#(ideally: make healthcare free)

[frogeyedape]

The essential workers without whom our country will grind to a halt live with CEOs who don't care that CEO profit necessitates harm & death to workers. Is fear only for us peons? Is it illegal to scare a billionaire with the realization that 99% of people think there's no good reason to be a billionaire?

[elodieunderglass]

is PCRF still where you recommend people donate, or do you have another recommended group? I would like to donate but haven’t had time to do research.

(In reference to fundraising campaign I did for PCRF)

One of the most important things I have learned about conflict and healthcare and devastation, from someone who deals with them for their living, is that it is fractal, each piece of it containing unimaginable complexity, and that as a human you can’t really deal much with fractals that get more complex than, like, ferns. I am oversimplifying here. But the thing is that you cannot get bogged down endlessly in debating the nature of fractals. You decide on the level of complexity you can manage , perform an action and move on. You cannot take responsibility for every mathematical pattern that follows from your action; if you were a sort of cosmic weatherman, affecting the fates of people you’ve never met through some vague alchemy of intention, you’d know about it already. Therefore do not obsess too much over The Good Place levels of ethics and research, spiralling into fractals in search of the perfect. Therefore, also, if you want to give £2 to someone, feel free to ignore people who say “ah but if you give £2 to that guy they’ll spend it on something bad, and the whole fractal is rotten and broken.” You can only ever claim your own actions, a small piece of the fractal: to insist on your power over distant pieces of mathematical patterns is bonkers. It is religious nonsense. This is what I’ve learned and I thought it was pretty good, from someone who’d know.

So I believe the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is not able to operate in Gaza at the moment, like many non-profits; I believe Medeciens Sans Frontiers aren’t in Gaza at the moment and that’s pretty dire indicator. However, they are mobilised in Lebanon.

The reasons why I selected PCRF to support include the fact that they have been able to deliver material aid, had pragmatic routes to evacuate children, and were reporting some success in providing/stabilising healthcare infrastructure. They have stated from the beginning that their intent was to support, and ideally restore, healthcare infrastructure, without which you cannot run a nation. I have known healthcare professionals who traveled with PCRF to work on complex cases prior to this conflict and I personally know/respect one of their prominent supporters, which helped me to make this choice. I also was hoping in the future that Gaza would have restored healthcare infrastructure and PCRF had stated their commitment to doing so.

I have received and listened to criticism about this choice, and I firmly believe that no matter what choice you make to support a cause, you’ll receive some measure of criticism (the fractal! Elodie you must consider the fractal nature of reality at all times! Scrupulous frantic morality is necessary at all times !), and that this should not stop you. To explain a bit about this, the criticisms I’ve received have mostly fallen into two camps:

- “the wrong sort of charity” - one concern is PCRF are not able to promise that their work will never support Hamas supporters or their families. This has been raised as “PCRF support Hamas”. but genuinely, given the realities of conflict, it is not practical or sane to require that people bring proof of political affiliation when seeking healthcare for their children. I’m comfortable saying that this, like other risks of fundraising/donation, is always possible but not a major consideration for me.

- “the wrong sort of fundraiser” - conversely some people stated they’d prefer I support individual families seeking evacuation through GFMs. This is also fine but my choice in the charity was partly in thinking about families who do not have GFMs, and children who do not have families. I also felt, at the time of fundraising, that supporting healthcare infrastructure was very worthy in a different way - after all, at the time the same people doing GFMs were also using/needing what healthcare was available.

My shoulders are broad, and I’m comfortable with these criticism. I am fully aware that this is not a complete solution but I personally continue to support the charity. I am explaining this to indicate that there will always be criticisms; you must accept that you can only take a small piece of the fractal, and you must accept that quite a lot of the fractal was never in your gift to control.

The situation is constantly changing and with the departure of organisations there is genuinely less hope of materially restoring the infrastructure in Gaza. At the moment donations to PCRF will likely be mobilised to Lebanon. It may be that this speaks to you. It does still speak to me.

Ultimately while it’s important to do research, it is always going to become fractal, especially in conflict situations. Nobody’s ever going to be able to point to a perfect thing that will fix everything and absolve us of criticism, you know? You will always only be able to pick up a piece of the fractal.

Now moving away from “what I personally support” there are many people more informed than myself and I would like to direct you to them as well. @gothhabiba is someone I follow who has posted several very useful posts about this and has been extremely informative, and spent a lot of time and attention on this, so I would defer to the resources and fundraisers they’ve put together. Her response to a similar question has been “pick 1-3 personal fundraisers” - this is a piece of the fractal. At the moment if what you want to do most is “materially help people in Gaza” that seems like the best option.

Also he doesn’t post much on social media, but when you get the opportunity to read a scientific article or anything by https://x.com/sullivanprof it’s worth stopping and processing. To me, Richard’s life work really shows how a piece of the fractal unpacks to reveal the whole world. I think if you have emotional space to research, it’s honestly a good investment to read some of his “manifestos” on intersections of healthcare and conflict.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hey batman, I’m wondering what should be the impetus for me getting a fresh full panel of STI tests. Unsure if it’s relevant but I’m transmasc nonbinary on T, I have a perisex vagina/uterus system. I can be a liiittle hypochondriac with my anxiety so I want to make sure I’m reacting adequately (not over or under) to the risk of STIs.

I’ve heard of people doing like tri-monthly or before every partner. I have very sparse and sometimes spontaneous encounters so I feel like I don’t usually do enough to warrant regular interval testing but I also don’t often plan ahead far enough to get a whole doctor’s appointment. And like,, what stuff do I need to do to warrant a test?? If I just want to make out with people and maybe give some protected head with a condom or dental dam, is that… enough? I don’t plan on letting someone touch or penetrate my genitals, certainly not unprotected, without us becoming more acquainted and probably both testing. Should I be worried about even just kissing randos?? I know it’s /possible/ to get oral stuff by kissing but how likely is it? What do people /actually/ do?

My doctor is suuuper cool and chill about all of this but there’s also all the nurses and stuff I can’t account for and it’s so embarrassing to ask so I’m hesitant to do it if I don’t have to. And like,, is my insurance going to see how often I get STI tests and judge me??

I have no frame of reference how worried I should be for all of this. Any insight would be super helpful and reassuring!! So sorry if I’m majorly overreacting I just want to safely live my best slutty life 😅🔥

hi anon,

the ideal time to get tested if you want accurate results is about two weeks after having sex with a new partner.

it is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, entirely up to you what litmus test you want to use to decide when it's worthwhile to get an STI test done. not having penetrative sex lowers your risk! using a condom for oral sex is a great protective measure, which will be effective at preventing the transmission of STIs around 85% of the time. kissing is generally considered a very low-risk activity, but it can transmit syphilis and probably (this is a pretty new find! very exciting!) gonorrhea, which will both require treatment, in addition to the nearly ubiquitous, virtually harmless, and and incurable herpes.

point being: as Dr. Devon Price says, there is no truly risk-free sex.

and it's up to you to decide how you want to manage the risk that does inevitably arise from intimacy while you live your best slutty life.

re: your second to last paragraph: there's actually nothing embarrassing about seeking healthcare, and your insurance company's opinion about the number of STI tests you get is completely irrelevant to this conversation.

[kuni-is-daddy]

Okay, but Lesser Lord!Reader riding Scara and him praising them and saying how lucky he is to be ridden and pleasured by a god like them. Just fluffy, soft sex with Scara, and maybe a bit of brat taming.

This man has such a chokehold on me

SUB!WANDERER X LESSOR LORD FEM!READER PART 4?

featuring:? A bit of paimon and the traveler(Can be aether or lumine, didnt use a specific gender)

//Lessor lord Y/n Teases with the name Hatguy, Sabzeruz Festival Event Spoilers!, Use of mommy~

word count: 1.43k

Scara masterlist! Scara x Lessor lord masterlist

"What? You think im TRYING to think the worst of lessor lord y/n? Incase you've forgotten Traveler..Im not a saint." wanderer scoffed while retrieving the archives of Sachin's research from paimon. "Tch- Ugh- Paimon thinks your being pretty harsh HAT GUY! be nice to y/n or paimons gonna give you a UGLY NICKNAME! She gave you a education and healthcare!" the floating child stomped her feet. "Because im her prisoner, you lowly creature. And healthcare is free in sumeru, Dont need it anyway, im a puppet incase your so dum to remember. She wouldnt-" A cool lavender scented air coated the hot desert. Stopping the puppet as he remembered the familiar sent. "You think so.. Should i treat you as my prisoner hat guy?"

You walked up towards your group of friends and 'prisoner' as your caped swayed throughout the breeze. Taking the files from hatguy with a smirk on your face. "Hah. You already do, Having me run errands for you like a dog. But if doing this gives me worth. Then so be it." He said while looking down at you. "Is that what this is about hat guy? You want to feel worthy in the eyes of a god~" With your free hand you tugged at his feathered ornament. Smoothly rubbing along the prickles. Paimon and traveler looked with flustered expressions at your teasing. "You know hat guy~ I was hoping you could make some friends but..I guess that didnt work out hm? Busy making enemies with your saviors-" "Unnecessary. I dont need anymore reasons to be indebt to you." He placed his warm hand along your arm. Watching you tinker with his worth. "Then we can start off with you being a scholar how about that? Even prisoners have a right to education." Paimon coughed at the interaction, "I- uhm Y/N? as the god of wisdom. what do you plan to do with sachins research? It is 'negative' wisdom after all." You gazed and pulled away from his touch and began flipping through the archive. "Well paimon, As the god of wisdom I have to guide everyone to wisdom, even good or bad. But I will seal away his knowledge as his ideals are more deemed as corrupted and-" "Tch. Talk about a speech, What about mine huh? Is that why you have me doing this? Because i have 'corrupt' knowledge and see me as a pawn?" You sighed at his interruption, then smirked at the choice of words. "Well..I can help you with your 'corruption' myself, Mr hat guy~" You closed the book roughly, making the two snap out of their disturbed daze. "Paimon, Traveler. Come by the akademiya later today and ill have him drop off the rest of your things regarding the festival. Until then~" You greeted them goodbye with a smile. With a flick of your finger the wanderer wasnt too far behind you. Mumbling and giving death glares to his 'saviors' over another task he had to do.

---

Thunder and lightning struck through your blurry view of sumeru city, You sat at Wanderers small desk writing about what interested on you sachins research for his thesis. How could a wealthy man be so bothered by society? One that he technically can change with a bag of mora. But you had your own changes to worry about. Apep, a former ruler of sumeru that existed since the start of the Heavenly principals. With all that knowledge the dragonette had, many of your questions could be answered without the use of irminsul. Along with eternal protection for your nation. You just needed a way..some sort of 'contract' to get that information from apep. "Ugh, what am i thinking..Im acting like morax and Ei with these ideals." You laid your bare head on the desk. Tapping your pen while thinking of ways to get more from the dragon.

After what felt like never ending rain, you heard a click of the doorknob and a light dangle of bells. "Well. How did it go? I trust that you gave them what they needed. Hat guy?" The puppet walked into the room. Brushing off the water on his hat. "Tsk. In the rain if that makes you feel any better..And would you stop calling me that? There's no need." He placed his hat on the hanger then laid on your side of the bed, Already undressed into a shirt and shorts. "Hm.. But I like it~" You pulled the chair back, turning around to face the lean puppet. "I never thought the god of wisdom would be so childish..." he sighed. "Don't you like it? the honor of having your nickname picked out by a god." you got up out of your chair and began walking towards the bed. The puppet stayed silent as you climbed onto his body.

"Aren't you lucky Scara. The god of wisdom treating you so well, giving you a home, education, anything you've wanted." His cock twitched in his pants at the name. Your cape swayed gently on his legs as you positioned yourself on top of him. "I-I told you before, it's unnecessary. I'm your pris-" before he could get another word out you leaned down and laid kisses along his neck. Sinking further into the pillow as he covered his muffled moans. "Y-y/n you- ah..." "Is that all you think you are hatguy? The prisoner of a god...I think your worthy of more..." You whispered in his ear as your clothed clit rubbed back and forth against his crotch. "F-fuck...shut up..stoph..saying..that..~" he trailed his hands along your top while you sucked at his neck. Recklessly tugging at the buttons that kept your cape hooked. "Mmm..your such a brat hat guy...maybe you don't deserve it." You flicked his hand off your torn cape and began pulling away from his hot body. "N-no! Wait..." He sat up as you crawled off the bed "... I want it..y/n.." you crossed your arms. "Hmm..I don't know hat guy~ what's the magic word?" You grinned as he gripped onto the sheets in frustration, covering his embarrassingly hard cock. "Maybe.. I'll just go finish up in my room~ you seem a little tired-" "P-please.. I want it y/n.. I cant- i-" suddenly you smashed your lips against his, the both of you fell back on the pillow as he wrapped his arms around you with no hesitation. Exchanging spit as the puppets body began to heat up between each breath. "Hah.. more~ more please" "mhm? what do you want scara~ mmm how do you want your god to make you feel good?"

"I- inside...f-fuck me.." you sighed at his words. "Such a vulgur puppet you are.. wanting your god to fuck you like this.." you parted lips, then looked down to his bulge. "We can't have down here being covered, can we?" You pulled his pants down to reveal his wet length, stained in precum. "Your so big scara..~" you pulled your skirt and underwear off, climbing ontop of him once more, both of your pre oozing onto eachother while you guided his length to your hole, brushing the tip along it. "Hah...fuck..d-dont tease me...I-" you sunk his length deep inside of you while a moan spilled from your lips "Ah~ your doing so well scara~ filling up your god just like that~" his hips buckled up at your praise. "Y-y/n your so warm i- oh fuck!" He gripped onto your waist, pushing you farther into his length as you began riding him, biting your lips from the ecstasy of his tight grip. "Mmm your such a good boy scara, taking your reward for being so good for me, for your god~" "Ah~ yes, s' good! Just for you! Don't stop mommy~ please!" The puppets body began to heat up even more. He trained himself to breathe to fit in with humans, but not like this..not so roughly and begging like a dog in heat from the pleasure he felt. "Such a lucky boy aren't you? Do you wanna cum inside your god?" "Y-yes! Please- wanna cum! Let me mommy! I'll be a good prisoner- a good puppet! A-anything please~" you giggled at the way the once false god dropped his pride, the pleasure from being inside you and feeling loved was too much for him. You did give him everything, everything he ever wanted from a person, from his god. "Shit...Then I can't turn you down since you asked so nicely baby~ cum for mommy, cum for your god~" His nails stung into your skin while your moans echoed throughout your room. "Hah..oh God mommy I'm gonna- i- inside! It's coming!!" The puppets brain overheated and turned to mush from your warmth "mommy! I- im- AH~" with a few rocks of your hips he shot his load inside of you, coating his sticky and warm liquid along your walls. You rode out your high, dripping your own juices onto his own length and shirt while the puppet watched with practical hearts for pupils and a mouth leaking drool. Hazily as you shifted down to his dripping shaft and kissed at it with your wet lips. "Now im going to give you your reward, my prisoner~"

Some of you liked cat!subby scara so this was another subby scara one

And yes health care really is free in sumeru according to one of alhaithams voice lines about kaveh getting scammed💀🤭❌

Scara x Lessor lord masterlist

[drdemonprince]

Hi I keep thinking back to your book unmasking autism, I recently was diagnosed with level 1 by my new psychiatrist but with losing my healthcare I feel lost on how to function without medical assistance. I typically mask and been learning how not to, but it always feel at the opportunity cost of more money, overly explaining to family or grief. I’ve been in a loop of feeling I shouldn’t exist due to my disability and it a sad feeling.

I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this. I'm certain you already know this, but it's not the case that you shouldn't exist because you are disabled. The vast majority of people on this planet find it absolutely soul-sucking and exhausting to present as what gets called "neurotypical" at work. It's too many hours of pretending to be someone you are not, with no space allotted for your full humanity, with not enough energy or hours left behind to look after oneself, have nourishing authentic relationships, and ample space to recover, be playful and joyful, and dream. Every person requires ample time and space for themselves to recouperate, and to listen to the actual feelings that they have inside, and capitalism instead demands that we suppress all of it, and it can slowly eat away at us and make it difficult to access authentic pleasure or connectedness. For Autistics it's especially pronounced because we are such a bad mismatch with what capitalism demands, and because we need so much energy recovery time, but it's simply the case that you are not broken or defective for failing to fit within such an oppressive system. It is that system that should not exist, and that terrorizes everybody, to varying degrees. I bet if you look at the most "well adjusted" hard working people that you know, you see how their lives have been totally ruined by overworking and killing what's wild and free about themselves, or what used to be those things.

I have spoken to hundreds of Autistic people in the situation you are in at this point, and I have found that for the majority of us, embracing our disability and articulating our needs means that very dramatic changes have to happen in our lives. Some people have to reorient how they interact with their families, establish new boundaries, push to really educate them on neurodivergence, go no contact, or rethink what family means to them altogether. Lots of us leave careers or switch to part-time or remote work, or have to get incredibly creative and resourceful in order to survive in a way that we can stand: going on disability benefits, public assistance, living with friends, pooling resources, going off the grid in some way, finding some side hustle or scam that makes it possible to survive, doing sex work or freelance, taking on childcare or eldercare duties for a friend who is employed, or something of that nature are all options I've seen a lot of unmasking Autistics pursue. None of these options are ideal, and they all come with significant costs and risk factors. But then, so does killing oneself slowly with work.

I have a whole book coming out next year in March about these specific considerations, with lots of tools and decision trees and research and quotes from other Autistics. The book is designed to help Autistics who are in that second stage of their unmasking journey sort out what a life where it is possible to be less masked means for them. Where can they live? Who is gonna support them? What matters to them in their life? How can they reset their relationships in light of their neurodivergence? What does it mean to grow old as a disabled person? These are the kinds of questions the book will hopefully help me explore, and discover the best answers for themselves. Of course, many people would say that their only way out of this is the downfall of capitalism, but I personally am of the mind that we have to make that end happen ourselves by working less hard, consuming less where possible, leaning on other people, providing support to our neighbors, becoming less reliant upon our employers and the government, and building our collective escape from the capitalistic machine. And we can all have some small part in that, even if only for ourselves and those immediately closest to us. That's enough.

I hope that you find a way of life that is sustaining and feels whole and good for you. As neurodivergent people we do things very differently. And that is both the curse and the beauty of us. The prescribed script we've been given for how life is supposed to look is never going to work for us. Indeed, it's not working for most anybody else either. There way forward will not be easy, and the lot you've been given to deal with is not fair, but there are also millions of other disabled people just like you who are leaning on one another, slowing down, refusing to play into the existing system's hand as much as is possible for them, and making a new world. And just by pondering the things that you are, you're helping already to make that new world too.

[erisenyo]

I've been processing and reflecting to try to make sense of things, and it strikes me that Trump won because he:

incited fear

of tangible things

And positioned himself as the solution

He tapped into people's fear of the other (immigrants, trans people, etc) which *feels* immediate as you experience it, and therefore tangible. And maybe more importantly for the swing right we saw compared to 2020, he tapped into fear of economic harm--which people are experiencing today, now, in real ways.

And then he presented himself as the solution, with a few specific consistent talking points that might have been ridiculous and extreme but that people could hold onto. As a result, voting for Trump becomes a direct solution to your immediate fears.

You can counter fear by

alleviating it

explaining why it's unfounded

giving someone something worse to be afraid of

And at least from what I saw from the messaging I received as a swing state voter...Kamala tried to mainly do the latter but with *hypothetical, conceptual fears.*

Loss of rights, decline of the conceptual institutions of democracy--for some people these are immediate. But for most they're intangible, vaguely situated in a future that may never come to pass. Which means they are less acute, less likely to balance out today's active, tangible concerns.

She didn't explain how she would alleviate those immediate fears of the other (I would say her foray into immigration policy was poorly received by all sides, and reinforced Trumps stance). And probably more importantly, she was unable to cogently explain why people's tangible economic fears were unfounded OR how she would solve them. While rhe ad buy format is obvipuslt limited, her economic stance *as communicated* was about how Trump would make it worse (future oriented, hypothetical, non-immediate), not about any tangible solutions and policy she would put into place.

Which means her campaign basically came down to relying on a large, motivated group of anti-Trump voters...and those people were already activated against him. And she wasn't able to present anything to build on that beyond intangible, hypothetical fears and she just...wasn't going to win with that.

So what does that mean? It feels like future policy communications may be more effective focusing on specific policies that appeal regardless of demographic group (free daycare, broad healthcare affordability, education costs) rather than appeals to ideals like rights and freedoms. And that there likely needs to be a shift away from why the opposition is so scary and ridiculous, to why the opposition is *wrong.*

A move toward the tangible, and a reconceptualizing of major goals that *are* more focused around rights and freedoms in terms of the tangible steps to realize them--which will also provide a road map to follow.

(Theres obviously the confounding factor of Kamala being a woman - a lot of people wouldn't necessarily articulate that as a reason not to vote for her, but they'd be the person shaking their head at Trumps rhetoric but just believing he'd be better at managing the country no matter how nasty his language)

[louisa-gc]

de-influencing you

from someone who gets overwhelmed any time she opens a social media application.

expensive cosmetics. keep it simple and stick to skincare, makeup and hair products you know and trust. i've tried it all from salon shampoos and high-end concealers to ridiculously priced face oils and praised nail polishes, only to realise my favourites are the affordable drugstore products i can easily repurchase. it's the ingredients that matter, not the prestige or popularity of a brand or the amount of products in your routine.

new clothes. of course you can and should replace your holey socks and the jeans you've grown out of, but i'm certain most of us have more clothes than we need. what if we tried to use up (and, when possible, mend) our existing pieces instead of getting new trousers and sneakers just because there's now a trendier option out there?

dietary supplements. unless you have a deficiency and have been told by a healthcare professional to take a supplement, you probably don't need one. with a healthy, varied diet, you can skip all those green powders, probiotics and multivitamins, that weirdly enough have become part of some internet aesthetics. if, however, you do need to supplement (as i need to with iron), make sure you know what is in the product you're buying and how it works best — iron, for example, should be taken on an empty stomach and with vitamin c.

internet aesthetics. your style, your whole lifestyle, doesn't need to fit an "aesthetic". it's tiresome to try and classify your tastes and attempt to stuff them into the narrow confines of these artificial ideals. do things you enjoy, decorate and dress according to what appeals to your eye and forget about the rest.

regular beauty treatments. if your skin is healthy, a normal at-home skincare routine should be enough to make sure your face is glowing. a (fake) tan, hair removal and manicured nails aren't and shouldn't be necessities either, but if your beauty routines are important to you, just do the things at home and save your resources for more valuable pursuits than the ever-expanding requirements of modern womanhood.

cosmetic injections or surgeries. i've always been of the opinion that we should all be allowed to do as we please with our bodies, without shame or judgement from others. however, the more i learn about the risks of cosmetics procedures and the rates of patients' dissatisfaction with their results, the more negatively i've started to view it all. with more and more people walking around with filler, botox and surgically enchanced or erased features, i worry about our ability to accept ourselves as we are. i worry about the class divide these procedures are creating (who can afford it at all? who can afford a good result?) and i worry about people spending massive amounts of money and time on what are essentially unnecessary health risks. so i say: don't do it.

anything designer. as we all know, price and quality don't always go hand in hand. while i'm all for choosing great quality lasting products, popular designer brands might not necessarily be the way to go. people haven't ditched designer goods just because the go-to style is now "old money"; they've just moved from gucci to céline. i personally don't think any designer brand is really worth it, but wherever you buy, at least pay attention to materials and construction, and stay away from counterfeit goods.

trying to look "expensive". while i have always had a more classic style and was raised never to show logos ("you're not a free advertisement, dear"), i find the "looking expensive" thing such a strange trend, one that returns whenever times are financially unstable. even though i wholeheartedly approve of buying timeless quality pieces (if that is a style you actually enjoy), i don't think anyone should do so in order to look wealthy. nobody will think you're the trust fund offspring of a centuries-old family if you aren't, and most of all, nobody really cares whether you are one or not. the thing is, you really cannot tell whether someone is wealthy based on their looks, so why spend time and money trying to look the part?

clothes that don't fit your lifestyle. it's difficult to resist cute athleisure, but as someone who only wears workout clothes to actually exercise three times a week, i know i only need two or three sets. buy pieces that fit your everyday life, not the life you wish you had. no amount of cocktail dresses will make your life a flurry of parties, if these events are already few and far between.

most stationery products. i love stationery as much as the next person: i love a good notebook, beautiful pens and all the related little knick-knacks, but frankly, i only use one mechanical pencil, a specific type of black gel pens, and three notebooks at a time. no matter how cute some highlighters, letter papers or pastel page markers may be, i have zero reason to buy them.

trending books. i know this might be a controversial one, but buying piles of books on the recommendation of social media influencers isn't a smart use of space and money. just last year i got myself half a dozen popular titles from a cute bookshop, but ended up regretting the purchases because i only liked one of them. borrow the trendy new books from your local public library, and if you really want to collect books, only buy ones that you really love.

[katherinakaina]

People about real problems: We need to do terrorism on health insurance ceos until there’s free healthcare for everybody.

Contemporary art: this character who started healing poor people for free is wrong! because, um, his motivation was rooted in internalized ableism of not wanting to die young of a preventable illness. and also disease is just an imperfection and they make us human or something. you see, using technology to make weapons is of course not ideal but medicine is what’s really dangerous! we must make sure we don’t go too far on medicine.

When will people realize rich guys make all transhumanists bad in media because they are defending the status quo? I sure am glad it’s not working but it would really be nice to push in the opposite direction for once.

[ellevandersneed]

the bastard thing of it all is that the model of ideal "trans woman" is so intentionally tied up with capitalism against the will of trans women, and that people who claim to understand both marxism and queerness place the blame for this subjugation onto trans women, and call them bourgeoisie either to discredit trans women or to discredit marxism, in order to claim that marxism and trans identity are incompatible (because trans identity is "intertwined" 🙄 with capitalism).

So this subjugation happens on at least two levels:

1) Any healthcare system in any capitalist society that does not cover free hormone replacement therapy and gender affirming surgery intentionally subjugates trans identity to capital, forcing the trans individual to spend their own money (and thus intentionally attempt to restrict the amount of people who can transition) and thus spend their own time earning said money, on gender affirming care. Transmedicalist ideology and systematic transmisogyny reinforce the idea that expensive gender affirming care is absolutely necessary to achieve "true womanhood." Hormone therapy on its own can do a lot if administered at a young age, which is why hormone therapy for minors has been intensely scrutinized and demonized, because it both feeds back into capital ("you have to buy surgeries x y and z") and so that it can dissuade individuals who are interested in transition but "are too late." This demonization exists as the reinforcement of capital and, more overtly, as population control.

2) "Womanhood" in general is deeply intertwined with capitalism. Makeup industries, fitness regimens, weightloss surgeries, fashion trends, healthcare access (tampons, pads, etc), scented deodorants, hair products, and laser hair removal. To be a trans woman is to pass. To pass is to purchase as much as possible. To purchase as much as possible is to be a women and, as they say, women be shopping. It is reinforced, even in irony. To fail to pass as a transwoman does not inherently equate to violence but violence against trans women does not have to physically be present in order for it to succeed in its aim, which is to keep the trans woman in line or in the closet, under constant fear of that violence manifesting itself. The trans woman must work harder than the cis woman, must exercise her body and buy every necessary product and perform at peak "womanhood" in order to not risk this violence. This violence coerces trans women to rely on capitalism, because womanhood is defined through capitalism, and trans women are threatened with violence if they do not comply with the capitalist ideal of womanhood.

Trans women are subjugated by capitalism via the threat of violence. If socialized medicine were to universally include gender affirming care, things would only partially improve, because womanhood would still be defined narrowly and in relation to capital. If womanhood were to completely escape right wing expectation and were untangled from capitalism, things would only partially improve, if gender affirming care was not administered freely. In either case, the underlying threat of violence will need to be addressed, or else the conditions of trans women internationally will not improve. Socialized healthcare and a disentanglement of womanhood from capitalism (this is always in the process of happening, if it makes anyone reading this feel better), would alleviate a lot of the stress of being transfem, but until this underlying violence is addressed, that stress will not disappear. I believe, at least, that these two problems being solved or at least directly addressed and worked on in a critical capacity would directly lead to the underlying violence against trans women to truly begin to die off.

[nerdyenby]

I get most of my news either online or from a newsletter I subscribe to, but I’m feeling pretty good right now about our democratic candidates so I sat down to watch Walz’s debut at the Philadelphia rally and here are the highlights (imo, of course)

“Before I was elected vice president or elected a United States senator, I was an elected attorney general, and, before that, an elected district attorney and, before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor. So in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators who abused women, fraudsters who scammed consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type.” -KH

KH talking about fighting for a future where every American can afford to own a home hit me so hard. Why is that such a fantasy? Why have I never even considered it possible?

I am obsessed with the confidence, this is the energy I need. We have plenty of reasons to be afraid but goddamn did I need someone to stand up and calmly declare that we will be okay, and I am so fucking glad it’s a Black woman.

A history teacher as our next VP <3

Their motif of fighting for the future is so much more potent coming from a woman of color and a man who has dedicated so much of his life to youth and to supporting them and their futures. Like damn, maybe the kids really will be okay. Fighting poverty, securing free school lunches for kids, protecting bodily autonomy, and founding his schools first GSA as a straight white man? I don’t know much about Walz but what I’ve learned so far has earned him a lot of respect in my book.

Fuck, Harris talking about Walz’s background and reputation in his school has me tearing up.

“We will win.” Okay, yeah, I’m crying now. These two make me feel so safe, it’s not fair I’ve never felt this way before.

Friendly reminder that one of our main political candidates does not value disabled lives and will openly say as much. Trump wants us dead, don’t let him win.

“Tim and I have a message for Trump and others who want to turn back the clock on our fundamental freedoms: we’re not going back.” -KH

“After Roe was overturned [TW] was the first governor in the country to sign a new law that enshrined reproductive freedom as a fundamental right.” -KH

“Ultimately in this election, we each face a question: what kind of country do we want to live in? A county of freedom, compassion, and rule of law or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?” -KH

“We love our country, and I believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country.” -KH

“Don’t ever underestimate teachers.” -TW (preach)

“It was my students, they encouraged me to run for office. They saw in me what I was hoping to instill in them: a commitment of common good, a belief that one person can make a difference.” -TW

“Now, Donald Trump sees the world a little differently than us. First of all, he doesn’t know the first thing about service. He doesn’t have time for it because he’s too busy serving himself. Again and again and again, Trump weakens our economy to strengthen his own hand. He mocks our laws, he sows chaos and division, and that’s to say nothing of his record as president.” -TW

“Some of us in here are old enough to remember — I see you down there, I see those old white guys — some of us are old enough to remember when it was republicans who were talking about freedom. It turns out now what they meant was the government should be free to invade your doctors office. In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make. Even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there’s a golden rule: mind your own damn business. ” -TW

“When Vice President and I talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make your own healthcare decisions and for our children to be free to go to school without worrying they’ll be shot dead in their classrooms.” -TW

“Vice President Harris’s idea: freedom is a ticket, for education to be that ticket to the middle class. Not crippling debt, air that’s clean, water that’s pure, communities that are safe.” -TW

TW: “Donald Trump isn’t fighting for you or your family-” random audience member: “You are!” Walz: *allows himself a breath of a laugh before continuing on just as strong as before*

“I gotta tell you, pointing out just an observation of mine that I made, I just have to say it. You know it, you feel it [the republican candidates] are creepy and, yes, just weird as hell.” -TW

“So we got 91 days. My god, that’s easy. Well sleep when we’re dead! Over those next 91 days and every day in the White House, I’ll have Vice President Harris’s back, every single day, and we’ll have yours.” -TW

This is the broadcast I watched

[filth-burps-writing]

Happy Nation

Dear citizens of the Bellyland, we have now made it illegal to purchase products from outside companies. You now must reach your $200 spending minimum using only Bellyland Corp products. In this PSA we will highlight the different sectors of Bellyland corp that seek to provide you with all your needs and make you an ideal citizen!

Bellyland Corp Food; for $35 a week each citizen is enrolled into the Bellyland Meal Service that delivers five meals per day containing all the calories, fat, salt and sugar a good citizen needs, along with 21 snacks to provide you with fun and additional nutrients. Each citizen is also free to browse the Bellyland Foodstore in each neighbourhood. The Bellyland Foodstore is filled with all the best food products to make you happy and healthy!

Bellyland Entertainment; as a country we make plenty of entertainment for you to enjoy! From dramas to sitcoms to pornography all the entertainment of your desires is at your fingertips! We also make educational content for children and adults alike about the importance of a sedentary lifestyle, the health benefits of obesity and any other issues that may come up within your lifetime. From your favourite sports like competitive burping to important news stories Bellyland Entertainment has you covered! We even entertain you in your sleep with messaging designed to make you a better, happier citizen!

Bellyland Funiture, Homes and electricals ; Bellyland Corp has gathered the best designers to make furniture and homes designed to be as comfortable as possible! With our 7pm national curfew and our governmental ban on unnecessary exercise we found it of the upmost importance that your home is stocked with ultra comfortable furniture like the Reclibed. Each piece of seating has an attached HappyScreen to ensure consumption of multiple streams of content. Be sure to purchase the Bellyland Homes app to control home temperature, change the channel, avoid arrest, control your Automatons and much more!

Bellyland Tech: Bellyland Tech includes the nations brightest minds to bring you hardware and software you can trust! Our two greatest inventions include the Automatons and the MakeGood app. Automatons do every possible important task for you such as administering healthcare, fetching food, helping you burp or fart, reminding you to stay seated most of day, helping you achieve orgasm and monitoring vulnerable populations within your home. The MakeGood app uses the security cameras throughout Bellyland to reward good behaviour such as eating plentifully or releasing a particularly well scented fart with encouragement and digital medals! It also lets us know about antisocial behaviour you are exhibiting so we can alter your media content to educate you.

As you can see there is absolutely no reason to withhold your money or use it with any other company. Any citizen caught with products from other companies will be re-educated and any citizen caught with banned products like soap or vegetables will be executed. Remember citizens; a slob is a good citizen!

Credit for who gave me the idea to right this goes to @sporco-filth. It’s based on his Slob City story which I’m gonna reblog soon after I post this.

[dfortrafalgar]

a quick message

hi, i wanted to bring something up real quick. i got a message in my inbox a few days ago that made me pretty uncomfortable, too uncomfortable to answer it in public, but i still wanted to say something after giving it some thought

regarding IMLY

i am pro choice. i always have been. and in no way shape or form did i want this fic to be some sort of pro-life symbol because that's not who i am. i am pro choice which means i believe that women have the right to decide what to do with their own bodies. if a woman wants to have her tubes tied, get an abortion, or get a hysterectomy, then that is HER decision. if a woman decides she wants to be child free, that is HER decision. and i am a huge advocate for that. being pro choice coincides with my feelings on adequate access to reproductive healthcare and education for women. these things go hand-in-hand to me.

i also wanted to bring up the subject of natural birth real quick. i do not think c-sections are "cheating." a c-section birth is just as much a birth as a "natural" (vaginal) one.

this fic is the ideal for ME, not the standard. i understand that most twins are born via c-section, and i understand that some women decide not to have children after undergoing miscarriages. these are all things that fall under the pro choice mindset. this fic came from a personal place for ME, and i just happened to share it on the internet

if i was put into the situation where my fertility treatment led me to having twins and the best course of action was a c-section, then i would chose the c-section, but that wouldn't be MY first choice. for some women, that IS their first choice. for some women, a vaginal birth is their ONLY choice. do you see what i'm getting at here?

also, im bisexual. i do not think that heterosexual marriages and families are the Societal Standard. lesbian women can have babies. gay men can have babies. trans men can have babies. no matter how one goes about having a child, it is POSSIBLE. if you have a uterus and the capacity to get pregnant, it is your body and your choice and your life to live.

im honestly a bit heartbroken. again, i'm not going to post this ask because it made me extremely uncomfortable, but i want to make all of this very, very clear, and i am very sorry if this fic left anyone with a sour taste. that wasn't my intention.

additionally, i am sorry about my silence as of late. i have been working frequent and long hours at my job and have switched back to drawing more frequently rather than writing, but i have been working on EVERY request that i have gotten since turning off my inbox asks. i haven't forgotten about any of them (i literally have them written down in multiple places to remind me). i've said it before, writing is not my full-time priority. it's a hobby, and the only reason it was more frequent throughout march, april, and may was because i was going through extreme art block. a part of me wishes i didn't open requests because i have a guilty conscious and operate like im running a drive-thru (which is also what i do for work tbh), but people have been super sweet and trusting me with your stories is an honor, and i PROMISE i have not forgotten about them

sorry about this long-winded post out of nowhere

take care, and i'll be back soon. i promise

[tf2heritageposts]

saw your post about chronic pain and thought i'd give some pointers (from someone who is developing chronic pain themself and is learning how to deal with it)

stretching is important. yes i know this is the most basic ass response someone can say but trust me here. i am an artist who has been in shrimp position for more than 50% of my life (thus far) and just doing simple shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand stretches before/after working helps a T O N in the long run. it will be painful at first! it always is! but stretching does help to prevent even more pain down the line. i am unsure what pain bothers you the most (mine is my feet, lower legs, lower back and arms), so i'd suggest starting with some simple stretches in the regions where you tend to have pain.

collagen. if you don't know what that is, i can give you a summary without the science-speak: its the stuff in your joints that keeps your cartilage from breaking down. best way(s) to get it? if you are simple, and can afford it, they sell the stuff as vitamin supplements. if you're looking for a way to just naturally get more into your diet, i would suggest bone broth. (yes you could buy bone broth, but if you go through meat on the regular, and are able to cut bones out of them, don't toss out the bones! make bone broth with em. i would give an entire guide of how to do it but i would be here for much longer)

waterrrrr. the drinkerrrrrrrrrrrrr. hydration is also really important for preventing joint pain (or really pain of any variety). making sure to get proper hydration is important. if you live in a city area where the tap water might not be good, please be sure to get mineral water and not pure distilled. while distilled does taste better, it lacks a lot of minerals that water can naturally have that would be of benefit to your health.

don't overexert yourself!!!!!!!! please please PLEASE be sure to sit down if you need to (and are able to). repeated overuse of your muscles/bones/tendons can have a negative impact in the worst ways possible. (also getting a walker or cane is ideal!!! most walgreens and/or cvs's have an asile dedicated to mobility aids!!! do not feel ashamed to use it if you need it!! please!!!)

in terms of short term solutions, ibuprofen will not kill you. just be sure to rotate tylenol and ibuprofen. doing this will prevent you from unintentional ODing. (you may have heard this one before. if so feel free to ignore it)

going to an arthritis clinic sooner rather than later is a good idea. i don't know what your physical/insurance situation is like, but as someone who just recently was told by a primary care that the symptoms i am having is similar to rheumatoid arthritis [which runs in the family] (and really needs to move into a different state or city or town and get a different insurance that can cover the cost of multiple arthritis doctor visits AND a doctor who will take them seriously), it is important that you go to an arthritis clinic as soon as possible. If you do not know where to go, and are able to ask your primary doctor for a referral, most primary care doctors will refer you to something that is on your healthcare plan

i do apologize if this was really really long and winding... i am not the best at keeping things short

well i just realized i am living badly because

- i never stretch

- i am comstanrlh underhydrated

- i am always up and out and about hyerexerting myself

- only use ibuprofen

thank you kindly man

[lordcryosrealmoftrash]

About arcane season 2 ep 4

Jinx just wanted to save Isha, that's all. There was no greater motivation of justice or revolution behind her. She just wanted one person who had suffered injustice to be freed. But to do so, she had to free many. Jinx really doesn't care about Zaun or Piltover. She has only ever cared about her family. So long as she has family, she is fine with whatever situation she is in.

And it's exactly this that makes the message of Jinx being a revolutionary so much more powerful and real. I made a post a while ago about how my wanting basic rights for me and my loved ones should not be revolutionary, how I shouldn't be considered an extremist for wanting accessible healthcare.

And here is Jinx, showing the exact same thing. She doesn't want to be the symbol. She doesn't want to be Vander or Silco. She just wants a family. And to get that she has had to fight so fucking hard.

Jinx shouldn't be a revolutionary ideal because what she wants, what she needs, shouldn't be something someone should ever HAVE to fight for. And it's this paradox of how ridiculously simple what she is asking for is that makes her the ideal.

Because it is obvious. It is basic. It's the absurdity of how easy it would have been to just let her be and have her family, in any iteration of her family, with her bio parents or Vander or even Silco, and how each and every time its taken more effort to ruin that. And yet she is having to fight tooth and nail, saving countless others in her own personal fight, just to have that.

[catboybiologist]

hi, i have one like, question for you regarding transgender healthcare. beacause. like there are people to whom dysphoria brings immense distress/unhappiness, and any healthcare system should absolutely take care of that, for free.

but theres also people who dont feel that strongly about gender and or dont experience dyphoria, but still prefer getting/removing their tits/penis/vagina. and thats also okay, like, infromed consent and all. but im not sure where the line should be on what we (as in, taxpayer) actually pay for. like, idk, i dont have a strongly formed oppinion on this. so id like to hear yours

I know you're not from the US, but unfortunately my perspective on this will have to be amerocentric because that's my experience- so I'll talk about that perspective first, and then try to generalize it.

The American healthcare system is so wasteful in how it bars people from procedures its insane. More money is spent figuring out how to reject people from receiving monetary payments for healthcare than would be spent if you just approved the overwhelming majority of them. And this isn't even considering other ludicrously wasteful forms of spending the US government does, like the insane portion of our defense budget that just disappears into thin air every year.

So how much additional burden should the taxpayer pay? Ideally, none, because any significant reform of the healthcare system would make all of these questions moot.

But, not every country is in this situation. And there is still a question embedded in here- what is the line of providing medical care from the government/taxpayer? I don't have personal experience with it, but this is exactly what countries with socialized healthcare deal with all the time, well beyond just gender affirming care. I tried to make the parallel with abortion because its a similar category of thing. Let's call it like... "semi-elective" procedures- medical procedures with the potential to significantly improve someone's quality of life, but won't kill or severely incapacitate them if they don't get the procedure, leaving it up to them to decide whether the medical context for the procedure fits for them (I'm NOT trying to lessen how life changing these procedures are, I'm calling them 'semi-elective' as a way of denoting that two people faced with the same situation can make different decisions about it based on their personal considerations). This can apply to a lot of things, some of them almost entirely cosmetic- surgeries to mitigate a mild disability, breast implants for cancer patients after a masectomy, procedures for conditions like cleft lip, facial reconstruction after severe injury, and on and on. To me, gender affirming care falls in this category- its not cancer treatment, but it is life changing in an overwhelmingly positive way.

In my mind, it should be the priority of any government to prioritize and expand the healthcare they're able to provide, including for these semi-elective procedures. Many wealthy, developed nations have the ability to cover most or all of these kinds of procedures, even though they're entirely "elective". But yes, budget and resource concerns are very real in many places, so yes, priorities do have to be made on a national scale. This is a very delicate and interesting question, actually, and there is a lot of room for well-intentioned debate on it.

But I'm not going to answer it.

Because I think you should ask yourself something.

Why is this a question so frequently applied to gender affirming treatments, yet rarely, if ever, applied to any of the other procedures I listed above? I'm not jumping on you, because you asked a genuine question, and I'm glad you asked it. I'm speaking to anyone reading this, not just you, because this exact thing is so frequently brought up when discussing gender affirming care. And that's a double standard through and through- there's no way around that.

[life-in-the-garden]

Jar Spell: Spirit's Freedom

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is a 2002 animated movie about a young mustang stallion in 19th century western America. After growing up as a wild horse, he is captured by white soldiers of the United States Cavalry and “broken” to bear a saddle and rider before making his escape with a Lakota youth named Little Creek. He bears witness to the abuse that horses suffer as a great railroad is being built, and finally runs free again with his herd after falling in love with a mare named Rain. This jar spell channels Spirit’s yearning for freedom from oppression, abuse, and confinement, and is ideal for anyone seeking emotional help with breaking free from an abusive home, job, or relationship. (Please see the “Notes” section at the end for mundane resources related to escaping abusive situations).

You will absolutely need:

a small vessel with a lid (a pill bottle or spice shaker works just fine)

sealing wax (ideally blue or white) or liquid glue

Once you have your vessel, add some ingredients related to wild horses running free and/or your conception of what freedom means. Some suggested ingredients that you may or may not include depending on your preferences are:

a clipping of hair from a horse’s mane or tail

a feather from a wild bird (for flight and freedom)

1-3 horse-themed bracelet charms but NOT horseshoe charms (horseshoes symbolize being tamed)

sea salt (for the wildness of the ocean)

dried flower heads from flowering weeds (for defiance)

peppercorns and/or ground black/red pepper (for defiance)

Directions:

Cleanse your vessel if it is repurposed or you feel a need to cleanse it, then add your ingredients but do not seal it just yet. In a quiet, private place and with your filled vessel nearby, ponder the nature of your confinement and the liberation you hope to achieve. Ruminate on the steps you will need to take in order to gain your freedom—this could be searching for a new job, locating a place of sanctuary in which to take refuge, reaching out to a friend or loved one for assistance, and much more. Use this time to emotionally fortify yourself.

When you are ready, use the wax or liquid glue to seal the vessel. This seals your intention of escape and liberation from whatever circumstances confine you. If you keep faith to a spirit or deity you wish to call upon for assistance in your endeavor, you may do so at this point. Keep your sealed vessel in a safe place until you have made your escape.

When you have taken flight and made your escape, break the seal and scatter the organic ingredients in a wild, free place. If using inorganic ingredients such as metal or plastic bracelet charms, it is ideal to thank, cleanse, and save the charms for another use.

Notes:

Magic can be a useful tool, but it doesn’t work all on its own. If you make no effort to get yourself out of a quagmire, then of course this spell (and any other) is going to fail. That said, you are not alone in your struggles. Please feel free to use any of the resources below that are applicable to your circumstances.

The United States’ national domestic violence hotline is 800-799-7233. You can also connect to help via SMS by messaging the word START to 88788. Their website is here.

In all 50 states of the USA, as well as in Washington DC and Puerto Rico, you can dial 211 to be connected to a social worker. Please note that calling 211 doesn’t need to be used solely for discussing the escape of an abusive situation; you can also dial this number for general healthcare and mental health resources that are local to your area. You can learn more here.

The United Kingdom’s national domestic violence hotline is 0808-2000-247. There is also an online chat that can be accessed here.