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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: October 22nd, 2023

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  • No, he did not. Luke didn’t start the war, that’s the literal plot of Andor. And, by the way, Cassian Andor is not a good person, the show and movie both make that quite clear. He is a protagonist, yes, and, in my opinion, at his core a good man; but he and those he assists do some terrible things in the name of freedom.

    And Luke gets dragged into it when jackbooted thugs burn his home, kill his family, and eventually take one of his hands.

    How many innocent Palestinian children’s stories does that man’s path parallel? There are thousands of orphans, thousands of underage amputees currently not getting enough to eat, and still you call for more punishment. Shame on you. Down with the Empire. Long live the Rebellion.






  • And where else are we going to go? This country is just three monopolies in a trench coat masquerading as a fair and competitive market. We don’t have any choice. Galen knows this.

    From Loblaw’s website:

    We serve local communities with stores from coast to coast. Our family includes: Atlantic SuperstoreTM, Dominion®, Loblaws®, Maxi®, No Frills®, Provigo Le Marché®, Valu-MartTM, Real Canadian Superstore®, Wholesale ClubTM, Your Independent GrocerTM and ZehrsTM.

    From Shopper’s Drug Mart website:

    2014

    Loblaw Companies Limited acquires Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation for $12.4 billion in cash and stock, bringing together two iconic Canadian brands


  • Far right column, fourth one down from the top. I like that it’s a visual pun on the Japanese flag; the little red dot on a white field inside the larger dot effectively depicts a little Japan inside the larger nation, a microcosm of the nation itself.

    It’s a very effective vexillological distinction of a part within a whole, while still maintaining the effect of the original flag design.

    I also find it funny that it seems to be a flex on all the other prefectures, this flag subtextually implies, “We’re the most Japanese prefecture that has ever been, we are the essential core of this nation and our absence would leave a blank empty void. Don’t fuck with us.”




  • Fell asleep on the TTC (Toronto subway) one time while we were travelling along a particularly old part of the tunnels.

    I was dozing and staying kind of peripherally aware of my surroundings. Late at night, old model of subway car. One or two people at the other end of the car, in one of the cars far down the line away from the driver, second or third from the rear car.

    Going through a section of tunnel, in the dark between one light and the next, I suddenly felt… surrounded. My eyes were closed, and for a second or two I distinctly felt the sensation of hands. All over my body, like I was passing through a crowd of people all grabbing at my arms, my legs, my hair. Cold, like holding your hands in your armpits on a winter day when you forget your gloves. Reaching, grasping like pickpockets. Desperate somehow, like the eyes of a scared animal.

    The sensation fled as swiftly as it arrived, either a result of passing beyond an area of influence, or a symptom of leaving a particular state of mind. I opened my eyes, and it was gone.

    I don’t know how many lost souls search for answers along those tracks, hoping for relief, warmth, company, safety. I’ve seen many homeless folk that catch a few minutes of sleep on those cars late at night; I wonder how many others travel unseen.

    I never fell asleep on the subway again.


  • One of the trickiest things about Reddit (and social media in general) for me is the homogenization of tone. Each comment is an individual person, a unique voice & perspective, accents from around the world, but the medium of text, combined with the listing of comments leading to consumption of dozens/hundreds/thousands of viewpoints, leads to a blurring and obscuring of the uniqueness of each commenter.

    These comments, they feel like a consistent person - I think that’s part of what people are talking about when they refer to the “hive mind”. These highly upvoted expert opinions, they begin to slot into the “trusted authoritative voice” in your mental categorization, regardless of whether they’re actually experts or not. The wisdom of the crowd, the inclination to trust the source of those upvotes, it’s pernicious.

    I didn’t think I could last without Reddit after July 1st, but the truth is I’m fucking thriving. I really only ever lurked on Reddit, wasn’t much of an active commenter, and the continual absorption of fairly minor amounts of toxicity and negativity was exhausting. Relying on my own voice, my own perspective, it’s important. When the power goes out and your phone dies, when the world turns mad around you, when all seems hopeless, there you are. No matter where you go, there you are. Yes, it might be true that everyone on Reddit seems to be miserable. That’s their choice, it doesn’t have to be yours


  • If you’re curious about how to recognize this species out in the wild, here’s the method I use:

    Do their ears hang low? (No, except when upside down) Do they wobble to and fro? (Yes) Can they tie ‘em in a knot? (No) Can they tie them in a bow? (Knot that I’m aware of, no) Can they throw them o’er their shoulder like a continental soldier? (???) Do their ears hang low? (Again, mostly no)

    Usually works best for distinguishing between this type of owl and beagles