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#under the influence podcast
bookgeekgrrl · 4 months
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My media this week (7-13 Jan 2024)
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the addition of this disaster boy was delightful
📚 STUFF I READ 📚
🥰 Second First Chances (Kedreeva) - 92K, steddie, canon-divergent Ladyhawke AU. Very well-written, exactly what it says on the tin. Very enjoyable.
😊 Murray Mysteries (Knöves Storytelling) - "full-cast audio-drama style re-imagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, set in the present day. Mina Murray is an unemployed twenty-something, jigsaw puzzler, and brand new Podcaster. Her life doesn’t exactly make for interesting content. That is until her best friend Lucy falls mysteriously ill and Mina’s boyfriend Jonathan loses contact on a work trip to Romania…" Very creative, very queer, very enjoyable!
🥰 ship-to-ship combat (pomeloquat) - 76K, SuperBat - "Clark, in an attempt to make some spare cash, unintentionally stumbles into the world of superhero fanfiction, becomes a prolific writer for Gotham's OTP, and tries his best to fend off rival fans who want him to convert to superbat instead." - extremely funny and delightful identity porn fic
🥰 Tension and Tonic (Zenaidamacrouras1) - 78K, cellist!Bucky/artist!Steve, one night stand that develops feelings. Mostly hilarious, with some fantastic characterizations, especially of the supporting characters. Fic does go to some pretty dark thoughts very briefly but ultimately the vibe I ended up with was much more on the funny side of the scale.
💖💖 +41K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖
A Letter from "Crawly" to Azirapil (mostlydeadlanguages) - Good Omens: Aziraphale & Crowley, 486 words - actual cuneiform on actual clay tablets, 'translated'. Our boy Ea-Nasir gets a shoutout. Fan makers are amazing.
veracity (pomeloquat) - DCU: SuperBat, 3K - a group of Metropolis criminals give Batman some truth serum to find out how to deal with Superman & get more than they bargained for. Absolute hilarity. Fantastic related art.
📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺
8 Out of 10 Cats - s22, e11
QI - series S, ep3, 5
D20: Fantasy High: Sophomore Year - BONUS "Fireside Chat with Brennan & Friends
D20: Fantasy High: Sophomore Year - BONUS "Making Chungledown Bim (with Lou Wilson)"
Finding Your Roots - "Fathers and Sons" (s10, e3): LeVar Burton & Wes Studi
Hollywood Reporter Actors Roundtable 2023
The Holdovers (2023)
D20: Escape From The Bloodkeep - "The Tomb of Ultimate Evil" (s2, e6)
D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "Summer Scaries" (s21, e1)
D20: Adventuring Party - "Yaaath Queen" (s16, e1)
All Creatures Great and Small - s4, e1-7 (😍😍😍)
🎧 PODCASTS 🎧
The Sporkful - Ozempic Isn’t So Great For Fat People, Says Aubrey Gordon
Pop Culture Happy Hour - All Of Us Strangers
Up First - Congressional Funding Deal, Israel and Lebanon, Lloyd Austin Fallout
Today, Explained - Pirates of the Red Sea
How To! - How To Keep Caring Amid Endless Crises
Shedunnit - Whodunnit Centenary: 1924
Switched on Pop - The case of the missing vocals, and other listener questions
Vibe Check - Look to God, Not Monica
ICYMI - The Nine-Month Cruise Heard Round the World
Code Switch - Everyone wants a piece of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy
Outward - Raquel Willis is in Bloom
Ologies with Alie Ward - Ethnoecology (ETHNOBOTANY/NATIVE PLANTS) with Leigh Joseph
Pop Culture Happy Hour - Baldur's Gate 3
NPR's Book of the Day - Roxane Gay fleshes out her strong 'Opinions'
99% Invisible #565 - Mini-Stories: Volume 18
Just One Thing - Be Kind
Not Another D&D Podcast - D&D Court: Sibling Rivalry Edition (w/ Ify Nwadiwe)
Dear Prudence - A DNA Test Revealed a Secret Sibling. Help!
What Next: TBD - Boeing’s Max Mess
⭐ Endless Thread - The Minnesota Timberwolves score NBA fandom in Brazil, but there's a kink
You're Dead to Me - History of Kung Fu
Today, Explained - Hollywood’s secret musicals
⭐ Hit Parade - And the Grammy Goes to… Edition
Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Copycat Brands
🎶 MUSIC 🎶
'80s Soft Pop
The Golden Age of Boy Bands
Presenting Britney Spears
Def Leppard's Greatest Bites
Best of '80s Adult Hits
Covers & Remixes
Singer-Songwriter Classics
Red Hot Chili Peppers
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267 - DUIs
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mrskodzuken · 2 years
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My smol workspace ☺️ this is what i’m doing atm... *le sigh* 💀 (don’t mind the jar of Vicks Vaporub there; my left shoulder’s feeling achy since earlier this morning after waking up 🤦🏻‍♀️)
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unnamed-atlas · 5 months
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How bad would it be if I started making fanart for a mcyt series from ten years ago that probably no one remembers and neither of the people involved in it post minecraft content anymore 😬
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rogersstevie · 8 months
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hate when you're trying to figure out what's happening with a public figure and all you get is their rabid fans defending them like okay can i get the other side please
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most culturally 'untrustworthy' professions are those that made money through means that weren't tangible. Currently it's lawyers and banks (who make money by selling advice and time), but historically it was millers (since they made money by making things into more valuable versions of those things)
Luxury brands are the opposite. A opposed selling something intangible but real, They sell things that are tangible but unreal (the fantasy of wealth etc)
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astrogre · 7 months
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People Represented in each House
Including niche examples
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1H
Yourself, your persona. You as an individual. Your role models (projection of your ideal self)
2H
Business partners, business collaborators, acting/modelling/any agency you are under. Podcasters you listen to, literal social media influencers, salesman, your self esteem mentors,your real estate agent, your savings coach, your bank, your stockbroker
2H includes people who influence how you earn money. 2H represents people who can influence your personal values and your self esteem E.g a Ben Shapiro to a politically curious individual, the kardashians to a teenage girl. 2nd house can also represent people involved in the maintenance, acquisition and management of your possessions and finances
3H
Your siblings, your neighbours, your relatives like extended family, peers and acquaintances like the people in your class you know of but don’t talk to enough to say they’re your friend, peers, acquaintances, colleagues/coworkers, professors, educational teachers, speaking coach, language teacher
3H is related to intellectual pursuits, learning, just all forms of intellectual development, mercury sits well here. It’s about the people who you interact with daily as they influence your way of communication The individuals here would influence your communication style, interests and knowledge
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4H
Your mother (mother figure if you don’t have a mother), your parents but particularly your mother figure, the collective of your whole family, ancestors, caregivers, people that live in your house like your flatmates, your housemates, housekeepers, butlers
4H represents the physical home, the mother, familial connections, nurturers etc. so the people here would be the ones living in it and those who have influence in your domestic life
5H
Your children, your inner child, you as a parent, your nieces, your nephews, romantic partners (short term), artistic partners E.g co-writers, collaborators, people involved in your projects, your students, your mentees, your investors, your hook up partners, people who you gamble or just play games with.
5H represents children, creativity, your mentoring to others, gambling, fun, joyful light love affairs, it’s also ruled by Leo. So we have these people involved with these themes
6H
Coworkers, colleagues, employees, staff (individuals who work under you or provide a service to you), your doctor, your contractors, your nurses, your teammates, your healthcare providers, your therapist, your career coach, your internship mentor, your assistants, your service providers, your pets, your gym colleagues, your fitness instructor, your nutritionist, your organiser, your HR department, your vet
6H represents work environment, daily routines, service, health and well-being, these are the people that you find under that setting
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7H
Romantic partners, your spouse, life partner, your closest friends, confidants, allies, your supporters, your business partners, anyone you form a pact with, your clients, your customers (the kind you engage with in professional settings), your lawyers, your legal team, your competitors, your opponents, your matchmaker, your wedding planner, your relationship therapist
7H ruled by Libra represents all relationships that also includes bad ones btw, business relationships, marriage, 7H represents companions, partnerships, professional relationships, legal matters, professional representation so the people that fall under this house would be those that build relationships with you
8H
Financial partners/advisors, therapists, inheritors, beneficiaries (who you inherit from), occult teachers, your intimate long term sexual partners, your accountant, your councillors, your psychologist, your insurance agents, your estate planners, your morticians
8H is associated with death, sex, psychology, transformation, joint resources etc. and so these are the kind of people that 8H would represent
9H
Your professors, your teachers, your spiritual leaders, your priest, your pastor, your favourite scholars, your favourite philosophers, your lawyers, your judges, your legal advisors, your authors, your educational materials, your foreign friends, your foreign connections.
alike to 3H in education but 9H rules higher education so it’s an octave higher than 3H in terms of the teachers associated with it. 9H also represents justice and law so it would include people that work in this field that you encounter
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10H
Your father, your boss, your mentor, your manager, people of authority, your parents (father in particular), influential figures you look up to, e.g your fave celebrities, government, politicians, your PR team, your publishers, you as a role model, your admirers like the people who look up to you, influencers, your business, icons
10H association with self-image and reputation and classic Saturn authority would include those who are involved in those themes
11H
Friends, peers. Social activists, humanitarians, philanthropists, inventors, forecasters, visionaries, leaders, community organisers, trendsetters
different from 3H in the sense that with 11H friends, you actually share the same goals and interests in mind whereas with 3H it’s mostly an exchange of communication about these parts of yourself and they are less as significant in your social life compared to 11H type of friends
12H
Spiritual beings, your religion, spiritual forces, your subconscious mind, artists, creative people, writers, hospital patients, prisoners, monks, religious people, volunteers, dreamers, charities.
12H represents those that can derive what is within their inner secluded world and bring it into reality. It’s associated with empathy, mental/spiritual state, seclusion and the bed. The people here would be those that would retreat, help others and tap into realms beyond the physical)
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leidensygdom · 1 year
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Okay, I will try to explain this topic as well as I can. I will preface this with the fact this comes from personal experiences, and that they may not apply for everyone who has ties to this culture, but let's get to it:
What's the issue with Fortune tellers / "Exotic" circus performers, sexualized belly dancers and other forms of orientalism/Romani depictions?
So, as someone in the TTRPG world (specifically, the DnD community), this sort of trope is seen quite a lot. From the portrayal of Vistani (which has been tried to be fixed, but not... too well), to player characters in home games, as well as popular canon characters and podcasts, it's got quite normalized. Most of these tropes are based on Romani, which is a widespread ethnicity present all across the globe. Now, it feels almost strange to call it orientalism, given how Romani have been in Europe since the Middle Ages, even though they do have roots outside of Europe.
Romani face one of the biggest diaspora in the world: You will find Roma people under many names in very different countries, with cultures and traditions that can clash heavily. Their numbers can range from few hundred in some countries, to over a million in those they have a biggest presence. My own experience is tied to Spanish Roma, known as Gitanos, which is where my mother's side family comes from.
Gitanos are a widespread group, although they're most numerous in the southern part of Spain, Andalusia, where their presence has shaped the culture. Flamenco is thought to have been born from Gitano culture, and it has been adopted as a staple of the Andalusian identity, and the whole of Spain. Gitanos are hard to understand as their own ethnicity in Spain: There's been centuries of Gitanos and Spanish people mixing, and the average Andalusian is quite tan to start with (given Muslim presence there has also been pretty firm). It means it can be hard to "clock" a Spanish Romani person from a non-Romani one. It means you can find Romani people most would consider white, at least by Spanish standards. Most of the discrimination Gitanos face is cultural (and the whole ordeal can be a bit harder to explain from a more US-centric view).
Now, even when Gitanos have influenced Spanish culture a lot, they still face plenty of discrimination. They are one of the most marginalized groups out there. Laws have discriminated against them for centuries, on and off, which have put them in poverty. And poverty often develops into criminality, which has only seeded the idea that Gitanos are criminals, "lowlies", the bottom of society, "uncivilized", etc. Now, here comes a bit of my own experience with this.
My entire family is Andalusian, but both sides moved from there (the south) to Catalonia (north-east) in order to find a job during the Francoist (fascist) dictatorship. I won't get much into the specifics of the Catalan vs Andalusian beef because that's a bit of a massive topic too, but the important thing here is: My mother's side is Romani. My grandma faced some horrifying forms of discrimination, including the theft of her first child during the fascist dictatorship, which was taken from her by nuns (who ran hospitals at the time) to be placed into a "proper" family. (This is something that happened repeatedly at some hospitals during these times).
Now, she had two other children: My mother and my aunt. My aunt remained closely knit to Romani culture, and took part in it, which included marrying a Romani guy. She always did her best efforts to be part of it. I know she was into some culturally-related dances, which included some forms of bellydancing (which is also partially tied to Roma culture). But my mother decided she'd rather cut ties with her culture and become "civilised", by abandoning said culture.
This isn't too uncommon for Gitanos, to be honest. I've met a few people who come from similar backgrounds through my life. One of them was in university, where a fellow classmate gave an oral exposition about how his family had done a great job at "becoming civilised" by cutting ties with their own Roma roots. My university was a fairly progressive space, but no one batted an eye at that: The sheer hatred of Roma culture runs so deep even people who normally abhor racism and xenophobia consider Gitanos to be worth the hate.
There's a social pressure to do that, too. Everyone "knows" Gitano are criminals. I can't really even begin to explain how deeply does this sort of discrimination run. Roma are amongst the most hated minority groups in all of Europe (as well as most of the world). You will find that even in very leftist circles. People will try to erase the fact Roma have their own culture, and just make the world equal to "criminal", call them gy***** (which is a slur, btw), and detach them from being an actual culturally (and often racially) distinct group.
Now, this is only empowered by how media has taken our culture (it is almost hard for me to call it "our", given how much my mother ensured to take that away) and made it into a bad trope. Growing up, I was told my aunt was a sexual deviant who partook in indecent dances. Bellydancing is often seen as something very sexual (Wasn't, in origin), very unfitting. In media, bellydancers veer on the side of being a f*tish, and the common trope is the "bellydancer who seduces people in power for their own benefit". There's also the whole idea of shady fortune tellers and other magical tropes, that sort of weird mysticism that falls rapidly into orientalism. The idea that Roma will hex you, curse you, place an "Evil Eye" on you. And also the idea of travelling circus, people who perform in them being again full of that alluring exoticism, but beware! For they will enchant you, steal from you and run some massive criminal schemes on the way.
Now, when every tie a culture has on media is portrayed in a negative light, it's much harder for that culture to recover any sort of respect from the general populace. And that includes even people who are part of said culture, or people who have been removed from it. It has taken me so many years to unlearn a lot of these biases and realize where it has come from, and now I'm far too distant and far away from my grandmother to actually ever significantly connect to my heritage.
I've had the opportunity to witness what Romani culture is actually about, as I used to live with my grandmother during summers. A lot of the "mysticism" she took part of was actually about wards and protection. A lot of them were actually medicinal in nature, even if others were more superstitious. Red thread in the forehead for sickness and protection to curses, parfums (which contained alcohol or other antiseptics) on wounds, that stuff. My aunt was never a "sexual" deviant, she was keen on recovering and partaking on traditions from a culture that is slowly disappearing. The entire "promiscuous" idea is bullshit, Gitanos place a massive amount of power to marriage and loyalty. I had the luck to witness my cousin's marriage, which was a festivity like none other I had seen in my life, a colorful spectacle full of the most delightful attires, and my mother was whining the entire time over about how it was all an "uncivilised circus".
Now, this is why representation in media is key. Roma culture is broken into a thousand pieces and lost with every passing day. When someone decides to write an ambulant circus performer/fortune teller clad in exotic clothes full of golden jewellery, writes them as a criminal and makes the entire thing extremely sexual, they are feeding into the negative stereotypes about Roma.
Now, there's a lot of people who aren't even aware what culture does that trope even actually come from. I've seen people draw characters clad in Romani attires (often in, uh, rather pin-up or sexual contexts) and claim they're inspired by "x piece of media", where the trope is portrayed in the first place. I literally saw someone make a drawing in that way and call it "inspired by x (non-Roma) artist" instead of acknowledging where does all that come from.
I'm not asking people to not portray Roma people in media. Far from that. I just wish representation was better. Good representation is key towards making a culture seen in a more positive light, and teaching other peoples about it, and making people from said culture resonate with it. The very few times I've seen positive representations of Roma I've felt a bit of that connection with something that was taken from me. I want people to do a bit of research before giving a try to a Roma-coded character. Make an effort to not make Roma always the morally dubious fortune teller, the exotic alluring circus traveller, the bellydancer seductress. It's hard for Romani to produce widespread mainstream media because of how impoverished most communities are (because of the systematic discrimination Roma face all around the world), so the least non-Roma people can do is to be kind when they use their voice to talk or represent us.
I know this is a massive post, and I'm tagging it as "long post" for that reason, but I hope it is helpful for people. Feel free to ask or add your own experience if this is something that resonates with you too. Ask away if you want. I've been wanting to tell a bit my own personal experience, as this has always been a hard spot for me, and even if just a handful of people read this and understand what is this all about, I think it will have been worth it.
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whoistartaglia · 9 months
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genshin men as types of influencers—part two
part one
cyno has a prank channel, but “prank” is a loosely-defined term. sure, he acts like everything he’s filming are pranks, but are they really? he laughs at them meanwhile the person being pranked ends up more confused than anything else. the ends of the videos include an in-depth explanation as to why the prank is funny and why the audience should be laughing (they’re still not).
dottore has a very bland account dedicated to his research and experiments. this includes hours long, unedited videos of him going through the procedure, and barely explaining anything at all. he doesn’t get a lot of views, except for one random video with millions of views, likes, and comments. it’s definitely not pinned on his channel either.
albedo also has an account dedicated to his experiments, except that his videos are more like tutorials. he’ll explain the procedure, what materials you’ll need, and go through step-by-step on how to set up and complete the experiment. struggling high school and college kids love him, and he even takes his time to respond to some comments.
heizou is the host of a true crime podcast. what started out as him bragging about his escapades turned into biweekly uploads about true crimes around teyvat. sometimes he’ll bring on co-hosts, other times it’ll just be him. heizou knows the ins and outs of the detective side of things, and he’s such a naturally-gifted narrator that he’s swiftly amassed a legion of loyal fans.
tighnari has an account dedicated to nature and the environment. you’ll find several videos of animals, wilderness survival guides, and even a glimpse into his own day in the life. he most certainly has a couple rants about travelers and adventurers getting a little too friendly to hostile animals—he tells his audience to learn from their mistakes, no matter how funny the story may be.
kazuha posts pictures of short videos of his travels over teyvat, and his account is very aesthetically pleasing. he has an overall neutral color scheme and the photos he takes breathe serenity and peace—even if his day-to-day life can sometimes be anything but. he always includes where he’s currently visiting and comments on the county in the caption.
lyney posts card tricks. he is able to captivate his audience with such tricks, even fooling the most keenest of eyes. his shuffling is also impressive; can he split the deck and have the cards arranged in whatever order he wants in under a minute. his audience begs for a tutorial that lyney will never give—a magician never reveals his secrets, after all.
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bookgeekgrrl · 4 months
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My media this week (31 Dec 2023-6 Jan 2024)
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📚 STUFF I READ 📚
😊 The PostScript Murders (Harbinder Kaur #2) (Elly Griffiths, author; Nina Wadia, narrator) - entertaining cozy mystery (even tho Harbinder is an actualfax police officer). Though it's nominally Harbinder's series, she's just one of the characters, not the main character per se. Anyway, I enjoyed!
💖💖 +366K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved (YULETIDE, BABEY!) 💖💖
Put to Their Books (ribbons) - Sotherans twitter acct; KJ Charles' England & WDA series: archie/daniel, fen/pat, 2K - v clever modern social media AU feat Southerns, cameo by AZ Fell
A Particular Force (TwoWeevils) - The Will Darling Adventures (KJ Charles): will/kim, 5K - Yuletide 2023
It was of this that he had been dreaming (ExceptMaybeYou) - We Could Be So Good (Cat Sebastian): andy/nick, 4K - Yuletide 2023
Permanent Residence (Nabielka) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): peter/caleb, 1.7K - Yuletide 2023, 'on staying in California'
Finest of the Flavors (whetherwoman) - Lilywhite Boys Series (KJ Charles): jerry/alec, 5K - Yuletide 2023
I love you--all I can (goseaward) - England Series (KJ Charles): bill/jimmy, 5K - Yuletide 2023, Bill & Jimmy across 30 years
The Alternatives of Summer (iberiandoctor (jehane)) - Call Me By Your Name: oliver/elio, 8K - Yuletide 2023, 8 yrs later Elio & Oliver meet at Fire Island
The Matrimonial State (beautifulduckweed) - The Cabots (Cat Sebastian): tommy/everett, 4K - Yuletide 2023, "Being a short account of three different weddings in Massachusetts attended by Thomas Cabot and Everett Sloane."
📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺
Zarna Garg: One in a Billion
Midsomer Murders - s24, e3-4
Dirty Laundry - s3, e9
D20: Escape From The Bloodkeep - e1-5
🎧 PODCASTS 🎧
Hit Parade - The Bridge: Moguls Can’t Be Choosers
Desert Island Discs - Marina Abramović, performance artist
Overinvested - Ep. 291: Doctor Who 2023 specials
Welcome to Night Vale - The Haunting of Night Vale
Vibe Check - My Spiritual Finger Is Wagging
Today, Explained - Israel’s next move
Films To Be Buried With - Chelsea Peretti
Pop Culture Happy Hour - Books We Love: No Biz Like Showbiz
What Next: TBD - Why the New York Times Sued OpenAI
Up First - Trump's Pardon Promise, The Islamic State's Iran Attack, Jeffrey Epstein Conspiracies
Endless Thread - This episode is a sign from the universe
Dear Prudence - I Don’t Want to Cancel My Retirement Plans to Babysit. Help!
Cautionary Tales - DANGER: Rocks Ahead!
Our Opinions Are Correct - New mini episode! All about our cats
You're Dead to Me - Catherine the Great
What Next: TBD - Tesla's Cybertruck Problem
Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Now With Real Journalists!
Up First - Jan. 6 Insurrection Revisited, Blinken to Israel, COVID Resurgence.
Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Disappearing Acts: When Popular Brands Are Discontinued
🎶 MUSIC 🎶
The Essential REO Speedwagon {2004}
I Wanna Know What Love Is
Soft Rock Ballads
Relaxing '80s Rock
Merengue Mix
AM In The A.M.: '70s Pop Morning
"Beach Baby" [First Class] radio
'70s Mellow Gold
'80s Slow Dance
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hiddenhearthwitch · 2 months
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📚 Small Intro To Polytheism📚
One of the most frequent asks I receive is how and where to get started when it comes to polytheism. This is a fairly broad subject and I’ll try to be as general as I can for advice but I will include specific references for Norse polytheists as that’s my shit. This information can be used to help you find a pantheon or to help you pick deities to work with it. If you’d like to use it to pick a patron deity that’s super, if you want to worship 20 gods and not have a patron deity that’s cool too. You do you dude. Please keep in mind this is all reflective of my research and personal practice. 🌻
Picking A Pantheon/Deity
This really boils down to personal preference. You’ll read a lot of posts and books that tell you many different ways and it’s entirely up to you because it is your practice.  That being said, there’s a couple of different ways to go about it. 
Research! This is one of my favorite ways to delve in. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with reading the stories of multiple pantheons and picking on that calls to you. You can also talk to other devotees and see what they have to say about deities and their religions. It is important to keep in mind that some religions are closed so please do proper research!
For example, I wasn’t originally a Norse pagan. I read some stories and thought the Hellenic pantheon would best suit me. I reached out to Eros for a while but after feeling no real connection to the pantheon I continued my research! After reading up on the Norse pantheon I decided to reach out to them out. Obviously, I fucking loved it because here I am. Point being, you can pick a pantheon based on research and not some divine message or whatever. You are also more than welcome to try out a religion, decide it doesn’t suit you, and move on. 
Divination! You can use runes, a pendulum, tarot, etc.This can go a few different ways. You can write pantheon/deity names on separate pieces of paper, mix them up, and place them face down then ask the pendulum to pick. You can assign a deity/pantheon to each suit of cards or major arcana card or even do the same thing with runes. 
For example, this is how I found a devotion to Frigg and Hel. I asked if there were any deities who were interested in working with me and pulled the runes Hagalaz and Berkana which read as Hel and Frigg to me. I followed up with tarot cards and pulled Death(Hel) plus the Queen of Pentacles(Frigg).
Asking/waiting for a sign. This isn’t something I’ve personally done so I don’t have much to say on the subject. You can go about meditating, praying, doing a ritual, or whatever and essentially wait for a sign after. It can come via a dream, something you experience, symbols you see in your daily life, it’s pretty much up to your intuition to decipher it. If anyone has information they’d like me to add in here please let me know!
If there’s a god you’re curious about and don’t want to do any of the above it’s totally cool to just reach out and ask if they want to work with you. 
Idk How To Research
Same, tbh my keyword search game is weak. Anyways, good portion of us are looking up dead religions with little reliable resources. To give those curious about the Norse an easy head start here’s a compiled list of  books by yours truly(click me!!) . It’s important to take everything with a grain a salt of salt when doing research. In my experience a lot of the retold Norse sagas have been Christianized or written under heavy Wiccan influences. It’s a good idea to do research on the author before reading one of their books.
Other blogs! There are tons of great witches and pagans on tumblr that have information waiting for you. 💗 You can search their blog/tags for good references for books, websites, podcasts, etc. Plus lots of blogs are open to answer asks. If you don’t know where to start for searching it’s best to try things based around your interest like: “norse polytheist”, “hellenic witch”, “gaelic polytheism”, etc.
Media! How lucky are we that we live in the age of technology? Knowledge is right at our fingertips! There are countless documentaries, podcasts, and audiobooks on youtube full of information for different cultures and religions. I’d personally recommend almost anything by BBC, Myths & Legends, and World Mythology!
Books! I love starting on goodreads to find good books and trust worthy authors. They’ve had almost every book I looked up with bunches of different reviews so you can get varying perspectives. Check out your local library as well! A lot of city libraries have online databases now of all of their books so you can “check it out” online and read the PDF(personal fave). 
Feeling Lost Still?
That’s completely reasonable and your feelings are more than valid. It can be overwhelming and lot of information to soak up. Just do your best and take it at your own pace, there’s no rush to find a deity or pantheon. 💞 Below are a few other general concerns I hear a lot that I was hoping to address.
“I’m leaving a monotheistic(Christian, Catholic, Jewish, etc) religion and it’s giving me anxiety.” This is entirely common and almost expected in my opinion. I was raised Roman Catholic and my first year to two looking into polytheism riddled me with anxiety. I was constantly concerned that god would smite me down or I’d face an eternity in hell for worshiping false gods. While I can’t speak for everyone that fear was entirely erased for me when I found my gods. I’ve never felt so safe and strong and hopefully with time you can find the same in your gods!
It’s okay to want to learn more or to seek something more. I can’t tell you how to handle your anxiety but please know you’re not alone in that fear. There’s whole communities out there willing to support you and help you find your safe space(including me)!
“What’s UPG?” You’ll see a lot of posts, mine included, that mention UPG - UPG is Unverified Personal Gnosis. This is essentially someone’s personal thoughts and beliefs about a deity. For example, I associate Sif with hazelnuts. There’s nothing in the lore or any book that says that she likes hazelnuts; that’s just a personal opinion(aka a UPG).
“How do I reach out to the gods?” I have a lot of information on my blog about this topic although a lot of it is Norse specific. You can check out my beginner polytheist tag here and my beginner norse post/ask here.
Altar! This is my go to typically. Altars aren’t limited to the cookie cutter image that comes to mind(no hate though I have a few); one thing you can make a side blog dedicated to your pantheon/deity, make a small one in a tin can, or even make one in a video game like Minecraft or some shit. You can be as creative or as to the book as you want. It’s up to you.
Prayer! You can totally just sit down and be like, “Hey man wanna work on some shit together?”. While I’m not 100% that all gods would be down with you being that casual it’s still something you can try.😂 You can reach out to them by sitting down in a quiet space and meditating into prayer, praying in the car or in the shower, or just pray at the altar you set up if you did. Again, I can not reiterate this enough, it’s your practice, reach out to them as you please.
Do something personal! This is more like devotional work in my opinion. Let’s say you knit and you want to reach out to a creative or domestic deity, you can knit something as a devotional act to them and as a way to reach out. For example I pick up litter in honor of the Vanir and Jörð, or I play Skyrim for Thor and Týr.
Most importantly just be honest and up front with the god that you’re reaching out too. Considering that statement be honest with yourself as well. There’s no point going into a relationship with a god if you can’t be upfront, it’ll end up in nothing but grief.
“Can deities reach out through gods/signs?” They totally can. However, it is up to you and your intuition if a deity has and it’s not likely another witch will decipher that for you. Sounds, experiences, images, all have different meanings to each of us - they may show you something that’s very personal to you but would be mundane to someone else. Trust your instincts. However, please remember that not everything is magical, sometimes a raven is just a raven and not Odin.
✨Take everything you learn with a grain of salt. Including this post.✨
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Vice surrenders
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I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in LA with Adam Conover at Vroman's, then on MONDAY in Seattle with Neal Stephenson, then Portland, Phoenix and more!
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Vice died the way it lived: being suckered in by smarter predators, even as it trained its own predatory instincts on those more credulous than its own supremely gullible leadership. RIP, we hardly knew ye.
For those of you who don't know, Vice was a Canadian media success story. It was founded by a motley clique of hipsters, one of whom – founder of the Proud Boys – has since grown to be one of the world's great fascism influencers. Another perfected the art of getting young people to work "for exposure" even as he built a massive, highly lucrative media empire on their free labor:
https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/vice-oral-history/
Eventually, Vice transitioned to a string of progressively worsening corporate owners, each more dishonest, predatory – and gullible – than the last. The company was one of the most enthusiastic marks for Facebook's infamous "pivot to video" – in which Mark Zuckerberg destroyed half the media industry by tricking them into thinking that the public was clamoring for video content, based on fraudulent viewing numbers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pivot_to_video
Vice went all-in on video, spending hundreds of millions to finance Zuckerberg's doomed attempt to conquer Youtube. But unlike other the rubes who got zucked, Vice found greater fools to scam, convincing giant, slow-moving meidia companies that the best way to get in on the Next Big Thing was to shower them with vast sums of string-free money:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceland_(Canadian_TV_channel)
And yet, at every turn, through a succession of increasingly incompetent owners who bought the stumbling, declining Vice at fire-sale prices and then proceeded to hack away at the wages and tools its journalists depended on while paying executives salaries so high that they beggared the imagination, Vice's reporters continued to turn out stellar material.
This went on literally until the last moment. The memorial posted by 404 Media rounds up a selection of major stories Vice's beleaguered, precarious writers produced even as Vice's vulture capitalist leadership were pulling the rug out from under them:
https://www.404media.co/behind-the-blog-vices-legacy-and-the-idea-that-the-internet-is-forever/
True to form, those private equity scumbags locked all those workers out of the company's CMS without notice – and then forgot to lock down the podcasting back-end. That allowed a group of Vice veterans – Matthew Gault, Emily Lipstein, Anna Merlan, Tim Marchman and Mack Lamoureux – to gather for a totally unauthorized, tell-all session that they pushed out on an official Vice channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKT4OtDEJRA
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It's a hell of a listen. Not only do these Vice veterans have lots of fascinating history to recount, but they also describe the conditions under which those blockbuster stories of Vice's final days were produced. As the "visionary leaders" of the company paid themselves millions, they halted payments to key suppliers, from Lexisnexis to the interview transcription service the writers depended on. Writers paid out of pocket to search PACER court records.
Not only did Vice's reporters do incredible work under terrible and worsening circumstances, but the Vice writers who got out ahead of the total collapse are also doing incredible work. 404 Media is a writer-owned investigative news publisher founded by four Vice escapees – Samantha Cole, Jason Koebler, Emanuel Maiberg and Joseph Cox, which is both producing incredible work and sustaining the writers who founded it:
https://www.404media.co/
All of which leads to an inescapable conclusion: whatever problems Vice had, they didn't include "writers don't do productive work" and also didn't include "that work isn't economically viable*. Whatever problems Vice had, they weren't problems with Vice's workers – it was a problem with Vice's bosses.
Which makes Vice's final, ignominious punishment at the hands of those bosses even more brutal, stupid and inexcusable. According to the leaked memos emanating from the company's investors and their millionaire C-suite toadies, the business's new strategy is abandoning their website in order to publish on social media.
This is…I mean, this,..
This is…
Wow.
I mean, wow.
The thing is, the social media business model is a giant rug-pull. They're not even bothering to hide their playbook anymore. For social media, the game is to encourage media companies to become reliant on third parties to reach their audiences. Once that reliance is established, the companies turn down – or even halt – the ability of those media companies to reach their audience altogether. Then, they charge the media companies to reach their audiences:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-need-end-end-web
Now, this wasn't always quite so obvious. Back when Vice was falling for Facebook's "pivot to video," it wasn't completely obvious that the long con was to take your audience hostage and ransom them back to you. But deliberately organizing your business to be reliant on social media barons today? It's like trusting your money to Sam Bankman-Fried…in 2024.
If there was ever a moment when the obvious, catastrophic, imminent risk of trusting Big Tech intermediaries to sit between you and your customers or audience, it was now. This is not the moment to be "social first." This is the moment for POSSE (Post Own Site, Share Everywhere), a strategy that sees social media as a strategy for bringing readers to channels that you control:
https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/19/now-we-are-two/#two-much-posse
Predicting that a social media platform will rug the media companies that depend on it today doesn't take a Sun Tzu – as cunning strategies go, the hamfisted tactics of FB, Twitter and Tiktok make gambits like "Lucy and the football" look like von Clausewitz.
The most bonkers part of this strategy is that it's coming from private equity bosses, who laud themselves as the great strategists of the 21st century, whose claim on so much of our global capital and resources is derived from their brilliant insight, which allows them to buy "distressed assets" like Vice, "restructure" them to find "efficiencies" and sell them on.
The reality is that PE goons – like other financiers – are basically herding animals. Everyone's hit on the tactic of buying up beloved media companies – from the 150-year-old Popular Science to modern publications like CNet – and then filling them with spammy garbage in the hopes that Google will fail to notice and continue to award them pride-of-place on search results pages:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task
The fact that these billionaire brain-geniuses can't figure out how to "turn around" a site whose workers a) produce brilliant, popular, successful work; and b) depart to found successful firms that commercialize that work tells you everything about their ability to spot "a good business opportunity."
PE – like other mafiosi – only have one business-plan, the "bust out," where you invade a business that produces useful things, force them to pay your chosen suppliers sky-high fees for things they don't need, extract massive fees for your "management" and then walk away from the collapse:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/06/02/plunderers/#farben
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If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/24/anti-posse/#when-you-absolutely-positively-dont-give-a-solitary-single-fuck
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truevedicastrology · 5 months
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Celestial Vocal Personas 🌌🗣️
Individuals influenced by the Sun and Mercury collaboration possess a voice that echoes confidence, firmness, and stability. Their articulation is unwavering, avoiding stutters and conveying messages with unhesitating clarity. Renowned for the authoritative touch in their voice, these communicators excel in debates and discussions, seamlessly blending longer and shorter sentences to create a burst of linguistic prowess. 💪🌟
For those under the embrace of the Moon and Mercury alliance, a nurturing and motherly timbre characterizes their speech. Their voices exude a sense of home, becoming a comforting refuge for those seeking solace. Capable of weaving words into a poetic tapestry, these individuals possess a voice that resonates with love and warmth. 🏡💖
Venturing into the realm of Venus and Mercury synergy, an enticing and charismatic voice takes center stage. Whether deepening for males or soaring in pitch for females, this enchanting vocal quality holds the power to adapt and captivate. Masters of the art of persuasion, these individuals effortlessly tailor their voices to be charming and cute, leaving a lasting impression. 😍✨
Mars and Mercury coalescence results in a voice that commands attention with its bold and loud resonance. Despite its potential to induce apprehension, this voice carries a mysterious allure, perceived as sexy and dominant. Contrary to initial impressions, it conceals a depth that draws listeners in, creating an unforgettable sonic experience. 🔊🔥
Jupiter and Mercury collaborators wield a voice that resonates loudly and deeply, coupled with a charming laugh. Embracing the role of educators, they share knowledge effortlessly, often finding success in vocally-driven ventures like podcasts. Their commanding presence and informative tone mark them as natural leaders in the realm of spoken expression. 🎓🎙️
Saturn and Mercury affiliations bring forth a deliberate, sometimes leisurely voice. Characterized by calmness and nonchalance, these individuals carefully select each word, creating a voice that exudes respect and thoughtfulness. Frequently delving into discussions on rules and adherence, their measured speech leaves a lasting impression. 🤔🗣️
Navigating the ethereal waters of Neptune and Mercury connections reveals a voice shrouded in dreaminess and otherworldly allure. Comparable to a siren's song, this enchanting voice finds its zenith in slow-paced melodies. Bestowing a gift for musical talents, these individuals weave spells with their voices, leaving audiences craving more. 🌌🎶
Uranus and Neptune collaborations manifest in a distinctly unique voice, one that stands out amidst the cacophony of conventional tones. Unconventional in word choices and sentence structures, these individuals proudly showcase a voice that defies expectations, leaving an indelible mark on the listener's memory. 🚀🤯
The fusion of Pluto and Mercury births an intimidating, seductive, and deep voice, irrespective of gender. Authoritative and potentially intimidating, this voice possesses an undeniable allure, embracing both seduction and mystery. It's a voice that lingers, leaving an indescribable, addictive imprint on those who encounter it. 💋🔮
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iintervallum · 11 days
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Sometimes I think about how the dndads cast should be on tumblr, with them having a subreddit(you know how they can be) and dndadstwt being like 10 people, tumblr would be the perfect place for them to see more of the fandom, if they wish to that is. Since quite a lot of people on here are way less honed in on negativity than reddit and twitter.
My edit of this is getting long lol so I'm putting it under a cut
Especially reddit, the people on there honestly I think just get too attached to a specific format or way of doing things, its a common pattern in any long running show fandoms i've been in where its reddit that constantly complains about the "good ol' days" and hate any new changes made. I would sometimes drop in and just see a lot of Scary hate at times, or people getting very irritated with the rule breaking, or just complaining that they're "forcing" the humor. I saw a post like that when i just started s2 and that couldnt have been more incorrect (yeah the piss jokes got a bit much but every other part was golden!...pun not intended)
There were absolutely points where I felt my interest wanning, but I think people would get pretty vicious about it and make a lot of mean spirited accusations. Like if anything the things I really enjoyed about this season was how different it was to s1, the contrast was really nice and i liked a lot of the story choices made, i still think about the apollo four teens and the fucking goof realm episodes, they were amazing. Which is why I remember thinking it was odd that they suddenly started involving the dads from s1 more, but knowing now that Anthony was struggling with people not liking this season as much it makes perfect sense.
Idk if it were just me, but i liked the earlier parts of the season for how the teens were still kind of discovering more about themselves and through gathering each anchor, learning more that their parents are people too, with their own fuck ups revealed and the teens have to clean up after them, so having it shift to be about Willy again was a little odd if i'm being honest(I didnt hate it but a repeat villian is hard to do, and for what its worth i think Willy did get the end he deserved and i loved the finale).
Funnily, in its own way it fits the theme of being a teenager and having to live up to your parents expectations. In a meta sense this being the successor to the first season and it being awkward at points and having issues with its identity is very fitting and just like how teenhood actually is.
I've gotten off topic but my point is fandom is just fandom, and letting it influence the way creators can view their own work is an interesting side effect of the internet and the way we navigate with the media we enjoy or hate. And spaces like reddit are grown in a way to encourage more brutally critical ways of analysing media which has very little consideration for the creator. By no means am I saying that the creators of things should be coddled, heck I literally airing my own annoyances with the podcast in space where i'm uplifting the positivity of tumblr over those spaces lol. I just mean that seeing the more genuine side of the fanbase would be more of a better time for them.
EDIT: (I just phrased things better, fixed the spelling and grammer errors and added more thoughts) The more I ruminate on this the more I think that it would honestly be a good idea. Like I do get the base worry of being too close to the more intense side of the fandom, as people on here are unafraid to gush about the show in ways that can be a little much and theres parasociality and all that jazz.
But it would be really good at least to see some actual genuine positivity, so many people provide their thoughtful meta and theories that even if widely off base are just interesting to read through because of how various different people see themselves in the characters they play. And even the critiques people give are not unkind, they come from a place of wanting to understand the choices made better.
I mentioned this in the old version of this post but having a blacklisted tag that only the people who don't wish their post to be seen by the cast use, something along the lines like how the magnus archives fandom has "do not archive", would be a very useful tool to create a barrier in the fanbase. I know i'm someone who feels very nervous about creators seeing the posts I make. Something like "not safe for dads" could work well or any other joke or pun about it being hidden. I doubt it would be filled with discourse or whatever it would mainly be people hornyposting since i know fandom well enough lol.
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You're analysis are always very insightful! Your considerations about Malleus' restricted options in terms of partners made me wonder if Kalim would end up in a similar situation as him. This is of course entirely speculation, since we don't know much about how his parents got together, but to me it makes sense that in the future he might have to deal with something like an arranged marriage. He isn't royalty, but the Asim family still has a great deal of commercial and political sway in the Scalding Sands, so it's difficult for me to believe that they would just let the heir marry whoever he chooses. And despite how carefree he may act, I don't think he would reject an arrangement made by his family. He seems pretty aware of all the obligations that come with being an heir to the Asim. Besides, rejecting a spouse that was chosen for him might put said person under a lot of public scrutiny, and I don't think he would want anyone to go through that
[Referencing this post!]
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Oh, hmmm 🤔 I actually never really though about this kind of thing for Kalim so I guess now is as good of a time as any www.
I do think like there would be some selectiveness involved for Kalim too, given the financial power and political influence in the Scalding Sands that the Asims hold (and that's not even mentioning their connections via family, some of which are royalty, and business partners). There's also been several attempts on Kalim's life, so there would probably be an intense screening and background check process for anyone courting Kalim. Who knows if they're actually there to kidnap him or to take his life??? The Asims would have very legitimate concerns, so they have every right to be vigilant and suspicious of those who may try to take advantage of Kalim's kind-heartedness and gullibility.
Mm, I do feel like (overall) Kalim wouldn't be in as much of a tight spot as Malleus?? I get the sense that his parents are way more open-minded and truly care about his happiness (unlike the Briar Valley senators) so they wouldn't exactly force him to marry someone he doesn't actually love. Rather than a "you have no say in this matter" arranged marriage, they might instead present Kalim with a pool of potential candidates that have already been vetted and encourage him to try them out? Like, go on various blind dates and see if he "clicks" with any of them. There would be more trial and error, more exploration allowed (since there isn't as much of a demand for Kalim to have an heir, especially not right away; he has so many other siblings and family members who could help or assume roles in the business). I believe this is similar to how matchmaking is done in some Asian countries (although I'm not too familiar with the concept, I've only learned a little about it through some podcasts). From my understanding, they try to "match" applicants with someone of a similar social ranking as you (so in Kalim's case, he would probably be meeting people who are also mega wealthy) and based on what you (and oftentimes your family) are looking for. If it doesn't work out, then there's less of a chance for backlash since pretty much anyone can use these services and a perfect match isn't a guarantee, especially on the first attempt. Please feel free to correct me if I got any information here wrong!! ^^
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raydays-swap-au · 1 month
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Rayday's Swap AU ~ Alastor
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Second design of today! I probably won't make/post more for a bit as I made most of my Angel Dust design- and this entire one pretty much in one sitting.
More information about the design + "sprites" under the cut
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No staff - I thought that the staff microphone wouldn't fit a futuristic Alastor, so instead I gave him a headset with a microphone
Symbol on headset - While it might just look like an R, I actually took inspiration from the Bluetooth logo, taking 2 runes and combining them. In this case it was A and R. Why those letters? Cuz Alastor and radio/red.
Wiring/radio on his chest - I thought he needed more technology attached to him as Vox had his TV head to drive home the tech theme.
FM 96 - FM is a type of radio frequency ( the other being AM, and FM apparently being the better one. ) I chose the number 96 cuz it's a frequency it can pick up, and also cuz it's quite literally the opposite of 96 in terms of the sex position. ( Fits well with Alastor being asexual )
On that note: Ace swap Alastor? I decided to keep him as asexual, although specifically demisexual ( sex repulsed until sexual attraction for him is gained for a specific person. ) Why? Cuz I personally am a one-sided RadioStatic enjoyer. Will Alastor know he's ace in this AU? It's still a no. He just assumes it's the norm.
Why not make him TV based - TV is technically already going out of style. Now it's more about social medias, podcasts, and/or streaming services. Which is why I decided to just keep his radio themes, rather than switch to a TV themed one. A TV themed swap would be valid too imo, just not my personal take. Also, I got car repair ads on YT right after looking up car radio references on Google. We really live in a dystopia smh.
Hairstyle - It's sort of hard to see, but he has a ponytail now cuz I said so. After I decided on that I realized it also kinda helps with keeping his hair somewhat out of the wiring on the back of his neck, so that's neat.
Horn antennae - I simply thought it'd be a great way to take the antennae thing on Vox's hat and ad it into Alastor.
How futuristic is Alastor in terms of his tech? - I know his design gives sort of mixed signals, but part of it is also just so he looks cool. Coolness is sometimes a valid excuse.
Coat - The coat is sort of a mix between Alastor's and Vox's in terms of shape. It both has the V cut ( which realistically helps with movement/walking, ) but also maintains Alastor's coat-shape rather than giving him a penguin tail tuxedo like Vox sort of has.
Star buttons(?) on his coat sleeves - I just thought it'd be cute. Also cuz he's a media/radio star ofc.
No visible tail - I thought about it and ultimately decided against it. He still has one, don't get me wrong, but if Alastor has a personality similar to Vox, that'd mean he would want to ( try and ) keep his image in check. A cute lil' deer tail would probably make it hard(er) to be taken seriously.
Height - Vox and Alastor has the same height which is about 7 ft, but even then Alastor retains his height as all my swaps do.
Color scheme - Alastor's color scheme is more noticeably influenced by Vox's. I tried my best to swap the red and blue though, with some exceptions ( like the bowtie ) in order to make it more coherent in my opinion.
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Here's his design without the background
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