#new opportunities for jobs. to work within systems

[sarahmackattack]

Hi Sarah!

I have a cephalopod question: do ceph’s ever lose their suckers, and if so are they able to grow new ones?

And a SciComm question: do you have any advice for someone who wants to grow their career in SciComm? It’s my dream career but it seems like opportunities are few and far between.

Is it “better” to pursue a degree in a specific science, or to focus more on the education/teaching side of things?

(although a huge shoutout to you and the other SciComm folks sharing your passions! I did manage to get a part-time internship and job at my local zoo in their education department, and I only had the courage to pursue those opportunities thanks to people like you! Didn’t think I’d get this far, and now I can’t wait to take it even farther; I’ve just got to figure out how to get there first!)

Do ceph’s ever lose their suckers, and if so are they able to grow new ones? I'm sure they do! The regeneration of some species has been studied but not all of them so there's likely some species that are a little better at it than others (for example, it's probably something a predator that attacks very strong fast animals needs than an animal that primarily eats bivalves).

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to grow their career in SciComm? The trouble with this is that my job is very very weird, and doesn't exist in the kind of structure where you apply for a job →you get the job → you have a stable job. It's more similar to the safety and job structure of being an artist, but with a nonprofit thrown into the mix. It's... complicated! And not necessarily stable! All that to say, how I got here is not going to work for everyone and I honestly sometimes cant believe it worked/works for me at all. It might stop working any second.

But whatever here's what I did. I practiced science communication on social media and locally in Connecticut (where I was at the time). I tried to consume a lot of science communication and consider what was working in those pieces, and thought about what I enjoyed doing within that whole huge ecosystem. There's one zillion ways to do science communication, and different approaches will hit different audiences. It's totally critical for a lot of different people to be doing science communication in a way that feels genuine to them, in their own voices, with whatever methods they like doing the most so that as a collective, we hit the broadest patch of people. No one science communication technique is perfect for every "audience" member, so the diversity of approaches is so so important. I don't think that gets said enough. So explore! See what you like, see what you get joy out of doing, see how people react to it. Producing science communication as you're practicing will build out a portfolio of work that you can point to when you graduate.

There are a lot of kinds of science communication jobs. There's the freelance/DIY approach like having a podcast like Alie Ward, or founding a nonprofit (this is very hard and i don't recommend doing this lol), or having a successful youtube channel/social media situation like Hank Green or doing TV like Emily Calandrelli/Bill Nye/Phil Torres. Then there's working for an existing science education nonprofit like Biobus or Science Friday or working for institutions like museums/zoos/aquaria, etc. Theres also a whole field in the university system called "extension" where you're taking the work happening at the university and connecting the surrounding population with that work. Each of those jobs, particularly the older institution-based ones have their own structures and will come with different advice on how to get into those jobs. I'm not really sure about those. Having that science communication portfolio will likely help for all of them though!

As far as what to do for school... I think the true but kinda complicated answer is that often what we do for school isn't directly related to what we end up doing. The skills we build while we're in school, and the connections we make are really what determines where we end up and what we end up doing. So... really take seriously the stuff you're doing that nobody's telling you to do. That's as important as class... and honestly, in my personal experience, it's way more important than what you do in class.

#science communication #squid #cephalopods #career #career advice #your mileage may vary

[trans-axolotl2]

In my last residential treatment stay, I did have one psychiatrist who I trusted and had a positive relationship with. Her name was Dr. R, and when I came in on the first day of treatment and told her that I would not take any psych meds and that I had a lot of past psych trauma, she validated me and told me that she would not bring up meds unless I did. Throughout my stay there, she was empathetic, listened to my concerns, helped advocate for me, and generally made me feel heard. At the same time, when management took away our doors-she did nothing. When I needed to get a feeding tube--she lied to me about how long it would be in, and what I needed to do to get it out. She enforced policies about restricting outside breaks, restrictions on items, and contributed to treatment plans that my friends felt were unfair and damaging.

She was a good person and I liked her, but she was choosing to work within a system where she could not control the dozens of things happening there that harmed us every single day. This is what I mean when I say there is no such thing as a good psychiatrist in inpatient units--she was a progressive, validating, nice person --but her very job description made it impossible for a “good provider” to exist. To be a provider who wasn’t a part of the harm that was occurring on that unit, she would have had to quit, because the very requirements of her job required committing ethical violations, restricting peoples autonomy, and perpetrating iatrogenic harm. If she had stopped enforcing harmful policies and challenged her coworkers publically, she probably would have gotten fired. And that really is the problem--causing iatrogenic harm has essentially become a job requirement on inpatient units, and being a “good provider” by the metrics of the system require you to participate in that harm. 

I think Dr. R did a better job than most inpatient psychs in mitigating the harms she participated in, and finding ways to resist shitty systems when possible. I was glad she was there and I think she made my treatment better, but the two of us had a lot of conversations together where she acknowledged the fucked up things happening in the treatment center, acknowledged her role in them, and also stated that she did not have any power to change them. She could not fix the system by working within the system. 

I get a lot of questions by people who are interested in careers in the mental health system, and asking me on whether I think it’s okay for them to work there. My first response is usually if you’re asking because you’re feeling guilty after seeing what psych survivors say, I’m not someone who’s going to give you permission to ignore that guilt. The second thing I usually say is this: you need to go into this job aware with the fact that you will cause people harm, you will get into ethical dilemmas, and there will be times where you will either have to betray your personal values or quit. There isn’t one right answer on how to engage with mental healthcare as a provider, with the reality that until we build up alternative systems of care, the current structures still exist and have people who need support inside of them.  If that’s something that you think you can navigate in a way that lets you create the least harm possible, then that’s something you need to decide for yourself, and to think really deeply about if the reality of the psych system matches up with your goals.

#antipsychiatry #antipsych #mad studies #disability justice #psych ward tw #i think u also need to understand that if u go to school to work professionally in mental health #if u become a psychiatrist or a therapist or a social worker #even if you're one who does it outpatientt. even if you're an abolitionist social worker #that means there are probably going to be barriers to community spaces. that some people might not trust you any longer. if you are #coming into spaces as a professional #part of that decision might be grappling with the fact that even as you gain legitmacy from a societal side. that as u gain #new opportunities for jobs. to work within systems #you might also lose community trust. opportunities within activism spaces. opportunities #to share and be in those spaces as a survivor and patient #and im not saying this as a judgemnt or to put moral value on it #but i think that's just something you Also need to understand and weigh. sure you will gain something. by getting liscenced #but what will you lose? why might people not trust you in community spaces any longer? #what trade offs will you be making and are they worth it to you? what new communities can you build #what matters to you and what are your passions #<- all things i am really grappling with right now as i decide whether or not i want to go get my masters in social work

[femmefatalevibe]

Femme Fatale Guide: Top Career Tips To Set Yourself Up For Success

Figure out where your skills and passions align. Then determine the lifestyle/work culture you thrive in and what sacrifices you're willing to make in your chosen career path (for some, it's always traveling/talking to people 24/7, working late hours, unpredictable/unconventional hours, potentially lower pay/less predictable income, etc.). It truly depends on your top values, your personality, and your goals/priorities in life.

First focus on getting incredibly talented at your craft. Find a mentor(s) who will push you with their feedback/suggestions. Take classes/skills courses/read books & articles to gain more applicable knowledge/hard skills. Join clubs, apply to internships, volunteer, and request informational interviews in your desired field.

Make your skills marketable. Create a professional resume and/or neat portfolio/collection of work samples. Discover and articulate your USP (that should essentially serve as the backbone of your elevator pitch). Frame your skills through a customer/business-centric lens. How does your experience/skillset solve their problems and help a company/client achieve their goals?

Build a network for yourself. Don't be shy to reach out to companies/individuals who inspire you. Speak with your secondary school teachers and professors for connections. Create peer-to-peer networks, too, so you can grow together. Be a fearless networker and connector. Help others, do favors, and make the person glad they met/hired you. Make it your objective to be memorable through your work ethic/providing high-quality work products and showing up with a motivated & overall positive attitude allows people to like and trust you with their time, clients, money, etc.

Master the art of a killer email/cold pitch. Especially in today's world, learning how to sell yourself through intriguing emails/LinkedIn messages is the key to unlocking potential success. One client or opportunity can create momentum that will be useful years down the line, too.

When in doubt, follow up – on an email, pitch, job opportunity, connection, etc.

Be ruthless and relentless with your research. For new contacts, connections, opportunities, and information to support your pitches/job interviews/networking conversations, new technologies, and trends within your field. Read everything credible you can get your hands on. Display working knowledge and practical applications of these concepts and how they can benefit the person in front of you/their business.

Create systems. For how you structure emails/pitches, conduct research, different types of workflows/ work template structures for different types of projects, time-blocking, client funnels, etc.

Get comfortable with rejection. Use it as a primer for self-reflection and refining your craft/processes or help you pivot your approach to help you achieve your goals. Never take business decisions on behalf of a company personally (and vice versa).

Give yourself breaks, but don't give up. Tapping out for good is the only surefire way to fail at an endeavor. Be flexible in your path, but zeroed in on your goal(s). Learn when to quit or pivot, and when it's time to coast or seek growth.

#career advice #career tips #career path #female entrepreneurs #female writers #entreprenuership #freelancewriter #freelancing #women writers #professional growth #networking #life advice #glow up tips #femme fatale #it girl #high value woman #the feminine urge #high value mindset #female excellence #female power #queen energy #dream girl #successhabits #level up #femmefatalevibe

[moonkissedvisions]

Pick a pile/pick an image: Health messages ❤️‍🩹🌿⭐

Important: 16+. Not medical advice. If you are dealing with a health problem please talk to a professional. This is a general reading, take what resonates and leave the rest. Use your own discernment. Let your intuition guide you.

Pile 1 ❤️‍🩹

cards: Queen of Wands, King of Cups, Four of Wands, Four of Swords, Seven of Pentacles, Two of Wands.

There is a really strong need for REST here. Whether it is a physical or mental break, it is very clear that you have reached a point of great stress and exhaustion in both your body and your mind. Maybe it was a lot of work, study or overthinking and anxiety. Either way, you need to calm your nervous system urgently by walking, sleeping, meditating, deep breathing, being in nature, etc. You also need to appreciate your body and your mind for helping you work and do your daily activities. CELEBRATE your achievements but also your body and your health.

This pile has a good intuition which is helpful in making the right choices for your health. Your balance between your physical and emotional body is good. You have the need to understand the connection between your mind, body and spirit health and the multiple dimensions each of these have. For example, when people think of hormones, they most likely think about the sex and fertility aspect/dimension or hormones. But hormones are emotions, actions, and a lot of other things, so they both affect and are affected by all aspects of health. Your fertility is specially high, so if you are facing fertility problems atm, this may be a sign that you are improving and you should keep focusing on your current treatment and trusting the people who are taking care of you. Determination to quit unhealthy habits and start engaging in good ones is key for you now. You need to gain confidence in your health choices. You are capable of everything, especially rn. Everything that you want for your health is within reach, you just need to trust your course of action and be committed to it.

You need to know that you reap the fruits of the work you do on your health. If you do a good job on taking care of your health, you will feel good. If you don´t, you will not feel good. Also, if you are facing a health problem, you need to evaluate your lifestyle, routines and daily habits to find the root cause.

Finally, be grateful for the work your body does for you everyday. Thank the parts of your body that are working and healthy, instead of just focusing on your sickness/the parts that are bothering you.

Pile 2 🌿

cards: Temperance, Five of Wands, Queen of Wands, Ace of Swords, The Devil.

You may be going through a mysterious health issue, or maybe you are not listening to your body´s messages. It could be that you are ignoring a symptom, and you gave up getting a diagnosis because doctors couldn´t find the problem or had different/contradicting opinions. If that resonates, this could be a sign to not ignore it anymore, because there is a new opportunity to find help, a diagnosis, or a treatment. There is also a new opportunity to start taking care of your health, whatever that means for you

If you had a surgery, you are recovering impressively and completely. There is a lot of regeneration and transformation about this pile. It is possible that you will be cured of an illness. There is some waste in your system that is being removed and eliminated too.

Moderation is really present here. If you want to start eating healthy, quit smoking, or practicing a new form of exercise, I see you doing it gradually. This can be done in the form of reducing your portions or the amount of cigarettes you smoke daily. Your determination is high as well, you are really convinced you can reach your health goals and you probably wont stop until you make it!

Also, be careful with unprotected sex and take care of your genital organs. Avoid promiscuity by channeling your passion with other activities like working out, creating and mindfulness. SLEEP and EAT nutrient dense, building foods for regeneration. Don´t use sex to deal with every emotion. Learn about hormones and how to have healthy hormones/menstrual cycle.

Pile 3 ⭐

cards: Judgment, Two of Pentacles, King of Pentacles, Three of Swords, The Tower.

Health must be a priority as much as your work, your family and your social life are. Maybe this is something you forgot, or something you are starting to remember and being aware of now. There is a need for balance and having fun. You need to find joy in your health routines and be intentional about them. Find the joy in being in nature, playing, moving your body, making healthy meals and taking rest. Be responsible with your choices and priorities.

It is possible that you faced a sudden change in your life or a health issue that left you feeling nervous and anxious, or that you experienced a sudden anxiety attack or some kind of emotional disturbance that affected your health. If you resonate, relaxation is key. Also, it could be that you just realized you need to start therapy because you can´t deal with a problem on your own. The Tower in this pile may indicate muscle tension, stress, high blood pressure, grief, depression and spine problems for some of you. Im getting detoxing as well.

If you resonate with going through grief, pain, depression, heartbreak or a difficult emotional time, allow yourself to feel your emotions. Release them by crying, screaming, punching a pillow, writing, or whatever way is helpful to you. Acknowledge your hurt, your pain without getting lost in it. Practice gratitude. Reconnecting with nature is another good thing to do, since nature is something greater than ourselves and also incredibly beautiful, mesmerizing, and healing. As you can see in the picture you picked, grounding and walking in a forest is adviced. Get exposed to natural light and natural springs. Drink a lot of fluids, get enough minerals. Drink calming, soothing teas. Planning your health routines will be beneficial.

Lastly, take care of your joints by maintaining a good posture, moving your body and strenghtening your muscles.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to ask any questions, or leave any suggestions and corrections!

#pick an image #pick a card #pick a picture #pac tarot #tarot questions #tarot cards #tarot reading #tarot community #witchcraft #tarotblr #tarot and astrology #tarot spread #tarot aesthetic #healing #magick #occult #tarot messages #manifestation #free tarot #pick a pile #card reading #self care #self love #witchblr #witches #witch community #daily tarot #tarot witch #tarot deck #tarot

[bloodynereid]

Love your jordan fics!!!!! Would you write something for jordan x fem!reader or gn!reader (either one is fine) where r is like a normal human? No powers and all that. I thought about some angst and protective jordan when Rufus gets too close to reader, but you can also make your own plot and I'll love it anyway 💕💕

Inked Souls

pairing: jordan li x gn! reader

tw: RUFUS. also there's like slight allusions to rape because it's rufus but it's nothing explicitly stated, slight angst, mostly fluff, swearing

description: your job at the bookstore had it's ups and it's downs.

a/n: hi! i hope you enjoy this one anon <3 i'm sorry it's really short but i felt like it ended at the right bit and sort of felt more natural this way so yeah. i really liked writing it (even if i had to deal with writing rufus) so tysm for the request. have the best day/night <3

A brief chill ran across the length of your spine. The bookstore was yet to warm up and the cold frost of the early morning covered the atmosphere of the little room. You didn’t own the beautiful store but one day, hopefully soon, you would have the opportunity to find somewhere where you would feel just as at home as you felt here.

Straightening up the books you felt a tinge of disappointment. Shelves were filled with all the information that a supe would need to attend God U. The bookstore you worked at was the only one who housed all the texts. Supes tended to go to the online store which is why you were hired. The owner, Max, was a nice guy, but he was almost never around. He liked to manage all the online stuff while he left the actual physical sale of books to you. Or rather the pick-up of books since you didn’t have a delivery system in place.

It is not that you didn’t love your job but dealing with arrogant superheroes on a daily basis was starting to grate your nerves. You smoothed out your shirt before settling behind the desk after finishing up your opening routine.

The day went by swiftly, mostly due to the fact that you had picked up a new book just that morning and the rich story had sucked you in. A tingling of the bell brought your attention out from behind the pages and towards… your favorite customer.

“Ah, Jordan. It’s good to see you. What can I help you with today?”

“Oh I was wondering if you had anything of the same vein from last time.” A smile lit up your face as you nodded eagerly. 

“I have just the thing. Give me a sec.” You jumped up from your little seat and you heard a chuckle coming from Jordan as they watched you with an adoring expression. Ok, so maybe you did have a little crush on them. Who was to judge you?

“You seem extra cheery today.”

“Well, I just started a new book and… AHA.” Your perusal of the shelves proved fruitful as you plucked out a book from within the confines of the spines.

The beautifully illustrated copy slipped out of your hands and into Jordan’s as you passed the book towards them. A feeling of comfort passed through your body for the millisecond that your fingers brushed theirs.

“It’s called Annihilation, it’s sort of a more modern version of the Lovecraft genre but it’s incredible. This is a special edition so it's a tad bit more expensive than usual but…”

“It’s worth it.” Jordan said with a smile and a wink as they thumbed through the pages. She looked calmer than usual, you thought. Usually they had a certain tense energy surrounding their being.

“What are you smiling about?” Jordan asked as their twinkling eyes met yours.

“Oh nothing. You look nice today.”

“You say that every time I come in.” Jordan said as they leaned over the counter.

“Well it’s always true. Do you-” The sound of loud laughing and the bell made the two of you jump apart. A guy with bleached hair walked in holding up a phone in one hand and pushing the door open with another.

“I'll be right with you, sir.” You said quickly, before turning apologetically to Jordan - only to find them with an annoyed twist on his lips. An expression you thought didn’t belong at all on their face.

“Jordan?” You asked before a sudden assault of something permeated your senses. You felt a wave of dizziness engulf you, making your hand shoot out to grab onto the counter.

“Well, aren't you a pretty one?” Came a voice from the side of you as the same guy who had just walked in leaned over the counter. His fingers etched closer and closer to your face when suddenly his hand was wrenched away from in front of you.

You dizzily watched as Jordan pushed the guy into one of the neighboring book shelves. Low but threatening whispering was exchanged between the two of them as the world started to become less blurry.

You heard a wheeze come out of your mouth as you settled down onto the little seat behind the counter. What the fuck was happening to you?

“Y/N. Y/N. Y/N.” The voice of Jordan materialized next to you and the soft skin of their fingers brushed against your cheekbone. 

“Hmm.”

“Oh thank God, you’re okay. Fuck, I should have killed him.”

“What happened?” You muttered out as you turned your head to look at them.

“Rufus happened.”

“Rufus?”

“He’s a supe… a bad one. He kind of has like control over pheromones so he was-”

“Trying to drug me. Oh my God.” Your horrified voice echoed through the bookstore and you bit into the side of your cheek.

“Hey. I made sure he doesn’t come in here again, okay? You’re safe.”

“Jordan… I- thank you.”

“You never should have to deal with that, no one should…”

“Still thanks. How should I thank my gallant knight?” The question was phrased with a teasing lilt, making Jordan’s eyebrows shoot up as she smirks.

“Oh I can think of a few ways… starting with a date.”

#gen v #gen v fanfic #gen v amazon #gen v spoilers #andre anderson #jordan li #marie moreau #luke riordan #golden boy #the boys #the boys fanfic #the boys tv #gen v tv #maria writes #the boys series #the boys amazon #jordan li x reader #jordan x reader #gen v x reader #jordan li x you #jordan li x y/n

[cupidastrology]

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞｡˚ ⋆

please do not repost or copy my work.

the 4th house is one of the most quiet areas in the birth chart. it represents the root, the motherhood, the family, and the systems we must break in order to find ourselves.

the 4th house is also home of the ic, known as where we are born and raised on parents' values. the mc, located in the 10th house, is where we must go to become ourselves as our own individuals.

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊˎ

sun in the 4th house - you may be seen as an important family figure, members of your family look up to you to take on big duties that others don't have the confidence to take responsibility for. your desire for privacy and comfort is very important. there is alot of importance of feminine figures in your home. you are close or have sensitive connections with the mother.

moon in the 4th house - it is necessary to feel safe in your home, you may keep alot of your emotions and desires away from the changes of the outside world. you may have issues with leaving your bed and may want to create your own imaginary world in it. getting involved with homeschooling, home based jobs, and doing more work that has to do with comfort created from safety and security.

mercury in the 4th house - it is easy for you to get in touch with home based work in this position. you may grow a family business or get in touch with many family members to create a system of caretaking for others. it is important you exercise boundaries within your family members. communication is key in order to build a strong family system and that happens here often. alot of drama, gossip, or she said/he said behavior happen in your family.

︎venus in the 4th house - childhood was full of items, movies, shows, and experiences that fit your love life later into adulthood. you may have a strong system with family, love is easy to communicate and feel out within this house. your love life may be very private, naive, quiet, and lingering of small touches and expressions. your parent's stories and advices of love may be very important to your growth.

mars in the 4th house - anger or issues around the family and the home life, the father may have been a big importance to the stability of the home. your growth may have been very rural, honest, and vulgar. life's honesty hit you early in your childhood as well, so you may intimidate others with what you can tolerate when it comes to building a foundation with a partner.

jupiter in the 4th house - educational upbringing, surrounded by brand new opportunities having to do with travel and learning new ways of lifestyle. one moment you may have been riding horses with your family and then learning how to camp in the wilderness. the upbringing of this position is all about taking new chances and earning a lot of luck through new experiences with honesty. curiosity is a big feature dedicated to your upbringing, so you may know more than the average person.

saturn in the 4th house - many restrictions and limitations around freedom in the home, self control may have been out of ways mainly around family members. you may have had to deal with many rules surrounding or within the home. construction work or many destructions around or within the home as well, you've possibly had to relocate multiple times in your life. patience is key to building a successful foundation.

uranus in the 4th house - random changes and erratic behaviors may have plagued the home and upbringing. you've had a random or unexpected way of learning basic needs in your youth, many peers in school may not relate to you often to your own experiences. relocation is often spoken here or the jobs your parents have held in your childhood were random, quick, and not always stable. an odd lifestyle and odd expectations as to what you're meant to achieve in a home life. children will be raised to their own devices.

neptune in the 4th house - dreams and aspirations may have stayed in the home and upbringing. experiencing alot of situation where psychedelics or drugs were apparent to be seen around your environment or spoken about often in the home. intuitive or dream related situations, your home or upbringing involved alot of paranormal experiences. having possible religious or spiritual related parents or family members.

pluto in the 4th house - issues or huge abruptions with the mother or family members. feeling like an outsider, being the star of the family. the upbringing is impactful, permanent, and very influenced to what you build throughout your life. family and parenting is of great importance and may push to how you treat your children when building your own family. getting involved with moving around places with alot of bad influence or influence that is life changing for you in general.

»»————-　♡　————-««

thank you so much for reading, you may subscribe to my post plus for exclusive astrology content on my pinned post.

#astrology signs #astrology course #astrology readings #zodiac #astroblr #astro observations #astro facts #astrology observation #astrology notes #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces

[elminx]

Energy Update: Mercury Retrograde, 4/1/2024

Starting on April 1st, Mercury enters retrograde 2/4 of 2024. This retrograde runs from 27°-15° Aries and will make thrice repeating conjunctions to our Wounded Healer Chiron and double conjunctions with our North Node. Retrograde Mercury will also conjunct both our Sun and Venus once (as it does in most retrograde cycles).

The Basics

Mercury, our planet of communication, technology, and travel, is the fastest-moving planet in our solar system and retrogrades 3 to 4 times every year. This means that Mercury’s retrograde cycle is “business as usual” and isn’t something that should be feared but it is a change in the energy signature of one of our personal planets, so it’s worth paying attention and making adjustments where necessary.

Retrogrades don’t mean that the planet ACTUALLY is moving backward, of course. It is a perspective shift in our perception of the planetary movement through our skies. In this way, our perspectives and perceptions can get a bit twisted during these times and it is easy to miss key details or communicate ineffectively.

During Mercury’s retrograde, Mercury traces its path backward in our skies and it is considered better to go over your work rather than start something new. Mercury passes over these degrees in the sky thrice: the first time during its pre-retrograde shadow, the second time while it moves backward during its retrograde, and again a third time while it moves forward in its post-retrograde shadow. Because of this, we all get the cosmic opportunity to relearn and refocus on certain things that are going awry in our lives.

By looking at the degrees of Mercury’s retrograde and comparing it to your birth chart, you can get an idea of how Mercury’s retrograde cycle might affect you. If you don’t want to do this yourself, you can always purchase a Mercury retrograde transit chart from me over on Kofi.

Mercury retrogrades affect some people more than others. By order of significance, these people are most likely to be affected by a Mercury retrograde:

If you have Sun, Moon, Ascendant in Gemini and Virgo, or Mercury closely conjunct (within 2°) to your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant

If your natal Mercury was in retrograde or out of bounds

If the current retrograde crosses over your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant (in conjunction) or makes a square or opposition

If the current retrograde crosses over your Mercury, Venus, or Mars or makes a square or opposition with them

If the current retrograde makes a trine with one of your personal planets or a sextile to your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant

If you work in a job that involves technology, communication, or travel or are currently undergoing a task that involves one of these domains during this retrograde cycle

If you live with, are in a relationship with, or closely work with a person who meets the above criteria

One can assume that the more of these factors in play, the stronger you may experience the effects of a Mercury retrograde cycle. This isn’t to say that what you experience will be bad or wrong – some people experience a lot of freedom from Mercury’s journey. The more open you are willing to give up control and stay open to the ever-changing landscape of a Mercury cycle, the easier it will be.

The Nitty Gritty

Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s take a look at the specifics of THIS Mercury retrograde cycle. Mercury will retrograde backward from 27° Aries to 15° Aries. This puts the stressors of this cycle on the cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn) first and fire signs secondarily. Here we can see that we might get dammed up a bit when it comes to focus, forward motion, and motivation (all things that cardinal and fire signs rule).

There’s a pretty notable lack of planetary aspects with this Mercury retrograde. Mercury will conjunct both the Sun and Venus as it moves backward which almost always happens (very occasionally Venus is already ahead of Mercury and getting ready for a retrograde of her own), but otherwise, we will not experience a single significant aspect to the other planets. What we do see are repeated conjunctions to the asteroid Chiron and the North Node. Moreover, we will experience a major Aries stellium between retrograde Mercury, Venus, Chiron, and the North Node in mid-April.

Let’s unpack this a little bit further.

The asteroid Chiron, often called the Wounded Healer, represents a recurring pain point that must be explored thoroughly to heal. Your own personal pain point can be found by the placement of Chiron in your natal birth chart by looking at its sign and house placements and any aspects it might share with the rest of your chart. Transiting Chiron shows a societal pain point that needs further discovery. This Chiron in Aries transit has been all about the pain of individuality – both in the ways that standing out from the crowd can be hurtful and lonely, but also pain points around where we wanted to individualize, but couldn’t. We each have our own stories about the individualization journey – some of us were forced to conform when we didn’t want to, others struggle with masking, and others still want desperately to fit in but can’t seem to no matter what they try. Your experience with this transit will likely be very personal but it WILL be activated by this Mercury retrograde.

Additionally, Chiron will be closely conjunct with the North Node all through this Mercury retrograde cycle. The lunar nodes aren’t physical objects in the sky. Instead, they are mathematical points that represent the precise area that the Sun, Moon, and Earth must be in relation to one another to create our eclipses. There are two nodes (North and South) that always move around the earth in opposition to one another – because of this you will always find them in opposite signs of the horoscope wheel. When the Sun comes close to these points, we enter eclipse season.

This isn’t a post about eclipse season exactly (though a large portion of this retrograde will coincide with eclipse season), so I will try to be brief here. In our natal charts, the placements of our North and South Nodes are considered the axis of fate – it is believed that most individuals will move toward the North Node and away from the South (by sign and house placement). On the other hand, the transiting lunar nodes affect where the energy of the collective is pointed – again, towards the North Node and away from the South. Currently, our North Node is in fiery Aries and our South Node is in airy Libra. We can see, in this way, that our attention is pointed towards independence and individualism (Aries, 1st house) and away from relationships and codependencies (Libra, 7th house). Again, you will have your triggers around this transit – made up both by your natal birth chart and your lived experience – that you will have to face during this time.

Chiron conjuncts the North Node exactly at 17° Aries on 3/5 but as both are rather slow-moving, they will still be in close conjunction through this retrograde cycle. Chiron conjunct the North Node is THE healing aspect of the decade – one could say that it is fated that people will be healed during this time. But, keep in mind, Chiron healing is hard work. If you look at the mythology behind the name, Chiron was a centaur with an unhealable wound who went on, through his journey, to become a great healer of his own accord. Chiron carries with it the lesson that healing does not happen in a vacuum; when one heals, all are healed. This transit carries with it the possibility of deep societal healing around the wounds of the sign Aries.

Many would argue that modern Western culture is too individualistic and that we need to return to a society that values community and togetherness. Still, others would argue that we over-focus on the pair-bonded relationship, again, to the detriment of community. Chiron in Aries conjunct the North Node says: yes, and…

This cognitive dissonance will be a central focus of this Mercury retrograde cycle as Mercury passes over the conjunction between Chiron and the North Node three times: first in forward motion during its pre-retrograde phase, secondly in backward motion during its retrograde, and a third time in forward motion during its post-retrograde phase. This is something with which we will all need to grapple with during this time.

It’s okay if you don’t get it right the first time.

A common metaphor for imagining retrograde cycles is as a lesson or “hole” in the ground with which we must fall in/pass over/encounter trice to gain the full experience of the situation.

The story unfolds something like this:

Oh, there’s a hole in the ground! I fell into it because I didn’t know that it was there. It’s not my fault. (pre-retrograde shadow phase)

Oh, there’s a hole in the ground. I fell into it again. I did know it was there…maybe I should learn to avoid this hole? (retrograde phase)

And, if all goes well: Oh hey, that’s a hole in the ground! It’s the same hole I fell into before. I know how to walk around this now. (post-retrograde phase)

This lesson, whatever it might be for you and yours, will be highlighted especially in and around 4/19 when retrograde Mercury meets up in exact conjunction with Venus at 17° Aries. It’s worth noting here that Venus is in her detriment in Aries which means that the independent, cardinal sign of action is not a particularly comfortable position for our planet of comfort and togetherness. Libra, the sign in which our South Node currently resides, is the natural space for Venus – in Libra, she would like peaceful resolutions and for everybody to just get along (perhaps even a bit pathologically). In Aries, Venus is the starlet who becomes so obsessed with her fame/flame that she doesn’t notice those that are burning in her wake.

A reminder: think before you burn the whole place to the ground. (I’m not saying that it’s not warranted during this time…I’m just saying that you should think it through first)

There is a lesson here and it’s one of independence and interdependence, but we need to leave codependence in the rearview mirror. Toxic togetherness may be highlighted through all of March and April. With one of our two relationship signs involved in this, I wouldn’t count out relationship issues or even breakups during this time. This energy will greatly augment any magic done to remove abusers or other toxic partners from your life once and for all.

We don’t get to choose if we live in “Interesting Times” but we do get to choose HOW we live in them. This retrograde is going to put a lot of stress on unbalanced relationships in particular – especially ones in which one partner would like more space and the other one is seeking control and containment. Where do you need to give up control to let your Others be more free and more themselves? Where do you need to show up better for yourself and ask for more space?

There is some old adage about traveling while Mercury is in retrograde that I find very applicable here: traveling during this time can be very pleasurable so long as you can let go and accept where the road takes you.

Expect delays and detours during this time. If you’re all fussed about getting to your destination, you may miss the scenic views and pure joy of the experience of moving more slowly. Mercury’s retrogrades are a time to do less more thoroughly. It is a time of cosmic refinement (Mercury is the ruler of our architect sign of Virgo).

It can also be a time of unfortunate miscommunications (especially involving technology). Packing patience and a heavy dose of empathy can help a lot here. This is the divine right time to check your work twice before you hit “send” and to sit on it for a few days before you pick that fight. This goes double for 4/8 when we will experience a total solar eclipse at 19° Aries (very close to the degree that Mercury and Venus will later meet up).

Healthy human behaviors will always help here: take a break when you need to, keep an eye on your state of emotional regulation, and remember to maintain solid boundaries. With eclipse season and the lunar nodes so involved, this will carry heavy wild card energy along with it so approach it with an open heart and eyes wide open, and you should be fine.

The Details

3/18 – Mercury enters its post-retrograde shadow 15° Aries 3/19 – Sun enters Aries, Mercury conjunct North Node 16° Aries 3/20 – Mercury conjunct Chiron 16° Aries 4/1 – Mercury retrogrades 27° Aries 4/8 – Solar eclipse 19° Aries 4/11 – Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury 22° Aries 4/15 – retrograde Mercury conjunct Chiron 19° Aries 4/19 – Sun enters Taurus, retrograde Mercury conjunct Venus 17° Aries 4/21 – Venus conjunct Chiron 20° Aries 4/25 – Mercury stations direct 15° Aries 5/6 – Mercury conjunct Chiron 21° Aries 5/13 – Mercury exits its post-retrograde shadow 27° Aries 5/15 – Mercury enters Taurus

Do you like my work? You can tip me or sign up to be a monthly supporter of my writing over on Kofi.

#astrology #transits #energy update #words #mine #Mercury retrograde #Mercury in Aries #March 2024 #April 2024 #May 2024

[coochiequeens]

This is why accurate information about sex and race is important. A study just gave a name to another way businesses pass over women for promotions and how women of color are impacted at greater rates.

Forget The Glass Ceiling, 'The Broken Rung' Is Why Women Are Denied Promotions

A new study finds Black women and Latinas in particular are the least likely to get that first promotion — and it’s not because they’re not asking for it.

by Monica Torres

Getting your first promotion into management is a huge achievement in your career. But a new study from consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and nonprofit Lean In shows it’s an opportunity that is not equally afforded to everyone. 

According to the study, which used pipeline data from 276 companies in the private, public and social sectors, women ― and women of color, in particular ― are the least likely demographic to get promoted from entry-level to first-time manager. 

For every 100 men promoted from entry-level contributor to manager in the survey, only 87 women got promoted. And this gap gets wider for women of color: This year, while 91 white women were promoted to manager for every 100 men, only 89 Asian women, 76 Latinas and 54 Black women would get that same opportunity. 

“As a result of this broken rung, women fall behind and can’t catch up,” the study states.

It’s not because those women were not asking for it ― the study found that the women were asking for promotions at the same rate as their male peers. And it’s not because these women did not stick around long enough to be considered for the job ― the study found that they were no more likely to leave their company than their male peers. 

The main culprit to this “broken rung” in the career ladder? It’s what known as a “performance bias.”

Why women deal with the “broken rung” phenomenon.

Under a performance bias, men get promoted more because of their future potential, while women get judged on their past accomplishments and have their leadership potential doubted.

“Because women early in their careers have shorter track records and similar work experiences relative to their men peers, performance bias can especially disadvantage them at the first promotion to manager,” according to the study. 

This research aligns with the “prove-it-again bias” studies have found women face throughout their career: where they do more work in order to be seen as equally competent to their male peers. 

As for why it’s hardest for women of color to make that first leap into management? Workplace consultant Minda Harts, author of “The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table,” said it’s because systemic biases and stereotypes cause women of color to be less trusted for the job. 

“This lack of trust can manifest in several ways, such as doubts about competence, commitment or ‘fit’ within a leadership role,” Harts told HuffPost. “When senior leadership is predominantly male and white, an unconscious bias might lead them to trust individuals who mirror their own experiences or backgrounds ... As a result, women of color may be disproportionately overlooked for promotions.”

The McKinsey study found that women of color surveyed this year were even less likely to become first-time managers in 2023 than they were in 2022.

Feminist career coach Cynthia Pong told HuffPost it’s because in tough financial times, companies often operate under a scarcity mindset and might see women of color as a bigger “risk” to promote when they are underrepresented in leadership. 

“We just had to go through layoffs, and we only have three [manager roles]. You can easily see how in times like that, it would just end up replicating these systems where we only trust and only give the benefit of the doubt to certain folks,” Pong said. “And it’s not going to be women of color.” 

That sends a dispiriting message to people who watch their peers advance while they get told they are still not ready.

“It’s even more frustrating and infuriating ... when you see that there is a pathway for others, but not for you. Because the injustice of it makes your blood boil,” Pong said.  

This should not be on women and women of color to fix. Employers should proactively take steps to make a clear promotion path for all. 

There is a lot of talk about the “glass ceiling” and the barrier women face that prevents them from becoming executives at the top. But this study illustrates that there is a more fundamental problem happening to women early in their career: the systemic bias that prevents women from being seen as a leader who can manage other people. 

“Our success must be something other than a solo sport,” Harts said. “We can’t promote and advance ourselves.”

For companies to be part of the solution, employers should be more transparent about how managerial promotions happen.

“Trust is enhanced when employees understand what is expected of them and what they can expect from their leaders,” Harts said. “This transparency can help mitigate unconscious biases or misconceptions about capabilities or trustworthiness.”

To break down stereotypes and build trust between employees of color and leadership, Harts also recommended companies to implement programs where women of color are paired with sponsors in senior roles. 

What you can do about this as an employee.

If you keep being told vague “no’s” after every promotion request, start asking more questions about what your peers are doing that you are not.

“They’re not going to admit to having a systemic problem. They’re going to say, ‘We just don’t have it in the budget,’” said Elaine Lou Cartas, a business and career coach for women of color. 

“I’ve seen people that got promoted to this where they are also doing the same amount as I was, but I was doing A, B and C. Help me understand,” is the kind of assertive framing you can use to ask more questions, Cartas said.

And if you find the goalpost of promotion metrics keeps moving after your conversation with your manager, that might be the time to start job hunting. 

“Once you already have that conversation, and nothing’s being done, or at least there’s no steps or actions for it to be done in the future, that’s when [you] could start looking,” Cartas said.

Ultimately, one missed promotion may not seem like a huge setback, but it adds up over time with lost wages and earning potential, Pong said. 

“And then that also ripples out generationally to all the families and family units that each woman of color is supporting, and then those to come,” she said. “So it seems like it might be like no big deal to have this person promoted one or two years later. But ... these things really snowball.”

#Glass ceiling #Broken rung #Women in the workplace #Women of color in the workplace #For every 100 men promoted only 89 Asian women 76 Latinas and 54 Black women would get that same opportunity #Prove it again bias #The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table #Minda Hart's

[jack-kellys]

so i am gonna talk abt the delanceys. and i don’t want that to make you scroll away at the speed of light. i want to talk about them in a broader sense, view them in a broader sense, in the way that we talk about jack and his existential need to leave where he is for the west- and, further, going into analysis, like how “the west” in america in the 1890s is a capitalist venture that is sold to jack as this idea of a new home, a better way to live, something that he needs, when the real home is new york with his chosen family and where no one needs to call him “son”.

i think what matters most in the world of the delanceys, and what puts them into a nuanced political stance as well as a personal one, is their father, the striking trolley worker.

i think it’s fair to assume that as a striking worker demanding better wages, as a union member, he deserves those wages. it’s good that he’s striking, that he’s demanding what he’s owed and doing so with his fellow workers. strikers are the right people to support especially based on the historical context of the trolley strike.

but this guy is… an asshole. he dumped these two children into the refuge and left them there to rot, presumably. there’s a possibility he didn’t know about how abusive snyder is, sure, but he knew it was a detention center and that’s not… where u put ur kids when u care abt them lmao.

so this man is a striking trolley worker who doesn’t give a shit about his own children. he’s an underpaid union member who deserves his dues but also lets his two sons suffer for years alone in a children’s jail. he fights the system to his benefit while submitting his two kids into a different one. the dichotomy is important here- it’s essential to the foil the delanceys are for the newsies.

the delanceys are strike breakers. strike breakers are, obviously, paid under the table to disperse union-led strikes and protests to uphold a system that benefits the rich- who of course will always benefit from underpaid work. the delanceys take money from this upheld system when they get the opportunity and beat strikers bloody who don't get to benefit from this system like they do. because they do benefit from that elitist system, since they are choosing to make money off of it outside of their usual job. right.

but within those strikers is their father. the father who left them to rot, who let wiesel scrape them out of that jail and enlist them at a dead-end newspaper gig. so the brothers hate this father, this striker, this piece of family. and this father is making all this noise with these other people- these people who support their father as his coworkers and fellow union members, and the delancey brothers' leave that strike with their fists red with more blood than solely their father's, since they're angry and good at it and the money is hefty.

and their childhood is semi-revenged, but at what ethical cost? they've served broken bones to plenty of workers just trying to fight for their fair pay- something that the delanceys can relate to, by the way, since it isn't like their wages are too stellar for how many hours they're forced to put in. but they put down these people--innocent sans their father--because they have the opportunity. opportunity for them is bringing others down, and when they have the choice, they take it. gladly. "it's honest work" is shrugged off and believed. "i take care of the guy who takes care of me" is snide. uk costuming has them wearing nicer work coats over their newsie-like attire, concealing their similarities and choosing to align themselves more with the elite, since that's...the only protection they can turn to besides each other. the elite gets them extra pay, and keeps them one rung above the newsies to sneer down at them from. they fight via using the system, since systems are all they've ever been apart of, and when they see one that might benefit them for once, they latch onto it.

and, of course, they're strike breaking again, with adult men and their uncle at their side, against their personal foils- the newsies.

the newsies either don't have family like the delanceys, or frequently have to be apart from theirs. lots of them don't have a sibling they can return to daily, or any at all. most don't have parents or family members. or homes to go back to after work. the system they are stuck in is one that does not work for them unless they make it work, making their own numbers and cash by gambling how many papers they can sell in a day to earn every cent back and then some. creating a system within a system--whereas the delanceys mold themselves into one that exists, again, to the elite's benefit--to survive.

and then, the newsies and their chosen family of brothers choose to revolt against their system in an attempt to dismantle it, or at the very least negotiate it.

and the delanceys' reaction to this, to another strike, to a group of kids going against their system (of which would benefit oscar and morris to join, tbh, unless they don't classify as "working kids" of the city, perhaps putting them at around 18 years old...)?

disdain and more snide comments! "not that i'm complaining, my skull busting arm could use a day of rest" "you working, or trespassing?/what's your pleasure?" and putting pressure on scabs to keep with the system- specifically more with uksies, oscar and morris are sort of dusting tommy boy off and whispering to him. trying to split apart the family the newsies have made with each other. and then ofc they beat the actual shit out of the newsies and in uk they have bats they are full on swinging, whole shoulder into it. you did not uphold this system, and it will destroy you for it.

and it nearly does, because then jack scabs, right? and oscar and morris are in pulitzer's office as the man talks jack through the deal, through the cash. as he must've to oscar and morris earlier that week about strike breaking the newsies. and all three of them all have these nearly matching bruises and cuts on their faces.

and then all three of them go to the cellar, the lowest floor of the elite. together the three of them are in this location with this context. two strikebreakers and a scab. taking the elite's money for their benefit, be it in a moment of fear, resignation, or greed. all the oldest kids in the play, the three who've seen the scars and rips and tears in this world more than any of the others. and for like twenty seconds of stage time jack oscar and morris are the same brand. until of course oscar and morris punch into jack's gut--since they're only "given discretion to handle him as they see fit" if he misbehaves, which jack hasn't, so they punch where people won't see/check--and remind him that he's still below them (literally shoving him to the floor ofc), that they're still closer to the elite.

and yeah, they are, because later, jack again refuses the system, and tosses the money back on the table after rebelling against his terms. in true foil fashion, once jack recognizes that his actions align that which he needs to destroy, he renounces them, while the delanceys remain on the other side of the coin they share with jack.

the delanceys, as a storytelling device, right, are meant to represent what the newsies could fall to, seen with the three initial scabs and then jack in act ii. they are this constant threat of sort of equal size to the newsies through the whole show, always kinda lurking. always being a possibility to become if the newsies ever forget what they fight for and against.

also, jack is....kind of.... like their dad, in their perspective. he's parental with the newsies, he leads them, guides them, and protects them, as well as constantly getting the better of the delanceys. why should someone like a father get to fight the system again? not on their fucking watch.

i think it's pretty clear that oscar and morris are meant to represent corruption on the small scale, thematically, while pulitzer is corruption at the top- since it all trickles down. and i think it's really important that this motif is consistently upheld within the brothers, since it sort of alters the message of the show to at least drastically change that abt them. they are the nearest branch of corruption to the newsies guys. that is so fucking cool

#see guys it's possible to talk abt these guys without centering discourse i believe in u #the delancey brothers #morris delancey #oscar delancey #delanceys #newsies #analysis #fizz freaks #fizz writes #jack kelly #🥳🎈🎁 #lmaooo #anyway iiiiii. have these guys in a petri dish under a microscope. gathering the facts and making hypotheses #reaching conclusions #long post

[lavendersartistry]

i promised Koi's planet lore and Koi's powers so le goooo✨

Space Riders AU - @onyxonline

Official Lore of Koi's Planet + Koi's Family

1. Planet Itself

Koi's planet is essentially a "twin" to Saturn, known as Imbeko. Like Saturn, Imbeko is the sixth planet from the Sun, but to the left of the solar system.

Imbeko is a big cat-dominated planet, known for the population between tigers, cheetahs, and panthers. Each population is divided into their own province: Bhekithemba (tiger), Bhekizizwe (cheetah), and Bhekumbuso (panther). Bhekithemba -> "the knowledge" Bhekizizwe -> "the protection" Bhekumbuso -> "the improvement"

Imbeko is highly protected by crafted forcefields from Bhekumbuso's inventors and Bhekithemba's scientists, making it impossible for the Prototype's cultists or the Red Smoke to eneter. Its military is led by Koi's second brother, Nahmir. The planet only allows a certain number of Space Rider crews and solos to have access to all resources and information.

2. Planet Royalty

Only Koi's family is the only full-blooded royalty, other provinces within Imbeko are not.

Queen Melokuhle and King Liyabona are black panthers from once war-driven territories. In fact of alliance and peace, both decided to marry. Their royal council was concerned of the terms due to the fact that this was a marriage of creating peace and not love but the two ensured that their relationship would deepen.

King Liyabona is the only person that was born with the power from the moon phases and it was passed down to only Koi, making her next in line.

Queen Melokuhle and King Liyabona were close friends to Queen Aurora and King Lucien (Eve & Ginger K's parents) which means Koi and her brothers are close with Eve and her sister.

3. Powers + Other Notes

Powers from the moon phases require immense energy and strength from the body and mind to be able to fight better in defense and offense. People who are less muscular and have not trained properly would not survive against the power's energy.

Despite Koi being naturally muscular, she still had to train to become more advanced and stronger to use her celestial power. She still trains for improvent and new outcomes when it comes to fighting against the cultists.

All power is channeled through Koi's suit and gauntlets, creating a "shield" and to redirect opposing energy.

Out of the battlefield, Koi's powers range in short: Insight - Scry - Manifestation - Time Travel

4. The Black Panther

Known to be Koi's "hero" name by many. As this persona, Koi takes her job in protecting people from being converted into cultists. She works alone unless she specifically requests assistance.

Koi doesn't interact much with the Space Riders but deals with some crews on the rare occasion, getting the title of the "mom".

When it comes to defeating cultists and followers, she gives them the opportunity to either go with her to reform or to be turned in to the Space Riders. Most people within the Space Riders organization know about this and are still surprised at many who reform by her.

#queen card | tis the chess #space riders au #Space Riders AU - onyxonline au #smiling critters au #KOI LORE KOI LORE #i was so heavily inspired by black panther i apologize #their lore is too interesting to not take inspiration #also note that koi is secretive about her power so that's why its explanation is cut short #we'll delve into that soon

[wolven91]

The Predator Café - Chapter 2

When Natasha finally got the opportunity to explore the wider galaxy, she didn't want to just follow others. She didn't mind going someplace someone else had, before her, but she wanted it to be for her own reasons.

She stewed and contemplated. Hummed and hawed. Her calculations and considerations were varied and numerous. In the end, she got a nice big poster of The Spiral, the whole galaxy in one picture and threw a dart.

It landed upon the Shin'fa System on the North West side of The Spiral. Looking it up, it was advertised as an 'up-and-coming' system. Meaning they were currently trying to pull as much tourism and new blood from outside, in. There was a moment of hesitation, this system was in the chintian territory, but outside of The Galactic Community space. She should be safe, but there were no hard promises. 

For the first time in her life, Natasha was in a unique position. It wasn't that she was rich and could simply buy her way anywhere, but that the wider community in space, found humans to be quite fascinating and whenever she enquired about the possible costs or requirements she would need to adhere to when considering moving to a system, the overly friendly voice on the other end of the line ensured her that they could fast-track her application with minimal issue. They offered her immediate work within the government itself if she was willing to make public appearances.

She screwed her nose up at that and decided to see what options she had when she got there.

Turns out, a lot. 

So many, she was once again stumped with how to proceed and when she found that her trusty dart was still stuck in a wall way back on on a station deep within The Galactic Community space, Natasha decided to go for a job that was familiar, yet new.

When her name was called, she put her game face on, her best winning smile and checked herself in the mirror one last time. Working at the “Predator Café” was an odd experience so far, the uniform one reminiscent of a French maid's outfit, yet red. The whole place had a feel of a stereotypical American diner from the olden-days.

Her instructions was; to greet the customers, take their order whilst giving small talk. Make them feel welcome, put on a bit of a show and deliver their orders. When Natasha had asked what counted as a 'show', the manager, a god-damned-actual-dinosaur, had explained that a hunting display would be fine, or anything that would normally indicate that she was a predator. Flash her frills, flush her colouring, puff up her feathers; “The usual” he said as if this was completely normal and an odd question.

Natasha had never failed to give anything but her all in every previous job she had. Like hell was she going to not try her best now when she was possibly his planet's first introduction to Humanity. Despite not knowing whether she was supposed to pound on her chest like a Gorilla?

In the end she went for a wide smile and a friendly demeanour. If anyone complained, she'd point out that Humans chased their 'prey' back in the day. She wasn't sure if running the customers around was a good idea, but she would let the manager cross that bridge if it had to come to that.

Blonde hair, loose and down, meticulously in place for that 'I-didn't-try' effect. Her green eyes highlighted with just enough make-up to set off her features and compliment her skin. Lipstick checked and applied, nothing too bold, she wanted to compliment, not scream. When she went to explore the nightlife, then, she'd go bold.

Grabbing her order pad and checking her table details, she saw it was booth 'G', the 'tiny' section. 

Oh boy.

It seemed in The Spiral, it wasn't uncommon for sentience to develop in creatures great and small. It was fascinating to see how creatures half her size or even smaller had adapted entire cities to fit their needs whilst catering to those much larger, not to mention the other way, how there were several species that dwarfed her. 

There were undercurrents that she could only guess at mind you, whether they were treated differently was vocally refuted, but she had come from the centre of The Spiral, humans weren't perfect either and suspected that there may be more to it than a hunky-dorey space utopia.

Thankfully, this wasn't her first interaction with a tiny, nor her second. But since starting; both of her only customers so far had run for the door practically screaming, she had a bad feeling history would repeat itself.

No!

She would go at this with her head held up high. Cheerful. Helpful. Show that 'southern hospitality' that is world famous!

Walking through the Café she plastered a full smile across her face and made sure it reached her eyes. Folk knows when you're faking, so you have to fake the real thing or don't even try. As she approached the table, she could see a small dino-like tiny facing her, with something fluffy and brown facing away.

The tiny dino, reviewing her memories about what they were actually called drawing a blank, was grey scaled, with white stripes across his snout and head with even spaces between. She suspected it went all the way down his back as his tail sported the same stripes. The tiny jacket that looked like a miniature wind-breaker was rather cute on him, but he had the tell-tale look of sheer panic that her previous potential customers had as well.

Coming to the table, she launched into her warmest greeting, trying to smile as broadly as she could. She worried she was going to look manic.

The Geckin! Geckin was what he was! The Geckin's friend was for lack of a better word; a chipmunk, she had no clue what they were supposed to be called. It sported a red chequered shirt and what looked like jeans that made it look simply adorable, but the brown toffee coloured fur was highlighted by the alternating black and white stripes that ran vertically down his back, starting at his hairline and ending at his tail.

The chipmunk hadn't looked at her face directly yet, seemingly avoiding her eyes.

But before she got any further from, what she thought was a safe compliment, the Geckin bolted. They had incredible speed, she had to admit that, but seeing the thin tail disappear through the entrance door, Natasha's heart plummeted to her boots.

The fluffy one hissed something at the retreating lizard, but could see he wasn't coming back. The remaining patron, oh so slowly, turned back and up at Natasha, seeing her face for the first time.

Credit where credit was due, the little chipmunk hadn't run yet, but the kindest thing to do, would be to offer them an 'out'.

===

Her eyes bore into his. They were so green, so intense. He was prey, she was without doubt a predator and she had him where she wanted him.

These thoughts tumbled through Pip's head in a repeating swirl of panicked anxiety. That was, until he paid attention for a moment and saw a slight tremble in her features. His species had social traits, they were good at reading features and whilst she naturally had the appearance of a very dangerous creature, he could see that she was upset.

Her voice washed over him like a warm, heavy blanket; 

“If you want to follow your friend hun', I understand. O-or I can get you 'nother server if you like?”

Her words were steady and came across as genuine and honest.

“That's the third customer that's run, so honestly, I'd rather you be comfy and happy than be forced to stay like.” She continued, holding her notepad against herself.

“I-i-t's fine. I'll stay.” Pip said, before quickly adding; “If that's okay?” He didn't want her to think he was defying her. If he had missed his mark, he didn't want an angry fist showing him her displeasure.

The giantess seemed pleased by his choice thankfully as she beamed at him again, showing off a set of a deadly looking teeth that could cut through flesh in a single bite. He had a flash of an image in his mind, of his arm between them. He blinked and cleared his throat grasping at the tablet in front of himself. It now showed a selection of various items and drinks, what he'd do for a damn list that he could pick from.

“I'm s-sorry, I didn't actually look, I'll have.. Er..”

“It's okay hun', I've no other customers right now. You can take your time?” she coaxed, while he wasn't looking at her, he could almost believe that she was a kindly young waitress, just helping a guy out.

“Do you have any suggestions? I'm, er.. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to- or.. what I should have?” He was falling over his words, he didn't normally stutter but the proximity to this, this Huntress, was causing him to regress to his anxiety-ridden younger years.

“Well sure honey, let me have a lil' looksie.” Her voice called out, before the shadow got darker, and he noticed her lean alarmingly close. In his hope that he would just be given an option that he would agree to, she instead was attempting to view his tablet to see where he was on the menu. The booth now had a roof made of her; her hair cascaded over him, what he had initially assumed was coarse or heavy locks of hair, was actually like silk; smooth and floated over him.

He went still.

Her hair smelled of watermelon and blanketed him all around. He could feel it tickling his back through his shirt, it brushed against his face and along his whiskers, pooling in his lap as she got closer. He glanced up and could see the perfectly smooth skin of his chin, which sloped into her neck, before disappearing into her uniform. He blinked as he noticed the space between the buttons of her uniform's shirt was slack enough that he could see within. A black lacy bra greeted him alongside the largest... He screwed his eyes shut and deliberately faced forwards.

If she caught him, then she would absolutely kill him.

“Ah, here we go, I'd say a 'Honeycomb Hot Chocolate' will set you up good and proper.”

“Is it good?”

“Oh! Honey, it's delicious. And! I'll have you know I make it myself. I usually have one, 'round this time, but with you here I need to be ready, 'case you need lil' ol' me.”

“You can still have one, I don't mind.”

“Well, ain't you a gentleman. If you're sure, I'll bring it along and we can chat properly sweet-thing!”

Wait. What? No, he meant- but she was gone. His cutlery bounced as she walked away at a speed that would make his eyes water. He let out a breath that he didn't realise he'd been holding and ran a smoothing hand through the fur on his head. This whole adventure was going to make him moult.

And the human! By all the gods, she was... was. Gods she was perfect.

This wasn't right. She was so different from himself, ignoring that social ostracising she would get by even talking with him outside of being forced to; being a predator and all, she was an entirely different category of organism. The size difference alone would make everything impossible. He wanted to dislike her, he wanted to fear her enough to run or have a desire to distance himself and yet it just excited him.

It was against the whole order of things and he loved it.

He was still terrified and she was still an unknown entity in all this, nothing could get him to ignore the instincts within himself that still screamed every time her eyes locked on to his.

After a few minutes, his cutlery started to dance again.

“Heeere we go, one extra special Honeycomb Hot Chocolate, just the way I make it.” a familiar sing-song voice said. A huge hand took over the booth as she placed a large, oversized mug of what appeared to be a hot chocolate with cream on top.

“Don't tell anyone, but I gave you a large without chargin' you.” She said with a wink that blew him away.

“When its the graveyard shift like this, it's worth bribing folk to stay and chat, y'know?” She asked tilting her head as she took a sip from a cup that Pip could have probably stood in with somewhat ease.

“Y-yeah, I used to work at the library. It wasn't so bad because I had my pick of the books, but it was always nice when a nocturnal showed up.” Pip agreed, trying to add to the conversation.

“Aww, I can just imagine you in glasses, being a librarian. I didn't think you could get any cuter hun'.”

Pip smiled as he reached into his pocket and from a thin protective leather pouch, produced his reading glasses, before putting them on.

The squeal that came from the behemoth was incredibly surprising and unlike anything his could have expected.

“No way, they're adorable!” She exclaimed as she leant down to look at him on his level. Her whole head was the same height as Pip when stood up, her face this close was a shock, again, but her eyes were simply taking in his spectacles.

“They really suit you hun'.” She whispered, a wind of peppermint washed over Pip, it was warm and humid and again, that forbidden excitement, ran up his spine, raising the fur so it stood up on end.

“Thank you, should I try something to eat? I skipped dinner because we- I was coming here.”

“I can offer some suggestions to you hun', just a sec.” She said straightening up. She placed her own mug down on the table, it dominated the space forcing Pip to snatch up the tablet at the last moment and hold it against himself.

She moved round the booth so she was more behind Pip now. A row of 4 fingers grasped the faux red leather of the booth, denting it completely from the effortless pressure. Where Pip sat in the centre of the bench, he barely creased the material. Another hand appeared on the other side, supported by the backrest as she used a perfectly manicured finger to tap the tablet that was still pressed to his chest.

“Let's have a look then.” A voice said from behind him, that peppermint blowing past him again.

He raised the tablet again, and selected food options. He had to grip the tablet tight as the finger swipe upwards so the options and their pictures scrolled past.

“Ooh, I know it's real plain, but if you're not planning on staying up, the cheese toasty is real good. I'll make sure to load it up too, I won't be cheap or nothin' with the cheese.”

She couldn't see that he wasn't looking at the menu, his eyes were shut closed as he suppressed the flight instinct that was screeching at him.

It was a hunter.

It was right. Behind. Him.

Why wasn't he running!?

…

Because he loved the way it felt.

He was alive! It was dangerous and stupid and it felt like nothing like the last few weeks and months of being invisible.

“Hun? You okay?” A concerned voice asked from over his shoulder, the hand that was pointing on the menu, briefly touched his shoulder.

“Cheese. Ah, yes, the cheese thing please. I'd like the cheese. I mean, I like cheese.. stop saying cheese...” he ended with a mumble, putting his hands over his eyes in embarrassment.

The giant waitress giggled in a friendly manner, before affirming that she'd be right back.

The night went on like this, the two of them bantering at times, Pip stumbling and stuttering in others. Eventually, Pip wasn't her only customer as she warned him that she had to go handle other duties so couldn't stand around any longer, but warmly said she genuinely hoped he'd be back.

When Pip shut and locked his door back home, he practically fell into his bed. It was late, or early, depending on how one would look at it. He was strung out; his body was exhausted from all the adrenaline it had pumped into him. When he closed his eyes, he could see streaks of light as his wired mind tried to climb back down into the calm of his home.

His clothes smelt of peppermint and he was almost certain he kept getting wafts of watermelon. His fur tingled in the memory of her proximity and actual touch at one point. He had actually touched a colossal being. Laying under the covers, his arms behind his head a goofy smile over his features, he tried to submit everything to memory, even what was under the uniform's blouse. He was a red-blooded male, it wasn't deliberate, but to pretend he didn't see it to himself was foolish.

His dreams that night wasn't well remembered, but familiar scents surrounded him and encapsulated him.

When the sun rose the next day, a weekend, he came to the conclusion he'd have to go see her again.

But how would he do it, without seeming desperate or creepy?

#conservationverse #cuddleverse #human #haso #hfy #humans are space orcs #chintian #chipmunk #size difference #sizeplay #sizetumblr

[femmefatalevibe]

How to survive having a job that you don't like? (Sadly. It's not the vibe. But quitting is not an option)

Hi love! I empathize with you on this one. Spending your entire day and mental energy on tasks you dread doing (and need to execute well) can be overwhelmingly draining. I'm hoping that this job only takes up 5 days of your week! Here are my best tips:

Keep Your "Why" Top of Mind: Even if a job doesn't align with your interests and passions or is in a bad working environment, you have to focus on the short-term purpose the job provides. Relish in having a steady paycheck to give you food to eat and a roof over your head. While long-term you deserve to find more purpose in your work, having a semblance of financial security will always top having to constantly worry about where your next meal is coming from – even if you hate every moment of being on the clock.

Plan Ahead: Mentally work through the following day ahead of time. Plan the tasks, meetings, and logistics right when you're ending your work day. This framework allows you to overcome the mental blocks and dread before you can go into decompress mode, so you can just wake up and go through the motions the next day. Taking the emotional aspect out of the daily work you hate is the simplest way to avoid burnout (at least in the short term).

Systemize Your Days (When Possible): Creating systems for different tasks or even your entire day can help you be more productive and lighten your mental load. This practice can help you to get your dreaded work done in less time while allowing you to feel less drained at the end of your shift. It's a win-win strategy. Create email templates you save for different types of messages (client-facing, different types of projects, scheduling meetings, presentation notes, etc.), have a folder organizing your different projects, program different Excel formats, and have outlines of decks saved – almost like a pre-made template that's actually useful (and potentially unique).

Focus On Skill Building Over Purpose: Consider the transferable skills you're acquiring while enduring this position – even if they don't pertain to your desired industry or role. Some of these universally-helpful transferable skills include writing a killer email, building a convincing case or admirable deck, learning how to speak to clients or stakeholders with confidence and grace, team-building and collaboration, organization, interpersonal communication, or simply prolonging your attention span. Reflect and dive deep to consider all the life lessons you can leverage later on by holding down this occupation.

Find Ways To Network Outside of Work Hours: Follow & connect with colleagues and influential figures in your industry on social media. Thoughtfully engage with the content they share. Ask about treating them to coffee for an informational interview. Go out to industry-related events, conferences, etc., and make sure to connect with those you met on LinkedIn the next day with a personalized connection message. Connect two of your mutual connections whenever possible. Allow karma to work in your favor.

Lurk, Research, & Study To Optimize Your Job Search: Set aside 20-30 minutes a day to search LinkedIn, job boards, social media (Twitter, Instagram), etc. to see potential next opportunities and evaluate the current market, trends, and most in-demand skillsets within your field/industry. Always tailor your applications and messages to mutual connections or hiring managers when applying to new roles. Be aware of your desired role/industry is evolving. Upskill whenever possible to increase your market value.

Incorporate Simple Pleasures Into Your Days: Make your favorite coffee every morning, have a go-to playlist that improves your mood to listen to before work, incorporate your favorite healthy meals into your week, find a workout you enjoy to add into your day either before or after work, indulge in a favorite book or TV show after work as a "reward" for making it through the day. Practice self-care – do a face mask or specialty hair treatment on a weeknight. Invest in an at-home massage tool or luxurious loungewear to wear in the evenings.

Indulge In A Creative Outlet: Find an opportunity for growth and self-expression outside of a workplace setting. Write, read, paint, draw, cook, bake, take a dance class, learn a new language, how to play a new instrument, or about interior design. Create Pinterest boards, poems, new playlists, and new recipes to celebrate your desire for variety in your otherwise mundane life.

Have Plans To Look Forward To Every Week: Whether it's hanging out with friends, going to a museum, watching a movie, or taking a walk along your favorite local route. Ensure you enjoy how you spend your days off. Don't waste time worrying about a dead-end job when you're off the clock. Spending your leisure time on your own terms. Take this time to do what you love.

Romanticize The Lifestyle It Provides: When motivation or your morale hits a low point, take time for gratitude and focus on the resources this job allows you to integrate into your life – whether that's a roof over your head, the opportunity to eat meals you enjoy, wear outfits you love, or even just provide you some sort of daily routine.

Consider your current job as a chapter in your life and career. Acquire the lessons, skills, relationships, and resources you can as preparation for the next stage in your ever-evolving journey.

Hope this helps xx

#career advice #career path #self care #femmefatale #dark feminine energy #dark femininity #high value woman #higher self #career tips #life advice #high value mindset #it girl #female excellence #dream girl #loa success #success mindset #personal growth #female power #girl advice #jobsearch #life skills #social skills #skilldevelopment #interpersonal relationships #networking #femmefatalevibe

[mariacallous]

Jalon Hall thought she was being scammed when a recruiter reached out on LinkedIn about a job moderating YouTube videos in 2020. Months after earning a master’s degree in criminal justice, her only job had been at a law firm investigating discrimination cases. But the offer was real, and Hall, who is Black and Deaf, sailed through the interviews.

She would be part of a new in-house moderation team of about 100 people called Wolverine, trudging daily through freezing weather to offices in suburban Detroit during the early pandemic. When she accepted the job, the recruiter said via email that a sign language interpreter would be provided “and can be fully accommodated :)” That assurance unraveled within days of joining Google—and her experience at the company has proven difficult in the years since.

Hall now works on responsible use of AI at Google and by all available accounts is the company’s first and only Black, Deaf employee. The company has feted her at events and online as representative of a workplace welcoming to all. Google’s LinkedIn account praised her last year for “helping expand opportunities for Black Deaf professionals!” while on Instagram the company thanked her “for making #LifeAtGoogle more inclusive!” Yet behind the rosy marketing, Hall accuses Google of subjecting her to both racism and audism, prejudice against the deaf or hard of hearing. She says the company denied her access to a sign language interpreter and slow-walked upgrades to essential tools.

After filing three HR complaints that she says yielded little change, Hall sued Google in December, alleging discrimination based on her race and disability. The company responded this week, arguing that the case should be thrown out on procedural grounds, including bringing the claims too late, but didn’t deny Hall’s accusations. “Google is using me to make them look inclusive for the Deaf community and the overall Disability community,” she says. “In reality, they need to do better.”

Hall, who is in her thirties, has stayed at Google in hopes of spurring improvements for others. She chose to talk with WIRED despite fearing for her safety and job prospects because she feels the company has ignored her. “I was born to push through hard times,” she says. “It would be selfish to quit Google. I’m standing in the gap for those often pushed aside.” Hall’s experiences, which have not been previously reported, are corroborated by over two dozen internal documents seen by WIRED as well as interviews with four colleagues she confided in and worked alongside.

Employees who are Black or disabled are in tiny minorities at Google, a company of nearly 183,000 people that has long been criticized for an internal culture that heavily favors people who fit tech industry norms. Google’s Deaf and hard-of-hearing employee group has 40 members. And Black women, who make up only about 2.4 percent of Google’s US workforce, leave the company at a disproportionately higher rate than women of other races, company data showed last year.

Several former Black women employees, including AI researcher Timnit Gebru and recruiter April Christina Curley, have publicly alleged they were sidelined by an internal culture that disrespected them. Curley is leading a proposed class action lawsuit accusing Google of systemic bias but has lost initial court battles.

Google spokesperson Emily Hawkins didn’t directly address Hall’s allegations when asked about them by WIRED. “We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and offer a range of accommodations to support the success of our employees, including sign language interpreters and captioning,” Hawkins says.

Figuring out how to accommodate people like Hall could be good business for Google. One in every 10 people by 2050 will have disabling hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization.

Mark Takano, who represents a slice of Southern California in the US House and cochairs the Congressional Deaf Caucus, says that Google has an obligation to lead the way in demonstrating that its technology and employment practices are accommodating. “When Deaf and hard-of-hearing employees are excluded because of the inability to provide an accessible workplace, there is a great pool of talent that is left untapped—and we all lose out,” he says.

Unaccommodated

Hall was born with profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, meaning that even with hearing aids her brain cannot process sounds well. Two separate audiologists in memos to Google said Hall needs an American Sign Language interpreter full-time. She also signs pre- and post-segregation Black ASL, which uses more two-handed signs and incorporates some African American vernacular.

During her childhood in Louisiana, Hall's parents pushed her into speech therapy and conventional schools, where she found that some people doubted she was Deaf because she can speak. She later attended a high school for Deaf students where she became homecoming and prom queen, and realized how much more she could achieve when provided appropriate support.

Hall expected to find a similar environment at Google when she moved to Farmington Hills, Michigan, to become a content moderator. The company contracts ASL interpreters from a vendor called Deaf Services of Palo Alto, or DSPA. But though Hall had been assigned to enforce YouTube’s child safety rules, managers wouldn’t let her interpreters help her review that content. Google worried about exposing contractors to graphic imagery and cited confidentiality concerns, despite the fact interpreters in the US follow a code of conduct that includes confidentiality standards.

Managers transferred Hall into training to screen for videos spreading misinformation about Covid and elections. She developed a workflow that saw her default to using lipreading and automated transcriptions to review videos and turn to her interpreter if she needed further help. The transcriptions on videos used in training were high quality, so she had little trouble.

Her system fell apart late in January 2021, about 20 minutes into one of her first days screening new content. The latest video in her queue was difficult to make sense of using lipreading, and the AI transcriptions in the software YouTube built for moderators were poor quality or even absent for recently uploaded content. She turned to her interpreter’s desk a few feet away—but to her surprise it was empty. “I was going to say, ‘Do you mind coming listening to this?’” she recalls.

Hall rose to ask a manager about the interpreter’s whereabouts. He told her that he and fellow managers had decided that she could no longer have an interpreter in the room because it threatened the confidentiality of the team’s work. She could now talk with her interpreter only during breaks or briefly bring them in to clarify policies with managers. She was told to skip any videos she couldn’t judge through sight alone.

Feeling wronged and confused by the new restrictions, Hall slumped back into her chair. US law requires companies to provide reasonable accommodations to a disabled worker unless it would cause the employer significant difficulty or expense. “This was not a reasonable accommodation,” she says. “I was thinking, What did I get myself into? Do they not believe I’m Deaf? I need my interpreter all day. Why are you robbing me of the chance of doing my job?”

‘Pushed Aside’

Without her interpreter, Hall struggled. She rarely met the quota of 75 videos each moderator was expected to review over an eight-hour day. She often had to watch through a video in its entirety, sometimes more than an hour, before concluding she could not assess it. “I felt humiliated, realizing that I would not grow in my career,” she says.

Throughout that February, Hall spoke to managers across YouTube about the need for better transcriptions in the moderation software. They told her it would take weeks or more to improve them, possibly even years. She asked for a transfer to child safety, since she had heard from a colleague that visuals alone could be used to decide many of those videos. An HR complaint filed that spring led nowhere.

Black and disabled colleagues eventually helped secure Hall a transfer into Google’s Responsible AI and Human-Centered Technology division in July 2021. It is run by vice president Marian Croak, Google’s most distinguished Black female technical leader. Hall says Croak supported her and described what she’d been through as unacceptable. But even in the new role, Hall’s interpreter was restricted to non-confidential conversations.

Hall says the discrimination against her has continued under her new manager, who is also Black, leading to her exclusion from projects and meetings. Even when she’s present some coworkers don’t make much effort to include her. “My point of view is often not heard,” Hall says. In 2021, she joined two gatherings of Google’s Equitable AI Research Roundtable, an advisory body, but then wasn’t invited again. “I feel hidden and pushed aside,” she says.

Hall filed an internal complaint against her manager in March 2022, and an HR staffer has joined their one-on-one meetings since October of that year. One of the interpreters who has assisted Hall says the friction Deaf workers encounter is sadly unsurprising. “People truly don’t take the time to learn about their peers,” the interpreter says.

The allegations are notable in part because a civil rights audit Google commissioned found last March that it needs to do more to train managers. “One of the largest areas of opportunity is improving managers’ ability to lead a diverse workforce,” attorneys for WilmerHale wrote. Hawkins, the Google spokesperson, says all employees have access to inclusion training.

Hall says when she has access to an interpreter, they are rotated throughout the week, forcing her to repeatedly explain some technical concepts. “Google is going the cheap route,” Hall claims, saying her interpreters in university were more literate in tech jargon.

Kathy Kaufman, director of coordinating services at DSPA, says it pays above market rates, dedicates a small pool to each company so the vocabulary becomes familiar, hires tech specialists, and trains those who are not. Kaufman also declined to confirm that Google is a client or comment on its policies.

Google’s Hawkins says that the company is trying to make improvements. Google’s accommodations team is currently seeking employees to join a new working group to smooth over policies and procedures related to disabilities.

Beside Hall’s concerns, Deaf workers over the past two years have complained about Google’s plans—shelved, for now—to switch away from DSPA without providing assurances that a new interpreter provider would be better, according to a former Google employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect their job prospects. Blind employees have had the human guides they rely on excluded from internal systems due to confidentiality concerns in recent years, and they have long complained that key internal tools, like a widely used assignment tracker, are incompatible with screen readers, according to a second former employee.

Advocates for disabled workers try to hold out hope but are discouraged. “The premise that everyone deserves a shot at every role rests on the company doing whatever it takes to provide accommodations,” says Stephanie Parker, a former senior strategist at YouTube who helped Hall navigate the Google bureaucracy. “From my experience with Google, there is a pretty glaring lack of commitment to accessibility.”

Not Recorded

Hall has been left to watch as colleagues hired alongside her as content moderators got promoted. More than three years after joining Google, she remains a level 2 employee on its internal ranking, defined as someone who receives significant oversight from a manager, making her ineligible for Google peer support and retention programs. Internal data shows that most L2 employees reach L3 within three years.

Last August, Hall started her own community, the Black Googler Network Deaf Alliance, teaching its members sign language and sharing videos and articles about the Black Deaf community. “This is still a hearing world, and the Deaf and hearing have to come together,” she says.

On the responsible AI team, Hall has been compiling research that would help people at Google working on AI services such as virtual assistants understand how to make them accessible to the Black Deaf community. She personally recruited 20 Black Deaf users to discuss their views on the future of technology for about 90 minutes in exchange for up to $100 each; Google, which reported nearly $74 billion in profit last year, would only pay for 13. The project was further derailed by an unexpected flaw in Google Meet, the company’s video chat service.

Hall’s first interview was with someone who is Deaf and Blind. The 90-minute call, which included two interpreters to help her and the subject converse, went well. But when Hall pulled up the recording to begin putting together her report, it was almost entirely blank. Only when Hall’s interpreter spoke did the video include any visuals. The signing between everyone on the call was missing, preventing her from fully transcribing the interview. It turned out that Google Meet doesn’t record video of people who aren’t vocalizing, even when their microphones are unmuted.

“My heart dropped,” Hall told WIRED using the video chat app Sivo, which allows all participants to see each other while a hearing person and sign language interpreter speak by phone. Hall spent the evening trying to soothe her devastation, meditating, praying, and playing with her dog, which she has trained in ASL commands.

Hall filed a support ticket and spoke to a top engineer for Google Meet who said fixing the issue wasn’t a priority. WIRED later found evidence that users had publicly reported similar issues for years. Microsoft Teams generally will record signing, but Hall wasn’t permitted to use it. She ended up hacking together a workflow for documenting her interviews by laboriously editing together Meet recordings and screen-captured video using tools that she paid $46 a month for out of her own pocket.

Company spokesperson Hawkins did not dispute Meet’s limitations but claims support for the Deaf community is a priority at Google, where work underway includes developing computer vision software to translate sign language.

Google leaders have often paid lip service to the importance of including people with diverse experiences in research and development, but Hall has found the reality lacking. Despite her understanding of the Black Deaf community and research into its needs, she says she is yet to be invited to support the sign translation work. In her experience, Google’s conception of diversity can be narrow. “In the AI department, a lot of conversations are around race and gender,” Hall says. “No one emphasizes disability.”

Her research showed Black, Deaf users are concerned about the potential for AI systems to misinterpret signs, generate poor captions, take jobs from interpreters, and disadvantage individuals who opt for manual interpretation. It underscored that companies need to consider whether new tools would make someone who is unable to hear feel closer or further from the people with whom they are communicating.

Hall presented her findings internally last December over a Google Meet call. Twenty-four colleagues joined, including a research director. Hall had been encouraged, including by Croak, to invite a much larger audience from across the company but ultimately stuck with the short list insisted upon by her manager. She didn’t even bother trying to record it.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

Hi! Good *insert time of day*! You seem to have a bit of a different take than most of the rest of the fandom on the final fifteen, particularly the mistakes that Crowley made leading up to it, so I was wondering what your take was on the mistakes Aziraphale made in the lead up? I guess I'm curious whether your reading differs there as well because I have trouble finding theories that don't either pin everything on a single trauma-driven decision or say that their whole relationship was dysfunctional or absolve him entirely via a plot twist and none of those feel correct to me somehow.

hi anon!!!✨ oh of course, there are so many things that aziraphale does ultimately fuck up a great deal on!

now, actually, would be a great time to actually address the bit of the most recent LWA that i felt would be too out of place to address in that response (LWA if you're reading this, which tbh im assuming you are, consider this in part a response to you too) - the way that aziraphale has replaced heaven with crowley.

now look, i do not think that this necessarily means that aziraphale sees crowley as a replacement for heaven - and what i mean by that is that i don't think he sees, or wants, him to be a carbon copy. aziraphale knows crowley is not heaven, and vice versa. i also think that aziraphale is aware of the fact that heaven as the system it currently is, and the archangels that run and operate within it, behave in a way that he can no longer run with.

when heaven refuses to back down from the apocalypse, and will wipe out humanity - you know, the humanity that he not only loves because of the things they have created and he hedonistically enjoys, but also because he literally does it out of kindness and duty (flaming sword being case in point) - this is possibly where aziraphale runs into his moment of "going along with heaven as far as he can". crowley even admits that aziraphale and heaven are no longer on speaking terms in the lapsed four years, and we have no reason at all to doubt this. so for me, when he accepts going back, it's done out of taking the opportunity to change the very things that he could no longer go along with. but i digress-

aziraphale substituting heaven for crowley does not say to me that he misses heaven, not really, but i think he is, in some ways, lost. we start off his introduction into s2's plot with him chilling with some shostakovich; so by large, he seems rather content with how his life is panning out in his retirement. but four years is an incredibly short amount of time to completely break the habit of having a job, a duty, a calling, that you've had for 6000.

i think aziraphale misses that he can tell someone about his work, about doing good deeds, and having someone to recognise him, even praise him, for it. and heaven did seem to praise him with his work on the antichrist, even if we as the audience see it as condescension, and wholly false or hollow (and on some subconscious level, i think aziraphale knew this too. being talked down to by the archangels is not news for him by this point (job)):

heaven represented an ideal for him, as well as being the closest he had to belonging. he may love humans, and in time come to love crowley, but i don't think he ever necessarily felt he belonged with them, that there was still something missing, and this is absolutely a reflection on aziraphale himself. the issue is that he never belonged in heaven, either - even less so, frankly - but he still yearned to do a good job, be a good angel (something that, after everything, i think he still considers to be important), and be accepted as a result.

but where i come to addressing what you're actually asking me, anon - about where aziraphale makes his own mistakes - is that when he loses heaven, he tries to fill this void, taking his buried feelings of inadequacy and ostracism (if his reaction to shax's goading in ep6 is anything to go by), by displacing everything onto crowley, and it reaches a point of dependency that is not fair on crowley to fulfil or give.

aziraphale is supported (enabled? arguably) in his hedonistic tendencies by crowley, encouraged to enjoy food and wine in particular (and as an example). shax points this out as being a key insecurity of aziraphale's, suggesting that he is otherwise self-conscious, even ashamed, of it to some degree, and i think we could extrapolate this to say that he entirely depends on crowley's encouragement to justify it to himself. even in the sushi restaurant, at beginning of s1, he seems to anticipate and be comforted that it could crowley joining him.

going back to the previous point of displacement, if we take the fact that aziraphale then also calls crowley essentially for praise, we can infer that he regularly needs his input to re-establish his self worth, exhibiting in reassurance-seeking behaviours. he also seems to display this kind of behaviour when telling crowley about the record in ep2, but moreso in ep3 when he revisits gabriel's statue.

don't get me wrong, this could just be aziraphale being excited to share his findings, but the almost erratic way in which he does, feels like he needs his praise before he can feel like he's 'done a good job', needs his approval before he can feel good about himself. this coping mechanism of aziraphale's only proves to worsen this level of dependency he has on crowley. crowley may well be happy to give it, which is crowley's own issue, but in the context of the final fifteen it puts an emotional load on crowley who not only has to deal with his own subjective heartbreak, but probably bear the weight of aziraphale's too.

and lastly, whilst i still maintain that this is more prevalent in s1 when he still puts firm stock in heaven, aziraphale does have a sense of superiority over crowley in his being an angel, compared to crowley being a demon. aziraphale is ultimately stating a point as he sees it - that he is in fact holier-than-thou, "that's the whole point" - but fails to recognise that that doesn't make him a better person by rule. it doesn't help that crowley's more... questionable actions... do nothing to dissuade aziraphale of this, but nonetheless aziraphale still sees what is essentially a class difference. by s2, i do think that this thinking wanes in him slightly*, and that he does begin to accept that he loves crowley as a person (including him being a demon), but that is going to leave a lasting scar on how crowley himself will think aziraphale sees him, and in turn potentially how he sees himself (i will be clear, this relationship is not one-sided in its dependency).

*when aziraphale remarks on "you're the bad guys", i don't think from aziraphale's perspective this was ever a criticism on crowley. after all, crowley is a demon, demons are of hell, and hell is the Bad Place - it's a statement of fact, not a judgement - and he even says categorically "well, of course you said 'no' to hell" (ie. literally, 'you're one of them, but not one of them' - echoing crowley's own words of them both being "better than that"). but he doesn't consider how this must come across, given his history of placing himself as crowley's moral and literal superior; he might not mean it that way now, but that is what crowley is going to hear.

all of this is cyclical, and all link intrinsically together in aziraphale to form an unhealthy dependency on crowley, as i said. this is an issue, and is not at all fair on crowley, because of the way we can infer how this could make crowley feel in kind; as a case in point, when he recounts aziraphale's reasons for contacting him, they're all termed like aziraphale never wants to speak to him just for him, as opposed to needing to get something out of it to reinstate his own person feeling of self-worth, and nothing that gives crowley the same feeling back.

it also feeds into the delusion that aziraphale has; that crowley is a completely good person, especially when crowley has repeatedly stated that he is in fact not that at all, but a little bit of both (with arguably the bad outweighing the good, at times - see crowley's line about 'dark grey' in ep4). he essentially places crowley on such a high pedestal that, to continue to metaphor, crowley cant move or wiggle upon without fear of falling off. whilst aziraphale may no longer have any allegiance to heaven as the institution, he still holds fast that it was always intended, always meant to be, the side of good. ergo, crowley belongs there - and leading directly to him even entertaining that crowley would want to be restored. in his eyes, he acts like an angel, so why not be restored as one? why wouldnt he want that?

and this all neatly leads into the fact that aziraphale doesn't listen to crowley; ive said in a post Somewhere that whilst i do think that i understand aziraphale has good intentions behind it, he does nonetheless overstep boundaries that crowley is clearly uncomfortable with, and aziraphale either disregards, or just plainly ignores, are there. crowley doesn't help himself with lying to aziraphale (about the gun, or about him living out of the bentley), but regardless aziraphale can obviously see crowley's hesitation with the bullet catch, can see that crowley expresses discomfort with sharing the bentley, and aziraphale pushes him anyway. this all culminates in that aziraphale gets too caught up in the ball - and his Plan - to recognise crowley's genuine panic about the demons lurking around outside.

he even goes as far as to lie to crowley, by omission. he lies about the antichrist in s1, and arguably for good reason (ie. in an attempt to safeguard the child - bear in mind he lies to heaven about it too), he still lies. it shows a lack of trust, which if you consider 1941 happening canonically before this, is worrying; crowley does ultimately go on to pressure aziraphale into shooting adam, but it's a conversation that aziraphale should have addressed more thoroughly with crowley. in this instance he was right not to trust him with the antichrist's location, but not right to not discuss more thoroughly with crowley that the antichrist shall not be harmed, and instead they need to find a new-new plan.

he also lies about shax appearing in the bentley, and fails to prepare crowley ahead of time for gabriel being in the bookshop. instead, in the latter, he tries to find a way to make crowley calm down (with bloody eccles cakes, jesus wept...), instead of just being upfront with him. he tries to bluff his way out of changing the bentley, and puppy-dog-eyes (as he knows works in much the same way that crowley's temptations tend to work on him) his way out of it. this may seem innocuous, but as i note in the next paragraph, it shows that he has a tendency to listen to crowley, but not actually hear him.

and okay - all of these, on aziraphale's part, may be rooted in love, but he doesnt stop for breath, doesn't stop to see and to hear him. in this respect, i can't disagree that it creates an environment where crowley may not feel able to communicate with aziraphale (albeit crowley isn't blameless in this either), and makes it all the more difficult for crowley to be able to express himself to him. this even happens blatantly in the final fifteen; he doesn't listen to crowley's panic, his tone, when he starts off nervously trying to confess to aziraphale, and aziraphale can't help himself but to butt in and interrupt. i don't think it's a sense necessarily of entitlement, but that aziraphale isn't reading crowley, and so thinks that his 'good news' is something that crowley will agree is more important that what crowley was going to say. they do, unfortunately, know each other shockingly little in some fairly major ways.

these are two characters that are manifestly impossible to analyse accurately and fairly without looking at the other. they feed into each other's bad parts and behaviours just as much as they do the good - and it keeps spinning and spinning like a water wheel. you can't truly unpick one without the other, and by large all of their actions are equally understandable as they are condemnable. i do feel, i'll be frank, that crowley's actions in the lead-up to the final fifteen are arguably more damning than aziraphale's - and the fandom in general terms seems to be blind to considering them, at times - but that doesn't mean that aziraphale is blameless, because he absolutely isn't!✨

#good omens #ask #feral domestic/final fifteen meta #s2 meta #s1 meta #aziraphale meta

[monratarot]

Minor Arcana - Suit of cusp - Knight of cups

Please like and reblog if you find this information useful! 🌸🎀💕

//don’t claim it as your own and/or repost it on other platforms//

Knight of Cups - I KNOW I’M A DREAMER - Lord of Waves and Waters

drives forward with plans for love, art & spirituality

You are a dedicated, motivated, emotional, tender, sensitive, and loving person

Element - the fire of the suits of water - Aquaris + Pisces

Key meaning

a proposal

romance, relationships

dreamy, charming, romantic

feeling inspired

being guided by your emotions

new job invitation

faithfulness

✬Upright meaning

new love interests, enjoy more romance with an existing partner

other things capture your imagination: beauty, maturity, time away

new friends may enter your circle

be open to real love, judge not by appearance

relationship - able to figure out fantasy versus reality; afraid of what commitment might feel like; if you are single right now, this is a positive tiding that you have someone lovely coming into your life

health - good news as well as a recommendation to get out there and meet new people in order for you to feel grounded in the world

work - a promotion or a bonus in your future in your work situation

past - a good time in your personal history; a moment of particular serenity or satisfaction

present - you should prepare to welcome a new person or experience into your life; something new is coming, it may be unexpected

future - if you have a passion you’ve been thinking about pursuing, then now is the time to do it; plant your seeds now, and in the future, you will see that your hard work has blossomed into something more

✬Reversed meaning

double partner

ruining a relationship

disappointment - an offer does not materialize

an untrustworthy and unreliable person

you need to step away as this knight has little to offer other than the ongoing drama

relationship - you must prepare to face some difficult truths; the end of a happy chapter within a relationship, or point to the immoral actions of your partner which may later cause you pain

family - turbulence within the familial home - speaking openly and honestly with your family may be difficult

work - missed opportunity or career dissatisfaction;

health - someone who is on the brink of illness - due to a weakened immune system from overworking, and may highlight a substance abuse problem

#tarot #tarot reading #tarot community #tarotcommunity #tarotblr #tarot witch #daily tarot #tarot cards #moni tarot #tarot deck #tarotista #tarotonline #tarotscope #tarot art #divination #suit of cups #knight of cups #moni talks #moni's note #moni's notes #please reblog

[elminx]

Energy Update: Mercury Retrograde

Starting on 11/25, we will enter our fourth and final Mercury retrograde cycle of 2023. This retrograde will stretch from 22° Sagittarius to 08° Capricorn and make thrice repeating aspects with Neptune in Pisces, Saturn in Pisces, and Jupiter in Taurus. It will also make double conjunctions with Mars - once in Sagittarius and a second time in Capricorn.

The Basics

Mercury, our planet of communication, technology, and travel, is the fastest-moving planet in our solar system and retrogrades 3 to 4 times every year. This means that Mercury's retrograde cycle is "business as usual" and isn't something that should be feared but it is a change in the energy signature of one of our personal planets, so it's worth paying attention and making adjustments where necessary.

Retrogrades don't mean that the planet ACTUALLY is moving backward, of course. It is a perspective shift in our perception of the planetary movement through our skies. In this way, our perspectives and perceptions can get a bit twisted during these times and it is easy to miss key details or communicate ineffectively.

During Mercury's retrograde, Mercury traces its path backward in our skies and it is considered better to go over your work rather than start something new. Mercury passes over these degrees in the sky thrice: the first time during its pre-retrograde shadow, the second time while it moves backward during its retrograde, and again a third time while it moves forward in its post-retrograde shadow. Because of this, we all get the cosmic opportunity to relearn and refocus on certain things that are going awry in our lives.

By looking at the degrees of any particular retrograde and comparing them to your natal birth chart, you can get some insight into how each particular retrograde may affect you. If you don't have the expertise to do this yourself, you can purchase a Mercury retrograde report from me over on Kofi.

Mercury retrogrades affect some people more than others. By order of significance, these people are most likely to be affected by a Mercury retrograde:

If you have Sun, Moon, Ascendant in Gemini and Virgo or Mercury closely conjunct (within 2°) to your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant

If your natal Mercury was in retrograde or out of bounds

If the current retrograde crosses over your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant (in conjunction) or makes a square or opposition

If the current retrograde crosses over your Mercury, Venus, or Mars or makes a square or opposition with them

If the current retrograde makes a trine with one of your personal planets or a sextile to your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant

If you work in a job that involves technology, communication, or travel or are currently undergoing a task that involves one of these domains during this retrograde cycle

If you live with, are in a relationship with, or closely work with a person who meets the above criteria

One can assume that the more of these factors in play, the stronger you may experience the effects of a Mercury retrograde cycle. This isn't to say that what you experience will be bad or wrong - some people experience a lot of freedom from Mercury's journey. The more open you are willing to give up control and stay open to the ever-changing landscape of a Mercury cycle, the easier it will be.

The Nitty Gritty

Now that we've established what all Mercury retrogrades bring, let's talk about this specific one. Mercury will retrograde backward from 08° Capricorn to 22° Sagittarius which means that the degrees affected will be from 22-29° Sagittarius and 00-08° Capricorn.

This puts the stressor on the transition from mutable to cardinal signs (firstly) and from fire to earth signs (secondarily). Anytime that a retrograde cycle crosses signs, we know that there will be a focus on transitions in some fashion. The transition from mutable to cardinal is a seasonal transition - each of our seasons starts at 00° of the four cardinal signs - 00° is the start of spring, 00° Cancer is the start of summer, 00° Libra is the start of autumn, and 00° Capricorn is the start of winter.

The secondary transition from a fire sign to an earth sign is the transition from creation to structure. Earth signs are very material, they deal with what is here and are tangible. Since Mercury passes through these degrees thrice, we will first move forward from mutable/creation to cardinal/structure, back from cardinal/structure to mutable/creation, and then forward again from mutable/creation to cardinal/structure.

This coincides well with the numerology of the three months of this transition: November is a "9" month of endings, December is a "1" month of beginnings, and January is a "9" month of endings. We are on the precipice of something new, but some refinement is needed before we can fully attain that potential.

When we look at the repeated aspects Mercury makes during this time, we see another repetition of this theme. Mercury aspects three of our outer planets thrice: while in Sagittarius, it squares off with Neptune, and while in Capricorn it trines Jupiter and sextiles Saturn. Neptune brings some otherworldly confusion to the table - this shows us the unknown of where we are heading (and perhaps the fear that comes along with it). Jupiter shows us the promise of what is to come. Saturn shows us that we need to work for it.

Additionally, Mercury will make a double pass over Mars as it conjuncts Mars once in retrograde in the sign of Sagittarius and a second time while direct in the sign of Capricorn. Mars is how we get our work done; it is the energy behind nearly everything we do. If I had to pick a singular day of stress or strife during this retrograde cycle, I would choose 12/28 when retrograde Mercury conjuncts Mars at 24° Sagittarius.

A common metaphor for imagining retrograde cycles is as a lesson or "hole" in the ground with which we must fall in/pass over/encounter trice to gain the full experience of the situation.

The story unfolds something like this:

Oh, there's a hole in the ground! I fell into it because I didn't know that it was there. It's not my fault. (pre-retrograde shadow phase)

Oh, there's a hole in the ground. I fell into it again. I did know it was there...maybe I should learn to avoid this hole? (retrograde phase)

And, if all goes well: Oh hey, that's a hole in the ground! It's the same hole I fell into before. I know how to walk around this now. (post-retrograde phase)

In this way, retrogrades are seen as part of the evolution/learning cycle of humanity both on a personal and cultural level. We all make mistakes. We all make repeated mistakes, even. Eventually though, in a best-case scenario, we learn from them and go on to make different mistakes in the future. (I kid...sort of)

That Mercury is crisscrossing over Mars, our planet that gives us the energy to get things done, is a great boon. We aren't just floating around in the amorphous goo of retrograde season (things can get really fucking foggy and directionless) - there is an actual opportunity to get things done.

That is, of course, is you are up for facing your demons and learning from your mistakes. If you prefer to live with your head in the sand, this retrograde season may feel quite uncomfortable.

We don't get to choose whether or not we live in "interesting times", but we do get to decide HOW we live in them. This retrograde is going to put a stressor on existing system failures - where can we shore up our own systems to handle more stress? What can we do to support ourselves through stress and times of change? Is there a levy that is going to be inundated, and can we divert the water elsewhere to avoid a deluge?

There is some old adage about traveling while Mercury is in retrograde that I find very applicable here: traveling during this time can be very pleasurable so long as you can let go and accept where the road takes you.

Expect delays and detours during this time. If you're all fussed about getting to your destination, you may miss the scenic views and pure joy of the experience of moving more slowly. Mercury's retrogrades are a time to do less more thoroughly. It is a time of cosmic refinement (Mercury is the ruler of our architect sign of Virgo).

It can also be a time of unfortunate miscommunications (especially involving technology). Packing patience and a heavy dose of empathy can help a lot here. This is the divine right time to check your work twice before you hit "send" and to sit on it for a few days before you pick that fight. Things may not be what they seem and that will go double for the dates when Neptune is involved.

Healthy human behaviors will always help here: take a break when you need to, keep an eye on your state of emotional regulation, and remember to maintain solid boundaries. Remember that this transit is going to pass over all of our December holidays so do what you have to do to care for yourself if its already a hard season for you. (oh, and be extra nice to retail workers if you can!)

The big boon of this transit is that Mercury will station direct on the first day of our new year. That makes 1/1/24 the perfect day to set intentions of all kinds.

Keep in mind that the end of the physical retrograde doesn't mean that these shenanigans are "over" (Mercury still needs to travel back through to its post-retrograde shadow), but it means the hardest part has passed. We will enter the new year with a fresh slate and hopefully some newfound understanding.

The Details

11/25 - Mercury enters its pre-retrograde shadow 22° Sagittarius 11/27 - Mercury in Sagittarius square retrograde Neptune in Pisces (1) 12/02 - Mercury in Capricorn sextile Saturn in Pisces (1) 12/06 - Neptune stations direct 24° Pisces 12/08 - Mercury in Capricorn trine retrograde Jupiter in Taurus (1) 12/11 - Mercury in Capricorn sextile Venus in Scorpio 12/13 - Mercury stations retrograde 08° Capricorn 12/18 - Retrograde Mercury in Capricorn trine retrograde Jupiter in Taurus (2) 12/21 - Retrograde Mercury in Capricorn sextile Saturn in Pisces (2) 12/27 - Retrograde Mercury in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces (2) 12/28 - Retrograde Mercury conjunct Mars 24° Sagittarius (1) 12/31 - Jupiter stations direct 05° Taurus 1/01 - Mercury stations direct 22° Sagittarius 1/8 - Mercury in Sagittarius square Neptune in Pisces (3) 1/18 - Mercury in Capricorn sextile Saturn in Pisces (3) 1/19 - Mercury in Capricorn trine Jupiter in Taurus (3) 1/20 - Mercury exits its post-retrograde shadow 08° Capricorn 1/27 - Mercury conjunct Mars 17° Capricorn (2)

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#astrology #words #mine #energy update #Mercury #Mercury retrograde #November 2023 #December 2023 #January 2024