emptyholeland
just a blog to send all the shit I wanna remember to
71 posts
Latest Posts by emptyholeland
Anyway here’s some information from the National Center for Transgender Equality on how you can support trans people, and here’s a direct link to their donation webpage, and here’s their page for national/federal and state advocacy efforts and actions if you wanted something specific to get involved in.
Here’s the Human Rights Campaign’s resources page about transgender people and issues , and here’s their Get Involved page to help find ways to volunteer and lobby and advocate in your area.
Also, here’s the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s page about the Violence Against Woman Act , their Action Center, and their Donation page.
Fat/Plus Size Transmasc Resources and Advice
recently i’ve been doing a lot of research about packers, and I’ve noticed that a lot of the info out there isn’t made with fat transmascs in mind. Well, i’m a fat transmasc, and I want to help out with that. Please keep in mind that I am pre-T, pre-top, and am speaking mostly from personal experience! this post will probably be long, so info is below the cut. At the end, please feel free to add more advice or something i have missed.
Keep reading
The shit just never ends huh
I remember when I first found out the truth about “Somali pirates” I got chills because of how horrific the truth was and how insanely creepily well the media had twisted the situation. Every single fucking article making it seem like these “pirates” were just after money or something holding innocent people hostage and I never gave it a second thought, why would I? There was no indication that people were trying to legitimately fight off disgusting imperialism that left nuclear waste in their waters, that over 300 people have died from radiation sickness, that Europeans have been stealing Somalia’s seafood because they overfished their own waters and the indigenous fisherman are starving and so these “pirates” emerged to deal with those stealing their country’s natural resources. The truth is enough to make anyone sick to their stomachs.
🎵🎸🎹 music ask game 🎵🎸🎹
what is your favourite song of all time?
what is your go-to karaoke song?
if you were to get lyrics tattooed on you, which would they be? (or tell about what you already have!)
if you were to get a non-lyrics music tattoo, what would it be? (or tell about one you already have!)
is there a song that always makes you cry, no matter what? what is it?
is there/what is a song that you secretly love but you hate to admit it?
is there/what is a song that always makes you think of your parents?
what do you think is the best song to play during sexy times?
who are your top three all time favourite bands or artists?
what band were you obsessed with as a child? do you still like them?
what is the best live music show you've ever been to?
who is a band or artist that you've never seen that you're dying to see?
what's an album cover that you would frame and put up in your house?
do you have any music related home decorations?
what is a song you are obsessed with at the moment?
is there/what is a song that has been ruined for you by an ex or a former crush/situationship/relationship?
what song do you listen to if you need to pump yourself up to do something difficult?
what's a song that you absolutely cannot help dancing to?
what do you think is the greatest love song of all time?
do you have any band t-shirts or other clothing items and what are they??
what is the best album of all time?
what band do you think has the best or most interesting story? (toxic breakup, bandmates in love, etc)
Do you create your own playlists? If so, how many do you have?
How many hours a day would you say you spend listening to music?
Is there any activity (walking, housework, studying, etc) that you cannot do without music?
Is there/what is a song that you always associate with a movie or tv show?
which musical artist's wardrobe would you like to steal for your own?
Most underrated band or artist?
Most overrated band or artist?
Do you sing along to songs in the car? In the shower? other places?
kpop ask game feel free to answer in the reblogs if you want, but ideally send asks and spread love too hehe :)
🍎 current favorite song?
🍒best song to sing like you've been through several divorces?
🌹 an era you wish you were there for?
🍉 most interesting idols in law (friends are into them, you aren't, but they seem awesome)?
🍓 when you got into kpop?
🍊 a song you always return to?
🍑 an idol you need to gossip with?
🥭 favorite comeback of 2025 so far?
🍋 the idol whose birthday is closest to yours (that you know of)?
🌻 most valued kpop possession (i.e. albums, freebies, having attended a concert, plushies, etc.)?
🍐 favorite dancer (by technique, style, performance)?
🍏 favorite vocalist (by tone, technique, etc.)?
🍋🟩 favorite rapper?
🥝 first group or soloist you got into?
🌿 recent group or soloist you got into?
🪴 one song you recommend everyone to listen to?
🫐 one song from your fave(s) you always skip?
🪻 a crossover you want to see (idols, groups, variety shows)?
🍇 most feel good song?
🌺 favorite song from a group/soloist you don't stan?
🌷 favorite generation?
🌸 any merch you desperately want?
🎵🎸🎹 music ask game 🎵🎸🎹
what is your favourite song of all time?
what is your go-to karaoke song?
if you were to get lyrics tattooed on you, which would they be? (or tell about what you already have!)
if you were to get a non-lyrics music tattoo, what would it be? (or tell about one you already have!)
is there a song that always makes you cry, no matter what? what is it?
is there/what is a song that you secretly love but you hate to admit it?
is there/what is a song that always makes you think of your parents?
what do you think is the best song to play during sexy times?
who are your top three all time favourite bands or artists?
what band were you obsessed with as a child? do you still like them?
what is the best live music show you've ever been to?
who is a band or artist that you've never seen that you're dying to see?
what's an album cover that you would frame and put up in your house?
do you have any music related home decorations?
what is a song you are obsessed with at the moment?
is there/what is a song that has been ruined for you by an ex or a former crush/situationship/relationship?
what song do you listen to if you need to pump yourself up to do something difficult?
what's a song that you absolutely cannot help dancing to?
what do you think is the greatest love song of all time?
do you have any band t-shirts or other clothing items and what are they??
what is the best album of all time?
what band do you think has the best or most interesting story? (toxic breakup, bandmates in love, etc)
Do you create your own playlists? If so, how many do you have?
How many hours a day would you say you spend listening to music?
Is there any activity (walking, housework, studying, etc) that you cannot do without music?
Is there/what is a song that you always associate with a movie or tv show?
which musical artist's wardrobe would you like to steal for your own?
Most underrated band or artist?
Most overrated band or artist?
Do you sing along to songs in the car? In the shower? other places?
I hate when I say things like "oh I want an ipod classic but with bluetooth so I can use wireless headphones" and some peanut comes in and replies with "so a smartphone with spotify?" No. I want a 160GB+ rectangular monstrosity where I can download every version of every song I want to it and it does nothing except play music and I don't need a data connection and don't have to pay a subscription to not have ads and don't have popups suggesting terrible AI playlists all over the menus.
Gimme the clicky wheel and song titles like "My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade- Blood (Bonus Track)- secret track- album rip- high quality"
For no reason, here is Art Spiegelman's 1991 graphic novel Maus, for free on the Internet Archive.
I just discovered foodtimeline.org, which is exactly what it sounds like: centuries worth of information about FOOD. If you are writing something historical and you want a starting point for figuring out what people should be eating, this might be a good place?
To everyone in red states where book bans are likely to take place soon, here’s some lists for you <3
As a history student going into library science, people way under hype how crazy book banning is
A follow up post I beg you to also read.
Multiple lists of books already banned in schools/libraries or ones that likely will be:
Banned Books Week 2024: 100 of the Most Challenged Books
Banned Books: Top 100
Banned Book List
Colorado Banned Book List
The Complete List of Banned & Challenged Books by State
Banned Books from the University of Pennsylvia Online Books Page
Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2023
PEN America Index Of School Book Bans – 2023-2024
Challenged and Banned Books
Places to order books other than Amazon:
Internet Archive (free)
Libby (free with library card)
Thrift Books
Book Outlet
BookBub
Abe Books (owned by Amazon)
Half Price Books
Barnes & Noble
Better World Books
PangoBooks
Book Finder
Goodwillbooks
Alibris
Places to support that fight against book banning:
American Library Association
Unite Against Banned Books
National Coalition Against Censorship
PEN America
There’s a reason politicians fight so hard to limit knowledge and it should scare you.
Some recs below based on reviews I’ve seen
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing by Maya Angelou
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
George by Alex Gino
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
All Boys Aren't Blue by George Matthew Johnson
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Flamer by Mike Curato
Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg
Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Beloved by Toni Morrison
What to do if you suddenly find yourself homeless
FOOD
Find your nearest food bank or mission, for food
grocery stores with free samples, bakeries + stores with day-old bread
different fast food outlets have cheaper food and will generally let you hang out for a while.
some dollar stores carry food like cans of beans or fruit
SHELTER
Sleeping at beaches during the day is a good way to avoid suspicion and harassment
sleep with your bag strapped to you, so someone can’t steal it
Some churches offer short term residence
Find your nearest homeless shelter
Look for places that are open to the public
A large dumpster near a wall can often be moved so that flipping up the lids creates an angled shelter to stay dry
HYGIENE
A membership to the YMCA is usually only 10$, which has a shower, and sometimes laundry machines and lockers.
Public libraries have bathrooms you can use
Dollar stores carry low-end soaps and deodorant etc.
Wet wipes are all purpose and a life saver
Local beaches, go for a quick swim
Some truck stops have showers you can pay for
Staying clean is the best way to prevent disease, and potentially get a job to get back on your feet
Pack 7 pairs of socks/undies, 2 outfits, and one hooded rain jacket
OTHER
first aid kit
sunscreen
a travel alarm clock or watch
mylar emergency blanket
a backpack is a must
downgrade your cellphone to a pay as you go with top-up cards
sleeping bag
travel kit of toothbrush, hair brush/comb, mirror
swiss army knife
can opener
Emergency cleaning: Unfuck your whole house in the shortest time possible
So, your landlord/parents/home inspector/favorite movie star is dropping by, and your place is a disaster. You don’t have much time to clean it up. You’re in emergency mode. Let’s get started.
Don’t panic. Panic leads to fear, fear leads to procrastination, procrastination leads to the dark side. You can do this, but you have to stay calm.
Unlike maintenance cleaning, we’re not looking to completely unfuck one space at a time. Instead, we want to decrease the overall mess in stages, spread evenly across the whole area that we’re concerned about. If you think your home is at Level 10 filth, we want to bring the whole thing down to a Level 9, and then down from there. One really clean spot in an otherwise messy home is not going to be helpful here.
Get prepared. You’ll want to shut the computer down (or turn the modem off if you need your computer to play music). Trust me. Get your music going. Gather up trash bags, your vacuum and mop, some rags or paper towel, sponges, and other cleaning supplies. Use what you have on hand. Don’t get distracted running to the store and spending an hour browsing cleaning supplies. A multi-purpose cleaning concentrate or a jug of vinegar will be just fine.
Breaks are very important. Depending on your time constraints, work in 20/10s (20 minutes working, 10-minute break) or 45/15s. But take breaks because otherwise you’re marathoning, and marathon cleaning is no one’s friend. Keep hydrated, don’t forget to eat, and check in with yourself frequently to make sure you’re physically doing OK.
Make your bed. This will be your home base if you get overwhelmed or need somewhere clear to take a break.
Start with the garbage. Going from room to room, throw out anything that is obvious trash. Once you fill a bag, take it out. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Move on to dishes. Gather the dishes from all over your house and bring them to the kitchen. If you can, start them soaking in a sink of hot, soapy water or start loading the dishwasher. After the dishes are all in one place, spend one 20/10 getting started getting them under control.
Now it’s time for your flat surfaces. Countertops, tables, dresser tops, etc. Clear them off and wipe them down. Don’t get distracted in too much sorting and organizing. We’re in crisis mode here. There will be time to get in-depth once this is all done. The same applies to cabinets and closets. Unless you have reason to believe people will be opening closed doors, leave these alone for now.
Attack the floordrobe and shoe pile. Get your clothes either put away or in the hamper. Start a load of laundry if you need to, but keep in mind that laundry and dishes have three steps: wash, dry, and put it away, goddammit!
Get random stuff up off the floors. If something is trash-worthy, throw it away now rather than just move it around a bunch of times. Otherwise, put stuff where it belongs.
Take another 20/10 or 45/15 to catch up on more dishes, if needed.
Head into the bathroom. Pour some cleaner in the toilet bowl, fill the sink with hot water and cleaner, and either spray the tub and shower with cleaner, or fill the tub up with some hot water and add cleaner and let it soak. Put everything away that’s out and shouldn’t be, clean the mirror, counters, and toilet seat. Sweep or dry mop the floor. Wipe down the sink and tub/shower, and give the toilet bowl a scrub. Mop the floor.
Sweep and mop the kitchen floor.
Vacuum everything you can, and sweep everything you can’t.
Walk outside of your house (don’t lock yourself out, please). Walk back in and see what catches your eye first. Go and deal with that.
If you’re being inspected or your landlord is coming in for repairs, spend time on whatever area they’ll be focusing on.
Give the whole place one more once-over and pay attention to anything you’ve missed so far.
It’s an old trick, but if your place is a little funky-smelling, put a pan of water on the stove on low heat and add some citrus or cinnamon or vanilla. Don’t leave it unattended or forget about it.
Take a shower, put on something clean, and eat something.
You can do this. It’s overwhelming, yes, but it is not impossible. You just need to do it. You have a list. You have directions. You have a whole bunch of Internet strangers who have been there before and who are cheering you on. You can do this, but you need to get started.
Why are you still here? GO. START. NOW.
Beware!
Art Hacks for Physical Disabilities!!
I know art can be inaccessible to physically disabled people for a lot of reasons, and I think art should be accessible to everyone, so here’s a couple of the things I found to help for a few different issues you may face that stop you participating!
I have a link to all these items (UK) in my link tree!!
IMAGE DESCRIPTION
Slide one: illustration of a white woman with pink hair, wearing a pink outfit, sitting in a power wheelchair, looking at the viewer with thumbs up. Text Reese “hacks to make art more accessible”
Slide two: illustration of three different kinds, using three different types of pencil grips. One hand uses a circular grip. 100 is a large, rectangular grip. Another uses a grip that is ergonomic and fit into the hand. Main text reads “Paul, grip, strength and dexterity”. Subtext reads “there are loads of different types of pencil, grips or design for different disabilities and conditions. Increasing the width of the pencil can give more texture for a better grip using a pencil with a thicker with also reduces the amounts of pressure needed to hold a pencil you can make your own using items like pool noodles. KT tape an air dry clay. You can also put these groups on things like paint brushes.“
Slide three: illustration of a hand using a tool that looks like a wrist support with a paintbrush connected to it text next to it reads “this talk next a paintbrush to your hand in a way that means you don’t need to hold the paintbrush with your fingers and you will need to move your arm around“ on the bottom right hand corner is in photograph of a guided hand device. Text read “regarded hand as a tool designed to reduce the need for moving your hands and fingers and relies on the movement of your shoulder and upper arms and can be used with different materials like paintbrushes, pencils, pens and styluses.
Slide four: main header reads “when in bed“. Illustration of an iPad pillow with a iPad in it is next to text that reads “iPad pillows, put your tablet at an easier to access level when sitting or lying down“. In the bottom left hand corner is an illustration of a girl sitting in bed in her pyjamas with a pillow behind her and a bed table as she is drawing. On the left hand side is a photograph of a bed table with the text reading “bed tables are used to give you a flat tire up surface while in bed, and are often height adjustable”. In the bottom right hand side is a bedsit, a pillow with the text underneath, reading “ bedsitters of specially shaped pillows that you put behind you in bed to help you set up and give you a soft surface to lean back on”.
Slide five: maisie had a read out “at a desk left”. On the left hand side is a photograph of the document holder with the text “document holders put your paper at an angle to help prevent crane in your neck down”. On the right hand, middle side is an illustration of someone using a armrest and on the bottom left hand side is a photograph of the armrest. Text next to them reads “economic arm rests clip onto your table or desk and give you a surface you lean you’re forearms or elbows on. This can be used to steady your arm and reduce pain and fatigue while sitting at a desk”.
Slide six: maisie reads “foot and mouth painters” . on the right hand side is an photograph of swapping Augustine, an Indian woman with no arms, wearing a sari painting with her left foot. In the bottom left hand corner is an illustration of a woman with green hair painting using her mouth. Text reads “foot and mouth painting is a technique used by artists who do not have, or cannot use their arms so hold the paintbrush in their mouth or using their foot. Swapna Augustine is a foot painter who has painted with her feet and participated in multiple exhibitions of foot and mouth painters. Her art is stunning and I would definitely recommend checking some of help work out.“
Slide seven: main text reeds “art without brushes and pens”. On the left-hand side is a photograph of a spin art device. Text next to read it reads “spin out involves using bottles of ink and squirting them onto a spinning piece of paper to create spiral art. On the middle right hand side is a illustration of a laptop with coding art written on the screen. Text me next to it reads “coding art involves making programs that design and create art pieces digitally. This could be used in conjunction with an eye tracking software.“ On the bottom left hand side is a photograph of a child in a power wheelchair with paint on their wheels painting onto a large piece of paper. Next to this is text reading “wheelchair painting involves putting paint on your wheelchair wheels and moving around and large piece of paper. Sometimes you can connect a roller to create more marks.“
Slide eight: text reads “what do you do to make art accessible for you?”
End of ID.
thinking again about TvTropes and how it’s genuinely such an amazing resource for learning the mechanics of storytelling, honestly more so than a lot of formally taught literature classes
reasons for this:
basically TvTropes breaks down stories mechanically, using a perspective that’s not…ABOUT mechanics. Another way I like to put it, is that it’s an inductive, instead of deductive, approach to analyzing storytelling.
like in a literature or writing class you’re learning the elements that are part of the basic functioning of a story, so, character, plot, setting, et cetera. You’re learning the things that make a story a story, and why. Like, you learn what setting is, what defines it, and work from there to what makes it effective, and the range of ways it can be effective.
here’s the thing, though: everyone has some intuitive understanding of how stories work. if we didn’t, we couldn’t…understand stories.
TvTropes’s approach is bottom-up instead of top-down: instead of trying to exhaustively explore the broad, general elements of story, it identifies very small, specific elements, and explores the absolute shit out of how they fit, what they do, where they go, how they work.
Every TvTropes article is basically, “Here is a piece of a story that is part of many different stories. You have probably seen it before, but if not, here is a list of stories that use it, where it is, and what it’s doing in those stories. Here are some things it does. Here is why it is functionally different than other, similar story pieces. Here is some background on its origins and how audiences respond to it.”
all of this is BRILLIANT for a lot of reasons. one of the major ones is that the site has long lists of media that utilizes any given trope, ranging from classic literature to cartoons to video games to advertisements. the Iliad and Adventure Time ARE different things, but they are MADE OF the same stuff. And being able to study dozens of examples of a trope in action teaches you to see the common thread in what the trope does and why its specific characteristics let it do that
I love TvTropes because a great, renowned work of literature and a shitty, derivative YA novel will appear on the same list, because they’re Made Of The Same Stuff. And breaking down that mental barrier between them is good on its own for developing a mechanical understanding of storytelling.
But also? I think one of the biggest blessings of TvTropes’s commitment to cataloguing examples of tropes regardless of their “merit” or literary value or whatever…is that we get to see the full range of effectiveness or ineffectiveness of storytelling tools. Like, this is how you see what makes one book good and another book crappy. Tropes are Tools, and when you observe how a master craftsman uses a tool vs. a novice, you can break down not only what the tool is most effective for but how it is best used.
In fact? There are trope pages devoted to what happens when storytelling tools just unilaterally fail. e.g. Narm is when creators intend something to be frightening, but audiences find it hilarious instead.
On that note, TvTropes is also great in that its analysis of stories is very grounded in authors, audiences, and culture; it’s not solely focused on in-story elements. A lot of the trope pages are categories for audience responses to tropes, or for real-world occurrences that affected the storytelling, or just the human failings that creep into storytelling and affect it, like Early Installment Weirdness. There are categories for censorship-driven storytelling decisions. There are “lineages” of tropes that show how storytelling has changed over time, and how audience responses change as culture changes. Tropes like Draco in Leather Pants or Narm are catalogued because the audience reaction to a story is as much a part of that story—the story of that story?—as the “canon.”
like, storytelling is inextricable from context. it’s inextricable from how big the writers’ budget was, and how accepting of homophobia the audience was, and what was acceptable to be shown on film at the time. Tropes beget other tropes, one trope is exchanged for another, they are all linked. A Dead Horse Trope becomes an Undead Horse Trope, and sometimes it was a Dead Unicorn Trope all along. What was this work responding to? And all works are responding to something, whether they know it or not
alright, super quick primer on torrenting:
depending on your country, you may need a vpn to access torrenting sites and avoid getting fined. a vpn can also allow you to stream on legal sites that are location-restricted. proton vpn is a strong free alternative for minor piracy, but this isn't a major deal in my region, so do your own research if fines are a concern.
you want a strong ad blocker before going into any piracy websites. don't use adblock. i recommend ublock origin.
you also want to have at least the system antivirus on. on top of my antivirus, i also use malwarebytes.
next, you need a torrent client to manage your downloads. don't use bittorrent. i recommend qbittorrent.
last, but not least, you need a reliable source for your torrents. rarbggo dot org (edit: rarbg shut down in 2023) and 1337x dot to are my go-to websites at the time being. downloading multimedia files is safe as long as you are going to a solid website like these ones, but you may want to do some extra reading before you try to pirate software.
for subtitles, i primarily use opensubtitles dot org.
bonus tip: vlc media player includes an integrated subtitle search engine. under the view menu, click vlsubs to find subtitles by name, episode and language.
My animation process (in a GIF!)
So you've learned the 12 principles of animation but don't know where to actually apply them? Fear not!! For here is my step-by-step process, very very condensed, into one singular giant GIF.
Hope it helps!
(You may need to open it in a new tab to read the text)
dealing with the worst case scenario
your condom breaks
you feel a lump on your breast
your friends are ignoring you
you’re stranded on an island
you got rejected by a crush
you get into a car accident
you got stung by a bee/wasp
you got fired from your job
you’re in an earthquake
your tattoo gets infected
your house is on fire
you’re lost in the woods
you get arrested abroad
you get robbed
your partner cheated on you
you’re on a ship that’s sinking
you fall into ice
you’re stuck in an elevator
you hit a deer with your car
you have food poisoning
your pet passed away
you fall off of a horse
you or your friend has alcohol poisoning
you have toxic shock syndrome
your house has a gas leak
Wait, so you said that you can learn to trust others by building friendships, but how does one go about doing that? Wouldn't someone I don't know be creeped out or annoyed if I suddenly walked up and started talking to them?
Friendships are built of repeated low-stakes interactions and returned bids for attention with slowly increasing intimacy over time.
It takes a long time to make friends as an adult. People will probably think you're weird if you just walk up and start talking to them as though you are already their friend (people think it's weird when I do this, I try not to do this) but people won't think it's weird if you're someone they've seen a few times who says "hey" and then gradually has more conversations (consisting of more words) with them.
I cheat at forming adult friendships by joining groups where people meet regularly. If you're part of a radio club that meets once a week and you just join up to talk about radios, eventually those will be your radio friends.
If there's a hiking meetup near you and you go regularly, you will eventually have hiking friends.
Deeper friendships are formed with people from those kinds of groups when you do things with them outside of the context of the original interaction; if you go camping with your radio friend, that person is probably more friend than acquaintance. If you go to the movies with a hiking friend who likes the same horror movies as you do, that is deepening the friendship.
In, like 2011 Large Bastard decided he wanted more friends to do stuff with so he started a local radio meetup. These people started as strangers who shared an interest. Now they are people who give each other rides after surgery and help each other move and have started businesses together and have gone on many radio-based camping trips and have worked on each other's cars.
Finding a meetup or starting a meetup is genuinely the cheat-code for making friends.
This is also how making friendships at schools works - you're around a group of people very regularly and eventually you get to know them better and you start figuring out who you get along with and you start spending more time with those people.
If you want to do this in the most fast and dramatic way possible, join a band.
In 2020 I wrote something of a primer on how to turn low-stakes interactions with neighbors and acquaintances into more meaningful relationships; check the notes of this post over the next couple days, I'll dig up the link and share it in a reblog.
becoming an adult cheat sheet!
learn to coupon
what to do when you can’t afford therapy
cleaning your bathroom
what to do when you can’t pay your bills
stress management
quick fix meals
find out if you’re paying too much for your cell phone bill
resume workshop
organize your closet
how to take care of yourself when you’re sick
what you should bring to a doctor’s appointment
what’s a mortgage?
how to pick a health insurance plan
hotlines list
your first gynecology appointment
what to do if the cops pull you over
things to have in your car in case of emergency
my moving out masterpost
how to make friends as an adult (video)
how to do taxes (video)
recommended reads for surviving adulthood (video)
change a flat tire (video)
how to do laundry (video)
opening a bank account (video)
laundry cheat sheet
recipes masterpost
tricks to help you sleep more
what the fuck should you make for dinner?
where should you go for drinks?
alcohol: know your limits
easy makeup tips
find seat maps for your flight
self-defense tips
prevent hangovers
workout masterpost
how to write a check
career builder
browse careers
birth control information
financial management software & app (free)
my mental health masterpost
my college applications masterpost
how to jumpstart a car
sex ed masterpost
Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group
It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.
Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.
In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.
Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:
Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)
Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)
How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)
Gardening
Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)
Country/Rural Living:
Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)
"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)
Sewing/Mending:
Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)
Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)
Sustainability/Land Stewardship
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)
Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)
Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"
Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.
"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)
Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)
These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!
art cheats
hello i am here today to not lose track of the art cheats i have discovered over the years. what i call art cheat is actually a cool filter/coloring style/way to shade/etc. that singlehandedly makes art like 20 times better
80’s anime style
glitch effect
glow effects
adding colors to grayscale paintings
foreshortening ( coil )
foreshortening ( perspective )
clipping group (lines)
clipping group (colors)
dramatic lighting ( GOOD )
shading metal
lighting faces
that is all for today, do stay tuned as i am always hunting for cool shit like this
Clown Sources for Clowns
This is for those who would like sources on real clown knowledge, how to be a clown, different types of clowns, etc. Because of my own love for performance arts like the art of clowning, I wanted to share the info I managed to dig up. Maybe it'll help people notice it as an art again, who knows. Clowns are terrific!!!!!!!!!
Some of these videos are VERY old. So apologizes for some are worse for wear videos of makeup 'n such.
About Clowns:
CLOWN ETIQUETTE - Very important rules about being a real clown. Though some could change since it is now a different era!
CLOWN GUIDE - Guide on most things clown.
Clown History - This website has much info on clowns in general, as it was run by a real clown :oD
Types of Clowns - There's so many to choose from when it comes down to it. :o) This site has lots of other info too!!!
How to be a Clown - This video is a little old, but the info is still relevant I believe! I loved this one, very very cute. Teaches juggling too!!!
More under the -keep reading- line vvvvvv
Clown Make-up:
Whiteface Clown - Make-up 1 - Make-up 2 - Make-up 3
The Auguste Clown - Make-up 1 - Make-up 2 part 1, 2, 3
The Tramp/Hobo Clown - Make-up 1 - Couldn't find a second one...this one is kind of rare to see much of in the clowning world.
Clown Costume:
How to dress - Mainly based off of what type of clown you are.
Character of a Clown - A list of all kinds of tips on how to design yourself a proper clown.
Clown noses - A list of helpful tricks up your nose.
Clown wigs - How to care for your wigs/pick one out.
Skills and Skits:
How to juggle - More juggling
How to make balloon animals - A playlist of many tutorials :D
Circus Clown Skit/Performance - Clowns usually have a specific thing they do every performance that will make them recognizable. An example of this is the main clown pulling up his pants over and over.
Clown props and skit routines -
The Clownantics website was a huge source for most of the clown information that I found!! I hope this helped any clowns out there who are struggling to get a grip on the art of clowning!
A bit about me:
hi! i am germ/luckie! since i was little ive been interested in all of the arts. one of those was the art of clowning!
this large post of info was only possible for my lack of self control when it comes to finding interesting info. so much so it is currently 1am. i have spent around 2 hours on this.
nighty!!!!
the elusive 7 act Structure
apparently we r doing this again
Selective Mutism: an anxiety disorder. The inability to talk is caused by social anxiety due to the people and/or situation around the selectively mute individual. Often starts in childhood.
Speech Loss: a term for being unable to speak for a certain period of time, usually due to autism-related reasons (e.g. being overwhelmed or burnt out). Can overlap with Selective Mutism, the disorder, but it is not the same thing. (For one, SL is a trait; SM is a whole disorder.)
Nonverbal/Nonspeaking: a term for people who are always or almost always unable to talk. If you're unable to talk for an hour/day/week, you're not "going nonverbal"; you're "losing speech". If you've never been able to talk more than a few utterances, that's nonverbal.
Semiverbal/Semispeaking: a term for people who struggle greatly to speak to communicate. This might include taking awhile to form sentences, speaking with very few words, relying on echolalia, using gestures to communicate, and not always making sense to others.
Hyperverbal: people who speak more than what's typical, though we can still experience speech loss. This can include things like having a large vocabulary, using more words than necessary/usual to say something, talking to ourselves, talking for the sake of talking, using a lot of non-communicative echolalia, not realizing we're talking, or rambling often.
A Note: over time, your place on the verbalizing spectrum (nonverbal, semiverbal, average, hyperverbal) CAN change, but that's not, like, "oh i was hyperverbal this week and nonverbal last week"; it's about overarching patterns. Additionally, Selective Mutism does not inherently put someone at a certain spot on the verbalizing spectrum.
A Semi-Comprehensive List of Muppet Specials Available to Watch on YouTube:
The Muppets on Puppets (1969)
John Denver and The Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979)
The Muppets Valentine Show (1979)
The Muppets Go Hollywood (1979)
The Muppets at the 1980 World Puppetry Festival
The Muppets Go To The Movies (1981)
The Making of the Muppet Show (1982)
The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show (1982)
Rocky Mountain Holiday - John Denver and The Muppets (1983)
The Tale of The Bunny Picnic (1986)
The Muppets - A Celebration of 30 Years (1986)
A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
An Evening with Jim Henson and Frank Oz (1989)
The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990)
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
Muppet Classic Theater (1994)
The World of Jim Henson (1994)
The Muppet Show Live (2001)
I Love Muppets (2002)
If you're ever bored, here's a list of Studio Ghibli films you can watch for free.
Castle In The Sky (1986) Grave of the Fireflies (1988) My Neighbor Totoro (1988) Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) Only Yesterday (1991) Porco Rosso (1992) Pom Poko (1994) Whisper of the Heart (1995) Princess Mononoke (1997) My Neighbors the Yamadas (1999) Spirited Away (2001) The Cat Returns (2002) Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) Tales from Earthsea (2006) Ponyo On A Cliff From The Sea (2008) The Secret World of Arrietty/The Borrower Arrietty (2010) From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
If any of the links stop working, please let me know so I can fix it.
For Castle In The Sky, wait for the free user button to be clickable and it will send you to the video.
Where to Watch: Sonic Media
Updated - 01/23/2022
With Sonic getting a resurgence of popularity after the 2020 film, and speculation that the ‘22 tv show might include multiple canons (this is not confirmed!!), I’ve seen several people asking where they can watch certain adaptations, so here’s a handy-dandy list!
Quick rundown of the links: YouTube links will be provided only if they’re full unedited uploads. I recommend WCOStream over the others but I’m including a variety in case some sites are blocked where you are. fmovies specifically has a LOT of popup ads, but if you have a good enough adblocker (I use ublock origin) it shouldn’t bother you.
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993)
Also called AoSTH, this is a slapstick comedy show. It focuses much more on humor than “plot” or “internal consistency,” which I think is just neat. It was aired very early on in Sonic history, predating such characters as Amy, Metal Sonic, and Knuckles.
Streaming Services: Hulu
Links: YouTube (+Christmas Special) | WCOStream | tubi (+Christmas Special) | kimcartoon | fmovies
Sonic the Hedgehog (1993-1994)
Commonly known as SatAM, this is an action-adventure show, focusing on Sonic and a mobian resistance trying to defeat Robotnik, who has caused a robot apocalypse. It has a more serious tone than AoSTH, which aired at the same time, and is incredibly story-based.
Streaming Services: PlutoTV, Paramount+
Links: YouTube | WCOStream | kimcartoon | fmovies
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996)
Commonly known as the Sonic OVA, this was a pilot for a potential anime series that never really got off the ground (no pun intended). While still unconnected to Sonic canon, this included Knuckles and Metal Sonic, the latter of whom is animated so cool you guys,,
Was on YouTube but was recently deleted for copyright.
Japanese Links: archive.org {two parter, not subtitled}
English Links: archive.org
Sonic Underground (1999)
Released as a “more marketable” replacement for SatAM, this show features Sonic and his triplet siblings, Sonia and Manic, searching for their lost mother and fighting overlord Robotnik and his cronies with rock-and-roll instruments that shoot lasers. It’s… it didn’t age great, let’s be real, but it’s a nostalgic favorite for a lot of the fanbase.
Streaming Services: Paramount+
Links: YouTube | WCOStream | tubi | kimcartoon | fmovies
Sonic X (2003-2005)
The anime series; the first season is kickstarted by an accidental burst of Chaos Control transporting Sonic and his Gang to another dimension– Earth. Robotnik still wants to conquer this new planet, so Sonic and his friends have adventures trying to stop him. Season Two adapts Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, marking the first animated appearance of Shaodw, and Season Three features new adventures in space that get. Very interesting.
IMPORTANT NOTE– I am including links for both the subtitled version and dubbed version. Note that the dubbed version is a censored version of the show and cuts several important plot/emotional beats because 4kids wanted it to be more “child-friendly.” I recommend the subtitled version, but if you don’t like watching subtitled shows (fair!) I at least recommend watching Episode 68 dubbed, as that was the one that was most screwed over by said censorship. I also recommend ep39 [a lot of jokes got cut] and ep78 [the finale, had the pacing butchered] but 68′s honestly the most censored one lol.
Streaming Services: Hulu [has both japanese and english]
Japanese Links: kissanime | gogoanime
English Links: YouTube | WCOStream | tubi | kimcartoon | fmovies
Sonic Boom (2014-2017)
A sort-of “workplace comedy” and the first CGI Sonic television show. Based on the spinoff universe of the Sonic Boom games, Team Sonic live on a small island village while fighting Eggman and the occasional other supervillain as part of their job as Designated Heroes. Extremely comedy-focused.
Streaming Services: Hulu
Links: WCOStream | kimcartoon season one and two | fmovies
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
An “origin story” for Sonic, as the blue blur grows up alone and eventually finds himself on an Earth road trip with the “Donut Lord” Tom Wachowski while being pursued by Dr Robotnik, who wants to capture the hedgehog due to a strange power he seems to control. Very cute and fun!
Streaming Services: Epix, Hulu, Paramount+
Links: kimcartoon | fmovies