they should do an MMO where everyone is a shapeshifter and you can go live with animal herds in the wild if you want for a time but you are never entirely one of them, noting that the wild animal npcs partake in behaviors with or make calls to one another that you may not understand the logic of but can try to learn to repeat the musical cadence of. this is true of even the human npcs, whose musical language is the most intricate and complex to learn of all and who will ostracize you readily if you do not use it properly. other players are not marked as players and there is no chat feature. as an elk you may not know if the wolf chasing you is an npc or another player who does not know the same of you, and there is no chat. maybe the players would develop a sort of musical cadence to identify other shifters. no one would like this game and it would not be fun. but i would like it

were you a person? was i one? did it matter?

“Rather than talk down to you and tell you what to believe,” he argued, Democrats should “listen to hard-working Americans.” [which does not include trans people who want their rights protected]

So here's what comes of holding election victories as the highest moral good: Why, it looks like there are more voters that want to crush minorities than there are minority voters. Funny how that works out. Perhaps, in order to continue the "harm reduction" we should be a little more flexible about who is a human being deserving of human rights. For heaven's sake, of course it's more important to [insert other issue here] than to make sure your "daughter" can participate in track and field like a real girl... or go to the bathroom... or get healthcare... or live. What do you mean some of you also have "sons"? Or... whatever that is. Please, their existence is of limited political value, stop confusing the issue. Look, we've already accepted that a certain amount of children are going to die to keep us in power, are you really that upset we want to roll the dice on yours?

By the numbers, the fascist/war criminal outreach didn't cause Republican voters to get right with centrism and ask for slightly less fascism/war crimes as a compromise. Nothing succeeds like excess! However, they have an explanation on deck for that, it's not new:

As always, there are Democrats pushing back from within the party, but courting fickle leftists who won't let you kill their child and blame the child posthumously just doesn't have wide appeal. The authoritarian lockstep voters won't hold politicians accountable! Please-please-please can't we have some more money for the claw machine, so we can try picking some of those up again? They'll help us win lots of elections! A half-fascist, half-nonfascist voter base would be philosophically ideal! Can't you all just get along? Come on, you all want cheaper groceries! It's a big tent!

"Who shall we alienate from their inalienable rights? Show of hands!" is not a winning situation for minorities of any kind. If we're doing trolley problems, we're going to pull the lever and aim for the less populated areas. And we'll congratulate ourselves on a job well done while wiping the blood off our hands.

(I suppose I should add that teaming up to form some kind of solidarity-based minority supermajority, if all we're going to do with it is pull the lever and mow down the people who've been mowing us down, would be kind of a lateral move. We really ought to stop the trolley, although I am seeing a lot of people who prioritize lever access.)

The way we count votes, assign representatives and allow ballot access is very good at muting the voices of the marginalized. All the little things, and a few big things, really add up. We're not going to vote it all better under the circumstances - we haven't done it in over 250 years, and, in fact, have put a lot of effort into making the stacked deck more subtle and entrenched. That's not what I asked for, but that's what I got. You too?

Democrats aren't the good guys. Supporting them unconditionally doesn't help them fight the "bad guys" it makes it easier for them to be bad guys too. Don't quiet down and fall in line, or if and when they ever win an election again, this is what you're gonna get.

But, in case this is all you're gonna get for the foreseeable future, team up and take care of each other. Draw outside the lines. Circle around the children like musk oxen and make a safe space. The school doesn't own sports - and, frankly, they might push your kids to permanently damage their health for trophies and funding. Hell, the school doesn't own education. There has to be someplace your kids can learn AND use the bathroom AND not get shot AND not be exposed to COVID on a regular basis. If you can't drag the school system there, what can you build as an alternative?

Same goes for every other institution under attack.

Was talking to a 70 year old security guard at my university yesterday and I liked what he had to say to me and a couple of the younger freshmen chatting him up. I think you should hear it. I’ll paraphrase him (cutting out my half of the conversation);

“For people like us [POC] it’s always been a fight against the latest dude. Reagan and bush and Obama and trump. You know what they did when we started scaring them? They bombed American soil because they were about to piss themselves at black power. You know I can’t say out loud I was a part of that but that’s what you kids gotta do. Stay calm and build that black power, that neighbor power, that low class power against the latest dude, and when they bomb this neighborhood again that’s when you can panic, but you’ve gotta fight til then. The president was never on our side. Neither one.”

how the fuck do you even shave your face

no idea

oh hey something i sort of know how to do

1- fill up sink or a cup with water to rinse the razor

2- splash face with hot water

3- apply shaving foam/lotion, you probably need less than you'll get out of the can but w/e

4- first pass: shave down face. Hold razor at a bit of a downward angle and go slow. Rinse/shake out razor in the water every 1-3 strokes.

5- cheeks, neck, and fultrum (above your lip) are easy. Chin is always a pain in the ass just take it slow and steady

6- feel your face for texture to see if you missed any spots. If not, congratulations, it's good Enough(tm)

7- if you want a closer shave, do a second pass holding the razor upside down and shave up this time.

8- if you cut yourself, don't freak out, just give it a rinse and put a bit of paper towel on it and hold pressure on. You will cut yourself sometimes and its mostly just annoying because they can take a while to close up.

9- congratulations it's a Shaved Face(tm). Enjoy doing this every day or two for the rest of your life or until you transition to a gender w less hair.

I'm currently making a survival book, its going to inclue everything you need to run, how to cross borders (only if necessary), the safest states right now, the unsafest states, how to protect yourself in a red area, what places to stay at if your running, nearby jobs and other ways to get money, what foods are best to get, how to make certain foods, electronic related advice, the safest messaging apps, what not to say in messages, guide to doctors if you have a uterus or are a women, what plants are safe to eat, various poisons, how to deal with cops, a map of the local area and where cops hang out, how to survive in the woods, clothes you should bring, what to do about your period if your on the run, methods of birth control and what's the best, how to legally change your name and the amount of money it costs, how to a car if your in a non walkable area, first aid tips, how to get and use a burner phone, what type of weapons you might need and how to use them, a guide on how to use most commonplace guns, chargers to use for any devices you might bring.

All of it, I've got multiple notebooks to I'm spreading it across them.

I'm looking for other things to add too it, or if you see one or more subjects in here that you know a lot about/ can help with, feel free to reply or reblog with it, and if you don't want it attached to your profile, my asks are open and free to use. Anything is helpful, anything at all.

I'll be deleting this by January, you have until then to send.

Please, please please please, reblog this. don't just 'like' it

But if some or all of these tenets of modern democracy are to fall, it will be through the most democratic of means. Voters chose him — and by extension, this — not Democrat Kamala Harris, the vice president.

*Duck Soup intensifying*

Firefly: "Pardon me, but using democracy to end democracy is very democratic! It might be the most democratic thing ever! The general public know me as a petty tyrant and unrepentant dictator and they approve of my work! My people are crying out for less representation and I will represent them!"

Chicolini: "Hey, boss, it looks like a couple million people didn't vote..."

Firefly: "What? Those traitors! They're the reason our democracy is in danger! I have no sympathy for them! I hope that unrepentant dictator drags them out into the street and shoots them! Oh." Straightens tie with a smile. "That's me! How many millions?"

Chicolini: "Several millions... tens of millions, looks like. Plus everyone we suppressed, and everyone the other guy suppressed, and everyone every guy suppressed, all the way back until..."

Pinky holds up a clown hammer, searching the room for more voters to "suppress."

Firefly: "Shhh. Suppress that 'suppression' chatter! We're trying to have a democracy in here!"

Pinky approaches Chicolini with a grin. Chicolini retreats with his hands up.

Chicolini: "Hey, hey, hey. Get away from me with that. I already voted third party!"

Firefly: "WHAT? I can't have a democracy if you can just vote for whoever you want!" Addresses a cringing Chicolini in a conciliatory way, "Hey, do I still have that bulletproof immunity from prosecution? Did the old dictator - er, president leave that here for me?"

Chicolini: "Sure, boss." Hands Firefly a largish shield.

Firefly: "Thanks, pal!" Bludgeons Chicolini over the head with the shield as Pinky gets in a few hits with the clown hammer. "Ha-ha! The system works! Say 'the system works! Say 'the system works! Say it!"

Chicolini, faintly: "The system works!"

Firefly: "NOW SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!"

FADE OUT.

i don't know what to say about this other than *vaguely gestures to my manic spousebeast*

If I have to see one more “we survived him before we can do it again” post I’m going to scream.

So many people didn’t. So many more people are going to die. Women are going to bleed out in parking lots because doctors are scared to give them the abortion they need. Migrates are going to die in detention centers. Kids are going to have their parents ripped away in mass deportations. Potentially millions of people are going to lose their healthcare.

Yes, we keep fighting, but don’t say we survived before. A lot of people didn’t.

"His win is a remarkable political comeback rooted in appeal to frustrated voters" - the new narrative, as told by the AP

Don't pivot. I suspect every politician who wants to stay in power and every journalist who wants to keep their job is pivoting right now, but if they drag enough real human beings with them, we're going to keep collectively accepting more atrocities with a shrug. For fuck's sake don't do that. At least take five minutes and acknowledge the sincerely-held beliefs you had less than a day ago and why you're now willing to buy that, actually, the democracy is still okay and the people got what they wanted.

This result is rooted in the fact that both parties bent over backwards to indicate that NOBODY was going to get what they wanted, EVER, that's not even what democracy is FOR, and a whole bunch of people (non-zero Republicans, but many more Democrats, who aren't as mindlessly obedient to authority) weren't willing to disregard that and vote anyway this time. Or, they went with the chaos engine who breaks things, because at least that's some kind of change.

Voters had family members die on Biden's watch, due to decisions he made and defended. And Harris made and defended them too. Even voters without family members being genocided at the moment have seen dead children and bombed hospitals all over social media, and women bleeding out in emergency rooms, and queer kids beaten to death in bathrooms, and this administration failing to help them. That is not irrelevant just because we want to pretend it's impossible to help.

Trump managed to pass as the lesser evil among the people we actually let vote. That's still evil, but the system says what evil people want is what all of us want, if they win an election, so oops, ha-ha, let me re-type that - that's actually not evil, that's a functioning democracy and it's good.

It's not functioning, it's not good, and I'm sorry for the people who didn't notice that until today, but I'm scared of the ones who can pull off the pivot. The ones who can just rearrange their minds like that because they're supposed to.

Voters are frustrated? Yes. I believe they are. They find Trump "appealing"? Broadly, I suppose some of them do. The easily-terrified authoritarians like a big, strong man in charge of them. And they're willing to cough up quotes that fit the narrative if asked. But this guy isn't going back in the big chair because we wanted him there.

It turns out, that system that we were told is meant to prevent dictators from getting near power is actually very dictator-friendly and easy to manipulate (weird, huh?), that's why he made a "comeback." Impeachment didn't stop it, the justice system didn't stop it, the media didn't stop it, and, wow, the electoral system didn't stop it either. This guy, and people like him, can vacuum up all the legitimacy they want and start making decisions that might kill you. This has been going on for some time, this man is not the first Rapist-in-Chief, (We have had a blue version of that within living memory and they're still allowing him on the political circuit as if we remember him fondly! DO WE?!) he's just louder and harder to ignore. But we're gonna try to ignore him anyway! He won!

This shit narrative is designed to shut you up and get you to fall in line and waste all your energy blaming each other and yourselves. Don't buy it.

...And does anyone out there in the void know how exhausting it is to know you're probably more receptive to this message now than you would've been if the polite wannabe genocidal dictator won?

All y'all fuckers when you say you ain't gonna vote

So...just ranting and getting a bunch of thoughts out becuz fuck trump, fuck america and fuck christianity too.

1. Finally, and belatedly, I have come to the conclusion that the law is amoral. It simply does not care for right or wrong and thus the law is not just (behaviour based in being morally right and fair)

2. The law is only capable of one thing and that is exercising, maintaining and supporting power. It is thus flawed and incapable of discerning between right and wrong and further more incapable of creating a truly just society.

3. The law is a tool for gaining power and exercising control over the masses to the benefit of "the power". It cannot, will not and will never serve the best interest of the people to it's expected extent. The law is only concerned with one thing and that is serving authority.

4. Lastly, the law is not impartial or objective and is always influenced by majority rule via politics, religion and cultural beliefs.

The concept of justice in the modern world is inherently flawed and lacking in both moral substance and justice(justice, peace and genuine respect for all people)

So disrespectfully to the fucktards on top: fuck you, fuck your laws and fuck your beliefs

The law and politics do not serve you. Fuck em. I do not care either way anymore and they will not bully me into being less gay, less trans, less man, less woman, less asian, less black or less in general. Your words on paper mean nothing and will change nothing if I so choose.

Do crime. Existing is one of them anyway so might as well get a head start

But icarus, you're south african, why do you care? Well stupid ass, maybe it because the actions of the fucking empire has consequences that ricochet across the fucking world. It hurts us too when you put pieces of shit in power. You people never learn do you?

On the Occasion of Watching an Artist I Respect Spend A Hour Arguing for the Beauty and Societal Value of Conforming to Standards Set By The People In Charge Of These Matters

RE:re:Re:re:CC:Re: My Language of Self-Expression (or lack thereof)

I like when I express something and you understand me. I like when I express myself in a way that you find has additional aesthetic or entertainment value. I like when you notice who I am, and it amuses me when you make guesses based on my appearance and behaviour. It's fun when you guess right!

I DON'T like it when you turn around and try to tell me who I am. I REALLY DON'T like it when you CORRECT something I'm trying to say because I'm not saying it up to the standard you expect from someone who does whatever it is you think I'm doing. Even if that is actually what I'm trying to do. Even if I'm being incoherent and desperately need an edit to be understood, I still don't LIKE that. At least ask me what I'm trying to say and why before you swat me with whatever version of Strunk and White you're using as a ruler.

If you need to rearrange my pieces like Tinker Toys to allow my participation in society, I'm out. And I'm so tired of rearranging myself to suit you and hiding whatever doesn't fit. I still do it, but I'm exhausted.

I don't need to make up all my own words/tropes/styles/colours/musical notes. None of us have time for that. I'll use what's here, mostly. I'll conform for the privilege of existing in a society to that extent! But I won't always use things like you want me to, and I may add a new word or structure here and there - when I need them. Because, frankly, Society, you have spent and still spend a lot of time pretending I don't exist and you're not interested in giving me all I need to be seen and understood.

You can't see all of me from where you are. I put some effort into expressing things I want to express, but I can't give you all of me. Even if I covered my dissected body in words for you to read, that wouldn't account for more than a tiny fraction of who I am as a person - and you're not entitled to flay and expose me that way trying to understand. I'm here, I exist, you should see me (not all of you, but if you exist near me, you should definitely see me), but I need you to respect what I'm willing to share and how I'm willing to share it. Not always accept, not always. (I don't always say things well and I try to improve - I really do!) Just respect. Trust that I'm a real human being who's not out here trying to do damage for fun.

And if it bothers you to see me for some reason - I don't know, maybe I'm trying to access a bathroom while gender-ambiguous, or maybe I'm just in a stained T-shirt and leggings as pants because I have to wear something and it's comfy - that's probably a "you" problem. Not always, just probably. Take a minute and consider how and if you want to express that about yourself.

If we fix every "ugly" thing to suit your tastes, we're going to lose a lot of cool stuff other people are using and enjoying. I like being seen and understood, but if I let you cram me into a box that suits a type and erase me, you won't see me at all.

jellycat’s lavender dragon

piracy would probably be extremely popular in america if most americans understood how creatives and such are compensated (or not) for their labor

"if you pirate this movie then you're taking money from the crew who worked on it!" is such a bizarrely common take, as if they ever see a fraction of the revenue that movies make and instead are usually exploited in their labor via predatory contracts and crunch.

a few years ago (like 2017-ish) I saw some disney adult dipshit make a super high-horsey post about how, paraphrasing, "yeah, we all agree that disney as a company sucks, disney executives suck, but what pro-piracy people don't understand is that when you pirate you're not taking money away from the company and the bigshot executives you wanna hurt, you're taking it from the employees who actually do all the work to make their movies" and to this day it legitimately astounds me how someone could so confidently say literally the wrongest thing anyone has ever said about anything. Like that's literally the opposite of how it works.

By the time a movie comes out, the only people whose paycheck is affected by how many sales it makes are the executives and studio heads, they're generally the only ones who stand to make money from it at that point. The cast and crew who actually did all the work on the movie? They already got paid. They've already made as much money from that thing as they're ever going to make.

That being said, I don't REALLY think that's the reason why piracy isn't more popualr in the first world. Piracy isn't more popular in the USA and the first world in general because, simply, people there are on average wealthier, which has created a culture where not pirating entertainment is the cultural norm.

The reason why places like Latin America, SE Asia, and Eastern Europe have a stronger priacy culture is not because people are more familiar with how production in various entertainment industires works (I'd bet the contrary is true) but because historic economic disadvantages have resulted in a culture where a lot of people see paying for a piece of entertainment you could be getting for free on the internet as being a rube and getting ripped off.