#and make exercise more accessible for so many students...

[midwestgender]

for every sports team in a highschool they should have two. one for the people who are actually good at it on competitive level and then one for people who just want to do it for fun/exercise. i think Fuck Around teams would be immensely popular actually

[what-even-is-thiss]

Free or Cheap Spanish Learning Resources So You Can Run at Windmills in Fluent Spanish

I will update this list as I learn of any more useful ones. If you want general language learning resources check out this other post. This list is Spanish specific. Find lists for other specific languages here.

For the purposes of this list "free" means something that is either totally free or has a useful free tier. "Cheap" is a subscription under $10USD a month, a software license or lifetime membership purchase under $100USD, or a book under $30USD. If you want to suggest a resource for this list please suggest ones in that price range that are of decent quality and not AI generated.

WEBSITES

Dreaming Spanish - A website that is also a YouTube Channel. This is a comprehensible input site with videos about a variety of subjects with multiple hosts from multiple countries. It has content for learners from absolute beginner to lower advanced. It lets you sort videos by dialect, subject, length, etc. The free version has a lot of content. The paid version is $9 a month and has many more videos and allows you to track your listening hours. The website is in English but all videos are entirely in Spanish.

Lawless Spanish - A free website with resources to learn Spanish relating to grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. The website also has worksheets, charts, an AI chatbot, and reviews of different learning resources. The website is in English.

Spanish Boom - A free website with beginner lessons and free readings with audio and visual aids. They're also associated with a service called Esidioma that provides paid courses with tutor help for around $23 and also sells books. Prices are in Euros but they also sell to people outside of Europe. The website is available in multiple languages.

studyspanish.com - A website with free verb drills and grammar lessons. It's commonly used by high school Spanish students. They also have a blog that hasn't updated in a while but there is an archive to read through. They have a paid tier with access to their podcasts, vocab lessons, and their Spanish learning app which is $10 a month or $120 for a lifetime membership. The website is in English.

Speaking Latino - A website marketed at Spanish teachers but it's in English and has guides to colloquial Spanish and slang in a lot of different countries and a free blog with tips on sounding like a local in different countries. It has a paid tier but that's mostly useful for Spanish teachers. They also sell slang dictionaries for various countries that are usually less than $10.

UT Austin Spanish Proficiency Exercises - A bunch of free grammar, vocab, and pronunciation guides for various tasks you should be able to do in Spanish at various levels from one of my alma maters, the University of Texas at Austin. It's got videos of people from different countries pronouncing things. The podcast links often don't work for some reason but the grammar, vocab, and video links should work fine. The website is in English.

SpanishDict - A free dictionary website and app with a search feature that also has curated vocabulary lists on various topics and articles. They have a paid tier at $13 a month with a writing coach and subscriber only curated lists and articles. Personally I don't think their paid tier is all that special but it's up to you. The website is in English.

BBC Bitesize Spanish - Bitesize is a free study resource for kids and is sorted by level. It has articles aimed at little kids as well as secondary school aged teens studying for their exams or planning to study abroad. The website is in English and available worldwide, not just in the UK.

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Hola Spanish - A channel by a woman named Brenda from Argentina who makes videos about grammar, pronunciation, culture, media, and general Spanish tips for upper beginner to advanced learners. The channel is almost entirely in Spanish with occasional vocabulary words translated into English onscreen. There are subtitles in Spanish onscreen but sometimes they randomly disappear.

Butterfly Spanish - A channel with free lessons from beginner to lower intermediate. The host also makes videos about useful phrases and listening practice videos. The channel is mostly in English.

Spanish After Hours - A comprehensible input channel for beginner to intermediate learners with vlogs, history, Spanish tips, and news. The descriptions and video titles are in English but the videos are all in Spanish. The channel host is from Spain.

Easy Spanish - A channel part of the easy languages network that makes a combination of videos with useful phrases and terms for beginners and interviews on the street with locals. They have teams in both Barcelona and Mexico City and there are dual language subtitles in Spanish and English onscreen. The hosts also have a podcast for intermediate to advanced learners.

My Daily Spanish - A catchall channel that has lessons, discussions of grammar, culture topics, vlogs, vocabulary, and other various things. The host is from Spain and also makes a lot of YouTube shorts. She mostly speaks in Spanish but occasionally uses English or has English translations onscreen.

Spansh Boost with Martin and Spanish Boost with Mila - These channels are run by a couple from Argentina who also work as tutors on italki. They often appear on each other's channels and both have their own podcasts and vlogs and general content videos that they make discussing their lives, giving tips, and discussing culture. Mila also makes a lot of videos playing the sims.

Spanish Boost Gaming - Run by Martin from Spanish Boost, this is a lets play channel in clear and easy to understand Spanish. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish and a few other languages as well and it's an actual let's play channel. He plays a variety of video games, makes jokes, and says cuss words and everything.

Mextalki - A channel run by a couple of guys from Mexico city that has listening practice, podcasts, street interviews, and Mexican Spanish specific lessons. Some videos have dual language subtitles onscreen while others do not. The channel is majority in Spanish but in a few lesson videos or portions of videos they will speak in English a bit.

Espanol Con Juan - A channel that teaches Spanish in Spanish from upper beginner to upper intermediate. Juan has grammar lessons, vocabulary lessons, and videos about culture. He is from Spain and the channel is entirely in Spanish. He also has a podcast for more advanced learners.

READING PRACTICE

Vikidia - A wikipedia type website specifically made for kids. The articles are short and written in more simple easy to understand Spanish. The website is in Spanish and made for native speaker kids.

Spanish graded readers by Olly Richards - Spanish has short stories and dialogues for beginner and intermediate, books in easy Spanish on world war 1, world war 2, western philosophy, and climate change. There's also dialogue books specific to Mexican Spanish and Spanish used on social media. The books usually go from $5-$20 new depending on how old they are and whether or not you bought a digital copy. These are really easy to find at used bookstores for cheap though, especially in the US.

Conatilteg Digital - This is a mobile app that provides digital versions of the free textbooks for children provided by the Mexican Ministry of Education both historic and current. The link I provided is for iOS but the app is also available on android and the app is available in multiple countries and not just Mexico. The app is entirely in Spanish and categorized by grade from preschool to secondary school so it's a resource appropriate for all levels and may be enjoyable for any kids you know that are learning Spanish. You can also view their browser website here. (also entirely in Spanish)

Hola Que Pasa - A free website with news articles for learners from beginner to intermediate difficulty. They also provide audio and have the news articles available in podcast form. Every article has certain phrases highlighted that you can hover over and get and English translation of. The website is in a mix of English and Spanish.

Spanish in Levels - A world news website in Spanish for learners. The articles are separated into three different levels and the website is in a mix of English and Spanish. Each article also has audio.

PODCASTS

Spanish for False Beginners - An unscripted podcast about various topics hosted by a guy from the UK and a guy from Spain. The podcast is aimed at people who find beginner content to be boring but still find intermediate content to be too difficult. English is very rarely used.

Uforia/Univision - Uforia is a free app aimed at native speakers in the US and has Spanish language radio, music, and podcasts. Univision in general is also useful if you like American and international news and programming in Spanish.

Radio National de Espana - Another site for native speakers, this is Spanish National Radio. They have a variety of free podcasts and radio programs.

Spanish Obsessed - This is a series of lessons in podcast form for learners from absolute beginner to advanced.

Storylearning Spanish Podcast - This podcast tells different short stories in Spanish and is aimed at upper beginner to lower intermediate learners.

Radio Ambulante - A Spanish language podcast from NPR that's similar to something like This American Life that tells stories from around Latin America. Although it's aimed at native speakers, the language used is clear and understandable and transcripts are available. They're also aware that a lot of intermediate and advanced learners use them for listening practice and they have developed a free app that helps with comprehension and vocabulary when listening to their podcast.

SELF STUDY TEXTBOOKS

Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish - A self study textbook written in the late 80s that still mostly holds up for beginner to upper beginner Spanish. A paperback edition of the textbook is about $25 and used copies and ebooks are also usually available wherever you like to buy books. It's also half off on Amazon pretty often.

Complete Spanish step-by-step by Mcgraw Hill - This is a complete version of the McGraw Hill budget option, the spanish step by step series that focuses on the most frequently used words and grammar. It's $25 new but the individual books in the series usually cost less than $10 and used versions and ebooks are available.

Complete Spanish Grammar from Mcgraw Hill - This is a workbook as well as a textbook that usually costs around $20. The complete Spanish all in one version of the book costs about $40. Used versions of these books can be difficult to find because people tend to write all over them but ebook versions are available. You can also find their beginner workbook for around $18.

Practical Spanish Grammar - This book is usually around $25 but because it's not a workbook it's fairly easy to find used copies. An advanced grammar textbook is also available.

SERIES FOR LEARNERS AND KIDS SHOWS

Destinos - This is a series of over 50 episodes of a telenovela made for Spanish learners. The plot revolves around a group of siblings searching around the world for their long lost half sibling they just learned that they had so the series includes a lot of different Spanish dialects.

Extra Spanish - A 13 episode sitcom made to show in Spanish classrooms that revolves around a group of friends in Spain and a student that just moved there.

Dora la Expladora - Yeah if you remember Dora the Explorer from your preschool days it also unsurprisingly exists in Spanish. You can watch clips and some full episodes on YouTube and buy full seasons for around $8 each on Amazon.

PBS Kids in Spanish - A few PBS Kids shows like Cyberchase and Daniel Tiger have been dubbed into Spanish. The link I've given goes to a place to buy them on Amazon Prime but if you go digging on their YouTube channel or the PBS Kids website you also might be able to find them for free. They don't always make it easy to find though.

Plaza Sésamo - The Spanish language localization of Sesame Street for Mexican audiences with its own unique characters. The YouTube channel has a huge amount of content on it and often has episodes streaming live.

[backfliips]

As someone who admittedly has attention issues of my own, I think it's important to talk about how attention is a skill that can be learned and often requires conscious and focused effort to build. I think a lot of people despair over the current state of media --- short-form algorithm-driven content that is built to snare and lure and diminish people's attention spans for profit --- and while that despair is certainly built off of legitimate concerns, I want to stress that the damage being done is not irreversible.

Over the course of the COVID-19 lockdowns I fried my brain so intensely with tik toks and instagram reels that I was getting bored 2 seconds into a 5 second video and was finding myself scrolling so quickly that I wasn't even watching anymore. I was lethargic and unhappy and though my mood was definitely simultaneously impacted by the hovering doom of COVID-19 and living in complete isolation for months at a time (I don't recommend that, BTW), I found myself losing passion for the things I loved doing: drawing, reading, and writing. I felt miserable and useless and incredibly guilty for leaving my productive and fulfilling hobbies behind while I chased... not even happiness. Just something to occupy my brain and turn it into mush.

As time passed I realized that I wasn't even having fun on tik tok anymore. I'd see funny videos and get a rush of endorphins, and then the next second I would have completely forgotten what I just watched. I was refreshing social media pages to see numbers I didn't even care about. Everything was an endless loop of swapping between different apps, just time passing and passing and my attention span dipping lower and lower until I would go for days without feeling any sense of joy or accomplishment.

And this was most definitely aided by the fact that I was unemployed and stuck in a terrible worldwide epidemic, but as soon as I deleted the tik tok app and put harsh time limits on instagram (15 minutes a day, which I rationed compulsively) I suddenly wanted to draw again. I started reading books again. I started writing and spending time outside and getting inspiration from the world around me.

Now, years later, I work with teenagers whose lives are dictated by their phones. My coworkers often lament the state of the world today --- which, again, is a valid stance to have --- but in the few months after my workplace implemented a no phones policy, I watched disengaged students bounce back to productivity. Instead of scrolling during lectures they paid attention and asked questions and engaged their peers in conversation. During lunch they played board games and talked to each other. Students even told me about how they didn't even want to go on their phones when they got home from school!

It isn't perfect, and I'm not advocating for a world devoid of phones, but I just want to highlight that these neural pathways can be built and exercised. People's brains are resilient and fascinating and much stronger and more adaptable than many people are willing to give them credit for.

I've expanded my time limits across more apps on my phone, setting days where I can't even access social media at all from my phone, and in that short period of time I've found myself far more engaged with the world around me. I've been zipping my phone up in a bag instead of keeping it in my pocket, adding a step to access it, and I've found that that alone is keeping me from using it to a huge degree. I'll toss my phone across the room when I find myself on it when I don't have any reason to be scrolling. And it's helping!

My main message here is that it's never too late to focus on your focus. Change and improvement doesn't happen until you make an effort on your own.

[impactrueno]

Hello Spike! I hope your doing well. I had some questions I wanted ask you, since you are from Venezuela. Sorry If I got something wrong, I'm still learning about Venezuela politics and I'm trying to use the resources available to me, but is Venezuela a fascist country? so many sources say its socialist but that doesnt make sense, isnt M*duro a dictator? my other question is, with the US turning into a fascist country, how bad will this affect Venezuela?

don't believe for a second that venezuela is actually socialist, that's a blatant lie from our government lmao. frankly yeah, at times it lines up with fascism better than it does with socialism because this is a government of hypocrites. 🙃 but hey maybe that's just what authoritarian governments aka dictatorships feel like. to give you an example of how little they actually care about actually following leftist ideals, we're still one of the handful of countries in the americas that hasn't yet legalized same sex marriage. something so basic, and yet. i haven't been able to change my legal name either because there's no support for transgender people whatsoever.

(note that same-sex sexual activity was already legal before hugo chavez in 1997. chavez took over in 1998.)

the government took over private companies, meaning they remained private, just controlled by the government. not the workers. never the workers lol. the economy is still more capitalist than anything because pretty much all CEOs are affiliated with the government, and if there's something these people know how to do is steal people's money because they only care about themselves. all government people and their family live like kings while the official monthly minimum wage for the rest of the population is $2. yes two american dollars. i'm not kidding.

opposition is largely suppressed and censored. all news media is government affiliated, otherwise it gets shut down (or blocked in the country if it's a website, for example twitter has been blocked since last june and i can only access it with a vpn) and there are quite a few foreign activists being paid to shill for our government and talk about how great it is.

you know, i've been paying attention to US news regarding trump and it's actually horrifying to see him essentially speedrunning what chavez and maduro did here in the past couple of decades. it's insane how similar they are. and it's scary too because i know where that leads, and it's something i never thought could even happen in the US. idk i just figured people wouldn't let it happen. but they did, because for some insane reason they voted for trump again. and now it's a horror show every day with every news i read.

i still don't know how that will affect venezuela because both trump and maduro act like children and make deranged decisions on a whim. trump's been sending venezuelan refugees back here, the place they literally had to escape from. if you speak up against the government in any way, you are not safe. hundreds of journalists detained and taken to el helicoide (a torture center) for daring to report the truth. hundreds of students detained and killed for exercising their right to protest. last year around the elections i had to deactivate my twitter for almost a month until things calmed down because i had been posting a lot of informative threads about our situation. i had to stop because they were actively hunting people down. it was blatant terror tactics and i hate that it worked on me

the tariffs thing is going to fuck with literally every country in the world, not just us. i guess we'll just get more stuff from china now? i don't even know what to expect but our already shaky economy is gonna tank because of it for sure. btw did you know our currency is so worthless that we all use USD cash now? it's not official or anything but it's all we got lol. we do still use bolivars for some things and you can pay anything in bolivars if you so choose, but when you look at stores, everything is in USD. our country is a joke lol

i gotta stop there because i think this is getting a bit disjointed and talking about venezuela makes my blood boil sometimes lol but i hope that answers your question. be vigilant of sites spreading pro-chavez/maduro propaganda; it will be very obvious once you pay attention to how things are written 🥴 if you want a clear example of what propaganda reads like, check whitehouse.gov LMFAOOO (i'm serious, the articles they've been posting since trump won are another level of insane, what the fuck is this timeline)

anyway i sincerely hope trump gets an aneurysm or some shit before he ends up pissing off the american people into taking to the streets so he can declare martial law. civilians vs military is not pretty.

[do-you-have-a-flag]

just read that article from new york magazine, "Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College - ChatGPT has unraveled the entire academic project."

didn't reveal anything new to me about the use and functioning of the plagiarism-grown, glorified auto-predict, language models that were rolled out so irresponsibly it means now anyone can waste water instead of their own time and effort. but was still fascinating to read, in a bleak way.

it's so interesting because cheating and corner cutting will always exist in education, whether out of desperation or laziness, it will always be there. but by university it truly is wild how many people are not actually there to learn, because at that point if you have a program do all your work for you you are fully not there to learn so why waste your time and money playing pretend at a degree. a degree you aren't qualified for because you did not do enough.

we aren't in a post-capitalist universal basic income world where the idea of a few individuals lightly supervising automation is feasible. the technology is not there and the culture and economic stability is not there. so when a professor in the article reasons to students “you’re not actually anything different than a human assistant to an artificial-intelligence engine, and that makes you very easily replaceable. Why would anyone keep you around?” that is not hypothetical. and in terms of the degrees just because the on paper grade says you passed doesn't mean you passed it means you curated automated responses that pass with no actual guarantee of comprehension or retention of information on your part.

and there are tools and templates and minor automations that can be used to supplement your own efforts! they take longer but not that significantly, and more importantly they are less likely to impede the actual practice of learning to implementation.

that's what a lot of people who cheat or use these tools in this way seem to miss.

let me pull out three paraphrased statements of possible justifications from this article:

The education system is flawed

These exercises are irrelevant

I'm bad at organisation

these are all experientially true to my experience of education at various points. and the first point exacerbates issues with 2 and 3 to where students can feel overwhelmed or underprepared or frustrated for various reasons. however where i differ personally from the choice making of these students, is that while i never had access to such a powerful tool i still never chose to cheat or cut corners with things like chapter summaries instead of reading a book, or getting someone else to write for me, or any other obvious forms of cheating/plagiarism.

and the reason for this is not lack of frustration or feelings of antagonism towards the system or confusion over content or lack of organisation skills (all issues i had). it's that throughout my education, i am talking back to primary school, i always tried to figure out WHY we were doing the work assigned to us. what in our studies is it trying to get us to engage with, what methods does it force us to put into use to communicate that knowledge, and how much of the information have we comprehended and retained. some assignments are bad at the execution of these goals but if you can see what the goals are you can still benefit from attempting to achieve them while meeting the requirements enough to pass. IMPORTANTLY the process of doing this frustrating and often inefficient process helps not just critical thinking skills but also is how you actually learn things.

no one else can know stuff for you. it makes sense to outsource a basic sum to a calculator app on your phone, but this means you are not a mathematician. if you use a chapter by chapter summary to write a book report you have not read that book. if you read the wikipedia article for a movie you have not watched that movie. all of these are more verifiable sources of information than language models.

if you get a transcript of a lecture you did not attend and use a chatbot to make notes for you then you did not attend that class- if you read the transcript and take notes and then use the chatbot and compare the difference at least then you used your capacity for thought to process the information and assess it through comparison.... but it would be better to find a classmate and compare notes with a peer so you both have the opportunity to not only check how well you understood the lecture/refresh the information covered, but also a much lower stakes chance to try out communication skills than the group assignments and oral presentations often assigned for this purpose. and on top of that you get to socialise and network with someone in your field of study in a way that benefits both of you.

i'm not even against the use of machine learning models generally, i think they are useful in a repetitive task automation and data scanning context. but why are we delegating things like Knowing Stuff and Human Connection to the 1 and 0 machine that might as easily sell our info as have it leaked to hackers. what kind of cyberpunk surveillance dystopia are we shrugging lazily into? you do not have to pay all that money to pretend to be a competent professional. and if that sounds harsh it's because it is. there are enough scammers and barely qualified people succeeding in this world.

you do not have to dedicate your life to labours that you are not capable of, at the very least be honest with yourself of your own capacity for thought and action. genuinely try to figure out if you are using this technology because of a 'can't' or a 'won't'

it's not a tool if it knows more than you- it's a tool if you could do the job without it.

[infiniteeight8]

Trying to figure out what to prompt. I mean, I've got a list, but one must exercise moderation. So... hmm, going to ask for a continuation, I think.

Specifically a continuation to one you wrote way back in May - Tony sees Stephen in dreams before they meet (https://archiveofourown.org/works/56710720).

Excited for you to be back! I love your writing!

Thank you! Glad to be back. And prompts are loved, but moderation is also appreciated. 😄

This is less a sequel and more of a companion fic, I think. We get Stephen’s POV here.

The first fic in this mini-series is here.

-

Meditation is the first thing anyone learns at Kamar-Taj. Both the regular type of meditation and the special kind of meditation that the Masters say will widen a sorcerer’s access to dimensional energy. 

They warn him that the practice may open other connections. “Report any unusual experiences, thoughts, or dreams to Master Gurung,” his teacher says. “There are predators and malevolent spirits that could take advantage of the increased openness of your minds.”

Stephen swallows a scoff. Despite his experience with the Ancient One, his instinctive reaction to most things at Kamar-Taj is still disbelief. All of this is real, he reminds himself. Still, he doesn’t expect any ‘unusual experiences, thoughts, or dreams.’

The night after his very first meditation lesson, Stephen has the most vivid dream of his life: Tony Stark sits in a workshop of steel and glass, surrounded by holograms, AC/DC blaring. 

That’s all. Nothing happens. But when he wakes the dream is sharper, brighter, more real than a memory, and Stephen has an impressive memory. He reports it to Master Gurung immediately, as much because he’s unsettled as because he’d been told to.

“You’ve formed soul connection,” Master Gurung says.

Stephen frowns. “Soulmates are real?”

Master Gurung makes a dissatisfied noise. “That is an oversimplification. Soul connections form for many reasons. Sometimes those are romantic, yes, but more often the souls involved have travelled together in previous lifetimes, or they are bound together by some immense event, past or present.”

‘Immense event’ doesn’t sound like a good thing. Stephen would almost prefer a romantic connection. “Does it run in both directions?”

“Yes,” Master Gurung says.

Well. Stephen will have to study fast; Stark doesn’t seem like the type to write off dreams like these, and Stephen refuses to be an ignorant student when he arrives.

[adoratato]

☕

Optimal school reform?

Ooo I have a LOT of opinions about this but also I'm experiencing major brain fog so idk if this will be in any coherent but here we go

First off for some context my reference points for this is the Scottish education system.

For general school reform, smaller classrooms and pay teachers more, like 20 students max and if you cant have smaller classrooms then have more than one teacher teaching. It adds less stress for the teacher and each child can be given more attention, especially students who are struggling with the material.

Also later starts in the day. No kids brains are fully functioning when they have to be at school at like 830/9am especially if they have to take a long bus journey and what's the point in that if they are tired they're not learning much

W also have to change up PE it sucks. There is not enough variety in how its taught (its 95% ball sports) so if you're not good at that you're going to learn to hate exercise. But I truly do believe that there is at least one exercise that a person will enjoy out there. We should show kids as many of these as we can to give them options. Related to this, make it more about moving your body in ways that's enjoyable and less about being the best and/or punishing yourself because you're unfit it's just an unhealthy mindset to have

More! Practical! Skills! There is too much focus on getting into university and while that's great and also you can use a lot of the skills learned in the subjects in other areas (like critical thinking in English or logic in maths). I think there needs to be more of a focus on other skills as well and not just life skills like how to research things, or cooking etc. I also think there should be more of a focus on vocational jobs, even if its not offering classes helping students know that it's an option and giving them more access to these things I think should be a priority.

Also generally, I think there should be more of a focus on Scottish traditions. At least in my experience there really wasn't much. Like outside of teaching us ceilidh dances and the jacobites there's not much focus and I think there should be more of that. Like teach me about gaelic, different folklore, music, etc.

Thankfully one thing i do believe in which is no/less testing. We do seem to be moving away from this since the SQA is being dissolved but we'll see how the alternatives are when they come out. I think there should be less of a focus on memorisation and more about showing that you truly understand a subject and also the ability to research things

This is super long and I do need to start making dinner so I'm going to post my specifics about primary and secondary school reforms later. I hope this was enjoyable to read

[neoliberalbrainrot]

Fuck, I'm not traumatized enough for this

Means-testing is a quintessentially liberal idea. Instead of presenting a program or benefit (eg: student debt relief) as a human right available to everyone, liberal politicians often make sure it’s means-tested, restricting the benefit to only those who fit certain criteria. These criteria are usually numerical, reflecting the neoliberal obsession with quantification and collection of data. This doesn’t help people who fluctuate above and below the threshold, and it hurts people who do qualify when they aren’t able to get through the bureaucracy in order to claim their benefit.

What does this have to do with trauma?

The means-testing of trauma and oppression is sometimes seen as a useful method of determining someone’s moral superiority in leftist spaces which, I think, are corroded by neoliberal brainrot. The thing being gatekept can vary widely; it might be a community of some kind or something more specific like a publishing opportunity. The basic idea is that you must be this oppressed to enter. Someone’s perceived identity is used as a way of determining how much trauma they have purely from demographic information, remarkably similarly to real means-tested programs, and has nothing to do with the person’s actual life experience.

Because means-testing implies a kind of quantification, if only between more or less, a hierarchy of suffering can be constructed and further used as an indicator of moral purity. The most oppressed person in a group might be seen as morally correct more often, as if there is a neat spectrum of moral correctness. In addition, this person, despite being considered morally correct, might not actually benefit from this perception if they are marginalized and face marginalization from the same people putting them on a pedestal.

This is similar to the phenomenon colloquially called the Oppression Olympics, a competition to see who is more oppressed. The pejorative name is used by those who think it is a pointless exercise that detracts from making meaningful change. In the vast majority of cases, it is, and the discussion only serves to boost the ego of the winner of the competition and cement their status within the community.

Sometimes there is even a chasm between the material status of the person who “won” the Oppression Olympics and the person who is, when measured through more objective metrics, actually the most oppressed. This is a potential avenue for elite capture; someone who is able to communicate their experience using the potent buzzwords of the scene or who otherwise has more social capital may be able to capture the clout that comes with being recognized as the most oppressed.

The competitive nature of this exercise plays into neoliberal subjectivity, with its focus on being the best, or in this case, the most oppressed. Oppression is a competition—like the Olympics. This implies there’s something to be gained. And if there’s something to be gained, is there also an incentive to lean into any experiences of oppression you can claim? I’ve observed this behavior in people, but calling them out on it is an extremely risky and usually futile proposition.

There is actually no need to determine who is the most oppressed in the vast majority of situations, so engaging in this debate takes valuable time away from doing literally anything else. It also strongly implies that vulnerability is mandatory, that you must share your experiences of marginalization in order to be seen as moral enough for the cause. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had icky feelings when presented with an obligation to list off all the identities I can claim, as if they’re synonymous with the problems in my life.

Of course, there are many situations where it is appropriate to means-test access to a resource; for example, if there is a limited about of funding to distribute to people with the greatest need. In writing this post, I’m mainly thinking of social dynamics in activist groups and even in social groups that just happen to be left-leaning. This is trend among modern leftist “culture,” if culture can be defined as behavioral and belief patterns in a group of people.

Whatever the case, I still think it’s important to examine the idea that means-testing and hierarchies of oppression emerge as viable concepts only because neoliberal ideology is the water many Americans swim in. It might just seem natural to place a more oppressed person (whatever this actually means) higher in the hierarchy, but why? Whether or not it’s the right thing to do, why does it seem natural? Is the hierarchy important to understanding the situation, or is it being emphasized because someone stands to gain something from its enforcement? Is it being built only because the people involved are used to thinking that way? Does it create problems where there weren’t any before?

PS: if you find my writing interesting or educational, please reblog! like artists, writers depend on reblogs to make sure new audiences see their work. thanks for reading!

[thebreakfastgenie]

Would you pleeeeeeeeease tell us the story of your mom teaching an illegal sex ed class?

Sure!! It's probably not as interesting as I make it sound haha but basically in Ohio, by law, public schools can only teach abstinence-only sex ed. My mom, who worked in public health in HIV/AIDS during the AIDS crisis, hates abstinence-only more passionately than anyone on the internet. She used to complain to the manager when stores kept their condoms behind the counter where you had to ask for them and she would also compliment stores where the condoms were easily accessible.

So for a while in the early 2000s my mom worked at a very small but public school (the same weird school I've posted about going to). This school was beholden to all the public school regulations and laws, so by law any sex education had to be abstinence-only.

My mom ignored that and taught actual sex ed to the high school students. She focused her curriculum on decision making and making the choices that are right for you and also taught them about protection and everything. At one point the director of the school who was extremely Catholic (I've been to this woman's house, you would not believe how many Jesuses there are) walked in while the students were doing a role play exercise about making sure your partner had a condom and was just like "carry on."

[linkemon]

Vivi (Baji Keisuke x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

[ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ] ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜꜱɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱʜᴇ ꜰᴇʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴀᴊɪ ᴋᴇɪꜱᴜᴋᴇ. ꜱʜᴇ ʙᴇɢɪɴꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ, ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴀꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ…

ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: 1. ᴏɴᴇꜱʜᴏᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ꜱᴘᴏɪʟᴇʀꜱ.

[Reader] looked around the library. Dust particles danced in the bright light streaming from the huge windows. Some students fought over access to computers. The teacher on duty tried to calm them down. Most people, however, sat quietly, with their noses in books. They were cramming for exams. Two people glanced her way quickly from time to time. That's why she always hid in that corner, away from watchful eyes. The rumors about meeting Baji outside of class didn't do her any good. No one close to her approved of this. They heard various things about him, often untrue. They were afraid and rightly so.  

She looked at her notebook again that afternoon. She did all her homework. She also managed to study for all the tests. She had nothing left. She tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. She was dying of boredom. How long can you do one exercise? Keisuke has proven to her many times that there are people in the world who are not suitable for mathematics. No matter how much she tutored him, he was hopeless. Many times she wanted to give up but then she remembered his mother. Mrs. Baji fell into despair after her son had to repeat a grade. She didn't want it to happen again, so she actually begged her young neighbour to do something about his hopeless state of knowledge. She didn't have much money but she often cooked her favourite dishes and invited her to dinner. To this day, the girl still doesn't know how she managed to make up for all the gaps in the boy's education. The worst thing was that he really tried. She supervised him at every opportunity. Sometimes, late at night, she saw the lamp on in his room. And yet, he simply couldn't stick certain things in his mind forever.  

— What strategy did you use? — [Reader] asked, wanting to break the silence. She couldn't sit like this forever.  

— None — Keisuke coughed. — I don't know how to start this task.  

— Why didn't you say anything?! — The girl ran her hand over her face resignedly.  

— You seemed deep in thought — he replied calmly.  

— Take off those glasses. Right now.

She couldn't look at the pair of glasses on his nose anymore. Not only did he not look like himself but his eyesight was also ruined. The guys in the gang told him that if he put them on, he would become smarter. It didn't really work. And certainly not when it comes to school.  

— What for? — he asked.  

She reached towards him. He had more beautiful hair than herself. She admitted it reluctantly. He wore his long black locks in a ponytail. She pulled the elastic band off, letting them fall freely. He looked very handsome. If he walked like this every day, many students would surely send him love letters. Maybe it was better that only she had the privilege of seeing him like this...  

— Standard tactics don't work on you — she said. — When you're getting ready for a fight, you look like you do now. Imagine that these exercises are enemies and you're about to kick their ass.  

— How do you know what I look like when I fight? — Baji grinned. — Someone is watching me...  

— First of all, I'd be a fool not to look at you. — The boy's reaction was priceless. For a moment he was completely confused. He wasn't used to anyone responding to him like that. Certainly not apart from the people of Tokyo Manji. — And secondly, focus. — She pointed to the notebook.  

He cracked his neck and clenched his fist. For a moment, he looked like he was really about to go and kick the young students a few shelves away. Eventually, however, he began to read the text eagerly. He used two large sheets of paper. He drew and scribbled furiously. After a few minutes of scribbling, he gave girl the exercise. It's true that he calculated the delta incorrectly but it was a start. Especially compared to what was before.  

— If I do the next task, will you give me a kiss? — His low, gravelly voice sounded somewhere close to her ear.  

She knew he was teasing her but it still felt nice. He didn't joke like that with everyone. Keisuke didn't allow women near him at all. Outside of her. And she was very flattered to be the exception.  

— We both know you won't do it — She leaned towards him.  

The academic level of difficulty was clearly marked with the exercise. While she would have had a chance against it, he would almost certainly have failed at the very start.  

— I was hoping you'd care enough to help me. — He laughed. — It's time for me — he announced, getting up from the table.  

Toman was probably going to the meeting again. He'll put on a black jacket, get on his bike and go give someone a good beating. It never really scared her. Yes, he could be brutal but he never attacked people who didn't know what they were getting into. She had seen him deal with guys who harassed girls at school more than once. He often saved his younger colleagues from being attacked by nasty bullies. He didn't brag about it at all. He did it after class. Usually, no one recognized him afterward anyway because he looked very different at school and outside of it.  

It was no exaggeration to say that she had fallen in love with Baji. He showed her his other, softer side. Like when he held her hair to keep it from falling into the bowl of ramen. Or when he helped her get to class on time because she overslept. And he once even said that if he had to choose one girl and go on a date, it would be [Reader]. The latter was an overheard conversation between him and Chifuyu. Somehow it turned out that she was just returning to her apartment. The boys sometimes liked to sit on the playground near the estate. It was then that the truth dawned on her. It wasn't flirting anymore, it was something else. Some kind of bond that they will probably develop into something more soon. She enjoyed it.  

She didn't even notice how much time she spent in the library.  

— [Reader]-chan, have you been sitting here all afternoon? — Her friend touched her arm gently.  

— Almost — the girl nodded.  

Sashimi had been very worried about her lately. She insisted on walking her home. She also often asked them to go out together. She didn't mind, although the frequency with which they did it was starting to tire her a little. In the end, though, [Reader] let her be dragged and they had a good time.  

— I thought you were just talking to someone... — Her friend looked worried.  

She probably guessed she spent time with Baji. She didn't want to upset her because Sashimi never liked the boy. She had formed an opinion about him a long time ago. Gangs were bad, dangerous and that's it. She would go even crazier knowing that this famous legend goes to the same school.  

— You must've misheard. — [Reader] waved her hand carelessly and put her things into her bag. — Let's go.  

***  

Something banged hard on the window. [Reader] took off her headphones, trying to figure out if she had misheard. The autumn wind sometimes blew a lot of garbage towards her house. Especially on days like this, where the sky looked like it was going to rain any moment.  

And yet the sound repeated itself. So she went to the window. She didn't expect to see Keisuke on the other side of the glass at all. A fat black tomcat trotted next to him. He wagged his tail impatiently and mewed loudly. He certainly didn't like this weather.  

— How did you get here, Baji-kun? — The girl glanced at him and then down.  

She let him inside, feeling the cool breeze of the approaching storm.  

— I climbed the tree. — He dusted the small brown leaves off his jacket.  

— Where did you leave the motorbike? — She glanced out the window again. There was no sign of his beloved vehicle anywhere.  

— One street away. Don't worry, I'm not that stupid. I know your folks don't like me.  

She breathed a sigh of relief. Her parents didn't like the boy. They certainly wouldn't be happy to see him. Recently, they clearly reminded their daughter that it was not a good idea to associate with such people. She protested for a long time and eventually they reached a compromise. However, she decided to stay out of their sight for now when the two of them are together. A sudden meeting certainly wouldn't improve the situation now.  

— You mentioned you weren't feeling well, so I came. — Keisuke sat down on the soft, plush carpet. He lazily stretched his legs and turned his head towards the ceiling.  

[Reader] widened her eyes. She had indeed written him a message but the last time she checked, he had not read it or replied. She thought he wouldn't really care. After all, everyone can have a bad day sometimes. Meanwhile, he escaped from the meeting with the gang. In addition, he made this strange but impressive entrance. She felt stupid. She was wearing unsophisticated, crumpled clothes and funny, old-fashioned slippers. She furtively brushed her hair as he admired the photos in her room, just to look a little more put together.  

— Cool slippies. Do you feel like a grandma already? — Her friend grinned.  

He seemed genuinely amused by the concept of stuffed cats on her feet.  

— Says the guy who wore glasses and thought they would make him smarter... — [Reader] showed him the middle finger.  

She felt embarrassed. Not that she didn't like wearing those slippers but now her neighbour certainly wouldn't let her live. He definitely won't miss the opportunity to remind her about it during some tutoring.  

— I thought if I brought him back it would make you feel better — Baji nodded at the animal hanging out in the middle of the room.  

The fat cat put his head under the girl's hand. She took him onto her lap. She stroked the fluffy ball steadily. The black fur was extremely soft. Baji certainly brushed it. She knew that the boy dealt with stray cats. He devoted what little time he had left from the day to taking care of them. His mother complained about how much fur they left in his room. And also what part of the monthly budget they consume. But she could always be placated. All it took was the pleading looks of a few animals and the promise that her son would start studying. Everything had been going on this way for several years. There were no signs of change.  

There was something nice about sitting here with Keisuke in the warmth when it was starting to rain outside. Talking about trivial matters brought peace of mind. Even if they didn't cover any specific topics. His mere presence helped cheer her up.  

— Why exactly did you feel bad today? — Baji asked at one point. — Do I need to beat someone up?  

She saw in his eyes that he was asking seriously. If someone actually hurt her, he would be ready to go and hit whoever she pointed out. He probably wouldn't even ask what, how or why.  

— You don't have to hit anyone. She laughed. After a while, however, she sighed heavily. — I've just had a terrible headache lately and I'm not in a good mood. There is no specific reason.  

The boy looked at her carefully, then put his hand to her forehead and immediately took it away.  

— What are you doing? — [Reader] looked at him, amused.

— I'm checking for a fever — he said.

She put her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Still, she snorted quietly. She couldn't help herself.  

— You wouldn't be able to check anything by swatting your hand like that! Have you watched some kind of romantic movies?

His face confirmed that yes, he had watched the them. As silly as it was, it was also a bit romantic. Therefore, she spared him further suffering and changed the topic of conversation.  

A black kitten was circling the room. At first he acted normal but then he became a bit uncomfortable. He walked around in circles, unable to find a place.  

— What is it about? — The girl scratched him behind the ears.  

— He probably misses me — Keisuke said.  

As if on cue, the animal began to meow. A long wail echoed through the room.  

— [Reader], is that a cat? I thought you were talking to someone. — Her mother's voice came from the living room.  

She was probably watching TV and the sound only now reached her ears.  

— It's just a new ringtone on your phone! — the daughter shouted. — I talked to Sashimi!  

She looked pointedly at her guest. They should have been in bed long ago. Tomorrow was another day at school.  

— I think it's time for me to go — Baji said, straightening his jacket.  

She opened the window. The cat jumped out first, even though it was already starting to rain outside. He meowed goodbye and jumped straight into the tree. Keisuke followed him.  

***  

[Reader] was walking along a quiet street with Baji. The area was desolate. Few people were out this late in the evening. And certainly not in November. However, the starry sky encouraged them to continue walking. So she pulled her jacket tighter around her, trailing after the boy.  

At one point, she saw a familiar, blond hair. It stood out in the grey-brown landscape. The light from the lamps reflected from it from a distance.  

— Matsuno-kouhai! — she exclaimed.  

The younger colleague turned towards her. Keiji gave her a scolding look. It was supposed to be just the two of them. And now they will have company.  

— Good evening, [Reader]-san… — Chifuyu's face showed concern. He stood still for a moment, as if he didn't know what to say. — How do you feel?  

He had always been formal with her but probably not that formal. She suspected that he had a crush on her some time ago. However, he felt respect for Baji and that was probably why he tried to suppress his feelings. Since she realized this, she saw him less often. She didn't want to break his heart even more.

— All right. Thanks for asking, although it's a rather strange question. — The older friend smiled slightly.  

— You took it the worst of all of us and it seemed to me that… — The unfinished sentence hung in the air.  

She noticed with horror that tears were dancing in the corners of kouhai's eyes. He lowered his head and quickly wiped them away.  

— What are you talking about? — asked the girl. She felt like she was missing something. As if it was something she should know.  

She looked at Keiji. However, he shrugged. Apparently he had no idea what was going on either.  

— I don't think we understand what you're talking about.  

— We don't? — The boy looked at her with surprise. He seemed genuinely shocked.  

— Something's wrong? We have no idea. We were here all evening. — She gave him a worried look.  

— [Reader]-senpai, what what kind of we are you talking about? — he asked with a serious expression.  

— Me and Baji-kun. Who else do you see here?  

Chifuyu's eyes widened for a moment. Like he really couldn't believe something. She didn't understand at all why he had this reaction. He grabbed her shoulders tightly and shook her.  

— [Reader]-senpai, Baji-san is dead…  

She felt as if someone had hit her. She grabbed her head. Excruciating pain ripped through her skull. As if something was trying to come to the surface. Everything inside her was turning over. She felt like vomiting.  

— But... he's here...  

She wanted to say that he was still here but when she looked back, she saw no one. Only an empty sidewalk and a few rustling leaves.  

— He was here just a moment ago! — she shouted desperately, looking around.  

She looked fat the boy in disbelief, feeling something bursting in her head. Some fragments of memories seemed to deform and blur. Was he in the library with her? Did he come to her room? Was she walking with him just now? 

— He committed suicide. Less than a week ago. On Bloody Halloween — Chifuyu said in a quiet, pained voice. — You were with me at his funeral. You are standing in front of a cemetery. — Matsuno hugged her tightly.  

She looked uncertainly to her right. He was right. Her legs brought her here. There was a gate in front of her. And beyond, there were rows of tombstones, decorated with flowers and incense sticks. Slowly everything came back to her. The sight of his cold, lifeless body. A gentle smile on his face as she said her final goodbyes to the corpse. His mother's despair as he was cremated. These senseless condolences from all my loved ones. As if they were going to bring him back to life.  

— It's not true! — she protested.  

She sobbed. His black jacket was darkened by the tears that dripped profusely down her face. She felt snotty. She sniffled again and again. The lights of the lamps were blurring more and more. The boy pulled her towards him. He held her very tightly and she knew he was crying too, although more quietly. She howled with shock and anger. To the world for being so damn unfair. At herself for not noticing anything. At Baji for leaving and not thinking about how she and his mother would feel. At Hanemiya because he was the one who pushed him to do this. And also on Tokyo Manji because they were shitty friends. Everyone was guilty. And now there was nothing that could be done about it because there was no way to turn back time.  

She blinked hard. She thought she saw Keiji for a brief moment. With his cheeky smile, on a motorbike and a black cat next to him.  

— Don't go — she sobbed.

***  

[Reader] took out Peyoung Yakisoba from the bag and handed Chifuyu the chopsticks. They ate in silence. This became their ritual. Ever since their friend left, they kept their promise. They left him his favourite dish according to his last wish. They emptied the package halfway and then placed it on the monument. They hoped he would like it. 

The woman extended her hand towards Matsuno. He grabbed her and squeezed it tightly. They didn't give up. Even though everyone around seemed to have come to terms with Baji's death. They were still working. With each passing day they were getting closer to getting rid of Kisaki. Revenge became, as it were, their driving force. And yet, somewhere in these negative feelings, there was also room for love. 

For a long time, they wondered what Keiji would say if he saw their relationship. He would probably laugh and say he was jealous. But then he would wish them luck. She knew it. If it weren't for this feeling, they certainly wouldn't have decided to do all this.  

She had support in the man walking by her side. He understood her better than anyone else.  

— So where are we going for dinner today? — [Reader] asked.  

— I have no idea. There will probably be a lot of food at the board meeting but I wouldn't want to eat at the same table with them. We'll figure something out when I get back. — Matsuno wrapped his arms around her waist and they moved towards the tall building towering over the entire city.  

[trans-duckling]

A Slow and Tender Love: Epilogue

Six months later, Kakashi was at his old family house preparing dinner. Gai and him had moved in together there almost two months ago, after giving up on finding a new perfect house that could fulfil all their needs. At the end, the Hatake suggested a renovation of the house he still owned far from the city center, and it was settled. With a lot reconstruction from Yamato’s part and their students helping to carry furniture and boxes, of course.

Point was, they were living together and it was good. That day, Kakashi had surprisingly left the office early and thus had taken up the task of preparing dinner; miso soup for him and curry for Gai. Just as he was about to finish, he felt the presence of the other man behind the front door and all his ninken running towards it. Thanks Kami, Ningame had chosen to go back to his realm earlier, or the dogs would have undoubtedly run him over.

“I’m home, dear rival!” the man beamed per usual.

“I’m in the kitchen” he said, turning off the fire.

“It smell delicious! Wow, Biscuit, wait a moment before… Well, forget it.”

Upon walking to the main entrance, Kakashi saw Gai battling to pet all the ninken surrounding his wheelchair. Being an smartass, Biscuit had jumped onto his lap to have direct access to the taijutsu master’s face, licking him all over.

“How was work?” the Hatake asked as he shooed his dogs so he could bend down and kiss the other man.

“Invigorating! Although the late meeting at the Academy I didn’t enjoy that much, I must admit…”

“Understandable. I tried to escape mine, but Tenzo caught me.”

Gai chuckled while shaking his head disapprovingly. As he instructed the Hatake on the importance of behaving as an adult now that he was Hokage, they moved into the kitchen to have dinner. Kakashi had to take Biscuit down from Gai’s lap in order to avoid him getting a stomach ache from eating the curry.

As they ate —eight ninken making puppy eyes at them—, Kakashi offered little input to the conversation, mostly just enjoying the sound of his partner’s voice after such a tedious day at the office.

Overall, he didn’t consider their relationship had changed that much. They still participated in crazy challenges from time to time and went out with their friends. There was also the sex, which both enjoyed quite a bit. And then, the small things they had added to their routines. As taking care of their summons together. Or going shopping for groceries. Or cleaning the house during the weekend. All those activities helped to learn more about each other, opening Kakashi’s eyes to what Gai had meant when he asked for ‘more’ so many months ago.

Of course, they argued sometimes as well, but that was not uncommon before, either.

If there was something the Hatake had been surprised to discover he could enjoy, was sharing his alone time. It sounded contradictory, but it really wasn’t. Even if he liked being with Gai and hear him talk for hours, there were times in which he preferred to be in silence or feel like the room was empty. At the beginning, he had doubted the other man could understand what he was referring to, but Gai had shocked him saying that it was alright. He even suggested a signal for him to indicate when he needed to be truly alone and without anybody around. So far, he hadn’t used it.

See, Gai was able to stay quiet and act as a shadow when he wanted. That meant sometimes Kakashi would be reading in complete silence in the living room and the taijutsu master doing upper body exercises next to the sofa, and he wouldn’t notice —or rather acknowledge— him. It was as if his senses had gotten so used to the presence of Gai, that he was able to feel solitude even if he was in the room as well.

All things considered, the Hatake would say he liked the relationship they had developed. Even if initially he had been confused at what ‘more’ meant, he understood it then. In fact, he had been thinking lately on what ‘more’ could imply at that point. Fantasizing about it, one could say. And he had reached a conclusion. Of course, he would need the help of his romance novels and the advice of at least Kurenai, but he would make sure of creating the best proposal for Gai. One that proved how much he loved the other man. He wanted him to fall face-first from his wheelchair at the surprise. Kakashi had made that his own —and only— self-rule.

Maybe what they had was not the ‘slow and tender love’ Gai had been looking for, but it brought them happiness and that was all the Hatake cared about.

[ask-fantasy-sanders-sides]

I’m so glad to see y’all are okay 🥹🥹🥹

Also quick question if you don’t mind me asking, what is a wraith?

Virgil shakes Logan’s hands off, ignoring the lingering sting in his shoulders. 

“But I could do all that before I could do magic!”

“What are you talking about?” Logan sighs, exasperated, “You’re a sorcerer.”

“If I was caught doing magic growing up I would have been executed,” Virgil hisses pointedly, considering that Logan should already know this fun fact about his underground home, “Everyone can do the glow thing and summon shadows. That’s not magic! I didn’t have magic until two years ago.”

Virgil doesn’t mention Remus’s other accusations about ‘jumping too high’ and ‘falling too slow’ and running ‘too fast’ or ‘too far,’ because those are definitely natural. So what if he was outmatched in speed and agility in his regiment? Being agile isn’t magic, he just takes good care of his legs and exercises properly. It’s not his fault everyone else is so slow.

...Virgil doesn’t mention Remus’s other accusation about speaking with animals because he doesn’t want to think about that one.

“What is the definition of magic?” Logan asks, with the tone of a teacher quizzing a student who had fallen asleep at their desk. Virgil rolls his eyes,

“It’s the…” 

Well.

“..How should I know?!” He huffs, flipping his hood back up over his head and folding his arms to be completely covered under his cloak, like that will make him suddenly invisible to a man standing inches away.

Logan muffles a chuckle at his expense, then continues, “Magic is the ability possessed by some individuals to manipulate the ambient energies of the world to produce desired results in ways typically impossible by physical means, either through personal mental effort or in collaboration with the mental effort of an outside entity. At least, that’s the most widely accepted definition in the art.”

Logan reaches out, slowly, to lift Virgil’s hood as he speaks,

“Could another person — say, Patton — reasonably be expected to turn themselves into shadow at will though physical effort?”

“I don’t know, maybe.” Virgil grumbles, trying to imagining it. “Has he tried it?”

“I think we both know that it would be impossible. No offense to him, of course.”

“None taken.” Patton giggles from their left, updating Virgil on where he’s standing. Virgil wishes there weren’t so many people in their group who like to shuffle around in circles while he can’t see.

“In that case,” Logan retracts his hand, leaving Virgil to wonder what he did that for in the first place, “Did you never assume that the powers that be in your hometown simply decided what was ‘magic’ and what was not on a whim, in order to use that law as a pretense for execution?”

“Of course they did. They’re assholes.”

“So why are you so determined to call your magic something else? You believe what they said about your supposedly-not-magic abilities, but are aware they were lying to you. You realize that no one here will hurt you for having it, right?”

Virgil pauses for a moment, taking that in. He doesn’t exactly believe Logan that no one here will hurt him for having magic, but he is a little embarrassed to not have noticed that contradiction before. 

“You’ve been using magic your entire life. You’re just old enough now to be accessing more powerful spells.” Logan says with some finality, and Virgil can feel the way he’s smiling about it. 

“Hooray for me.” Virgil scoffs, dripping with sarcasm. It stings his throat a little, because of the damn faewild and its damn rules, but he’ll take it.

“Now, there is something to be said about how one of those spells you seem to be using purportedly no longer exists, but you’ve done that before.” Logan mumbles, “I would like to know what you mean about not having magic until two years ago.”

Before Virgil can even sweat about being asked such a question, Dee thankfully interrupts,

“The three of us were exploring some random cave system, and Virgil and Remus touched some radioactive rock,” Dee sighs, voice tinged with annoyance, but Virgil knows he’s more upset about the secret being out than the fact that it happened. “Since then, they’ve been having magical symptoms.”

Virgil can hear Roman’s affronted squawk to his left, “What symptoms?!”

“Oh my god, chill, I’m not hurt.” Remus sing-songs next to him, the sound of rustling fabric indicating that he’s started wrestling him again.

“—Pft! I wasn’t worried about you!”

“A tear in the Weave, perhaps?” Logan hums, “That would explain the wild magic. I would like to explore this place, eventually.”

“Too bad,” Dee chirps, and Virgil can practically hear the maliciously bemused smirk on his face, “None of us remember where we were. Unless you want to scour the entire mountain?”

“If I have the time.” Logan replies, completely seriously. Dee definitely didn’t like that answer, but Virgil can’t help but feel fond.

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Ask 157

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PCs available: Logan, Patton, Roman, Virgil, Janus, Remus, Annie

[narrativeglitch]

BEA Program | Bureau of Education & Astrobiological Advancement (Student Take over)

BEA Program | Bureau of Education & Astrobiological Advancement Internal Document: Prepared for Field Cohort 07 Compiled by Cultural Integration Officers R. Reyes & M. Socorro Verified by Tsahìk Mo’at and Tsyal

OVERVIEW

Location: Eastern Cloudforest Zone, Lower Hallelujah Range Clan Size: ~250 members Governance: Olo’eyktan Jake Sully, Tsahìk Mo’at Terrain: Dense rainforest, aerial roots, canopy bridges, bioluminescent flora Language: Na’vi (Omaticaya dialect)

[LEO (arrow drawn to “cloudforest”): “So. Many. Bugs.”] [VIX: “Also: watch out for vines. They're not always vines.”]

1. Kelutral – The Hometree

The cultural and spiritual heart of the Omatikaya. Towering, ancient, alive. Used for communal gatherings, rest, and spiritual grounding.

Great Hollow: Main gathering area for song, feasts, announcements.

Sleeping Platforms: Hammocks, woven alcoves tucked in bark hollows.

Tsahìk’s Chamber: Reserved for ritual work, healing, and communion with Eywa.

Council Alcove: Decision-making space. Entry by invitation only.

[JESSICA : It’s more beautiful than I thought it would be. Like the tree breathes.] [VIX: “Sidenote: Don’t touch the braided ropes unless you want Mo’at to look directly through your soul.”]

2. Training Grounds

Open jungle clearing used for combat training, rites of passage, and daily physical exercises.

Hunting Circle: Used for mock hunts, spear drills, and sparring.

Climbing Trunks: Massive vertical logs used for grip, balance, and stamina training.

Weapon Racks: Curated and guarded by senior hunters.

[LEO: “Got roped into a footrace with Sraykì. Still recovering.”] [VIX: “I thought it was a jungle gym. It was not.”]

3. Ikran Rookery (Banshee Cliffs)

High, sacred mountain ridge where young Na’vi form their life-bond with their ikran.

Bonding Ledge: Not accessible without direct Omatikaya escort.

Launch Ridge: Used for ceremonial first flights.

Nesting Hollows: Where ikran rest and nest.

[LEO (wrote in all caps): “DO. NOT. APPROACH. THE. CLIFF.”] [JESSICA: “They’re terrifying and gorgeous .”]

4. Eywa’s Mirror (Spirit Spring)

A sacred pool used for reflection, prayer, and visions.

Vision Basin: A smooth-water hollow surrounded by glowing stones.

Offerings Grove: Small items left in roots, feathers, beads, ash marks.

Entry by invitation only. Spiritual space. Silence is expected

[VIX: “Didn’t go in. Don’t plan to. Feels like it’s watching back.”]

5. Gathering Grove

A mossy circle beneath the trees used for dancing, storytelling, and moon celebrations.

Drum Stones: Hollowed trunks played during celebrations.

Fire Pit: Sometimes bio-glow, sometimes flame.

Performance Arch: Woven from living branches.

[LEO: “This is where Tayan’lo turns into a whole stage show.”]

[VIX: “10/10 would get hypnotized again.”]

6. Ancestral Bone Garden (Restricted)

A burial and honoring space tucked within a protected glade.

Spirit Posts: Carved wooden and bone markers for lost Na’vi.

Prayer Trees: Specific to family lines and lifebonds.

[LEO: “We didn’t go in. Even Spider won’t.”] [JESSICA: “It’s quiet. Sacred. Like something you just feel without words.”]

7. Utral Aymokriyä – Tree of Voices (Sacred Site)

A bioluminescent tree that connects Na’vi to ancestral memory and Eywa.

Neural Tendrils: Used for tsaheylu during spiritual communion.

Guarded by tradition. Access is extremely limited.

[LEI (small, circled): “I don’t think we’re meant to go here. I think that’s the point.”]

[VIX: “Looks like a jellyfish exploded in the most emotionally intense way possible.”]

8. Canopy Pathways & Watchposts

Suspended vine bridges and woven nest points used for scouting and safe travel.

Skybridges: High above ground, used daily by hunters.

Nest Posts: Small lookout perches hidden in the branches.

Trap Paths: Meant to deter wildlife or hostile humans.

[LEO: “Tried to walk one. Almost fell. Spider said I looked like a drunk sloth.”] [VIX: “It’s like being a tightrope walker but surrounded by 300 ft of beautiful murder.”]

STUDENT PROTOCOL – DO & DON’T

✅ DO:

Walk slowly. Speak softly. Ask questions respectfully.

Follow Melissa and Spider’s lead.

Listen more than you speak.

Carry extra oxygen and check canisters twice daily.

⛔ DON’T:

Enter sleeping areas uninvited

Attempt to handle weapons, mounts, or sacred plants

Mock, imitate, or mimic rituals

Speak during ceremonies unless directed to

[LEO: “That last one was bolded for a reason.”]

[triggerhappyhavac-academy]

pool

Oh my God! There's a pool! A pool, there's a pool!

Yes, I see that.

How facinating... Many new facilities have opened up to us.

Such a kind gesture from Monokuka, don't you think?

Well he did say he was just doing it to make us kill eachother so... I wouldn't exactly say kind.

But regardless of Monokuma's intent, having a place like this to exercise will make living here much more pleasant.

Yeah! And none of us are going to kill eachother anyway!

But isn't it kinda unsafe to give us access to changing rooms when there's no teachers to monitor us? I mean, what's stopping someone from...

Gyaa, you high schoolers and your nasty, deprived minds!

Uwaah!

It's simply not possoble! If you wanna unlock the locker room you'll have to swipe your personal e-Handbook across the card reader next to the door.

But only a boy's handbook can open the boys locker room, and the same goes for the girls! And that's the bottom line!

Hmm... But what if someone opens the door, and then someone else sneaks in?

Anyone who commits such indecency will be punished without mercy for their scandalous sexual depravity! See, there's a Gatling gun mounted on the ceiling, right? And it'll be all DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA DUKKA!

I bet it'd really hurt to get shot by that thing!

I believe that may be putting it lightly.

But what happens if someone loans their handbook to someone else? A boy could borrow a girl's handbook, and that would get them into the girls locker room, would it not?

Wh--!? That never even occurred to me! To think someone could be so low, so cowardly, so devilish!

Hmm... Okay, so how's this sound?

Time for a new rule! As of this moment, loaning your e-Handbook to another student is strictly prohibited.

There! So now nobody can give their handbook to anyone else, right? You like that? I'm kind of a genius, right? It's cuz my brain is 100% cotton!

I do not imagine anyone would have lent their handbook out in the first place.

After all, they would likely be held responsible for anything that person might do using their handbook...

But ya know, you seem awfully concerned with all this locker room security stuff...

It's cuz all you teenagers are sex-crazed maniacs! You're at that age you'd try humping a plastic bottle! So to keep anything unseemly from happening, I have to maintain a rigorous watch!

Then in that case, I would suggest that you keep the same close eye on our dorms. If some man and some woman decided to share a room, there would be nothing to stop them.

All I care about is protecting the holy image of the school itself!

I don't care what happens in your private dorms! By force or by cunning, do whatever you want!

I hate him so much!

[ntenvs3000w24]

05: The ways nature has impacted me? (free prompt)

I believe that spending time in nature offers numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits. During the summer, I have complete access to nature trails and may spend countless hours outdoors. There may be obstacles such as weather and restricted access to these areas in the winter for our own safety. During the academic year, I attributed my lack of drive to a lack of time spent outside. I find that when I lose motivation, my other positive behaviours fall out of sync. I spend less time exercising, my dietary intake becomes more unhealthy, my sleep schedule becomes disorganized, and I feel inconsistent.  

This year, I decided to take control of my winter, knowing that these changes usually occur during this time of year. I wanted to find strategies to maintain a balanced diet, get enough and high-quality sleep, and have a regular gym regimen while also attending school and maintaining good grades. So I'd like to share some changes I made to my routine to ensure improved habits. 

My first major shift was to devote 30-60 minutes every day to outside activities. Now, I cannot say that I do this every day without fail, but I have been able to do so at least 5 days per week. It helps me to organize my thoughts without having to focus on schoolwork. During this period, I would either softly jog to get some physical activity in or take a walk along the trails in my neighbourhood. I would listen to a podcast, whether it was about amusement, learning, motivation, or self-discipline, to help pass the time. I believe this helped me relieve some of my tension and allowed me to unplug from school.

As we discussed several times throughout the course, the nature trails within the Aboretum made incorporating this practice into my day a breeze. After class, before leaving for home, I take a little walk through the Aboretum to reorganize after a few hours of classes. I sometimes have friends join me, which makes it much more pleasurable because we spend the most of our time on campus together studying. If you don't already, I recommend using the Arboretum to break up your day and get your mind off of school.

I also told myself this year that I would keep a consistent sleep routine. To ensure that I am properly refreshed, I try to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Again, are there times when I don't get a complete 8 hours? Of course. However, for the most part, I have been able to prioritize my personal health over academics, and I no longer have to pull all-nighters to complete projects. This has not only allowed me to be properly rested, but it has also taught me how to better manage my time during the day, decrease screen time, and focus on the tasks at hand. 

As a fellow student, I understand how tough it is to maintain healthy habits when there are so many assignments due each week, but it is critical that we remember to take care of ourselves. You may even discover that prioritizing your personal health during the school year has an impact on your academic performance. Can any of you think of a moment when you implemented new habits and saw improvements in your daily life?

[utkarsh6]

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Read more: https://www.openpr.com/news/4072051/unlock-hidden-profit-zones-with-the-sensex-option-chain-decode

Read more: https://www.icfmindia.com/blog/stock-market-courses-in-delhi-online-free-get-ahead-without-spending-a-rupee