#Soliloquy

[hardoncaulfield]

Everyone should be able to express their small and mean opinions to someone who won't clutch their pearls about it. Being a bitch is a human right

[menacingpolkamusic]

Feminine in a fag way, masculine in a dyke way

[muffinrag]

obsessed with this. completely emotionless. not even a period at the end. an announcement utterly devoid of feeling. yet it instills the most delicious sense of relief and comfort

[guinevereteef]

gender affirming bong rip

[tonsillessscum]

I already gave my flesh to you, and I already gave you my end. I gave you my sword. I gave you myself. I did it while knowing I'd do it all again, without hesitation, because all I ever wanted you to do was eat me

-Tamsyn Muir, Harrow the Ninth

[astro-whispers]

Me: Can we get more Blitzwing please?

Earthspark: We already have Blitzwing at home

*Blitzwing at home*:

[highpriestessarchives]

Know Thyself: How This One Exercise Shaped My Writing

“Know Thyself” Interpretations

Heraclitus: “It belongs to all men to know themselves and think well.”

Charles H. Kahn: this fragment echoes a traditional belief that “know thyself" had an essentially similar meaning to the second Delphic maxim, “nothing too much;” both sayings might be considered alternative ways of describing the virtue of sophrosyne.

Heraclitus defines sophrosyne as the art of “perceiving things according to their nature,” apparently referring to the perception of objective, material facts. If so, and if self-knowledge is the same as sophrosyne, then, as Kahn writes, “the deepest structure of the self will be recognized as co-extensive with the universe in general … so true self-knowledge will coincide with knowledge of the cosmic order.”

A fragment from Ion of Chios provides the earliest explicit reference to the maxim. It reads: “This ‘know yourself’ is a saying not so big, but such a task Zeus alone of the gods understands.”

“The unexamined life is not worth living” -Socrates

Soliloquies of Augustine: The book has the form of an “inner dialogue" in which questions are posed, discussions take place and answers are provided, leading to self-knowledge. The first book begins with an inner dialogue which seeks to know a soul. In the second book it becomes clear that the soul Augustine wants to get to know is his own.

The Consolation of Philosophy: Boethius writes The Consolation of Philosophy as a conversation between himself and a female personification of philosophy, referred to as “Lady Philosophy.” Philosophy consoles Boethius by discussing the transitory nature of wealth, fame, and power (“no man can ever truly be secure until he has been forsaken by Fortune"), and the ultimate superiority of things of the mind, which she calls the “one true good.” She contends that happiness comes from within, and that virtue is all that one truly has because it is not imperiled by the vicissitudes of fortune.

Meditations: Marcus Aurelius likely didn’t intend for Meditations to be published, as the work centered around his own self-analysis and self-guidance. Aurelius advocates finding one's place in the universe and sees that everything came from nature, and so everything shall return to it in due time. Another strong theme is of maintaining focus and to be without distraction all the while maintaining strong ethical principles such as “Being a good man.”

...to think that all of these classic works are “regular” people figuring themselves out. I decided to do the same.

Writing My Own “Soliloquy”

I’d like to clarify that I, in no way shape or form, see myself as this great thinker or philosopher or anything like that. I recognize that this practice is but one way to understand myself, especially since I struggle with mental health and a lot of spiritual questions (but that’s another topic).

In choosing to write my own soliloquy, I am becoming my own Devil’s Advocate. Like Boethius, I’ve decided to structure my journaling as if I am arguing with someone. I will choose a topic that I am passionate about or that I am having my own crisis over, such as “Why do I not believe I am a good person?” or “Why do I prefer logic over emotion?” or even “What draws me to classical paintings?”

What I found is that anything and everything that I am attached to says something about me on a deeper level.

Here is where it gets a little tricky: in continuing to argue with myself, I’ve found that I get better at coming up with counter points. In other words, this self-analysis becomes more and more complex the more used to it you get. It’s almost like you’re playing some mind chess and this fictional opponent, who is also you, as they are but your own Devil’s Advocate, is also getting better and learning with you.

But, to me, that is what makes this “Know Thyself” maxim important. You are not meant to have a full-fledged answer. We are constantly evolving and changing, as will our knowledge of how we perceive ourselves and how we perceive the world in response to it.

How It Affects My Writing

To start with the obvious, the character development and creation changes so much when you get to know yourself. At least, for me, the world becomes less and less black and white (not that it ever was black and white to begin with). Because of that, my characters become more dimensional.

I am no longer afraid to write controversy. There is a... debate, for a lack of better words, on the media literacy rate nowadays. Because of this, I would fear that, just because I wrote about it, people would assume that I am in support of it; or, for example, just because there is a mainstream focus on one demographic, that nuances of that focus cannot be written about (again, another topic).

However, writing my soliloquies reminds me that my work is meant to be a message from myself to the audience first and entertainment second.

As artists, authors, creators, etc., there is a danger in losing ourselves to appease the masses. There is the question of whether we should create what we want or stick to what is trending, and I’m not immune to that spiral, either.

In knowing yourself, you become your #1 advocate. You know what your boundaries are, what your morals are, and what your values are. It gets harder to allow those who don’t do that same work to sway your pen.

Closing Words

Whatever form that takes, get to know yourself. For me, that’s journaling whenever I can as if I’m debating with someone. Grab a journal meant specifically for this exercise and go crazy! No one’s going to read it (unless you become someone like Marcus Aurelius and your own version of Meditations comes out. In which case... sorry?)

Never stop challenging the way you think, too. It can be uncomfortable and hard, but change always is. Perhaps you will stick to your ideals, and that’s okay, too! Do not live life on the easy path.

As always, these exercises are not a substitute for professional or medical help. I will always encourage those who need it to seek therapy, as I believe it is a great tool to use alongside this exercise, should one feel inclined to do so.

[emotinalsupportturtle]

I saw what you did there Tom (*sneakily quoting Shakespeare)

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me"

King Richard (Act V, Richard II, Shakespeare)

(pretty sure he said the correct quote but the subtitles are wonky)

*edit

i felt compelled to add the actual quote from the play ( also because I'll use any excuse to post David Tennant, especially as richard ii)

[lionofchaeronea]

A little Saturday poetry for you--perhaps a bit gloomy, but I hope not unduly so. The prompt was "a character visits a graveyard, mausoleum, or other resting place of the dead". Enjoy.

TEXT:

SOLILOQUY IN A NEW ENGLAND GRAVEYARD

There's moss grown on your name-- I don't know who you were. But that you grinned sometimes and sobbed Sometimes--of that I'm sure.

I don't know when you lived-- Your dates have worn away. You might have been born in Pilgrim times Or just the other day.

The angel who surmounts Your tombstone has no face. His wings have lasted, though, and grant A certain heavy grace.

Most likely you're just bones, Or even dust, by now. But kneeling in the cold, I feel That we were friends, somehow.

[ceruleanfrequency]

Being raised female was traumatizing. You can claim that statement is misogynistic or transmisogynistic all you want; that won't make it any less true.

I was raised in a highly religious environment with all the typical misogyny that accompanies it. Women must be subservient, your body is inherently sexual, you belong to God and your family and your husband and kids, etc.

It's something traumatizing to women in general, but it was extra traumatizing for me because I am a man.

But I can't say that, because what people hear is: I solved the problem by making myself superior to women.

This is unbelievably untrue. I identified with womanhood for many years. I felt solidarity, not superiority. Even now, I have to explain to well-meaning cis men how things are from a feminine perspective. I always feel a step removed from cis men when they make it quite obvious that they have no idea what misogyny is like.

And the transmasc hate makes it feel like no one in the community fucking believes me.

If I were a lesbian, people would find my disgust with compulsory sexuality understandable. But because I use the word "man", it means I have inherently misogynistic intentions. I can protest all I want, but way deep down that is the reason.

If I want any of that acknowledged, I must side with radfems treat my biological sex as more authentic than my manhood. If I want to be a real man, I must rewrite the narrative: I was so secure in my inherent male superiority that misogyny slid off me like water off a duck.

I would not have been told that shit if I were a boy in that environment. I would have been told other, equally damaging bullshit, but I would not have been damaged the exact same way.

That does NOT mean trans women were less traumatized having been raised male, were socialized male, have male privilege, etc, or that they do not face their own brand of misogyny. I'm fully aware women and those perceived as such are at a larger disadvantage, trans and women of color even more so.

I'm not interested in saying I have it worse than anyone, or that I do not have some form of male passing privilege, or that feminism should be foremost about men. I can perpetuate just as much misogyny as the next person, including the women who pushed sexism on me.

All I'm saying is that I, as a transgender man, have not a tangential but a personal stake in feminism. And as long as the community is largely uninterested in thinking outside a binary, no matter how trans inclusive, this sort of pain will never exist to them. And it sucks.

[octopath-traveler-ost]

Soliloquy - By Yasunori Nishiki

[hardoncaulfield]

Hi friends, help me trans my gender!

I'm Will, I'm a transmasc non-binary person living in the UK and I want to start testosterone.

You might be aware that accessing gender affirming healthcare in the UK is both stressful and bloody difficult. Waiting times on the NHS can stretch to years - I don't want to have to wait years to feel at home in my body & therefore I need your help.

I'm looking to raise eight hundred pounds to cover the initial assessment, follow-up appointments and private prescription fees. If you can give any amount (even 50p, I am deadly serious, give me 50p) I would be incredibly grateful.

click here to help a fellow out!

[menacingpolkamusic]

"Your cats would eat you if you died" So?? You think I want them to starve???

[muffinrag]

she's literally so beautiful <3

[angels-in-the-electric-chair]

I once again think I’m funny & am being ruined by a Shakespeare play (it’s Hamlet this time)

[thatsbelievable]