#does that count as philosophy

[k0eter]

On the concept of immortality as a punishment

So a few days ago, I read a series of fan fictions by an incredible author over on AO3, and I took to the comments to express my appreciation for them. Lo and behold, we talked and rambled about the characters and the challenges they're facing, as well as the implications this all has for their mental health. I've already written a shitload of stuff on that in the comments, but now that I've revisited our comments, I've got even more thoughts on that. And since I don't wanna be overbearing or something like that in a fan fiction's comments, I'll just continue rambling here. I didn't title my blog "random reblogs and thoughts" for nothing lol

For context, one of the core topics of our discussion was immortality and the personality of Alucard from Hellsing.

The author quoted Doctor Who:

"that’s your punishment, you live”

And it's scary how true that statement is.

If you've committed a serious crime, your punishment usually is a jail sentence, or in severe cases, execution/death penalty (by more humane means nowadays). Your punishment, at its core, is that you have to live with the guilt for a few years, and if you're not too far gone, you can actually learn to forgive yourself for what you've done. Usually by, or rather during serving your jail sentence specifically. On one hand (and in a perfect world), it's meant to keep you away from society so you're not enticed to commit more crimes, and to keep society safe - from you. On the other hand, it takes you outta society and deprives you of most luxuries so you can't do much else but dwell on whatever you did or didn't do. It forces you to confront your past mistakes. Of course, it doesn't always works out that way, because most prisons nowadays still focus on punishment rather than rehabilitating and resocializing. We're not living in a perfect world after all.

In an immortal's case, however, it's not that simple, regardless of whether or not they've served a jail sentence. Their sentence is literally their neverending life. They can't look forward to growing old and dying and never having to bother with their mistakes again, which in my opinion definitely (albeit subconsciously for most) contributes to being able to forgive yourself in the first place.

As a mortal, your life is finite, so if you can't forgive yourself at some point, you're just gonna make yourself miserable over and over again. You're gonna make your own life worse.

To avoid that, your subconscious hopefully nudges you towards forgiving yourself, because there's so much to enjoy about life still, it'd be a waste to spend your days obsessing over your flaws and guilt. If you work towards redemption in whatever way, your reward - at some point - will be your death. Because death is inevitable for you. And if death comes for you, you've either forgiven yourself or you haven't. Once you're dead, it doesn't matter that much anymore, from a realistic point of view at least. In my humble opinion, it's the time leading up to your death that matters the most.

Immortals like e. g. Alucard from Hellsing don't get that kind of mercy. They know they can't die, so they don't get to look forward to the sunset of their life where they can just go "oh well, I did some seriously fucked up shit in life, but that's in the past. Best not dwell on it and enjoy my remaining days". They KNOW they'll have to carry their guilt and flaws forever. There's no "end of their days" they can look forward to even if they're unable to forgive themselves. Sure, eventually, their memories of the atrocities they've committed will fade and lose their meaning, but it won't erase the scars it's left on their psyche and soul. In a way, I think, death is the highest level of resolution and mercy you can be awarded. You spend your whole life working for or towards something, and whether or not you've achieved that specific, you will eventually always be rewarded with an end - death. It's up to you whether that end is good or bad to you.

Immortals have essentially robbed themselves of ever achieving that resolution, at least if they've chosen immortality (like Alucard from Hellsing did). Their unlife essentially equals a rat race. They keep going and going and going, always moving, but never reaching their final destination that absolves them of all their guilt - death.

When I was a kid/teenager, I wanted to be immortal, too. I wanted to live forever. Nowadays, I don't want that anymore, because I know that immortality isn't a blessing, it's a neverending curse that just makes you more miserable with each passing year. Not to mention that you'll outlive everyone you've grown to like (unless they're immortal, too).

[goingbuggy]

Hello! I’ve seen people on twitter joke about the film blue. What would you pitch for your peak film blue?

Hope your day is good 💖

Hi, anon! I love joking about Film Blue, too. It's fun to imagine a hypothetical counterpart to Film Red, but also I feed off delusion like a parasite anyway lol.

To answer your question, though, my ideal Film Blue would have actually been an alternate version of Film Red -- a world where Uta was found by Buggy instead of being raised by Gordon after the Elegia massacre. It's become a fanon idea to have Uta and Buggy interact, which I love, but I don't think this came about randomly; Buggy and Uta have a few fundamental similarities which make it possible to imagine a world where he could have raised her instead. And for the content of Film Red, which is in many ways a dissection of Shanks' morals, Buggy's involvement makes perfect sense.

Both Uta and Buggy are characters shaped by/caught in the fallout of Shanks' sacrifices for his perceived "greater good." In Uta's case, Shanks sacrificed his connection with her because he believed that she could better the world and live a happier life as a singer. So, when she accidentally caused the massacre on Elegia, Shanks shouldered the blame to protect her, but at the cost of their relationship. (I talk more in-depth about this in my "Shanks Savior Complex" meta.)

Buggy's case is more complex and admittedly does involve some speculation, but I think Shanks' passive response during the Loguetown split shows my point well enough. Shanks did want Buggy to stay by his side, but he did not fight for his own desires in that regard. We don't know why Shanks seemed so detached at the time, but it is my personal theory that this directly relates to Shanks' overarching goal in the series: to see out Roger's legacy. Again, it appears to be a situation where the "greater good" outweighs Shanks' own personal happiness, and thus causes him to sacrifice important relationships.

Shanks has an interesting duality to him -- he's a very level-headed decision-maker, but this is simultaneously what makes his interpersonal skills so subpar. ("Shanks isn't a mature guy," as Oda says.) Unlike Luffy, I'd argue that Shanks is not a very emotionally intelligent character; his strength comes from his extrapolation and attention to detail. He notices patterns and is thus able to foresee future events that others do not -- the war at Marineford being one such example. He sought out Whitebeard because he knew Ace's revenge plot could easily escalate out of control, and guess what? It did! However, his focus on details often leads him to neglect the "bigger picture," or the thing hiding in plain sight. Shanks' interactions with Blackbeard show this, too; Blackbeard was able to fly under Shanks' radar and ultimately scar him because he is a character always hiding in plain sight, waiting for the right moment to strike in such chaotic ways. Blackbeard is unpredictable.

But why does this matter? Well, Shanks also tends to inadvertently hurt those he cares about with his "rational" decision-making, without ever understanding why. He sacrificed his relationship with Uta for the betterment of the world and her own happiness, but failed to realize that his sacrifice is what damaged her the most. She became fixated on her own abandonment to the point that singing was no longer a source of joy, but rather a tool to rid the world of pirates -- the pirates who hurt people, just like Shanks hurt her.

Buggy is quite similar. Shanks gave up on Laughtale and his connection with Buggy for the sake of bettering the world, but this is what caused Buggy's mind to be ruled by bitter resentment and insecurity. He felt abandoned. And just like Uta, he was left in the dark as to the true reason why.

This is why I think Buggy would take in Uta as his own surrogate daughter, the same way Gordon did; he would see himself in Uta, and together, they would bond over their shared resentment. Hell, even Uta's original character design has this cotton candy-esque pink and blue dichotomy. Obviously, this is not intentional on Oda's part, but to me it's just another physical reminder of what could have been Uta's two main influences. Uta yearns for a better world like Shanks, yet that vision of the world has been warped by her own resentment/abandonment, like Buggy. Uta's head and heart feel ruled by Shanks and Buggy's principles respectively. It's great. And I think that potential is a bit wasted on Gordon, who is unfortunately a pretty one-note character.

I think the Uta-Buggy relationship would also perfectly balance out the Luffy-Shanks one. Luffy admires Shanks' way of life as a pirate, and this directly contrasts Uta, who was made into an expendable casualty because of that way of life (despite Shanks' best intentions). So, just as Luffy refused to see Uta's perspective in the actual Film Red, Buggy would cling to Uta's recount and refuse to see Shanks' side of things. Luffy and Buggy bounce off of each other so well in canon already, so a movie which pits them against each other due their differing views of Shanks would work well, in my opinion. Not only that, but it would be a good story that relates to a lot of Oda's wider messages -- namely, that history can easily be warped depending on the perspective you view it from.

[cuteiemonster]

my SECOND piece for the @mcytblraufest !!

this time, for @theminecraftbee 's fic, [ SOLVING COUNTING SHEEP ] !! i had so much fun trying to settle on what scene to draw that i ended up with uh. Major Spoilers. dont worry about it! youll know it when you see it.

was genuinely an honor to work on this with Second, @seawaveleo, and @strifetxt !! o7

[enlitment]

Throwback to the time (1724) when the guy I am writing my thesis on started his pamphlet with a list that slut-shames classic philosophers (and proved that he is a huge classics nerd in the process).

Legendary behaviour if you ask me.

Highlights:

he also calls out the Stoics: (side note: "notorious debauchee" should be brought back)

And my absolute fave:

[lorablackmane]

It's time for ghosts y'all!! I wanted to make this post once I finished a chapter or 2 of my AU's fic, but I've talked about these lil fuckers so much w/ Teal in the past month I figured it might be best to make a post b4 that so ppl aren't confused in the future.

The premise of this AU is after the night after the King is defeated, everyone is celebrating! ...Until odd things start to appear in the House. A giant bloodsplatter in the Death Corridor and a trail of blood leading from it to the King's room. A shattered shelf and knocked over pot missing it's contents in the kitchen. A frozen body near the storage room.

One by one, ghosts created from the breaking points of Siffrin's wish start to appear, and they're here to stay! For better... or for worse.

Below is how each ghost was made, their wishcraft's scent (I put too much thought into this info so I'm adding it), and a bit about them!

(Cw for the ghost's stories below: death, suicide, allergy attack)

The Stoned - Created in Act 1 - Smells like Copper and Sugar

(This one will get a proper ref later bc this doesn't fully capture him)

Despite their looks, The Stoned is the calmest out of all of them, even though their death was one of the most painful. It happened so quickly and also messed up enough that the Wishcraft couldn't fix most of their body after the boulder disappears... so he can't feel pain anymore. He can't really feel much honestly there's... there isn't many nerves to feel with anymore. The additional lack of bones is a detriment to their ability to move, making them have to crawl around and continuously shift so they won't lose their balance until they get items like crutches and a wheelchair to help.

The Stoned doesn't know the horrors of the House and so are innocent in a way even Bonnie isn't. They never even it made it to the second half of the first floor! So a lot of the things the others talk about fly over their head. The others don't leave them out of talks about the House though! ...Not that the Stoned... really speaks - but it's the thought that counts!! They have their buddy to speak for them, anyway.

Just like how Loop's Wishcraft made their body unique, each ghost has their own lil quirk due to the Wishcraft that powers their bodies. The Stoned has the oddest one: due to their lack of most their bones their body is almost completely powered by Wishcraft that is activated by the air he breathes in. Because of this, he can actually almost flatten himself by releasing all the air inside themself, and will stay that way until he breathes back in. He can't move like that, but it does sometimes come in handy - by releasing some instead of all the air they can make themself slightly more compact to get into tight places!

The Silent - Created in Act 2 - Smells like Saltwater Taffy

The Silent is a fearful one, they remember the pain the House offers but cannot feel it. They only truly remember up to Bonnie accidentally pushing them, however they know so much more. Each time Siffrin touched a tear he gave them the memories of that run, but to the Silent it was less like a memory and more like watching a play. Detached from themself... yet the fear is there. They aren't like Stone who only remembers his death, they know the blessing was a curse wrapped in a pretty bow and the thought that what they see is only a fragment of the loops Siffrin went through... it makes them retreat into themself, especially bc they see their existence as unneeded bc well... Siffrin already exists. They don't need another to bother them.

It's much easier to stay put, to let them become one with the House as the tears intended. They don't need to breathe, to eat, or anything really so it's quite easy for them to do so! For them to just... exist. Hiding in plain sight, like the books hidden on shelves of the House written in their mother tongue. So this is where they stay, until one day maybe people can hear them speak once more. They do occasionally move, mostly when they hear that the Housemaiden's need the area they're in, but only when they're certain no one is looking.

When it comes to fight, flight, or freeze they choose freeze every time... which isn't helped by the quirk of their body's Wishcraft. The Silent can freeze anything up to the size of a medium bowl if they hold it for long enough. The Unseen will sometimes use this to pull pranks on people who upset them, stealing their umbrellas and placing them in The Silent's hold. They find this very petty... but they don't like moving bc a Housemaiden might see them and it is funny so they don't stop the two from doing so.

The Unseen(Left) - Created in Act 3 - Smells like Candied Pineapples

The left one is similar in personality to the Stoned as when they were created Siffrin knews that something was wrong, but still had hope that things were okay. They are an odd one: they see their accidental death as nothing in the grand scheme of things considering how many deaths already happened before them. If anything, he sees his death as a vital piece of showing their love to their family oddly enough! His memory is spotty, but the answer to Bonnie's question is forever engraved upon their skin so none of them will ever forget (even if most cannot see them anymore except outta the corner of their eye). There is a great sorrow in them though, after meeting their counterpart and discovering that there was so much pain afterwards - that like them this fact is engraved into their counterpart... but they'll stay with them, and maybe... they can bring some joy back to the right.

They help keep their counterpart's pranks in check, as unlike the right left remembers how fragile people are and doesn't see them as actors or dolls. Most of the pranks they plan are leaving lil letters with terrible puns around the House. Like you go into the bathroom, there's a letter tied to the handle of the sink. You open it and it says something like, "water you doin, handsome?" Stupid stuff like that, that makes them feel like the funnyjokespunperson they were before everything. A way to reclaim what the loops took from them both.

The Lonely - Created in Act 3 - Smells of Sugar and Moldy Cloth

This ghost is the culmination of so, so many fragments Siffrin left in between those walls. For a long time they did not remember anything besides the motions to get to the King, yet they could never defeat him. They couldn't survive his major attack, no matter what they did. It feels like at one point he could though... wasn't there a way? It isn't until the ghost event that they remember what they lost and while it felt absolute euphoria in that moment, after that the loneliness became soul crushing. The hunger for someone, anyone to be with them hurt so much! ...It made them remember why they forgot their family the first time.

The Lonely's quirk unlike most of the others isn't seared on their skin. No, the Lonely's ability is actually only really useful for dealing with The Unseen - anytime one of the others is in danger or about to do something dangerous they sense it. The Vengeful is constantly ringing this mental alarm, but it can't do anything to help due to it constantly moving so they don't even try with them. The Unseen though, it is often seen dragging them by the ears before they do something like unleash a barrel full of marbles in a hallway.

The Vengeful - Created in Act 4 - Smells of Steel, Salt, and Sugar

It is the culmination of the King's cruelty and Siffrin's agony, a beast made of anger, pain, and sorrow in equal measures. It hates the King both bc Siffrin did and bc it sees him at fault for it's creation as it doesn't know of Wishcraft as it was created right on the line between 3 and 4. That is why it tore his right hand off and stole the gauntlet upon it - a punishment for the action that created it and a trophy for it to wear as proof that, even after such a horrid deed, he didn't win. It runs away from the House and it's former family because of this memory - it cannot confront the people it feels it failed even with the knowledge they survived, that it's sin wasn't permanent. In it's eyes it will always exist. It's eye will sometimes gleam with the same shade as the one that appeared when the world was breaking!

The Vengeful is the only ghost no one is completely sure the location of due to it throwing itself out of the first available window after completing it's mission. It mostly stays in forests or caverns where it can easily hide, only going near towns if someone reminds it of the King. Once it has dealt with said person however it views it needs to, mostly by scaring them, it returns to it's current hiding spot. The Vengeful is a lonely one, but it's not ready to be near people for long periods of time. It's afraid that due to how it was created it'll bring bad luck to those it spends too much time with - how couldn't it? It was created from a person trapped in the middle of an hourglass until they drowned in the golden sands and by a man who saw his will as absolute, who caused so much agony. One day, though, it'll realize that isn't true... but it'll be quite a while.

The Unseen(Right) - Created in Act 4 - Smells like Steel and Sugar

This one is the closest in personality to Loop. It mocks even though it has no voice, they play with the people around it to remind themself they're real. Without the left the right Unseen would be much more dangerous as it is so desensitized to death they have forgotten what is actually dangerous and so some of their mischief has to be tempered by the left one to avoid killing those around them. For a very long time they view others, besides left, as merely actors in a similar vein as Loop, only referring to others via titles if it needs to interact with anyone and left doesn't control the writing pen. As time passes this trait slowly disappears, as the days show more changes like rain upon the rooftops or snow in the gardens, things it long forgot.

Together with their counterpart The Unseen are the ones who were left behind through actions seen as small, but were greater than thought. The ones who cannot be seen without drastically changing the views of ones most loved by the person they once were. And so they stay hidden from sight by their own Wishcraft... but that is a lonely way to live they discovered. The two of them alone cannot satiate their need 4 company. And so they do little things that are easily noticed so they can be seen without breaking their rule: walking around with open, stolen umbrellas or pulling little pranks.

Most Housemaiden's don't talk to them, because they never get an answer they assume they don't like talking. This isn't the case though they cannot tell them that... neither can speak. The left's throat is closed up and the right's is... well u can probably guess why theirs wouldn't work even if they had a mouth to speak with. The Lonely though does speak to them often - it has a chalkboard in the room it lives in inside the House for them to write lil questions or answers on.

[caitlynmeow]

When Daniela graduated from high school and was about to enroll in university:

Bela: What do you want to major in?

Daniela: What do they have?

Bela: This is not a restaurant, Dani 😭😭😭

[arthur-lesters-emotional-baggage]

What do you think is John's most human trait 🌝

Arthur. Absolutely Arthur.

I tried to think of a more nuanced answer but the rough definition of humanity was staring me in the face as well as Arthur's emotional turmoil.

(Also I'm so sorry I took so long to answer this. I wanted to have a little think over to answer this question, but then I forgot about it for a bit. oops.)

[no-reference-georg]

Fuck it. How many possible realities can you look into at once? (For clarification, imagine you’re reading fanfiction and you’re unsure of the specific headcanons the author believes in, none of which you have a problem with but all are possibles. Imagine there are an infinite number of headcanons that are possible, how many can you read at once?)

Reblog for bigger answer pool

[mushroom-through-the-stargate]

if descartes was accurate in his statement "i think therefore i am", then according to him i over-am 😎

[how-is-this-username-not-taken]

A truth, is by definition something that we cannot change, it exists in a place beyond what we can bend or break.

But belief, belief is malleable, it can change based on context, new information, or even emotions.

the identity of a truth is inconsequential when we believe something, because truth in its unchanging nature cannot depict itself, a truth isn’t some inherently known idea it just is.

So we believe, we believe what is, what isn’t, what will be, and what will never happen. Beliefs are simply our interpretations of a truths shadow.

[thelittlestq]

k so i was thinking, and then i opened the notes app, here’s the result

—

If you want to build a foundational sense of self, don’t look to categorize people into boxes. Labels can be important tools, but they cannot be an identity. True self-validation grows naturally when you pay your happy and mundane moments the same attention as the negatives, and hold them all equal.

Catch yourself in the act of existing. When you make a seemingly minute choice— spotting a moth on the floor of a building’s hallway, and going over to see if it’s alive, capture it, and bring it to a window, for example— notice. Observe, do not confront. Then step back, look away from yourself, and pan through all of the things someone else might’ve done. Not as a question of morality. Simply to see how your instincts are not a default. They are patterns that, over time, weave together into the complete self. Each thread strengthens for being observed. For observing, you can direct the bigger picture.

That moth on the floor? When you get closer, you realize it’s there because someone slapped it off the wall some time ago. Days, probably. You can only wonder at the near infinite possible reasons. You might not even understand yours.

But you see it, and so you see yourself.

[ghost-cwunch]

Art school sucks: a rant (1/2)

On a good note, I just recently graduated! On a bad note, here's what I learned about art school.

Excuse my stupid use of language I am *extremely* tired and pretty upset.

I'll actually start with the conclusion, in case anyone just wants a TL;DR of the following paragraphs: Art school sucks, because education and art alike should have never been turned into a business.

And no, it's not because of some kind of personal vendetta, or bad teachers (though I've had my fair, fat share of bad art teachers.) but because of the concept itself. As everyone knows education has evolved so much from ancient times, it went from simple information being passed down trough generations and generations, to new discoveries, to arguably a position which is the worst of them all and our current situation... A business. And art school is not exempt of this. Which oh my Hell okay MAYBE it works (to some extent) in other subjects such as science or math or like you know non-abstract concepts- But just think about it. The concept of an art school is *fucked*. Turning education itself into a business just automatically turns the focus from the actual purpose of the concept towards money. What does this result in? I'm pretty sure ya'll already know and I don't want to mansplain, but just for the record and in my opinion, it results in people to see it as a mere source of money. This means teachers see the paycheck, thus pushing students to reach goals that would get them a fatter paycheck (usually good grades, at least here, contests, etc, ((reminder that things like these might not apply to every country))) instead of actually looking to work with the kids. This makes the kids, in return, see school as this systemic thing where they're being pushed around and getting information (useless information at that, some of it) syphoned into their brains. Don't even get me started on all of the issues with verbally or even physically abusive teachers, just plain asshole teachers, etc.

Of course, it varies from country to country but especially here (and from what I know in most countries actually but I digress) art schools are all the same: you get taught specific things in a specific time with a specific deadline- and don't get me started on the people that don't even wanna be in the niche they get put in. That was my case.

Some context: Ever since I was little I was an extremely picky person and obsessed with art, in third grade I already *knew* what kind of art I even wanted to do. It was graphic design. I didn't like painting, and I fucking *hated* architecture. SO I begged my mom to send me to an art school- which she did. She was immediately told that ''yeah we have like a rotation every 3 years because we don't have enough teachers, he's gonna be with the graphics kids, it'll all be good." Guess who didn't end up with ''the graphics kids"? Nah, I got syphoned into plastic arts instead (painting, textile work, irl paint and stuff, nothing digital, no pencilwork, very little graphic techniques etc). Which I fucking hated. Every second of those 7 years, I felt like I've learned absolutely nothing.

[plasma-studios]

obsessed about mercy. mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. So there's an inherent relationship in mercy. if mercy is compassion, the first act that initiates the existence of mercy is kindness: but, by definition kindness is only mercy when it comes from someone with the power to punish/harm someone. so there is an inherent hierarchy in the concept of mercy. the potenial for harm has to be there for kindness to exist as mercy. then what if mercy is forgiveness? that implies a slight done by one party to another, and the latter has to be at least be in some position to reprociate the harm done, for forgiveness to be mercy. there is an inherent hierarchy in the concept of mercy. then, can inaction, lack of action taken to reprociate some form of harm done be mercy? is mercy defined by the lack, or by the action?

[fandomsoda]

hey I’m alive and ok just fell asleep way too early and now I’m having very bad existential thoughts

[perce-jpg]

gloomstalker assassin haima

[preciousmetaltimeofnight]

While Lifesteal's default state of conflict is very similar to Hobbes' state of war, this conflict is actually encouraged by the nature of the server and and generally an accepted part of their society. They do not have the innate craving for peace that Hobbes describes and therefore an attempt to force them into a more peaceful society is destined to fail.

There is also already morals and codes that individuals abide by and no alternative is being presented by the Leviathan. A stable set of rules that all are subject to is part of the appeal of society according to Hobbes.

Also technically for Hobbes the collective does still have to entrust their individual liberties into a sovereign.