@apheliotropism.bsky.social
A collection of interesting facts with a personality precariously perched on top. They/them.
Pinned
Apophenia
Art by Anna Aphelion
apopheniart.wordpress.com
I make art. Sometimes people pay me to make it. Sometimes I put it in little books and sell them. If you are interested in that sort of thing, you should go have a look at apopheniart.wordpress.com
Reposted
“try water fox or ice weasel” try chill penguin. install flame mammoth. you just download bubble crab. literally just use boomer kuwanger. sting chameleon has a search bar, use it to find toxic seahorse.
I asked what I should use instead of firefox and someone said “floorp” and I legitimately thought it was a bit for like five minutes. tech has gone beyond making the torment nexus real to making poob real.
December 17, 2025 at 3:37 AM
“try water fox or ice weasel” try chill penguin. install flame mammoth. you just download bubble crab. literally just use boomer kuwanger. sting chameleon has a search bar, use it to find toxic seahorse.
Ea-Nasir and his infamy is one of those things that I assume everyone knows about because I have spent too much time online. Then I mention it to my work colleagues and maybe one person knows remotely what I'm talking about.
My therapist: “I know it stings to receive criticism, but you shouldn’t dwell on it. You probably won’t even remember that comment next week.”
Me, about to change her practice forever: “Have you heard of Ea-Nasir?”
Me, about to change her practice forever: “Have you heard of Ea-Nasir?”
December 17, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Ea-Nasir and his infamy is one of those things that I assume everyone knows about because I have spent too much time online. Then I mention it to my work colleagues and maybe one person knows remotely what I'm talking about.
Reposted
Ah yes, that's where a recently unemployed 24-year-old bricklayer, who spent years hanging around Australia's pro-IS network, and his 50-year-old migrant father were radicalised: university anti-genocide protests 🙄
Be fucking serious for a moment.
Be fucking serious for a moment.
December 15, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Ah yes, that's where a recently unemployed 24-year-old bricklayer, who spent years hanging around Australia's pro-IS network, and his 50-year-old migrant father were radicalised: university anti-genocide protests 🙄
Be fucking serious for a moment.
Be fucking serious for a moment.
16.5 - the .5 is cos I never had a chequebook of my own, but I was given cheques as a kid to pay for schools excursions, as birthday money, etc. Never used a waterbed - who did!? Never had an 'AOL address' cos I'm not 🇺🇸 & never used dial up cos my family didn't get internet until the cable era.
Show your age
17 (have never used a fax machine, a record player, or a phone booth)
17 (have never used a fax machine, a record player, or a phone booth)
December 16, 2025 at 11:17 PM
16.5 - the .5 is cos I never had a chequebook of my own, but I was given cheques as a kid to pay for schools excursions, as birthday money, etc. Never used a waterbed - who did!? Never had an 'AOL address' cos I'm not 🇺🇸 & never used dial up cos my family didn't get internet until the cable era.
I'm genre critical - I think the classification of creative works into such categories is often reductive, value-laden and othering.
I'm Gondor critical. I think without a true king descended from the Númenóreans it can't function meaningfully as a state.
im gangrene critical. please you have to chop off my leg
December 16, 2025 at 6:49 AM
I'm genre critical - I think the classification of creative works into such categories is often reductive, value-laden and othering.
Reposted
A mari in a romanesque (norman style) archway
December 14, 2025 at 6:24 PM
A mari in a romanesque (norman style) archway
Reposted
Largest gun violence event since Port Arthur could, and should, be a wake-up call. We instituted massive gun control reforms nationally in the wake of Port Arthur. Decades later, exemptions and affordances have been expanded, and there are calls to relax them further.
We should not do that.
We should not do that.
Australia had the ‘gold standard’ on gun control. The Bondi beach terror attack may force it to confront its surging number of weapons
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Australia had the ‘gold standard’ on gun control. The Bondi beach terror attack may force it to confront its surging number of weapons
There are now more guns in the community per capita than in the aftermath of the Port Arthur massacre, with at least 2,000 new firearms lawfully entering the community every week
www.theguardian.com
December 14, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Largest gun violence event since Port Arthur could, and should, be a wake-up call. We instituted massive gun control reforms nationally in the wake of Port Arthur. Decades later, exemptions and affordances have been expanded, and there are calls to relax them further.
We should not do that.
We should not do that.
Reposted
Alan Turing would like to remind you that computers were, are, and will be gay in EVERY year
December 13, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Alan Turing would like to remind you that computers were, are, and will be gay in EVERY year
A baby possum got stuck between the security grille & the window in my bedroom. No idea how she got there, no parent in nearby. Eventually a WIRES volunteer & I had to carefully nudge her out w a broom. She was taken to be hand reared for release later. So painfully cute. Hope she's okay out there
What's your most memorable experience with a wild animal, whether on purpose or by accident?
December 13, 2025 at 11:47 PM
A baby possum got stuck between the security grille & the window in my bedroom. No idea how she got there, no parent in nearby. Eventually a WIRES volunteer & I had to carefully nudge her out w a broom. She was taken to be hand reared for release later. So painfully cute. Hope she's okay out there
I mentioned to the person fitting my new glasses the other day that I was going to my work Xmas party after the appointment and she made exactly this face 😬 Funny thing is, though a noisy pub is not ideal...I actually quite enjoy socialising with my colleagues and was actually looking forward to it
December 13, 2025 at 2:24 AM
I mentioned to the person fitting my new glasses the other day that I was going to my work Xmas party after the appointment and she made exactly this face 😬 Funny thing is, though a noisy pub is not ideal...I actually quite enjoy socialising with my colleagues and was actually looking forward to it
Reposted
It has come to my attention that there is an entire subreddit for videos of animals getting luxuriously brushed and it is extremely relaxing www.reddit.com/r/brushybrus...
December 12, 2025 at 8:52 PM
It has come to my attention that there is an entire subreddit for videos of animals getting luxuriously brushed and it is extremely relaxing www.reddit.com/r/brushybrus...
Was just listening to a panel discussion about the Aust. Law Reform Commission, featuring Gareth Evans and Michael Kirby, in which I feel Evans was being...weird and inappropriate about Kirby's sexuality. Asked about their working relationship, he joked about how Kirby 'had the hots for him'
December 11, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Was just listening to a panel discussion about the Aust. Law Reform Commission, featuring Gareth Evans and Michael Kirby, in which I feel Evans was being...weird and inappropriate about Kirby's sexuality. Asked about their working relationship, he joked about how Kirby 'had the hots for him'
Despite having a congenital vision impairment and having had probably hundreds of eye tests in my life, it's never not exhausting and awkward to have to repeat 'no I can't read any of that...no, still can't read it...idk, maybe that's an 'R'???'.
December 10, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Despite having a congenital vision impairment and having had probably hundreds of eye tests in my life, it's never not exhausting and awkward to have to repeat 'no I can't read any of that...no, still can't read it...idk, maybe that's an 'R'???'.
I did go to art school and I have had blue hair on occasion, but I'm 42 and I'm still non-binary, so I don't think anyone can claim it's a youthful phase at this point
Something I'd like to address. There's this idea that TQ+ folk are all 21 year-old art students... and all the 'normal' old school folk are LGB and entirely left behind and confused by 'pronouns'...
Every talk I give, know who the most outspoken trans allies are? Queer folk in their 70s!!
Every talk I give, know who the most outspoken trans allies are? Queer folk in their 70s!!
December 7, 2025 at 11:18 AM
I did go to art school and I have had blue hair on occasion, but I'm 42 and I'm still non-binary, so I don't think anyone can claim it's a youthful phase at this point
O stand, stand at the window
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.’
It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.’
It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.
Which lines of poetry live rent-free in your head?
December 7, 2025 at 6:23 AM
O stand, stand at the window
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.’
It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.’
It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.
I watch a lot of UK crime shows. Actually 'watch' is generous - I have them on in the background while drawing, sewing, cleaning, etc. I'm struck by the pervasive convention that the brilliant detective protagonists are...HR investigations waiting to happen. And this is presented as cool actually.
December 6, 2025 at 11:48 PM
I watch a lot of UK crime shows. Actually 'watch' is generous - I have them on in the background while drawing, sewing, cleaning, etc. I'm struck by the pervasive convention that the brilliant detective protagonists are...HR investigations waiting to happen. And this is presented as cool actually.
I don't so much miss my LJ friends (many of them I'm still in contact with in other ways), but I really miss the genuine social interactions and connections it fostered. It was truly social in a way that current 'social media' just isn't.
December 6, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I don't so much miss my LJ friends (many of them I'm still in contact with in other ways), but I really miss the genuine social interactions and connections it fostered. It was truly social in a way that current 'social media' just isn't.
Reposted
guys, I'm sorry but we are going to have to bring back Abstract Expressionism until we get rid of all this naive moralizing that assumes a 1:1 relationship between art and reality. please enjoy these nonrepresentational shapes.
December 5, 2025 at 1:05 AM
guys, I'm sorry but we are going to have to bring back Abstract Expressionism until we get rid of all this naive moralizing that assumes a 1:1 relationship between art and reality. please enjoy these nonrepresentational shapes.
Reposted
YES!!!! Many of us have been repeating this for so long and yet still every news bulletin is about "Teen social media ban"!
Stop it. No. This is an invasive demand to ID verify EVERYONE ALL THE TIME, for the marginal gains of excluding a few specific users from some platforms.
Stop it. No. This is an invasive demand to ID verify EVERYONE ALL THE TIME, for the marginal gains of excluding a few specific users from some platforms.
The thing to understand about "age verification" laws is that they are not just for kids
The only way to "stop kids from doing xyz online" using age-gating is to demand a government ID (or invasive biometric face scan) from EVERYONE.
This means associating your gov ID with EVERYTHING YOU DO ONLINE
The only way to "stop kids from doing xyz online" using age-gating is to demand a government ID (or invasive biometric face scan) from EVERYONE.
This means associating your gov ID with EVERYTHING YOU DO ONLINE
December 5, 2025 at 1:56 AM
YES!!!! Many of us have been repeating this for so long and yet still every news bulletin is about "Teen social media ban"!
Stop it. No. This is an invasive demand to ID verify EVERYONE ALL THE TIME, for the marginal gains of excluding a few specific users from some platforms.
Stop it. No. This is an invasive demand to ID verify EVERYONE ALL THE TIME, for the marginal gains of excluding a few specific users from some platforms.
Reposted
I have not eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
Forgive me
but it’s a hectic
time of year
I’ll circle back
to your plums
after the holidays.
the plums
that were in
the icebox
Forgive me
but it’s a hectic
time of year
I’ll circle back
to your plums
after the holidays.
I have done
the admin
that was in
the inbox
And which
I had definitely
been
putting off
Inevitably
It was so easy
so quick
and is gone
the admin
that was in
the inbox
And which
I had definitely
been
putting off
Inevitably
It was so easy
so quick
and is gone
December 3, 2025 at 12:28 PM
I have not eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
Forgive me
but it’s a hectic
time of year
I’ll circle back
to your plums
after the holidays.
the plums
that were in
the icebox
Forgive me
but it’s a hectic
time of year
I’ll circle back
to your plums
after the holidays.
Reposted
NEW! Survey on experiences of romantic crushes, please share widely! The aim of this study is to investigate the romantic crush. Note that this is only for people currently residing in Australia who are 18+. Find out more and complete the survey at this link: q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_...
December 3, 2025 at 1:31 AM
NEW! Survey on experiences of romantic crushes, please share widely! The aim of this study is to investigate the romantic crush. Note that this is only for people currently residing in Australia who are 18+. Find out more and complete the survey at this link: q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_...
NZ Fur Seal
Langur
Lace Monitor
Red Deer
Eastern Brown Snake
Langur
Lace Monitor
Red Deer
Eastern Brown Snake
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Rat
Pigeon
Squirrel
Seagull
Duck
Rat
Pigeon
Squirrel
Seagull
Duck
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild*:
Hyena
Indeterminate Monkey (statistically either a rhesus or a langur, I am not a monkey scholar)
Sea Lion
Peacock
Mountain lion
*all of these were in urban environments because what happens in The Wild is not my business
Hyena
Indeterminate Monkey (statistically either a rhesus or a langur, I am not a monkey scholar)
Sea Lion
Peacock
Mountain lion
*all of these were in urban environments because what happens in The Wild is not my business
November 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM
NZ Fur Seal
Langur
Lace Monitor
Red Deer
Eastern Brown Snake
Langur
Lace Monitor
Red Deer
Eastern Brown Snake
Heard this song for the first time in probably decades today and was confused as to why this upbeat bop made me feel weirdly sad. Then I remembered the film clip... m.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqm...
The Avalanches - Since I Left You
YouTube video by TheAvalanchesVEVO
m.youtube.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Heard this song for the first time in probably decades today and was confused as to why this upbeat bop made me feel weirdly sad. Then I remembered the film clip... m.youtube.com/watch?v=wpqm...
I'm on my third 'career path' at this point. This one started with what was only supposed to be a 6mo temp assignment, which I took after I ran almost literally screaming from my previous job & needed to do something in a totally different industry. Turns out I love it & I hope I can keep doing it.
November 23, 2025 at 10:59 AM
I'm on my third 'career path' at this point. This one started with what was only supposed to be a 6mo temp assignment, which I took after I ran almost literally screaming from my previous job & needed to do something in a totally different industry. Turns out I love it & I hope I can keep doing it.
Reposted
the (rail replacement) vengabus is coming
and everybody's grumbling
some routes have been amended
journey times are extended
and everybody's grumbling
some routes have been amended
journey times are extended
rail replacement vengabus
November 22, 2025 at 10:18 PM
the (rail replacement) vengabus is coming
and everybody's grumbling
some routes have been amended
journey times are extended
and everybody's grumbling
some routes have been amended
journey times are extended