#tw Ayn rand

[frownyalfred]

sometimes you come across tags in the wild that mean you absolutely have to drop everything you’re doing and read that fic

[kinsey3furry300]

A fun fic idea…

Step one: re-write the works of Ayn Rand. Change Nothing about the prose, plot, tone, nothing about the protagonist, not his name, motivation or core beliefs, the terribly written romance, keep it word for word identical…

But the only change is you make it explicitly clear that the soul destroying, anti-individualistic oppressive society he’s rebelling against is late-stage Neoliberal capitalism.

“The Fountainhead” but the architect blows up the building he’s designing in disgust at the fact Goldman-sachs are leasing a floor.

“Atlas shrugged” except the oppressive regime all the world’s scientists and creatives are fleeing is very explicitly the Regan administration. You get the idea.

Step two: Post to r/libertarianism as your original Libertarian Fic. Never mention Ayn Rand. If confronted, claim you’ve never heard of her and any similarity of existing works is coincidental.

Step three: See if them have even read Rand enough to spot it, or if they immediately denounce the entire work as the product of a mentally ill hack.

Step four: invite the ones that do notice into a private channel and ask them why they no longer want to smash the system and free themselves when it’s this particular system, and not a made-up one where they, and only they, are the victim. Ask if they really want the boot off their throat of if that particular boot is their emotional support footwear. Call them a grasping hand, and point out that they've got to stop being a bleeding heart and getting emotionaly invested in this, it's just a civil philoshophical debate.

Name the private channel “Trickle down giving-a-shit.” and post their replies to r/butthurt.

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

Okay so I just finished watching Outside Xtra's video on Madame Web (which I think I saw as a recommendation in tags by @a-commas-a-pause ?) and they quickly touched on the whole "is it okay to kill a child if you know that child will grow up to do horrific things?" and because I'm me, I have Thoughts™ and Opinions™ on that.

The version of this I've come across most often and I assume most other people have come across is "If you could, would you kill a baby who grows up to be Adolf Hitler?" , which

Anyway, I think this question - and other questions like it - is incredibly stupid and incredibly pointless.

Because the question either fundamentally misunderstands Nazi Germany or it's a badly worded question trying to get at the nature of punitive justice.

If it's the latter, you could just ask "is it ethical to punish someone for crimes they will commit in the future?" instead so presumably it's the former that is intended.

Which, the former is operating on the logic that removing Hitler from the equation would have just stopped Nazi Germany from happening, and the logic has no basis in reality. If it wasn't Hitler, it would have been someone else. It might have played out differently, but Hitler wasn't the sole reason that Nazis were able to take control of Germany.

This sort of question means to ask "Is it moral to kill a child to stop that child from committing atrocities in the future?"

And applying that questions to historical figures is almost entirely useless.

It is very rare that a monumental event in history occurred due to the efforts of a single individual; it's simply that the faces of these events are the ones whose names we remember.

As such, it is also very rare that you can trace a domino trail from said historical event to a singular point of origin. Hitler being rejected from art school is not the first in a domino train that ends in the Holocaust.

I think about this way more than I should realistically, but I just think the attitude we have really highlights the way we approach history, and the knock-on effects from that.

For one, it's incredibly individualistic; very Ayn Rand. It assumes that history is made not by the people, but by one singular person. It discourages working together toward a goal and encourages competition instead.

But it also betrays a level of complacency, in my opinion. As I've pointed out above, the idea of history hinging entirely on one man is a very flawed idea. In 99% of cases, it's not possible, and yet you are expected to believe otherwise. And so where do you begin an impossible task?

You don't. You think "I'm one person, I can't change the world" and so you give up, you become complacent, but you give up believing that some person can do it, just not you. And so any guilt or shame you're feeling can easily be pushed aside. It was okay that you did nothing because nothing you did would have amounted to anything because you're not The Chosen One.

It's easier to imagine history as lots of different domino trains running parallel to each other, and easier to imagine history as what Those Important People™ do while ordinary folks do nothing, because it allows you to be complacent.

And I guess that's the conclusion because all of this has just been written off the top of my head, and I actually have plans today that I need to prepare for.

[flock-of-cassowaries]

Ms. Du Maurier’s got some curiously Randian views on personal responsibility.

[lunaversing]

https://birdfoxcreative.space

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

(tw sexist writing)

Here's another highlight of 60s objectivist Peter and his love for women. As soon as Ditko left Spider-Man, the next writer put Peter on a metaphorical apology tour to distance his character from this phase.

Ayn Rand: All women are irrational harpies except for me!

[mystupidtheory]

Okeyyy here is my September book-log ♡♡♡

Anthem by Ayn Rand. 5/5, literally a page turner. Beberapa bulan ke belakang sempet rest akibat reading slump, buku ini kayak naikin tuas di otak buat baca. BOOM, I think I can read every books in this world!!

Batu Matahari (Sun Stone) by Octavio Paz. 3/5. Meh?? Baca ini karena buku yang dapet nobel, tapi not my cup of tea.

Gadis Minimarket by Murata Sayaka. 4/5. Bener kata Keiko, orang lebih suka kita jadi normal meski banyak masalah, dibanding gak punya masalah tapi abnormal.

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis. 4/5, feel that mourn.

SUPERNOVA 1: Kesatria, Putri, dan Bintang Jatuh by Dee Lestari. 4/5. Novel gila, semua konstruksi moral ditrabas saja. Yahhh, konsep sains di novel ini bikin aku mikir "yeah it's cool, meski aku gak ngerti".

At the Mountain of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. 4.5/5. Horror gak selalu soal hantu. Ketemu sekte mahluk astral dan Cthulhu di hamparan es mencekam Antartika wasn't on my bingo card.

Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. 2/5. Salah banget gak bawa trigger warning. BACA TW DULU!

Azaleas by Kim So-Wol. 5/5. How mesmerizing.

Sky, Wind, and Stars by Yun Dongju. 4.5/5. Cool ways to say Poetry.

Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan. 4/5. Communicates with elephants, control honeybees, what in the fairytale is this?

French Pink by Prisca Primasari. 3.5/5. Klise.

A untuk Amanda by Annisa Ihsani. 4/5. Selalu dapat nilai A apakah otomatis hidupmu jadi lebih baik?

Orang Asing by Albert Camus. 2/5. Stranger with strange (or just bad?) translation.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. 3/5. Latarnya perang dunia ke-2 di Prusia, tiap ganti chapter, sudut pandangnya ganti, lumayan pusing.

Pembunuhan di Nihonbashi (the Newcomer) by Keigo Higashino. 5/5. Ayo nyari pelaku pembunuhan bareng detektif Kaga! Awalnya ngira bakal ngebosenin kayak Kesetiaan Mr. X, tokoh yang banyak banget dengan latar belakang diceritain satu-satu bisa bikin bingung, tapi emang itu inti ceritanya. Gak expect banget bisa nikmati cerita di buku ini. Wow.

Barbie: the Pearl Princess: Pretty Pearl Mermaid by Mattel. 4.5/5. Kok beda sama movienya? Di buku gak ada pangeran as love-interest si Barbie. But who need a Prince tho?

Barbie and the Secret Door by Mattel. 5/5. Oh to be Alexa.

Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell. 3/5. Orwell sampe ngelist harga buat baca buku sama beli rokok. Mahalan rokok bro, jadi mending beli buku. Reading is a cheap hobby (gak kalo beli IN THIS ECONOMY, tapi rokok juga mahal sih. Books are expensive. It's actually a necessity, but our government treats it like it's a luxury. You don't have to buy books. You can always borrow or rent for a cheaper but legal option, BUT STILL IPUSNAS JELEKKKKKKKKKKKKK).

Spy x Family, Vol. 1 by Tatsuya Endo. 5/5. Siapa yang gak suka keluarga cemara satu ini?

Laut Bercerita by Leila S. Chudori. 3/5. Harus dikasih label 21+ sih ini. Aku kaget banget loh bu Leila masa si Laut kena pergaulan bebas, katanya pas kecil rajin ngaji. That's not the point tapi menurutku unneeded. Tanpa mengesampingkan fakta sejarahnya yang gabisa diremehin, buku ini termasuk well-written sih, bahkan bisa dibikin 1 universe sendiri dan sekuelnya. (Laut, pas kamu tenggelam harusnya minta tolong dalam hati. Pasti ditolongin putri duyung. In another universe Laut diselamatin putri duyung, sembuh dan balik ke darat lagi, tapi lupa ingatan. Terus punya kekuatan yang bikin dia jadi penipu, cuma dia pake buat nipu pejabat korup. Nanti si putri duyung nyari Laut ke darat dan saingan sama si Anjani. Tapi karena putri duyungnya bantuin misi si Laut menggulingkan pemerintahan berkat super powernya, si Laut jadi lebih milih si duyung. Udah deh, the end. Happily ever after :) nanti judulnya the Legend of the Blue Sea, Legenda Laut Biru).

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. 5/5. Adaptasi oleh Mariah Marsden, you'll find heavenly landscapes of Green Gabled dan imajinasi tak terbatas milik Anne dan teman-temannya.

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur. 2.5/5. Baca ini di Perpusda waktu nunggu acara di kampus. Random pick karena covernya, tapi ya mungkin pepatah don't judge book by its cover ada benarnya. Kebanyakan bener-bener can't resonate wih me. Ilustrasinya bagus, tho.

[pengintoppa]

when my brother was in high school, a teacher gave him the fountainhead so he could enter the ayn rand essay writing contest, and my mom still blames that teacher for my brother’s stupid political views

hes mellowed somewhat over the years but at one point he actually tried to argue that we should privatize firefighting

[lamphoera]

my brothers in christ i just experienced a sponsored post that took 32 full seconds to scroll past on mobile

[spoonyruncible]

It’s the whole goddamn thing. Tumblr Blaze is bad, actually.

[lmtyl]

Okay so I have concluded that watching this show is like when I tried to read Atlas Shrugged; none of the characters’ logic or motivations make sense to me beyond a superficial selfishness and “no, fuck you” attitude. They’re all convinced they’re right and deserving and everybody else needs to fall in line or get out of the way.

Watching Loki ep 2 and man I think Mobius needs a swift kick in the ass

[bookwormcheerleader]

.

[yourlocallunchable]

this is the most revolting ad I have ever fucking gotten, like what are republican Christians on???

[outer-spec]

Okay but have you ever read Existential Comics because that’s basically what happens

Introduce Karl Marx in your setting to discuss the idea of an undead labour force

Karl Marx is probably a dwarf

[ofhoneyblood]

BRYCE ATLAS WINSLOW

pronouns: HE , HIM , HIS

age: THIRTY - EIGHT

species: HUMAN

nationality: IRISH , ITALIAN , AMERICAN

sexuality: PANSEXUAL / DEMIROMANTIC

sign: AQUARIUS SUN , LIBRA MOON , VIRGO RISING

occupation: OWNER & BOUNCER @ RED HOT PUSSY LIQUORS

+ traits: INVITING. FAIR. FUNNY. OPEN-MINDED. TOLERANT.

-- traits: GUARDED. DETACHED. DESPERATE. SELF-DESTRUCTIVE. 

faceclaim: MILO VENTIMIGLIA

soundscapes: HERE

aesthetic: HERE

yo yo you yo , it’s lydia ( yes , that’s my real name ) here with my noble beast bryce winslow ! i have had bryce as a muse longer than any other and it’s been literal years since i’ve written him so i’m extremely excited. this is the first time he will be milo though and i’m super hype to get things going ! i have headcanon after headcanon for him , so hit me up if you want to do something bc i am ready to do some shit !! again , i’m lydia ( or nary , nettle , snottie , etc. ) and i love a good name change , twenty five years old , pansexual demigirl ( she / her & / or they / them ) residing in the central timezone.

this is THIRTY-EIGHT year old BRYCE WINSLOW , the OWNER OF & BOUNCER AT RED HOT PUSSY LIQUORS BURLESQUE AND BOOZE who uses HE / HIM pronouns. he grew up in DUBLIN , IRELAND but came to pleasance in JULY 2006 ON HAPPENSTANCE AND TO RUN AWAY FROM HIS PAST and now enjoys spending his time at FOR KEEPS AND RED HOT PUSSY LIQUORS. BRYCE is written by LYDIA.

PERSONALITY

element: air ruling planet: uranus — planet of originality body part: ankles good day: communicative , original , open-minded , fair , logical , inviting , tolerant , funny bad day: guarded , detached , self-destructive , out-of-touch , irrational , desperate , lonely favorite things: dancing , teaching , team sports , anything with a cause or mission , independent films , working out , baths , animals , preserving plant life / flowers , reading least favorite things: injustice , drama queens , feeling isolated , owing money or favors , having to choose just one thing , personal questions , gossip , cigarette smoke secret wish: to experience total freedom how to spot him: a cute smile lighting up a tired face , quirky movements , tired eyes , long legs , big hands , flannel , old beat up truck where you’ll find him: backpacking or hiking , protesting , coaching a team , revolutionizing the industry he works in , the gym , red hot pussy liquors , alone at home , working on a project , taking a walk by northwood lake keywords: friendliness , eccentricity , teamwork , humanitarianism , technology , groups , avant-garde

first thing to know about bryce winslow is that he’s a free-spirit that prizes individuality and plays well on a team. he has been known to do things his own way , moving on a path different from everyone else’s. some call him eccentric , others appreciate his cutting-edge originality and authentic style.

one of the many ways that the irishman is a paradox ? he’s highly individualistic , but also an amazing team player. he might look like the fresh-faced guy next door on the outside , but inside he marches to his own beat. naturally popular , as he’s vibrantly social and loves to be among people , telling jokes and introducing thought-provoking conversation topics.

people truly do make his world go round , and he can become friends with the most random strangers. can be a bit of an alien — a little “ out there ” in his approach to different things. not that he cares about offending anyone ! loves a good casual connection , bryce can disengage as quickly as he connects. in fact , platonic pals sometimes get better treatment than romantic partners. 

while he can be a bit unsentimental on a one-on-one level , he can be moved to tears by the plight of animals , the environment or other social justice issues. yes , this big irishman is a bohemian at heart in some ways , but he also gets the job done. as a tenacious aquarius , he can be quite hardworking when he devotes himself to a goal. 

a competitive ( and lesser-known ) type a streak can emerge when he really wants something. nothing turns him on like progress , especially in the name of his grander ideals ! playing hard to get REALLY works on him lol

philanthropic and objective , bryce is in a lot of ways innovative and avant-garde. from experimental electronic music to community-oriented living , there’s nothing that this man hasn’t or won’t explore. as someone who loves being a part of a good group or team , bringing people together is also one of his specialties. 

intense bryce energy is cutting-edge , “ out there ” and even a little strange at times. a total nerd for all things futuristic , science fiction and wacky inventions. no topic is too cutting-edge with this irishman: extraterrestrials , stem cells , cloning , robots taking over the earth…yup , bryce will go there. 

while he likes to influence rebellion and detaching from reality ( c’mon bryce , back to earth ! ) , he likes to help others see possibilities they wouldn’t otherwise. the essence of his true energy is: community-oriented , original , open-minded , fair , logical , humanitarian , connecting , and inviting. 

the negative expression of bryce’s energy can be: guarded , detached , destructive , out-of-touch , irrational , and desperate.  reluctant to express emotions — the irishman prefers rational reasoning and cool-headed logic to the messy tapestry of the human feelings. 

one of his favorite authors is ayn rand , founder of the objectivist movement , and that’s pretty much all you need to know. objectivism has been a major influence on the libertarian movement , which has a real bryce flavor. it’s an organized system that also preserves individual freedom and limits government intervention. it’s very “ fringe ” and mainstream all at once , a fascinating paradox and something that really intrigues him.

playful gusts and a social butterfly whirlwind combines into a gale force of humanitarianism for all. bryce is a visionary , dreaming up quirky utopias and alternative realities that can shake up the status quo.  emotional detachment , unpredictable energy and rebellion are major factors in the irishman’s personality. not going to lie , he can be “ type a “ and totally quirky all at the same time ??

a stabilizer — the one who sets up a solid goal or foundation then starts building. bryce can take the enthusiastic idea that someone else sparks and craft it into something real. he picks up the ball when another passes it , running the distance to the goal. 

the trustworthy type who likes “ to-do ” lists and fancy titles. if a friend says , “ let’s go on vacation ! ” he’s already calling the travel agency , booking the tickets and hotel , and sending everyone a list of what to pack.

true believer in friendship and teamwork , so bryce tends to be more focused on a group than an individual. freedom is important to him , which is why he likes to keep things light on an interpersonal level. that way , he won’t feel bad about running off to the opposite corner of the world at a moment’s notice. 

at times , this nomadic strategy backfires , leaving him lonely and disconnected. in truth , the irishman is uncomfortable with too much intimacy. this free spirit belongs to the world and feels off-balance giving his considerable energy to just one person. 

while bryce’s friends get first-class treatment , family and lovers see a different side of him: moody , brooding , anxious and neurotic. he may pick one ( and only one ) person to open up to , getting attached to the point of obsession. 

learning to accept and express his emotions would help him avoid the massive freak outs and anger flashes that come from pretending everything’s cool when it isn’t. bryce appreciates a quirky or eccentric twist , enjoying colorful characters and people with counter cultural personalities.

BIOGRAPHY

bryce atlas winslow was born into a very straight lace , play by the rules , catholic family.  his father , matteo winslow , was an italian military man and his mother , deirdre winslow , was a cold irish homemaker. matteo was every bit the ‘ man of the family ’  and bryce grew up only answering to his father. deirdre would only every answer a question with ‘ ask yer da ’ or  ‘ dija’ ask yer da ? ’

she was a mostly spineless , god fearing woman that was afraid of her own shadow and that’s what made her such a good puppet for matteo. bryce’s father was a stern , angry man that only grew angrier when drunk , no one dared put even a single toe out of line with him around. 

( TW: implied child abuse ) with bryce being the first born and only son he was expected to be perfect , from a very young age he felt the pressures of that. it was like walking on eggshells , always afraid of making a mistake or displeasing his father. he did not have the fun , happy-go-lucky innocence a child should expect of their early years ; instead for bryce winslow there was not much more than discipline , hard work , and punishment.

for the most part , bryce succeeded at being the perfect son his father expected him to be — a robot more than an actual living boy. nothing more than a machine , a machine being bred for war. 

it wasn’t until the beginning of his secondary school , when puberty and hormones began blossoming , that things became precarious. voice cracks , uneven patches of hair…. oh , and a sudden sexual desire for the same sex. 

( TW: suicide ment. ) now , the winslows were catholic - extremely devout catholics - and bryce grew very self-loathing and afraid in this confusing time. he contemplated suicide , all because ‘ homosexuality was wrong ‘ and ‘ you go straight to hell ‘ if you engage in anything associated with it. it didn’t matter how good of a son you were , because ‘ man shall not lie with man. ‘  he kept it hidden for years , he also managed not to act on it until well into the last year of secondary school. 

despite bryce’s fears and shame , when he was sixteen he fell in love for the first time. first loves can be explosive , dangerous even and this one was nothing short of just that. the boy kept his forbidden love a secret from everyone , his family and father above all others.

all good things must come to an end though or so they say , for the boys it came far sooner than later. matteo , bryce’s father , happened upon a note from the boy bryce was seeing , cian , and in said note was all sorts of information including a meeting spot. as you can imagine , matteo flew from the house in a drunken rage in search of his “ sinner “ of a son only to catch him red-handed. 

( TW: assault , child abuse ) bryce managed to save cian from his father’s wrath , taking the brunt of the attack. cian watched as bryce was beaten , begging and screaming for the man to stop , that he was killing him. the drunken bigot was turning on the younger boy when bryce told him to leave and never come back , so that is what he did. 

( TW: implied abuse ) to this day , he has never laid eyes on his young lover and that was probably for the best. after his father had tired himself out and satisfied his rage , he left his son there in the dirt and the beaten boy didn’t bother moving. 

( TW: suicidal thoughts , conversion therapy ment. ) will to live depleted , too tired to go on , pain too much to endure — he just slept there until the next morning. he was awoken with a kick of dirt in the face , his father telling him that he was being sent to a ‘’ special ’’ facility where they would get rid of his ‘’ ailment. ’’ 

( TW: conversion therapy / facility ) time melded in the facility , but he estimated nearly a year of his life was wasted away in there. resistant and defiant for most of his time there , it wasn’t until his father visited him , the one and only time . that things changed. 

( TW: suicide ment. , homophobia ) his father brought news that his mother had killed herself but this was a vicious lie , a last ditch effort to get bryce to change his ways and boy , did it work ! hardly a month later , the young man was discharged from the facility only to find his mother was indeed very much alive.

matteo up and moved his entire family to england after bryce got out of the facility. his father gave him nonsense about wanting to get away from the bad memories , starting over new , and ‘ lead not into temptation ‘ by sending him back to school with ‘ sinners ’ and ‘ sodomites. ‘ 

so , bryce finished out the remainder of his schooling in england and went straight into the forces as per his father’s wishes. sadly for him , he would never become what he so longed to be. he had just finished boot camp and life had just started to seem somewhat normal - if you can call anything the winslow’s had normal - when he lost it all.

( TW: eye injury ) the young man was honorably discharged after an accident that left him legally blind in one eye , when he returned home after his short stent in the defense forces there was no longer a place in the family for him. his father quite literally disowned him all for something he had no control over , a mere accident , but there was nothing more disappointing to matteo than a son that was ‘ kicked out ‘ of the forces.

( TW: gang ment. , human trafficking ) fast forward a year , bryce had found himself in a gang. this part of his background is the most unresolved seeing as it’s not part of his original backstory. long story short , he was involved with the gang until he was twenty three but it all became too much for him after his boss tried to involve him in human trafficking. 

( TW: gang ment. , suicide , death ) when you join a gang you don’t usually do it thinking someday you might one day retire or quit said gang , but then as you get older you realize you’re not as tough as you thought. bryce was twenty-three when his mother finally really did ‘ commit suicide ‘ , the first time his father spoke to him since he returned home from the forces was only to blame him for her death. 

( TW: death ment. , implied murder ) honestly , it was just the straw that broke the camels back. bryce wasn’t allowed at the funeral or anywhere near it , he’s almost certain his mother’s death wasn’t by her own hand or an accident but he’ll never truly know. after he was certain she was in the ground , bryce fled to america in the hopes of outrunning the gang and getting lost in the melting pot. 

once in the land of opportunity , he got his hands on the cheapest ride he could find first and just started driving. it was well after his twenty-fourth birthday , right smack in the middle of a hot ass summer in ‘06 ,  that he found himself in pleasance of all places. he never had any intention at all to grow roots there , it simply happened.  

other than that , the man busies himself with drying and preserving flowers , taking baths , working out , and playing with his dog.  he parades around like this big , tough hard ass when in reality he’s quite the domestic goofball type.

ETC.

has a dog ,  it’s a beagle named shiloh literally 

a big hobby of his is preserving flowers in his spare time , he keeps a small book of pressed flowers and plant life on him a lot of the time in the chance he comes across something he wants to preserve

can play guitar and doesn’t have a bad singing voice either

legally blind in one eye , but doesn’t wear his glasses often

has a younger sister that he does keep in contact with , but not very well ( WC ? )

a guilty pleasure of his is taking baths ; he enjoys adding bath salts , flowers , and other so-called ‘ feminine ‘ products like bath bombs , etc. to them and honestly takes one nearly every day

he was born and raised mostly in dublin , ireland and has a thick accent that only gets thicker when intoxicated or angry. he does use a lot of uncommon terminology to american’s ( yes , i own the feckin’ book of everything irish. . . it’s that serious ) but i’ll lyk in the tags what it means unless i forget

@phqextras​

[accounting-wunderkind]

(tw mention of christianity/cults) ahh really? sorry i’m not.. TOO knowledgeable about it, my apologies ahagsjgsjs. i thought you worshiped like Lucifer, Lillith, etc, but then again i was raised in a christian cult so im kinda used to the whole “obey and worship a mighty leader” mindset. though as an ex-christian, i’ve always been VERY interested in Lucifer and how he became a demon, so i kinda thought it was like,,, reverse christianity with extra steps? idk man, i’m new to this ✌️😔

~💖

Oh yeah TST (The Satanic Temple) Satanism is an atheistic religion based around science, justice, wisdom, and compassion! LaVeyan Satanism is also atheistic but described as "Ayn Rand's philosophy but with rituals"