[ iamai ]

"I want to change the world, instead I sleep...All I can do is keep breathing. - Ingrid Michaelson (Keep Breathing)"

[flonflonflon]

FINISHED SOLO LEVELING A BIT AGO!!! So have some of the little shadow creechurs bc I love them

[clarkent]

me @ 10

me @ 30

[rohie-deactivated20191102]

“Years ago a friend of mine had a dream about a strange invention; a staircase you could descend deep underground, in which you heard recordings of all the things anyone had ever said about you, both good and bad. The catch was, you had to pass through all the worst things people had said before you could get to the highest compliments at the very bottom. There is no way I would ever make it more than two and a half steps down such a staircase, but I understand its terrible logic: if we want the rewards of being loved we have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.”

— I Know What You Think of Me, Tim Kreider for the New York Times

[owlmylove]

after YEARS of seeing this quote online and finding it to be the most deeply and resoundingly profound writing i finally found the source article and absolutely nothing could prepare me for this opening paragraph

[bi-icon]

Okay but the whole article is really interesting and also contains this quote which I’ve never heard before but really like:

“Anyone worth knowing is inevitably also going to be exasperating”

[callali1y]

every time someones says "hey how are you" and i say "good" and forget to add the "how about you?" i feel like i've missed a quicktime event

[onesidedradiostatic]

thought about the idea of vox releasing one of those fucking cancelled youtuber apology videos after the season 2 finale and started laughing to myself

[onesidedradiostatic]

I'M CRYIIING not the season 2 recap song being voxic gossip train

[shantechni]

Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! Official PV 3

Bonus:

[ecargmura]

These are some fruity lines for a story that isn't BL.

Soma amps up the BL rampantly.

[spoksstuff]

positively crying rn 🥲

all credits to the artist @baoshankaro on X & tumblr

[liberalsarecool]

If it ain't broke, Trump'll break it. #immigration

[bob-artist]

Brotherhood of The Orb

[astriiformes]

If you're looking for a good, centralized collection of fundraisers for people and organizations doing on-the-ground work in Minnesota right now, someone on Bluesky put together a great resource hub for things like food support, rent relief, mutual aid, and immigrants' rights centers that I'd really love to see spread around.

And if you're local to the Twin Cities, there's a "Take Action" section with links to ways to get active, as well as some resource guides for legal observers, etc.

Those of us here in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the metro area appreciate every bit of support we can get right now, especially with the federal government cutting off things like SNAP benefits for Minnesotans and threatening further retaliation. Keep us in your thoughts, and maybe pick a cause to support, if you can.

[wutheringmights]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is my favorite anti-authoritarian story because it indulges in the fantasy of the benevolent dictator. 

Authoritarianism is, more often than not, depicted as this indisputably evil institution that is so glaringly nefarious that any reasonable person would know to fight against it. That makes for a good story, but it fails to recognize why anyone would want an authoritarian government to begin with. 

LOGH has Reinhard, who declares he will seize the galaxy in his hands and remake it in his own image. His image is genuinely just. He wants to make life in the empire better. He wants a more equitable society. He wants to do good. On the surface, he succeeds at doing just that. By the time the story ends, Reinhard has reinvented society and improved the lives of billions of people. All of this is in stark contrast to the empire’s biggest enemy.

The Free Planets Alliance is a democracy quickly crumbling under the weight of corruption and the rise of fascism. It’s increasingly chaotic, and its violence is often inflicted onto the civilians living within it. At many times, it feels more unjust to live in the FPA than in the goddamn authoritarian regime just across the milky way. 

The contrast between the empire and the FPA clearly shows what the allure of a dictatorship is. LOGH understands that under societal duress, we want one all-powerful person to swoop in and save us. We want things fixed now, no matter the cost.

The more Reinhard exerts his power to improve the empire, the more we wish that someone in the FPA could also be given that kind of unrestrained authority. We know who exactly in the FPA could make the world better, and we watch them time and time again be screwed over by the powers that be above them. It’s so easy to want them to become another Reinhard-- another just, all-powerful crusader. We want the benevolent dictator.

LOGH tells us not to fall for it. 

Reinhard never falls to corruption. His regime is built on the hard work of men who fully commit to his morals. But there is an inherent violence that never goes away. It’s an authoritarian regime, after all. There’s still a secret police that quietly dispels the opposition. Loyal subordinates are made scapegoats and sacrificed for the sake of the cause. The goodness of the empire hinges on Reinhard’s goodwill. 

LOGH lets Reinhard maintain that goodwill. He gets to spend his entire life fulfilling his dream. He never falls from grace. The fantasy of the benevolent dictator is allowed to come true. 

Then the story asks: what happens when he’s gone?

Reinhard never dismantles the system that created the injustice he fixed. His life’s work will be washed away the moment the throne is succeeded by someone any less benevolent than him. Reinhard realizes this a little too late, and he asserts over and over again that only someone worthy of the throne should take it.

But he has mythologized himself too much, and the people who had fallen for his charm and accepted the good of his system believe that his son will be as equally great. One day, his family name will become synonymous with injustice just like the old regime he had brutally dismantled. He saved the present, but not tomorrow. 

That we never see the spoiling of Reinhard’s legacy is important. The consequences of authoritarianism can take years, if not generations to pan out.  Just because picking a dictatorship will benefit you today doesn’t absolve you of the responsibility to think of tomorrow. But if you can’t accept a government run by a singular savior, what other option do you have?

You have democracy. At times, it’s a poor answer. It’s a system that requires slow, glacial change. It’s prone to corruption. Those who would be the best to rule it are the least inclined to seize power within it. But, as protagonist Yang Wen-li asserts, we haven’t figured out a better system yet. We have to keep dedicating ourselves to a flawed system. What other options do we have?

The benevolent dictatorship is a sweet fantasy, but it’s just that; it was never real to begin with.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes acknowledges how people can give up their rights to a dictator for the sake of a comfortable present. It also understands the sad truth that the only way to fight against the allure of authoritarianism is to have faith in a failing system. The reward may mean more uncertain years of strife, but it’s a sacrifice you have to make not for yourself, but for the generations that will come after you.

A good government is a practice in faith. You have to believe in your rights to self-governance in order to retain them. It’s not easy, but you have to do it. You need to.

[miscellaneous-a]

The lesbian rep we didn't know we needed

[yingxtkm]

Matching 🎀

Self indulgent aeriseph sibling scribble as usual

I originally scribbled this out of spite when I found out I couldn’t submit platonic prompts for something I was debating on participating LMFAOO

[freyadragonlord]

Recently I’ve been thinking about the different types of love languages in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, The S-Classes That I Raised, and Lout of the Count’s Family…

Not to say that each of the stories describes only one single kind of love language; they are, after all, all novels that focus on Found Family, with many different types of relationships between characters that express their love for each other in as many different ways.

Yet, I’ve noticed how at the core of each of these three stories there is one specific act of love that recurs more than others, and that becomes the true Theme each novel revolves around.

In Lout of the Count’s Family, the main love language is providing food and a home.

“Home” is such an important concept in LCF that Cale collects houses like they were pokemon cards. The source of his trauma when he was a child as Kim Roksu was that he was not given sufficient food, and that where he lived was not truly a shelter where he could feel safe, just a place he was trapped in.

And I don’t think there are ever more than 2 chapters in a row without a character offering food to others, or asking if they’re hungry, if they’ve eaten, why haven’t you eaten, here have some apple pie!!

Cale uses his newfound money and power to make sure his loved ones are provided for. That’s how he adopts bonds with most of his new family.

The first thing Raon does after he’s freed from the prison he’s been trapped in all his life, is to leave food for this hopelessly weak human.

Choi Han, who has lived alone in a dangerous forest for decades, would do anything to protect his home.

The Crown Prince, who has been isolated and untrusting of everyone ever since his mother died, makes sure to always have cookies in his bedroom in case guests “break in” for a visit at any time of the day or the night.

I love you, you’ll never be hungry again. I love you, my home is your home.

In The S-Classes That I Raised, the main love language is words.

Yoojin’s powers are literally activated by telling people “I love you”. Because all he ever wanted was to say “I love you” to his brother one last time.

Because the tragedy that starts the story happens because Yoohyun loved and protected his hyung in secret for years. Silence creates misunderstandings, it creates distance, it leads to loss.

Loving someone isn’t enough, tell them! Reassure them. Remember what they say, because their words are important!!

Ever since the regression, Yoojin always let people know when he loves them and appreciates them. “You’re perfect, you’re cute, you’re so talented, you’re so handsome, you are loved.”

And as the novel progresses, whenever Yoojin is in pain, or doesn’t know what to do, he turns to Sung Hyunje because he needs to be reassured, he needs to know he did well, he needs to hear he is still important to the people he loves.

I love you, please know that I love you! I love you, please tell me you love me back.

And finally, in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, the main love language is time.

Time is one of the greatest sources of horrors in ORV. Eternities upon eternities of suffering, being trapped for ages in the same, hopeless loop, wishing for everything to just stop.

And yet, time is also the greatest gift characters give to each other.

Because the wounds Dokja suffered as a child, and then again and again through his whole life…. They need time to heal. They need so much time. They will probably take forever.

So let them take forever.

Despite how much pain and worry he causes his companions by giving up on himself over and over again, his companions never give up on him. And he doesn’t understand why!! He doesn’t think he’s worth it. But it’s not his choice, it’s theirs. And they will go through as many tries, as much pain, as much time as it takes, before they can finally save him.

I love you, so I will wait fifty years for you. I love you, so I will live through thousands of lifetimes to find you. I love you, so I will read and reread your story for the rest of time, just to keep you alive.

[yingxtkm]

Anyone ask for aeriseph sibling nonsense? No? Well too bad they live in my head rent free.

[razorsharpg]

Been watching Clevatess. Saw Dark ichor blood puppy. Anime of the year right here