#and good clarity video sources

[larsthefishoil]

As I'm actively reflecting on the new hbomberguy video, but more specifically James Somerton, certain things are clicking into place with resounding clarity.

I've watched Somerton's videos for years. At first I thought he was kinda overly dramatic, and had outdated stances on how little lgbtq+ was seen in modern day. He always seemed to talk like we are still living in the danger of the 80s with staight/cis people's apathy and hatred. In truth the phobias have just shifted in how they present and things have genuinely improved in a sense.

But the thing that is actually getting to me rn is the misogyny thing. I think he actually injected really shitty thoughts into my brain that I absorbed like a fucking kitchen sponge. He's protectiveness over queer people but specifically gay men from "prevented white women" actually got to me. For over a year, I was walking around occasionally thinking about how "women are sneaking BL manga into their bedrooms and grotesquely drooling."- im not citing someone theres quoteation marks cause its a dumb thought. But i thought this because that's how bad Somerton made it seem.

But the thing that got me out of that head space was this video by talistheintrovert.

https://youtube.com/@talistheintrovert?si=vmpEa_TPP2UE9eQk - here's the link to her homepage on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/08pCrSBw5EY?si=bECaT_xC16IfN5TI - vid about Good Omens

https://youtu.be/zzSlRZhS_qY?si=unQzSbCQUaTqhSbv - Heartstopper vs. Only Friends

sorry for the ugly link I'm on mobile.

I forget their pronouns so I'm using they/them but I might be wrong. I watched a lot of their videos all at once, so a lot of their ideas interlinked between videos to connect points. But they frequently talked about how straight and queer people interact with queer media and the complexities that unfold. Their underlying message was always that an individual's sexuality doesn't matter when interacting with media when it comes to gatekeeping who gets to appreciate queer content. Still most people consuming are queer people, but straight cis people also benefit and that's okay, it's great even.

Talistheintrovert shooed away icky feelings of straight women fetishizing queer men, which was a fear I got from James Somerton!

Idk this is a long post, but hbomberguy's ending soliloquy about trying to find happiness kinda reminds me of the many countless queer YouTube channels- big and small. Most of us aren't clawing for the position of top dog and like Somerton and seem a lot happier dispit of everything going on nowadays.

Anyways, stay safe, be accepting, and cite your sources or else hbomberguy will have to crawl out of whatever hole he hides in for the better part of each year and make a five hour long video about you :/

#hbomberguy #james somerton #youtube drama #misogny #shout out to dashcon somehow getting mentioned in the plagiarism video???

[sunny-day-jack-official]

Sunny Day Jack Report 07/11/2023

Wednesday means it's time for our weekly development report, and this one's a nice big one for everyone to enjoy! Those of you who have been following us on Twitter may have noticed that we redesigned our logo for SDJ. The majority of the devlog will talk about our process behind that, so read it for free on Patreon or click the readmore for the important bits!

Unity Demo Version 0.03

Changelog:

Fixed video rendering while playing on the Steamdeck (via Windows Proton Compatibility)

Added missing CGs

Game extended slightly past the kissing on couch scene

Select narration from Y/N reworded for clarity

Macintosh OS compatible version has been added

Known bugs:

Certain voice lines may be missing or cut-off

This update was largely focused on ensuring stability before adding in more content. Those who backed the SDJ Kickstarter can access their beta testing keys via this link, while SnaccPop Patrons who pledge a minimum of $12/mo can access their beta testing key over here.

For our MacOS players, you may encounter issues launching the game due to Apple security, so please follow this tutorial to temporarily disable Gatekeeper (we recommend turning it back on afterwards). We're investigating ways to avoid Gatekeeper flagging the game, so please bear with us! As for our Linux/Steamdeck players, for the time being, please use the Windows version and use Proton Compatibility to play the game.

Logo Graphic Redesign

Like with the previous SnaccPop Studios logo, the SDJ logo was due for a makeover. For starters, the old logo was tiny.

Yes, that's literally the largest size we have on hand for the original SDJ logo source file, and everything else is just blown up bigger in size if need be. Astute viewers may also notice that the Something's Wrong With portion of the logo was also slightly off-center this entire time, as With was hanging off the edge a lot more than Something's. Another issue that came up as we continued working with our translators was the fact that we'd most likely need logos in the target language too; adapting the old logo was near impossible because all we had left of it was a .png file. At this point, making a new logo just made sense.

The new logo largely retains the important elements of the original one. Using the Buddy Belt motif as the background image and the use of two distinct fonts, a formal serif for SWW and a more bubbly sans-serif for the SDJ that essentially captures the essence of Jack's dual personality, were ideas Sauce carried over. Additionally, his signature primary colors palette is much more clear in the text, making this logo more easily identifiable. After nailing down a good foundation and centering the text, Sauce overlaid faint scanlines reminiscent of old CRT display monitors then splashed some blood here and there; all in all, the new logo is a nice visual of the ludonarrative dissonance the game itself aims to achieve.

We'll pass the mic to Gureii here when it comes to the localized logos!

Translation & Localization

Hey there! Gureii (she/her) here. You might know me from one of the previous devlogs posted here on Patreon not so long ago.

 I’ve been asked by BáiYù to present you a tiny (okay, not that tiny) little treat for both the Russian and the Japanese-speaking folks out there who are interested in our upcoming game, Something’s Wrong With Sunny Day Jack.

Let me introduce you to the new localized logos real quick:

One of the most interesting aspects of working on these was the brainstorming session behind both of them. As the Lead Russian translator of this project, one of my main concerns was to come up with the title translation that would be both both simplistic and catchy, hence the name change from a statement to a question. The localized version of the title - «Что с тобой, Джек?» - includes both the questions a player would ask to Jack himself: “What happened to you?” and “What’s wrong with you?”, either depending on their opinion towards him or both of these at the same time.

The Japanese translation team, on the other hand, opted for something much more laconic, to which I was happy to comply! They're only using Katakana to translate the commonly abbreviated title into【サニー・デー・ジャック】, which will be easy for Japanese speakers to read (it'd be pronounced "Sanī dē Jakku"). It's short and punchy, and it's not unusual for Japanese logos to have the English text as well.

Another aspect (a tricky one this time!) was looking up the Cyrillic and Kana fonts that would match the mood of the English logo we got: it gets quite tricky when we talk about anything but Latin fonts, and it gets even harder when we talk about something that is as bold, youthful and bright as it is. For example, with the katakana transcription the Japanese translation team and I had to search for something that would not scare the person interested in playing the game, something much more inviting than the crimson lettering used on the English logo. The bloody Buddy Belt portion of the logo will still indicate to potential players that this is a horror game, so it works out.

By the way, you might be asking yourself, "Why isn't there a Spanish version of the logo?" Both Pierre and Nana expressed that translating the title wouldn't sound nearly as good as the original English title (a literal Latin Spanish translation would be "Algo Malo Pasa Con Día Soleado Jack"). Luckily, both English and Spanish share similar alphabets, so it's as big of a difference compared to Russian or Japanese.

---

And that's all we got for this week. Thanks again for your continued support of SnaccPop Studios!

#sdj #sunny day jack #somethings wrong with sunny day jack #gamedev #vndev #yandere #minors dni #visual novel

[detailtilted]

Comic-Con 2008 - Enhanced Edition of Supernatural Panel

Direct link. Warning: Some of the special content I added has big spoilers for season 4 beyond the original videos.

This video features Jared, Jensen, Eric Kripke, Sera Gamble, and Ben Edlund. If you've already seen the original videos and you're wondering why you'd want to watch this, see the details about the enhancements below. For other enhanced videos, check my YouTube channel or my Tumblr index post.

Video Improvements - Upscaled, fixed bad aspect ratios, improved colors

I received a great deal of help from @sensitivehandsomeactionman on the color correcting. They gave me tips on how to achieve better colors and they even took a screen shot from my video and corrected the colors on it with their own software to provide me with an example of what was possible. Having that example to reference was invaluable for me, because I'm not good with colors.

Without that help, Jared and Jensen would have looked like they were in training to become the world's tallest Oompa Loompas. Any remaining color wonkiness (Wonka-iness?) is due to my own failure to apply what I was taught and my failure to see the colors properly. But look at that difference! I was pretty excited about this.

Combined Videos to Cover Entire Event

As with my other enhanced videos, I combined multiple videos to create as seamless a video of the event as possible, from beginning to end. For my earlier videos, that meant combining maybe 5 videos. For this one, I used a total of 19 videos from 3 different sources. A lot of those were used for the talking head bubbles, explained further below.

None of the videos are my own. My video description on YouTube has links to the original videos I used.

Good, Color-Coded Subtitles

As with my other enhanced videos, I attempted to provide accurate and as-complete-as-possible subtitles. They're color-coded to make it easier to tell who's speaking. This is especially helpful when people are speaking at the same time, or when the speaker is off camera.

Since there were so very many people talking in this video, I doubled up on a couple colors if I thought I could do so without it being too confusing. Here's the complete color key:

Red = Jared Blue = Jensen Brown = Eric Kripke Pink = Sera Gamble Purple = Ben Edlund Green = General audience Yellow = The person asking the questions. In the first half this is the moderator, Alynda Wheat. In the second half, this is the fan at the mic. White = Mostly the publicist (Holly Ollis), but a couple times it's used for people off camera who I believe were Comic-Con staff. Two shades of orange = surprise guests

Additional Clarifying Content

As with my other enhanced videos, I've added some images to help add clarity to the references used by the speakers. I added images of characters and scenes referenced from the show, images to explain various pop culture references, as well as some explanatory text to help add details or clarity when I thought it might be useful.

I mostly kept this extra content to the sides so that, if it doesn't interest you, you can hopefully ignore it and focus on the main part of the video. Unlike my previous videos, sometimes this is on the left side and sometimes it's on the right side. The margins shift depending on where the talking head bubbles are.

Talking Head Bubbles - Jared and Jensen front and center, but other speakers visible too

This "enhancement" isn't anywhere close to perfect, but it sure as heck isn't from a lack of effort. This represented at least half if not two-thirds of the time I spent working on this video.

I always find the Comic-Con videos frustrating to watch. When the camera moves to other people who are talking, I want to see Jared and Jensen instead. I like to see their reactions and sometimes they do funny things that get missed. But when the camera is steadfastly focused on Jared and Jensen, I also get frustrated because I can’t see the people who are talking. Nope, you can’t win with me! I want to see everything.

I attempted to mitigate this frustration by adding talking head bubbles. The main source videos I used were the ones with the most constant and stable focus on Jared and Jensen. However, if one of the other source videos had a decent focus on another guest, I inserted a small window into that other video as seen below. Eric shows up on the left, because that's where he was seated relative to Jared. Sera and Ben show up on the right, because they were on the other side of Jensen.

Like I said, it's not anywhere close to perfect. Trying to make the bubbles look stable was an enormous challenge for me. Behind the scenes the person in the bubble was bobbing and weaving all over the original video frame, so I had to constantly adjust the position of the secondary video to keep the subject centered in the bubble. They also aren't always bubbles. The people taking the videos often had the writers on the edge of the frame because they wanted to capture Jared or Jensen too, so the bubbles start to collapse when they get too close to the edge because there isn't enough video surrounding them to form a circle.

I haven't decided if the end result was worth how much effort I put into these darn "bubbles", so I'd welcome any feedback -- good or bad.

#enhanced edition con video #j2 #jared padalecki #jensen ackles #eric kripke #sera gamble #ben edlund #comic con #comic con 2008 #Youtube

[thejournallo]

Explain the basic: the Elements

Guess who's back—me, BRUH!

Desclaimer: Everything I will talk about is information that I got from books and sites online and even videos on YouTube. In my years of practice, I learned as much as I could out of curiosity and what works best for me. I suggest you do the same by learning as much as you can on your own (I will be here making posts teaching this kind of stuff) from multiple sources.

In witchcraft, the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit are often seen as fundamental forces that can be harnessed for magical and spiritual purposes.

These elements are symbolic and represent different aspects of nature, energy, and consciousness. Here's a brief explanation of each element in the context of witchcraft:

Earth:

Symbolism: Represented by the physical element of earth, rocks, soil, and symbols like pentacles or greenery. Qualities: Associated with grounding, stability, fertility, abundance, and the material realm. Magical Uses: Earth is often invoked for spells related to prosperity, growth, physical health, and stability. It is also connected to the physical body and practical matters.

Air:

Symbolism: Represented by the element of air, wind, feathers, and symbols like incense or a wand. Qualities: Associated with communication, intellect, inspiration, thought, and the realm of the mind. Magical Uses: Air is often invoked for spells related to communication, intellect, clarity of thought, and inspiration. It is also associated with the power of the spoken word and intention.

Fire:

Symbolism: Represented by flames, candles, the sun, and symbols like a cauldron or a staff. Qualities: Associated with transformation, passion, energy, willpower, and the element of action. Magical Uses: Fire is often used in spells for transformation, motivation, courage, and purification. It symbolizes the spark of creation and the force that propels change.

Water:

Symbolism: Represented by water, rivers, lakes, and symbols like a chalice or a bowl of water. Qualities: Associated with emotions, intuition, purification, healing, and the subconscious. Magical Uses: Water is often invoked for spells related to emotions, intuition, purification, and healing. It is also associated with the flow of energy and the ebb and flow of life.

Spirit:

Symbolism: Often considered the fifth element, representing the divine or the ethereal. It may be symbolized by symbols like the akasha or an empty circle. Qualities: Associated with the divine, the interconnectedness of all things, and the essence of consciousness. Magical Uses: Spirit is often invoked for rituals that involve connecting with the divine, meditation, and spiritual growth. It is the element that transcends the physical and ties everything together.

In rituals and spellwork, practitioners often call upon these elements, either individually or in combination, to create a balanced and harmonious energy.

The elements are thought to correspond to different aspects of the human experience and the natural world, allowing witches to work with these energies to achieve their magical and spiritual goals.

Tips and tricks:

Body: If we want to use an element but don't have an object that can represent that element, we can use our body. (ex: I don't have anything to represent the earth; let me hit my feet to the ground.). (I need to represent fire; let me use my passion.)

To connect to an element: let's experience it, Go out and feel the forest and the rain; watch the fire burning; and let the fire warm you.

Combine the elements: with the incense, you have fire and air together; growing a plant, you have water and earth collaborating; and so on.

Memories: Everywhere you go, take a stone, a sea shell, a feather, or buy a lighter. Let the elements be good memories.

Deity: Some deities (I will deepen this conversation in the final post to explain the basics) are connected to the elements; we can use them to honor them.

Songs: we can use songs and music to feel connected to the elements; for example, I associate "Je te laisserai des mots" with the elements of the earth.

As always, I will love to hear your thoughts! and if you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them! If you liked it, leave a comment or reblog (that is always appreciated!). If you are interested in more methods, check the masterlist!

#witchcraft #witchblr #witches #witchcore #witch #magick #witchcraft 101 #witchcraft aesthetic #witchcraft community #witchcraft smp #witchcraft books #witch community #witch blog #shifting motivation #shifting realities #shifting #reality shift #shifting community #fypage #dc comics #shifting methods #loa methods #manifestation method #spiritual development #witchy vibes #pagan witch #beginner witch #voidstate #shiftblr #shiftythrifting

[thorraborinn]

I know you've said that other Heathens have given you crap for giving Dr. Jackson Crawford even the mildest amount of criticism, but I was wondering if you would be willing to share any more criticism about his videos, especially the ones on the gods and Norse culture? If not, is anyone you know who has critiqued his stuff? I know Dr. MatthIas Nordvig doesn't like him, but he took down all his videos. I'm asking because I as I read a lot of other scholars' work the more I question how he came to some of those conclusions like translating Óðr's girl to Odin's girl. I know he subscribes to the idea that they are one and the same, but I still think it's weird to put in the translation while knowing you're not going to be adding explanations in the book.

Honestly I don't really have any systematic criticisms, just normal ones like I have for basically any scholar. I don't really watch his videos but I think I've agreed with most of what I have seen. It's more that because his content is so easily accessible and viewed by so many people, some of those people seem to have become really emotionally invested in him being an unquestionable authority, and they really shouldn't be doing that to anyone. There isn't a population of heathens who get personally offended and defensive if I say I think Terry Gunnell or Margaret Clunies Ross missed the mark somewhere. I think for many of Crawford's viewers he's the only specialist whose work they are accessing regularly, and if they read some other authors too they would have a better experience.

Come to think of it, some heathens do get really invested in certain authors like Vilhelm Grønbech or Paul Bauschatz, and get very defensive if you criticize them. To an extent this is also true of H.R. Ellis Davidson. For a lot of heathens of my generation her books were the first scholarly works they read, so their relationship to her was probably similar to heathens and Crawford now. And Ellis Davidson did a lot of good work that nonetheless can and should be criticized.

I will say though that Jackson Crawford's translation of the Poetic Edda is almost universally regarded as bad by people who can read the original, so yeah, most scholars would agree with you about that. And nobody seems to be able to wrap their heads around his decision not to include notes and commentary. I get the impression that he wasn't trying to make something that's accurate or suitable for scholars, but trying to produce something that's entertaining and easy to understand for a mass, popular audience with only casual interest. So if someone wants to get an accurate idea of what the source texts are actually saying, they should read Edward Pettit's translation or Carolyne Larrington's (2014, not 1996), just as someone who wants a translation that is highly poetic at the expense of accuracy and clarity might choose Hollander's.

To say any more than this would require me to watch more YouTube than I am willing to.

[tiredwitchplant]

Everything You Need to Know About Herbs: Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum)

*Kitchen Herb *Medical Herb *Feminine

Folks Names: Ajo, Poor Man’s Treacle, Stinkweed, Stinking Rose

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire, Earth

Deities: Hecate

Abilities: Protection, Healing, Exorcism, Lust, Anti-Theft, Aphrodisiac, Banishment, Purification, Clarity

Characteristics: A bulbous perennial plant that can grow to from 1- 3 ft tall. Has pale pink or green white flowers. Is part of the lily family and native from Central Asia. It is grown by dividing the bulbs and is harvested during the late summer.

History: It was first noted by Confucius in the Book of Odes. However, the lore refers garlic back to the beginning of time. It is said that when the devil’s left foot touched soil outside the Garden of Eden, garlic sprung up and his right foot produced onions. This caused it to be first associated with the Devil himself but the Greeks considered it a protector herb later on. Greek midwives would make sure that at the birth of a child, the whole room smelled of the cloves to protect the newborns from Lilith, the mother of all demons. If the cloves were not placed around the neck of the babies, it was believed that Lilith would strange the babies and frighten the mothers into madness. It was also a great remedy herb as every part of it was used in over 125 different treatments.

How to Grow Garlic

Easy to Grow: Yes

Rating : Beginner Friendly

Seeds Accessible: Yes but growing from bulbs is easier

How to Grow Garlic

Video Guide

Seeds

Magical Properties:

Was worn to guard against the plague

Sailors carried some on board to protect from wreckage

Soldiers wore garlic as a defense and ate it for courage

Worm to guard off foul weather and monsters

Bite into garlic to send away evil spirits or sprinkle garlic powder on the floor

Garlic was eaten on festival days to Hecate and was left at crossroads as a sacrifice to her

Brides carried garlic in their pockets for good luck

Rubbed onto pots and cooking pans, can remove negative vibrations

Can induce lust and attract lovers

Burned in an incense can be used to exorcise evil spirits from one’s home

Can strengthen energy fields and break curses

Medical Usage:

Can combat high cholesterol and hypertension

Was believed to ward off cancer and hepatitis

Can boost your immune system and is a powerful antibiotic for any sickness

Helps to keep blood thin and protect against blood clots and raised blood-sugar levels

Was used to dress wounds in WW1

A remedy for chest infections, digestive infections, and prevent circulatory problems

Sources

#witchblr #witch community #witchcraft #green witch #occulltism #paganblr #plants and herbs #nature #herbalist #medicinal herbs #culinary #herbalism #herbs #culinary herbs #kitchen witch #witch blog #botany #botanical #witch garden #witchcraft 101 #witchcraft resources #witches of tumblr #baby witch #beginner witch #pagan witch #garlic #hecate

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Searching For Former Clarity (Against Me!)

And in the journal you kept by the side of your bed/You wrote nightly an aspiration of developing as an author/Confessing childhood secrets of dressing up in women's clothes/Compulsions you never knew the reasons to/Will everyone you ever meet or love/Be just a relationship based on a false presumption?/Despite everyone you ever meet or ever love/In the end, will you be all alone?

"Searching for a Former Clarity is about the process of dying. It's the closing track to the album, and it shares a theme with the opening track, but while Miami uses disease and dying as a way to talk about the city metaphorically, Searching for a Former Clarity is much more personal. It's also partly autobiographical. Laura Jane Grace wouldn't come out for another seven years, although if I'm remembering right she was convinced that this song would immediately out her to everyone. (I could be thinking of a different song from the same era. It's kind of a running theme in her music.) A while back I saw an old video of her performing this song, when it was still new and she still wasn't out. It felt wrong to see that version of her, honestly (I'm old enough that I should have been a fan in the 2000s but I'd never heard of Against Me until a couple years ago), but it also amazes me just how much *better* she looks now. She looked so much older then, and unbelievably more miserable, than she does now. I hate that she had to live like that for so long, but I think about that contrast every time I hear the song now. Honestly, with that in mind, I never want to hear anyone saying shit about how they are glad someone suffered so that they could Make Art(TM) about it. Fuck that. Don't get me wrong, I love this song and most of Against Me's discography, but I'd willingly give all of it up if it could somehow retroactively mean that Laura Jane Grace didn't have to have the shitty life experiences that led to it. Yes, a lot of art comes from suffering, but people shouldn't have to fucking suffer for art. I've had some experiences lately that forced me to think about my mortality a bit more seriously than usual. If I died today, there would be an extensive record of my gender, and my complex feelings about gender, on various mostly anonymous twitter and tumblr and reddit accounts. If I died today, nobody who knows me would know the name I chose for myself. Not that I'm a historical figure (I'd probably be entirely forgotten in a decade tbh) but speculation about my gender would be *at most* someone's conspiracy theory based on poorly-sourced and badly-interpreted speculation. I'd be buried as a man, I'd be remembered as a man, I'd be forgotten as a man. That was my choice. I have my reasons for making it. I don't know if it is right or wrong or even if the concepts of "right" and "wrong" are the right ones to use when thinking about it. I'm still going to have feelings about it every chance I get. Searching for a Former Clarity is a pretty good way to get them. Emma. That is the name that I chose."

Am I Awake (They Might Be Giants)

When I get through this part/Will the next one be the same/Will I be wondering/If I'm awake?/These are not the clothes I had on when I went to bed/And something else besides my hair is growing from my head/And when I close my eyes it looks the same as when I open them again/Am I awake?

"Man I don't know what exactly about this song gets me so hard but it just makes me wanna get up and stim and think about my blorbos and their trauma. it also just speaks to me as a person with memory and identity issues, it really outlines the dissociation and confusion i feel when i don't remember something and/or can't grasp what i'm feeling. it also has a sort of inception vibe to it? or maybe groundhog day? The strange vocal samples and frantic drums and fast bpm with the really slow vocals on top is just soooo good. really really good song"

#fuck you up bracket #tournament #polls #against me! #they might be giants

[breelandwalker]

Hello! How are you doing? Hope everything is fine.

I saw your post about not being a pick me witch and I felt called in. Could you recommend me podcasts, videos or books that show how to imrpove this part of the practice?

I find myself always comparing and shiting on the religion I was born in, would like to see any work that could help me through this vice.

Thank you!!

(In reference to this post. Recommendation linked below. Personal experience ahead.)

I'll be honest with you - I used to have the same problem. I made that post because I used to BE one of those witches. It took years of self-work and really examining my motivations to be able to move past my trauma and my anger enough to talk about my craft and my beliefs without leaning on the crutch of I Have Beef With The Church.

And for a long time, it WAS a crutch. I WAS going full-speed down the pagan path partly as a fuck-you to my conservative religious relatives and the faith I was raised in, and I leaned into that because the rebellion felt GOOD. Moreover, it was reinforced by some of the books I was reading and certain portions of the online witch community.

But eventually that momentum faltered and I found that once I looked past the anger and the rebellion, I really didn't properly understand what I believed or what I felt. And I noticed the same thing in a lot of the witches I was associating with at the time, who came from similar religious backgrounds and had similar issues. I also started branching out in my research and found some sources that did not rely on the assumption that witchcraft/paganism and Christianity must be diametrically opposed.

So there I was, tired of being angry, stuck in a rut, processing this new information, and wondering how to make a change. And I finally realized that I had to do it myself.

I fully realize and acknowledge that my experience is NOT everyone's experience, and that we all need different things in order to grow, and that some wounds take longer to heal than others. But I do think it's still important to be able to talk about what we believe in without the reasoning behind it being anger or hate.

I don't know of any resources that deal specifically with this issue for witches (I know they must exist, I just can't point to any specific titles), but what really helped me was quantifying my craft. I made a journaling exercise of sitting down and identifying what I knew, what I believed, what I was learning, what I wanted to learn, and what questions I wanted answered. When I found myself straying into that old anger, I was able to consciously correct the trajectory and refocus on my craft.

Dealing with the emotional side of the problem was its' own struggle, but even the exercise of separating my craft from my anger helped me to grow as a person and as a witch, and to get past the roadblocks I hadn't realized I'd put in my own path.

If you'd like to give this a try, I'd recommend it for any witch as a thought exercise, a method for tracking progress, and a way of clarifying those sometimes-nebulous ideas we have about our craft. It's also very satisfying when you think you don't know all that much, then suddenly you find you've filled pages and pages with the things you've already learned and the ideas you have.

Best of luck on this part of your journey and I hope that you find the peace and clarity you're searching for. Self-reflection and self-improvement is an ongoing process and it's not easy, but good on you for making a start. Hope this helps! 💜

#theonefairygodmother #witch community #witchcraft #witchblr #pagan #Advise for Beginner Witches #witchcraft exercises #journaling prompts #religious trauma #Bree answers your inquiries

[commsroom]

Heyy have you ever seen @drezzdon on Instagram? All I think about when I see their stuff is Hera getting back to earth and (accidentally or on purpose) truly Being Released into the internet and subsequently into every computer ever and instead of becoming like a God she's all powerful and omniscient but constantly bombarded by unholy amounts of information which drives her into some kind of Eldritch madness constantly witnessing everything while still trying to hold onto herself and process all of her grief idk if I'm making sense. Opposite of fix it fic btw I'm making everything worse.

oh, cool! i've seen some of those videos around, and i like them, so i'm glad you told me the source. it kind of reminds me of this comic about the perception of angels + seeing everything at once. i think too much information = lack of clarity works well in the context of wolf 359's treatment of 'the big picture' as an antagonistic and dehumanizing force, and i also think it's a good visual metaphor for overstimulation. we're aware that hera is always everywhere at once, but also that she's more some places at any given time than others, and i think the way the show presents that is very interesting, i.e. that the only time we actually meaningfully experience her being in multiple places at once is when she's having a breakdown.

anyway. i think being on the internet will be really bad for hera, but like, in the way that being very online and isolated is bad for anyone, amplified by how quickly she can interact with it and the fact she literally cannot log off and touch grass. but i want her to. it's going to be hard, and it'll probably get worse before it gets better, but i want good and comfortable things for her. hera narrowing + clarifying her perspective, being able to be truly (physically) present in her own life, especially as a rejection of her 'intended' purpose, is very dear to me.

#sorry this took me a bit to reply to!! thank you for the ask; i like those videos and didn't know there were so many #and thank you to my friend who found that post for me from my description of like 'angel comic with the girls from the haircare product' #asks

[suzannetownsend]

Apes in the Glades: a divisive Florida mystery

OCHOPEE – The drone of cicadas, the flat river of grass and gators lurking by the roadside, only their eyes visible above the black water: this is the Florida Everglades. It is a region that has long been imbued with fascinating history both haunting and beautiful, from being the location of marijuana smuggling routes (or as the locals call it, square grouper) and a hiding spot for killers on the run. But deep in the swamp lurks another source of intrigue: the skunk ape. 

Also known as Florida’s Bigfoot, the hairy biped has been a lifelong pursuit of Ochopee, Florida local David Shealy. He describes the skunk ape as being between six and seven feet tall, covered in hair and incredibly smelly. Since spotting the creature near his home at the northern end of Everglades National Park at age 10, Shealy has made it his life’s work to find this elusive character. He has reported other sightings since then, once in 1998 and most famously in 2001 when he recorded video footage of the creature trudging through the swamp, which is available on YouTube. 

Shealy is the founder of the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters in Ochopee. It’s one of several of Tamiami Trail’s roadside attractions (including the world’s smallest post office) and includes a campground, collection of live pythons and alligators, a gift shop and plans to expand. The building also houses Shealy’s two casts of skunk ape tracks. In 2000 he even applied for a grant from the Collier County Tourism Development Council, which was denied. 

Sightings of skunk apes have been reported since the 1950s and ‘60s. One discrepancy, however, is that the native Seminole and Miccosukee tribes have a legend of the skunk ape in their culture, too. For clarity, the tribes are separate politically but not culturally, according to the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Tara Backhouse, the collections manager at the Seminole Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum said in an email that, “there’s definitely not anything written down, and I don’t believe it’s a real Seminole legend in any way.” Shealy says something different: “That’s not the case at all and I grew up here with the Indians.” Indeed, Shealy's property is not far from the Miccosukee reservation. He recounted a story that Miccosukee tribal member Michael Frank told him about a time during the Seminole Wars. “At that time an Indian scout left the village and went into the Everglades, and he returned with a story that he had seen a group of men that were very large and covered with hair.” Shealy says there are as many as nine skunk apes in the Everglades. According to him they smell because they spend time in alligator holes, and they make a low bassy cooing growl. When he performs the skunk ape call, it sounds a lot like an alligator bellow. Shealy has a response for that, too. “I have big alligators that roar every time the garbage truck comes in so I know gators really good and it's not a gator.” 

So did Shealy make it all up? Some locals think so. The picture that many residents of the nearby Everglades City paint is that Shealy simply wanted to make more money. Some call him a fraud, some call him a scientific researcher. When I met him, though, the first thing I understood about David Shealy is that he is a storyteller. He has many tales of encounters with Florida's bigfoot, some his and some from other people, but all of them captivating. He spoke of a time when he collected a hair sample from one encounter but the next day two unidentified federal agents, “The men in black” as Shealy calls them, who came to his home and confiscated the sample, never to be heard from again. In another story a woman named Mary Billie was chopping down palm fronds for a chickee hut. As she was hacking at the fronds one fell away and she was face to face with the skunk ape. 

Despite the chorus of skunk ape deniers, there are others who support Shealy’s work. Brad Bertelli is the author of The Florida Keys Skunk Ape Files, which is a work of fiction based on real reports of encounters with the cryptid. Included in the book is a real clipping from an 1874 newspaper that reads, “Key West has a ghost covered with hair and about the size of a horse.” Bertelli says, “It reads to me like a typical skunk ape or bigfoot sighting.” And one of the earliest reports of such. Another story that inspired his book is a family on Key Largo who witnessed a smelly hairy creature on their property, which frightened them so much they moved out of the Keys entirely. 

Both skunk ape aficionados have responses for the nonbelievers. Shealy says, “It’s not a good attitude to have because what they are doing is possibly putting a threatened or endangered species at risk and that they really need to do their research, possibly go out on their own. Just discounting it is doing an injustice to our native wildlife.” For Bertelli, “A lot of it has to do with not being willing to engage with something that is unknown. There are things out there bigger than ourselves. You have to keep an open mind.”

Fact or fiction, stories like these captivate people’s imaginations, and have for a long time. Like Bertelli says, “When you look back these bigfoot creatures have been sighted on six of the seven continents. When we go back hundreds and hundreds of years, every culture has their story about them.” So keep an open mind, and keep an eye out next time you’re in the Everglades. 

#skunk ape #florida skunk ape #cryptozoology #florida myths #ochopee #skunk ape headquarters #david shealy

[imiging]

Hello and good day imiging team! I'd like to point out that the work of petitmonsieur1 that you reblogged recently is not photography, but an AI-generated image. Thus it can not be categorized as original photography on account of it not involving a photographer, a camera and a subject.

I know you caption your reblogs with "daily original photographs and creations", so I guess it still counts as some form of a creation. Although the rest of your reblogs are actual photography, not what petitmonsieur1 is doing.

You'll notice that their creations are entirely digitally created by taking a closer look. Skin, metal, and cloth appear way too smooth, the background is sepia like from a painting, icons and writings are indecipherable. They've even uploaded videos showing how they mess with the creation process, either by adding skeleton makeup to a person (who is posing exactly the same in both frames) or moving a person's head, covered in a knit wool ski mask, up and down from their scarf like a piston. To me those are clear indicators that their creations are not authentic as the photos, paintings and art you showcase here.

With this I hope you at the very least consider removing petitmonsieur1 from the pool of your following. One can argue whether AI-art is art, but since the focus of your page is on photography, that really doesn't have a place here.

Thank you for receiving my input. Kindest regards!

As we are obviously unable to answer directly to this anonymous expert in AI, our response is outlined below.

Dear anonymous,

You will, undoubtedly, be disappointed to learn of our disavowal of your "expertise" in this particular instance as we wish to inform you that AI was not involved in the creation of this image. As we had reservations about your claim and explanations of same, we deemed it patently obvious that our first step should be to direct ourselves to the creative source. Therefore, we messaged Petitmonsieur in order to determine exactly his process and his medium. His response was clear : "I mainly use photos, old paintings, wallpapers...and I crush the pixels as much as possible to obtain a painting effect. If I used AI, the rendering would be of better definition. In fact, I'm tinkering with Photoshop, and I find that the AI ​​stereotypes the images too much."

Upon viewing this particular photo we were, of course, unaware of the creative process (other than what the tags indicated) but we found it to be interesting and quite striking at first sight which resulted in it being chosen.

Furthermore, one might ask, what exactly defines a true photograph these days especially in the world of digitization? With the advent of digital cameras and advances in photography software (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.) how many of these photographs, including those that started life as a film negative, use some form or other of "digitization" in the making of the final product?

AI is just another step (granted a large one) in that direction and not really so much different than using a "dehaze" or "clarity" filter in Lightroom, Healing Brush Tool in Photoshop or DeNoise AI, to name but a few of the tools used by a growing number of photographers. Even film can be "manipulated" in the darkroom or made into a digital negative and then reworked on a pc. These are all tools used to enhance the artistic aspects/creation of a great number of photographs which are regularly posted and reblogged on the Tumblr platform. (Our apologies to those of you that shoot raw and only post unedited photographs -- we love them too!)

At Imiging, our shared opinion on AI is that it has the potential for making the unreal appear real and believe it has numerous other risks and drawbacks. We have to say that it truly alarms us if only for no other reason than the obvious geo-political implications when AI is used by unscrupulous individuals or governments for nefarious purposes.

Sincerely,

The Editors of imiging

#photographers on tumblr #curators on tumblr #anonymous #original photography #artists on tumblr #A.I. #imiging

[janfraiser]

I DON'T TRUST NOBODY AND NOBODY TRUSTS ME

Succession ✧ 690 words ✧ At the reception, Karolina clocks Kendall's subterfuge, and has something to say about being overlooked.

✧

Karolina is in the middle of listening to a tipsy Sally Anne tell a story about having to face off against Caroline wearing nothing but her underwear when Gerri nudges her in the arm, hard. “Karolina,” she hisses, “what the fuck is this?”

Coming from Gerri, that’s generally not a good question, and Karolina frowns as she leans over the offered phone screen. Roy family unrest involving key members of Waystar RoyCo may threaten the pending deal with GoJo, says a confident Waystar source.

Karolina’s jaw drops a little as she looks back up at Gerri. “That’s not me.” It certainly should be-- the twitter account, the classic byline of confident Waystar source, but everything she knows says the GoJo deal is solid and necessary, even if Kendall and Roman are being a little bitchy about it. 

Wait. Fuck.

“That’s not me,” she repeats to Gerri, her tone hushed. “I’ll be right back.”

She finds Hugo in a corner by the bar talking to Colin, who she excuses efficiently with a slight touch to his arm and a smile too bright for a funeral until he gets the hint. When he’s gone, she folds her arms over her chest, facing Hugo head on.

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing,” she says calmly, “but you’re fired.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” he says, way too fucking nonchalant for the glare she’s leveling at him.

She scoffs. “Excuse me?”

“I think it’s well within my job description to follow an express order directly from the CEO,” Hugo brags, a disgusting smirk crawling across his face despite him clearly trying to keep it in check. “Look, Karolina, you’re good at your job, but… look at it this way, a hunting dog can work hard all day, can run for miles, and at the end of the day still sleeps in a kennel. The lap dog is the one who’s in a nice warm bed.”

The pieces fall into place with a relieving clarity, seeing as Karolina spends a good portion of her time trying to guess what any of the Roys’ plans really are. She steps even closer to Hugo, narrowing her eyes. “Are you calling me a bitch?”

He stares at her, mouth gaping with no words to answer, and she scoffs and walks away.

Karolina orders a vodka soda at the bar while she regroups, scanning the room. Hugo must be talking to Kendall; Roman doesn’t inspire that level of confidence in general, and certainly not today. Speaking of Roman, there’s a viral video she should do something about, but currently, Kendall trying to fuck the company takes precedence. Karolina makes a decision and downs the last half of her drink, the carbonation and alcohol burning in that quantity and making her close her eyes for a moment. Getting vodka drunk is just so much more efficient than lazing around with a glass of wine.

As she crosses the room, she makes eye contact with Gerri long before she hits the table, and Gerri stands and meets her at a pair of armchairs off to the side of the dinner tables. “So?”

“Kendall,” Karolina says. “Making promises he has no wherewithal to keep, which is nothing new… anyway, Hugo overplayed his hand. He’s trying to fuck the deal. Maybe Roman, too.”

“Idiots,” Gerri hisses. 

“I think we should go to Shiv,” Karolina suggests quietly.

Gerri nods. “She’s definitely getting close with Matsson. It’ll be good to have someone who can get through to him while Kendall and Roman throw this fit.”

“And,” Karolina adds, “we can leverage their habits of fighting each other for the sake of it. Kendall thinks he’s already on top, Shiv will stay with the deal just to pull the rug out from under him.”

Gerri nods, her lips tights. “A riskier system to rely on, but… she’s definitely being iced out. You’re right.”

“I’m going to find Ebba,” Karolina sighs, “and fix this so-called ‘official statement. You got Shiv?”

Gerri smiles wryly. “I am her godmother, after all.”

Karolina snorts. “Best of luck.”

Gerri grabs her shoulder as they move in opposite directions. “Godspeed.”

#succession #succession spoilers #succession fic #gerri kellman #karolina novotney #hugo baker #alcohol cw #julie fics #kendall roy you will RUE THE DAY #the theme of him constantly underestimating women this season... #also. dog metaphor. it's still here! #ty to b and skipps for both encouraging me to write thisssss

[carolinayourspiritmaster]

Attention Customers: Introducing Our Bandcamp Channel!

A couple of months ago, we started our YouTube channel, The Healing Library. While it seems like it's been moving slowly, the reception of our customers and followers has been just lovely, and a lot has been happening backstage – my husband has been working every day on improving his video editing skills with new software, and we have been preparing recordings and texts that will become future pieces for the channel. As a Cancer + Taurus couple, “slowly but surely” is a motto we both enjoy, because this is a project for our entire future.

But, the final piece (as so many times) was provided by a dear patron, who asked me recently if I could create a much longer audio-only piece that she could listen to while meditating or sleeping. After discussing it with my husband, we noticed that it would be quite expensive to do it as custom work, because of the amount of hours of work required – but if we could offer it as a digital item, we could lower the price considerably. We got into it immediately.

We have chosen Bandcamp to host our work, as it is extremely easy to use: there, you will be able to purchase and download the pieces, and once you have them on your device, you can play them on loop while you workout, while you sleep, or while you do any creative and/or relaxing activity of your choice.

If you are new to subliminals, let me give you a powerful reason to use them; subliminals go directly to your subconscious mind, healing it by reprogramming it. You really how no idea of how transformative this can be, because when it comes to manifestation, that is the very source of it.

Your entire life is directed by the activity of your subconscious, who registers every thought, every emotion, and every desire you have, as well as every trauma you have ever suffered. What you live every single day is the projected manifestation of your subconscious, turned into facts, into relationships, into good and bad luck, into fortune and misfortune.

When you use powerful subliminal work, it really shows. I use them all the time, and I can attest for their capacity to create lasting change with my own life. You feel clarity and serenity improve, beneficial synchronicity increases, and your vibration is set at a place where disharmony simply cannot exist. You become a magnet for the positive, and a rejector of the negative.

And you can be sure that these are powerful. I have put every ounce of my experience as a spellworker creating these pieces. Every sound you hear, and all the layers that you do not actually hear (but your brain registers all the same) are in a specific place and time for a specific reason. Layer after layer is worked harmonizing with the power of theta waves and solfeggio frequencies, and with my extensive knowledge of sacred geometry. These are an absolute treat to your spiritual growth!

Visit The Healing Library At Bandcamp - and remember to follow us there, so you get notifications of each new piece available!

#carolinagonzalez #spiritual work #self empowerment #subliminals #subliminal audio #law of manifestation

[detailtilted]

Sample of Upcoming "Enhanced Edition" CHICON 2007 Solo Jared Panel

This sample was removed when I updated the full video with drastically improved video quality. I did not recreate the sample, but you can find the full video here.

Original post:

This is a small, 3-minute segment of a larger video that I plan to publish next week. This clip was one of my favorite parts of Jared's panel. He spoke about things Jensen did while filming Bad Day at Black Rock that made him laugh. I included a brief clip from the episode, and it looks to me like Jared starts fighting his laughter even before Jensen starts to say the phrase in question. I imagine Jared could probably tell it was coming.

I'm slowly making "enhanced edition" videos of old con videos. You can find much more detail about this project along with an index of other released videos in this post. The project is still young, but there are 2 full-length videos available if you've missed them.

Here are some high-level, short-version details about what I'm doing if you haven't seen my other posts: The source videos are not my own; credit and links are in the video descriptions. I'm editing multiple videos from the same panel together into a single video. I'm upscaling the video quality as best I can, with varying levels of success. I'm adding extra content to add clarity about the things they discuss. I'm adding good, color-coded English subtitles to help with understanding the sometimes chaotic audio.

#jared padalecki #jensen ackles #j2 #supernatural #chicon 2007 #chicon #enhanced edition con video #sam winchester #dean winchester #Youtube

[furbygone]

Do you have sources on skining a 2005 that i can have please?

*cough* because I didn't just make an irresponsible financial decision. *cough*

Yayy to 2005 furby procurement!! I have a couple of sources that I've used!

I recommend this YouTube video: https://youtu.be/momHeosvqHw?

in conjunction with this post: https://furbytech.tumblr.com/post/162857204409/2005-furby-skinning-and-repair

for maximum clarity.

You'll need to either jimmy with a flathead or buy some special triangular screwdriver heads to get the feet off. I bought a set on Amazon for $6.

https://a.co/d/aCKbKDx

When you put the skin back on, you'll need to ladder-stitch up the back where you ripped the seams. There are a few good visual diagrams you can search.

Neither of the skinning tutorials listed are perfect. I've thought about making my own if anyone's interested!

#hope this helped!! feel free to ask any more questions you may have #i love being the resident 2005 furby repairperson

[dzthenerd490]

File: OC 21

SCP: AGA

Code Name: Mecha Faith

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-AGA are kept in a plastic box within the storage unit at Site-AA. Under no circumstances is anyone to take any SCP-AGA instance form the box those that do will be demoted a single level. They will be executed if they try to take it out of Site-AA or even show it to others, there are no exceptions.

In the event of a containment breach the casing of each SCP-AGA instance has been laced with a pheromone only identifiable by anomalous animals used by Mobile Task Force Demeter-4 "Animal Control". They are in charge of tracking down any missing SCP-AGA instances, persecuting the thief, and taking back the anomalies into Foundation custody.

Any mechas created by SCP-AGA are by default the property of the Department of Transportation and Machinery. Any testing must be approved by at least three Level 3 Clearance Staff members within the DTM. Anyone outside of the DTM must be of Level 4 Clearance Staff or higher to have testing approved.

Description: SCP-AGA is a collection of VHSs, CD's, and Flash drives that all contain pirated copies of anime, movies, and TV shows about mecha's. These media pieces were not originally anomalous but the ones within the collection have a Cognito Hazardous effect on whoever watches it. This effect causes the watcher to be filled with the desire to create a real life mecha with functional weapons and even a fight system. Each victim will be able to build their own unique mecha in design, weapons, and even power source. When they build more than one its always the same design as the first one they made.

It seems that a part of the Cognito Hazard is to upload information on how to build a mecha into the victim's brain. For whatever reason it seems that it doesn't matter which episode is watched they will always create their own line of unique mechas. Furthermore, it's even possible for the victim to create forges, refineries, and even energy fabricators. As for the mechas, some are made of pure steel, others are made of more anomalous metals, there was even a few made with plastic and wood, though one in particular had [data expunged] which isn't supposed to exist as a solid. Furthermore, this resource doesn't exist on earth but on [data expunged]. How this is even possible or how each design and resource used are so different is unknown.

The Victims of SCP-AGA will continue to build their own version of the mecha as many times as they can, not even stopping for breaks or to eat. On average they will be able to build anywhere from 2 to 5 mechas before they die of exhausting. There doesn't seem to be any purpose to these mechas though they all seem functional. Most that have been retrieved by the Foundation were sent to the Department of Transportation and Machinery. There they are dismantled with the designs used to improve Foundation mechas and the resources used to improve Foundation weapons and vehicles. Thankfully continuous testing has shown that none of the materials individually or when as mechas have any anomalous hazardous properties.

SCP-AGA was discovered in 2010 when there were reports of people disappearing and sightings of strange giant robots in the various towns and cities in the state of [data expunged]. Mobile Task Force Dionysus-1 "Fake News" quickly went to work spinning it all as promotional material for a new live action show. The Foundation then used its front company Silver Clarity Pictures to create the show. The show was called World War Mecha and had a surprisingly good first season. Though every following season got progressively worst. The show was ultimately canceled by the 5th and arguably most dull season.

As for the actual mechas Foundation agents were able to find them, dismantle them, and transported them to the nearest Foundation Area for testing. Unfortunately, certain victims left the SCP-AGA videos playing in their homes causing agents and MTF units to come under its effect. The Foundation lost [data expunged] agents and units that day. Though it was thanks to their scarifies that the Foundation was able to understand the nature of SCP-AGA which was solidified later with testing on D Class. Originally administrative staff, the O5 Council, and the Ethics Committee debate on whether the Foundation should use D Class to mass produce mechas for the Foundation to further grow in power. However, this decision was overturned when a note was found in Site Director James desk.

***

Everyone loves mechas, it's like an obsession, a drug, a fucking religion even! Maybe that's what religion really is, it's just an obsession with fantasy. Maybe that's the truth of the mighty mecha. Yes, that must be it, we've made cartoons, TV shows, Movies, books, comics, and so much more! Don't you see! Mechas are like God, they are everywhere! We all love them in a different form. We all can't get enough and find new ways to put them in different media. We are literally writing the gospel of a new religion! The religion of mecha, won't you join our cause and build more totems to show your undying faith to the mecha God!

… You don't want to? Well, I guess I shouldn't blame you, maybe its us who jumped the gun and made a badshit religion. But can you really blame us? Afterall, we're just a bunch of ZEALOTS ON CRACK!

***

A debate was formed later on whether or not SCP-AGA should be destroyed. The DTM ultimately managed to win the vote of SCP-AGA not being destroyed and instead used sparingly to find newer and potentially better solutions to creating machinery for the Foundation. The O5 Council agreed under the condition that SCP-AGA be placed under Protocol “Shot Foot” and not Protocol “Golden Egg” as regardless of how useful it is, it is not a Thaumiel class anomaly.

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

#DZtheNerd #SCP: Horror Movie Files #SCP: HMF #SCP Foundation #SCP Fanfiction #SCP AU #SCP #SCP OC #Protocol “Shot Foot” #Protocol “Golden Egg” #Mobile Task Force Dionysus-1 “Fake News” #Department of Transportation and Machinery #SCP-AGA #Site-AA #Safe #Zealots on Crack