vantasticmess

[vantasticmess]

commissions open!

[vantasticmess]

🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨

[vantasticmess]

But first they must catch you 🏳️‍⚧️

[vantasticmess]

And this whole thread is why ‘beginner’s luck’ is real phenomenon. ☺️

[vantasticmess]

A Crash Course to Kendrick's Super Bowl Performance, from a Black Woman

Note: this does NOT go in depth into all of the song's lyrics. I don't have time to recount two decades of his discography. This is just a summary of the performance itself.

Let's start with the first visual we get:

UNCLE SAM - most notably recognized from WWII American wartime propaganda, Uncle Sam is the personification of American patriotism and freedom. The term "uncle" is also evocative of Uncle Tom from Uncle Tom's Cabin, an abolitionist book that aided in inciting the Civil War. Uncle is also a very common term (both endearment and derogatory) towards Black men (eg. "unc"). Samuel L Jackson was fantastic.

Uncle Sam also resembles a circus ringleader, notable for my next point:

THE GREAT AMERICAN GAME - no, not Super Bowl. The GAG is us the people being pitted against each other: through late-stage capitalism, through the culture war, through class warfare, through being built of the backs of slaves. We are all players in the GAG because none of us on this site were the oligarchs seated at the inauguration.

This is also seen as Kendrick's stage was a Play Station controller. Not only did it remind of circus rings visually, but it was a game battle stage. The Great American Game is a battle royale of the commoners for the amusement of the rich whites.

Remember the foods / Them color was tin and brown / But now they 100 and blue - For this I'll just say, look what the last election said about lowering the price of eggs... and look at the prices now.

The revolution about to be televised / You picked the right time / But the wrong guy - Election 2024 once more.

THE FLAG DANCERS - yes, the dancers formed the US flag... off of the backs of Black people. Not a single white person in sight, and that's true of the cotton pickers in the fields. Plantations are part of how the US came to economic prominence after being a "backwater" colony. Remember tobacco? Cotton? Our bloodlines do.

The red and blue dancers are also notable for representing the Crips and Bloods, two infamous street gangs. The dance in Not Like Us is the Crip Walk. I recommend researching more on your own time about them, but just know they are a large part of the stereotype of Black people being "ghetto."

TOO LOUD, TOO RECKLESS, TOO GHETTO. Do you really know how to play the game? - This is exactly what Black people, especially Black men, get told all the time. It's why we change our names on resumes if they sound "too Black." It's why we codeswitch in non-Black company. This is especially rich considering how non-Black people love our culture and love to make money off of us, as the latter part of the quote points to. And it's even more profound during the Super Bowl-- the NFL is majority Black players.

STREET LIGHT A CAPELLA -- "thug" stereotype dancers to counteract the a capella connotations, with Uncle Sam then saying that Kendrick figured out "bringing other street guys around being a culture cheat code." Yes, this is a direct hit at Drake (listen to "Not Like Us") but also politically. Look up "model minority". Notably I would point to Candace Owens, or the Miami Venezuelan political group that's been in the news recently, especially as this directly led to Kendrick being surrounded by...

DANCERS IN WHITE -- it's white America. That's... that's the allegory.

NOT LIKE US TEASER -- Kendrick says "Not Like Us" is "their favorite song." -> he means white people specifically here. It comes after he's surrounded by all white dancers, the women around him who are his call and response are also in white (my opinion, they represent the industry). He's saying "Not Like Us" is the favorite of yts because it is about BLACK MEN FIGHTING. This again is reflected in the video game stage and ringleader Uncle Sam.

SZA -- instead of giving what they want, we see SZA. She's one of Drake's exes and Kendrick has always supported her.

ALL THE STARS -- This was in the first Black Panther movie, which I recommend you watch. Rest in Power Chadwick. Notably, this movie was incredibly mainstream as a major Marvel movie, and then we have Uncle Sam say...

"THAT'S WHAT AMERICA WANTS: NICE AND CALM. DON'T MESS THIS UP" -- translation: Marvel (the industry, America, etc.) wanted a safe, semi-pop song because white American likes safe pop songs, not Kendrick's usual heavy rap style about his life as a Black man! Don't mess up what you've got going mainstream for having this "Black rap feud" with Drake, who is an R&B model minority to white people because he's safe.

So what does Kendrick say?

IT'S A CULTURAL DIVIDE / IMMA GET IT ON THE FLOOR -- He was warned not to be political or apologetically Black for this Super Bowl performance, but he is using this big stage opportunity to speak out.

40 ACRES AND A MULE / THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE MUSIC -- 40 acres and a mule are what the freed slaves were promised. Instead, this land went to white sharecroppers. Research Jim Crow laws.

THEY TRIED TO RIG THE GAME / BUT YOU CAN'T FAKE INFLUENCE -- rig the election, rig the industry like with model minority Drake, rig the Great American Game with culture war to distract from active class warfare.

NOT LIKE US -- the only thing I'll mention because it made me holler is Serena Williams crip walking on Drake's metaphorical grave. She's another one of his exes.

TURN THE TV OFF -- exactly like he said! The TV is a distraction, the Super Bowl is a distraction, the mainstream news is often a distraction. Turn it off and get with your people!

GAME OVER — could not see this on my stream but at the end of the performance, the lights in the stadium spelled this out. The world is watching, America…

In conclusion, Kendrick Lamar is a visionary and thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

[vantasticmess]

Story of the Gaza/Sudan flag bearer at the Super Bowl Half-time show

[vantasticmess]

What a time to be alive.

Happy Black History Month to all and to all a good night ❤️🖤💚

[vantasticmess]

stolen from bluesky.

[vantasticmess]

Hugely curious about the stats of this. I'm testing a theory. Elaborate in the tags if you please.

Please reblog!

[vantasticmess]

Kavgv tagged: #Do they even require any medical knowledge as well

so … yes. Claims are supposed to be reviewed & signed off on by a licensed medical professional in the same field as the claim itself. HOWEVER, the stringent requirements for that claim reviewer: fully credentialed in a specialization with appropriate continued learning credits, registered in the state where the claim originates, etc, are probably not often met in full.

If you get a claim denied for not being a medical necessity, you can request all this information from the insurance company. They will probably just approve the claim instead of coughing all the info about the process & the decisionmaker up.

(Note that most denials aren’t for lack of medical necessity … usually it’s ’you have to try these preferred (read: cheaper) methods first’ or ‘it wasn’t an emergency when you saw this OON doctor’ or some other weird, weaselly detail in your insurance provider contract. But medical necessity approvals can often be brute-forced through via appeals demanding the credentials of the decisionmaker / the decision making process.)

For those of you outside the US trying to understand our recent current events, here's a fact sheet on US Health Insurance Companies:

They are all run by cartoon villains

The only way they make money is by denying as many people care as possible

They get to decide which medicines and procedures you get to have, not your doctor

They also get to decide how much they pay doctors for covered procedures, regardless of the billed cost for those procedures

You typically have to pay a significant deductible on top of your monthly premiums before they'll even pay out at all

They don't literally consume human souls in a parasitic bid to live forever, but they metaphorically consume human souls in a parasitic bid to live forever.

[vantasticmess]

[vantasticmess]

Co-signed by a medical biller

For those of you outside the US trying to understand our recent current events, here's a fact sheet on US Health Insurance Companies:

They are all run by cartoon villains

The only way they make money is by denying as many people care as possible

They get to decide which medicines and procedures you get to have, not your doctor

They also get to decide how much they pay doctors for covered procedures, regardless of the billed cost for those procedures

You typically have to pay a significant deductible on top of your monthly premiums before they'll even pay out at all

They don't literally consume human souls in a parasitic bid to live forever, but they metaphorically consume human souls in a parasitic bid to live forever.

[vantasticmess]

Shepherds of Haven

Shepherds of Haven is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. In it, you play as a Mage living in a world where magic is outlawed and your people—those possessing supernatural powers—are oppressed and reviled. The world is ruled by humans who believe in science, technology, and industry: at best, you and your kind are nothing more than a fairytale, and at worst you are the state’s greatest threat. 

Thus, using magic has been illegal for centuries. But after years of persecution, you are suddenly offered an opportunity to use your powers for good: demons are now returning, and the world needs fighters like you to protect the population from their invasion. Guns and bullets do no good against monsters pulled from primeval nightmares; only your people and your supernatural powers have the ability to fight fire with fire. 

So you join the Shepherds: an order of elite heroes and fighters comprised of the very people the world once feared more than the demons themselves. As a Shepherd, you’ll solve magical crimes, slay demons to protect the citizens of Haven, and build your reputation throughout the capital. Explore the world of Blest, recruit allies and factions to join the Shepherds’ cause, find romance and companionship, investigate mysteries, lead rebellions and exorcisms, and uncover answers to the crises plaguing the world. Where are the demons coming from? Where have the gods or God gone, if they ever existed? Who are you, really? 

And will you be the world’s true savior… or will you be its ultimate downfall?

Customize your protagonist: choose names, gender, sexuality, appearance, weapon, magic specialization, educational background, racial heritage, and much more

Play as male, female, or non-binary; straight, gay, bisexual, or pansexual; as well as aromantic, asexual, aro-ace, or allo

Thousands of choices and role-playing variations: build your character’s personality and worldview from the ground up, test your loyalties and morals in every chapter, and make meaningful decisions that will change the story and world of the game in large and small ways

15 companions to recruit and befriend, each with their own unique story

10 romance options (5 male, 5 female) and 2 one-night stands/flings

Fulfilling friendship and romance routes, culminating in dozens of different possible endings for each major character, as well as diverse endings for the protagonist, their relationships, and the state of the world

An ever-changing codex, character guide, journal, inventory, and stats page that grows and adjusts as you play

A hubworld-style exploration system between chapters: interact with the city and explore the world on your days off; take quests or side jobs; train; shop; gamble; pray; read; and spend time with or date companions between story missions

Dozens of mechanical secrets to reward your playthrough: achievements, a new game+ system, a save system, unlockable art, collectible trading cards, room decorations and souvenirs, a planned “stupid mode,” and planned DLC

Much more!

✨ Play Here ✨

Completed Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Approx. 270,000 words

Last Updated: August 2021

FAQ

⭐️ Play here ⭐️

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9

Approx. 1,234,000 words without code

Last Updated: November 2024

Currently only available to testers and Patrons until the beta build

Keep reading

[vantasticmess]

The paradox of tolerance is only a paradox if you think of tolerance as some sacred and unconditional moral duty. Some ultimate and absolute law with no exceptions, and if you ever slip into the sin of intolerance, you must repent yourself and beg for forgiveness. Yeah no fuck that. Tolerance is a social contract. You're in the game as an equal player for as long as you play by the same rules as everyone else, and if you don't, your ass is fucking out. You're not entitled to the same respect you won't give others.

"Oh so you all tolerate each other just because you tolerate each other, but if I want to destroy you, then all of a sudden you want to destroy me?" Literally yes. That's the gist of it. What's not clicking. This equation is so simple it barely counts as math.

[vantasticmess]

Don’t remember if I posted it here or not, but I have sketch commissions open on Ko-fi! Just busts for the moment, but I’m thinking of adding other options.

[vantasticmess]

[vantasticmess]

Heloo

Im wafaa from Gaza

I need your help if you can

Please donate to save my life and my family 🍉🇵🇸

Asking for help is not easy, I ask for a small donation of only 20$ from each person, 20$ will save my family from death in Gaza 💔 Donate through the link in bio (gofundme) Together, we can achieve our goal within a day and provide crucial support to me and my family in Gaza. Your contribution means everything to us and in these difficult times your kindness is our greatest hope. We are very grateful for any assistance you can provide and thank you for your kindness and generosity in our time of need

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-wafas-fight-for-safety-and-health

wafaa's campaign has been vetted by @/90-ghost! it's currently at 15% of its goal and still has a long way to go. please help in any way you can! 🇵🇸

اللَّهُمَّ اسْتُرْ عَوْرَاتِهِم وَآمِنْ رَوْعَاتِهِم وَاحْفَظْهُم مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِم وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِم وَعَنْ أَيمَانِهِم وَعَنْ شَمَائلِهِم وَمِنْ فَوْقِهِم 🤲