#it's like practically ACADEMIC in this usage!!

[inkskinned]

it is hard to explain without sounding vain or stupid - but the more attractive others find you, the more you're allowed to do. the easier your life is.

i have been on both sides of this. i am queer and cuban. i grew up poor. for a long time i didn't know "how" to dress - and i still don't. i make my sister pick out any important outfits. i have adhd in spades: i was never "cool and quiet", i was the weird kid who didn't understand how "normal" people behave. i was bullied so hard that the "social outcasts" wouldn't even talk to me.

i got my teeth straightened. i cut my hair and learned how to style it. i got into makeup. it didn't matter, at first, if i actually liked what i was doing - it mattered how people responded to it. like a magic trick; the right dress and winged eyeliner and suddenly i was no longer too weird for all of it. i could wear the ugly pokemon shirt and it was just "ironic" or a "cute interest."

when i am seen as pretty, people listen. they laugh at my jokes. they allow me to be weird and a little spacey. i can trust that if i need something, people will generally help me. privilege suddenly rushes in: pretty does buy things. pretty people get treated more gently.

i am the same ugly little girl, is the thing. still odd. still not-quite-fitting-in. still scrambling. still angry and afraid and full of bad things. of course it became my obsession. of course i stopped eating. i had seen, in real time, the exact way it could change my life - simply always be perfect, and things can be easy. people will "overlook" all the other things. i used to have panic attacks at the idea others would see me without makeup - what would they think? even for a simple friend hangout, i'd spend a few hours getting ready. after all, it seemed so obvious to me: these people liked me because i was pretty.

i worry about how much i'm being a bad activist: i understand that "pretty" is determined by white, het, cis, able-bodied hegemonies. if i was really an ally, wouldn't i rally against all of this? recently there's been a "clean girl" trend which copies latinx aesthetics: dark slicked-back hair, hoop earrings. i almost never wear my hair like that; i can hear the middle school guidance counsellor advising me that i might fare better if i toned it down on the culture.

the problem is that i can take pretty on and off. that i have seen how different my life is on a day where i try and a day where i don't. i told my therapist i want to believe the difference is confidence, but it's not. and when you have seen it, you can't unsee it. it lives inside your brain. it rots there; taunting. i get rewarded for following the rules. i am punished for breaking them. end of story.

pretty people can get what they want. pretty people can feel confident without others asking where they got their nerve from. pretty people can be weird and different. pretty people get to have emotions; it's different when they get aggressive, it's pretty when they cry with frustration.

of course people care about this. of course it has crawled into you. of course you want to be seen as attractive. it's not vanity: it's self-preservation.

[solar-sunnyside-up]

I'm really curious about what you think schooling would look like in a Solarpunk world/future!

Because the current public school system is broken af and the homeschool system isn't much better. I personally have looked into things like Sudbury schools and found good things and also issues. I've always been a proponent of the IDEA of Unschooling (which I understand to be, letting the child learn naturally through the world around them, learn reading through reading to them or teaching math and even basic chemistry through teaching them to cook, etc) but it seems like most parents use it as an excuse to not educate their kids...

I really think kids should learn practical things alongside the Academic stuff (three Rs, science, etc) but no system seems right...

Oooh boy! Have I thought about this one endlessly!

So background info that I have to frame where I'm coming from-

A- the current system is built for school>> factory worker pipeline

B) it also evolved from ppl working at factories and needing to put their kiddos somewhere while they worked their 9-5! Thus Sunday school evolved from something to teach basic literacy to a full time job for children (it's legit nearly 40 hour weeks for CHILDREN) so there's a lot of padded time to ensure they meet that quota

C) it's used of a massive scale it was NOT designed to be used at

Soooo!! Let's imagine a better one!

Personally, based on children's development I think schooling should be broken up into focused chunks and then obvi each kiddo should be able to work at their own pace within these chunks of time.

0-6 Motor and sensory skills- introduced to music/shapes/building, "helping" with community chores (laundry/windows/dishes/sweeping), basics of plants/gardens, learning about transportation and basic navigation.

7-10 Written- literacy (reading/printing/telling time/storytelling/etc), health (emotional+physical), basic cooking + tool usage, basics of history/geography, basics of all sciences, gardening more independently

11-13 social + advanced work -- advanced history/science/literacy/home eco/etc.. start working within the community in a vollunteer capacity, Starting to specialize in interests, focuses in philosophy/analysis/debate,

14-20 community and citizenship --greated focus in Philosophy/debate/analysis in addition to apprenticeships of testing out what they'd like to do with their lives

20+ whatever they wanna do! Personally I think our adulthood should start over from 0 here. Bc after you hit 20 your a baby adult, but like a 35yr old is nearly a teenager as should be treated as such! Finding themselves, building community, getting the swing of all that jazz.

Then the WAY this is taught would be with ppl close to the kiddos, neighbors and parents and community leaders would be in charge of these chunks. Much more like a tutor or professor style where each teacher specializes in both the thing their teaching but also the kiddos their raising.

[always-andromeda]

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑’𝐒 𝐏𝐄𝐓

𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 ✯ Professor!Sam Winchester x Fem!Reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 ✯ 3268

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 ✯ taboo au + dark academia + “I can see how badly you want this, so I'm going to make sure you get it.”

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ✯ I’ve loved this man literally since I was thirteen…so it’s inevitable that I’d be writing something absolutely fucking filthy for him in my twenties…

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ✯ smut (minors, do not interact), gaps in age and power, mutual masturbation, little bit of panty sniffing, a singular use of Y/N (I'm sorry, I hate it too but it was necessary), usage of pet names (sweetheart), general manipulation, slight praise kink, obvious disclaimer: the dynamic in this fic is just that, fictional, and should not be practiced in real life!! let me know if any other warnings are needed!!

(mdni banner template credit goes to @cafekitsune!!)

You’d rarely had luck receiving any sort of grace from your professors. Sure, there were a select few that only wanted to see you succeed. However, more often than not you seemed to encounter sadists who decided to take their kinks out on exhausted college students. But you were convinced that Professor Winchester wouldn’t be like that.

For starters, he’d always been challenging but never malicious. Despite the fact that you’d registered for his Norse Mythology course with the assumption that it would be easy college credits, you quickly learned that his assignments were difficult. Every week there seemed to be about a hundred pages worth of reading, frequent essays, and an emphasis on class discussion.

Oh, did he love those class discussions. While most were less than enthusiastic to contribute to lengthy examinations of Eddic poetry at eight in the morning, Professor Winchester seemed to be none the wiser of this.

He was always squinting over his thin wire framed glasses, surveying the class. He’d stand at his desk, brushing his long hair behind his ear while looking over papers. When he’d listen he’d purse his lips and tilt his head, expression rife with genuine interest. In all of these moments, he was the most gorgeous. But more than that, you were fascinated with his mind.

Professor Winchester knew this material like the back of his hand; was able to pull references and quotes from various pieces of literature at the drop of a hat. He was the only professor who could ever give notes that were actually helpful on essays and he’d always been generous with handing out extra credit assignments. Which is what you aimed to obtain on this visit to his office.

You looked through the glass of his office door and saw him inside, working diligently at a dark oak wood desk. Taking a deep breath, you turned the doorknob and entered.

The hinges squeezed but Winchester seemed so fixated on whatever was before him that he only raised a finger, indicating for you to wait. So you did. Awkwardly. You rocked slightly on your heels, your stomach starting to twist in time with the movement. God, he looked like a dream lit by the stained glass banker's lamp as he graded papers.

In another world you could see him coming home from a long day, his body warm behind you as he wrapped his arms around your waist. Smelling like black coffee and pencil shavings, you'd adoringly close your eyes, taking in his scent and ask him how his day went. He'd hum in contentment when resting his chin on your head; you're his rock, his soulmate, the reason he stays sane despite dealing with probably hundreds of students and the frustrating dance of academic bureaucracy. 

It's a fantasy that broke the second Winchester glanced up and said with a hint of surprise, "Miss L/N! Come in, have a seat," he nodded towards the chair on the other side of his desk.

Relieved that he can pick you out among the sea of students from his classroom, you move forward until you reach the chair. You set your bag down on the floor and settle into the worn leather of the seat as Winchester eyes you expectantly.

"What can I do for you this afternoon?"

You chew on the inside of your cheek. "Actually, I was hoping that you could help me out with something."

"Oh, what might that be?" he furrowed his brow.

"Um..." you started. "I'm sure you noticed that I didn't do too hot on the last exam."

"Ah, I did," he said simply.

"You did?"

"Yeah, I was surprised, actually." Winchester opened up one of his desk drawers and sorted through some files before pulling out a packet you recognized as the exam you'd taken the week before. "You seem so engaged in class discussion and you've been doing well on everything else. This...this felt rushed. What happened?"

The soft expression of concern on his face only increased your shame. In all honesty, you'd wasted half the exam time away staring at him. He'd worn a red sweater over a cream colored button up that day. Then he'd rolled up the sleeves before handing out the exam papers. It felt stupid to admit that you'd been distracted by his goddamn forearms.

But you had been. You couldn't resist watching him as he'd circled the room, keeping an eye out for cheating. With his arms folded behind his back, you got the best look at the back of him. His long legs clad in khaki. Strong, tanned forearms corded with prominent veins. Shoulder blades pushed back confidently as he walked. Everything about his solid stature had your mind far, far away.

You'd been good at making sure your daydreams wouldn't get the better of you. But this time, before you knew it, Winchester was glancing down at his watch and announcing that you had fifteen minutes left for exam time. You had no choice but to rush through the rest of it, writing down answers that hardly even made sense just to fill in blanks.

Now those answers laid before you, condemning you to a low D– that dragged down your entire grade.

"I honestly couldn't tell you, Professor. I thought I studied enough but I guess not."

Though you'd attempted to laugh off his concern, Winchester obviously wasn't budging. "But these are rookie mistakes. Number fifteen for example. Where do the gods live?"

"Easy. Asgard."

"Right, but here you marked down the answer for Valhalla," he slid the paper around so you could look at the question.

Sure enough, there it was, your frantic pencil marks filling in the bubble for the incorrect answer. Damn.

"And that's just on the multiple choice questions," Winchester continued, flipping through the pages. "You barely followed any of the directions for the long answer questions. Your response to the short essay portion was a paragraph too short. And it was too unfocused."

Unfocused is right, Professor Winchester.

"I hate to say it...but I was a little disappointed."

The sting of tears threatened to spill down your cheeks. So you cleared your throat and blinked them back quickly. Voice trembling, you answered quickly, "I'm sorry, Professor. I wasn't on my game and I thought I'd pay you a visit so I could plead my case. I'm willing to do any kind of extra credit assignment. I don't care how much work it is. I'll do anything to fix my grade because I really want to do well in your class and–"

Winchester raised a hand, urging you to stop. Then he spoke, "Listen, I can see how badly you want this. So I'm going to make sure you get it. Just...let me think."

With that, Winchester rose from his seat and began to gather the papers that littered the surface of his desk. He stacked them neatly before opening a different drawer and laying them inside. After he closed the drawer, he made his way around the desk. You tried not to look at him as he made his way around the room, especially not when you felt his hand brush against the back of your chair. But you couldn't not notice when he drew the shade on his door's window and closed the blinds to his window, leaving the room dim save for the yellow light of his desk lamp.

Once he'd made his round, he returned to his chair and rolled back, leaving a massive gap between himself and the edge of his desk.

Then he did something else you didn't expect.

He patted the wood and said, "Come. Sit on my desk. Let me look at you."

You almost wavered on the direction when he cleared his throat expectantly. That brought you to your feet and compelled you to settle waveringly before him.

With his lips in a tight line, Winchester studied you. He tilted his head every few seconds, letting his eye flicker from your uncertain expression to your body. You sat up a little straighter in an attempt to satisfy his observation of you.

You weren't quite sure what he was doing, but it made you nervous; made you vulnerable in a way you weren't used to.

"I may have one extra credit opportunity that I can offer. Special. Just for you."

"Yeah? What do you want me to do?"

"Well, you can start by spreading your legs."

Your eyes went wide. "Professor Winchester, you're not–"

He cut you off quickly, "First, after office hours, you may call me Sam. Second, I'm not going to touch you. I'm simply asking you to give me a– a presentation," he decided.

"What kind of presentation?" you asked.

Your feigned innocence made the man chuckle softly. "The kind of presentation I'm sure you give in your dormitory bedroom every night."

There wasn't an ounce of jesting on his face, but still you played dumb. "I have no idea what you're referring to, Sam." His name felt foreign yet familiar on your tongue. Probably because you'd whispered it many times before in the exact scenario he'd described.

"I'd hoped you'd tell me the truth about why you were so distracted during your exam. But since you haven't been forthcoming, I guess I have to spell it out for you, haven't I?"

You swallowed hard and blinked nervously.

"You thought I wouldn't notice, did you?" he chuckles again. "It's hard not to notice when one of your students, especially one so beautiful, is practically drooling all over their table."

The scraps of flattery were evidently working on you as Sam smiled when you fiddled with your fingers in your lap as your skin got all warm and tingly. So he kept going.

"Besides, you're too intelligent to do this terribly on something you should've aced. Maybe you wanted to fail it. You wanted to get my attention, didn't you?"

"Oh, no, I wasn't trying to waste your time, I was just–"

"You weren't wasting my time. Wasting your time is continuing this pointless back and forth when you could instead be proving yourself."

"Proving myself?"

"Yes. Spread those legs...and earn your grade," he ordered.

Breathing in and out slowly, you did what you were asked. The knots in your stomach told you this was wrong. But the smile of approval that slowly grew on Sam's lips said that this was exactly what you both needed. 

You'd never been more embarrassed to be wearing a skirt. One the fabric pooled around your hips, it only framed the damp patch on your underwear. Perhaps part of you had wanted something like this to happen. Because your pussy was already pulsing after simply being observed behind the cotton curtain that soaked up her anticipation.

"Very good," Sam breathed out.

"What do I do now?" you asked.

"Just...play with her. Show me what you like to do to make her happy."

You nodded, then pursed your lips as you thought. If you were going to present to him...you might as well go all out. So you shifted each of your thighs around, pulling down your underwear until your bare ass was planted on the desk and the garment was caught on one of your ankles. You lifted your left and held it out gently, the panty hanging in the air a little below Sam's face.

"Take them," you said. "Visual aid."

He smirked lazily at the offering before pulling them over your shoe, being careful not to actually touch you. Sam balled them up before bringing them to his nose and slowly breathing in the scent. You could tell he enjoyed it thoroughly as he let out a deep sigh from within his chest.

"With how wet these are...it's good to know you were prepared even for a surprise presentation. I knew there was a reason you're my favorite."

His words went straight to your cunt as a few drops of slick leaked from your hole and landed on the dark wood beneath you.

"Go on," Sam urged, gaze flickering to the drops of you on his desk. "She's waiting. And so am I."

You began to treat yourself with the same level of care as you did when you were alone. One of your hands reached up your shirt and you cupped one of your tits. You kneaded the flesh for a few seconds before focusing on the nipple, pinching it until it pebbled and poked through your shirt. The action made your breathing turn ragged. 

You finally let your other hand travel south, bringing warmth to the soft skin of your thighs. Wanting better access to yourself, you pulled your leg up, resting a foot on the desk itself. Then you reclined back and let your fingers roam where they wanted.

Using two fingers, you spread your outer lips, only exposing yourself to Sam’s scrutiny even further. The cool air hitting your most vulnerable part, you shivered as goosebumps erupted across your skin. You looked up at him, gauging his approval of your performance.

“You’re doing so well already, keep going,” he encouraged, hardly concealing the arousal that clung thickly to his tone.

You took the praise with pride. It emboldened you enough to slip your two fingers between your folds to gather up some of the slick. You couldn’t help but feel mortified as you involuntarily gasped when your digits brushed slightly against your clit.

Sam let a quick puff of air out his nose. “Sensitive?”

“Mhmmm,�� you whined.

“Bet you can’t even touch that pretty clit directly without crying, huh?”

You nodded.

“Then be gentle. I want you to last for me.”

You took that to mean that he didn’t want you touching yourself there yet. So instead you switched to focusing on your entrance. It wasn’t often that you went straight for penetration. Rarely did it bring the kind of relief you craved.

But you had the feeling that Sam would want to see it; to see your fingers filling yourself up and stretching you out.

With your fingers practically pruning already, you pushed one in ever so slowly. It took a second to adjust to the slight pressure, but still you began to carefully pump. The slick squelch only intensified when you slipped another one in and sped up your movements.

Though the pressure increased and built up tension in your belly, you could already tell it wasn’t going to go anywhere. You bucked your hips pathetically against your own hand, trying to get deep enough to hit your g-spot. But no matter how far you tried to probe, it was useless. Your fingers simply weren’t long enough.

Your eyes went wind, catching sight of something that most likely could reach that spot inside you. While you’d been fucking yourself, your professor had undone the button and the zipper on his pants and slipped himself out. There he sat, your panties in his hand and wrapped around the thick length of his cock. The angry red tip poked up and out of the fabric with each slow thrust. And you could already tell based on how long his strokes were that you’d most likely be able to feel him poking against your belly from inside you. The idea made you moan and throw your head back.

Sam swiftly reprimanded you, “Ah, remember your eye contact. I want you to look at me.”

Shame spread over your body. What the fuck was going on? Were you really fingering yourself on his desk right next to papers that he was surely going to return to students? Was Sam really fisting his own cock with your underwear? And were you actually enjoying this?

“Sweetheart,” Sam’s self control faltered slightly with the name. But it grabbed your attention nonetheless. “I need you to look at me. Let me look into your eyes when you make yourself come on my desk, alright?”

This was about more than fixing your grade. This was about pleasing him…by pleasing yourself. And as you returned his look, you were all in.

Under his watchful, half lidded, hazel eye you allowed yourself to focus on your aching clit which laid in wait like a pearl beneath the hood of skin covering it. Carefully, you pulled that hood back before lightly spreading some of your slick with a finger. You let the skin settle back in place over the sensitive nub before going straight to work.

You began to rub slow circles on the hood and finally properly moaned. It took only a few seconds for the muscle memory of your nightly ritual to kick in as the pleasure started to mount. Finally, all of that pressure in your core had some actual weight to it; a weight that was already beginning to roll in shallow waves over your whole being.

"There you go, sweetheart. Let me hear you loud and clear. Don't wanna miss a single sound from you," Sam groaned and you caught how the grip he had on himself tightened, how his pace quickened.

While rolling your hips against your hand, you pulled up a side of your shirt, exposing even more of yourself to him. Now he could easily see one of your tits rise and fall with your staggered breaths. He could see how the ball of fat dimpled under your fingertips as you squeezed and pulled at your hardened nipple.

Both sources of simulation had you whimpering breathlessly, "Sam, I-I'm so close– Let me come, please?"

Sam glared and asked through gritted teeth, "That's not my name. What do you call me in class?"

"Professor?"

Sam nodded darkly.

You took the cue quickly and begged helplessly, "Please, professor, please let me come–" you were cut off by the sound of your pleasure starting to push you over the edge. 

Sam left you teetering, staring right over the border of this boundary. That boundary being an ethical nightmare that you had no clue how you'd navigate. But you wanted to be good for him; you craved his approval.

And thankfully, Sam gave it as he groaned, "There you go, good girl. You can come, you've got permission."

With that, you arched off the desk and burst with glorious clarity. A thin stream of your arousal drooled from your entrance as you rubbed yourself through the enormous implosions and the small aftershocks that followed. Your head was heavy with the fog of pleasure and you wanted to hang it back, give it a break.

But still, you were determined to keep your eyes on him, even as you pulled your fingers away from your trembling cunt and stuck them in your mouth. Your tongue swirled around the wrinkled digits, soaking up every bit of yourself that you could.

Any sort of professionalism Sam had been trying to maintain up until that point shattered completely when he rolled his chair forwards. Closer to you now, you looked down into his soft eyes and watched how his normally objective stare went personal; emotional. He looked at you with the kind of admiration that made your heart flutter with pride.

He took his hand, placed it on your knee, and spread your legs further. His touch was so light, so soft that you could help feeling electricity dance along your spine.

"I thought you said you wouldn't touch me?" you whispered, only a hint of a smug smile tugging at your lips.

Choosing his words as carefully as ever, he explained, "That was before I decided that you needed some of my...guidance."

[system-of-a-feather]

I’ll bite… why do you feel like endos are real? As they do claim to have a trauma disorder just without the trauma which to me seems pretty ableist or at least disrespectful to DID/OSDD systems.

(LONG POST WARNING)

Well to start, most aren't claiming to have a trauma disorder / DID / OSDD but rather that they experience themselves as more than one and I don't believe that DID / OSDD holds sole ownership to the ability to experience oneself as more than one. A lot of endogenic people knew about their experiences as more than one before really even knowing DID / OSDD existed (or at least past the stigma of "Multiple Personality Disorder" that has no implications to trauma because ya know). I think the term "endogenic" has implications that do a disservice to the group as it kind of implicates innately the idea that trauma is the only inherent way to exist and experience oneself as more than one, when honestly I firmly believe that is not the case.

As to why I firmly believe that it is not the case that trauma and DID/OSDD is not the only way to experience oneself as more than one, there are a number of perspectives I can offer.

From a discussion of the theory of structural dissociation (ToSD) / academic stand point...

the ToSD is not a "Theory" like Gravity and Evolution. The name is actually misleading as it is using Theory in a more colloquial sense; the ToSD when talked about in almost all literature that I've read that references it talks about it as a >model<. The difference between a theory and a model is large.

A theory is something that is constantly and reliably able to be a solid means of not only understanding the world but also predicting large phenomenon. There have been multiple active attempts to disprove it or find flaws in it and none of which have worked. They're age old and have been proven day in and day out to have reliably accounted for every form of discrepancy - at least on a majorly applicable level (as even Gravity seems to have its confusing mishaps when you get to the very high level stuff that I won't even pretend to understand in the slightest as I'm not a physicist).

A model on the other hand is something that is used to best understand, navigate, and conceptualize a concept - often for more practical usage. A model is designed to usually specifically target a specific definition of a phenomenon and experience - and in this case "the dissociation of self of individuals who have experienced trauma and how that causes the phenomenon of alters and dissociated parts". It is not making claims about "the only way for people to experience themselves as more than one" because 1) models don't really intend to be fool proof, they attempt to practically explain and describe an experience in a way that is helpful to apply practically (ie in theraputic practice); by this very nature, the models are suggesting a base framework that often apply and help people who match the specific definition of the phenomenon it is meant to address (ie clients that have gone through trauma and likely have dissociated parts) and 2) the theory is addressing individuals who experience themselves as more than one due to a history of trauma and how that trauma then results in the brain dissociating from itself for survival. It is NOT addressing "all of humanity and human experiences and psychological experiences" - it is just discussing how trauma affects the brain to develop alters. The two discussions and topics are very different and in an academic setting have EXTREMELY different requirements.

Additionally, an issue with the ToSD is that while its a great model for people who have DID/OSDD, it's a laughable theory and hypothesis in most psychological fields that are a lot more into more solid and quantifiable measures. I've actually talked with one of the people that had done research that basically paved the way for children's testimonies of CSA to be taken seriously and accepted in court about the ToSD and they poorly withheld a laugh on the topic. Same said person had actually talked and known either Van Der Hart or Van Der Kolk (they didn't remember which one exactly) and all that. What I got from the conversation with them was that, yes the ToSD works beautifully as a clinical model and it helps a lot of clinicians understand and help people with DID/OSDD navigate their experiences, but the ToSD in a non-clinical academic setting makes SO many assumptions that are absolutely not backed by current more "harder" psychological research that its funny.

There is a LONG list of issues with the assumptions ToSD makes on an academic setting that make it a joke to those on a more non-clinical academic setting but here are a few:

What the FUCK is a "dissociative barrier"? Yes on a clinical sense we know what that is, but where is a "dissociative barrier" in terms of neurology and neurobiology? What functions in memory (both theoretical and physical) actually work to be a "dissociative barrier"? What mechanisms in the brain make it possible? What is a dissociative barrier in terms of developmental psychology and developmeental psychopathology? How is it that trauma manages to "make a dissociative barrier" in children? What concepts of developmental psychology and memory / identity development actually are in play to make this "dissociative barrier"?

Do people even have consciousness - or - more realistically asked, are people actually conscious or do we just feel as if we are conscious? (<- very hot topic in consciousness research in more neuroscience based fields) And assuming we DO have a consciousness, what and where is that located and how does consciousness work on a physiological level in a typically developing child as opposed to a person who experienced trauma? Assuming THAT is figured out, how do we know that that trauma is the only thing that could have caused the consciousness to develop atypically? Additionally, ask all those questions AGAIN for the concept and idea of "identity" as consciousness and identity are two different research topics. Assuming that we DO NOT have a consciousness, how does the false experience of consciousness work and why do we experience it like that? Following from that, why is it that trauma can disrupt and warp that false experience? Additionally, how does it disrupt and warp that false experience? And again, how do we know that trauma is the only thing that can cause that disruption / warping to occur?

My FAVORITE and most frustrating one, but how do we even know we ACTUALLY forget things and what is the mechanism for forgetting things? What IS forgetting? Do we loose neuronal pathways when we forget and is the information truly just gone? Do we just struggle to find the information and thus we fail to recall the information? Then again, all the obvious "okay then how does this mechanism of forgetting get disrupted and warped by trauma".

(added this while writing the third perspective but) How does the modern development and factor of internet usage affect dissociation and any of these mechanisms of developing identity, self, consciousness, memory, etc? How does this new factor impact other neurodivergencies and mental health conditions in regards to that?

None of those questions are well addressed to a standard of research that most non-clinical fields consider ANYWHERE near valid or qualified to make any level of generalizing statements.

I personally largely identify and intend to go into research for developmental psychology / psychopathology after I sort things out in my life some and I LOVE these questions. I have a lot of my own hypothesis as to how those questions are answered and my hypothesis on how those mechanisms are disrupted / develop in children who experience trauma have me almost 100% certain that there are other mechanisms to developing dissociated states of self.

Of course, I'm withholding that from this portion of the discussion because those hypothesises are not founded and again, just sitting in my head rent free until I get to actually research them myself. (Which I do entirely plan to do when I figure my life out more)

From a cultural / spiritual / philosophical standpoint...

The claim that everyone normally experiences themselves as "one" unless trauma occurs seems really honestly White / Western / Christian-centric to me and the idea that the only way to experience themselves as anything other than "the normal experience and development of one person" is to have horrible trauma just... really leaves a shitty taste in my mouth as a person of color.

A large number of non-white non-christian/catholoic centered cultures that have a large emphasis on "the singular soul and repentance" and all that shit have cultural norms and beliefs that already state that it is not weird at all to experience yourself as more than one. As in, there are cultures that ALREADY experience themselves as more than one that have been doing so for AGES before DID/OSDD and hell even MPD were even suggested; ages before the field of psychology was even born.

I personally have a large problem with the claim that people have to have trauma to experience themselves as more than one as it comes off as a very colonizer perspective to experiences that do not inherently have any harm in them (ie experiencing oneself as more than one). Experiencing oneself as more than one (or I guess technically less than one) is something that can be pretty central to a lot of non-white/western cultural experiences and are just an innate part of how they live and life. To state that the only way people can have their culture is to be traumatized (which is the indirect claim being made when the claim that the only way to experience oneself as more than one is through trauma) is just... really disgusting and white-colonizer brained.

Personally, as a Buddhist, I inherently don't subscribe to the idea that there even is a "me" and a "you". I inherently believe that the concept of "being one person" is a means of suffering that people benefit from unlearning as the concept of identity and self does little more than restrict our natural means of existing and thus causes large suffering. As a result, I don't see myself or anyone else as "more or less" than one because the concept, in my spiritual-philosophical-cultural perspective, is not real and anything reinforcing it is not really dpoing anyone huge favors. As a result, I think everyone is everything and everyone is parts of a whole of everything. I think we experience ourselves as one because that is part of the natural expression of our existence. I also think we experience ourselves as more than one because - sometimes - that is just a natural expression of our existence. I ALSO think we experience ourselves as more than one because sometimes that is a good way to understand our natural selves and learn from the parts we are otherwise more disconnected from. A part of Buddhist practice is the dismantling of this concept of self and moving your perception of self away from the way you experience life and the world.

At the place where I am in my practice, the very essence of syscourse is really kind of silly to me because it's like arguing about the color of the blue-black / white-gold dress. Talking and debating it and investigating the question can lead good insights into our experiences and how we approach them, but in the end of the day, the thing we are discussing is an illusion and the effects it has on us and why we see it that way and its not really something any more important or impactful or worth sweating over than a fun thought experiment.

From an advocate standpoint...

A large part of the people who are endogenic are people who are also neurodivergent and/or experiencing notable mental health issues - those of which are not fully 100% investigated into how they affect the development of large topics like self, memory, etc. AND are very diverse and complex experiences. I don't think we should be telling someone who thinks that their experiences of being more than one is tied to their neurodivergency or other mental health conditions that they are wrong and should experience themselves differently - especially since dissociation is honestly pretty prominent in the AuDHD branch of disorders and I personally think it is hard to conclusively say that some level of experiencing oneself as more than one is related to having AuDHD. (not saying that it is either, just that its such a large topic that needs more exploration before I'd feel confident saying that AuDHD doesn't cause some form of experiences that one might experience as being more than one).

I personally see very little purpose and value within infighting of mentally ill groups and clusters when almost every disorder needs more research - particularly in a lens that is not white-western centered and interested in a more sociological / cultural lens.

I find no threat in people experiencing themselves as more than one as someone who has DID / OSDD anymore than I feel threat at otherkin for experiencing themselves as a non-human as someone who acts, lives, and behaves like a bird because of trauma and because I was largely raised by birds (and arguably because I'm autistic but thats one of those things you can't 100% be sure I would have been like without trauma). The reason I am "basically a bird" is entirely due the circumstance of my trauma and how I was raised and that certainly sucks (though I do enjoy it and find it a beneficial part of my life), but that doesn't mean that I don't share some experiences with people that identify as a bird for fun, for cultural reasons, for spiritual reasons, or due to another neurodivergency

Just generally speaking...

I love to see people expressing themselves in unique ways and honestly specifically in ways that do not conform to "normal" society. I think its really cool and neat that people express themselves how they like and express themselves in ways that challenge pointless and/or unnecessary social rules and norms and I believe the norm of being a "consistent singular individual in society" and just general individualism is honestly just such an unnecessary social norm.

This isn't really one of my large points because I say this with a lot less of a firm and full chest cause I do draw a line with the transID stuff (no I will not be taking discourse on that) but like.. generally speaking, I really love to see the dismantling of the concept that people have to be a "consistent singular individual" around me. For a number of reasons - all three main ones off the top of my head being my views as a person with opinions on academic-research regarding the topic, as a POC Buddhist, and as someone who just would like to stand in solidarity to all mental-oddities - I think it is a really important and productive thing to see the social norm of individuality to be changed from a "norm" to one of my options.

I think a large issue people have with endogenics and what not is that they're "cringe" or "making people with DID/OSDD look like jokes" and while thats a valid feeling to have and people with DID/OSDD aren't "wrong" for feeling that way, I think its largely a miss directed feeling that follows the same flaws of almost any other "respectability politics" and advocates that push for assimilation rather than acceptance in society.

In this sense, I actually like to see endos as having a similar goal of making it so that people don't assume that being more than one is inherently a mental illness which BY THE WAY, as someone who is act final fusion / functional multiplicity / late stage DID recovery, is INCREDIBLY important to me as I am not inherently experiencing a severe mental illness when my severe mental illness is largely considered "in remission / remissed" just because I choose to still experience myself as more than one.

Plus, yeah, some of them are cringe (/affectionate) but I honestly think people need to be unapologetically cringier anyways for society to grow and get over a lot of its prejudices so like, yeah maybe that type of "cringe" isn't my cup of tea but its still an ally in my ideal cringification of society /hj (plus people with DID/OSDD can be cringe too and I clap for them as well)

As a whole, I think accepting endogenics as a valid experience to have is progress to a better more accepting, less white-western centric, happy world as well as one that actually is a safe place for people who are in late stage DID/OSDD recovery to feel free to experience their disorder in whatever way is natural, safest, and works best for them.

It's honestly hard to be pro-functional mulitiplicity and anti-endo on practical sense in my opinion as someone who is At That Place because functional multiplicity kind of requires you do detatch the experience of being more than one from the inherent disorder that caused it and once you kind of get to that point.... its just really hard to still see the anti-endo perspective as it becomes really apparent that there really are some benefits to NOT TRAUMA COPING of experiencing yourself as more than one.

But anyways, I've been writing for an hour and a half so I'll leave it there. I wish I had a better way to tie this up but... *shrugs*

[goetiae]

Leeches were largely popular in the medical field during the Victorian era both in Europe (primarily England and France) and America. The 19th century saw progression of the academic study of leeches as used in medicine that was conducted prior and laid basis for the modern application of anticoagulant in medical practice.

At the time, many famous Englishmen found leeches fascinating: zoologist Arthur Everett Shipley, for instance, wrote papers marveling at the beauty and functionality of a leech. This fascination often grew personal. Lord Thomas Erskine, a lawyer, underwent a successful bloodletting, afterwards taking with him two leeches; later naming them Home and Clina. According to the memoirs of Sir Sam Romilly, Erskine's friend, he took great care of making sure the leeches "knew him".

In France, the obsession with leeches took drastic turns as well. François-Joseph-Victor Broussais, a notable surgeon of Napoleon's army, was known to possess a certain infatuation with leeches.

Leeches were in growingly high demand in the 19th century Europe. France imported leeches in terrific quantities equating up to dozens of millions a year.

Overall, bloodletting for medicinal purposes is not strictly unique to the 19th century Europe. Like many other medical methods, it has its roots in Ancient Egypt and Greece where bloodletting via cutting veins was often practiced by the followers of the method described in the Hippocratic collection of the 5th century BC. The medicinal use of leeches dates back to 1500 BC and is not a recent invention. However, it is only in 1884 that Haycraft learned why leeches are so efficient in bloodletting: their saliva contains an anticoagulant hirudin (hence hirudotherapy). These observations are listed in Haycraft's work, On the Action of a Secretion Obtained from the Medicinal Leech on the Coagulation of the Blood. For this property, leeches are still in high medicinal demand.

During the Victorian era, leeches were used for all kinds of medical treatment: from headaches to hemorrhoids, from fatigue to nymphomania. Sir William Henry, for example, writes that bloodletting is far beyond any other medical treatment in helping many diseases.

Albeit, the effectiveness of such treatment is a matter of much questioning as often leeching only weakened the fragile state of those being treated. Some patients were, unsurprisingly, allergic to the treatment and either suffered reactions to leeches, larger loss of blood than intended, or even died during treatment.

Leeches and bloodletting were studied with much attention: physicians wrote books on the physiology and medical benefits of leech usage, and a very detailed description of leeches was added in the 1880 edition of Johnson's Universal Cyclopaedia.

The curiosity for leeches found its way into much earlier publications as well. For example, J. R. Johnson released multiple medical studies on leeches in the very beginning of the 19th century. His A Treatise on the Medicinal Leech (1816) and Further Observations in the Medicinal Leech (1825) dwelled on the precise details of leech usage and preservation.

From Johnson's studies mentioned above, we learn that he worked with cocoons of different sizes which he received from other leech enthusiasts. He recorded that leeches are to be kept in an enclosure with a stream of fresh water coming in and turf placed conveniently so that the leeches could "retire in a shady spot". He also studied leeches' detailed anatomical structure.

Such academic interest centered around leeches in England roots within earlier academic research done by the scientists of the 18th century - for example, an apothecary by the name George Horn who published his An Entirely New Treatise on Leeches: Wherein the Nature, Properties and Use in 1798. Interestingly, even this early into the studying of leeches, he mentions the dangers of infections if leeches were to be attracted by walking bare-legged into a river (as was done in India, according to him). Instead, he promotes the English method of agitating the leech-infested waters until the animals come up to the surface to then be caught by the nets. Overall, prior to Horn's manual not many spoke in favor of leeching: William Buchan in his study from 1769 speaks on leeches as unreliable and inefficient as it's unclear how much blood is taken per use.

Horn describes four species of leech (two of which are found in England) and dwells on their peculiar anatomy:

no eyes but a teeth-filled mouth

lips to catch blood from escaping

lack of a proper stomach

presence of the so-called "bags" across their body that "get saturated when leeches receive nourishment"

Based on the gathered information, one can claim leeches were awakening more and more scientific curiosity among the English apothecaries and physicians even at the end of the 18th century.

The medical treatment of patients with the use of leeches is described by Horn as well, though he tends to recommend additional treatment - usually mixtures of milk and syrup with herbs - to be given to the patient alongside bloodletting. This as well as other studies of the late 18th century certainly became the basis of medicinal usage of leeches in the upcoming 19th century and far into the 1910s.

It is impossible to speak of leech therapy of the early 19th century in England and beyond without mentioning the influence of François-Joseph-Victor Broussais, a surgeon of immense medical fascination with leeches who employed them vastly in his treatment of Napoleon's soldiers. Broussais used around fifty leeches a time per patient and was thus called "the vampire of medicine" for his fascination with bloodletting. He claimed, among other things, that all "fevers" had the precisely same origin: inflammation. Letting out "bad blood" was thus a plausible solution to the issue.

Women wore embroidery in colors inspired by leeches' dim, soft shades. A whole sort of fashion - à la Broussais - was born out of this unusual fascination. The notable traits of this fashion, according to Michel Valentin who wrote a large biography of Broussais, were purple garnitures - embroidery, trimming - and top coats that resembled leeches' colors.

This conclusion was, of course, the result of the "humoral theory", which was widely supported in Europe. Rooting from Greece, it centered around the idea that the human body held inside four types of liquids: two kinds of bile, phlegm, and blood. Each humor was associated with two qualities, either hot or cold, and either wet or dry. Having one of the liquids "in excess" was associated with certain conditions (for blood, it was any that caused redness, for example), hence bloodletting was a naturally sought out practice.

The leeches were placed “inside the nostrils, on the inside of the lower lip, on the chest, and on the side, sometimes by four at a time.” Leeches could access otherwise inaccessible parts of one's body (such as perineum) and were often used for treatment conditions that were believed to be connected to genitalia - for example, "nymphomaniac" states. To apply a leech, one would hold a small leech-containing vessel filled with water to the desired spot, wait until it bites, and then gently remove the container; tubes could be used as well.

A whole industry related to leeches was established in the 19th century: propagating leeches rose to the state level of importance and leech keeping became a popular activity. Leeches were, in fact, nearly hunted to extinction in some European countries in the 19th century, including England. Containing leeches started to become complicated: leeches only needed meals once every six months (and thus were not suitable for frequent use) and required specific conditions of containment. Thus, the mechanical leech quickly became a popular invention. The first prototype of 1817, called bdellomètre, is credited to French doctor Jean-Baptiste Sarlandière.

Transactions of the Pharmaceutical Meetings (1855) notes some statistical numbers regarding the "leech hunt" of the 19th century: in imports alone England received 8 million leeches annually, besides the large numbers collected within the country. The practice of using mechanical leeches (two types for different purposes) is mentioned as "ingenious" and discussed as a great opportunity to keep the natural leech healthy. The book tracks down purchases of various vessels for fresh water used as leech enclosures.

Actual preservation and propagation of leeches are described in various books of the time, though the peak of such publications in England comes around in the 1850s. In 1855, Specification of Nathaniel Johnston: Breeding, Rearing and Carrying Leeches is published. Johnston, whilst in Paris, invented an apparatus for keeping and breeding medicinal leeches: a complicated water vessel to keep leeches at the perfect temperature and humidity for the breeder - the inventor titled these containers hirudinieres. A similar invention was marked by another author in Specification of George Lifford Smartt: Vessels for Preserving Leeches and Fish Alive.

There was a lot of thought and effort put into keeping leeches healthy and vital - either for medicinal purposes or out of personal fascination.

[jeweled-blue-eyes]

What's your view on Claude as emperor? We know he's described to be a tyrant.

Claude is incompetent. He's both paranoid and at times extremely careless. He ignores opportunities presented to him that could solve his problems and instead chooses to make things worse than they could have been. On top of that he's suicidal and has no problems to drag people into hell with him. The last one is a hc/my interpretation of the succession crisis in the lp verse I'll elaborate:

Claude outlawed black magic and then used black magic on himself, meaning if he had been meticulous an entire branch of science is about to go extinct, there would be no black magician left who could help him in case he suffered the side effects and even if there was they would be unlikely to reveal themeselves since that would mean admitting they had been practicing the arts illegally in hiding all the time. Moreover Claude didn't see that the law would be followed through. Is the usage of black magic prohibited but not the theoretical teaching of black magic or the distribution of books that concentrate on this specific topic? Why is there a former black magician selling books on dark magic in the capital city? Is this allowed?

Had Claude made good on his promise to kill any magician who couldn't heal Athy it might've resulted in a shortage of magicians (who are already rare). Furthermore his readiness to kill anyone who annoys him would eventually lead turned down job offers, empty spaces in the staff and a burn-out of those that stayed and were given the work that was meant for their colleagues. It might make Obelia more vulnerable to attacks depending on if magicians are used in the military or not.

He allowed someone like Lucas to be Athy's playmate. He said it was okay because Felix didn't find anything suspicious about him when he investigated him. Shouldn't the fact that they found out nothing about him make him suspicious enough? Magicians in Obelia must be registered. I would find it concerning that there was a powerful magician kid running around the palace that somehow managed to evade the radar of every known organization. Lucas is unable to name any parent, teacher or guardian, he has no adress, passport, isn't registered anywhere, the academic circles have never heard about him, he has no school report, reference or recommendation. Should Lucas have forged a document this too calls in question Claude's competence. If not even the Emperor of Obelia is able to tell an enchanted paper from a real one then how are the citizen of Obelia supposed to tell conjured money from real money and can be expected to be held accountable if they unknowingly pay someone with fake coins?

The employment of maids that would steal from and abuse a princess, classist/racist teachers (Athy's dancing teacher for example) and guards that don't take their duty seriously and allow a stranger to walk into the princess' private quarters. Also making his own sworn shield Athy's guard as well. In case of an attack it's impossible for Felix to protect both of them. Claude and Athy are not always in the same room together. They aren't even living in the same palace. Did Claude expect Felix to multiply somehow?

When he was about to gift the Imperial seal to child Athy and then just threw it after Felix. That was irresponsible. There is a reason why royal seals used to be rings and were kept on your own body. Anyone could have taken the seal and issued orders with the power borrowed with his name.

Why tf is there a mana eating plant living on palace grounds. Was the Graeco-Roman tyrant aesthetic not enough for you, Claude?

Torture and mutilation is legal in Obelia even though it's a known fact that torture is useless since most people will say anything under torture to make it stop. Are we in the middle ages? What law of Claude is exactly progressive? Apparently sexism still exists even though the first ruler of Obelia was literally a woman (queen Ambrose)? Whose fault is it?

Not arranging a betrothal for Athy or at least a dancing partner for LP Athy. Claude couldn't have known about Jennette's appearance, which means most likely Athy would have become his successor. How would Athy gain the noble's respect if she didn't even have a companion at her own debutante ball on top of everything else? Everything he did sabotaged her future reign. Isn't the point of a debutante partly to find a good match for your daughter if she isn't already promised to someone? It would have also been a clever way to get rid of her and forge connections.

LP Athy's rushed execution casts doubt on his capabilities as a ruler in the eyes of everyone. It is said that Claude was a just and wise ruler. This image shatters however when it is revealed that Claude ordered the execution of someone innocent. His own daughter and no less. And to make it worse he doesn't care that he executed the wrong person, doesn't look for the real culprit or punishes those that wanted to see LP Athy gone. How can you still believe in justice in Obelia? That a mere countess could influence Emperor's actions must mean he's either stupid or callous. If even a royal isn't safe from a mock trial that means no one really is. Confessions can be coerced, legal steps be skipped, unusal punishments are now possible outcomes. (remember Rosalia only aimed for Athy to be exiled. That her execution was a surprise to even her must mean something about the laws and usual proceedings that Claude ignored).

The succession crisis in the Lovely Princess that shouldn't have been a succession crisis in the first place since Jennette had the greater claim. What was the plan before Jennette entered the palace? Claude hated Athy, would he have wanted her to be his heir? If not then why didn't he look into who else was availible to him as a potential successor? Any noble that could have been adopted into his family? Competent advisors? Distant relatives? Eventual remarriage or one-night stand that could produce him an heir? To my knowledge neither Athy nor Jennette were taught how to rule a country. He didn't name Jennette his heir or made Athy and the lords swear fealty to her. I'm certain he didn't write a testament either.

So Claude refuses to name a heir and continues to neglect his health through alcohol, working overtime, and sleep deprivation. This man was not planning to make it to his old age.

I saw someone suggesting Claude making himself immortal to prove a point and I don't think he would do it. In my opinion Claude didn't want to be immortal. He hated his life until he met LPJennette/WMMAPAthy. I also think he didn't give a fuck about Obelia since he never made an effort to secure the succession. It was obvious that he favoured Jennette in the Lovely Princess yet she was never made crown princess until Rosalia stepped in and framed Athy for attempted murder. I think he meant for Obelia to perish with him. He did almost everything on his own, and while yes this was partly because he trusted no one and was not a team player it could have been also because the smarter people at court would be aware that after his death everything would have been in shambles. They'd refrain from further assassination attempts.

What would follow after Claude's death wasn't his problem, it didn't concern him at all. And that's terrifying. That's what makes him unfit as a ruler. He just doesn't care about his country or his people. Their plight merely exists to lift him from boredom. Their well-being is only ensured as long as he lives and not beyond that. Intentional or not LP Athy and Jennette were set up for failure through his actions or his lack of thereof.

[slavicafire]

very interesting breakdown regarding rodnovery from Scott Simpson’s Strategies for Constructing Religious Practice in Polish Rodzimowierstwo:

A purely academic reconstruction of a religion from the past is “legitimate” when it is made up of fragments which have been selected solely on the basis of the academic authenticity and reliability of the evidence. When a particular fragment had not been recovered, a scholar may always choose to simply leave that space blank without perverting the intention of the reconstruction (whether it be pottery or religion). Rodzimowiercy, in contrast, need to have a complete and functional religion in order for it to be legitimate. If the participant finds her- or himself in personal need of a Slavic marriage ceremony, then that space must be filled by something in spite of the lack of a conveniently pre-existing Pagan marriage script from, say, the Wiślanie tribe in the early 10th century. It would be a serious perversion of the religious intent of such a reconstruction to give up suddenly at that point.

the strategies Simpson describes below the cut. a very recommended reading, too, so I hope the full text will get some attention as well. 

1. Direct re-enacting: faithully replicating a custom described in sources such as chronicles - which Simpson notices is rarely possible as stand-alone strategy given all the blanks and generally limited sources. the most classic of issues everyone interested in neo-paganism knows and battled. 

2. De-Christianising: removing obvious Christian elements from “sacred” folk practices - think rodnovery Kolęda removing Christian elements from a folk tradition - one that is rooted in customs predating Christianity on slavic lands, and so can be stripped back into its more “original” (and pagan) form.

3. Sacralising folklore: taking elements of “secular” folk tradition and re-framing them in religious practice - for example, elevating folk melodies to sacred songs accompanying rodnovery rituals, or adapting the circular toasting custom of passing a drinking vessel among participants of an event as a religious expression other than just a secular way of toasting common among peasants.

4. Sacralising the archaic: emphasising ancient, archaic, timeless, non-modern aspects, moods and motifs - similar to above, putting religious emphasis on things which in the past were simply common. think archeological finds regarding clothing and adaptation of everyday clothing of the past as sacred or ritual clothing for modern reconstructionist practice. another example: drinking horns and mead being chosen for religious ritual because they are seen as more authentic (incorrectly) than wine or cups which are “too modern”.

5. Sacralising the natural: emphasising that which is organic, untamed, rustic. the clear emphasis on low-tech content, everything is wood or stone or raw wool - celebrations are more likely to be felt as legitimate if they happen in the forest rather than in a bar. 

6. Aesthetising: artistic embellishment of existing practice. think how focused rodnovers are on creating religious visual art, music, craft mead for celebrations, hand embroidered banners and altar cloths, representations of deities and reimaginations of symbols. this helps build a language of religious expression which for rodnovers is much more communal and reliant on members of the religion. not every member of christianity feels responsible for making religious art to be used by the religion - that task is usually fulfilled by the hierarchical structure.

7. Indigenising: localisation of ideas and practices found elsewhere. so some foreign ideas are rejected in order to maintain cohesion (for example Valentine’s Day being seen as a US tradition which does not belong on slavic lands) vs acceptance and adoption of others. the biggest example Simpson gives is the widespread usage of Internet and social media in creation of this religious belonging. or utilising fire poi in kupala celebrations.

8. Direct revelation from sacred beings (ancestors, spirits of nature, gods): If the sacred beings are understood as currently real, and if they have made their presence known to the Slavic tribes in the past, then they may do so now. think shamanic approaches, divination, contacting ancestors as beings with agency and influence, interpreting signs from gods.

[prettygirlmjmjmj]

How to study like Anne Shirley

Whenever September rolls round and the air starts feeling crisp, I pick up Anne of Green Gables and put Anne with an E on. I love Anne for so many reasons, but especially for her academic prowess. So here are some tips to help you study just like her!

Be creative. Anne was always imaginative and it helped her do better in her studies. Try out a new way of studying like a mind map or storyboard. Being more creative whilst studying will help you create more meaningful revision resources and do better in class. It can also be a nice break from the more repetitive revision methods!

Keep working hard. Even when Anne accomplished a goal she recognised that she still had more to achieve. Even if your next goal starts off small like writing a page of notes or making a new study timetable, it's still worthwhile and useful. Having new goals and ambitions will help you to feel more motivated and excited to start studying again and find new methods for improving.

Write more! Anne loves writing, so much so she's always trying to get her friends to do more. Even if you don't feel you can write a whole novel, try writing an essay, poem or start a study journal. Getting into the habit of writing more will help your writing to flow more and make it feel so much more natural.

Study with friends. Anne loved studying with her friends. She regularly studied in a group, with Diane and with Matthew. Studying with others can help you to learn new study techniques, understand information and better and help you improve in discussions and debates. Try joining an in-person or online study group or with friends.

Read more. Anne loved to read, so much so she'd often get in trouble for it! Reading even for fifteen minutes a day can help you to learn more words, find out more information about topics and is just relaxing and fun! You don't have to read books exclusively to do with you subjects (although it's fine if you do!), try reading anything that interests you.

Try to learn something even when you aren't in school. A school break or simply not being at school is a perfect time to learn something that interests you whether it has something to do with a school subject or not. Try reading articles, books and journals, listening to podcasts and watching educational videos. Learning will help keep you focused and also gives you something to research and look into, which is always fun.

Practice using a big vocabulary. Anne loves big words and her usage of them are part of what endear her as a character. Using big words will help create more interesting, well written pieces of witing, help you feel more confident in class discussions and allow you to be more creative in general! Look up better words to use or try finding fun new words in online/real dictionaries. Reading more will also help to expand your vocabulary.

Aim high. Anne never gave up and never tailored her dreams to fit other peoples ideas. Regardless of whether those around you think you can accomplish something, through hard work and dedication you absolutely can. Instead of aiming for a B, aim for an A. Instead of aiming to write a really good essay, aim to write the best essay you have ever written. If you constantly put the bar higher you will push yourself to do better and work harder.

Constantly find new ambitions. When Anne accomplished something she never rested on her laurels or decided to give up. Instead, she would find something new to aim for. Even if your next aim is something as small as writing a page of notes or as big as graduating your dream university, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you continue to push yourself to keep working harder and stay motivated.

Take breaks outside. Anne loved going outside and after a long period of studying, getting outside and going on a walk or sitting somewhere is so relaxing and calming. If you normally read a book in your breaks try reading outside or having a snack and drink outdoors. It will help you feel so much more refreshed and motivated for when you go back in to re-start studying.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. Anne knew that in order to be good at a subject you have to ask for help when you need it. Whether you ask a teacher, classmate or people online it's important that you reach out to people who could help you. While independently learning something is great sometimes learning something with the help of someone is the best way to help it stick.

Romanticise studying. Studying doesn't have to be a chore or boring, instead try to find ways of making it something that you can do regularly and is enjoyable. Whether that means using pretty pens and taking pictures of your notes, creating a study area or trying new study methods, find something that helps make studying feel more fun and romantic!

Thank you so much for reading! All my love, mj x

[genav0s]

❪ ⌕ . ❫ ' OO. ㅤ ﹕ PRESSURE⠀!⠀⠀⠀[  . . .  ]

i cannot make you understand. i cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside of me. i cannot even explain it to myself.⠀–—⠀from, "The Metamorphosis"

✶ . CHARACTERS: eun hwaseong & ian moon. ✶ . WORD COUNT: 2.2k ✶ . WARNINGS: swearing, jealousy, drug use, & fighting. ✶ . NOTES: seunghui & doyun are in my wip boy group. written in two hours instead of finishing the conclusion of my anthropology thesis, might be a little academic vocabulary-wise in the beginning. jarringly inconsistent usage of present & past tense.

There is something to be said about pressure. An all-consuming smothering that has the capacity to produce diamonds or dust. 

Hwaseong loved the feeling of that smothering pressure. 

He liked the duality of feeling trapped in his own head but protected by the knowledge that he’d come out on the other side. 

He was raised on the adrenaline of everything being on the line— his mother’s entire career was revived in an instant with a carefully executed smile on Hwaseong’s behalf. He was performing on stage, entertainment for politicians and important celebrities, before he could properly assemble reliable memories and expressions of the rush of emotions he felt every time he stepped up into the spotlight.

Training at Apricus was a breeze compared to the level of perfection his mother instilled in him as she oversaw his tutoring sessions. Accustomed to the expectation of excellence and motivated by the tense scrutiny the executives placed upon potential debuts, in Hwaseong’s mind the only reason he hadn’t debuted sooner was because of how young he was. 

Karin had a weird aversion to debuting anyone under the age of 16— the rule hadn’t been broken for a single artist under the label. He figured it had something to do with the contract she was under when she had first debuted, though he had never thought to ask. 

Ending up on the survival show was a sigh of relief for the Seoul native. The gesture— he believed, was supposed to be a true show of their faith in his talents and marketability. Seven years of dedication at the age of 17 was more than most of the others on the show could boast about. Sure, he figured it would be just as much a challenge as it was a reward for his hard work. But he figured being chosen for the show was much more a formality than a true test of his charisma and bare minimum ability to carry a tune. 

The offense he found in the selection of the other boys had been a selling point in his arc throughout the show. He was filmed scoffing at Sanghyuk’s long hours spent practicing over and over and over in the dance studio Hwaseong knew had the best acoustics. He rolled his eyes when Carter struggled to find the right words to thank the judging panel’s gracious oversight of his horrendous pronunciation. His teeth gritted in annoyance as he bit back insults directed at Jioh every time he hurled whatever it was he ate before his confessionals. 

But none of them got under his skin the way Ian Moon managed to. 

Their disdain for one another had been well documented throughout the show. In Hwaseong’s eyes, Ian was nothing more than a pretty boy who had only made it onto the show as someone else’s replacement. Hwaseong had never bothered to ask why Ian had similarly brushed Hwaseong off so early on, in truth he didn’t care much for the reason. 

The two’s highly publicized mutual distaste had managed to pique the interests of the producers who incorporated the tension between the two into nearly every episode. 

Genuine statements of “Thank you for the opportunity, I’ll try harder” from Ian were met with censored insults from Hwaseong. And as the distance between their rankings continued to grow throughout the first half of the series, Hwaseong only felt emboldened by his disdain for the Texan former athlete. 

“I don’t get it. Yeah, he was put on the show ‘cause he’s pretty, but so what?” Doyun laughs as he watches Hwaseong’s careful surveillance of Ian’s revisioning behind the glass separating the two of them. 

“Pretty sells,” Seunghui agrees, nodding at Doyun’s words, gently nudging Hwaseong’s shoulder. With a scowl, Hwaseong reverts his eyes from the sight in front of him. Turning to the other two instead.

“Dude’s a smug asshole. Trained for a few months— as a joke, by the way. And he ends up on the shortlist for a boy group because what— some middle school girl thought he was hot?” Doyun and Seunghui exchange a glance before dissolving into shared laughter, falling into each other as Hwaseong broods to himself. 

“Careful, middle school girls are about to fund your whole career.” Doyun hums, lips downturned into a pout as he taps at Hwaseong’s cheek sarcastically. 

“Isn’t your sister in middle school?” Seunghui chimes in curiously, finally catching Hwaseong’s attention. 

“What if Dasom's part of the middle school girls that petitioned for Ian to be on the show?” Doyun muses, bouncing off of Seunghui’s good-natured teasing of their older friend. With a piercing side eye, Hwaseong chooses to ignore the two’s musings. 

“He’s lucky Jaehee’s personally mentoring him,” He mentions off-handedly. 

Doyun and Seunghui’s confusion is enough for him to continue fueling his own jealous ruminations. 

“He’s in there with her right now, bastard—” 

With a rumble of chuckling from the other two, Hwaseong’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, briefly releasing him from his ranting. 

“Jaehee offered to give pointers to anyone who got to her during the break before filming resumed,” Seunghui explained with a shrug of his shoulders. 

The corners of Doyun’s mouth curled in amusement as they watched Hwaseong try to run through the endless instructions thrown at them over the hours they had already spent filming that day. 

“I—” He begins, only to be cut off by enthused Doyun. 

“He’s not the bastard between the two of you either. His dad’s just dead, yours is a whore.”

The act of filming the show was quite possibly the most dreaded part of Hwaseong’s routine for the latter half of 2013. He concealed yawns and distasteful jokes behind the heads of the other contestants, only stepping into view of the camera when it came time for him to prove his worth to the judges seated in front of the remaining trainees. 

Regardless of his intentional aversion to the camera, the producers always managed to find him when he and Ian were at their most heated. Volatile exchanges heightened into agitated bite-backs which bled into almost any mention of the one contestant that could unnerve Hwaseong at the mere sound of his name. He never thought it to be a coincidence that the two of them happened to find themselves within minimal feet of one another, entering confessionals as one exited, performing one before the other. 

But the producers had never made their thirst for conflict more obvious than one of the last days of filming. 

Against all— mostly Hwaseong’s— odds, Ian had managed to squeeze his way within reach of the final lineup. A final solo performance of each of the 10 trainees remaining would be the determination between debut and elimination. Doyun and Seunghui had been eliminated weeks ago. Hwaseong wasn’t surprised as much as he was peeved. For some reason, the show just couldn’t shake Ian. 

“Yo, what’s your fuckin’ problem with me, dude?” 

Hwaseong knew Ian had issues with his temper. It was a plot point emphasized over and over by the producers throughout the taping. He had a short fuse and a burning desire to get even. Hwaseong figured it to be leftover rage from the injury that removed the possibility of achieving the dream he’d had since he was a young boy. Sanghyuk had let it slip that Ian’s father was an abusive surgeon— an oxymoron that made Hwaseong’s head hurt so bad he brushed it off and never thought about it again. 

“Does it matter?” Hwaseong snarks in response, the corner of his lip curling in his quip. Three words are all it takes for Ian’s eyes to light up brighter than Hwaseong had ever seen before. A fire suddenly erupted from a spark he didn’t know was there.

“Yeah, it does Hwaseong.” Ian hissed, fists and jaw equally tense, clenched in restraint. He glances at the other trainees who slowly begin to pay attention to the tension breaking between the two boys.

“Whatever Ian. The show’s almost over, you’ll be able to go home and forget about me in about three days.” His words are delivered with a scoff, a roll of his eyes following shortly after. 

“Are you threatened by me or—” That was enough to set Hwaseong off. The fire spreading to his much darker eyes, launching him forward to stand eye-to-eye with the American. 

“Threatened?” He all but spat the word out, as if an insult to his existence. “You’re so full of shit. We both know the only reason you’re here is because Jaehee wants to keep the pretty boy with the funny accent around.”

There isn’t a moment of pause before Ian grabs at Hwaseong’s shirt, throwing him to the ground before Hwaseong or any of the other spectators could react. As Hwaseong scrambles to rise to his feet from the frigid floor beneath him Ian smirks at the clear panic in his eyes. 

“What’s it like to be so fucking pathetic that no one bothers defends you?” The amusement in his eyes sends a shiver down Hwaseong’s spine as he finds himself unable to tear his attention away from the vocalist towering over him. 

“What’s it like to be so fucking cowardly you have to beat the motivation out of your competition to win at anything?” Hwaseong’s words are coated in venom as he returns the insult. “You’re not making the group, Ian. No one wants you here.” 

With that, a blur of yelling and bodies shifting in Hwaseong’s vision clouds his perception. He barely registers the others struggling to restrain the older boy from grabbing at the younger. The ringing in his ears from the weight of the built-up resentment between the two of them culminates in a smirk that Hwaseong can tell infuriates Ian to his core. 

Through gritted teeth, held back by both Sanghyuk and Carter, Ian musters a strained, “Fuck you.” 

With a saunter to the door of the practice room, Hwaseong speaks up with one last taunt. “Take care of yourself, Ian. Send us a postcard from Texas.” 

If Hwaseong believed in a higher power, he was sure God was enjoying making Hwaseong eat his words. Over the next three days, Ian had not only turned half of the other contestants against the show’s youngest trainee but had managed to squeeze his way into the final lineup. 

As if by some sick twist of fate, Hwaseong watched the group’s final member claim the last spot in the quintet, that signature cocky smirk of his plastered across his praised features. When he catches Hwaseong’s eye from his spot at the other end of the line— Sanghyuk and Romeo providing a necessary buffer between the two with starry eyes and blinding smiles, Hwaseong can feel his stomach twist with a chill so nauseating his smile is wiped from his face. His knees buckle underneath him, catching Carter’s attention who finds the situation so gratifying he leans over to whisper a carefully enunciated, “How’s it feel, dumbass?” under his breath.

With disbelief etched into his expression, mistakenly read as gratitude, Hwaseong trends for the next week. 

“Do you remember that fight we got into?” Ian chuckles lowly, slowly taking a hit from the lit blunt in his hand. He shakes his head as he remembers the moment that irrevocably changed the course of his life. He exhales after a moment, watching the smoke fill the empty air in front of his nose before slowly dissipating into the Seoul night sky. Ian shifts to take a second drag before passing the blunt to Hwaseong, sighing slowly. 

“Yeah, made you eat shit in front of everyone,” Ian responds, a dimple coming to rest on his cheek, turning to watch Hwaseong as his lips closed around the blunt between his fingers. 

“Shut up. You did not make me ‘eat shit’”. Hwaseong answers, the smoke leaving his mouth in a sudden stream. 

“Yeah, I did. I beat your ass and made it into the final lineup.” 

The younger man’s eyebrows furrow in disagreement, “You did not beat my ass, Ian.” 

As he reaches for the blunt, Ian playfully hums, “Still made it into the lineup.” 

Hwaseong scoffs with an eye roll, “Last.” 

With an exhale Ian simply mutters, “How bad does your ass still sting?” 

The two share a lazy chuckle, eyes drooping as they recall the memory differently. Rising with a grunt, Hwaseong brushes off the comment casually, “Whatever, dickhead.” 

Mirroring with a grunt of his own, Ian gently soothes the younger man’s temperament, “You love me.” 

Receiving a grumble in response, Ian watches Hwaseong turn to unlock the door of their dorm to reenter the shared space in the early hours of the morning. 

Stopping him with a sudden urgency he asks, “Wait, do we look high? I don’t need Sanghyuk on my ass tonight.” 

Hwaseong offers a snorted chuckle in response, receiving a furrowing of Ian’s eyebrows. “Doesn’t matter that you look high when you smell high.” After a brief moment of blank staring on Ian’s end, Hwaseong continues toward the door, fiddling with the door knob.

“I smell high?”

[voidedgear]

HC: Language

Vanitas actually can't read any of the modern alphabets in current usage. Xehanort never thought to teach him because he wasn't raising Vanitas for intellectual pursuits. Vanitas was a weapon to be honed and crafted.

However, he has some residual knowledge from his time as a true darkness that has stuck with him.

Vanitas is able to perfectly read and write in the ancient Keyblader language that they used back in the Age of Fairytales and in Scala ad Caelum. I'm talking specifically about the language in the posters you can see around Scala ad Caelum in KH3. For the purposes of threads, I will refer to this language as Scalan or Old Scalan (in regards to the Book of Prophecies specifically. It is visibly different). These are likely NOT what the languages were called by the people speaking and writing in them, but their true names have been lost to time.

Considering the fact that Mickey and Yen Sid both have books written in Scalan, I presume that it wouldn’t be unusual for Keybladers to know this language—especially ones that have been brought up by Masters. I imagine that it would be the equivalent of pre-1800s Europeans having to learn Latin because academic manuscripts were exclusively written in it.

UPDATE:

As several different muses have expressed interest in teaching Vanitas to read modern alphabets, I will now place Vanitas' skill at a beginner's level. He's not going to be reading War & Peace any time soon, but he's learning.

Furthermore, since Vanitas now has a gummiphone, he will be able to text other people. He will still primarily use his first language, but will sometimes text people in the modern writing system to practice. One of the first things he learned how to do was install language keyboards onto his new gummiphone.

[tinas1469]

Got rizz? Tom Holland memes propel popularity of 2023 word of the year

Gen Z slang for charm or attractiveness sees off ‘Swiftie’, ‘situationship’ and ‘prompt’ in judges’ decision

Do women twirl their hair when they’re around you? Do men laugh loudly at your jokes? Have you noticed you’re particularly good at chatting people up? Then you’ve got rizz.

If you’re unfamiliar with the word then get to know it, because “rizz” has been named as the word of the year by Oxford University Press (OUP), the world’s second oldest academic press and the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The gen Z slang for “style, charm or attractiveness” or “the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner” beat out other contenders such as “Swiftie” (an enthusiastic fan of Taylor Swift), “situationship” (an informal romantic or sexual relationship) and “prompt” (an instruction given to an artificial intelligence program).

Rizz is believed to come from the word “charisma”, and can be used as a verb, as in to “rizz up”, which means to attract, seduce, or chat someone up, OUP said.

The word was first recorded in 2022 and went viral in June this year after the Spider-Man actor Tom Holland declared in an interview: “I have no rizz whatsoever. I have limited rizz.” He later explained he won over his girlfriend, the actor Zendaya, by playing the “long game”.

As Holland’s comments spawned endless memes, overall usage of the word surged by a factor of about 15, according the publisher. Today, the word is used massively online, with billions of views of the hashtag “rizz” on TikTok.

OUP said the word had “boomed on social media”, showing how the internet can propel initially fringe language into the mainstream. “This is a story as old as language itself, but stories of linguistic evolution and expansion that used to take years can now take weeks or months,” it said.

It said the growth of rizz “speaks to how younger generations create spaces – online or in person – where they own and define the language they use. From activism to dating and wider culture, as gen Z comes to have more impact on society, differences in perspectives and lifestyle play out in language, too.”

This year’s shortlist of eight words was selected by language experts at OUP. That list was then put to a public vote in late November, reducing the field to four finalists, before Oxford lexicographers made the final decision.

More than 30,000 word lovers helped to decide head-to-head competitions between pairs of words or phrases. They selected “rizz” over “beige flag” (a character trait indicating that a partner or potential partner is boring).

The other words that didn’t make the final cut were “parasocial” (a relationship characterised by the one-sided, unreciprocated intimacy felt by a fan or follower for a well-known figure), “heat dome” (a persistent high-pressure weather system over a particular geographical area), and “de-influencing” (the practice of discouraging people from buying particular products or reducing their consumption more generally).

Last year the public was given the opportunity to choose the overall winner, and an overwhelming 93% voted for “goblin mode” – a slang term describing “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly or greedy” behaviour.

Casper Grathwohl, the president of Oxford Languages, said witnessing thousands of people debate and discuss language “really highlights the power it has in helping us to understand who we are, and process what’s happening in the world around us”.

Given that “goblin mode” resonated with so many after the pandemic, Grathwohl added, “it’s interesting to see a contrasting word like ‘rizz’ come to the forefront, perhaps speaking to the prevailing mood of 2023, where more of us are opening ourselves up after a challenging few years and finding confidence in who we are.”

Previous words of the year – chosen by Oxford lexicographers – include “vax” (2021), “climate emergency” (2019) and “selfie” (2013).

Do you know these gen Z slang terms?

POV Short for “point of view”, referring to one’s point of view of a certain situation, including a physical standpoint, an opinion or attitude.

Lore Referring to background information about a person, typically secret or random pieces of information.

Tea Meaning gossip or inside information, used in phrases like “spill the tea”, ie share the juicy information you have.

Hits different When something feels special, or appeals to you in a unique way, it “hits different”.

Sneaky link A secret meeting between two people romantically interested in each other, commonly used to refer to a hookup but also to describe a friends-with-benefits relationship.

Heather Refers to a very desirable person who everyone likes, derived from the Conan Gray song Heather, about being in love with someone who is in love with a girl called Heather.

Pick Me Girl A woman who claims or acts as if she is unlike most other women to gain attention from men.

Slept on To be ignored, overlooked or not appropriately respected.

Girl dinner A low-maintenance way to eat, by picking (usually insubstantial) items from the fridge and arranging them in an aesthetically pleasing way on a plate.

Canon event A trend that started after the release of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, referring to a pivotal moment that changes the course of one’s life and therefore cannot be interrupted.

[runespoor7]

Can you explain more about the usages of "catharsis"? Wiki tells me "In dramaturgy, the term usually refers to arousing negative emotion in an audience, which then expels it, making them feel happier." which seems similar to my experience of fannish usage?

In fannish usage, it seems almost inevitably linked to the idea of a relief for the characters, or even comfort, or "good thing after bad". Promising catharsis in the next chapter; saying that you found a specific storyline cathartic (which tbh generally sounds like a healing thing to me. "it was so cathartic when character A came out to their grandma and Granny was supportive!"); "it was just bad things happening all the way down! where's the catharsis!"

That's not always definitionally antithetical to cartharsis in the dramaturgy sense, but it's not related to the concept (at least not the way it was taught to me back then).

Otoh catharsis is a... controversial concept even among classical authors (I use the term loosely), with a number of authors making fun of the concept or arguing that there's no real way to make a difference between the "expelling of negative emotions" of catharsis and the dreaded "emotions happening".

Simplifying horribly (it has been a while), in my experience the usage of catharsis in dramaturgy tended to occur more in cases of "terrible things happen to the characters! the audience feels better for witnessing these terrible things happening to fictional people and now will go in their life free of the negative urges." (I think mostly a XVIIIe century usage, but in practice that's when we pointed to catharsis happening. Even when talking about ancient plays we didn't mention catharsis at other points that when bad things happened/had been happening though. /again I'm simplifying)

Keep in mind I am not a classicist or an academic by any means and am going off of memories of literature courses that are roughly two decades old, so if you want more actually good explanations instead of "idk it's not used in the same moments which give the word completely different vibes" you'll have to ask people who actually really know their stuff or read up on theory. 😔

[avaantares]

(yet another) rant: Please stop with the frivolous Trigger Warnings

(Note: If you want to skip the recipe blog intro and get to the actual important stuff, scroll down to the header that says, "Which Warning to Use on Your Post")

Sooo I made a text post that had a few words in capital letters mixed in for effect (the rest of the text was in standard formatting). Someone reblogged it with the tags "tw: all caps" and "tw: capital letters."

The existence of these tags, specifically in the form of a trigger warning, struck me as weird. I mean, I can see why someone might be uncomfortable with an all-caps text block, if they've dealt with abusive/angry capslocked emails or something, and I can see how large blocks of capitalized text could be difficult to read, and some users might prefer to avoid them. But...

Limited capitalization as emphasis (e.g. dropping OH WAIT in the middle of otherwise lower-case text to indicate a shift in tone) does not present the same issues as a solid block of capslocked text;

I have not encountered this tag in the plethora of posts that employ the meme/joke format of subverting standard case usage or alternating case (yes, the SpongeBob meme is a thing with an actual academic definition, and it also predates the existence of SpongeBob by some decades); and

Most importantly, while formatting definitely affects user experience and can be worth tagging for that reason, I wouldn't have escalated it to the level of a trigger, which is a term with a pretty specific definition:

The concept of ‘triggering’ describes the re-experiencing of unpleasant PTSD symptoms such as intrusive thoughts being evoked by exposure to materials which spark traumatic memories. Hence, content warnings have a long presence in psychiatric literature. [source: Typology of content warnings and trigger warnings: Systematic review]

(Full disclosure for anyone who hasn't already learned from reading my rants: I have a background in behavior science, so I'm all about scientific definitions and correct application of same.)

But I thought that maybe I was misinterpreting what was being tagged, and I like learning what I should tag in future posts, so I thought I'd look deeper into those tags and see if I was missing something.

Welp. It sure was educational.

Turns out there are established "trigger warnings" on Tumblr for all of the following (not a comprehensive list; these are just the ones I also saw when scrolling through the caps tags, since many of those posts had more than one thing tagged):

any text with two or more capital letters in sequence

any text in italics

any text underlined

any text in boldface

any text in a font other than the default

any text in a color other than the default (as well as tags for each individual color)

images in black and white

images in color (how dare color exist)

images with... subjectively brighter? colors

images without ALT text

posts containing emoji

and my favorite entry, which for obvious reasons I can't describe by the content it's supposedly protecting us from:

"tw just in case"

O_o

So... where to even begin.

I guess I'll get the promised rant out of the way (for those of you who prefer to stay positive, skip ahead two paragraphs): It's no wonder that much of society mocks the very concept of trigger warnings, when they're used this... I have to come right out and say frivolously. Heck, even I'm having trouble taking the greater Tumblr community seriously right in this moment, and I've been part of it for *mumble* years and practically live here. Who in the academic/corporate/entertainment/quote-unquote real world is going to honor a request for content warnings when they see that the """kids these days""" consider italicized text a psychological trigger they need to be protected from? And you can just imagine some dudebro saying, "Wow, these special snowflakes are so fragile they're even traumatized by seeing color, lulz. We should see what really freaks them out!" ...and that won't end well.

The obvious rebuttal to that point is to argue that these tags aren't intended for use by the outside world, most of which already thinks Tumblr died years ago. Not that this has ever stopped Twitter and Reddit and Facebook users from screenshotting Tumblr posts to claim ownership of mock before, but honestly the extra-Tumblr world is the less important concern here, so I won't labor that point. The more immediate issue is how this affects Tumblr users, the Tumblr community, and the experience we're all so proud of being able to curate for ourselves.

The critical point is this: Tags exist for Tumblr users to find things of interest and avoid things they don't want to see. Warnings exist for Tumblr users to protect themselves. Conflating the two can cause not only confusion, but the opposite of the desired effect of being able to curate your experience.

Please note that it is not wrong to tag any of the things listed above. By all means, tag everything in your post! Tag away! Tag your text formatting and images and colors! Use that whole tag space so people can find/not find your content as desired! But none of these things should be categorized as trigger warnings. Trigger warnings, content warnings, and tags are all separate things, and should be used appropriately so people know what to look for/avoid in a post.

Now, you may well ask: Why do the semantics matter? If something's tagged, why does it matter how it's tagged? Isn't it better to warn people about anything and everything that they might possibly not like?

For those affected by PTSD, trauma, phobias, anxiety, psychosis, optically-sensitive medical conditions, etc., being able to trust tags -- and the community's overall reliability where they are concerned -- can be critical to their health and well-being. When the community's tags become imprecise, sloppy, or unspecified -- for example, when people start throwing tags like "tw just in case" on their posts instead of actually describing what is in the post -- it becomes unpleasant or even dangerous for those people to exist in that community. And although doubtless well-intentioned, the kind of overzealous helicopter tagging that labels things like text formatting or the presence of emoji as a trigger does two things: First, it can confuse filters and sandbag search results (for search purposes, tags are treated like a word bank, rather than individual line items). Second, it fosters a general lack of regard for real, life-threatening triggers. If Tumblr users get used to seeing every tiny little thing called out as a "trigger" -- trigger warning, there's a picture of a bird in this post! trigger warning, I can't spell so there's probably a word misspelled in this post! trigger warning, someone used a heart emoji in this post! trigger warning, here's a photo with the color orange in it! trigger warning, there's a banana in this post! Self image trigger warning, I'm having the worst hair day, lol! j/k! -- then subconsciously, "trigger warning" becomes synonymous with "lots of things random people find mildly annoying, so tag stuff if you happen to think of it" instead of "a few important things we should be diligent about tagging because someone's life might quite literally depend on it."

I know categorizing tags can be confusing, and in recent years there hasn't been much consistency in usage on Tumblr, so here's a cheat sheet to help you decide what warnings to use (and to be clear, I didn't make these up; these are sourced from academic literature and teaching guides, and were -- back in the Olden Days -- also more widely used on Tumblr.)

For a more thorough description of the most common types of content to post warnings about, see this PDF.

Which Warning to Use on Your Post:

Trigger warning (TW): Used to denote content that may trigger a PTSD episode, a severe psychological reaction, or a physiological reaction due to a medical condition (e.g. epilepsy). Broadly speaking, this warning is intended to mitigate risks that may exist because of a viewer's personal experience and/or medical status. Examples of things that should be tagged TW: sexual violence; child abuse; flashing gifs

Content warning (CW): Used to denote sensitive material that may make viewers uncomfortable or upset, or that some viewers may prefer not to see, but not necessarily invoke a traumatic personal experience. Broadly speaking, this warning is concerned with a viewer's comfort level. This can include general concepts (e.g. discussion of homophobia) as well as specific instances (e.g. use of homophobic language). Examples of things that should be tagged CW: racism; nudity; death

Descriptive tags (not warnings): Used to describe the content of a post, without value judgment, so that it is searchable and/or avoidable. (And also to write rambling comma-free essays, because Tumblr is just Like That. But that's a whole separate thing.) Examples of things that can be (generally) tagged: the themes or topics being discussed; black and white images; capitalized text; insects; the color green; memes; rainbows; digital art; literally anything else that appears in your post

Can people still dislike/be upset by things that aren't on a broadly-accepted TW/CW list? Absolutely. But that's not quite the same as a trigger, and that's why we also have general tags.

Here's an example of the difference between disliking or being triggered by content (source: "The right way to use a Trigger Warning," emphasis mine):

Trigger Warnings are here to prevent people who have experienced traumatic experiences to be exposed to something that might trigger a physical and/or mental reaction. Trigger is the key word here. “Trigger*” is used to talk about PTSD and mental illness. “Triggered” and “offended/upset” are not the same concept. I can be upset if I see a picture of a beautiful cake because I cannot bake, but it won’t trigger a post-traumatic reaction. 

You aren't going to be able to anticipate every single person's likes and dislikes, phobias, emotional associations, and so on. There's a temptation to try to cover every base imaginable, but that's actually... less than helpful. Actively unhelpful, in some cases. In addition to the reasons I cited earlier, here's an example of how "I'll tag it just in case someone doesn't like a thing" warnings can be confusing:

Let's say I have two followers: WingHater96 has a deep phobia of butterflies, while ButterSuperFly78 adores butterflies. Tagging a post "butterflies" helps them both navigate my feed more efficiently: WingHater96 can block the entire "butterfly" tag, while ButterSuperFly78 can search for it.

However, let's say I tagged that post in the form of a warning like "tw: butterflies" and hid it below a Read More just in case someone following me didn't like butterflies. WingHater96 would still have that post blocked, because it contains the word "butterfly" in the tag. It would also still appear in ButterSuperFly78's search results for the same reason -- the presence of the warning doesn't affect search results at all. But when ButterSuperFly78 sees the warning tag, they might now be confused about whether the post is full of pretty butterfly photography (which they would like to see), or if maybe the reason I put a warning on it is because it's about butterflies being harmed, because why else would you warn someone about butterflies when they're the best things ever? But wait, does OP know that they're the best things ever? Is the warning there because OP secretly hates butterflies?? Do they need to unfollow OP now because they're a butterfly-hater??? and ButterSuperFly78 would not know whether to view the post or scroll past until they psychoanalyze me to determine my personal feelings on butterflies.

Adding the warning provided zero additional benefit for the person who already had the tagged thing blocked, but it caused additional problems for the person actively seeking out that thing.

Obviously this is a bit exaggerated (...though, speaking from experience, only a bit), but it's a lot more efficient to just list the things that are in a post in the tags without framing them as warnings. That way, people with different likes and dislikes can curate their own experience more easily, and know to take trigger and content warnings more seriously when they DO appear.

-

TL;DR Trigger warnings exist to help people avoid PTSD or adverse psychological/physiological reactions. Casually throwing the word "trigger" in front of things that are not triggers makes people stop taking the need for warnings seriously, and can confuse people trying to curate their Tumblr experience. Reserve TW and CW for actual triggers/sensitive content and use standard tags for other things.

[sophieinwonderland]

i don’t get it.. so many people have told you that the usage of tulpa is harmful. you have a large platform, esp among the tulpa community - why not make your own term not tied to a sacred practice? it’d fix so much to just use a different word to be respectful of others’ religions and practices, and it would make a lot more ppl be accepting of tulpas. the word is what puts a lot of people off, why not coin something new?

All due respect, most of the people who are telling others that the word "tulpa" is harmful aren't part of the ethno-religious group they claim is being harmed. They certainly aren't religious authorities. Nor are their arguments in good faith.

While it's important to listen to others, it's also important to recognize that people may not always be honest in their arguments or motives. Anti-endos hate us for existing. They want to destroy the community that we built and resources we share, and will resort to any lie they can to justify it.

If the appropriation narrative had any validity to it, it would be Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leaders and teachers pushing it. Not anti-endos on Twitter, Tumblr and Tiktok. (Did anyone else notice how many of these social media sites start with T? Just me?)

As for making people more accepting of tulpamancy, I believe that's going to come down a lot to the psychological research into the subject, and general awareness. There are far more people who are unaccepting of tulpas, and endogenic systems in general, because they don't believe we exist. That's the real hurdle we'll need to overcome.

The Stanford Tulpa Study will be the first fMRI study into endogenic systems. If results are promising, more studies into the tulpa community will be conducted. The researchers conducting these studies are recruiting through places like /r/tulpas and tulpas.info.

I doubt that I would have nearly as much influence as you think I would with my few hundred followers, many of which aren't even tulpa systems. But let's say that I did, created a new term, and successfully divided our community. If fewer people frequent the tulpa community, follow-up studies will become more difficult to recruit for by psychologists. The community would become too disjointed and disorganized.

Important scientific research could be set back by years because of petty syscourse drama, all while tulpa systems continue to be harassed and fakeclaimed for our existence, regardless of what we call ourselves.

(And as I've discussed before, this research isn't just about tulpas, as the psychiatrists involved are interested in using the research to develop therapeutic techniques for DID systems as well.)

Let me summarize my thoughts on what I believe will actually lead to acceptance.

1. Academic validation. There are already multiple psychiatrists who believe tulpamancy is a real phenomenon, but the more studies that are conducted, the better. Especially fMRI studies. The "brain scans" that anti-endos point to as needing to be done.

2. Representation. Unnamed representation like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is nice to see as a tulpa, but works that recognize the practice of tulpamancy by name would be much more helpful towards gaining acceptance. Sadly, what we have so far consists of little more than a Chicago Med episode. Media representation will be integral to normalization. Luckily, many tulpamancers tend to be creative, educated individuals who often have interests in arts and writing. And the practice has only been around for a little over a decade, so a lack of representation isn't surprising at this stage.

3. Propagation. This goes hand in hand with the other two. The more tulpamancers there are, the more people will be exposed to it, the more subjects for psychological research there will be, the more people will be interested in writing about it. My hope is that the research and representation will then increase the number of tulpamancers in turn, in a cascade effect.

This path is not something attainable if we split the community. We need strength and solidarity against lies that are hurled our way.

Anti-endos want people to believe that tulpamancy is harmful to Tibetan Buddhism. It's not. No Tibetan Buddhist has been harmed by us using a word that's tied to this etymology.

But there is an ideology that we have the potential to be very harmful to, just by existing. Research into tulpamancy has the potential to even further undermine claims that plurality can only come from DID and OSDD, to show that it can be intentionally created. It has the potential to change how multiplicity is treated throughout the entire field of psychiatry. And because anyone can learn tulpamancy, and we have hundreds of guides designed to aid in and streamline the practice, the tulpa community presents a threat of actually growing larger than other plural communities if successfully cultivated, and overshadowing the anti-endo community.

Anti-endos push these bad faith narratives so strong because our existence is harmful to their ideology, challenging every lie they've ever told. Breaking up the community is the only way they can try to stop the research happening now that will ultimately be their undoing.

To liars, nothing is more harmful than truth.

So I will not change how I identify to appease a hate group.

I will not shrink away from or surrender to those who seek to destroy what we've built.

I will fight for my community. I will fight for those who have been hurt by anti-endos. I will fight for a world where plurals no longer have to hide or make ourselves more palatable in order to find acceptance in society.

This is the path forward.

[whoisglory]

You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal, those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil,”

Ryukyo Tatsuma

Head of the hufflepuff house and transfigurations teacher, Ryukyu was once the most renowned dragon keeper as her bond with dragons was something previously unheard of. At a young age Ryukyu spent her time with dragons as it was the family business to keep dragons and harvest part of their body for wand making, protective wear and potion brewing. But Ryukyu was very loving towards the animals and was around the baby dragons a lot. Usually this would result in instant death but in Ryukyus case the dragons accepted her almost as their own. When she left for her Hogwarts years she couldn’t help but bring her dragon with her, Mika. Which she kept as her pet eventually the Hogwarts staff allowed this but not after a little hijinx the two got up to. During her fifth year, with the help of the transfigurations teacher Ryukyu became a Dragon animagus. This finally made her one of the strongest witches and a very good dragon keeper as she could now truly become one of them and overpower most other dragons. After her years at Hogwarts she became a dragon keeper training quite a lot of dragons and was a key figure in capturing and defeating many dark wizards, but eventually she returned to her roots at hogwarts where she still keeps a dragon or two and helps out Miroku's Care of Magical Creatures classes from time to time, she also trains Three young witches, Nejire Hadou, Tsuyu Asui And Ochako Uraraka. Ryukyos Patronus is a Dragon, Dragon Patronus are strong in their convictions and will stand for what they believe is right. Those with a dragon for a Patronus are sure to be fierce fighters, and the Dementors better be ready for a challenge!

Tamaki Amajiki

UA’s local shy soft boy, Head boy of Hufflepuff Tamaki was born into a halfblood family. He is one of the most promising students at Hogwarts, despite his lack of self confidence many noted his potential as a wizard but he is held back by his self doubt. Despite this Tamaki is one of the most hard working students, rivaling the likes of togata and being one of the most talented transfiguration students ever seen. Especially due to Tamaki's rare ability being an animorphmagus. Someone who's born with the ability to shapeshift without the help of a wand or any spells. A very rare ability in the wizarding world. One of Tamaki's best qualities is his extreme loyalty as he’s able to speak up for his friends and would never betray them, that's why the imperius curse never had a strong effect on him. Tamaki's patronus is a Butterfly, It represents rebirth and transformation. a flowing free spirit. People with an inner butterfly are creative, it flows out of them like a river, and their ideas tend to pile up on top of each other. They have a love for their own mind, and want to make sure it is constantly in use. They can be a bit scattered in this way, as they often fly from place to place mentally, starting on one thing before they finish another. They are sensitive and fragile, but their inner strength is still strong, and they can hold themselves up despite the blows they are given.

Denki Kaminari

Denki Kaminari is the enthusiastic and optimistic boy from Hufflepuff, born and raised as a half blood with one muggle parent and one wizard parent. Despite not being very academically gifted Kaminari is still a great student, preferring practical usage of his strengths instead of studying all though he is still a regular at Yaoyurozus studying sessions. Kaminari is a member of the hufflepuff quidditch team being its chaser. He's a very fast and agile flier all though he used to panic a lot at first but he has grown past it and enjoys the little fame he gets from the quidditch position. He can occasionally go into Lightning State where he magically increases his own speed but it leaves him a bit dazed afterwards. Denki is very well liked among the students and is someone who brings people together, he organizes trips to hogsmeade with Ashido and Kirishima as he often hangs out with them but can occasionally be caught hanging out with Kyoka Jirou. They’ve had a love hate relationship since their very first year. But a dark secret looms over him and his life, sabotaging precious relationships. Denkis patronus is a blue jay. A patronus that is connected with Kyoka Jirou.Blue jay patronuses are sassy, bossy birds. They symbolize faithfulness, intelligence, determination, talkativeness, communication and assertiveness.

Tsuyu Asui

Tsuyu asui was born into a pure blood family but she was quite an outsider. Her family grows special plants in the swamp nearby their house, The Stump. They sell their produce as potion ingredients, they also keep a couple of magical creatures in the swamp. Asui is a very calm, loyal and hardworking student. She is a bit antisocial but despite that very helpful and adaptable to her peers, she has a hard time making friends but she stays very loyal to the friends she makes, her heart breaking if she feels betrayed by them or feels like she did not put her all into the relationship. Tsuyu is a very gifted student, a natural at transfigurations when it comes to transforming herself. Herbology and care of magical creatures. She overall gets a lot of good grades and eventually with the help of ryukyu was permitted to undergo the animagi progress with Another student Tokoyami, in their sixth year. Her patronus, the frog symbolises Sensitivity, regeneration, renewal. In many cultures, frogs are a strong symbol of luck and wealth.

[fiercestpurpose]

thoughts on citing tumblr posts in academic essays

specifically this post is not about fan studies or a sociological/anthropological approach to posts or any of those approaches. this post is a collection of my thoughts on citing posts that say [claim] when i also want to say [claim] in my paper. (as opposed to using the post to say that "people on tumblr say [claim]")

why cite the post? well, because, academic dishonesty is bad. citing sources is about recognizing a genealogy of knowledge. american academic citation practice encourages you to cite everything that influences your thinking. (i say american bc other countries have different citation practices and different ways of thinking about plagiarism.) citing the post brings up a lot of issues, but, for me, those don't outweigh the consideration of academic and intellectual honesty.

how to cite the post? nonissue. mla is pretty flexible. look at how tweets are cited. citing a conversation where multiple users are included might be a little trickier, but probably just do it as multiple authors?

proof: when you cite an academic essay making [claim], that is proof of [claim]. the idea is that the other essay has done the work to prove it. however, when you cite a tumblr post saying [claim], you still have to prove [claim] from the ground up, either by recounting the logic from the post, making your own argument, or both.

footnotes: so, if you have to prove the thing from scratch anyway and if your approach is different from the tumblr op's, you can probably just leave a footnote and say "this issue is also brought up by [x]" and cite the source, no need to like namedrop tumblr users in the body of your academic essay

accessibility of the post: back it up on webarchive, download a copy of the webpage for your own records, make sure it won't totally disappear if op deletes their blog

the question of closed spaces: in fan studies, fandoms are considered closed spaces. when you publish a news article or an academic article, you're expecting that to get shared and circulated. when you publish a tumblr post, you're not. this matters less since we're not doing anthropology or whatever, but it's still probably polite to say (from an empty sideblog created for the purpose, obviously) "hey i'm going to use this in an academic article." probably only necessary if you're going to publish it.

what to do if op has a really obscene name???????

your prof and/or editor (especially if it's an editor?????) will have some objections to you citing a tumblr post probably, so make double triple extra sure that you have proved your point and that the tumblr post usage does not degrade the quality of the argument + the tone of the paper.

these are pretty raw thoughts, if anyone has experience citing tumblr posts in this manner or has thoughts on the subject, please do share!