#the only ones that are confirmed (so far ) to be of the upper class are Ludwig and Lemmy

[axewchao]

How did Ludwig react when he saw MarioPrincess!Dalle for the first time ever?

I'm not sure at the moment, but based on my Lud's background, I think it'd have to depend on when and how he meets her.

If it's at some kind of gala, he'd be indifferent at best or try to avoid talking to her at worst. He's not a fan of fancy parties/social gatherings due to it reminding him of his upbringing. Hell, the only reason he still attends them after ending up in Bowser's care is because he wants to keep an eye on Lemmy. Maybe he'll talk to Royal!Dallie and hit it off, but there's a high chance he won't.

If it's on the street, her lack of a crown and formal clothing (she'd wanna go casual when out on the town) may lead to him mistaking her for a normal, non-blueblooded person. Once again, he's indifferent at best, and will answer whatever questions she asks, but unless they hit it off right away, he'll just carry on and forget about her if he doesn't see her for about a week. Though it'd be pretty hilarious for him to later realize that the purple-haired chick he met in the shopping district was actually a princess :3c

If through some weird act of fate he meets her in her own kingdom, this is the two's best chance to form a friendship. Dallie would be delighted to meet someone new, and Lud's intrigue in the strange yet dangerous kingdom he's found himself in would be enough to keep his attention on the girl that will one day rule it.

As you can see in all three scenarios, no romance has blossomed right away. It'll take time, and it's not guaranteed, but I'm sure Lud would love to have a decent friend regardless. owo)b

[lassieposting]

Been thinkin about Astarion + vampire biology so have some headcanons and the bits of game lore they're based on

Dialogue establishes that Cazador has been successfully passing himself off as a regular noble for centuries, and Astarion confirms that while he's considered a bit reclusive, he does mingle with the upper class of Baldur's Gate and has a property specifically for hosting fancy events.

Vampires are camouflage predators, whose primary hunting strategy is to blend in with their prey until the perfect time to strike. Their ecological niche is not a particularly safe or stable one - they live hidden in plain sight, usually in sizeable cities, for easy access to prey, but they know that if they are discovered they will be rooted out and killed or driven away. They are rarely able to get away with attacking in public, where city guards might rush to the aid of a screaming victim - they have to isolate their target before killing it. The ability to blend in, to be overlooked by their target, until it is too late is essential.

Cazador is, as far as we know, the only true vampire in Baldur's Gate

This is because true vampires are aggressively territorial. Like most apex predators, they eat a lot, and need substantial territories to support them - even moreso if they have a partner or spawns. Ascendant!Astarion would need to hold onto the entire city, as Cazador did, to be able to feed himself and Tav without raising suspicion.

True vampires are relatively rare, but there are more of them than there are cities, so it's not uncommon for one to set up in an occupied city and try to oust the sitting resident. The challenger usually believes himself to be as strong or stronger than the current tenant: these territorial disputes usually end in at least one death, so they're not to be entered into lightly.

Astarion is very obviously a vampire: his fangs are visible, as are his bite scars; he's so pale multiple people comment on it; his eyes are red, etc.

Astarion is not a healthy vampire.

This is a man who has been kept on the knife's edge of starvation and tortured regularly for 200 years, and to another vampire, that would be clear from the state of him: Astarion is a camouflage predator who is so malnourished he is no longer able to blend in.

Tav will get an up-close look at his transformation over the course of the game and during the years afterwards: the more healthy and well-fed Astarion becomes, as his body catches up on its immense energy deficit and begins to recover, the better he will be able to mimic a living elf. His skin will be able to bleed, or blush, or bruise, none of which he's capable of while actively starving. Hia fangs will retract until he needs them, not invisible but less obvious - having them out all the time is a response to severe deprivation; he's so hungry his body can't risk losing prey to the split second it takes Cazador to snatch a rat back, so he's permanently in bite mode, hyperaware, ready to strike. Some body functions will come online that he didn't even know he had, the ones that are supposed to help him blend in - his eyes will start producing pigment to look darker, less scarlet and more burgundy, to be more easily mistaken for brown; his lungs will make him breathe automatically even though he doesn't need it, he'll start being able to eat normal food without getting sick again, though he still won't get any nourishment from it; he'll heal faster. He'll even be able to get drunk, though he'll burn through it very quickly. As it stands, all those extra systems have been shut down by his starving body - they're useful, but nonessential, and he needs every single bit of energy funnelled into just keeping him alive and functional.

There is probably an intentional bit of psychological warfare against the spawns on Cazador's part here - him starving them strips them of their natural defences, and every time he makes them leave the mansion to hunt, they have to do so knowing that they're poorly hidden and vulnerable. But it's established that true vampires treating their spawn poorly or outright abusing them is A Thing, so it's not the only reason - he sees them as property rather than people, he keeps them weak so they won't plot against him, he's acting out his own trauma from Vellioth on them, he just wants to - but it does feed into it.

Astarion can, at one point, identify old blood as belonging to the player character. He also gets excited at another point if an enemy character runs away, stating, "Now it's a hunt."

He says that "even stale, [he'd] recognise that bouquet anywhere." This confirms a few things for us:

He has a vastly superior sense of smell capable of identifying individuals by scent and - since he can tell who the blood belongs to even after some time has passed - following scent trails.

This confirms that although city-dwelling vampires may primarily hunt via luring a victim to a secondary location before killing it, they still have the "stalk down and chase" predator instinct. Since Astarion can't lure wildlife anywhere, this is almost certainly how he's been hunting to supplement his diet when he's not using the player as his personal caprisun.

The fact that he can scent out prey before killing it means he has this ability all the time - he can smell blood while it's still safely inside the owner's body.

So scent is probably relevant to how vampires process the world. The more time each companion spends with him, the more he gets used to their scent, starts associating it more with safety and camaraderie than with a potential meal, and so he becomes more relaxed around them. As he learns to link the player's scent with love and comfort and trust, the more likely he is to retreat to their tent over his own when he's injured or afraid or having a trauma moment. When he's fond of someone, something of theirs will go conveniently missing - he's moving their scent into his little safe space, it's comforting for him. He can tell when his lover is hurt or aroused or frightened - though not which of the three applies - from a distance, because his sense of smell can pick up the spike of adrenaline rushing into their bloodstream.

But that also means that he can never feel like he's got any distance from Cazador while he's living in the mansion - even if the man isn't in the same room, the entire place reeks of him, and it makes Astarion feel like Cazador is breathing down his neck all the same. Ascendant Astarion would have a really, really hard time sticking it out in that mansion with stale Eau de Cazador all over the place. It means that he's put instantly on edge by the faint scent of one of his siblings as he walks through the lower city - when seven vicious, territorial apex predators are confined to a single small dormitory, several hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, fights are going to be nasty and frequent, and although Cazador wouldn't allow them to kill each other, considering how many of his siblings refer to him as weak or a runt, Astarion probably didn't win them very often. So. Having a highkey advanced sense of smell is a mixed bag.

[alexas-fandom-and-random-blog]

I need to get it out of my chest so here's some Striker theories/speculations fandom has come up with that I heavily dislike and why.

Striker has some royalty blood from one parent or both.

Oh God that would suck so much if it became canon cause it absolutely defeats the purpose of his character so far, that of being a lower class imp hating royals with valid reasons even if his actions are violent and sadistic.

As he is he has such an interesting antagonistic role in the story and offers a bunch of good lines directly opposing and questioning the heroes values, choices and morality.

His mere presence and open bashing of the upper class is just good social commentary! If his hatred stems from a combination of his narcissistic nature and bitterness that being born an imp (even mixed or hybrid) robs him from ascending further into the social ladder or even if he survived a traumatic encounter with a royal as its implied and it's fuelled by anger or a combo of all those things all are good for telling a compelling story! All can be done in very interesting ways!

But making him yet another character tied closer to royalty than just being a random person that got screwed over is honestly an underwhelming concept.

Getting screwed over for no good or justified reason should be common with Hell's racist and classist system as its been presented so far and we should get confirmation of that instead of having Striker added to the trend of each of the main characters having special connections with higher ups. It's not only redundant at this point but would make his motivation and social commentary that much weaker.

I swear if it just becomes another daddy or mommy issue imma rage quit so fast!

Striker is half shark demon

His sound design is explicitly constantly emulating the noises a rattlesnake makes. Since he's most likely a hybrid and he says to Blitzo how they are "superior to most of our kind" he's definitely part imp. So we got two halves and we got snake demon and imp, so it's basically covered? lol I don't know how this theory became so popular😅

He doesn't even look close to the design of the other sharks

he only looks like Chaz a little bit.

And lots of characters share similar characteristics like that snout.

This one had some merit with the ringed eyes and imma be real I haven't noticed those elsewhere but like even if he had a grandpa shark what purpose would that serve?

Bah I just don't like it. Let the man be a slimy snake! Its more unique and it suits him better!

Striker is asexual cause he got grossed out by sex jokes

No...just no..

To be clear you could totally read him as asexual! But the reason being the damn sex jokes is giving me whiplash. Striker got flustered and frustrated at best cause the timing of each sex joke was inappropriate as all hell and cause everyone did it as he tried to be intimidating and threaten/kill them. If anything they were bruises to his ego not any indication to his libido.

But like... In all seriousness asexual confirmation deserves more than a reaction to sex jokes.

Hellaverse does it better with Alastor. In his case it does tie in with his sexuality.

Same goes with all the theories that he's homophobic too.

He did the sexy villain thing trying to seduce Blitzo like so explicitly and smiled when Blitzo called it hot then! What are you talking about?

Different situation, more receptive to sexual undertones and instigating them too. That's what I'm trying to say!

And again. Asexual reading can apply. But it can't be just the sex jokes alright?!😭

(yeah yeah it's a joke on itself. still valid I get it.)

Striker is related to Crimson and Moxxie.

Oh this one is the worst one and absolutely gives me a heart attack and thank goodness for the crew's soft confirmation that they aren't via strixxie fanart cause no joke I'd cry since its my favourite ship!

It's just similar horns!!! Striker was designed as a mix between Moxxie and Blitzo and that's the only reason why!

Striker also had sexual tension with Blitzo on screen are you gonna tell me they are related too cause he was designed with half of him in mind?

I hate this theory so much.

Granted purely for shipping reasons but holy shit it got popular and I hated that!

I've had enough with turning every ship into potential incest just cause and harassing fans over it!

Got such "Fizz and Blitzo are siblings" deja vu😬

Ahem...

Anyways yeah that's all.

To end it more positively I love the snake man! Didn't spot him on the trailer but still hope we see him in the upcoming episodes🥺

Preferably doing shit like this and traumatizing everyone lmao! (with no godawful statue jokes in sight thank you very much)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not smiling at my roommate?

So this is from back in September ofc but whatever I'm here now. So me (18nb) and my 7 roommates (all ~18F) are all college freshmen sharing a dorm suite (4 bedrooms, 2 people in each) and we're mostly all strangers to each other except for two separate sets of besties. Only one set is relevant here and that's N, my roommate, and K, the focus of this story.

So our first month of school and living together went pretty well! We were all getting along and hanging out, walking to classes and going to dinner together. And then out of nowhere K texts our groupchat, asking for a "family meeting" that evening. Which stresses everyone out obviously, because what the hell could have happened? Was she okay??

Anyway long conversation short- she called a meeting to tell us that she felt we were excluding her and that some of us were being purposefully rude and unfriendly to her.

She would go to her twin sister's suite (yes they were in separate suites) to hang out a lot, so if we were doing something we wouldn't interrupt her, and i guess she felt excluded from that?? We didn't do much though. And there was a conversation we had in her room with her roommate but without K, but that was just a coincidence because we all heard drama(unrelated) and flocked over there, and K wasn't in the suite. She walked in on the middle of our convo, we said hey and continued, then she left. But she said she specifically felt excluded here???

And for being rude, this was partially directed at her bestie N, but mostly our roommate C and maybe me. C and I were sitting next to each other and K just gestured at us at first. Supposedly N was ignoring her, but N had told me before that she felt like K was being cold to her, ignoring her texts and such. Specifically C and I apparently weren't greeting and smiling at her when we saw her? I couldn't think of a time this happened so I'm pretty sure this is directed at C, but we'll get to me in a sec. C definitely was a bitch (but that's irrelevant here) but she said something about having a hard life and not being a smily person AND that the specific instance that K brought up, C didn't say anything to her bc she thought that K had fallen asleep on the living room couch.

So back to me, i might have been rude and just not realized it? I don't have a very large smile and I'm quiet, but i also have a reputation for being a huge bitch. If i don't like someone, i don't hide it unless i have to (like if I'm forced to work with them or they're a teacher or etc) I didn't quite dislike K yet though, but she had made some strangely classist comments towards me (don't know how she clocked that i was the poorest of us) and seemed uncomfortable after i confirmed that I'm bi (she saw a rainbow flag on the desk and asked, she doesn't know about the gender lol) but yeah so i was starting to dislike her, but i didn't really know what to make of her yet. Point is, i totally could've been rude at some point and just not realized/ forgot.

Anyway anyway, she presented her issues, we rebutted them, she left the room a little upset, her twin sister comes in and starts yelling at us for upsetting K, we get mad at the twin because this is none of her business and we think K is overreacting. Eventually we give a half-hearted apology to K (sorry that you felt hurt, we didn't do anything intentionally) and K apologizes for it going so far. K's distant for the rest of the year and none of us try to bridge that gap.

So i guess this is less "was i the asshole before this" and more "am i the asshole now" for not reaching out and definitely excluding her and being rude to her after she called this meeting. We're not gonna share a suite regardless (upper classmen dorms are smaller) so this is just for my piece of mine.

(Also, she's a business major)

What are these acronyms?

[pdrrook]

Been reading some things about Perfumare:Amalgam and I'm confused about the sequel MCs financial situation. Considering they knew Marco as kids I assumed they went to a fancy private school, and came from a well off family. Yet considering they have some rumors about being “money oriented” are they actually from a middle class background, or did they originally come from an upper class family that has either fallen into debt if the MC's an orphan or MC was cut off after being abandoned/disowned?

If it's too spoilers to answer this now I understand.

Instead consider a situation where Marco is questioning and judging why MC2 is even dating the LI in the first place? He knows plenty of more interesting and hotter people his best friend could date! Cue MC looking so offended at the suggestion.

First of all, considering Marco's questionable life choices, his own dating life probably isn't much better. Second, they've been friends for years, and MC cares about Marco as if he's their own brother. How has Marco not gotten the hint that the MC has a fondness for dumbass men/ blondes willing to pull a gun on someone?!

Okay so this is a slight spoiler ig, but MC2’s situation is the reverse of MC1. MC2 was first diagnosed as a 5, and attended the same academy Joran did (that’s where they befriended each other), but later they were confirmed to be a 4, which in a family made of ‘5 and proud’ govt-aligned parents wasn’t seen as a positive thing. 

That said, as in Avulsion, I won’t be describing MC2’s family at all, aside from the fact that they are in a no-contact situation, so you can decide MC2’s ‘current’ financial situation yourself. Marco, though, is not afflicted, but he used to take many extra classes to impress his parents, and that’s where he met MC2 (and where Marco’s sister met and befriended Alan). Marco as a friend loves to spoil MC2 with things they need and don’t need, and unlike Reed (towards MC1) he doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer (aka ‘oh you need a new phone? What do you mean, no need, I just bought you one, lol’).

The rumor about MC2 being money-oriented originated bc Marco’s other ‘friends’ are only with him for the money. So, Marco’s sister assumed that MC2 is the same (bc given Marco’s personality, it’s a no-brainer to think ppl only tolerate him for the cash and freebies he brings to the table). 

Marco’s worry about MC2’s choice of a LI comes from the fact that he knows his ‘friends don’t really care about him, and he doesn’t want MC2 to be hurt. And oh yeah, he doesn’t even have a dating life? He has a fail hookup life, and he never had a proper relationship. But that doesn’t stop him from giving MC2 his advice lmao. As for hints, Marco’s not a very hm far-sighted person, that’s to say, he rarely thinks before doing things, and doesn’t ever plan or analyze his position.

[wisteriagoesvroom]

🏎️💨 THE FORMULA 1 TAG GAME! 🏎️💨:

stealing this from the timeline...

+ zero pressure tags (but i love reading these!) - @lecrep @souvenir116 @fueledbyremembering @thinkingaboutfilm11 @supercollide @fireopaal @callsign-shortstack @thatguywasvaping @linewire @buryawoman and whoever else wants to do it.

1. Who or what got you into F1?

charles edits on tiktok + drive to survive, lmao. i'm one of those bitches. sorry not sorry!

but! i will say! what greg james said about f1 resonated with me because i have never ever really cared about physics or engineering in any deep or substantial way. and now, i am avidly reading people like supermak's incredible posts talking about downforce or apexes or deltas and car configs, looking at the charts and the data, and i just think that is a really fun place to be.

f1blr and f1 fandom so far has been a nice confirmation that multiple things can be true - yes we want to make the vroom vroom boys kiss, but we also care deeply about the ethics of the sport, the growth, about driver + team stories, driver pipelines and equity and race excitement and engineering. i think it's really cool these things can coexist.

the sport never should be one thing to one group of people, you know? (wow that ended up longer than i thought.)

2. Who was the very first F1 driver you supported? Do you support them now? Have your opinions on them differed or stayed the same since then?

charles, and still charles lmao. unfortunately.

i am an oscar piastri enthusiast also. i think there's a bit of recency bias at work here but he's come swimming like a fledgling shark into the shallows with his deadpan personality and i'm just very intrigued by His Whole Thing.

i want good things for yuki! and lewis! my GOAT!! give the man his 8th :( (it probably isn't happening but lets' not manifest that.......)

TL;DR it's been a joy getting to "know" the grid (or at least as much of their public persona will tell us) and getting into the lore. *shaky hands* the LORE!

also nobody asked, but, schumacher was an omnipresent name when i was growing up - which might give away my age - but he always felt like an old school driver. in the sense of his mythos, his mystery, his dominance of the track. that era of f1 is over and the sport only moves on and evolves, but in the same way his presence felt a lot more removed and unrelatable to me, and far away. the speed of technology now and broadcasting and social content makes f1 feel more fun and accessible. it feels a lot nicer to find fandom spaces like f1blr where there are different audiences (female, queer, a variety of ages and backgrounds etc) yelling about the same things.

it's just a different time, not a value judgment. but i am enjoying it.

3. Who’s your current favourite F1 driver?

see above, but i'm 100% here for lestappen having a track battle next year only for oscar to pip them to the podium in one of the races lmao. i think it'd be amazing.

4. Is there a driver pairing or pairings you support? What made you attracted to that pairing in the first place?

*long sigh* once again lestappen baybee... the lore... the parallels... the sun-moonism.... the enemies-to-rivals-to-friends-and-gay-rival-soulmates-something

i like other pairings too like in my about me post - landoscar, galex, blabla. my dark horses are riccussell (george/daniel) and groto (george/toto).

something about that greyhound, very wound-up, very upper-middle-class, highly-strung, born-to-want-but-not-to-always-win english george:

5. Do your parents, siblings or relatives have a favourite team and/or favourite driver(s)?

i got my sister into f1 at around the same time but she's not indicated any preference on drivers yet tbh. she's a casual fan. must be nice being normal.

6. Do you have any favourite races? Are there any that stand out to you the most?

haven't seen enough of them to say, 'cus i only started following like two months ago as the season was winding down. i looooved Vegas '23 though and the legendary charles overtake. he's just so fucking smart and cunning when he's given the conditions and the car to be. watching Abu Dhabi '21 on replay was also a TRIP.

7. Do you have a favourite circuit? Can be from the past or from the current calendar.

i'm still learning them. but i'm mildly curious about the old tracks like nürburgring - it was from a totally different era of the sport and it'd be nice to rebalance the long tracks with the current spectacle of street races even though that doesn't seem to be where the sport's moving towards.

8. Have you ever been to an F1 race in real life? Feel free to tell us your experience going to one if you like.

i actually live in a place with a track... i had a free ticket for general access once many years ago but that was pre-f1 hyperfixation, and at that point i didn't understand the appeal at all. idk.

i feel like f1 is actually a better experience for me to watch on tv as a fan.... probably blasphemy i know.

9. Have you ever met an F1 driver in real life?

no and idk that i would because i've seen celebrities in person in the past and it's usually so quick and transactional because they're surrounded by hordes of handlers and/or they're usually running somewhere even if it's a fan-focused interaction.

THAT SAID! i would love to attend a talk by Lewis or just generally hear what he has to say, because what he's done is so beyond f1 at this point and he always shows up in terms of advocacy and speaking up, in recent years, where it really matters. he's a fascinating figure, sometimes contradictory, sometimes controversial, but i definitely would love to hear what he has to say.

10. Do you have a favourite F1 car? If so, what is it?

i am partial to that black and gold lotus from the 80s, ngl:

and this 7up car (jordan 191?) which with the fujifilm sponsorship is just peak 90s:

11. Do you have a favourite one win wonder?

does charles count as a one win wonder............ fight me in the comments

12. Do you have any favourite quotes from the F1 world? This can either be inspirational or hilarious.

"don't waste it" from seb vettel to charles on seb's last day

[cosmic-cheeto]

A Race to The End

You had finally finished your homework and looked over to the bed to see Cedric smiling while reading a book. You had never even heard of the title but you knew that feeling well and couldn't help but smile too.

He caught you looking at him and lowered the book for a moment to direct his smile at you.

"That must be a good book." You say at his stupidly cute smile.

"It is, you should read it." He says, excitement from the story wearing off but his smile staying in place.

"Maybe I'll even catch up to you." You half joke, trying to see how far he's already gotten.

"I’m not sure you could. I'm already a good few chapters in and catching up isn’t an accomplishment if I wait for you." He says.

"I accept the challenge." You say, leaving for the library.

You march down the hall with great purpose for all of a few seconds before you turn around.

"...What's the name of the book?"

Cedric laughs and decides to come with you to make sure you get the right book.

When you both enter the library, he leads you over to the romance section.

"Ooo, it's a romance?" You ask, since you really hadn't thought about what the book would be about, only that your best friend liked it.

He chuckles and continues to look for a book that matches the one he was reading earlier.

"So, what happens if you somehow beat me to the end of this book?" He asks, searching the shelves.

"If I beat you to the end of your cheesy romance novel..." You pause to think, "You have to read one of my favourite books." You declare. "And what if I hypothetically can’t beat you?"

"If you can't finish the book before I do..." He pauses the same as you had, "You have to reenact my favourite scene with me." 

The way he analyzes your face after this suggestion confirms he probably means a cheesy and/or romantic part of the book.

"Like putting on a play?" You ask, though you’re confident you won’t lose anyway.

"Not exactly, just putting ourselves in place of the characters."

"Alright… you're on!" You say, taking the book that he had since gotten off a high shelf.

Ever since making the bet, you had been buried in the book every spare moment you had. While eating, when you finish work early in class and from as soon as you finish studying to when you go to sleep. You even read on the walks between every class.

The only breaks outside of doing school work are the small moments when you catch Cedric looking at you instead of reading his book. He looks at you dreamily as if he were thinking of something, though not distant enough for him not to notice you.

"Ced, if you aren't taking this seriously, you're going to lose!" You say playfully, over the side of your book. He snaps out of his trance, or whatever that was, but doesn’t yet continue reading.

"How far have you gotten?" He asks, trying to look over your shoulder at a weird angle.

"Why? Trying to call off the bet?" You ask, but show him your placement anyway. In the few days you've had it, you already have caught up to his chapter deep into the book.

"Would you like to claim your prize now, or read the second half of the book first?" He asks.

"Do you already know your favourite scene? Maybe I’ll want to lose..."

"I do have something in mind. If you want, we could add it to your reward instead." He offers, in case you need more encouragement to continue the book.

"I do like a nice surprise... okay! But then what's your prize for winning?" You ask.

"Nothing? I mean, it's fair since I had the upper hand in the beginning."

"I guess it doesn't really matter, since I'll be beating you anyway." You say confidently and turn back to your reading.

The two of you read together in Cedric's prefect dorm every moment you have available, occasionally checking in on one another, but ultimately reading in content and competitive silence.

One evening, while you near the end of the novel, you both stay together longer than expected, lost in the story. You somehow don't even catch yourself falling asleep until you are too tired to keep your eyes open and on the pages.

When Cedric realizes you have fallen asleep, he puts your bookmark back in place, sets it on his bedside table, and makes sure you are comfortably under the covers.

The next morning, you wake up sleeping on his chest. You quickly move off and away from him, but still close enough to admire his peacefully sleeping face. You decide to cuddle up to him again, and wait for him to wake up.

As he starts to stir under you, you pretend you are still asleep. He smiles down at you, moves a piece of hair out of your face and whispers something you can't quite hear. After a few more seconds of trying to see him without him knowing you are awake, you make a show of waking up.

"How did you sleep?" He asks, not mentioning the position the both of you are in.

"...I'm almost finished with the book, just a few more pages..." You say tiredly, reaching for the bedside table on Cedric’s side.

He hands it to you, smiling as you try to read as fast as you can.

A couple minutes go by before you close the book dramatically.

"I win!! I'll get you the book you'll be reading next after you finish yours." You say.

"As for your other prize..." Cedric says, bringing you closer. You look into his eyes when, before you can even ask any questions, his lips meet yours.

When you have to pull back for a breath, you smile.

"If you wanted to kiss me, you could have just asked, Ced"

[libbee]

I’m an eighth house sun and I rarely find any celebrities with that placement because it’s fundamentally incompatible with a public life. Charli D’Amelio is confirmed to have her sun in the eighth and it’s pretty obvious she is uncomfortable with fame.

8th houser celebs in Public Eye

Charli D'Amelio

1 May 2004. 5:54 PM. Norwalk, CT, USA.

Moon in Virgo, Virgo rising, Sun in 8h Aries, Venus in 9h, Mars in 10h Gemini, Jupiter in 12h Leo.

Kylie Jenner

10 August 1997. 17:25 PM. LA, CA.

Sagittarius rising, Jupiter in capricorn 2h, sun in cancer 8h, mercury, venus and rahu in 9th house, moon and mars in 11th house libra.

Kendall Jenner

3 November 1995. 15:38 PM. LA, CA.

Pisces rising with moon in 1h, sun, mercury and rahu in 8th house libra, venus, mars and jupiter in 9th house scorpio.

Why Hide?

The reason why 8th house placements are hidden from public eye may be that

1. They are intuitively capable of knowing other people's intentions and motivations.

2. There is a sense of disgust and contempt of vanity in others.

3. They unlearn the behaviours and build themselves up many times.

4. Sun in 8th house has tendency to give self sabotage and self destruction.

5. They tend to hide from people because it seems fake to be putting up a persona especially one that is incompatible with their actual emotions. They are the ones to be be as authentic as they can get.

Fame

Although these celebs are 8th housers, they also have 9th house placements which is indicator of self referential, strong beliefs. All 3 have Venus in 9th house. 1-5-9 houses deal with Dharma and especially 9th is the fortune, destiny, auspicious storehouse of energy. I wonder if their 9th house overrides the negative twirl of 8th Sun?

Kylie and Kendall have ruler of 10h (Public image) in 9h. I also wonder if they are exceptionally lucky or is it that they were born in a league, hierarchy, class that is normal for them to achieve? Are they the "upper middle classes" of their industry. I mean, how many of us are born in education or working class or service class or business class families but able to achieve extraordinary success that is not expected for these classes? There is a sort of upper limit in how far you can go in education sector or service sector but media is the boundless industry with large impact. Even scientists have to collaborate with TV shows to be able to discuss concepts with large masses that is not possible if they just sit in their labs and office

Kylie has moon and mars in 11h libra. 11h deals with large connectivity and knowing people to get things done

Charli has Mars and Saturn in 10h Gemini. Career is focus in her life despite the emotional turmoil

Contradiction?

It may be that their public image is a marketing strategy while they live an authentic life off camera. Perhaps they bottle up their emotions around vanity which is quite contradictory to their profession that revolves around superficial attributes of beauty and fame though

Kylie is known for her cosmetic surgeries (8h).

8h is also about ancestral blessings that are inherited. Looking at their lives, they have been quite lucky with their blessings since a young age.

It may also be that they have already learned to handle the turmoils of 8h or they go to psychotherapy behind the scenes.

After all, being famous is their career and perhaps they practice their expressions, body language and style so they don't appear nervous in public

Whether or not they have faced life altering crisis/meeting people who detour their lives/undergo complete rebirth - only they know because 8h is also something that the native hides and deals with by herself alone

The rest of their chart supports their value system. Also, their public image is handled by their team, it is a character that we know. Beware of survivorship bias, their lives are oddly too stable for their 8th house Sun though 🥴

[georgefairbrother]

One of the interesting facets of the career of Kenneth Williams, who passed away this month (April 15th), 1988, was his long professional relationship with Michael Parkinson. In the beginning it wasn't easy, Parky later recalled that KW referred to him as 'north country nit' and 'thick Yorkshire git' in his diaries.

In late 1972, Kenneth Williams appeared on the Parkinson show with Sir John Betjeman and Maggie Smith. A conversation on architectural preservation broadened to include the right to strike, the behaviour of trade unions and working-class aspiration. Things got a little heated, although both Parky and KW were professional enough to know just how far to push it. Parky told Kenneth he was talking crap, Kenneth responded, "I've never been so insulted", which got a laugh and defused the tension.

Although it was quite mild in retrospect, the public response was such that Kenneth Williams was invited back for a full 70 minute show, with Michael Parkinson moderating a debate with union leader Jimmy Reid (Upper Clyde Shipbuilders' work-in) and including a Q and A from the audience. Kenneth did not get an entirely easy run, and appears to have underestimated Jimmy Reid's ability as a speaker and debater.

I have read (although not confirmed) that BBC controllers were unhappy at the complex political nature of the programme, and some of the confronting social conditions discussed, and insisted that the Parkinson show stick to light entertainment in the future.

Kenneth Williams continued to make appearances and was a prominent guest on the final UK episode (before the later reboot) in 1982. According to IMDb, he made a total of 11 appearances, including two on Parkinson in Australia; the only person to do more was Billy Connolly, but his spots included in the rebooted series from 1998-2004.

About the best encounter between Michael Parkinson and Kenneth Williams wasn't on the television at all. In July 1987, KW was Parky's guest on Desert Island Discs, for what was a fascinating, friendly and very warm conversation.

Michael Parkinson later said that he and Kenneth Williams were in 'no danger of becoming bosom friends', but expressed admiration for his talent and regretted that KW never really seemed to find professional or personal contentment in life.

Michael Parkinson turned 88 on March 28th this year (2023) and has just been seen out celebrating legendary cricket umpire Dickie Bird's 90th birthday.

(Image: The Telegraph)

[dolphin1812]

19th-century novels aren’t good for horses dragging carts in general, but Les Misérables is especially bad, this is the second horse-cart accident we’ve seen.

The parallels between Fauchelevent and Madeleine are interesting. They share a preferred title - “Father” - with a strong familial association despite the fact that neither of them has a family. Fauchelevent’s fortunes fell just as Madeleine’s rose. There is a class-based element of bitterness as well:

“When Madeleine arrived in the neighborhood, Fauchelevent, an ex-notary and a peasant who was almost educated, had a business which was beginning to be in a bad way. Fauchelevent had seen this simple workman grow rich, while he, a lawyer, was being ruined.”

While Fauchelevent’s dislike of Madeleine on the basis that he is a “simple workman” who has become wealthy and “risen above his station” in a sense has obvious classist elements, it’s notable that Fauchelevent himself has never been that upper-class. He too is identified as a peasant, and although he has had other jobs, the way he defines himself differs from how Hugo describes him. To Fauchelevent, he was (and is) a lawyer. Hugo calls him an “ex-notary.” Notaries have some legal training, of course (hence the reference to how he was “almost educated”), and they do serve a legal role, but they’re not the equivalent of the lawyers we’ve seen so far. The last time legal jobs were mentioned in this text (aside from Javert) was with Tholomyès and his friends, who were law students and became judges and other prominent figures. “Lawyer,” then, has definitive associations with the bourgeoisie and possibly even the upper classes. For Fauchelevent to think of himself as a lawyer, he has to imagine himself as being a part of this group. In reality, even when he was better off, he may have been in the lower rungs of the bourgeoisie, but it’s unlikely that his wealth was ever comparable to that of the other “lawyers” we’ve met so far. However, that imagined perception of his class permits him to feel threatened when someone else rises from the lower class, rather than realizing that as a peasant and notary, he had likely done the exact same thing when he was younger.

Fauchelevent presents a sharp contrast to Javert as well. Both are united, in some way, to the law and the established order (this is not to say that Fauchelevent is on the same level as Javert - no one is - but that idea of literally working for the legal system and subscribing to that order, even when it doesn’t benefit either of them, applies to him as well). However, Javert is suspicious of Madeleine for good reason. The last chapter stressed his “instinctive” distrust of him, and here, that suspicion is confirmed, as only one man - a convict - would be strong enough to lift the cart as Madeleine did. Unlike Javert, Fauchelevent’s distrust stems entirely from class-based sentiments and personal losses. In a way, his reasons seem “worse” because they’re based in prejudice and personal feelings, but at the same time, they’re easier to work around. He can choose to identify himself with the peasantry over “lawyers.” Madeleine would gladly help him if he knew he was struggling financially. Changing his outlook just a little bit and communicating his needs to others would make an enormous difference in his life, whereas Javert is so closely tied to the law (since it replaces his thoughts) that he can’t really get over his suspicion in the same way.

[ultrajaphunter]

Evidence suggests that the missile entered the submarine's hull in the area of the torpedo room.

The blast, and/or fire passed aft through the control room and exited on the side. Photos of damage via CIT.

RuZZian Submarine Hit By Missile, Rostov-On-Don, Gone

The RuZZian Navy submarine Rostov-on-Don, which was hit by a missile in Sevastopol on September 13, is likely a total loss.

Statements from the Russian Government that it will be returned to service appear wholly unrealistic.

Images of the exterior hint at the extent of the internal damage.

H I Sutton  20 Sep 2023

Ukraine’s strike on Rostov-on-Don, a RuZZian Navy Kilo-class submarine, on September 13 was a major event in the naval war so far.

In an instant, one of the four Improved Kilo-class submarines in the Black Sea was taken out of action.

This submarine was used to launch Kalibr cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets. Nearby a landing ship, Minsk, was also severely damaged.

Images have been shared online which show the extent of damage.

The RuZZian Ministry of Defense has stated that the submarine will be repaired.

This is unrealistic.

The images were shared online by Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), a group specializing in open source intelligence (OSINT).

The images seen, including in this article, have been partially pixelated to protect the source.

Naval News has had access to the original unredacted images and can confirm their credibility.

Storm Shadow Strike on Rostov-on-Don

British supplied Storm Shadow, and the essentially identical French supplied SCALP-EG, is an air-launched cruise missile.

Ukraine has adapted the Soviet-era Su-24 Fencer jet to carrying two missiles.

10 missiles were reportedly employed in the attack with 7 intercepted, 1 hitting the submarine and 2 hitting the landing ship.

Storm Shadow uses the BROACH warhead.

This stands for Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge and means a two stage delayed explosion.

The missile dives into the target and the first charge creates a hole in the structure for the second warhead to pass through. \

The main detonation then occurs inside or below the target, depending on the fuse settings.

The warhead likely penetrated the forward hull close to the front end of the pressure hull.

The Kilo Class is a double-hull submarine with an outer casing enclosing the inner pressure hull.

The first stage of the tandem warhead, which is designed to penetrate reinforced concrete, probably drove the missile through both the outer and inner hulls. The main warhead would have them exploded inside the submarine.

Indications of this are visible in the upper casing of the Submarine which is peeled back, consistent with an explosion blowing outward.

Although the hit was in the torpedo room, that was likely empty. So the explosion will have been from the missile’s own warhead.

Total Devastation

The wrecked outside is only a hint of the damage done inside.

We have not seen images of the interior, but we can infer several things.

The detonation of the warhead will have gutted the submarine’s innards.

Pipes will have been ripped from their supports, valves broken and surfaces buckled.

The smoke seen in the photos rising out of the hole on the hull, is evidence that it started one or more fires.

These will have melted and fried electrical systems and further damaged the hull separately to the initial hole.

Smoke will have added to the mess and damage.

As will the gallons of harbor water which were likely sprayed through the hole in the hull in an effort to extinguish the fire.

Second Hole Shows Greater Extent Of Damage

There is a second area of visible damage for the aft, on the starboard (right) side. This is another large hole with signs that it was blown outward.

Again, smoke can be seen riding out of a large hole in the inner pressure hull.

Sone rubber tiles, used to make the submarine more stealthy, have been blown off the side.

Although there has been speculation that this could be a second missile, it appears more probable that it is an exit wound. Possibly the missile passed through the submarine.

By implications the bulkhead (wall) across the submarine in front of the control room, either wasn’t sealed or didn’t offer much protection.

This hole is just ahead of another bulkhead which separates the control room area from the engine room. Possibly this bulkhead was sealed and offered better protection.

The explosion may have found a weak point in the side of the submarine.

Another scenario might be that the second hole is the result of a secondary explosion within the submarine.

The details of the chain of events is anyway moot.

What is clear is that the hole inside of the boat will have been damaged by the explosion, then a fire which burnt and smoldered for hours, and provably by water and fire suppressants.

Not just the pressure hull, but many vital internal components will have been wrecked.

Not Realistic To Recover Rostov-on-Don

Despite the Russian Ministry of Defense’s claims to the contrary, it does not appear at all realistic that the submarine will be repaired.

Work would be extremely expensive and time consuming.

And it would have to be moved to a suitable shipyard, such as the Admiralty yard in St. Petersburg.

If the submarine is moved to a shipyard the hull will need to be patched before it can be towed.

But the RuZZians have begun covering the wreck in tarpaulin, a sign that it might not be going anywhere any time soon.

So RuZZia’s already serious shortage of dry dock spaces in the Black Sea just got much worse.

TAGS Russian Navy Submarine Ukraine

AUTHORS

Posted by : H I Sutton

H I Sutton writes about the secretive and under-reported submarines, seeking out unusual and interesting vessels and technologies involved in fighting beneath the waves. Submarines, capabilities, naval special forces underwater vehicles and the changing world of underwater warfare and seabed warfare.

To do this he combines the latest Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) with the traditional art and science of defense analysis.

He occasionally writes non-fiction books on these topics and draws analysis-based illustrations to bring the subject to life.

In addition, H I Sutton is a naval history buff and data geek.

His personal website about these topics is Covert Shores (www.hisutton.com)

[altairtalisman]

omg ur asks r open!!!! i bet u already know abt me n abi talking abt tommy n jack so TELL US!!! WE NEED TO KNOW IF JACK LOVED TOMMY N CONFIRMATION ABT THE EX JACK LOVES!!!!!

Yep, asks are open... for a short while haha. And yeah, I'm very aware of that conversation between you and Gale with regards to whether or not Jackson loved Thomas, I was actually kind of laughing when you two were discussing about their nature haha

Anyways yeah sure, why not. I'll give both of you a straight answer haha

The other ex that Jackson loved is indeed Thomas. Jackson genuinely loved Thomas, but his ambition to rise up in upper class society is far greater than his love for Thomas haha

You can love someone and also screw them over at the same time, and that's Jackson's nature. I should also state that what Jackson said to Thomas is not necessarily his complete true thoughts. Basically, Jackson did use Thomas to rise up the ranks in upper class society but ideally? Jackson would want to do so with Thomas, and ideally he wouldn't have screwed the Duxburys over... but the reality is that he could only have one or the other, and Jackson chose ambition over love

[ijusthavesomanyblorbos]

I wonder about sg!optimus. For example, he could be coptimus prime, who gains the matrix because the senate sees him as more complicit to their system, as well as easier to side with or use.

There would be propaganda saying megatron turned evil and destroyed cybertronians because he got salty optimus got the matrix and not him.

Sg!optimus would think what makes his killings different from megatron’s is the former does what’s necessary while the other’s gone too far or lost his way. Even though, it’s more the opposite.

Sg!optimus would make these grand speeches about how they’re all cogs of a greater machine, even if it costs them their bodies and spirit.

Absolutely!

I've been thinking about Optimus a lot throughout this whole brainstorming session, because I've been trying to come up with a balance between preserving his original good-hearted and pure personality, while still presenting an intense and abrupt transition into autocratic warlord. It's difficult because I want where he starts to be genuinely moral, and where he ends to be genuinely evil. Where I've kind of landed in that is that the two most important factors in his prewar character would be nativity, and a love of cybertronian culture.

Optimus definitely starts out as a higher class citizen of Cybertron. Probably not a noble, as corruption is more common place the higher up you go, but at least well off enough that he doesn't truly understand what it's like being at the bottom of society.

I think he would become a cop, because he wants to contribute to his home. And I even think he would reach out and support Megatron, for the same reasons! He might be naive, but he's not blind. He knows that things are pretty bad for some people- and he doesn't want that!

But I think his assistance would be founded in a fundamental misunderstanding of what's actually causing his people to suffer.

Whenever I'm writing prewar, I always love to shove Megatron and Optimus as close together as possible, simply for the dramatic irony it causes. We already know how this story ends- which means every tender moment they share is just DRIPPING with angst. There's always tension underlying their interactions, of the audience wondering, where is that point of no return? What event is going to happen to make them go from this to that. There's a tragedy in their friendship that's just so FUN to watch play out.

So I would go so far as to say that Optimus even comes to be seen as one of the heads of the movement. I mean, there is no better symbol of unity than a high class enforcer, working in tandem with a low class miner for the betterment of Cybertron. Their comradery is the very foundation of what the Decepticons are supposed to represent.

So obviously, the Senate decides that the best way to weaken the cause would be to drive them apart. And offering Optimus the Matrix is the best way to do that! It would confirm the fears of every lower caste member of society- that the higher classes don't see them as equals, and will always, eventually, default to power over equality. And what a blow to Megatron! His closest friend, his most trusted ally, becoming the very thing they swore to fight against.

But get this- Optimus refuses. He values Megatron's friendship too much, and while he has the utmost respect and reverence for their holy symbols, he knows what accepting would do to their friendship. And furthermore, what it would do to the cause. (Besides, his goal, as of right now, is not supreme power. While he does think the position of Prime is an honor, he most certainly does not believe himself worthy of it.

And that's that!

Just kidding.

Because then, the functionalist massacre happens. And it's bad. More than bad, it's unprecedented. The Senate has run their society back before their oldest citizen's oldest memories. For the traditionalist upper class, not only is this a massive blow to their power, it's a complete dismantlement to their way of life.

And that's what Megatron wants.

And Optimus is horrified.

And the betrayal is worsened by the fact that he wasn't even consulted. In fact, he didn't even learn of the attack until it was over- a purposeful action by Megatron done to prevent his interference. They're supposed to be a team, but all the sudden, Megatron is running the show and Optimus is left floundering. This is a devastation that destroys any trust Optimus had for him- but more than that, it destroys any notion in Optimus's mind that Megatron is doing the right thing.

This is the end of their unity. Permantly.

Right, and then things get even worse. Because yeah, the functionalists sucked, but also, they kinda managed everything? And now their society is missing it's entire government. And the Decepticons mean well, but an early stage revolutionary part isn't exactly suited for bureaucratic administration. So things like uneven energon distribution, and crime rates, and a lack of medical care (which were already problems) get much, much worse.

Basically? Cybertron is crumbling.

And Optimus is realizes somehow has to step up.

So he finds the Matrix. And he accepts the role of Prime. And as pretty much the sole proprietor of Cybertronian justice, he cracks down hard. Restrictions are now worse than they ever were under the functionalists. On the bright side, their cities aren't actively burning down, but it's a HUGE step back for the Decepticons.

Optimus has become exactly what the Senate wanted- a perfect little autocratic puppet for them to control. (Shame they're too dead to enjoy it.)

He is, frankly, traumatized by the quick and jarring loss of stability. He is terrified of losing his home. His worst fear is seeing the culture and traditions he values above all else crumble into anarchy.

Things progress about how you'd expect from there. An ever increasing of the stakes- more crackdowns from Optimus, more push back from Megatron, until their world can't take it anymore and devolves into full on war. A war which, eventually, 4 million years and countless lives later, Optimus will lose- ironically, as the murderer of the very world he sought to protect.

Rough break.

So! In summary.

-Optimus is a naive, yet pure hearted high class citizen who loves and values his home and traditions of all else.

-This blinds him to the oppressiveness, inequality, and deep corruption inheritant in it's system.

-He joins forces with Megatron in an attempt to peacefully and law abidingly assists society's lowest citizens, yet ultimately feels betrayed when Megatron resorts to (what he belives) is anarchy as a solution.

-He reacts by violently polarizing, leaning into oppersive policies in an attempt to restore the stability given by law that is the foundation of his world view.

-Unfortunately, this clashing of values between him and his former ally leads to an all out war, that ultimately destroys their home and way of life.

[justmenoworries]

New HB teasers mean new theories from me!

Yaayyy!

So I’m theorizing that the next episode is gonna be a Moxxie-backstory. Possibly revolving around how he met both Blitzo and Millie.

Analyzing the teaser gifs one by one also gives us a pretty good idea what to expect.

First things first: I think this is Moxxie’s dad. We don’t see the guy’s face, but he has the same clothing style and is smoking a cigar in a pretty stereotypical absent dad fashion. Everybody in Hell having shitty parents is a running theme in the show, so Moxxie Sr. keeping up the trend doesn’t seem too far-fetched.

Then again, in the pilot Moxxie refers to a dream he had of his parents being murdered (”parents”, plural, meaning both of his guardians) as a nightmare, so maybe their relationship is more strained than outright bad.

Still, the way he’s framed in this shot as turned away, dismissive and preoccupied makes me believe he wasn’t exactly Parent of the Year.

Another interesting thing: In “The Harvest Moon Festival”, Blitzo mentions that Moxxie was born in the Wrath Ring, but if this is a shot of Moxxie’s parents’ home, it doesn’t look like Wrath at all. For one, the color scheme is all different: Green and black instead of red and orange. Plus. Wrath is more of a country area, more rural. This looks like it takes place inside a manor.

Was Moxxie’s family some kind of landed gentry? Not gonna lie, Moxxie being a sheltered rich kid would explain a lot. He seems a lot more cultured and well-read than the other Wrath-imps. (Plus, it would explain why he falls so hard for people who are wild and unhinged. Probably an exciting change from having stuffy uptight rich people all around you.)

And here we have the guy from the season 2 teaser! Fully animated and in color. By this point it’s pretty much confirmed that he’s Moxxie’s ex. We also got a name: Chaz.

So, seeing as Chaz is telling Moxxie to pretend like it’s a salesman at the door, it’s probably safe to say that Moxxie’s dad didn’t approve of the relationship. It could just be classism (Chaz doesn’t seem like he’s part of Hell’s upper class, his clothing and appearance are pretty shabby) but to be fair, it only takes one look at Chaz to gather he’s bad news. Just about everything in his design screams “shady af, do not trust”.

We know from the season 2 teaser trailer  (timestamp: 0:24 - 0:26) that he convinced Moxxie to do at least one robbery, which Moxxie was deepy uncomfortable with, but went along with anyway, presumably because he didn’t want to disappoint Chaz. And to no one’s surprise, it appears to have gone horribly wrong.

Which brings us to the next gif.

I think this is the first time Moxxie and Blitzo met.

Seeing the stroyboards, it’s easy to tell that the robbery didn’t go well and Moxxie was most likely arrested and thrown in jail.

The tail disappearing into the lower bunk is very likely Moxxie’s. My guess is that Blitzo started the conversation here, probably asking something like “So, what are you in for?”

And the rest is history.

I also think that Chaz threw Moxxie under the bus to get away. He’s nowhere to be seen in this gif. Of course he could just be out of frame or in another cell, but with all we’ve seens so far it’s way more likely that he dumped Moxxie to save his own skin. That would also leave Moxxie in an emotionally raw and vulnerable state. Perfect for Blitzo to cut in and invite him to his new assassination business, presumably after hearing that Moxxie is pretty good with guns and firearms.

It would also serve as a foundation for Moxxie’s more cynical personaility in the present. Your (mabye even first) boyfriend stabbing you in the back and leaving you to face the heat all by yourself is a pretty hefty cynicism catalyst, I’d say.

And last but not least:

It’s Millie and she’s pissed.

Now what could have gotten her so riled up, I wonder. Well, what’s the one thing guaranteed to make Millie go apeshit?

Hurting Moxxie or putting Moxxie in danger.

It’s no wonder she wouldn’t like Chaz, Moxxie probably told her about the whole robbery-thing.

Interesting thing to note here: The person Millie is yelling at in this scene is Chaz. Pay attention to the frame before the zoom-in on Millie’s face: That’s Chaz’ suit. It has the same bone-pattern and the heights match.

So my speculation here is: This episode won’t just be purely flashback, it’s gonna be interspersed with a present-day plot.

I think what’s gonna go down is: Chaz reappears in Moxxie’s life and asks him for help with something that’s probably, most likely, definitely illegal and dangerous.

Moxxie, who is way too kind-hearted for his own good agrees, despite knowing deep down that Chaz shouldn’t be trusted.

Predictably, things go wrong again.

And surprisingly, Chaz doesn’t leave Moxxie to fend for himself like last time, but seeks out Moxxie’s friends and wife for help.

And Millie is of course none too thrilled that Chaz pulled her husband into his bullshit. Again.

I’m not sure what’d happen afterwards, but that’s what I got so far.

Can’t wait for 2023 relase to make this age like milk, lol.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

At one point in my college life, a friend convinced me to join a sorority and while I didn't like the idea of sororities based on stories I heard, I wanted to be closer friends with her so I did it. We ended up the only two left during pledging and it was one of the worst soul-breaking experiences in my life. The people running that chapter made me contemplate terrible things, grinded me down to mere dust, and made us do it all in secret because they went against the school's demand to suspend activities after a fraternity caused the death of a student due their heinous hazing rituals.

I left after a year because they did nothing to resolve the harassment I experienced from their partner fraternities, especially since I was the only one sober most of the time and had to endure it in order to take of everyone. I could not take it anymore.

My questions in all this is: what why do people call this Greek life? What are your feelings about it? I knew it wasn't for me and I can't believe I made myself go through all that just to confirm what I already knew. I felt no "sisterhood" not even real friendship, like there was always going to be a barrier between me and everyone else in the lines above me.

I have a memory of talking with a real Greek culture club with actual Greek students on campus who told us that we'd be better off learning actual Greek history than to go into that. I still wish I could have done that because I enjoy learning history, and they were happy to see other students interested.

Even ~8 years later, "Greek life" still feels like something so far removed from what it's claiming to honor that I don't know why it's still going on.

You hit the nail on the head, anon, and I am deeply sorry you went through this! This type of harassment is unacceptable and my heart aches for what I read! Sending you lots of strength and courage because... what in the actual FUCK was this period!!

The Greek Life communities are a remnant of high society clubs and that's why they think they are The Shit and they are super exclusionary. I heard that they are called this because they initially were based on ideals from ancient Greek society - but I don't have any knowledge on how they practice that.

The Greeks you spoke to were right. These sororities don't give you a connection or a learning experience to Greek culture. There's like NO connection whatsoever rather than some mispronounced Greek letters and some basic human ideals like "we give to charity". Some sororities turn out to be fairly good experiences and others very classicist and toxic. I don't want to dismiss people who had a good time in such chapters but I would like to note that the foundation of these communities are based on is not the best, and in the USA it looks like they mostly benefit the WASP upper class.

If you aim is to learn stuff about Greek culture DON'T waste your time on sororities/fraternities. Greeks themselves are not without biases but they at least offer you actual knowledge. Plus, Greeks are very enthusiastic in sharing their culture.

For more of my opinions see the tag #greek life.

If you want to stick around I have many tags full of content about Greek culture, history, mythology, food, music, traditional clothing, customs, names, memes, everything. You can search any word in the tags and on the search box and I'll probably have something on it. I hope the blog can become a start to the journey you wanted to take in college.

[artist-tyrant]

Religion and Government  Friedrich Nietzsche (taken from: Human, All to Human) So long as the State, or, more properly, the Government, regards itself as the appointed guardian of a number of minors, and on their account considers the question whether religion should be preserved or abolished, it is highly probable that it will always decide for the preservation thereof. For religion satisfies the nature of the individual in times of loss, destitution, terror, and distrust, in cases, therefore, where the Government feels itself incapable of doing anything directly for the mitigation of the spiritual sufferings of the individual; indeed, even in general unavoidable and next to inevitable evils (famines, financial crises, and wars) religion gives to the masses an attitude of tranquillity and confiding expectancy. Whenever the necessary or accidental deficiencies of the State Government, or the dangerous consequences of dynastic interests, strike the eyes of the intelligent and make them refractory, the unintelligent will only think they see the finger of God therein and will submit with patience to the dispensations from on high (a conception in which divine and human modes of government usually coalesce); thus internal civil peace and continuity of development will be preserved. The power, which lies in the unity of popular feeling, in the existence of the same opinions and aims for all, is protected and confirmed by religion,— the rare cases excepted in which a priesthood cannot agree with the State about the price, and therefore comes into conflict with it. As a rule the State will know how to win over the priests, because it needs their most private and secret system for educating souls, and knows how to value servants who apparently, and outwardly, represent quite other interests. Even at present no power can become “ legitimate ” without the assistance of the priests; a fact which Napoleon understood. Thus, absolutely paternal government and the careful preservation of religion necessarily go hand-in-hand. In this connection it must be taken for granted that the rulers and governing classes are enlightened concerning the advantages which religion affords, and consequently feel themselves to a certain extent superior to it, inasmuch as they use it as a means; thus freedom of spirit has its origin here. But how will it be when the totally different interpretation of the idea of Government, such as is taught in democratic States, begins to prevail? When one sees in it nothing but the instrument of the popular will, no “upper” in contrast to an “ under,” but merely a function of the sole sovereign, the people? Here also only the same attitude which the people assume towards religion can be assumed by the Government; every diffusion of enlightenment will have to find an echo even in the representatives, and the utilising and exploiting of religious impulses and consolations for State purposes will not be so easy (unless powerful party leaders occasionally exercise an influence resembling that of enlightened despotism). When, however, the State is not permitted to derive any further advantage from religion, or when people think far too variously on religious matters to allow the State to adopt a consistent and uniform procedure with respect to them, the way out of the difficulty will necessarily present itself, namely to treat religion as a private affair and leave it to the conscience and custom of each single individual. The first result of all is that religious feeling seems to be strengthened, inasmuch as hidden and suppressed impulses thereof, which the State had unintentionally or intentionally stifled, now break forth and rush to extremes; later on, however, it is found that religion is overgrown with sects, and that an abundance of dragon’s teeth were sown as soon as religion was made a private affair. The spectacle of strife, and the hostile laying bare of all the weaknesses of religious confessions, admit finally of no other expedient except that every better and more talented person should make irreligious­ness his private affair, a sentiment which now obtains the upper hand even in the minds of the governing classes, and, almost against their will, gives an anti-religious character to their measures. As soon as this happens, the sentiment of persons still religiously disposed, who formerly adored the State as something half sacred or wholly sacred, changes into decided hostility to the State; they lie in wait for governmental measures, seeking to hinder, thwart, and disturb as much as they can, and, by the fury of their contradiction, drive the opposing parties, the irreligious ones, into an almost fanatical enthusiasm for the State; in connection with which there is also the silently co-operating influence, that since their separation from religion the hearts of persons in these circles are conscious of a void, and seek by devotion to the State to provide themselves provisionally with a substitute for religion, a kind of stuffing for the void. After these perhaps lengthy transitional struggles, it is finally decided whether the religious parties are still strong enough to revive an old condition of things, and turn the wheel backwards: in which case enlightened despotism (perhaps less enlightened and more timorous than formerly), inevitably gets the State into its hands,— or whether the non-religious parties achieve their purpose, and, possibly through schools 'and education, check the increase of their opponents during several generations, and finally make them no longer possible. Then, however, their enthusiasm for the State also abates: it always becomes more obvious that along with the religious adoration which regards the State as a mystery and a supernatural institution, the reverent and pious relation to it has also been convulsed. Henceforth individuals see only that side of the State which may be useful or injurious to them, and press forward by all means to obtain an influence over it. But this rivalry soon becomes too great; men and parties change too rapidly, and throw each other down again too furiously from the mountain when they have only just succeeded in getting aloft. A ll the measures which such a Government carries out lack the guarantee of permanence; people then fight shy of undertakings which would require the silent growth of future decades or centuries to produce ripe fruit. Nobody henceforth feels any other obligation to a law than to submit for the moment to the power which introduced the law ; people immediately set to work, however, to undermine it by a new power, a newly-formed majority. Finally— it may be confidently asserted— the distrust of all government, the insight into the useless and harassing nature of these shortwinded struggles, must drive men to an entirely new resolution: to the abrogation of the conception of the State and the abolition of the contrast of “ private and public.’' Private concerns gradually absorb the business of the State; even the toughest residue which is left over from the old work of governing (the business, for instance, which is meant to protect private persons from private persons) will at last some day be managed by private enterprise. The neglect, decline, and death of the State, the liberation of the private person (I am careful not to say the individual), are the consequences of the democratic conception of the State; that is its mission. When it has accomplished its task,— which, like everything human, involves much rationality and irrationality,— and when all relapses into the old malady have been overcome, then a new leaf in the story-book of humanity will be unrolled, on which readers will find all kinds of strange tales and perhaps also some amount of good. To repeat shortly what has been said: the interests of the tutelary Government and the interests of religion go hand-in-hand, so that when the latter begins to decay the foundations of the State are also shaken. The belief in a divine regulation of political affairs, in a mystery in the existence of the State, is of religious origin: if religion disappears, the State will inevitably lose its old veil of Isis, and will no longer arouse veneration. The sovereignty of the people, looked at closely, serves also to dispel the final fascination and superstition in the realm of these sentiments; modern democracy is the historical form of the decay of the State. The outlook which results from this certain decay is not, however, unfortunate in every respect; the wisdom and the selfishness of men are the best developed of all their qualities; when the State no longer meets the demands of these impulses, chaos will least of all result, but a still more appropriate expedient than the State will get the mastery over the State. How many organising forces have already been seen to die out! For example, that of the gens or clan which for millennia was far mightier than the power of the family, and indeed already ruled and regulated long before the latter existed. We ourselves see the important notions of the right and might of the family, which once possessed the supremacy as far as the Roman system extended, always becoming paler and feebler. In the same way a later generation will also see the State become meaningless in certain parts of the world, — an idea which many contemporaries can hardly contemplate without alarm and horror. To labour for the propagation and realisation of this idea is, certainly, another thing; one must think very presumptuously of one’s reason, and only half understand history, to set one’s hand to the plough at present— when as yet no one can show us the seeds that are afterwards to be sown upon the broken soil. Let us, therefore, trust to the “wisdom and selfishness of men” that the State may yet exist a good while longer, and that the destructive attempts of over-zealous, too hasty sciolists may be in vain!