#usually it's all just 'tribes' as an analog or 'peoples'

[unironicallycringe]

Haven't the Sheikah always been considered Hylian?

No, they haven't - at least not according to my memory of older games or the wikis I just checked to verify!

The only time I can find where they've been cited as such is specifically from the TotK distinction, which is why it feels so weird for the game to retcon it across the board. In prior games and canon, Sheikah were considered a separate human people/tribe similar to the distinction between Hylian and Gerudo. (The term "human" used to be a separate distinction waaaay back in the day too, but then it seems to have gotten rolled into an umbrella term by around Skyward Sword.) To make matters even MORE confusing, there's always also been the term "Hyrulean" - this has historically referred to all citizens of the country of Hyrule, not just the Hylian ones. So in that regard, while Sheikah were not Hylians, Sheikah were Hyruleans. However, TotK seems to merge these two terms now as well(?)

I don't have a huge problem with changing all that wording normally! It's whatever, sometimes you mess with your worldbuilding for whatever reason. I think it's primarily an eyebrow-raise because the change comes with the additional knowledge that the Sheikah were recently subject to a canon genocide. So it's a weird choice to retcon their race into a subrace without acknowledging it in-universe. One could say "yeah, they're a subrace now, on account of the whole genocide thing" but I .... don't think Nintendo is trying to make that point, else it would have (or should have) been stated.

Thanks for your ask!

(also i'm worried about all the Sheikah/Hylian asks being posed on anon, so I apologize if I've intimidated anyone. I know the Scotland/UK ask really threw me off, so I reacted jokingly to it without ever "answering" it, but I promise I'm not weird about discussion asks unless the asks themselves are Weird)

[aroaceleovaldez]

i know that the trogs are going to be in tsats and- there's a specific African tribe scholars generally agree they're based on but it reminds me of how riordan used the hyperboreans, another mythological race that was based off of real people. wouldn't the "giants" have just been scandinavians. like looking back the troglodytes are not the first time this has happened, i'm sure that there are more i'm just not remembering. but it also looks like he might be conflating the troglodytes with the definitely fictional pygmies, which some ancient sources did? i'd love to see the list of sources he uses... i remember thinking there was bigger significance behind Mithras being in ToN since he's usually considered a major sun god- and the Greco-Roman interpretation of him definitely associated him with Helios, at least a little- but then it was just the leontocephaline thing and i was bummed it didn't come up

Oh absolutely - the trogs, the pandai, I also usually include the whole "Gauls" and "Germani" thing (in quotations because I hate how they're written in TOA so much) especially with how they're characterized. Like, that's not even mythology, those are historical groups and Rick writes them so bizarrely. Just everything about that is. bleck. And yeah, this isn't necessarily anything new. Some definitely don't stick out as horribly as others because the way they're written in the series doesn't touch as much upon the historical aspects of the myths, but these ones in particular are very bad contextually in like every conceivable way. And he's done other similar things before as early as The Lightning Thief where it's less the base myth being incorporated without consideration that's the problem and more how it's being incorporated (Examples: Medusa being disguised as a Middle Eastern woman wearing a burqa, Tyson being coded as having down syndrome but the analogy used is that he's a cyclops, etc etc).

As for Rick's sources for the troglodytes, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was just like, the list of sources that are on the wikipedia page for troglodytes. If you just go down that list in a row you can check off basically every box of details Rick included about them in ToN. Which is slightly mortifying cause those sources also do very directly note how the ancient Greeks were most likely talking about people in Africa. It's incredibly easy to find this stuff in a very base search of the troglodytes. Like, I honestly don't know how he could have possibly missed any of that.

And I feel ya - my big theory for basically all of TOA was that the whole Albania thing was gonna come back for the finale and it was gonna turn out that Python was holding the oracle of Delphi in Apollonia, because it's in Albania (which kept getting brought up in HoO and TOA), it's named for Apollo, it has mythology relating to the oracle of Delphi, and it has a history of both Greek and Roman rule and had like a whole thing about which Roman emperors they liked that would have tied in perfectly with the Triumvirate being the other major antagonists for the entire series. But no. I guess not. Cause that would make too much sense or whatever.

[repressionrepresentation]

On the one hand, I don't disagree at all with people who say there should be Inuk voices behind the scenes and actors of similar background cast in the adaptation. But atla has always mixed and uses a lot of Asian and Indigenous cultures as a grab bag for whatever fit the look.

yes the Water Tribe look is mainly based on Inuk cultures but there is also a lot other East and Central Asian cultures as well, like Han Chinese and Mongolian. the Earth Kingdom seems to be mainly based on Qing(18-19th century) dynasty China but there's also Korean culture. The Fire Nation seems most analogous to late 19th century Japan but there's also medival China, Indigenous South American, and South East Asian influence as well.

It's very obvious the creatives at the time just grouped a lot of cultures irrespective of time, history and place according to colour palette and how 'fitting' it was to each element. The stuff with the Fire Nation especially damning because Japan did fully occupy a lot of South East Asia during WW2. This is also not fully going into how South Asia is almost completely absent from the show.

So many non European cultures are so criminally absent from fantasy we all are fighting over this animated kids tv show that came out in 2005 that was thought up by two white guys. The adaptation, even with the creators having left(which shouldn't really matter) is still indicative of that. In a world where there is supposedly no Europe, a lot of the cast that is on screen is in the usual netflix affair, mostly white mixed race and reportedly race faking, all, mostly lighter in skin tone. This is not knocking on the young cast at all but blaming executive decisions that go into these things.

[notjusthespongenextdoor]

I find it sort of funny how ff14 is constantly lowkey incorporating anarchist ideology into its storyline in a way that seems to me to be completely on accident. Like, i don't think any of the writers are huge on anarchy and think about it a lot, they've just stumbled upon this idea that is shared with anarchy.....though God i would love to be proven wrong here because that would rule (and wonder how much of this might be a common thing in Japanese society that I'm just unfamiliar with?)

The idea itself that particularly strikes me as anarchist is the constant way the scions operate as a, usually, completely leaderless operation, often in direct opposition to strictly hierarchical operations (i mean, the empire is a pretty obvious one here). And a second idea that is different but highly related to this is that they are always working within the broader community and trying to do best by the communities they find themselves in (though sometimes by seizing power tbf, it's not 100% analogous). Like a huuuuge running theme through the whole game so far is just... Hey look what ordinary people can do if we gather together. Look at all these awful structures we can collapse just by teaming up. And like, yeah the WoL is always sort of the linchpin and finisher of everything because it is a JRPG after all, but they stress time and time again how much everyone around you is completely vital to that effort. Like Ultima Thule does this hugely literally.

And i find this to be an especially stark contrast in comparison to Most media i interact with these days, which tends to completely unquestioningly perpetuate the idea that the Common Man is an idiot brute and we need the special strong/wise/civilized people to be in charge because we can't leave these nasty people in charge of themselves oh no! Like, 14 does fall into this sometimes (i think particularly of the crowd calling for fordolas execution and needing to be calmed by the merciful and wise scions) but for the most part 14 says again and again just like.... Oh yeah the people that live here know what they're doing and we need to work with them and respect them and avail ourselves of their knowledge if we're ever going to get anywhere (barring the whole "beast tribes" thing, though they very clearly have done a lot of walking back on that angle). Which is so incredibly different from almost anything i see these days (as someone who mostly interacts which American media which is probably a huge part of the problem here) where the Average Person TM is way more likely to be a part of an uncivilized mob that the smart kind wise Main Character needs to bring to their senses. Because only a Great Man can save us. We can't possibly save ourselves.

I think once i actually listened to an anarchist talk more about her ideology and what it means to her and i realized that anarchy doesn't mean *no* organizing at all, it just means fluid and loosely structured organizations for and by the people in them, and the very core belief in the competency and worth of the individual, i was just really struck by how often it all comes up in 14 and i really wish i could talk to any of the main writers to hear what they have to say about it

[divinedeathbed]

4, 8, 10, 37, 41

4. A character you rarely talk about?

Valiel / Nihilus / and Absinthe I guess. I didn't put a whole lot of character building into any 3 of them besides kinda being side characters to more important ocs stories (Val and Absinthe for Michael, Nihilus for Gabriel) and that's on me. Val is a very lovely angel who is a loyal soldier, and one of Michael's closest friends/confidants. Maybe even lover at rare points idk. Nihilus is another priest in Gabriel's world, either one who trained alongside him or Gabriel trained himself? Friend turned someone who's suspicious of Gabriel. Absinthe is a succubus demon who butts heads with Michael frequently. I have a fun little idea of a 3 team save the world type interaction between Absinthe, Michael, and Mariel, where Mariel kinda helps Michael and Absinthe better get along.

8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!

I dont sadly. I've tried to make oc rp blogs in the past but I get overwhelmed on trying to make the blog look nice and just being shy overall with them. I would love to rp more in private though so. If you're interested dm me or smth idk

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

I think Augustine's design is the most complicated rn. All the frills and ornate designs gold watchers have... god. And ofc I want Augustine to be more flashy compared to other gold watchers, that's just what Augustine gives. Eventually I want to draw a more full body portrait of Augustine but eehhhhh hard

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human

Victor :)

Victor's species is a species that evolved aside humanity, sharing humanoid traits but obviously different. They feed off of humans, and while their species is unnamed, Victor will allow you to call them a vampire since that's the closest analog to them that humans have come up with. They are not a vampire. Victor has lived for about 300 years but is not immortal. Their species hails from Siberia so they are white and have point coloration on their extremities. They are also all intersex, each member of the species able to get pregnant or get others pregnant. But it's usually a dominance thing when it comes to breeding where more submissive members of the tribe are the ones to carry young. Their species can vocalize like humans can, and in fact is how they lure human prey to their deaths, mimicking human voices calling for help. Victor was different though and actually learned how to speak and learned about humanity. They still ofc need to eat human prey so they gave themselves a code to only eat shitty people they meet or people they like tell them about. Lol.

41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!)

aaaa yes yes 🥺

For Michael someone on my tmc blog drew this of him:

It makes me sad bc they submitted it anonymously so I don't know who did it but it's so good.

I also commissioned my partner (not tagging his blog for now bc he's been targeted by a huge harassment campaign) to draw Michael:

For Gabriel there's a couple drawings from when he was an ihnmaims au oc with a couple other ocs from that server / Ted

I dont remember who did these unfortunatelllyy

And ofc my partner has doodled him a couple times:

Thank you so much for askingggg ;;;;;

[the-firebird69]

We're running up an expense report for the people to pay here of all these costs and stuff that these people here incurred I'm going to bill them for it and if they don't pay we're going to sue them

Thor Freya

I already have that and they're in court for it and I need it too we're assuming them for his boots that he got for free because he had to buy replacements and we're suing suing these people for a lot of stuff. And it's different we don't put what we're suing for but it's mentioned in code and they're going to probably check but they're lazy and we're suing for putting your smirks on your faces and inciting him and we're going to court with you Monday it's a group lawsuit it's a pseudo empire against you and we're going to sue you for sending the world up to fight each other and you did it 4 days and you read it on Dave and you anticipated us doing the job we're also purchasing more companies today there's more pre-purchase and tomorrow it's not a business day for most but it could be it's not it's a formal federal holiday so federal employees have the day off you don't necessarily have to take it off and we would do it out of respect but go and oya say that we should go to work and work on things and we're going to so going to set up meetings today we have four more pre-purchase agreements and I'm in charge of the paperwork if other teams do it I do the final review and it is true:

-I do hear him I got the job but he says I don't want to work for these people so I understand what you're saying I'd help him and it's true we get a lot of attention we needed it and Africa to use it and goo and oya and it says they're famous for being army and they are they've been armies for a long time and tribes and more organized since ancient times and he wants this army to infiltrate a lot more among other things so he wants him to start doing that like I am the head lawyer there's a particular job that I have in mind that he's not familiar with and I'm going to mention it and we'll do it the way we usually do and he agrees and he likes it and he thinks him and he says you're welcome other countries are asking for jobs and assignments and he's trying to think of what they're doing cuz I was helping him but not with lawyer stuff it was it was other things and he did it because of the analogy and he's trying to think of what to do goo and oil say they used to do a lot of stores and they took a lot of abuse and Trump tries to discourage it in a TV movie and it doesn't work actually it's in a movie and we're going to go ahead with that.

We can do more later he's in the middle of this and he's getting a little tired and it takes energy so we are trying to work on that too but we are suing them for what they're doing to him and Monday there's another major point

-we are sick and tired of them bothering him threatening him and harassing him and we are sick and tired of them setting up the entire world and screaming they're going to win they set up stuff and it's not well done they're set up so lame they do not have it and we don't want to hear from them every few minutes momentarily and for real. It is for the pseudo empire maneuver where you can't have them come in and they are saying they're a suitable buffer and holding area for our son and or not we're going to move forward in minority more lock in and they will begin with the India and Pakistan the Middle East one side assignment too but they don't do it as much and cool and oil are going to sit with them and it helps we have tons of work to do and Thor and Freya are strapped this is going to make it work just like my lawyer job and they like doing it and they were good at it and he said some of you were taxi drivers Pakistan and India were fine but Islamic make perfect taxi drivers for some reason and these guys would dig it cuz they're pushovers and they say we like that so now they're going to go sit there and the French and the Europeans those things are trade and the trade people who were running it back then it was Spain and Portugal then it was France and so he wants to elect them to do that and goo and oil once again would be the hub like I am for all the lawyers and we're assembling it now it's a great idea he says and they need it there and it's going to work both ways he'll see what's affecting them but this is a very serious crime with these people here doing they've exposed all the parties and they want to sit here and be big mooches and we're going to go to town on him pretty soon

Bitol and Goddess Wife

It's an outstanding idea and we're going to approve it when you send it in and he wants you to send in a preliminary project permission to work on and we're going to look for that and he says he's going to send it right now

Olympus

We're going to head with our work and we're getting it done and this is great he's helping us in a big way. We also have a huge problem with you people sassing making jokes talking smack you're a bunch of idiots and you don't care about your lies what's heading your way or huge armies whether you can stop them or not is how you react and what you're doing and we don't necessarily need you to be good at it but find out that hardly any of you are serious about anything so when they come crashing through your door and through the gate don't be surprised kind of helps us out. Other things are happening these morlock are talking about going west they're evacuating right now 20% are moving about 2% are at the embarking harbors for ships that are leaving they're not cruise ships there a passenger vessels with their humongous and they are carried out there and so far 1% are on board you might want to make a note that 30% are planning on leaving 20% are out the door and later on today we expect 20% more bring it to 50% of the Mac morlock here are exiting and the pseudo empire is gearing up for another round of pulling you out of here and they're going to go after the clones a lot harder that 50% includes clones they're about 10% of that crowd and they're 10% of the remaining 50% and we expect more to leave tonight by tomorrow we think only 30 to 40% will remain if it's last week won't be surprised you'll become extremely weak here and the pseudo empire is going to begin taking over the state and more will evacuate and by Tuesday afternoon there will be a small percentage here in Charlotte county will be at risk and you're going to be getting working feverishly to get him to Utah however the clones will probably force their way in and you'll try and use it again and it will probably go for another week or so with loading up and emptying and loading up and the pseudo empire will finally try and move the ships because that's what's happening the ships are a disastrously annoying thing and we believe that's what happens and he's right it will it be like a week and it'll start getting aggravated again they've been talking about it and they do plan to try stuff this week and it'll probably culminate at the end of the week we're moving out and we're getting ready for this conflict going on here today and other conflicts that are coming up here they're pretty big and he's important and we're going to work very hard we do thank him for his input this morning and it's helping already

Thor Freya

Olympus

[audio-luddite]

Yes I check in every day-ish.

I try to check stuff out often. Then I get typing and my brain leaks out words.

One of the things I tripped over the other day was a blr'r who asked why listen to an obsolete technology? Plastic disks? Vacuum Tubes? WTF? Well, putting it simply, it works.

If you have gone back in my posts (shit over 400!) I will have said that there is no best and there are things wrong with every part and method to bring music into your home electronically.

The newest SOTA streaming stuff needs fancy ($$$) stuff to extract the good sound too. And there is a valid controversy about artists getting paid fairly. One cool aspect of the "now" is artists are putting out vinyl LPs cuz they get paid much better for them. When you buy an LP you actually own it.

Oh and I think you can ramp up a high end vinyl system for less than a streaming one.

I have gobs of FETs and one vacuum tube in my preamplifier. It is a lovely sounding thing. The tube is in the Phono gain part. My amplifier currently on duty is Tubes and FETs as well. 12 glowing glass things that put out almost 400 Watts of heat just sitting there, Hence it is also a space heater.

It sounds very nice even though it has ten or 100 times the distortion of my much older transistor amplifier. Mostly cuz 100 times not very much is still not very much. It all works.

My transistor amp is going back in service when the weather warms up. It is the same level of perceived quality, but different. I have them both because I LIKE them.

But circling back to LPs why listen to those?

I guess the thing is you have to hear a good system playing a good LP. I have CDs too and some of those are extraordinary. But I like the LPs more. It is very interesting. Analog and Digital both cover the full bandwidth you can hear. Always when people visit me and hear one and then the other (same album) the black plastic disc wins. It is a preference, it is flavor, it is not some absolute level of perfection.

Why this is so, its a mystery. Life is full of mystery.

To be fair all consumer music put out is equalized (*) and mastered and corrected and adjusted to make it more attractive to casual listeners. High end recordings and "audiophile" versions are done more carefully.

Did you know that in TV showrooms they turn up the blue level to make a TV seem brighter and more attractive. Consumer sound (including streams) is usually dynamically compressed, which is a whole other thing than data compression. Dynamic compression makes it sound better in less than good systems. And worse in good systems.

High end sound is less fiddled, so better at the source you are listening too. It may be that recordings are just better. Probably yes.

(*) Trinity Sessions by Cowboy Junkies is a totally unequalized CD recorded to digital real time in a real room. One of my droogs is a graduate recording engineer and he was shocked that it was not equalized. Oh and I have the LP version of that album and I like it more.

The various tribes of audiophilia are more numerous than just vinyl and digital. There are the tube rollers ever dissatisfied with what ever they have. There are the inquisitors of the NOS. There are the FET fanatics. There are the rare OTL tubers. There are the dark monks of the single ended triode who labor in the caverns. There are the Class D high flyers flitting about the treetops. Legend has it there may even be mono-maniacs surviving in the mist. Oh and lets not forget the solder smoke eaters who always know better.

This is all to have fun remember.

[writingwithcolor]

Hi! I'm working on a book (an urban fantasy kind of thing) where I've added a mythology invented by me. One of my main characters is semi-immortal and he was born in the Philippines around the time of the Spanish invasion. I want him to believe in the gods invented by me while still believing in the pre-colonial Filipino religion. I was wondering if there are any Dos and Don'ts I should pay attention to, in order to make it believable and respectful of Filipinos' beliefs.

Filipino Mythology and good resources

Narrow down ethnic group and tribe

Hello! Prior to making any recommendations, I’d like to get a few things out of the way. 

First off, from which ethnic group is he?

And if he identifies with the present-day Filipino definition of indigenous (to narrow it down even more), which specific tribe? 

It’s worth noting that the Philippines as a concept did not exist prior to Spanish colonization and even during the early period of occupation. All the ethnic groups had and have cultures distinct from each other (some more so than others in the present-day, based on the effects of colonization, proximity, and cultural exchange). 

In Northern Luzon, you have the bulul (carved wooden figures) of the Ifugao and the Ikalahan. 

In Mindanao, there are heavy neighboring-ASEAN and Islamic influences, hence the use of the titles Rajah and Sultan to denote position and leadership. 

Look up pictures of traditional clothing from any number of provinces, and you’ll get some pretty different things. 

Same goes for myths and legends. Narrow it down to the group your character belongs to, and you’ll have a much easier time.

Avoid classing traditional stories as myth

I’d be wary, though, of declaring all traditional stories “myths”, considering folk religions and beliefs are practiced in certain areas and amongst indigenous communities. And if your character was semi-immortal, what reason would he have to consider those stories as legend? 

Resources 

Now, with that discussed, it’s important to note that a fair amount of surviving Filipino folktales exist in Spanish-influenced form (think morality tales & references to Roman Catholicism), and there’s a lot of well-intentioned fakelore floating around the Internet that details “Filipino” legends, often in a manner attractive and/or simplified for a Western audience that wants to view our culture from a Western lens. 

But that’s hardly possible. While we have concepts that might be analogous, they’re not the same, and you’d be best off tapping the academic curriculums of Filipino ethnology and archaeology students in Philippine universities.

 Explorations in Philippine Folklore by Herminia Menez is a wonderful resource, and it’s relatively inexpensive. 

Ambeth Ocampo’s article collections and talks about the pre-colonial Philippines offer insights as well into folklore and history - don’t miss them! 

Podcast recommendations

I also recommend the Sandaang Salaysay podcast on Spotify, by Ateneo (they’re a Philippine university), which has episodes in Tagalog and English (https://open.spotify.com/show/0vGM8I5G8UpRBRh2yVdmIj?si=DCggi-CYTWa2SZ5IDhRY1A). They might be pretty kid-y, but so are the Adarna House books about Philippine mythos - another rec of mine! Gorgeously illustrated with English and Tagalog versions. 

And if you’d like something more modern and horror-type, try Wag Kang Lilingon (https://open.spotify.com/show/27oWBmVBgmMaujDeCAXaTN?si=1ix5-Zj5T-6oba7kO4bdkQ). A lot of our horror movies have their roots in traditional Filipino folklore, and you’d be surprised at how normalized the supernatural is for many Filipinos. It’s not just some “backwards provincial” thing for many, so tread carefully. Some of the concepts you may come across are people’s beliefs, not just stories to play around with to create the “magical indigenous person” or “ooo generic chanting ooo” or some other bonkers stereotype. As usual - ask the advice of sensitivity readers if you can! There are many aspects that are off-limits. There are also many aspects that aren’t. 

Overall

Utilize good resources - either first-hand sources or Philippine academic materials. (Emphasis on Philippine.) As a writer and researcher, you’ll be better off for it. 

Best of luck!

~ Mod Lisa

[aion-rsa]

The United States of TV High Schools

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

The 2020 back-to-school season is a particularly complicated and emotionally fraught one. Students, teachers, and parents across the country and the world have to alter their usual education routines in the interest of social distancing and public health. It’s certainly a difficult, stressful time for many. But thankfully, that’s why the pop culture gods created television.

American high schools on television are much more consistent, comfortable places that the real ones, even when they’re being terrorized by monsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Satan himself (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), or worst of all: Samuel “Screech” Powers (Saved by the Bell). The landscape of fictional TV high schools is a rich and diverse one. But there are quite a few of them. And that raises the question: where are all these places anyway?

Here we have researched and gathered the location of every notable TV high school we can find. Some are set in real cities in real states, some are set in fictional cities in real states, and some are just off the grid entirely. So without further ado, here are the high school settings of some of TV’s most popular young adult shows. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Sunnydale California

Sunnydale High School

Sunnydale is a peaceful California town. It has all your usual features – nice people, great restaurants, a gateway known as the Hellmouth that connects our dimension to demons. Buffy and the rest of her Scooby gang attended Sunnydale High before moving on to University of California at Sunnydale. Sunnydale is fictional but is very likely analogous to the real-life Sunnyvale, California.

Saved by the Bell – Pacific Palisades, California

Bayside High School

Bayside High School is one of the most enduring concepts from Saved by the Bell’s four seasons. Some TV shows take place in high schools. Saved by the Bell is a high school show. The city in which Bayside resides is never revealed but filming occurred in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The O.C. – Newport Beach, California

Harbor High School

The grandiose Harbor High School was enough to give many a young millennial in the mid-2000s supreme high school envy. Imagine walking around in the beautiful Orange County weather as Ryan Atwood (Ben McKenzie) and Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) reminisce about that morning’s perfect bagel breakfast. Newport Beach is a real city in California. Harbor High School is semi-fictional in that the new high school in Newport Beach is known as Newport Harbor High School. Private Catholic college Mount Saint Mary’s stands in for Harbor High on the show. 

Teen Wolf – Beacon Hills, California

Beacon Hills High School

The fictional town of Beacon Hills, California is the main setting of MTV’s beloved 2011 Teen Wolf reboot. The town is supposedly named as such due to its “beacon” effect in attracting supernatural creatures. Many of those teenage supernatural creatures prowl the halls of Beacon Hills High School. 

Veronica Mars – Neptune, California

Neptune High School

Neptune, California is one of the most well thought-out fictional cities in the high school drama canon. It has some detailed geographical features, a thriving local government, and even its own 90909 zip code! Neptune High has a similarly lived-in feel. Don’t forget to get those Pirate points, everyone! The real city of Oceanside, California stood in for much of Neptune and Neptune High. 

13 Reasons Why – Crestmont, California

Liberty High School 

Due to ease of filming, many fictional California high schools reside in the southern part of the state. Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why switches things up a bit by taking place in NoCal. Crestmont is the town named in the books the TV series is based on. In the show, the characters hail from the Evergreen County that surrounds it. Liberty High School is where the youth of 13 Reasons Why go to learn…and also learn devastating truths about one another. 

Community – Greendale, Colorado

Greendale Community College

Greendale Community College isn’t technically a high school, but many within the show’s universe would argue that a degree from Greendale is basically on par with a high school education. Greendale has a rich fictional history dating back to the 1970s and including real life actor Luis Guzman as an alum. Community creator Dan Harmon based Greendale on his own experiences at Glendale Community College in California. 

Gilmore Girls – Stars Hollow, Connecticut

Stars Hollow High School

Stars Hollow is crucial to the mythology and success of Gilmore Girls. The town is a fictional hamlet 30 miles outside of Hartford, Connecticut and was loosely based on the real life towns of Washington Depot, West Hartford, and New Millford. Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino is originally from Los Angeles and was inspired to set her new series in Connecticut following a vacation to the Mayflower Grace hotel in Washington, Connecticut. Stars Hollow High is where Rory Gilmore gets her education. The school’s sports teams are the Minutemen. 

Stranger Things – Hawkins, Indiana

Hawkins High School

The Internet is flooded with queries as to whether Hawkins, Indiana of Stranger Things is a real place. It is not, and that is certainly for the best otherwise our own world would be teeming with monsters from the Upside-Down. Hawkins High School is the location of some truly traumatic events in Stranger Things from the Demogorgon’s destruction to the Snowball Dance.

Dawson’s Creek – Capeside, Massachusetts

Capeside High School

Dawson’s Creek creator Kevin Williamson intended for this ‘90s teen show to take place in his native North Carolina. WB executives had other plans, however, and wanted the show set in Boston. Williamson came up with a compromise by creating the fictional Cape Cod hamlet, Capeside, Massachusetts. The show was mostly filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. Capeside High School is where Dawson, Pacey, Joey, Jen, and the rest of the crew got their education…when they weren’t hanging out at that darn creek. 

Freaks and Geeks – Chippewa, Michigan

William McKinley High School

Though many things in Michigan are named after the Chippewa tribe, including Chippewa County, there actually isn’t a city bearing that name. That makes this Detroit suburb on Freaks and Geeks entirely fictional. Chippewa is named after Chippewa Valley High School that creator Paul Feig attended. The school is named after 25th U.S. President William McKinley. For some reason, he’s a pretty popular choice for fictional school names…perhaps because his tenure in office was short and he doesn’t have a lot of real high schools named after him.

Gossip Girl – New York, New York

Constance Billard School for Girls

Well, this is a first for our list. Gossip Girl is set on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and its depiction of a gaudy all-girls high school is in keeping with that community’s ostentatious displays of wealth. Serena van der Wooden, Blair Waldorf and friends all attend Constance Billard School for Girls where many alumni go on to attend prestigious colleges. Constance Billard’s “sister” school is St. Jude’s School for Boys.

Roswell – Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell High School

This one is a bit of a layup as The WB’s (later CW’s) supernatural teenage series Roswell is adapted from the Roswell High book series. Of course, Roswell High School was always going to play a big role in this one. The 2018 reboot continues to take place in Roswell High School in Roswell, New Mexico.

One Tree Hill – Tree Hill, North Carolina

Tree Hill High School

One Tree Hill takes its name from a U2 song off of Joshua Tree…and also from the fact that it’s set in Tree Hill, North Carolina. Tree Hill is fictional but the show was chiefly filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. Tree Hill High School is a big factor on One Tree Hill, especially since the town is so fond of the Tree Hill Ravens boys basketball team.

Glee – Lima, Ohio

William McKinley High School

For many of the kids on Glee, their biggest fear in life is never amounting to anything after high school and becoming a “Lima Loser.” This is because Glee is set in the (real) Ohio city, Lima, which is about 80 miles south of Toledo. Of course, as Glee went on, the Lima setting came to be quite ridiculous as more and more famous people just happened to be traipsing through town but that’s a topic for another time. The high school from which the titular glee club operates out of is once again William McKinley High School (like Freaks and Geeks and The Wonder Years).

A.P. Bio – Toledo, Ohio

Whitlock High School

Northwest Ohio turns out to be surprisingly fertile territory for fictional high schools. A.P. Bio is set in Toledo (which is a real place obviously) as a nod from the show’s creator Mike O’Brien to his hometown. It’s unclear why the high school that Jack Griffin teaches at is known as Whitlock but it’s got a pretty strong color scheme with gold and blue and a cool Ram mascot. 

My So-Called Life – Three Rivers, Pennsylvania

Liberty High School

Three Rivers is a fictional suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And that’s fitting given that Pittsburgh sits on three rivers – the Allegheny, the Monongahela, and the Ohio. “Three Rivers” is often used in many brands from the city. Within Three Rivers is Liberty High School, which was attended by Angela Chase and friends. The My So-Called Life Wiki actually has a class schedule for each character if that’s something you might be interested in. Exterior shots of the school are of University High School in Los Angeles. 

Pretty Little Liars – Rosewood, Pennsylvania

Rosewood High School

From one side of Pennsylvania to the other. Freeform’s pulpy teenage mystery series is set in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, which is a fictional suburb of Philadelphia. The setting might be loosely based on the real Rosemont, Pennsylvania. The Liars spend much of their time at Rosewood High School before matriculating to nearby Hollis College.

Boy Meets World – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

John Adams High School

Boy Meets World takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its suburbs. The characters don’t frequently make mention of their surroundings and current city, but the show does confirm it…as if all the Flyers, Phillies, ‘76ers, and Eagles paraphernalia didn’t make it obvious. Boy Meets World starts with Cory Matthews in Jefferson Elementary before moving onto John Adams High School and eventually Pennbrook University.

Friday Night Lights – Dillon, Texas

Dillon High School

Once more with feeling: Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. Friday Night Lights, both the brilliant NBC series and multimedia franchise around it, has deep ties to Texas. The show is set in the fictional western Texas town of Dillon (and eventually East Dillon). But Buzz Bissinger’s original book and the movie it was adapted into take place in the real western Texas town of Odessa. Both Odessa and Dillon’s respective football teams are known as the Panthers. Friday Night Lights, the show, did the majority of its filming in and around Austin, Texas for all five seasons. It’s a miracle the actors were able to stay in shape with all that barbecue floating around. 

The Vampire Diaries – Mystic Falls, Virginia

Mystic Falls High School

A lot of these small towns have a “dark secret,” huh? Mystic Falls, Virginia’s dark secret is that it has a long history of vampires, werewolves, and witches dating back to its founding in the 1800s. Mystic Falls High School is where many of those attractive young vampires, werewolves, and witches get their education. Mystic Falls is a fictional town in Virginia located between Lynchburg and Charlottesville. It’s name in the Vampire Diaries book series was “Fell’s Church” but the TV show had to change that due to it being too similar to the real city of Fall’s Church, Virginia.

That ‘70s Show – Point Place, Wisconsin

Point Place High School

Point Place, Wisconsin and its accompanying Point Place High School are both fictional locations where Eric Foreman, Jackie Burkhart, Michael Kelso, Steven Hyde, Donna Pinciotti, and Fez all live and attend school. What’s interesting about Point Place, Wisconsin is that it does not seem to have a consistent location within the state. At times it is described as a suburb of Green Bay in the north. Other times, however, the characters are able to make it to Kenosha in the south in no time at all. Point Place High School is located at 2120 South Michigan Ave., which is a reference to a Rolling Stones instrumental track recorded at the same address in Chicago.

Riverdale – Riverdale, ???

Riverdale High School

Where is gritty Archieverse teen drama, Riverdale, set? Uh…well, Riverdale. Where is Riverdale? Your guess is as good as ours. Many fans have selected New York state as the most likely location. The series describes Riverdale as being in Rockland County. The only Rockland County in the U.S. is in New York, close to Archie Comics’ headquarters in Pelham, New York. Wherever Riverdale may be, the school that Archie and friends attend is Riverdale High School. Its colors are blue and gold and its teams are called the Bulldogs. 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina – Greendale, ???

Baxter High School

In the Archieverse canon that contains Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Greendale is a neighboring town to Riverdale, on the opposite side of the Sweetwater River. Greendale, like a shocking amount of fictional U.S. towns, is built over a mouth to hell. Baxter High School is Greendale’s local public high school, attended by Sabrina Spellman and her friends. Its sports teams are known as the Ravens and they are Riverdale’s archrivals. 

Daria – Lawndale, ???

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Lawndale High School

What name could better capture the bland suburban ennui of MTV’s Daria than “Lawndale?” Lawndale is not a real place and Daria’s co-creator, Glenn Eichler, won’t even commit to setting it in a particular state, noting only that it is probably a mid-Atlantic suburb of a city like Baltimore. Lawndale High School is one of the most frequently occurring settings within Lawndale and where Daria and Jane go to stand around lockers and be cynical.

The post The United States of TV High Schools appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[iheardarumorxxx]

Midnight Sun, Chapter Ten - Theory

Alright, time to jump back in. Took a couple of days off, refreshed my brain, now I think I can handle more of this asshole.

instead of answering my demand

See that? See how Eddie just goes ahead and tells us that he’s being a demanding little shithead? More shades of that controlling tendency that he has all throughout the series, outright stated. This is literally the first sentence of the chapter, and he’s not even pretending to be subtle about it.

describe it so that she would understand.

Yes, because ‘I can read minds, but only if they’re relatively nearby, and it gets easier to pick out voices as I become familiar with them’ isn’t clear in the slightest. See that, Eddie? I just explained for you with 23 words, instead of going off on some dumbass tangent metaphorthat takes up an entire paragraph  like you do here because you think that the human mind is so small and weak that it can’t possibly comprehend cut and dry explanations.

The fact that Eddie thinks he needs to explain things in analogy for Bella because she won’t get it if he doesn’t really goes against this supposed idea he has about her being smarter and so above the other pitiful hooman folk. Either she’s too human to understand like everyone else, or she’s smarter and more rational and would get it without the metaphor. Pick one, Eddie.

I will say, one thing that I took from the Twilight series that still sticks with me is the phrase ‘Holy crow’. I do, in fact, use it unironically. It’s absolutely stupid, but I like the way it flows off the tongue.

Anyway, Bella just shouted it because Eddie is bending the car to his vampire physics again and going 100MPH, which, I would like to point out, she would have absolutely realized before now if she wasn’t so blatantly unobservent. She would have felt it, it wouldn’t have taken looking at the spedomoter to realize it.

“We’re not going to crash.”

Eddie is absolutely certain of this fact, and I am too only because SM would never let anything like that happen to her little woobie vampire and her SI Mary Sue. However, let’s apply real world logic to this for a sec. Just a sec because this story can’t handle real world logic for too long, but. They are presumably on a highway, going 100MPH at let’s say 930 to 10ish PM. I’ve never lived in Washington, but I’m going to make the presumption that there probably isn’t too much traffic this late, though, perhaps a bit more if it’s a Friday or Saturday night. Perhaps Eddie can keep perfect control of his own car, even going that fast, while most likely paying little to no attention to the road because he is constantly looking over at Bella in the passenger seat. He has his mind-reading power, which he probably uses to help him drive, and maybe there isn’t another car directly behind him based on how fast he’s going. 

He’s still not taking the other drivers on the road into account. What if the car in front of you that you are rapidly coming up on because you’re going so fast sees a turtle or a deer or some other kind of animal in the road and swerves to avoid it. Since this is real world logic, even if you see it coming with your mind reading power, you can’t make your car stop on a dime going 100MPH. You’re going to crash, and since you are going so fast, it’s gonna be a pretty nasty one. Your vampire body can handle that, because you’re a marble adonis god, but Bella over there is squishy and human. You slam those breaks, seatbelt aside, she’s gonna end up through the windshield or strangled to death by that seatbelt. 

He’s assuming that his vampire magic strength and perfectness is gonna be enough to protect him from literally everything. It will, because this book is not realistic in the slightest, but he’s still a dick for not taking into account the other drivers on the road. And not taking into account the fact that Bella is clearly upset and terrified that he’s going so fast.

Two and a half paragraph rant over one line. Check.

Bella spills about how Jacob told her the old story about the Cullens being sparkley, evil vampires who aren’t allowed at La Push because the wolves will eat them. And I have to say, because this story is the entire basis for Bella knowing that Eddie and his ilk are vamps, how the hell does it take her so long to figure out that Jacob is a werewolf in New Moon? Like, I know it’s because she’s stupid, but since she’s supposed to be wise beyond her years and smart and shit, why did it not click that both sides of the story must be true.

Rant for a different book, but.

I supposed this meant I was now free to slaughter a small, defenseless tribe on the coastline, were I so inclined. Ephraim and his pack of protectors were long dead.

This is it. This is the line I’ve been waiting for. I knew it was coming and it STILL pisses me off so damn much reading it. Do you see that? Do you see it? Eddie is talking about straight up genocide. He is literally talking about killing hundreds of people just because some teenage kid told an old folktale to a girl he thinks is cute to try and impress her. I would like to remind you of that line that Alice said earlier: “It helps if you think of them as people.” IT HELPS IF YOU THINK OF THEM AS PEOPLE, EDWARD!!! These people have done literally nothing to you! If you wanted to go, say, beat up Jacob Black for spilling your secret, that’s one thing (A terrible thing that is bullshit, even if Jacob gets a jerkass makeover in a few months) but you are literally la de fucking da over the idea of going down to the reservation and murdering every man, woman, and child there because of some bullshit technicality broken treaty. HOW THE FUCK DOES ANYONE THINK THIS GUY IS THE HERO? HOW DOES ANYTHING SEE HIM AS A GOOD LOVE INTEREST? HOW IS HE A PROTAGONIST? HE’S A FUCKING MURDERER, PLAIN AND SIMPLE SPELLED OUT RIGHT THE FUCK THERE! It was spelled out pretty damn well in that first classroom scene, but here we are reinforcing it, and this is the guy that SM said she was willing to leave her husband for. THIS GUY. 

I hate it. I hate him. I’m not a happy camper.

And I’m gonna move on before I burst a blood vessel from how mad it makes me.

Bella goes on to tell Eddie that she flirted the story out of Jacob, and that she doesn’t care. He replies with “HOW CAN YOU NOT CARE! I’M A MONSTAH!” and she just shrugs and pops her gum. Eddie is just absolutely shocked by this because how could she not care? He even wonders if there’s something wrong with her. The answer is yes, she’s clearly a hybristophile, but that’s beside the point. 

The ‘how old are you’ ‘17′ ‘how long have you been 17′ ‘a while’ exchange is actually kind of cute, on it’s own. Had it been in a better book, it might have made me smile a little. But in Twilight it just felt like forced comedy, and here with Eddie being all Emo about being a monstah and also being condescending and clearly angry about Bella knowing his secret, it comes off a lot darker in tone. It could have come off as a playful exchange between people getting to know one another, and instead, it’s a darker tone and it’s almost uncomfortable. The movie had this problem, too, where they made it all dark and angsty instead of just being a cute little exchange that it should have been.

“I can’t sleep.”

This is more of that thrown away world building that SM does. First it was the Vampires never Change thing and now the can’t sleep thing. It could have been so fascinating to explore what not being able to sleep does to the psyche of these Pires. How different vampires get used to that sensation over different periods of time. Did it unsettle Eddie at first when he was turned and just couldn’t sleep anymore? Was Jasper already a night owl who barely slept, so it wasn’t much of a change for him anyway? What do they do to fill their time? If their hobbies and interests never change, it seems like they wouldn’t be using all that newly acquired time to learn new skills and hobbies, even if that particular ‘never change’ plot point isn’t explored either and never actually seems relevant to them. Has a Pire ever tried to sleep anyway? Just lay down and closed their eyes and waited for eight hours to pass, hoping they would drift off? This is interesting lore. It’s something that could have given depth to the vampires instead of being a throwaway plot point so Eddie could watch Bella sleep at night. I’m disappointed. I want a good idea to actually be used well.

Edward calls Bella observant and to that I can only say ‘Ha.’ 

Eddie finally realizes that Bella has the hots for him too and it’s so UWU and trite, but he has to go and bring up that stupid Hades and Persephone metaphor again and piss me off in the process.

The get to Bella’s house and take forever with their goodbyes, and right at the end Eddie goes on about how he’s got this new hunger in him just looking at Bella and feeling how warm she is and shit and it’s just him being horny again, but nothing happens and Bella heads inside. But don’t worry, Eddie assures us that he’ll be in his usual perch in the rocking chair later that night to stalk her and watch her sleep, so everything is well.

She couldn’t love me the way I loved her

GET IT? BECAUSE VAMPIRES ARE BETTER THAN YOU(tm) AT EVERYTHING INCLUDING HOW HARD THEY LOVE? Seriously, so damn sick of this idea that the vampires in this universe just do everything and see everything and smell everything and feel everything just so much more intensely than the pitiful hoomans. I still have a rant about it. It’s still coming. Don’t worry.

A casual throwaway mention of the Voltouri here, AKA the vampire Mafia that make and enforce the rules. They don’t actually matter or have any real power in this series, and they suck, but nice little nod to the audience as a reminder that there is supposed to be a governing body in the vampire world.

Carlisie and Eddie boy are off to take care of the rapist who almost got Bella, and the entire fucking drive, Carlisle is just sitting there thinking about how wonderful Eddie is and how he deserves happiness and it’s such bullshit for him to be thinking that way when he KNOWS that Eddie can read his thoughts. He’s literally just showering him in compliments for the sake of it just so that Eddie can hear them and puff up his ego. I don’t buy that it’s just passive thoughts. He wants Eddie to hear them.

We all know who Carlisle and Esme’s favorite child is.

We end the chapter with Eddie going back to Bella’s house to watch her sleep, deciding to take it upon himself to wander around her house uninvited, and the rambling on about how Bella clearly doesn’t have a guardian angel because she crossed his path and no guardian angel would allow that. Then he makes some crack about being her guardian vampire, talks about how, oh, it’s actually a good thing that he took it upon himself to break into her house to watch her sleep because he got her another blanket because she seemed cold, and smiles to himself when she mumbles his name in her sleep. 

That’s it, chapter done, I’m tired. I’m gonna try to crank out another one (maybe two) tonight, but no promises because this one really took a lot out of me. These characters just suck. Anyway, as always, feel free to message me or DM me to talk about the book, recommend future projects, etc. And you can always buy me a snack using the CashApp tag in my bio. Until next chapter, good damn bye.

[kyogre-blue]

Nanowrimo, day 13 (wc 2385)

The first thing they had to do after docking was find out whether there were any local restrictions on who could do trade in the city and how. Once it was pointed out, Sinbad understood the concept. Although far less intense, it was the same as Partevia — outsider had to battle regulations and paperwork to earn their right to trade in the country. 

One of the dock master’s subordinates readily, if somewhat distractedly, pointed them in the right direction. 

To trade in Napolia, and indeed in Reim as a whole, it was necessary to become a member of the trade union. And as for the details of what the trade union required to grant membership… 

“1000 gold coins?!” Ja’far hissed in shock. His hands seemedling instinctively itched toward his hidden darts — until Rurumu’s hand came down on his head in a light chop. Light by Imuchakk standards, anyway. 

“Proper comportment, always,” she reminded him in a gentle, lilting voice. To the trade union receptionist, she smiled and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. “Thank you for the information, sir. Please allows to discuss how we will proceed.” 

The trader had to crane his neck back to look at her from where he was sitting. Clearing his throat slightly, he said, “C-certainly. We look forward to your application. I’m sure your business would add exciting new business to our city.” 

Since their group was fairly large, they had decided that only Sinbad, Rurumu and Ja’far would head to the trade union to apply — or fail to apply, as the situation turned out — while Hinahoho, Vittel and Mahad worked on docking and unloading their goods, and Alibaba headed out on his own matters. By then time the first group made their way back to their dock, the second group was halfway through unloading everything onto the pier, and Alibaba had also returned. 

“That girl in Reim? Girl? Yunan, what kind of description was that…?!” he was muttering to himself, holding his head and pacing in the shadow of the stacked merchandize. 

It seemed like his matters were not going well. Fortunately, Sinbad was more than willing to provide a distraction. 

Calling everyone over, he quickly summarized the situation. “In short,” he said, “we need 1000 gold pieces and a letter of recommendation from a member.” 

“1000 gold pieces! That’s highway robbery!” Ja’far insisted. 

“Is it really that big a problem?” Vittel wondered. “I mean, the treasure from Valefor was much more than that. Most of it went to the national chief, but there was still some left aside,” — Sinbad had learned his lesson in that respect — “and if there was anything left from Baal’s dungeon…” 

“There wasn’t really,” Sinbad said quickly. “Not unless we borrow from Alibaba.” He glanced at his friend. 

“It’s fine, I’ll keep the interest low,” Alibaba assured him. It was hard to tell whether he was joking. “It most likely won’t be just one thousand though. The only way to get a recommendation is to pay something in return. Right now, you don’t have any connections, not among the merchants or the nobles, so you can only rely on money, which will be a lot to convince someone to potentially risk their reputation by endorsing you, or on giving away part of your future business in some way.” 

“And we’ll need to find out who the trade union members are first, and who we can try approaching about the recommendation,” Sinbad realized, sighing. 

“Please leave the information gathering to us,” Vittel said quickly. “We have experience with that kind of work.” ...In a sense. Assassinations often required first researching the target, and Sham Lash had also at times served as a branch of Partevia’s intelligence agency. Their methods ran more toward stealing documents than asking around, but it was at least something they had familiarity with. 

“Alright, then I’ll be counting on you,” Sinbad agreed. “We’ll speak to the dock master about paying for a longer stay. Then, we can load the merchandize back on for now and live aboard in the meantime to save some money. I can’t imagine the hotels or warehouses are cheap around here…” 

Rurumu nodded. “But, Lord Sinbad, what shall we do about the food? Even with Valefor’s ice magic, it can’t be kept indefinitely without losing freshness.” 

“If we can’t sell it, then…” Sinbad frowned, pursing his lips. 

It was frustrating. 

Since everything had been coming together, he had gotten too hasty. Something like the perishable nature of some goods like the rare extreme north fish should have occurred to him even without knowing about the difficulty of getting a trading license in Napolia. There were any number of other issues that could cause delay in travel, so he should have rejected anything that wasn’t suited to transport and storage. But he hadn’t been able to predict what would be most appealing to Reim citizens on the market, so Sinbad had focused on taking as many different things as Rametoto was willing to offer. 

This was just a delay. They would enter the trade union eventually, Sinbad was sure. The interest in their Imuchakk goods was clearly high. And even without the perishables, they would have plenty of merchandize to sell. Fortunately, he had even set aside some additional funds from the treasure this time, remembering the difficulties of having kept nothing from Baal. 

It was just a delay. But it was so frustrating. 

“It’s not that you can’t sell entirely, it’s that you can’t sell in public,” Alibaba pointed out. “It should still be possible to sell privately. That is to say, if you approach an individual buyer and sign a contract with them without putting anything on the market in public.” 

“You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it,” Sinbad noted. “I’m guessing this isn’t a good option.” 

Turning it over in his mind, he thought he had an idea why. 

Alibaba nodded. “It’s not great. You don’t want to be a supplier, you want to be an independent trading company. A famous one. If you resell, someone else will take the goods you’ve brought over and becomes the ones known for selling Imuchakk goods to the public. You’ll lose the first time on the market advantage, which is especially strong in this situation, not to mention the money lost depending on how much the resell buyer drives down the prices.” 

“If it’s like that, better to throw it out and start over clean,” Ja’far judged ruthlessly. 

“It’s just food, right? Compared to our other Imuchakk goods, it’s probably not as distinctive,” Hinahoho disagreed. “Most of it is fish or meat, and you can catch a lot of it outside Imuchakk territories too, so it might have even appeared here before.” 

“That might be true for Eumera sea bream and the like, but I do not think anyone except our warriors would be able to hunt a black elder moose successfully,” Rurumu said. The creature she was referring to towered over even the Imuchakk and was extremely dangerous to hunt. She had a point — Sinbad couldn’t imagine any other tribes treating them as a prey animal, or sharing their kills with outsiders in the rare cases where they succeeded in bringing one down. 

It wasn’t common even for the Imuchakk, and the fact that Rametoto had sold them some was a sign of his high expectations. 

Both selling it to some other merchants to profit off of and just throwing it out felt unacceptable. 

Everyone felt that way, regardless of which option their ultimately favored. The discussion continued back and forth in circles endlessly. Closing his eyes, Sinbad tried to block it out and think. 

There had to be another way. He refused to believe it could be this kind of inescapable situation. He had never gone along with what the world wanted, so there had to be some other solution that would let him come out on top. He just had to find it. 

“I think,” Alibaba said slowly, making everyone quiet down habitually, “there might be a third option. It’ll take extra work, but there might be extra benefits too.” 

“In that case, please educate us, Mentor,” Sinbad said, smiling. 

Again, he received an undeserved look of judgement. 

Clearing his throat, Alibaba began to explain. “The reason you shouldn’t resell is that you’ll be giving ground to competition. Other merchants are your opponents, competing for the same resources — the buying power of the public. But not all merchants sell the same things, so not everyone is in direct competition for the same markets. In that case… why not make use of a market you couldn’t otherwise pursue?” 

Vittel was frowning in confusion, and Mahad’s face was even more blank than usual. It was clear they didn’t understand, and the others were not much better off. 

Only Rurumu nodded thoughtfully. “I see… As expected of Lord Alibaba,” she said. Glancing at her fiance with a smile, she explained, “Imagine if you bring down a silver frost bear. You don’t want to just give away the meat or the fur or the bones, since you can use those. But what about the fangs or claws? You’re not any good at making jewelry, and neither is Rika, and you don’t really have a use for them either. So why not go ahead and sell them?” 

“Oh-ho, so it’s like that,” Hinahoho brightened. 

“Yes, like that,” Alibaba agreed, beaming. “But if you play it smart, you can even have the person you’re selling to tell their customers, ‘These are made from the claws of a silver frost bear, that fearsome beast! The great warrior Hinahoho brought it down himself!’ as free advertisement. ...Well, using that analogy.” Taking a deep breath, he said simply, “What I’m suggesting is to resell to a restaurant.” 

The idea that had been slowly taking shape finally came into focus, spreading out in Sinbad’s mind full of detail — and benefit. 

“Oh!” His eyes brightened with excitement. “I see! We’ll never start a restaurant ourselves, so it’s not like we’re losing potential customers. And if presented right, we can even get people interested in Imuchakk, so they react even better when we finally open our own store!” 

Sinbad had never been to a proper restaurant, but he imagined it was something like the taverns he’d sometimes visited with some of the merchants and sailors he worked with — on their expense, of course. One older man, whose clothes had been tailored for a much rounder figure before the war took a downturn, had proudly boasted about dining in the royal capital and in Aktia, back when his business had been flourishing. 

‘Oh, this fish is quite interesting,’ the rich visitors would say. ‘How did you catch it?’ 

‘It’s all the way from the extreme north! Look at that powerful tail, you can only catch them with an enforced net, but the extra weight makes it hard to maneuver,’ the restaurant owner would brag, for some reason very familiar with the particulars of fishing. ‘Only an Imuchakk warrior would have the arm strength to turn them dexterously enough!’ 

‘Imuchakk? Tell me more!’ 

The image in Sinbad’s mind was a bit too... cozy to be a high class restaurant, but it was not entirely off. 

Unaware of what Sinbad was imagining, Alibaba nodded along. “That’s right. When you think about it, people aren’t really going to know what to do with this kind of food items anyway. They won’t recognize most of them or know how to cook them. So this method of introducing Imuchakk cuisine to them is actually better, right? Especially if Miss Rurumu can provide some basic recipes when negotiating. Since you’re providing a one of a kind attraction that will give them an edge over their competitors, with Sinbad’s persuasive skills, a high profit is quite possible!” 

“I can certainly do that,” Rurumu agreed. Turning to their young boss, she asked, “Lord Sinbad?” 

Sinbad grinned. “Let’s do it!” 

Once the decision had been made, he didn’t hesitate and immediately put together a plan of action. 

“Rurumu and Hinahoho, look over the food stuff we brought and decide what kind of recipes we can sell. Also, put aside what we can use as a sample meal when we go to make the deal,” Sinbad issued orders rapidly. “Vittel, find out about the famous restaurants in Napolia and what their owners are like. Ja’far and Mahad, you’ll help me look for an office for our company and move the other goods there. After we’re done with the offloading and the deal, I want most of you to head back to Imuchakk and get a new shipment. We’ll figure out what we want to bring over once we see how the first few days go. Everyone clear on what to do?” 

“Yes!!” A chorus of voices rang out. 

The founding members of the Sindria Trading Company dispersed quickly, leaving only the two dungeon capturers in the ship’s cabin. Sinbad let out a silent breath. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t at least a little nervous, betting like this on obtaining a license somehow. But he would naturally forge onward ahead. 

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he smiled and clapped Alibaba on the shoulder. 

“Thanks,” he said simply. 

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing. The hard part will be landing the deal and making sure it runs smoothly,” Alibaba insisted, ducking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. However, there was a pleased smile tugging on his lips. 

“Mm. Well, that’s true. I’ll handle the negotiations, but I’d like it if you could come too,” Sinbad said. “Just to observe. You can tell me afterwards how badly I let myself get cheated.” 

There were things Sinbad didn’t know, like the tricks of business. But after making a mistake once, he would certainly never repeat it. He just needed to make sure he knew what his mistakes had been in the first place. 

“Alright,” Alibaba agreed easily. “As long as it’s within the next few days, I’ll go with you. I’ll be heading out to Remano after that.” For some reason, he sighed heavily. “Not that I know what’ll do there. How am I even supposed to meet her...” 

Sinbad patted him on the back. 

[ancientbooshartifacts]

The Evil Yeti

Author: Anonymous

Year: 2009

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Howard/The Yetis

He remembered the fear. Only vaguely though, and although he knew it was still somewhere inside of him, it didn't seem to matter. Parsley was free. Free. It didn’t seem to matter that the showers of rose petals falling around him were landing upon a naked, defenseless body. It didn't seem to matter that his precious utility suit had been utterly shredded, his camera smashed into little pieces. It didn't matter that he felt something rubbery binding itself around him. At the moment, it just kind of tickled. The leaves on the ground tickled too, crunching slightly as he rolled onto them, his knees. Parsley wriggled his toes, turning onto his back and looking up. The yetis were all around, like big, furry teddy bears. Looking down at him, giving those deep, throaty yeti-laughs at the comical sight of Parsley, rolling about nude on the forest floor, giggling. - - The yeti mating ritual, Chrissie informed in a consise, informative way, is known for its harshness. Yeti do not actually mate with human males, as it is widely believed, but merely select one to use as a surrogate - a living egg-incubator. Before inserting fertilised egg(s), the host’s body is first utterly worn out, much like meat is tenderised before being cooked. Barry pulled a face. What an analogy. - - The bizarre, rubbery, magical tendrils wrapped themselves more firmly around Parsley’s wrists and ankles at first. Although he was distracted by the yeti voices and the dancing colours around him, he did feel it. Didn't think to react though. Mobility wasn't all that important, and the yeti didn’t seem bothered. When he was flipped onto his belly, he couldn't even see them anymore, just hear their comforting, musical laughter. He was only vaguely aware of what was happening as he felt his body dragged slowly over the soft, leafy forest floor, and as he was lifted up into the air by his ankles and wrists, face down. He tried to wriggle free of his bonds; it hurt to be lifted up like this. Still, even though it hurt, what was the point in worrying if he couldn’t do anything about it anyway? He was just a little insect, caught in a massive web. Another tendril came down from somewhere above, tickling his back and sides as it wrapped around his hips. Parsley gave a little grunt of discomfort though, when it instantaneously tightened, jerking his waist up so he was in a bizarre bending position with nothing to lean on. - - This is so the host’s body will not crush the eggs at any point during the process, or at any point afterwards. It is at this point that the female yeti most needs her tribe; one creature alone could not drive a human to such levels of physical exhaustion. Barry felt a little ill. Yeti magic cannot conjure, nor elliminate. It can only manipulate, and thus, rendering the future host immobile is achieved by the yeti themselves (especially in the case of the sasquatch and bunyip), or more commonly by manipulating local flora (vines, etc).

- -

A sharp flash of pain. Parsley didn't know where it came from, or why, but it was across his back. Heavy, the blow had been, and loud too - the ‘smack’ echoed through the forest. His body attempted to contract, to curl up and protect itself, but he couldn't move. Whatever had beaten him hit again, this time on his thigh. Each time, Parsley gave a loud yelp of pain, growing more and more frantic as the pain mounted. Not that this made him struggle more, of course. He just let it flow through him like the rhythm of the forest. There wasn’t anything he could do, and the yeti kept laughing their deep, comforting laugh. There was a pause after a while through. Parsley hadn’t noticed before now, but he had bitten his tongue quite badly at some point and tasted blood - and tears had been leaking from his eyes for a while now. More importantly, the yeti laughter stopped for a moment as they consulted each other. For a moment, Parsley thought they might leave him here, but then, instead, he felt something large creeping into his mouth, a vine that continued to grow until he could hardly move his jaw at all, and could make no more than a muffled moan. He closed his eyes tightly as the beating resumed. Faster now. Harder. At least three blunt objects were hitting him, now in the stomach as well as over his back. His body tried to writhe away, but it was impossible, of course. As Parsley felt hid body shaking with quiet sobs, he was never the less comforted by the sound of yeti laughing again, soothing him as his body was pummelled. - - The preparation of the host comes in four stages: the tenderising, the cleansing, the stretching and the final binding. This is why male bodies (typically tougher) are preferred, although some of the smaller yeti in South America seem to prefer fertile women. Generally, each stage will an average of sixty minutes to complete. No human has ever been known to retain any level of sanity experiencing the stretching stage, however, so it is unknown exactly when the end of this is likely to occur. Yeti rarely kill their hosts’ bodies, however- Barry looked at Chrissie with an expression of disbelief. -and when they do, it is usually accidental.

- -

If not for the gag in his mouth, Parsley would be screaming by now. Tears just kept falling and his body kept hopelessly struggling, but there was no hope. No hope, no relief. His muscles ached more and more from writhing about and from the incredibly uncomfortable position he was bent into. For so long, this went on. So long. Every now and then, something would touch him - a finger or claw or something, would touch his mouth or his arse or foot, but then be jerked away when the yeti laughter changed to a hiss. They weren't going to stop until they were ready, presumably. Parsley didn't think beyond that though. He couldn't and he didn't want to. All of a sudden, though, it stopped. Parsley heard strange sounds - not yeti, nor forest animal. People. The gag was left in, but his body was lowered to the ground, the rubbery harness removed completely for some reason. Still blinded by darkness and tears, and wanting to cry out in pain at every touch, Parsley allowed himself to be dressed now. His body was limp and he didn't think he could force it to be otherwise. In any case, he was safely in the arms of the yeti. Warm. Soft. Kind. They dressed him in something. They touched his face. All Parsley wanted was to hold them though, be comforted by them as his body was still shaking with the pain of his ordeal. He lay on the ground, gagged and waiting for the sobbing to subside. He would not move again until he heard familiar voices, screaming. Only then would Parsley gather his thoughts enough to remove the gag from his mouth, straighten up his odd, white, yeti robe and follow the sounds in the hope of resolving the conflict between his new friends and his old ones. - - Altogether, the yeti spend an average of four to six hours preparing a host. It is only then that they proceed to insert their fertilised eggs. This process, however, is apparently very erotic to yetis, so the first thing the maddened, twisted host is likely to see when he wakes up is a wild, dirty, yeti orgy... Barry frowned distastefully, looking at Chrissie. “Is there a reason I need to know this then, Chrissie?” he asked, “Or are you just busting my chops for objectifying you in front of Naboo?” And ignoring me in favour of the check-out girl, Chrissie reminded him. Barry rolled his eyes.

[writesofais]

What If I Fail?

I hope I don’t burst into flames using a DC talk reference for a BDSM Discussion but here goes: What if I stumble, what if I fall?  What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all? Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?  What if I stumble, and what if I fall?

This chorus has always struck me even long after I left the church. About love and reviving from our own mistakes. I have noticed that we in this lifestyle wrap a lot of our self-image up into how successful we are in our roles.

A good Dom, a good Sub. Guess what...you won’t always make that mark. Once more, you’re not perfect and you will fuck up. This may cost you a relationship this might just be a bump in one. You might hit a point where you just can’t move forward as quickly as you thought you could.

So what now?  How do you move past a mistake?  In a dynamic? Out of a dynamic?  How do help a partner or a friend or yourself move forward? What if I stumble, what if I fall?

*Please direct all hate mail to: 666 Lucifer Lane Hell, Michigan 48169 Care of Meanie Butt

(Topic Prompt provided by @1-sadistic-lover)

                                                   __________

Dear, Mr. Meanie Butt

Let me start my letter by stating that your sadistic nature shines bright even through your topics.  You do an admirable job of disguising it by labeling it "learning" and "education", but your glee in your sadism is apparent throughout.  You should be proud!

(Just teasing...kinda)

I take a look at the words to this chorus and I am struck anew at how paradoxical humans can be in their wants and their needs.  We want to be unique and individual.  Both in who we are and in our experiences.  But we need to be understood and to not stand so far outside the norm that we are isolated.  The questions that are posed in this chorus are evidence that there is no isolation in failure, nor in making mistakes, nor in the stumbles and obstacles that we will face while in any relationship.  But it is in those dark times that we feel most alone and as if there is no understanding and as if there can be no redemption.

If there is one truth it is that we will fail, some days we will fail spectacularly. And we may lose something precious in the process. If trust has been broken, if the foundation of the dynamic has been compromised through betrayal, abandonment, neglect or abuse, there should be no coming back from that.  Nothing built on that ruin can be strong enough to withstand the demands of any dynamic.  Hopefully, you learn from it, make peace with the demons and find a better path for the sake of yourself and any future partners.

I have never liked the implication that a Dominant has more power in which to fail a dynamic than a submissive.   That he is somehow held to a higher standard than a submissive and has more responsibility to maintain the covenant that they have agreed upon.  That somehow a submissive's fuckups are more forgivable and understandable.   A Dominant may not admit it, may not want to say it or even acknowledge it,  but they are equally vulnerable in this dynamic.  A submissive can pull her power at any point.  Can stop the flow point blank and leave him with nothing.  She can twist it, manipulate, break trust.  Making a fool of not only his Dominance but him in the process.  I hold myself to the same standard that I hold him to, and then one step further.

When dealing with large offenses, I tend to step back from the dynamic.  It is something that needs to be resolved outside of it.  Obviously, there was something somewhere that did not work correctly and we both need to reevaluate and consider.  Honest communication is the only way through this, and that includes being honest with yourself.  We take it back to the foundation and build from there.

As a submissive within this dynamic,  when I mess up, I am honest.  I admit my error and I own it.  That does not mean that there is not a yelling match involved when we are standing on opposite sides.  But once it is clear that I was in the wrong, I own it, I apologize sincerely, look for ways in which I can correct my behavior and accept his disapproval and once we are back in the dynamic accept the correction.

When he messes up…I tend to go quiet as I deal with the anger and hurt.  I try and think through that to make sure I am not overreacting to the situation.  Then it usually begins with him sensing that something is up and asking what is wrong.  As soon as I say I am feeling angry and hurt he tends to drop all if he can and we start talking.  Again, it isn't always pretty, but we are both committed to making our dynamic work and we are fighting for something we both value very very much.  

We both go through periods of self-doubt after a stumble.  We have worked extremely hard to make sure that we can say anything to the other.  That we can come back to a situation and talk about it if we need to.  That the other is a safe place to show vulnerability and fear and the parts of us that we are not always proud of.

How do you fix something like this?  That is a tough one and the answers are as varied as the people involved.  Forgiveness is key, but really you should do that more for yourself than for anyone else.  Carrying anger and hurt around with you will consume your joy and dictate your life.  I don't tend to forget.  There is an analogy that I use with my kids...take a nice clean fresh piece of paper, that is your relationship with this person.  Now crumple that paper up, that is your mean words/inappropriate actions.  Now smooth the paper out as much as you can, that is your apology and attempts to fix the issue.  No matter how hard you try….the marks are still there.  It is ok to remember, it is even ok for those marks to be there.  It is ok to decide because of what was said and done, to end the relationship.   Most of us have been told that you have to accept an apology, forgive, forget and move on.  We were actually trained to this.  This is not only harmful to us as individuals but to all of us as a whole.  Remembering is how we learn and protect ourselves, and how we keep trying to be better, both as individuals and together.  With all that being said, the marks don't mean the end, sometimes they strengthen what is there, healing stronger and better.

You don't hold on to something that is threatening to destroy you, but you fight for the things worth fighting for.  And if someone has written a song about the doubts and fears that exist in you, it is a given that you are not alone and that someone does understand.  Reach out when you are in those dark places, it is the whole point of having a tribe.

Aisling

[arcticdementor]

It is hard to find a clearer outlier among developing countries than Botswana, a landlocked African country where 40% of government revenue comes from diamond mining and a quarter of adults are HIV-positive. Everything taught by a development economics department would suggest the country is set up for failure. But well-executed succession between presidents, and the resulting stability and good government, has meant success instead.

Botswana is possibly the nicest place in Africa—it is quieter and more stable than, say, Greece. In the entire period since independence, Botswana has not suffered devastating civil wars like those in the Congo or Mozambique, coups such as in Burkina Faso, or ethnic violence and expropriation as seen in Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

The country’s living standards are comparable to Turkey, Mexico, and South Africa. It has also been Sub-Saharan Africa’s fastest growing economy for most of the last half-century.

…

Unfortunately, there are many examples of countries that have tried and failed to achieve good governance in the often chaotic post-colonial context. These countries followed Western advice as closely as they could, drafting legally impeccable constitutions and recruiting well-educated statesmen, but the results have been mixed at best. Botswana’s positive outlier example raises the question of how it has done so well.

Good government starts with good leadership. Here is the list of heads of state of Botswana over the last hundred years:

•King Khama III, who reigned 1875–1923, decided to join the British Empire.

•President Seretse Khama, the grandson of Khama III, led the effort to leave the British Empire. He held office for 14 years, from 1966 to 1980.

•President Quett Masire served as Seretse Khama’s vice president. He held office for 18 years, from 1980 to 1998.

•President Festus Mogae served as Quett Masire’s vice president. He held office for 10 years, from 1998 to 2008.

•President Ian Khama, son of Seretse Khama, great-grandson of King Khama III, served as Festus Mogae’s vice president. He held office for 10 years, from 2008 to 2018.

•President Mokgweetsi Masisi served as Ian Khama’s vice president, and is the current president since 2018.

Given these clear personal, political, and familial ties between the heads of state, it seems that Botswana is actually an unofficial adoptive monarchy around the old royal family, quite similar to the case of the Roman Empire, where the head of state picks the successor and gives him the junior position.

In the paradigm of contemporary political science, such an arrangement is usually taken as a negative sign. We are used to thinking of political dynasties and close alliances among insiders to be cardinal signs of corruption.

This negative association is at least somewhat the result of cherry-picking. We focus on political dynasties in failed or rogue states, but minimize their very real role in successful Western states. The modern West has its dynasties, most famously the Bushes and Kennedys. This is an open secret. Statistically, one of the best qualifications for being a U.S. governor is descent from one.

…

Since the same people tend to come up on top overall, the rough composition of the elites in a country will not be significantly different if it implements meritocratic policies or not. The key difference between functionality and dysfunctionality is in the institutional mechanisms the elites use to cooperate with each other, rather than just the selection or composition of elites.

The arrangement we see in Botswana—where the previous head of state publicly declares a successor—solves the problem of power succession. This both helps prevent organizational sclerosis and renders succession conflicts unlikely. Many post-colonial states struggle with the problem of succession. Civil wars and coups are endemic. It is open to discussion how much of this is the result of internally driven miscoordination, and how much is due to destabilizing foreign interventions, especially during the Cold War. But at least some of the instability is internally driven.

Botswana avoided Cold War–driven instabilities by aligning with the West, but positioning itself such that the USSR had no interest in overthrowing it. Botswana was a thorn in the side of South Africa, and useful to the USSR, by sometimes allowing the communist-aligned ANC to operate in its territory. The Soviets may have worried that a revolution would simply result in a South African invasion. Thus, the only communists active in Botswanan politics were small Maoist and Trotskyist groups.

…

Ian Khama resigning from the military before entering civilian politics, rather than using the position of general to install himself directly, however, is an example of the way military leaders can acquire political power without setting a precedent for coups. One of the key variables in determining whether a country has a coup is how many coups it has had in the past. It further demonstrates a degree of coordination and deal-keeping among elites. There is a direct analogy here to the practice of successful U.S. generals who became president, such as George Washington, Ulysses Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. That military leaders can rise to power through the civilian government demonstrates a high level of trust among Botswanan elites absent in most Third World states.

Historically, in another feat of competent political strategy, Botswana joined the British Empire on its own terms under King Khama III, preserving its autonomy. The tribal structure continued to govern during the colonial period, building its own bureaucracy. This means the current state stands on an actual base of power rather than being a legal fiction.

Moreover, compared to other African states, Botswana has a relatively homogeneous ethnic makeup, with a single dominant tribe, the Tswana. This helps stability because it means the tribal power structure and the formal government structure are one and the same in practice, reducing motivation or opportunity for political conflict.

…

What is the source of this rare good fortune? It seems it was good judgment by the ruling dynasty. Seretse Khama pursued independence in a much smarter way than had been done in countries like Zimbabwe. For example, his government bought half of the local branch of the international De Beers corporation, rather than seizing it. Seizure is disruptive and often destroys a company’s ability to produce as the best managers and engineers flee, while purchase ensures continuity and continued production.

Income from taxing or owning shares of such large companies can be used for patronage of political allies (Sheila Khama served as CEO of De Beers Botswana) as well as social programs that develop state power further. This reduces the pull of alternative institutions such as clans, radical religious groups, and ideological organizations. Another well-known example of this tactic is Saudi Arabia’s use of the Saudi Aramco oil company.

…

According to conventional developmental economics models, Botswana shouldn’t be doing as well as it is. As a landlocked country, its access to international markets relies on neighboring states. This is commonly recognized as an important barrier to development, with its own acronym “LLDC” (landlocked developing country). It is suffering among the world’s worst AIDS pandemics. This not only incurs significant direct medical expenses, but also lowers productivity. Morbidity drives up the dependency ratio, depriving it of a demographic dividend. Lastly, it is a post-colonial state. The norm for this reference class is corruption, political instability, and unexceptional growth. Together, these factors should have sealed its fate.

But our usual models do not sufficiently account for the difficulty and importance of succession. We model power and power succession unrealistically, if at all. Hand-picked successors and political dynasties are overlooked as viable solutions, or regarded as a sign of corruption. Thus we usually miss or shrug at Botswana’s success, and likewise miss some of the key sources of functionality in our own governments.

[aspected-benefic]

FFXIVwrite2018 #14 - Validation

Word Count - 1,092

Reonora gestured to the middle column. “Right now, in the current present, you’re unsure of your current happiness and your relationship is affecting your mental health.”

The au ra sitting across from Reonora held eager, anxious fists close to her. “No, no, I’m sure, I’m sure! It’s probably my fault. I must have done something to anger him.”

Reonora paused. The way dark circles framed under the au ra’s pleading eyes, the way the au ra’s shoulders and hands hunched so close together… if Reonora’s mental dictionary of body language kept up to date, then this au ra was clearly unhappy. Just like the cards said. Yet, the au ra insisted that everything was all right. That she was the one at fault. Why? Didn’t she want advice about the situation of her current relationship?

“In the future, you need to make a clear choice,” Reonora said, “as continuing on with this relationship may alienate you from your friends. I take it they do not approve of your relationship with this man?”

The au ra shook her head. “They don’t, but… No… no… that can’t be right! There has to be a way I can keep both him and my friends in my life! Tell me, Ms. Aestethe. Tell me what I can do!”

Putting a hand to her chin, the miqo’te frowned in deep thought. She even made an audible “Hmm,” to clearly show her client that she was thinking. She looked down at the cards.

Stork. Mountain. Rider.

Sun. Clouds. Mice.

Bear. Tree. Garden.

Everything Reonora had read about this reading pertained to the client’s story, that she had problems with her boyfriend, wanted to work things out, but her boyfriend refused to listen to any requests. Even going so far as to yell at her if she spoke out of line. Had this been a friend asking Reonora as a friend for advice, Reonora would have read the cards straight, told the au ra to dump this loser and seek council in good company. However, the client clearly wanted to hear otherwise.

‘What should I say? How can I get her to listen to advice she doesn’t want to hear?’ Reonora wondered.

Her mind went back to the days of her childhood -- days when she still had a family, including her famous Astrologian mother. Reonora remembered how her mother would weave beautiful tales of fantasy and wonder that both left the mystified client hanging onto her every word, yet left an easy to follow moral that the client took home. Every time.

“A stubborn client will only hear what she wishes to hear.” had said Reonora’s mother. “In this instance, I spin together a mystical tale of moral. Only through analogy and believing that they themselves had reached the answer will they become receptive to advice.”

Easier said than done. Reonora’s mother was a talented storyteller. The only other time she had met a match in that regard was Falerin and his gift of gab. But neither of them were here. Only Reonora and her… lack of gift of gab, so to say. What could she say? Could she help this client somehow?

The client leaned forward and looked up at Reonora pleadingly. The miqo’te had to think fast.

“Your tale reminds me of a story I once heard in the Temple of Nymeia. Many stories from all over the world reach our ears.” said Reonora. A blatant lie through her teeth, but at the same time, the same opening line her mother used. If it worked for her mother, it would work for her too. “This particular story is that of a tribe of oliphant.”

“Oliphant?” The au ra tilted her head.

“Large four-legged creatures with long noses called trunks, sometimes bearing tusks.” said Reonora. “They are intelligent creatures who live together and travel in closely knit packs. They were close and always looked out for each other.”

The au ra nodded. The storytelling angle seemed to work… for now.

“However, one day, an oliphant met a wandering loner of her own kind. Feeling pity for him, she came together with him. His mysterious demeanor intrigued her. What kind of secrets did he have? He was gruff and troubled, which made her feel as though her love could heal his wounded heart.”

“And then? And then…?”

Reonora bowed her head. “Sadly, her love could not penetrate his iron heart--”

“Ah…”

“--for he had clammed it shut and only knew how to respond with hurt. No matter how hard she tried to shower him with love and affection, he would push her away. Growl angrily. Even shove her into the mud. The only pain that he cared about licking was his own. The oliphant’s tribe worried about their relative, but each passing day they saw her become more reclusive.”

The au ra shrank. “I see. The oliphant is causing trouble for her friends, isn’t she?”

Not exactly the anticipation Reonora had hoped to happen. But perhaps the reaction Reonora anticipated to happen.

Reonora tilted her head. “Let’s put this man out of the picture. Are you happy? Do you want to be happy? I apologise, but the cards do not foresee happiness in the current path towards the future. I suggest you take some time to think of yourself. How he will go. Your boyfriend is clearly thinking of only himself. Perhaps you--”

The au ra shot to her feet. “No, no… I don’t believe this! I won’t believe this! You don’t understand… you don’t understand anything! He’s hurt and the only one who can heal him is me! He’s counting on me! He’s relying on me! I asked for advice on how to mend the relationship, not how to break up with him! You’re nothing but a two-gil hack grubbing for money! Forget this, I’m out of here!”

With that, the au ra stormed upstairs and slammed the doors on her way out of Fortunes & Fancies.

Reonora breathed a deep sigh and gathered her cards together. Someday she would inherit that gift of gab. That day was not today. All she could hope was that the au ra would find happiness eventually before her relationship destroyed her. Closing her eyes, Reonora forced herself to not worry about this au ra girl. Not that she didn’t care, but if Reonora took on the worries of every person, even going as far as to meddle, no doubt she would make things worse. ‘Nymeia, I know you don’t like me, but please… I pray for this girl. Please keep her safe.’

((No picture today since I’m away from home at the moment.

Validation is something I struggle with in real life. I have a very difficult time accepting validation, compliments, or kind words because I become paranoid that someone will eventually go out of their way to prove me wrong. Which usually does happen. So rather than have one of my characters get validated, I thought to have Reonora attempt to validate someone else. This story was based off of an article I read about how people asking a psychic for advice wouldn’t listen unless the psychic spun the reading into some kind of fabulous tale. Unfortunately for Reonora, she lacks the gift of gab and failed miserably.

It’s difficult to watch people in an abusive relationship because more often than not. I tried to portray the experiences I’ve had about that... both with my own experiences (with someone other than Abeat, who is the most wonderful girlfriend ever) and listening to others, all while writing this entry quickly because time constraints. Eep.))

[ggliveblog]

Gunnerkrigg Court: Chapter 3 part 1 (title page)

So considering how fascinating the title page is I decided to dedicate the first post to it.

I’m sure those of you who know how I work are not surprised.

Stuff like this is like cocaine to me. :D

Before we continue I wish to address something I discovered while reading chapter 2. It’s an alchemy symbol. I recognize most symbols since I find them fascinating. But it was so late at night I didn’t look into it until yesterday.

And then I saw the title page for chapter 3

MORE SYMBOLS I AM SO HAPPY! XD

So the symbol turned out to be for the element Antimony. Which also happens to be the element our MC is named after. Very interesting. Let’s investigate further.

And thanks to this neat little site. I have been made aware it also symbolizes wild spirit. Wolves in particular. Very interesting and I’ll say why.

Wolf lecture time :D

Many peoples throughout the world respected and thought very positively of wolves.  Among the various peoples and tribes of North America, wolf represents not only creation, but also death and rebirth.  Wolf is also seen as a teacher-animal to the peoples of California and the Great Plains.  They saw the wolf retreat into the mountains and hills to get away from humans, and made the connection between wolves and high places (in other words, spirit).  In the Lakota language, the word for wolf, sunkmanitu, means “divine dog.”

In western Europe, wolves were not seen as positively.  In both German and Norse mythology, wolf was a symbol of destruction and death.  Vikings saw wolf as a representation of Fenris (their Chaos), who would bite through his chains and consume the sun at the end of time.  In an unusual story exhibiting the wolf’s loyalty, in Great Britain, Merlin in his time of madness is kept company by a she-wolf, who stays by his side until he becomes well again.  Romulus and Remus, the famous twins in pre-Roman times, were said to have been raised by a she-wolf--even suckled by her.

Wolves are respected nearly everywhere except Europe, where they are instead feared.  They are seen as teachers, instructing us in our daily lives and all the troubles that go with them.  The lessons wolf teaches are not always easy to swallow, but nevertheless necessary.  Wolf is a symbol of guardianship, ritual, loyalty, and spirit.  Wolf has the ability to make quick and firm emotional attachments, and often need to trust their own instincts.  Thus they teach us to do the same, to trust our hearts and minds, and have control over our own lives.

Antimony is a regarded as a cooperative metal because it works best when it is combined with another metal, notably lead, brass and bronze. It is actually a metalloid that does not react chemically as a metal but has metal-like appearance & physical properties. It is a protective metal and teaches the values of transformation and adaptability. It teaches of wisdom and strength that can be gained from others and also given in return. Antimony represents the free spirit, wild nature or animal power dwelling within all humans. A person can benefit by wearing this symbol when feeling meek.

Governed by the planet Saturn, Lead has dark connections and is related to death and transformation. This toxic metal represents impurities, of the metals as well as the humans and its burning is metaphoric with cleansing and removal of imperfections. It was associated with divination spells. The lead was one of the earliest metals known to man and was widely used by the ancient Romans, Egyptians, Greek, and Chinese.

Now I couldn’t find an animal like with the others but if I looked up the planet it’s connected to then I get this.  Saturn historically governs snakes, mice, foxes, dragons, and nocturnal birds of prey such as the owl. It is interesting to note that the owl is commonly misunderstood as a symbol of death.

ANTIMONY is also used for hardening LEAD.

Associated with the planet of the same name, Mercury is an unusual metal that exists in the liquid form at room temperature. It is a toxic metal and is associated with death, mystery, and transformation. It is connected with divination and scrying. Mercury is also related to travel and movement, be it of physical or spiritual nature. The metal was known to the ancient Romans, Greeks, Hindus, and Chinese. The alchemists considered it one of the three principal substances on Earth, along with salt and sulfur.  The metal is often also represented by a serpent or snake.

The Roman god he was often accompanied by a cockerel, herald of the new day, a ram or goat, symbolizing fertility, and a tortoise

Similiarities between all three:  Common heavy metals, toxic trace elements. (Side note all three along with another element cadmium can be found in never-pregnant women of fertile age.)

Next we have the title. And here is where it gets extra interesting.

Now what’s interesting is that Lead is connected to foxes... and this tale is about a man who is a werefox.

Makes me wonder if we are going to run into a character who will have ties to the element. And if we are going by the legend they will try to attract others. Even though they are a dangerous person with possible ill intentions that could lead to death.

Anyways let’s move on to the ballad itself to see how it relates to the story now.

In a historical context, a rake (short for rakehell, analogous to "hellraiser") was a man who was habituated to immoral conduct, particularly womanising. Often, a rake was also prodigal, wasting his (usually inherited) fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, and incurring lavish debts in the process.

And the werefox claims to want concealment...  the action of hiding something or preventing it from being known.

This Reynardine is quite the chrismatic... and seems to merge well with Lead symbolism. Hmmmmm... Interesting.

Anyways Antimony may end up running into someone of a “foxy” nature. Badoom psh.

Also she may have connections with wolves... just saying.

I love Alchemy and wonder how much we will see intertwined with the story. :D