#analog manipulated negative

[orbch]

people talking about analogical and being like “their identities balance each other out really well” and im like NO KIDDING!!!! 😂🤣

anways heres an essay about their storylines and how they mirror each other

(everything im about to say is very mentally unconstructed and thought up in a 3am haze. and also i feel like all of my thoughts abt sasi are stagnant and surface level so please argue with me if you think im wrong..) (also these ideas have likely already been written a bajillion times. but let me do it anyway LOL)

^ with that being said i feel the need to set a definition on what makes sasi sides “dark sides” and “light sides” because like,, to me the only difference between them is the means in which they get the rest of the sides to listen to them

obviously.. none of the sides are actively trying to be evil. or trying to hurt cthomas on purpose. OBVIOUSLYY. because why the hell would they want to do that? they are all literally That Guy, and all of the sides have their own personal goals for thomas that they want him to follow. this is like. the plot. and very known information..

but remus, janus, and formerly virgil are the “dark sides”… like what? because janus manipulated and pretended to be the other sides because thats the only way he could get the others to really listen to and consider his ideas of self preservation and prioritization? and virgil would actively terrorize the others and thomas to get him to be anxious about the stuff virgil believed it was IMPORTANT for him to be anxious about? and remus. listen remus is a whole lot of “being awful for the sake of being awful” but evidently in DWIT he has a strong attraction to the idea of infamy and legacy. so even he is sort of looking out for thomas in. uhm. his own way i guess…

so obviously we know virgils storyline was;

purposely scare the others to get them to see situations from his point of view -> always get insulted and pushed away for being a “pessimist” (its his entire purpose) -> “duck out” and leave thomas and the others to discover the negative affects of zero anxiety -> only after that, finally become recognized as an important aspect of thomas

tw: mention of suicide [not in detail] (and on that note, i think its a little morbid that the light sides only fully realized virgils worth and objective after he attempted the sanders sides equivalent of suicide (which you can NOT convince me isnt what the concept of “ducking out” is. they are all metaphysical personifications of instinctual human traits. what the hell are they gonna do? become real and walk out of the house? bffr))

and whats logans journey?

be considered the [reasonable problem solver] of the group -> be placed in a MULTITUDE of situations where the range of solutions are emotions v. emotions v. emotions and suddenly be considered “cold hearted” and “uncaring” for your objective view points -> get excluded from discussions and ignored when you try and help in the only way you know how -> ???

i (and most of the fandom) fully believe logan (ESPECIALLY after WTIT) is going to start resorting to some pretty drastic measures to be acknowledged by the rest of the sides + thomas. some actions that are likely incited by a “dark side” (nudge nudge the orange guy nudge nudge). and if the harshness of the measures he takes in order to be listened to is all it takes for the rest of the dark sides to be considered “dark sides” in the first place. then uhh well… well!!!

but anyways yeah. yeah. logan and virgil kinda have mirrored character development and that is so fucking interesting. virgils path from dark to light and logans path from light to dark… sighhh.. good stuff

[wallbeatjournal]

Pour one out for Reggie, always second choice for the Lodges after Archie

SECOND CHOICE FOR EVERYONE. like literally it is so hard to evaluate reggie (especially w/r/t the lodges) without bringing in The Tragedy Of The Side Character Rival-Foil who exists in the narrative to experience B-plot versions of the A-plot in miniature

riverdale-the-metanarrative is so blatantly full of guys who are different versions of archie and where his character could go in the story if he didn't have to be the protagonist-hero - munroe as the jaded star fighter with the same nickname hiram originally used on archie as an endearment, who could get out of this damn town if he commits to sports. eric jackson as the disabled vet with unmanaged ptsd who betrayed his unit for a manipulative man in authority who just gets to be a respectable figure in society while his groomed victims suffer (and he could speak up and get justice if he's willing to handle the social impacts of being labeled a survivor). kevin as the openly-gay damagingly-impulsive, validation-seeking, people-pleasing, insecure joiner with a nice-but-emotionally-distant dad who keeps trying to find happiness through in-group conformism. julian s7 as literal understudy, and the guy who died in war (also got targeted and negged by s7 reboot hiram lodge in the s7 reboot version of wrestling. dramatic monologues).

reggie is like. the most powerful and tragic of all of these archie analogs bc he's sometimes a rival, too. so his jealousy and inferiority complex towards archie exists both inside and outside of the narrative! all of those other archie reflections aren't also competing with him and comparing themselves to him and constantly getting handed his leftovers and cast-offs and feeling that that is what's happening. but reggie is :\

anyway. so tragic. love u reggie

[mareastrorum]

I'm so sorry if this is not the place for this and I hope I'm not bothering you but the golden goose quote made me realize BH see themselves as Destiny's Children but in reality they are the princesses. This is not another anti or pro god argument I'm not saying this as a negative thing since the princesses weren't malicious they meant well but didn't see any other way of changing things and one could say that BH didn't find a clear solution like Destiny's Children. It's just interesting how similar they are. they have repeatedly said that they want to stop the gods (fairies) from writing their stories.

Spoilers for Dimension 20’s Neverafter to follow.

Not all the Daughters of the Crown were malicious, but Snow White and Rapunzel certainly were. BLM did a good job of portraying the multi-person factions as groups allied in a mutual goal, but each still with unique reasons for wanting it. That’s a lot better than what has happened in C3.

If I were to analogize the various factions from each show to each other, I’d do the following:

The Ruby Vanguard and the Daughters of the Crown: Group of nihilists who would risk complete destruction of the world so long as it means an end to the powers that created them. Any good within the world cannot possibly compare to the cost. Ignorant to the actual manipulators that made use of them, to the point that they don’t even understand the true nature of the conflict until the final confrontation where all zealots are slaughtered, turncoats are nearly killed and have no recourse, and the weak only show up after everything has ended.

The Weave Mind and the Council of Kings: Locally powerful and dominant rulers who are blinded by opportunity and who have a limited understanding of their civilization’s place in the cosmology of their universe. They ally themselves with a distant outsider who promises wealth, power, conquest in exchange for assistance in destroying a common enemy. Not particularly relevant to the story other than the fact that they supported someone else to upend the structure of reality in exchange for the mere opportunity of more land, title, and influence.

Ludinus Da’leth and the Stepmother: Mastermind who has been manipulating numerous factions for the express and sole purpose of destroying their creators. While there is justification for their anger and resentment at the harm caused to them merely as collateral damage, they have acted far beyond what is rational: they devoured untold numbers of innocents, enlisted child soldiers, assisted warmongers and colonists for the sake of distracting their enemies, destroyed civilizations, and accumulated power without any care for the world around them. Morality is a lie told to the world by its leaders, and so there is no action off limits and no cost too great to finally destroy those creators and remake the world without them.

Bell’s Hells and the Gander: Forces of elemental chaos that have grown by consuming power from those that oppose them, obstruct and terrorize other factions for the sheer glee of it rather than any self-interested plan, endure pain and suffering for the sake of being able to inflict it on others, and blame higher powers for making them that way, spiting every potential ally they could have, and eventually deciding to simply be a problem until they get to confront the faction that remains more powerful than them. A fun encounter, but an incredibly boring and unsatisfying perspective to follow compared to most other options.

The problem with Bell’s Hells trying to find a solution is that they don’t need to find a solution. This isn’t Neverafter with authors literally forcing their will on everyone in that universe. The Exandrian Pantheon caged themselves off from mortals specifically to protect mortals from the Betrayers, and the only way to drop the Divine Gate is for all the gods to agree to it. That stalemate already ensures that mortals are safe from the gods. The gods are not a problem that needs solving.

The problem that needs solving is Predathos, and Bell’s Hells have repeatedly, consistently, unequivocally stated that they don’t really care for the gods and don’t really hate them either. It’s not their problem. It’s the problem of religious Exandrians. And for some reason, the story is following Bell’s Hells butting their nose into the others’ business because they feel entitled to make decisions for all the religious people of Exandria despite never asking them what they wanted or otherwise meaningfully engaging with them. They don’t need to be here. The anticolonialism reading of this campaign is infuriating because Bell’s Hells are acting like colonists. They’re using unearned power to force the rest of the world to bend to their will because it feels nice to bask in power over others.

Bell’s Hells aren’t even good villains. They’re the fucking Gander.

[none-of-youre-business]

/ooc I was Taking a Shower and I Realized a Really Cool Analogy I Accidentally did With The Secret Keeper.

to Explain What I Mean, I Gave SK (i'm not writting out the secret keeper everytime) a Silly Headcannon of it Really Liking Alcohol Despite not being Able to get Drunk. Now SK Has a Grudge Against The Web (as y'all could've seen during the time sk ripped james' arm off). Alcohol and Drugs and the Like are Often Associated to The Web Because it Could be Used to Manipulate People

Now SK Has Many Similarities With Those Who Serve the Web, That Much is Obvious, but SK Says That it isn't a Part of it, and Those Similarities Were Given to it Only by its Birthers. for Most People Who Drink, They are Controlled by Their Addiction/The Web. SK isn't, They Drink Just Because They Like the Taste, and Wouldn't Mind it if There was no More Alcohol to Drink. Also, There's no Negative Side Effects for it.

SK does Web-Like Things, not Out of Obligation, but Because it Wants to and it isn't Defined by Those Traits... at Least I Hope idk it's Nearly One in the Morning Man I Really Need to Fix My Sleep Schedule

[mythsblud]

#   RIVER JENKINS          »          impetuous  yet  attentive  thirty  year  old  shapeshifter  witch  who  goes  by  she  +  her  pronouns  and  is  always  toying  with  the  leaf - shaped  pendant  hanging  around  her  neck.  born  in  bearhold,  washington,  often  can  be  seen  with  her  face  hidden  behind  a  well - kept  analog  minolta,  surrounded  by  the  coffee  scent  of  her  freshly  rolled  tobaccos,  or  volunteering  at  twin  beaks  almost  every  afternoon  no  matter  how  tired  she  is.  observant  as  a  hawk  on  a  hunt,  but  callous  as  an  unfiltered  teenager,  river  greatly  enjoys  mystery  novels  that  make  her  gasp  and  look  over  her  shoulder  in  the  middle  of  her  reading,  summoning  leaves  just  to  toy  with  them  around  herself  or  others  &  a  warm  cup  of  chamomile  tea  after  a  rough  day.  chaotic  neutral,  taurus  sun  &  jazz  enthusiast,  she  identifies  herself  as  a  lesbian  cis  woman,  has  the  terrible  habit  of  drinking  beer  instead  of  water  when  she’s  thirsty,  and  profoundly  loves  the  rainy  and  cloudy  days  characteristic  of  her  little  hometown.   ©

*   LINKS .         threads.     tag.     wanted  connections.     pinterest.

*         ONE     ,         BASICS  .

NAME.         river  alondra  jenkins.         NICKNAMES.         reeves,  jenks,  lark / lonnie  ( mom  and  sister  rights  only ).         AGE  +  DOB.         thirty,  april  27th.         HOMETOWN.         bearhold,  washington.         GENDER  +  PRONOUNS.         cis  woman  +  she / her.         ORIENTATION.         lesbian.         OCCUPATION.         photographer  @  the  bearhold  independent  +  volunteer  @  twin  beaks.         SPECIES.         witch.         ABILITIES.         elemental  magic  ( earth  manipulation )  +  shapeshifting.         SIGNIFICANT  BONDS.         alondra  jenkins,  nee.  fairley  ( mother,  alive ).   joseph  jenkins  ( father,  deceased ).   willow  josephine  jenkins  ( older  sister,  alive ).

*         TWO     ,         DISTINGUISHING  FEATURES  .

big  doe - like  brown  eyes  ;  a  dimple  carving  its  place  on  her  left  cheek  ;  charming,  easy  smile  ;  natural  curly  hear  often  worn  loose  or  in  a  messy  bun  ;  worn - out  chuck  taylors  too  comfortable  to  discard  ;  teal - colored  magic  thruming  around  fingertips  ;  impetuosly  chosen  minimalist  tattoos  ;  old  bands  shirts  &  messy  bangs .

*         THREE     ,         PERSONALITY  TRAITS  .

POSITIVE  TRAITS.         thorough,  attentive, diligent         NEUTRAL  TRAITS.         humorous,  venturesome,  forthright.          NEGATIVE  TRAITS.         insolent,  taciturn,  impetuous.         ZODIAC’S  MAIN  THREE.         taurus  sun,  aries  moon,  sagittarius  rising.         MORAL  ALIGNMENT.         chaotic  neutral.         TEMPERAMENT.         melancholic - sanguine.

*         FOUR     ,         STORY  .

(  !  )   CW   :     PARENTAL  DEATH,  GRIEF,  AND  MENTIONS  OF  INJURED  ANIMAL  AND  BLOOD.

               born  into  a  line  of  powerful  elemental  witches,  having  flowers  blossoming  in  the  middle  of  the  fall,  and  ivy  dancing  slowly  outside  the  hospital  window  the  day  you  arrived  was  a  surprise  to  no  one. 

               what  was  a  surprise,  however,  was  the  quietude  that  invaded  the  woman  embracing  you  against  her  chest,  eliciting  from  her  a  gasp  of  amazement  at  the  feeling.

“  because  your  soul  was  destined  to  soothe  others  since  the  moment  you  were  born,  bound  to  the  pangs  in  their  cores,  tied  to  their  afflictions.

               because  it  happened  in  a  fuss  of  grief,  your  landing  into  this  world.  your  father,  a  soft  man  despite  his  rough  exterior,  had  died  only  weeks  before  your  birth,  and  the  pain  within  your  mother  was  still  so  fresh,  so  painful  and  buzzing  your  cry  was  unavoidably  muffled  under  the  weight  of  her  broken  heart. 

               it  came  alive  at  that  moment,  your  ability  to  alleviate  people’s  despair,  as  your  mother  held  you  in  her  embrace  and  her  shattered  heart  stopped  aching  for  the  first  time  since  the  biggest  loss  of  her  life,  as  she  suddenly  found  solace  in  the  gentle  glint  of  your  round  brown  eyes.

               faithful  to  the  second  child  nature,  you  were  all  mayhem  and  wild  ideas  from  the  beginning,  and  your  early  years’  rascalities  left  scars  on  your  knees  that  you  carry  until  this  day.  contrary  to  what  was  expected,  it  never  changed  with  time  (  your,  oh,  so  impetuous  essence  ),  yet  it  never  mattered  much,  not  when  the  mischief  in  your  actions  filled  the  house  with  laughter,  slowly  mitigating  the  sorrow  surrounding  the  women  in  your  life.

“  because  you  needed  chaos  to  know  calm,  and  pain  to  learn  how  to  placate  it.

               seven  days  after  your  ninth  birthday,  on  a  torrential  rainy  night,  it  came  to  you—   the  feline  form  that  finally  explained  your  gift.  it  came  out  of  anger,  a  feeling  you  were  unfamiliar  with  and  made  your  magic  simmer  inside  you,  turning  your  slim,  small  body  into  shiny  black  fur  and  big  hazel  eyes.  a  warm  cup  of  chamomile  tea  appeased  the  feeling,  but  the  shape  stayed  with  you  as  much  as  the  sight  of  joy  and  pride  that  replaced  the  sadness  in  your  mother’s  eyes.

               your  lineage  hasn't  had  a  shifter  in  decades,  and  the  news  had  your  coven  celebrating  until  friday  turned  into  saturday.

               your  celebration,  though,  personal  and  silent  but  as  joyous,  would  come  a  few  years  later,  when  a  fox  at  the  side  of  the  road  with  a  bleeding  leg  and  ache  permeating  his  gaze  showed  you  it  wasn’t  just  humans  those  you  could  help,  but  also  any  other  sentient  life  on  the  blessed  earth  under  the  sole  of  your  feet. 

*         FIVE     ,         HEADCANONS  .

(  !  )   CW   :     ALCOHOL  MENTION .

i.   river  has  never  cared  much  about  her  academic  education,  but  she  loves  to  learn.  she  got  into  photography  at  a  very  early  age,  and  even  though  her  job  requires  digital  photography,  her  true  love  lies  behind  the  lens  of  analog  cameras.  her  favorite  is  a  minolta  gifted  to  her  by  her  mother  when  she  was  fifteen. ii.   her  shape - shifting  form  came  with  the  same  ability  natural  cats  have   —   she  can  absorb  bad  energies  without  them  affecting  her,  and  this  translates  into  the  power  to  soothe  people’s  and  animals’  maladies  and  ease  their  pain.  however,  she  does  not  have  the  ability  to  heal  others. iii.   since  she  is  an  enthusiastic  learner,  she  loves  to  read,  mostly  to  gain  knowledge,  but  when  it  comes  to  fiction,  mystery  novels  are  her  favorite  genre. iv.   as  an  earth  witch  her  love  for  plants  know  no  boundaries  and  her  house  is  always  thriving  with  them  +  flowers.  she  despises  bouquets,  though,  since,  in  her  own  words,  they’re  flowers’  corpses. v.   due  to  her  love  for  animals  and  how  close  she  is  to  their  suffering,  she  became  a  vegetarian  when  she  was  fifteen.  the  decision  has  remained  unwavering  since  then. vi.   she  often  takes  her  feline  form  to  soothe  other  humans  or  to  make  her  walks  at  night  safer,  yet  she  also  enjoys  taking  it  to  communicate  with  other  animals  and  hang  out  with  them.  so  far,  her  favorite  companion  is  nori,  her  best  friend’s  cat. vii.   himbo  but  make  it  dyke   —   DUMB  OF  ASS  PURE  OF  HEART  HOT  AS  FUCK. viii.   her  magic’s  color  is  a  bright  teal.  she  doesn’t  show  it  often,  since  her  experience  allows  her  to  cast  spells  with  simple  words  murmured  under  her  breath.  yet  when  she  needs  something  stronger,  especially  to  protect  herself,  it  burst  glowing  from  the  tip  of  her  fingers. ix.   SERIAL  YAPPER.  she  will  talk  your  ear  off  if  you  let  her  and  most  of  the  time  won’t  care  if  you’re  listening  or  not.

[crumblinggothicarchitecture]

Hello!! I love how much you dive into the whole anti taylor thing and make valid criticisms. Something that's bothered me a lot is the folklore love triangle and I never see anyone talking about it. She outright says Betty ends up with James even though James cheats on her. He tells her it meant nothing, that he was thinking about her even as he spent the summer with another girl. Even in her fictional world with fantasy characters, there's an element of cheating and being forgiven for it/not making a big deal of it. It makes me so uncomfortable. Is it just me? What are your thoughts on this?

Absolutely!  

I also find this "fictional love-triangle" that she created so uncomfortable. As a fan, I would more or less ignore her insistence that this was a coherent storyline because it so obviously is not. However, she seems to really believe she did something incredible with this arch- I disagree.  

There was a lot about her music that I straight up ignored while I was a fan- now I am ready to actually pay attention to it all and see it for what it is.  

She is clearly so interested in cheating... I just really think her moral compass is so skewed that she doesn't actually see why glorifying cheating is morally corrupt. 

But for the song "Betty" I agree with you completely- her main “moral to the story” for the song arch is that it's okay to cheat as long as they forgive you...  

It's especially concerning that the "Love-triangle" sees envisioning is happening in a high school setting. I just don't fully understand why this woman cannot write about anything other than high school aged people! They are literally Children!!!!! I'm so sick of relationship drama plotlines revolving around children in high school! (This is absolutely a broader problem in Media- it's not solely a weird thing that Swift does; however, it is still concerning that she seems to envy the youth while also only writing about the youth- it's getting weird.)  

Anyway, I think you raise a perfectly reasonable concern within her music. It glorifies cheating- which is diametrically opposed to her own insistence as the most moral pop-star. She thrives on the image of the clean-cut perfect suburban housewife, so it's a confusing contradiction to see her so fervently normalize something like cheating.  

One thing that concerns me too, is that in the "sequel" to "Betty" she writes "August" which is supposed to explain the other girl's backstory- which is that the other girl is like a pathetic fangirl who follows the guy around until they ended up sleeping together? It makes the guy seem like a morally corrupt ass who would manipulate people's feelings in order to sleep with them. I fail to see how any of us are supposed to be rooting for any of these characters? They're all a bit awful and immature- none of it is redeemable and, worse still,  Swift doesn't even give us a good "moral of the story."  

It's fine to depict negative aspects of reality like- people cheating on each other or being otherwise too immature for a relationship- especially if the characters are young, however it is up to the author to embed a message, a meaning, a moral into the mess. Without the moral of the story all we are left with is a self-indulgent rant.  

Especially in short story format. If I had to draw an analogy between the format of overarching, interconnected songs and a format in literature, I would pick the short story to draw a connection there.  

Okay, and here I’m going to break the point of this ask into two parts because if I do not it will become far too long – simply put you’ve inspired me to write, and I thank you for that.  

I thought you raised an excellent point so I went a little wild in my mind trying to pinpoint the exact reason why I found her attempt at narrative so uninspired, dull, and morally repugnant-  

[dailycharacteroption]

Class Feature Friday: Ambition Domain (Pathfinder Second Edition Cleric Domain)

(art by Harpiya on DeviantArt)

Ah yes, ambition, the desire to strive for greater and greater things. Whether it be a new discovery, greater power and/or accolades, and so on. Ambition is what drives us to seek greater things for ourselves and for others.

Ambition can be the perfect driving force, but it can also be the source of a character’s downfall. After all, ambition is the sister of hubris, and close cousins of mercilessness and of a lack of empathy. What’s more, ambition can get you destroyed if your desires threaten the position of someone already at or near the heights you wish to reach.

Worse still, if one is not careful one can be transformed by ambition, willing to cut corners or throw others to the proverbial wolves in order to get what one wants.

So yeah, it’s a double-edged sword, best tempered with wisdom and compassion, but often not. It’s so ubiquitous that it is in the divine domains of gods over every possible moral alignment, because striving for something is a thought that all living beings share in one form or another, no matter their goals or how they choose to pursue them.

Conceptually, the 2nd edition ambition domain is probably analogous to the a combination of 1st edition’s Glory and Nobility domains, though it shares no powers in common. There are certain spells and effects in 1E that compel a subject to treat no others as allies, so it’s not like it’s completely out of the blue either.

In any case, the power of this domain lets one turn a foe’s self-serving attitude against them, while also bolstering their own competitiveness to push themselves to greater heights.

The basic focus spell of this domain fosters negative ambition in a foe, causing them to think of themselves and resent even their allies for holding them back. Depending on how much they succumb, they might be easier to manipulate, or outright be unable to think of anyone but themselves, breaking bonds of camaraderie even when doing so would be harmful.

The second spell instead inspires the caster with the desire to outdo everyone, bolstering their attacks and actions. What’s more, seeing a foe succeed spectacularly only bolsters this fervor, increasing the effects for a short time.

Alternatively, this is also where we introduce “apocryphal” domain spells, which are the equivalent of subdomains (particularly apocryphal subdomains) in Second Edition. Some may be considered heretical in nature, associated with splinter sects within a faith, or even regional variants suited to the needs of the religion in certain parts of the world. In any case, the alternate option for ambition alters the nature of the first ability, severing bonds of trust with others. As such, the affected treat their allies as strangers, particularly when it comes to spells and other magical effects, and in the worst cases, become actively paranoid against them.

With one hand, this domain offers debilitation against foes, with the others, a nice personal buff that gets better when your foes are strong or lucky, which can be quite appealing of you’re going for a support build. The apocryphal ability is particularly useful in cutting off foes from buffs that they would give or receive with their allies around. With this, you could be a buff and debuff focused support or perhaps an ambitious self-buffing warmage.

While the deities that offer this power encourage ambition in their own ways, I feel like the nature of these magics serve as a constant reminder from their deity of the pitfalls of reaching for the stars. How genuine and well-heard these warnings are most likely differs by the nature of the deity, of course. A goodly deity asks their faithful to ponder introspectively on their desires, while a wicked one may be warning them not to dare so highly they threaten to pass their superiors.

The faith of the Naga Empress dictates that those that serve loyally will one day be elevated to mighty true naga under their goddess. As such, Majina has devoted herself to the teachings with utmost sincerity, the young sacred nagaji eagerly awaiting that day. However, her faith has yet to truly be tested, and so setbacks loom on the horizon.

Eagerly devoted to the god of undeath, Vikas the would-be lich has been seeking his immortality for some time. He believes that the secret of his formula for lichdom has some connection to brain fluids. He just needs the right species to make it work. As such, his laboratory sports many undead beheaded as guardians, mostly festering gnashers, as most craniums he examines are good for little else when his experiments are concluded.

Many tyrant champions tap into the ambition domain, for what does Hell promise but a hierarchy where service is rewarded? However, true sages know that this promise is a lie, for devils only give out power when it suits them, and most underlings are better left to chase the carrot, to butcher a metaphor.

[legobiwan]

Good Omens 2: Fastforward Rewatch

Thoughts (positive, negative, and general analysis) below the cut, this one is long and FULL OF SPOILERS.

You have been warned.

2:1

The opening was perfect. Loved the scene in Heaven, loved the mystery with Gabriel, and Shax's introduction.

Why was Crowley living in his car?

Hell is much less intimidating than in Season 1.

Why are the demons on half-rations? Is this just a general "Hell Sucks" thing? Or does this tie into the supposed manpower issues later on and if so, why is Hell having manpower issues?

Where is Hastur? I miss him (and Ligur, even though I know he's dead).

They definitely needed to make a bigger deal about the Book of Life and Aziraphale's possible erasure from existence. This kind of got glossed over at the end of the episode and therefore wasn't as much of an existential threat to both Aziraphale and Crowley as it should have been and felt. It mostly just seemed like an afterthought.

This was overall, the best episode of the season.

2:2

"I knew the angel you were." I don't love the fact Aziraphale remembers Crowley's angelic form. Like, I get how that could fit in with later events, Aziraphale just not wanting to be seen associating with the newly-donned Crowley. I can buy that they worked together as shown in the first episode. But when Crowley fell, I would like to believe his identity changed and Aziraphale would no longer be able to recognize him, leading us into the opening Eden scene from the first season.

Some of the visuals in the Job scenes were a little wonky.

Gods, I love when David Tennant gets menacing.

Heaven and its representatives didn't feel quite as threatening this time around, which really detracted from the tension around the whole hiding Gabriel issue.

Okay, so Crowley doesn't destroy the goats...this is fine (I guess). And yes, mostly in character for Crowley. But it also seemed to be pushing the "I'm really just good guy" Crowley line a little too hard? I mean, he is a demon. He got demonic moments in Season 1 (see below).

ON THE OTHER HAND, the scene with Aziraphale and the ox meat was a little disturbing, the way Aziraphale desperately pounded that stuff down after Crowley essentially tempted him into it. Apple analogies, anyone? The musical cues and Crowley's look just seemed to spell out that this was some kind of corruption, which was very cool.

The angels can't be that dumb with the restoration of Job's kids? Right? I mean, the theme of the first season was that a disconnected bureaucracy didn't keep tabs or care, not that their highest representatives would come down and be so easily boondoggled.

Oh my gods, Hamm's wig hahahahah.

Loved the scene where Aziraphale thinks he's going to hell.

2.3

There's an interesting conceit here with both Crowley and Aziraphale trying to manipulate humans into falling in love, which is kind of analogous to the situation with their respective deities trying to manipulate humans for their own causes (like Job, for instance).

LOVED LOVED LOVED David Tennant getting to rip with the thick Scottish accent.

Aziraphale saying people get a choice in Edinburgh while not giving Nina and Maggie a choice is an interesting contradiction.

I just need to note that Aziraphale was listening to Danse Macabre in the Bentley (a piece which, appropriately for this setting, begins with a series of tritones in the solo violin, aka the "Devil's Interval." Take from that what you will).

The Edinburgh scenes were very effective, overall, but a) Aziraphale's diary is mentioned, like, 1.2 times and never brought up again b) probably needed some cutting just to make it tighter and c) Aziraphale seemed a little too naive in this sequence?

Also, Crowley having a Scott Lang set of moments was funny but also...a choice.

This all being said, the Edinburgh sequence ending in the manner it did (Crowley abruptly getting dragged back to Headquarters) leads you to believe Crowley got the shit tortured out of him in hell after that whole stunt.

2.4

Conversation between Shax and Aziraphale in the car was perfect.

But again, the whole risk of Aziraphale's destruction due to his hiding Gabriel was still wildly underdeveloped and didn't feel real or threateningly imminent.

Unpopular opinion. The whole set of post-bomb magic scenes weren't entirely necessary.

I suppose if Crowley had missed with his shot, Aziraphale would have to explain his discorporation to Heaven which could get tricky if they started to ask more questions about how that came to be. But it wasn't going to kill Aziraphale. Would have been messy, though.

This being said, the magic stuff was very entertaining and fleshed out more of the Aziraphale-Crowley relationship, and I loved the whole photo-blackmail angle and felt that maybe it was resolved a little too quickly?

Nazi zombies? I mean, okay. I personally felt it would have been better to leave them buried in the ruins of the church and be done with them.

Sometimes too much information detracts from the original material. The first 1941 scene we got in Season 1 was perfect. I almost prefer we would have left that as is and done the magic bit in another era.

2.5

The whole 10,000 (700) demon march on the bookshop was just kind of...weird? Like, I get Beezlebub authorizing it to find Gabriel but then they attack the bookshop and it all got a little muddled.

The demon designs/makeup/costumes were so much better in Season 1, as was the hell set.

Gathering the shopkeepers for the meeting felt like filler material.

The Crowley/Gabriel scene was A+, especially when Crowley ordered Gabriel to jump out the window.

Crowley keeps telling people he's not nice but always acting nice. How much leeway does he get as a demon?

IT WAS WEIRD AND KINDA CREEPY that Aziraphale pulled a Wanda Maximoff and semi-mind controlled everyone into his little utopian Jane Austen fantasy.

"Surrender the Angle" hahahhahahahaahhaha

The demon attack sequence was not my favorite.

2.6

Crowley's Heavenly costume change was awesome.

I'm sorry but I can't deal with the Beezlebub/Gabriel pairing, it's just so RANDOM to me.

And this relates to the way I think one of the larger issues with this season is that the plot hinges on Gabriel just...suddenly not being a massive dick anymore and all that development happening offscreen. I mean, mazel tov to ineffable bureaucracy shippers and all (and I do like the notion of this season being smaller in scope and not depending on yet another end-of-world situation) but it just felt so...undeserved?

Also, the line, "Beezlebub is my Heaven" is just...*shivers* Come on, guys.

Very glad Nina and Maggie didn't end up magically together. I also felt their "heart-to-heart" with Crowley was extremely forced and very fanfiction-y.

The Metatron manipulation here was Class A. He obviously despises Crowley and was playing Aziraphale like a damn lyre.

I dearly dearly hope all the "spiked coffee theories" are false, because it would take away from all the fantastic character development and regression moments that center around Aziraphale's decision. It makes sense, what Aziraphale did. But Metatron is out here playing 5d chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

Tempting Aziraphale with redeeming crowley to angel status? So Aziraphale can "fix" him and stand him up as another toy character just like he did with his Austen reenactment? oh boi. Yeah, I'd be pissed if I were Crowley. Forget the trauma of his fall and not wanting to go back to Heaven (which kind of got sidelined this season), but the fact that your best friend and possible romantic interest of several-thousand years is basically saying "you're not enough as you are" by implying Crowley would be "better" as an angel (although i know that's not necessarily Aziraphale's intention)? That's a yikes.

David Tennant is so, so good at being nervous and heartbroken here. Great speech.

"Nothing lasts forever, Crowley." OUCH.

So, I may get flamed for this, but I feel like the kiss may have been a little forced. I get the romance angle, and I think that was well-deserved at this point, but I'm not sure how I feel about Crowley just going in for the kill there like that. Unpopular opinion, I realize, but between that and the stereotypical rising string soundtrack, it was a little much.

Final Overall Thoughts

This season felt like it had maybe 3ish episodes of material that got stretched into 6.

Hell was nowhere near as frightening/gross/built out as it was in Season 1. And the costuming/makeup was much more drab in comparison to the first Season.

Crowley, I hate to say, got a little "woobified" in this Season. Remember, in Season 1 he delivers the Antichrist, does actual demonic work, causes a bunch of paintball players to think they're shooting real guns for a solid twenty minutes, and literally annihilates another demon with holy water. I realize escaping Hell may have softened him a bit, but I missed some of his more present edge from Season 1.

Along these lines, Aziraphale also felt more naive than he was in Season 1. He's persnickety and idealistic, but not necessarily wide-eyed.

Maggie and Nina had great chemistry. I kind of wish they had leaned into the whole "Crowley and Aziraphale manipulation of their lives" angle a little more, as it's a great thematic parallel with the duo's complaints about the agents of Heaven and Hell.

The angels and demons conveniently became much less competent for plot purposes. Kind of lowers the stakes when your opponents can't seem to plan all that well? Saraqael was the only one who seemed like they had their shit together this time around.

Also, the infighting as to the vacant Archangel position really could have been expanded upon, as that would have been a very interesting plot thread to follow, especially as it relates to Shax and Furfur's little administrative battle downstairs (which would bring back the theme of bureaucratic nonsense from Season 1).

Also, Shax went from a legitimate, compelling threat and character to kind of petering out by Episode 6. That was disappointing. her early scenes were fantastic and I get the feeling they didn't know quite know what to do with her character.

This all being said, there were a lot of great character moments and themes and the payoff with Aziraphale's decision to go back to Heaven was perfect. I'm very curious where this goes in Season 3, if we get a Season 3 (I'm assuming it will end in South Downs, but how we get there will be another...ah ha ha...story).

Overall, I'd give this season a 6.5/10 or 7/10.

[philomena-famulok]

©Philomena Famulok

.

[aquaburst3]

I did one of these things ages ago. As I got to know her more as a character, I changed my mind about some of my choices back then. Here's Addie's character inspirations.

TWST Core

Yuu/The Player Character: She's meant to be this story's version of the player character. Enough said.

Major Inspirations

Jasmine: A lot of her positive traits come from her. They're both sassy and sharp-tongued rich girls, who are quite assertive and aren't afraid to speak their minds. They are both clever, cunning and quick-thinking.

Hades & Jafar: A lot of her negative traits pull from these guys. Like Jafar, she's a bit of a scheming plotter. They're also both manipulative, cunning and calculating. While both of them are smart, they can overthink their plans so much they might backfire on them if they aren't careful. Like Hades, she is rather sassy and bold, even to the point of being rather insulting. When both of them set their minds on something, they can be rather ruthless in getting the job done.

Proto Jasmine: Originally, Jasmine was gonna be a spoiled brat, who went as far as to have a song called "Called Me A Princess" where she sang about wanting to live of her dad's money and marry rich. Aladdin even changes his mind about her and married his thief friend named Abi in the end. Obviously, this was completely overhauled in the final version we have today. With that in mind, like the original version of her, she's a spoiled rich girl, who is rather materialistic, selfish and cares about "looking good" way too much. It’s very easy for others who don’t know Addie well to think she's vapid and shallow.

Dipper Pines: Like him, Addie tends to be in her own head, overthinking and hyper analysing everything. While she's not "let's make a list of things to talk about with that cute person I like" levels, she's up there. xD They're also both clever, logical and super close with their family. Both aren't above using underhanded or morally questionable methods to get what they want. Though, unlike Dipper, she doesn't always do the right thing in the end.

Other General Inspirations

Sokka: They're both magicless characters, who are surrounded by people with superpowers. Because of this, they have to use their resourcefulness, wits and cunning to survive. They're also more realists and great stratigists, but have their fun and goofy side as well.

Poppy Moore: They are both sassy and spoiled rich mean girls, who are forced to go to school in England (or an analog for England in Addie's case). This in turn "straightens them out" and makes them better people.

G1 Cleo DeNile: Both come off as very mean at times. But when you get in their inner circle, they are fiercely loyal and will defend you to the end. (A lot of other mean girls like Regina George also inspired her character. She's literally based on that character archetype. But, she and Poppy are the main ones.)

Jo March: They both speak their minds when it matters. They're both fiery and bold, standing up for those they care for. Plus, they're both clever and quick thinking.

[sinsuerte]

.☘︎ ݁˖ 𝐋𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄 𝐘 𝐋𝐀 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑 ― independent, private, selective OC: 𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐔𝐄𝐋, best seen in the shade and in the dark corners of the eye. Signal best in Horror and Supernatural spaces. ― 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑, 𝐀𝐑𝐀Ñ𝐀𝐑 𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐒𝐀𝐑. ₊⊹ ⁀➴ affiliated with @abranax 𝓼 @soursoil ⠀ ♫

info. 𖡎

Mats+wa (Ma-tsu-vah). 25 - ENG/ESP - he/him. Mexican. 18+ (No sexual content, just a preference). TW: femicide, murder, religious horror, unreality, violence, (potential mentions of) sexual violence, abuse, and other heavy topics. ⠀⠀⠀⠀-> none of the above are guaranteed and I can always avoid any topics within our threads !

LEMUEL —

A flickering, fleeting energy. A something that struggles just to exist, tethered to this earth by pain alone with no way home. Best seen in the shade and the darkest corners of your peripheral. If you're lucky you can find him with your television antenna, wandering the analog waves.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Appearance: ⠀⠀⠀⠀- Ageless, varying in appearance but never appearing much older than 50 and typically no younger than early 30s. ⠀⠀⠀⠀- Male in appearance. He/him pronouns. At times flickering and translucent. ⠀⠀⠀⠀Faceclaim: Rodolfo Acosta Perez ⠀⠀⠀⠀Voice claim: Nottt, accent when speaking English ⠀⠀⠀⠀Height: about 173cm/5'8ft ⠀⠀⠀⠀Build: Lean and lightly muscular, a bit flabbier when he appears older of course (♡) ⠀⠀⠀⠀Features: raven hair, brown eyes, deep cool toned skin. facial hair sometimes, shaven clean other times. ⠀⠀⠀⠀Sexuality: bisexual (considers himself to be beyond sexuality) ⠀⠀⠀⠀Abilities: Can be described as an angel. Possesses encyclopedic knowledge on many things, level of detail varies. Though he is currently in a weakened, subdued state with extremely limited ability, he could once travel quickly. He is often not visible, but this is sometimes out of his control. Most people would not notice him at all, part of his ability is to conceal his presence. Especially now that he is weak he is less perceptible on this plane of existence. He once appeared whole, totally visible like an ordinary man. ⠀⠀⠀⠀Traits: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Negative: Hypocritical, skeptical, stubborn, dishonest, self loathing ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Neutral: Easily manipulated, observant ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Positive: Self aware, introspective, tidy, charming ⠀⠀⠀⠀Personality: Lemuel is bitter and melancholy. He can be skeptical, curt and guarded especially with men. He has a tendency to be gentle, concerned and at times overbearing with women (out of concern for their well-being, much like an overbearing parent). Once Lemuel builds a relationship with someone he can be rather charming and chatty. He speaks clearly, but sometimes in jumbled sentences, like listening to a spotty radio station. He can be a bit emotionally immature and unfamiliar with human culture as a participant, observing only as an outsider for much of his life. Lemuel means well. He seeks to protect the weak and disenfranchised. He has failed to do so in the past; this failure negatively effects his personality and decisions. He believes he only brings bad luck, considers himself an ill omen. Dangerous when threatened. Hateful and full of wrath, he would expend the last of his energy to wipe out an entire city if he felt he had to even if it meant he would cease to exist completely. ⠀⠀⠀⠀Inspirations: Twin Peaks (specifically Fire Walk With Me). Old Mexican Cinema and TV. Valle Verde. Local Latino theater experiences. Memories. Experiences with Mexican Femicide in my family.

Lore:

WIP.

[primordialichor]

My opinion on Soulwhole (I'm not against it but it's not my cup of tea, and I'll explain why!!)

(disclaimer: I'm not 100% sure if I'm being accurate, this is just how I see them! If anything is wrong, please inform me <3)

(disclaimer 2: has some mentions of obsession/abuse/manipulation, I'd take caution while reading just in case)

So how about we compare this to the gem fusions of Steven Universe? They do seem to be similar situations.

Soul is obsessed with the idea of Whole. Obsessed with becoming Whole with Heart and Mind and obsessed with going back to the way things were. He was even willing to hurt the other two to get them to get along and such so they could become Whole again.

I feel like a similar thing happened with the gem fusions of Malachite (Jasper and Lapis) and Sardonyx (Pearl and Garnet).

From my understanding, Jasper wanted to become Malachite because the two of them were stronger that way, and was also using it as a way to control Lapis.

In another episode (I'm not sure which), Pearl admits to fixing the communication hub because she wanted to fuse into Sardonyx with Garnet. She wanted this because she felt powerful, confident, and complete as Sardonyx.

I feel like Soul with Whole is similar to those situations. Both Jasper and Pearl liked the idea of being fused with Lapis and Garnet (respectively), and Soul likes the idea of being Whole with the other two.

However, I feel like Soul can't be in love with Whole unless it's a universe where they can exist as two separate entities and where Soul isn't obsessed with the idea of Whole.

Pearl can't really be romantically attracted to Sardonyx (or at least, she's not able to date her), and the same with Jasper and Malachite.

Another analogy might be pretending Whole is a polyamorous relationship between HMS.

You can't be in love with your relationship; you can be in love with the people in the relationship, but not the concept of the relationship itself. Logically, it's impossible.

Another thing to note:

Soul is obsessed with the concept of Whole (as we've stated previously), however obsession is not the same as love. If they were two separate entities, Soul might have this glorified idea of Whole and might be upset or try to change him to fit that idea. It definitely wouldn't be a healthy relationship in that case.

I don't really like talking about my favorite characters in a bad/negative light, but I also like being accurate with my words so I had to bring this up 😞

Overall, I think it would be impossible/toxic in a canon-compliant CCCC, but I can't stop anyone from shipping them or anything!!

[agapewizard]

➝ Magic, Magicians and Sorcerers.

In Ancient Egypt, Kemet, magickal or meaningful speech was called “heka”. This is the “Art of the Mouth”. If you’re familiar with the Trivium Method, the aspect of Rhetoric is the Art of Communication. This 3rd phase in the trinity is also representative of Wisdom, Output and Action, the culmination of the other two aspects of the trinity, Knowledge-Input-Grammar and Understanding-Processing-Logic.

Why was speech and the mouth used?

Heka was a foundational concept (like maat) in Kemetian creation mythopoetic narratives to represent the importance that speech and rhetoric have to change and alter the world around us through the influence and affect that word symbols have on consciousness.

Heka was externalized, personified, anthropomorphized, reified and deified as a “god” to represent this idea.

The symbolic mythopoetic creation mythology analogized this through the power of speech in creating all the other “gods” that represented different understandings of aspects of reality and consciousness qualities. Heka permeated everything in creation, since it was all created through the art of mouth, meaningful speech, magic.

Heka is he-ka, and the word “he”was the symbol of entwined loops to symbolize time, infinity, and eternity, used to represent millions of years in some cases. But it had a more important meaning when used with the all-powerful symbol “ka”.

Ka was used to symbolize Power, Energy, “Spirit”, Life. Ka is our Moral Essence, the “Spirit”-Essence-Nature of Life Potential we can exemplify/embody, from the power of our hands & arms, as actions & deeds. Know-thyself. Ka-racter, ka-risma, who we are, our character, behavior, actions and deeds, determines our quality of life. This is a moral potential to continually evolve consciousness into higher, realer, truer, more authentic versions of ourselves.

Heka is to employ, use or engage in the power or energy within us, the power of our consciousness, psyche, “soul”, “spirit”, and conscience of our moral nature and moral essence that determines the quality and condition of our lives. Moral Truth was the other all-pervading foundational concept of Ancient Kemet, called maat, or personified as the “goddess” Maat.

Heka symbolizes our actions through cyclic time, as in the Wheel of Dharma, Karma, Time, Fortune, Fate, Destiny, boundaries of behavior for living. We reap what we sow. We create our own destiny, fate and fortune through time.

Much of what makes things flow in our human created world and reality, are our actions. Words and speech are especially powerful to influence, affect, and potentially manipulate consciousness to act and behave in certain ways of living to create the way of life we lead.

There are many ideas that are sold where people buy into them and live accordingly. These are spells, invocations, conjurings, that are injected into consciousness through the simplicity of being heard and listened to. This is magic of the highest kind, imperceptible, hidden, mysterious, unless you know how to see and hear what is being done to you.

Heka is a magical power potential in all higher consciousness beings that can use the art of mouth to influence others. This power is also represented through “ka”, the power/strength potential of our actions to output into the world, which includes our speech/rhetoric. Everyone is a potential “magician” or “wiazrd” with the power to act upon reality in a positive way to influence others. The positive is representative of what is right, good and true, the symbolic “Higher Will”, the higher, realer, truer self potential (a.k.a. “Higher Self” symbolic externalized imagined belief), of using our will-power and actions based in understanding and living in the Moral Truth.

When used incorrectly in a negative way, to bend other people’s will to your own will with manipulation, lies, deceit and falsity, would make you a “sorcerer” instead.

“The power of words which have conscious (or unconscious) meaning, when spoken or chanted aloud, have an ecstatic quality which may bring one into a hypnotic or meditative state.” ~ Michael Ford (Necrominon – Egyptian Sethanic Magick)

Chanting, entertain, amuse, amaze, mesmerize, hypnotize. These are altered states of consciousness that can be induced, invoked, and summoned into consciousness, just as a magic spell in fictional stories can summon things into reality, these spells cast on the mind will often summon specific actions and behaviors into the world (government is one example, a belief cast on consciousness to live a certain way in life).

The magic of word symbols, “magical phrases” or buzz words, can be used as opiates to fearful masses. Make people feel-good, love-bomb them, and you can more easily gain their trust, loyalty, faith and belief in you as someone to listen to and follow in life. “Spiritual” gurus have this effect on people, whether intended or not. This is what politicians do with their sophistry and rhetoric to lie and manipulate people’s consciousness into certain behaviors. The entertainment industry, television, “gurus”, politicians, priests, and more, can all amaze, mesmerize, hypnotize, induce, summon and invoke beliefs and altered states of consciousness to entrain us into specific modalities of living.

Magic understood this way, is not only an art we can use in varying degrees of mastery, but also a science in itself that can be objectively measured by the affect it has on consciousness and the resulting actions that are produced to create, manifest and generate the human world and way of life we have created for ourselves.

We can practice and master this art and science to create more good, right and moral truth into the world, and we can also do the opposite and create more evil, wrong and immorality into the world. Understanding principles of moral truth is a supreme importance to determine the condition and quality of life we lead.

A magician or wizard is concerned with the suffering of all beings and seeks to alleviate that suffering of all by influencing consciousness to understand the root causal factors of how we create the conditions of suffering for ourselves on this planet. They are not solely concerned with their own suffering, and use their will-power to try to find ways of ending the problems, chaos, immorality, evil, violence, enslavement and suffering in the world by being concerned with and including other beings into a larger scope, worldview and perspective. Caring for ourselves requires also caring for others.

Sorcerers use their will-power to create advantage and gain for themselves or their circle of concern alone, and often at the expense of others because it’s about them and theirs; their circle of inclusion of their family, their friends, etc.; “my truth”, ��my freedom”, “my survival”, while they find ways to justify their actions against others because they are not included in their circle of concern and care.

We are bound together, connected, in how we collectively aggregate our actions and behaviors in a social context to create the environment that we live in. We can create and have greater freedom, peace, prosperity and anarchy (no rulers, no masters, no slaves), compared to the enslavement, war, scarcity and chaos we are still creating for ourselves on this planet. It all starts in consciousness and ends in action.

We are all in this together. Even if we have our own particular geographical zone of comfort and convenience, overall our condition of life on this planet is still in a state of suffering. We have to influence others to seek moral understanding to prevent us all from running off the cliff.

Magic is influence, affect, induction, etc. Everything you hear and see, from other people speaking, what they do, the media, and everything else in your socio-environmental scope of perception, is affecting you from the day you are born until the day you die, and it all shapes you into who you are and who you become.

[studybnny]

psych mock; learning approaches.

approaches:

social learning theory AO1

proposed by Bandura, suggests behaviour learnt by observation + imitation of others.

modelling: individuals observe behaviour, consequences of a role model. -> can lead to identification (adopt behaviour of role model as part of identity).

whether observed behaviour is imitated depends on mediational processes; attention, retention, reproduction, motivation.

social learning theory AO3

:) experimental support: bobo doll study- children who observed adults being angry towards dolls, more often imitated aggression behaviour, (even w/out reward).

:( deterministic: assumes behaviour primarily due to observation + imitation of role models. -> undermines free will and personal morals and values.

:( does not address real world scenarios: eg ferguson et al found limited correlation between violent media and IRL aggression.

behaviourist approach AO1

focuses on observable behaviour; assumes its learnt by association and interaction with environment (consequences).

emphasis on controlled experiments as they can establish cause and effect.

pavlov: classical conditioning- research into learning by association, eg dog experiment.

UCS (food) —> UCR (saliva)

UCS + NS —> UCR, so NS —> CR

skinners box: operant conditioning- research into learning by vicarious reinforcement and punishment.

rats in a box seen to press lever as learnt it gave them food (positive reinforcement), and rats also pressed lever to avoid a shock (negative reinforcement).

behaviourist approach AO3

:) built on scientific methods (observations): eg skinners box, variables was manipulated eg reinforcement schedules to show cause + effect. —> replicable findings.

:) good practical applications as measurable concepts. eg systematic desensitisation. (relaxing paired w/fear)

:( reductionist: reduces behaviour to stimulus-response links, overlooks internal mental processes like cognition. eg -> in lang inquisition, kids don’t respond to rewards when learning languages.

cognitive approach AO1

thoughts mediate between stimuli and response -> behaviour is influenced by internal processes eg attention, perception.

computer analogy: sensory info (input), brain processes info w/mental processing (processing), behaviour (output).

schemas: mental frameworks to organise + interpret info, formed by life experience.

piaget: theory of cognitive development- mental processes can be scientifically studied with experimental methods.

cognitive approach ao3

:) frequent use of lab experiments: allows for isolation of factors, (manipulation of variables), and establish cause + effect. —> higher replicability + reliability.

:( artificiality of lab experiments; and unnatural stimuli eg nonsense words. lowers ecological validity and generalisability.

:) case studies provide detailed insight into the interaction between environment, biology and cog processes. eg HM- revealed how environment (surgery) could affect his cognitive processes (eg memory).

biological approach AO1

humans as biological organisms: behaviour due to biological factors eg genes, brain structure, neurotransmitters.

emphasis on genetic basis to behaviour: genotypes (genetic makeup), and phenotype (traits due to genes + environment).

brain structure: eg broca’s area -> speech, hippocampus -> memory. eg Tan- damage to broca’s area in left frontal lobe -> speech impairment.

neurotransmitters: low serotonin related to depression or low mood.

biological approach AO3

:) gottesman + shields- 48% concordance rate for schizophrenia in identical twins.

:) objective, scientific methods: eg brain scans. allow for practical applications such as SSRIS.

:( however not 100% concordance rate suggests environmental influences.

:( reductionist: reduces complex human experience to just connections. humanistic approach more holistic view.

humanistic approach AO1

suggests people active in own development: people have innate drive to achieve personal growth.

maslow hierarchy of needs: people strive to achieve self-actualisation, (uppermost level). but first must complete lower levels, eg physiological, safety, love, esteem.

rogers: congruence between current and ideal self is necessary for growth. in his client based therapy: stressed importance of unconditional positive regard- fosters accepting environment.

humanists emphasise free will and subjective experience.

humanistic approach ao3

:( abstract concepts lack scientific credibility- hard to test objectively. eg self actualisation based on self reports - even maslow said it varies between people. so -> difficulty to operationalise/create universal laws of behaviour.

:) holistic perspective: takes free will into account. evidence for unconditional pos regard- harter et al- teens who felt they had conditional love from parents more experienced depression.

:( unrealistic view: ignores individual capacity for self destruction and situations out of control.

psychodynamic approach ao1

freud: suggested mind largely unconscious -> unconscious desires, repressed memories, unresolved conflicts dictate behaviour.

tripartite structure of personality: ID (instant gratification), ego (mediator), superego (morality principle).

-> ego mediates w/defence mechanisms; repression, denial, displacement.

psychosexual stages: oral 0-1, anal 1-3, phallic 3-6, latent 6-12, genital 12+. unresolvement of a stage can lead to fixation and manifest in adult behaviour.

psychodynamic approach ao3

:( deterministic- suggest behaviour due to childhood

:( little hans- rare occurrence

:) led to psychoanalysis which has had positive influence in MH- eg DE maat: found it made good improvement after many years

[mbtesting]

#   RIVER JENKINS          »          impetuous  yet  attentive  thirty  year  old  shapeshifter  witch  who  goes  by  she  +  her  pronouns  and  is  always  toying  with  the  leaf - shaped  pendant  hanging  around  her  neck.  born  in  bearhold,  washington,  often  can  be  seen  with  her  face  hidden  behind  a  well - kept  analog  minolta,  surrounded  by  the  coffee  scent  of  her  freshly  rolled  tobaccos,  or  volunteering  at  twin  beaks  almost  every  afternoon  no  matter  how  tired  she  is.  observant  as  a  hawk  on  a  hunt,  but  callous  as  an  unfiltered  teenager,  river  greatly  enjoys  mystery  novels  that  make  her  gasp  and  look  over  her  shoulder  in  the  middle  of  her  reading,  summoning  leaves  just  to  toy  with  them  around  herself  or  others  &  a  warm  cup  of  chamomile  tea  after  a  rough  day.  chaotic  neutral,  taurus  sun  &  jazz  enthusiast,  she  identifies  herself  as  a  lesbian  cis  woman,  has  the  terrible  habit  of  drinking  beer  instead  of  water  when  she’s  thirsty,  and  profoundly  loves  the  rainy  and  cloudy  days  characteristic  of  her  little  hometown.   ©

*   LINKS .         threads.     tag.     wanted  connections.     pinterest.

*         ONE     ,         BASICS  .

NAME.         river  alondra  jenkins.         NICKNAMES.         reeves,  jenks,  lark / lonnie  ( mom  and  sister  rights  only ).         AGE  +  DOB.         thirty,  april  27th.         HOMETOWN.         bearhold,  washington.         GENDER  +  PRONOUNS.         cis  woman  +  she / her.         ORIENTATION.         lesbian.         OCCUPATION.         photographer  @  the  bearhold  independent  +  volunteer  @  twin  beaks.         SPECIES.         witch.         ABILITIES.         elemental  magic  ( earth  manipulation )  +  shapeshifting.         SIGNIFICANT  BONDS.         alondra  jenkins,  nee.  fairley  ( mother,  alive ).   joseph  jenkins  ( father,  deceased ).   willow  jenkins  ( older  sister,  alive ).

*         TWO     ,         PERSONALITY  TRAITS  .

POSITIVE  TRAITS.         thorough,  attentive, diligent         NEUTRAL  TRAITS.         humorous,  venturesome,  forthright.          NEGATIVE  TRAITS.         insolent,  taciturn,  impetuous.         ZODIAC’S  MAIN  THREE.         taurus  sun,  aries  moon,  sagittarius  rising.         MORAL  ALIGNMENT.         chaotic  neutral.         TEMPERAMENT.         melancholic - sanguine.

*         THREE     ,         STORY  .

(  !  )   CW   :     PARENTAL  DEATH,  GRIEF,  AND  MENTIONS  OF  INJURED  ANIMAL  AND  BLOOD.

               born  into  a  line  of  powerful  elemental  witches,  having  flowers  blossoming  in  the  middle  of  the  fall,  and  ivy  dancing  slowly  outside  the  hospital  window  the  day  you  arrived  was  a  surprise  to  no  one. 

               what  was  a  surprise,  however,  was  the  quietude  that  invaded  the  woman  embracing  you  against  her  chest,  eliciting  from  her  a  gasp  of  amazement  at  the  feeling.

“  because  your  soul  was  destined  to  soothe  others  since  the  moment  you  were  born,  bound  to  the  pangs  in  their  cores,  tied  to  their  afflictions.

               because  it  happened  in  a  fuss  of  grief,  your  landing  into  this  world.  your  father,  a  soft  man  despite  his  rough  exterior,  had  died  only  weeks  before  your  birth,  and  the  pain  within  your  mother  was  still  so  fresh,  so  painful  and  buzzing  your  cry  was  unavoidably  muffled  under  the  weight  of  her  broken  heart. 

               it  came  alive  at  that  moment,  your  ability  to  alleviate  people’s  despair,  as  your  mother  held  you  in  her  embrace  and  her  shattered  heart  stopped  aching  for  the  first  time  since  the  biggest  loss  of  her  life,  as  she  suddenly  found  solace  in  the  gentle  glint  of  your  round  brown  eyes.

               faithful  to  the  second  child  nature,  you  were  all  mayhem  and  wild  ideas  from  the  beginning,  and  your  early  years’  rascalities  left  scars  on  your  knees  that  you  carry  until  this  day.  contrary  to  what  was  expected,  it  never  changed  with  time  (  your,  oh,  so  impetuous  essence  ),  yet  it  never  mattered  much,  not  when  the  mischief  in  your  actions  filled  the  house  with  laughter,  slowly  mitigating  the  sorrow  surrounding  the  women  in  your  life.

“  because  you  needed  chaos  to  know  calm,  and  pain  to  learn  how  to  placate  it.

               seven  days  after  your  ninth  birthday,  on  a  torrential  rainy  night,  it  came  to  you—   the  feline  form  that  finally  explained  your  gift.  it  came  out  of  anger,  a  feeling  you  were  unfamiliar  with  and  made  your  magic  simmer  inside  you,  turning  your  slim,  small  body  into  shiny  black  fur  and  big  hazel  eyes.  a  warm  cup  of  chamomile  tea  appeased  the  feeling,  but  the  shape  stayed  with  you  as  much  as  the  sight  of  joy  and  pride  that  replaced  the  sadness  in  your  mother’s  eyes.

               your  lineage  hasn't  had  a  shifter  in  decades,  and  the  news  had  your  coven  celebrating  until  friday  turned  into  saturday.

               your  celebration,  though,  personal  and  silent  but  as  joyous,  would  come  a  few  years  later,  when  a  fox  at  the  side  of  the  road  with  a  bleeding  leg  and  ache  permeating  his  gaze  showed  you  it  wasn’t  just  humans  those  you  could  help,  but  also  any  other  sentient  life  on  the  blessed  earth  under  the  sole  of  your  feet. 

*         FOUR     ,         HEADCANONS  .

(  !  )   CW   :     ALCOHOL  MENTION .

i.   river  has  never  cared  much  about  her  academic  education,  but  she  loves  to  learn.  she  got  into  photography  at  a  very  early  age,  and  even  though  her  job  requires  digital  photography,  her  true  love  lies  behind  the  lens  of  analog  cameras.  her  favorite  is  a  minolta  gifted  to  her  by  her  mother  when  she  was  fifteen. ii.   an  avid  drinker  yet  hardly  ever  gets  drunk.  beers  are  her  to - go  drink,  scotch  neat  if  she  looks  for  something  stronger . iii.   her  shape - shifting  form  came  with  the  same  ability  natural  cats  have   —   she  can  absorb  bad  energies  without  them  affecting  her,  and  this  translates  in  the  power  to  soothe  people’s  and  animals’  maladies  and  ease  their  pain.  however,  she  does  not  have  the  ability  to  heal  others. iv.   since  she  is  an  enthusiastic  learner,  she  loves  to  read,  mostly  to  gain  knowledge,  but  when  it  comes  to  fiction,  mystery  novels  are  her  favorite  genre. v.   as  an  earth  witch  her  love  for  plants  know  no  boundaries  and  her  house  is  always  thriving  with  them  +  flowers.  she  despises  bouquets,  though,  since,  in  her  own  words,  they’re  flowers’  corpses. vi.   due  to  her  love  for  animals  and  how  close  she  is  to  their  suffering,  she  became  a  vegetarian  when  she  was  fifteen.  the  decision  has  remained  unwavering  since  then. vii.   she  often  takes  her  feline  form  to  soothe  other  humans  or  to  make  her  walks  at  night  safer,  yet  she  also  enjoys  taking  it  to  communicate  with  other  animals  and  hang  out  with  them.  so  far,  her  favorite  companion  is  nori,  her  best  friend’s  cat. viii.   himbo  but  make  it  dyke   —   DUMB  OF  ASS  PURE  OF  HEART  HOT  AS  FUCK.