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I love how in so many fantasy series, especially those for girls, we’re told that selfishness is wrong and shit and it’s written as a character flaw, and usually given whole arcs of why with this moral that’s treated like taking a sledgehammer to the face.

And then there’s Discworld where PTerry goes “yeah but nah” and has Tiffany Aching explicitly turn selfishness into a weapon to defeat an Eldritch Fae Queen.

It seems small and trivial, but really think of whom the Tiffany Aching books are aimed at, and just let that sink in.

In a society where young girls are still being socialised to live according to certain “good” traits of femininity decided by patriarchal values, Pterry literally tells you that it’s okay to fucking be selfish, makes it’s a positive thing, makes it a power.

Just let that sink in.

#discworld #pterry writes life lessons #tiffany aching #gnu terry pratchett #my favorite discworld books

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the establishment fears this.

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Battery Theory: For when the Spoon Theory is too confusing

another person on facebook was having trouble getting their family to understand the spoon theory because they couldn’t wrap their head around the metaphor so I wrote up a detailed version of my battery post I made ages ago inspired by my macbook, might as well post it here too.

I’ve never been a big fan of the spoon theory because it’s kind of abstract and confusing to explain unless you print out and carry the thing with you and make people read it because it makes NO SENSE out of context so I made one that most people will be able to understand easier. (might not help with elderly people but generally they will get it because their battery might not be defective, but all batteries stop holding charge when they get old so they are more likely to Get It without a metaphor)

When you get an electronic device, like a laptop or cell phone it comes with an rechargeable battery. Some people are unlucky and get a dud. Or maybe there is a recall and the entire line of the product due to a defect.

My battery isn’t any good.

[Screencap of a laptop’s battery charge and battery capacity. The battery is charged up to 60%, and the bar is green. The battery capacity, however, is at 46%, and the bar is yellow]

When I’m all charged up I and it says it’s ok to unplug the charger, I’m not at 100%. I haven’t been able to charge that far up for years. I am already basically in the yellow when I start my day. If you only have a half hour of battery life just browsing the internet, how are you expected to load a flash video to watch that takes up way more juice?

You can maybe do it with the right help, such as a portable charger (here representing accessibility devices like wheelchairs, or treatment/medication). Sometimes the percentage amount is also inaccurate to. It says you have 20% battery and 20 minutes left and then your computer just -shuts off- out of nowhere. Surprise! you crashed! I hope you were anticipating that risk and saved your work!

In addition my charger doesn’t always work.

[Screencap showing that the battery is not charging even though the charger is plugged in]

I can plug it in and it just says “not charging”. So sometimes you leave the computer overnight to charge and wake up, wait, 30% battery when my 100% is a normal person’s 60%????!!!?? not fair! This is what happens when you combine in the restfulness or inadequate sleep.

The combination means you are really working at rationing what you can do with your device. Should I turn it off most of the day in case I need it later? How many people can I talk to on my phone for how long before it runs out of juice. How much work can I get done on my laptop before the battery dies, possibly taking the work with it?

That’s how are bodies are. We have to carefully monitor how much energy we (think) we have, what amount of stuff we should be able to do with it, what must be sacrificed, as well as try and keep track of charging stations, battery packs etc. to rescue us if we miscalculate. And if we do we could lose something important in the power outage.

But batteries aren’t user replaceable and we don’t have a warranty, we can’t get it fixed, just have to deal with it as well as we can. The battery does not define us but it effects every part of our lives effecting everything we do and every decision because while most people haven’t experienced a energy crash, they have probably experienced the hell that is the computer shutting down and destroying hours of effort you’ve put into something as punishment for taking that risk.

#spoon theory #disability #battery theory #chronic illness #fatigue #chronic pain #spoonie

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The Sims wardrobe glitches, but make it couture

Viktor & Rolf Spring 2023 Couture

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Timeline of the First Age – The Silmarillion to the tune of 'We Didn't Start the Fire' by Tim DeMarco (bardofarda)

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I think part of the “Biden is not calling hard enough for a ceasefire, let’s let trump win” crowd’s state of mind is they’re not from Illinois. Every time I vote for a democratic governor, I am voting for a corrupt politician. But if I voted for a republican, I’d be voting for a corrupt politician who’s likely to be willing to shut the government down for two years because he’s having a tantrum.

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reading this deposition that just got dropped where someone sued musk and ohhhh my god it is this funniest thing ever . i can see why his lawyer tried to keep this confidential . they’re both maybe the biggest idiots . this is like ace attorney

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well have you considered that maybe the unstoppable force is in love with the immovable object

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if i was jesus and found out what people call the day i died on. well my feelings would be hurt a little bit

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“Nobody’s going to want to sit on high-speed rail for fifteen hours to get from New York City to LA.”

Me. I will sit on high-speed rail for fifteen hours. I’ll sit on it for days. I’ll write and read and nap and eat and then do it all over again. I’ll stare out the windows and see America from ground level and not have to drive. I’ll see the Rockies and the deserts and cornfields and the Mississippi River and your house and yours and yours too. I’ll make up stories in my head about the small towns I see as we go along. I’ll see the states I’ve yet to see because driving or flying there is a fucking slog and expensive to boot. I’ll enjoy the ride as much as the destination. And then I’ll do it all over again to come the fuck home.

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Y'know, there's this gripe I've had for years that really frustrates me, and it has to do with Love, Simon and people joking about it and calling it too-pg and designed-for-straight-people and all the like. (A similar thing has happened to Heartstopper, but that's another conversation.)

I saw Love, Simon in theaters when it came out my senior year in high school. I saw it three times, once with my friends/parents on opening night, once with my brother over spring break, and once with my grandparents.

On opening night, the air in the room was electric. It was palpable. Half the heads in there were dyed various colors. Queer kids were holding hands. We were all crying and laughing and cheering as a group. My friends grabbed my hands at the part where Simon was outed and didn't let go until his parents were saying that they accepted him. My friend came out to me as non-binary. Another person in our group admitted that she had feelings for girls. It was incredible. I left shaking. This was the first mainstream queer romance movie that had ever been produced by one of the main five studios, and I know that sounds like another "first queer character from Disney" bit but you have to understand that even in 2018 this was groundbreaking. Getting to have a sweet queer rom-com where the main character was told that he got "to breathe now" after coming out meant so much to me and my friends.

But also, from a designed-for-straight-people POV (which, to be frank, it was written by a bisexual author and directed by a gay man, this was not designed for straight audiences), why is it a bad thing that it appealed to the widest possible audience? That it could make my parents and grandparents see things in a new light? My stepdad wasn't at all interested in rom-coms but he saw it with me because it was something I cared about and he hugged me when we came out of the theater. My very Catholic grandparents watched it with me and though my grandpa said he still didn't quite understand the whole 'gay thing,' all he wanted was for me to be happy and to have a happy ending like Simon did. My Nana actually cried when Simon came out and squeeze my hand when his mother told him he could breathe.

And when Martin blackmailed Simon, my mom, badass ally that she is, literally hissed "Dropkick him. Dropkick him in the balls" leading to multiple queer kids in the audience to laugh or smile. Having my parents there- the only parents, by the way, out of my group of queer and questioning friends- made multiple people realize that supportive adults were out there. That parents like those in Love, Simon do exist in real life.

When people complain about Heartstopper not being realistic or Love, Simon being too cutesy, I remember seeing Love, Simon on opening night. I remember my friend coming out and my stepdad hugging me and my mom defending us through this character. I remember the cheers that went through the audience when Bram and Simon kissed and the chatter in the foyer after the movie was over and the way that this movie made me understand that happy endings do exist.

Queer kids need happy endings. Straight people need entry points to becoming allies. Both of these things can come together in beautiful ways. They can find out about more queer culture later, but for now, let them have this. Let them all have a glimpse at a better, happier world. Let them have queer joy.

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At the gate for my flight home from visiting friends and there's a woman here with a service Shiba Inu. No pics because he has a Do Not Disturb vest and taking pics of strangers is illegal but I need to stress how ON DUTY this animal is. Ears up. Eyes doing Lazer scans of everything. Examining everyone who passes within 10ft like a security guard. Ass planted on her feet. I have never seen a dog with such intense chivalric guardian energy before. He has tiny eyebrows and they are FURROWED with concentration.

#story time

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the lack of compassion that a good portion of lotr fans show for frodo ("why can't he fight or do simple tasks" "why is he so weak" "why does he always need help / to be rescued") mirrors the lack of compassion of people for those who bear the burden of invisible disabilities. he's struggling against an immense weight at every step! something that actively tries to destroy him, worsening at every moment! his heroism is in just continuing to walk his path, step by step. his bravery is in just existing as himself under the debilitating weight of the ring. but because the influence of the ring is invisible, it is forgotten, and frodo is written off as a weak, cowardly, and/or useless character, much like disabled people irl. in this household we do not stand for frodo slander!!!

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I have never read a more excellent article

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The man sat on a mossy log, lost in morose thought.

The goblin squatted in front of him. "They say that those who enter these woods do so to find themselves, or lose themselves."

The man did not respond.

"Which kind are you?"

"None," the man mumbled, "both."

"Did you succeed?"

"… no." The man looked up. "And you?"

"I came to find you," the goblin grinned.

"Me?"

"You are missed."

"I am?"

"So your village elders said when they hired me. Shall we go?"

"… yes."

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Hate when the random pain is in the place of An Organ and you need to wonder if it's a Hospital Situation or not

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furious that i am not a playable character in this game