#can you guess who's actually been supportive

[loki-zen]

I think if you are trying to have a reasoned conversation about politics, you will get a lot further talking about e.g. "redistribution of wealth to those with less of it" vs "redistribution of wealth to leftists", since practically no leftists are sincerely in favour of checking everyone's politics before they are allowed to claim benefits!

Even in the case where people desire that the department they work in be better funded - do you think they want this solely because they work there and it would benefit them? Or do you think that they believe that what that department does is of genuine benefit to society, which informs both their motivation for working there and their belief that it should be better funded? I think that in a lot of cases, if all they really wanted was more money for themselves it would have been more straightforward to work somewhere different.

There's an element of self-interest, in that members of the wealthy elite are probably less likely to be leftist - but I also think that most leftists genuinely think of their ideology as being that which benefits the majority of people, rather than benefitting the few at the expense of the many, and they also believe that this is an important difference. I do also know a fair number of middle class leftists who actively support policies that would increase their own tax burden.

It sounds like you know a lot of people who like to chat shit about violent revolution and don't have much sensible to say. That sucks I guess! I would also advise a distinction between "shit people who identify themselves with an ideology say, at any time, ever" and "shit people say when they are sincerely trying to explain the measured realistic version of their politics to somebody", which for people who do have anything sensible to say, are likely different. Lots of people chat shit about revolution while voting for incremental change, much like those Christians that say the Rapture is coming really really soon still actually put effort into controlling whether girls are allowed to wear spaghetti-strap tops at school, which you'd think wouldn't be all that worth it under the circumstances.

Re the libertarian thing - no, libertarian means to me what it means to you, but I have known people who describe themselves as "left-libertarians" and who favour a small government which does very little but one of the things it does is wealth redistribution. They tend to take the unusual (among leftists) stance that all (or nearly all) of this redistribution should be in the form of direct cash transfers so that poor people can buy what they need on the free market.

So you ask me, what is the key insight of leftist thought??

Good question! Poor choice of person to ask, but good question!

I would say this: when you look at the world you see two groups of people. The majority have to work their whole lives to earn resources they need to survive. Then there is a small minority who don’t need to work because they control important assets such as land, capital, or monopolies either natural or artificial, from which they earn ongoing rents for doing absolutely nothing.

In the short term that’s great for them, but over the medium term it gets even better, as the value of these assets often increases in conjunction with the overall growth of the population and the economy, giving a second big boost to these rentiers without requiring any effort on their part.

If that was just the extent of it that would not be so interesting; a little unfair that some people work and some people do not, but life was never fair. However, the control of capital and the freedom from work also gives this group (or class) of people the ability to shape the nation by applying political influence to ensure that their interests continue to be prioritised over the interests of the workers, potentially locking us into a situation where people suffer needlessly to preserve the current economic order, all to benefit a small minority.

…and everything else flows from that.

Comments appreciated, particularly from people who use words like “praxis” with a straight face. @leviathan-supersystem perhaps?

[transmutationisms]

So, I’m becoming increasingly interested anti-psychiatry but there is one thing I’m really struggling with that I’m wondering if is something that you’ve ever struggled with/been bothered by or had to find some way to deal with. I have a brother who doesn’t believe in mental health. Like, the concept of mental well-being. He doesn’t believe in medication or therapy either. But, he also doesn’t believe in germ theory, or vaccinations, or frankly, most science. He isn’t explicitly a flat earther but he also argues that it hasn’t been proven either. For most of my life, I’ve argued with him about the mental health stuff because I’ve struggled with depression and adhd (or, I guess, the handbag of symptoms that gets called depression and adhd). I’ve had to insist “No, I can’t just go for a walk,” and “No, I don’t just need a planner.” So now here I am, learning about anti-psychiatry, finding a lot of it resonates with me, and also finding out a lot of what I have been told is scientifically proven, is not scientifically proven at all (like schizophrenia being genetic, for example). I guess what I’m asking is, is my brother right in this specific issue? Is the concept of mental health or mental well-being bullshit? And whether it is or isn’t, do you ever find it difficult to reconcile that being anti-psychiatry is going to make you look like an anti-scientific conspiracy theorist? I’ve had this same thing happen to me with fat-acceptance and still struggle with the fact that if I try to explain to anybody that the way we’ve been taught weight loss and weight gain work, and the way we perceive fat medically is largely false or unproven, people look at me like I said the moon-landing was faked. It’s especially difficult because I’m a teacher at a university and I feel like I have no choice but to just play along there when these things come up, or else my credibility as a teacher could be drawn into question.

right so this is rather precisely the problem with treating Science as intrinsically an arbiter of Objective Truth lol -- you can't just make metastructural rules about how to know when a scientific assertion is true, you do actually have to evaluate what is being argued & on what evidentiary basis. science is a human form of knowledge-production & it is fallible to the same biases and ideological commitments and weaknesses as any other human inquiry, & the scientific establishment can and sometimes does rally behind all kinds of nonsense -- like psychiatry. the difference between psychiatry and germ theory isn't that psychiatric claims are structured differently or are patently nonsense on the surface, it's that the underlying epistemological principles of psychiatry are circular, the evidence is consequently lacking & always will be, & its assertions continue to be clung to & defended because they are economically useful whereas germ theory has an extremely robust evidentiary base supporting assertions that are demonstrable & have borne out in both lab and real-world observations & trials. incidentally, treating germ theory like it must be true simply because Science Says So is imo not in fact good for scientific literacy & communication bc it results in many people having very little understanding of how to defend or evaluate it when it's on the ideological-hygienic chopping block. & it also leads many people to vastly misunderstand the incredibly slow & piecemeal process by which germ theory was even assimilated into mainstream scientific thinking in the first place: hygienists for decades after pasteur were perfectly capable of 'accepting germ theory' while in practice operating off a number of environmental-miasmatic principles, smth i would argue many people still do in practice today. im sorry i don't have a generically Im Pro Science answer for you here, i don't actually think science should be exempted from the same rigour & consideration we apply to literally any other form of inquiry and knowledge-production.

[theskywithin]

🌿 Important Note: Jupiter is About to Bring Blessings, But You Need to Change Your Mindset to Receive Them

Jupiter moves into Cancer on June 7, and it wants to give you something real. Not just inner peace, though that’s part of it. Not just wisdom, though that’s coming too. It wants to give you comfort, softness, support, love, belonging. It wants to help you feel safe enough to finally exhale. But here’s the catch: Jupiter can offer you the whole ocean but if you keep showing up with a cup, you’ll only ever taste a sip. This isn’t about manifesting harder. It’s about getting honest about the parts of you that still brace when something good shows up. The parts that shrink, deflect compliments, that say “I’m fine” instead of “I need help.” The parts that feel more comfortable struggling than receiving. Because receiving takes trust takes presence, willingness to let go of control, believe you’re allowed to feel good without earning it through exhaustion. Jupiter in Cancer wants to nourish the parts of you that were never nurtured. To give you warmth without condition. To remind you that being held is not weakness, that comfort is not complacency, that abundance doesn’t only come when you suffer enough to deserve it.

So this week, ask yourself:

🌿 Where am I still rejecting what I say I want? 🌿 What would it feel like to be supported, not tested? 🌿 Am I ready to make peace with ease?

Because the blessings are coming but they’ll pass right by if the door is closed. So open it. Let life meet you with both hands full. You’ve carried enough... It’s time to receive.

♈️ Aries (Sun and Rising) Let someone else take care of things sometimes. Ask for help with the move, the bills, the emotions. Upgrade your space, get serious about your living situation, and stop pretending you're fine when you're overwhelmed. Receiving starts with honesty.

affirmation: “I am safe to slow down. I receive support, security, and softness without guilt.”

♉️ Taurus (Sun and Rising) Say yes to the invitation. Follow up with that contact. Start the project even if it’s not perfect. Stop gatekeeping your own ideas, someone out there wants to support them. And if you’ve been thinking about buying a car, laptop, or course? It’s time.

affirmation: “I receive new opportunities by speaking up. My ideas are allowed to be heard and paid.”

♊️ Gemini (Sun and Rising) Raise your rates. Ask for the raise. Spend like someone who knows more is coming. Invest in comfort, a better mattress, new clothes, food that nourishes instead of numbs. Start treating your security like it’s already growing, because it is.

affirmation: “I am open to more income, more worth, and more ease. Receiving is my new normal.”

♋️ Cancer (Sun and Rising) Update your bio. Launch the thing. Walk into the room like it’s already yours. This is your moment but you have to meet it halfway. Take the compliment. Say thank you. Stop brushing off the attention you asked the universe to send you.

affirmation: “I am ready to be seen, trusted, and celebrated. I welcome every door that opens for me.”

♌️ Leo (Sun and Rising) Rest on purpose. Delete the productivity app if it’s making you anxious. Take the sabbatical. Say no before you crash. Receiving for you looks like canceling plans and still believing you're worthy. Choose peace even when no one’s watching.

affirmation: “Rest is not a threat to my power. I receive healing and peace without having to earn it.”

♍️ Virgo (Sun and Rising) Start the group chat. Apply for the grant. Text the mentor. You don’t have to do this alone anymore. Receiving looks like sharing your goals out loud and letting people rise to meet you. It’s time to reconnect with the ones who actually get it.

affirmation: “Support is safe. I allow the right people into my vision. I don’t have to carry it all.”

♎️ Libra (Sun and Rising) Stop second-guessing your readiness. You are the expert now. Update your resume, pitch yourself, walk taller. Say yes to the role, the opportunity, the next step even if it scares you. Jupiter’s trying to promote you. Let it.

affirmation: “I am no longer waiting for permission. I receive recognition, respect, and my next chapter.”

♏️ Scorpio (Sun and Rising) Book the trip. Enroll in the class. Tell your story. Publish the work. Everything expands when you stop keeping it small and personal. You don’t have to have it all figured out to be inspiring. Take the leap, the world wants more of you.

affirmation: “I receive expansion by stepping into the world. I don’t have to stay hidden to be safe.”

♐️ Sagittarius (Sun and Rising) Start the healing process you’ve been avoiding. Open the scary email. Go to therapy. Let people in. Money might come from surprising sources this year, but so will emotional support if you stop pretending you don’t need either.

affirmation: “I am safe to trust. I receive emotional support, financial blessings, and deep healing.”

♑️ Capricorn (Sun and Rising) Be vulnerable in the conversation. Sign the contract. Trust the new partner. You don’t have to manage every dynamic alone. You’re allowed to want companionship in business, in love, in life. Let people show up for you.

affirmation: “I don’t need to do it alone. I receive love, partnership, and mutual effort without fear.”

♒️ Aquarius (Sun and Rising) Fix the schedule. Adjust your work hours. Upgrade your workspace. Say no to the clients that drain you. Receiving starts with protecting your energy, not burning it to prove you care. Make your daily life more livable now, not later.

affirmation: “I let go of burnout. I receive structure, support, and work that actually works for me.”

♓️ Pisces (Sun and Rising) Pick up the paintbrush. Go on the date. Share your work. Post the thing. Not everything has to be a masterpiece, it just has to be you. Jupiter’s ready to grow what brings you joy. But you have to stop keeping it secret.

affirmation: “I don’t have to prove my joy. I receive celebration, inspiration, and space to create.”

SUMMER SALE!!! My book is on sale until June 15 !! There's a full preview of the Moon chapter waiting for you 🌙 Click the link below to read and feel into it 💌

[rivereverie]

I also think that fundamentally, the concept of "fixing someone" disregards their own autonomy and the (sometimes very hard) choices they make. No matter how much love and support you give someone, they're not going to change unless they choose to. And you cannot make that choice for them. This is what Astarion's story is all about. The PC influences his choices in that they show him that there is another way than the one he has lived for 200 years; they don't tell him what to do or counsel him. They stand there by his side during the hardest moment of his life and say I'm here, there is another way, and you can be something more. You can't change someone, and it's not your place to, no matter how well-meaning. All you can do is point out a better path, offer your hand, and walk with them into that brighter future. But they are the only one who can take each step. Astarion chooses to take your hand, time and again. Every time he's vulnerable. Every time he cares about another person. When he refuses Ascension. When he frees all those spawn. He stumbles and second-guesses all the time, looking longingly into the darkness behind him, but he keeps taking the next step. Always the next. Just as likely is a story where you give someone all the love and support in the world and they just... continue in their toxic ways. I'm sure we all know someone like that in real life. But Astarion is different because, like OP said, a part of him already cares, to a degree. He can be reached. If no part of him wanted to be better, then no amount of kindness would change his mind. When Astarion is given a safe place to exist, the softer sides of him come out naturally, and he reaches out on his own. I love how Astarion's spawn ending doesn't show him becoming a completely different person, even if everything has changed. He's not a soft, harmless kitten. He still has fangs, so to speak, and he's only just begun his healing journey. What the PC does in this story is offer Astarion a safe place beside them, support, and understanding. It's patience as a form of love, and I adore how their story is told. We as people do influence one another, and love does often change people, but there is no such thing as "fixing" someone, in my opinion. People like the idea that you can, because it soothes a wound within themselves. Wanting that doesn't make you a bad person (I've been there), but it's never going to actually help either of you heal. It's just another way of seeking validation in others. It is natural and good to want to help others and see them become better and thrive, but you need to understand the boundaries of what you are and are not responsible for. Making someone your pet project, intentionally or otherwise, will only end up disrespecting and hurting you both. Sorry for the ramble but this very concept has annoyed me for years and it's especially irksome when people imply it of Astarion of all people.

Here I go again, venting about the whole "I can fix him" thing that all spawn Astarion fans get accused of. But seriously—what the hell are we even talking about?

First of all, having a moral compass is not a flaw. It’s a good thing. It means you’re not a sociopath. Let’s stop promoting the idea that being a piece of shit is somehow okay—because in real life, it’s not. In the game, sure, do whatever you like and enjoy it—but that doesn’t mean it’s justifiable in the real world.

Secondly, Astarion is not some one-dimensional monster whose sole purpose is to gain wealth and power at any cost. His goal is to be safe. Period. If you didn’t get that, then you missed the entire point of the game and the character. And safety doesn’t come in just one form.

Most importantly: Astarion contains both light and darkness. It’s up to the player to bring out one or the other. This isn’t about fixing him. It’s about recognizing and valuing the qualities that are already in him, for fuck’s sake. There’s no way you could talk him out of the Ascension if he weren’t already having doubts about it! He’s meant to be ambivalent—designed that way to let different players make different choices and enjoy the journey.

And let me say this again, because it’s a hard myth to kill: rolling the dice to convince Astarion not to ascend isn’t making the decision for him. It’s cutting through the bloodlust and fear clouding his mind and saying, “Hey, babe, have you considered this, this, and that?” Nothing more, nothing less.

The person who convinces him not to ascend doesn’t change him—they reassure him. They show him a different possibility.

So no, it’s not “I can fix him.” It’s I see you.

And for the record, if you choose the spawn ending, Astarion stays exactly who he was—just with a new perspective on the world and the people in it. So what the hell was “fixed”? Nothing. He has to fix himself from that point on, using the tools he’s chosen to reclaim: connection, friendship, and—yes—some level of morality (he’s still an antihero and a vampire with needs, after all).

The Ascension literally changes him—turns him into something he’s not, into a type of unnatural vampire that didn’t even exist before. And it’s in that exact moment that he becomes a true monster with no chance of redemption—because he chooses to go from victim to predator. Once again, something he wasn’t before.

And who pays the price? Not enemies—mostly innocent people, including children who will be damned to hell for all eternity.

And for what? The gain (which, honestly, is highly questionable—and for me, not worth it) of one person. A person who, again, gains things he didn’t originally have—wealth, power, sunlight, no more hunger, etc.

So isn’t that what trying to “change” or “fix” him really looks like? Making him different? The excuse that “he was always just a piece of shit with no hope” doesn’t hold up—even if it helps someone sleep at night.

And let me be clear—I don’t give a fuck what people prefer or how they play the game. I ascend Astarion too, in some of my runs, when and how I feel like it. But seriously, this whole “fixing him” narrative? It needs to die—especially when tied to morality.

Shocking news: everyone should have a moral compass and use it. It’s not about “conforming.” It’s about the fact that without it, the world—which is already falling apart—would be completely doomed.

And by the way: the only reason some people get to ignore morality is because most of the idiots on this planet do follow it. Otherwise, it’d be absolute chaos.

[crimsonservalite]

Wow coming out with another post today who would've thought😂

Here's the freight designs! They're all based on a mixmatch of real animals and other random ass stuff I thought would be cool and I'll explain the decisions further down.

On the comic I posted earlier, the fuel trucks are seen with both wheels and without (e.g. Slick and Lumber visibly with wheels compared to Porter standing without). For these designs, they're obviously less truck and more animal (as are the other characters too) so I see it as their choice for what they want to do any time.

In the comic, Lumber has his wheels for ease of transporting the logs, Slick has hers because she's bored and likes rolling them along the wall and Porter hasn't got his because his creaky ass joints get sore if he stands on them for too long.

PORTER

Porter is based off of Velociraptors and dragons. (Sorry he looks a little off, I drew his torso too short) Why? He's fiercely protective and likes to stay in groups, a bit spiky but really is quite fluffy actually. Yes his tail swings a lot when he talks (especially to a certain electric).

His horns are very solid however they are not sharp. Every ridge is rounded and Lumber has only ever been winded rather than impaled mid-play fight😂. He's fast when he doesn't have his wheels out because, when he does, he gets sore and aches for days. That's why he doesn't race often (if at all). In races, it is mandatory to use your wheels, so (after many a time of Slick cuffing him over the back of the head for complaining one too much about his poor old sore knees after racing with Rusty) Porter stays away from the racing track.

LUMBER

Lumber's based off of both a kangaroo and an elephant. Elephants have large, wide feet to support their weight comfortably, and kangaroos have long thick and muscled tails that work as another leg to also give support when they're moving around or fighting. Lumber carries timber (I've got timber, timber's good) which would probably mean he needs a lot of adaptation to help him with that job. His lower body supports the weight easily, his arms are built to carry and his hands are the next big thing.

They look super weird, yeah I know, but they work similar to that of a bird's. Another finger that operates opposite to the others can close up like a claw machine would, helping to better grip large and tubular objects. Having two thumbs (one on either side) work to increase surface area, again, better supporting tare.

SLICK

Slick is based on a variety of big cats. She has markings on her face like a cheetah so she can see better in the bright daylight as she's racing, so she can see the dangers around her and react faster or enact her plans better, and she's more lithe than the other freight. She carries oil, rather than heavier, clunkier objects like coal or wood, so she doesn't need as large of a support and rather is adapted for agility and speed instead. Her tail is long like a cheetah or snow leopard to help balance and switch direction quickly and her lower body is as that of a cougar, strong but still fast.

She's also very furry

HYDRA

Hydra's a fish.

Yeah, not sure why, but hydrogen is in water and Hydra cares about the environment so it fits, 'kay? The webbed hands don't help them much, let's be real, but I can imagine Hydra has an ability to move his gaseous fuel around, so they kind of work like paddles or cups to fan it into the right tubes or valves.

Their tail is essentially like one big coolant tube, circulating from the rest of their body to his tail and then allowing the outside air to keep it cool for when it goes back around again.

Their paws are dog paws just cause I think Hydra's a puppy

Bonus points if you noticed that Hydra does not have caution strips around any part of them. He also doesn't have any on his actual costume in the show as I'm guessing he's not seen as one of the big foreshadowed threats that the other three trucks pose. There's little things on his design that just set him apart from the others, so it's interesting to see if people notice on the original or on this one.

Hope this wasn't too long to read and all makes sense :) be prepared because I'm certain 90% of the comics I will post will be involving them in some capacity😂

I think Electra and the Components are probably next on my list. Rest assured I will try and make them look unique from one another 😂

[hollow-lime-green]

i feel a little complicated about making this post but ✨i am going to anyway✨

i haven't been able to work on FIYM for a few weeks, and there's a reason for that.

(this is not meant to be a callout post - you do not need to cybersleuth and Deliver Justice, not that i think any of you would do that)

a little while back, i got a pretty long comment of (trying to be constructive) criticism on one of my pieces, and it fucked me up a bit. i'm actually pretty good with taking concrit. i have betas, so i have more experience listening to actual concrit than the average fic writer - i am pretty used to it at this point.

(that being said, fic is something we do for fun and you don't need to want concrit at all. it's a hobby, not a job. keep it fun - whatever that means for you)

however, there is a difference between solicited beta concrit and random crit that you're not primed for. this person was genuinely trying to be nice and helpful. BUT, i wasn't primed for it. as good as their intentions might have been, that was not the effect that it had.

but hana! it's one comment! you have lots of readers who love FIYM!

yeah, i know. this all feels a little silly to be stuck on. I have so, so many more kind and enthusiastic commenters that have been cheering me on for almost two years now. but it made me feel bad, and it is no surprise that we get stuck on the things that make us feel bad.

the right words at the wrong time can be absolutely upending.

but hana! you referenced George W. Bush in a sex scene! since when do you care what people think?

yeaaaaaaaaaaah, i knoooooooow.

and to an extent, i don't. i write my interpretations (of the characters and the jujutsu system) based on what i want (and what makes at least some sense). i know that there's not a universal right or wrong read of canon - this is true of all fandoms. so i really should not care if people disagree with those reads.

however, i also do care because, well, of course i want you guys to like what I write. i write fanfic so that i can have a little thing to bring to show and tell that makes people happy. of course i care.

i am plagued with worries now: what if this doesn't match my readers' vision of the character? what if i'm taking too much liberty with jujutsu? what if this doesn't match their expectations?

right now, i can't look at FIYM, because when i do, I keep thinking:

what if what i've been planning for all this time isn't actually as good as i think it is?

anyway, like i said, i feel dumb and uncool (not baller not lit not on fleek) for getting so thrown off by this. it should matter more that i have plenty of super kind, super supportive readers - it should matter that i can objectively see that, with numbers and with words. it should matter more that i am confident in my own ideas and interpretations, and that i am writing the things that i want to see. but, unfortunately, there is a switch that has been flipped in my brain, and it has turned on a busted faucet of self doubt.

i guess, if anything, the moral of this story is: do not think that any of us are above being squishy - not your favorite author, or artist, or anyone at all really.

i've been able to work on some other projects in the meantime, luckily. but FIYM has been at a standstill. every time i look at it, i feel the yips, basically. it is going to take some time to unflip that switch.

[spiced-honeynash]

Something I'd like to point out is that Malevolent really is teaching us one of the greatest self-defense tactics.

Go for their eyes.

[balioc]

I am strongly of the impression that taxes just don't make much of a psychic impression on (most of) the electorate, one way or another. There are lots of plausible reasons for this - most voters don't pay much in taxes anyway, the taxpaying process is opaque and most people don't have a clear sense of what's going to come out the other end, lots of high-income voters are ideologically committed to the idea that taxpaying is virtuous, etc.

(Really, you can make a good case that this fact alone is responsible for the fall of the old Republican coalition and the Rise of Trump. Republicans used to be the Party of Low Taxes first and last, with everything else just serving as ancillary support for that, and...these days, with the economic and cultural facts-on-the-ground being what they are, there's just not a viable coalition to be built upon that foundation. The new Republicans are still guided by those old principles in terms of their actual policy-making, of course...to the extent that even our current obsequious Congress actually shut Trump down on his millionaires' tax idea, even though it would have been the most popular and politically-effective thing they could possibly have put in their bill...but they don't talk about it, they know that basically no one wants the Party of Low Taxes.)

Point being: if you do any real damage to the Social Security that thirtysomethings are expecting (let alone anyone older), you will have a very hard time offering a good enough tax cut to come anywhere close to making up for the political damage. I guess hypothetically you could offer so much money now-instead-of-later that you'd actually come out in the clear - but then you're not really doing yourself any fiscal good and there's no point.

It's certainly true that you can often profit by enacting policies whose costs are born by people who wouldn't support you anyway. Hard to see how either major US coalition could do that with regard to Social Security, in a way that wouldn't provide massive constitutional-crisis-level blowback (e.g., "we're just making people in blue/red states pay a lot more because lol fuck them"). Both parties are dependent on old people. At this point, both parties are - as you note - dependent on the poor. I don't think that's dodgeable; I don't think there's a viable coalition at this point that isn't at least somewhat dependent on poor people. The Democrats are in a slightly better position here; the Democrats can put costs on the rich, because their rich supporters mostly aren't going to be turned away by that kind of economic move; but the Democrats mostly don't want to muck around with cutting entitlements, and anyway eating the rich gets you only so far fiscally.

Something I do think is true is that actually the political class has essentially gaslit themselves a bit on the untouchability of "third rails" like social security. They are popular, don't get me wrong, if someone just said "haha we burning them to the ground" then they would get a ton of pushback. But if someone "reformed" them in a way that they could sell, that would have winners and losers, that was at least somewhat incremental, etc - even if they were pretty draconian cuts in practice - I think they could get away with it. They would suffer, yes, but not in a way "a booming economy" or somesuch couldn't compensate for. Or they would lose a midterm maybe, then swing back the next time as voter forget - that happens half the time anyway, passing some big bills then losing an election is almost the point of politics.

What you find is politicians all universally believe they cannot sell these kind of changes, so you can't get the reforms through Congress. But I think that is a self-imposed barrier - maybe something that was true in the past? In the pre-internet info environment, where the loop between politicians and voters was tighter, this made sense. Today...things are chaotic now. You can at least somewhat sell a lot more.

[starflungwaddledee]

👀 and 💭 for Coostruck ^^

>>> kirby ship ask game here જ⁀➴ ♡!

9. 👀 What do other characters think of their relationship? Do they approve or disapprove? and 11. 💭 Do they have a favorite memory involving their partner? + an anonymous ask for 18. 💓 How did they tell their friends that they were together, or is their relationship a secret?

well, i wouldn't say it's his favourite memory, but...

he won't be forgetting it anytime soon. kind of a continuation of this and this!

for an avian this is tantamount to your boys finding that super secret book of terribly cringe poetry and song lyrics you've been writing about one specific person. nuclear event for coo "i'll just keep it all bottled up right here and then one day i'll die" the owl.

*✩˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ valentines shipaganza masterpost ✩˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ ⋆˙⟡

[kerokasa]

re: the language of queerness in project sekai

i’m specifically using queer here to denote a type of subject-position/relationship to society, rather than any specific identities a character might hold. i don’t think a game like project sekai is particularly interested in ever putting straightforward labels on characters, even though a character like mizuki clearly reads as trans to many players.

which ofc is my entire point… the game communicates a lot of information about mizuki without a lot of direct references to identity, instead using the language of difference as a euphemism for transness/queerness.

an event like “beside unchanging warmth” ultimately points to a trans story without stating anything explicitly, and i think it’s interesting to read it while paying attention to what the word choices are actually doing here.

in flashbacks to elementary school mizuki, the word “weird” (変/hen) is doing so much heavy lifting. it’s a word that inherently calls up a certain kind of relation/power dynamic between what is considered normal vs abnormal. the language is walking this precarious line of saying-not-saying, where nobody actually defines what makes mizuki “weird”; the responsibility is placed on the reader to infer that mizuki wearing frilly/cute (feminine) clothes is seen as transgressive by her classmates.

it feels important that mizuki seems especially hurt by the word “weird” in this flashback, and i think the line delivery supports this as well. contextually, i can’t help but read it as a stand-in for more overtly derogatory language/transphobia, softened and sanitized by replacing anything specific with a comparatively broad adjective like “weird.”

(this raises a lot of interesting questions for me wrt what makes queerness legible in translation / in my experience, anglophone fans are often looking for specific markers of identity when said identities generally originate from a certain class of euroamerican queer culture and academia! which is not to say prsk should or should not be more explicit in depicting trans characters; it’s just another point of discussion)

all this leads me to other instances in which the game draws attention to weirdness/difference — and the reasons i believe both mizuki and rui’s storylines evoke queer coming-of-age plots.

this might be slightly controversial to say, but it’s hard not to draw the connection given their middle school friendship, and how much rui’s background emphasizes the same ideas of weirdness/difference. even their final kizuna rank, which is correctly translated in english to say “i guess we’re both different” (僕達も変わったものだね) returns to that word 変 that upset baby mizuki so much.

i’ve seen some people argue that rui’s backstory should just be read as an indicator of his neurodivergence and well. for what it’s worth, i’m gay and neurodivergent like every other goddamn person on this site and within the context of rui’s arc throughout the game, i think there’s still a very strong argument to be made that mizuki and rui bonded over their shared experience of being queer.

after all, why is mizuki having “weird” taste in clothes taken as unassailable evidence of her transness if rui’s “weird” thinking cannot also be read as queer (or queer and neurodivergent)?

i will note that rui’s insecurities have never centered around an inability to communicate with his classmates (unlike nene, whose arc is VERY much about her becoming comfortable around new people and realizing that they want to be her friends). although other students are afraid of him, rui is a skilled communicator in public and doesn’t appear bothered by social interaction.

rather, rui’s insecurities center on this idea that he is dangerous to the people around him / he expects to be punished for expressions of vulnerability or intimacy.

fan communities nowadays sometimes forget the origins of “queer coding” as a concept in cultural criticism. going back to classically queer coded disney villains, romantic/sexual interest isn’t really a huge part of what makes these characters queer coded. rather, it’s about presentation — stereotypically effeminate mannerisms, ursula’s visual resemblance to drag queens in the little mermaid, vocal inflections that audiences (often subconsciously) associate with gay men in particular.

queer coding is shorthand that tells the audience these characters are sinister, untrustworthy, duplicitous. it’s rooted in a history of homophobic and transphobic rhetoric that paints queer and trans people as insidious, contagious (as in the AIDS epidemic), corrupting and luring innocent straight youth into degenerate queer life.

which brings me back to why i think a queer interpretation of rui’s backstory makes it so much richer and more meaningful. starting in the main story and then really coming to the forefront in wonder halloween, rui has internalized this belief that he is a danger to his peers. that his desire for closeness will always inevitably cross a line and he will end up rejected and alone.

this mirrors a really common, familiar experience of being a closeted gay teenager and the fear of how the people around you would react to your identity. in many cases, people are afraid of coming out because of how their friendships will inevitably be sexualized, or they’ll distance themselves in order to prevent anyone from misinterpreting their relationships and intentions.

personally speaking, i really identify with rui for these reasons, even if the story uses his inventions/directing as the stated reason for his fears. it’s really not until the formation of wxs (and meeting tsukasa specifically, as mizuki and the pandemonium trio have pointed out) that rui begins to feel safe enough to be honest and vulnerable about his desires both on and off the stage.

and it is important that it’s tsukasa in the end! tsukasa flips the script that rui is used to — rui has cut himself off to avoid rejection, but tsukasa is the one who seeks rui out, invites him into the troupe, works for him to stay. tsukasa recognizes something in rui and for the first time, someone isn’t reacting from a place of fear or simply not understanding the scope of rui’s vision, but instead he wants the very thing that rui thinks he needs to suppress. it’s also significant that tsukasa is another boy, and it’s significant that the idea of “weirdness” comes back in the form of “oddball 1-2”, which reframes difference as something that connects rui and tsukasa as a unit. he is no longer alone because he’s too weird, but now that same weirdness brings him closer to another person.

i also think it’s so fascinating how mizuki and rui bond over their shared difference or “loneliness,” and the game presents it as these 2 people who really have nothing in common besides their loneliness — i think mizuki says something along the lines of being happy that rui has found people that can relate to him outside of simply being lonely. it reminds me of my own experience being closeted in high school and somehow drifting into spaces with other kids who eventually came out as queer/trans, and how we were each on our own parallel journeys without ever really talking about it with one another, or how gay/lesbian communities in small towns are often very close out of necessity (unlike in big cities, where gay/lesbian communities don’t overlap as much because they don’t need to). it’s as if rui and mizuki have a shared understanding that even if the other’s particular experience is inaccessible to them, they have to be each other’s support system.

all this is to say. mizuki’s story only really makes sense to me as a trans story. similarly, rui’s story is so much richer when read in a queer context. nobody has to agree with me and i don’t really care about the game’s ultimate intent, but i just wanted to articulate how i personally find a lot of value in interpreting these characters in this way.

[sieglinde-freud]

oh im obsessed with this actually… who ever wrote this one i am kissing u on the forehead and hugging you real tight… inigo is such a loverboy im kkkhhhhhhijnsdnfng

[sallykie]

I've decided. I don't like the HTTYD movie sequels' xenophobia era. I don't think the themes should have gone that way.

[scare-ard--sleigh]

yeah if you read the g*iman allegations and are still quibbling over how this is "hard" for you as a fan and you wanna separate art from the artist, i do not have space for you in my life.

[seilon]

I just realized I didn’t really announce this despite it being a Big Deal but. finally got a top surgery date and secured it with a big ol deposit. august 5th. kinda hard to process in a way

[freakish-hazzard]

hello reddit,, i have a question why are oranges orange,,,!! (said in a desperate, confused, distraught, anxious, but hopeful tone)

[sureuncertainty]

if i have to see one more post about disney from people who don't work here or at least live in the area i'm gonna lose it