#Intellectual Development

[scienceakademeia]

STEM education in Alpharetta, Georgia, has witnessed a profound transformation over the years, with institutions such as Science Akadémeia, the Atlanta Preschool of Science (SATAPOS) emerging as pioneers in this educational realm. In today’s fiercely competitive landscape, the importance of fostering a robust foundation in Science Education cannot be overstated. Recognizing this imperative, we shine as a guiding light, kindling the flames of curiosity and innovation in the hearts of aspiring young scientists.

[pebblegalaxy]

Obsessive Rewatching vs. Novelty: Breaking the Cycle of Banality

Obsessive Rewatching vs. Novelty: Breaking the Cycle of Banality #ObsessiveRewatching #NoveltyOverRepetition #BreakTheCycle #CulturalExploration #PersonalGrowth #IntellectualDevelopment #Banality #Creativity

What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times? Obsessive Rewatching: The Endless Loop of Mediocrity In the age of streaming services and endless content options, one would think that the average viewer’s appetite for new and diverse entertainment would be insatiable. However, there exists a peculiar breed of viewer who defies this expectation, opting instead to subject themselves…

[the-joy-of-knowledge]

Becoming an Intelligent Woman

My Dears,

There is no greater goal than being a fine woman who is intelligent, kind, and elegant. As much as we all want to be described with these adjectives, it takes a great amount of discipline to get there. It is very doable only if you are ready to put in the work.

Here are steps you can add to your routine in the next 4 weeks that will make you 1% more intelligent than you were before. This is a process that should become a habit not a goal. It is long term, however, I want you to devote just 4 weeks into doing these steps first and recognize the changes that follow.

Watch documentaries: This is the easiest step, we all have access to Youtube. Youtube has a great number of content on art, history, technology, food, science etc that will increase your knowledge and pique your curiosity. I really did not know much about world history especially from the perspective of World war 1 & 2, the roaring 20s, Age of Enlightenment, Jazz era, monarchies etc but with several channels dedicated to breaking down history into easily digestible forms. I have in the last 4 weeks immersed myself into these documentaries. Here are a few I watched:

The fall of monarchies

The Entire History of United Kingdom

The Eight Ages of Greece

World War 1

World War 2

The Roaring '20s

The Cuisine of the Enlightenment

2. Read Classics: I recommend starting with short classics so that you do not get easily discouraged. Try to make reading easy and interesting especially if you struggle with finishing a book. Why classics? You see, if you never went to an exclusive private school in Europe or America with well crafted syllabus that emphasized philosophy, history, art, and literary classics, you might want to know what is felt like and for me this was a strong reason. Asides that, there is so much wisdom and knowledge available in these books. In these books, you gain insights to the authors mind, the historical context of the era, the ingenuity of the author, the hidden messages, and the cultural impact of these books. Most importantly, you develop your personal philosophy from the stories and lessons you have accumulated from the lives of the characters in the books you read. Here are classics to get you started:

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Candide by Voltaire

Paradise lost by John Milton

3. Study the lives of people who inspire you: I dedicate one month to each person that fascinates me. I read their biography (date of birth, background, death, influences, work, style, education, personal life) For this month, I decided to study Frank Lloyd Wright because I was fascinated by the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I began to read about his influence in American Architecture (Organic architecture, Prairie School, Usonian style), his tumultuous personal life, his difficult relationship with his mentor (Louis Sullivan), his most iconic works etc. By the end of the year I would have learned the ins and outs of people I am inspired by through books and documentaries. Here are other people I plan to learn more about:

Winston Churchill

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Ada Lovelace

Benjamin Franklin

Helen Keller

John Nash

Isabella Stewart Gardner

Caroline Herrera

Ernest Hemingway

Catherine the Great

Ann Lowe

My dears, I hope you enjoyed this read. I cannot wait to write more on my journey to becoming a fine woman. I urge you to do this for four weeks and see what changes you notice. Make sure to write as well, it is important to document your progress.

Cheers to a very prosperous 2024!

[serpentface]

A witch of the Naig-Troibadnnas (Yellowtail river valley) people, resting and enjoying a smoke of the mild stimulant brolge leaf on a hot summer day.

Witches are a small part of the everyday cultural framework among the Hill Tribes. They are individuals considered born possessed by a virgranul, a type of disembodied wild spirit that seeks to inhabit human flesh, either entering the body at the moment of conception, or entering the body at the moment of death. The latter is a dire circumstance that requires significant intercession to fix (the dead body may wander off without rites, leaving the person's soul trapped and liable to warp into the dangerous fuldaigh spirit), while the former circumstance is what causes a person to be born a witch.

In the case of those afflicted in the womb, possession by virgranul is lifelong, and is both a curse and blessing- it divides and isolates them from the human world and causes other wild spirits (both benevolent and malicious) to be perpetually drawn to them, but also allows for them to be attuned to the subtleties of spirits, and able to work magic and divination that the everyday person is incapable of.

Witches are usually recognized from a young age due to marked behavioral differences or atypical development, though are sometimes simply identified as such without obvious behavioral indications, by other witches having read signs of their coming. Their occurrence is not frequent, usually once in a generation for any given tribe. An identified witch child will be taken from their family (the timing varies by tradition, though is usually upon puberty) and into mentorship by an established witch, who will impart their accumulated knowledge and skill and teach the child how to best harness their condition.

One can be a witch regardless of their gender, with the only commonality being that they must remain unmarried, and are expected to never have children (deemed too dangerous, unavoidably placing a child in the path of potentially harmful wild spirits). With no spouses or children to support them in holding a household and herds, witches are instead supported by their communities as means of payment for their services. They typically live in semi-isolation in the boundaries between the village and wilderness (a reflection of their own division between the world of people and of wild spirits, and a protective measure for their communities), and will periodically be brought needed supplies. They do not commonly enter villages unless summoned, or for the sake of certain holidays and festivals, and live most of their lives in seclusion aside from any given mentee (who will in turn care for their mentor in old age).

The societal function of witches is as intermediaries between people and their ancestors, people and wild spirits, and as especially skilled performers of practical magic (most commonly weaving protective spells into worn items, such as clothing or the nose rings of cattle). Forms of practical magic and intercession with ancestors and spirits are performed by all members of society, but a witch has intimate, detailed knowledge of such things and tremendous natural skill that makes them an invaluable asset.

Witches personally discern the identities of the spirits living in any given area and will attempt to familiarize themselves with them, learning in depth about their ways, giving warnings of where the particularly dangerous (or mischievous) ones are, and giving recommendations on which will be receptive to offerings in return for boons. When a village needs to commune with a particularly powerful or dangerous spirit (such as a wildfolk witch), they will commonly send their own witch as an intermediary.

They are ascribed have the ability to directly summon ancestors (who otherwise come and go of their own volition, and rarely ever deign to come at the call of one who is not their descendant). This is of great use when a person finds themselves punished by their ancestors with no certainty as to why, or cases where an orphaned child's ancestry must be identified to gain them proper spiritual support.

They are also regarded as having innate qualities of divination, particularly in reading birdsign (itself generally acknowledged as communication from ancestors, and occasionally gods). The average person has basic knowledge in reading omens of birds and a learned repertoire of key signs, but a witch can divine the messages of birdsign in immense and specific detail, through a vast knowledge system of the meanings of the species, sex, flight direction, gaze, prey, number, and songs of birds. It is common for people to approach a witch for a reading of the skies before undertaking a significant venture or life change, in order to receive detailed and specific advice.

Witches are always literate (and will be taught to read and write by their mentor if they cannot already) and will record their repositories of knowledge in tomes. These are items of absolute secrecy and taboo for a non-witch to touch (the consequences can be severe, you really don't want a witch ancestor-spirit upset with you). Witches can often become competitive about the knowledge stored in these tomes and are known to organize heists amongst themselves in order to gain access to each other's secrets. Most people avoid getting themselves entangled into the complicated rivalries of witches, as these competitions can get ugly and result in many a petty curse if one gains a witch's ire.

---

The only visual cue distinguishing this man as a witch is the tattoos on his forearms, otherwise usually regarded as inappropriate to mark in the contemporary Hill Tribes cultural sphere (the face, upper arms, and sternum is reserved for important clan/tribe/ancestry identification, hands and forearms are reserved for witches, and the rest of the body is appropriate for decoration). These unique forearm tattoos indicate his ancestral connection with a lineage of witches, not blood ancestry but rather the generations of mentors that have produced him. The lines extending down to his fingers are the newest, indicating that he has fully mentored another witch and gained a place in this ancestral line.

The rest of the tattoos here are tribe and blood ancestry identifiers (on the face and upper arms respectively, worn by all members of society), and purely decorative imagery (visible here is a deer, horse, eagle, and a dragon). He also has a snake on his forearm, applied decades ago in an act of youthful rebellion, which has since gotten in the way of critical open skin space.

His clothing is otherwise typical wear for warm seasonal conditions- a man's wool shawl and woven belt, short trousers, decorative deer hide (distinct to the Naig-Troibadnnas), and sandals (these are imported Wardi style sandals, which have been modified with preferred elevated heels). The horn shaped torc on his forearm identifies him as an esteemed elder.

[aventurineswife]

hiiiiiii i’ve got a poly fic idea for you!! :3

can i get uhhhh ratio x aventurine x vidyadhara!reader? tysm and please take care of yourself! <3

Fate’s Unseen Thread

Summary: In a shared home filled with knowledge and intrigue, Ratio, Aventurine, and you, the Vidyadhara, find yourselves drawn together by fate, intellect, and hidden desires. The three of you, each carrying your own burdens of past trauma and complex personalities, engage in a tense yet intimate interaction where the lines between intellect, chance, and connection blur. As you come to understand each other’s unique perspectives, a new bond forms—one that transcends your differences and intertwines your fates. What begins as a game of words evolves into something far deeper, as the trio navigates the delicate threads of trust, vulnerability, and shared destiny.

Tags: Aventurine x Vidyadhara!Reader x Ratio, Polyamory, Intellectual Rivalry, Manipulation, Complex Relationship, Slow Burn, Character Development, Flirting (?), Emotional Depth.

Warnings: Mildly suggestive themes, Complex interpersonal dynamics, Mentions of past trauma (Aventurine’s survivor’s guilt, Ratio's arrogance), Emotional tension and vulnerability, Some darker tones.

A/N: uhhh again, I'm not good at writing poly fics so yeah... 🧍‍♀️ (Also I don't ship them 🙏)

The air inside the shared house was thick with an electric tension. The faint scent of incense mingled with the faint hum of distant magic as the three of you sat in the spacious room, scattered with books and curious artifacts from across the universe. The walls were adorned with intricate tapestries that depicted cosmic maps and ancient dragon motifs—a subtle nod to the connection between each of you, even if you hadn’t quite fully realized it yet.

Aventurine sat casually on the edge of an armchair, his signature grin playing on his lips as his eyes darted between you and Ratio. The faint flicker of amusement in his gaze never quite matched his words, always careful with how he spoke, like each sentence was part of a game. He adjusted his overcoat, his posture one of calculated nonchalance.

"You know, Ratio," Aventurine teased, his voice dripping with playful sarcasm, "I find it quite amusing that the intellectual giant has yet to decipher the most obvious game in the room."

Ratio, as always, was a study in contrast to Aventurine’s flamboyant demeanor. His sharp eyes focused intently on the calculations in his mind, as if the interaction wasn’t even worth his full attention. His wavy hair cascaded over one eye, his muscular form seemingly out of place in the elegant attire he wore—an intricate blend of intellectual flair and battle-ready sophistication. The golden adornments gleamed in the soft light of the room, but he didn’t react immediately to Aventurine’s jab.

"You are no match for strategy, Aventurine," Dr. Ratio responded coldly, though the faintest spark in his eyes betrayed the fact that he wasn’t truly dismissing the challenge. "You gamble with luck and chance. I... operate in certainty."

His words hung in the air, sharp and clear, as if he were stating a fundamental truth. Yet, the slight shift of his posture, the soft clink of his golden bracelets as he gestured toward Aventurine, hinted that beneath his cold exterior, there was something else. A layer of intrigue—perhaps a curiosity about Aventurine’s unpredictable nature.

You watched this banter unfold from the cushioned seat at the center of the room, feeling the subtle pull of both men’s contrasting energies. Aventurine’s calculated chaos was magnetic, yet Ratio’s calm intellect was a force that rooted you to the present moment. The two were so different, yet somehow, their interplay created a sense of harmony.

But what about you? What place did you occupy in this delicate balance?

The sound of your shifting position must’ve caught their attention, for both men turned their eyes on you in unison, a curious and somewhat knowing glint in their gazes. Aventurine's smile widened, and he leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting like a predator about to make its move.

"Ah, our beloved Vidyadhara," he said with an exaggerated sigh, his voice as smooth as velvet but underlined with something darker, something more dangerous. "You’ve been awfully quiet tonight. Surely you’ve something to say?"

You met his gaze, the draconic sharpness in your eyes mirroring the sense of weight that had been hanging in the air between the three of you for some time. Despite your long-lived existence, your past of continuous rebirth had left you wary, unsure of the cycles of fate that seemed to bind you to this place. The language of your people—the Song of Rebirth—whispered through your veins, but you’d never quite understood the meaning of the threads that wove your life together with theirs.

Aventurine’s presence was chaotic, and Ratio’s intellect seemed like a precise, unstoppable force. Both forces were more than mere opposites—they were intricately tied to your own existence, like pieces of a puzzle that you hadn’t yet figured out.

"I do not see this as a game, Aventurine," you responded softly, your voice a low, melodic hum. "This... this is not luck nor intellect. It is the will of the cosmos."

The room seemed to pause as the two men absorbed your words. The temperature seemed to rise slightly, the energy between the three of you thickening, like the air before a storm.

Ratio was the first to respond, though his voice was tinged with something rare—respect, perhaps, or the recognition of a fellow mind that understood the deeper threads of existence. "You believe in fate, then?" His tone was calculating, as though the mere concept of fate was something to be analyzed. "I would never claim to be bound by such forces, but you... You seem to think otherwise."

Aventurine’s smile was more restrained now, but his eyes glittered with something akin to curiosity. "How interesting," he mused. "Perhaps fate isn’t something to be fought against, but a game we have yet to fully master."

You looked between them, your sharp, pointed ears catching the subtle shifts in their body language—Ratio’s intense focus, his golden owl-like shoulder piece catching the light, and Aventurine’s casual lean, his left hand hidden behind his back as if it held something that didn’t belong.

In that moment, a thought settled within you, a piece of the puzzle that had always seemed out of reach. The three of you, in some strange way, were bound together by fate, by choices made long before any of you had met.

"The game you both speak of," you said slowly, your voice softer now, yet steady. "It is not one of intellect or chance. It is a game of balance—of knowing when to yield, when to act, and when to let the threads of the universe guide us."

Ratio seemed to ponder this, a fleeting flicker of something like admiration crossing his face. Aventurine, ever the master of intrigue, tilted his head slightly, his smile now tempered with a rare seriousness.

"You speak as though you know," Aventurine mused, his voice quieter, almost vulnerable. "Do you?"

The weight of your words seemed to resonate between the three of you, and for a brief moment, the usual playful banter was replaced by a profound silence.

And then, as if on cue, both men shifted closer, drawn to the unspoken connection that had begun to thread itself between the three of you.

Perhaps fate was not something to be feared or resisted, you thought. Maybe, just maybe, it was something to embrace—together.

Aventurine reached out first, his fingers brushing against your own with an unexpected tenderness. Ratio followed suit, his presence more deliberate but equally potent. And as your hands touched, you felt the weight of centuries, of calculated risks and intellectual pursuits, all converging into a single, shared moment.

In the quiet, you realized that this was more than a game. This was the beginning of something much deeper, something that would transcend intellect, luck, and even fate itself.

It was the beginning of something bound by the threads of all that had come before—and everything that would come after.

And for the first time in ages, you allowed yourself to feel the stirrings of something you hadn't thought possible. Connection.

The rest of the world could wait. Tonight, the three of you would write your own fate.

[mortuarydolls]

my goal this summer is to become smarter i have no social life so im gna spend my time studying topics that interest me like communism and filmmaking and becoming an expert in my fields of interest bc rn i just know random tidbits of info abt everything im interested in its very scattered

[writingraccoon]

Genuinely I think we as a society need to figure out why 90% of the population is unbelievably bad at math and hates it like why have we demonized truly one of the most important subjects in school

[like-tears-in-rain-storms]

Regardless of where you stand in the trenches of the Ellen/Orlok discourse, whether he "loved" her is redundant.

Of course Orlok couldn't love the way Thomas did, and for certain Ellen didn't love him in the way she did Thomas. But Orlok wasn't made for love, it went against his nature, because true love is antithetical to everything he is. He was, though, made to hunger, and he hungered for Ellen with everything he had in him, had his whole being pointed on her, like a laser burning her. And whether she loved or loathed him, Ellen wasn't, and couldn't be indifferent to that, and maybe his need to possess her and her desire to be with someone always (which is not something a human can realistically fulfill, or at least I don't think Ellen was meaning it the human-friendly way, and it is not Thomas's fault he was doing his best, because in the end of the day he gave his all, but Ellen had always been operating in a scale out of human measures) were destined to lead to the single same solution, which was for them to die in each other in the moment of their completion, whose momentary nature was the only thing that rendered it complete at last, and go out in a burst of something that, if it wasn't love, it certainly was much too defining and went much too deep not to say they belonged together on some level.

[quotesonquotes]

"In retrospect, life is one big classroom as we learn things that are either trivial, semi-important, or really important that it may or may not help you grow personally, physically, and most of all intellectually."

- Yoda Guru, So Says The Guru: Volume I

[the-joy-of-knowledge]

Ladies, use your discretion!

My most recent post generated mixed reviews. Some loved it some loathed it. Whichever category you fall into my advice is for you to use your discretion.

Here are some questions to to ask yourself when scrolling on social media

Why does this appeal to me?

Why does it trigger me?

Are these facts or opinions?

Why did the author put a caveat?

Who could be the intended audience?

It is appalling to me that people will take opinions based on the books personal experiences or observation and simply criticize it because it does it not appeal to them. Are you the only person on the internet? Why do you take yourself so seriously? Why should everything on the internet fit your sentiments?

It is fair to express your opinions, but what is your argument? What is your main point? You simply can't say "this is barbaric!" add more depth to it. You could say "the post seems to dismiss the importance of friendship" doesn't that sound more educated and more conversational?

I also expected that if you have used the internet for a while you should know that you only take what you need and leave the rest. No one is an authority on here especially if they are not writing in the capacity of their profession.

If you loved the post, love it with discernment. You may not apply all the advice I write here to your life because you know yourself best.

Do not put me on a pedestal. I am not your coach, doctor, lawyer, pastor so I do not owe you an obligation neither do you owe. I am simply a girl who just shares her thoughts based on her observations. Read my posts with discretion!!!

[themogaidragon]

Neurodevelopmental Disability Pride Flag

PT: Neurodevelopmental Disability Pride Flag /end PT

ID: a five striped flag oriented diagonally from the top left corner to the bottom right corner over a yellowish black background. The colors of the stripes are, from top to bottom, yellow, grey, white, grey, and yellow. End ID

TW eyestrain, bright colours, flashing! Original neurodevelopmental disorder flag here (link).

[ammonitetestpatterns]

[aliusfrater]

I haven't quite finished S1 of Walker yet, but I have to say that I'd heard people say that Jared's acting was too Sam-like still in Walker (and particularly in S1) and I'd always thought, well maybe they are right it's hard to tell just from gifs, even though spn has proved how good he is at character differentiation. But actually watching it that feels WILD to me. Cordell is SO different to Sam in the way Jared's playing him -facial expressions, mannerisms, voice. Even where you've got things that are common acting ticks of Jared's that go across characters they still feel different.

i had the same reaction !! i hadn't heard anyone's opinions about jared's acting as cordell or how it related to sam's character but i'm pretty familiar with how jared's acting tends to change from character to character not only from me watching his other works but also because i'm a pretty big soulless!sam fan and i'm a fan of jared's work as lucifer and gadreel so i went into walker Knowing there would be a palpable difference because i've literally already seen him curate those differences on supernatural. there's a lot that i could contextualise my response to this ask with but i'm not sure how far you are into the season yet, but there's a fundamentally important aspect of season's one that is explored over the course of the season and isn't fully 'resolved' until early season two and interferes with cordell's character—not only does jared portray this part of cordell's character really well but it's also triple the distance from sam's character that cordell is and while you can literally feel cordell changing over the course of the season, he still very much doesn't come close to sam's character. i haven't been rewatching supernatural these past couple weeks and i started to feel like i'd forgetten samisms once i got to about mid-season three. i think the issue is that people went to walker unintentionally yet specifically Looking for sam and resented cordell in favour of cordell's roster of relationships when they didn't find him—as well as a slice of that thing the supernatural fandom tends to do where they attribute samisms to dean and vice versa then explain away anything that challenges this with ideas that aren't supernatural-canonically consistent or properly contextualised with situational canon context in that cordell is a quite a bit like dean (which was a funny initial sentiment to make about him because now i know that jared quite literally based him on aspects of dean). it literally makes no sense that you've seen this man play different characters on a single show (and perhaps even praised those performances) yet went to another where the difference between characters is extremely or at least just as discernable, perhaps the most discernable it's been since before clay miller 2009 (because lets be real. clay miller was sam winchester-type casted) and somehow found sam there? an unbelievable and, quite frankly, a disingenuous observation to me. even liam, micki, or geri are more sam than cordell could ever hope to be lmfao

[theanarchistscookbook]

[rjalker]

"if you only read and write fanfiction you're going to be bad at writing original fiction" is literally just a factual statement. You're only mad about it because you refuse to read original fiction even when there are just as many free books out there online as there are fanfictions. Project Gutenberg exists. The Internet Archive exists. Online libraries exist.

If the only thing you read and write is fanfiction, you will be terrible at writing original fiction. When you are writing fanfiction, everything about the setting, characters, relationships, and plots has already been set up for you. You and your readers already care about the characters, that's literally why you're writing it and they're reading it.

You don't have to do any of the work to make the relationships between the characters be real and matter because for you and your readers, they already exist. All you have to do now is put them in interesting situations.

Even if you are making a completely alternate universe fanfiction, you, and your readers, are still inherently relying on the preexisting rules to interact with the newer version you're making. We still inherently know who all the characters are and what their relationships are or are gonna look like.

You don't have to do the same level of worldbuilding in fanfiction as you do in original fiction even when it's a ~complete overhaul~ because it can never BE a Complete overhaul, because you're still relying on the established characters, rules, and settings! That's literally why you and your readers are here!

That's not how original fiction works!

Every single thing has to be built from the ground up. You cannot just dump a bunch of character names into a situation and just keep going without ever explaining who they are and how they got here and what's going on.

You have to read original fiction if you want to be good at writing original fiction. Refusing to do this will just mean you stay bad at writing original fiction.

And lying about what fanfiction is is just making you look like a dumbass. We all know that fanfiction is inherently different from original fiction. That's *why we read and write fanfiction in the first fucking place*.

[friend-dogor]

actually wait in relation to the last post about ghibli and how it is aestheticized into bland and toothless images of comfort, it's got me thinking abt Ursula K Le Guin again

The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain. If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em. If it hurts, repeat it. But to praise despair is to condemn delight, to embrace violence is to lose hold of everything else. We have almost lost hold; we can no longer describe a happy man, nor make any celebration of joy.

(from The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, 1973, top of pg.2)

i think that the original post is guilty of this to a degree, seeking to refute the idiocy and simplicity of focusing on the "happy" themes of ghibli movies my instead shifting attention to the horrors and pains contained within the text—those which could be seen as intellectual, needing perhaps a more sophisticated understanding of environmentalism and geopolitics.

but, furthermore, i think i'm guilty of it even in trying to defend miyazaki's often returning narrative commitment to hope and environmentalism and anti-war sentiment and kindness—after the last tag, i wanted to add something about "i know that putting kindness above pursuit of power feels like a baby theme for babies" because it Does, to me. "be kind" is, like, the first and simplest rule most of us are taught as children, be kind, don't hit your brother, be kind, share, be kind.

i don't refer to this as one of his more challenging themes, of course, because why should i? we all know to be kind. of course, i refer only to topics of war and environmentalism and grief as challenging. kindness is simple!

(nevermind that one of the biggest challenges for myself and a lot of people i know is how to stop being cruel to oneself after decades of practice and learned examples and instead to learn to be kind and forgiving with one's own mistakes and failures and perceived flaws)

and i wonder two things: 1) is it possible that the self-aestheticization of miyazaki's movies (for example, the rapturous visual attention paid to food, the attention paid to soft chairs, pillows, small and pleasantly cluttered environments, with plenty of natural light, lush plantlife and endearing creatures) contribute to miyazaki's more "challenging" messages, and if so, that there's a degree of success in people remembering the thick-cut bacon and eggs on toast from Howl's Moving Castle before they think of Sophie Hatter's town on fire because of the king's war? Has Hayao Miyazaki succeeded in making war and destruction at once horrifying and banal, but a simple good breakfast fascinating and compelling? ——not to say that people who simplify the movie to Only the aesthetics are right. they still aren't. they exist in dialogue with the destruction and it's ridiculous to sever the two. but is it possible that the majority of people thinking first of the "cozy" elements of Studio Ghibli's work is not nonintellectual and reductive, but rather contributes to a larger point of attention?

2) i ought to find other examples of media which do not treat "happy" themes or "light" themes—(i struggle even to talk about the category i mean without dismissing it entirely as Simple, or mischaracterizing it. i mean things like kindness over power and compassion over fear, things like that) which do not treat the themes as childish or nonintellectual, but also do so without fetishizing violence and suffering as Special and More Deserving of Thought than Simple and Stupid Good Feelings so that i can kind of investigate this concept a little more