#21st century is critical thinking.

[synchodai]

HBO's Continued Insistence on Dumbing Down Westerosi Politics

So there have been countless thinkpieces already on how GOT simplified the feudalist politics of Westeros (by giving a lowborn sellsword lordship over The Reach, by having no consequences for destroying the Sept of Baelor, etc.), but I haven't seen a lot of people talking about that for House of the Dragon.

The worst being that the show presupposes that Rhaenyra is the lawful heir when the books showed there are plenty of lawful arguments why she wouldn't be.

Mind you that I've been enjoying the show a lot so far. This is just to vent out my frustration with the writers' failure to fully engage with the values and protocols of the Middle Age-inspired setting. The show seems uninterested in laws of the Realm in a story ostensibly about politics, save for when they're using it as an excuse to amplify depictions of sex and violence.

Blacks vs Greens wasn't a matter of misunderstanding of who each side thought Viserys wanted on the throne. It was the Targaryens' belief of their absolute authority clashing with the Realm's established traditions. Everyone always knew who Viserys chose as heir. In Fire and Blood, Grand Maester Orwyle said as much when he was parleying with Rhaenyra on behalf of the Greens.

Rhaenyra heard his terms in stony silence, then asked Orwyle if he remembered her father, King Viserys. "Of course, Your Grace," the maester answered. "Perhaps you can tell us who he named as his heir and successor," the queen said, her crown upon her head. "You, Your Grace," Orwyle replied. And Rhaenyra nodded and said, "With your own tongue you admit I am your lawful queen. Why do you serve my half-brother, the pretender?" Munkun tells us that Orwyle gave a long and erudite reply, citing the Andal law and the Great Council of 101. Mushroom claims he stammered and voided his bladder. Whichever is true, his answer did not satisfy Princess Rhaenyra.

(For non-F&B readers: Munkun is the Grand Maester who served Aegon III, the king who came after this civil war. Munkun's book, The Dance of the Dragons, A True Telling, is one of Fire and Blood's source texts. Mushroom is the King Landing court jester from Viserys I to Aegon III's reign. One is a source written with academic rigor but is secondhand at best. The other is a firsthand eyewitness account but is from a literal fool who will take every chance to make things more scandalous and sexual to please the crowd.)

In House of the Dragon, they replaced Orwyle with Otto and Orwyle's discussion of legal precedent with Otto handing Rhaenyra a book page from Alicent. It's quite evident here that the writers, much like Mushroom, thought a discussion on the actual laws of the Realm were negligible in this story about a succession war.

Even Alicent made no pretense that Viserys chose Rhaenyra over her children and I have no idea why the HBO writers decided to make her mistakenly think otherwise. Maybe they thought a queen regent pushing her son to take the throne over another woman made her appear unsympathetic as a character, but if anything, this only makes show!Alicent less politically savvy and more delusional than her book counterpart, fully believing an addled king's vague muttering on his deathbed was sufficient grounds to change heirs last minute.

Book!Alicent following Andal laws instead of her husband's wishes makes sense given her Andal upbringing, her devotion to the Faith of the Seven which enforces said laws, and her desire to protect her children from Rhaenyra given that Rhaenyra has shown she's not above murdering family (see: Laenor).

In the books, there was a long discussion between the former king's council on who should succeed Viserys.

Here are the arguments for Rhaenyra:

Rhaenyra was older than her brothers and had more Targaryen blood

the late king had chosen her as his successor, that he had repeatedly refused to alter the succession despite the pleadings of Queen Alicent and her greens

hundreds of lords and landed knights had done obeisance to the princess in 105 AC, and sworn solemn oaths to defend her rights.

Here are the arguments for Aegon II:

many of the lords who had sworn to defend the succession of Princess Rhaenyra were long dead [...]

Ironrod, the master of laws, cited the Great Council of 101 and the Old King’s choice of Baelon rather than Rhaenys in 92

the hallowed Andal tradition wherein the rights of a trueborn son always came before the rights of a mere daughter

Ser Otto reminded them that Rhaenyra’s husband was none other than Prince Daemon, and “we all know that one’s nature. Make no mistake, should Rhaenyra ever sit the Iron Throne, it will be Lord Flea Bottom who rules us, a king consort as cruel and unforgiving as Maegor ever was [...]”

Should the princess reign [...] Jacaerys Velaryon would rule after her. “Seven save this realm if we seat a bastard on the Iron Throne.”

Once again, the show chose to cut out this long political discussion. Instead, the council had already made up their mind and decided to stage a coup (when in their perspectives from the books, it would definitely not be a coup).

For all their marketing how two sides are equally grey, HotD is actively delegitimizing Aegon II. The strongest argument for him is how his claim follows the laws of the Realm, but the show doesn't seem to care about the laws of the Realm or the political need to maintain a more predictable/tested transfer of power.

Instead, the show focuses on Viserys's relationship with his daughter and the mysticism of the Targaryen bloodline. In doing so, they emphasize Rhaenyra's strongest arguments for succession — that she's more of a Targaryen than her half-brother and that her father prefered her.

And what for? Because in our modern-day, we don't have male-prefered inheritance and people can only imagine misogyny as the only injustice here? What about the injustice of a monarch exercising absolute control, thinking that his "superior" heritage makes him above the established laws of the native people?

This is not to say Aegon II is unquestionably the heir. But this is to say that the show removed the political nuance of why people are questioning in the first place. Precedence isn't the end-all-be-all of succession, but neither is "because daddy said so".

[lnsfawwi]

Bucky was second in command for the Commandos therefore should've planned strategy with SSR as much as Steve. yet there's zero indication that the SSR personales knew Bucky well enough to even call him by his name??

Peggy has never addressed Bucky directly, even after his death Peggy used 'your friend' in her conversation with Steve. that's, if not avoidance out of jealousy of his relationship with Steve, detachment. there's no personal relationship between Bucky and her. plus Howard Stark calling him 'sergeant Barnes' which literally couldn't have been more impersonal.

the only logical conclusion is that the Commandos never spent time socializing with Peggy and Stark, they probably didn't even meet all that often cuz they were going around Europe fighting Hydra while SSR stayed behind doing their own stuff. Then how can Peggy possibly be the person Steve couldn't get over with, let along have any long lasting impact on him when they've barely spent time together?

popcorn movies are thoughtless and get criticized for this precise reason. the plot doesn't have to be properly developed bc audiences are conditioned to think certain ways and they complete the story in their head for the movie. 'oh that's a classic setup for romance, of course the hero falls in love with her.'

the thing is, it doesn't make sense, and when it doesn't, it shouldn't.

steggy is what happens when you let this thoughtlessness dictates how you percee a trope in a movie.

she never should've been the 'love of my life' for Steve. she simply couldn't have been. THEY BARELY KNEW EACH OTHER ffs.

[wereh0gz]

Thinking abt a werewolf sonic and vampire shadow au

Shadow is EXTREMELY dramatic abt being a vampire to the point of even dressing like a stereotypical movie vamp with a cape and everything. And isolating himself bc he can't let others see his "monstrous form" (he just has sharper and longer fangs and looks kind of ill)

Meanwhile sonic is with all his friends letting them give him chin and ear scritches stomping his foot on the ground and wagging his tail like the big ol' doggy he is

Sonic is one of the few ppl who visits shadow during the day when he can't come out and likes to keep him company, much to his dismay. Sonic even lets shadow feed on him occasionally (by biting his arm not his neck. Idk I always found that weird. Also less risk of serious injury) when shadow hasn't been able to get enough to eat

In return shadow watches over him when he goes feral werewolf mode (he isn't like a bloodthirsty monster but he does lose braincells when becoming a funny doggy. Shadow's just making sure he doesn't do anything stupid in his increased impulsivity)

That's all I've got really just wholesome halloween monster schenanigans

[karamazovanon]

how would we feel if i wrote a longpost about parallels between s/uccession and the brothers karamazov. is there a venn diagram of audiences there

[educationaldm]

Integrated framework from Tabletop EDU that describes the many learning opportunities TTRPGs present.

www.tabletopEDU.org

[waywardsalt]

drawing is difficult for me and writing is something i’m considerably better at sooooo…

written list of ideas i have for a humanoid design for bellum bc i think im finally zeroing in on something after a few uhhh years of brainstorming

(if you read this and have like. some ideas you want to share or some possible [constructive] criticisms go ahead and share them if you want)

Not actually properly humanoid; he can take on a fully human look but it isn’t his default and requires a bit more energy

Therefore, he usually lacks ears (they’re just. holes), finger or toe nails, a navel, an adam’s apple, or basically any kind of human detail that could be easily overlooked at first glance (maybe leaning into a bit uncanny?). He does have these traits when he actually puts the effort in to pass as human

The traits shared between his usual humanoid form and the more explicitly human form are: an eyepatch over his left eye (he doesn’t have a left eye or eye socket in either form. it’s like one-eyed willy in goonies), yellow hair (actually the same color as link’s), a lack of a nose (effectively like it’s been torn off, just leaving the nostril lines/openings), and a lot of large scars pretty much everywhere (some are just normal looking scars, like one across his face that looks like items from a wound that cost him his nose, while others vaguely resemble the markings on his body when he’s in demon/normal form), so either way he’s going to draw attention

In his usual form (more obviously nonhuman) his left eye is his usual black and orange eye, and he has sharp teeth, but he can switch those to appear more human if he’d like

He’s below the average height and appears to be only slightly muscular, logically more built for flexibility or with the build of a dancer, but his demonic strength remains, though his speed and flexibility is limited by the form he takes

His hair is a mess and mostly short, and if he’s in the more demonic-leaning human form, it’s usually got streaks of black (black is in there in some way, how it appears is still a wip) in all of the yellow

Clothing can vary but most commonly he chooses something loose and casual, he doesn’t particularly value his clothes and doesn’t really have anything to hide and so pick stuff that won’t drag him down or get snagged in a fight, flimsy loose clothes are good

Other times he’ll wear boots and gauntlets and gloves in a more serious context, usually opting for designs and materials similar to what he gives his phantoms, he doesn’t fully lean into the phantom-style of armor or fighting unless he needs to focus on defense, however

In either of his human forms, he’s still capable of fighting (and in his more demonic form he can use his tentacles, the come from his back), and doesn’t so much as have a fighting style as he generally just kills with whatever seems most convenient or entertaining at the time, ranging from creating a weapon for himself to use to just bashing a guy’s skull in with his bare hands

He’s very violent but can talk just fine and can be just about eloquent if he wants but usually leans into being more chaotic and acting the part of a brutal ruffian if the job can be completed using force, so a lot of the time he doesn’t even bother with looking explicitly human most of the time

He greatly prefers his demonic form and uses the human form for specific reasons, and can’t actually use it if he’s too weak

[wisu]

Breaking Free from 3D: Embracing 5D Consciousness for Inner Peace

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us are caught up in the struggle of daily life—chasing success, security, and social acceptance. This struggle, often rooted in external validation, fear, and ego, is the hallmark of what is referred to as 3D consciousness. But what if there’s a way to transcend this constant striving? What if we can experience life from a higher perspective, one that’s rooted…

[giorgio52fan]

Nurturing 21st Century Skills

Preparing Students for Success in the Modern World / Pregătirea elevilor pentru succes în lumea modernă In the rapidly evolving landscape of the 21st century, education must adapt to equip students with the skills they need to thrive in a dynamic and interconnected world. The traditional model of education, centered on rote memorization and content delivery, is no longer sufficient. Instead,…

[marciodpaulla-blog]

Mastering the Quintessential Tools of the 21st-Century Professional Arena

Navigate the 21st-century workspace with 'Orchestrating Success'. Master digital tools, leverage data, enhance interpersonal skills, & cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset. Shape your future!

Welcome to the stimulating labyrinth of the contemporary global workspace, a world where boundaries are defined by digital networks rather than geographic constraints, and where the speed of innovation persistently redefines the contours of professional success. The paradigms of traditional methodologies have shifted under the weight of a technologically sophisticated landscape, giving rise to a…

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

M.I.A. - Paper Planes 2008

"Paper Planes" is a song by British hip hop artist M.I.A. It was released on 11 February 2008 as the third single from her second studio album, Kala (2007). It samples English rockband the Clash's 1982 song "Straight to Hell", leading to its members being credited as co-writers. A downtempo alternative hip hop, pop track combining African folk music elements, the song has a less dance-oriented sound compared to other songs on the album. Its lyrics, inspired by M.I.A.'s own problems obtaining a visa to work in the USA, satirise American perceptions of immigrants from war-torn countries, and said that the issue was probably "them thinking that I might to [sic] fly a plane into the Trade Center".

M.I.A. had wanted to work with American producer Timbaland for the album Kala, but her application for a long-term US work visa was rejected. This was allegedly due to her family's connection to the Tamil guerrillas, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, a claim M.I.A. denied. Her visa problems were also attributed to her criticism of the Sri Lankan government's discrimination and alleged atrocities committed against the Tamils, with whom M.I.A. shares an ethnic and cultural heritage. She expressed this on her politicised debut album Arular. The unexpected success of "Paper Planes" paralleled M.I.A.'s condemnations of the Sri Lankan government's war crimes against the Tamils, generating accusations that she supported terrorism.

The song received widespread acclaim from contemporary critics, who complimented its musical direction and the subversive, unconventional subject matter. It won awards from the Canadian Independent Music Awards and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and earned a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. The song has received praise in publications such as NME, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, each naming it among either the best songs of the 2000s decade or of all time. The review aggregator Acclaimed Music reports it as the second-most acclaimed song of the 21st century.

"Paper Planes" was used in the theatrical trailer for the 2008 stoner comedy Pineapple Express, directed by David Gordon Green, which catapulted the song to mainstream success in the US. "Paper Planes" and the DFA remix appear on the soundtrack to Danny Boyle's drama Slumdog Millionaire, released in 2008. The video game Far Cry 3 (2012) begins with "Paper Planes" used in the opening cinematic sequence.

"Paper Planes" received a total of 68,9% yes votes!

[chintzwife]

coming out as an avatar (dir. james cameron) hater. as some girly on tiktok put it: "why are we, in a post-Get Out world . . ."

[journeywithttl2]

Nowadays, we are able to witness technology all over the places. I, as a college student is only one of the multi-million users of technology. Before, I'm only used at reading pages from books and listening from my teachers, but now, if you are a student or teacher and you do not have access to browse educational sites, social media, and other technological platforms, you might be in a critical state.

21st Century Skills with focus on Communication and ICT

Indeed, having gadgets such as mobile phone and laptop is an advantage in this era.

21st century learners are bound to be able to produce, synthesize, and evaluate information from a wide range of sources while also understanding and respecting various cultural traditions. Every student needs a 21st century education, so it would be be encouraging to foster deeper learning by fusing technologically-based academic material with activities that consciously develop the abilities, perspectives, and literacy that will enable students to be contributors in a world that is constantly changing.

As a future teacher, teaching students how to learn should be my primary responsibility. Through the integration of technology, it would foster innovation, promote teamwork, demand and reward critical thinking, and will aid me in teaching students the value of effective communication as well as communication skills. Students must acquire these skills in order to succeed in the dynamic workplaces of today and tomorrow.

To ensure student success, it is essential for students to master the core subjects:

English, reading or language arts

World languages

Arts

Mathematics

Economics

Science

Geography

History

Government and Civics

21st Century Key Themes:

Global Awareness

Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial Literacy

Civic Literacy

Health

Literacy

Read more:

According to 21st Century Skills Framework, there are three types of 21st century skills that students should learn:

1. Learning and Innovation Skills - 4Cs

Critical Thinking

Communication

Collaboration

Creativiy

2. Information, Media, and Technology Skills

Information Literacy

Media Literacy

ICT (Information, Communications, and Technology) Literacy

3. Life and Career Skills

Flexibility and Adaptability

Initiative and Self-Direction

Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

Productivity and Accountability

Leadership and Responsibility

[macrolit]

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

NYT Article.

*************

Q: How many of the 100 have you read? Q: Which ones did you love/hate? Q: What's missing?

Here's the full list.

100. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson 99. How to Be Both, Ali Smith 98. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett 97. Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward 96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman 95. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel 94. On Beauty, Zadie Smith 93. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel 92. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante 91. The Human Stain, Philip Roth 90. The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen 89. The Return, Hisham Matar 88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis 87. Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters 86. Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight 85. Pastoralia, George Saunders 84. The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee 83. When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labutat 82. Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor 81. Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan 80. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante 79. A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin 78. Septology, Jon Fosse 77. An American Marriage, Tayari Jones 76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin 75. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid 74. Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout 73. The Passage of Power, Robert Caro 72. Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich 71. The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen 70. All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward P. Jones 69. The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander 68. The Friend, Sigrid Nunez 67. Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon 66. We the Animals, Justin Torres 65. The Plot Against America, Philip Roth 64. The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai 63. Veronica, Mary Gaitskill 62. 10:04, Ben Lerner 61. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver 60. Heavy, Kiese Laymon 59. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides 58. Stay True, Hua Hsu 57. Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich 56. The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner 55. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright 54. Tenth of December, George Saunders 53. Runaway, Alice Munro 52. Train Dreams, Denis Johnson 51. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson 50. Trust, Hernan Diaz 49. The Vegetarian, Han Kang 48. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi 47. A Mercy, Toni Morrison 46. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt 45. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson 44. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin 43. Postwar, Tony Judt 42. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James 41. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan 40. H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald 39. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan 38. The Savage Detectives, Roberto Balano 37. The Years, Annie Ernaux 36. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates 35. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel 34. Citizen, Claudia Rankine 33. Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward 32. The Lines of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst 31. White Teeth, Zadie Smith 30. Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward 29. The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt 28. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell 27. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 26. Atonement, Ian McEwan 25. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc 24. The Overstory, Richard Powers 23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro 22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo 21. Evicted, Matthew Desmond 20. Erasure, Percival Everett 19. Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe 18. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders 17. The Sellout, Paul Beatty 16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon 15. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee 14. Outline, Rachel Cusk 13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy 12. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion 11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz 10. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson 9. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro 8. Austerlitz, W.G. Sebald 7. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead 6. 2666, Roberto Bolano 5. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen 4. The Known World, Edward P. Jones 3. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel 2. The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson 1. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

[djuvlipen]

this is a 19th c. lesbian and female writer who published her novels under a male pen name yet the article exclusively refers to her with he/him and even refers to her birth name as her 'deadname'. trans activism will be the death of history as a social science and i can't understand for the life of me why it's acceptable to use 21st century identity labels for long dead historical figures or to project our modern understanding of gender onto the past. and why stop there? should we use he/him for george eliot too? for george sand? can't they even start to understand why on god's green earth a 19th c. lesbian or a 19th c. female writer would ever use a male name? is it too hard to grasp? maybe the 1820s woman in a lesbian relationship wasn't Secretly a Man All Along, maybe she had to present as male if she didn't want to face harassment, lose her home and her income. maybe the 1820s female writer didn't have a ~magic secret hidden~ trans identity, maybe she had to use a male name if she ever hoped for her writing to be published and considered seriously. god these people are naive as fuck. what happened to critical thinking?