The Thirsty Trainer

This is doubtless because of his experience of the trenches in the Great War.

Like, this is what things looked like to soldiers who fought in that war (image in black and white of a solitary soldier walking across a muddy wasteland pocked with puddles):

Here’s Delville Wood, the site of a battle in 1916 (sepia image of a wasteland dotted with broken and dead trees):

Here’s an image from the Battle of the Somme, in which Tolkien participated (image of soldiers standing above and inside a trench or earthwork in a grey wasteland; smoke from artillery is on the horizon)

You have reached the required conditions for acquiring your first familiar.

HOWEVER... There is a slight issue...

You gots no money. You know what that means, right?

You gotta go to the discount familiar store. Beggars can't be choosers, so it's basically up to chance which one you'll end up with...

Whichever familiar happens to be on the CLEARANCE_RACK at the time is what you'll end up with.

Once you've selected your familiar, you must now pick a stylish getup for them! Actually, a whole outfit would be expensive, let's just choose one singular accessory instead:

“Use your gifts and your talents to greatest possible effect while you can. Spread joy wherever possible. Laugh at jokes. Tell jokes. Make puns and bugger the embuggerances. Read books. Read my books. You might like them. You might find something else you like even more than them. Look for these things in life.

Question authority. Champion good causes. Speak out against injustice. Do not tolerate bullies or bigots or racists or anti-intellectuals or the narrow-minded. Use your education to challenge them. Broaden their perspectives. Make the world you interface with a happier place.

These are your choices. Choices you have been fortunate to have been given, so don’t waste them while you have them. Don’t look back in years to come and wish you had grasped a fleeting opportunity. Grasp it now with both hands, Live. Strive. Love.”

from A Little Advice for Life taken from ‘Terry Pratchett: from birth to death, a writer.’

—Sir Terry Pratchett; April 28, 1948 – March 12, 2015

One of the greatest compliments I've ever received is that I resemble Sam Vimes.

blessed be the scavengers

terfs fuck off

The Animation Guild has been in negotiations with the AMPT (studios) to get better protections against AI, better pay, fewer layoffs, and generally more respect as an industry. To raise awareness, Animation Workers Ignited (not officially affiliated with TAG but a community-run account made to build support and organize) have been releasing animated PSAs starring Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) as a fast-talking, suited-up organizer and Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls) as a green-shirted, scared audience stand-in.

Sometime last night, Alex Hirsch and the director of the shorts shared exchange in the comments of their most recent PSA on twitter:

Which led to:

And finally, the art that kicked this whole thing off:

So, because this is the animation industry, everyone immediately jumped onto the new ship and started drawing fanart for it, ranging from silly doodles to full art pieces

AWI themselves are fully supportive of this and see it as a great way to spread awareness and get people to engage with the union. Even the Canadian Animation Guild posted about it. We are genuinely helping their cause by posting yaoi art. This is a good thing. Great, even.

New assemblage ear hangers.

One pair features roadkill raccoon bones, the other pair features soldered serpents.