#cultural background

[alwaysbewoke]

[cmweller]

Challenge #04204-K186: Not Like Other Rogues

I was born looking human in a community of those most call Unwanted. They treated me kindly and rarely mistreated me for my appearance. Save for a few with grudges who learned quickly it was wrong. So why do so many who look like me treat them so badly just because of how they look? -- Anon Guest

I grew up in ShadowCluster. A tumbledown community wedged into the crevice of Halgal Cliffs, the edifice that gave the city Myncloch its name. The crevice was too unstable to mine, but fully stable enough to shelter Myncloch's ghetto. Here there be Unwelcome People. People who are criminals just by existing.

I was six years old before I saw the sunshine without my mother hovering nearby. By then, I was old enough to wear the artificial horns and the mock tail that made me look like all the other Hellkin in ShadowCluster. I, like many Hellkin, learned to run home fast if I saw the City Watch.

I was eight when I learned I wasn't a Hellkin.

[Check the source for the rest of the story]

[sanetimental]

Immigration: Impacts Of Acculturation On Interpersonal Relationships

Acculturation, the process by which individuals adopt traits of a new culture, significantly impacts interpersonal relationships within the same ethnic group.

While your relatives who have lived in America for many years may still speak the same language as you and even express similar values that align with what is acceptable in your culture, they have transformed into different individuals since migrating. They no longer embody the predictable behaviors that you would expect from people of your tribe. This cultural shock is often challenging for…

[pryceonpurpose]

The Power of Perception

How Our Minds Shape Our Reality

Perception is a fascinating aspect of human existence. It is the lens through which we view the world, shaping our reality and influencing our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Our perceptions are not simply passive observations of the external world; they actively construct our understanding of reality. Understanding the power of perception can lead to a greater appreciation for the complexity of human experience and can help us navigate the challenges of life with a more open and curious mindset.

Perception as a Filter

Our perceptions act as a filter through which we interpret and make sense of the overwhelming amount of information bombarding our senses at any given moment. Every sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch is subjected to our perceptual filter, determining what we pay attention to and how we interpret it. This filtering process is influenced by a multitude of factors, including our past experiences, cultural background, beliefs, and values.

For example, imagine walking into a crowded room full of strangers. Your perception will immediately come into play, determining who you notice, how you interpret their body language, and whether you feel comfortable or anxious in the environment. Two people can have entirely different experiences in the same situation based on their unique perceptual filters.

The Role of Beliefs and Expectations

Beliefs and expectations play a significant role in shaping our perceptions. Our minds are wired to seek confirmation of what we already believe to be true, and we often make sense of new information by fitting it into our existing belief systems. This tendency can be both beneficial and limiting. While it helps us make sense of the world quickly, it can also blind us to alternative perspectives and new possibilities.

For instance, imagine two individuals attending a job interview. One person firmly believes they are qualified and deserving of the position, while the other feels insecure and doubts their abilities. These different beliefs will influence how they perceive the questions asked, the interviewer's body language, and their overall experience of the interview. The person with a positive belief system may feel more confident and perform better, while the person with self-doubt may struggle and perceive the experience as negative.

The Influence of Emotions

Emotions also have a profound impact on our perceptions. When we experience strong emotions, they can color our view of reality and distort our judgments. For example, when we are angry, we may interpret neutral comments as insults, and when we are anxious, we may perceive harmless situations as threatening.

On the other hand, positive emotions can broaden our perception and enhance our ability to see possibilities and opportunities. When we experience joy or gratitude, our perceptual filters expand, allowing us to notice and appreciate the beauty around us. This positive outlook can lead to a more optimistic and resilient mindset.

The Power of Shifting Perspectives

Recognizing the power of perception offers us an opportunity for personal growth and transformation. By becoming aware of our own perceptual filters and biases, we can challenge them and open ourselves up to new ways of seeing the world. This process requires curiosity, self-reflection, and a willingness to embrace discomfort.

One effective way to shift our perspective is through mindfulness practices. Mindfulness helps us become more aware of our thoughts, emotions, and sensations, allowing us to observe our perceptual filters in action. Through this observation, we can begin to question our assumptions and consider alternative interpretations of our experiences.

Engaging in dialogue with others who hold different perspectives is another powerful tool for expanding our perception. By actively listening and empathizing with others, we can gain insights into their worldview and challenge our own preconceived notions. This process fosters greater understanding, empathy, and tolerance.

Embracing a Fluid Reality

Perception is a dynamic and ever-changing process. Our reality is not fixed; it is continuously shaped by our perceptions, which in turn influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Embracing the fluidity of perception allows us to approach life with a sense of curiosity and wonder, rather than rigidly holding onto fixed beliefs.

By cultivating awareness of our perceptual filters, challenging our biases, and seeking out diverse perspectives, we can expand our understanding of the world and foster personal growth. The power of perception lies in its ability to shape our reality, and by harnessing this power, we can create a more compassionate, inclusive, and fulfilling existence.

[pebblegalaxy]

The Intelligence Myth: Understanding Complex Thematic Pieces

Seeking knowledge and understanding is inherent in our nature as human beings. We want to make sense of the world around us, and we use various tools to do so, including literature, art, and music. However, sometimes we may encounter a piece of work that is so complex and abstract that we struggle to grasp its meaning. In these situations, it’s important to remember that just because we can’t…

[jonnywaistcoat]

Have you ever been to the USA, if you have the chance do cuz we are a big as country and you’d definitely re-think the idea of having one central branch for the usher foundation…

I have, yeah, and I'm well aware of how big it is, but I suspect you might be doing a lot of extrapolation as to what the Usher Foundation is and how it works, since as far as I recall it's only vaguely referenced in a brief mention or two. Like, the Magnus Institute isn't a "central branch" that covers all of Europe, or even the UK - it's an academic institution based in London. So one would assume the Usher Foundation is an Academic institution based somewhere in America (I generally imagine it in the Boston area, or somewhere in that region of New England due to the Poe connection). Also, if academic institutions were like public agencies that had a responsibility to cover geographical areas or populations, I think the more egregious problem would be the Pu Songling Centre in Beijing, as China has five times the population of the USA in roughly the same geographical area.

Also, while I do a lot of research for my stories, especially international ones, and try to get a sense of the specific area I'm writing about, I'm obviously always going to be writing as a Brit and thus with certain British assumptions about how places work. And to be honest, after living my life in an anglophone culture dominated by USAmerican media and constantly seeing those, uh, "interpretations" of the UK, there's a slight feeling of turnabout is fair play.

[zankalony]

Which aspects do you think makes a person unique?

No one else can or will have your exact collection of knowledge, experiences, and perceptions that causes you to be who you are. Every person is a unique puzzle composed of pieces of personality, life experiences, knowledge, and emotions. No one else can or will have your exact collection of knowledge, experiences, and perceptions that causes you to be who you are. No one else is going to…

[hybbart]

Seablings at a farmer's market, getting blueberries and poutine.

I'm not sick anymore! I have a few of these I wanna draw. I kinda already make every character and setting Canadian/British Columbian, so I'm trying not to repeat stuff I've drawn or written before...

[fairandfatalasfair]

"Edwin can help" says Charles.

Crystal raises an eyebrow at him. He smiles sunnily.

"Edwin would sell me to Satan for one corn chip," she says.

Edwin, from his spot at the desk, lowers his book enough to give her a longsuffering look. "This feels like one of your obscure internet references," he says. He still says "internet" like the word doesn't belong in his mouth.

Crystal gives him a bland smile. "The internet isn't obscure," she says. "You just don't know anything about it because you're a million years old."

"One hundred twenty four," he says, because he's a pedantic little shit.

Charles is chuckling in the corner, because he has low tastes and thinks Edwin being a pedantic little shit is hilarious.

"At any rate," says Edwin crisply, "As a fugitive from hell, negotiating with Satan would hardly be in my best interests. Also, as a fugitive from hell, I have no interest in seeing anyone sent there unjustly, much less someone I have grown... attached to."

She feels her smile warm a little at that, and turns her head so that Edwin won't see. Love you too, Edwin.

"Finally," he concludes, "I am dead, with no need to eat, and therefor have no use for corn chips. This accusation does not make sense."

Crystal chokes at the affronted dignity in his voice, but pulls her expression back under control, only turning back to Edwin when she's sure she can look disdainful without her lips twitching. Charles dying of laughter in the corner isn't helping, but she manages.

"It's a meme," she says loftily.

Edwin's longsuffering expression turns pained. "Half the time, I am sure you are making these things up to aggravate me," he informs her.

She isn't, but only because the reality aggravates him plenty without any embellishment.

"Is it working?" she asks, and finally lets herself laugh when he picks up his book again and glares daggers at her over the top of it.

[zaebucca]

Hisuian ghosts in a snow grove

[vincentvangoghs-world]

Van Gogh’s world

[ignitesthestxrs]

there's something about the way people talk about john gaius (incl the way the author writes him) that is like. so absent of any connection to te ao māori that it's really discomforting. like even in posts that acknowledge him as not being white, they still talk about him like a white, american leftist guy in a way that makes it clear people just AREN'T perceiving him as a māori man from aotearoa.

and it's just really serves to hammer home how powerful and pervasive whiteness and american hegemony is. because TLT is probably the single most Kiwi series in years to explode on the global stage, and all the things i find fraught about it as a pākehā woman reading a series by a pākehā author are illegible to a greater fandom of americans discoursing about whether or not memes are a valid way of portraying queer love.

idk the part of my brain that lights up every time i see a capital Z printed somewhere because of the New Zealand Mentioned??? instinct will always be proud of these books and muir. but i find myself caught in this midpoint of excitement and validation over my culture finding a place on the global stage, frustration at how kiwi humour and means of conveying emotion is misinterpreted or declared facile by an international audience, frustrated also by how that international audience runs the characters in this book through a filter of american whiteness before it bothers to interpret them, and ESPECIALLY frustrated by how muir has done a pretty middling job of portraying te ao māori and the māoriness of her characters, but tht conversation doesn't circulate in the same way* because a big part of the audience doesn't even realise the conversation is there to be had.

which is not to say that muir has done a huge glaring racism that non-kiwis haven't noticed or anything, but rather that there are very definitely things that she has done well, things that she has done poorly, things that she didn't think about in the first book that she has tacked on or expanded upon in the later books, that are all worthy of discussion and critique that can't happen when the popular posts that float past my dash are about how this indigenous man is 'guy who won't shut up about having gone to oxford'

*to be clear here, i'm not saying these conversations have never happened, just that in terms of like, ambient posts that float round my very dykey dash, the discussions and meta that circulate on this the lesbian social media, are overwhelmingly stripped of any connection to aotearoa in general, let alone te ao māori in specific. and because of the nature of american internet hegemony this just,,,isn't noticed, because how does a fish know it's in the ocean u know? i have seen discussions along these lines come up, and it's there if i specifically go looking for it, but it's not present in the bulk of tlt content that has its own circulatory life and i jut find that grim and a part of why the fandom is difficult to engage with.

[wyvernity]

rice in da den for @kagooleo bday WOOO! i've had this wip for weeks and figured this was the most opportune time to get it finished >:]

[teeth-draws]

This was meant to be the first picture in a series but ummm idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Rising from the dead to doodle my favourite boy from @shepherds-of-haven

[royaltea000]

Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me ;)

[royalarchivist]

Mike talks about how cool it is having various people from different cultures in the same community, and how that's something he really liked about QSMP!