#take-over

[elexuscal]

"it's concerning if university students are genuinely struggling to read full adult-level books for class" and "don't overstate the reporting of a single news article" and "if this shift is genuinely real, it's reflective of broad curriculum changes in lower education levels, probably at least in part due to remote schooling during COVID, and doesn't mean the new generation is being willfully Stupid and Vapid" and "when reading for personal pleasure people should read whatever they like without shame" and "reading from a broad variety of genres, styles, and authorial backgrounds will improve your understanding of both literature and the real world" and "actively mocking people for their tastes in books does not encourage them to become more adventurous you're just being mean" and also "but seriously adult books are not just boringly pretentious nothingburgers padded with pointless sex scenes, and claiming they are just shows how little you've read" all can and should co-exist.

[junglejim4322]

Something that I have noticed is I know almost nobody my age that goes to a food pantry. I know people who regularly run out of money for food and in general have to eat an unsuitable diet because that’s what they can afford and they still don’t go to a food bank, im not sure if it’s because they’re embarrassed or maybe if you didn’t grow up going you don’t know much about it but if you’re financially struggling I really recommend it. And look into other options for food assistance too like community fridges and gardens and other programs that can assist you, where I live Salvation Army pays for an allotted amount of grocery delivery for low income people every month, in the summer farmers take excess produce to the library to be taken by anyone who needs it, etc. There are a LOT of resources for free food that you can look into especially if you are literally not eating because of your financial situation

[carsonjonesfiance]

“This thing is legally dubious and therefore technically unenforceable.” Is not a “useless liberal gotcha” it’s how legalism works in this country. Tying up stupidly worded EOs in court is the quickest way to keep them from being implemented. It is the definition of “doing something.” But it doesn’t usually involve much tweeting so of course a certain type of leftist feels obligated to mock it.

[shadesofmauve]

I want to step away from the art-vs-artist side of the Gaiman issue for a bit, and talk about, well, the rest of it. Because those emotions you're feeling would be the same without the art; the art just adds another layer.

Source: I worked with a guy who turned out to be heavily involved in an international, multi-state sex-slavery/trafficking ring.

He was really nice.

Yeah.

It hits like a dumptruck of shit. You don't feel stable in your world anymore. How could someone you interacted with, liked, also be a truly horrible person? How could your judgement be that bad? How can real people, not stylized cartoon bogeymen, be actually doing this shit?

You have to sit with the fact that you couldn't, or probably couldn't, have known. You should have no guilt as part of this horror — but guilt is almost certainly part of that mess you're feeling, because our brains do this associative thing, and somehow "I liked [the version of] the guy [that I knew]", or his creations, becomes "I made a horrible mistake and should feel guilty."

You didn't, loves, you didn't.

We're human, and we can only go by the information we have. And the information we have is only the smallest glimpse into someone else's life.

I didn't work closely with the guy I knew at work, but we chatted. He wasn't just nice; he was one of the only people outside my tiny department who seemed genuinely nice in a workplace that was rapidly becoming incredibly toxic. He loaned me a bike trainer. Occasionally he'd see me at the bus stop and give me a lift home.

Yup. I was a young woman in my twenties and rode in this guy's car. More than once.

When I tell this story that part usually makes people gasp. "You must feel so scared about what could have happened to you!" "You're so lucky nothing happened!"

No, that's not how it worked. I was never in danger. This guy targeted Korean women with little-to-no English who were coerced and powerless. A white, fluent, US citizen coworker wasn't a potential victim. I got to be a person, not prey.

Y'know that little warning bell that goes off, when you're around someone who might be a danger to you? That animal sense that says "Something is off here, watch out"?

Yeah, that doesn't ping if the preferred prey isn't around.

That's what rattled me the most about this. I liked to think of myself as willing to stand up for people with less power than me. I worked with Japanese exchange students in college and put myself bodily between them and creeps, and I sure as hell got that little alarm when some asian-schoolgirl fetishist schmoozed on them. But we were all there.

I had to learn that the alarm won't go off when the hunter isn't hunting. That it's not the solid indicator I might've thought it was. That sometimes this is what the privilege of not being prey does; it completely masks your ability to detect the horrors that are going on.

A lot of people point out that 'people like that' have amazing charisma and ability to lie and manipulate, and that's true. Anyone who's gotten away with this shit for decades is going to be way smoother than the pathetic little hangers-on I dealt with in university. But it's not just that. I seriously, deeply believe that he saw me as a person, and he did not extend personhood to his victims. We didn't have a fake coworker relationship. We had a real one. And just like I don't know the ins-and-outs of most of my coworkers lives, I had no idea that what he did on his down time was perpetrate horrors.

I know this is getting off the topic, but it's so very important. Especially as a message to cis guys: please understand that you won't recognize a creep the way you might think you will. If you're not the preferred prey, the hind-brain alarm won't go off. You have to listen to victims, not your gut feeling that the person seems perfectly nice and normal. It doesn't mean there's never a false accusation, but face the fact that it's usually real, and you don't have enough information to say otherwise.

So, yeah. It fucking sucks. Writing about this twists my insides into tense knots, and it was almost a decade ago. I was never in danger. No one I knew was hurt!

Just countless, powerless women, horrifically abused by someone who was nice to me.

You don't trust your own judgement quite the same way, after. And as utterly shitty as it is, as twisted up and unstead-in-the-world as I felt the day I found out — I don't actually think that's a bad thing.

I think we all need to question our own judgement. It makes us better people.

I don't see villains around every corner just because I knew one, once. But I do own the fact that I can't know, really know, about anyone except those closest to me. They have their own full lives. They'll go from the pinnacles of kindness to the depths of depravity — and I won't know.

It's not a failing. It's just being human. Something to remember before you slap labels on people, before you condemn them or idolize them. Think about how much you can't know, and how flawed our judgement always is.

Grieve for victims, and the feeling of betrayal. But maybe let yourself off the hook, and be a bit slower to skewer others on it.

[object-obsession]

| NLRP #32 | A whole bunch of appliances that got brought to life in the "real world"

One of my own favourite concepts within this trope is when various appliances (or furniture) are brought to life in the "real world", which means they are not naturally part of the world's usual inhabitants.

Here's a list of all the occassions were this happened in media*:

1977: "De Sputterende Spuiter", Suske & Wiske [C]** ◪

1985: "Mechanised Mayhem", Danger Mouse [E] ◩ ▣

1986: The Revolt of Paradise Estate", My Little Pony [E] ◪ ▦

1987: Many appliances throughout media, The Brave Little Toaster [F]*** ◩ ▣ (3th movie)

1988: "Attack Of The Appliances", Diplodo [E] ◩ ▦

1995: "Evil Sits Down for a Moment", The Tick [E] ◪ ▣

1991: "A Revolution In Home Appliances", Darkwing Duck [E] ◩ ▣

1999: "Unpopular Mechanics", Tales From the Cryptkeeper [E] ◩ ▦

2000: "Talking Toasters", The Blobheads [B] ◩ ▣

2001: "Appliance Alliance", Wunschpunsch [E] ◩

2001: Various appliances throughout media, W.I.T.C.H. [F] ◩

2003: "Car Trouble", Kim Possible [E] ◩

2004: Huge Home Electronics Panic!, Sonic X [E] ◩ ▣

2009: Store scene, G-Force [M] ◩ ▣

2014: "Even Vacuum Cleaners Fall in Love, Baby", Space Dandy [E] ◩ ▣

2018: Forgotten Anne [G]** ◩ ◪ ▣

2018: "Robostus", Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir [E] ◩ ▣

2018: "Krusty Kleaners", Spongebob Squarepants [E] ◩ ▣

2019: "The Revolt", The Amazing World of Gumball [E]*** ◩ ▣

2020: "Fridgy", Duncanville [E] ◩

2021: Mall scene, The Mitchells vs. the Machines [M] ◩ ▣

2024: "Totally Vintage", Totally Spies! [E] ◩ ▦

Media****: [F] = franchise [M] = movie [S] = TV/webseries [A] = arc [E] = episode [B] = book [G] = video game Orange: sentient objects Purple: robotic (AI) objects Pink: both/ambiguous/unspecified ◩: appliances and electrical machines ◪: furniture and mechanical machines ▣: insurrection against protagonists***** (99% of the time) ▦: temporary insurrection against protagonists

Notice how, over time, it went from orange to purple...?

* Non-canon events in media are not included in this list, e.g. "Terrifying Tales of Recess" and "Katrien Duck… Is Nog Niet Jarig!" ** Naturally part of the world's usual inhabitants, but without mankind's knowledge *** Not (only) appliances/furniture, different kinds of objects (also) **** Includes anime/manga media, e.g. a manga volume/issue will fall under [B] ***** Usually against mankind wholly, though exceptions do occur

[sketchbot9000]

Deemed "impractical to the point of idiocy", the "Wand Cannon" was later used to devastating effect against the very wizards that had dismissed it.

[happyheidi]

𝗑, 𝗑, 𝗑, 𝗑

[lesbianwyllravengard]

I want more female characters who are just so bad at comforting others. Not for lack of trying or caring, they just get so so awkward when someone's upset, and they try to repeat things they've heard even if it doesn't necessarily apply to the situation, or they accidentally say the wrong thing and make it worse. If someone cries they panic and throw every single comfort technique down at once and it only helps because it's such bizarre behaviour

This post is for all women including trans women and op loves trans women. Terfs kill yourselves

[chloesimaginationthings]

Doey trio consider what to do about poppy playtime

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

hero/villain showdown but one of them has a spontaneous medical emergency and the battle gets put on hold while their archnemesis drives them to Urgent Care

[mimimar]

wishing only wounds the heart

(art prints)

[pigdemonart]

Unexpected and unrequested Bowuigi be upon ye

They still tickle me from time to time. And I found these now years old sketches I never cleaned up, and decided to share cuz WHY NOT!

Its a good time thank everyone who supports my silly ideas LOL 🙇 ♥️ genuinely love you all sm

Patreon | Ko-Fi

[churrotowns]

ginger cat world domination incoming

[bruciemilf]

Need a teen! Bruce au where he’s exactly like Justice League! Batman and Battinson in one. That mf put the fear of every god in Ra’s Al Ghul.

Everytime he’s in a room with someone over 30 “Teenagers” by My Chemical Romance plays in the background.

Despite that, in his own way, he’s as gentle as can be with his league. Give me a young Diana who’s getting spat on and ripped apart by the media in a way not one of her male teammates get.

And she’s Wonder Woman. She shouldn’t be affected by it. And she is, anyway. Bruce relates to that in an uncomfortable degree.

“When I first became Batman, weak men tried standing in my way, too. “

“And what did you do?”

“I stepped over them.”

He has a tiny Robin he occasionally has to keep on a leash.

Give me somewhat teen mom Bruce who struggles to wrangle his unruly six year old who likes flipping from rooftop to rooftop and thinks fighting Bane is a piece of cake.

“If Tati can do it, so can I!”

“Dick,” he paused, before handing him a handfull of candy. “Wonderful emotional manipulation. Good job.”

“:D”

[ohposhers]

GIVE THESE BOYS A WEEKEND YAOI FISHING TRIP !! GAT DAMN!! i actually have so many thoughts about Big getting Shadow into fishing istg im gonna make a whole comic on it im in too deep