#it does have a negative connotation most of the time and since it's a common motif in dreams to symbolize death

[wdapteo]

omg i was looking for a post of urs to reblog that i saw reposted on twitter and tumblr alerted me to KEATON HENSON being one of ur top tags!!!! and i just had to say i am also a fan of keaton!!! what is ur fav song or the lyric that hits u hardest?

omg that's so rare hahahah

I truly love all of his works, even (specially, now) the orchestral ones!! But for sure anything from "Monuments" is too raw for me. "While I can" in its entirety hits harder than it should :')

thanks for sending this ask, lovely to find another Keaton fan in the wild!!

[thydungeongal]

Also on the subject of race stuff in fantasy RPGs, while it's not quite the same as what you were talking about, I always loved how Inverse World/Inverse Fellowship handled race. They divested it from a few of the negative connotations fantasy race normally has as a parallel to real life racial constructs by... just connecting it to another set of stereotypes instead.

In those games, your parents race has absolutely 0 impact on your own. Your races is determined entirely by the actual physical location you are born in, causing it to have more in common with regional cultures than skin tones. Yeah of course the people born on the floating sky islands have wings, how else are they going to get around? Of course the people born in caves have darkvision, it's how they live their life.

It is by no means a "We fixed the issues with race forever!" solution, or even that it doesnt have any overlap with existing racial views, and I don't think they intended it to be so. But it is a fascinating lense to look through at our normal portrayal of race in fantasy. And a nice change of pace.

Yes, I do think Fellowship and Inverse World's approach to this stuff is one of the best I've seen! It actually makes for a really interesting and fantastic approach to the issue, where it does away with stuff like bloodlines and species as a scientific concept in favor of an approach like "in a world where magic is commonplace, genetics probably doesn't work like most people would expect it to." It actually manages to turn it fantastical!

Also sorry about this because I'm going to stray from the topic now, like I also do have to rep Chivalry & Sorcery because since we're on the subject of orcs just being some guys: C&S very much takes the approach that besides the game itself being a medieval society simulator, the world should adhere to a medieval paradigm. That means that in the book where they introduce orcs and trolls into the game there's a whole essay explaining how according to [insert Christian philosophers of the time whose names I forgot here] orcs would totally count as people because they are capable of thought and making moral choices and thus any good Christian in the world of Chivalry & Sorcery would extend the same grace to an orc that they would to a human! According to the church fathers and idk St. Augustine of Hippo or something, orcs have souls and thus they are capable of receiving God's grace and salvation! (Chivalry & Sorcery is, like, really interesting to me as a game, and I would very much like to write an essay about its approaches to issues like gender and race, because there is a lot of nuance to it!)

[alicent-vi-britannia]

A brief analysis of color symbology in the important characters of Code Geass

Next, I'll discuss the symbology behind the color palettes of six major Code Geass characters. The purpose of this post will be to show how colors describe character traits. I clarify that I am not an illustrator or an animator. I'm just a quasi graduate who loves Code Geass and symbols and I want to use my knowledge to combine two things I like. And that I want you to take into account four points about the symbols and, therefore, the colors: The first is that they are polysemic. I'm going to adjust to the context of the series and the nature and role of the characters. Well, to give an example, violet is the color of sexuality and lust and I don't think that was what the animators had in mind when they established violet for Lelouch. The second is that they are ambivalent. They have two sides. One positive and one negative. The third is that the meanings of the colors vary depending on the cultures (and the times). I've tried to stick to universal meanings. And the fourth is that the symbols aren't isolated signs, they establish relationships between them and reinforce or annul meanings. Don't forget that there are colors that are born from the combination of two; so those resulting colors inherit certain meanings from their "parents", so to speak. Hence some of the connotations are repeated.

Having said all that I had to say, let's start with Lelouch. Black is Lelouch's signature color. He always plays chess with black, his casual clothes are black, his army is the Black Knights, his Knightmares are black, the two great rebellions he has led have been dubbed the Black Rebellion, one of his nicknames is the Black Prince, his hair is black!

So what does black symbolize? Well, black is precisely the color of rebellion and protests. It symbolizes how illegal and forbidden are many of the acts that Lelouch carries out. It's also a symbol of elegance and youth. This is because most of the youngsters claim that black is his favorite color and don't be surprised by this, but Lelouch is a youngster.

Black is the color of dirt and evil. How many times has Lelouch dirty his hands with shit for carrying out his goals? Infinite times! "The world does not change with beautiful words", it changes with actions and many are dirty. How much evil did Lelouch do for the greater good? Phew! We could spend hours talking about it!

Black is the color of brutality, violence and hate. Three meanings that it has in common with red and these two colors make up a standard combination (it's no coincidence that one of the people closest to Lelouch and with whom he forms a powerful team has red as his distinctive color). Lelouch harbors hatred towards his father, his family and the empire that disowned him. Hence why he is so ruthless against Britannia. Unlike Suzaku, he believes that violence is the answer.

Black is the color of death, destruction and mourning. Lelouch brings death and destruction wherever he goes (to give a couple of examples, just think of the Battle of Narita and the Japan Administrative Zone massacre). In the same way, he always has mourning in his heart. He is reluctant to let go of loved ones who die (since the death of his mother).

Black usually has a negative connotation and whenever he is next to bright colors he will subvert the positive values of it. In association with yellow (which is a color present in Lelouch, albeit to a lesser extent), it connotes selfishness, guilt, and melancholy. Lelouch started his rebellion for selfish reasons and ended up consumed with guilt as he watched his revenge spiral dragging innocents and loved ones into harm. He is a character with a melancholic-choleric temperament.

[Black symbolizes bad luck and Lelouch never overthrew Britannia while he was wearing black, is that why he was always so close to landslide victory? :v]

Soon I will return to black to point out two specific aspects, now let's talk about Lelouch's second distinctive color: violet.

The combination of black and violet is one of the least negative and symbolizes magic and the dark forces of nature and magic. The Geass was a supernatural gift that Lelouch possesses. Violet is the color of vanity and extravagance. Zero was a striking character, partly because of his manner, partly because of his aura of mystery, and partly because of his looks (Lelouch is arrogant and proud, but there is a shade of difference between pride and vanity).

Violet is the color of power. This is because extracting the violet pigment was difficult and therefore very expensive; so only the nobility and members of royalty could afford to buy clothes of this color. The fact that Lelouch has chosen purple as the color of his Zero costume seems funny to me because it means that he hasn't renounced his princely roots (the series itself wanted us to be clear about it and, for that reason, gave us the dialogue from the snow in episode 10 of the first season). He is and will remain a prince (in fact, his arrogance and negative outlook on vulnerability are a product of his upbringing in Britannia). Yellow reinforces this meaning.

It is the color of penance, martyrdom and mourning. Lelouch bears the weight of his sins and suffers as a result. Lelouch never quite gets past the dueling stage.

Violet is a singular color because it derives from the mixture of red and blue and these two colors represent opposite values. In violet these values are in communion. Hence, violet is considered an ambiguous color. In terms of morality, Violet is in the middle of good and evil, just like Lelouch, who is capable of doing good for the worst reasons and evil for the best reasons. This tells us about the amorality of the character. Violet combines the values of blue and red.

Blue is the color of coldness and intellectual qualities. Lelouch stands out for his intelligence, although the haters deny it. Red is the color of passions and Lelouch is a character moved by passions. He is very passionate, only he knows how to channel his emotions. Most of the time he is calm and he analyzes coolly, even in pressured situations. Only when his loved ones become involved does he lose control of his emotions and subservient to them.

In its negative aspect, violet symbolizes the abuse of power and who is distinguished by purple, besides Lelouch? His father who is a full-fledged tyrant.

Britannia is distinguished by the color white and white symbolizes the divine. It is the color of the gods and royalty, of absolutist monarchies, to be exact.

White as opposed to black symbolizes what we are all thinking: the eternal fight of good against evil. The angels are always attired in white robes and have white wings while the demons have black wings. Although the interesting thing about Code Geass is that it inverts those values since the Britannia (the whites) are the bad guys and the rebels (the blacks) are the good guys.

White recovers its positive values with Suzaku and Euphemia. Let's go with the second.

White is the color that represents good. I had already said it. And it is, additionally, the color of integrity, honesty, transparency and purity. White shares all these connotations with blue. In fact, white and blue are the colors of spiritual virtues. Blue is the color of trust, friendship and sympathy. What does this tell us? That Suzaku is a boy with a noble and pure heart and a good friend.

White is the color of innocence and, curiously, blue is the color of the unreal, that is, of ideas that are far from being realized. It is the color of dreamers and fantasy! Is this a subtle sign that Suzaku is some poor self-deluded idealist? Maybe.

White symbolizes mourning (in oriental countries and don't be surprised by this fact either, but Suzaku is Japanese). Like Lelouch, Suzaku also has a hard time saying goodbye to loved ones who leave this earthly plane.

On the other hand, blue represents the calm, the passive and the introverted. It is the color of longing and peace. Suzaku longs for a world of peace. He tries to leave violence as a last resort, before opting for peaceful ways when dealing with conflicts.

Blue connotes sadness and loneliness. Suzaku is a melancholic and withdrawn type. Note that he doesn't tend to socialize. He is more comfortable closed in on himself, in his comfort zone. I remind you that when he entered Ashford Academy he didn't try to make friends and everyone teased him until he demonstrated his bravery by saving Lelouch from falling. He didn't try to bond with the rest of the Knights of Round either, rather, it seemed that Gino adopted him just like Anya [normally, extroverts adopt introverts]. As he drowns in his problems, he isolates himself more and more from the people who love him and the rest of the world.

Speaking of melancholy, he had mentioned that it symbolized the union of yellow with black. Yellow combined with white connotes weakness and fear. Suzaku's fear of the dark side of him. Deep down, he is just as pragmatic and selfish as Lelouch, but he is terrified to admit it. His weakness to accept his true self and his reality.

By the way, yellow, in its negative aspect, symbolizes lying and both Suzaku and Lelouch are skilled liars. It's a very contradictory and fickle color (it radically changes meaning when paired with another color) and Suzaku and Lelouch are full of contradictions. That is what makes them so human. Likewise, yellow is the color of traitors and Lelouch and Suzaku have betrayed their loyalties for different reasons.

All the positive meanings of white that I highlighted in the previous slide with Suzaku apply to Euphemia, so I'll move on to talking about pink.

Pink is the color of charm, courtesy, sensitivity, delicacy, tenderness. In short, all the qualities considered typically feminine and that Euphemia possesses. I don't think I need to justify myself or provide examples.

Pink is the color of illusions and dreams and, in that sense, it reminds me of blue. Let's not forget that the dream of a peaceful world is inherited by Suzaku from Euphemia (she is an idealist at heart). Although she was aware of the evil that afflicted the Elevens and the grudge that Lelouch harbored in her heart, she was simplistic. We could say that Euphemia had a rosy vision of life (a good and insightful person, but a lousy politician without the necessary cunning and pragmatism). I reiterate that white is the color of innocence and pink is the result of mixing red (which is the color of love and Euphemia has plenty of love) and white.

White is also the color of neutrality and if there is a neutral character in Code Geass is C.C.

Perceive that C.C. is the only member of the Black Knights who wears a white uniform which I had already said is the color of the enemy, which is weird, but makes sense (let's just say she's really only true to herself). She also has a black uniform with the Black Knights symbol on her chest. She adopts black because of her alignment with Lelouch, but it's not like she really takes a stand on the rebellion. She is there for personal reasons that are neglected in the political context.

Green is the other color that predominates in it. Green symbolizes balance and consciousness. Whenever Lelouch is about to collapse, C.C., who is the voice of reason, is there to bring him back to earth (she did better in the first season, let's be honest). Green is the color of intermediate and impartiality, par excellence. In itself it is neither good nor bad. As C.C.

Green is the color of youth and immaturity. Due to the Geass, C.C. has earned eternal youth and, at certain moments, she behaves like a carefree teenager who doesn't measure the consequences of her actions (yes, I mean the scenes of her in Ashford and her interactions with the Black Knights ). In contrast, yellow is the color of maturity and C.C.'s eyes are amber. So many years of experience have given him a few kilos of wisdom. For me, C.C. part of the archetype of the mystical Greek goddess Hestia, the one who is young and old at the same time.

Yellow is the color of security, confidence and tranquility. In her role as her confidante, C.C. has known how to bring these sensations to Lelouch.

Green is the color of otherness (the strange). What color do monsters, aliens, witches and demons paint? Green. C.C. is the only Code Geass character with green hair. She manages to stand out in the sea of characters because of her looks (she has to, she's a witch).

Green symbolizes freedom. Because of her immortality, C.C. feels prey to this existential plane. She is wandering aimlessly through the flow of time that seems endless. At the end of her journey, she manages to free herself from those ties and learns to feel good about herself, renewing her will to live. Let's not forget that, although she wanted to die, she needed to live first because she had not really lived her life. Green is also the color of life and bitterness. At first, she was frustrated. She did not fulfill her wish to be loved and was forced to live an immortal life that she did not want.

Like C.C., Kallen takes on black after bonding with Zero; but it is indisputable that Kallen's color is red.

Red is the color of emotions and passions. Good and bad. Our face turns red with shame, anger, shyness, love (in fact, Kallen is the character who has blushed the most in the series for different reasons). It is the color of love and hate. Kallen loves her family, her friends, and Lelouch as much as she hates Britannia. She is the most emotional character in the series. I also think that she is the most impulsive and that's why: she gets carried away by her emotions.

Just as red has a natural alignment with black (Lelouch), she has a natural opposition with the passive soft blue and innocent white (Suzaku). Red symbolizes strength, courage and aggressiveness. Kallen's fighting style is aggressive, both in hand-to-hand combat and in a fight between Knightmares. Unlike Suzaku, she's not going to give you a chance to give up, she's going to kick your ass openly. She goes without saying that her two greatest virtues are her bravery and her strength (and I would add her poise).

Red is the color of fire and Kallen is a burning flame. If you approach sparingly, she keeps you warm. If you approach carelessly, you can get burned. She is warm and, at the same time, hot-tempered.

Red is the color of danger, violence and the forbidden. It is associated with the revolution. This reminds us of the meanings of black that we had reviewed with Lelouch. Kallen follows Lelouch and doesn't question him because they share his methods, his goals, and his beliefs. Do you see why black and red get along so well? Both are rebels by nature.

Red is the color of allure, and Kallen is the most sex-appealing girl at Ashford Academy. I'm not saying it, all the boys who wanted a kiss from her.

Red is the color of war and anger. Paradoxically, it is the color of freedom and justice, which are the two things that Kallen wants and demands for her people. Like white, red is a political color.

Kallen also wears pink (which results from the combination of red and white) and I think it brings out the softer, more youthful and sweet side of her.

To finish, I leave you with this curious fact. Let's see how much of you have noticed…

Throughout the series, Lelouch and Suzaku wear black and white respectively (I'll open a parenthesis for clarification: only Zero's cape is black, but, if you look closely, in R1 his suit is a darker violet than in R2 and I It seems that the modification is in line with his change, since in R1 we have the meanest and most vile Lelouch and in R2 we have the most self-sacrificing and noble Lelouch). By the time the series is winding down, Lelouch and Suzaku are reversed and now Lelouch wears white, posing as the Emperor of Britannia, and Suzaku dresses in black, reaffirming himself as Knight of Zero.

What does this mean?

It means that Lelouch and Suzaku have exchanged targets.

Lelouch, who wanted to destroy Britannia, is going to change it from within as the Emperor himself.

Suzaku, who wanted to change Britannia, is going to liberate the world by destroying the tyrant who oppresses it as Zero.

All in favor of the same purpose: to build a friendly world and establish an era of peace. Everything was thrown in our faces through the symbology of color before the meaning of the Zero Requiem was revealed in the final episode and we didn't realize it. [In addition, I think it is also a way of externalizing the final transformation that these characters have experienced at the end of their inner journey].

Were the colors chosen randomly without any special motivation? No symbols in Code Geass? Ha ha ha! Look how the cows fly!

This is as far as this analysis ends. They let me know if they knew this information. I hope you liked it a lot. I invite you to tell me in comments what you think and what is your favorite color.

I have two (I can't decide): the black and the pink. [Nobody cares to know, but I'll leave it there].

We will be reading, God willing and if not, too. To hell!

Greetings and thanks for reading.

[plushieclan]

A while ago, you mentioned suffixes having a special meaning. Could you explain why -claw is so popular? Or -foot? And also why there isn’t really any -flower cats?

Of course!

Suffixes have two uses. They can either be descriptive, or symbolic. Mudfoot is named Mudfoot because her paws are brown, not because of the symbolic meaning of foot. But Nightflower is called Nightflower because of the symbolism that Darkstar pulls from that suffix. Pun and ironic names are also a thing, but most leaders aren’t fond of them. Darkstar, however, is a big fan of puns. Badgerstar also makes his share of ironic names too (Yarrow given the suffix heart despite him being very mean, etc)

Claw as a suffix is extremely popular. Symbolically, it means “a good warrior”. This makes it the “default” suffix. Leaders will give this to any warriors who don’t really catch their eye, but are good enough to become warriors in the first place.

Lynxclaw has this suffix because Badgerstar doesn’t care enough about her to focus on her. Gingerclaw has this suffix because Darkstar at the beginning of his leadership was honestly kind of struggling with suffixes? He was only the sixth cat he’d named to that point and the other cats he’d had names in mind for a long time. For the ones who he hadn’t known for a long time (Sand and Shimmer) he used descriptive suffixes. But with Ginger? He really felt like he needed to give Gingerclaw something different. Nowadays, he wishes he gave Ginger the suffix of heart or leaf!

Foot is another common suffix, usually meaning “a fast warrior”. This one is more commonly used for descriptive purposes than claw. Grassfoot was given the name “foot” for her fast escape of Bayclan when it was attacked. Darkstar had this one in mind ever since the incident

Flower was once a common suffix. It was usually given to female warriors. Eventually, it just became the “default” suffix for any female warrior that didn’t stand out. This gave it a negative connotation, making it pretty much unheard of now.

Two siblings who were made warriors just before the attack on Bayclan were given this suffix. When Alderpaw, Sparkpaw, and Buzzardpaw graduated, Redstar had not known any of them very well. So he gave them the first suffix that came to mind: Alderflower, Sparkflower, Buzzardf— except, he remembered that Buzzardpaw was NOT a female warrior, so he quickly scrambled and came up with fang.

Darkstar has always LOVED the idea of the suffix Flower. Unlike many other cats, he associated it with the idea of blooming— a cat with great potential. That’s why he named his daughter Nightflower— because he saw it as a way to acknowledge her potential. He also isn’t into the gendering of it! If he sees any other cats that get his attention, he’ll give them that suffix too, no matter their gender.

Rapid fire, here are a few other symbolic meanings!

Lake, Pool, Sky: a spiritual cat

Heart, leaf: a kind-hearted cat

Tooth, Clash: a brave cat

Song, drop: a selfless cat

Scar, dusk: a cat forged through hardship

Shade, shadow, rain: a cat who resists temptation (usually, cats who’s family member has killed before but the cat stood against them)

Also, vanity names! When a cat does something particularly special, their name can be changed later in life to reflect that! Common types of vanity names include the prefix becoming the suffix (Leafpelt to Starleaf, Thornbriar to Bloodthorn) or suffixes being changed (this will happen in the future). Very rarely does the whole name change

Occasionally, a cat’s name will change with their gender. This is a different ceremony to vanity names, as this name is not a gift, but something owed. They may request a change of prefix, suffix, or both!

Oh this turned out really long lol. Enjoy this lore!

[the-agent-of-blight]

Aromanticism in Academic Papers (day 2)

Each day of ASAW, i'm going to summarize and discuss a different academic paper that researches aromanticism in some capacity. Today is day 2.

Today's paper is: Ace and Aro: Understanding Differences in Romantic Attractions Among Persons Identifying as Asexual by Amy N. Antonsen, Bozena Zdaniuk, Morag Yule, and Lori A. Brotto. (2020) [stable link]

This paper's primary focus is on researching the romantic experience of asexual individuals, including the significant population of Aroace individuals. The authors found that 74% of asexual people reported experiencing romantic attraction, found differences in activities, behavior, and personalities between allo and aro asexuals. These results were found through an amalgam of data collected in 7 different studies into asexuality.

This paper, being one of the first papers to actually address aromantic people at all, has to establish some facts that seem like common sense to those of us in the community. Unsurprisingly, more alloace participants reported being in a romantic relationship than aroace participants. Alloaces were 6.7 times more likely to be in a relationship than aroaces. This is something that seems like common sense, but since aromanticism is so rarely discussed in academic literature, this is a new finding for academia. Similarly, alloaces reported more past romantic partners than those who aroace.

This paper lends academic credence to something that the asexual community has often said itself: that there are aces who want to engage in romantic activity.

I am not without complaint, however. One of this paper's claims is "Aromantic asexual participants were colder, less nurturant, and less intrusive than romantic asexual participants based on the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems." Obviously, reading that the first time, I was quite insulted. Some of those phrases carry negative connotations. Now, of course, the paper does acknowledge this, recognizing that two of the questions used to find this result (From the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems) mentioned feelings that are often associated with romantic love, which means data may have been biased by poorly worded questions. Another criticism I have with this paper is its focus on aromanticism as only a modifier to asexuality, but i do concede that it was significantly easier to study via meta-analysis. One thing to consider about the history of aromantic people being studied in academic literature is that most mentions are extremely new, and that the origins of that comes primarily from research around asexuality that got its start in 2008. Ultimately, this paper is still foundational to a lot of more aromantic specific research later on in the body of literature and therefore holds a special place.

[link to day 3]

[booniesoil]

Deer in Rusty Lake might mean something else

A lot of people theorize that the imagery of deers in Rusty lake represents hatred / violence towards family, which is something I totally see with Nicholas Eilander and Albert Vanderboom, but I don't know why that would be applicable to Dale Vandermeer. He is perfect!! Actually, I theorize / believe that people with deer representations in Rusty Lake could mean something a bit opposite. First of all, I think the true reason the use of deer is so common and inconsistent is generally because it matches the style or Rusty Lake, so they reuse deer carelessly (sorry Rusty Lake, I LOVE YOUR ARTSTYLE I DO), but,:

I think a more accurate telling of deer for characters in the series would be reaching enlightenment. Between the three characters, they may be taking steps, and may be some of the only characters taking steps towards enlightenment in different ways. (I haven't played all the games in the series recently, so a lot of my information may be out of date or flawed, and it is not fully defined what enlightenment is, or how to reach it outside of possibly drinking the elixir, so I am making inferences). I don't fully know what the purpose of sacrificing Jakob is, but Nicholas had taken interest in using Caroline's memories for whatever reason he needs them for. Intentional or not, helping the lake or not, Nicholas may have been taking steps towards enlightenment.

Dale, to me it seems like the plans Aldous and Mr Owl are attempting to him is to get him enlightened (without his knowledge). He's already a corrupted soul, but as far as I know Mr Crow is attempting to change his negative memories into positive ones, changing memories gut keeping the past, it's all vague but he ends up with the golden cube, which might be a step to enlightenment. Ambiguous stuff I hope it all makes sense.

But most exciting, to me, is Albert. Albert may be unintentionally in the process of becoming enlightened. Seeing as Mr Crow is trying to turn Dale's negative memories into positive ones, seemingly to enlighten him?, Albert is ACTIVELY and unintentionally taking steps to enlightenment by personally changing his past, negative memories of his family into positive ones by. Murdering them all. Nice man! 

Ms Pigeon is the closest character I could think of that may be applicable to whatever I've layed out here, since she does take interest in extracting memories before she dies. I don't fully know the rules here, but maybe she's too side of a character to have an association with deer, or perhaps have not started her experiment, already has a harsh enough connotation with pigeons (although Albert has MANY connotations with many different things, Mr Pigeon can definitely have multiple, too) to provide a second animal connotation, or she may have already reached enlightenment.

William is a character that seems like he's massively failing at becoming enlightened! For being the one with the most work done, he got killed by drinking the elixir, took all the steps to reviving himself, and got reincarnated as Laura, who seems like she got, once again, doomed to a fate opposite to enlightenment. Laura has a ton of bad memories, as does Dale, but her bad memories are utilizing a lot by the lake crew, and ultimately she is not getting steps done to getting closer to enlightenment. She pretty much is held hostage at this lake by her brother to extract bad memories after bad memories to help enlighten Dale. If I am READING THIS CORRECT. 

I think I good way to see if this fits is to crosscheck if random deer in the games could also indicate this, but I haven't done that yet, I'm just keeping in mind Albert, Nicholas, Dale, and William.

I hope that all makes sense! I hope someone use understands this and gets EXCITED by it because I think it's a far more exciting theory with a bunch of potential than the previous one!

Edit: ADDING ON TO THIS. Playing through Paradox for the first time in years, Laura outright said that one of them will die and the other will reach enlightenment, and I absolutely do not see that being Laura. You have no hope I am sorry Laura.

[0utcsts0utlet]

Back with the more theories/things I’ve noticed

also wanted to add I forgot to note the colors of the matrix with the colors red and blue

The color can blue can also mean a lot as we saw from the no blueberries mv we saw a lot of blue with the music video for scaredy cat

Here are some of the meanings of the color blue

Credit to empower yourself with color psychology All colors also have a negative connotation Time and again in research, blue is the world's favourite colour. However, it can be perceived as cold, unemotional and unfriendly. Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion, emotional strength, friendliness, creativity. Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression, anxiety and more according to color affects something I noticed while looking up the term scaredy car was

The lyrics also seem to help us understand this vibe

I’m calling from under my bed

Its hard to breathe when you’re not there

I find everything a nightmare

This goes back to the negative meaning of the color blue meaning irrationality and fear which also ties together the color orange we see for this mv and others

We see the color orange when we hear these lyrics

I think I’m scared of all the signs

Don’t ever leave me alone at night

then we see a quick flicker

this might be alluding towards what is called grayscale thinking which can be described as

Most of us engage in dichotomous thinking from time to time. In fact, some experts think this pattern may have its origins in human survival — our fight or flight response. These both are common with people with anxiety

The next lyric just leave the lights on and close the blinds might be hinting at self isolation of some sort which adds up when he said

There are clouds in disguise and I’m always terrified they might just rain on me

this also could mean negative people/energy vampires so him staying where he’s at going along about his day at the hotel could show he thinks he’s better off alone as these lyrics mention

I feel like I’m disappearing in a hole and nobody will know nobody will go except when I’m with you sitting in my room alone

these lyrics also reminded me of the song Sometimes I’m

The second verse of this song also reminds me of the opening of no blueberries with him questioning himself and the lyrics on the song anxious when he repeated im doing fine and in the lyrics of Sometimes I’m it mentioned

This also kind of reminds me of the lyrics from the song mood

This also kind of ties Miss Understood as well Dear diary Oh, I'm no buttercup My day goes down to up Sometimes I need to stop Your pills are not enough Maybe I'll throw it up Just so I'll sober up No, I don't want no answers My guns are just blasting My feelings on acid Make this heart go elastic, all right

This could be a metaphor for the gun we see in the mv’s based on the lyrics that can be found on the song Merry Go

Have I made it any further Told you I was being nervous You know I didn't mean to murder The moments had with you

Now I left you for the show Told myself I'm better off alone Never been the same since I let go Don't you know it sends me back around this Merry go

This could go back to him saying he’s going back to his old ways kind of like a pendulum does how it goes back around

This song also kind of mentions welcome to the show when it said know I left you for the show which could tie to dope lovers

I believe it was alone mentioned how this type of energy is addictive but perhaps in a sense it’s poisonous/toxic hence the I just need you

To be continued already an essay🤣

[elementalladymallorie]

So I have recently been doing flower associations/analysis/whatever these should be called for another fandom, and wanted to do this for a few other people. So now we have Sun Wukong! I will say this is going to be influenced by the Lego Monkey Kid version, but I am building off of JTTW too.

For the Great Sage I believe the best flowers are Marigolds, Hyacinth, Peach Blossoms, and this one is a bit of stretch but Bird of Paradise.

These flowers all have multiple meanings, some changing based on color. I will be picking the meanings for those based on what feels like the best fit for Wukong.

First up Marigolds. A beautiful yellow flower that is sometimes called the Herb of the Sun, which Wukong was compared to the sun in LMK. Marigolds symbolize Power/Strength, Chasing Away Evil Spirits, and Brings Positive Energy.

Wukong is obviously one of the strongest people we see in any medium involving him. He bested countless deities, demons, and more. Wukong also has several different abilities/powers, too many to honestly probably keep up with. He chased away demons during the journey from his fellow pilgrims, ran off hunters from his mountain, and more. His ability to see through illusions could potentially be an evidence point towards chasing out evil spirits, since he can identify a threat despite it's disguises and trickery. Wukong, at least in the LMK show, admits to playing a fool at times. He acts foolish and like a jokester to bring levity to situations and more positive emotions to the people he's with, even if it doesn't always land.

Marigolds do also have negative connotations as well. They symbolize Grief, Despair, and Mourning.

Wukong has lost a lot of people in his life. He lost the other monkeys from his mountain, likely the other demon kings minus DBK since they don't show up again, and his fellow pilgrims. Grief accompanies loss easily, and despair may be a stretch, but it is also a common feeling for a loss. I don't think it's a stretch to say he mourns. We see in the LMK show that he made a small shrine with origami figures of his friends/brothers from the journey for the New Year Fireworks.

Next Hyacinths! Hyacinths have multiple means depending on the color, but also often the connotation of tragedy. As a whole, they can depict Rashness, while Purple Hyacinths represent Forgiveness, and like most purple flowers, Royalty.

Wukong could be at times rash, but he did grow from it. Wukong took on the name "Handsome Monkey King" and was king of his fellow monkey demons on Flower Fruit Mountain. Part of the Wukong's story in the JTTW is learning compassion, which can lead to forgiveness. Some versions of the story have Wukong releasing the hunters that attacked his home rather than killing them, which could be interpreted as forgiveness. I think we have some of that in LMK with his willingness to work with DBK, if that's maybe a bit of speculation.

Red Hyacinths represent Recreation and Playfulness. Pink Hyacinths similarly mean Joy and Fresh Starts.

Monkeys are noted in JTTW as being somewhat mischievous and very active. Part of Wukong's introduction is even mentioning how he and his friends would play in their home. Wukong is a very happy and 'bouncy' demon. Getting so excited he jumps around and can no longer sit still when he realizes he's going to learn from his first master. Wukong also gets a fresh start so to speak after being released from the mountain to travel with Tang Sanzang.

The next flower is perhaps a little on the nose, but Peach Blossoms! The blossoms that turn into one of Wukong's favorite foods, Peaches! Peach Blossoms represent Longevity.

Wukong became a Guardian of the Heavenly Peach Garden, and some of the peaches of this garden grant immortality to whomever eat them. Wukong, while already immortal at this point, does eat all types of the peaches grown in the garden. He also drinks the heavenly wine, and takes the longevity pills, so he very easily has a long life.

Peach Blossoms also symbolize Protection against Misfortune/Bad Luck and Luck.

I've already touched on Wukong's connection to warding off evil with Marigolds,and I don't want to reiterate too much. Wukong does help bring in luck as well, though. There are plenty of stories where he and his fellow pilgrims bring change to villages, and people with the defeat of some the demons they face. We even see in LMK Wukong fighting off DBK, and protecting a village which leads to a long time of prosperity. One would consider that quite lucky, I would think.

Our final flower may be a bit of a stretch but I think it fits the Monkey King pretty well, the Bird of Paradise.

The Bird of Paradise is very lovely and unique looking flower that are pollinated by sunbirds. They get their name for looking like a bird in flight, and symbolize Glamor and Joy.

Like the misfortune I don't to linger on something I've already looked at once but it's included because I think it just solidifies the connection between the flower choice and Wukong. Now, glamor can mean both magic or to make certain things more appealing/attractive. One of Wukong's titles is "The Handsome Monkey King". Though I'd like to focus more on the magic aspect of glamor. Wukong does have the ability to make himself appear as other people or creatures, and as stated earlier, he has several abilities that he has access too including magic.

The Bird of Paradise also symbolizes Freedom.

Like I said the flower looks like a bird in flight, which would lend itself to looking like freedom. Part of Wukong going with Tang Sanzang was for freedom from his punishment, but I think Wukong is also just a free spirt as well. He's playful, he seems to like to travel, and in LMK he seems to like thinking outside the box. He also flies with his cloud, and can turn into a bird and I've seen many, many connections between feelings of freedom being related to flight. I also think a young Monkey King had plenty of freedom on Flower Fruit Mountain.

Sun Wukong is a very complex character, in any iteration, with many layers and possible interpretations to his acts. His story had many ups and downs, similar to any story relating to some that would be/is labeled a hero. There are probably more flowers that can easily be associated with Wukong or that just fit different aspects that I didn't touch on in this. I think these four flowers hit a lot of points, both individually and together.

[jcapehartjr]

How "Something Wicked" Brilliantly Breaks STARSET's Formula

Ohio-based hard rock band STARSET released their fourth album, Horizons, in October 2021. The album featured some of their finest songs to date, most of which followed a formula that the group has followed since their first album in 2015. However, the final track of the album does away with the typical STARSET formula in striking ways. I’d like to dissect just what makes “Something Wicked” so intriguing, especially compared to the rest of STARSET’s discography.

            STARSET’s formula follows a very common song structure: alternating three verses and three choruses, with a bridge almost always coming after the second chorus. Many STARSET songs open with a build into the first verse (“Carnivore”, “Monster”, “Manifest”, “Earthrise”). Other STARSET songs jump directly into the first verse’s lyrics (“Halo”, “Satellite”, “Tunnelvision”)

“Something Wicked” does neither of these. It instead begins with a piano playing one note over and over again, with a faint “ticking” sound accompanying the piano notes. After just three notes, lead singer Dustin Bates begins singing. No build-up, but it doesn’t jump straight in either. The clock ticks and piano continue as Bates sings in a breathy, exasperated voice. This bare-bones orchestration is somewhat atypical of STARSET’s music already. For listeners who know STARSET, this change of pace is unsettling. Even in just the first four words of the song (“Loving, hating, hoping, taking”), there is brilliant songwriting. For “Loving” and “hoping”, only Bates’s natural voice is heard. On “hating” and “taking”, words with a more negative connotation, the notes are harmonized a few octaves lower. This effect gives these negative words a particularly ominous feeling to them.

After the first four words, the lyrics and the melody start to unfold, stretching into full phrases and sentences. After a few phrases, string instruments are added to the texture. Over the first 1:30 of the song, there is this sense of gradual growth. STARSET’s music is not typically gradual in nature.

At about 1:33, the strings exit and Bates begins singing again. This time, he sings a different melody. It’s obvious that this is a new section, but it doesn’t quite feel like a chorus. Interestingly, the melody that Bates sings here sounds new to the listener, but was actually foreshadowed by the strings just a few seconds prior. The orchestration is stripped back down to singer, piano, and some ambient synths. After a few phrases, a cello comes in playing a gorgeously tragic counter line to Bates’s melody. Again, this section feels like it’s growing gradually, growing toward something. At 2:04, there is a moment of pause, and then the same melody heard previously starts to repeat, but now we hear drums and guitars added, as well as Bates’s vocals being doubled in octaves to sound thicker and more present in the mix. It isn’t until about 2:20 that STARSET achieves their typical “metal” sound. It feels like all that growing has paid off here. It feels like the pot has started boiling over.

Then it gets bigger.

Drummer Adam Gilbert starts hammering away at cymbals, a track of Bates screaming can be heard behind more new melodic material. Bates is reaching higher and higher notes and even screaming parts of the main melodic line. There are more complex synth lines, heavy guitars, the strings return and the whole texture gives Bates a thick wall of sound to back him up.

As Bates screams out “I have come alive”, the song transitions to yet more new melodic material in what feels like another new section. Here we hear Bates’s vocals harmonized in a way that feels almost like a choir. The song pushes to its ultimate climax as Bates screams out “What you fear you have become”. Impressively, Bates switches from screaming to whispering in a matter of seconds as the wall of sound comes to a screeching halt and leaves Bates and the piano alone to utter the title of the song for the first time with only 15 seconds left in the song. Almost all of STARSET’s songs use the title in their chorus lyrics. For this song to employ its title in a whisper in the last 15 seconds is strikingly divergent from their formula.

One of the most striking differences between “Something Wicked” and the rest of STARSET’s discography is the song’s form. I conceptualize “Something Wicked” in four main sections.

The first section is from 0:00-1:32, which we’ll call the A section. 1:33-2:36, I’ve labeled as the B section. The C section lasts from 2:37-3:09. This section is signaled by Bates singing “Out of myself…”. The final section, D lasts from 3:10 to 3:44. The rest of the song, from 3:45 to the end acts as a sort of “coda” that recalls the A section but present the whispered “Something wicked this way comes”. All of these sections have distinct letter labels because they don’t have much in common in terms of melody. While the strings do foreshadow the B section melody at the end of the A section, the sections still feel distinct from each other in terms of how the song progresses. The song does not return to its previous ideas in any significant way like STARSET’s songs usually do. None of these four sections feel like they could be distinctly labeled as a “verse”, “chorus”, or “bridge”. Over the course of these four sections, A-B-C-D-coda, there is this general sense of gradual growth. D is bigger than C is bigger than B is bigger than A. Eventually, this growth gets to be so much that it just explodes. Section D literally ends with a scream. This explosion of energy makes the whispering of the ending all the more poignant, and all the more distinct from the STARSET formula.

There is something to be said also for the placement of this track within the album: the final track. Listening straight through, the last thing you hear is whispers that “Something wicked this way comes”. Is this STARSET alluding to an uber-intense, darker fifth album? It isn’t unusual for STARSET to drop hints like these. Before the release of Horizons, STARSET fans were sleuthing through encrypted messages from the band that included lore related to the band’s ongoing sci-fi narrative. Perhaps something is brewing…

[snowdust64]

Day by Day - romaji and English translation

Artist: VΔLZ Original lyrics: Miyazawa Tatsuki Translation and romanization by Snowdust64

========== This is translated by verse for ease of reading; line counts will not always match. Since in the original lyrics, the only English that appeared was “DAY BY DAY” in all-caps, I carried over that same format. Implied pronouns are in brackets with my best guesses.

Additional translation notes at the end. ==========

dokoka de kiita kyoku no wan furēzu ga nokotteru `itsumo kawaranai mono wa tonari ni arunda' tte utatteta

There’s a one-liner from a song [I] heard somewhere that has stuck ‘The things that will never change are right beside [you]’ is how it went

hisashiburi ni attatte   onaji yōna kakkō de tekitōna kamigata mo kawaranai natte kata o yurashita

Meeting up for the first time in a while, dressed the same as always With casually-done hairstyles that didn’t change when [we] shook [our] shoulders *

sanmi itai de waraiatte ikō ze kyō de nan-kai me hibi o sugoshitanda nanigenai mainichi o   tsumuide yuku DAY BY DAY ashita wa nani o shiyō ka

As a trio ** Let’s all laugh together How many times does today make it? The days [we’ve] been spending Weaving this easygoing daily life DAY BY DAY What shall we do tomorrow?

ano koro ni wa   te ni shite nakatta mono ga aru mukashi   omoiegaita   jibun to wa zuibun kawatta na

There’s something [I] have now that I didn’t back then [I’m] quite different from the person [I] once imagined [I] would be

demo itsumo no basho de   onaji yōni atsumatte nandemonai hanashi o nan-jikan datte katari akashita

But [we] gathered in the usual place in the same way And chatted about trifling matters for hours on end

kyō mo kō yatte daradara yatte ikō ze baka mitai datte waratte sugoshitainda ashita ga kyō ni nattatte   tsudzuite yuku DAY BY DAY madamada hanashi tarinai ne

Let’s spend today like this too Just casually hanging around| Even if [we] look like idiots [I] want to spend it laughing Though tomorrow becomes today, and continues on DAY BY DAY There’s so much more [we] still have to talk about

ano toki ano kyoku ga itteita kawaranai mono ga taisetsu nan datte hontō no imi ga sukoshi dake ima wa wakaru kigashita

At that time, that song was saying that the unchanging things are precious [I] think [I] understand its true meaning now, just a little bit

demo sekai-chū de kawatterunda kyō mo dakedo eien ni kawaranai mono ga aru

But today too, the world is changing Even so, there are things that will forever remain unchanged

sanmi itai de waraiatte ikō ze itsu ni nattatte hibi o sugoshitainda nanigenai mainichi o   tsumuide yuku DAY BY DAY ashita wa nani o shiyō ka madamada tsudzuku DAY BY DAY

As a trio Let’s all laugh together At some point, [we] started wanting to spend the days like this Weaving this easygoing daily life DAY BY DAY What shall we do tomorrow? It goes on and on, DAY BY DAY

===== Translation notes =====

*  ‘kata o yurashite’ means shaking or swaying the shoulders. The phrase doesn’t have a positive or negative connotation on its own, but the most common context I found it used in was in describing laughter: ‘laughing so hard that your shoulders shake.’ This does fit well with the rest of the lyrics.

**  ‘sanmi itai’ means three united as one – literally, ‘three people one body.’ We don’t have an elegant English translation for that besides ‘trinity,’ but that carries a lot of religious/spiritual connotation.

[disasterghaster]

Deities & Some Mythos

This is by no means an entirely comprehensive list. Dekropolis’ Middle Region is often the focus of these details as it is the most worked with area of the world. Even then, Dekro’s situation as a reality with thin dimensional borders and interstellar travel, there are many non-Native deities being melded or carried to Dekro. Dekro is diverse in its cultures and how they fit with each other, this includes the religions, however this pantheon is to denote what IS native to Dekro and considered the official pantheon borne of the time before stable inter- dimensional/stellar travel.

I won’t include a whole lot of minor/melded deities. We’d be here too long.

Dekro Pan-Pantheon

Mirthos 

King God of the Heavenly Court. Descendant of Beeltha and Jaana and twin brother of Diablo. He presides over the whole of Dekropolis’ pantheon as well as the world. He is omnipotent and omniscient, but not omnipresent. The omniscience requires a bit of focus. If he does not think to know something, he does not know it. Mirthos, as a deity, is capable of creation and protection. He is worshipped as a God that presides over the concept of Justice. Seen frequently as a type of entity that one should aspire to be in matters of kind and even handed judgement as well as wisdom. He is considered to rule over abstract concepts and has very little earthly connotation–he does not preside over natural phenomena at all.

Morkath/Diablo

King God of the Hellish Court. Descendant of Beeltha and Jaana and twin brother of Mirthos. He presides over the Hell of Dekropolis and other negative dieties/spirits. He deals directly with the ‘damned’ while the rest are sent to Tuyan-Vahe. He is omnipotent and omniscient, but not omnipresent. The omniscience requires a bit of focus. If he does not think to know something, he does not know it. Diablo, as a deity is capable of destruction. This includes the destruction of all things including the very souls of people. He is known for operating like a standard Devil in that he will deal in souls for ones desires. He is another ‘idea’ rather than ‘natural occurrence’ deity. His original Name was Morkath, but once other-worldly immigrations happened there was a shift in his name due to the overwhelming repeating ideas throughout existence. He is functionally similar while his brother has less overbearing commonality. Diablo is also known to have taught a handful of people something called a “Diablo Punch”. A small fraction of his martial arts ability that he has created and mastered in entirety.

Tuyan-Vahe

God of Valor and The (quintessential) Warrior. Son of Mirthos and Lekosis. He presides over the realm of those that died in honorable, righteous, and good conditions known as Vahe. He is the patron of all soldiers and warriors. When one wishes to be triumphant and strong in battle, they invoke Tuyan. He is the Heavenly Courts law enforcer, also. He is sent to deal with those whom have over stepped their bounds in Dekro. One such time was when Dominion Ezko was captured by Tuyan and taken to Heavenly Trial to be sentenced for the grievous level of destruction Dominion inflicted on Dekro. Tuyan is omnipotent, but not omnipresent or omniscient. He has never been beaten in combat.

Lekosis

Goddess of Wisdom. Considered a minor deity and consort to Mirthos. Invoked primarily by sages and mages. Those seeking mental fortitude to understand. She is thought to be the origin of letters and paper as well as memory.

Valtamara

Former God of the Ocean and Tides. Represented as a type of aquatic Lung Dragon. Able to control large bodies of water, their weather patterns, and creatures that dwell in it. He is prayed to by sailors and navy men for safe passage. He is rarely seen since the Omega Wars. (Yorime, for his services during the Omega Wars, granted Valta a mortal life. He founded the Ezko Clan.) Though he is no longer seen, he is often still worshipped–though foreign gods are more often attended to than him anymore.

Bonna Yorime

Goddess of the Moons. Dekropolis has three moons and the Yorime has three faces or forms. ‘Bonna’ is a prefix that means something like ‘honorable boss lady’. She is seen as the source of all magic and internal energy/the soul, making her a pretty prestigious, powerful, and mysterious Goddess. She created Valtamara and it is thought that, due to this, she has power over the waters/tides–even after Valta’s descension to mortality.

Old Gods

These Gods pre-date the current pantheon.

Jaana

Goddess of Creation. Jaana is one of many forgotten Old Gods. Her whereabouts are unknown, but she is written to have been the creator of the universe in which Dekropolis resides. According to the written legends, she and her chosen mate, Beeltha, fled their dimension of origin when their makers persecuted them for their union. To start anew she created Dekropolis and all that exists within it. A haven for the rejected of all other dimension and planes. Her and Beeltha had twins in the early days of Dekro’s conception. Unfortunately, the Omega Wars set into motion shortly after. Beeltha and Jaana have not been seen since. It is speculated she is no longer in Dekro.

Beeltha

God of Destruction. Beeltha helped in the making of Dekropolis. Without creation there cannot be destruction and without destruction there cannot be creation. She made the world and set in motion the things to come while Beeltha destroyed and set in motion the violent changes that would feed the things to come. It is believed that the warring and destructive nature of Dekro has something to do with Beeltha still being in Dekro while Jaana is absent. However, this is conjecture. Represented as a behemoth of a red dragon. Written to have been able to block the light of the sun with a single wing.

Hart

Steward of Forgotton Knowledge and Piety. Though not a deity, he is a very powerful servant of Beeltha and Jaana and is often treated with the same respect as a god. He is omniscient. He, very literally, knows all (relating to Beelth/Jaana and Dekropolis). Having been brought from another dimension to serve Beeltha and Jaana, Hart is outside of the fabric of Dekro reality and rules. He is a forgotten being and resides in the ruins of an old Beeltha temple in the Northern Mountains. He maintains the temple and the complex tunnel work within in the mountain that houses an extensive library. And the cavern that houses a bound Beeltha .

Traveling Deities

Ares/Mars

others not listed here yet

Other than Ares, traveling deities come to Dekro and tend to their worshipers, but always shortly return to their reality of origin. Some even come to blend in with the populace anonymously at times.

[deprivedwithjoy]

She Who Embraces Envy

A U T O B I O G R A P H Y

No one admits to feeling envious. The word itself is often highlighted by devils as a sin that ruins interpersonal relationships and progress of some sort. Once a toddler grows older, she realises that it's easier to point fingers at another toddler who seems more suspicious than she is to escape the consequences of taking the blame. Carrying an adorable teddy bear in her right arm, the little girl with purple ribbons greets her father with a warm hug; behind them is the bruised figure of an older brother who is currently lying on the floor naked. He cries in agony. His wounds are open which causes immense bleeding. Any longer now, he might lose his consciousness—all because of receiving the punishment for something he did not do. The same applies to envy.

My name is Joylyn Valencia, and this is the Autobiography of an odd girl who likes self-deprecating jokes relating to suicide. I was born on the 25th of July, 2006 at the Manila Hospital. Recapturing the past, I would understand if parents were to lock their doors just to prevent their children from conversing with me. At the age of 12, I began suffering from a mental health condition known as "Trichotillomania" which involves frequent, repeated and irresistible urges to pull out hair from my scalp. As a consequence, bald spots began to occupy a wider range of my head. I was forced to cover the whole thing with a black headband, and since Aphrodite's grace didn't perceive me as the chosen one for authentic beauty, I was merely a mortal who had no right to complain. I had to accept my fate. The fate that most of us had to accept... mediocrity.

Until now, I remained a loser to temptation. Imagine opening social media just to deliberately compare yourself to other flawless models who have a foreign ethnicity and a wealthy status. I don't know them, nor do I care about their roast turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, and their desperate attempts to advertise their lousy content infuriates the heck out of me. Either way, I envy them. Sometimes, I wonder to myself. Did they work hard for it? What is happening behind the scenes before they post one of these "perfect" pictures of an extravagant event? Who knew that back then, I was foolish enough to believe the quotation "Beauty does not define who you are"(?) For me, that is nothing but a sugarcoated lie. People do treat you differently when you're conventionally attractive. I can approve since I've landed on both sides of the coin.

Back then, attending class daily looking like a cancer patient with the shortest stature... made an impact on my self-esteem and how others treated me. Well, sort of. They don't even have to say anything. I'm not that dumb to not know the difference between envy and pity. Unfortunately, it took me some time to get a strong grasp of reality. According to a dictionary I found on Google, Envy often involves feeling resentment towards another person since they have something you do not have; it is a mix of admiration and discontent—if you've hit rock bottom before, you would know what I'm talking about. On the other hand, pity usually connotes feelings of superiority. Others call it compassion, but isn't it odd how you feel quite "better" the moment you've realised that some malnourished kid is suffering way worse than you in a rural area? For the second time, the majority of us find it difficult to accept these negative emotions. Accepting it is just too painful, this contradicts the title we have placed upon ourselves as "good people".

What is more shocking is that—denying the dark side of human nature ironically makes things worse. Instead of going through the process of dealing with these negative emotions and healing yourself from within, the majority of people I know would rather blame others because of a common false assumption: that everyone is hostile towards them for the reason of envy and they pity them for it. Withholding a sense of grandiosity, they claim everyone to be self-proclaimed and evil but for some reason, they are an exception. Stop denying it. Don't despise or hate me for being honest. How can an individual change themselves without a hint of self-awareness? They can't.

[impeccablenest68]

What Does a SpongeBob Tattoo Mean? Uncovering Common Symbolic Associations - Impeccable Nest

2. Are SpongeBob tattoos only for kids? 3. Do SpongeBob tattoos have any negative connotations? 4. Can I cover up a SpongeBob tattoo if I change my mind about it later? 5. How much does a SpongeBob tattoo cost? Since its debut in 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has become one of the most popular cartoons of all time. People of all ages love the quirky animation, witty humor, and overall cheerful nature of the show. It has spawned countless memes, merchandise, and even a Broadway musical. With such a massive fan base, it’s no wonder that SpongeBob tattoos have become so popular. SpongeBob tattoos come in a variety of designs, from minimalist line drawings to hyper-realistic portraits. The design possibilities are endless, making it easy for people to find a SpongeBob tattoo that suits their style and personality. - 3dq7arqj4c

[asking-jude]

long story short: im working in respite with (mostly) autistic teens. one of them, FF (for Forest Fella, since he lives in The Woods[tm]), is almost 17 and has a hoarding problem on top of his anger and violence issues. my company (that also offers ABA therapy) has worked with only a few hoarders before, but FF is being more difficult because of his behaviors. currently he has a grab bag system set up; for every 2 broken things he throws out, he can pick 1 new thing from the grab bag. ive seen him distressed about the things he throws out on multiple occasions, and i find it really unsettling. i dont like the negative association hes developing with hoard management thru this system - but no one in the company are hoarding experts, so i dont know weather to press to send FF to a real expert, or learn new stuff to try out for him. he has no connotation for the dangers and hazards of his hoarding issue. he doesnt see it as a problem yet. insists he has plans for all his stuff (most of it is broken or SUPER dirty) and always cones up with a reason not to do stuff - both hoard managment wise, as well as chores or even just other stuff that he wants to happen.

Resources and/or tips?

Do you want free mental help? What about remote, pay-what-you-want counselling? Visit askingjude.org.

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out. I think that realizing your limits shows great wisdom. It makes sense that FF does not see the dangers of his behaviors. It is pretty common for people who are struggling with hoarding to not see it as an issue. To better understand what hoarding is from the perspective of someone with autism, here is a research article that collects the subjective experiences of autistic adults with hoarding (and other self-destructive behaviors): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8264636/

I completely understand that the fact that no one else seems concerned about FF’s behavior is unsettling and maybe even frustrating. I think it is a good idea to learn everything you can to help your client, but also, don’t be afraid to talk to the higher-ups about how you’ve been feeling. It is important to address your concerns and keep communication open. To learn more about how to discuss uncomfortable topics with your higher-ups, you may find this article helpful: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-have-a-difficult-conversation-with-your-boss.

If you do not feel like FF is getting the help he needs, then by all means, discuss referring him to a specialized program with him directly. Though this link is about general therapy, the concepts about therapeutic referrals still apply to this situation: https://www.goodtherapy.org/when-should-you-refer-a-client-to-another-professional.html.      Sometimes, it takes a long time/several conversations before a person comes to terms with their behavior. Even though I’m sure you’re well aware, keep in mind that hoarding is not a choice. It may seem like that from the outside, but it is a disorder. Hoarding is typically a sign of other underlying issues, and a professional will have a better idea on how to approach this situation. To understand the intersection between autism and hoarding, you may find the following links helpful:

https://ohandoko.medium.com/does-autism-lead-to-hoarding-an-exploratory-and-reflective-blog-bd6fc44fa4ab

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26749256/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29974314/

Here are some tips on how to talk to someone who is hoarding as well: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/helping-someone-with-hoarding-disorder.htm. Something I think may be helpful from this website is how to talk to someone who is hoarding. Do not refer to their things as “junk” or “trash.” Each item has sentimental value. Listen to how FF refers to his things, and go from there.

Good luck, Andrea and Jude

Ask A Question Here

[audreydoeskaren]

do you know Chinese symbolism for homosexuality?

tw homophobia, pedophilia

Hi again, for gay men there are a couple really well known ones but I’m not sure if they were real or fabricated, because all the articles describing them always cite the same couple sources from Antiquity... I tried to verify them but the only articles that didn’t copy and paste from the same source came across as extremely homophobic, so I decided to give up. The most common and reliable one is probably 断袖 or “cut sleeve”, which I mentioned in a previous ask. I would like to use this opportunity to talk about some tangential but more important topics regarding homosexuality in China though.

As a followup to my previous ask where I said I'd look through some Ming and Qing novels to see how homosexuality was perceived at the time, the conclusion I (unfortunately) came to was that homophobia was very much alive and well in Chinese literature and society. A lot of people like to argue that gay people fared pretty well in China historically by either pointing to emperors who were or were rumored to be gay or time periods where gay sex was prevalent as a form of consumption. This is extremely shallow and also kind of Orientalist in my opinion, these arguments always go for the emperors and do not take nuance into consideration or dive into wider societal discourses on homosexuality in imperial China. If you research homosexuality in Europe by only looking at royalty, you’ll find plenty of homosexual behavior too, does that mean gay people had it very easy in Europe historically?? Not to mention that they usually don’t differentiate between dynasties, let alone centuries or decades, even though public opinion on homosexuality in China (or anywhere in the world tbh) could change very quickly. This is also sort of Orientalist, assuming “imperial China” to be a never changing entity with a never changing stance on homosexuality. Since I know nothing prior to the Ming Dynasty I’ll share some of my random findings on homosexuality and homophobia in the Ming, Qing and 20th century.

Gayness as disease

Nowadays the symbol of the cut sleeve is just a benign historical allusion but historically it seems that it was used in a negative and condemning sense, implying that people thought of homosexuality as a disease or deviation from the norm. The common phrase used for the cut sleeve is "断袖之癖", usually translated as "the passion of the cut sleeve" nowadays, but the meaning of the word 癖 here leans more toward "fetish", "obsession" or "hobby" with pathological connotations. I thought maybe this word had a different, nuanced meaning historically but it seems that it was used to describe what it means :(( The only silver lining is probably that with the progression of language it isn’t offensive anymore.

In a lot of popular novels from the Ming and Qing, homosexuality was depicted as a "perversion" and a decadent lifestyle that plagues morality, and gay characters were often either killed or straightened out by the end of the story. An example of this is the story 黄九郎 Huang Jiulang from the series 聊斋志异 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio by 蒲松龄 Pu Songling written in the 17th century. In this story, one of the protagonists was gay; he died after confessing his love to the other guy in a very fast paced bury your gays arc which somehow reminded me of the Supernatural finale, and reincarnated as a straight man because of his piety. Thanks I hate it. Pu uses the symbol of the cut sleeve to refer to the protagonist, presumably in a negative manner.

Gayness as power/status symbol

Another thing was that historically in China a lot of people confused homosexuality with pedophilia. This is a global thing, but its presence in China is often overlooked. This could be seen in the popularity of another term for homosexuality, "娈童", meaning something similar to "pederasty". I read somewhere that since the late Ming, pederasty was considered a type of tasteful consumption for high society, along with things like fashion, food, music and art. This was not equivalent to the "cut sleeve" or homosexuality as we know it nowadays, which refers to a personal sexual orientation, pederasty historically often refers to an imbalanced power dynamic where a wealthy, privileged man takes advantage of a young boy as a leisurely activity. It’s more to show off that someone in a position of privilege and wealth has the power to procure sexual objects, gender and age don’t matter much in this regard. I cannot help but cringe violently whenever someone brings up pederasty as proof of China’s historical “openness” toward gay people. Talk to me again when in this time and place you could marry someone of your sex (not a minor) and be considered a respectable couple instead of two jerks with a degenerate fetish (not saying that gay people have to marry, it’s just that the ability to do so is an important indicator of equality imo). Pedophilia and homosexuality are not one and the same good heavens.

I hypothesize that the reason why Chinese society was historically homophobic despite having no religious condemnation of homosexual individuals was the idea that having many concubines and male children was a status symbol for men. Women of marriageable age were seen more or less as commodities and male children could supposedly "continue the bloodline" 传香火 and were vessels for passing down prestige, so having them were of utmost importance to a privileged man. Being just gay or lesbian, however, meant that you didn't perform the "man strong working woman weak making babies" heteronormative family prototype, and was thus prone to criticism. When gay men didn’t have children they “couldn’t continue their bloodline” and were emasculated, when gay women didn’t have children they failed to “fulfill their duties as a woman” and were shamed.

It kind of makes sense considering how being bisexual was never a problem in comparison, especially for men. If you were a rich guy who had both male and female partners, you would still have children and concubines both male and female so nobody gives a shit. Emperor Zhengde of the Ming (reign 1505-21) was presumably bisexual and had both male and female lovers, nobody had a bone to pick with that; he famously liked to fuck around but those who criticized him did so for his debauchery instead of focusing on the gender of his partners.  This is different to homophobia in Europe where same sex attraction was considered evil and immoral in and of itself because of religious reasons, in China it was rather the other practical implications of homosexuality (not having children or a family) that attracted hate.

By the way can we just take a moment to talk about bi erasure in Chinese history. From all accounts of Emperor Zhengde I’ve read he comes across as extremely bisexual, but a lot of people try to make him a gay icon? I mean, he liked women too.

One interesting homophobic angle in ye olde China which I find kind of funny was straight women who wanted to climb the social ladder by marrying rich men talking shit about them after figuring out they were gay lmao. Historically, there were not so many work opportunities for women, so the easiest way to improve social standing was to marry a rich and powerful guy. Not saying that women didn't work, they did but their upward social mobility was restricted because they couldn't enter the imperial examination system which was how men became rich and powerful. This angle is relatively benign and kind of helps illustrate that historical Chinese homophobia was indeed fueled by classism and patriarchy.

Gayness as crime

I used to think that there were no anti-sodomy statutes in China (laws prohibiting sex between gay men), but it turns out that there was one decree in the Jiajing era (1521-67) and one in 1740, and private gay sex was not actually decriminalized until 1957. Same sex marriage is still not legal in China at time of writing. I couldn’t find detailed information on what these laws entailed or how they were enforced, but they’re enough to prove that homosexuality in China was legally punishable from the 16th century onward. On top of that, even when there was no law prohibiting private sex acts between people of the same sex, displays of gay affection such as kissing or holding hands could still be legally punished under “public indecency” or “hooliganism”, which was frequently what happened in the 20th century. 

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Absolutely random and absolutely no need to reply at all, but I was just randomly thinking like...where did the hc that Georgie is black come from? I love her and the HC but just wondering where where it came from, thought u might know (idk)

I’m not actually sure! It was one of those designs that just kind of... wormed it’s way in their to be fanon and people stopped questioning it? t’s a weird one, because it used to be not very common, and in fact Georgie would often be ginger. And then a lot of people got very into Wooden Overcoats over what I think was the S4-5 hiatus. And since the Georgie from that show is canonically ginger, I think people might’ve wanted to be able to distinguish the two, and black Georgie, often with long braids or a bandana, is what was settled on?

It’s weird because Georgie, in my opinion, is one of the most clearly white-coded characters in the show (all of the so-called aracial ones pretty much are but Georgie in particular) because we have her talking about being the subject of class abuse. She says that she used to try and hide her scouse accent at Oxford because the posh rich kids would give her shit for it, and it makes sense that were she to be anything other than white, that factor would be brought up too here, but due to race deliberately being excluded, it just gives us the implication that that wasn’t a problem from the same bigoted pricks that were already being awful, thus leading to the conclusion that she’s likely white.

It’s also notable that when this fanon was emerging, Georgie was often less of a character in fics, and more of a... stand in for Jon’s ability to process emotions? She just seemed to exist to take care of him and tell him what he was feeling, which obviously has negative connotations if she’s one of the only black MCs being portrayed in that specific work. But at the same time, she was a relatively uncontroversial character who was widely liked, so I assume it was considered rather safe to make her black if you were the type of author to design with the intent to hit as many minority boxes as possible rather than actually use the character to inform these HCs

That’s not to say it’s problematic to make her such, at least as far as I’m aware, I just have personally never seen it explored in much depth beyond literal skin-deep pasting that aesthetic onto her and not engaging with how it changes the text. But maybe that does exist and I just haven’t seen it, I certainly don’t know everything that goes on and if anyone knows of some good content for that please link I’d love to see it.

Further reminder that I’m white so grain of salt on all takes relating to race and as always inviting people who actually know what they’re talking about to give a more coherent take/correct me