#benefits of trade shows

[chronicleexhibits]

The Benefits of Trade Shows in Dubai, UAE for Businesses

Trade shows are an effective marketing strategy for businesses and brands in Dubai, UAE. They offer a unique opportunity to connect with potential customers, showcase products and services, and gain industry insights. In this article, we will discuss the benefits of top trade shows in Dubai and how businesses and brands can take advantage of these events to boost their growth.

Enhanced Brand Visibility

One of the primary benefits of trade shows in Dubai is enhanced brand visibility. These events bring together a diverse range of industry professionals, business owners, and potential customers. By showcasing products and services at a trade show, businesses and brands can increase their exposure to a wider audience. This exposure can lead to increased brand recognition, recall, and loyalty.

Networking Opportunities

Trade shows in Dubai offer excellent networking opportunities for businesses and brands. These events attract a diverse range of industry professionals, including potential customers, suppliers, and partners. By interacting with these professionals, businesses and brands can establish valuable relationships that can lead to new collaborations, partnerships, and sales. The networking opportunities available at trade shows can be especially beneficial for start-ups and small businesses looking to expand their reach and build their customer base.

Lead Generation

Another significant benefit of trade shows in Dubai is lead generation. These events provide businesses and brands with a platform to showcase their products and services to potential customers. By interacting with attendees, businesses, and brands can identify potential leads that can be followed up on after the event. The leads generated at trade shows can be an excellent source of new business opportunities and sales revenue.

Cost-Effective Marketing

Trade shows in Dubai offer a cost-effective marketing strategy for businesses and brands. Participating in a trade show can be less expensive than other forms of marketing, such as advertising or direct mail. Businesses and brands can showcase their products and services to a large audience at a fraction of the cost of other marketing strategies. Additionally, the exposure gained at trade shows can lead to increased sales revenue, making them a cost-effective investment for businesses and brands.

Industry Insights

Trade shows in Dubai offer an opportunity for businesses and brands to gain valuable industry insights. These events often include seminars, workshops, and conferences where attendees can learn about new products, services, and technologies in their industry. The insights gained from these events can be used to improve products and services, stay up-to-date with industry trends, and gain a competitive advantage.

Competitive Advantage

Participating in trade shows in Dubai can give businesses and brands a competitive advantage. By showcasing their products and services at these events, businesses and brands can differentiate themselves from their competitors. Additionally, attending trade shows allows businesses and brands to learn about their competitors and their strategies. This information can be used to improve their own strategies and make them more competitive in the market.

Direct Customer Feedback

Trade shows in Dubai offer businesses and brands the opportunity to receive direct customer feedback. By showcasing products and services at a trade show, businesses and brands can interact with potential customers and receive valuable feedback on their offerings. This feedback can be used to improve products and services and enhance customer satisfaction.

Product Launches

Trade shows in Dubai are an excellent platform for businesses and brands to launch new products or services. These events attract a wide range of industry professionals and potential customers, providing an ideal audience to showcase new offerings. By launching a product at a trade show, businesses and brands can generate buzz, gain media attention, and attract new customers.

Increased Sales

Participating in trade shows with exhibition stands in Dubai can lead to increased sales for businesses and brands. By showcasing products and services to a large audience, businesses and brands can generate new leads, establish new business relationships, and ultimately increase sales revenue. Additionally, the exposure gained at trade shows can lead to increased sales.

In conclusion, Exhibition Company in Dubai and trade shows offer numerous benefits for businesses in Dubai. They provide an excellent platform to increase brand awareness and exposure, network with other businesses, generate leads and sales, gain market insights, build relationships with existing customers, do cost-effective marketing, and launch new products and services. By participating in trade shows, businesses can gain a competitive advantage and establish themselves as industry leaders.

[sneakyboymerlin]

Fandom will be like “Arthur wouldn’t have been so bigoted if it wasn’t for [that EVIL Merlin trying to fulfill the prophecies through Arthur to create a long-lasting future for his kin. oh and Uther] the actions of everyone else around him” bro it doesn’t sound like much accountability is being held for one’s own actions :/ bro

[post-futurism]

It is very disappointing to be connected to Australians on this website only to quickly discover they are terfs.

[gayvampyr]

deeply depressing that i am never going to get prescribed the meds i desperately need to function

[louderfade]

PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE FINE PRINT THAT'S ACTUALLY JUST FOR DECORATION AND IT'S ALL REALLY BORING WE SWEAR

is your job performance suffering due to a persistent desire to lead a fulfilling life? the friendly pharmaceutical companies have developed a solution which they have generously made available for purchase. here watch this drug advertisement we worked so hard on. it shows people free of pain enjoying their day at the office. these are actual patients we cured, not paid actors. questioning this or any statement indicates affiliation with political extremism on both sides and means you're probably a terrorist. maybe even a double terrorist. besides, knowledge is a burden, wouldn't you rather just trust us, the way you do with your health? you should ask your doctor if workmoronal is right for you. workmoronal treats all symptoms related to resistance and/or defense of personal freedoms and can reduce your sense of having a soul in under two weeks. get back to being a productive employee with workmoronal from johnson and johnson. a family company. but not your family. you don't really see them anymore. and you're fine with that. really. by now you're generally ok with whatever the boss decides. another full recovery made possible by workmoronal.

it's really wonderful the way science is helping people lead better lives every day. not people like you though. people like the guy who owns johnson and johnson. who remembers what his family looks like. but he worked hard. he earned what he has. his collection of bank notes proves that he's a better person than you, and this moral superiority has kept him healthy. he didn't need a doctor's help to be a Valuable and Productive Employee. you, however, require a treatment regimen of workmoronal. also you've been asking too many questions and the doctor has diagnosed you with chronic curiosity, which, without treatment, can be fatal (for someone much more important than you). so you've been prescribed two capsules of acceptall, to be taken with booze. this should help slow down your higher brain and reduce symptoms of critical thinking. you may return to work tomorrow. in fact you have to or you'll starve in the street. if you would prefer to use a suicide booth at this time, please see the reception staff to schedule an appointment. patients who miss their appointments will be charged a fee they can't afford. this reflects a society that values keeping one's word. otherwise people might find you unreliable. and that doesn't look very good on a resume.

it would seem that the severity of your case demands a higher level of care. may we suggest our outpatient treatment program to correct confusion surrounding life's purpose? it's the doctor's opinion that you're a good candidate for priority readjustment therapy. this is highly effective and a great opportunity for you. well, no it won't bring you any peace or reduce the psychic impact of the horrors, and it doesn't actually help you feel better in any noticeable way. but we're healthcare providers. that's not what we do here. we are however proud to offer a wide array of pill-shaped solutions to problems. well, not your problems. once again, we refer to the problems of the johnson and johnson guy who gets to see his family. and one of his problems is you. specifically what remains of your humanity and the stubborn way in which you cling to it. workmoronal will make you forget about all that. we have pills that can gut you from the inside and lobotomize you irrevocably until you no longer suffer or despair. you will no longer know love or joy either, but it won't take you long to be desperate enough not to care. they'll make real life so miserable you'll line up to have the spark of your spirit chemically extinguished. you might even be grateful for it. almost everyone is eventually grateful for it. but don't be too hard on yourself. you're only the picked-clean ghostbones of a human, after all. you were such a cooperative patient that even the scavengers got their fill. and everyone has already eaten by the time you realize they never set a place for you at their table. for those born to your station, there are only two options at every meal: you're either the servant or you're what's being served.

[inkskinned]

i think a lot about exactly 1 thing from the roman empire: the concept of bread and circus. the idea was that if your population was fed and entertained, they wouldn't revolt. you are asking us to give up our one small life, is the thing - for under 15 dollars an hour.

what would that buy, even. i am trading weekends and late nights and my back health. i am trading slow mornings and long walks and cortisol levels. i am trading sleep and silence and peace. for ... this. for what barely-covers-rent.

life really is more expensive right now. you aren't making that up. i make almost 3 times what i did 5 years ago, and despite an incredibly equal series of bills - i am still struggling. the most expensive line item i added was to own a dog. the money is just evaporating.

we were okay with it because it's a cost-benefit analysis. i could handle the customer harassment and standing all day and the manager's constantly changing temperament - i was coming home to hope, and my life planned in a blue envelope. three hours would buy me my dog's food for a month. i can give up three hours for him, for his shiny coat and wide, happy mouth. three days could be a new mattress, if i was thrifty. if i really scrimped and saved, we could maybe afford a trip into the city.

recently i cried in the car about the price of groceries.

business majors will be mad at me, but my most inflammatory opinion is that people should never be valued at the same place as products. your staff should not be a series of numbers in an excel sheet that you can just "replace" whenever you need something at that moment. your staff should be people, end of sentence.

it feels like someone somewhere is playing a very bad video game. like my life is a toy. like someone opened an app on their phone and hired me in diner dash ultra. they don't need to pay me well or treat me alright - they can always just show me the door. there is always someone more desperate, always someone more willing.

but i go to work and know i could save for years and not afford housing. i am never going to own my own home, most likely. i have no idea how to afford her ring, much less the wedding. my dog doesn't have his own yard. everything i love is on subscription. if i lose my job, i have no "nest egg" to catch my falling.

this thin life - they want me to give up summer for it. to open my mouth and throat and swallow the horrible hours and counted keystrokes. they want me to give up mountains and any non-federal holiday. to give up snow days. to give up talking to my mom whenever i want. to give up visiting the ocean and hearing the waves.

bread and circus worked for a while, actually. it was the kind of plan that would probably now be denounced by republicans as socialist commie liberal pronoun bullshit.

but sometimes i wonder if we should point them to the part of the history book that says: it worked until it didn't.

[ahsoka-in-a-hood]

Jedi neutrality in TPM comes not at all from not taking sides. They get there and pick a side in under five minutes. They are 100% team Naboo. No, their neutrality, and their cultural moral authority, comes from not having a stake in this fight. They're not mixed up in the trade federation. They don't have personal ties with the Naboo. They don't stand to benefit or to lose from the success of either party. They can just show up and say, hey, just decided you guys suck. And no one can accuse them of being secretly married to the Naboo queen or having offshore investments in the Lake country, or whatever completely hypothetical thing a person might have going on that would hypothetically compromise that neutrality

[reasonsforhope]

"Many people know about the Yellowstone wolf miracle. After wolves were reintroduced to the national park in the mid-1990s, streamside bushes that had been grazed to stubble by out-of-control elk populations started bouncing back. Streambank erosion decreased. Creatures such as songbirds that favor greenery along creeks returned. Nearby aspens flourished.

While there is debate about how much of this stemmed from the wolves shrinking the elk population and how much was a subtle shift in elk behavior, the overall change was dramatic. People were captivated by the idea that a single charismatic predator’s return could ripple through an entire ecosystem. The result was trumpeted in publications such as National Geographic.

But have you heard about the sea otters and the salt marshes? Probably not.

It turns out these sleek coastal mammals, hunted nearly to extinction for their plush pelts, can play a wolf-like role in rapidly disappearing salt marshes, according to new research. The findings highlight the transformative power of a top predator, and the potential ecosystem benefits from their return.

“It begs the question: In how many other ecosystems worldwide could the reintroduction of a former top predator yield similar benefits?” said Brian Silliman, a Duke University ecologist involved in the research.

The work focused on Elk Slough, a tidal estuary at the edge of California’s Monterey Bay. The salt marsh lining the slough’s banks has been shrinking for decades. Between 1956 and 2003, the area lost 50% of its salt marshes.

Such tidal marshes are critical to keeping shorelines from eroding into the sea, and they are in decline around the world. The damage is often blamed on a combination of human’s altering coastal water flows, rising seas and nutrient pollution that weakens the roots of marsh plants.

But in Elk Slough, a return of sea otters hinted that their earlier disappearance might have been a factor as well. As many as 300,000 sea otters once swam in the coastal waters of western North America, from Baja California north to the Aleutian Islands. But a fur trade begun by Europeans in the 1700s nearly wiped out the animals, reducing their numbers to just a few thousand by the early 1900s. Southern sea otters, which lived on the California coast, were thought to be extinct until a handful were found in the early 1900s.

In the late 1900s, conservation organizations and government agencies embarked on an effort to revive the southern sea otters, which remain protected under the Endangered Species Act. In Monterey Bay, the Monterey Bay Aquarium selected Elk Slough as a prime place to release orphaned young sea otters taken in by the aquarium.

As the otter numbers grew, the dynamics within the salt marsh changed. Between 2008 and 2018, erosion of tidal creeks in the estuary fell by around 70% as otter numbers recovered from just 11 animals to nearly 120 following a population crash tied to an intense El Niño climate cycle.

While suggestive, those results are hardly bulletproof evidence of a link between otters and erosion. Nor does it explain how that might work.

To get a more detailed picture, the researchers visited 5 small tidal creeks feeding into the main slough. At each one, they enclosed some of the marsh with fencing to keep out otters, while other spots were left open. Over three years, they monitored the diverging fates of the different patches.

The results showed that otter presence made a dramatic difference in the condition of the marsh. They also helped illuminate why this was happening. It comes down to the otters’ appetite for small burrowing crabs that live in the marsh.

Adult otters need to eat around 25% of their body weight every day to endure the cold Pacific Ocean waters, the equivalent of 20 to 25 pounds. And crabs are one of their favorite meals. After three years, crab densities were 68% higher in fenced areas beyond the reach of otters. The number of crab burrows was also higher. At the same time, marsh grasses inside the fences fared worse, with 48% less mass of leaves and stems and 15% less root mass, a critical feature for capturing sediment that could otherwise wash away, the scientists reported in late January in Nature.

The results point to the crabs as a culprit in the decline of the marshes, as they excavate their holes and feed on the plant roots. It also shows the returning otters’ potential as a marsh savior, even in the face of rising sea levels and continued pollution. In tidal creeks with high numbers of otters, creek erosion was just 5 centimeters per year, 69% lower than in creeks with fewer otters and a far cry from earlier erosion of as much as 30 centimeters per year.  

“The return of the sea otters didn’t reverse the losses, but it did slow them to a point that these systems could restabilize despite all the other pressures they are subject to,” said Brent Hughes, a biology professor at Sonoma State University and former postdoctoral researcher in Silliman’s Duke lab.

The findings raise the question of whether other coastal ecosystems might benefit from a return of top predators. The scientists note that a number of these places were once filled with such toothy creatures as bears, crocodiles, sharks, wolves, lions and dolphins. Sea otters are still largely absent along much of the West Coast.

As people wrestle to hold back the seas and revive their ailing coasts, a predator revival could offer relatively cheap and effective assistance. “It would cost millions of dollars for humans to rebuild these creek banks and restore these marshes,” Silliman said of Elk Slough. “The sea otters are stabilizing them for free in exchange for an all-you-can-eat crab feast.”"

-via Anthropocene Magazine, February 7, 2024

[uyuforu]

Juno, Groom, Briede by Signs, Houses, Degrees

Juno (3) is an asteroid discovered in 1804 by Karl Ludwig Harding. It represents another part of the person we will marry as it represents destined partner, our soulmate, "the one" for us. Briede (19029) & Groom (5129) asteroids are more about just the FS. But Juno has a more destiny message, more of a spiritual link. To see more about this person, looking at our Juno Persona Chart is recommended! You can also check Briede or Groom Persona Charts. Checking the signs, houses and degrees are important as it represents all the details about one's future spouse.

Book a private reading: menus ; Q&A ; rules

FS= Future Spouse

✧˖° Aries, 1H, 1°, 13°, 25°

FS could have Aries, Mars, 1H, 1°, 13°, 25° prominent placements in their chart. Your FS is passionate, quick, they can talk fast, walk fast, do things too fast, they are not patient, and they might pursue you. They are the type to "chase". Despite that, they are someone independent. They could have a quick temper too. Someone who feel very passionately their feelings. This person could also show their love physically. They might not be good with words. This person might care about health, and sport can be very important in this person. They might also not scared of confrontation and fights. They def seem confident, they can also be confident. They can be loud, or laugh very loud too. They can take things personally pretty quick too. They don't have their tongue in their pocket. They could also be extrovert, and being very passionate about what they talk about. They could also want to be with you very quickly. You could meet your FS at work, gym, the streets, you could be in a rush the moment you meet. It could also be a sign of love at first sight. Both or one of you could have it. If you are in a culture that still does it, it's also a sign of arranged marriage. The house here could also be a sign of a quick relationship, so you could be together really quick, or just feelings appear very quickly. It could also be a sign of friends with benefits, big flirt, rizz, or one night stands. The person could appear as a player. Take it lightly. You could meet them at a party or where people gather. Since it's also about the body, where people show they body, where people fight, where people get physical, where people dance, etc. also 1H placement for other details. Your FS could be someone very confident, or seems this way, someone who may enjoys fight sports, someone who does not giving up, someone who is not afraid to take action. It can also be someone who may struggle with jealousy, anger issues. It could also mean someone who is a leader.

✧˖° Taurus, 2H, 2°, 14°, 26°

FS could have Taurus, Venus, 2H, 2°, 14°, 26° prominent placements in their chart. Your FS could have a very harmonious face or way to live. Someone stable, someone who wants to provide. They could want to spend time with you, and even hanging out at your or their place is a date. Your routine is even a date for them. So grocery shopping? a date! Taking a walk outside? a date! This person can enjoy good things from life, so they might like to cook, or to eat, they could love to do shopping, or like fashion, like to take care of themselves. They look neat, they look nice and always put together. They can also love to smell good, and they could have a thing for singing. Don't be surprised if they have a good voice too, even outside of singing abilities. Taurus placements are known for having a very attractive voice. This placement also is a way to consider that your FS has money. The Taurus is also the 2H, and it means this person could be wealthy, comes from a wealthy family, or will eventually have a lot of money. It could also be that your FS is good with managing money, and could be into trading, etc. Possible job could be related to money, working in a bank for ex. or living based on trades, they could have a stable job and income. This person doesn't seem to worry much, they are not loud and don't overtake about themselves. It's a very collected energy. You could meet in the nature, in your daily life, walking in the streets, in a park, while chilling somewhere, also doing grocery shopping, or going to the bank. It could also meeting because of money matters. You could also meet this person at a restaurant, a café, something related to food. It can also be at a shopping center, a mall, somewhere luxurious. It could be at a moment you live a simple life, or when you are stable, or searching for stability. It can be at a concert too, but also you could meet them on the phone, or at karaoke.

✧˖° Gemini, 3H, 3°, 15°, 27°

FS could have Gemini, Mercury, 3H, 3°, 15°, 27° prominent placements in their chart. Your FS could be someone who speaks a lot, like they are very passionate about what they talk about, and can speak non stop about any topics. Someone who loves to give details about stories they tell. They are very curious, love to learn a lot about different topics. It's the kind of person to tell you random informations about many different topics, and you wonder where they got that very random information. The fun fact person. This person can be very smart, and it's not even academically, it can just be very smart in everyday life. They have a thirst for knowledge, and they can be good at analyzing. They are very good at learning in general, and they get stuff quickly. They can be very good at learning languages, and any informations. This person can be very funny, have a witty humor. This can be a sign they are bored easily, in their daily life, or even with people around them. They are easily bored if the person they hang out with doesn't make them laugh, or don't challenge them mentally. They need someone with whom they can have discussions and debates. Someone who knows a lot of stuff. Someone who makes them laugh. They are funny too and want someone who will laugh and joke around with them. Big plus if you get their references or witty jokes, they will love you so much. They want an emotional and intellectual connection with someone. You will know if they are falling in love with you if they keep talking about you. They will know every facts and details about you by heart. They may also love to gossip lol. They can have a thing with their voice, or you could love their voice, the way they talk, or their brain. It's a sign of meeting your FS online, on social medias. it can happen at a party, with friends, or your siblings can present them to you. They can also be a neighbor. You could meet them at the library, or while buying books. You could meet them at a club, college, school, anywhere you learn or get en education. You could meet them because of technologies or phones matters. Karaoke, concert, speeches can be a thing here.

✧˖° Cancer, 4H, 4°, 16°, 28°

FS could have Cancer, Moon, 4H, 4°, 16°, 28° prominent placements in their chart. Your FS could be someone very nurturing, someone who is very sweet, nice, and gentle. They could look super young, or just so cute, it makes you want to take care of them. This is not an aggressive person, they are actually very sensible. This could mean they could cry easily too. They can look very feminine, or just be in tune and harmony with their feminine side. They can love their family, loved ones a lot. They could love home things, stay at home too. Food is one of their biggest love story, and if they are feeling sad, food can bring comfort. Their mother can be very important to them, play a big role in their life, or they grew up with a lot of feminine figures. They could love children, want children, or even grew up with children around them. It's someone with whom you will want to make children. Pregnancy can be a theme here too. This person can be very secretive, as they may be scared to be hurt. They can look innocent, and it can lead people to be scared they will be hurt by the world. You could want to protect them. They could also want to nurture and protect you. Water can be important for them, they could love it or love to swim too. Living by the sea too. This person is very loyal, not only to you but also to their family, people they love and hold dearly in their heart. Because of their loyalty, they can even be loyal to traditions. They will maybe want to create their own traditions with you too. This person can be moody too, or over sensitive. Because of that, they can be often in different kind of moods. You could meet them in your homeland, you could meet their family first, or they could meet your family first. This could also be meeting in their homeland. Family could introduce you two. You could meet because of babies and pregnancies, you could meet because of a woman, or around women. You could meet during a full moon or a new moon. Something about food too like a family reunion, or at church, or in a restaurant. You could meet around water too.

✧˖° Leo, 5H, 5°, 17°, 29°

FS could have Leo, Sun, 5H, 5°, 17°, 29° prominent placements in their chart. So, your FS could be someone famous, successful, someone who has a certain popularity. They can come from a successful family, rich or important one too. They could have been always popular in their life, always being the center of attention while not necessarily searching for it. But they can enjoy that. This person is very fun to hang out with, they can be loud, and laugh a lot. People just notice them when they enter a room, people look at them. You will see them right away and may know they are your FS. They could also feel the same about you. They just shine in society, and it's important for them to be seen and desirable. They could love children, love to play with them, and make them laugh. A baby or child smiling to them makes their day. They could be in tune with their inner child, and not afraid to let it out. This person can be or seem confident. But they can also have a big ego, or show some selfish behavior. If you hurt their ego, they will be deeply hurt. They can be very creative, have a lot of imagination. They can also love music a lot. This aspect make them also very loyal, so if you betray them, it's gonna be hard for them to move on or give you a second chance. They can be quite moody if you don't give them attention too. They can have a very royal vibe to them. They own every places they go to, and they expect people to respect them. They are respectful too. They can have thick hair, and their hair can be prominent. They can physically be very attractive, have a warm aura. They can be seen as a player too, or you could see them this way, someone cocky too. They could be a leader and not be scared to lead people. They can also easily get noticed in a crowd. They want to feel unique and seen. This could mean also them being a celebrity, but be careful about this one. This could meet them through fame, meeting them at day time, or a sunny day. Meeting them during summer season. Meeting them and having love at first sight, or finding them super hot. Or this is how they could feel about you. Meeting them at a concert, a party, somewhere people dance, have fun, laugh, somewhere loud. Meeting them and laughing a lot with them. They could be very smiley around you. Meeting them around children, or you feel your inner child being at peace with them. Meeting them at the theater too. Somewhere they are the star of it, or somewhere you are the main character. This could also indicate meeting them and the moment feels like a movie.

✧˖° Virgo, 6H, 6°, 18°

FS could have Virgo, Mercury, 6H, 6°, 18° prominent placements in their chart. FS could be someone who is very perfectionist, someone who works very hard and for whom working is important. They want stability, and a routine. They can't live a life full of spontaneity, and they like predictability, they like to organize things. It's a placement that make them very neat. Hygiene and health are very important to them. They can be very much into control and can be anxious person, but it's because they have an eyes for details and perfection. They hate lazy people, and may actually feel bad when they do nothing. Changing their routine may take a lot for them. They love details, and they will remember every single details about you, even some you didn't notice. If they love you, they will love every flaws of you, and in fact, it's not even flaws for them. Their love is realistic, and they are romantic in their own way. Could love act of service. Love to help you improve yourself, and they make want to take care of you too. They also want to help you in your daily life and at work. This person may love pets. They can be introvert too, love to stay at home, love to stay by themselves. They are someone who love to help people in general, so it can make them very much into giving to people. They can also care a lot about mental health. This is the kind of person who wants to improve a lot about themselves, they always think they can be better than who they are already. When you talk to them, they can tell you things they will do to improve themselves like a to do list. Ah yes, and they love those. They can exercise often too. They are organized too and may hate loud places or people. You could meet them at work, they can be a colleague or your boss, or you can be their boss. You could meet them at the hospital, or at the doctor, they can be your doctor, your nurse, or someone who works in the medical field. You could meet them at the gym, or while working out, they can also be a gym instructor. They can also be a psychologist, you could meet them in that field too. You could also meet them somewhere you do volunteering. You could meet them also in your everyday life.

✧˖°Libra, 7H, 7°, 19°

FS could have Libra, Venus, 7H, 7°, 19° prominent placements in their chart. Your FS can be someone very attractive, very neat and charismatic. You could be very attracted to them when you meet, or you could feel like they look very good. You may also get a feeling they can be a player, or someone who attracts a lot of people. You can sense many people have a crush on them. They can be popular too, but they can also be very charming. They love that people love them, or people think of them as good person. They could care a lot about beauty, fashion, physical appearances, looking good and presentable. They don't are if they spend money into that, because it's a need for them. They could hate injustice, and may prefer harmonious situations. They hate conflicts too and will try to avoid it. They can have a thing for business, contracts. They lay be good at attracting those. They could love this idea of marriage and romance, this is someone who will not be able to think of their life without marriage. They love the idea of being a couple, and may be a very romantic partner. But it can also mean someone who love romance so much that they are more in love with the idea of romance and love itself than the actual person. But you will find them very romantic. They maybe have a thing for beauty, but it also means beautiful souls. So this is someone who believes in real kindness. This person may also love art very much, and may find beauty in a lot of details. They can tend to romances a lot of things or people around them, or even some situations and memories of their. You could meet them in a shopping mall, somewhere people dress nice and fancy, at a party, you could meet them at court, when signing a contract, when starting a business, at a wedding, or with friends, something can be linked to law, or marriage, or justice. you could meet them at a beauty shop, at a concert, or a museum. You could meet them somewhere linked to art, fashion, beauty, maybe a school specialized in those areas. You could have love at first sight, or they could for you, or it means you will find them very attractive.

✧˖°Scorpio, 8H, 8°, 20°

FS could have Scorpio, Mars, Pluto, 8H, 8°, 20° prominent placements in their chart. FS could be very good looking, very hot, someone who looks dark, charismatic, someone to whom you feel an instant pull. Someone who attracts people like a magnet. This person could be someone so attractive a lot of people are almost obsessed with them. They could be shy, or private. Introvert, and someone who doesn't speak much at first. They can seem closed. Scorpio or Pluto vibes to me feel like someone who always look depressive. They always seem bored, or just down. They may look tired too. They can be someone who is better to show their love through physical intimacy than actual words. You could have an intense physical pull towards this person when you meet. They look very mysterious. You could have manifested this person. They can care a lot about money, how to manage it. This could mean an intense connection between you too, you can't get your bodies away from each other, but it could go beyond physical intimacy. There is a true feelings of wanting to make one with this person. This could feel very spiritual, with a soul connection. This person could be secretive and not want to reveal those, and they could also want to keep their flaws and dark sides to themselves. They can be possessive and jealous too. They can be very passionate and intense too, even in their eyes you can feel it. This person may have been hurt a lot in the past, or you just feel like they are lonely. They could be very sensible too, and may prefer to be alone in order to not be hurt anymore. They could be a player, or just sleep with different people when you meet. You could meet them at night, somewhere you are lost or somewhere you don't know. You could meet them when getting money, or when you get wealthy. There could be a contract involved too. You could have manifested them, or you could meet them once you do your shadow work. You could also meet them through vivid dreams or meditation, or through 5D. Pregnancy could be involved too. You could meet them somewhere considered taboo too. You guys could start in a taboo way, or as fwb, ons. Or this person will want to try that with you. Just possibilities.

✧˖°Sagittarius, 9H, 9°, 21°

FS could have Sagittarius, Jupiter, 9H, 9°, 21° prominent placements in their chart. FS could be someone very mature, or there is something very wise about them. You could meet them at a moment you are more mature, or wiser. You could meet them later in life too. They could be very smart, and even emotionally speaking. They could be good at school. They can teach you a lot and you can teach them a lot. They could be a teacher. They could love the college life, or made important memories there. Studying ma be something they love, and you could meet while studying, it can also be abroad. FS could be a foreigner, and live abroad. Or they could come study in your country for example. They truly believe in the sense of learning from life lessons, and that life is more an adventure than an hardship. This person can be quite optimistic. You could find them pretty lucky too. This person can be considered very funny, and they may make words funny. They have a good way to express themselves and you could find them super funny. They are quite curious and spontaneous. They want to experience different things, they want to see the world, and learn many things. They may believe that's how you get wiser. They may love to travel. They could be spiritual, or believe in spirituality. You guys could have a spiritual bond too. Shadow work could be involved too. You could meet them at college, school, while learning something. You could meet them at work too. You could also meet them abroad, while studying a language, or they could come to your country. You could meet them while you both travel. You could meet them somewhere unexpected, or when you try something new or totally random. You could meet them in 5D, dreams, or meditation.

✧˖°Capricorn, 10H, 10°, 22°

FS could have Capricorn, Saturn, 10H, 10°, 22° prominent placements in their chart. FS could be older than you, or they look older than their age. They could also look tired, and that would be why they look older. They could look like they are depressed, sad, or just tired. They can look like they have a lot on their plate, like life is hard. They could find their work to be super important to them, they could have an important job, or an important position in their career. They are very hardworking, and are not lazy at all. Making money is very important to them, they know how to manage it well. They could be into trading too. They want to live a good and luxurious life style, but just knowing they have a lot of money makes them feel very relaxed. They can look cold at first or just not talk much. They can also not be that expressive. They can be witty, they have a certain sense of humor but not everyone can understand it, some people may think it's very harsh. They could love to take control, and hate someone to try to control them. Their reputation could be very good, and they may have a lot of respect from people. People may think of this person one of the best at their job, and they could be famous too, or just very successful in their career field. Some people may fear them. They could have public attention. They are very ambitious, a true leader. Their father could be famous too, successful, they could love their father very much, it could be their role model. You could meet because of a father figure. This can mean this person is very much in tune with their masculine side, and they could look very masculine. They really want to marry too. They are also very much into traditions. You could meet them at work, they can be your boss, or someone who has a higher position than yours. You could meet them while working, while they are working. Something can be related to money too here. You could meet them while you are tired or depressed (I know it's strange sorry). You could meet them during a stressful time in your life. Also, you could meet them when you are in your ambition era, when you are older, or later in life. You could meet them though family, mostly father figures. You could meet them through fame too, or when you are successful in your career.

✧˖°Aquarius, 11H, 11°, 23°

FS could have Aquarius, Uranus, Saturn, 11H, 11°, 23° prominent placements in their chart. FS is unique, someone who hates to follow the crowd. This person can be said to be weird, but they actually love to be considered as someone who is not like the other. Something they actually hate is to fit in the box. They want to be different and will always search for that. It's another way for them to make themselves seen. They have different tastes than the other, but they are very good at making friends. They are very social people, and they may have friends from different kind of cultures, who have different tastes, or just friends who are very different from each other. They are very spontaneous, and love to surprise people with their ideas, thoughts and actions. They just love to be themselves. They could be into humanitarian actions. They can be on social medias often, or either hate them. They have a very different perspective about things in life, so it's a totally new point of view. They could spend a lot of time in the internet too, or they love new technologies. They could have a thing for building too, so for example building their own computer. Creating too, they are very creative, but in their own ways. Very smart too. You could meet them during volunteering, through friends, this person can be a childhood friend too. You could meet them out of nowhere, unexpectedly, in foreign lands or while traveling. You could meet them during protests, on social medias, on the Internet, you guys could be friends online first. You could have a unique relationship when you meet. You could also just bump into each other at the weirdest moment.

✧˖°Pisces, 12H, 12°, 24°

FS could have Pisces, Neptune, Jupiter, 12H, 12°, 24° prominent placements in their chart. FS could be someone who look like an angel, someone who look dreamy, and very good. They may look innocent and very beautiful. They could be very romantic, daydreamer, and may love to spend time alone. When alone they can let their creative side get crazy. They could be very much an art lover, and may be very creative. They could have a poetic side. They could love to imagine a lot of things, and their imagination can be really one of their hobby. They could be very good at manifesting. They can be very sensitive people, and live their emotions intensely. They could have addictions too, like drugs or alcohol. Or this is a very sensitive matters for them, they may haver lived with someone who had addictions. They could have very specific dreams, vivid or you met through dreams before meeting in person. You could need to do shadow work before meeting this person. This placement can also mean having a very intense soul connection to your FS, like karmics, soulmates, twin flames, etc. They could be into spirituality, esotericism, astrology, etc. You may have met In 5D before meeting in person too. You could live a true ending before meeting this person. They could live next to water, or they could love water too, swimming, etc. Water may calm them a lot. They could cry easily. You could meet them in foreign lands, in 5D dreams, you could also do a lot of tarot or astrology researches and feel like you already know them when you meet them. You could know a lot about them through meditation too. They could also do the same for you, they could a psychic too. Or they have psychic abilities. You could meet them at night, near water, at the swimming pool, at the sea, a waterpark, aquariums. You could meet them at the museum. There is something very divine about your meeting too. As if it was fated.

-> If Juno, Groom or Briede conjunct your Sun, it can mean your FS is someone who is a soul connection, a soulmate or a twin flame. You will mirror each other and be very similar.

Thank you for reading!

back to index ; ask ; request ; rules

[probablyasocialecologist]

The high levels of consumption enjoyed by wealthy countries in the Global North are only possible because of mass appropriation of labor from the population of the Global South. This is evidenced by research from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), which indicates that this appropriation takes place through unequal exchange in international trade and global commodity chains. The new study, published in Nature Communications, measured the flows of labor embodied in traded goods around the world from 1995 to 2021. The results show that in 2021, the Global North imported 906 billion hours of embodied labor from the South while exporting only 80 billion hours in return. In other words, for every hour of labor the Global South imports from the Global North, they must export 11 hours to "pay" for it. As a result, the countries of the Global North net-appropriated 826 billion hours of labor from the Global South, across all skill levels and all sectors: mining, agriculture, manufacturing and services. The figure of 826 billion hours is more than the labor rendered by the entire workforce of the United States and Europe combined. The wage value of this net-appropriated labor was equivalent to €16.9 trillion in 2021, in Northern prices. In other words, this is how much the appropriated labor would be worth if it was paid at prevailing Northern wages, with equal wages for equal work. "These are staggering figures. It shows that very large quantities of value flow from the South to the North each year" says Jason Hickel, researcher at ICTA-UAB and the Department of Anthropology at the UAB. "The Global North grows rich by siphoning value out of the South." Unequal exchange occurs because of systematic price inequalities in the world economy. Powerful states and corporations in the Global North seek to compress wages and supply prices in the Global South, to obtain inputs and other goods more cheaply. Producers in the Global South are then forced to export more goods and services in order to buy any given level of imports. This results in large net-transfers from the Global South to the Global North, which benefits Northern firms and consumers but drains the Global South of productive capacities that are necessary for development. "Labor that could be used to improve human development in the Global South is instead appropriated to service capital accumulation in the Global North," said co-author Morena Hanbury Lemos, also of ICTA-UAB. "This is a major driver of deprivation in the South, and it needs to be addressed," she says. According to the study, wages in the Global South are between 87% and 95% lower than Northern wages for work of equal skill, and between 83% and 98% lower for work of equal skill within the same sector. Wage inequalities are so extreme that high skill labor in the Global South is paid only one-third the wages of low-skill labor in the Global North.

29 July 2024

[sideeve]

I’M IN LOVE WITH A CRIMINAL ?!

ᡴꪫ summary . the rivaling rich billionaire's princess mingling with gotham terrorizer. what a headline for vicki vale.

ᡴꪫ includes? . red hood!jason, sionis!reader, rich girl life!reader, smutttttt, p-i-v intc*urse, cheesy but heartwarming relationship behavior, uhhh idk just read ho <3

"this is vicki vale reporting in Gotham News headquarters. Next story, Sionis' daughter involved with the enemy? Pictures caught the infamous Red Hood visiting on her balcony. is he using her for information? making her betray her own father?"

you turn the television down to hear your livid father on your phone. "my own daughter engaging with the enemy! i can't believe you!" you thought his voice couldn't get any louder but his tone conveyed his anger. "yes. yes, father. i know, I'm sorry."

you pace back and forth in your living room as the enemy has a smirk on his face, manspreading on the couch your father bought for you. your ear would be spared if it wasn't for the meddling crummy press. the red hood was a tantalizing human. getting what he wanted with his natural charm.

but you made it known that you knew nothing about your father's plan with his illegal weapons trade. you were just benefiting from the money he racked up.

"sorry, i gotta go." you end the call, dropping your phone on the coffee table. "geez," you card your hand through your hair, letting out a deep breath. "this what you wanted? for all of Gotham to know what i do in my free time?" his eyes rake up and down your body. "sorry princess, i thought i was bein' discreet with us." his smirk widens as his eyes halt at your hips.

"my father will be down my throat with this." you stand in front of him, hands of your hips. "come on. pretty. you're a grown woman. what's your daddy gonna do? stop you from seeing me?" amidst his sentence, his large hands rest on your waist, pulling you on his lap.

you roll your eyes. "you wanna throw me away for some dumbasses' opinion? i thought we had something. you wound me." he puts his hand up to his heart, feigning pain.

"look." you adjust yourself on his lap, earning a groan from his lips. "if we want to continue this, you're gonna have to do something with your appearance."

"you think i'm ugly?"

"no!" you swat at his chest. "i mean you can't keep coming to my place as red hood." his lips lock onto your neck, taking nips at your soft skin from time to time.

"jason, are you even listening to me?" you sigh. but not in anger, more as in a relief of pent-up tension. "yeah, ma. change up my appearance." he lets go of your neck with an exaggerated pop.

"good," his face lines up with yours as you both smile. in a flurry, you both are fighting for dominance on your couch. "come on, princess. you know you're gonna lose." he chuckles, pinning you down.

"come onn!" you whine. he laughs at your defeat, sitting on top of you. "who needs a shirt anyways?" he shrugs, lifting your shirt over your head, revealing your dark red bralette. "oh, i missed my girls." he jiggles your breasts. "jason, quit it!" you laugh. "what? i can't show them any love?" he stuffs his face in your cleavage, shaking his head. his stubble tinkles your skin, something you'll never miss. "okay, that's enough." you weakly push him off you.

his next target was your shorts, sliding them and your panties off, leaving you only in your bralette. "you shaved." he teases. "when do i not?" you send a calf into his side, an 'oof' coming out of him. "play nice, girl." his hands slip in between your thighs, fingertips gliding down your cunt. "fuckin' soaked." he chuckles under his breath. two of his fingers curl into you, something you'll never get used to.

the sounds of your slick sliding in and out of you brought a wide grin to his face. "think she's talkin' to me, baby." he groans, fastening his pace. "mm," you arch your back up a bit, unknowingly giving him more space for his fingers to fill.

"think your ready, baby?" he looks at you, tapping you on your cheek when you don't respond, too fucked out in ecstasy. "fuck-yes." he felt your cunt flutter around his digits, knowing that you wanted more.

without another word, jason moves out of his jeans and boxers, his cock springing free. a few dribbles of precum slip out from his slit, slowly sliding down his shaft. he pumps himself a few times before lining his tip up with your wanting hole. "ready?" you nod.

that's one thing you loved about him. he was always cautious if you were ready or not. he slowly pushes himself into you, letting you adjust to his size again. "fuck, baby." he groans, closing his eyes. after some time of sitting still, he thrusts into you, gradually getting faster. "oh god." he holds onto the armrest above your head for support.

you open your eyes, seeing his handsome face above you. from the array of scars on his face, the white fluff of hair, to the hook of his nose. he was the most beautiful thing you had ever saw.

he takes one of your legs and places it on your shoulder, giving him a better angle. "oh my-" your eyes rolling to the back of your skull, the pleasure becoming unbearable. unmeasurable. "please." you didn't even know what you were begging for, you just were. maybe for him to quicken or to go a little easier on you. you couldn't put your finger on it. but you knew it boosted his ego. "please what, princess?" he looks down, emerald eyes boring into yours. "fuck me." you say just over a whisper.

the last bit you restraint he had went away as his hips began to slam into yours. "god!" he grunts, looking down at where you two meet. he loved watching you take him. a beautiful scene that only he could see.

the band on your stomach was only one string away from breaking before your orgasm would wash over you. and from the way jason was fervorently thrusting inside of you, you could tell that he was chasing his own orgasm.

"come with me, baby." he slaps your hip, making you jolt. you bite your lip, your walls pulsing around his length. all the more signs to tell him that you came. his warm load painted your walls, emitting a sigh from you both.

the both of you sit in silence, catching your breath and relaying the moments that just happened. "how about i get rid of that 'sionis' name and make you a 'todd'?"

[colleendoran]

TROLL BRIDGE

Neil Gaiman's TROLL BRIDGE was one of my all time favorite projects.

When I first took a crack at it back in the 1990's, I adapted it as a 9 page short in pen and ink.

It was terrible.

I don't think I understood the story properly. It takes a certain level of life experience and maturity to really get what the writer is trying to convey.

When Neil was kind enough to let me have another go at it, I redid it as a graphic novel at Dark Horse Comics in pencil with digital color, and delved into the story with the benefit of nearly two decades of consideration and contemplation.

While it wasn't as successful as either Snow, Glass, Apples or Chivalry, I consider it among my personal bests.

It is very melancholy, and not for kids. But the imagery evokes the lingering echo of childhood.

Ask for it at your local comic shop or bookstore.

While the original trade is still in print, the art shows at its best in the Neil Gaiman Library Volume II.

[bbydoll18xx]

Can you please please please do Paige Bueckers or Azzi Fudd or Nika Mühl x short fem girlfriend please

Short Stuff

Paige Bueckers x Short fem girlfriend

Themes: flufffff

Word Count: 815

Well since you asked so nicely, here you go! I decided to do a collection of little blurbs. Sorry it took a hot min! I am 5’4", so this was fun to write lol 

If you guys have more requests, send them my way!!

~

“I’m not that short!” KK protests indignantly, her arms crossed over her chest childishly. The other members of UCONN’s women’s basketball team giggle at her protests, reveling in the fact that in comparison to the rest of them, she was definitely shorter.

You chuckle from where you’re sitting on your girlfriend’s lap, amused that KK was lowkey getting bullied for being 5’9" when you were much shorter.

“Guys, be nice. KK is very tall,” you defend, giving her an understanding look.

“Okay, so boom, you’re my favorite,” KK declares earnestly, sticking her tongue out mockingly at Paige. 

Paige’s eyes narrow at KK, and she pulls you in tighter to her body protectively.

“Her short ass is mine,” Paige smirks, pulling you in for a kiss, eliciting groans from the rest of the team.

~

“Paigey,” you whine, dragging the syllables of your girlfriend’s name from the tip of your tongue. You had joined Paige and the team for a night out at the bar, and you had gone a little bit past your typical limit. The haze of the alcohol, mixed with the intoxicating feel of Paige’s touch had you feeling woozy. “Can you carry me?” you pout up at your girlfriend, flashing your puppy dog eyes for good measure. It was impossible for Paige to say no to you, and your pleading look and jutting bottom lip has your girlfriend lifting you up into her arms in mere seconds. 

“You’re lucky you’re so cute. And tiny,” Paige mumbles, a fond look plastered upon her features. 

“I’m lucky I have such a nice, sexy, tall girlfriend,” you slur drunkenly, as you enjoy the ride up the stairs back to Paige’s apartment. 

As you enter the apartment, she carries you into the bathroom and sits you onto the counter. 

“Gotta get my pretty girl ready for bed,” Paige says, already pulling out the stuff you kept in her bathroom cabinet. She helps you brush your teeth and take off all your makeup before lifting you back off the counter and taking you to her bed.

“I love you,” you mumble against her neck as she wishes you a good night with a gentle kiss pressed to your forehead.

~

“Hey, baby,” you say, getting Paige’s attention. You show her a tiktok where a couple trades outfits. “Let’s do this!” You exclaim, causing a chuckle to leave Paige’s mouth.

“Babe, I won’t fit in those tiny, little dresses you like to wear. But what the hell, I’m down,” she assents.

30 minutes later, you are setting up your phone, already dressed in one of Paige’s Nike tech tracksuits and a pair of her shoes. You were swamped in her clothing, and her shoes made you look like a clown. 

“Girl, you look hilarious,” Kayla laughs. “I can’t wait to see Paige in one of your dresses!”

“Me, too!” you giggle. “Thanks again for helping out.”

“I would never miss this,” she responds, finishing the signature braided ponytail that Paige wore for game days.

A few minutes later, Paige emerges from the bathroom, clad in a sundress and heels. You had done her makeup, and her hair was down in soft blonde waves.

You squeal in delight, running up to her and gushing at how pretty your girlfriend looked. 

“My ass is gonna be out,” Paige pouts, attempting to pull the dress further over her thighs. “I don’t know how you wear this shit.”

“I’m okay with your ass being out. And I’m like eight inches shorter than you, that’s why,” you giggle.

Nevertheless, the tiktok blew up, and Paige’s fans loved seeing the height difference.

~

It was no secret that Paige loved to tease you about your height. But when she wasn’t resting her elbow on the top of your head or waving down at you, she was relishing in the benefits of your height. 

She took great pleasure in the way your smaller body fit perfectly against hers. Spooning with Paige was utter perfection, and you spent many nights with content sighs spilling from your mouth as she pulled you close to her, a muscular arm slung across you and a large hand splayed against your belly. 

Your shortness also proved to be quite useful in fitting in small spaces. Paige’s lap tended to be your favorite spot, and you spent many nights curled up flush against her chest with Paige drawing shapes on your legs. Your head always ended up in the crook of her neck, your small exhales tickling the sensitive, pale flesh.

And when Paige hugged you, her chin rested perfectly on the top of your head. Your arms wrap around her slim waist, bringing her close to you, and she moans in content at the contact. Your hugs were addictive to Paige, and your height just added to the perfection. The two of you fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

~

@cosmopretty I hope this is okay! Thanks for your request :)

[etz-ashashiyot]

Generally radicalized people are radicalized for a reason: their radicalization does something for them and/or they believe that their desire to reshape society in a way that they believe will fix things does something for them. The key to deradicalizing them, then, is to figure out what that need is and fill it with something else.

Most of the time, people don't actually want rivers of blood, they want justice for wrongs that they feel aren't being heard.

Most of the time, they don't actually hate [X] minority - they don't even know anyone of that minority! They hate the false strawman version of that minority that is completely detached from reality, but that's been sold to them as the source of their problems.

And most people are honestly kinda lazy, lol. They are not going to physically fight for their fucked up ideas unless either (1) they are backed into a corner and literally must, or (2) they get swept up as part of a larger mob where the bully mentality takes over and the few people leading it decide to turn it into a violent mob.

So you gotta suck the wind out of their sails.

This works best if they are in or adjacent to your own communit(ies), because you will have more insight into what this is doing for them.

For the goyische leftists that have been radicalized into Jew hate lately, it's a combination of things. It's a feeling of powerlessness as the world slides rapidly towards fascism and climate crisis. It's the ghosts of unaddressed colonialism that they are choosing to impose their emotional catharsis on this unrelated and falsely analogous situation to enact what they feel would be just in their own society on people safely half the world away. Why there? Well, it's because it's a very small area with all of the culturally significant places that they grew up hearing about from the Bible in church, so it carries emotional weight. Most importantly, both parties are small and neither party has much international power to stop them, so they are able to impose their own narrative on the situation and speak over everyone actually there. Anyone who tries to correct them is drowned out. And, it's the history of Soviet antisemitism that is baked into the DNA of most western leftist movements and which Jews have never had the numbers or power to force them to actually confront.

Jew hatred is extremely convenient and Jews have been murdered in large enough numbers that we are easy to talk over.

Now usually, when you start pointing these things out, and especially when you start pointing out how ineffective and self-serving their "activism" on behalf of Palestinians is, they are too radicalized to do anything but react emotionally. They will spit out talking points, but none of these things actually address any of the above. They usually just devolve into "but but, Israeli war crimes!!" like it's a talisman against accurate allegations of antisemitism.

Why won't they listen to reason? When you show them how what they're saying is literal Nazi propaganda with the swastikas filed off and "Zionists" being used as a stand-in for Jews while they simultaneously vociferously deny any connection between Jews and Zionism? Why won't they take any accountability for their bigotry? Why won't they, at a minimum, listen to the Palestinians who want peace even if they won't listen to Jews advocating for the same thing?

It's because then they would have to give up the major benefits that they've been reaping from this situation: the social capital, the excuses to act out, the glow of feeling totally righteous in their fury, the catharsis - and trade it for the extremely unappealing process of actually becoming a decent person and a better advocate for their cause. It's hurting people they don't care about and they have a whole lot of organizations and institutions and people with actual power who materially benefit from their misdirected anger stoking the flames, and helping them lie to themselves that they are actually helping someone besides themselves and the handful of true beneficiaries behind the conflict.

They are being used.

And in twenty years they'll wake up and realize that they spent their youth shouting Nazi and Stalinist slogans of hatred that only benefitted right-wing hawks on both sides who make actual money and power off this conflict at the expense of two persecuted minorities. But they will be ashamed and will bury that behavior underneath silence and excuses.

This happens in every generation, by the way. Every 70 - 100 years, people find a socially plausible reason to hate and kill Jews because it is easier than standing up to the people with actual power. We are people they know they can hurt, and so long as they lie to themselves about who they're hurting and why, it feels really good.

Overcoming that directly has never worked.

It doesn't work because catharsis and punching down or laterally feels productive and owning their biases and bigotry and developing practical long-term strategies is tedious and often feels like shit.

What I've seen real activists do is to address the need for catharsis, praise, and to feel useful in other ways, because they are often less attached to the specific lowest hanging bigoted fruit and more in the rewards it gives them.

If we want to see this change, yelling at leftists that they're being bigoted morons feels good (productivity! feeling a sense of reclaiming control and power from helplessness! catharsis! We are not immune to these human needs either) but it's counterproductive. You don't convince a toddler to give up the shiny dangerous toy by trying to just snatch it away - if anything, you've now cemented this as an epic struggle for all time against the cold, cruel, injustices of the parental controls. No, you have to give them a new, safer toy.

My position is that if we want to see movement on this, we need to suck it up, stop yelling at the radicalized, and start finding ways to help Palestine that both feel gratifying and are actually pro-peace.

And, for the true sick fucks who really do want rivers of Jewish blood (and if a bunch of Gazans are martyred in the process, oh well)? That's where we need our true allies to help us fight back the most. This type of person will never respond to anything but power, so they will back down if they feel that they are truly threatened. To get the rest of the fair weather friends on board, we need to show how these violent tantrums are actually threatening their new catharsis, gratification, and progress so that they aren't swayed by the bullies and instead want to guard their new emotional investment and moral high ground.

Ultimately, we all want to feel like we're the good guys. We want catharsis. We want instant gratification. We want to see movement. We want justice for the wrongs committed against us and those we choose to see ourselves in community with. Many of us have real-world serious grievances that are intractable and that we don't have the individual power to fix, but are intolerable as things currently stand. These people aren't special; they aren't different from us and we aren't different from them in those ways. The problem is that activism - real activism that actually moves the needle - will typically not give you that satisfaction or meet those needs, and most people don't have the mental space to meet those needs in a better way, so punching laterally becomes the quick fix solution. Meanwhile, the people in actual positions of power benefit from this gladiator fight.

And until actual activists reckon with that reality, we are going to see more and more of the same.

[shanastoryteller]

Shana, your tags on this post ...I need to know more! What exactly was the plan for Supernatural season 3 if it hasn't been for the writer's strike??? And how haven't I heard about this already?? I need the deets!

i'm so glad you asked :)

the original plan for season 3 was for sam to descend into using his demon powers to get dean out of the deal, and for dean to never go to hell. then the writers strike happened, the season got cut from 22 eps to 16, with only 4 after the strike, and that wasn't enough time to establish sam's spiral and powers, so changed the ending. it's on the wiki and there are some articles around about it

this was, in my opinion, the worst fucking decision they could make

it ruined the characters in a lot of ways and really unbalanced everything in a way the show never recovered from

the thing is that this arc is so well set up!

literally at the end of season 2 we get

"You're my big brother, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. And I don't care, I'm going to get you out of this. I'm going to save your ass for a change."

sam has evaded azazel's every attempt to corrupt him. his shitty home life, all the demons he's exposed sam to, killing jessica, taking away his father, putting him in a literal life or death hunger games scenario. each time sam refuses to play ball

(sam's incorruptibility is what makes him qualified to be king of hell, but that's a different post)

he's the moral compass between him and dean. always has been. there is nothing in sam's messed up, twisted life that has pushed him pass mercy

but dean could do it. there's nothing sam wouldn't do for his big brother

john told dean that he had to either save sam or kill him. except he's never needed to save sam, because it's literally always sam making the measured, compassionate, merciful call. he's the one holding dean back, not the other way around

and sam straining towards darkness for the first time, for dean, would kill him. we'll come back to this

mystery spot, as an episode, is actually pointless if the plan was for dean to go to hell. because sam's sneak peek into what his life is like after dean doesn't do anything. i love this ep, but it's narratively pointless now

however

with the og plan, mystery spot is the turning point. it not only tells sam how miserable he'll be after dean is gone, but it also establishes what he's willing to do to get him back - pretty much anything. it's not theoretical pain, it's not theoretical grief. mystery spot is the thing that pushes sam towards being hard, away from the moral sweetness he's embodied for the past two and half seasons.

the next ep, jus in bello, shows this. sam is considering doing the terrible thing. he's now capable of considering the terrible thing in a way he wasn't before mystery spot. this is when his descent starts, when sam decides he's willing to trade his humanity for his brother's life

and then the writer's strike happened

right when it's getting good, right when sam's arc is ramping up, we lose it. and instead of picking it back up, pushing dean's deal to next season and giving it the weight it deserves, they say fuck it, and send dean to hell

but this fucks it all up. we have sam's "descent" with ruby and demon blood. except not really because he's not even hurting anyone. and dean's back, but not because of sam. sam didn't save him

this fucks it all up

because deans anger and fear and desire to save sam should have been tempered with the knowledge that he did that to save dean's life. that once more someone dean loves has made a terrible sacrifice for him, which he can't stand, which he hates. he has the self esteem of a gnat and the best people he knows keep destroying themselves for his benefit

i think the og build up was sam strengthening his powers to kill lilith, doing it, and then releasing lucifer at the end of s3. sam unwittingly starting the apocolypse to save his brother (does he regret it, dean wonders. it would be easier if he did)

and now everything is shit and dean's drowning but here and his brother has turned himself into something that's not unlike the kid dean loves so much it almost killed him, but not exactly the same. and now he understands john, because this is the sam that dean has to either save or kill, except he could never kill him. he loves him (and how can he kill sam for doing this when it's dean's fault, when dean made the deal that doomed his brother when all he wanted was to save him)

this is the flip that the show has been building towards. dean having to be the moral center for his brother for once. dean being the one saved. dean finally having to face his father's words and deciding once and for all if he's john's son or sam's brother

but instead dean goes to hell. and he's no one moral's center. because he broke in hell, he tortured people and he enjoyed it. they ruined dean with this. because instead of fighting and growing from his violence, they push him into it, and then they call him a righteous man. dean was the one harming people, he's the one that descended into darkness, not sam. sam and his demon blood had still only been trying to good, and in the end did do good, far more than anything dean did in hell, or has done since. his moral outrage, his anger, his disgust towards sam isn't only wildly out of character, it's hypocritical as hell. sam remains the moral, compassionate one, even through this. it never slides to dean. neither of them are really forced to grow or change, only to become twisted into each other in ways that hurt them both

this should have been the story of what sam would do to save his brother (anything) and what dean would do to save his brother (anything)

they should have saved each other

[ohnoitstbskyen]

I know it would probably bring a lot of hate comments but I am begging you to roast the hazbin character designs because I'd love to have someone properly articulate why they don't work so I could send it to people who won't believe me when I tell them. 🫠 Understandable if you don't want to get into it though.

I don't think there's that much there to roast, honestly?

Those designs are clearly an extremely specific stylistic choice, and because that style is consistent throughout the show, it ultimately feels coherent with itself.

There are trade-offs being made. Because Hazbin's design style is SO stylized and so heavy on decoration and detailing, because it puts a lot of emphasis on costuming, it isn't as good at communicating specific character storytelling as a more grounded style could be (it's kind of the same tradeoff that stuff like Genshin Impact makes).

Like, why does Sir Pentious' hat have an eye and a mouth on it that makes its own expressions? Apparently not for very much reason at all, except that Pentious has a bit of an eyes-motif going on in his design and it was one more place to put an extra eye. And that's a valid criticism of his design, but also the entire show is designed like that, so frankly it would be weirder and more out of place if his design alone didn't have that kind of overelaborate decoration going on.

It does create a situation where I have a hard time "reading" the character designs sometimes. For example, Vox, Alastor and Pentious all wear a similar style of suit with upwards-turned shoulders, butterflies and pinstripes. Now, am I meant to read that as Vox imitating Alastor due to his crippling need to replace and outdo him, and Pentious imitating the style of powerful Overlords because he thinks that possessing their level of power will finally give him relief from his paranoia and self-loathing?

Or is it just a design fixation of the creator who keeps putting their characters in suits because that's just what they like? I can't really be sure, because sometimes design elements are used to intentionally tell stories about how characters relate to themselves, their world and one another, but plenty of other times designs look the way they do Because Of Vibes.

But again, that lack of clarity is clearly an intentional trade-off - and the benefit of that trade-off is a design style that is extremely varied, wild, expressive and memorable. Hazbin Hotel seems like a very easy show to draw fanart of, and a very fun show to draw fanart of. Those designs (especially the hyper-expressive faces) are begging to be the subjects of traumatic headcanons, unbearably cotton-candy soft fluff fantasies and weird, taboo, homoerotic power dynamics. Slaps roof of character design, this bad boy can express so much vicarious emotional intensity.

It's very exuberant, very excited about itself and very self-indulgent, it's a style that prioritizes visual impact and visual interest over readability (something which the animators of the show navigate with real skill, props to them) and individual aesthetics over worldbuilding.

And I don't blame anyone for being turned off by that (I certainly was the first time I started seeing those designs going around), but I would struggle to call the show's designs "bad" when they are clearly achieving exactly what they want to achieve.

I have some criticisms, especially re: how the show treats skinny bodies as an unquestioned, desirable default, and employs fatness as a means of alienating and abjecting the audience. That sucks very badly, and is a serious disappointment, and one of the few places where the show feels like it is being cowardly in its design philosophy. But I don't have it in me to do some kind of Hazbin Hotel Sucks And Here's Why takedown, its problems are not unique or extreme enough to warrant it, at least not as I currently understand them.