorite time periods. But I owe a lot of my personality to these lovvely girls

[dragonqueenzoyaa]

yo don’t forget my girl Caroline. Her father was captured by the British during the war of 1812 and she basically learned how to sail and rescued him herself.

[janeslandrys]

omg yeah i love caroline

[beggars-opera]

I can confirm that they really do their research - during the creation of Caroline the company called a museum I was associated with and quizzed them extensively about what sort of food kids would have eaten at the turn of the 19th century.

[kurganfilledwithbearbones]

When i was like ten I wrote a letter to the American Girl magazine saying that the girls in their magazine were all really skinny and it made me, a chonk, really sad because it was showing that I couldn’t wear any of the outfits they suggested, and I got a personal letter back from the editor apologizing for making me feel that way and saying they would work on that. Dunno if they actually did, i can’t remember, but they did promptly personally respond to a letter about something that was not exactly on the radar for girl’s media in fucking 2002. So there’s that.

[torchlake]

I’m happy to report that the messages from American Girl have only gotten better in recent years.

These are from one of their latest books, A Smart Girl’s Guide to Body Image:

They got a lot of flak from conservative parents for this and they did. not. back. down.

Their newest historical doll, Claudie, is a black girl growing up in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. Her story is about Black artists thriving, and making a safe, beautiful place for themselves in a society that tries to reject them. It teaches about the NAACP’s protests against lynchings, in ways kids can understand, but there’s also so much Black joy and creativity showcased in her story.

Another historical doll, Melody, is growing up in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement. She faces the struggles and triumphs of attending a newly integrated school, and learns about the bombing of a Black church in Alabama that killed four little girls her age. Her stories show how black people found support and community within the church, as well as music— she loves to sing! If you have a free hour, I highly recommend watching her special on Amazon (free with prime). It stars Caila Marsai Martin from Blackish and it will make you weep.

The girl of the year for 2022, Corinne, is Asian, and her story touches on the issues of anti-Asian hate in the wake of covid. When conservative parents threw a fit about this, American Girl went ahead and made the girl of the year for 2023 Asian, too.

Any of their dolls can be customized with assistive devices like hearing aids, service dogs, and wheelchairs. They also have bald dolls, to include stories about girls battling cancer or alopecia. And it’s not just girl dolls— they have boy dolls now, too! And dolls with no gender assigned to them! People complained that they couldn’t find any dolls in the Just Like Me line that looked like them, so they now give people the ability to create their own custom doll, with tons of different options.

I’m not claiming American Girl as a company is perfect, but I am saying they’re important. Girl perspectives, girl stories, and girl communities are IMPORTANT. If there are kids in your life who would benefit from these stories, or if you’d like to read them yourself, you can find any American Girl book for pretty much dirt cheap on eBay, and libraries usually stock tons of them!