#landlords should not be allowed to exist.

[izunara]

i think everyone's income should have to increase every time rent does and by the same amount

[toskarin]

sorry to ask, but can you explain your last post to someone who knows nothing about the musician community youre talking about... it sounds like a really really good post if i just understood it better

this is another one of those posts where I'm transcribing a stream of consciousness, so I'll throw in a courtesy readmore

the musician community, as a whole, is much more segmented than the visual artist community

this leads to good and bad things, but generally it allows for more awareness of one's position and an acknowledgement that the needs of an underground folk artist are going to be different than the needs of a composer who receives a name credit. this means there is always going to be heavy pushback when someone tries to impose ethics downward

one element of this is the inward acknowledgement that the monolithic musician community isn't actually real in a way that isn't really mirrored in the visual artist community. besides making music and navigating the financial (and legal) landscape of that, there is very little that intrinsically unites musicians

this acknowledgement allows discussions about concerns among poorer musicians to exist without being completely shut down by someone who has different concerns, because they're not seen as the subject of the discussion unless they are respectfully contributing to it

one big reason for this being possible is that musicians are less respected than visual artists in the professional world

that might sound absurd if you only know of one landscape, but think of how many game (and movie, and tv, and etc. etc. etc.) franchises with identity-defining composers go on to swap out the composer at the first sign of a labour dispute, to very little protest as long as the quality of music isn't seen as dropping

hell, if someone else can copy your style satisfactorily, there's often no fuss at all! this leads to a pretty violent disillusionment with your place in the creative world

even beyond that, there exists an entire industry based around creating a parasitic body of IP landlordism for anyone whose music isn't attached to another product. the musician is, in a way that is deeply and thoroughly beaten into them, a labourer

the visual artist community (until recently) didn't tend to have this disillusionment, so it often follows the sway of its most popular and established members

in fact, the modern visual artist community as a broad cultural body is carved almost entirely from social media discussions that treat the community as one entity. accordingly, becoming established basically requires participation in this online entity

to further poison the well, the position of a visual artist is regularly talked about in spiritual terms rather than labour terms. there is something special that makes you a visual artist. it's the exact mentality that people rightfully made fun of in those ordinary people vs creative people comics. it's the unspoken cultural assumption that natural talent exists, even if most people would deny believing in it if put into explicit terms

while this does feel very good, it means that acknowledging labour-originated conflicts of interest is a bit rude

when a community unites itself around a spiritual core, it can't properly assert "your experiences are not applicable to what is being discussed and you should not be imposing yourself" because, by all metrics, an artist is a fundamentally unique demographic that can speak in all conversations about art

it's a warped form of anti-gatekeeping, a one-way gate through which you can strike down at other poor artists, but not up, enforced from below and framed as a desire for openness

the visual artist community's relative homogenisation of popular consensus is, on the whole, very very very bad for what it does to its norms. it hashes out and legislates within itself with an unspoken assumption that its most prolific members are simply further along the artist lifecycle, and therefore the most trustworthy

discussions with direct parallels ("is it okay to be obviously influenced by someone else's style?") come to much hazier conclusions which lean towards the opinions held by people with the most followers

most egregiously, this manifested in how visual artists react to piracy

the past ten years (in large part because of patreon making viable the paywalling of material behind a regular subscription) have been consumed by arguments about piracy that all seem to terminate in the assumption that piracy is theft, with little stratification of opinion between the hobbyist and professional scenes on this matter

this assumed spiritual core of the community is felt strongly in every conversation. look at the difference in attitudes around the distribution of cracked VSTs and the distribution of brush packs. hell, even on the corporate level, look at the difference in attitudes around pirating DAWs vs visual art programs

even when people are implying an approval of piracy, they find ways to frame it from a position of revenge on a company for something wrong it did, because they still need to conform to the community understanding of piracy as theft

individual visual artists can be (and often are!) more conscious of this stuff, but even then, people react with shock when these visual artists aren't horribly concerned about the possibility of their paywalled work existing on a torrent site

in a word, if you can see the ways these conversation spaces are different and similar, it's all so exhausting

[edenaziraphale]

When I first started reading xxxHolic I always wondered why Yuko lived the way she did- drinking constantly, smoking like a chimney, attitude like she’s got nothing to gain or lose from any of this-

And then as the series is approaching it’s end we find out there really is nothing. She’s dead, she should have died so so long ago and this existence that she’s trapped in is the closest to hell most people are ever going to get. She is lonely and probably in pain, and waiting for the day she knows is coming, the one which will right the wrongs that kept her alive in the first place. Yuko is waiting to finally be allowed to die.

She knows there’s important work to be done first. She knows there will be a beautiful but achingly sad little boy, as lonely as herself, who has to be loved into reality, and that she needs to guide him toward the people who will help him survive, lest he disappear the same moment she does.

But the drinking, the smoking, the drama she can’t help but be blasé about- those are numbing. They’re distractions and they help to pass the time. At least she gets to leave, I thought. I can’t imagine what would happen if this were a stuck-in-a-tower kind of curse.

But we didn’t have to imagine, because we see it.

Watanuki takes up the mantle.

Yuko didn’t anticipate loving this boy. Most of that has been burned out of her by now, too tired to hope for anything but rest.

But she didn’t expect his eyes to be quite that big, that sad. And when she meets him and the power inside of her reaches (without her permission, as it has always been prone to doing) for a glimpse of his future, she’s struck by the sensation of emptiness. Of nothing. An apartment whose tenant the landlord can’t remember. A desk with no child inside. Anger. A boy whose dark eyes search halls for something he doesn’t know or understand. A family name which carries a legacy that Yuko remembers. Yuko worked so hard to will life into Watanuki, spent so long teaching him the selfishness and the tragedy of his own sacrificial self loathing. He didn't need to be a martyr, there was nothing he needed to die for. He was a casualty of a war that had nothing to do with him. She tried, over and over and over, to offer him a way out. I think all the time about how she must have felt knowing that Watanuki took on her imprisonment and compounded it, made it that much more intense, made it that much worse. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink. I wonder if it hurt.

[readingcomics-sometimeshiatus]

Sapphic Webtoon Masterlist

One day I thought that maybe it should exist a list with all the sapphic stories of webtoon since is so hard to find.

today I decided to make this list

you can also comment stories that are not listed here!

Sapphic = woman loving woman. although this name means any queer woman (e.g. lesbians, pansexuals, etc.), in this list will only have the ones where the main couple are two woman (or one is not a man).

Last updated: January 23th, 2024

please check up the reblogs to see when the last time was updated if you see this on a reblog!

Originals

Not So Shoujo Love Story (comedy, in progress)

Romance-super-fan Rei Chan is ready for her first boyfriend and she knows just who it'll be: the most handsome boy in school, Hansum Ochinchin. But her plans for the perfect love story are derailed when the most popular girl in class declares herself a rival….for Rei's heart?! This is the year her not so shoujo love story begins!

Nevermore (supernatural, in progress);

There is nothing definitive about life after death, except the involuntary enrollment at the mysterious Nevermore Academy. Now Lenore and Annabel Lee must begin their curriculum to recover the memories of their tragic demise. Between the Dean's macabre demeanor and the tell-tale dangers of Final Exams, both girls must learn to rely on one another and their newly acquired ghost forms, or Spectres, to not only graduate from the academy… but to earn a second chance at life.

Night Owls & Summer Skies (romance, completed);

Despite her tough exterior, seventeen year-old Emma Lane has never been the outdoorsy type. So when her mother unceremoniously dumps her at Camp Mapplewood for the summer, she’s determined to get kicked out fast. However, when she draws the attention of Vivian Black, a mysterious and gorgeous assistant counselor, she discovers that there may be more to this camp than mean girls and mosquitos. There might even be love.

Realta (fantasy, in progress);

When the world was new, the twelve star signs descended to bless humanity with magic according to their date of birth. Fourteen worthy people, called the “Realta,” were given a star from each Sign that allowed them to receive prophecies of the future called “horoscopes” and summon great power to defeat the Fae: beings that tormented humanity. However, much has changed since Elowen was a child. Magic is illegal, the Fae are getting stronger, and the Realta have been forgotten…until our Virgo meets a certain Capricorn.

Muted (supernatural, completed);

On the full moon of her 21st year, the young witch, Camille Severin, is expected to perform the traditional ritual to summon forth a winged demon for her families success and prosperity. But when the ritual goes wrong, it reveals the terrifying truths about herself and the secrets that threaten to tear her family apart.

Mage & Demon Queen (comedy, completed;

Adventurers seek to take the demon queen’s head, but a love-struck young female mage wishes to take her hand. Join us won’t you, for this bawdy tale of love and persistence set inside a real-life RPG.

REVEAL OUT! (romance, will return);

Eeden thought she'd missed out on life: her art career is a disaster, her landlord kicked her out, and worst of all, she's never even had a girlfriend! But life takes a turn when a chance encounter with an old crush sends her back in time. Now she's 18 again and starting college, with a chance to get everything right. Armed with a plan and a crush, Eeden knows exactly how to create the life full of joy she deserves: make it bold, make it beautiful, and most of all, make it gay!!

High Class Homos (comedy, in progress);

Princess Sapphia of Mytilene is not into princes. So, when her parents start putting the heat on her to get hitched, she enlists the help of her equally gay best friend, Prince August of Phthia. But will these two royals be able to pull off a convincing sham marriage? More importantly, will Sapphia ever land a date with the castle maids? Follow these high class homos as they navigate life, love, and (occasionally) their actual jobs.

Finding Wonderland (fantasy, completed);

In Wonderland, Alex is the Ace. When tasked with hunting down the nefarious Black Knave and his scourge of Nightmares, Alex begins to have visions of another world beyond: our world. In reality, Alex is a normal teen who has been placed in a dangerous simulation to draw out a scientist’s lost son. And time is quickly running out.

Aerial Magic (fantasy, completed);

The daily life of an apprentice witch.

Always Human (romance, completed);

This is a story about nanobots, genetic engineering, and two girls falling in love. No matter how technology changes us, we'll always be human.

Savior (fantasy, completed);

Wohn Ku is a vampire that needs human blood to survive. As a tenderhearted child, she led a tortured existence until a girl named Seyeon willingly became her steady blood source. Seyeon stood by Wohn throughout their school years, defending her from bullies. Fast forward to the present where they move in together ahead of their freshman year of college. Seyeon remains fiercely protective of her friend, but Wohn is ready for a fresh start. When a devoutly religious sophomore girl named Juyi showers her with kindness, Wohn emerges from her shell only to realize that Juyi had once been her father’s kidnapping victim, a potential blood source she had refused to bite. Juyi grows closer to Wohn without remembering the incident, fueling jealousy in Seyeon. Will Juyi prove to be a savior washing away Wohn’s guilt, or will she ruin a vampire’s dream of redemption?

CANVAS

My Dragon Girlfriend (romance/slice of life, in progress);

Christy is saved from a bad date by a dragon girl and introduced to world of magical creatures while falling in love with her savior.

Susuhara Is A Demon (slice of life/romance, in progress);

After a perfect girl encounters an infamous delinquent, her life is thrusted into a whirlwind of chaos! Strap in for a ride jam-packed with terribly embarrassing flirting techniques, kick-ass delinquents and existential dread by the buttload! Nothing could possibly go wrong in this perfectly imperfect love story.

Fatal Kiss (romance/supernatural, in progress);

What would you do if your crush was a monster?

The Pirate and The Princess (romance/historic, in progress);

Princess Kirianna has been raised for two purposes; marriage and succession. As a dutiful, intelligent, and optimistic girl, she came to terms with her fate long ago, and simply longs to be content. The last thing she expected was to be pulled into a life of piracy, by a woman in disguise who has a strange grudge against Kirianna's father, and a secret of her own to hide…. Captain is given male pronouns by me until her name drop in Chapter 10!

Eldritch Darling (supernatural/comedy, in progress);

What if we kissed and we were both girls? And one of us was an oblivious human and the other was a dark eldritch abomination creature from beyond the stars??

Deep Sea (romance/fantasy, in progress);

Atarah is convinced : she is not cut out to be a princess. And when her father tells her that the time has come for her to get married, the world of the young princess crumbles: her heart dreams of adventure, and not of an arranged marriage! It is therefore at the worst of times that Atarah meets Robin, a pirate with questionable morals and a tumultuous past. But where will this crazy encounter lead her heart?

The Siren's Light (romance/fantasy, in progress);

I was sinking, the darkness was slowly surrounding me. The depth of the sea was pulling me lower and lower, I could no longer see the moonlight that glowed from above. But, Who was this silver-haired beautiful creature with an alluring voice swimming towards me? "You are a beautiful one." Her voice was so clear and soothing. And before I knew it, She kissed me. Who was this creature you asked? A siren. A flirtatious, annoying siren that changed my life forever. Author: @roseyluv143 (wattpad)

In My Heart (romance/drama, in progress);

Sasaki Mari is a typical delinquent troublemaker whose only goal is to get a boyfriend, but due to her reputation as bully and low grades, all the boys reject her. Then she decides to change her style, and asks for help from the student with the best grades in the class.

My Devotion to You (romance/drama, in progress);

For the past five years, Catalina has spent all-nighters studying and acing exams to become number the one student and prove her place in the academy. Unfortunately, no matter how much she tried…she has been stuck as number two…all because of Valeria Graham. Valerie is tired and does not expect this year to be much different. She will maintain her Top Student title just like her family expects her to. It would be like any other year…right? And so, their final year begins.

My Cat is a Wizard (fantasy/romance, in progress);

Caitlyn is a just an ordinary, struggling student in her final year of university… Or so she thinks. After having her heart broken yet again, her cat suddenly becomes human. She must now juggle the difficulties of school, work, and all the twists and turns life keeps throwing at her: like her cat/roommate being a wizard. Can Cait still fall in love while magic slowly takes over her world?

Honey and Venom (romance/heartwarming; in progress);

An ancient Roman goddess is reunited with her priestess 2000 in the future, but she doesn't remember her! The closer they grow, the more secrets their shared past reveals, all while an ancient adversary lurks in the shadows.

Greta the Red Wolf (supernatural/action, in progress);

An injured wolf pup and an abandoned baby appear at the doorstep of a couple’s home near the woods. The couple decides to take them in, but little did they know that the wolf was actually a werewolf, and the baby a vampire! Despite their shocked human parents, Greta the werewolf and Vincent the vampire had a blissful upbringing. However, as Greta and Vincent grow older, their quiet, peaceful lives are threatened as they discover the secret world of witches, vampires, and werewolves.

RAINBOW! (slice of life/romance, in progress);

Overly imaginative teenager Boo Meadows has always escaped her daily grind by living with her head in the clouds-- for better or worse. But when she meets the girl of her daydreams, it may finally be time to face reality.

Winter Before Spring (drama/romance, in progress);

Hana has recently just fallen in love with her best friend, who just happens to be a girl. After a confrontation with her best friend, Hana accidentally blurts out and confesses her true feelings. Fearing that she would be rejected, her friend accepts her feelings graciously and they start dating. Is this a dream? Hana, overwhelmed with happiness as her wish came true- is suddenly struck down, her world crashing down as she finds out the nasty truth about her best friend.

The Hideout (romance/drama, hiatus);

Nadia is a 18 year old teenage girl that’s finishing high school and working part-time on her aunts coffee shop named “The Hideout” Nadia also happens to not be very lucky when it comes to the love department and that, mixed with overworking herself, has taken a toll on her quite heavily recently. Reading direction is left to right

The Grand Priestess (fantasy/action, hiatus);

Verashana, a powerful sorceress, delves into the past after an incident separates her from her lover, hoping to learn more about the tragedy that occurred. Her hidden memories resurface, and she unlocks a world that she didn't know she was a part of. Now, she must find out where it all started, and where it all went wrong.

Love, Lila (romance/drama, hiatus);

A one-sided love & rivalry between an aspiring ballerina and an artist. Irene comes from a strict and close-minded household which is against her pursuing a career in arts, as a result of her upbringing she became cold, insecure, and distrustful. Then she met Lila, a perfect girl who has everything and is everything Irene wishes to become. But as she gets to know Lila better, she discovers that her privileged upbringing actually hides a traumatic family secret.

Facing the Sun (sci-fi/drama, in progress);

Fear. Grief. Trauma. Guilt. Love, all seen through the eyes of a dysfunctional android prototype well past her estimated lifespan.

I LIKE MY BEST-FRIEND (drama, ongoing);

(since I'm on phone, I'm gonna put this one later)

Unleashed (romance, ongoing);

(since I'm on phone, I'm gonna put this one later)

Pick Me!! (romance, ongoing);

wip

Lotus and the Dandelion (fantasy, ongoing);

wip

The Greenhouse (drama, ongoing);

wip

I want to be your wife! (drama, completed);

wip

Warm Spring Rain (romance; ongoing);

wip

What's A Soulmate (heart-warming; ongoing);

wip

5 More Minutes (romance, ongoing);

wip

Slice of Life (heart-warming, ongoing);

wip

Our Secret (drama, ongoing);

wip

Don't Look at the Sky (fantasy, ongoing);

wip

Somebody to you (romance, ongoing);

wip

[theconcealedweapon]

Many businesses went out of business because of COVID.

Many people use this as evidence that the shutdowns and restrictions were the wrong choice, and that all businesses should have been allowed to operate at full capacity with no restrictions.

That wouldn't have worked, because businesses would still have had to close if too many customers chose to stay home or if all of their workers quit, went on strike, or got COVID.

But besides that, why would they go out of business from having to close for a few months? Why can't they just pause their operation for a few months then pick up where they left off when it's over? Closing means no profit, but it also means no operating costs.

Could it be because they still have bills that exist even if they're closed, like rent?

If that's the case, then the entire problem is that the profits of corporate landlords are being prioritized over everything else. If you're angry, direct your anger there.

Similarly, if you're angry about all the taxpayer money being spent on stimulus checks, there's another solution to that too. We could have just cancelled rent payments and postponed mortgage payments. That would have costed zero taxpayer money. But again, profits of banks and landlords were prioritized. While the working class lost their source of income, the owning class got to keep theirs.

[whatsk-poppinhomies]

Pairing : Yandere!Yang Jeongin x F!Reader TW : yandere themes ; verbal abuse ; manipulation ; small amount of physical abuse ; self harm ; attempted suicide ; blood Word Count : 2.7k Request : @slayhyunjin - can you do a yandere one for jeongin where hes like abusive and always comparing you and you try to leave or something but then he like apologizes

It was a natural reaction at this point, your body tensing up as you heard the lock click on the front door, the keys dangling as he walked through, his shoes carelessly kicked off before walking over to you. You dreaded the moment he walked through the front door, and it was strange considering not too long ago you used to wait for him to come home like a puppy waiting for their owner. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the fact that he was your owner. There was nothing that you could do without him breathing down your neck, making sure that you always abided by what he said and what he wanted. Truth be told, you were scared of him, that smile that he always wore when he was working or out with the other guys, you hadn’t seen it in months. He wasn’t the Jeongin that had won you over with his charming grin and his sweet talk, his soft touches and gentle kisses… He was just Jeongin… 

“Dinner isn’t done yet?” He asked as he stood on the other side of the oven, his eyes glancing at the little clock on the microwave. You knew it wasn’t actually a question though, he was judging you once again, and as often as you went through it, no amount of time would pass that would allow you to get used to the harshness of his words when he got annoyed with you. “You know when I come home, you know what I like, and you still fail to have it done. Does your head not work? Are you stupid?” 

His finger prodded roughly against your temple, and you knew better than to move away from it because it would only get worse if you did, so you stood steady, holding your breath to keep from getting choked up. “I’m sorry… The oven wouldn’t light… I had to call the landlord so he could fix it and-” A sharp smack landed across your face before rough fingers gripped your chin, forcing you to look at him. 

“He?!” He shouted, his voice cracking from the force behind the simple word. “You brought another man into my house while I was at work?!” You tried to shake your head but his grip only got tighter, long fingers digging painfully into your jaw, you could have sworn it would crack. “If you have a problem you call me! If you need help you call me! What don’t you understand about that?!” He dropped his hand and you rolled your jaw, the movement only worsening the ache that you felt in the bone. 

“You would have yelled at me if I called…” You mumbled, turning back to the stove and stirring the vegetables that were in the pot. “I didn’t want to bother you while you were working… I didn’t think it would be such a problem. Dinner should be done soon…” You tried to calm him down, but you knew that it was no use, he was already angry. He always seemed to be mad whenever he was around you, like your existence in general irritated him to no end. It made no sense why he stayed with you, why he refused to let you leave. 

“She would have still had dinner done before I got home.” He commented, yanking back the chair at the dining room table and dropping down into it. You could feel his eyes on you, as if he enjoyed watching your reaction whenever he brought her up. You tried to not let it bother you, but the constant mention of his ex, the way he compared everything that you did to her, there was no way to ease the sting that it caused whenever she was mentioned. 

“I’m sorry I’m not her.” Was all you could say as you grabbed the bowl from the cabinet, your lips tightly pursed to keep from sobbing. “Would you like a drink?” You whispered, placing his dinner in front of him and standing off to the side, waiting to serve him. You were nothing more than a servant to him, bending to his every need, giving him everything that he wanted whenever he wanted it, never asking for anything in return. Just being with him was reward enough, at least that’s what he always said, as if he were the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. 

“Obviously. You make everything so fucking salty. Get me a coke or something to wash this shit down.” There was always something to complain about. No matter what you did, you did it wrong. Nothing you did was right, and there was only so much you could take. You were emotionally broken, and every single interaction with him had you feeling like you were walking on pins and needles, just waiting for the moment when something you said pissed him off and he lashed out. 

You nodded, quickly going to the fridge and grabbing a can, not even attempting to open it, knowing that if even a drop splashed out of the can he would go off on you again. “I’m gonna go get the room ready for bed now…” You mumbled, your head still hanging low as you took a step back from the table, awaiting his okay for you to go. Usually he’d tell you to leave, remarking that he couldn’t stomach his dinner when he had to look at you, but now his head whipped up, his eyes narrowed at you. 

“What kind of girlfriend doesn’t eat dinner with her boyfriend?” He snapped, kicking out the chair across from him and motioning towards it with his hand. “Why are you running off, huh? Are you talking to someone else? Let me see your phone.” His hand was held out, palm up and for a moment you didn’t know what to do. You didn’t know where this was coming from, but your lack of movement had him reaching into your pocket himself and yanking your phone out. “A password?” He screeched, holding up your phone so you would see it. “What are you hiding from me? Unlock it, now!” 

You quickly typed in the code, backing up another step until you were against the counter. You weren’t sure why you were so nervous about him going through your phone, it’s not like you did anything on it or used it to talk to anyone but him, but the way his expression changed as he scrolled through the device had your heart racing. 

“What’s this incoming call? What’s this number?” He held the phone up once again and you stared at the number, trying to figure out what it was, and the more you tried to think the more irritated he got. “Are you fucking cheating on me?! That’s why you got a password, right? Trying to hide things from me? She would have never done something like this!” 

Your phone was thrown onto the floor, the glass screen shattering on impact and you had finally gotten to your breaking point, broken sobs had your body shaking. “Then why are you with me?” You muttered through shaky breaths, your hands rubbing the tears from your cheeks until your skin felt raw. “Why did you leave her if she’s so good? Why are you with me if you think I’m shit?” 

He scoffed, leaning back in his chair as he smugly shoved away the bowl that you had put in front of him, the soup splashing over the sides and spilling onto the table. “I wish I knew the answer, but I’ve been regretting that choice since I got with you.” The smirk on his face, the snideness of his voice, it’s not that you weren’t used to it, you just never were able to be strong enough to not let it hurt you. Everything he did, everything he said, if his words were weapons you’d be covered in scars from how much he hurt you with them. 

“I’m sorry I’m here…” You mumbled, bowing your head before going to the bedroom. It’s not like you were any safer in there, he had taken off the locks just so that you had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide when he got too angry. This was the first time he didn’t follow you into the bedroom just to berate you more, and maybe he was just building up more ammo, thinking of more things to say just to break you down a little bit more. 

At one point you loved him, at one point you even loved yourself, but now it was like that feeling no longer existed in the world that you lived in. You hated him, and you found in yourself everything that he saw when he looked at you. You knew he wouldn’t let you leave, and that was the worst part. You were stuck here, stuck in this house to be tormented and tortured by him whenever he liked. You couldn’t take it anymore. 

You would never be her, you would never be loved by him, and sometimes you wondered if he only got with you to try to fill the void in his life that she left when they had broken up. He didn’t actually love you, and maybe he had tried, but he realized that you just weren’t her and you never would be. All you had become was a punching bag for him to take out his frustrations on. 

Starting up the water in the bathtub, you plugged the drain, watching with tears in your eyes as the water filled. Should you add bubbles, at least make the last few moments slightly relaxing? You chuckled humorlessly to yourself as you shook your head at your own suggestion. What a foolish thing to think about right now. You really were stupid, he was right. You grabbed the razor off the counter before climbing into the tub, the pajama pants that you were wearing pulling you down as they became drenched with the water. 

“I’m sorry…” You whispered, staring deeply at the razor that reflected the light that hung above the mirror. So many mornings you stood in front of it, staring at your reflection, trying to find something about yourself that maybe he’d love, that you could love to give yourself some sort of reason to keep going. All you could find were dried tear streaks and welted handprints. There was nothing to love there, nothing to love here. “I’m sorry I’m here…” You repeated, your hand shaking as you brought it down to your wrist. 

“Y/N…?” His voice called from outside the bathroom door, and when it opened, everything happened in a second. He rushed over to you, grabbing the wrist of your hand that held the blade, pushing it away from your other arm. “What the fuck are you doing?! What are you thinking?!” He shouted, his voice trembling as he stared at you with wide, panic filled eyes. 

You struggled to push against his grasp, but you were weak, you were tired, you were just done. “Just… Let me… God… please just let me…” You shouted through your tears, water splashing over the sides of the bathtub as he tried to pull you out. 

“No!” He shouted back, pinning your arm against the tile wall, his own tears falling as his head shook. “Why are you… Why are you doing this?! You’re trying to leave me! You can’t!” His hand shook your arm, trying to get you to drop the razor, but your grip around it only tightened, causing the blade to cut deep into your palm, a warm trail of blood trickling down your arm. “Fuck!” He screamed, using both hands now to try to pry your fingers open. “Stop! Please stop!” 

You finally relented, although not willingly, you were just tired of the fight. The blade dropped into the bathtub as you released it, and he took the opportunity to quickly pull you out, your body falling on top of his as you both fell onto the floor. “I’m… gonna be stuck here… forever… Why? Why can’t I leave? I’m shit! I’m nothing! I’m not her! Why… Why am I here? I don’t get it!” You were crying hysterically, blood still dripping from your hand and pooling on the floor beside you. 

“I…” Jeongin started, and for once, he didn’t know what to say. For once, for the first time since you could remember, he wasn’t belittling you, he wasn’t yelling at you. He was crying. He was scared. “You’re… You’re not shit… I… I’m sorry… I’m… I’m shit…” He stammered out the words, his hands shaking as he reached out for your face and you instinctively flinched away from him, causing him to gasp softly as his hands dropped down to his lap. “Oh god… What did I do… What do I do? Let me… let me help…” He looked down at your hand, his body trembling with silent sobs. 

“Why?” You whispered, hugging yourself tightly as you backed up against the wall, your knees pulled against your chest. “So you can yell at me… So you can hit me again? So you can tell me how stupid I am? So you can tell me that she’s never done something like this before? I’m sure she didn’t… Because you loved her… Because you wanted to be with her…” You sniffled loudly, looking back at the tub, the blade at the bottom of it catching the light still. His eyes followed yours and he quickly got into your line of sight. 

“I’m awful… And I’m sorry… I’m sorry I made you feel like… like you had to do this… like this was the only way…” He whispered, his lips trembling as he spoke. “I broke you… And I know that saying sorry isn’t going to fix it… It’s not going to fix you. You’re not stupid… and… and I don’t know why I’m like this. I don’t know why… I just… I want to keep you with me so bad… I’m scared you’re going to leave me… And… And that makes no fucking sense but… I don’t want to lose you… I don’t. I… I love you, and I don’t say it often enough… I don’t say it at all, but I do. You’re beautiful and… and you deserve so much better but… I don’t want anyone else to give you that. I want to be better… for you… You deserve the best of me, and… and I’ll give you that… I swear I will… Please… Don’t do this to me…” He fell forward, his forehead resting against your knees. It was the first contact you’ve had with him that didn’t hurt. It was shocking, it almost felt unnatural… Awkward even. “I’ve never been so scared… Don’t leave me… Please don’t leave me. I need you…” His head slowly lifted, his cheeks red, blotchy and tear coated, and as you stared at him, he slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to yours, the action causing you to gasp and pull back as your eyes widened. “What…?” 

“You… You never kiss me…” You stammed, eyes wavering before dropping your head back down. “I don’t… I don’t want you to do that again… I don’t want to feel like… Like things will be okay… And then they’re not. Please… Don’t… Don’t touch me… Don’t…” 

You quickly pushed yourself up off the floor, running into the bedroom and pulling out the first aid kit from under the bed as he watched you, still sitting in the middle of the bathroom. It was his turn to cry, his turn to feel unwanted and useless. It was his turn to feel like shit, to feel like everything in the world was falling apart around him. He felt hopeless, he felt lost. There was nothing he could do but watch… You wanted nothing to do with him. Now it was his turn to be on pins and needles, but it was deserved, and seeing you in the bathtub had been a wake up call for him, and those pins and those needles would keep him awake, eyes wide enough to appreciate the woman in his life that he loved and adored, that he took for granted, that he hurt… The woman that he almost lost for good. 

[righthandarm-man]

What’s your housing philosophy, if you don’t mind me asking?

Don't mind at all anon, thanks for asking! For the sake of clarity; I'm going to make this into a numbered list lmao

In the year 2023, the vast majority of anglophone countries are experiencing a housing shortage. This part is non-negotiable. If we can’t agree on this basic fact of reality, the rest of this conversation is moot. Housing vacancy rates are at or near their lowest in decades according to the U.S. Census.

An abundance of housing empowers tenants. The number one contributor to our recent spike in housing costs is a lack of housing supply first and foremost. Landlords suck, but they’ve always sucked, and yet housing hasn’t always been this expensive. What has actually changed is the number of constraints on housing supply. Exclusionary zoning, parking minimums, and NIMBYism keep housing scarce, enabling landlords to price gouge and rent seek.

Density is good, actually. Letting people agglomerate in one area (i.e. live in a city) is good. It’s good for the environment (prevents sprawl, increases transit use), good for communities (deters class and racial segregation, provides more tax revenue relative to infrastructure costs) and good for preventing housing scarcity (when you’re allowed to build up, you’re able to provide more houses for less money).

Wealthy enclaves should either not exist or pay their fair share. Urban3 has done some fantastic work recently breaking down how city tax revenues are distributed per household. Their findings…poorer residents living in city centers are essentially subsidizing wealthy suburbs nearby, with most subsidies going to roads, highways, and parking. This is the opposite of good housing and tax policy and is one more reason to be in favor of density and in opposition to things like parking minimums and minimum lot sizes.

Neighborhood change is good and necessary. Living in a just, multi-cultural society means you can’t restrict who moves in and what gets built, freezing a city in amber helps no one. This means you build housing for immigrants and college kids, for refugees and tech yuppies, for abuse survivors and old-timers, for young families and nepo babies. You may like the former group more than the latter, but a just society is one that makes housing maximally accessible for both.

[philosophicalconservatism]

Response To Post On Transphobia

the-psudo

"By 'transphobes' they don't mean someone who feels malice toward a particular set of people. They mean people who perceive some harm arising from ostensibly harmless conduct. If they're not picking your pocket or breaking your leg or similar, what justifies your getting involved in their business?"

philosophicalconservatism

I'll say this again. Cross dressing, drag shows, hormone therapy/sex reassignment surgery for adults, all of this has existed for ages and most of us never cared a bit about it. We do not care about how any adult chooses to live their life, or how they choose to perceive themselves; that is what liberty means. What we care about is the attempt to forcefully impose those same perceptions onto the rest of us; that is the opposite of liberty. The current ideological movement in question here involves an attempt by certain parties on the Left to shape our conduct and our beliefs; and therefore it is an attempt to intrude into our business. Laws have been passed in states like New York and California, and in nations like Canada which literally dictate how people are to speak concerning sex/gender (employers, landlords, educators etc.)

An endeavor to positively dictate how people speak (to determine what concepts they must employ and how) is an endeavor to dictate public belief. At the same time, we are all collectively informed that to willfully refuse to use this language is to exhibit "hate". The political Left has a peculiar practice of attempting to forcefully dictate public belief (which is by definition intruding into people’s private lives) and then, when they are called out for doing so, complaining that their critics are somehow the ones intruding into people's lives by objecting to those policies.

Requiring private businesses to adopt a certain eccentric ideological perspective concerning sex/gender, and demanding that they alter their policies accordingly is also more than merely allowing people to “live their own lives”. It is the imposition of one subjective, highly questionable worldview onto all of society. Meanwhile, certain other unfortunate parties are left to suffer the practical consequences of this world view: young girls and female athletes lose access to valuable life opportunities, and in other instances (high contact sports) are physically brutalized by biological males. Female inmates are housed with and raped by male prisoners who don't "identify as men", and all under a system which intimidates these girls and women into silence and compliance, making them the offenders if they complain about the unfairness.

Finally, when we speak of the citizen's sovereignty over himself, it is implicitly understood that we are referring to adults. Children/minors do not possess the same rights as adults. They are overseen both by their parents and by the state (due to the potential for parental neglect and abuse). Furthermore, there are certain things that children cannot do even with a parent's consent because we believe they are not things that a child can elect to do. For example, in many states children are not allowed to possess alcohol even with a parent's consent. Children are not allowed to work certain jobs, to work certain hours, or in any other manner not consistent with child labor laws. Therefore, I don't believe that life altering and permanent decisions such as those in question in the gender ideology debate should be made by minors. When they are adults, they may do as they will. They are adults.

I have never taken the position that a person with Gender Dysphoria merely living their own life and making their own decisions was harmful to anything. What is harmful is imposition upon others.

[4dkellysworld]

Hi Kelly!! :)

My question is about ego fears and to what extent we should ‘deal’ with them/how much attention we should give them. My character is moving into a new place in a months time, and I’m expected to pay my first instalment of rent by the end of August. This has all come about quite suddenly, and the cost is way more than I can currently afford. The worry of a looming deadline, and needing to conjure up money that ‘I’ physically don’t have right now, has been scary. I’ve studied your Releasing tag, and I’ve read everything from Ada, as well as lots from Sophie and Lain (her thread helping out the anon with difficult circumstances has been particularly helpful, and it was lovely to read of that anon’s success). In a practical sense, I am looking into ways I can afford to pay this rent on time, or considering possibly contacting the landlord and asking to be given more time to pay it. Besides that, I’ve been working through feeling/accepting this ego fear without fighting it… Surrendering to it, recognising that ‘I’ cannot do anything about these circumstances beyond a certain point besides simply let them be and trust in Self to guide me through. I have read chunks of the Sedona method, and I have been applying the method of first, feeling the fear/emotion, and then, asking myself "could I let this go? would I let this go? when?"

It has definitely been helpful, and I am able to calm myself down in moments of panic and remind myself that these fears are of the ego and not me, but I can feel there is still anxiety that lingers, particularly with the more time that passes and the sooner the deadline approaches without any financial improvement. I wondered if the goal, with releasing, is to wipe out fear entirely? In that case, am I to continue applying until I can think of the situation and be totally neutral? The lingering fear feels almost inevitable, though I suppose that’s because I’m still identifying somewhat with ego. It almost feels like the more I try to let go of this fear, I veer into trying to ‘get rid’ of it, which only reinforces its very existence. I suppose I feel that what would be better would be to give up entirely on trying to let go of it, and instead totally welcome it and allow it to stay. Of course that doesn’t mean clinging to/dwelling in it, but also not necessarily trying so hard to release it either? It’s as if I’ve given this fear a story — I feel the fear of financial insecurity, I associate it with being the character/ego that I do not want who has financial insecurity, and I therefore ‘do methods’ to move away from the fear in order to make it not so in the physical realm — and this only seems to have kept the fear around/grown it.

This is probably what was meant all along, when Ada said to "leave poor Vanessa alone, with her desires and fears, disbelieve you are her until reality becomes self-obvious". But I would just love to hear your input/any clarification/if you have any of your own experiences to share when it comes to finding a balance between actively digging up the unconscious and letting parts of ego go versus just accepting and allowing parts of the ego to be (so that it ends up falling away on its own anyway).

I’m sorry for the long message! Thank you so much for everything you do, you’re an angel 🩷

Hi! Lots to address here, I'll go through them one by one. I won't tell you what you should do (because there are no shoulds and it's ultimately a choice, your choice) but I'll speak of my own perspective and experiences and you can take what resonates/will help you.

My question is about ego fears and to what extent we should ‘deal’ with them/how much attention we should give them.

One of my "goals" is to be free of all fear, because fear only imprisons you and locks/limits you into a certain way of living/being when it's false to begin with. How I 'deal' with it (whether that be straight up ignoring/dismissing it, bringing up the unconscious thoughts to release them, rationalizing it or something else) really depends on a case by case basis which is why I always focus on what feels right and appropriate in the moment because doing something I feel I 'should' do instead of what feels right ends up not being the answer and doesn't work.

I wondered if the goal, with releasing, is to wipe out fear entirely? In that case, am I to continue applying until I can think of the situation and be totally neutral?

Yes it is. And yes that's what I do when I choose to release.

I suppose I feel that what would be better would be to give up entirely on trying to let go of it, and instead totally welcome it and allow it to stay. Of course that doesn’t mean clinging to/dwelling in it, but also not necessarily trying so hard to release it either?

Then there you go, that's what resonates for you so trust it, give it a go and see what happens. It doesn't mean the other approaches are useless or don't work for fears in general for you but for this particular fear of yours, this may very well be the best approach to take. I've done something similar for some fears. Instead of releasing or ignoring or rationalizing it, I just choose to accept it, love it and thank it because it is just ego wanting to protect itself. Because emotions don't exist in a vacuum, they're messengers and give us clues as to what underlying thoughts & beliefs we hold (side note: watch the Inside Out movies! They are so precious). Fear exists because it wants to protect us from something that the mind has deemed a danger (as obvious as that sounds lol). I noticed you have been mentioning fear itself a lot but have you looked into the underlying thoughts/beliefs that drive that fear and released on that level? And then see yourself having all that you believe you lack over and over until you feel completely free? Basically the steps in the second part of this ask. When I'm doing these steps, I'm not trying to fight or get rid of it, that's not the mentality I have. I just recognize it is a false belief that isn't part of the true me and it's a letting go feeling which is a different state to feeling you need to fix or get rid of something. If that doesn't work for you, then maybe you can just take time out to sit in silence and stillness then imagine sitting in an empty room with this fear and just being okay with that.

This is probably what was meant all along, when Ada said to "leave poor Vanessa alone, with her desires and fears, disbelieve you are her until reality becomes self-obvious".

Yes but again, what she says here is just one way and not the only way (there is no one way. There are so many paths Home. Did you know that there are people who practice ceremonial magick as a way to enlightenment? Heck even lucid dreaming and astral projection can be ways. Does that mean everyone needs to start practicing these? No lol. You do what feels right for you and that can change over time). She also says to unclutter your mind, to set yourself right emotionally and mentally, and to ask yourself questions and do what feels right for you. So take what resonates, I can't emphasize this enough. Trust in yourself more and follow what feels right. Be more flexible because being rigid and thinking you can only do certain things (including being limited purely to what you read on our blogs or whatever a spiritual guru says) is only another form of limitation and bondage. There hasn't been a single teaching or practice I can think of that I have applied solely in every moment of every day since I started (not that I didn't try at first but then I'd let go and try something else when I realized it wasn't doing anything for me. Then I realized that different approaches work for different situations and I need to be flexible). I've even made up my own practices based on what feels right in the moment (like just meditating in the feeling of the essences I enjoy such as love, abundance, freedom, peace etc). Plus the 'disbelieve you are her' part is where it can take some time (on the physical level) and accepting that and being patient with myself was way more helpful to me in leading me to actually disbelieving I'm her as opposed to trying to adopt that disbelief straight out before dropping chunks of ego and coming to my own realizations that I am not her.

But I would just love to hear your input/any clarification/if you have any of your own experiences to share when it comes to finding a balance between actively digging up the unconscious and letting parts of ego go versus just accepting and allowing parts of the ego to be (so that it ends up falling away on its own anyway).

Okay there was a time last year where I was very actively digging into my unconscious to release things, my goal was to do a whole life review like Lester did and go through my entire life and release everything lol. I mean, it's an amazing idea and I wished I could do it but it also felt like trying to draw blood from stone. I did chunks of some major releases (maybe a few months worth of this ego's recent life) but it was pretty draining and at the rate I was going, there was no way I would be able to do my entire life in just 3 months (maybe a few years...) like Lester despite being younger than him.. And here Lester kept saying you only need 3 months to go free lol. This was really frustrating and confusing and I would think, Lester must not have experienced a lot of trauma in his life.. I read his story of how he realized himself and the thing he mentioned that was hardest for him to let go was a lost love from like 20 years ago or something but things that are highly highly traumatic can take a lot more time to truly neutralize and release. I realized my life looks way differently to him, what he did was for his life and his methods helped me but his overall "way" wasn't working for me. I also didn't want to feel like I was constantly striving to 'clean the mind' because it felt like another form of imprisonment and I wasn't fully living in the now when I was constantly bogged down by the past (which still felt real to me then and I wanted it to stop feeling so real).

Not saying the chunks of releases I did were not helpful, heck yes they were and I'm glad I did them. It's also helped me reach a state where I am now a lot more peaceful and still within and recognize whatever "past" I have isn't real or true, whatever comes up can be more easily let go of because it isn't valuable to me anymore. You know what else purifies the mind? Meditation. And not as a form of 'doing' but as a way of being. There was one time I was so overwhelmed and exhausted I just gave up. I lay on the floor and just decided it was all over and there's nothing to do. I just looked at the ceiling and stopped doing anything. I wasn't anything anymore. I spent a few days like this and after that, there was a point where I realized/noticed that something within me had changed and I couldn't really pinpoint it but things just suddenly didn't bother me anymore, fears that used to exist just suddenly didn't (maybe you can try this as well if it resonates, just give up and be). I realized that meditation (not just sitting meditation but as a constant beingness) can be a way of mind purification too when you just stop being an ego and let Self take care of things. Here's something Robert Adams said that I read later on and realized it was exactly what I did:

Student: Giving up isn't sufficient. I realize that, I listen to that whatever, whether it's the strength or the insight, there's still fighting, there's a partial giving up and still there's a tremendous suffering. Robert: Then simply quiet your mind, sit still and do nothing. Everything will happen by itself. Like you're doing now, become still. Do not try to do anything to yourself. If thoughts come just watch them and everything will take care of itself. That's when you abide in the Self, when you do nothing and everything stops, all action stops and no matter how things come to you, you don't care, you just don't react. Even death, makes no difference. Student: Would you say that there is something more important than all of the sadhanas? Robert: No you can't say that because that's the ego again, but when you just sit and all fear leaves you, something else will take its place and that will be bliss and happiness. When you stop fearing. So just sit and let all the fears come. Smile and sit still. Student: You mean just look at them and detachedly? Robert: Just watch them. Let them come, let them do their worst, let them drive you crazy and you don't care, let them. But you try to stop, now, let them. Just whistle, sing a song, do nothing and watch what happens. Student: So you're talking basically about self-observation, Robert? Robert: Not even self-observation because you've got to think about that, to do self-observation. You're actually just doing just absolute zero. You've turned yourself off and you have the attitude, even if I die right now, so what, doesn't matter. Even if my worst fear manifests, good, let it. (laughter) Student: It seems difficult. Robert: No not really, it seems difficult but it's easy if you do it, try it. Get by yourself and just sit down, put your hands together and do absolutely nothing. Don't tell yourself you're watching or you're practicing anything at all. Give all practices up, give it all up. Student: So even questioning, "Who am I?" is still ego? Robert: Yes, definitely, give everything up and let the worst come.

The other ways are all the ego using mind to undo itself but you can also let Self do it if you just get ego out of the way. There comes a point where you have to just yield and let Self take care of it, you'll know when it is (also it's ultimately the best overall method imo cos we're all lazy, right? The less effort the better haha. Free mind purification for zero effort yay! Thanks Self -- Although it takes effort to still and cleanse the mind to a point where meditation becomes enjoyable and effortless as opposed to feeling bored and wanting mental stimulation). Now I can enjoy meditation, not with any expectations but simply just being feels the best. And sometimes it's a rhythmic dance of switching between the two. But now I only release things that naturally come up in daily life as opposed to digging into the past to look for limiting thoughts to drop.

Just be flexible and follow what feels right and you'll eventually understand what that balance is for you. I hope this helps you!

[peaky-shelby]

New Romantics | Mbappé [1]

» summary: in which an arrogant and talented football player (the best of his time as some say) and a focused and harsh critic of a journalist are gonna have to find a way to co-exist.

» pairing: Mbappé x Oc

« previous chapter: prologue

» chapter one: bored, young & dumb

» writer's note: the response was insane so i wanted to post the next chapter asap. Thank you all for cheering for this story it means a lot to me and i hope you wont be disappointed. Please continue commenting and sharing your thoughts its crazy important to me.

» Taglist: @moonchildohh @formulahoe @princetongirlll818 @mavieesttriste16 @kiwisa @godessstela @hummusxx @kodzuvk @pink-manz @corbyns-smile @ippid @jayruiewo265738 @blueanfield @mrs-bellingham @sorceresski @sooblovebot

Ah Paris, the city of lights and love or whatever, she couldn’t remember what the quote was, she was just happy to be here. She reached her new apartment and met with her landlord to give her the keys. She basically dropped her stuff on the floor when he left and sprinted out of there, went to find herself a taxi to drive her on the PSG offices. No surprise, she was ready 10 minutes when she got there but in her defense it wasn’t personal, she just couldn’t ever be there on time. One of the things Trish hated about her. Julie, the woman that had sent her the email was waiting for her outside. It was when she got out of the car that she realized, this wasn’t just a building with the PSG offices, it was the freaking training center. She swallowed her nerves and followed Julie at the top of the building, where Galtier’s office was located.

It was a corner office with Large glass walls that allowed him and anyone else to look at the field below. A gasp escaped her lips when Julie let her in, informing her that Galtier would be with her in just a few minutes. She nodded, unable to speak and walked towards the glass walls. She looked below, recognizing a few of the figures, Neymar, Messi, Mbappe, Hakimi, Ekitike-

“Pretty view, isn’t it?”

Taylor spun around quickly, Galtier was standing by the door, dressed in his suit. She mentally cursed herself for choosing to go with a casual style. Maybe she should have worn a suit as well or something “DO you need anything? Water, coffee?”

“No no” she shook her head, walking closer “Je suis bien” she smiled, hoping that she had said it right and the fact that he didn’t laugh at her, made her feel better. He motioned his hand towards the seat for her to sit down while he made his way around his desk, to sit on his comfortable chair. Avoiding eye contact at any cost, she sat down, on the edge of the chair, shifting a little. She was nervous, of course she was. She kept smiling awkwardly, trying to look cool but his eyes were very persistent, looking at her like he was about to interrogate her for a crime.

“You’re a woman.”

She laughed- no that was a mistake. She shouldn’t be laughing. She cleared her throat, recollecting herself, looking as serious as she could. She didn’t know what to answer to that, she kept expecting him to say something more but he didn’t so she replied with the first thing that came to mind “I think so” she joked.

He didn’t laugh.

Her smile faded away. She gulped. Silence. He kept staring, analyzing her. She hated it, it was like she was under a microscope. She pulled on her jacket, coving herself better, like she was naked underneath, suddenly self conscious.

“I didn’t expect that-“ she jumped when she spoke again, placing her hand on her chest. Her heartrate had gone increasingly fast. “You don’t write like a woman.”

She laughed again “Yeah I keep my smut stories for the players on another website-“ she bit her lip, remembering who she was speaking to. “I don’t actually- that was a joke. A bad one. I’m sorry- I’m a little nervous. I talk fast when I’m nervous, my mother says I could speak for hours without saying anything at all and make stupid jokes- you see it’s happening right now” she faked a cough, looking around “Is it hot in here? I think it’s hot. Is that water?” she reached for a glass on the table, picking it up and drinking it, Galtier leaned forward to stop her but she had already drank what was left of it-

“That was from the person that was here before.” He said. Taylor tried not to show her disgust and put it back down, keeping a poker face.

“Of course it was.” She said in a whisper.

“You can relax” he told her, almost smiling. “I researched you.” He added “the name Wilock, it reminded me of something, I just couldn’t understand what. Then I remembered, you were on Chelsea Academy, under 16s. Promising star. 7 years ago?”

“8” she corrected. “it was 8 years ago.”

“You were really young” he reached for a folder on his desk, opening it. Taylor noticed her picture on there, it was her file from the academy. “I’m sorry for your accident, it was terrible.” All of a sudden, She wanted to leave. She held on the arms of the chair. He closed the file, leaving it back on the table. She wanted to grab it and run. “With your gift I don’t understand why you didn’t keep at it.”

She scoffed “I don’t understand. Is this a job interview or an interrogation?” she snapped. Galtier was taken aback by her response, raising his hands up to apologize.

“You’re right. It’s actually neither.”

“Then what is it?”

“I don’t like being proven wrong but you have wrote a lot about me on your website. Corrected me a lot of times.”

“Don’t take it personally.”

“I don’t. You made some points, I looked back at the games. There were things that I had missed.” He pointed at her “but you didn’t. I need that. I want you to watch the boys through out the next month, training and games. I want you to be our new assistant coach.” Her mouth opened in shock slowly. She was a journalist, she wasn’t a coach. She had let go of the game years ago, this couldn’t be a possible offering. “this is an offer-“ oh so it was an offering “I want to try this for a month. Meanwhile you can keep writing about us on your website, a special article, perhaps.” She could barely focus “You’ll be consultant for the next few games and we can test if this could actually work out.” She gazed around the room, suspiciously. She got up, rubbing her face, looking closely at the library, looking for a camera.

“Am I being punk’d?”

He laughed “No. No you are not.”

She looked at him, trying to form a sentence “I- um- I-“ she laughed “sorry- I just can’t. I can’t be your assistant. I’m a journalist. I write things-“

“You were ones a player too.”

“yes. I was. But that was a long time ago.”

“So you don’t think you’re up for it?” She hated that question. It challenged her. She couldn’t shy away from a challenge, it was physically hard for her. She tapped her foot on the floor, nervously. Thinking about it. “You’re free to leave.”

She shook her head, smiling “why would you trust me, with so much power? There are dozens of other journalists making the same points as me-“

“So you copied the points from somebody else?”

“No of course not-“

“You speak like coach when you write. You’re harsh and brutal even.” He got up, walking over to her “You have the knowledge, the experience and the spirit.”

“there must be a trap. Something.”

“If you fuck up, you’ll get fired in a month.” He smiled.

She thought about it “and what about the articles?” she bit on the inside of her cheek “Do I have to suddenly take it easy on your team? Because that’s not happening. I write what I see. If what I see is bullshit I call it what it is.”

He laughed, nodding “fair enough. Just one condition. You tell me it’s bullshit before you write about it.”

That wasn’t so bad.

“Think about it. Get back to me tomorrow.” He walked over to the door, opening it and walking out first.

That’s when they were ambushed by Kylian Mbappe and his two buddies, Hakimi and Neymar. The first one did all the talking. Taylor knew how much he hated her before she even got here and she still hadn’t gotten back to him for his tweet that got all his 12 year old fans to attack her as well. But then she realized, he thought she was just the assistant so she played along because she knew, if he knew she had written the articles his approach would change. She didn’t want it to change and when he got close to her face, she wanted to punch his right then and there.

When he left, she watched him crossing her arms “He seems like a fun guy.” She said to Galtier.

“He has better days. But he’ll get a good calling out for this-“ she raised her hand.

“No need to. Do me a favor.” She looked at him “I’ll help you, work for you but at first at least I will be in direct contact with you. They don’t have to know why I’m really here, or who I am. I want them to get to know me first. If they find out their new assistant coach is a woman, they wont listen.”

“I’m not sure I agree with this.”

“Just for the first week at least. I want them to see that I can be one of the boys first. That way it will be easier for them to trust me.”

He thought about it, then put his hand out for her. “deal.”

She took his hand, shaking it. Her smile reached to her eyes. “Can I start today? Watching the training I mean.”

He nodded “go ahead.”

Mbappe was still shaken up, hard to focus while he did forward and backward sprints, running from one cone back to the other quickly. After doing it for about 50 times, he stopped. Noticed her on the bench, writing something on her notebook. Every inch of his body wanted to walk up to her and he would if it wasn’t for Hakimi stepping up in front of him stopping him “how about some drippling exercises” he asked. Mbappe looked at him, pissed.

“So is she just gonna be here now? Watching us?”

“She’s just a girl Kyky. By the end of this session you’ll forget she’s there.”

“I wish he was here instead-“

“I thought you said you knew you overreacted”

“That doesn’t mean his opinions don’t piss me off. Or his anonymity.” Hakimi tilted his head, giving him a questioning look. “He’s obviously a snob.”

“I bet she thinks the same about you as well after the way you spoke to her.”

He didn’t respond to that. He took the ball from his hands throwing it on the floor and the started a 1v1 drill, trying to steal the ball from each other. But Hakimi was wrong because Kylian never forgot she was there, how could he? When she kept staring at him, looking like she was noting everything about him. When training was finally over he went straight to the changing rooms, passing right by her but giving her zero acknowledgement.

None of the players gave her a lot of attention. Some of them had no idea who she was or what she was doing. Marquinhos was the only one that approached her after he was done, running up to her. “you must be Taylor.” She looked up from her notebook, standing up quickly when she realized who was in front of her. She felt like a soldier- “Relax” he laughed, motioning his hands up and down “You’re good. Galtier told me about you. You need anything you come to me alright?”

How much had he told him? She wished she knew but she couldn’t ask because then he’d probably know more than he knew and- oh well you get the point. That’s when she remembered she had to say something because he looked at her like he was confused and she was weird.

“Well thank you for that Mr.-“

“Marquinhos. Just call me that.” He smiled and patted her arm before running inside the building. She stood still where she was, taking in deep breaths because this was surreal, everything about this day was surreal and all she wanted to do was scream at her best friend for it. Instead she mouthed an inaudible “OH MY GOD” jumping up and down for just a few seconds to regain her composure. She took a deep breath.

“Ms-“

“AH! FUCK!” She jumped, looking behind her scared. It was an employee.

“All the players are gone. If you don’t mind I have to lock the door-“

Taylor cleared her throat, recollecting herself “Of course, yes. Have a good day.” She walked into the building, facing the lengthy hallways, endless and terrifying. She wanted to look around, explore the place. She took a few random turns, walking down the stairs. She wasn’t sure where she was, but it was darker here. The doors were all closed and she had to go against every impulsive though in her body to not open them because she could imagine it was probably the changing rooms, she turned around to leave suddenly bumping into someone-

“Putain-“

She jumped back when she realized it wasn’t a door or a wall, it was too soft to be either. It was somebody’s chest, dark skin. Please don’t be him, she thought while she looked up but Kylian was already yelling at her-

“You can’t be here! What the fuck-“ he was holding on to the towel around his waist while she was struggling to keep her eyes away from his chest or anywhere else that could have been inappropriate. “Get out- Putain- is that what your article is about?” he let out a bitter laugh but she actually took that last comment to heart. She knew what he meant, she didn’t appreciate it and what’s worse is that he took it farther “Your boss know? You want a better view to the players-“ she slapped him before he finished the sentence. He almost dropped his towel by the surprise, he scoffed. Stroking his cheek and kept his face away from her, even when she got closer.

“view is not as great as your arrogant ass may think.” She told him and went to leave but his grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. His eyes were dark and strict. She’d be scared but she was too stubborn and angry for that at the moment. She tried to pull away but his grip got tighter, pulling her closer.

“You raise that hand of your again you’ll be in real trouble.”

“take your hand off me before I raise my leg too and kick you were it hurts.” She warned

“Who do you think you are?”

“I could ask you the same thing. So far all I see is a butt hurt, arrogant, son of a bitch.”

“you’re just as annoying as your boss.” He replied, staring in her eyes.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She pulled her hand away, shaking it like she was trying to shake off his touch. “Try to work on your manners Mr. Mbappe. You’ll find it makes a great difference on the field, not being a complete asshole.” With that she left and went straight for the exit. She was stopped by Julie that talked to her about tomorrow’s schedule, Taylor was barely listening after what happened. She just wanted to get home, call Trish and maybe even write about how much of a prick Kylian was. She asked Julie to email her the details and walked outside, of course it was fucking raining. She groaned, punching the air and took out her phone to call an Uber which of course had ran out of battery. Another bad habit of hers, never charging her phone. She went to one of the guards trying to explain to them who she was and that she needed a taxi but they didn’t speak a word of English. She hated this, but it got worse when she saw Kylian coming towards the doors. She kept saying “Taxi, taxi” hoping that they would understand but they just answered with words that made no sense to her and pointing at the street across. Like they were telling her to go there-

“BUT IT’S RAINING” she complained because she would much rather to call for someone to come get her from here while she waited under the kiosk.

Kylian came out, he saw her, he watched her for while, pointing at the sky, speaking French in an accent that sounded more like German. He wanted to laugh, he did actually because he enjoyed watching her suffer, knowing that he could help her. She walked closer and her head snapped at him-

“What the hell are you laughing for? Just get out of here!” she yelled. Kylian wasn’t gonna beg to help her, he backed away smirking and leaving her alone with the guards again. She wanted to punch herself for that but thankfully Marquinhos showed up, saw her struggling and offered to help.

“I’ll drive you.” He said and motioned for her to follow. She wanted to hug and she would if she didn’t fear showing affection would get him assuming the same thing Kylian did. She followed to his car, little did she know, Kylian was on his car behind them, watching. There was something that annoyed him even more when he saw that. He held on the steering wheel, angry. Why was Marquinhos befriending her? He was convinced she wasn’t just here for the article and she’d probably flirt with the entire team before she left… the entire except him, who she very obviously hated.

MARQUINHOS CAR – NIGHT

Taylor had to read the address from where she had written it on her notebook because she still hadn’t learned how to pronounce it or remember it.

“Is it your first time in Paris?” he asked her, while she was going through her daily notes.

“Yeah.” She said, looking up “It’s a bit terrifying.”

“It’s a big change.”

“Yeah.. in more ways than one.” She confessed “but this job-“ she stopped herself “Being JW’s assistant I mean-“

“Right” he smiled, nodding “is he a nice guy?”

She opened her mouth but not words came out. She puffed, thinking “great guy. He- he um- he’s very-“

Marquinhos started laughing, shaking his head. He looked up at her, smiling. That’s when she realized she was being teased. She laughed as well, a weird feeling of relief washing over her “You know..” she said and he nodded.

“Of course I do, I’m the captain. Me and Galtier need to be crystal clear with each other.”

“Yeah that make sense”

“But don’t worry your secret is safe with me. I like the way you think, earning their respect before you demand it.” He made a turn according to the gps on his phone. “Just don’t take it too far. Especially not when it comes to Kylian.” He pulled up in front of her apartment building. She looked out the window. She couldn’t believe this was her new home.

“Thanks” she said smiling at him “for everything.”

“See you tomorrow JW.” He said and she go out. When she reached the door she found something she didn’t expect, a box upside down and she could hear meowing from inside. Her heart broke, she knelt down and raised the box slightly, seeing a black kitten underneath.

“Poor little thing” she said and took held it up in her arms “We can’t just leave you here now can we?” she asked, smiling and went upstairs with the cat, that was barely bigger than her palm, in her hand. It didn’t feel like home when she walked in, it was just a small studio, but at least now she had a buddy to help her through it. “I’ll call you Luna” she said giving it a kiss.

She had a shower, washing away the craziness of the day. After she was done she stood in front of her mirror, putting her creams on her face and then her hands- she paused when she reached the spot Kylian had held. It was weird, she could still feel his hand on her arm, his grip. Could there be a part of her that liked it? Seeing his chest, him holding her like that “no!” she answered to herself and put the cream over her arm, ignoring her thoughts.

Later she sat on her computer, the cat had already made a home on her lap. She sat on her while she started writing-

“Perhaps Mbappe’s problem at becoming the next Leonel Messi doesn’t lie in his skills at all but to his character. The key in sports is to never think of yourself as the best especially when you are on a team. You are not there to be the best, you are there to do the best that you can. The minute you put your skills above anyone else’s, you lose trust and if you lose trust out of arrogance… well games like Friday’s happen.”

What are we thinking? Are we still excited? I mean Taylor is a badass right? Gotta love a good slap when a certain someone is being an asshole 😌 comment your thoughts pretty pleeeease!! I love you all xx

Next chapter: Trains that aren't coming »

[solar-sunnyside-up]

This is probably a weird/highly specific question, but am I a hypocrite for doing extension work as an anarchist? Basically, when I applied for my job, I thought that I would be helping people with applications for Snap througha university, but once I interviewed and got hired I realized that I'd be doing nutrition/food education (which, as a fat person, scared me at first, but most of the material is okay in that regard; some of it is gross, but that's to be expected. I'm not going to regurgitate any of that rhetoric myself and will express as such to my supervisor if needed), which is through both the university and by technicality the state due to us being under Snap specifically. So far I actually think a lot of the stuff we're doing can be used for a lot of good (teaching anatomy, basic cooking skills, how to cook on a budget, gardening, etc.), and the history/original intentions of extension work actually align with a lot of solarpunk/anarchist thought, but I'm wary of the association with the state.

I was working a delivery job and temp jobs before this and facing over 30k in student debt and on state insurance and until a couple months ago living with a highly emotionally abusive family member; now I'm making above minimum wage, on better insurance, can more easily pay my rent, and could potentially get some of my loans forgiven. I know pragmatically that I need this job, at least for a little bit, but I feel like a massive hypocrite.

Any thoughts/advice would be appreciated; I hope all is well :3

K just to simply answer the question right uo front: Your not a hypocrite, your attempting to survive in a hostile system while helping ppl where you can.

Unless your a police officer, a landlord, or like... a politician who takes bribes you aren't able to be a hypocrite at worst your staying alive. And given the situation your in, your doing good work!

As anarchists there tends to be a lot of this black and white mentality

"I'm against the state! And hate both parties so I won't vote!" Is a good example. But it's just not that black and white in reality, that's just being a bystander if all you do is not participate.

But like... we are all ppl fighting the fight where we can. Some ppl have access to giving others help with chores, some ppl have money they can spare sometimes to ppl needing to pay transit fair, sometimes ppl have enough food to donate to someone else. Sometimes we slip piracy links to students and coworkers, and sometimes we can't do anything but shout that something is wrong. All of these tiny acts are just as valid as the next.

Plus, your ultimately teaching vital info, your giving GOOD info! Your giving helpful things to ppl, even potentially filtering out harmful parts to it. If a state must exist, for the time being, then it should at least feed, educate, and care for it citizens.

My advice is: laugh at the idea that they decided to pay someone who'd rip their system apart to educate ppl on how to use the system to their advantage! Sew anarchism into the moments you can. And when you buy yourself a small extra treat bc you get a wage that allows for small comforts whisper "And they paid for this rebellion" with some joy. You've earned it!

[befemininenow]

Regarding the Reddit situation

The current state of Reddit is not only a mess, but difficult to comprehend if not aware. But as a user of that site who is impacted by their change, it’s no surprise as to why they deserve it. For those that don’t know, Reddit is currently down due to a massive protest regarding their API changes. An API, or application programming interface, allows the ability for apps to interact with a site’s (in this case, Reddit) data and tools to customize and moderate a page to their liking. This includes the ability to weed out unnecessary content such as spam, hate speech, and anything out of topic through the use of automated bots. Subreddits, forums that operate under the Reddit platform, are very different from a Tumblr blog in that it allows users to interact with others and lets them post content for “karma”, brownie points that determine your reputation and accepted opinions with like-minded people. For years, Reddit’s API was free to use and the use of third-party apps made it a breeze for moderators to control what went through their subreddit.

Well, that is about to change around the end of June, first of July, thanks in no part due to Reddit’s greed and ignorance of overcharging the use for their API, as well as eliminating the use of third-party apps to interact with the Reddit API. These tools are what allow Reddit mods and automated bots to give you the best experience at your favorite subreddit at the palm of your hands. But with these charges going on hand, that will no longer happen. But the worst part about it is that most, if not all, of these mods are doing this work for free! There is really no reason as to why users and mods should pay Reddit to use a network when the pop-ups and ads already fund the company. It’s already difficult to administer a page. I can only imagine the load of work a mod has to do on a forum while juggling with their own lives. It’s honestly unsustainable.

As a result, Redditors decided to protest these changes by becoming inactive for at least 48 hours. The amount of subreddits going dark has only been increasing ever since and some subreddits are planning to go on an indefinite hiatus. As for the active subreddits, they are also doing their own form of protest, such as posting blank pictures. It’s so bad, that the site has crashed several times and is practically unusable. Many of these subreddits aren’t just small and inactive either. In fact, the most notable subreddits such as r/news have as much as millions of members while other subreddits who have a lot of interaction are also notable members of the protest. As of June 13 of 2023, the site is still feeling the effect. Reddit is imploding itself in a way that’s as bad as Twitter and even Tumblr.

What does this have to do with trans and LGBTQ+? Well, a lot. It’s thanks to these subreddits that played a part on allowing a new generation of people to interact with other LGBTQ+ members and share topics and answers to situations we face IRL. It’s also as to why it allowed us to share common hobbies and interests that ended up becoming relatable and eventually, synonymous with modern trans culture. Through memes, allegories, cute drawings, cracked eggs, Blahaj, and fangirling about spinny skirts and e-girl outfits, these are just some small, yet wholesome traits that are noticeable about the new generation of trans and questioning people. It’s also thanks to these forums and amazing people behind them that allowed yours truly to accept her identity and commence transition into girlhood. To say these subreddits were a safe space for transgender people is an understatement. It was our way of showing the internet world that we exist.

But I won’t sugarcoat this post that much. Transgender people still face struggles such as violent and hateful threats online and IRL, misgendering from TERFs and bigots, homelessness due to cost of living and bigoted landlords and/or neighbors, lack of affordable and effective health care, and most important of them all, emotional support. With Reddit’s threat of overcharging for API use, many of these subreddits that served as a support center and safe space for LGBTQ+ and trans people are in danger of ceasing to exist. One of those subreddits have unfortunately bit the dust; that subreddit was called r/traaaaaaannnnnnnnnns, a subreddit full of relatable memes and posts that trans and non-binary people could relate. As someone who is on the cusp of the new generation, it was an amazing place to like and comment on posts that felt so relatable. While I never had the chance to upload anything there, like trans headcannons or a question using Menhera-chan’s art, I felt like a part of the community, even if it was just upvoting posts and comments. The community and vibe was influential enough for me to shape my trans identity and share a few of those traits through my posts. It was, for the first time, a safe space for a closeted trans girl with none of the degrading “feminization” that I encountered at other sites for a great portion of my life.

Why did that subreddit close? To paraphrase the dilemma, there was only one mod administering a growing forum close to 400k members! That mod used helpful third-party apps to mod the growing and very active page. In a time where trans people are targets of hate and erasure, it was inevitable that a subreddit like r/traaaaaaannnnnnnnnns was going to be inundated with spam and explicit, offensive content. As a result of the exhaustive work, the remaining moderator had no choice, but to close page and continue with a spiritual successor. r/traaaaaaannnnnnnnnns isn’t the only subreddit affected by this change. Several subreddits dedicated to non-proftis and news were affected as well and the active users and contributors to those subreddits were dependent on third-party apps that made the UI more useful. One can argue it’s better to adapt to changes rather than lose an entire page.

The main problem isn’t about creating everything from scratch again. The main problem is that Reddit refuses to acknowledge their mistake and decides to continue with their destructive decision. We’ve seen these bad business choices over and over again. From YouTube eliminating the Dislike button, to Twitter charging for Blue Checks, and, yes, even Tumblr with their ineffective NFSW filters, these sites are more willing to put up with irreplaceable damage than they are to admit they’re wrong.

The idea is not for Reddit to shake off this protest like it won’t happen again. It will happen again, and perhaps, indefinite, should they make their changes take effect by July 1. If 48 hours is all it takes to damage a site, then a longer period will be enough to effectively kill them. Although I am comfortable using Tumblr, I can’t deny that Reddit has a vibe different from this site that will soon be gone. As someone who loves social media, but hates the changes that negatively impact the user, I will give my two cents:

Reddit, your changes aren’t just hurting several groups and vibrant communities. You are also proving the world what could happen when lack of decision making, incompetence, and bad practices can potentially destroy a company. As much as the communities I love will be impacted by this move, I refuse to comply with the greed that will benefit only a select few while affecting the rest of the community that helped build your empire at no monetary cost. Should you forward your business choice, I will move to another alternative that appreciates the work that administrators, mods, and users contribute to the growth of a site. May your bad decision be welcome with unsurprising results.

Sincerely, anonymous Reddit user.*

*Note: my blog name is not the same as my Reddit name.

[llostwriter]

The Husky And The White Cat Shizun With Their Baobei

Chapter 15

Watching your Shizun about to get punished in your stand from the Discipline Court is worse than rubbing salt on a nearly formed wound. Landlord Chen is a bastard who not only cheats people out of their kindness but also uses vicious ways to accomplish his goals. The villagers in Butterfly Town are no better, lying to gain some merit for Landlord Chen. They didn’t even hesitate to bite the hand that tried to save them from their disaster in return for the favor of the Chen business. However, at the same time, nobody else knows the truth behind Luo Xianxian’s death.

But knowing the darkness of human beings, even if they did know, they would still go on the side with the most personal benefits.

You should have expected that Landlord Chen would pull off that cheap trick of getting sympathy from the rest of Sisheng Peak by accusing you of purposely twisting his wrist and accusing your Shizun of attacking an innocent man without any reason.

You’d simply grabbed his wrist with the motion of breaking it, which you actually wouldn’t do; you were simply giving the man more time. There wasn’t much that you could do since Chu Wanning was furious beyond words upon learning the truth about Luo Xianxian.

Time wasn’t on your side, as it never has been. By the time you even opened your mouth, Tianwen had already appeared in Chu Wanning’s hand, waiting to be used at any moment. The next second, your hand grasped onto Landlord Chen’s wrist. Who would have expected that he would scream out loud, accusing you of breaking his wrist?

If people didn’t know any better from his sound, they would have thought that he was eaten by a monster; he was clearly only doing this to appear to be like the victim. Exaggerating much. It was almost infuriating to see. Your grip wasn’t even tight at all.

Landlord Chen: “Come and see! A disciple from Sisheng Peak randomly attacks civilians! My wrist…it’s broken! Cruelty beyond cruelty!”

Chu Wanning was even more enraged upon hearing that.

Landlord Chen seemed to have realized his error. Not saying anything more after, simply realizing that a mortal is nothing compared to a cultivator. However, that doesn’t spare him from the wrath of Tianwen, which seemed to intensify more than in his previous life. Hitting every place that counts till bruises started to form on Landlord Chen.

You would have allowed Chu Wanning to continue if it weren’t for the reminder of the consequences that Sisheng Peak will give upon hearing that Elder Yuheng has injured a villager using his holy weapon.

To which, as expected by the second day that the mission was over, Lordlord Chen and a few villagers following him reported to Sisheng Peak about the cruelty of one particular disciple and Shizun in the mission. The villagers were paid to join in the act; however, even despite that, Sisheng Peak still had to act accordingly.

The wounds from the mission still weren't even healed; simple stitching wasn’t even enough for the wounds. The mission got out of your control, and in the end, Shizun still got hurt. The Discipline elder lifted the hard wooden stick about to hit Shizun’s back, if it wasn’t interrupted by you stepping out from the crowd. You only stopped when you heard Chu Wanning’s voice: “Disciple y/n, it’s not your right to interfere! Don’t you forget that you have your own punishment? Go and copy the Dynasty Time Flowing Rong.”

Even the disciple who’s a bystander and some of the elders all gasped at that name. Unsure if it was worse or better than getting beaten by sticks and kneeling. Dynasty Time Flowing Rong was by far one of the thickest books in Sisheng Peak, rumored to be five times longer than a bible, including the history of centuries ago before cultivation sects even came to exist. Don’t even speak of writing only half of it only one time; one time is more than enough to make a normal disciple’s hand feel so numb to the point that there will even be times where the blood circulation stops in the hand from the long term of writing. However, since those rumors were never proven. Supposedly, you’ll be the first one to test if the rumors were true or not.

You opened your mouth as if you wanted to explain, but nothing came out. After all, you were in no position to argue, so you left with a lingering bitterness in your mouth. You could feel the lingering gazes of Mo Ran, Xue Meng, Shi Mei, and a few of the other disciples as you walked away from the discipline court.

Each step felt like your heart was stabbed by knives of guilt and shame. Ashamed that you weren’t able to change anything, ashamed that you tried everything but Mo Ran still stayed the same. Ashamed said that you naively thought that everything was going to work according to your calculations, but in the end, it didn’t. You feel guilty that your foolishness has dragged Chu Wanning deeper into this chaos.

You wanted to cry out of frustration, but in public, there was no place for tears. It felt unnecessary; it always seemed to be.

—-

The next location you visited was the library, due to the punishment that your Shizun assigned to you. The majority of the past punishments were done in the library, so you were quite familiar with the routes. It didn’t take you long to take out a dusty-looking book. Its colossal girth eclipsed that of the venerated Bible, boasting a multitude of pages that threatened to overwhelm the weary eyes of its readers.

You picked up a wiping cloth from nearby to dust the book. The library always has these wiping cloths, especially since there were times when disciples were assigned the punishment of wiping all the books. However, there was never truly anyone who would wipe all the books, only those that were out in the open. The Elders never said anything about it, since, from their perspectives, it was just some mere books. Nothing special.

The book was really heavy, with the old, cracked leather cover that was worn out, and the edges were frayed and almost see-through. To top it all, a thin layer of dusty parchment-colored dust had settled on it, whispering stories from centuries long gone. The thin layer of dust was wiped off by the cloth before you set the cloth aside.

These pages had more content than any other book you had set your eyes on; written beautifully in Chinese calligraphy, every word seemed a stroke of a tale that was historical.

Centuries before the existence of cultivators, cultivation sects, lower and upper cultivation realm.

The stacks of empty paper awaited you to fill them out.

——-

The bamboo charcoal pencil is the pencil brand that Sisheng Peak used; it is easy to write and sketch. The library of Sisheng Peak is huge and grand, with an estimation of around perhaps several thousand tomes, some rare and ancient. Sisheng Peak was built during this century, and even though it's in the Lower Cultivation World, that doesn’t mean that it lacks educational resources. The library of Sisheng Peak is accessible to all elders and disciples.

It is also the perfect place for punishments to occur, so it wasn’t exactly popular among the disciples, especially among those who hated any forms of literature.

As you took the bamboo charcoal pencil, you began to write your fourth paper, Dynasty Time Flowing Rong, only up to the part about the long description behind the beginning of the prosperous Dynasty of Changes. The Virtuous Ruler of Chonghua has led a long period of peace, with the neighboring surviving kingdoms following its path. The Liao Kingdom’s losses were humiliating, to say the least. After it lost the war, the activities detected in the kingdom were low. The Liao Kingdom, without its founder, soon fell into destruction and ruin. The former citizens of the Liao Kingdom turned into refugees begging the other nations for support either got denied or accepted.

You heard the footsteps and voices of the disciples passing by. “Hey, hey, did you guys hear? Elder Yuheng broke the rules and will be punished for kneeling in the Yama Hall for the next three days.”

Another disciple: “Wow, why did you guys only find out so late? Oh … So Elder Lucun brought you guys to the mountain to pick night dew flowers yesterday? Alright, then you guys missed out on too much! Yesterday evening, in the Discipline Hall, blood and flesh flew everywhere. It was too horrible to look at. Elder Yuheng was beaten more than 200 times! More than 200 times! The rod hit his vitals! Merciless! "

Your thoughts went back to Chu Wanning, knowing that by now, his beating must have already been finished. With his wounds, he should be resting instead of kneeling. You have trust in his abilities, yet there is still a feeling of worry in you. To ease your worries, you have decided to see for yourself.

Standing outside the hall was the silly dog, who, upon noticing your presence, greeted you.

“Shixiong y/n, so you’re also here to see Shizun? Worrisome?”

[vintageseawitch]

i only recently learned about Ernst Thalmann & as a result i had a light bulb moment: i don't want to alienate liberals & centrists anymore. when i say i don't want to repeat the bad things in history despite it happening anyways i don't want to participate in the other nuanced ways it could repeat. i agree with so many things other leftists want to do: billionaires &/or landlords shouldn't exist, workers should own the means of production, food, clean water, accessible heslthcare, & a home are basic human rights, abortion is healthcare, the patriarchy is vile & needs to be uprooted, politicians need to face actual consequences & be servants of their country's citizens instead of becoming simps to lobbyists, the environment needs to be protected, big oil needs to go, the list goes on & on. so, we agree on these & more but they also want to punish people for not being leftist enough & they're claiming they're doing things in protest like not voting. HOW EXACTLY IS THIS HELPING ANYONE TO HAVE YOUR RIGHTS STRIPPED AWAY. you not voting won't help you but the alt-reich will certainly love how you allowed them to be in power since you hate biden so much. 6 months is not enough time to overthrow how the government does anything. the alt-reich have had DECADES of a united, hateful, evil front & they're so close to making this place a living hell. we can't let them!!! you make fun of people wanting to convince their senators to represent them? how about YOU start a revolution then. get that guillotine out & start chopping down to business. Project 2025 will literally not go into effect if Republicans don't hold office. IT MEANS SOMETHING. liberals & centrists could be that number in helping because they don't want fascists to win either. we're all on the same page just at different points. not everyone is radical. i wish they were but you won't convince anyone by calling them stupid or something. DON'T BE LIKE ERNST THALMANN. he didn't deserve that happened to him but he didn't help himself either by being such a gatekeeper. we need everyone in this fight. they're coming for all of our rights, making aurr we truly are cogs in the wheel of late-stage capitalism. oh, & they'll fuck over national parks & other natural protected areas & to them climate change isn't real so do with that what you will. WE CAN'T LET THEM WIN. they all need to fuck off 😡 get out there, learning about Project 2025, know that it's real, be alarmed & angry, & fucking VOTE. the overturning of Roe V Wade was just beginning & now they're coming for contraception. NO ONE IS SAFE

[max1461]

My position on landlords and my position on gentrification derive from essentially the same principle, which is that getting forced to leave one's home (either in the literal sense of "house" or in the larger sense of "community") is a terrible human tragedy that basically never needs to happen. The problem with landlords is that they can evict you! And this is pretty much inextricable—if you take the concept of rent and unpack definitions a bit, "guy who can get the cops to come by and force you out of your home" is what a landlord is. Why does a guy like that need to exist? I think probably he should not.

Downstream of this, the problem with gentrification is that if you allow rents to rise in an area without income rising along with it, you can get a situation where a bunch of people are kicked out of their homes, and en masse this results in destroying their community as well. It's so obviously heinous when laid out in plain terms!

As a complete aside, unpacking definitions is a wonderful skill, a fundamental element of reasoning, and I gather that it is taught almost exclusively in math classes (and only then at the college level and above). All the more reason they should start teaching proof-based math in elementary school again. I think there are a lot of liberals and Libertarians who would actually find private ownership deeply appalling in a wide variety of cases if they actually unpacked the definition of it, but sadly they lack the instinct that this is something you must do.

Ok, returning from that tangent:

Both rent and gentrification will be justified by savvy proponents on the grounds of efficiency. It is efficient, they will argue, to charge the state with enforcing more-or-less arbitrary contracts between individuals (a power I suggest it should not have), and to use this as the governing principle of society. Thence, rent. And it is efficient to allocate housing in such a way as to prioritize the sorting of people into neighborhoods by economic interest, because there are network effects which make this desirable and so on, despite the fact that it this often deeply hostile to community ties.

Anyway, perhaps that is so. Perhaps these systems are more efficient. But that efficiency is difficult to fully characterize, while we know that being exiled is a terrible human tragedy. This human tragedy should, at the absolute minimum, be widely discussed and consciously weighed against the economic logic by which the current system of home allocation leads ostensibly to greater prosperity. And even if we're to accept the strongest form of the liberals' arguments for property, I think many people would still find the trade-offs that we're making here unfavorable.

[blaacknoir]

Corruption Avatar Concepts:

An influencer who sells her hand-made beauty product, knowing full well that the users will end up with more skin problems than before.

The mold assessor who lies about the severity of the moisture problem in a client's house.

His remediator partner, who never completely clears it out.

The landlord who knows very well that his tenants' bathrooms are sprouting mushrooms. He likes it that way.

A health inspector who passes everyone. (You… should probably avoid the sushi restaurant on 12th. Just trust me on this.)

The subject of a Hoarders-style reality show. Every day people come to fix her house and remove the filth within. Every evening, regardless of how much space there was before, despite how many bags of detritus were removed, the mess seems to keep creeping back. She insists that she's not responsible. Her friends and family doubt her. (She doesn't blame them. She doubts herself.)

A nursing home employee responsible for the hygiene of the patients. Despite the frequent sponge baths, hydration, tooth brushing, and toileting, the elderly people under their care still seem to be sick, and the well-documented “old person smell” is overwhelming around them.

A nurse who slips small things—a bit of gauze, part of a sponge, a bit of thread used for stitching people up—into patients when the doctor isn't looking.

A software technician who implants small bits of malware into the programs they create. Undetectable at first, these programs eventually spread throughout the computer, corrupting every file they come into contact with, reproducing faster than they can be isolated. By the time you realize what's happened, it's too late. (Some of these programs are so utterly destructive that the physical hardware is damaged as well.)

An archivist who is intentionally bad at their job. They allow their bare hands to touch ancient texts, the oils rubbing off on the paper and slowly destroying it. Cassettes and floppy discs are written over. Files are stored in places where moisture and temperature aren't regulated. Eventually, the archives and all the information contained within them are left to rot, and the people mentioned in them may as well have never existed.

Eye | Flesh | Vast | Spiral | Corruption | Lonely | Web | Buried