#confusing diagram

[dhagrow]

subgroups of malayo-polynesian languages, excluding oceanic & formosan, plus a map of possible relations between each other (uncompressed images in the cut)

full-size, uncompressed images can be found here, plus a blank map cause y not: https://imgur.com/a/z6qVsQ9

[smile-files]

my attempt to catalog all of the randalls on pl bluesky, based on their chronological origin in the timeline:

kid randall (somehow fell into the stream; currently in the present)

alternate(?) pre-fall teen randall: in an anomalous past (connected across time to the present through an inexplicable access to the internet; now cut off for OOC reasons)

original post-fall teen randall, "golden mask": memories lost ("traded" with angela and brought to the present; returned to his time indirectly by henry)

alternate post-fall teen randall: memories intact (somehow left his time; currently in the present)

original masked gentleman: proceeds from original post-fall teen randall without memory of his time in the present (somehow left his time; currently in the present)

alternate/"golden mask" masked gentleman: proceeds from original timeline post-fall randall WITH memory of his time in the present (a branched version of "golden mask", who sought to make a deal with henry in exchange for angela and kid randall; killed by the pendulums version of hershel)

present-day randall (lost in the stream for a while; currently in the present, where he had been originally)

also if i'm wrong. uh. sorry lol

[hunsa-jars]

Chaotic tea party with these three when

[zombie-bait]

I was so ready to be constantly confused while playing Death Stranding cuz every article I saw about the game was like "Couldn't understand a single thing that happened 10/10" but I think speed-running The Locked Tomb series only a few months ago prepared me perfectly. I didn't get half of what went down in those books and I love them with all my heart. Turns out confusing post-apocalyptic necromancy with peculiar humour, life/death energies, splitting souls between body/mind, unique worldbuilding, cosmic horror and homoerotic vibes is the perfect niche for me

[pidgefudge]

do you ever hit a snag while working on something and it confuses you so much and takes so much time to research and try to figure it out that it saps all your remaining energy for working on the project. like rage quitting but not rageful

[the-clay-quarters]

today on What Is This Supposed To Be: Sskies Edition

what is going on with the cabin on the spatchcock,,, the 2 heights one makes more sense but then again in the art the front piece looks different/separate to the side pieces,,,

(and yes they're likely roof overhangs but the heights are still the issue)

I also feel the need to say that these things are Huge. usually train cabins fit like 2-3 people at most, but look at this beast

thats a whole person standing there! this is Not a normal sized cabin and its causing me so many issues

[idiotsonlyevent]

ai coleman and transmasculinity: (don't) let rage consume you

now that i've reread dorohedoro, i can more clearly articulate my thoughts about ai as an allegory for transmasculinity (initially mentioned in the tags on this post).

i want to start off by saying this is not a post about looking for 'evidence' that ai is a trans man, nor is it a post focusing on what hayashida 'intended' to do with ai. while authorial intent is important, it is not the end-all be-all of literary analysis; allegories do not have to be intentional or 'perfect'. this post seeks to explain how reading ai as a trans man can enrich his character, regardless of intentionality or canonicity. with that out of the way, let's get started! (spoilers through the end of the manga under the cut.)

the thing that really solidified this reading for me was how ai talked about his life and why he wants to become a sorcerer. ai sees becoming a sorcerer as 'gaining power' or privilege, and he feels that the only way for him to do so is to change his physical body. he wants to become a sorcerer to become someone totally different, erasing his old identity; in his opinion, there is nothing for him in a life as a human, only a sorcerer's life is worth living.

ai's goal of 'becoming a sorcerer' is not just to change his body, it is to change his body and gain the abilities or 'privileges' that such a change entails - it is in part about external validation, especially from the sorcerers that oppress humans. this is a very straightforward way of depicting negative perceptions of transmasculine transition: the transmedicalist belief that medical transition is the only 'valid' way to be trans, the transphobic view that trans men are women 'gaming the system' to 'gain male privilege,' and the idea that 'erasing' one's past identity as a woman will award them male privilege unconditionally.

in reality, though, transition is powerful because it is an assertion of ownership of one's own body, and i think this dissonance is key. this is not something that ai recognizes as 'valid.' you could even say ai wants control over how he is perceived and he thinks becoming a sorcerer will give that to him.

so, ai compiles and develops the research for this surgery on his own, reflecting the ways trans people often have to advocate for themselves in medical contexts.

after kasukabe completes the surgery, ai survives! the recovery period is long and brutal, but ai seems to be completely fine. except . . . kasukabe later goes on to describe that ai was 'different' - he's presented as violent and unstable. this is reminiscent of how, especially after beginning medical transition, transmasculine people are often characterized as more dangerous, aggressive, or emotionless, even by the doctors that are supposed to care for them.

even after becoming a sorcerer, ai doesn't get the privilege he wanted. he's essentially clocked by other sorcerers, because he can't produce smoke, and then they kill him. he doesn't 'pass' as a sorcerer successfully.

in this reading, hole could be read as trans rage: at ostracization, at lack of acceptance, at the unjust hierarchies that plague society - especially capitalist society - at assigning value to and making assumptions about people based on aspects of their physical bodies that they have no control over and that are difficult to change. ai's body being puppeted by hole could represent both how masculinity is associated with violence, as well as the expectation that trans men need to be the 'protectors' of other queer people due to their supposed access to male privilege.

this is why caiman's acceptance of ai, aikawa, and kai is so important; it is an assertion of ownership over his body and identity, regardless of how others perceive him. he doesn't need to ignore or forget his fear and desperation or his rage. he was a scared kid, he was consumed with anger at the way the world treated him, and he can - and in fact he deserves to - live a happy life where he is loved and cared for.

caiman's eventual status as a sorcerer is conditionally granted to him by those who have that privilege, it comes at the cost of his 'true' face, and it will be lost. this mirrors how access to male privilege for trans people is also conditional, requires denying facets of one's identity, and is fragile - subject to being revoked at any time.

after defeating hole, caiman ends up right where ai started, but his circumstances are not identical. even if the physical location of hole is the same, it has changed. caiman kept his face, but now he knows who he is and that he doesn't need external validation of his worth and identity.

ai's story - caiman's story - is about coming of age in a society that systematically treats certain classes of people poorly and about struggling with and accepting one's identity. obviously these experiences are not exclusive to transgender people; however, the ways in which dorohedoro discusses and portrays the body and body modification in my opinion easily lends itself to trans readings, and i find this reading of ai's struggle to be particularly compelling.

[towersofviolet]

v's sfth toki pona translation #1

i decided to smoosh two hyperfixations together and translated one of shoot from the hip's improvised sketches into toki pona. this is "heinous crimes of treason" from "completely improvised sketches #11", a.k.a. luke as a draconian monarch sending people down into the crocodile-infested waters below. it's literally just a transcript so won't make much sense without the accompanying video.

musi sin nanpa 11: ike a tawa lawa

jan Ton: tenpo ni la mi pali e musi tawa sina. musi nanpa wan la mi wile e toki open. ken la ni li kama tan ma ni. ni li toki open.

jan mute: [kalama mute]

jan Ton: ni li seme?

jan: a! mun li len e suno. ni li suno a!

jan Ton: a! mun li len e suno. ni li suno a! pona a. o pana e ijo tan ma ni.

jan ante nanpa wan: mi moli e waso.

jan ante nanpa tu: o tawa e ona lon anpa.

jan ante nanpa tu wan: mi kama mama.

jan Ton: “o tawa e ona lon anpa.” ni li toki sina anu seme? lukin sina li pana e suno. ni li nasa a. “o tawa e ona lon anpa.” ni li pona tawa mi. ni la jan ante li jo e nasin ante mute. mi open kepeken ni:  “o tawa e ona lon anpa.” jan ale o kalama luka suli tawa open!

jan mute: [mu]

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan San: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan San: ona li anpa, lawa mi o. jan sin li tawa lon lupa pi akesi suli.

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa] ni li pona tawa mi. ona li pali ike a.

jan San: jan ni li seme, lawa mi o?

jan Lu: mu… ona li kalama musi tawa mi.

jan San: lon.

jan Lu: sina pana e sona seme kepeken nimi “lon”?

jan San: taso… mi kute e toki sina. ni li lon.

jan Lu: mi lukin e ni: sina sewi e linja pi sewi lukin sina.

jan San: [kalama musi]

jan Lu: sina kalama musi tawa mi. ni li tan seme?

jan San: mi kalama musi ala tawa sina. mi pilin ike tan ni. mi-

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan San: a! o tawa ala e mi lon anpa! o tawa ala e mi lon anpa! o tawa ala e mi lon anpa!

jan Ese: [mu]

jan San: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan Ese: jan sin li moli, lawa sina- mi o.

jan mute: [kalama musi]

jan Lu: sina toki e seme?

jan Ese: mi pilin ike tan ni. tenpo mute la nasin toki mi li kama… nimi ante. mi toki e ni: jan sin li moli, lawa si- mi o. ma mama mi la…

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan Ese: ala, ala! o awen! o awen! o awen! ala!

jan Ton: [mu]

jan Ese: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan Ese: [mu]

jan Ton: ona li moli, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: lon! ni li pona tawa mi. ona li pali ike a.

jan Ton: lon, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: sina lukin e mi tan seme?

jan Ton: mi kute taso e sina, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: ni li pona tawa mi lon tenpo ni.

jan Ton: ni li wowa* ala tawa mi, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: ni li seme tawa sina?

jan Ton: ni li wawo* ala tawa mi, lawa mi o.

jan Lu: wowo*?

jan Ton: ni li ike tawa mi. mi wile e ni: mi ante e ijo. taso, mi sona e ni: mi pakala!

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa a!

jan San: [mu]

jan Lu: [kalama musi nasa]

jan San: [kalama musi sama] lawa mi o, mi pali tawa sina. ni li pona tawa mi.

jan Lu: jan sama weka o!

jan San: lon! mi lon! tenpo sike mute pini la sina tawa e mi lon anpa. sina sona ala sona e ni? [kalama musi nasa]

jan Lu: [kalama monsuta]

jan San: [kalama nasa]

jan Lu: sina li lon sin tan seme?

jan San: weka la mi pilin ike, jan sama o. ni la mi en akesi suli en jan meli mute en jan lili mute en jan awen mute li lon. ona li lon tan ni: sina tawa e ona lon anpa. mi pilin ike tan ni: mi ken ala toki tawa jan.

jan Lu: a! sina walo tawa mi. sina monsuta tawa mi, jan sama o.

jan San: ni li tan ni: mi monsuta.

jan Lu: [mu monsuta] a! ala!

jan San: mi la sina sona e wile sina.

jan Lu: o tawa e ona lon anpa!

jan San: sina ken ala tawa e monsuta lon anpa. mi tawa sewi. [mu]

jan Lu: lon.

jan San: sina ken taso weka e mi tan ni: sina lukin e sijelo mi. sina kama jo e… sijelo moli mi.

jan Lu: o tawa e mi lon anpa!

jan San: … mi monsuta.

jan Ton: ni li tenpo pini! o kalama luka tawa ona!

jan ale: [kalama luka a]

[uncanny-tranny]

You know, something that's been healing in ways I never really anticipated was buying secondhand books.

I have a physiology textbook that has the name Ernest written in beautiful cursive on the inside cover. Throughout the book, passages are highlighted, and I wonder: What is the difference between a passage underlined in red pen and one highlighted in yellow? Did he have a system, or did he use whatever was around him at the time? What kind of courses did he take? I wonder what he did after his degree... what if he became a renowned physiologist? Or, what if he abandoned everything to run away to chase dreams he knew were unwise?

It's something small you don't really think about, but there really is something holy about not being the first. This book isn't just the sum of knowledge anymore, it's become a love letter, with a completely separate story attached. That's something I will keep with me forever. We have always been here. We will pass down a tiny bit of ourselves no matter how long it has been. We will yet live.

[marginal-notes]

Option a) I harass everyone (readers) by going stupid wild over ramming RICO into Gotham as an excuse to talk about urban food and waste management as well as urban design and eminent domain as weapons in social political levers of power;

Or option b) I harass everyone (characters) by flinging my eldritch flower god original main character into a random comic run for shits and giggle in a clash of unbalanced magic/power systems for the fun and entertainment of one (1) individual (me).

[edge-oftheworld]

hiii my friend just told me that if I sent you the 5sos member i think I'm most like, and permission to look at my blog you would psychoanalyze me? i thought that might be fun.

I'm not a huge 5sos fan, but I think I'm most like Calum. I think Michael is my favorite.

omg! i saw your dilithium post too and I hope that's going well, senior (?) chemistry can be brutal. and yeah absolutely!

you're naturally curious and easygoing, and you love novelty and diversity and learning about different ways to do things, different ways to exist, until you find something that comfortably fits you and then the peace you feel about that is so much better than trying to conform with what people say you should be. you get bored and start to feel uncomfortable when things are all the same all the time or when the same handful of people are telling everyone else what to do. part of that comes from being in a minority group, but part of it is just who you naturally are and even if you were white, cis and straight you think you'd still be drawn to people who break the mold.

you're drawn to anyone who's unashamedly themselves, and that's not because you're not yourself but sometimes you're quiet and people overlook you, or you're overlooked because you're well behaved according to their standards, but their standards are made up anyway, so who gave them the authority to judge you using things that don't even exist? it's a common aspec experience--people find reasons to judge who people are with, but when you're not with anyone they scramble for reasons to accuse you of wrongdoing, only to find none and infantilise you instead, focusing instead on the things you're good at, calling you 'career oriented' for not having a partner, not realising that binary is just as false as everything else.

there are things you're good at that you don't really care for, and things you love that you could be good at, and probably will be because you love them, so you're automatically going to spend more time on them. it's common sense, you don't understand why people don't get it.

you're observant and you notice a lot of trends as well as the ways that the world COULD be if people didn't just go through the same motions that this colonial society recommends. you're a dreamer and an idealist. you love philosophy, but only to a point, when it stops having practical applications it starts to go over your head sometimes because when it does that, it stops opening the doors to building community and family and instead starts to feel exclusionary, like that age-old trolley argument that totally disregards ANY sort of creativity and creates a false binary, something you hate.

your curiosity and love for complexity is one reason you're studying chemistry, and you're in so many fandoms! don't let people take that away from you: these things can be wonderous and joyful and you can look at ionic and covalent bonds and think to yourself: I'm most drawn to people who some say are opposite to me (loud, sometimes 'rude' but who makes these social rules anyway) but in other ways are exactly the same. lithium and oxygen are opposites, or are they? how about sodium and chlorine? aren't they more alike than you think? you don't appear like an outcast on the surface but you're committed to authenticity and you're going to go wherever that is, and it sure isn't with the mainstream people trying to hide their whole selves to be cool. they'll learn eventually. you already have.

[aropride]

i really dont understand studying at all like genuinely i don't know what it is . i know about "taking notes" and "reading the textbook" and that's it . quizlet doesn't do shit for me because i don't know what to. do. with the cards. look at them ? am i supposed to just look at them . No one bothered teaching me actual skills bc i got good grades when i was 8 and now i am so hopelessly lost . why did no one think to teach me this for when stuff got harder than four plus three

[theaukest]

does anyone else ever while socialising feel like a venn diagram but none of the circles are overlapping

[koipalm]

i am sure multiple dozens of people would disagree with me but i LOOVE to think that zagreus eventually surpasses achilles' level of skill. im not actually sure if its stated in canon if zag can consistently beat him in a fight but like. all zag has is time. and hes 3/4 god, whereas achilles is uhh. either half nereid point blank period or like 1/8 god 7/8 nymph depending on the source BUT REGARDLESS i wouldnt say hes as divine as zagreus. like in a game of cards i think god overrules nymph but thats just me. anyway i love the idea that it does take time but zagreus does eventually pass achilles in terms of strength/tactics/speed but maybe im just incredibly biased. gets off my soapbox

[q1mblrrd]

question why are all of the transmen I see on here t4t puppy kink people? No shame but I'm curious why they're so saturated. Where are the others. Where are you guys.

[iamthepulta]

I just realized after- *looks at calendar* -however long I've been a geologist, P-T diagrams have given me so much trouble because they're in fact NOT space-time diagrams and you do not put them into geologic context, you just kinda. Stare at them.