#otherwise everything else does not work

[viwritess]

there's one thing i changed from the first drafts to this one (essentially one ch1 relationship which i turned from hostile to friendly, but leaving the developments unaltered) that works SO much better emotionally now omg. i was feeling ch1 and ch2 were a bit unbalanced in how-much-they-suck because ch2 starts out having psychologically abused and manipulated her girlfriend for more or less a decade but now im p sure they are on a more even ground

[aceredshirt13]

gang i have to share this P. G. Wodehouse quote with you all because ever since I found it I can't stop thinking about it. it's from a letter he wrote when he was 78 years old to his friend Guy Bolton (many thanks to P. G. Wodehouse: A Life in Letters)

I have been on the sick list myself, but am better now. Inflamed bladder or chill on the bladder or something, the symptoms being agony when I passed water, as the expression is. It brought back the brave old days when I used to get clap.

he really said "yeah the pain from my bladder issue reminds of the days when I used to have so much sex I repeatedly got venereal disease"

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

déjà vu

[theworldisabrokenbonebutitishome]

Kang Yo Han is the walking embodiment of I'm Not Okay (I Promise) and relates to Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge far more than is healthy. In this essay I will-

[sskk-manifesto]

(´･ᴗ･ ` )

[blood-orange-juice]

An immigrant friend struggling with German post: "How can a society function if you can't rely on postal services and trains?"

[unproduciblesmackdown]

among the boundless billions zaniness like laugh track as it definitely has that moment of expressing "rolling my eyes as The Left makes a kerfuffle of Acting like they have a stance as a veneer over the true belief that [xyz] is cool & chill actually" like what, approximate 0.000% chance wendy isn't, as usual, given the Objective Stance of "yeah yeah ohh we are cancelling involved parties talking about how we Don't watch this But. we all love this damn epic movie & already have it memorized so shut the fuck up, kids today" like. don't wanna really delve into how much billions thinks taylor or anyone is "really" trans / nonbinary like not too much benefit of the doubt in this material including what does provide info abt that specifically

& the general like [head in hands. what do you think any of this could possibly be about (you're the one that made your show at all about Power)] of "yes, it's bad/wrong to be someone that someone has done something to / victim of something" like that to be anti misogyny All Women Must Be Epic Winners b/c there's something to be proved: that they don't Deserve to be victims (of misogyny), not taken as a Given. while when we see some epic winner men stepping on other men (who need not all be guaranteed Winners so as to say misogyny is wrong), that's often Good, well beyond any assumption that various forms of basic disrespect / violation / patterns of emergent/entrenched power difference as Bad (for being things done to people, not for there being people they're being done to), & generally billions has to take an extra step when ppl get shitted on & tell us the Specific Cases when it was undeserved actually & someone was being mean to a specific person who didn't deserve that. & the specific cases when hey guess it wasn't that bad(tm) or when hey It's Okay that you're someone something was done to, in this case. & tell us what we were supposed to know all along like when someone who something was being done to (wrong Of Them, whether b/c they inherently deserve it no matter what, &/or b/c they failed to be someone who could make it Impossible to do anything to them, which, how do you do that besides being The Authority / Superior yourself, exactly? nonrhetorically? what if the in group vs out group / fascism / authoritarianism protected Me?) was actually being treated Too Well b/c ah well the abuse meant you were getting any attention, maybe it meant you were claimed as any superior's property, maybe it meant you weren't Already disposed of, as all Losers were in the end, You're Welcome.

obviously referring to winston where it's spelled out all the abuse towards him was deserved, & More than he deserved in the case of rian having more access & taking advantage of that, all for billions' enjoying its own sendoff there of, again, maximizing violation & violence short of [real violence is physical & leaves bruises / draws blood / Literally kills] which would be distasteful in general But doesn't it make wags look like the winner & winston the loser is that the former's completely unrelated completely impersonal ego blow gets way amplified taken out on winston, the most vulnerable recurring character when spyros as [first & ultimate Everyone Hates Him role] is more entrenched in there & billions still magnanimously pities tuk, as it does winston too, just not quite as much. again that like completely surface level realized power fantasy of forcing the mirror up to the Inferior so they're like nooo my inferiorityyyy & in doing so like, the projection in that lmao, we get it re: the valuing of & need(tm) for such Power Tripping & Reaffirming My Superiority & My Ego Restored; Everyone Claps like good god. & then for all ben & tuk are the slightly softer Two Too Nice Boys duo to the rian & winston quant duo, also like too nice i guess but not as much, ben is in charge of tuk but Any instance of rian being in charge of winston outstrips them in that "yay interpersonal abuse" dynamic, like then in the end billions may be like "yeah it's possible to be mean to them unlike how being mean to winston is actually Nice b/c he deserves everything he gets, we only vicariously enjoy it vs Feeling Bad for tuk & ben sometimes (still magnanimously & it's Not That Bad / just goofin)" like ben & tuk still Fail by not being people it's impossible to do anything to. & not Exceptions who anyone is really being Too Mean to. like if they were women, in which case, no problem surely with a "positive" kind of victim blaming where there is something Inherent that Will be victimized so hey how about to cancel that out there's this special Paternal Protection you Need always, Or Else? :) but instead they are men who are asian & is ben gay & w/tuk & winston nobody mentions glasses or fatness but billions doesn't really do much or very in depth textual mentioning of Anything, even w/nonzero mention that there may be gender & race in this world. a gay man, once. no disability. we just Know who are the inferiors who deserve it when they're treated inferiorly, or if they don't, they start deserving it when they fail to stop/avoid it, but if you start mentioning the factors behind who we all totally agree is inferior like whoa nobody was Saying any of that? being the real agent of oppression on the basis of the factors only You spelled out, much? nonbinary? i never say anything about the Gender Binary when i'm subscribing to it, sounds like You've created & enforced it. obfuscation & deflection onto [so Just Normal nobody has to label, explain, or argue it] couldn't serve a purpose & protect the existing power differences as they are. maybe You're the problem? perhaps you brought it upon yourself & now you're causing too much trouble standing up for yourself while everyone else's criticism is laser focused on you as the prior & continuing negative actions done to you are taken as a given / unquestioned / covertly protected to overtly encouraged?

anyway so wild if the Completely Normal(tm) Victim Blaming is uncritically recreated & oft embraced for "if you're watching this & don't wish you were axe / find him appealing" [billions as a sequence of vicarious power trips] purposes in this series....but a bit wild considering like this is your multiseason show that wasn't just purporting to be those power trips for [enough demographic & apparently specific personal tastes overlap w/creators] & was at all purporting to question the matters of power at play in the material, or yknow, at least to not be completely superficial material while said material is textually & thematically all about power difference being leveraged, how, the consequences, & so on. thus i will have to intermittently talk about it forever like this like lord unbelievable. & the funny little & sometimes less funny less little characters it has trapped in there so that those of us who were never meant to be in the audience can be cursed with this knowledge. like i have some feedback. "imagine not victim blaming" & "imagine adjusting your perspective can go beyond superficial layers added to politely defer to some other ppl while they're present but really like cmon do they deserve that. am i not just saying what we're allll thinking"

[sunless-not-sinless]

one thing i love about tumblr is the queue. i have it so five reblogs a day will go up cone rain or shine.

but the queue has a max size of 1_000, so that could mean 200 days between me seeing a post and reblogging it. 200 days. even at ~30 days ive forgotten most of the posts and theyre fresh to me when i see them on my dash.

200 days. thats a pretty long time.

posts ive made have been dead for months and then suddenly someones queue came around and theres a new spark

whenever i see current political posts i fast reblog and queue. sure pretty much no one sees my posts but i see them! i get to be reminded of important events the collective consciousness stops talking about them!

if im ever too ill for screens my blog remains the same.

its my memories that i chose to share with my future self. its something there even when im not. its a reminder its nothing its jokes its memes

yknow what? its comforting

[the-kipsabian]

.

[garlique]

god oh my god this sucks so fucking much, i knew today would be the worst day so far but holy fucking shit i truly just wish i was fucking dead!!

[xumoonhao]

the backgrounds i made. btw

[violet-dragongirl]

I'm getting so much closer to the standard setup in PCars 2. Just need to focus when I'm in the game, take a good break after good results, and keep improving on my consistency.

[4giorno]

💀 layla is so pretty i could cry but her awake voice is....... literally like nails on chalkboard

[windupaidoneus]

now some people may not like to hear it but even the worst people who exist are still people & there is no human being who has More right than others to decide whether others deserve to live or die (does not mean i personally condemn murder in self defense or anything of the sort or killing fascists or whatever i'm just saying as a baseline This Is How it Is) & this is why the death penalty is not a good thing no matter how good & trustworthy the people in any government might be. people on average also deserve the chance to learn to do better. & no, someone who's been forcefed propaganda their entire life will not let go of that deeply entrenched mindset so easily, it's not particularly unrealistic & it absolutely sucks to deal with but in the context of tangibly working toward world peace it's also not an issue to try & help such people both in material ways & in helping them learn better rather than cut them down or abandon them to a grim fate. all this to say that's why i don't think garlemald is written badly, as unpleasant as the experience might be. walks off the stage

[blackmesa-vr]

🥊🏆

[cynocardia]

somebody wanted to see this, i think, so i'm posting it here too

just like with humans, different expressions and body language in this universe have social meaning. the more "animal" your body language is the more you're likely to be perceived as immature, unprofessional, or weird, though the lower class are more likely to interpret things differently or be more forgiving even of things considered inappropriate

people also may still do these things behind closed doors though, like nipping an adult sibling or friend or partner is probably not that unheard of as long as you're doing it in private, but in public it would be seen as immature and inappropriate

i don't think upper class people would at all though unless it's like... being fucking nouveau poor as a way to be jokingly "naughty"

perking ears: lower class and upper class in agreement that this is acceptable, as it is a way to indicate that you are paying attention. just make sure your tail isn't raised and you aren't looking down your nose at the person you're talking to.

flicking ears back: among the lower class, the interpretation of this gesture is a case by case basis. some see it as a sign of dishonesty, while others see it as a sign of humility, embarrassment, or vulnerability. however, the upper class usually sees it entirely as dishonesty or weakness.

ears at angles: the lower class and upper class are both in agreement that this gesture indicates either uncertainty or suspiciousness, and is socially inappropriate. you may get made fun of for appearing "awkward" if you do it.

head angled, ears back, looking out of the corner of the eye: to some people in the lower class, this is a gesture of respect. a way to back down when an argument gets too heated. but to the upper class, it is entirely socially inappropriate, considered both weak and immature. it is a gesture of *great* disrespect.

twitching both ears: to both classes, this gesture can be useful for expressing interest and attention, but to some, twitching your ears expresses an immaturity that perking them does not.

flicking or twitching one ear: "as if to dispel a fly". considered a sign of irritability, impatience, disrespect, boredom, a bad attitude. among the lower class, it's a case by case basis, but generally agreed upon that the worst is doing it while you're talking to someone else. the upper class have no allowance for this at all.

head down: both classes in agreement that this shows humility... generally. it can also be interpreted as suspiciousness; it's entirely dependent on the person you're talking to.

yelping: can be seen as involuntary, but not strictly, just like in our world everyone thinks you can control everything.

head tilting: case by case basis, but lower class people are generally more likely to not care. can be useful to show interest, but is considered childish and vapid by both classes regardless. the upper class in particular will think badly of you, though.

yawning: some people nitpick this, just as they do in our world- "are you even listening to me?"- but most people can accept *some* yawning, but yawning too much is an obvious sign of anxiety to both classes. people of the lower class are more likely to forgive it, though it's a case by case basis, while the upper class may see it as weakness, lack of attention, and disrespect.

flattened ears: there is some allowance among lower class people that this is a gesture of great discomfort, while the upper class just... don't appreciate any displays of vulnerability ever.

always socially inappropriate, no matter the class:

licking lips: extremely inappropriate and considered disgusting; associated with impatience and often used in media to show that someone is a criminal or otherwise clumsily malicious.

licking teeth: extremely inappropriate but scary enough that people are more likely to leave you alone about it. more effective if you have more sharper teeth than just the top and bottom ones.

rolling over: if done voluntarily, this gesture is considered like, the lowest of the low pathetic. but there is sometimes, not always, forgiveness if the person was forced to do it. walter deschamps used to make his lackeys roll over to humiliate them. school bullies would also do this.

drooling, even if because of nausea: always considered gross.

snorting or sneezing to express frustration: considered childish as well as gross. most people think they can tell the difference between the frustrated short sneeze and a "real" sneeze, but they can't. this leads to both unpleasant social interactions and actual ableism. snorting may be used by parents to get kids to "knock it off"; this is considered acceptable.

lashing tail: considered childish by most people. there are no circumstances under which this is ever considered acceptable; tails can be a nuisance and must remain still.

wagging: acceptable only if you're a child.

in general, tails are to be kept still, as longer tails can cause accidents. the only way you could get away socially with tail movement is if your tail is short or you're nowhere near anything it could touch.

shaking your head, especially when accompanied with snorting: considered childish and rude, as with all gestures of frustration.

shaking your body when it's wet: while children may do this (though they will get scolded for it), adults should not.

licking, either yourself or another: disgusting.

biting: acceptable only if you are a literal baby. people may bite each other in private for laughs, though. can also be a way to humiliate another person- criminals and bullies would do this; no one else.

baring teeth: considered childish by most people, both lower and upper class, unless you're a bouncer, cop, or in other occupations where intimidating gestures are useful.

growling: immature. but like all other gestures of intimidation, people in occupations where appearing threatening is useful may use it, and it is considered forgivable then.

snarling: extremely immature. but like all other gestures of intimidation, people in occupations where appearing threatening is useful may use it, and it is considered forgivable then.

sniffing: stop.

barking: deeply, deeply, deeply, * deeply* inappropriate to both classes. no one does it except for children, who are taught not to do it.

whining and whimpering: generally considered childish and annoying by both classes. some allowance may be made in hospitals. only.

tail tucked between legs: like rolling over, considered deeply pathetic.

disciplinary

- scruffing (simply grabbing the scruff)

- smacking behind the ear (the socially acceptable version of biting)

platonic affection

- sleeping together

- nuzzling

- though tails are usually meant to stay still, some with longer, fluffier tails may hold theirs against another person's side or lower back, usually as a protective gesture.

- the way dogs in our world will smack each other with their paws, people in this world will lightly smack each other's arms