Can I plant my roots in your life?

Iirc the team originally intended to be more anthology-like, but got enamored by two of the worlds they had created so they dove into telling those stories instead. That's Juno Steel and Second Citadel. Their release alternated, one month of Juno Steel then a month of Second Citadel, for about 5 years. Both shows are complete. TPP's third show, Thirst, is relatively new and ongoing. It started releasing summer last year and it's at 23 episodes now.

How to listen: my advice would be to pick one show and listen to that start to finish. Then try another if the themes speak to you, etc.

A combination of Eridian engineering with human computing.

After delivering its payload to a system's Petrova Line, the probe would stick around in orbit around the CO2-rich planet. Because it also carries with it a message encoded in such a way to be decipherable by any sufficiently intelligent species.

The message explains about Astrophages and the probe's purpose, as well as information about Erid, Earth, and where to find them. It also includes instructions on how to harvest Astrophages and build an interstellar engine with them, along with instructions on other useful technology from both Erid and Earth.

also that apparently “when you get a chance” usually means “when you take a break from the thing you’re immediately doing” and not “on a list among various other things you are doing today or tomorrow”

TUMBLR ADS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO AUTO-PLAY AUDIO! THAT IS A BUG AND YOU SHOULD REPORT IT!

"This ad is auto-playing audio" is literally on the drop down menu for reporting an ad. Tumblr isn't trying to implement this! Don't protest this "new policy", cause it's not one.

Report the broken ads.

This is all bugs or malicious advertising which is also against tumblers ad policy. You should report all ads which do this.

Like worstie, I can barely promote my own published book without wanting to curl up and die.

They’re just not disclosing it as ads, which they are supposed to do, and instead it's marketed in a very Tumblr-esque way which can be summed up as “omg guys look how CUTE this is” followed by a different account underneath going “omg found it!!” and it links to a drop ship site with the item(s).

And the link usually has an affiliate tracker in it, which you may or may not be able to spot unless you’re familiar with them, which is also something you are legally supposed to disclose.

I used to get a lot of offers from around 2016-2020 to sell “moon lamps” on here, y’know those orb lights that look like a moon? Yeah. I was offered a higher kickback to make it look like I wasnt posting an add because these sellers know Tumblrites don’t like ads.

They wanted it to look as organic and hyped up as possible and then I’d just so happen to be like “omg you guys it's on sale” and post a link. Which is skeevy as shit and also illegal af in the US.

It’s like the insta/tiktok girlies saying “link in bio” to get around saying “here’s a product I make money on if you buy it” because they want to sound like your friend because people are more likely to impulse buy stuff if a “friend” is recommending something.

They’re also trusting that everyone knows “link in bio” means “affiliate link” which is technically not enough of a disclosure but whatever.

This is why I tag all my own book promos with “affiliate links” because depending on which storefront you buy Hunger Pangs from, I may get a kickback from the vender which I do to help mediate the fees I lose from distribution. It’s not much—literal pennies in some cases—but I’m still legally required to state it.

It’s also why when I do post products I use or like, I make a point of letting people know I’m not an affiliate and not sponsored because despite the legal ramifications these people are flirting with by not disclosing their affiliate status, I want to be fully transparent with my followers when it comes to me trying to sell them things.

Y’all keep my lights on by reading my work and through my ko-fi and patreon. I am not about to risk that trust for the sake of some shitty vibrator sales from a sketch-ass drop shipper who wants me to pretend I’m not selling you things.

So, yeah. People do successfully sell stuff on here. A lot of us small indie creators sell our own work all the time.

These type of undeclared sellers are relying on you believing that Tumblr is different from other social media platforms where the advertising is usually more blatant. They are also relying on your trust in your community not to put undisclosed ads onto your dash.

After all, everyone knows Tumblr is a sinkhole where profit goes to die and everyone hates ads. Why would anyone waste time doing that here… unless they can adapt what they’re doing to make you think you’re not being marketed to, because Tumblr as a user base would never allow that kind of thing. Right?

Turns out, not so much.

Some people might say, “well that’s just obvious! You’d have to be really silly not to realize it!”

And maybe it was obvious to them.

I know it was obvious to me. But I also know I have enough online experience to play “spot the affiliate link” and enough knowledge as a indie author about how those links are supposed to be disclosed by law, to know when someone is being dishonest and trying to make a post seem organic and not like an ad.

But not everyone has the same knowledge or life experiences to put the context clues together, and that’s why I wrote the above post because many, many, many people on here are unaware they are reblogging ads—usually while talking about how much they hate ads!

Heracles: No, he wouldn't look back. Partly because he's smart enough to know it wouldn't change anything, and partially because he knows the Gods well enough that Hades keeps his word. Eurydice gets out and they high five. Unfortunately he misjudges the strength of his high five and Eurydice spends her first couple of weeks back to life with her arm in a cast.

Jason: Oh yeah. This dumbass looks behind him before he leaves Hades throne room and then loudly insists that NO HE DIDN'T HE TOTALLY DIDN'T AND IS HE DID IT WASN'T HIS FAULT IT'S EURYDICE'S FAULT! Eurydice is just like "maybe I'm better off here."

Perseus: Nope. He's a good boi who pays attention and blindfolds himself to make sure he doesn't, feeling his way along the path to make sure he doesn't trip. It takes him longer to get out, but they DO get out.

Theseus: Actually they do get out. Not because Theseus is smart enough to not look back or anything but because he's too self important to look back. The moment she steps outside the Underworld, Eurydice is running at top speed and Theseus never bothers to check to see if she's still following.

Odysseus: He cheats, using a polished mirror to keep track of her through the reflection the way Perseus kept track of Medusa. Unfortunately because he thought he outsmarted the system he fails to look where he's going, looses his footing, the mirror, and accidentally looks back anyway. Too clever for his own good, he was the architect of his own failure.

Atalanta: She learned from the apple-race-incident. Looking back will only slow her down. She bolts back up to the surface in record time only to actually manage to loose Eurydice on the way. Whoops.

Ariadne: Her sentimental ass looks back, sorry Eurydice, it was in the name of love.