#please free karl marx

[kafkacino]

2025 goals for humanity, according to me

revive karl marx; lowkey think he's got one more try in him

free the hot italian twink that everyone's on about (continue the memes please)

bring mall emos back. tired of fluffy hair and lululemon give me side bang and hot topic

impeach this orange fuck once and for all. why hasn't that happened

shrek 5, 2026? need that to happen sooner

end the concept of golf. fucking boring, convert courses to natural habitat please

[probablyasocialecologist]

For those who are totally unfamiliar with the works of Karl Marx, can you please explain how one must distinguish between his early works and the later works that you describe as "eco-Marxism"?  Marxism is known for socialism, and socialism is often described as the exploitation of the working class. Capitalism has a tendency to increase technologies and promote innovations because of market competition. But Marx thought that once the workers take over power and kick out the capitalists, they can utilize the development of productive forces for the sake of themselves — more wealth, more well-being. But there is one problem: Sustainability. Because as Marx started to study natural sciences later in the 1850s and 1860s, he came to realize the development of technologies in capitalism actually don't create a condition for emancipation of the working class. Because not only do those technologies control the workers more efficiently, they destabilize the old system of jobs and make more precarious, low skilled jobs. At the same time those technologies exploit from nature more efficiently and create various problems such as exhaustion of the soil, massive deforestation, and the exhaustion of the fuels, and so on. Marx came to realize that this kind of technology undermines material conditions for sustainable development of human beings. And the central concept for Mark at that time in the sixties is metabolism. He thinks that this metabolic interaction between humans and nature is quite essential for any kind of society, but the problem of capitalism is it really transforms and organizes this entire metabolism between humans and nature for the sake of profit-making. Technologies are also used for this purpose. So technologies are not for the purpose of creating better life, free time and sustainable production, but rather it exploits workers and nature at the same time for the sake of more growth, more profit, and so on. My point is basically Marx was quite optimistic when he was young in terms of the development of technologies, but later he came to realize actually technologies have more damaging impact on both humans and nature. So he became more critical of that possibility of solving those problems of poverty and ecological problems using technology. That's how the issue of degrowth and eco-socialist ideas came to be central for his ideas.

[jessecrust]

We must stop being surprised

The studio that made one of the best games ever is currently imploding. ZA/UM, the studio that made Disco Elysium, is laying off 25% of their staff, including the last remaining credited writer for the hit video game. It's rare for a game to move me as much as Disco Elysium did, it's even rarer for the main creative forces who made the game to thank Karl Marx at their acceptance speech at The Game Awards. It is a breathtakingly beautiful and gorgeous work of art that made me laugh, slip into depression, cry, and smile so big my entire face hurt. After struggling through so many overlong, pretentious, AAA slogs like The Last of Us and God of War sequels, I never wanted to leave doomed Revochol. And it seems that, once again, the reward for surprise success and bringing something unique and wonderful into the world is misery and ruin.

The point of this is not really to document the facts of this sordid business, the legal battles, the documentary made about the studio, the drama, etc. All of that matters, and I'm sure others will cover it, but what matters to me about this is how unsurprising it is. We must stop being surprised that this keeps happening. We can no longer be surprised when the next surprise work of genius made by passionate, idiosyncratic people is slowly and fatally smothered by the financial criminals. There's a basic incongruity between creatives and financiers that, in the best of times, seems like a mutually beneficial relationship. But please understand that these soulless piles of money are all scorpions that will inevitably dig its stinger into your frog back the first chance it gets. Netflix was always going to charge you more to watch ads. The line on the graph must only go one way, the system proposes infinity in a finite world and tasks CEOs, HR departments, and mangers to make the impossible possible.

What I find the most grating is the inevitable reply: "profit is the only reason that these things exist". I truly wish I could experience life through the brain stem of the person who believes this. It must be fascinating to be so dull. Even worse, there's a non-zero chance that the person saying this has downloaded--for free--a PC mod for one of their favorite unoptimized, unprofitable to patch, forgotten games that fixed most of the major bugs and issues. The money, hustle, profit, business obsessed mind cannot comprehend the joy and pleasure of creation for its own sake. Nor, I suspect, can it comprehend art, preservation, aesthetics, history, etc.

I wanted to end this with the Jonas Salk quote about patenting the sun, so I looked it up to make sure I wasn't misremembering it: " There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" And, sure enough, as if the universe reached out its fist to burying it into my gut, I stumble upon a Slate article titled "Jonas Salk: Good at Virology, Bad at Economics". The human race survived thousands of years without Economics, consultants, and private equity firms. If only we could go without them again.

[icyfox62]

One of the wildest things about Tumblr and how people are reacting to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is knowing the obsession Tumblr has had with Les Mis, Karl Marx/communism, and/or the French Revolution (or at least the guillotine part of it).

Like, we saw what happened, right? In Les Mis, the students, though they had a cause many would deem as noble, were doomed to fail. They put blind faith that in a pipe dream that everyone would come to their sides because they were so sure that they were the majority. They didn’t even do their research or know the face of Javert, a local policeman, yet expected to win against an army.

Karl Marx created a system that makes it easier for fascists and tyrannical groups to hold power because it requires limited individualism and a level of trust that’s almost impossible on a large scale.

Or how during the French Revolution, the people started blaming the leaders of the revolution and killed them. Because they got accustomed to shedding blood at every slight instead of putting a form of government in that was actually going to try and do the work. The empty power vacuum made it super easy for people even more radical to take control.

How do you see realistic examples like these and still think things are going to end well? Please explain to me how do you get a free, no-risk trial run to a descent into chaos, know that it’s bad, and still put decide to go full steam ahead?

[leyenra8]

Can You Handle The Truth And Face The Facts?   

Socialism And Communism Are Not Altogether Different

Both ideologies originate from a desire to limit worker exploitation, and lower or eliminate the influence of economic classes in society. 

Karl Marx was an economist, and philosopher, who co-wrote the Communist Manifesto.

In short, his theory centered around the idea that as Europe transitioned from Centralized Monarchies to Quasi-Democratic Capitalist economies.

Workers were being exploited by those who owned the means of production.

Whoever owned the factories or farms were getting more out of the workers than they were putting in. And this created an Inherent Inequality.

In Marxism, to fix this Inequality, society must shift towards a model, where the workers hold this power instead by collectively controlling the means of production.

According to Marx, “Socialism Is A Precursor To Communism”, and the next logical step after Capitalism.    

In Socialism, a Democratic State controls the means of production rather than having private companies hold ownership.

Instead of competing with each other as in a Capitalist society, Socialism has workers contribute as much as they can to the greater good, and then they all share equally in that good. 

But once the Democratic State controls all the means of production, the next step is total collective ownership.

Not just of production, but all aspects of society, and economy, including private property.

The intention of abolishing private property is a classless, moneyless, stateless society where everyone works towards the same collective goal of being healthy happy, and free.

Every so-called Communist country is actually a Socialist country, with the state controlling employment, and economy to some degree.

But this total control is a major reason that Socialist countries struggle to reach this ideal.

Corruption is rampant in countries like the former USSR, Venezuela, Vietnam, and North Korea.  

However, people in power, abusing that power instead of using it to help the society they control, and refusing to give up that power to the people.

The human hurdle of overcoming power, greed, and government is the biggest reason we have never seen a true Communist country.

In short, Socialism and Communism are not altogether different.

Agenda: Grinding America Down

The Fact-Based documentary detailing a COMMUNIST AGENDA for the last 70 years to corrupt American Institutions – from Education to Hollywood to Media – and sabotage America, and its values from within.

The main strategy is to Divide and Conquer – to turn Americans against each other.

After watching the documentary, at least you know why the DEMOCRATS Are COMMUNISTS.

The only way to DEFEAT the DEMOCRATS is to Call Them What They Are – DEMOCRATS Are COMMUNISTS.

Once the American people find out the Truth – DEMOCRATS Are COMMUNISTS, it could DESTROY the party forever.

Sharing Is Caring

Please Keep Reblogging

[theprincessboi]

Very very different kind of post, feel free to ignore. Please ignore it honestly. I just need to put this where I can pretend someone will see.

Just thinking about a lot of things. About how it's cool and edgy to hate stuff and people and whatever, which just... it makes me so uncomfortable y'know? Before I joined a place like this I was so used to this energy from conservative spaces. And before anyone says, god no I don't mean they're *equivalent.* It's just... vibes I guess.

And part of the problem is that I don't really know what to do or say to any of it because I'm just not very educated. I'm still suffering from a lot of mental illness (see above and below if you need evidence) so I'm not exactly out here reading feminist literature or Karl Marx. I don't know what "misandry isn't real" means, is it sarcasm? A genuine take? Said out of pure spite? I don't know, all I know is it makes my stomach twist, and then I have to wonder if I'm just being stupid and dumb or not, and then I just feel like a privileged cis male all over again.

I don't know my place in queer spaces yet. I'm really really conflict averse, my life has been nonstop fighting, I just want to nap forever most of the time. But you can't exactly avoid political discussion in a space made of the most political people ever. But I can't comment on it, just watch from afar and feel uncomfortable and gross and like I'll never be a woman so long as I'm also a man.

God I probably sound so whiny. I'm tired. Never trust how you feel about your life after 9, right? Idk I just. I'm so distressed and anxious so much of the time and I usually block it out by being horny but now my anxieties are mixing with my horny and it sucks.

Most of this probably makes no sense and you probably hate me now. I don't plan on doing this often, but still. Feel free to unfollow if you hated this, it's for the best, for both of us.

[play-now-my-lord]

DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER (I HAVE A TIME MACHINE): you have to get immortal technique to bully him harder. there's way more information available to us now than there was to immortal technique in high school. we can prevent hamilton ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER (I HAVE A TIME MACHINE): that will only make hamilton worse! the harder you bully a nerd, the more you entrench their sense of superiority! you need to convince immortal technique to ignore him and let him live his life free of the anxiety of influence that lead to his horrible work KARL MARX ON MY SHOULDER (I HAVE A TIME MACHINE AND BROUGHT HIM BACK AND ALSO MADE HIM THE SIZE OF A LITTLE MOUSE WITH UNRELATED TECHNOLOGY): please take me to a doctor. my penile carbuncle is agonizing, as you are somehow already aware

[benschwartzcinematicuniverse]

Here’s the intro post that no one asked for! Hopefully I’ll figure out how to pin it to the top 😆 💕🎉🤝🎭👻🐸📝🌱🖤🎶

Edit: adding a break because this post is so long. I ramble fyi

Scroll to the bottom for one of my favorite Ben interview answers 💕

Me

I am leading, yet again, with the fact that I am a child of the 80s friends, so please remember that. I won’t be posting any 18+ content, but it’s always good to know who you’re talking to online. My kids are on here and I want them any everyone to stay safe. That being said, always feel free to engage. Some days I’m chatty, somedays I’m a ghost

I’m a communications major, a writer, I work retail, and I volunteer. LGBTQ+ family. Pantheist. Leftist. My birthday is on Halloween. I have ridiculously shitty music taste. I love the rare times it rains here in AZ and would happily move somewhere where it rained all the time. I love space and good conversation and my kids more than anything. I live with bouts of depression and anxiety. I also picked up grief at a young age and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone

I have no creative links to share, but I do have a private portfolio, a music blog I abandoned, and an ao3 account that hasn’t been updated in yeeears

Fun stuff

This blog is 99% Ben Schwartz content. I love him. I respect the hell out of him. And he’s just so, so silly. I cherish the things that make me smile when it feels impossible. He’s also super cute?? The other 1% is the socialism that’s on the label. More on that later.

On Schwartz:

Favorite character: Anthony Scarapiducci (don’t ask me why, I still don’t know. So much of him is such a facade. Ben said Tony “wants to show that he's not just a piece of s*** and that what he's doing matters.” I’ll do a whole post on Tony someday ILHSM

Favorite movie: I am a huge Sonic fan (since the 90s!), so those movies are huge. Standing Up, Falling Down is way up there

What made me a fan: he’s always made me laugh, but sharing some videos with my kid had me falling down the IMDb rabbit hole. It’s hard to watch so much content in a row and not fall in love with the guy. I’m also a big fan of ridiculous stories with authentic characters. Give me a good work of fiction with the most believable people running around in it. Ben is so endearing that, no matter how over the top he is, I totally buy what he’s selling every single time. Plus I’m a big improv fan and that boy can sing, so whats not to love

I also randomly started tagging “any excuse for a Josh Bath gif” and have had a few people tell me they watched the Earliest Show because of that and I cannot explain how happy that made me

On Socialism:

Socialism is the framework of a government that takes care of its people. I could break off into facets of leftism and talk theory all day - but my stance is literally “take care of each other.” The phrase “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs” (popularized by Karl Marx) means a lot to me, as does the Spanish idiom “hoy por ti, mañana por mi” (today you, tomorrow me). I volunteer with a kindness organization (feel free to ask me which one). I have been working together among local folks to build and strengthen mutual aid hubs in our communities. I also do water distro and deliver other Heat relief supplies to unsheltered folks

This space will not be used to preach (but I am an ordained minister if you’re needing one 😆), nor will or be used much to educate. The socialist side of this page is more about being actively present in the world I believe in

Tl;dr

I’m always up for meeting new comrades. Asks are open. Feel free to chat and also definitely tell me what your favorite favorite Schwartz moment is

And finally

I’ll leave you with this moment from Ben’s Mythical Kitchen Last Meal interview that I hope makes you smile

[palin-tropos]

1, 12, 13?

the character everyone gets wrong

You'd think I'd answer a controversial character but my literal ass must try to think of how to fit in the *everyone* claim. Like I think a chunk but not all of the fandom gets Kim wrong for a variety of reasons (I pointed this out in my "please analyze him in chronological order and in context" post). I also think that it's funny how "there is only one pre-canon Harry" was so hegemonic in fandom as the foundational analysis despite being coded into the game to not really be true.

But my answer to the most widespread fandom incorrectness would have to be Kras Mazov. The empty Ao3 tag is proof. Like Dolores Dei has a couple of pages at least but not Mazov even though both are distant mysterious historical figures. The overwhelming majority clearly see him as simply a Karl Marx expy and therefore untouchable with humanizing or complicating headcanons because he's less fictional than the other characters. I'll save you Mr. Mazov. I'll blorbofy you.

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

I mean, see above? Mazov is not exactly unpopular just not seen as a "real character" so much. Like yeah I get it that it feels more... delicate? You poke a leftist idea with a stick once and then you trigger the infighting thunderdome. But every political ideology is fraught as hell, again, it's not like playing around with Dolores Dei is any less fraught you know?

I also am more amused and fascinated by Measurehead and Gary than I should be, although it should be obvious that it's like staring at some really hideous bugs under a microscope. I don't think anyone should *like* them but also I would do more with them than other people would. That one art of Deep Lore Measurehead is the only time I felt seen. And Gary... I'm fucking sorry it's so funny to me that he's embarrassed by the fact he delivers gluten-free vegan topping pies. Unparalleled levels of pathetic. I find enjoyment there.

Joyce Messier is also a character who people feel ideologically obliged to hate but like she fucking rules actually. I don't want her in charge of my society lmao but she's iconic. A friend suggested the idea of her having a non-affair with Harry to piss off her husband, like a platonic sugar relationship. Although they would probably enjoy antagonistically flirting. Kim would have no idea it's fake and is miserably jealous like listening to sad speedfreak music alone in his room while the rain streaks down his window kind of jealous.

13. worst blorboficiation

It's got to be Jean. I get why people would blorbofy him but it's the part where certain portrayals have more sympathy for him than for Harry particularly in post-game, that I just don't get. Unless you're playing the worst Harry you can, which again ties into the false assumption—that sounds like really deep analysis but still is kind of an exaggeration of canon IMO—that all of Harry's possible choices exist so equally simultaneously in his soul that even if he didn't do the most fucked up things he's still 'the kind of person who would do them' and therefore he must have abused Jean and the way Jean treats him in the latter half of the game is therefore sympathetic and not, like, uncalled for and shocking. I guess I would accept Jeangst more if people accepted the multiplicity of Harry.

[tea-time-for-bee-time]

Ok so. Staff posted some information about there plans moving forward. Here’s the link and below the cut- my thoughts.

Let’s begin with the fact that some of y’all are bitching and moaning about the fact that they want to change at all. Change is important and not always a bad thing. We often joke (and are sometimes proud of) the fact that this website has never been profitable, but unfortunately that’s sort of a necessary aspect of staying alive in a capitalist free market. If you want this place to stick around it needs to be functioning and profitable. If you disagree with that concept please go take it up with Karl Marx he’d love to hear from you. Until then we have to work with what we’ve got.

Most people seem afraid of the idea that they will remove user curated content in favour of algorithmic content. -I highly doubt that they would severely change the format in a way that drastically impacts current users, as their loyalty is one of the few things that this sight has going for it in an elevator pitch. And I like to hope staff have heard the millions of complaints from current users whenever they so much as change the shape of a button.

I don’t think that’s the case (I hope not). They specifically mention they have a problem with curated content when it comes to bringing in new users. Which… yeah. I came here a few years ago and it took months to get a dash that really truly jives with me.

The addition of the “for you” page was clearly a great way to tackle this, as it allows users to explore other places and people just outside their “bubble”.

I think the best way to move forward is really focusing on the onboarding process of creating an account. I don’t know how it works nowadays but “pick a few tags that interest you” isn’t really enough data to help begin a curated page.

Perhaps “which of these accounts have you heard of?” Would also be a good question.

If they could swing it, an analysis of the culture of tumblr on other apps might be useful. So say someone says “I came here from reddit” on an onboarding poll, the app now knows that they probably like the kind of tumblr stuff cross-posted there.

In terms of making communication easier. Yes. That’s a very important one. I know a lot of old users like to talk in the tags, but honestly it’s not really feasible anymore and a more streamlined comments and replies system seems like the best way to go.

[howieabel]

“Napoleon represented the last battle of revolutionary terror against the bourgeois society which had been proclaimed by this same Revolution, and against its policy. Napoleon, of course, already discerned the essence of the modern state; he understood that it is based on the unhampered development of bourgeois society, on the free movement of private interest, etc. He decided to recognise and protect this basis. He was no terrorist with his head in the clouds. Yet at the same time he still regarded the state as an end in itself and civil life only as a treasurer and his subordinate which must have no will of its own. He perfected the Terror by substituting permanent war for permanent revolution. He fed the egoism of the French nation to complete satiety but demanded also the sacrifice of bourgeois business, enjoyments, wealth, etc., whenever this was required by the political aim of conquest. If he despotically suppressed the liberalism of bourgeois society — the political idealism of its daily practice — he showed no more consideration for its essential material interests, trade and industry, whenever they conflicted with his political interests. His scorn of industrial hommes d'affaires was the complement to his scorn of ideologists. In his home policy, too, he combated bourgeois society as the opponent of the state which in his own person he still held to be an absolute aim in itself. Thus he declared in the State Council that he would not suffer the owner of extensive estates to cultivate them or not as he pleased. Thus, too, he conceived the plan of subordinating trade to the state by appropriation of roulage [road haulage]. French businessmen took steps to anticipate the event that first shook Napoleon’s power. Paris exchange- brokers forced him by means of an artificially created famine to delay the opening of the Russian campaign by nearly two months and thus to launch it too late in the year.” ― Karl Marx, The Holy Family

[accessible-tumbling]

[ID copied from alt:

a tweet from @hollycassell saying: "The best New Year's resolution I ever made was to start devouring all my nicest things, and save no small pleasure for an unspecified future. Now I burn the good candles, wear the expensive perfume at home, scribble imperfectly in pretty notebooks. You can't pin joy like a moth."

a tweet from @yashatovah saying: "Yeah, olive oil and cheese and pastries can make you a little fat. Yeah, sunshine gives you wrinkles and wine ruins your liver and spending money on pretty things eats up your savings. But unfortunately, I've decided to enjoy life anyways"

a tumblr post from @moveslikekeithrichards saying: "doing my damnedest to free myself of the “just gotta get through this week” “only x more days til the weekend” mindset & learn to appreciate each day for whatever it is lest i be driven to madness. so what if tomorrows monday i have leftovers & maybe this week i will make soup. maybe ill see a cat. maybe each day will show me something worthwhile even if im tired & maybe i can enjoy it"

a tweet from @FitFounder saying: "Your body is a machine: Use food, workouts & mobility to upgrade your hardware. Use books, writing & meditation to upgrade your software."

a quote from karl marx saying: "The less you eat, drink and buy books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorise, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you save – the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor rust will devour – your capital. The less you are, the more you have; the greater is your alienated life—the greater is the store of your estranged being."

"Please don't forget your kindness, your energy, comes from your body."

a tumblr post from ursulaklegay saying: "actually i love growing older and learning how i work as a person like realizing what kinds of fabrics feel best on my skin or what brand of yogurt i like best or how I want to be touched. watching myself change, enjoying brussel sprouts when I used to hate them as a child, understanding why I got angry in that one conversation 10 years ago… there are so many mysteries inside me that i have yet to unravel and there will always be more and sometimes i think maybe its all worth it"

a tumblr post from pathologising saying: "Dismiss the idea that you are cursed to suffer for eternity and start bringing little joys into your life NOW. It will build up in time..." tumblr user ledbet adds a reply saying: "- Flowers in your kitchen, fresh, home friendly, paper, whatever! - that special type of cookie you like - a family recipe or recipe shared by a friend - nice soft clean sheets - a new hobby - buttons, marbles, sun catchers, glass vases - watching birds in the park or your backyard - homemade ice tea. Homemade lemonade! Homemade hot chocolate!!! - a beloved pet - a good friend - a neighbor you’re getting closer too - a walk in the sun - a nap while its raining - a game or book from your childhood - A treat, because you *deserve* it." End ID]

my 2023 moodboard

[merlindoesntwearpants]

Books I Read in 2024

I was going to do an entire list ranking best to worse, but I had trouble with a lot of books that I thought were equally as good (or equally as bad). So within each star category, I just tried to organize the covers nicely. This is hella long so sorry for any typos. If you have any questions or thoughts on these books, please let me know. I love to yap about books.

5 Stars

Defenestrate - Renee Branum, Slippery Creatures/The Sugared Game/Subtle Blood - KJ Charles, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen/A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel - KJ Charles, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee, The Queer Principles of Kit Webb - Cat Sebastian, Pride and Premeditation - Tirzah Price, Unnatural Magic - CM Waggoner, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries - Heather Fawcett, Spellcrafting - Arin Murphy-Hiscock, Picture Book of Saints - Lawrence G Lovasik, Lies We Sing to the Sea - Sarah Underwood, Nettle & Bone - T Kingfisher, A House with Good Bones - T Kingfisher, Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll, Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao, Joyland - Stephen King, Salem's Lot - Stephen King, She is a Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran, What Lies in the Woods - Kate Alice Marshall, Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn, Dracula - Bram Stoker, Fat Talk - Virginia Sole-Smith, Paris The Memoir - Paris Hilton, Axiom's End - Lindsay Ellis, After the Revolution - Robert Evans, How to Sell a Haunted House - Grady Hendrix, Horrorstor - Grady Hendrix, The Montessori Child - Simone Davies & Junnifa Uzodike, Counting the Cost - Jill Duggar

4 Stars

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats & Piracy/The Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky/The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal & Shipwrecks - Mackenzi Lee, Flux - Jinwoo Chong, Yellowface - RF Kuang, The Yellow Wallpaper & Selected Writings - Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros, Wicked/Son of a Witch - Gregory Maguire, Thief in the Night/The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting - KJ Charles, The Magpie Lord/A Case of Possession - KJ Charles, Proper English - KJ Charles, I Kissed Shara Wheeler - Casey McQuiston, Exciting Times - Naoise Dolan, Lavender House - Lev AC Rosen, Child of the Northern Spring - Persia Woolley, We Deserve Monuments - Jas Hammonds, Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert, The League of Gentlewomen Witches/The Wisteria Society of Lady Soundrels - India Holton, Perks of Loving a Wallflower - Erica Ridley, The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett, A Dash of Salt & Pepper - Kosoko Jackson, Pet - Akwaeke Emezi, One Last Stop - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, She Drives Me Crazy - Kelly Quindlen, Love & Other Disasters - Anita Kelly, The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry - CM Waggoner, The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka, What's the Matter with Mary Jane - Candas Jane Dorsey, Home is Where the Bodies Are - Jeneva Rose, Emma - Jane Austen, Midnight Sun - Stephanie Meyer, Our Hideous Progeny - CE McGill, Most Ardently - Gabe Cole Novoa, Cemetary Boys - Aiden Thomas, Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin, Misery - Stephen King, Hard Ride - AM Arthur, Cultish - Amanda Montell, Becoming Free Indeed - Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - Grady Hendrix, Grimoire for the Green Witch - Ann Moura, We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson, The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K Le Guin

3 Stars

Night World No 1 - LJ Smith, Firestarter - Stephen King, A Spindle Splintered - Alix E Harrow, The Dead Zone - Stephen King, The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson, Babel - RF Kuang, The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx, Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen, Sekhmet & Bastet - Lesley Jackson, The Wicked Deep - Shea Ernshaw, Light from Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki, The Bone Spindle - Leslie Vedder, You Again - Kate Goldbeck, The Adventures of Isabel - Candas Jane Dorsey, Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk, 18 Tiny Deaths - Bruce Goldfarb, The Peppermint Peril/Sweet Tea & Secrets - Joy Avon, What Big Teeth - Rose Szabo, Yerba Buena - Nina Lacour, Detransition Baby - Torrey Peters, Children of Dune - Frank Herbert, The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School - Sonora Reyes, Hide - Kiersten White, The Chosen - Chaim Potok, Sense & Second Degree Murder - Tirzah Price, The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes - Cat Sebastian, The Upside of Unrequited - Becky Albertalli, A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle, Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum, On Her Knees - Brenda Marie Davies

2 Stars

Brainwyrms - Alison Rumfitt, Frankissstein - Jeanette Winterson, In Cold Chamomile - Joy Avon, A Lion Among Men - Gregory Maguire, Real Life - Brandon Taylor, Little - Edward Carey, Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant, Son of Rosemary - Ira Levin, Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte, Vanishing Monuments - John Elizabeth Stintzi, You Exist Too Much - Zaina Arafat, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley, Authority - Jeff VanderMeer, Class Struggle Unionism - Joe Burns, A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle, The Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle, Summer Sons - Lee Mandelo, Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn, Patricia Wants to Cuddle - Samantha Allen, Ruby Fruit Jungle - Rita Mae Brown, Never Been Kissed - Timothy Janovsky, Sorry Not Sorry - Naya Rivera, This Delicious Death - Kayla Cottingham

1 Star

1984 - George Orwell, Tender is the Flesh - Augusitna Bazterrica, The Pope's Rhinoceros - Lawrence Norfolk, The Guest - Emma Cline

[porkyratt]

(i hope its ok to respond in an ask! if you want to answer privately and not clog up your blog feel free ^_^!!)

unfortunately something with tumblr (and a lot of english speaking fanbase in general) is that being mean / callous is really normalized! i dont think what you said was especially cruel or evil or anything, but the wording of "getting the characters completely wrong" is just a very blanket statement that can come off a bit mean especially when fic authors are usually pretty unappreciated in fandom in general. i hope that makes sense?? i also think having the experience of being in disco elysium fanbase sort of sets you up to fail when it comes to rvb. its a superbly written game about intense political theory, and a large majority of people who write fanfiction for it will be people with a vested interest in that political theory who have a lot of writing experience / experience reading advanced nonfiction (karl marx for example since hes a such a huge influence on disco elysium itself)

meanwhile, rvb has a main character named donut. whos thing is that hes gay. because donuts have holes. kind of like a butthole. like for gay sex??... /teasing

but seriously if you need good fic recommendations ive got plenty! !!ive been in the fanbase almost a decade so ive been around LOL there are definitely some baaaad fics in the world but this is not necessarily indicative of grimmons fic as a whole

(if any of this is hard to understand please tell me and ill do my best to rephrase!!! ^_^ )

tysm for coming into my askbox... I feel like an oldman facetiming whenever I use the tags to respond like "help how do I switch the camera" Again thank you for pointing it out. I genuinely do not realize when somethings I am saying are coming across as mean since I am translating it from a different language in my head. I did go back and edit the post because last thing I would want is to bash or belittle people making content for a fandom. That was not my intention in the slightest, and I deeply deepplly apologize. Also for the disco elysium example, yeahhhh maybe not the best one to give! I was more trying to point out how they write ship dynamics where it feels a lot less playing into steriotypes if that makes sense. Not trying to box them(I am saying this with a big fat question mark idk if this is coming across as intended?) Also, wasn't my intention to belittle all grimmons fics because I have read some really beautiful ones. I have just ran into really questionable ones especially recently which made me raise an eyebrow. And yes I am on my hand and knees I need good fics so bad:'))))) Tsym for taking the time to write all of this... I honestly didn't expect my little "let me ramble about what I'm thinking" post to get this much attention I think I forget that I have a bigger reach now compared to when I started posting like a couple of months ago. ( also this is my first social media in like 4 years I have def forgotten social media etiquette a bit) I will be more careful with my wording in the future bc last thing I want is to hurt people even if it's completely unintentional</3

[hybridmindthoughtsreloaded]

The Ugly Truth About The Anti Defamation League (ADL Transcripts Link)

"Folks, tonight I'm going to embark on a course from which there is no return. It is important that you learn the information that I'm going to begin to impart to you tonight; and yes, it is a part of the "Mind Control" series. It is also a part of the history of the Illuminati in this nation. And it will explain an awful lot of things to you that have never been explainable before. It's going to explain to you the link between the Lodges of the Illuminati, the intelligence community, and the underworld." - Bill Cooper.

The Hour Of The Time believes in Liberty and Freedom for all People, without exceptions, regardless of race, religion, or place of ancestral origin. HOTT supports the Jewish People and their legitimate organizations. This link has absolutely nothing to do with anti-Semitism or racism. The ADL is an organization that manipulates our Jewish Citizens and the general population of America by applying the term "anti-Semitic" to any and all opposition in order to fulfill the secret agenda of Karl Marx's dream of a socialist world. The subversive ADL has worked diligently to control politicians, the domestic and foreign policy of the united States of America, and to destroy the Constitutionally guaranteed Rights of all Americans including Jewish Americans. The ADL has become what it pretends to oppose... it has become a strong-arm and intelligence organization of modern tyranny. We will undoubtedly be labeled anti-Semitic... indeed we may even be burned out or murdered for daring to speak the truth... but speak the truth we will no matter the consequences. Set yourself Free... click the links below and don't stop reading until you have consumed it all. As always we recommend you listen to everyone, read everything, but believe absolutely nothing unless you can verify it in your program of due diligence through your research.

This series of 8 historic broadcasts was taken in whole or in part from investigations conducted by the CAJI News Service, the Intelligence Service, Jews For the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JFPO), reports published by The Executive Intelligence Review entitled "The Ugly Truth About The ADL", and the book "Dope Inc." Please distribute copies of these transcripts to everyone you know.

http://www.hourofthetime.com/adltruth.htm

[xtruss]

US ‘New Cold War’ Against China Is Self-Destructive

— By Jan Oberg | September 05, 2023

Illustration:Xia Qing/Global Times

Editor's Note:

The China-US bilateral relationship is one of the most important in the world. The trajectory of this relationship has attracted international attention. Still, the US is stepping up its efforts to suppress China on various fronts such as politics and diplomacy, economy, trade, technology, and military security, showing the true meaning of a cold war. The Global Times invites Chinese and foreign experts to expose the US' manipulation of the "new cold war" and reveal the damage it may potentially cause to the world.

A couple of years ago, The Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, TFF, in Sweden, of which I am the director, published "Behind The Smokescreen. An Analysis of the West's Destructive China Cold War Agenda And Why It Must Stop."

Among several perspectives of the US/Western accusation industry, we looked into the medialized stories about genocide in Xinjiang, forced labor and Taiwan, and nine mainstream media manipulation methods that aim to manufacture a systematically negative image of China in the Western mind.

We found that a cold war occurs by influencing the "free" press - also the Western state press - through three main mechanisms: a) Fake or fabricated stories, b) Omission - for instance, of every positive aspect of China's developments, and c) Source Ignorance: using the same few sources spreading disinformation, from the US rippling through and being repeated ad nauseam and never checking the root empirical evidence or validity of the assertions, in short, FOSI.

Ultimately, this causes a decay of the crucial and critical role of mainstream media and their conversion toward tabloid banalizing black-and-white worldviews - "we good, them evil" - that promote confrontation and warfare, all operated by the Military-Industrial-Media-Academic Complex, MIMAC.

Tragically for democracy, mainstream media have become the leaders in promoting militarism, armament and legitimizing the empire and its wars. What are the elements of the cold war in all this?

First and foremost, the cold war is a psycho-political phenomenon. It dichotomizes our incredibly complex world into two: good versus evil. It seeks to preserve our superiority and keep others submissive and weaker. It promises war if its deterrence fails. And it precludes a world of equals, cooperation and mutual learning. If you are No. 1 in a system, you do not learn and listen; you teach, bribe and issue orders.

Cold wars may go well for the cold warrior when in ascendancy. In the "old" Cold War in Europe, two fundamentally Western systems - one based on Karl Marx, the other on Adam Smith, to put it crudely - competed while the US/NATO ascended after 1945. On all power scales, it was superior to the Soviet Union and its system. We know how it ended.

The winner then - foolishly - took it all: The US/NATO world did what it pleased within its exceptionalist "international rules-based order," not the UN Charter and other parts of international law. Catchwords: out-of-NATO-area military actions in violation of NATO's own Treaty - Yugoslavia - and regime change/resource/anti-terrorism wars on an assembly line basis; NATO's expansion against all promises given to the Soviet Union.

It all went so well and seemed so easy. Why listen to or empathize with others? Why focus on the changing world when "we" are the change-makers, God's own country par excellence? If we can get away with it, we do it. However, prudence, statesmanship and long-range thinking would have compelled global impact analyses instead of narcissist imperial self-aggrandizement.

The US Unilaterally Initiates New Cold War Against China! Illustration: Liu Xidan/Global Times

It went so well that the West overlooked the Rest: China's impressive socio-economic development based on an eclectic combination of Chinese concepts - that the West still doesn't understand - and imported Western elements; the establishment and maturation of organizations like BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and African and other regional organizations.

The West also did not sense the actual price that would be paid for its militarism: It's huge and growing burden on all civilian sectors, including technology and economy, and - in the wake of the history of colonialism and imperialism - the Rest becoming more and more nationally and collectively self-reliant - a concept developed about 50 years ago and ridiculed by the West.

And what was the result? Well, this is written the day after BRICS expanded with essential countries in Africa, the Middle East and South America - a huge step toward a multipolar and cooperative Rest saying: We can do without you, America and Europe! If you want to cooperate on new, reasonable terms, we are ready, but the days of your Western hegemony and universalization of Western values are coming to an end.

Such is global macro history: Empires have come and gone, and that of the US/NATO is the last: Nobody is so naive as to believe that it has a God-given right to be the ruler of the whole world and force others to accept its values.

The enormous world order changing before our very eyes is as predictable as it is inexorable. Only the ignorance - blinding intoxication - of power overlooks it. The West has run its race and become over-extended, insensitive to other cultures and ways of thinking, and unable to adapt to system changes but insisted on steering unilaterally. It's losing legitimacy in the eyes of others, relative economic and political strength and the creative ability to outline a better future world that the Rest feels attracted to: Classical decline indicators!

What I have said here is pure Gandhian thinking: You may harm others by using violence - physical, economic, military, structural, cultural and environmental - but, sooner rather than later, your violence boomerangs: It corrupts, debases, brutalizes and makes you more loathed than loved. A critical mass will develop.

In a deeper socio-cultural sense, the Christian Occident has never appropriately problematized those many types of violence upon which it built its relations with the Rest.

The West's cold war on China is about so much more than the issues that dominate daily news - chips, trade, Taiwan and the topics of the permanent accusation industry. It's about profound tectonic changes in humanity's way of developing - and about whether or not the West will join and contribute or become a de-developed periphery in the new world. And whether its empire will go down with a whimper or a bang, or adapt to macro history's unavoidable changes.

We know very little about humanity's future in the next 100 or so years. The safest philosophy will be for the Rest to, despite all, extend compassion and cooperation to the good forces of the West and abstain from tit-for-tat against its evil ones.

—The Author is the Director of the Sweden-based Think Tank Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research.