#this is outside whether or not voting is important to do or not. this is about seeing the people who we elect in positions of power abuse-

[coyoxxtl]

ngl if you’re looking at what biden and his administration is doing to palestine and all you can say is “well trump would’ve been worse!” i deeply and truly want you to shit your pants to death

[megu-meow]

family ties - gojo satoru

gojo x fem. reader

Summary: Satoru takes you to meet the in-laws.

The Gojo family members mentioned are named after the Zoldyk family, cuz Satoru is the grown-up version Killua. Argue with a wall on that one. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this one!

"Please, sweetheart! I've been begging you for four years, it's time..." Gojo implores, running after you in the hallways of Jujutsu Tech like a lost puppy.

"I told you already, Satoru, I don't want to do it. You said it was ok if I didn't because you don't care what they think anyway."

"I know, but now that I proposed to you, my family wants to see you. Especially Ojiisan, he wants to meet the woman who charmed his favorite grandson." he whines as the two of you stop in front of your classroom.

"Toru, you said it yourself, all of your clan members are obsessed with you marrying someone from the big clans. We both know they will not accept a nobody like me." you explain as you rub your forehead. It wasn't that you didn't want to meet Satoru's family, but he was the one to refuse to introduce you to them in the first place. He didn't like the way they treated outsiders and he didn't want you to experience how old-fashioned and downright disgusting their beliefs and traditions were. You were better off without ever crossing paths with them, you were sure of that. However, as soon as he proposed to you, his clan members started pushing the matter, because being Satoru's wife would mean that you would get your own responsibilities in the clan, like attending meetings representing Satoru, when he was away, you would get your own vote in different matters, and lastly, the one you refused to take into consideration, you would become clan head if Satoru would ever be unable to fulfill his duties as such. It was normal for them to wish to meet you, but that didn't make it any easier.

"You will only have to meet my mom, my dad, and my grandparents. They don't care about how you are or what powers you hold as long as you love me. They will not make you feel miserable, I promise." he looks at you with those cerulean orbs that shine like rhinestones, ones you cannot say no to.

"You pinky-promise?"

"Of course, sweetheart." he says and he shows you his pinky, waiting for you to link it with yours. And you do.

The day finally arrives, a sunny Friday in April, as the Sakura blossoms. Ijichi picked up the two of you from your shared apartment early in the morning to begin your hour-long drive to the Gojo estate in suburban Tokyo.

"So your father's name is Silva?" you ask your fiance as you observe the landscape around you.

"Yes. He's kinda scary at first glance, but he would do anything to make me happy."

"Your mom's name is Kykio, right?"

"Yes, good job sweetheart! She's a kind-hearted woman, she's gonna love you for sure."

"Okay, I think I know enough about your family tree." you sigh, you really want these people to like you. You don't exactly know why, Satoru said he doesn't care what they say, he's gonna marry you anyway, but you know he loves his parents and his grandparents. Contrary to popular belief, he grew up in a loving family, he was spoiled rotten by everyone, hence his insufferable personality. However, despite how Satoru claims his family not liking you wouldn't affect him, you know it would. These people are important to him, whether he admits it or not. So you're not going to screw this up by not knowing their given names. Or by anything else.

You get dropped off in front of a massive gate that Satoru opens with ease and you're met with a pebbled road lined with Sakura trees. They are in perfect blossom, there is a sea of pink in front of you. Satoru grabs your hand in his and starts walking down the road, leading you toward where you assume the Minka is.

"Three, two, ..." you hear Satoru count back under his nose and you look at him with confusion, but as you look back to the road ahead of you a person appears, bowing in front of your fiance.

"Gojo-san, welcome back!"

"Amane, long time no see! How are you holding up?" he asks joyfully and you remember him mentioning his name before. Amane was Satoru's best friend at the estate, his cousin on his mother's side of the family.

"I'm doing good. You didn't announce your arrival, the clan is in a meeting right now."

"I know." he smirks. He timed this perfectly and you take a note to yourself to scold him for slacking off. "By the way, this is my fiance, y/n."

"Hajimemashite, y/n-san! Welcome to the Gojo Estate."

"Nice to meet you too, Amane. Please leave the honorifics, makes me feel old."

"As you wish. Please do not hesitate to call for me if you need anything. I will make sure to prepare Gojo-san's bedroom for the two of you." Amane disappears right after finishing his sentence, you couldn't even thank him for his help.

"GOJO SATORU!" you hear a deep voice shouting from afar and you feel goosebumps covering your entire body. Whoever that voice belongs to is frightening as hell. "Not only do you not show your face to a clan meeting, but you have the audacity to not announce me about my daughter-in-law coming to meet me?" you observe the tall, muscular man in front of you as he approaches with inhumane speed. He has long, wavy hair with bangs, the color identical to Satoru's, and icy blue eyes. It is Gojo Silva, Satoru's father. The cursed energy around him has a crazy strong presence, similar to Satoru's when he lets his unleash, but this one feels rougher, slightly colder.

First, he steps to his son, yanking his left ear, which results in Satoru whining like a little kid. The whole ordeal is comical, you know that his father is just messing around. After that, he looks at his son with disapproving eyes, calls him a menace and turns towards you.

"Y/n, yoroshiku! I am Gojo Silva, Satoru's father. You can call me otousan." he bows and you return the gesture with a blush on your cheeks. Satoru giggles, enjoying his father's antics. Despite being a seemingly intimidating person, Silva seems to be just as much of a goofball as Satoru. He asks you silly questions like what is your favorite dessert, how much you can eat and whether you discipline his son when he acts like an idiot. The last one causes Satoru to chirp back at his father, claiming that he called him the other night to 'change the Google logo back to the original'. As you observe the dynamic between the two you have to remind yourself that you're in the presence of the heads of the Strongest Clan in Jujutsu history.

You finally arrive in front of the house and you are greeted by a beautiful woman with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. She looks welcoming in her flowery dress and with her wide smile. Her smile resembles Satoru's, it reaches her ears and it's vibrant, like there is nothing wrong in this world. Her cursed energy is low, even lower than yours, and you're not sure if it's because she is limiting it or if she simply doesn't have much to begin with. Her aura is stronger, it is familiar and welcoming.

"Kaachan!" Satoru exclaims as he walks up to her, embracing the petite woman in a warm hug. She pats her son on the back, her eyes sparkling with the motherly love she reserves for him.

"I'm glad you're finally home, sunshine! Please don't give your father any more headaches while you're here."

"I will not, mother!" he says curtly and he suddenly snakes his arms around your hips, bringing you close to his side "By the way, this is my fiance, y/n!" he introduces you and you bow in front of his mother politely.

"I am glad to finally meet you, Kykio-san!"

"Oh, please, sweetheart, leave the honorifics. You are family, you can call me Okaasan or whatever you prefer." she says with her warm smile.

They all walk you to the family dining room, claiming that you arrived in time for supper. You're being presented with a variety of traditional Japanese dishes and you're more than excited to try everything that you like. Satoru's parents are extremely nice and calm. They ask you questions about your family, your upbringing, about Jujutsu and your time in high school. They claim they already know about every single detail of your relationship with Satoru, apparently, you're one of his favorite topics to mention when he is back home. They tell you stories about their son, how he was while growing up, what he liked and disliked, and how much of a troublemaker he was. You listen carefully to these stories, you want to remember them, to cherish them for a long time. After you finish the dishes, they are serving desserts, a whole lot of them in different assortments.

"Satoru has got a sweet tooth his whole life. His grandmother likes to prepare all kinds of deserts, even western ones so he grew up eating a copious amount of sugar." Kykio explains.

"Y/n bakes too! She makes cookies for me all the time!"

"That's not true, Toru! I've been trying to reduce his sugar intake, so now I only bake once a week." you explain and his parents look at each other knowingly, as they start laughing. You look at Satoru in confusion, but he just shakes his head, signaling that he doesn't get it either.

"Sweetheart, Satoru has been teleporting back home every week to eat desserts from his Sobo." his mother explains and you look at your fiance in disbelief. He acts like he's innocent, smiling at you widely, mouthing 'i love you'. You roll your eyes, but mouth the words back, because otherwise he would throw a fit in front of everyone.

"Where is that grandson on mine? Always causing trouble." you hear a male voice from the hallway and a pair of footsteps. The cursed energy coming from their direction is unpaired, it exceeds Silva's, maybe not Satoru's, but it still makes you uncomfortable.

"Have some decorum, Zeno. That boy has done nothing wrong in his life." a woman's voice is heard and the male grunts in disbelief.

"Typical Sobo Gojo, she always thinks Satoru is perfect." Silva explains and he lets out an obnoxious laugh, very similar to Satoru's. Now you understand where he got it from.

The doors open and you observe the cute elderly woman and the man with hair pointing toward the ceiling on her side. What is it with Gojo men and their gravity-resistant hair?!

"Satoru, do you have any idea how long it took me to convince the clan geezers to let your lady off the hook this time?" Zeno questions and looks at his grandson with an authoritative gaze.

"I'm sorry you had to do that, Ojiisan. I promise that next time, y/n will meet them as well."

"Good! Now come here, my child. I wanna see if my grandson was telling the truth about you being the most gorgeous woman to walk on this earth." he says as he gestures for you to walk up to him. You oblige as he takes your hands into his, analyzing them carefully. "Huh, truly beautiful. Your cursed energy flows nicely and you have a lot of it. You are strong, I like that." he says, drops your hands, and walks towards the table. After that, you are greeted by his grandmother, who scolds you for trying to limit her beloved grandson's insane sugar intake. However, she compliments you on your looks and politeness.

You sit back down at the table afterward, enjoying the moment of being surrounded by the Gojo family. Despite their reputation, they are all nice people. The three generations of men keep teasing each other, grandpa Zeno is a savage, making fun of both his son and grandson, he has absolutely no mercy. They keep telling you stories about Satoru like the time his grandfather shot him in the eye with a Nerf gun despite aiming at his butt. Or the time he was playing hockey inside while his parents were out and he broke the glass on his mother's favorite painting. Luckily for him, Sobo was home and she had the glass fixed before his parents even got home.

You tell them about the time he encountered a cleaning curse and how he smelled like detergent for two weeks. Or the time he wanted to pick you flowers from the forest near Jujutsu Tech, but fell into poison ivy.

The night goes by like that, filled with laughter and family stories. Despite having your doubts about meeting Satoru's family, he observes how you fit right in. How everyone loves you and they accept you for who you are because the love you have for him is evident. As it should be. And he swears that his love for you skyrockets even more that night, despite him knowing that it's nearly impossible.

[spectralreplica]

Uhhhhhhhh Sburb AU!! This was more of an excuse to classpect and make sprites, so don’t ask me questions about plot details because I put like zero thought into it. Tsumugi probably had something to do with setting up the session, and she’s hiding her real title and the fact it’s not her first session. Baby Kiibo is a robot baby because I thought that was the funniest option.

Drawing with anti-aliasing off really brings me back...

Classpect thoughts under the cut if you really want:

Immediate caveat: I mention speculative stuff here like unconfirmed active/passive class pairs and inversion theory. If you don’t like those things or otherwise disagree with the titles I gave people that’s fine but just know I’m not super interested in debating about it and won’t reply.

So, to start out with I wanted to make the 8 of them a session, so I needed no overlaps in class or aspect and one Time + one Space. I also wanted to have Kaito and Kokichi as opposing aspects. In general, I think of a Title as kind of the end of your assigned character arc, so depending on your level of maturity/introspection at the start, it can seem either really obvious or really unintuitive. I tried to base them off of the hypothetical chapter 6/survivor versions of characters, since those (plus maybe the chapter 5 deaths) of the ones that get a full arc in DR canon.

Immediately Tsumugi seemed like a deadringer for Space, not so much because of the literal physics-related stuff but because of its associations with creation/narratives and setting things up for other people to act. I made her Sylph of Space here, but that's a facade. She's actually a Muse of Space who participated in past session(s) and wants to watch how things play out.

Based on the Extended Zodiac description, Kaito or Kaede has to be time, but Kokichi CANNOT be Space by any stretch of the imagination. I made her Heir of Time with the interpretation of Heir as someone who invites change/influences of/through their aspect. Time is also associated with music and death, which is both fitting and a little mean. (I can also see Kaede as Breath outside of having to have someone be Time.)

So moving onto Kaito and Kokichi, I was considering Hope vs Rage (belief vs doubt, possibility vs restrictions), but 1) Rage is defined partially by hatred of lies despite otherwise sounding Kokichi-ish (that alone could be interesting, with the possibility of a negative/reverse title or else giving him Hope and Kaito Rage for the unexpected swerve........) 2) I really wanted to give Hope to Kiibo. So instead I went with Heart and Mind (emotion vs logic, intuition vs planning, identity/motivation vs action/decisiveness).

Kokichi is Thief of Mind for taking away other people's decisions for his own purposes but also for generally "stealing" things (e.g., the Mastermind Role, narrative importance in general, along with literal items) through his own cleverness. Vs Kaito, a Knight of Heart, who uses his constructed identity as a weapon to face challenges. I'm also a fan of inversion theory, so I think at low points they'd both trend towards Page of Heart (grows powerful late in the narrative based on his own ego/identity) and Rogue of Mind (taking choices/agency/logic away from people for their own good), respectively.

I always wanted Kiibo to be Hope since 1) Ult. Hope Robot 2) big on possibilities/faith but can be a little self-centered. I went with Bard at least partially to make a "guess we know whether he has a dick or not now!" joke, but I also think "inviting destruction through Hope, inviting destruction of (false) hope" is pretty spot on for chapter 6 Kiibo. Like, as the camera/audience surrogate, he's been forced into passively leading the others to despair, not to mention how the audience takes him over to destroy the hope of ending the show. But Kiibo ends up reversing this and helping destroy the audience's faith in Danganronpa, destroying the whole academy in accordance with the vote. (Sidenote: I wonder if Kiibo gets taken over by Horrorterrors and goes grimdark? Or if he's just really, really susceptible to orders from his Exile)

Shuichi, Page of Void, was another one that immediately came to mind. Like, "starts off weak but becomes really strong/important by the end" is Shuichi's thing! Also, counterpart to Kaito's Knight. And Void is all about secrets, mystery, etc. From the Extended Zodiac: "Where others might be compelled to go out and seek answers, the Void-bound lean more toward casting doubt on what is already considered understood. They don't take much on faith and would rather live in a state of confusion- than believe something that might be untrue or bow to intellectual authority... At their best, Void-bound are wise, intuitive, and vibrant. At their worst, they can be dismissive, indecisive and apathetic." 

I had considering Light, for seeking out knowledge/truth, but Shuichi's character arc ends on "fuck you, I refuse to play. You all get nothing more from us" and learning to live with ambiguity, so I think he's way more Void. But, again, inversion would be Thief of Light, so selfishly taking away knowledge/importance from others.

Speaking of Light, I made Miu Mage of Light. Mage is like, active Seer, seeking out knowledge for yourself (vs advising others) and Light is luck, knowledge, and also importance/plot relevance. As an inventor, Miu keeps innovating and figuring things out, plus she's very motivated by her own importance to the world. She wants to be seen more than anything else and loves being smarter than those around her. Also: "At their best, the Light-bound are resourceful and driven. At their worst they can be fussy, pedantic, and insensitive." Inversion is Heir of Void, so "inviting change via hiding things" or "changing what's kept secret", which suits Miu when plotting murder.

Finally, Maki is Prince of Blood. Blood is trust, bonds, relationships, stubbornness, duty, obligation (vs freedom, change, choices) so "someone who breaks bonds/destroys relationships" but also "someone who destroys using/motivated by duty/relationships". Like, Maki is inherently a fracture point in the group because of her talent and then directly breaks the group apart and sabotages her relationships with the others in chapter 5, but also she's deeply motivated by her bonds to others in all of her destructive actions (protectiveness for orphanage/friend, love for Kaito). This sound super negative, but I think this is also the Maki who commits to destroying the institution of Danganronpa in chapter 6. Sometimes you have to be decisive and cut bad relationships out of your life.

Inversion would be Sylph of Breath, so "healing via change" or "encouraging growth towards freedom", which you can argue is sort of the way Kaito wants her to go? But she just doesn't. Idk, for better or worse, I think Maki is very aware of who she is and how people related to her, so even at her worst she's true to herself, vs, say, Kaito or Kokichi, who act "ooc".

[vanteguccir]

Hey guys! I actually spent long minutes staring at these reblogs and debating whether it was worth responding and talking about or not. But as I'm not the type to take hate and keep quiet, I decided to talk about it.

First of all, Reia, you really seem like a person who doesn't read many fanfics for the way you put it in your text, so I'll explain the meaning of the word. Fanfic, short for "fan fiction", is a story written by a fan based on characters, universes, or real people (like the triplets). Fans create their own narratives, expanding or reimagining everything, creating their own version, which in real life does not exist OR, as writers, we often draw inspiration from real-life events too.

And yes, you and Evangeline are trying to be "fanfic police" and even "sturniolo police", if you scroll through the thousands of Sturniolo Triplets fanfics, you will come across A LOT where Matt, Nick or Chris go through situations of anxiety attack, panic attack, OR where the "reader" herself goes through this, sometimes even involving situations way worse than that. Furthermore, there's thousands of fanfics describing explicit sex scenes with them, the famous smuts, does that bother you too? Because in the world of someone who writes a FANFIC in here, it doesn't.

And yes, I was indeed writing about the meet and greet situation, and this was nothing new to ANYONE in the fandom WHO READS THE FANFICS HERE. I even made a post the day before ASKING who would like to read the idea, and you want to know the news? All 200 people who voted wanted it.

I understand that you feel this story is disrespectful FOR YOU, especially because it touches on a real-life situation that may be sensitive or painful for some people. I want to assure you that it was never my intention to cause harm or disrespect anyone involved in that situation.

I myself am diagnosed with chronic anxiety, and even so, I didn't feel affected by the way I wrote. In fact, I described how I feel during MY anxiety attacks.

In no way did I make fun of the situation Matt went through, in fact, my intention in writing this story was to explore Matt's complexity and show how he deals with real problems, such as anxiety. It was a way to give more depth to his situation during the tour and highlight the importance of the emotional support he receives from "Y/N". It was not my intention to mock him, but rather to explore his humanity and the challenges he faced, and I know with all the certainty in the world that I did not mock him, much less affect the people who read the story.

Please, I ask you to reevaluate the need to throw hate at a person who has nothing to do with your outside the box opinions of what WRITERS ON THE STURNIOLO'S TUMBLR should or shouldn't write about.

There are thousands of posts on Instagram and TikTok from "fans" really mocking Matt and throwing hate at him about "their bad experiences" during one of the shows, these are the people you should be giving a piece of your mind to, not me. 🩷

[sflow-er]

It's Eurovision week, and for the first time in over twenty years, I won't be watching or engaging.

As you probably know, the global BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) movement has called for a total Eurovision boycott due to the EBU's refusal to ban Israel.

The ESC has been a beloved part of my spring since I was little, and it's really fucking upsetting not getting to enjoy it this year - but that's just it. I know it won't make any difference whether one person chooses to watch or boycott, and that my watching it wouldn't even be registered as a view if I just watched the TV broadcast instead of the stream, but I can't imagine any set of circumstances in which I would enjoy it.

Back when the contest was held in Tel Aviv, I "bought myself a license to enjoy it" by donating to the UNRWA multiple times what I would've normally spent on voting, but no amount of donations would be enough to do that now. Not when every artist will be styled using the products of an Israeli beauty brand (Moroccanoil, a major ESC sponsor and likely a major player in why the EBU wouldn't even consider a ban), and when Israel itself has made its participation a political statement. The only reason their public broadcaster KAN agreed to change the lyrics of their entry, which originally referenced the Hamas attack and is still was called "October Rain" but has now been renamed "Hurricane", was this:

The president [of Israel] emphasised that at this time in particular, when those who hate us seek to push aside and boycott the state of Israel from every stage, Israel must sound its voice with pride and its head high and raise its flag in every world forum, especially this year. (The Guardian, 07 March)

Singer Eden Golan has also said that she believes her "participation is part of a very important mission for the country" and that she expects to begin her compulsory military service soon after the contest:

I still haven't enlisted in the army, and when I return from Eurovision, I'll report for my first call-up. In the first year as a returning resident, they don't call you, but that year passed and I was summoned – and my draft was postponed because of Eurovision. Doing army service is a mission, and I want to take the auditions to the military bands. (Israel Hayom, 22 April)

Yes, really. It's more likely she'll be some kind of PR ambassador for the Israeli army than be sent to Gaza with a gun, but still.

Many people are also upset about Palestinian flags being banned from the arena, and I'm not happy about it either, but I do think it's more or less understandable. The arena is a closed space, and any kind of altercation that might be sparked by those flags would be a big security risk. And at least if we are to believe executive supervisor Martin Österdahl, they haven't actually changed the rules; signs and flags with political messaging were always banned, and in this time, the Palestinian flag does send a powerful political message.

Then there's also the security risk associated with the event itself. Malmö is one of Sweden's most diverse cities, which also has both Jewish and Palestinian communities. According to a survey published on 4 May, 47% of city residents intend to avoid crowds during Eurovision. Mass protests and counter protests are expected. Events such as Quran-burnings by right-wing extremists are still allowed in the name of freedom of expression, even though the terror threat level in Sweden had to be raised to 4 out of the maximum 5 last year/this past winter due to precisely these kinds of provocations, and tensions will be running high. So even if the event itself manages to look as glitzy as always on TV, it will still be shadowed by what might be happening outside. Will there be unrest? Violence? How will the police respond?

There's no enjoyment to be found in any of that, no being "united by music" (the ESC slogan, which is a joke at this point). At least for me.

That being said, I do not judge you if you plan on watching. I understand that it's a huge annual tradition for many of us, and in these times, we need all the joy we can get. I also understand that it can feel like empty virtue signalling to boycott something when millions of others will tune in regardless - although it is good to keep in mind that this isn't some silly boycott started by social media activists on Xitter. It's a serious effort by the BDS movement.

I would challenge you to think about how you engage, though. If possible, watch it on TV instead of on stream, so your view won't be logged. (You could even consider waiting until the show gets posted on Youtube instead of giving views to the official stream, but I get that you probably want to see it live.) Try to abstain from hyping the contest or your fave entries on social media, and also from voting. Consider donating what you can afford to a charity that provides aid to Gaza instead (here's one list I found with a quick search).

And finally, spread awareness of the flip side. Don't be lulled into complacency by the claims of "Eurovision isn't political" when Israel itself has made it very clear it is - and do not make fun of people who want to sit the contest out this year or belittle their efforts.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

How to Write a Pirate Character | Fast, But Long Guide

Arr, mateys! Are you ready to set sail on a new writing adventure? (Sorry if that was cringe lol) Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, creating a convincing pirate character can be a fun and challenging task. Pirates have been a popular trope in literature and media for centuries, but how do you make your pirate character stand out from the rest?

In this post, I'll help you explore tips and tricks for crafting a memorable pirate character in your fantasy novel. From subverting common pirate stereotypes to using historical research to inspire your character's backstory, I'll cover everything you need to know to create an authentic and unique pirate protagonist. So hoist the Jolly Roger and let's get started!

Crafting a Convincing Pirate Character for Your Fantasy Novel

Pirates are a popular fantasy trope, with their swashbuckling adventures and brash personalities. However, creating a convincing pirate character for your fantasy novel requires more than just the usual pirate tropes. To make your pirate character unique and memorable, consider the following tips:

Consider the Role of Your Pirate

Before crafting your pirate character, consider their role in your story. Will they be the protagonist or the antagonist? Will they help or hinder the protagonist's journey? Understanding their role can help you create a convincing and well-rounded character.

Create Flaws and Vulnerabilities

Your pirate character should have flaws and vulnerabilities that make them relatable and human. Avoid creating a perfect or infallible character, as this can make them less interesting and memorable. By giving your pirate character weaknesses and challenges to overcome, you create opportunities for character development and growth.

Do Your Research

Crafting a convincing pirate character requires research. While there are many pirate tropes and stereotypes, it's important to avoid clichés and caricatures. Understanding the historical context of piracy and the lives of real-life pirates can provide inspiration for your character's backstory, motivations, and actions.

Subvert Pirate Stereotypes

Pirates are often portrayed with common tropes such as the eye patch, parrot, and peg leg. While these features can be fun and memorable, consider subverting them to create a more unique character. Think outside the box and create a pirate character that breaks from the norm.

By following these tips and taking the time to create a complex and well-rounded pirate character, you can enhance the overall quality of your fantasy novel.

Understanding Pirate Stereotypes and How to Subvert Them

When writing a pirate character, it can be tempting to rely on common stereotypes such as eye patches, parrots, and peg legs. However, it's important to subvert these tropes to create a unique and memorable character.

Common Pirate Stereotypes

Eye patch

Parrot

Peg leg

Cutlass or sword

Grog (alcohol)

Treasure hunting

While these elements are often associated with pirates, they can also be clichéd and overused. Consider how you can subvert these tropes to create a more interesting character.

Pirates Were Not Lawless

Pirates are often portrayed as completely lawless and dangerous, but this is a stereotype. In reality, pirates had strict hierarchies and rules within their crew. For example, the captain of the crew often had the final say in any decision, but crew members were allowed to vote on certain issues. Understanding these rules and hierarchies can add depth to your pirate character.

Historical Context

When creating a pirate character, it's important to consider the historical context of piracy. Pirates were often the product of their environment, forced into piracy due to a lack of opportunities or as a result of war. Consider how your character's motivations, actions and attitudes might be influenced by this context.

Avoid Caricatures

To create a well-rounded, complex pirate character, it's important to avoid relying on clichéd caricatures. Your character should have strengths and weaknesses, as well as unique motivations and goals. A good pirate character will have flaws and vulnerabilities that make them relatable and human.

Researching Historical Pirates to Inspire Your Character

One of the best ways to create a convincing pirate character for your fantasy novel is to research real-life pirates and draw inspiration from their lives. Here are some tips:

Consider the Time Period and Location

Piracy has existed for centuries, so it's important to choose a time period and location that suits your story. Different pirates operated in different areas, and had varying cultures and methods. For example, Blackbeard, one of the most infamous pirates in history, operated in the Caribbean during the early 18th century, while the Barbary pirates focused on raiding ships in the Mediterranean during the 16th to 19th centuries.

Read Primary Sources

Reading primary sources, such as diaries and letters from pirates themselves, can provide valuable insights into their lives and motivations. Some great sources to check out include:

The journal of William Dampier

The biographies of Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack Rackham

The trial records of pirates who were sentenced to death, which can offer insight into the legal system of the time

The pirate code, which was a set of rules that pirate crews followed. It can give you an idea of the hierarchies and structures within pirate societies.

Get Creative

Don't be afraid to take creative liberties with historical accuracy. Your pirate character can be inspired by real pirates without being an exact replica. Remember, you're writing a fantasy novel, not a history thesis. Use your research to create a unique and believable character with their own backstory, personality, and motivations.

By researching historical pirates, you can create a detailed and convincing pirate character that adds depth and authenticity to your fantasy novel.

Building a Unique Backstory for Your Pirate Character

One of the key elements of creating a memorable pirate character is crafting a unique backstory that explains why they became a pirate and what motivates them to stay one. Here are some tips for building a compelling backstory for your pirate:

Consider Traumatic Events

Perhaps your pirate character experienced a traumatic event, like the loss of a loved one or a betrayal, that led them to a life of piracy. This could provide depth and complexity to their motivations and actions.

Include Personal Relationships

Your pirate's relationships with other characters, such as a mentor or a former crewmate, can also add to their backstory and provide opportunities for conflict or growth.

Think About Career Choices

Did your pirate character choose piracy as a career, or were they forced into it by circumstance? This can affect their relationships with other pirates and how they view their role within the crew.

Incorporate Personality Traits

The personality traits that make your pirate character unique can also be tied to their backstory. For example, a pirate with a quick wit may have developed this skill as a result of surviving on the high seas.

Overall, a well-crafted backstory can provide insights into your pirate character's motivations, personality, and relationships with other characters. Don't be afraid to take risks and explore new ideas to make your pirate truly unforgettable.

Creating Authentic Pirate Dialogue That Still Resonates with Modern Readers

Pirate dialogue can make or break the believability of your character. The key is to strike a balance between authenticity and accessibility, so modern readers can understand what your pirates are saying without losing the pirate lingo that makes them unique. Here are some tips for crafting authentic pirate dialogue:

1. Use Historical Language, But Don't Go Overboard

Research historical pirate slang and language to add realism to your dialogue. However, don't overdo it. Too many unfamiliar words or phrases can confuse modern readers, leading them to lose interest in your story. Instead, sprinkle in some pirate language and mix it with modern speech patterns.

2. Consider Your Pirate's Background and Education

Not all pirates spoke the same, and their backgrounds and education levels will influence how they speak. An educated pirate may use more complex language, while a less-educated one may rely more on slang and swear words. Factor in things like regionality, ethnicity, and class to help inform your pirate's dialogue pattern.

3. Use Research and Imagination to Create Believable Dialogue

It's important to do your research and use historically accurate pirate language when possible. But when in doubt, let your imagination take over. Remember, you're writing fiction, not a historical textbook. As long as your dialogue sounds believable and fits your character, it's okay to take a few creative liberties.

4. Read and Watch Movies Featuring Pirates

Reading books and watching movies featuring pirates can help you get a feel for their typical speech patterns and common phrases. Pay attention to how the dialogue is written and how it adds to the atmosphere of the story. But again, don't be afraid to put your own spin on things. Make your pirates memorable and unique.

By keeping these tips in mind, you can create authentic pirate dialogue that still resonates with modern readers. Remember, the key is to balance historical accuracy with accessibility, so your pirates sound believable and interesting. Don't be afraid to get creative and let your pirate's personality shine through in their dialogue!

Choosing the Right Archetype for Your Pirate Protagonist

Archetypes are useful tools for developing memorable and relatable characters, including pirate protagonists. Consider which archetype best fits your protagonist's personality, motivations, and actions to ensure a cohesive and compelling story.

The Noble Outlaw

This archetype represents a pirate who, despite their criminal actions, adheres to a moral code. The noble outlaw may have been forced into piracy due to circumstances beyond their control, and they may only attack wealthy or corrupt targets. This archetype can create tension with other pirates in the crew who may not share the same moral values.

The Ruthless Captain

As the name implies, the ruthless captain is a pirate who rules their crew with an iron fist. They may have gained their position through violence or intimidation, and they prioritize their own power and wealth above all else. This archetype can create conflict between the captain and other crew members who may question their decisions or motives.

The Swashbuckling Adventurer

This archetype represents a pirate who loves adventure and thrills above all else. They may have joined piracy out of a desire for excitement and freedom, and they may prioritize having fun over accumulating wealth or power. This archetype can create tension with other pirates in the crew who are more focused on practical goals.

Crafting Memorable Supporting Characters to Enhance Your Pirate's Story

While your pirate character may be the main focus of your story, having well-crafted supporting characters can enhance their journey and provide depth to the overall narrative. Here are some tips for creating memorable supporting characters:

Diversity:

Consider including a diverse cast of characters to add contrast and tension to your pirate's story. Having characters with different backgrounds and experiences can also provide opportunities for your pirate to grow and develop.

Motivation:

Your supporting characters should have clear motivations for their actions, whether it's loyalty to the pirate crew or a personal vendetta. Their motivations can also provide opportunities for conflict and plot development.

Backstory:

Similar to your pirate character, your supporting characters should have their own backstory that explains their actions and motivations. A well-developed backstory can also provide opportunities for character growth and plot development.

Opposition:

Having opposing characters can create conflict and tension in your story, providing opportunities for your pirate to overcome challenges and grow as a character. Consider creating characters that have conflicting beliefs or goals with your pirate.

By utilizing these tips, you can create supporting characters that enhance your pirate's story and provide depth to the overall narrative. Remember to give each character their own unique personality and motivations, creating a diverse cast that enhances your story's themes and motifs.

Weaving Pirate Culture and Ethics into Your Story's Themes and Motifs

As you develop your pirate character and plot, it's important to consider the culture and ethics of piracy and how they can influence your story's themes and motifs.

Pirate Ethics

Pirates followed their own moral code, which often included principles such as equality among crew members, democracy in decision-making, and retribution for mistreatment by the authority figures they opposed.

Consider how your pirate's actions and beliefs align with the culture and ethics of piracy. Do they adhere to the code or reject it? Does their compliance or defiance create conflict or resolution in the story?

Pirate Culture

Pirates had their own unique culture, including customs such as dividing loot, flying a specific flag, and using distinct language and slang.

Using pirate culture as a motif can add richness to your story's atmosphere. For example, a treasure hunt can provide opportunities for incorporating pirate customs and traditions while also advancing the plot. A ship battle can showcase the crew's cohesion and strategy.

Exploring Themes

Pirate culture and ethics can provide opportunities for exploring themes such as justice, freedom, and morality. These themes can be emphasized through your pirate character's actions and decisions.

For example, if your pirate character is motivated by a desire for revenge against a corrupt government, this can provide a compelling exploration of the theme of justice. If your pirate character struggles with the decision to betray their crewmates for personal gain, this can delve into the theme of morality.

By weaving pirate culture and ethics into your story, you can provide depth and meaning to your plot and characters.

Conclusion

Writing a convincing pirate character for your fantasy novel requires a mix of creativity, research, and attention to detail. By understanding and subverting common pirate stereotypes, researching historical pirates, developing a strong backstory, crafting authentic dialogue, choosing the right archetype, and creating memorable supporting characters, you can create a pirate character that is unique, complex, and memorable. Weaving pirate culture and ethics into your story's themes and motifs can provide depth and meaning to your plot and characters, and make your pirate character more relatable to modern readers. So set sail on your writing journey, and let your pirate character lead the way!

Copyright © 2023 by Ren T.

TheWriteAdviceForWriters 2023

[tnsophiaonly]

"Depths of Despair, will soon come rooting out."

A warning that shan't be ignored. For it's far too dangerous.

Deja vu

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4

—n—i—a—t—r—e—c—n—U—

Primogems is the most voted!

Ability: Charming Fate★

With this current ability, you are able to charm people rather easily. And if you're talking with your awakened acolytes, you'll charm them in no time! But be wary, because the more you talk to people with visions or delusions or any element, the more you lose yourself. You'll lose your mind in hysteria. It'll give you a new life!

It felt so unreal. So painfully true.

You see yourself, mourning a beloved.

They died from war. Correction. He died from war.

Was it your father? No. It can't be. You don't live in Teyvat. You never did. You have no memories of this world. You didn't belong here. You were never here. Never ever.

But who was he? It was child you. Child you was hoping he was still alive and when we found out they're not we were mourning. The place looks a lot like Inazuma.

For some odd reason, the nameless man who the child you is mourning, feels like they were important to you. You felt your heart tighten at the sight. It just felt like it just had happened in your life.

But that's not true. You were never in Teyvat. You never had a life here. You were never meant to be here. You don't belong here.

A thunder strikes you down.

—d—e—t—n—a—w—n—W—

You gaped for a breath of air. Electrifying yet fresh air fills your lungs. And you exhale. You recognize where you are currently. I'm at the Kujou Encampment. The headquarters of the Shogun's Army under the control of Tenryou Commision.

Despite winning against the argument whether you stay to get patched up or you just patch yourself, you still ended up getting patched up by her.

Why did it feel like this was an order? It must have been just you. Cause no way Kujou Sara would do this without it being an order. I think.

Well either way, you were still patched. So you were thankful. Right now, you're thinking what to give back to her, just so that you can ease that one feeling deep inside you of her using that one tiny thing against you. Maybe you could activate her C6?

You look around, you find no one around, you open the screen menu, open the wish menu and see all of the banners are there! It's just like Silly Wisher... you look at your primogems amount and wow that made your jaw drop.

2,684,290 primogems... And it's continuously going up! You convert 300,000 primogems to an interwined fate. And went to a banner that has Kujou Sara in it and pulled 10x.

It turns purple and ah, you hear something outside. You look outside and oh that's so pretty. It was your wishes in the sky!

It's like shooting stars! No it is shooting stars! You see the purple star falling down and the screen appears and it gives you a Kujou Sara constellation. (PS. I still don't have her C6...) A commotion happens because of what you just did..

And for some reason they all thanked (S/M) for it. Oh, she happened to be praying for Kujou Sara's sixth constellation. It was a coincidence.

Well, that's great? No no no it's bad. It's giving more proof that she's an oracle. It should be you, who acts as the oracle. You don't even feel any connection to the oracle! No nothing! You don't even know who she is! She is no oracle, she's a fraud.

You sighed and went back to sleep in the comfortable futon prepared for you.

—n—i—a—t—r—e—c—n—U—

You woke up in cold sweat, another nightmare... It's making me lose my mind.

The way it started off as dark, dull, saturated then with no warning it explodes with solid and flashing colors, hurting your eyes, your brain! It was hypnotizing. It was driving you insane.

You held out a hand and oh. It was, fake.

You walked around, it was heavenly. The more you walk, the more you notice that it drips like water.

How ethereal... How mesmerizing.. don't you just want to stay here forever? In heaven.

The more you stay the more people that'll love you. Stay. Stay for the sake of your beloved followers. Stay like a good creator.

For them.

—s—e—i—r—o—m—e—M—

[bemusedlybespectacled]

I do think the "you know what he did when I told him I loved him?" exchange is a bit jarring from a writing perspective BUT I am putting my Watsonian hat on to darn this plot hole and I am thinking that Stede didn't know know, he just put it together from context right then and there.

like, Stede definitely knows Ed shot Izzy in the leg. even people who weren't there, like Lucius, know that Ed is responsible for maiming Izzy, and I would imagine that this was an important point in the discussion/vote over whether Ed should be banished or not. there's no way for him not to know if he's talked to the crew about Ed at all, and we know he has because we see the start of that conversation.

nor is it a surprise to him that Izzy loves Ed. outside of Ed saying Izzy's jealous and Stede asking if he's doing a victory lap, I think Stede lowkey thought Ed and Izzy were in a relationship in Season 1, due to comments like "trouble in paradise?" in 1x06.

and the question comes literally just after Izzy sits down to rest his leg, and Stede outright mentions the leg (bitchily) so the setup is very clear.

like, okay, if I spent several hours talking about the weird black comedy surrounding my college roommate's death and funeral, and then later in the conversation we started talking about regional restaurants, and I was like, "hey, you know when I was last in a Waffle House?", you can probably infer from the way I'm saying it and the context of the previous conversation that the answer is probably "after your college roommate's funeral." it'd be really weird if I said it that way and the answer was like, "last week, it was super uneventful and I go there all the time" or "when I was two years old, I don't remember it at all."

so yeah, I don't think there needed to have been an explicit conversation about it for Stede to infer it.

[no-passaran]

Very important and heartbreaking news.

(Organizations to support at the end of the post)

March 19th, 2024

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/19/gambia-female-genital-mutilation-cutting/

Gambia moves towards ending ban on female genital mutilation

Gambia’s National Assembly has voted to advance a bill that would overturn a ban on female genital cutting, putting this tiny West African country on a path to being the first nation in the world to roll back such a protection.

Many of the women who filed into the National Assembly building on Monday to witness the proceedings had experienced the horror that comes with cutting, which has been practiced for generations here. One woman said she was taken by her family at age 8 to a ceremony in which she was pinned down and cut. Another learned on her wedding night that her vaginal opening had been sealed. A third experienced years of infections and later infertility after being cut without her parents’ permission.

The women listened stoically as members of parliament — the vast majority of them men — pounded their gavels in support as Almameh Gibba, the lawmaker who introduced the bill, described it as intended to “uphold religious rights and safeguard cultural norms and values.” (...)

Already, the United Nations says that about 75 percent of girls and women in Gambia between the ages of 15 and 49 have been subjected to genital cutting, which is often described by opponents as female genital mutilation, or FGM. Globally, more than 200 million women and girls are estimated to be survivors of female genital cutting, which can involve removing part of the clitoris and labia minora and, in the most extreme cases, a sealing of the vaginal opening. Medical experts say the procedures, which do not have medical benefits, can cause a range of short- and long-term harms, including infections, severe pain, scarring, infertility and loss of pleasure.

An activist cries and gets support during a debate among Gambian lawmakers on lifting the ban on FGM. (Carmen Yasmine Abd Ali for The Washington Post)

“It is a rollback on women’s rights and bodily autonomy,” said Jaha Dukureh, a Gambian activist whose little sister died as a result of a botched procedure and who found out on her wedding night, at 15, that she had been sealed as a baby. “It is a rollback in terms of telling women what to do with their own bodies. This is all this is.” (...)

Outside the National Assembly on Monday, women and men holding signs that read, “Girls need love, not knives” squared off against Muslim clerics who were preaching to dozens of veiled girls from Islamic schools. They cheered as one cleric told them [female genital mutilation] was justified by religion.

Inside the building, where only five of Gambia’s 58 lawmakers are women, the discussion Monday was dominated by men. Among the survivors in the audience was Sainey Ceesay, the founder of a nonprofit focused on destigmatizing infertility, who said she only recently decided to start talking about what she experienced at 8 years old. At that time, women had gathered her and a group of other girls at a house in Banjul, the capital, and used a razor to cut off her clitoris.

Ceesay, who said she suffered for years from trauma and infections and was unable to conceive, is still holding out hope that the ban will not be repealed. “At least as of today, FGM is still illegal in Gambia,” she said with a quiet sigh.

Fatty, the cleric whose support helped push the bill forward, (...) explained that it was about following the teachings of the prophet, about purity and about reducing the likelihood of cancer. (Doctors say there is no basis for this claim.)

“It is something not to reduce feeling, but to control, to balance the feelings of a woman,” he said in an interview.

When asked to clarify whether he meant women have too much desire in the absence of cutting, he nodded his head and wagged a finger.

“Too much,” Fatty said. “Too much. We can say in sex, women’s power is more than men’s power. … Women can do sex longer than men. So that is why Islam came to balance. They can be together and their desire can be balanced.” (...) [Many Islamic countries do not have FGM.]

(...) Many women note that because cutting often happens when girls are no older than in elementary school, they are never given a choice in the matter. (...)

Fatou Baldeh, an activist and FGM survivor (...), said she tries to “hold grace” for the women who continue to advocate for the practice, knowing many have not been educated and have only their own experience to go by.

But sitting in the parliamentary chambers Monday as she listened to the men debate, Baldeh said she was seething.

When one activist started wiping tears from her eyes with tissues, a lawmaker demanded that women who were crying leave the chambers, and the speaker agreed, asking them not to make a scene.

Baldeh said she wanted to scream listening to the men trivialize the pain women had experienced. But she resolved to stay in the chambers, knowing the importance of the women being present, forcing the men to look at them as they cast their votes.

“We have a right to cry,” she said. “But we knew the importance of staying. So we kept our tears in.”

An activist cries during the parliamentary debate on FGM. (Carmen Yasmine Abd Ali for The Washington Post)

Full support and encouragement to the brave Gambian activists fighting to end FGM.

Support organizations and activists:

Safe Hands For Girls (survivor-led organization focused on ending female genital mutilation and child marriage, and helping women and girls who have gone through or are going through these experiences): website, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube.

Jaha Marie Dukureh (activist, founder of Safe Hands For Girls): X/Twitter.

Women in Liberation and Leadership (Gambian NGO): website, X/Twitter.

Fatou Baldeh (activist, in WILL) on X/Twitter.

Network Against Gender-Based Violence Gambia: X/Twitter, Facebook.

(Racists, transphobes, and other hate groups do not interact)

[angst-fairy]

HEY, Important! READ!

KOSA is a national bill in the USA getting ever closer to passing. This bill is not being thoroughly discussed, but is still passing through voice votes. This bill has a lot of important parts in it that are not properly defined, which would make it very easy for major Tech Companies to abuse it, especially by attacking marginalized communities with it. We all know many communities typically discriminated against, are home to people, especially youth, who face mental health problems and/or abuse. This bill could cause tech companies to censor content that gives support to at risk people, whether out of fear or purposeful discrimination against such people. KOSA as it is could cause an incredible amount of harm, and not just to ones who live in the USA. Companies would likely censor content that could be considered "controversial" in any place there content is seen, not just the US. Suicide rates among marginalized communities have shown to be considerably higher than that among the general population time and time again. If KOSA passes, I believe it is extremely likely that the current suicide rate will rise even higher, especially among youth. KOSA would also result in many challenges for small businesses, as they would have to navigate through the legal walls and censorship that will be placed in front of them. Politicians have tried to threaten big companies, especially tech companies, for many years and KOSA has been made with similar purpose. Small businesses could very easily be caught in a tug-of-war they do not have the ability to navigate correctly.

The government is meant to help and protect civilians, but have proven to do the opposite many times before. WE have a voice, and it is not too late to use it! There are some politicians who want to and have listened to us before, we just need to keep telling them.

Please read the websites below for more information, especially the highlighted ones:

https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/innovation-data-and-commerce-subcommittee-markup-of-three-bills

https://www.techpolicy.press/house-energy-commerce-subcommittee-markup-of-the-american-privacy-rights-act-kids-online-safety-act/

https://www.stopkosa.com/ GO HERE TO HELP FIGHT WITH AN EMAIL AND CALL TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!

https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2024-05-22-listen-to-kids-billboard-outside-house-hearing-raises-up-voices-of-lgbtq-youth-who-oppose-kosa/

https://touchgrass.fightforthefuture.org/unserious-attempt-1-562-to-rollback-section-230/

[violetsandshrikes]

Hi! I saw your post about the current awful disability policies in Aoteroa. I had considered moving there, since I am in bad living situation, but after that post i am reconsidering. My latest ideas had come from the way it managed covid. What are your thoughts on living there? Do you have any advice on resources to get a general idea of the politics in the country? Thank u!!

Aotearoa is a really complicated one - a lot of people want to move here from their respective countries for a better quality of life/better politics, and while we are comparatively very lucky, there is still quite a few things under the surface that a lot of people don’t know.

In terms of disability: we are really restrictive in terms of who we let immigrate that has a declared disability (which is of course, fucking awful, but very important to know if you start to get things in order). Our immigration site can probably give you some rough ideas whether or not you would have issues. Additionally important to consider: our healthcare system is actively struggling very badly. As a result, wait times are long, hospital care is hard to get, and if you need a specialist, they are usually sparse throughout the country, have a very long wait time, and often are private and incredibly expensive, so if you know you need on-going care with a specific specialist, I 100% recommend researching who is in the country (which may also put limitations on where you can easily live).

Similarly, our job market is not fantastic. It’s a small country with limited roles, so if you’re trained in something particular, in can be rough finding a suitable role. We also have what appears to be a decent minimum wage to people outside the country, but when you compare it to our very high cost of living and rent (+ housing crisis), a lot of Aotearoa is incredibly expensive to live in.

With the disability changes you saw: last year, we voted in a new government, consisting of three right wing parties. As a result, we are currently watching our social systems get absolutely gutted while landlords get billions of dollars of tax breaks. Someone on Reddit compiled a list of all the changes they made in their first 100 days (applicable till Feb 24th) to give an idea of the shifting landscape.

I don’t want to be a downer if you really want to migrate here! But there is definitely a lot that people don’t realise, and so if you do decide to move forward, I really recommend doing in-depth research on our immigration requirements, available jobs + rate, rentals in those areas + average rent, and other things you may need access to such as specialised care.

(Also, lots of kiwis follow me, and they may disagree with my assessment or have other things to add, so this is an open invite for them to pitch in!)

[justalittlesolarpunk]

hi! i have been experiencing The Horrors lately (just general hopelessness about the state of the world and especially in regards to climate change) and i am just wondering - do you have any advice for incorporating climate action into one’s everyday life? i need to do something about this but the problem feels so big that i feel like i can’t, like i am drowning in it and i need to learn to swim

Hi my love, sorry it took me a while to respond, I’ve been quite tired!

So first off, the Horrors are reasonable, it’s a very sensible human response to the state of things around you and shows you have empathy and that you care. I say this because it’s all too easy to shame yourself for despair, but it’s natural that we fall into it sometimes.

In terms of doing climate action a little every day, there’s so much you can get your teeth into. For starters, there are personal choices, like giving up flying or meat and dairy if you can. Sure, these don’t add up to much, but they can really change how you feel and working with a smaller burden of guilt can be life-changing. Similarly making choices like switching your electricity and heating and getting an electric car (or even better, taking the train, bus, tram, your feet or a bus) can help you get into a more positive mindset as you feel like you are ‘doing your part’. Check if you have any savings or pensions invested in fossil fuels and switch them over. Even buying from zero waste shops can help shift your mood, even if it’s too small to shift the whole economy.

Once you’ve got all these little changes out of the way, it’s time to think systemic. Most places will have a local activist group you can join, which usually only involves a commitment to weekly meetings - can you attend XR, A22, Greenpeace or Friends of The Earth gatherings in your neighbourhood? These will usually allow you to start attending protests and keying into wider campaign networks.

Something else you can do is bring the subject up with people in your life, to contribute to a wider cultural shift where climate conversations are normalised, and you can agitate for changes at your job or university/school that will bring the institution’s emissions down.

Try to consume a more balanced media diet, seeking out what is going right in the world as well as what is going wrong. Sites like Positive News and the Good News Network are helpful for this. Supernova is a purely positive social media app if you’re looking for a more uplifting scrolling experience.

But much more important is to get outside and to make real-life community. If there’s a conservation or gardening volunteer group in your area I’d highly recommend getting involved with it - nothing has helped me as much as getting my hands in the dirt, doing meaningful work to grow food to feed my neighbours. A lot of our climate anxiety stems from fear that we won’t be able to feed ourselves or that natural beauty will vanish, so connecting with crops or landscapes is a great way to soothe some of that. Building relationships with neighbours or affinity groups (such as LGBT, POC or disabled organisations) can help you feel part of a more resilient network of people who can help each other out in a crisis. Plus if you get to plant trees regularly I guarantee that will help you feel like you’re contributing.

Solarpunk content is great for improving your outlook too - whether it’s optimistic sci-fi, utopian cityscapes or anarchist politics, it all uplifts you and reminds you of what’s possible. Check out people’s stories of what they’re doing to make the world a little better to remind yourself you’re not in it alone.

If you can afford to, a regular donation to groups working to reforest, re-wet peatland, re-seed mangroves or combat soil erosion is a pretty tangible way to fight the climate crisis. Be sure to do all the obvious stuff like voting and engaging with other political pathways too.

A fun weekend’s activity could be seedbombing with friends or building a bee house - there’s lots you can do that’s crafty or creative that also helps your local environment, even if it’s just growing food or pollinator friendly plants on your windowsill or letting your lawn rewild itself. Taking an attitude of grateful, affectionate kinship with all the plants and animals around you will aid in building a sense of connection with the ecosystem and reminding you that you’re part of a grand, resilient web of life.

Put together the emergency kit I detail in an earlier post, so you feel prepared for facing extreme weather and taking part in mutual aid. Teach yourself to forage or at the very least recognise the common plants in your area. This counteracts species blindness and makes you more considerate of the non-human.

You could even consider altering your career path, if you’re an adult, and re-training to work in the climate movement, though this will not be accessible for everyone. If you’re a younger person you could look into pursuing an educational path that will allow you to join the green sector.

If you can get some, therapy with an eco-informed professional can be hugely beneficial for channeling your very reasonable feelings of terror into meaningful action that benefits you and the planet, though admittedly there’s only so much individualised therapy can do for such a huge problem - perhaps there’s a support group you can go to?

And finally, make sure you take some time every day, preferably an hour if you can spare it, but certainly at least fifteen minutes, to do something you really love, that brings you genuine joy, and has nothing to do with the climate crisis. You can’t pour from an empty cup and you can’t put out fires if you’re burnt out. Rest, regeneration and self-care are prerequisites for sustainable movement building and you deserve to have moments of unalloyed happiness. You are categorically NOT in this alone, you are part of a huge, ever-growing moment full of people who are working towards the same goal even though most of you will never meet. And so while we need you now more than ever, there’s also enough of us that you can take a few minutes to feel better and it won’t cost us the fight. As an older activist said to me recently, even when we sleep our comrades across the world are waking up ready to face the day’s struggle.

Ultimately, a lot of these are just things that have worked for me, and they won’t all be accessible or appropriate to you. Some of them are more about changing your viewpoint than radically altering the status quo around the climate. But I know I fight better when I feel optimistic and well in myself, so these are my suggestions. I hope some of them help, and I want to commend your strength and bravery in reaching out for advice and connection, because that’s how we keep fighting, and that’s how we win.

The Horrors are real, but so are the Wonders. And one of those Wonders is you.

[lenasai]

a lil confession from a guy who used to like blaseball. going to preface with i absolutely loved it, the culture, the community, the characters and setting and all. i made art, wrote fics, bought the albums. but as someone who wasnt usamerican, who lived on the opposite side of the world in fact, i always felt a little left behind. joining late contributed to the feeling of lockout, timezone mismatch meant that i slept through events like voting, and the finale.

and… the communal character building. sometimes i felt like i had to force myself to use a usa-centric lens to see what everyone else saw. the deicide jokes were funny, but not when my actual rl faith started being teased and challenged as well.

i think i'll still always keep a shard of blaseball near and dear to my heart. the good parts of it really were amazing. but sometimes when i see people say they miss it, i think, i wish i could miss it as fiercely as you guys do too.

hey, i wanna say thank you for sharing this with me. i think it's an important perspective to put out there. i debated on whether i wanted to maintag it since i don't have a way to reach out and ask if it's okay to do so, but i really think other people should see it. (you can always send me another message if you want me to delete it and i will do so asap)

blaseball, as a game and as a community, was wonderful and overall a net positive, but it was by no means perfect. it had its flaws like any other community, in this case driven by the fact that its active fanbase was largely white and centered in the united states. there were a lot of people who felt ostracized by a community that was supposed to be welcoming to everyone - and whether it was people not knowing how to keep a bit contained to the circumstances of its universe or shutting down discussions about problems in character writing, there were people who got hurt. we cannot and should not pretend that never happened.

and of course, as you mentioned, the game was designed in a way that mostly centered the united states. i think there were attempts to fix this during coronation with planned events at different times, but we never got to see that play out. hell, you could even see it in which locations got to be represented by teams. i'm not personally sure how i feel about the fact that a lot of the teams that were represented outside of the us were prehistory teams. it feels like they took a step in trying, but those are all teams that wouldn't ever see active play, so it rang a little hollow to me.

at least from my perspective, it seemed like there were dialogues happening about this and that there was progress being made to fix those issues, but then the game ended and we didn't get to see anything come out of it. i really don't want to see that all be for nothing. i hope that everyone who learned something from this community will take those lessons and apply them to how they interact with other communities.

thank you again. i am truly sorry we didn't get to have the same experience.

[anamericangirl]

My question for pro-abort people will always be "when does the right to life begin?" Because, without it, not a single other right matters.

Who cares whether or not you can legally have an abortion if you'll never be alive long enough to form mature reproductive organs?

Who cares whether or not you can bear arms if you'll never be alive long enough to think about buying a gun?

Who cares if you can even vote if you'll never be alive long enough to think about and form your own opinions?

We need to have the right to be born, the right to breathe outside the womb, if we're ever to have productive conversations about anything else! Why are people so dense?? Why are people so okay with the fact that some of their dearest friends, that they themselves, wouldn't exist without someone caring enough to fight for them to live and be born?! Why is it so impossible to acknowledge for them to realize that pro-life because care about just that--LIFE!

They just flat out do not understand human rights (among other things) and they are unwilling to learn. They act like they care so much about rights and say women must have the choice to kill their children because it's a right and in that in itself to them is an indisputable argument for why abortion must be a thing.

But then bring up an actual enumerated right and suddenly rights don't matter anymore. Because it's not rights they care about, it's the ability to do whatever they want whenever they want without consequences or responsibility.

But if they actually cared about rights like they pretend to then they have to answer that question. Whether they like it or not the right to life exists and trumps the debatable right to abortion. And it is the most important right. That's why it's listed first. The founders didn't do that on accident. They didn't just list them as they came to mind. It was a careful and lengthy process where they thought about what they were writing and the order in which they were writing them.

The truth is, though, we don't need them written out in that order to know it's the case because, like you said, you have to have the right to life to have anything else. You can't have any other rights if you first don't have the right to exist.

Pro-aborts can only argue that they think killing kids is a right because their right to life wasn't violated in the first place.

I doubt we will ever see them acknowledge this though because doing so would force them to admit they are wrong and killing children is bad.

[smallfrenchstudyblr]

Hello! because you are our EU person on tumblr: any advice who to vote for on Sunday when we care about the environment?

Oof, Anon, that is quite the question.

Bear in mind that for the EU, the environment is technically a shared competence, meaning that there is a lot of push and pull between Member States and the EU regarding who decides what and when. See them more as co-deciders, rather than the EU always being "above" on these questions.

I am NOT in the business of telling people who to vote for. I'm going to slightly twist it and put it as "which European Group has the best record in supporting environment-friendly policies".

Buckle up, we are going on a quest in the European Parliament! Complete with links, sources and all you will need for the adventure, along which I try my hardest to not comment on things that drive me nuts with how European parties and groups work.

First off, this is the current EU Parliament:

These are the seven groups, from left to right:

The Left

Socialists and Democrats (S&D)

The Greens/European Free Alliance (The Greens/EFA)

Renew Europe (ex ALDE)

European People's Party (EPP)

European Conservative and Reformists (ECR)

Identity and Democracy (ID)

Now, I am not an expert in environmental policies, but other people are. What are want to look for is people evaluating the record of each of these parties regarding environmental policies.

Problem: "environmental policies" is kind of broad and vague. We are all for green policies, but parties sometimes disagree on how to get there. There is a longstanding battle between France and Germany overall regarding what is more green, in the long term: coal, or nuclear energy. There are disagreements over whether it is greener to ban some pesticide in Europe, if it means we end up importing more food from outside the EU. How to best support green policies without just displacing polluting industries outside of the borders of the EU? What about emission trading, do we want this? What I mean is that the details tend to be complicated, and multiple groups could try to claim that they support pro-environment policies.

Broadly speaking, for pro-environment policies at European level, you will be looking toward the Left. A dedicated right-wing supporter could argue that they have some green policies as well, but it is simply not their priority, and so if they have to chose between [issue that they campaign on] and green policies, then they will pick [issue that they campaign on]. Note that "issues they campaign on" can be perfectly valid issue, or it may be xenophobic garbage, but fact is, they are not prioritizing green policies, ever. Whereas groups on the left side sometimes do priorities green policies... but not always.

So: The Left, S&D, The Greens and Renew can all more or less plausible claim some record of pro-environmental policies. What you could from there is peruse their website, and look for their policy papers, official positions, etc... It can be hard to fin documents you can really compare with each other, but you could look here:

Renew Europe: here

The Greens: here

S&D: here and here

The Left: here

And before anyone calls me unfair: ID has no section on the environment, EPP has their green policies here and here, and ECR here.

You can find more on each group's website than what I have put here! The Greens and The Left, especially, have much more.

But, smart voter that you are, you know that this is all campaign stuff and fluff. What we may want to know is how well they did so far. What's their record, beyond their words. Well. Good thing smart people have looked into it already.

CAN had a look at that back in 2019. They looked into how each MEP had voted on key environmental issues in the EU. You can find their whole report here, but I will borrow that page from them:

[always a good idea to look into how they pulled out these numbers! They include it in the report, in the "methodology" section. There are little bits I am not suuuper happy with, but overall I think it's a really good, transparent, report.]

So, without much surprise, the Greens score the highest, followed by the Left and S&D, pretty much neck to neck. Overall, if I update the names of the different parties, the ranking goes like this:

The Greens

The Left

S&D

EFDD disappeared

Renew Europe

ID

EPP

ECR

[Note: I am trying so, SO HARD to not add my own thoughts and comments on this, pls appreciate my restraint]

Ok, but how do I know WHO to vote for ?? IN MY COUNTRY?

As far as I know, however, candidates on the ground tend to market themselves as belonging to a national party, rather than a European group. Which is also why people usually don't even know about European Parliament groups [on which I also have THOUGHTS SOMEONE PLS RESTRAIN ME] For example, in Germany:

And as seen above, usually The Greens do have their logo in there, and sometimes Renew (at least the ALDE used to) but others usually just have their national party affiliations.

[me as I try very hard to not judge national parties's campaigns on main when European elections are around the corner]

The good thing is, it is pretty easy to figure out where each national party stand in the European Parliament. You can google that pretty easily, and I made you a handy dandy list:

The Greens: here, and click "countries" or "parties" on the left

The Left: here, with actually nice website

S&D: right here !

Renew: here, also with actually decent web design?? in a European group website??

Alternatively, you can go back to the CAN report, and scroll to your country specifically! Isn't that sweet ?!

So there you go anon, we know now who in the European Parliament has a good record on green policies, and who that will be in your own country! And I have been so :) neutral :) about :) it :) all :)

[broodwolf221]

meta that's mostly about vivienne and her pro-circle views, but also touches on both sera and anders. I love them all and that shows, none of this is character hate, but I'm trying to explore the nuance at play here

adding character hate on this post will get you blocked

cws: mentions of the following: abuse; starvation; murder

obviously sera and vivienne are very, very different from each other... but I think one important commonality between them is a desire to avoid anarchy as a solution

sera doesn't want the red jennies to become a new political power - she wants to keep the current batch of nobles on edge, knowing that the "red jenny" may come for them if they fuck up too much. she also doesn't want to take out all the current nobles bc she knows that new ones will rise to take their place. she hates the nobles, but she also sees how an anarchist revolution would harm the very people she cares about, those she's trying to help as a red jenny

vivienne doesn't want to abolish the circles, but she also doesn't want to permit the abuses within them... but she, quite realistically, views the destruction of the chantry/subsequent vote for the dissolution of the circles as an inciting factor in the mage-templar war

anders' actions gave people new and immediate reason to fear mages. whether he was right to do it or not - and I tend to think he was - does not preclude it having consequences, even those that directly harm the very group he was trying to liberate

further, the function of the circles as a place for mages to train is necessary, and is also why I personally tend to feel a little uncomfortable with direct parallels being made to rl groups. no minority or oppressed group in rl can accidentally burn down the family barn because they get upset. I'm all for ppl making these connections if that works for them, but I always look at things first and foremost as existing within their canon context, not referencing reality outside of it

with that in mind... training mages is necessary. they need to be able to avoid possession, to learn to control their abilities, etc. does it need to be in a circle tower? no! ofc not! but there does need to be a form of training

vivienne sees the circles as fulfilling that role. the dissolution of them plunged mages into uncertainty - the anarchy she is so opposed to. who will train new mages now? how will they even be discovered?

in banter with dorian, sera once mentions a mage who got picked up by the templars, so he's "better now." dorian reacted with shock, asking if she knew what the southern circles are like, and she replied that he got three square meals a day, a cot. and he wouldn't starve or be killed in the street, both of which she'd seen

this isn't saying circles are the ideal, because they have abuses occurring within them too. the one in kirkwall seemed to be the worst, but we can't know the extent of it in every circle throughout time. it is, however, a place with a severe power imbalance and stark controls placed upon people as a matter of course

it is also the current and only solution within a large part of thedas. without it, what will happen to those kids who get mad and burn a building down? will the non-mages around them be kind, or will they be brutal? will they be able to turn them over to rogue apostates?

this is the problem with anarchy imo - some systems absolutely deserve to be destroyed, but there are a LOT of people who are going to fall through the cracks in an anarchist revolution

so, tl;dr: anders was right. and vivienne is right. circles are bad, but they are also the only system in place rn. and sera and vivienne have an anti-anarchy pov that they share, which is very interesting to me.