trilliannc

[trilliannc]

Murderbot as a ‘Cringe’ Litmus Test for the Audience (a.k.a., we are culturally the Corporation Rim)

One of the more interesting things I’ve seen in discussions of ‘Murderbot’ are how many people are not happy that the show made the Preservation team more explicitly hippies.  After all, per our current cultural zeitgeist, hippies are silly, over-earnest, over-feeling, over-EVERYTHING. Why is this team of scientists holding hands and humming?  Why are they taking breaks in the middle of a tense situation to reassure a colleague that they love him? Why do they stand around playing music and dancing during their downtime?  Why did the show make them “Cringe”?

And that got me thinking again about the current cultural antipathy toward sincerity and openness.  People who are seen as open and sincere beyond a fairly narrow scope of emotional expression are treated as deeply weird, off-putting, and most importantly for this conversation, as INCOMPETENT.  You can’t be goofy and competent.  You can’t believe in the power of love and friendship and holding hands and taking a dance break, and still be a good scientist.  You can’t have one of the unsexy sorts of mental health problems (panic disorder) and be a good leader.  In our current cultural moment, you have to be Cool.  You have to be unaffected by both the horrors of the world and the day-to-day joys. 

I think that a lot of people see themselves in ‘The Murderbot Diaries’, and a lot of them understandably love the very anticapitalist tone of the books.  And they wanted Preservation to be Cool Space Communists.  Hypercompetent at all times, serious, without flaw.  Because any personal flaws might be taken as flaws in their cultural and political leanings, right?  And we can’t have silliness or goofiness or fun in our Communist Utopia, or people won’t take us seriously.

But to me, the tension is so much better, so much more real and human and FUN. And it makes the audience question their own implicit biases as much as SecUnit is going to have to contemplate its implicit biases.  This team is comprised of highly talented scientists from a culture that values emotions and, yes, activities that we the audience have been culturally trained to think are Cringe.  They do have a humming consensus circle—so that anyone in the team can have veto power over a decision that has major ramifications not only for a research project, but for their own ethics.  They do like to play music and dance when they’ve got some free time, even if that music would be considered embarrassing or offputting to outsiders.  They do openly love one another and support one another, even in—no, especially in—challenging times.  It’s good to have that tension, both to tell the story and to give the characters and the AUDIENCE an emotional and thematic arc.

Let’s use Dr. Mensah as a the best example so far of this tension. Mensah is a good leader.  In every scene where she’s with the group, she’s the heart of it.  She’s always weighing the fears, the thoughts, the feelings, and the arguments of her friends to come to a decision.  She doesn’t feel like Gurathin’s right about not trusting SecUnit, but she’s also very aware that he knows more about the Corporation Rim than she does, and that his arguments, while rooted in his fears, are rational.  So she ends up deciding that they’ll leave the SecUnit behind for their mission. 

And it’s the wrong call. Going out to the dark site in the map without the SecUnit almost gets her killed. But her decision to climb the scree pile alone makes sense, because she doesn’t want to further endanger Bharadwaj, and if she doesn’t climb up there with her equipment, they won’t get important information about what’s going on with their survey data. And yes, while she’s climbing she has another panic attack. But she keeps climbing through it. Hell, she even takes a moment to encourage the teamwork between SecUnit and Gurathin, because that’s an important part of being their leader.  And, yes, they both roll their eyes because they still don’t like one another. But the important thing is that she’s created this sense of openness, of acceptance, of love.

Being a good leader doesn’t mean making the right call all the time.  It means learning from both right calls and wrong calls.  It means creating an environment where people can be wrong, and learn from their mistakes, and try again to get it right.  And it works!  Gurathin may roll his eyes, but he also has the space to apologize for getting it wrong. He has the space to fuck up and try again. And that is created by her encouragement, by her openness, by her caring even when it becomes embarrassing to a man raised in our culture the Corporation Rim, where open emotion is something to smirk at.

And when she’s alone, Mensah falls apart.  When no one can see her, she has panic attacks, because things are starting to go pear-shaped for these people she loves.  Because one of her dear friends nearly died, and she wasn’t there, and apparently that could happen at any time because their maps are faulty, and the only real rescue is an untrustworthy bond company that is a week away at best.  That’s a perfect recipe for a panic attack, but she hides them because she knows what she needs to be for her friends and colleagues.  She is the leader, and damned if she’s going to let something like her panic disorder stop her from doing that.

That’s not incompetent, that’s incredibly courageous.  Her bravery lies in being afraid and pushing through, not being flawless from the off.  The bravery and the competence and the things that eventually are going to win Murderbot over to loving these humans ARE their flaws and the fact that they don’t let those flaws stop them from trying to be the best people they can be, while also being true to a culture of being open and loving to the point that they can come across, to the jaded construct or audience member, as Cringe.

I think we’re going to see more and more of that as the show unfolds.  We’ve only just laid the groundwork, and established the initial impressions of all the characters.  They are being set up for arcs, and by electing to let the Preservation team be more out-there, more earnest, more Cringe, they’re setting the audience up for an arc too.

Anyway, loving the show, can’t wait for the DeltFall storyline to kick off tonight.  And I love this crew being highly-competent space hippies with realistic human flaws, who love and support one another.  In an unrelentingly Cool, Bleak, and Edgy television landscape, it really is nice to have kind characters be free to be their kooky selves without the show judging them for it.

[trilliannc]

letter from a mother of a gay man. sent to ONE magazine, 1958.

--

This post was flagged as adult content and the original poster was deactivated so I'm bringing it back.

[trilliannc]

@honeynutmalcontent

[trilliannc]

I meant to make this meme ages ago when pride month was still on but yeah gé (pronounced gay) is the Irish for a goose.

[trilliannc]

it’s crazy how different you get treated in a mask but what really gets me is that when people ask why I’m masking, I’ve stopped saying I’m immunodeficient and started saying I have an immunodeficient family member at home. I am not exaggerating when I tell you this has 100% improved every single encounter I’ve had with anti-maskers. i’m not exaggerating in the slightest.

i used to tell people i’m immunodeficient and they’d ask invasive questions about my diagnosis, whether my parents kept my childhood overly sterile, whether I was vaccinated as a child (with the implication that it would have been bad if I were).

Now that I say I have an immunodeficient family member at home, people smile knowingly and say, “oh, well you do what you have to do,” and “my mom went through chemo. I remember how hard it was to do all the precautions” and “that’s so kind of you.”

if i tell someone i mask because i’m disabled, i’m assumed to be the weak link in our society, a burden to my family.

if i tell someone i mask to protect a disabled family member, i become the burdened, compassionate caretaker deserving of sympathy. how sad that i must limit myself to protect someone i love. how heroic that i choose to do so.

[trilliannc]

not leaving this in the tags

hi gang, quick informal poll needed

@ my job (lgbt center) we've been making buttons of this polyamory flag for a couple years now

and some people are stoked about that but we also occasionally get people asking if we have "the new polyamory flag" and then they never specify, so is that this one with the same heraldry in different colors

or this totally different one with a regular, non-infinite heart?

or something else? googling "polyamory flag" is getting me only slightly fewer results than googling "lesbian flag" so what are the cool kids actually using

[trilliannc]

I mean, we knew, but it's nice to hear so succinctly

[trilliannc]

My neck subluxated while on a video call with my therapist, and her reaction was akin to when the child's head starts spinning in The Exorcist.

She went white as a sheet. I saw her pupils contract.

And there was me muttering "mother fucker" under my breath and slotting my neck back into place like a mild inconveinance.

It's wild the shit you get used to.

[trilliannc]

🇺🇸massive recall of food, baking ingredients, and cosmetics due to insanitary conditions, filth, and rat shit contamination🇺🇸

over 150 items being recalled, including some intended for babies. the FDA warns that all products held or distributed by this company may be dangerous.

this recall is so bad that you need to clean and sanitize anything that has even touched the outside of these products.

the recall link may move in the future. this recall has its own special FDA page right now because the FDA issued an advisory immediately after inspection, before a recall could even be issued. the findings of the inspection were just THAT fucking disgusting.

June 3, 2025 On May 27, 2025, Pan-African Food Distributors initiated a recall of various products it sells. FDA continues to have concerns for all products held and distributed by Pan-African Food Distributors due to the insanitary conditions observed at the facility during a routine FDA inspection, including a rodent infestation and numerous rodent droppings on multiple product containers. FDA is advising consumers and retailers not to use, eat, sell, or serve cosmetic and food products distributed by Pan-African Food Distributors of Louisville, Kentucky. FDA is working with the firm and their direct customers to remove all products of concern from the market. More information will be provided in this alert as it becomes available.

some emphasis mine.

the distribution center was inspected, the FDA found a massive rodent infestation, and they shut that shit down. literally, they found a ton of rodent shit all over the products. although the distribution center is in kentucky, these products may have been distributed nationwide.

pan-african food distributors is also doing business as (dba) east africa boutique, LLC.

the FDA says more updates will be issued about this. because this one is a big deal.

Products held under insanitary conditions and contaminated with filth could pose a serious health risk, potentially leading to various illnesses, including leptospirosis, hantavirus infection, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, E.coli infection, and rat-bite fever. People should contact their healthcare provider if they suspect they have developed symptoms as a result of eating or using these products.

some emphasis mine.

the risks here are varied and bad. bad bad. bad and potentially deadly. if you have used or eaten or even held these products and experience symptoms, GO TO A DOCTOR!

Consumers should check their homes for food and cosmetic products distributed by Pan-African Food Distributors and discard all products. If you do not know if your product was distributed by Pan-African Food Distributors, throw it away. Additionally, consumers should carefully clean and sanitize surfaces that could have come in contact with potentially contaminated products.

clean and sanitize ANYTHING these products have touched!!! if you are not sure if your item is part of this recall, the FDA says the risks here are so bad that you should just throw it away!

recalled items include baby food, baking ingredients, various types of flours, soaps, shampoo, lotion, baby powder, and so much more. this list contains over 150 recalled items. so check under the cut for the list, or visit the link at the top of this post.

formatted in

product name - lot code/batch (when listed) - expiration date (when listed)

recalled food items:

Super Sembe Maize Flour (10 kg) May 2025

Kinazi - Cassava Flour Lot Code: 002952 04 OCT 2026

Cassava FuFu (10 Kg) 2024-2026

Cassava FuFu (20 Kg)

Farina 1 (50 lb.) Lot Code: 506602

Peanut Flour (50 lb.) 01 FEB 2026

Akanozo (12 x1 cases) Lot: F50FA048

Huza – Fermented Sorghum (1 kg) 21 DEC 2025 and 25 APR 2025

Nootri Family 04/04/2025, and 05/04/2025, 6/10/2025

Nootri Baby Lot: CIBK240329 20/09/2025

Nootri Toto Lot: CPI240411 03/10/2025

Red Sorghum Flour 01 Jan 2026

Mixed Porridge Flour 01 Jan 2026

Soybean Flour 01 Jan 2026

Akenza – Dried Ground Cassava leaves

Akanozo – Wheat Flour (1 kg) Batch# SDFA431 25 APR 26

Akanozo – Soybean Flour Batch # K5YFA 20 APR 2025

Akanozo – Sorghum Flour Lot Code: SDFA434 11 AUG 2026

Akanozo – Composite Flour Lot Code: COFA788 13 AUG 2026

Akanozo – Roasted Wheat Flour Batch # RWHFA013 14 AUG 2026

Huza – Millet Flour May 27, 2025

Akanozo – Fine Millet Flour (1 kg) Batch # MIFA578 10 AUG 2026

Akanozo – Composite Flour Batch # COFA788 13 AUG 2026

Huza – Wheat Flour 05 06 2025

Super Cereal Plus – Fortified Corn Soya Blend Batch #: 07BBE02/2026, 11BBE08/2026

Pan African Foods Distribution Inc – White Corn Flour (10 kg): 04/04/2027

Sujata – Multi grains flour 13 SEP 2025

Akanoze Fou Fou 10 SEP 2026

F. Garcia Corn Meal 10/2025

Pan African Foods Distribution Inc – White Corn Flour 04/01/2027

Pan African Foods Distribution Inc – Beans 05/2026

recalled cosmetics:

Dover-Elegance Skin Lightening Cream 03/2026

Roberts Glycerine 03/2027

Movit- Baby Oil 03/2026

Movit- Body Cream 03/2026

Dudu-osun-Black Soap (no expiry Date or lot information)

Super Curl Activator Gel (no expiry Date or lot information)

Movit-Curl Activator Gel 01/2027

Sleeping Baby-Perfumed Petroleum Jelly 20/10/2026

Movit-Jelly 200g 0059J16 02/2028

Movit-Jelly 425g 021PJ17, 009PJ01, 03/2028, 02/2028

Movit-Shampoo 1-L 020N526 12/2026

Gel 018HJ30 02/2028

Movit-Baby Junior Petroleum 200g 022J1327 01/2025

Movit-Baby Junior Petroleum 425g 013J1318 02/2028

Movit-Miss Beauty Glycerin 008W24 01/2027

Movit Curling Hair Lotion 003CC20 01/2027

Setting Hair Lotion 0025 C16 01/2027

Sleeping Baby-Baby Oil (no expiry or lot information)

Movit Radiant Hair Vitalizer 009RHV03 01/2028

Sante-Petroleum Jelly 09/2026

Claire-Cocoa Butter Lotion 02/04/26

Claire-Body Milk 24/04/26

Black Pearl Powder Hair Dye (no expiry or lot information)

Nina Family-Soap 04/2029

Sousana Glycerine 15/01/2026

Imperial Leather-Lotion Active 02/2026

Imperial Leather-Lotion Japanese Spa 04/2026

Imperial Leather-Lotion Uplifting 01/2027

Mama Bebe Jelly 05/2027

Sante Pure-Petroleum Jelly 200g 21/12/26

Sante Pure-Petroleum Jelly 100g 08/2024

Sante Pure-Petroleum Jelly 250g 05/2027

Claire-Talcum Powder 19/04/2026

Imperial Leather Bath Soap (no expiry or lot information)

Imperial Leather-Lotion 04/2026

Sousana Glycerine 17/04/26

Sante-Soap 04/2029, 11/2028

American Dream Cocoa Butter Cream 500ml 02/2026

Claire Cream 04/2026

Vague-Liquid Wash 26/03/26

Sousana-Glycerine Cream 25/03/26

Zote-Pink Soap 11734624300

Malaika Petroleum Jelly 23/04/2027

Sleeping Beauty-Perfumed Petroleum Jelly 500g 3/2/27

Sleeping Beauty-Perfumed Petroleum Jelly 250g 7/11/26

Family Care-Perfumed Petroleum Jelly 500g 03-2029

Sleeping Beauty-Perfumed Petroleum Jelly, mixed sizes Jan 2027

Sleeping Baby – Jelly: BATCH DATE: OCT 2024

Paw Paw – Clarifying Cream (300 mL) 24271 04/2027

Femco Sarl – Cream (no expiry or lot information)

Malaika – Cream (200 mg) 24271 04/2027

Mama Bebe – Baby Jelly 24198 05/2027

Epiderm-Cream (15 g) 04/2027

Aboniki Balm AB0324J

Rico-Clair Plus L112301

Movit Hair Spray 001M5504

Movit Hair Food 031AH01

Pure White Cream AABC

Uniparco – Cosmetic Gold Lotion CCAB 13/01/2026

BB Clear Lightening Cream 320 ml 01/12/2026

BB Clear Lotion 300 ml

Natures Secrete Soap 06 06 30 01/12/2026

Movit Baby Powder 01/2026

Clinic Clear Cream Jar 330 gr 12/2024

Clinic Clear Lotion 500 ml

Clinic Clear Oil 125 ml

Clinic Clear Soap 225 g

Diprosom Cream 03/2025

Sexy Body Powder Perfume 04/2025

Movit Hair Lotion 12/2025

Movit Nail Polish Removal 03/2024

Clinic Clear Soap 04/2026

Dettol Soap 02/2025, 07/2025

Movit – Lemon Crème 05/2026

Neoprosone Gel 03/2025

Caratone Oil 11/2024

Caratone Cream C047152

Caratone Brightening Soap 02/2029

Caratone Crème Clarifionte 06/2027

Caratone Lotion 10/2027

Clear Therapy Purete 07/2027

Body Luxe Body Cream 11/2025

Body Luxe Body Cream 02/2026

Dettol Glycerine Soap 09/2026

Dettol Liquid Soap 03/2026

Family Care Petroleum Jelly 12/2028

Sleeping Baby – Baby Powder 08/11/2026

Movit – Hair Food 06/2026

Paw Paw Shower Gel 08/2026

Vaseline Blue Seal 13 09 2026

Caro White-Coconut Oil 05/2029

Caro White-Tube Cream 01/2025

Caro White-Cream 11/2026

Caro White-Body Lotion 02/2027

White Secrete – Lightening Body Cream 09/2027

Amara Lotion 06/2028

White Secrete Lotion 03/2027

White Secrete Body & Face Lotion 03/2027

White Secrete Oil 04/2027

White Secrete Serum 10/2026

Hemani Black Seals Oil 01/2026

Carotone Gift Pack 05/2027

Radiant-Hair Spray 02/2028

Movit Petroleum Jelly 02/2028

Radiant Shampoo 12/2025

Radiant Hair Vitalization (no expiry or lot information)

Salima 09/2025

African Black Soap (no expiry or lot information)

Lebidjanaise – Toilet Soap 08/2026

Perle Clair Cream 14/03/2026

Clairman Soap 05/2028

Coco pulp Soap 13/09/2026

Rinju-Lotion 04/2026

Cantu Oil

Claire Men 03/2025

BioClaire Cream (no expiry or lot information)

Remy Lotion 09/2027

Huile De Beaute 04/2023

Rinju-Body and Hand Cream 07/2027

Razac Hand and Body Lotion 08/2027

only items related to pan-african food distributors inc/east africa boutique LLC are being recalled. if you have these types of items and know for sure that they came from another distributor, they are not part of the recall. but again, this is so fucking dangerous that if you are unsure, throw it out and clean and sanitize everything that touched the inside or outside of these products.

also note: as mentioned at the top, this recall may have its link moved, and will likely at least have an additional link for the recall. what the FDA found was so fucking disgusting that they actually issued a special advisory before the recall was initiated.

this post may be updated in the future, either under the read more or in reblogs, as new information comes out. if you want to keep up with this, bookmark the recall link and/or check the notes every now and then!

stay safe and take care!

[trilliannc]

In an incredible reversal, Builder.AI just declared bankruptcy after admitting that they were faking their AI tool with 700 humans

[trilliannc]

Well my loves, it appears as though the answer to "Can the Big Pattern Company (Simplicity/Burda/McCalls/ect.) survive the death of JoAnn?" has come.

The answer is no. No it cannot. It has been sold to a liquidator just like JoAnns was.

So if there is ANYTHING you want I suggest you get it now. simplicity.com is currently having a pattern sale and I snatched up some that might be useful for cosplay purposes.

I am very glad these last couple of years I have built up my collection.

[trilliannc]

[trilliannc]

@honeynutmalcontent

Several people on Facebook are working out a pattern for this.

[trilliannc]

Seems like something to remember given current events in L.A.

25 years ago an unknown Chinese protester stood in front of a tank in defiance of the government. No one knows the identity of the man but he was given the nick name “Tank Man”. This is one of the most iconic photographs of the century.

[trilliannc]

Served in the French resistance AND invented mifepristone

May his memory be a blessing