Empanadillazul

Proceeds are donated to the UNRWA, which is one of the major funding agencies providing aid to Palestine. Recently, the US and other major countries have escalated genocidal efforts by cutting funding from the UNRWA, as AlJazzera reports : Which countries have cut funding to the UNRWA and why?

In 2021, Swarovski (the company that makes the very sparkly crystals you see in certain jewelry, on figure-skaters' twinkliest outfits, on red carpet dresses), decided they didn't want the grubby fingers of small-time jewelers, clothing designers and costumers and crafters on their shiny beads and rhinestones anymore. They decided to limit their sales to "luxury" and couture creators, not girls who sell stuff on Etsy. The tenor of their press release on the subject was snide and insulting. Resellers (like your favorite bead shop) would no longer be allowed to carry their product; the average Jane on the street would not be able to purchase them. You could only get them if you had an authorized business agreement that bound you to very strict brand behavior. And those of us who still had good stock of the crystals would no longer be "permitted" to use the brand's name in our listings for sale.

Every bead shop and craft supply place and many, many small clothing makers--wedding shops, prom and dancing dress suppliers, the sort of salt of the Earth mom and pop time machines of shops that are the backbone of the field--scrambled to find something that could replace them. The last of the stock dwindled quickly, all of us grabbing what we could get while there was any chance of it, and then it was gone and we no longer had any access.

I was Big Pissed about it at the time. It was just so goddamn stuck-up, when wholesalers and indie jewelers had made them so much money, when some people I knew--when *I!*--had been brand-loyal for decades. But with no recourse, everyone pivoted fairly quickly, most of us to Preciosa Crystals. Those are Czech, quite sparkly, and considerably less expensive than Swarovski. The faceting method they use is different, but not worse; any differences are hardly noticeable when you're seeing them as a hundred pinpoints of light.

Well, out of nowhere, Swarovski just dropped this: https://www.harmanbeads.com/swarovski-brand-policy-update

"Effective June 1, 2026, Swarovski updated the distribution and brand usage policies introduced in 2021. Businesses may now purchase Swarovski Crystals without signing a Brand Control Agreement, and Authorized Distribution Partners may once again sell Swarovski Crystals to resellers, including bead stores and online retailers. Businesses may also use the Swarovski brand name when following Swarovski’s Proper Use Guidelines. Designers, manufacturers, artists, brands, retailers, and resellers are now eligible to purchase Swarovski Crystals through authorized distribution channels."

They want us back. A lot of the companies who could have kept a brand relationship with them also have swapped to Preciosa, over the last half-decade, in solidarity with indie creators and out of a sour awareness that it could be them, next. And it doesn't hurt that Preciosa was able to expand their line quite a bit now that everyone who wanted sparkle had no choice but to go to them.

And I'm not seeing nearly anyone who intends to return. The feeling is, "Y'all told us to fuck off! Off we fucked! And now, that's what you can do, too!" I'm seeing a lot of "How many of us did you stab in the back?" comments from the people whose money they're hoping to attract.

I mean imagine just after the end of the shapers war if the Lloys had made moves like the Halovars would have. They made the weapon that killed the god of war, their druids turned a wasteland green. They are heroes, practically saints. They could have been the new nobility and secured the borders of Dol-Makjar completely icing out the Sundered houses from the only non-blighted land left in Aramán. The Sundered Houses would be in absolute disaster if the Lloys decided to play the game like they do.

What are they doing instead? They are making public infrastructure for free and selling just a sword when they need the money. Thaisha wanted to be a jewelry maker and everybody thought it was a great idea. Even now her truly calling and her families seeing as her grandmother is head of the order of Ancients, is healing the world from the damage done by the shapers. This is obviously great for them and the rest of the world, not to mention that in the long run it's probably more effective. I mean just look at what Thaisha did in episode 29 with the opening of the path to the orc souls freed by the ritual. I truly believe that if given enough time they will figure out a way to fix the barrow dels.

mimicking a cat’s purr and being delighted to learn what it means

confused but accepting of the world’s most awkward church camp flirting

showing her best friend her new flowers and, satisfied: “i’m getting *quite* the collection”

“but really, are you an angel?” and emotionally, in a language she likely never got to speak with anyone else: “of sorts, i guess”

the entire advice giving/shaving scene from ep 22

petulance that the barmaid just won’t share what she’s reading!

circus acts as a distraction tactic!

“do you believe in destiny?” “no.” “but you dream of islands and then go to them?” “… I don’t think I like you.”

giving “janet” as her fake name

all of ep 46, but most notably that she tried to speak with and not fight the lightning creature, and that she chose to spill secrets and receive comfort, “i have so many flowers to bring to her”

Miming asking for a bite of the spider meat, and excitedly going back to ask for more for Jester

drawing a dick in the sand to try and commune with the storm lord, and thinking of her friends, and not raging through any of it

gardening with a friend in a home of her own, pushing her bed to be near a precious gift from a friend, getting a room with a balcony so she can be under the stars easily if need be

“i’ve seen you, beau, I’ve seen you a lot”

delighted and grateful for the gift of a handmade straw hat

“maybe i… performed”, miming whatever could be a rock harp, and in a moment of jester’s speech to her brought on by tenderness and fear, recalling the joke with jester to lighten the mood

responding to news of a friend’s terrible past with empathy, humour, and sincerity

that when she got sucked into the mirror world alone, her response to a friend coming to help was that of worry for him “why did you come over here?!”

Sabine: I'm all ears.

Later

Obi Wan: I DON'T WANNA!

Obi Wan just sighs.

Rex: (dying of laughter)

He immediately goes to Yoda for advice because he has no idea what he’s supposed to do right now.

Yoda: Authorized to officiate weddings I am, hmm? Help the Commander with this, I can.

Leia is upset she was evacuated “for her safety” and didn’t get to shoot Vader either.

She and Cody bond over the privation.

There are many Mandos, clones, and one (1) Quinlan Vos that are eagerly trying to support Cody and Leia’s dreams by supplying a variety of weapons and custom made targets featuring Sith portraits.

Obi-Wan: It is not my empire.

Cody, living his best life: Our empire, cyare, of course.

Obi-Wan: It’s a republic.

He finally gets an actual election set up but then everyone just votes for him as Emperor anyway. There wasn’t even an emperor option.

Supposing Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine is still alive at this point, he makes some grand statement saying how there can only be one Emperor.

Some very fearless acolytes keep a little scoreboard in the torture break room that has a time since Vader was last overheard saying “Kenobi.”

Palpatine: I should have left you to burn on Mustafar.

It doesn't help that APPEARENTLY Kenobi has CHILDREN. Baby Kenobis.

Baby Kenobis.

Palpatine doesn’t get nightmares. He doesn’t. But maybe he has one or twelve dreams-that-are-definitely-not-visions-nope-nuh-uh that are… Look, he’s a Sith Lord. The Sith Lord. He doesn’t get “scared” and “apprehensive,” he strikes fear into the hearts of everyone who dares to oppose him. But, just maybe, there’s one (1) thing that causes him… mild concern…….. And the thought of Kenobi having spawned, thereby giving his apprentice even more reasons to utter that name and more people to obsess over….

But they also adopted some cute little children too! Luke loves being a big brother.

Was the Senator having an affair with the Sith dude? Did she and Skywalker die tragically at the hands of their former lover? Is Kenobi the ex? Is there some kind of tragic twins separated at birth situation going on here (except most people think it’s like, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. Or Darth Vader and Obi-Wan)?

There are some very out there ideas, but the general consensus actually ends up being almost close to the truth, if the truth were being reflected through a bunch of fun house mirrors.

"It's a 'good twin, evil twin' situation. The Sith, old Palpy, probably wanted them to grow up evil which is why he had Vader."

"Are you implying Emperor Kenobi is the evil twin?"

"Well not anymore, the Jedi raised it out of him."

General consensus is, Padme had an affair with Vader, but an unwilling one. She thought it would keep her love, Skywalker, safe from the war. But it didn't work and Vader killed them both. Obi Wan is raising his nephew since he and Vader are brothers by blood and he and Anakin were brothers by choice.

Obi-Wan walks in on them scheming hanging out, sighs, and walks back out.

Ahsoka: Oooooh! Godhood! He's going to HATE that! Rex! Logistics on raising Obi Wan to godhood!

Princess: an effeminate and relatively youthful male homosexual or lesbian (1931-4)

Daffodil: effeminate young man (1925)

To throw a fuck into: to have sex with (1919)

Top sergeant: a masculine lesbian (1939) [‘she takes command of the girls’ privates’]

Lily: penis (1919)

Wolf: sexually aggressive man (1847); a homosexual top (1918)

Soul kiss: a deep kiss, involving putting one’s tongue into one’s partner’s mouth (1907)

Tom: a lesbian (1909); [in 'old tom'] prostitute catering to lesbians (1966)

Church mouse: a male homosexual who frequents crowded churches in order to fondle any potential sex partners. (1941)

Discover one's gender: to accept or acknowledge one’s homosexuality (1941) / Lose one's gender: To return to living as a heterosexual

Minty: a masculine lesbian (1941)

Also a lot of early 20th century vulgarity is recorded in Letter from My Father, which is a collection of letters published by a man who's dad was, in short, a major slut and human disaster who wrote about his sex life for his son. It's insane. You can find copies of it online & it's a wild fucking read (literally!) and I think a really interesting look at the life of a person who goes against our stereotypes of what people in the past were "supposed" to be like.

note for writers: these are dated to the first time they were recorded, not necessarily to their first use. I imagine for many of these, they came about naturally through spoken language before they were written down anywhere. This is especially true of more underground slang because it's probably being recorded (in ways we still have) the least. So if you wanna use a term but it's a little off date-wise, give yourself some wiggle room.

also gonna take this moment to highlight two more i found recently:

Best boy: a sweetheart, a boyfriend, a husband. (1893) [w the obvious equivalent term 'best girl']

Honeydripper or honeydrips: a sexual partner (1917)

What if the children go to schools unafraid of tear gas and bullets?

What if the birds come back, and the bees are healed, and every species moves from endangered, to threatened, to thriving?

What if the rainforest ADVANCES?

What if every parking lot had solar panels? What if every structure had solar panels? What if we built climbing gyms and terraced gardens in the skeletons of old coal power plants?

What if you baked your neighbor bread, and they shared their home-grown blackberries?

What if every person who needed a home, had one? What if every person who needed healing was healed?

What if every body was treasured for what it was, not what it should be?

What if every trans child's parents attended their graduation, their wedding, their new-name-day?

What if every warehouse became a closed-circle repair station? Goods flowing out, and back, and out again? What if landfills started to SHRINK?

What if the water and air were clean? What if there was enough public transit that the cars dwindled, leaving the streets safe for kids on bikes, evening deer, midnight cats and foxes?

What if we win?

The condors are back. The whales are saved. The sea turtles are no longer endangered. The cranes are back. The bees are recovering. The air in LA and Tokyo and London is clean again. The aquifers in the LA Basin are refilling.

Children are kinder than previous generations. Parents are stopping the abuse cycle. Being trans and queer is more acceptable than ever on a ground level.

It's hard to see if you're young, if you don't know how to step back from social media and the news. But remember--bad news sells, and the algorithm knows despair keeps you scrolling. It's a skewed lens.

We are fighting and we are winning against this adminstration's bullying. We are coming together against the bullies and they are running away scared because they don't understand that we will do that.

People are working hard every day to find ways to make sure fewer animals get hit by cars and planes and rockets.

Maker spaces are more common than ever. Solar and wind are more common than ever. Coal plants are shutting down every day.

Unprecedented numbers of acres are being bought back or given back to their rightful stewards, and the world heals because of it. People are working hard every day to learn how to help a forest recover faster.

We are not at zero. We are at decades of effort to heal the world. We've come SO far.

In 1982 there were only 22 California Condors left in the world. In 1992, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), with its public and private partners, began reintroducing captive-bred condors to the wild. In 2001 the first wild nesting occurred in Grand Canyon National Park since re-introduction. In 2002 there were only 8 pairs of wild nesting birds population-wide. In 2008, for the first time since the program began, more California condors were flying free in the wild than in captivity. Today there are nearly 500 – more than half of them flying free in Arizona, Utah, California, and Baja Mexico.

When I was born, there were no condors in the wild. I'm 37 now, and there are over 250 condors flying free.

When my mom was born in 1955, there were days when she wasn't allowed to go outside to play, because of the air pollution. When I was born, that never happened anymore.

When I was born, humpback whales were critically endangered, and people thought they were going to go extinct. Today, they've recovered to exceed their recorded numbers. Other whales too!

We fixed it.

Since 1990 extreme poverty has decreased worldwide by over HALF.

The Einfasen meanwhile seem to believe not that they are good but at least that they are fair, they are doing the right thing and just taking what they deserve in life. Otto Einfassen was so outraged at the lying, at killing Octis. He at least seemed to feel something about killing the Royce so mercilessly, and the interactions with them in the seekers arc were not entirely negative (they did liberate the Royce soldiers did they not?).

With that said I think Harondus Einfassen is the key to their philosophy. His introduction is so clear that he's doing what he's doing in the Revolutionary guard because he thinks it's just simply his due in life. The Einfasen care about justice, it's simply that they believe that they are the best arbiters of justice and the commoners simply do not know it yet.