#something something TED Talk...

[posttexasstressdisorder]

My Kitchen Table Caucus

I thought I'd make this a reference post of what I do in order to make the best decision I can, every single time I vote. If it helps explain the process better to someone who has never voted, or has never been an "in-depth voter", (ie: researching each candidate and proposition and making an INFORMED DECISION based on all information received or gathered), then I'll have done my self-appointed job here.

With the final pieces of information arriving today, I can finally do the actual marking of my ballot. I'll explain why I wait as we go along.

The largest booklet, on the upper left up there, is the Federal/State info, much of it redundant, of course. I will read each of the candidate statements and proposition texts.

The book that arrived today, smaller, but more relevant, is the County/City Level info. Again, much is general info and redundant with the other book, but these are also packed with info about each candidate and each proposition, including voting histories, party endorsements, party switches, etc...all that is included as well as what the candidates say about themselves and the issues.

Once I've looked at all the relevant info there and made notes, it's on to the next thing, the Pile Of Glossy Flyers that have been sent via the mail. There are more...these were just today's:

I have also made note of what signs are in what yards, etc., since this season began. These flyers will seldom be the deciding factor in who to vote for, but rather, who NOT to vote for.

One last source of info are the political emails and newsletters I've gotten since this all began. There are several here that are relevant to housing (Tenants Together), as well as several representative and senator newsletters, both state and national level.

Once I've worked my way through all that, weighed each bit of info and put it in its place in my own framework, in a way I can understand, I will make my decision and mark my ballot. There are some candidates and issues that I don't need to go through all that with, but almost all pertinent info I might need to make an INFORMED DECISION that will make my voice heard, and make my vote mean something, in my own life.

I know I've written here before about WHY I do all this. One one level, it's because my late darlin' and I always made "a day" out of doing our Civic Duty and voting on Election Day itself*, and yes, wearing our dumb little stickers all day while we were out. It's been twelve years and about ten stickers ago now, but I do my Civic Duty as well-informed as I can be, every election, and always will.

[Patriotic Music swells in the background and fade to black.]

*We used to go out to lunch after we voted, but since I can no longer afford to go out at all, I decided tonight would be good to make a batch of Carne Guisada (Tex-Mex Beef Stew) with the not-quite-a-pound-of-stew meat I got this last time at GroceOut.

With it pretty much done, I will have myself a bowl, have a bit of coffee and read. Armed with bifocals perched on nose I'll make my marks some time before I go to bed.

Just realized I forgot to show what is in the envelope when you open your ballot. Your ballot, of course, along with its OFFICIAL RETURN ENVELOPE, which you must sign and date when you return, and another giblet on how to get assistance in voting, and of course, your silly sticker.

[bennetsbonnet]

Two statements about characters can and should co-exist: Pride and Prejudice edition

Mr Bennet has a close relationship with Elizabeth and provides amusing observations on the folly of human nature BUT he is a terrible husband and father who consistently neglects the women who rely on him for absolutely everything; Elizabeth and Jane turned out so well in spite of him, not because of him.

Mrs Bennet's behaviour is understandable given the era in which she lived and the subsequent pressure she was under to get her daughters married well, which wasn't entirely for vanity reasons given that Longbourn was entailed BUT she was still fundamentally vain, ridiculous and rude; such pressure, even combined with an absent husband, still does not make her behaviour justifiable, nor her a sympathetic character, as she enabled Lydia (whose subsequent elopement with Wickham almost ruined the family) for far too long.

Mr Collins is unfairly portrayed as a middle-aged sycophant in most adaptations, rather than the young clergyman who sucks up to his patroness in pursuit of a more lucrative living that he was BUT he is still a ridiculous character who you are not meant to feel sympathy for when Elizabeth rejects him; he is rude, hypocritical and thinks of himself far too highly considering how vapid he actually is.

Caroline Bingley is often too harshly judged as a 'pick-me,' even though her relentless pursuit of Darcy is understandable given his wealth & status and how important it was for women to make a good marriage BUT she was still rude, vain and treated Jane terribly; plus she was a hypocritical snob, given the manner in which she looked down upon the Bennet family's relations despite the Bingleys' own background in trade.

Elizabeth is incredibly witty, courageous and endearing and instantly likeable which makes Darcy's slight of her at the Meryton assembly all the more of an affront to us as readers BUT, while it explains her dislike of him, she is no means perfect herself; she had far too much misplaced pride in her ability to successfully read others' characters and consequently ignored positive accounts of Darcy in favour of believing the deceitful Wickham, given her prejudice against the former.

Mr Darcy was harshly judged by Elizabeth, even though there are many more sympathetic elements to his character than immediately meet the eye BUT he was not shy or innocent; he was always a haughty rich man who had never been told no, thought far too highly of himself and, ultimately, thoroughly deserved to be rebuked and subsequently made to reform his character.

[rayroseu]

I really appreciate the beauty of Malleus New Year's card. But most importantly, other than its gorgeousness, I also appreciate how it pays so much homage to his status and character, from the flowers, the clothes, and the setting. 🥹

We know that wisterias were prevalent in his Dorm Groovy SSR, this time its another flower which is the red plum blossom here😭❤️

In Chinese philosophy, the Plum tree’s blossom is a symbol of winter ending and a herald of spring. The tree’s pale pink blossoms are cherished because they bloom vibrantly and so bravely amidst the winter chill. They symbolise perseverance and hope, as well as, beauty thriving in adverse circumstances.

The way this flower's meaning is so matched with Malleus' character is so precious. We know he's "the herald of spring" because his birth brought forth a hope that the Draconias(or the faes in general) won't die out just yet (the ending of winter) and the fact that this flower blooms even in winter probably symbolizes the fact that when he was an egg, he was still perservering to live. This also applies to his life as he grows up. With the way even if his life is riddled with loneliness and exclusion, he makes an effort to go out and adjust himself with others, he doesn't give up even if his reality consistently places him in situation where his goals can never be achieved (that is, him being accepted socially and him being ignorant of human culture but still makes an effort to understand it), he just continues to be hopeful that someone/ some place will invite him, therefore his ability to thrive in adverse circumstances.

The way he slowly rises in this card makes me feel like it symbolizes how slow paced Malleus is "in going out/getting used to outside of his comfort zone", actually lol. He described his admission to NRC as him being nervous because its an unknown place but still hopeful for the experiences that he might get(acccording to the vignette of his GloMas SSR), just like him here rising from the snow and the way he lifts the veil which makes me think he wants to see the world outside of his country's point of view with his own eyes.

Japanese tradition holds that the Plum (or ‘ume’) is celebrated as a protective charm against evil, so the ume is traditionally planted in the northeast of the garden, the direction from which evil is believed to come.

I also read this symbolism which makes me tear up lmaooo 😭Because we know in Book 7, Briarland was invaded from northeast where the Silver Owls originated from 💀 The fact that the plum blossom is a protection flower and he's surrounded with it in this card makes me think that it symbolizes how protected he was during Briarland's era 😭and another thing to dissect from his slow rise from the snow with the fact the plum blossom signifies protection is probably the fact that he took so long to hatch despite many people caring for him.

Side note that in Malleus Bloom Birthday Groovy, it implied that he was born in daytime during a snowfall, and he was happy experiencing the winter, just like in this New Years card where he's smiling against the heavy snowfall 🥹

In Japan, plum blossoms symbolize good fortune, an auspicious flower, along with pine and bamboo, and the arrival of early spring. They are often used as the design for New Year’s greeting cards and other celebratory occasions. (And maybe this is just the likely reason why this flower is here in Malleus' card and I'm overthinking it above lol

Next thing I want to mention is his clothes, that attire reminds me of the formal outfit of a Japanese Emperor (From what I searched, its called sokutai, but what Malleus wears is much more simpler I guess, its a outfit derived from it which is called ikan.) This post is a great overview about these two outfits.

Ikan is the work clothes of nobles and government officials in the Imperial Court after the Heian period. Sokutai is a formal costume for those from the Emperor to the court nobles in and after Heian period (Heian costume). Ikan is called 'tonoi (nighttime) costume', whereas sokutai is called 'hino (daytime) costume'. (which probably references the fact that he's a night fae)

The point is, what Malleus wears in this card is a very traditional garment that only high ranking Japanese officials can wear. But what he wears isn't the clothes of an emperor yet, but just for a high ranking official, which is accurate to his status that he's still a crown prince not yet the king, because only Maleficia truly rules Briar Valley right now.

I love the decision that they made him wear such a prestigious outfit because the story of the New Years event is the characters working on customer service lol Its like his clothes is a reminder that he is still highly distinguished even if temporarily he's a worker.

Lastly the VEIL !!!!!! That's the thing that catched my eyes the most in this card lol I KNOW they're not referencing a wedding here because the veil don't look the same, but its so good not to mention that the one of the headress of a Japanese bride is called tsunokakushi and its description can be related with Malleus a lot lol.

The term is a compound of 角 (tsuno, "horn") + 隠し (kakushi, "hiding"). This derivation is listed in some sources as a reference to hiding a bride's "horns" of anger, jealousy, or other negative qualities, in order to present a more virtuous image for the wedding. However, this interpretation might be a folk etymology resulting from a shift in the reading and meaning.

The headdress and the veil aren't the same thing but I kinda feel like this is the idea they're going for considering the veil is 1) hiding his horns, 2) he's a character associated with being jealous, and most importantly, 3) only the person he is looking at can see his face (which is the point of most wedding veils/headdress, to hide the bride's face so that only her partner can see it).

But long veils, like the one Malleus is holding is also just a garment for a noble to hide their nobility. Which is this is probably the likely reason, considering he's using that veil to cover up his horns and his clothes, the most obvious features of his status.

Also, it could be just a fun reference to the fact that Maleficent in live action wore a long veil to hide her horns so that she wouldn't scare the humans lol

[descisco]

so here for hannibal fucking will into silence…you know those fics where will is real responsive in bed? real mouthy and vocal? what if … what if i offer you the idea that sometimes, will gets so overwhelmed by the feeling of hannibal inside of him, so overwhelmed by their connection, and so overwhelmed by his love for hannibal that he literally just. goes blank as he cums. 404 error, will simply cannot compute. lights are not on, absolutely no one is home. he just goes completely limp in hannibal’s arms, eyes rolling, heart rabbitting away, mouth open, but no sounds or words come out because will is just gone.

[sunlight-shunlight]

one thing about ancient arlathan i wish vg had gotten into (along with any other interesting details besides being vaguely desaturated haha) is that: the ecology should've been pretty crazy? i think it's hinted that spiders get really big in places where the veil is thin. and with all the ambient magic before the veil existed, surely there'd be tons of cool megafauna?? plus ghilan'nain was going ham with bioengineering stuff, there should be all kinds of things running around.

plus modern thedas has survived multiple rounds of blight, which would logically kill off tons of species and lead to a lot of places being turned completely barren... what would it have been like before that? it would add an interesting element to solas' nostalgia if the world is quite literally different in that way.

[iron-sparrow]

AANHPI Heritage Month ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. Asian American ‧ Native Hawaiian ‧ Pacific Islander

May has been recognized as Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month since 1991, when it started as a single week of observance in the United States. Over time, the name has undergone changes to be more inclusive, while also shining a light on the very obvious flaws of lumping so many different cultural and ethnic groups under a single umbrella.

I decided to write some posts in 2024 commemorating AANHPI Heritage Month, and I like to think it was well-received and also somewhat insightful. I enjoyed the experience, on a very personal level, and promised myself to do something similar this year.

To be honest with you, friends and mutuals, my heart hurts with anger as I write this. My celebratory spirit still eludes me, buried under the ongoing stress of simply existing as I am.

On January 20, 2025, the fascists in power signed Executive Order 14148, titled "Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders." AANHPI Heritage Month and other observance months were axed, no longer recognized by the federal government; the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), established in 1999, was dissolved.

I am filled with pain and rage. I am determined also to turn that pain and rage into action and advocacy ⸺ I hope you will do the same, both online and off. Because as long as we exist, all of us must demand to be recognized.

Let us have a productive and enlightening month.

[averysmolkirbo]

i keep seeing people talk about AZ in the new trailer and be like "imagine being immortal and going from basically a king and a warlord to running a holiday inn like wow downgrade much"

and i keep wanting to say stuff like, 'well have you considered maybe thats what he WANTS to do. did you ever consider that?' Did you consider that this is like the first time he's looked happy in like forever?

maybe he doesnt WANT ultimate power and he just wants to run a small business with his floette. that sounds pretty good to me. i dont know what you people are talking about.

[superkirbylover]

peppino and noise character studies

in this essay i will explain why i am the only one to understand these characters

[abyssalmermaiden]

tall elf gf

[froggerland]

Time for a line up of the terrors most similar looking white guys!!

aka time to practice capturing ppls likeness

The impressive facial hair gang:

(Goodsir, Collins and Nedward)

No muttonchops just dark hair (still confusing)

(Jirving and Armitage)

(De Voeux and Peglar)

(What can I say, sometimes you slay the dragon and sometimes the dragons slays you man, their monolids are hard to draw so de voeux ended up looking fully asian, i’ll get back on that and figure out how to draw that little piece of shit (he’s a pretty boy with very bad morals unfortunately))

[ghost-kings-court-jester]

People will get upset about poetry being a dying art and then will ignore almost all modern music with complex rhythm and lyricism because of classism and racism.

Like to say poetry isn’t dead they’ll have to admit that the best modern American poets are black people speaking in perfect iambic pentameter and critiquing the government.

Like don’t let your school lie to you poetry is supposed to be a spoken art form.

Some of the most famous poems have instrumental pieces to accompany them but they will literally go out of the way to not study songwriting as poetry.

Because if they do discuss someone like Hozier with W. B. Yeats they would then have to discuss Kendrick Lamar and Robert Frost and that would let you all know that those guys have more in common than they want you to realise and erase the myth that intellectualism is something only for the privileged. 

[dorkybooktrash]

I’m sorry but I need to talk about “we’re just gonna skip that stage” bc that shit can be taken so many different ways. He’s both saying that he and whizzer will never actually grow old together but he’s also saying that the two of them, individually will never “get better with age” because at this point whizzer is dead (spoiler if you didn’t know) and soon Marvin will be too. It’s like a double entendre but the saddest one to date, bc it basically confirms his HIV diagnosis but also just breaks our hearts with the fact that the two will never grow old together

Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[hot-stuff97]

I'm sorry, but I need either Kathryn or Aubrey to confirm that Rio (Who's name translates to something akin to "river of life") called Agatha "Mi Vida" (my life) atleast once in her life- let me have this one thing, please 🥺

[littleaipom]

Sonaze

[quillthrillswriting]

no love story trope will ever hit quite as hard as "two traumatized teens (often) with unique abilities who are forced to save the world each help the other shoulder the burden of their respective destinies and slowly become each others safe places as they shift from friends to something more."

[obisamya]

DANI ROJAS & JAN MAAS Ted Lasso (2020-2023)