#believe the impossible

[inkskinned]

it is totally okay to be hurt and tired and fed up with the american schooling system but i need you to understand that we need to be better about loudly and routinely defending public education.

yes, many teachers suck, many schools utterly suck. i also got bullied and was absolutely not given the right support for my needs. i am not defending public education because it was kind to me. i am defending it because it needs to exist.

right-wing republicans do not want an educated population. they want kids to be homeschooled or in private school. there is a huge religious undertone to this.

the most common argument is that despite high costs, the "result" is not "good" enough. they point to failing schools as proof that public education is just never going to work out. there will be arguments made here that you actually agree with: that teachers can be bullies, that we taught online for 2 years and still charged the same amount of tuition, that we have no recourse for students to actually have agency or a voice, and that schools are now unsafe for kids due to risk of illness and gun violence.

these are all placing the blame in a fraudulent way, one intended to get your parents to homeschool you. the less kids in a school, the less federally-awarded funding for that school, the less any school succeeds. they will not mention the fact it is their legislation that takes away important funding opportunities, that teachers are living at or below the poverty line, that buildings are not kept up to code, that administration is overpaid and forces specific curriculums, that corporations like (my personal enemy) Pearson Education control certain classroom goals because teachers can't afford other options. they pretend to be ignorant of the gun violence and say "oh just get a gun" - but these are the same people who will be sending their child to a private school with a bulletproof backpack. they don't care if your kid dies, though. they "don't believe" in covid, but they did get their kid vaccinated, because of course they did.

it is a closed loop. conservative parents hear the fearmongering and remove children from the system. frequently these parents are also deeply religious. the kids are raised without access to other media & learn to parrot their parents. you have now created a new generation of conservatives. additionally, one of the parents/caregivers must stay home and homeschool the children, usually for free. i will give you 1 guess which parent tends to stay home to homeschool the children. these parents are encouraged to have many, many children. those children are most likely not getting access to safe sex ed.

we might laugh at fox news suggesting teachers are forcing children to use kitty litter but: first of all, there is kitty litter in the classroom. it's part of an emergency kit in case children are locked in due to a shooter. so that's fucking dystopian, and the fact they've completely reimagined the scenario to somehow make the teachers look bad when it's instead a fucking huge symbol of our failure as a country to protect our children.... it feels a little intentional.

secondly: don't just dismiss the situation. because, yeah, obviously, no teacher is encouraging kids to be a catboy. but the actual undertone that fox news is trying to sew is an outright distrust of teachers and of public education. they rely on the dehumanization of trans people as a common touchstone to hide the fact they're pushing two agendas at once. (which is ironic. because the thing they accuse teachers of. is pushing. an agenda.)

whenever someone tells you they want you to read less, you should be suspicious of that. when someone tries to separate you and your education, you should be suspicious of that. i don't even like incel rhetoric nor would i want my kids exposed to it - but i would not take away my child's (age-appropriate) access to the internet. i would just provide more educational materials, not less. the difference here is that i believe we can resolve ignorance with knowledge; whereas conservatives believe that ignorance is bliss.

they misappropriate funding and demonize teachers. they pull the same trick each time - the same thing we are seeing with anti-trans rhetoric. they do not want you to have access to safe sex ed, so they act horrified, claim sex ed teaches you how to thrust deep, claim that we have no idea what "age-appropriate" means. since the mid-nineties, the united states has spent at least 2 billion dollars on abstinence-only education, even though to quote the above link: "a preponderance of studies has found no effect of abstinence education at reducing adolescent pregnancy". conservatives want you to think less of any person struggling with addiction so they can continue their racist "war on drugs", so they spend up to $750 million dollars a year on the DARE program which has absolutely no effect. acting like teachers "must" be "grooming" children is just the same thing - so they can demand that funding either goes to their causes or the funding doesn't "exist" ("i'm not paying for our kids to learn that thing!")

and they want you to feel uncaring about this. they are aware that you will hate some parts of your school experience. pretty much everyone does. they want to lean into the parts that you hate so that you don't put up a fight about it when they take it away for not being "good enough."

i know i maybe sound like a conspiracy theorist. but truly. truly. it is beneficial for conservatives to reduce your faith in the american public schooling system.

one of the explicitly stated campaign promises of the conservative party: to axe the Department of Education in 2024.

i know we are all tired and burnt out and there is so much else wrong with their entire platform. but maybe just - pay attention to this one.

#i can't believe i have to say this #the conservative party is legit like ''is it anything good? okay we hate it.'' #''lets kill lgbt people and ummmmm school children shouldnt be able to read they should be at home watching jordan peterson :)" #the fact that it's like all related is. wild. #like it's wild bc if u start being like. actually making it impossible to afford housing is part of how they keep the nuclear family..... #it's just like lines connecting to lines. EXCEPT ITS OBVIOUS? #what's wild to me about most conspiracy theorists is that they're like . ohhhh the govt is hiding shit!!!!!!! they don't want u to know!!! #and im like. this old man literally got up on stage and said he hates public education and will let our kids die before taking away ak-47s #and ppl are like: lol thats just bob's sense of humor he didn't mean it literally uwu

[communistkenobi]

students in the social sciences can’t explain it either lol. “people in this country see no merit in studying any subject that cannot go on a resume” that’s because they go to school to get a job! I wonder what larger structural factors contribute to this widespread relationship people have to higher education. maybe this guy can use his big beautiful humanities degree to explain it to us

#‘this country’ I’m assuming this person is American also which is doubly laughable #I wonder why people going into tens of thousands of dollars into debt want to focus on shit that will get them a job. impossible to know #also profoundly arrogant & self serving. I’m sure this is a humanities person because they all believe art is inherently revolutionary #and artists are the most oppressed special and uniquely capable labourers on the planet

[sugarcoatednightshade]

thinking about how Humans Are Space Orcs stories always talk about how indestructible humans are, our endurance, our ability to withstand common poisons, etc. and thats all well and good, its really fun to read, but it gets repetitive after a while because we aren't all like that.

And that got me thinking about why this trope is so common in the first place, and the conclusion I came to is actually kind of obvious if you think about it. Not everyone is allowed to go into space. This is true now, with the number of physical restrictions placed on astronauts (including height limits), but I imagine it's just as strict in some imaginary future where humans are first coming into contact with alien species. Because in that case there will definitely be military personnel alongside any possible diplomatic parties.

And I imagine that all interactions aliens have ever had up until this point have been with trained personnel. Even basic military troops conform to this standard, to some degree. So aliens meet us and they're shocked and horrified to discover that we have no obvious weaknesses, we're all either crazy smart or crazy strong (still always a little crazy, academia and war will do that to you), and not only that but we like, literally all the same height so there's no way to tell any of us apart.

And Humans Are Death Worlders stories spread throughout the galaxy. Years or decades or centuries of interspecies suspicion and hostilities preventing any alien from setting foot/claw/limb/appendage/etc. on Earth until slowly more beings are allowed to come through. And not just diplomats who keep to government buildings, but tourists. Exchange students. Temporary visitors granted permission to go wherever they please, so they go out in search of 'real terran culture' and what do they find?

Humans with innate heart defects that prevent them from drinking caffeine. Humans with chronic pain and chronic fatigue who lack the boundless endurance humans are supposedly famous for. Humans too tall or too short or too fat to be allowed into space. Humans who are so scared of the world they need to take pills just to function. Humans with IBS who can't stand spicy foods, capsaicin really is poison to them. Lactose intolerance and celiac disease, my god all the autoimmune disorders out there, humans who struggle to function because their own bodies fight them. Humans who bruise easily and take too long to heal. Humans who sustained one too many concussions and now struggle to talk and read and write. Humans who've had strokes. Humans who were born unable to talk or hear or speak, and humans who through some accident lost that ability later.

Aliens visit Earth, and do you know what they find? Humanity, in all its wholeness.

#humans are space orcs #humans in space #earth is a deathworld #earth is space australia #tagging this so that ppl can find it even though the space shit i write about always feels like its in direct opposition to all the pop tag #also my biggest pet peeve in all of writing - all writing. everywhere. not just in fanfic but books and tv and movies too - is when people #write off an injury by saying something like 'oh nothing bad just a couple of scratches some bruising and a minor concussion' like girl WHA #MiNOr ConCuSSioN is such an oxymoron and I hate it so fucking much. like i dont care how minor it was thats still brain damage. #especially when the same character does this more than once. like im sorry ms. but uh. you can no longer read. or talk eloquently. sorry #evidence: my brother has had two 'minor' concussions and now cannot read write or speak without tremendous effort. And like its totally #ruined my ability to watch action shows/movies because now i just sit there and count how many concussions there characters are getting #after a certain point it becomes totally impossible to believe that these guys are able to function. (still fun to watch tho im not a hater

[fishfission-dc]

Batfamily Powerpoint Night! (Part 4: Jason)

<<Part 3: Tim    |    Part 5: Cass >>

[Masterlist]

Jason: Alright everyone get your hopes way down

Tim: I’m truly terrified of whatever you made for this

Dick: Let’s just be happy he participated!

Dick: Okay yeah nevermind

Bruce: Jason. This is-

Jason: Let’s just be happy I participated

Steph: If I’m not your favorite I’m rioting

Tim: Yeah this is the only right answer

Duke: He really does put up with way too much

Dick: Like childhood Bruce

Bruce: Hn. (in reluctant agreement)

Cass: (signs) I love you too :)

Damian: Cassandra is undoubtedly a very skilled combatant.

Steph: A rare good opinion from Jason

Jason: This is why you’re higher on the hate list

Duke: I am literally so honored, I would like to thank the Academy- 

Barbara: He called you “Nightlight”

Tim: And said your suit is ugly

Duke: I don’t even care. I’m too low on the hate list to care.

Dick: He said you’re going to snap?

Duke: I mean I don’t disagree

Tim: I’M THE FOURTH BEST?

Jason: After some new information learned in the previous presentation, Timmy should probably be a lot higher on the list. 

Steph: Oh calm down Timbo you barely got “tolerable”

Tim: HE TRIED TO KILL ME AND HE STILL LIKES ME BETTER THAN THE REST OF YOU

Barbara: Fair.

Dick: For the record, Jason, we are dating and I am not a cop anymore

Barbara: I still did date a cop though Dick he’s not wrong

Jason: See this is why she’s lower on the hate list than you

Barbara: You’re just scared to cross me

Jason: ...that too.

Tim: AHAAHAH

Damian: THIS IS UNFAIR

Steph: HAHHHAHHA

Damian: I AM NOT DONE GROWING YET TODD

Jason: You’re still short

Dick: It’s okay Damian, Jason was even shorter when he was your age!

Dick: ...crap.

Jason: Thank you for proving my point.

Tim: At least you’re not a cop anymore

Bruce: You broke his nose, Jason

Jason: He deserved it 

Steph: ...wait a minute

Tim: (laughing, in realization) You mean... no

Steph: guys wait no-

Steph: NO WAY AM I YOUR LEAST FAVORITE

Jason: THE F*@#%&$ YOGURT HAD MY NAME ON IT 

Steph: YOU CANT CALL DIBS ITS FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

[squabbling continues]

Dick: I’m surprised Bruce didn’t score the number one spot

Bruce: Hn. (in understanding)

Tim: I thought it’d be me honestly

Barbara: Oh come on, he loves all of us. He wouldn’t have come if he didn’t.

Cass: (signing) Agreed. I can go next?

<<Part 3: Tim    |    Part 5: Cass >>

[Masterlist]

#the saga continues #batfamily powerpoint au #these are still so fun to make ngl #i am unsure about the dialogue all the time though #i've never written a fic or anything so i'm just spitballin #i firmly believe jason loves all the little guys even though the joker is still alive #dc make jason happy challenge (impossible) #i liked his characterization in Cheer #dc comics #batman #jason todd #dick grayson #dc robin #batfamily #batfam #tim drake #bruce wayne

[the-woman-upstairs]

Ethan, after Benji has once again volunteered him for an insane death-defying stunt:

#when your husband believes in you so much…it nearly puts you in the hospital #i love the way they love #benthan #mission impossible #mission impossible dead reckoning #ethan hunt #benji dunn #tho ethan has no leg to stand on since his go-to move is something stupid and insane #thinking of when he buckled himself into a car then drove it off the top of a parking garage #or jumped onto a motorcycle AFTER crashing another car by driving recklessly

[scarletfasinera]

Literally. Be vigilant I love you. Something beautiful is going to happen. True love is possible only in the next world—for new people. Tomorrow is just a whisper away. We refuse to accept that the world has to remain like this. It's the world and you're made of it, you can't be unmade now. This is somewhere to be, this is all you have but it's still something. Things can't go on like this forever; something will give, it always does. Comrades, the forsaken, the wretched, who tried to rise against the horrors of the world. She would die to return to it. One day I will return to your side. They're beautiful and true—and they will win. The future can be better than the past, if we're willing to work and fight and die for it. In dark times, should the stars also go out? I exist. I exist too.

#txt #DE RETOUR....... GIRL CHILD REVOLUTION #literally i go and do something else for a while. for months. and then suddenly i'm like “man disco elysium was so good” #the tower stood for a moment and the insulindian phasmid exists and the future can be better than the past. #we believe it because it's impossible. #and by believing in it we make the impossible possible #literally the countless instances of inframaterialism being proven true in the game #and inframaterialism being in itself a metaphor for Hope #I love you inframaterialism I love you Mazovian Economics I love you Girl Child Revolution I love you Insulindian Phasmid

[biruesque]

"I'm going to become a prince!"

#revolutionary girl utena #rgu #shoujo kakumei utena #sku #tenjou utena #utena tenjou #utena #ohtori akio #akio ohtori #akio #biruesque art #this is one of my fav moments from 38 idk it's so powerful #but yk the concept of “prince” in 38 and 39 is still vaguely up to interpretation i think #it could be the figure doomed to die from saving someone #like in juri's story #it could be an impossible and unattainable virtue #it could still be genuinely what utena wanted to be #and that she still believed in some version of it even if it was removed from akio and dios #eitehr way the way dios' grave just shatters #its so fucking good i oaaouaououghghg

[dantent]

#im head over heels for both of them #someone send help #this ones for all the astarion and raphael fuckers #i see you all because im one of you #astarion worsened my savior complex and fed my delusions #now i believe i could do the same to raphael (impossible) #if i ever do an evil playthrough its gonna be when larian releases a raphael romance update #im only gonna be evil for raphael #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 raphael #astarion #baldur’s gate 3 #bg3 astarion #baldurs gate 3 raphael #bg3 memes #baldurs gate 3 meme

[pondphuwin]

bed friend, episode 3

middleman's love, episode 3

#kinguea #middleman's love #middleman's love the series #the middleman's love #bed friend #bed friend the series #until i was writing this caption it did not fully hit me that these are both episode 3 #i think about them more than is probably clinically advised #anyway have you thought about how these lines are such a perfect depiction of their relationship #king. lying through his teeth saying that he doesnt like uea #because he knows that is the only way uea will let a fwb relationship between them operate #king protecting them both because neither of them have it in them to be honest #to uea proudly and happily and easily declaring their love #not just that he loves king #but acknowledging that he knows king loves him #something that uea had honestly come to believe was impossible #but it is king's love and honesty and support that has allowed uea to love himself more #and to realize he is capable of being loved by others #no more lies no more hiding in order to protect their hearts #just their love. simple plain and honest for everyone to see #they are ..... so perfect #*

[thresholdbb]

I have a gripe about the Star Trek mugs...

Picard's teacup is a delicate, fragile little thing held by a strip of plastic and a dream. That thin glass will break if you look at it sideways. And where do they put that ridiculous tiny cup? On the Enterprise, which is always being dragged into conflict

The DS9 raktajino mugs are hefty, wide-based things that are meant to not tip over. They're called no-spill mugs. They have a foam piece on the bottom so they don't slip. They're incredibly sturdy – meant for ships and traveling! Where do they put them? At the station, which is arguably the most stable place they could be cause DS9 rarely gets knocked about.

Far as I'm concerned, Janeway's the only one doing practical space mugs correctly. Come on, a metal travel mug that's as strong as her coffee is black? Takes a beating through 70,000 light years of bridge shakes fighting off the Borg and the Hirogen and still holds a hot drink? Now that's a space mug

#is this the spoon post all over again? am I just insane about dishware? #it's 3am and I'm ranting about space mugs #believe me Picard's teacup is fragile or I just had a bad one #I broke one by putting a butter knife in it doing dishes smdh #I know they all have more mugs but we're talking about icons #I exclusively drank coffee out of the Picard mug until it broke then I retired it #the defiant mug gets a pass cause it's basically the proto Janeway mug they're both thermos Nissan #and the iconic ds9 mug is the raktajino mug I don't make the zeitgeist #inevitably someone is going to come at me for the defiant mug cause this is tumblr where ds9 lives #it's not called Star Trek Defiant though is it? #you say ds9 mug people will think raktajino ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #I have a collection of screen accurate mugs I have a draft somewhere ranking them all #I drink out of the raktajino mug more than Janeway's mostly because hers is impossible to find and honestly the no spill is a good mug #don't get me started on how hard these mugs are to clean #I will fight you about this

[ink-through-her-veins]

Merlin telling Arthur he’s so repressed that they’ve both nearly died for each other countless times but can’t even hug him, and Arthur being like WTAF, we’ve hugged, Merlin. You smelled like a bog, and I remember it clearly because it was the greatest moment of my life. I even pressed my nose into your muddy neck IN FRONT OF GWAINE.

Arthur’s upset that their hug was so meaningless to Merlin that he forgot it, and Merlin swears he will get revenge upon Morgana for stealing it from him.

Still no one talks about the magic because it’s BBC Merlin.

#merlin #bbc merlin #merthur #arthur pendragon #merlin bbc #merlin emrys #merlin x arthur #merthur fanfic #those gifs going around get me every time #did Bradley have to turn his entire face into Colin’s neck? #I mean it’s genius and perfect and amazing #but how am I supposed to believe Arthur didn’t want to kiss his neck right then #it’s impossible #he’s covered in mud and Arthur wants to kiss the mud away #it’s all I can see in that scene #aaaauggghhh wtf! #ITHVmerthurprompt

[cahootings]

I'VE HAD THE TIME OF MY LIIIIIIIFE

(x)

#I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS #it's impossible to say but I think this is my favorite #ofmd #our flag means death

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

'm not saying Charlie might've discovered a new level of gay after Vaggie grew her hair out and, one morning after waking up together, Charlie glances over to see Vaggie sitting on the edge of her side of the bed, back to Charlie, pulling her newly long hair over one shoulder so she can give it a brushing out and THAT sight in this context just tearing through Charlie like-

(charlie and the sudden clarity of how LONG vaggie's hair's gotten. how LONG vaggie's been part of her life- long enough to see vaggie change like this and close enough to be there for it every day so she didn't even fully notice it was happening at all, Until)

-and that whole situation drawing Charlie over like a dang magnet desperate for impromptu nuzzles and optional smooches- im not saying that was a thing, but. hypothetically speaking. it could have happened

#hazbin hotel #charlie morningstar #vaggie #chaggie #silly headcanons #like theoretically it's not an impossibility #heheh #impossi-/bi/-lity #in my head they are snuggling basically during every moment they're off screen together #for my peace of mind- i believe it to be so

[mari-lair]

Hanako putting Kou and Nene in front of the moon makes me feral

#Do they give him hope to believe in the impossible? Are they his new 'moon'?? BOTH?? both #i am uygtyuftyft #hananenekou #hanakou #hananene #tbhk #toilet bound hanako kun #jshk #jibaku shounen hanako kun #yashiro nene #hanako #kou minamoto

[finelythreadedsky]

so frustrating to read about the bow contest in the odyssey. like you all do not get it! it's an impossible task!!!! whether or not penelope recognizes odysseus at this point, she knows full well that there's not a chance any of the suitors are going to be able to string the bow! penelope saying she'll marry whoever can shoot through the axes is the same sort of thing as saying she'll marry when she finishes the shroud! except with the bow she can place the blame on them by saying they failed to complete the task required to earn her hand, potentially buying her indefinite time.

#its like jason with the firebreathing bulls or mastermaid or maybe even atalanta #the only man who can complete the impossible task is the one with the woman's support the one she wants to marry #its just that usually the task is set by the woman's father who believes it is genuinely impossible #whereas penelope knows it is possible for one man and one man only #(okay two. telemachus.) #turandot is also relevant bc its so clear that its not so much about completing the impossible task as it is about winning the woman's hear #mine #odysseyblogging

[canisalbus]

As a survivor of abuse I relate to Machete so much. I've always felt unclean for no reason except being told I was unclean, and it made me feel worthless or revolting by default. Like, no matter what I did I would be filthy and unpleasant to be around.

Seeing that he can be loved, makes me feel like maybe I could be loved too.

.

#abuse is one of those things that can strongly warp your perception of yourself and the world around you #if you're told you're a bad person often enough (especially by someone you should be able to trust and rely on) #you start to believe it yourself #even in the absence of any proof of that being the case #sometimes you're able to view the situation objectively and come to a rational conclusion that you're not #uniquely awful/ugly/stupid/sinful/worthless #you're just a normal person and you have been brainwashed to resent yourself for your imaginary flaws #it's still really difficult to free yourself from that way of thinking once it has taken root #it's not impossible but it is a test of perseverance #in the beginning it just feels like you're lying to yourself when you make the conscious effort to fix the damage #and think of yourself more kindly #sorry that got off track #answered #anonymous