#Net present value

[atulksposts]

What Are the Limitations of Using a Net Present Value Calculator?

While Net Present Value (NPV) calculators are valuable tools for assessing investment opportunities, they come with limitations. Firstly, they rely heavily on assumptions, such as future cash flows and discount rates, which may not always reflect reality accurately. Additionally, NPV calculations may overlook qualitative factors like market volatility or regulatory changes that could impact investment returns. Furthermore, NPV calculators typically require users to input precise data, yet uncertainties in forecasts can lead to unreliable results. Users must also consider the risk of using outdated or incorrect information, which could skew NPV calculations. For a more comprehensive understanding of NPV calculator limitations, consider exploring resources like Investkraft's website. They provide insightful articles and guides on investment analysis, offering practical advice on navigating the complexities of financial decision-making.

[jupitersolar]

Is Purchasing Solar Water Heater Beneficial Economically Especially Considering Initial Investment?

Is Purchasing Solar Water Heater Beneficial Economically Especially Considering Initial Investment?

Solar water heaters use solar energy to heat water for domestic or commercial purposes. Is purchasing solar water heater beneficial economically especially considering initial investment?,They consist of a solar collector that absorbs sunlight and transfers it to a fluid and a storage tank that stores the hot water for later use. Solar water heaters can be active or passive, depending on whether they use pumps or natural circulation to move the fluid. They can also be either flat plate or evacuated tubes, depending on the type of collector they use.

Solar water heaters are becoming increasingly popular in India, as they offer many benefits to the users and the environment. According to a report by Greentech Knowledge Solutions, the solar water heater market in India was estimated at 6.1 million square meters in 2017, and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% till 2022. The report also states that the potential demand for solar water heaters in India is 181.5 million square meters by 2022, which is equivalent to 127 GW of installed capacity.

But is purchasing solar water heater beneficial economically especially considering initial investment? This is a common question that many people have before deciding to buy a solar water heater. In this article, we will try to answer this question by looking at the various benefits and costs of solar water heaters, and how to calculate their return on investment.

https://jupitersolars.in/faq.php

Benefits of Solar Water Heaters

Solar water heaters have many benefits, such as:

Energy Savings

One of the main benefits of solar water heaters is that they can reduce electricity consumption and bills by using free and renewable solar energy to heat water. According to a study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), a typical household in India can save up to 1500 kWh of electricity per year by using a solar water heater of 100 liters capacity. This translates to an annual saving of about Rs. 12,000 on electricity bills, assuming an average tariff of Rs. 8 per kWh.

Solar water heaters can also reduce peak load demand and avoid power cuts, as they reduce the dependence on conventional electricity sources for heating water. This can improve the reliability and quality of power supply, and also reduce the need for expensive diesel generators or inverters.

Environmental Benefits

Another benefit of solar water heaters is that they can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by replacing fossil fuels or conventional electricity sources for heating water. According to TERI, a typical household in India can avoid emitting about 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by using a solar water heater of 100 liters capacity.

Solar water heaters can also contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, as they reduce the vulnerability of the users to rising fuel prices and extreme weather events. They can also help in achieving the national and international targets for renewable energy and emission reduction, such as the National Solar Mission and the Paris Agreement.

Social Benefits

Solar water heaters can also create local jobs, improve healthcare and communications, and drive local commerce through the market and industry they build at the local level. According to a report by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the global solar thermal industry employed about 672,000 people in 2015, and is expected to create more jobs in the future as the demand for solar water heaters increases.

Solar water heaters can also enhance energy security and access for rural and remote areas, where grid electricity or fossil fuels may not be available or affordable. They can provide hot water for various purposes, such as cooking, bathing, washing, cleaning, sterilizing, etc., which can improve the quality of life and health of the people.

Costs of Solar Water Heaters

Solar water heaters have some costs, such as:

Initial Investment

One of the main costs of solar water heaters is their higher upfront cost than conventional water heaters, depending on the type, size, quality, and installation of the system. They also require additional components, such as pumps, controllers, pipes, valves, etc., which add to the initial cost.

According to MNRE, the average cost of a solar water heater of 100 liters capacity ranges from Rs. 15,000 to Rs. 35,000 for flat plate systems, and from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 45,000 for evacuated tube systems. The cost may vary depending on the location, manufacturer, dealer, etc.

Maintenance and Operation

Another cost of solar water heaters is their regular maintenance and cleaning to ensure optimal performance and durability. They may also need backup systems or supplementary heating in case of low solar radiation or high hot water demand. These costs may include:

Cleaning the collector and the tank periodically to remove dust, dirt, bird droppings, etc.

Checking and replacing the fluid, valves, pipes, pumps, controllers, etc., as per the manufacturer's instructions.

Providing adequate insulation and protection for the system from weather, theft, vandalism, etc.

Using an electric or gas heater to supplement the solar water heater during cloudy days or peak hours.

According to MNRE, the annual maintenance cost of a solar water heater of 100 liters capacity is about Rs. 500 for flat plate systems, and Rs. 300 for evacuated tube systems. The cost may vary depending on the usage, location, service provider, etc.

Return on Investment of Solar Water Heaters

The return on investment of solar water heaters can be calculated by considering the benefits and costs mentioned above. The return on investment can be expressed in terms of payback period or net present value.

Payback Period

The payback period is the time required to recover the initial investment of a solar water heater through savings on electricity bills. It can be calculated by dividing the initial investment by the annual savings.

For example, let us assume that a household in Coimbatore buys a flat plate solar water heater of 100 liters capacity from Jupiter Solar, a leading manufacturer and supplier of solar water heaters in India. The cost of the system is Rs. 25,000 (including installation), and the household gets a capital subsidy of Rs. 6,600 from MNRE. The net initial investment is Rs. 18,400.

The household uses 100 liters of hot water per day at an average temperature of 60°C. The electricity tariff is Rs. 8 per kWh. The annual electricity consumption for heating water using an electric geyser is 1500 kWh. The annual electricity bill for heating water using an electric geyser is Rs. 12,000.

The annual electricity consumption for heating water using a solar water heater is negligible (assuming sufficient solar radiation and backup system). The annual electricity bill for heating water using a solar water heater is zero.

The annual savings on electricity bills by using a solar water heater is Rs. 12,000.

The payback period of the solar water heater is:

Payback period = Initial investment / Annual savings = Rs. 18,400 / Rs. 12,000 = 1.53 years

This means that the household can recover its initial investment in less than two years by using a solar water heater.

Net Present Value

The net present value (NPV) is the difference between the present value of the benefits and the present value of the costs of a solar water heater over its lifetime. It can be calculated by discounting the future cash flows by a suitable discount rate.

Return on Investment of Solar Water Heaters

The return on investment of solar water heaters can be calculated by considering the benefits and costs mentioned above. The return on investment can be expressed in terms of payback period or net present value.

Payback Period

The payback period is the time required to recover the initial investment of a solar water heater through savings on electricity bills. It can be calculated by dividing the initial investment by the annual savings.

For example, let us assume that a household in India buys a flat plate solar water heater of 100 liters capacity from a leading manufacturer and supplier of solar water heaters in India. The cost of the system is Rs. 25,000 (including installation), and the household gets a capital subsidy of Rs. 6,600 from MNRE. The net initial investment is Rs. 18,400.

The household uses 100 liters of hot water per day at an average temperature of 60°C. The electricity tariff is Rs. 8 per kWh. The annual electricity consumption for heating water using an electric geyser is 1500 kWh. The annual electricity bill for heating water using an electric geyser is Rs. 12,000.

The annual electricity consumption for heating water using a solar water heater is negligible (assuming sufficient solar radiation and backup system). The annual electricity bill for heating water using a solar water heater is zero.

The annual savings on electricity bills by using a solar water heater is Rs. 12,000.

The payback period of the solar water heater is:

Payback period = Initial investment / Annual savings = Rs. 18,400 / Rs. 12,000 = 1.53 years

This means that the household can recover its initial investment in less than two years by using a solar water heater.

Net Present Value

The net present value (NPV) is the difference between the present value of the benefits and the present value of the costs of a solar water heater over its lifetime. It can be calculated by discounting the future cash flows by a suitable discount rate.

For example, let us use the same assumptions as before, and assume that the discount rate is 10% per annum, and the lifetime of the solar water heater is 15 years. The future cash flows are:

Year 0: -Rs. 18,400 (initial investment)

Year 1 to 15: +Rs. 12,000 (annual savings)

The NPV of the solar water heater is:

NPV = -Rs. 18,400 + Rs. 12,000 / (1 + 0.1) + Rs. 12,000 / (1 + 0.1)^2 + ... + Rs. 12,000 / (1 + 0.1)^15 = Rs. 55,472

This means that the household can earn a net profit of Rs. 55,472 by using a solar water heater over its lifetime.

Comparison with Other Alternatives

The return on investment of solar water heaters can be compared with other alternatives, such as electric geysers or gas heaters, to see which option is more economical and beneficial.

For example, let us assume that an electric geyser costs Rs. 5,000 (including installation), consumes 2 kWh of electricity per day, has a lifetime of 10 years, and requires no maintenance or operation cost. The payback period and NPV of the electric geyser are:

Payback period = Initial investment / Annual savings = Rs. 5,000 / Rs. 0 = Infinity

NPV = -Rs. 5,000 + Rs. 0 / (1 + 0.1) + Rs. 0 / (1 + 0.1)^2 + ... + Rs. 0 / (1 + 0.1)^10 = -Rs. 5,000

This means that the electric geyser never pays back its initial investment and has a negative net value.

Similarly, let us assume that a gas heater costs Rs. 10,000 (including installation), consumes 2 kg of LPG per day at a price of Rs. 50 per kg, has a lifetime of 10 years, and requires no maintenance or operation cost. The payback period and NPV of the gas heater are:

Payback period = Initial investment / Annual savings = Rs. 10,000 / Rs. (-36,500) = -0.27 years

NPV = -Rs. 10,000 + Rs (-36,500) / (1 + 0.1) + Rs (-36,500) / (1 + 0.1)^2 + ... + Rs (-36,500) / (1 + 0.1)^10 = -Rs. 2,02,857

This means that the gas heater pays back its initial investment in less than a year, but has a very negative net value.

From the above calculations, it is clear that the solar water heater has the highest return on investment among the three options, and is the most economical and beneficial choice for heating water.

Conclusion

In this article, we have tried to answer the question of whether purchasing solar water heater is beneficial economically especially considering initial investment. We have looked at the various benefits and costs of solar water heaters, and how to calculate their return on investment. We have also compared the solar water heater with other alternatives, such as electric geysers or gas heaters.

We have found that solar water heaters have many benefits, such as energy savings, environmental benefits, and social benefits. They also have some costs, such as initial investment, maintenance and operation, and subsidies and incentives. However, the benefits outweigh the costs, and the solar water heater has a high return on investment in terms of payback period and net present value.

We have also found that solar water heaters are more economical and beneficial than electric geysers or gas heaters, which have low or negative return on investment.

Therefore, we can conclude that purchasing solar water heater is beneficial economically especially considering initial investment, and we recommend that potential buyers consider this option for heating water.

If you are interested in buying a solar water heater, you can visit www.jupitersolars.in to find out more about the products and services offered by Jupiter Solar, a leading manufacturer and supplier of solar water heaters in India. You can also contact them at +91-8618700466 ,for any queries or assistance.

[sandeepk2]

How to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) – Step-by-Step Guide

Free Net Present Value (NPV) Calculator to quickly calculate the present value of future cash flows. Get step-by-step calculations, understand the NPV formula, and make smart investment decisions. Try it now!"

[plutosunshine]

How to Make Your Life Fulfilling? Venus in houses

Venus in the 1st house

Venus in the 1st house gives you a natural charm and warmth that draws people in effortlessly. You have a way of making others feel seen and appreciated, and this can open so many doors for you, both personally and professionally. To make your life more fulfilling, lean into that charm—but not just for the sake of getting along with people. Use it to genuinely connect, to create meaningful relationships that feed your soul rather than just your ego.

Since Venus is all about beauty, love, and harmony, surround yourself with things that bring you joy and a sense of peace. This could mean curating a beautiful living space, engaging in creative self-expression, or even just taking time for self-care rituals that make you feel good in your own skin. You naturally exude a certain magnetism, so embrace it—but remember, true fulfillment doesn’t come from how others see you. It comes from how you feel about yourself.

Also, with Venus in the 1st house, you may have a tendency to seek validation from others. It’s great to be liked, but don’t let it define your worth. The more you love and value yourself for who you truly are—not just for how you present yourself—the more you’ll attract people who genuinely appreciate you.

Venus in the 2nd house

With Venus in the 2nd house, your sense of fulfillment is closely tied to your values, possessions, and the way you experience comfort and pleasure. You have a natural talent for attracting resources, whether it’s money, beautiful objects, or people who support you. There’s an appreciation for quality over quantity, and you tend to seek out things that feel luxurious or aesthetically pleasing.

However, true fulfillment with this placement isn’t just about accumulating things—it’s about aligning your resources with what truly matters to you. What do you value most? Is it security, beauty, love, or perhaps a sense of self-worth? The more you connect your resources and talents to those deeper values, the more content and abundant you’ll feel.

You also have a knack for making money through Venusian pursuits—art, design, beauty, or anything that brings pleasure to the senses. But watch out for the tendency to equate your self-worth with your net worth. Venus here can sometimes get too attached to material validation. Instead, focus on cultivating self-love and appreciating what you already have. That’s where the real sense of richness comes from.

Venus in the 3rd house

Venus in the 3rd house brings charm and grace to the way you communicate. You have a natural ability to connect with people through words, whether it’s through writing, speaking, or just casual conversation. You can make even the most mundane topics sound interesting and engaging, which makes you someone others enjoy talking to.

To feel truly fulfilled with this placement, lean into the art of communication. Share your thoughts, write, journal, or even engage in storytelling. You have a gift for making connections, not just between people but also between ideas. You could thrive in roles where you’re able to express yourself creatively—writing, teaching, marketing, or social media.

Relationships with siblings, neighbors, or people in your immediate environment can also be a source of pleasure and support. Venus here can bring harmony to these connections, but it can also indicate a tendency to avoid conflict or gloss over difficult conversations. Remember, true connection comes from being authentic, not just charming.

There’s also a love of learning with this placement. You’re drawn to beautiful words, poetry, art, or even music with meaningful lyrics. Feeding your mind with things that inspire and uplift you can be incredibly fulfilling.

Venus in the 4th house

Venus in the 4th house brings a deep love for home, family, and the feeling of emotional security. You’re someone who finds fulfillment in creating a beautiful, comforting, and harmonious living space—a place that feels like a sanctuary. Your home is likely a reflection of your personal style and values, and you might have a knack for interior design or decorating with a touch of elegance and warmth.

Relationships with family, especially with women or maternal figures, can be significant with this placement. There’s a desire to maintain peace and harmony within the family unit, and you may be the peacemaker, the one who smooths over conflicts or tries to keep everyone happy. But it’s important to ensure that your own emotional needs don’t get lost in the process of keeping the peace.

On a deeper level, Venus here suggests that you seek emotional security through close, loving connections. You thrive when you feel loved and supported at a core, foundational level. It’s not just about physical comfort—it’s about feeling emotionally safe and valued by those closest to you.

You might also have a love for nostalgia, family heirlooms, or anything that carries sentimental value. Surrounding yourself with things that evoke happy memories can be incredibly fulfilling.

Venus in the 5th house

With Venus in the 5th house, life becomes so much more fulfilling when you let yourself fully lean into joy, creativity, and self-expression. This placement is all about letting your inner artist come out to play. Maybe it’s painting, dancing, writing poetry, or just finding little ways to make everyday life feel more romantic and fun. You’re someone who thrives when you’re creating beauty or experiencing it, so make time for the things that light you up.

Love and romance are also major sources of fulfillment for you. But it’s not just about falling in love with someone else—it’s about falling in love with life itself. Date yourself. Treat yourself to little luxuries, whether it’s a spontaneous weekend trip, a fancy coffee, or a night out doing something you genuinely enjoy. The more you infuse your days with moments that feel special, the more alive you’ll feel.

And don’t forget to play. Venus in the 5th house is like the cosmic permission slip to embrace your inner child. Go do things just for the fun of it, without any expectation of being productive or impressive. Whether it’s a silly game night with friends or trying something new just for the thrill, those moments of pure, uncomplicated joy are what keep your spirit thriving.

You also have a gift for making others feel special, and that can be incredibly fulfilling. Compliment someone, write a love letter, or surprise a friend with something thoughtful. The love you give has a way of coming back to you tenfold, especially when it’s given without expectation.

Venus in the 6th house

With Venus in the 6th house, life feels more fulfilling when you find beauty and pleasure in the everyday routines. You’re someone who can turn even the simplest tasks into something enjoyable—like making your morning coffee a little ritual, organizing your workspace to feel cozy and inviting, or putting on your favorite playlist while you get things done. The more you bring a sense of grace and harmony to your daily life, the more content and grounded you’ll feel.

Work and service are big themes here too. You’re at your best when you’re doing work that feels meaningful, especially if it involves helping others or creating a more pleasant, harmonious environment. Maybe you have a knack for making things look beautiful, whether it’s arranging flowers, designing a workspace, or just bringing a calm, welcoming vibe to the office. The key is to find work that not only supports you financially but also feels rewarding on a soul level.

There’s also a desire for balance and harmony in your health and wellness routines. You might feel most fulfilled when you’re taking care of yourself in a way that feels good rather than just going through the motions. Think gentle movement, nourishing foods, or creating a relaxing bedtime routine that genuinely helps you unwind.

Relationships with coworkers or those you see on a day-to-day basis can be another source of warmth and connection. You’re someone who can make even mundane interactions feel pleasant and kind, and that energy tends to come back to you. Small acts of kindness, thoughtful gestures, or simply taking time to connect can bring a lot of subtle but lasting fulfillment.

Venus in the 7th house

With Venus in the 7th house, life feels most fulfilling when you’re deeply connected to others in a way that’s balanced, loving, and genuinely harmonious. You’re someone who craves meaningful, one-on-one connections—whether it’s a romantic partnership, a close friendship, or even a business collaboration. You naturally know how to make people feel seen and appreciated, and that energy tends to draw others to you like a magnet.

Romantic relationships are especially significant with this placement. You thrive in partnerships where there’s mutual respect, affection, and a sense of shared beauty—whether that’s creating a beautiful home together, going on romantic dates, or just finding little ways to make each other feel special. But it’s not just about having a partner; it’s about having a partnership that feels balanced and fair, where both people feel equally valued.

There’s also a talent for creating harmony and peace in your interactions. You’re a natural mediator, someone who can smooth over conflicts and help people find common ground. This can be a gift in both personal and professional relationships, but it’s important to be mindful of not over-compromising just to keep the peace. Your needs matter too.

Life also feels more fulfilling when you surround yourself with beauty and grace. Maybe that means planning intimate gatherings, visiting art galleries, or simply spending time with people who inspire you. The more you cultivate relationships that feel warm, loving, and aesthetically pleasing, the more fulfilled you’ll feel.

Venus in the 8th house

With Venus in the 8th house, life feels most fulfilling when you’re diving deep—into relationships, into your own psyche, into the mysteries of life. Superficial connections just don’t do it for you; you crave intensity, intimacy, and transformative experiences that feel almost soul-deep. You’re drawn to people and situations that make you feel seen in ways that are profound, raw, and real.

There’s a magnetic, almost hypnotic quality to your presence. People may find themselves confiding in you or feeling inexplicably drawn to you. But fulfillment doesn’t come from just any connection—it comes from those rare, all-consuming bonds where you can be completely vulnerable and still feel safe and valued.

Money and resources can also be areas of focus with this placement. You might find yourself drawn to situations involving shared finances, inheritances, or investments. You could even have a knack for attracting wealth through partnerships or strategic alliances. But the deeper lesson here is about not letting money or possessions define your worth. True abundance for you is about emotional and spiritual richness, not just material wealth.

Sexuality, too, can be a path to fulfillment. You’re someone who experiences love and desire intensely, and casual flings may leave you feeling empty. You crave the kind of connection where intimacy isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, psychological, even spiritual. When you find someone you can trust enough to let your guard down completely, that’s where the magic happens.

Healing and transformation are big themes here too. You have the potential to deeply heal yourself and others by facing your own shadows and helping others face theirs. The more you embrace the depths of who you are—the light and the dark—the more empowered and fulfilled you’ll feel.

Venus in the 9th house

With Venus in the 9th house, life feels most fulfilling when you’re exploring, learning, and expanding your horizons. You’re someone who finds beauty in the bigger picture—in new experiences, different cultures, and the pursuit of knowledge that opens your mind and heart. Routine and predictability can feel stifling; you crave the excitement of discovering new perspectives and connecting with people who inspire you to think differently.

Travel can be a major source of joy and inspiration. You’re the type who falls in love with distant places, foreign customs, and the feeling of being somewhere completely new. Even if you can’t physically travel, exploring new philosophies, spiritual practices, or higher education can give you that same sense of expansion and fulfillment.

Relationships often take on a more adventurous, expansive quality with this placement. You’re drawn to people who broaden your worldview—those who challenge you to see life through a different lens. Romantic connections might even come through travel, education, or shared beliefs, and you’re likely most attracted to those who have a bit of a free spirit or worldly vibe.

You also have a love for wisdom and meaning. Superficial small talk? Not your thing. You want conversations that go deeper, that explore life’s purpose or the nature of love and beauty. You might feel most fulfilled when you’re discussing philosophy, spirituality, or big-picture ideas that make you feel more connected to something greater than yourself.

Venus in the 10th house

With Venus in the 10th house, life feels most fulfilling when you’re recognized for your talents, beauty, or charm in a public or professional setting. You naturally know how to present yourself in a way that’s attractive and appealing, making you someone who can easily win people over in business, career, or social circles. There’s a magnetic quality to how you carry yourself, and people often notice your grace, style, or charisma.

You’re someone who finds purpose in being admired for what you do, not just who you are. There’s a desire to be respected, appreciated, or even loved for your work or contributions to the world. You might feel most fulfilled when you’re in a role where you can express your Venusian qualities—art, design, fashion, beauty, diplomacy, or any field where creating harmony and aesthetics is part of the job.

Relationships can also play a significant role in your career or public life. You may attract partners who can elevate your status or support your ambitions, or you may find love through work or professional connections. There’s a natural talent for networking and forming alliances that are both beneficial and pleasant.

However, the lesson here is not to get too caught up in appearances or external validation. It’s great to be admired, but true fulfillment comes from doing work that feels aligned with your values and brings a sense of genuine accomplishment. When you’re creating something that feels beautiful or meaningful to you, the recognition naturally follows.

There’s also a graceful, diplomatic way you handle responsibilities. You can be a natural mediator or someone who brings a touch of elegance to leadership roles. People may look up to you not just for what you achieve, but for how you achieve it—with poise, tact, and a genuine love for what you do.

Venus in the 11th house

With Venus in the 11th house, life feels most fulfilling when you’re surrounded by people who share your values, dreams, and ideals. You’re someone who thrives in groups, communities, and friendships where there’s a sense of connection and mutual support. You naturally attract people who are kind, artistic, or socially conscious, and you have a knack for making others feel welcome and included.

Friendships can be a major source of joy for you. You’re the type who genuinely enjoys connecting people, bringing different circles together, or planning gatherings that feel warm and inclusive. You have a way of making group settings feel more harmonious, and people are drawn to your easygoing, likable energy.

There’s also a love for causes, movements, or shared visions. You might feel most fulfilled when you’re involved in projects that bring people together for a greater purpose—whether it’s activism, charity work, or just creating a sense of community. You’re someone who can bring a touch of beauty or artistry to group efforts, whether that’s through creative collaborations, event planning, or just making things feel more pleasant and inviting.

Romance can also have a slightly unconventional vibe here. You might find yourself falling for someone who feels more like a best friend, or you could meet partners through social groups, online communities, or shared interests. The lines between friendship and romance can blur, and you’re likely drawn to people who share your hopes and dreams for the future.

But the key to feeling truly fulfilled with this placement is to stay connected to what you love, not just who you love. What are the big dreams and visions that light you up? What kind of people make you feel inspired and uplifted? The more you surround yourself with those kinds of connections, the more your Venus shines.

Venus in the 12th house

With Venus in the 12th house, life feels most fulfilling when you’re tapping into the deeper, more subtle layers of love, beauty, and connection. You’re someone who experiences love in a soulful, almost otherworldly way. There’s a natural pull toward the mystical, the hidden, and the unspoken, and you may find yourself drawn to people or experiences that feel a bit like a dream or a secret.

There’s a deep, compassionate heart here. You’re someone who can love unconditionally, often seeing the beauty in people that others might overlook. But there can also be a tendency to give too much or to lose yourself in relationships, so finding that balance between self-sacrifice and self-love is key.

Solitude can be incredibly nourishing for you. Time alone, daydreaming, creating art, or simply getting lost in your own inner world can feel as fulfilling as being with others. You might find peace through spiritual practices, meditation, or spending time in nature—anything that allows you to connect with the intangible.

Love can be a bit elusive with this placement. There might be secret relationships, unspoken feelings, or attractions to people who are somehow unavailable or difficult to reach. There’s a romantic, almost fairy-tale quality to how you experience love, but it can also mean that you’re drawn to situations that are more fantasy than reality.

Art, music, and anything that allows you to express the deeper, more emotional parts of yourself can be incredibly healing and fulfilling. You have a gift for channeling your feelings into something beautiful, and the more you do that, the more your soul feels nourished.

[spamalie]

i don’t LOVE the idea of someone plugging my shit into chatgpt for a Beautiful storybook ending but also. it’s a little funny

[reinen5astro]

Your Career/Reputation/Legacy Indicators according to astrology pt.2

This time I'll go over the 10th house. If you would like to see part 1 [the second house] go here:

Tutorial

~ First find the sign your 10th house is in by pulling up your birth chart

As you can see their 10th House is in Scorpio [I circled it + pointed to the line that indicates what sign it's in]. If you don't feel like pulling up your birth chart right now, you can just think of the 9th sign after your rising sign. For example, a Sagittarius rising has their 10th house in Virgo [the ninth sign after Sagittarius], while an Aries rising has their 10th house in Capricorn.

~ Next, look at the ruler of that sign. This is the ruler of your second house. I've written them down below

Aries: Mars

Taurus: Venus

Gemini: Mercury

Cancer: Moon

Leo: Sun

Virgo: Mercury

Libra: Venus

Scorpio: Mars and Pluto

Sagittarius: Jupiter

Capricorn: Saturn

Aquarius: Uranus and Saturn

Pisces: Neptune and Jupiter

~ Lastly, find what sign your ruler/rulers are in. My interpretations are down below.

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10th House Ruler in The....

1st House:

Your professional success is fully related to your personal expression, your confidence and your initiative. Your physical body and appearance will affect/have something to do with your job [you may be a dancer for example]. Your personality, view on life, body and physical appearance will also have a big impact on your status as well. Whatever you achieve in life, you will have to do it on your own and this contributes to your legacy, reputation, and pride. Try to avoid the tendency to become egocentric as again, your personality and view on life WILL affect your status, career and legacy. You may do best when self-employed. You tend to dress in accordance with your career; essentially, your career immensely affects your life, your career goals even affect your approach to life. You have an inert desire for recognition and respect and care about how you present yourself to the world. Overall, any career would suit you, but keep in mind that your career will affect you as a whole [more than most people], and your appearance/physicality may have something to do with your career.

2nd House:

Your professional success will be reflected in your income. Most likely you will make money through any profession/the profession you choose. Your resources and values play an important role in your future success. You may have a career involving finances. You require a career that fits your values and that provides you with financial security. Your self-esteem increases when you gain authority [gaining authority also tend to increase your net worth]. Your attitude/relationships with authority figures impacts your money-making ability. Your legacy will most likely be related to how much money you've made in this lifetime.

3rd House:

Your career is related to some form of self-expression. You feel a need to communicate and to express your own ideas through the profession you choose. Your career may need a lot of short-term traveling. The need to be seen as an authority influences the way you communicate. Your profession is always on your mind. Your career may involve, blogging, transportation, making connections locally, helping the community, writing, conferencing [online correspondences], language. You may also work as an early schoolteacher or guidance counselor. Your voice holds authority. Your legacy may be the way you communicate, and you pass on your professional experience through teaching and writing.

4th House:

Your profession is related to your home, and because of this, you may work out of your home or with one of your parents, possibly continuing a family business. This astrological influence also could lead you to try fields having to do with soil, property, land or those that have to do with your place of birth. The recognition you receive from the outside world affects your emotional security. Your social status impacts your family or your family's social status may impact your career. You bring an authoritative attitude to your home life. You set the rules at home. You may find a way to live out your true vocation from the comfort of your own home [virtual working]. Your reputation affects how your family sees you. You build a reputation for yourself as a family man/woman. You build a reputation for yourself as a nurturer or caretaker. You use your status to help your country. You may even gain recognition + authority for serving your country [military]. You become an authority on your personal heritage and culture. You become an authority on your family tree. You become an authority on your cultural roots. Your legacy could be related to your familial heritage, how you treat your family and your authority in your home/country.

5th House:

Your professional success is related to your creativity. No matter what profession you choose, you always show your originality and desire to do things your way. This astrological position leads you to find success, especially in sports or artistic careers. Working in your profession will be a pleasure for you. You may build a reputation for being a flirt, a creatively expressive person, a gambler, or a risk taker. Your professional life revolves around the arts., children, and athletics. You bring an authoritative approach to music, theater, art and dance. You attempt to add structure to your creative impulses. You may discipline children. You may even work as a choreographer. You are a professional stage actor. You bring a professional approach to your hobbies and may even make a career out of a hobby. You become an authority on music, dance, art, and theater.  Overall, your legacy will be related to your creativity, and your children.

6th House:

Your professional success is related to service. No matter what profession you choose, it will be more gratifying for you if you feel that you are helping others. You may pursue professions linked to medicine, therapy or nutrition. If you do not have a career, you are likely to work in a company that provides some kind of service. You build a reputation for your daily work performance, and you may become known as a workaholic. Especially since your vocation will most likely require you to work every day. Your career could be related to work with animals, involvement with fitness and diet. You may discover your true vocation through an apprenticeship or specializing. You may become a specialist in a certain area and therefore carry authority when you speak on that topic [professional weightlifters, professional animal activists, etc.]. Your true work most likely requires you to be an employee rather than a boss. Your vocation involves lots of employee and coworker interactions. Awards/recognition will come through your daily work. Overall, your legacy will be your aid/service to those who are in need.

7th House:

Your professional success is related to the public, society and marriage. You have a need for give and take with the public; your contact with the public could be on a large scale as well as people individually. Your professional progress will be stimulated by the training of some association or by the support you receive from your mate [husband/wife]. You gain recognition and social status through your partner. You gain awards and recognition for your efforts in a partnership [marriages aren't the only type of partnership]. You may work with your partner. Your profession involves working in one-to-one relationships. Your professional success is dependent on your ability to relate to other people. Your professional success is dependent on your ability to form significant relationships. You are an authority on marriage, and business partnerships. You bring a professional approach to marriage. You treat your marriage like a career. You lay down the rules in marriage. You bring your outer expectations of success to your marriage. You want your marriage or partnership to live up to society’s standards. People with this placement do not take marriage lightly subconsciously because they know how much marriage can help their life and its value, but they also know how much it can hurt their life as well. they tend to be very picky with marriage partners, but they usually choose the right one [of course unless there's other aspects or placements interfering [for example, Lilith/Chiron/mars/Saturn/Pluto in the 7th house]. What each partner does for a living can be an 'issue' in a relationship or marriage. Each partner’s social status can be an 'issue' in marriage or partnership. Ideally the partners should have equal status and equal standing. Partners should have balanced careers. Partners should have the same ambitions and goals in mind. Partners should want to have the same achievements [or rather same type of achievements]. Your legacy will be your relation to your marriage partners, your relation to the public, business partnerships, and your one-on-one relationships. [I personally have the placement and it's pretty accurate. I'll see how it pans out though because I am a minor, and have in fact not gotten married lmao]

8th House:

Your professional success is related to your ability to produce changes or transformations in yourself as well as others. This astrological influence brings financial support from others that will help your career. That help could come from a financial institution as well as your marriage. You may work in an investigative or financial field [journalist, researcher, scientist, detective, accountant, miner, archaeologist]. Your work may be related to your sexuality, death [mortician] or rebirth. You may turn your spirituality into your profession as well [astrologer, tarot reader, professional witch]. You may deal with confidential information and negotiate in secret. Somehow you always end up in "special" projects where there is secrecy [ you will have to sign NDA's]. Beware of shady dealings as it will affect your public status. There are often transformations in your social status, career, and reputation. Your legacy may be related to how many hardships you've gone through and made it through; it'll also be related to your financial status and spirituality.

9th House:

Your professional success is related to your ideals, university degree, higher studies, religion and traveling. You may establish yourself professionally in a different place from that of your birth or your work could necessitate you to travel often. You always feel the need to expand your knowledge and to make the most of each day; as a result, you may keep going back to school/college. You choose a profession that allows you to travel and interact with people from other countries. You choose a profession that falls in line with your faith. Your career may be related to your religion [ex. priest] You receive awards for academic achievements and religious work. You choose a profession that allows you to search for higher meaning. You bring an authoritative approach to religion, faith and belief, and academic learning. You may have a career in professing [professor]/lecturing. Having a profession, status, and recognition gives your life meaning. Your legacy will be related to your faith, ideals, and education.

10th House:

You are likely to put a lot of energy into achieving professional success. Your ambitions and goals are clearly defined, and you have a need to demonstrate to yourself and others what you can achieve through your own effort. Your career may depend on parental support or guidance, or you may follow in the footsteps of your parents. Either way, you always point out your individuality and personal ability. Getting out in the world and making a name for yourself is important to you. You want to be known for something and to receive awards and recognition. You want to climb to the top of the mountain in whatever you choose to do; you are ambitious for the sake of being ambitious. You have an authoritative approach to career and vocation. You want to reach the top of your profession. How much you know in your career builds your reputation. You become known for your achievements…"Oscar winner…”, “Nobel Prize winner…” etc… You become known as an authority on whatever type of work you choose to do. Your legacy will be your achievements.

11th House:

Your professional success is related to your participation in some organization, group, union, or club. The support you receive from your friends will be crucial and because of this, you have to consider sociability as an important part of your life. Your true vocation involves working with groups of like-minded people. Following your calling depends on your ability to gain friends and fans. As a result, you have a professional approach to friendship and bring your need for recognition to your friendships. You choose friends who will boost your social status, and who won't outdo you in social status. You choose friends who have won awards and made achievements. Your ambitions influence your friendships. Your career involves working for social causes and movements. You want to reform society’s standards, expectations, and role of authority. Your relationship with your parents influences what types of social causes you become involved with. You may eventually belong to a professional club or guild., be a member of a professional board, or even belong to a board of directors. Your ability to conduct yourself professionally influences how many fans you gain. Becoming famous results in a lot of fans. You want to be in a profession that has an audience. If you get famous, fan clubs will spring up. Fame allows you to help social causes. You have high hope and ambition for your career. Your legacy could be your hopes, wishes, friendships, and social activism.

12th House:

Your professional success is related to your ability to serve others behind the scenes. Your profession is likely to be performed behind closed doors or in private. When I think of this placement, I think of the people who make the sets in a movie or show. This position favors professions that require power behind the throne; that is to say that you make suggestions or decisions without conferring with the public. Activities linked to secret information, medicine or investigations would be very favorable. You may work in a hospital or prison, or charity.  Finding your true vocation helps you release grief and sorrow. Gaining recognition/becoming famous is the self-undoing but may help you release your grief and sorrow. Becoming famous causes you to isolate. Becoming well-known may be a fear of yours, but also a desire. Fame enables you to help your favorite charities. Fame allows you to pursue your interest in the paranormal. Your social status causes you to retreat and too much exposure makes you want to hide and escape from reality. Your relationship with your parents/authority figures makes you want to escape from reality. The best career for you involves working alone. Your true career involves working with prisoners, the insane, hospitalized or underprivileged, meditation or spirituality, working with the paranormal, developing psychic abilities or becoming a channel. You may not have much of a legacy but if you do, it would be your charity work, and your work with the underprivileged, hospitalized, or imprisoned.

Yep, thats the 10th house ;). Hope you enjoyed, and I hope that it was accurate.

[were--ralph]

Hey i saw you ranting about trans men on a post, and i was just wondering a few things. This is a genuine question, as a stelth trans man, i really cant find anything about a pre op transitioning body attractive. Especially a pre op Chest. Now i do take testosterone, and i think that the parts that i find gross (ex: tits mixed with chest hair) are a perfectly acceptable thing to deal with so i can look the way i want to look. I love my body hair and my muscle growth, i just dont love the obviously not cis parts of me. What do you find attractive about this? I truely cannot for the life of me understand why people find trans men attractive but i would really like to understand.

I think spicy food is disgusting generally. it's like. hot and not fun and to me it adds nothing good to the food experience. Genuinely I don't understand why people enjoy hot foods it makes like. literally no sense.

and yet, people do. it's weird. I've tried on multiple occasions to get into spicy food and it just. suks. every single time it sucks. But everyone else in my family lives by it. And I've asked why for years literally unable to understand it until I realized.

sometimes people just. like things. things I certainly don't like and cannot enjoy whatsoever. But at the same time, this is true for me and not for them. I fucking love coffee to the point I drink it more than water most days, but no one else in my family likes it. BUT other people outside my family enjoy it too.

Life is weird and what I'm getting at is something that took me a lifetime to understand and I still can't wrap my head around it all the time.

People just like things. People love things and hate things. What things mean to one person can mean the world to another and death to the third. There's not always a reason for it, but what you have to do is accept that there are things in life that you just might not like much right now. but as time goes on you'll find value in it the same way your partner will find value in you and all the minuscule things you do and become and like and dislike.

And to build on that point, there are things I hated as a kid that I'm fine with and even love now. Each day changes you more than you'll ever know and with those changes, the acceptance that comes with them may be easier or harder.

So, to answer your question, I don't know! I just love men. Men with tits or pecs, men with vaginas or dicks. maybe both at the same time or neither at all! I just think men are generally attractive no matter the design or what's different about them. and not just men but people who present as masc in general. If you're masc nb there's a chance I'm looking at you through the window of a bar as much as if you were cis-male or trans-male.

I do know for some men, the allure of masculinity displaced with the typically-feminine concept of a vagina intrigues them. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of them together, maybe they just want something unique and new to them. Maybe they just really like vaginas and it doesn't matter who it's attached to, or maybe they just like trans men. Same thing with boobs, some guys just like boobs. Some men have boobs. the overlap doesn't mean net-negative results, it could be double positive.

And I don't expect you to love everything about yourself, god knows I don't love everything about myself, and despite people telling me what's good about me I can still find flaws within it whenever I choose. I think men with chest hair are hot as fuck, but also I've seen some smooth men that are just as if not hotter. I love me a fat man or a man with muscles, but i've seen twinks i'd demolish in one sitting as well. I've seen men with dicks and boobs and scars and and hair pretty much everything under the sun and sometimes I want them to sit on me and forget I'm there and smother me.

What you do have to do though is accept that you have those things, and you are those things, and even though you may not like those things you have to accept that they're a part of you and find value in that. And it's not an easy task at all to love yourself, but you have to try because even if you don't right now, there's a partner who will be waiting for you somewhere. there's a future version of you who loves you as you are. there are friends who love your flaws, pets who don't judge, and there are a lot of things that accept you as you are.

So just say you have boobs and chest hair. even if you don't love it about yourself right now know that there are and will always be people who do, and personally I've said before, but I wish i had boobs and chest hair it's just a perfect look to me. I'm fine with whatever my gender is, i just think its a good look. If I had money for top and bottom surgery I'd get it and never look back. You just have to find the value in yourself we all know is there, and if you can't just know that we know it's there and let that carry you through the day!

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: eastern oyster

Welcome to another Wet Beast Wednesday presented by me, Bethany, professional bivalve enjoyer. I went into researching this post intending to cover oysters in general, but I quickly found that 'oyster' is actually a really broad and poorly-defined term referring to lots of not very closely related bivalves. I then narrowed it down to the true oysters of family Ostreidae, only to find that there's not a lot in info about a lot of those either. Finally, I just picked the one true oyster I could find the most info about. Maybe I'll do pearl oysters (which aren't true oysters) another day.

(image: an eastern oyster removed from the substrate and placed on a white surface next to a ruler. It is an irregular, lumpy bivalve, with one of its two shells visible. It is an off-white color with many stains and bits of algae growing on it. The ruler indicates it is just under 10 cm long. End ID)

Crassostrea virginica is also called the American oyster, Atlantic oyster, and a bunch of other local and culinary names. They are bivalves, a large category of molluscs characterized by having two shells called valves made of calcium carbonate and connected by a hinge, with the body secured within the shells. Oysters often have lumpy and asymmetrical shells, as opposed to the more symmetrical shells of clams, mussels, and scallops. This is largely due to them living in tightly-packed areas. and needing to grow to fit their homes. Eastern oyster shells can grow up to 20.5 cm (8 in) long. The shells of oysters are connected to each other with a powerful adductor muscle that is used to clamp the shells shut when needed. Also inside the shell are the gills, heart, mantle, gonads, and digestive tract. The mantle is a mollusc structure that can serve a number of functions in different species. In bivalves, the mantle is responsible for secreting the shell as it grows. it can also perform gas exchange due to being filled with lots of small blood vessels, but the gills are mostly responsible for that. Oysters do not have a central nervous system, instead having a simple nerve net that runs through the body. They produce pearls in response to irritants and infections, but these pearls are tiny and have no monetary value.

(Image: a drawing of the internal anatomy of an oyster, with different body parts labeled. End Id. Source)

The eastern oyster lives in intertidal zones along the eastern coast of North America, from northern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. As with all bivalves, they are filter feeders who use their shells to feed. By opening the shell slightly, water is drawn in. The the ouster closes the shell to force water back out. Oysters use a filter called the latero-frontal cilli to filter the water as it passes out, with the cilia grabbing on to food particles and passing them to the mouth, which is at the back of the shell. Oysters prefer to feed on algae. Feces and particles too big or inedible to eat are stored near the back of the shell. Occasionally, the oyster will use forceful shell closings to shoot the waste out. Oysters are incredibly efficient at filtering the water. A single oyster can filter up to 190 liters (50 gallons) of water a day, removing plankton, algae, food particles, and sediment. This helps keep the water clean, benefiting the ecosystem. Oysters help prevent algal blooms by removing algae and excess nutrients from the water. Algal blooms are caused when excess nutrients leads to a population explosion of planktonic algae. These blooms are dangerous for a number of reasons, but the biggest problem comes from when they die. Decaying agale removes oxygen from the water and when a whole bloom worth of algae dies at the same time, it can leave the water so deprived of oxygen that aquatic animals can drown. Preventing algal blooms is an extremely important benefit to the ecosystem provided by oysters and one of the reasons they are considered a keystone species. Because they live in intertidal zones, oysters may become exposed during low tide. By clamping their shells shut, they can retain enough water to stay oxygenated until the tide comes back.

(Image: a gloved hand holding a cluster of oysters growing on each other's shells. There are barnacles, algae, and bits of kelp growing on them as well. End ID)

The other reason oysters are considered a keystone species is their reefs. Oysters need hard surfaces to adhere to and they tend to cluster in these places. In addition, oysters will often grow on the shells of other oysters, creating growing structures called oyster reefs. These reefs provide a valuable habitat for other intertidal organisms. Oyster shells act as habitat for barnacles, mussels, bryozoans, algae, and other sessile organisms, as well as hiding places for small animals. These in turn attract grazers and predators. The oysters themselves also have a number of predators, including starfish, seabirds, fish, and a variety of parasites. Oyster reefs are often located near estuarine areas or river outflows, taking advantage of the nutrients brought in from land. Oysters are able to survive a wide range of temperatures, salinity, and poorly oxygenated waters.

(Image: a side view of an oyster reef. It looks like hundreds of oysters growing in a wide area, clustered closely together. Smaller oysters are growing on the shell so larger ones. They are exposed to the air, presumably due to low tide. End ID)

Easter Oysters reproduce yearly in summer, with the water temperature being the determining factor. Oysters living farther north spawn later in the summer, when water temperature reaches between 60 and 68 F (15 and 20 C) while those living further south spawn earlier when the water temperature exceeds 68 F. Spawning can happen multiple times a year, as long as the water stays warm enough. Eastern oysters are broadcast spawners that release their sperm and eggs into the water column in synchronized spawnings. Fertilized eggs hatch after about 6 hours into a simple larva called a trochophore that swims using cilia. After a few hours, the trochophore will develop into a veliger larva. These are swimming planktonic larvae that has the beginning of its shells and hunt for plankton and algae. After a few weeks, the veliger will sink to the seafloor and develop into a pediveliger larva, which has a snail-like foot that it uses to move around and find a hard surface. Pediveligers seem to prefer seeking out adult oyster shells, but they will take just about anything. Upon finding a good spot, the larva will produce a cement that it uses to attach its left shell to the surface. This will be where it stays for the rest of its life. The cemented larva quickly develops into a juvenile oyster called a spat. It will be sexually mature by the next mating season. A mature female can produce up to 150 million eggs a year, but only a very few of them will produce a larva that survives to adulthood. All eastern oysters start as males and many will shift to being female after a few years. Changing sex during one's life is called sequential hermaphroditism. Most species can only change sex once, but eastern oysters can change sex multiple times.

(Image: a drawing of the life cycle of an oyster. It shows an adult oyster releasing sperm and eggs, which are fertilized and lead to a veliger, which looks like a mini-oyster with a fan-like swimming structure. The veliger develops to a pediveliger, which has a snail-like foot sticking out. That then progresses to a spat attached to the shell of a larger oyster, which develops to an adult. End ID. Source)

Eastern oysters are classified as vulnerable to extinction. Their primary threats are overharvesting and climate change. Eastern oysters are edible and form a major fishery in both the United States and Canada. Harvesting of oysters peaked after the industrial revolution, almost driving the species extinct. Even now, when harvesting is more highly regulated and has a much lower output, the wild population is estimated to be 1% of its pre-industrial status. Aquaculture of eastern oysters is growing and, in recent years, more of the food output has been from captive-raised oysters than wild ones. Oysters are also threatened by pollution and climate change. While they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, they are vulnerable to heat stress, especially as they can't move to cooler waters in summer. Climate change also results in ocean acidification, which results in less structurally sound shells. Pollution threatens oysters and their larvae and a recently-introduced disease called multinucleated sphere x has the potential to wipe out whole reefs. Because oysters are a keystone species, their loss can threaten whole ecosystems.

(Image: an oyster farm. It consists of rows of cages tied together and left resting on the seafloor. The cages are full of developing oysters. Raising them in the wild allows them to clean the water and get food for free and does not mean destroying the reefs when they are harvested. End ID)

[lordcaptains]

theodora von valancius' reactions to the player character's origin

astra militarum commander -

"Service in the Astra Militarum is a trial from which very few people emerge with their life. That you have risen through the ranks of the Imperial Guard and assumed command of an army is a testament to your astuteness, both on the battlefield and in the tangled net of officer intrigues. I assure you, the company that a Rogue Trader keeps will offer you plenty of chances to demonstrate both your diplomatic skills and your combat prowess."

commissar -

"Once, you were a Commissar of the Imperial Guard. A political officer who was not afraid to face their own death or to send their underlings to theirs. Resolve, faith, implacability — all of it gives one a unique perspective when presented with a situation where a less steadfast individual could falter. Trust me, your future holds plenty of situations where your commitment to your duty — or your house's interests — will be one of your strengths."

crime lord -

"One could not in good faith describe your background as one of exemplary service to the Imperium. However… I am intrigued by you and your past. To have survived and prospered between the letters of the law is a rare achievement among those in our circle. You are skilled in the art of taking risks and cutting corners. Trust me when I say that you will have sufficient opportunity to apply this talent for the good of the house."

ministorum priest -

"A priest of the Adeptus Ministorum… I never would have thought that someone of my house would become one. Spare me the recital of your dogmas on humility and service — I am well aware that the Ecclesiarchy is no less versed in matters of logistics than the hairsplitters from the Administratum. When your commercial interests are hidden behind a facade of concern for Humanity's souls, any action you take will raise far fewer questions than it would otherwise."

naval officer -

"You were once a Lord Captain yourself — aboard your own ship. You know everything there is to know about the life of this gargantuan beast and its thousands of crew members. You know how fickle machine spirits can be, how weak-willed are the rabble from the lower decks, how a single tactical decision can turn the tide of a battle. Few people can claim to have such priceless experience that is so highly sought after in my calling."

noble -

"Your noble descent is a sign that power lives in your very flesh and blood. You would never doubt your words or actions, never show weakness, never let an involuntary gesture or a careless word betray your fears or agitation — at least if your upbringing was as thorough as mine was in my time. Many will grovel at your feet — governors, commanders, highborn Navigators, conceited lords — and you cannot allow them to sense weakness in the one who stands above them."

sanctioned psyker -

"It says in your profile that you bear the brand of sorcery… albeit sanctioned sorcery that is permitted in the service of the Imperium. I am accustomed to the presence of psykers at my side. More than that, I value their unique abilities highly. Perhaps that is why I am so intrigued by Edelthrad's candidacy — a Rogue Trader psyker could achieve great things indeed. However, psykers are fragile creatures, and as such I would rather have a replacement standing ready in the event that something happens to Edelthrad."

[probablyasocialecologist]

Today, we know from the research of Jason Hickel and his colleagues that in 2021 the Global North was able to extract from the Global South 826 billion hours in net appropriated labor. This represents $18.4 trillion measured in Northern wages. Behind this lies the fact that workers in the Global South receive 87–95 percent lower wages for equivalent work at the same skill levels. The same study concluded that the wage gap between the Global North and the Global South was increasing, with wages in the North rising eleven times more than wages in the South between 1995 and 2021. This research into the contemporary global labor arbitrage is coupled with recent historical work by Utsa Patnaik and Prabhat Patnaik that has now documented the astronomical drain of wealth during the period of British colonialism in India. The estimated value of this drain over the period of 1765–1900, cumulated up to 1947 (in 1947 prices) at 5 percent interest, was $1.925 trillion; cumulated up to 2020, it amounts to $64.82 trillion. It should be emphasized that the Global North’s contemporary drain of economic surplus from the Global South, via the unequal exchange of labor embodied in exports from the latter, is in addition to the normal net flow of capital from developing to developed countries recorded in national accounts. This includes the balance on merchandise trade (import and exports), net payments to foreign investors and banks, payments for freight and insurance, and a wide array of other payments made to foreign capital such as for royalties and patents. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the net financial resource transfers from developing countries to developed countries in 2017 alone amounted to $496 billion. In neoclassical economics, this is known as the paradox of the reverse flow of capital, or of capital flowing uphill, which it ineffectively tries to explain away by various contingent factors, rather than acknowledging the reality of economic imperialism. With respect to the geopolitical dimension of imperialism, the focus this century has been on the continuing decline of U.S. hegemony. Analysis has concentrated on the attempts of Washington, since 1991, backed by London, Berlin, Paris, and Tokyo, to reverse this. The goal is to establish the triad of the United States, Europe, and Japan—with Washington preeminent—as the unipolar global power through a more “naked imperialism.” This counterrevolutionary dynamic eventually led to the present New Cold War. Yet, despite all of the developments in imperialism theory over the last century, it is not the theory of imperialism so much as the actual intensification of the Global North’s exploitation of the Global South, coupled with the resistance of the latter, that has stood out. As Sweezy argued in Modern Capitalism and Other Essays in 1972, the sharp point of proletarian resistance decisively shifted in the twentieth century from the Global North to the Global South. Nearly all revolutions since 1917 have taken place in the periphery of the world capitalist system and have been revolutions against imperialism. The vast majority of these revolutions have occurred under the auspices of Marxism. All have been subjected to counterrevolutionary actions by the great imperial powers. The United States alone has intervened militarily abroad hundreds of times since the Second World War, primarily in the Global South, resulting in the deaths of millions. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the primary contradictions of capitalism have been those of imperialism and class.

3 November 2024

[uv-the-heller]

I think if it turns out Adrian Dittmann is Elon Musk then the fortnite friday with him is a funny as shit installment to the show and an incredibly pathetic appearance from him. Of course.

HOWEVER, I think if it doesn't turn out to be Elon Musk, the value we get from the haha comedy show is completely different - it's actually a contemporary presentation of art. I know that sounds ridiculous but bear with me here.

Connor, a gen z man, who talked on stream about growing up surrounded by right wing beliefs and only seeing how he benefitted from them, but learned republican politics are as he put it a "net negative" for the future of others. He spends the majority of the stream confronting and ridiculing Elon Musk as if he were talking to him, whether that's true or not. And whether it is true or not, "Adrian" doesn't really entertain any of his confrontations, and instead chooses to either troll or shift the subject to focus on the game or whatever.

What I got from that was, and I'm being incredibly genuine when I'm saying this, an almost raw and helpless cry of someone seeing what the world is coming to and trying to give a piece of his mind kinda like a journal or screaming into the void, only for it to fall on the deaf ears of some #1 Elon fanboy who wasn't even the intended recipient of the message.

I think it goes to show that while the show is really entertaining for what it is already (Connor being a really funny individual, his choice of guests and game and format), everything can be dug for additional value and any kind of creation is rarely single-faceted.

[rookflower]

"everyone in mapleshade's vengeance (minus the kits and whatever other exceptions whatever person making this point opts to include) is a bad person" is a take that does indeed work to establish that yes, this is a story piloted by every party with any agency acting out of cruelty and hurting others, and is also an attempt at gesturing towards nuance (or at least, thinking outside of black and white morality. it is in itself a kinda inherently un-nuanced take) within the idea of good vs evil in the story. however where i believe the issue with the phrase lies is in the assertion that the reason why these characters are enacting violence on each other is because of some unique inherent nastiness they were born with or that were predisposed into their character writing rather than addressing that their flaws (while still horrible) are specifically systemically driven.

before she kills ravenwing, mapleshade commits no crime that is worth the persecution she faces, and her mistakes are in fear of facing what she inevitably does. she does not obfuscate information about her childrens' parentage or take them into that river out of malice or uncaring, she does it because she lives in a society that will exile her children in a storm once it finds out that they are illegitimate, and see that she leaves. the birchface thing likely exacerbated her punishment, sure, but she still had no safety net. if it could happen under that circumstance it could happen under any, and that is the tragedy of it. (the bridge-she-couldve-crossed thing is clearly not something the authors remembered or considered so is kind of textually irrelevant)

likewise, frecklewish does not display some unique inherent xenophobia to herself that we don't also see across the timeline from dotc to present, that even characters the writers intend as sympathetic like crowfeather and gray wing will display. this doesn't whatsoever absolve her of culpability, cruelty is cruelty regardless of the source, but it isn't her that is the source of her own hatred, it is the clan system, and her own grief that is amplifying it. "frecklewish wasn't sent to the dark forest for the river thing, it was because she yelled at the kids" is a funny take because yeah to us the readers her violent outburst is clearly her "wrong", but in-universe i really don't think starclan would care LMAO.

now, as with a lot of things in warrior cats that are deeper than the text on page i''m not sure the erins are necessarily consciously Trying to write the clan system as an inherently cruel, violent, and bigoted system- they might very well be throwing in antagonistic characters with the intent that their prejudices and toxic patriotism just form naturally and randomly like mutuations- but as i've said before i do find an interesting parallel between the series' necessity to maintain its status quo and flow of conflict for sake of marketability and series continuation, and the fact that the world in-universe has a code with xenophobia baked into its laws and consistently writes conflicts about the cruelty of the warrior code without ever being able to take steps to major to address and remedy the flaws that lead to this conflict lest it Paint The Clans As The Bad Guys or force them to step too far away from their tried and true formula, so the cycle continues. i think that's the tragedy of mapleshade's vengeance to me- it's a story that occurs because of some pointless interclan war about rocks or whatever else and everything that occurs to mapleshade is done to her by cogs and/or perpatrators of this machine that values compliance and order and clan isolationism. she's a minorly selfish and oblivious person, she isn't born evil. the people that hurt her aren't conniving supervillains, they're just people with the capacity for cruelty given the motivation and the chance. and that's worse, in a way, because they come out on the right side of history and like a dozen generations later squirrelflight and leafpool are going to get put on a trial to go to hell for the same crime that got her exiled, because the system is fucked and the system hasn't changed.

[zedecksiew]

(Don't) Incentivise Ethical Behaviour

In the ongoing project of rescuing useful thoughts off Xwitter, here's another hot take of mine, reheated:

"Being good for a reward isn’t being good---it’s just optimal play."

The quote comes from Luke Gearing and his excellent post "Against Incentive", to which I had been reacting.

My thread was mainly intended as a fulsome nodding along to one of Luke's points. It was posted in 2021, and extended in 2023 after Sidney Icarus posed a question to it. So it is two threads.

Here they are, properly paragraphed, hopefully more cleanly expressed:

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(Don't) Incentivise Ethical Behaviour

This is my main problem with mechanically rewarding pro-social play: a character's ethical choice is rendered mercenary.

As Luke Gearing puts it:

"Being good for a reward isn’t being good---it’s just optimal play."

Bear in mind that I'm not saying that pro-social play can't have rewarding outcomes for players. Any decision should have consequences in the fiction. It serves the ideal of portraying a living, world to have these consequences rendered diegetic:

The townsfolk are thankful; the goblins remember your mercy; pamphlets appear, quoting from your revolutionary speech.

What I am saying is that rewarding abstract mechanical benefits (XP tickets, metacurrency points, etc) for ethical decisions stinks.

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A subtle but absolutely essential distinction, when it comes to portraying and exploring ethics / morality, in roleplaying games.

Say you reward bonus XP for sparing goblins.

Are your players making a decisions based on how much they value life / the personhood of goblins? Or are they making a decision based on how much they want XP?

Say you declare: "If you help the villagers, the party receives a +1 attitude modifier in this village."

Are your players assisting the community because it is the right thing to do, or are they playing optimally, for a +1 effect?

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XP As Currency

XP is the ur-example of incentive in TTRPGs. It began with D&D's gold-for-XP, and has never strayed far from that logic.

XP is still currency. Do things the GM / game designer wants you to do? Get paid.

Players use XP to buy better mechanical tools (levels, skills, abilities)---which they can then in turn use to better perform the actions that will net them XP.

Like using gold you stole from goblins to buy a sword, so you can now rob orcs.

I genuinely feel that such systems are valuable. They are models that illuminate the drives fuelling amoral / unethical behaviour.

Material gain is the drive of land-grabbing and colonialism. Logger-barons and empires do get wealthier and more privileged, as a reward for their terrible actions.

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If you want to present an ethical choice in play, congruent to our real-life dilemmas, there is value in asking:

"Hey, if you kill the goblins you can grab their treasure, and you will get richer. There's no reward for sparing their lives, except that they are thankful."

Which is another way of asking:

"Does your commitment to the ideal of preserving life outweigh the guaranteed material incentives for taking life?"

The ethical choice is the difficult choice, precisely because it involves---as it often does, in real life---sacrificing personal growth and gain. Doling out an XP bounty for doing the right thing makes the ethical choice moot.

"I as the player am making a mechanically optimal choice, but my character is making an ethical choice!"

A cop-out. Owning your cake and eating it too. The fictional fig-leaf of empathy over a calculated a decision to make profit.

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Sidney Icarus asks a question which I will quote here:

"... those who hold to their beliefs of good behaviour don't feel rewarded, and therefore feel punished. And that's not a good feeling. It's an unpleasant experience to play a game where the righteous players are in rags, and the mercenary fucks have crowns and sceptres. So, what's the design opportunity? How do we make doing the right thing feel pleasant without making it mercenary? Or, like reality, do we acknowledge that ethical acts are valuable only intrinsically and philosophically? I have no idea how to reconcile this."

I would suggest that the above dichotomy---"righteous players in rags, mercs in crowns"---is true if property is recognised as the only true incentive.

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Friends As Property

Modern games try to solve the righteous-players-in-rags "problem" in various ways. Virtue might not net you treasure or XP, but may give you:

Contact or ally slots, which you can fill in;

Relationship meters you can watch tick up;

Favour points you can cash in later;

etc.

How different are these mechanical incentives from treasure or XP, really?

Your relationships with supposedly living, breathing beings are transformed into abilities for your character: skills you can train; powers you can reliably proc. Pump your relationship score with the orc tribe until calling on them for reinforcements becomes a once-per-month ability.

Relationships become contracts. Regard becomes debt. Put your friend in an ally slot, so they become a tool.

If this is what you want play to be---totally fine! As stated previously, games say powerful things when they portray the engines of profit and property.

But I personally don't think game designers should design employer-employee relationships and disguise these as instances of mutual aid.

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Friends As Friends

In the OSR campaigns I'm part of, I keep forgetting to record money. Which is usually a big deal in such games, seeing as they are in the grand tradition of gold-for-XP?

In both games, my characters are still 1st-Level pukes, though it's been months.

I'm having a blast, anyway.

My GMs, by virtue of running organic, reactive worlds, have made play rewarding for me. NPCs / geographies remember the party's previous actions, and respond accordingly.

I've been given gills from a river god, after constant prayer;

I've befriended a village of monsters, where we now live;

I've parleyed with the witch of a whole forest, where we may now tread;

I've a boon from the touch of wood wose, after answering his summons.

I cannot count on the wood wose showing up. He is a character in the world, not a power I control. Calling on the wood wose might become a whole adventure.

Little of this stuff is codified my stats or abilities or equipment list. They are mostly all under "misc notes".

Diegetic growth. Narrative change that spirals into more play.

This is the design opportunity, to me:

How do we shape TTRPG play culture in such a way that the "misc notes" gaps in our games are as fun as the systemised bits? What kinds of orientation tools must we provide? What should we say, in our advice sections?

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A Note About Trust

The reason why it is so hard to imagine play beyond conventional incentive structures has a lot to do with trust.

Sidney again:

One of the core issues is the "low trust table". I'm not designing just for myself but for my audience. For a product. How much can I ask purchasers and their friends to codesign this part with me?

Nerds love numbers and things we can write down in inventories or slots because they are sureties. We've learned to fear fiat or player discretion, traumatised as we are by Problem GMs or That Guys.

The reason why the poverty in Sidney's hypothetical ("righteous players are in rags") sounds so bad is because in truth it represents risk at the game table. If you don't participate in the mechanics legible to your ruleset (the XP and gear to do more game things), you risk gradually being excluded from play.

You have no assurance your fellow players will know how hold space for you; be considerate; work together to portray a living world where NPCs react in meaningful ways---in ways that will be fun and rewarding for everybody playing.

You are giving up the guarantee of mechanical relevance for the possibility of fun interactions and creative social play.

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The "low trust table" is learned behaviour--the cruft of gamer culture and trauma.

When I game with folks new to TTRPGs, they tend to be decent, considerate. I think there's enough anecdotal evidence from folks playing with school kids / newcomers / etc to suggest my experience is not unique.

If the "low trust table" is indeed learned behaviour, it can be unlearned.

Which rules conventions, now part of the hobby mainstream, were the result of designers designing defensively---shadowboxing against terrible players and the spectre of "unfairness"?

How can we "undesign" such conventions?

Lack of trust is a problem that we have to address in play culture, not rulesets. You cannot cook a dish so good it forces diners to have good table manners.

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This is too long already. I'll end with an observation:

Elfgames are not praxis, but doesn't this specific dilemma in the microcosm of our silly elfgames ultimately mirror real-world ethics?

To be moral is to trust in a better world; to be amoral / immoral is to hedge against the guarantee of a worse one.

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Further Reading

Some words from around the TTRPG community about incentive and advancement in games:

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However, the reason there is a big debate about this is that behavioural incentives in games clearly do work, either entirely or at various levels. This applies outside gaming, as well. Why do advertising companies and retail business use "rewards" structures to convince people to buy more of their products? Why do people chase after "Likes" on social media?

A comment by Paul_T to "A Hypothesis on Behavioral Incentives" from a discussion on Story-Games.com

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the structure and symbolism of the D&D game align with certain structures and values of patriarchy. The game is designed to last infinitely by shifting goalposts of character experience in terms of increasing amounts of gold pieces acquired; this resembles the modus operandi of phallic desire which seeks out object after object (most typically, women) in order to quench a lack which always reasserts itself.

D&D's Obsession With Phallic Desire from Traverse Fantasy

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In short, my feeling is that rewarding players with character improvement in return for achieving goals in a specific way impedes some of the key strengths of TTRPGs for little or no benefit in return. 

Incentives from Bastionland

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When good deeds arise naturally out of the players choices, especially when players rejected other options that were more beneficial to them, it is immensely satisfying. Far more than if players are just assumed to be heroic by default. It gives agency and meaning to player choice.

Make Players Choose To Be Kind from Cosmic Orrery

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Much has been made about 1 GP = 1 XP as the core gameplay loop driver of TSR D+D. But XP for gold retrieved also winds up being something of a de facto capitalistic outlook as well. Success is driven by accumulation of individual wealth -- by an adventuring company, even! So what's a new framework that can be used for underpinning a leftist OSR campaign?

A Spectre (7+3 HD) Is Haunting the Flaeness: Towards a Leftist OSR from Legacy of the Bieth

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Growth should be tied to a specific experience occurring in the fiction. It is more important for a PC to grow more interesting than more skilled or capable. PCs experience growth not necessarily because they’ve gotten more skill and experience, but because they are changed in a significant way.

Cairn FAQ from Cairn RPG / Yochai Gal

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Thank you Ram for the Story-Games.com deep cut!

( Image sources: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/neuron-activation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majesty:_The_Fantasy_Kingdom_Sim https://www.economist.com/sites/default/files/special-reports-pdfs/10490978.pdf https://varnam.my/34311/untold-tales-of-indian-labourers-from-rubber-plantations-during-pre-independence-malaya/ https://nobonzo.com/ )

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PS: used with permission from Sandro, art by Maxa', a reminder to self:

[randomidiocyncrazies]

TBHX setting notes 6

new setting sheet, about the advertisement and sponsorship side of hero work. as always, lmk if i got something wrong/there's a better way to convey the info etc!

Today's topic: So about OG E-soul's cancelled sponsorship...

OG E-soul is an important brand belonging to Mighty Glory (MG), and his identity as E-soul has great commercial value. Attracted by his value, other companies make merch of E-soul and make deals with OG E-soul to be their spokesperson and appear in promotional events etc. Losing a sponsorship deal is a sign of OG E-soul's decreasing net worth. As Trust Value rise and fall, so too does a hero's commercial value.......

The Add-on Worth of Trust Value

Faith of the masses in a hero becomes the hero's Trust Value, and most heroes sign on with hero agencies. Once signed, the hero's agency will market their client's image according to what society wants or expects of the hero, in order to boost their client's Trust Value.

Increase in Trust Value signals an increase of the hero's base market; as such, the hero is no longer just a hero, but an important asset of the hero agency they belong to.

These heroes have an array of 'add-on' values linked to their Trust Value, such as "commercial value". If Trust Values fall, then so too will their net worth from the 'add-on' values.

Additional comments/personal speculation: again, none of this is brand new info, since the implications are pretty clear from the info presented in the show so far. we've already seen agencies employ fake nemeses and engineer PR romances to raise Trust Value in L0's arc, so i won't be surprised if we get some corporate espionage shit later on.

i do wonder what would've happened if another major company wanted to sign with Yang Cheng before the end of ep 6—E-soul is a MG asset, but "new E-soul" is technically not, which is partially why E-soul's agent is so pissed. Related, the copyright infringement angle is actually really interesting, and I wish they did more with it. I think the legal battle between MG and Shang Chao's startup could've been really fun and thematically appropriate, since while SC is still a student and it's not even confirmed if he actually already has an actual agency set up, he has the backing of his father, who is heavily implied to be Treeman's Mr. Shang/Shand—who was a top exec at MG before stepping down to form Treeman in Year 34. So it's a situation where an industry giant feels threatened by an up-and-comer who is borrowing influence/social capital/resources from said established bigwigs, while striving to differentiate themselves as a new thing on multiple levels (MG vs Shang Chao's proto-business; OG E-soul vs YC/New E-soul). again, i feel like there are really obvious parallels that the show just kinda glosses over, but that's how it usually goes. fans see the missed potential but it's a different story when you're the one writing it.

Related to the copyright issue, what if instead of accusing YC on false charges, MG tried to recruit him? I feel like making "new E-soul" part of the MG line-up would've been the better play here, especially since it now kind of looks like OG E-soul/MG is a sore loser from the public's view (then again, YC would've been cooked if it wasn't for Shang Chao's connections, so maybe it really was just bad luck for MG that it turned out like this). But yeah i just feel like it makes more sense to try to buy YC out/recruit him before launching into false accusations? I'm not a business man though, so who knows.

EDIT: with the reveal of ep 7, it's pretty clear why MG didn't try to recruit YC...

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive (Daily updates!)

By Laura Weiss

The Biden administration cut pandemic-era health benefits, and the Harris campaign failed to present any comprehensive health care reform policies. This was not an inspiring message for voters

In a week of hand-wringing and finger-pointing over what Democrats might have done differently in this year’s presidential election, one big topic has been absent from the conversation: Health care reform and public health. It’s a surprising omission given how 2020 was largely a referendum on pandemic response—a referendum Trump failed. The issue remains highly salient: At least eight in 10 voters said it was “very important” for the 2024 presidential candidates to talk about the affordability of health care.

But beyond Harris’s promise to maintain the Affordable Care Act and introduce some moderate reforms to drug pricing and medical debt, the issue felt like an afterthought. As of October, two-thirds of U.S. adults said they didn’t think the presidential campaigns were paying enough attention to health care.

The issues of health care and the Covid-19 pandemic are still front of mind to large swaths of voters and, in some ways, inextricable. President Biden owed his 2020 win in part due to his promise that he would do better than his predecessor in handling the pandemic; that unlike Trump, he would “follow the science.” And at first, he did. But once it became clear that new variants would arise and vaccines would not prevent all Covid cases—though they did limit hospitalizations and deaths—the Biden administration went way off course. Rather than following the science and ramping up rapid-test production, covering testing and new vaccines, and upholding commonsense safety measures like masking in health care, his Covid czar, a corporate executive, chose to pretend Covid was a thing of the past.

As new variants surged, Biden followed directives from consultants, corporations, and vibes. The Democrats’ current Covid-19 prevention playbook barely differs from that of Republicans, even though the World Health Organization has said this year that we are still in a pandemic.

But the Biden administration did not just stumble in following the science, it also lost its way in terms of capitalizing on its own successful policies, which taught broad lessons in the value of breaking from a broken health care status quo. Since Biden declared the end of the state of emergency in May 2023, tens of millions have lost benefits that they had gained in 2020—including Medicaid expansion, paid sick leave, increased unemployment benefits, and coverage for Covid testing and vaccines. Losing these benefits while inflation soared, income stagnated, and poverty increased certainly played a role at the ballot box.

“Pandemic social programs enjoyed broad support,” said Dr. Lucky Tran, a public health and science communicator based in New York. “However, when countries like the U.S. declared the end of the public health emergency, these programs were allowed to expire, despite Covid continuing to surge throughout the year and the long-term impacts on people’s health and economic well-being.”

Both campaigns seemed to view discussing Covid-19 itself as a “toxic” political issue, as Tran put it, but the Biden administration’s public health failings certainly didn’t help the cause of the Democrats, who had come into office promising a different approach. Disabled and immunocompromised people—who constitute a quarter of the population—feel betrayed by an administration unwilling to protect them.

The expansion of the social safety net that came with the pandemic—which included Medicaid expansion, unemployment benefits, child tax credits, rent freezes, and paid sick leave—was undoubtedly popular. As it happened, voters cut across partisan assumptions in three red states (Alaska, Missouri, and Nebraska) to vote to increase sick leave benefits. Trump has promised not to cut Medicaid, though it never pays to trust him. During his last administration, he cut funding to programs that helped users navigate the complicated ACA system as well as ad spending.

During the state of emergency, some 23 million Americans gained health care coverage through Medicaid, thanks to a provision that halted Medicaid disenrollments. Typically, Medicaid enrollees have to prove their eligibility every year or their coverage will be removed; that means going through an onerous process involving forms, income verification, and bureaucracy in order to prove their income is low enough to grant them Medicaid. Medicaid eligibility was also expanded in several states during that time and its coverage was broadened to include things that made health care more accessible, like telehealth. The end of the state of emergency meant the end of the Medicaid disenrollment provision, and since then those tens of millions who gained coverage have lost it.

As Bryce Covert put it in The New York Times last March, “The message received is that the government could have done these things all along but had chosen not to—and has chosen once again to withdraw that kind of security.”

Jeff Reese, a bartender in Colorado, was one of the millions of people who lost Medicaid under Biden: “The Covid measures to help get us through, such as expanded Medicaid, food stamps, and unemployment benefits, were critical in getting me through the early part of Covid,” he told me. “Having access to health care was really good since I’m now in my fifties. I did have some preexisting conditions diagnosed, and I started treating and monitoring them, adopted a plant-based diet, and generally was able to improve my health.”

When the Covid emergency was declared over, he lost his coverage. This February, Reese suffered a serious e-bike accident that put him in the hospital for weeks, and he had to turn to GoFundMe to pay for intensive physical therapy. He says now that he owes $100,000 in medical bills, which he negotiated down from almost half a million with the hospital. He hasn’t been able to find an ACA plan that works for him yet, so he remains uninsured.

Though he begrudgingly voted for Harris in the election, many of his peers did not. “I haven’t been too keen on [the Democrats’] ability to see to my interests for a while,” he said. Reese said that he would have felt more enthusiastic in his vote had the Democrats presented a more comprehensive plan on health care. He said it was Barack Obama mentioning single-payer health care during his campaign that led him to vote Democrat for the first time after voting third party since 1992. According to a Gallup poll, a majority of Americans think the government should ensure that everyone has health care coverage.

To the extent that Harris addressed health care, it was largely to voice support for abortion rights or highlight Trump’s threats to unravel the ACA. In October, Harris ran some ads on health care and talked up her efforts to lower prescription drug costs. In a town hall on Univision, Harris faced criticism when answering a question from a Latina voter, Martha, about her problems qualifying for disability despite her debilitating long-Covid symptoms. Harris responded by talking about her support for medical debt relief, sidestepping the crux of the question.

Meanwhile, disability claims jumped by over a million between 2020 and 2023, largely attributable to long Covid, according to the Center for American Progress. Martha, who was left homeless and uninsured due to her struggles with long Covid, and who referenced “Make America great again” in her question, did not seem satisfied by Harris’s response.

At the last minute, Harris added expanding Medicare to cover some home care and addressing the high costs of ambulance rides, into her platform. But it was too little, too late. (Notably, Harris backed Medicare for All during her 2020 campaign.)

“I think the result of elections around the world have shown that ‘back to normal’ messaging was ineffective, with many incumbent governments losing office in large part due to a failure in acknowledging people’s pain and providing real plans to help people in the long term,” said Tran.

Trump’s brand of economic populism appealed to voters who are hoping for something different. But if things were already bad when it comes to health care, public health agencies, and health research, they are bound to get worse over the next four years.

“A second Trump presidency will erode essential public health and health care infrastructure, increase distrust in science and public health, and will put many people at greater risk of death and serious illness,” Tran warned.

Though Trump is no longer saying he necessarily wants to repeal the ACA—and is in fact now taking credit for “saving” it (um, OK), he can still do a ton of damage to this important health insurance program. For example, Democrats are worried about a looming expiration to ACA deductible subsidies, which make coverage possible for many, and fewer protections for people with preexisting conditions (that is to say: most people) who could not get health care before Obamacare outside of employer-sponsored plans.

Beyond that, Trump says he’ll let Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “go wild on health” and plans to give him a high-level Cabinet role, perhaps leading the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, who has zero health experience (and who once suffered from a literal brain worm) is a notorious anti-vaxxer—so much so that his views got him kicked off Facebook. An HHS under his watch would surely limit access to vaccines, leading to outbreaks of diseases we thought we left behind in the twentieth century. Even if he is unable to outright ban vaccines, his efforts would surely stigmatize and discourage them. In a time when we still need a durable, variant-proof Covid vaccine and bird flu threatens to become a new pandemic, the outcome will be devastating.

“All of the policies which make the U.S. more vulnerable to Covid will also make the U.S. less prepared for future pandemic threats like bird flu because to prevent them we need health agencies that are competent, objective, and transparent; wide access to prevention and treatment tools; and strong trust in science and public health information, all of which will be under attack by the new administration,” said Tran.

Kennedy has also pledged to cut funding to the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and National Institutes of Health, which means more public health disruptions such as listeria outbreaks, as well as inaccurate or absent public messaging about current and future diseases, and less funding for biomedical research to help us understand and treat diseases affecting millions of Americans.

Some of the NIH’s biomedical research is going into things like long Covid, which affects some 20 million Americans and counting, as people are repeatedly reinfected. After a wobbly start, this research was finally showing promising signs under new NIH leadership and a $515 million grant, as I wrote a few weeks ago. We can probably wave goodbye to any further funding at the federal level.

Meighan Stone, who leads the Long Covid Campaign, says it’s critical to allocate NIH funding for Covid research as quickly as possible, before Trump takes office. “[Long Covid] is impacting force-readiness for the military, it is impacting the number of Americans who are having to apply for disability, it is affecting the economic strength of the United States,” she told me last month. “This is a significant public health issue, and it’s growing. We’re getting to the level of disease burden of other concerns like strokes, heart attacks, cancer,” she continued. “This is not a red state or blue state problem, this is a problem that’s impacting all Americans.”

It is clear that health care reform is urgently needed in this country, as numerous attempts in previous campaigns have attested. Democrats and Republicans alike take the blame for empowering insurance companies to call the shots and set the prices for this basic human right. As millions lost the pandemic-era health care benefits that provided much-needed immediate assistance, as well as pointing to the potential of a better future, the two parties—having staked out meaningful differences with one another—ended up reconverging on their approach to public health. We may never know how many decided to stay home this election because they felt disaffected at the sight of their presidential candidates abandoning following science and sensible policy. Now we will all witness what it looks like to go from bad to far, far worse.