#which. considering that 2/3 correct questions is a D. makes sense | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shraddhamatre · 9 months ago

Text

How to Pass the GATE XE Exam: Succeed with Tried-and-True Methods.

The GATE XE (Engineering Sciences) paper is a rare chance for students hoping to get admission to esteemed universities such as IITs and IISc. GATE XE gives students the opportunity to focus on just two essential technical courses, providing a quicker route to success than other GATE examinations that call for attention to several disciplines. To pass the test, though, you must have the appropriate approach. This is a thorough tutorial that will help you ace the GATE XE exam.

1. Understand the GATE XE Paper Structure The GATE XE exam consists of three sections: Section A (Engineering Mathematics): This is a compulsory section and accounts for 15% of the total marks. Section B (Optional Subjects): You can choose two subjects from seven options: Fluid Mechanics (XE-B), Materials Science (XE-C), Solid Mechanics (XE-D), Thermodynamics (XE-E), Polymer Science and Engineering (XE-F), Food Technology (XE-G), and Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (XE-H). Each of these sections makes up 70% of the total marks. General Aptitude (GA): Common to all GATE papers, the GA section contributes 15% to the total score. Before you begin preparation, thoroughly understand the syllabus and exam pattern. This will help you tailor your study plan according to the subjects that best align with your strengths.

2. Pick the Appropriate Optional Subjects The elective courses you select might have a big impact on your grade. Choose topics in which you are deeply interested and where your foundation is solid. Although it may be tempting to select courses that seem simple, it is better to select those where, considering your knowledge and experience, you may achieve good marks. For example, select Fluid Mechanics or Thermodynamics if you have a solid foundation in these areas for targeted preparation.

3. Create a Targeted Study Schedule A well-organized study schedule is necessary to effectively cover the extensive material. Divide the time you spend studying into three parts:

Phase of Foundation: Establish a solid foundation in Engineering Mathematics and the electives you have selected. To dispel uncertainties, start by comprehending the principles and then go through instances. Practice Phase: After you understand the fundamentals, start answering questions from past exams and practice exams. This will assist you in acclimating to the exam's format and comprehending the degree of difficulty of the questions. Final Phase: Edit your notes and pay attention to any areas that need improvement. Make sure you spend enough time studying engineering mathematics because it's essential to getting good grades.

4. Complete the Question Papers from Last Year Solving last year's question papers is one of the finest strategies to be ready for GATE XE. You'll get a sense of the key subjects and question trends by practicing. Additionally, it will help you become more adept at managing your time throughout the test. You can become more used to the diversity and degree of difficulty of the questions with regular practice. You may focus your preparation by identifying recurring themes that come up year after year.

5. Stress accuracy and time management GATE XE assesses not just your knowledge but also your time management and accuracy skills. Multiple-choice (MCQ), multiple-select (MSQ), and numerical answer type (NAT) questions are all included in this study. Each of these requires a different approach:

For MCQs, ensure you avoid negative marking by answering only those you are sure about. For NAT questions, practice mental calculations to avoid wasting time on lengthy calculations. MSQs have no negative marking, but don’t rely on guesswork as all options need to be correct for full marks.

6. Make Use of Test Series and Online Resources For those preparing for the GATE XE, online platforms offer good information. Through forums, practice exams, and video lectures, they can help you get your questions answered and stay up to speed on the most recent exam trends. Participating in a test series is very helpful as it allows you to experience an exam in real time and helps you discover your areas of weakness.

7. Remain Motivated and Consistent When studying for a competitive test such as the GATE, consistency is essential. Maintain a consistent study schedule, evaluate your progress frequently, and maintain your motivation as you become ready. Join study groups or online discussion boards to talk with other candidates about your questions and share your expertise. This can help you stay motivated in addition to helping to clarify topics.

8. Take Care of Your Health and Well-Being Lastly, remember to look after your physical and emotional well-being. You may maintain your attention while preparing by taking regular pauses, getting enough sleep, and eating a healthy diet. Exam preparation sometimes causes stress and worry, but keeping a calm head helps improve performance and memory.

In summary Strong principles, regular practice, and a strategic approach are all need to pass the GATE XE exam. You may pass the GATE XE test and get into a prominent university by concentrating on the proper subjects, finishing last year's exams, spending your time wisely, and keeping an optimistic outlook.

Start Your Preparation With: https://gameacademy.in/��/ https://clppenny.page.link/cTBm

Recommended: https://www.youtube.com/@gblions / https://www.youtube.com/@gblionsaeje

0 notes

rhaenin-writing-time · 1 year ago

Note

As the second season for HotD comes out, do you think you’ll want to change anything in your story to include parts of it, or are you planning to act only on the first season and F&B? And even if you don’t include any actual story parts from season two, do you intend to include themes or commentary on it in your plot?

I'm going to answer this in more detail on the next chapter. Which should be... soon I hope. But I'm definitely cutting it off at season 1 and leaning more into the book. Season 1 was heavily flawed, but season 2 is a yike and I don't want to have to account for all the CANON they're breaking and the other weird decisions most of which were made in the quest to try to frame it as a 50/50 conflict rather than letting the themes of the book shine through. Baela and Rhaena, for example, had such clear characteristization in the book that they've thrown away in part to make the Blacks look worse by making Daemon look worse by keeping him separate from his daughters (which contradicts not just the book but also his characterization in the show as someone obsessed with family. Not to mention that ot does t make sense logically how they act like driftmark and dragonstone are worlds away, or that Rhaenyra, who even made sure her grieving son saw to Baela and Rhaena's emotional needs, would EVER let Daemon get away with it even if he tried. Which is why they don't try to justify it they just... keep them a part. And because baela's characteristization is so tied to Daemon, especially later on, she's left kind of... "generic targ girl in background" and the writers try to attribute her "rogue" qualities to Laena - which also messes with Laenas characterization and reraises the question of why the hell she didn't just take her kids and her dragons and go home if she wanted to. And of course, because the book first sets up Baela's character and then contrasts the twins to further characterize them through their differences, it means that Rhaena's chacterization gets erased. And not just erased, but replaced with nonsense that was added to lend sympathy to Aemond. Because the difference between the twins in the books had nothing to do with a made-up "targ kids and teens without dragons are deprived" idea and everything to do with how they fit differently into gender roles. But of course, hotd is determined to erase the underlying themes regarding misogyny and reactionary politics whenever it can. So I stead, we get... a Rhaena who wants to be a... cardboard cutout targ girl and the only thing that makes her different is that she doesn't have a dragon even though that conflict doesn't make sense which is why not once is it addressed WHay she does t have a dragon if she wants one so bad, because in the book it was just that 1. She was young and had many years left before it would be considered noteworthy 2. It wasn't a big deal 3. The fact she had the eggs before the war started suggested that as she approached the age where a dragonless targ would start to think about claiming one, she instead made a personal decision that she'd rather raise one from a hatching. Because we're talking about a (book)Margaery-esque girl who wore her baby pink dragon like an accessory. Why would she feel "pathetic" for being entrusted with her siblings and doing diplomacy with the Vale? And if she did, why does she not simply ask to claim a dragon, or try to claim a dragon, a d why are those questions not even addressed? Because they can't answer them. So if they can't, I'm not going to bend this fic around trying, especially since so much is scoped and/or written out already.

And that's just ONE of the issues. And believe it or not, the Alicent/Cole issue is actually related to the Daemon & his daughters issue. So... the books, and we're going to pretend that hotd is a "competing, close account" that has a lot of correct information in the first volume, info that contradicts F&B like ages and dates, but grows more dubious as it continues.

Lol k maybe not "I'll answer this in more detail" and instead "I'll answer this more clearly."

1 note · View note

savagewilderness · 11 months ago

Text

OK, let's GO!

youtube

So - I MADE A SCORE and there is is!!

But in words... first of all, I’ll answer the question that was asked!

Here’s the bit the OP asked about:

As you see from this image, there’s no getting around it… this analysis is going to be musical. To me, it is daft and basic and I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I can imagine if you don’t read music it’s a bit like I’m talking to you in a random language, so I’m going to try to explain what I can in non-notation ways too & if I lose you, I do apologise. Before I get into notes and keys and chords and the like, let’s start with an unusual thing about Long Face that the OP might have noticed that isn’t to do with key…. It’s the tempo. As you can see, I transcribed it in 12 8, but it could easily be transcribed in 4, and it’s easier to talk about as being in 4… (Without getting into the technicalities, 12 8 is also in 4..! And 18 8 is in 6! You can see by the number of notes in each bar in the bass guitar line.)

So, if we consider it as being in 4, every time the vocals stop and you get a NER NER NER NER NER NER bit (the bit the OP is talking about), the song goes into 6 in a bar instead of 4… only ever for one bar. But that’s going to throw you because it’s like 1 2 3 4 - 1 2 3 4 - 1 2 3 4 - 1 2 3 4 - 1 2 3 4 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 - 1 2 3 4 etc. so you’re expecting another 1 2 3 4 and instead you are thrown by the tempo alteration! There’s the first reason these bits sound weird/unusual. You can see it in the image by looking at the notes in the bass guitar part image here - 6 and then back to 4.

Next, the bass note is E and the E (a continuous note that carries on and on in music can be called a pedal, so we can call it a pedal E) continues through almost the entire song… BUT in the bars in 6, the note moves to D. In the keys of E major and E harmonic minor (the keys you’d most expect to have E as the root note), you’d have a D sharp, not a D - so it’s a flattened seventh note, which again to our ears, used to Western scales, will sound potentially unusual (or, I would say - fantastic! YUM!) It’s so interesting that the OP heard it as discordant in terms of chords, because a lot of the song only has bass and there are only really chords (as far as I can hear!) In the “Fuuuuuun fuuuuuuuuuuun” bits in the chorus. However, the OP is 100% correct, it will still sound discordant, because the D natural instead of a D sharp is an unexpected note to our brains so your mind might be trying to pull towards either the D sharp or towards the tonic, E which is why you’ll feel that “Ooooh, it’s crunchy and discordant and weird!” in your insides!

So I think that’s the answer to the OP’s question as to why those bits sound discordant! I hope that makes kind of sense?

BUT, did I stop there? OH NO I DID NOT!

Now, I just want to caveat that I do not consider myself a musician and neither do I have a useable piano at home! So please take all this with a salt mine worth of salt. But once I have begun, I am all in! Also, I do use music in my work (predominantly via means of singing “CRASH!” When folk bash cymbals and three-year-olds using my hand as an extension of their own to play glissandi on the piano until I begin to wonder if said 3-year-old might crack my bones, my fingers have glissandi-ed so much is the truth of it, hahaha…. You think I exaggerate… but I do not! Sometimes a violin gets thrown to the other side of the room too. It’s all fun and games! Hehe!) but I absolutely do not use music as a performer or in any way using or analysing or thinking about written music!! Or in being personally creative in any way. I didn’t do a music degree or anything. So… that said… this is only what I can ascertain, as a non-musician who plays to a basic level and did music in school!

I *think* (and it is very much THINK! I am not sure!) Long Face is pretty much in (or at least based around) an E Dorian mode scale:

Notes:

E Dorian scale: E F# G A B C# D

You can compare this to

E major: E F# G# A B C# D#

E harmonic minor: E F# G A B C D#

E blues: E F# G G# B C#

As you can see, E major and minor both have D# in and Long Face does not (well, it does occasionally - it’s a rock song and it has jazzy/rocky/bluesy notes, especially in the guitar part… but it doesn’t most of the time.)

You can read about the Dorian Mode and some other songs and pieces that use it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorian_mode

Here’s a wee quote about the Dorian mode and rock music - “Because of its melancholic-yet-somehow-upbeat mood, the Dorian scale is most often spotted in its natural habitat: jazz and blues music. However, it’s certainly not limited to these genres, and is often featured in pop, rock, and metal music to add interest.” - Source - https://www.musical-u.com/learn/get-familiar-with-the-dorian-mode/ (I bet it isn’t even in the Dorian mode now… I cry!! But I’m going to continue as if it is!)

So, it has the key equivalent to D major/B minor, but the tonic is clearly E because basically, as stated before, there is an E pedal bass note through nearly the entire song, apart from when it switches to that flattened 7th D and it ends in E… and the chorus resolves (when it resolves) to E major too.

Chords in E Dorian:

I E G B - E minor

II F# A C# - F# minor

III G B D - G major

IV A C# E - A major

V B D F# - B minor

VI C E G - C major

VII D F# A - D major

I say pretty much in the Dorian Mode, because while it keeps its flattened 7th, it sometimes has a G sharp, not *always* its flattened third…. And sometimes it has C naturals (a flattened 6th, like E minor) and basically it’s a bit blues and a bit jazz and the fuuuunnnnnnn bit (the main bit with chords!) is a lot more E major, whereas the effect of the dorian scale mainly is a minor vibe because the root (I) and fifth chord (V) (and chord II too) are minor and I & V are the anchoring chords in a key, sooooooooo……. HOWEVER, in Long Face, when it resolves to an actual chord for the root during the chorus, it does resolve to the major chord instead of the minor, with a G sharp! He’s having fun, folks! It’s not gonna be a minor chord, is it!!?!

Anyway… let’s look at the bits with chords first:

Oh MY… I’m out of my depth…. Let’s have another picture! Here’s a bit of the second chorus:

I think the chorus chord progression on “Fuuuuun, fuuuuuuun” is:

VI-III-V-IV-(I) - it resolves on the first funs and not on the second funs…

I found online… ““Sad” progression: vi-iii-V-IV”…. but that’s because in a major key, chord III and chord VI are minor chords. However, in the dorian mode, they’re both major chords, and thus the progression is mainly happy. It’s all major apart from chord V.

Chords of the "Fuuuuun, Fuuuuunnnnn" bit:

VI (C E G - C major)

III (G B D - G major - actually this is mainly just G & B so in that sense it could be chord III or chord I… one time it has a D in there too and it just doesn’t feel like chord I to me, probably because the chorus actually resolves to a major chord I, not a minor chord I….?)

V (B D F# - B minor)

IV (A C# E - A major)

I (E G# B - E major)

Each chorus has two “Now we’re having fun, fun” phrases in it and the first time it resolves to chord I at the end, but the second time it stays on chord IV and doesn’t resolve till the BASS enters on the root E.

Right! Why else can I say? So I have kind of transcribed the song as best I can… which isn’t very well - partly as, as I say I have no piano so if I can’t just hear what the note I am hearing is I have to literally try to sing it like a crazy person (like a crazy child, with my stupid childish voice)…. And I do not have the vocal range of either Sam Reid or a bass guitar, hahaha (actually the bass is easy as it’s just E’s!!!) And Sam does a lot of kind of sing-speaking too so it isn’t all obviously pitched. Considering how classical the vocal style in Come to Me, I have to say I am so impressed with how Sam sings Long Face! How do you learn to sing in that rock style when that’s not what you *do*?! It’s amazing to me! So, to say the vocal line isn’t super-accurate…. Then, I have no idea what drum I’m listening to in a drum kit and I’ve basically just tried to give a general impression of the drum part…. And then what made me laugh most of all was trying to transcribe the guitar part - this dirty, delicious guitar and I’m trying to transcribe the thing on twinkly midi and it was hilarious.

Anyway, it isn’t entirely accurate as it’s actually way harder to transcribe than a classical piece, where notes are clearer as long as you can hear them. But it’s something *along the lines*…. I also am not sure if I’ve even invented some wee phantom ghost-bass part near the end that isn’t even there?!

There are backing vocals just in the “Fuuuuun, fuuuuun” part.

What else can I say? I can only really analyse it musically as obviously it doesn’t have any S3 to relate it to yet. And other people have had a lot of fun already, thinking about the words! But anyway, I’ll also share the wee score I did, which I have annotated!

I thank you! I bet you didn’t think it was possible to be quite this geeky about Long Face… but BEWARE - all you have to do is ask one random little question to The Ether - not even to me and I will go all in with my daft, likely all wrong THESIS. But the nice thing is… now I REALLY know Long Face….. Oh YEAH! (Oh!)

(No copyright infringement intended in my probably all incorrect transcription, with deepest apologies to Daniel Hart!!!)

And again... if this is impenetrable... sorry...! Maybe there's something interesting in it???

And obviously if there’s any musical or music-related thing you want to ask about Long Face now… I have the score (to some extent at least!) & I listened lots of times to make it, so ask away & if I can answer, I will! Or I’ll try my best at least!

Anyone know the chord progression of Long Face?

Or at least what chord is played repeatedly between stanzas. (such as between the lines "That doesn't phase me" and "I'm an actor").

I dunno the whole thing (but especially that chord) feels more discordant than you usually get in rock songs? Like, more consistently discordant. Like it doesn't resolve into a major chord as quickly as usual?

I don't know tho. I'm not a musician here so I'm not sure.

Anyone know?

#Daniel Hart #Rockstar Lestat #Long Face #long face rockstar lestat #Long Face Lestat #Long Face Daniel Hart #Long Face IWTV #iwtv #interview with the vampire #amc interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #lestat de lioncourt #the vampire lestat #Sam Reid #Samstat #sam reid lestat #Youtube

105 notes · View notes

raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years ago

Note

Theory on World Dynamic & Blot Pt. 1 (No Beta, apologies in advance for any and all confusion you may have when reading this. Please delete this is you don't feel comfortable with this):

One of the things I didn't get at first was why the Seven were considered role-models in TWST---I couldn't pinpoint how society would openly idolize people for actions that are openly admitted as wrong in a unanimous sense yet not have someone openly question/challenge this. The Seven are historical figures. Some of the dialogue we do get hints at imperfection that are more close to D!Villains the audience is more familiar with. Assuming Earth is meant to be referring to our Earth (in which it is taken in it's entirety without altercations), I think TWST is meant to have similar core parts that reflect our real-world. History-context-wise, it would make more sense that royal/governing figures(Queen of Hearts, Scar, & Jafar) would be recorded---even considered an example to TWST's present day royalty/governing system on do's and don'ts---and respected as seen by the description on the statues (being able to govern over (what I will assume is) a massive population and having the nation surviving---even thriving---are (objectively) ideal feats to be remembered by and put as positive example in the grand scheme of things). If this is true, then it would also make sense for the Seven to coexist with their respective protagonist(s), making RSA possible but also making the dynamic not as black-and-white as simplification will allow. . .Yana didn't need to write an explanation w/worldbuilding cuz she played it smart and just used what she already had---existing reference called real life.

(Note: I know that this ask opens with “part 1”, but I never received any part 2s or other follow-ups after that DX)

I think I get what you’re trying to communicate? (Correct me if I’m wrong!) So I believe this Anon is saying that 1) both the Disney villains and heroes exist in Twisted Wonderland as historical figures, 2) the alternate tellings of their histories can coexist, and 3) like in real life, history can be twisted depending on the narrative/teller and, in hindsight, actions that are considered dubious can be viewed by future generations as morally correct or righteous. (If that’s the case, I expressed similar thoughts in this post.)

There instances in which the original stories they come from diverge or coexist with other versions which are also treated as true. For example, Kalim tells a tale about a princess (Jasmine) who happily married a thief (Aladdin), transcending the social norms of their time. There is also another tale that the Sorcerer of the Sands (Jafar) revealed that someone (Aladdin) had deceived a princess (Jasmine) about their social status, and that he saved the kingdom by revealing the lie. Somehow, the original story became multiple stories, all of which stand on their own.

We must recall that there are often positive spins put on the tales we know of to be the truth; suddenly Jafar is no longer plotting to overthrow the Sultan, but is a loyal advisor who dutifully served his country, Ursula’s deals are justified because the fault lied with her clients for not paying up, etc. This is also true of real life, where, depending on the person you ask or the history textbook you reference, certain events and details may be glossed over or even completely rewritten. This may be due to censorship or a deliberate attempt to control the narrative and what information is taught to and carried over to students (and into the future). Lilia even makes a passing comment about this in episode 7, saying that history can be “changed” over time.

This is likely how and why the Great Seven are worshipped as they are; history has been “twisted” from the (presumably what Yuu views in their dreams), which just goes to show that good is closer to evil (and vice versa) than expected, thus blurring the lines between the two and creating a grey area. This is very much in line with TWST’s philosophy—that there is more to something than meets the eye, and that being truly “evil” or truly “good” doesn’t exist.

#Lilia Vanrouge #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland theory #twisted wonderland theories #twst theories #notes from the writing raven #twst theory

96 notes · View notes

sophieinwonderland · 2 years ago

Note

Hey Senpai carrd creator and I would like to answer a few questions cause I JUST saw your posts.

1. Senpia is mix of the word sentient and the abbreviation (P)lural (i)internal (a)xperience (the alternative spelling of experience is inside joke between me and my friend it references like the alternative way of living as a system hence like alternative spelling I hope that made sense) It has nothing to do with the word senpai and isn't pronounced like it at all....

2. The main reason for collecting donations is to put it towards hosting a full functional website. Websites are not free you have to pay for the domain and you also have to pay for hosting (both of which are not one time payments) and the amount of storage you get varries as well as the quality. (Like you can host a site on some places cheap but the site will load really slowly ) it's not something that's required it's optional. I chose Litecoin over Bitcoin and Ethereum because Litecoin is what is considered a "stable coin" the value stays relatively the same whereas Bitcoin and Ethereum have huge value fluctuations. You can also track crypto transactions on a Blockchain explorer like https://blockchair.com/litecoin it shows you all the money in the wallet and all of the transactions , but I understand if not everyone is comfortable with it I can find something else (Also I didn't know about PayPal business I can Google it and do more research so ty : D)

3. Cryptocurrency is not inherently bad for the environment that's misinformation crypto mining is bad for the environment 🤦‍♀️ as it utilizes huge amounts of energy which is powered using fossil fuel. https://earthjustice.org/feature/cryptocurrency-mining-environmental-impacts and accounts for 0.3% of global emissions worldwide https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/12/20/failing-crypto-could-be-a-win-for-the-environment/#:~:text=This%20takes%20enormous%20amounts%20of,all%20global%20greenhouse%20gas%20emissions.

Cryptocurrency mining is it's own sort of separate "industry"

and you can't unintentionally mine crypto? It's something you have to intentionally do and often times requires complex machines to "mint" new crypto. (Remember kids there is a lot of misinformation online and if people can't provide sources for there claims always be skeptical)

Thank you for the info!

On the whole crypto thing, I don't think people are suggesting that trading Crypto directly harms the environment. I'm not super educated on the subject so people can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the real issue is that it's still supporting the crypto-economy.

The best comparison I can think might be Diamonds. Diamond mining is also damaging to the environment. And diamonds, like Crypto, are mostly expensive because we decided they are.

When you buy a diamond, you aren't directly harming the environment but you are creating more demand. And more demand keeps diamonds expensive which keeps them profitable for the people who are harming the environment. Industries wouldn't mine Crypto if nobody used it.

As I see it, the issue is that using Crypto incentiveses harming the environment even if you aren't harming the environment yourself. It's l the economics.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean about not being able to mine Crypto unintentionally or how it factors into the conversation but Cryptojacking exists and can use people's PCs.

If I might offer a bit of constructive criticism, I think there are a lot of issues with this that might make it inaccessible and unlikely to catch on.

The fact that the term is based on an inside joke. The acronym not really feeling accurate (why is an individual headmate referred to as a Senpia if the acronym calls it a plural internal experience?) The name itself not having its origin or meaning listed on the site. The fact that anyone who Googles it will have Google assume they meant Senpai.

And I think ideally, it would have been best to try to build a community first and show your commitment before asking for money to help setup a website. If there had already been quality guides on the page before you asked for donations, people might have been more inclined to see it as a pay-what-you-want service.

#syscourse #plural #crypto #cryptocurrency #litecoin #plurality #crypto currency #endogenic #system #multiplicity #systems #plural system #endogenic system #pro endo #pro endogenic #system stuff #endo safe #actually a system

13 notes · View notes

iamanartichoke · 4 years ago

Text

I wasn't sure if I was going to post this, but I may as well.

I keep starting to reply to things and then stopping bc the words just aren't there, and I suppose I figured out the core of what bothers me so much (and is making me have such a rollercoaster of a fan experience) about the show.

(cut for length)

It's not well-written. My opinion is my opinion, so I'm saying this subjectively, take it or leave it, but ... I feel that it's not well-written. The overall story is fine, and the plot is fine, but I don't know if it's because of the limited number of episodes not being enough to house the story, or because of the relative inexperience of the writer/showrunner+director, or both, or something else, but -

In an earlier reaction post to episode 4, I mentioned really wanting to sink my teeth into all of the subtext I picked up on. That was what made me initially enjoy the episode so much - there were a lot of little moments that I initially felt revealed so much about the characters and about Loki, and I wanted to analyze them. But at some point, as I gathered more information, my perspective changed and now I no longer want to analyze the subtext bc ... subtext = good. Subtext w/out payoff = not as good.

I'll go into more detail in a moment, but I think the tl;dr of it is that I feel like the narrative requires the audience to work way too hard to put together all of the moving pieces here and, like, I kinda just don't want to do that work? Not so much of it, and not in vain. A lot of the enjoyment of Loki's characterization is coming from fans who are rationalizing why he's behaving as he is, but the narrative never actually confirms those rationalizations. It's asking us to figure it out and maybe our conclusions will be correct but maybe they won't, though. At some point, subtext isn't enough without explicit follow-through.

I thought my issue was with the lack of character development - that is, not having enough narrative space to really earn the big things that are happening now, like Loki/Sylvie or Mobius turning against the TVA. And that's still true, to an extent; I still feel like the pacing is all very off and it seems like most of these things kinda came out of nowhere (but are not unbelievable - just undeveloped).

But, yknow, it is what it is, it's a limited series, and I can excuse some things. Ultimately, my issue isn't a problem with what the narrative isn't doing, it's a problem with what the narrative already failed to do and probably cannot recover from at this point.

The narrative has left out significant details that should at least help us do some of the work here. If a person turned on Loki and started episode 1 and had no background knowledge of the character besides that he tried to take over New York - how would that person interpret Loki? Would that person say, oh, well, he's been through X, Y, and Z, and plus A happened, not to mention B, C, and D, so really, it makes sense that he seems off-the-rails, or that he'd want to get ridiculously drunk at the worst time ever.

Maybe we'd like to believe they would, but how would they be getting to that conclusion? The narrative hasn't led them in that direction so, no, they would not say well we have to consider this, this, and that. It would be impossible to really understand Loki as a character from just what we've gotten in the series. The general audience would probably interpret Loki as being out of his element and so it becomes, I wonder how this character is going to get the upper hand here. And, while that's not wrong, it's just so limited.

The narrative at face value does not address Loki's identity crisis from Thor 2011. It does not address his hurt and devastation at being lied to, nor does it address how complicated his self-image is (bc it sucked to begin with and that was before he found out he was part of a race of "monsters," as he'd been taught his entire life). It does not reference Loki being so broken at the end of Thor 2011 that he deliberately let himself fall into the void of space (aka tried to kill himself). It does not reference that he was tortured by Thanos or even that he went through a seriously dark time in between Thor and Avengers, and it absolutely does not reference or address any influence or control of the mind stone.

These are all things that we, the fan audience, know because we've already invested our time into this character's story. But tons of people, the general audience, wouldn't know these things. Or if they did, bc they saw Thor and Avengers, they wouldn't be thinking about them as deeply as we would, nor contextualizing them with how Loki is behaving now, or why it would make sense that he needed to get drunk, or why it's understandable that he needs to keep going-going-going in order to not have a spare second to think or feel.

They'd probably look at Loki, again, as a character who was a villain and is now getting his comeuppance in a place where he has no power or control, and no literal powers, and even when he manages to escape and catch up to the variant, he proceeds to fuck up their plan for seemingly no real reason except that he wanted to get drunk bc he's hedonistic. Which Sylvie even berates him for! I mean. This is not exactly a complex character breakdown, nor a very flattering one, but that's what the narrative has given us.

(If the narrative has addressed Loki's mind control, his torture, his mental breakdown, his suicide attempt, and his general shitty self-esteem as a result of his upbringing, please point it out to me. If the narrative has explicitly acknowledged and referenced these things anywhere and I am missing it, please show me where. Please explain to me how the casual viewer would know any of these things that they need to know in order to actually understand what's happening in this story.)

So I mean, okay, we have a narrative that doesn't paint a full, accurate picture of Loki. Fine, sure. But because the general audience starts out on the wrong footing, they're not going to get out of the overall story what the writers probably intended them to. For example, in episode 3, a lot of us theorized that Loki had some kind of plan - that he broke the timepad on purpose, for some reason, bc otherwise it wasn't believable that he'd be such a failure. But episode 4 revealed that no, there was no bigger plan, Loki just plain old messed up. Which is fine if, again, one is only considering the surface-level portrayal here, but it's not true to Loki's actual characterization.

I mean. Loki is not perfect and Loki actually fails a lot, this is true. He fails for a lot of reasons, but incompetence has never been one of them. Usually it's that either things grew beyond his control, or there ended up being too many moving parts, or he had to change his plan at the last minute due to some roadblock or another being thrown his way, or even that he got in his own way - whatever the case may be for his plans' failures, he was always at least shown to know what he was doing.

That wasn't the case here. The "plan" to fix the Timepad failed as a direct result of Loki's actions, which were careless and made him seem incompetent, like he couldn't even handle this mission. "You had one job," etc. And there were pretty big consequences for this; they were not able to get off-world in time and would have been killed had the TVA not shown up at the last second.

And maybe none of these things matter bc the writers never intended any of this to be a reflection on Loki's character, positive or negative. The situation exists solely because the writers needed to put Loki and Sylvie together in some kind of hopeless scenario so that they could get closer, and thus the narrative could set up their romance. I get that - but, there were other ways to do it that didn't require Loki to look foolish.

Furthermore, the whole reason they needed to set up the romance is to show Loki eventually learning to love himself (like, figuratively but also literally). The audience is supposed to gather that Loki and Sylvie fell for one another, possibly due to the high emotional aspect of, yknow, being about to die (in addition to the variant-bond). The intent is clear: Loki and Sylvie almost die but get rescued at the last minute, having now created an emotional bond --> Loki and Sylvie team up and the narrative further establishes that Loki, at least, has caught feelings --> Loki might confess them but is pruned before he gets the chance --> he somehow survives, he and Sylvie are reunited and don't want to lose one another again, and the combined power of their love is enough to break the sacred timeline and spawn the multiverse, and the reason that the power of their love is so, well, powerful is because it's about self-love and self-acceptance as much as it is about having the capacity to love someone else. The end.

I get all that. The writers more or less said all that. And, I mean, it's certainly not the way I would have chosen to go about it, but it's a fair enough arc to explore. I don't really have an issue with the intent - but my question, however, is this: if the narrative has so far not addressed Loki's background issues (as outlined above), and has furthermore kinda gone out of its way to portray Loki as hedonistic and narcissistic, among other things (like kinda incompetent), and the context the audience starts with is that Loki's this villain who deserves what he gets -

- my question is 1, why should the audience care whether or not Loki gets to a point of loving and accepting himself (thus to make the theme of self-love, via the romance, hold weight) if they don't know that he hates himself to begin with and 2, why should the audience root for Loki to reach that point when so far the perception of him is that he's "kind of an asshole"? if he's a hedonistic narcissist, he probably already has a pretty inflated sense of himself, right? A misplaced inflated sense of himself, at that, because, again, the narrative has made him out to be not that capable of much of anything. (And it didn't start out that way! It seemed to start out with Loki being capable and intelligent but it's like episode 3, in trying to set up the romance, just jumbled it all up somewhere. I think this is why I'm harping on the Loki/Sylvie aspect so much - it's frustrating bc it kinda messes up the whole story and can't even accomplish what it's supposed to anyway.)

Anyway, that's beside the point. What I'm ultimately getting at is, at what point is the audience supposed to get invested in Loki's personal growth journey?

They can't, not really. Without understanding and having the context of everything Loki has been through up until now, and why he hates himself, and why it's so important that he learn to love himself, then the "payoff" becomes kinda pointless bc the significance of it is lost in translation. So suddenly we're left with this romance that comes off as either "Loki loves Sylvie bc of Reasons" (best-case scenario) or "Loki loves Sylvie bc he's vain, narcissistic, and kinda twisted" (worst-case scenario). Neither of these conclusions are what the writers intended or were going for, I'm positive, but there we are, regardless.

In order for the writers' intent in these storylines to land, they need to address the context of what makes these particular stakes high for Loki. So far, they haven't done that. They're asking the audience to pick up on all of these things, and they're showing things that subtextually make sense and are relatively in-character - but only if you realize there's subtext in the first place.

But you can't expect the audience to do all of the work for you. If you don't want the audience to think that Loki is a narcissistic asshole and instead you are trying to convey that, worst-case scenario, he thinks he's a narcissist but is an unreliable narrator, then you have to address that. If you need the audience to understand why you're going the selfcest route and why it's important to explore Loki's capacity to love himself and others, you have to address where that exploration is starting from and why it matters. Etc etc etc.

The narrative isn't doing any of that. And it isn't like it'd be that hard to do it. They don't need to reinvent the wheel here; a lot of the pieces are already there. A few lines of dialogue for context, a brief scene here or there addressing the issues, a little more care and consistency in how Loki handles things - these are all little things that could go a long fucking way in making the narrative stronger.

I'm rambling. My basic point is that my rollercoaster of emotions with this show is because

- as a part of the fan audience, not the general one, I can contextualize and analyze the subtext and come to the conclusions the show wants me to, and thus find the story and the characters more or less enjoyable,

- but I am also going to be using the subtext to come to conclusions that aren't there but probably should be (I think it would be a better story, for example, for Loki to confuse platonic love with romantic love bc it would pave the way to explore just how fucked up Loki's understanding of love - whether of other people or of himself, and the different forms it can take - actually is)

- and when they're ultimately not there, then I think, okay why am I bothering doing all this work just to ultimately feel very unfulfilled? They don't even have to write it the way I would, I'm not saying that, but they do have to do something to make the story feel rewarding.

If we don't get some confirmation of what Loki's been through, and where his headspace is, and why it matters for him to love himself, then the story remains pretty shallow and, for me, it's not fulfilling enough. It's not engaging enough. There isn't actually anything to sink my teeth into, so it becomes kind of boring. Maybe it's rewarding to other people, and that's great for them, but like - I need more than whatever this is.

So I'm just like - well, I had a lot of worries about this show, but my being bored wasn't one of them and now there's only two episodes left and am I really not going to get anything out of this, in the long run? No new canons, no new depths or layers, no new information on Loki's experiences? This is it?

I don't dislike it. I didn't start out disliking it, and I probably wont end up disliking it. I mean, there are a lot of good moments, and good things, and fan service-y things that I appreciate. As far as inspiration for fic goes, it's a goldmine, both plot-wise as well as aesthetic-wise. All of that is great. I don't dislike this show.

But I am disappointed in it, and I feel like I'll be watching the next two episodes lacking the sense of anticipation that would make it exciting. I'll still enjoy them, probably, if for nothing else just the sheer Loki content, but whatever it was I felt watching episodes 1 and 2 is gone and I'm sad about that, too. Because I really wanted to feel fulfilled by this series; I wanted it to fill up the void that Loki's death in IW created three years ago. And I just ... don't feel it. Maybe, maybe that'll change over the course of episodes 5 and 6. I don't know.

Everything that I end up enjoying long-term, I think, will come about as a result of my own interpretations and analysis and while theoretically there's nothing wrong with that, if I had known all I'd get out of this series was more headcanons or support for my current headcanons then, well - that's fine, I suppose, but I'll definitely a little bit robbed.

#loki spoilers #loki series negativity #loki tv series spoilers #loki series spoilers #long post

149 notes · View notes

a-dragons-journal · 4 years ago

Note

Do you think it’s okay to be angelkin but not believing in a religion/god?

If you're asking whether it's okay: Frankly, your personal beliefs are no one's business but yours. As long as you're not hurting anyone or advocating for anyone to be hurt, you're fine. You can have all the contradictory beliefs in the world and while I might be mildly concerned for your critical thinking skills depending how far you take that, there's nothing inherently morally wrong with that. You wouldn't be the only angel I've seen to not believe in God/gods.

If you're asking from a theological standpoint whether it makes sense/fits within a single ideological framework, that's a somewhat different question that I'm happy to help you explore now that that big important thing is out of the way. To preface this, I'm a big believer in internal consistency - basically, whatever you believe about the metaphysical/spiritual/religious, it should be consistent with itself and you shouldn't be contradicting yourself at any time. If you are, there's a logical flaw somewhere that says one of those two things must not be true, if they can't both be true at the same time. (However, things may appear to be contradictory sometimes which aren't actually when you dig a little deeper.)

Frankly, that second question depends on a whole bunch of factors, primarily 1) your personal explanation for your being angelkin, 2) how you're defining "angel," and 3) closely linked to #2, whether you believe angels can exist without God/gods. Let's go through them one at a time:

1) Your personal explanation for your otherkinity. If you think your otherkinity comes from (or might come from) pretty much any psychological source, this is a moot question; angels don't need to literally exist in any sense (physically or non-physically, in this world or any other) for you to have them as a psychological kintype. Archetypal resonance and probably some other explanations for otherkinity that are slipping my mind also fall into this category. Similarly, if you believe in a multiverse, that probably also answers your question; gods don't need to exist in this world to potentially exist in other universes, which eliminates the need for the question.

(If you simply don't know (or don't care) where your otherkinity comes from, then there's still nothing inherently contradictory about identifying as an angel while not believing in God or gods, because any one of the above explanations could potentially apply and make it internally consistent. You don't have to pin down which one of them you think it is for that to be true. It can be an "I don't know what it is, but it's probably not [x] because that doesn't make much sense" situation.)

But let's say you happen to believe that either a) you were (or will be) at some point literally an angel (whether in a physical or purely spiritual form) in this world, or b) you were/are/will be literally an angel in another world, but you don't believe there were actual gods in that world either. In that case, the question is still relevant, and we move on to point 2:

2. How you're defining "angel." "Angel" isn't nearly as broad as "dragon" in terms of umbrella terms, but it can still mean a number of things. For many people, "servant/messenger of God/a god" is a part of how they define "angel", so an angel existing in a world without at least one god to serve wouldn't make much sense - they would no longer be an angel, but something else. However, you might simply define an "angel" as a very powerful, semi/quasi-divine being that isn't quite powerful enough to qualify as a god themself. Or what you're describing as an "angel" might be even less related to the typical definition and be something more similar to air elementals or aasimar from D&D - mortal or semi-mortal beings, but with "celestial" qualities that make them superficially seem like "angels" to us (or at least make them close enough that it's a convenient shorthand to explain them). Whether that truly "counts" as an angel is probably up for debate, but there may not be a better term for it, so it may be what you're stuck with regardless.

So: How do you define "angel"? Or, perhaps more effectively: Write down a definition of "angel". Then (afterward, not before), write down a description of your kintype, with whatever details of appearance, physiology, culture, etc. you deem important, without using the word "angel" (or any derivatives like "angelic," or even "celestial" if you want a challenge) anywhere. Then reread that description, compare to your written definition of "angel," and see if they match. Try to explain (written down, preferably) why or why not your kintype reads as "angel" to you, in as much detail as you can. Hell, try to write two arguments, one for why it should and one for why it should not be counted as an "angel", if you want, and then compare how strong each argument is!

(Bonus round: send your written definition and description to a friend and see if they think they match, or send just the description and ask if it would qualify as "angel" in their mind (and why/why not, and what they'd call it if not), or send the argument(s) you wrote down for why and/or why not to them and see if they think the argument is sound/which argument they think is stronger! This is not because their opinion is automatically correct - their logic may not be sound, or you may simply still disagree with them - but getting a second or third opinion is rarely a bad thing.)

Now, hang onto what you wrote down - it's going to be important to this next part.

3. Do you believe an "angel" can exist in the absence of God/gods? Take another look at the definition you wrote of "angel." Assuming you've made it this far and aren't just reading out of fascination at the thought process, if there's anything necessitating the presence of a god in there, you have a problem. And that wouldn't be unusual! When you say "angel" to someone, typically they're immediately going to think of a being connected to/serving a god, most often the Christian God.

But there may be exceptions to that - as I described earlier, you may essentially be using "angel" as a shorthand to describe something that's not really technically an "angel", but which we don't have a more accurate word for that's in common usage - something to get the point across in casual conversation, which can then be explained further if the topic of conversation necessitates that. Or you may consider any semi/quasi-divine being not quite powerful enough to count as a god an "angel," regardless of whether there are more powerful beings present that they serve. There's some room for interpretation there, in my opinion - or there may be a word that fits that kind of being better that I don't know!

That... pretty much covers my thought process on how one would prove that out if the answer isn't immediately obvious, I think? That got Way longer than expected, sorry ^^; Best of luck figuring things out!

#my *four* religion classes in college were taught by a prof who was big into *philosophy of* religion does it show jkfjdlkgjs #i loved him so much and he taught me A Whole Bunch about philosophy and things like this which i am thrilled to pass on #otherkin #angelkin #actuallydivine #long post #rani talks #asked and answered #anonymous #for that matter we could talk about how you're defining 'god' if you fit into that 'quasi-divine being' definition of 'angel'#bc what is that if not a god itself; if there's nothing more powerful/divine to compare it to #but that would be a whole discussion probably fjdkgjs

42 notes · View notes

phoenotopia · 5 years ago

Text

2020 October Update

So... we've launched. And our launch was... actually kind of... bad...

This is a dev blog, so I'll speak on it. But before that, we do have the game's steam page up. If you're anticipating the PC release, please do visit the steam page and add it to your wish list. It would help us a lot.

VISIT STEAM LINK

...

So what didn't go so well?

1. We launched in Nintendo's Americas and Europe territory. If you've been following the release, you'd know that America got the game first. We didn't move to launch in Europe at all since I thought the EFIGS languages (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish) were pre-requisites for Europe. By the time I learned that this wasn't necessarily the case, and attempted to course correct, the damage was done. We had half the allotment of keys to do outreach, and maybe some European outlets that would've covered us, did not.

2. When the game launched, rather than a victory lap, what we experienced was more of a public lashing. We did get some reviews that praised the game highly, but just as many reviews lampooned the game for its high difficulty or other failings. I've since released two patches (or 3, depending on how you count it) to address the difficulty. A lot of overnighters. If you recall in the last blog post, I thought it'd be a good start if we got 20 or so reviews on Open Critic. But we've only 8 as of this writing, and the aggregate score isn't so hot. So that's a fail by my metric.

3. A publisher reached out to us because they were interested in physically printing the game! Yay! But... to advance our talks, they wanted to see the game's sales numbers to ensure that there's a good chance their investment could be recouped. And unfortunately, the game's sales numbers are pretty low. They backed out :(

Some hard lessons were learned. The biggest lesson for me concerns how well we playtested the game. Looking at the original playtester list, it's a short list. You may recall from a previous blog post that our ability to test was severely hampered by technical limitations. Add to that, a lot of people on this list are objectively really achieved players. We're talking power ranked in Smash Bros, regular tournament goers, and people who've played and bested every Souls game. And as the maker of the game, I am most blind to the game's challenges.

Now, I'm definitely more of the opinion that you prioritize PC development first. I still have some reservations about some stages of PC development. But if you do PC/Steam first, you have the great benefit of being able to do Early Access, which gives you access to a greater testing pool. I now view it as an invaluable part of the equation. If we had been able to do Early Access for 1 or 2 months before release, we probably could have ironed out most of the game's difficulty and balance problems. Hard lessons, indeed.

There were a lot of other notable events that occurred over the past 2 months - the travails of press outreach, realizing my own limits as a developer, feeling defeated and getting back up again, etc. There's too much stuff to chronicle or go into detail. But it wasn't all bad.

Some good things did happen...

We got a publisher to publish for Japan! It came as a huge relief, because clearly, we don't know what the heck we're doing.

The publisher has been an invaluable source of information and feedback. They've recommended some changes to the game to improve user experience. Some of these changes I was hesitant to do at first because they concerned systems I thought integral to the identity of the game. But after trying it, I have to admit, they're good changes.

So a Japanese version of the game was moving ahead. And it looked like that'd be it. I wasn't planning to move forward with any other language translations due to the game's low sales and our funds being depleted.

But, I was approached by a translator who urged me to move ahead with translations. He told me he was willing to work for only a small price initially and then be paid the rest after from a percentage of the game's sales until the cost of the translation was paid in full.

I was surprised translators were willing to work under such a model since it's entirely likely the game's current low sales trajectory would continue and they wouldn't earn back the full cost of translation. But I was also flattered they were willing to take a risk with me. After that, I approached some others with the same hypothetical deal, and long story short, we're now moving forward with French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian translations. As for why these languages in particular, they were languages for whom I had contacts (because they reached out to me at some point in the past). And also because they were deemed more likely to be profitable based on their home country's gaming market/buying habits. I'd be personally happy to have my native language be represented, but it's not expected to be a profitable territory. But if the game does better in the future, it may justify the costs of translation. There could be a chance!

The plan right now is to get the game supporting these first round of languages and then to patch that into the Switch version as well as launch the PC version with these languages - all in December. A lot of things need to align for this to occur, so a delay isn't out of the question. It'll be busy... I'll update the blog again in latter half of December, probably near the game's PC launch date... OR to announce a delay. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Fan Support

While the past two months have been grueling, one good thing remains constant - fan art! Thank you everyone who submitted. It means a lot to me and the team!

Big thanks to Pimez who's taken on watching over the reddit community as moderator. He also combs the other communities and makes sure I see every new art piece. Despite juggling his own life and all these tasks, he still found some time to draw.

Pimez's piece reminds us that just because the new game's out doesn't mean we can't still celebrate the original flash game. The jail dog is a dog found only in jail and only in the flash game. I imagine Gail is just tossing a stick, and they're playing fetch.

A new artist to this scene æv draws both the Phoenix logo AND a super cute picture of Gail playing the flute. So precious, you want to pinch her cheek. Even the Sand Drake is enthralled!

Another new artist, beet4ppy arrives on the scene with two pictures! One features a no-nonsense battle-hardened Gail looking stoic and tough! Kinda reminds me of Vinland Saga actually. The other, a more cheerful group composition - I must say I'm a big fan of Fran's classic anime-style eye!

A returning artist, Cody G, returns with a picture depicting the tribulations of cooking. Gotta love Gail's frantic expression! I've heard the complaints, which is why we've added an option to slow the cooking mini-game down. An improved button font is also on the way.

Gamesing with two undertale x phoenotopia crossovers. Thomas being a robot builder makes sense taking a role similar to Alphys. But why is Alex dressed like a clown? Perhaps there is a hidden meaning here...

A new artist, Warotar, draws both a pooki wearing Gail's clothes and Gail wearing pooki clothes. Awww. The pooki is a bit scary - it kinda reminds me of a tragic event in a certain anime. But the Gail is adorable!

POL#5655 submitted this one to KM's discord which made its way to me. Here, a stylized Gail appears unnerved by the dark red eyes stalking her in the background. Are they bats or something more sinister?

A new artist, MilesCPW, arrives on the scene with three rare well-vectorized arts! Love it! One scene depicts Gail balancing a bomb on her head - that's a speedrunning trick I only learned about recently after someone emailed me a video O_O

The other drawing gives us new insight into Katash - he could actually look cute if he wasn't trying to kill you.

And the bees... Okay, this one got a chuckle from me :D

A returning artist roccy_chair draws this heart-warming scene from the beginning of the new game. Aww. Mika doesn't get much screen time for story reasons, so it's nice to see her represented.

UnrealWorld_32 returns with another drawing of Gail in Panselo, this time capturing a more idyllic time. I like the tranquil nature of this piece. And Gail does in fact play the guitar, denoted by the guitar in her room.

Returning artist shafiyahh draws a nice portrait of Prince Leo - looking regal and princely. I like the storybook art style of this piece. It made me immediately think of "the Little Prince" - one of my favorite books actually!

Negativus Core returns with a beautiful group composition of Gail and the gang - flying from a Switch shaped window - totally sensible considering the game is only Switch right now. As usual, I'm impressed by Negativus Core's use of challenging angles to frame a more dynamic shot of the characters. Great job!

And it wasn't only artists bearing the banner. I'd like to give a big shoutout to everyone in all the game's little communities (from the reddit to the discords to this tumblr). I've seen this community help newcomers with gameplay and walkthrough advice, discussions, updating the wiki, and so on. It does bring a smile to my face. Thank you everyone!

#phoenotopia

60 notes · View notes

heyjude19-writing · 4 years ago

Note

Im the list anon again and boy do I have more for you but this time I also have some questions as well if your time allows and you are willing to answer of course. First with the other things I loved:

1) the fact that Ron warmed up to Draco so quickly! I genuinely think thats so much in character. Ron is not a distrustful person and as a middle child as they come is very easygoing and would for sure make stupid jokes at Draco

2) The patronus. My god the Patronus. I seriously put the phone down and made a small slow clap during that chapter. At first I was like hmmmm *insert unsure kombucha girl face* because almost all fanfics have him with a dragon patronus and leave it at that (and lets be honest at this point my expectations of you were quite high dont blame me blame your bloody brilliant writing) but then, and I dont know if you did this on purpose or not (I have a feeling you did) but the fact that the dragon was the same (pale white) wounded but still feral dragon that Hermione FREEED (!) from a bank (£££) dungeon, malnourished and used for its nature, surrounded by darkness, wealth and misery!! And it was Hermione who broke its chains!!!!! Is just *chefs fucking kiss* slow clap*

3) the way you describe sex scenes are so natural! Ive never read a fanfic or book that doesnt make me gag a little bit (I am not a fan of smut at all but ill go with it because of a good story) until I read yours. Its so simple but yet intricate and you make the entire act so intriguing and normal and intimate. Bravo.

4) I LOVE SASHA. I love that Theo fell for her head over heels and the way you portrayd her reminded me of a friend of mine who works as a sous-chef in London so I always pictured her when reading it!

5) Dracos inner voice is ON POINT. Like I genuinely think you shoud own the rights to that character now.

6) Ill say it again. I love Ginny. You should also own the rights to her character too.

7) my interest for Quiddich (even when reading the books/wathcing the movies) was on par, if not lower than Hermiones. You managed to get me interested in that too so yes another slow clap to you

7.1) Also such a clever career for Draco!! Made si much sense!

Now to some questions

A) What was the deal with Malfoy referring to Ginny as Weasly and refusing to aknowledge her Potter surname. And why did everyone kept correcting him? It was hilarious granted but I wanted to know whether the reason you included this time and time again had to do wih something deeper? Or was this included as just a funny recurring joke?

B) Why did you choose for Draco to have a “fantasy” to produce a patronus and not for example for him to have had to do that after theyd exchanged “i love yous”. Very interesting angle and i liked that it was sort of a loophole to all the ‘death eaters cant have patronuses’ but quite curious on the thought process

C) Why did you opt for Draco to remove his mark? Do you think that stands as reward for him more or for Hermione? Very smart solution by the way

D) if you have the time- Could you please elaborate a tad more on what the soul-bonding means? Why was it so taboo? At furst hand it seems like a very romantic/amazing thing to do with your partner right?

Lastly- Do you ever itch to make a second part to this? And in the most acceptable case that you dont, I always wondered what you had in mind for them in the future- because of the soul bonding thing, you mentioned that the generational curses will be erased, which means I guess that the Malfoys can have more than one child now, and girls as well. (I cannot believe im asking for this as I am the one to avoid any pregnancy fanfics but) do you imagine them with children and if yes, how many? How do they integrate muggle devices(I know youd agree wit me that Hermione would definitively bring some muggle stuff over!) and which devices would Draco really secretly like?

Pleasewriteasecondpartwhereyouelaborateyourthoughtsonthisthankyou.

Ok rant done. :D

List anon! You’re back with another amazing ask. I’ll do my best!

1.) I like to think Ron matured a lot post-war (not enough to stop making terrible jokes, though.)

2.) Regarding your beautiful analysis of my specific dragon breed for Draco’s patronus: How many points would you like for your Hogwarts house of choice? I will add that according to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Ironbelly’s scales are normally a metallic grey. I will also add that I subscribe more to book canon than movie canon. In the book version of events of the Gringotts escape, Harry breaks the chains and Hermione (with eventual help once the boys catch on) destroys the ceiling so it can have a way out. The partially blind dragon does the rest of the work on its own.

3.) Thank you, that’s very flattering.

4.) Does your friend also get you into fancy restaurants and can they make salted caramel bread pudding???

5.) Thank you, it was one of my favorite aspects of writing this story.

6.) Thank you, she’s so fun to write and flesh out from her book portrayal.

7.) Haha, I felt so validated by that line of dialogue in Cursed Child when Draco tells Harry he wanted to play quidditch professionally, but wasn’t good enough.

Now to some answers:

A.) It’s definitely a recurring joke. It’s up to the reader to interpret Draco’s actions here: is he doing it to be a massive troll? Or is he genuinely not retaining the information of her married name because he considers this fact so unimportant that he does not bother to keep it in his brain? Troll, snob, or both, you can decide!

B.) I’ll address the second part of this first, because it was not intended as a loophole. I 1000% do not understand the “death eaters can’t have patronuses” thing. It makes absolutely no sense. Snape has a Patronus. But beyond that… Umbridge has a Patronus (a cat). If we’re letting that woman have a Patronus, then yeah, I think Draco can cast one. As for the vision that Draco used to conjure it… up to you whether that’s a fantasy or a glimpse of a certain ritual actually working. Draco’s thoughts on the matter: “An image of such striking tangibility that he might have already lived it, or perhaps experienced time in such a way that he lived it now.”

C.) I wanted Draco to have a choice, obviously a recurring theme for him in RN. For my characterization of him, that symbol on his arm causes him nothing but shame and self-loathing (see the end of chapter 36 during his heart-to-heart with Hermione). He’d already exercised almost every known avenue to rid himself of it before Hermione entered his life (he lists these in chapter 44). Hermione already loved him (and has told him so) by the time she’s figured out how to remove it: “I love the man you are today and I will love that man tomorrow, bare forearm or not. I simply wanted you, for once, to have the choice. It’s your body.”

D.) Ooh anon, you are tempting me here. I really hate to be coy, but you might see some future writing on this very topic.

I can at least answer the taboo part: I think soul magic in general (horcruxes, the use of unicorn blood) is quite taboo in the HP universe. As no one knows what happens after death (not even ghosts, Nearly Headless Nick says as much when Harry asks him point-blank in OoTP) I think most magical folk would think the intense ritual (blending magical cores) an unnecessary thing anyway. As Draco explains in chapter 48, since no one actually knows the effects or if it works, it’s considered a bit over-the-top since it’s probably futile anyway. It is also not a Vow with a death component; Narcissa is obviously alive in this story even though Lucius is already dead. I wrote the generational curse protection theory in as a dig at Cursed Child for the way they handled Astoria’s character.

The idea of it I think is romantic, but I will stress it is very dependent upon the intent of the two participants. To quote Draco in chapter 48 again: “To twine one’s soul to another showed a willingness to not only physically tether one’s self during your time here on earth, but to commit to a blending of your magical cores, putting faith in your magic to recognize its bonded counterpart in another life. Should other lives even exist.”

If you re-read Draco’s experience during the bonding ceremony in chapter 51 (starting from this bit: “The cognizance of his own powers never felt sharper, more familiar, but suddenly another power pulsed within to join with his.”) you might find it bears a resemblance to the trajectory of their relationship.

Lastly- I’ve left Draco and Hermione to their wedded bliss. I’ve got nothing planned for them beyond where they are in the final lines of chapter 51. I don’t have that itch to write more into their future because it would feel forced. Draco laid out his two envisioned futures with Hermione in chapter 48 when they discuss having or not having children. They are happy and content in the life they chose together. That’s all I ever wanted for them.

You will see more from this story though. I have an entire series of one-shots and outtakes from the published Remain Nameless timeline that I’ll start posting soon.

Thank you so much list anon! These were fun to answer!

#remain nameless #dramione #list anon #asked and answered

19 notes · View notes

tuttifuckinfruttifriday · 4 years ago

Text

@randomly-a-fan 😌💖💖

“How daddy met mommy”

Pairing: Pennywise x Archie, Pennywise x Aquarius and Aquarius x Archie

Warnings: kind of forced relationship, gore, small cliffhanger like always ;)

It might not be that good since I don’t really have the mind to write rn... but I tried^^

So sorry it took so long D: don’t hesitate to tell me if I did some mistakes<3

—

Today, Pennywise wanted to do something he should have done a long time ago: he would tell his son how him and his mom really met, without sugarcoating it like she does. In his mind, Archie was old enough to not have anybody sugarcoat everything for him. It’s life, life is hard and can be cruel, you just have to accept it. So that’s why they were sitting on the couch and Aquarius was out, since she wanted to take some fresh air. “Sooo.. Kiddo.” The red head clapped his gloved hands as Archie’s face lit up, the little clown waiting patiently for his father to tell him what he wanted to. “You wanna know how your mother and I really met?” It took some time as the blunt question turned around in Archie’s head, his face darkening before it lit up again as he nodded. Pennywise, happy and not at all surprised by the answer, took a deep breath and then started to tell him, telling him that he would try to make it as short as possible:

It’s been some time since Pennywise got out of hibernation and started to feast, which meant there was now a curfew because of the numerous disappearances. Everybody was scared, so Pennywise didn’t really have a big amount of preys.... And his rage almost blinded him when he saw one of the two causes, the other one being the disappearances, evidently. He was walking in his human form, starting to get really hungry, until he saw what looked like a pitiful woman disguised as a clown, her hair looking like the galaxy, which he only guessed as a wig or dye, and her eyes a pale grey, almost white. There was a piece of wood where there was printed “Aquarius The Singing Clown” which he guessed was her name. It was probably what made him go towards her and the bunch of kids she was with, only for him to stop and stare, having a mental debate on why he walked towards the costumed woman. His eyes stared at the floating balloons, his ears blocking the “aww”s and requests of the little brats before her. That’s when his eyes caught hers looking towards him briefly, a golden ring contouring her pale iris as her pupils turned cat-like. If he was a human, he probably wouldn’t have seen it. When he blinked, he realized the woman was back at making balloons, her voice soft but energetic. And for that, it made his blood boil. He... He felt suddenly an immense rage submerge him and his hunger grew as his fists tightened. She wasn’t like the humans, she didn’t fit in... like him.

With that in mind, he made his mind: he would show her what she gets for taking his food, but he wouldn’t kill her... oh no no no no no........... He would take her as his mate. Some time later, after following her and making sure he knew where she was, he acted. Pennywise went into the room she was sleeping in, her soft snores and peaceful breathing making him soften his footsteps as his long feet hit the old wooden floor. It was probably an abandoned building, but right now he had other things to think about.

But it was when he arrived at his house that he would maybe regret.

Entering the old and abandoned house, Pennywise got into the sewer and placed her on a mattress he found. For some time, he only looked at her, never taking his eyes off of her as he considered all his options and thought about what he would do. After all, she was special. He went into a dark corner and waited, his mouth almost salivating as his thoughts drifted towards he not accepting him and him eating her—

But another part of him told him not to, since like I said earlier, she is special, it’s just that he didn’t really know how special she was yet.

“Where...Where am I??” He almost jumped in joy and revealed his location when he heard the smaller woman murmuring. She blinked lazily, her body tense as her eyes searched hastily for any information on where she was. She was obviously confused, like anybody would be in this situation. Getting up carefully and all her senses on high alert, she called out : “Hello???” An almost silent chuckle escaped him, which made her turn around and jump as she saw him, but she didn’t look afraid, strangely. He couldn’t smell anything on her except anger and confusion. But evidently, she still took some steps back when he approached her. “Hello....” “What do you want from me? Where am I??” “You’re not stupid, I see... Then it’s better.” She frowned at his insult and glared at him, her body still tense, as she tried to understand what he meant by”that’s better”. After some time of creepy talking and him telling her about the things he does, wanting her to have pity (if you could even call it that)towards him or his prey we’ll never know, her eyes finally opened wide as she heard him talking to her about her being his mate and all that—

“I’ll never. Get. Lost.” She said with gritted teeth, her pupils changing for cat-like ones like when he saw her. Her mouth a little agape, he could see pointy fangs. Now he truly was sure she wasn’t human. She swiped at him when he tried to get closer, which made him giggle until his face fell and he got dangerously serious suddenly. He didn’t handle people telling him no so he always reacted badly, like, really bad. So —

“She looks awesome!” Archie interrupted him, making him growl with frustration. He looked into his sparkly eyes full of admiration before he continued with a nod and a small mumble (“lemme finish”)

So he showed her his defence form, since he can’t change into something she fears because she doesn’t seem to have anything. His limbs cracked and popped as the woman, still alarmed and ready to fight, looked at him still, only to inhale sharply as she saw him transforming in what looked like a giant spider. With the two into their ‘scariest’ forms, they equaled each other, none getting on top of the other, strangely.

——

After the long fight they had, Pennywise decided that he would let her “go”. She immediately flew and he never really saw her again, until 2 weeks later. He had been following her for some time, so he knew what she had for powers and that she feasted on people’s sins(correct me if I’m wrong-). He was walking back from one of his hunt, in his human form, and he heard voices in an alley. More preys for him to feast on, that’s what he thought. And then, he realized it was Aquarius, and some guys who looked like douchebags. They were making threats and pushing her around, but what was shocking was that they weren’t affected by her siren spell(singing). His eyes immediately caught the orange plugs in their ears, and his eyes turned the same colour. It was so fast that the female clown didn’t have time to react more as she saw a body flying towards the wall, the sickening sounds of bones breaking and blood splattering filling the air. Another one’s head was bitten off, and that’s when she realized who saved her. The guy who kidnapped her... Penny something... “Pennywise, darling.” She was a little bit shocked when he corrected her, but looked unfazed as she sighed and thanked him silently... Now, she knew she owed him.

Before the amazed boy could say anything else, they heard the front door open and sift footsteps coming towards the living room. “Archie? Penny??” The latter called out to his wife, a small smile appearing on his face when he saw her relaxed expression when she saw the two. “What have you been doing?...” They tried to look as neutral as possible, saying that they did nothing special and only took some father and son time. She would let it slide this time, because she knew they weren’t really telling the truth... So she only nodded with a small pout and the small family talked happily for the rest of the day..

#pennywise #randomly a fan

4 notes · View notes

lycanthrop-ee · 5 years ago

Text

Sires and Sons

Chapter 2 of ? First chapter

A/N: Y’all know what time it is- I really don’t have much to say here except sorry for the cliffhanger ;)

Synopsis: When the twins split two years ago, Janus was tasked with raising Remus. His only help was the evasive and sullen Virgil- who he already had to wrangle like a stray teenager. The endless days in the Dark Side’s Mindpalace were broken only by monthly catch-ups with Patton, and the only thing that ever changed the stories that Janus used to get Remus to bed. This time, though, something was different: secrets were slipping through Janus’ lips- and past the divide between Dark and Light.

Ships: Moceit (probably just bg but I don’t actually know can you tell I’m a professional-)

TW: none! Let me know if there’s anything I should tag, though <3

Word count: 1303

As indirectly promised by the past statement on boredom, he was awoken by Remus’ tiny face four inches from his. When Janus flailed and sputtered, Remus explained himself.

“I was trying to stare you awake!” He looked at Janus expectantly. “Get it?”

Jan rubbed his eyes, letting out a tired sigh that turned quickly into a yawn. “Yeah.”

“You’re supposed to laugh, Jan. Also, I ate your graham crackers,” Remus said, crawling up onto Janus’ bed as though he was scared of being dismissed too early. The older side almost pushed him off, but decided it was too early in the morning to be irritable. He also supposed it could go the other way, but he was feeling somewhat generous.

“Do you want something, Remus?”

“I was thinking.”

“Sure.”

“I want to know what the king was like.” Remus’ voice was calm and curious, as though he had no idea what he’d just said. Janus stuttered as a deep panic clutched him.

“W- what?!”

“From the story?” The kid looked taken aback by Janus’ reaction, and after a couple moments of confusion it clicked. Janus let out a deep breath, blinking his bleary eyes tightly.

“From the story… God. Okay Remus, hold- hold on.” Remus looked scared, and Janus imagined how it would feel to have someone flip out on him like that. “I’m... sorry, kid.” He paused. “It’s early.”

“...Okay.” Confusion still rang through his voice, and the fact that he couldn’t explain gnawed at Janus as he stood from his bed, stretching. He told Remus to wait as he went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He stood before the little side, and couldn’t help smiling at the kid’s bright face. Apparently Remus’ Vitamin D deficiency hadn’t yet reached his young features- it was still startling, even after all these years, and it stung him when Janus realized it was probably because his skin didn’t have anything to miss. This dark house was all he remembered.

“Can I tell the story over breakfast?” He spoke tiredly. The kid nodded, and they stumbled from Jan’s room together. The older side’s face twisted as a creeping feeling came over him. “...Re. How long were you watching me sleep?”

His playful unease wasn’t helped in the slightest by Remus’ incessant giggling.

“The kingdom’s castle was full of cheer most days, with the tiny princes running around and whooping as the pâtissier chased them good-naturedly. Even so, there were fears and trials in the shadows of each royal’s mind.”

Remus was immediately interested.

“The baker’s job to float the mood of the castle weighed on him- every unpleasant feeling that crept to him was ignored and buried, only rearing its ugly head when he was alone. Eventually, the power of these mood swings had begun to startle him- and thus he elected to avoid those too. To this day, the emotions festered and bred deep in his stomach, collecting like a land mine waiting to detonate. He would rather die himself in the explosion than spread the damage over the people around him.

“The advisor had a similar problem. He existed for his intelligence, and only that. His brain is what brought him food and housing, friends and family. The glasses that perched on his nose were merely superfluous- he didn’t often need physical sight to advise the King- but he had accepted them as a luxury that may help his performance through quality of life. Irrespective, the advisor was human, and he had needs and thoughts outside of his work- the most prominent of which was his heart. It was mentioned earlier that only rarely a smile could be coaxed from him- and here is the reason. The advisors heart was fully functioning, pumping the correct amount of love and happiness through him- but with those feelings came fear.

“The biggest cause of fear in him was being forgotten- ignored. Losing his job and the love that he felt for it, losing his... coworkers. He couldn’t afford off days: what if there was an important decision for the King to make and he wasn’t in the right headspace? To avoid this situation, the advisor put all his energy into maintaining his facade- cool, smart, and calm. Like the pâtissier, he shuttled all other feelings away, hiding his fear and happiness both. He kept his eye on his only purpose, not seeing the unconditional love flowing towards him. His fear barred him from the truth- he wasn’t an employee, he was a part of the Royal family as much as the little princes were- as much as the King was.”

Remus had finished his bowl of cereal, sitting in his chair with legs swinging impatiently.

“What about the King? You told me you’d talk about him,” The child interrupted. Janus nodded.

“I was just getting to him, Re.”

“And what about the princes? Are they actually sad, too?” Janus huffed a laugh, sizing up Remus’ little, carefree face.

“No, not yet.” This was clearly not the answer Remus had hoped for, but he would accept it as it was time to learn about the leader of the Light Side.

“The King was powerful and just, humorous and kind. His nonformal air was complemented nicely with the wisdom of his advisor, and his kingdom adored him unconditionally. Of course, he would be nothing without his Royal Family- they balanced the workload of a King almost equally, all working ceaselessly to keep the King in good humor and health. In return, he gave them a lavish home, grand titles, and a loving family.” Janus sat back, and Remus was quiet too for a moment.

“...Is that all?”

“That’s all.”

“That’s all?” Janus’ eyebrows raised at the thinly veiled protest.

“...For now.”

It was almost a question as he said it, but it seemed to appease the child, who nodded solemnly and hopped off his seat. Janus dragged his hands over his face, tired already.

Remus had demanded that they go outside and play Kings and Princes- he’d insisted on being the king, tugging at Janus’ heartstrings as he agreed. On the way home, Remus’ tiny hand fit into the adult’s lightly scaled one- there was no reason to keep it gloved anymore, it’d be months before Patton’s next visit- and the young side spoke again of the story he’d quickly become attached to.

“Why don’t the characters ever do anything? You just talk about them.”

Janus considered his answer.

“I’m not sure what they’d do.”

“They’d have to solve a problem of the King’s- or maybe go on a quest- or-”

Janus smiled as the kid rattled off a charged list of endeavors for the newly introduced crew, but his mind wandered.

The paths the Dark Sides often explored weren’t dreary in any sense, but the wooded hollows they were forced to stick to were quiet different from the sunlit corridors of the remote forests. The trees here were mostly coniferous, tainting the air with the smell of pine sap. There were less predetermined trails- they were unnecessary, as the trees were already well separated and the ground was covered in orange needles. It would’ve been easy to get lost had the door back to the Mindscape been set in any liniar location, but it floated around the the whim of those around it. Still, it was a pleasant place for long walks, and Jan often only conjured the door once Remus’ cheeks grew pink with fatigue.

It was getting about that time, too, when Janus pulled up short.

The door was visible through the trees, and around it two figures. One of which was familiar- short and curly-haired- and the other less so, but recognisable.

The smaller of the two turned, waving- and Janus could pinpoint the exact moment that Patton’s eyes fell on Remus.

28 notes · View notes

joie-university-rp · 5 years ago

Text

OOC Statement:

Hello, All.

My name is Moe, or Admin/Vice Provost O, and it was brought to attention of myself and Daisy/Admin/Vice Provost D that there was a list of claims about us, the admins, and Joie as a whole, posted a few hours ago.

Part of me worries that addressing this will create a sort of opposite-Streisand Effect where acknowledging this brings it to the attention of a multitude more people than who would have seen it if we chose to simply ignore it. But the main goal and mantra of this RP from day one has been transparency, and I refuse to renege on that now.

The tl;dr is that these claims are falsified. They come from ex-members who, for any number of reasons, left or were removed on poor terms.

Now that the tl;dr is out of the way, please take a breath and prepare yourself for the tl.

Utilizing everything that I have at my disposal, I will dispute each of these claims to the best of my ability.

For all screenshots, I will block out the names/icons of other people since at the end of the day, the point of this is not to expose anyone. We simply want to clear our name of these false claims. The ace flag Grant Gustin icon is me. The Andy icon is Daisy.

During these refutes, I will be picking out specific screenshots, but, for the sake of transparency, in the morning, I will edit this post to post the full conversations at the very end.

I will be jumping around a bit, but I will start in reverse order after the cut.

False Testimony 4 has a lot of moving parts, but I will do my best to address each one. (With screenshots, when applicable.)

‘Testimony’ 4, Claim #1: “It became very clear within a matter of a few weeks that they didn’t really like minority characters. I was among one of two minority charcters among mostly white males who were gay.”

To say that we don’t/didn’t like minority characters is absurd. At Joie, we have always loved and cherished all of our characters, but especially muses that tend to be neglected in the community, such as POC, nonbinary/genderqueer, and muses with disabilities. We even do our best to celebrate that by having the ability to sort our followlist via some of those identities, and by doing our best to suggest POC FCs when our current members consider picking up additional characters.

As anyone who runs an RP for a while knows, the makeup of an RP moves in waves. For example, there are definitely times when there are far more male FCs in comparison to other genders--especially in an RP like ours that doesn’t believe in placing bans on certain types of characters. With that in mind, without being able to go back and see exactly who was apart of Joie when this player joined, they are more than likely correct that there were few other POC muses. But in no way does that translate into saying that we ‘don’t like’ or are somehow against POC muses.

Similarly, I am a black female myself. Not only that, but I am plus-sized, and considered Mercedes to basically be my mirror while growing up. (Picture of my hand below as evidence.) Meaning that false claim hurts in more ways than one.

‘Testimony’ 4, Claim #2: “Both an admin and another character wanted their character with Sam but Sam was interested in Mercedes.”

This claim is solely their word against mine, and it is definitely small potatoes in comparison to some of the larger claims, but I find this important to dispute for two reasons: 1, it continues to break apart this false claim that the admins in some way ‘didn’t like’ or ‘had it out’ for this player, and 2, it showcases that the person making this claim is, unfortunately, an unreliable narrator.

My dispute to this is the following: At the time that this Mercedes player was with us, I had 2 characters and Daisy had only 1. My first character and Daisy’s single character where in a slow-burn ‘will they, won’t they’ plot with each other that lasted the entire time Mercedes was there and then some. My 2nd character, Spencer, was/is a lesbian. If anything, I feel that maybe this player felt I was interested in having Spencer be with Sam because they were best friends. However, as previously mentioned, Spencer is and always has been a lesbian. So that simply is not the case.

‘Testimony’ 4, Claim #3: “ It all came to a head when Jeff and Mercedes got into a fight because Jeff’s new boyfriend had hurt Sam’s feelings and Mercedes took up for her boyfriend. Jeff started being really disrespectful to her and then wrote a text to his boyfriend saying if Mercedes showed up to the sorority house he would kick her ass and kick her out by her nappy ass weave. That pissed me off. I felt like that was extremely disrespectful and racist. You don’t say things like that. It hurt me OOC as a black woman and IC as a Mercedes player But the admins did nothing.”

Thankfully, we’re to our first claim with hard evidence to dispute with. While it is true that this situation did, unfortunately occur, it is completely false to say that the admins did nothing. Here is a conversation between myself and the player showcasing the exact opposite.

(The text conversation in question was unfortunately written over so I cannot link to it, but I’d like to mention some additional things about this situation:)

Much like I said in the conversation, I originally didn’t read the texts to be inherently or explicitly intended to be racist. I read it more in the way of how talking about ‘weave’ and the like has/had started to become just as prominent in the gay community as it is the black one. But, also like I mentioned in the conversation, I recognized that she more than likely had a different background/history with the word than I did, so I wanted to still address the situation however I needed to in order to make sure that she, as the victimized party, still felt comfortable.

As seen in the conversation, she said all she needed was to get it off her chest. And even with her saying she did not need any more action to be made, I still took it a step further and spoke to the other party, gave them a strike (Joie works on a 3 strike policy except in the case of egregious offenses), and had them remedy the situation by changing the text.

To say we did nothing is, once again, just simply false.

‘Testimony’ 4, Claim #4: “Then the player and their friend started harassing me. I told the admins over and over and they said there was nothing they could do. The player even lied on me with no proof ( I showed the admins proof of the hate) and the admins basically pressured me saying I was welcome to leave if it bothered me so much. I was really upset and hurt. The hate just continued and I finally had enough and left.”

Once again. It is false and unfair to say we did nothing. Even though we could not get an understanding from either party of where this quarrel came from, we kept an eye on this quarrel at all times.

The tl;dr of this quarrel is this: The harassment was something that was almost non-stop from both sides, and it would come in waves. We would be approached by one of the two players, we would diffuse the situation, and then a few days would pass, and another would spring up. It was a constant thing.

While I don’t have many screenshots, I do have some screenshots of things started to reach its peak. Within this screenshot, you can see that we did do everything in our power to fix this situation by urging the two to try to finally talk things out with admin moderators present instead of continuing to hash things out unhealthily on the dash via character bleeding.

(This came up as part of a larger conversation regarding this character’s lack of general activity and choice to bubble and have Mercedes be extremely argumentative/aggressive whenever they were on. This is the most relevant part, but, again, for the sake of transparency, I will post the entire conversation after this full statement is done)

Quick clarification: “We can see your custom status” refers to the custom status on discord. The status vagued about the situation in same way, although it’s been months so I can’t remember exactly what.

‘Testimony’ 4, Claim #5: “I hadn’t even thought about Joie after I left. But they hate continued. One of the admins ( I recently found out) joined a group pretending to be me with my name and was extremely rude playing Mercedes as a stereotype, thank goodness a few people who knew me told me about it and the admin left the group. Turns out she was just there to spy on their group so they could steal ideas. ”

This claim is just straight up false. It is not even ‘misremembered’ or ‘unreliable’. It is just false.

Since Joie started, I have not joined any other RP of any kind. Daisy has joined other RPs, but none of them have been Glee RPs, and none of them have been this weird ‘stereotype/stealing information’ claim.

Also, if one thinks about this claim for a few seconds longer, the whole thing makes less and less sense. If someone’s goal was to ‘steal ideas’ from an RP, why would they draw attention to themselves by: A, pretending to be someone else in the community--Especially someone who plays a rarely-picked up character? and B, playing a black woman as a stereotype--something that almost all admins would address immediately? Additionally, what ‘ideas’ would someone be stealing from an RP? And additionally, additionally, if there were somehow ideas to steal, why would someone need to join an RP to see them? Nothing regarding that claim stands up to logic.

I have come to the table with screenshots left and right. I encourage this player to please give screenshots of whatever group this supposedly is/what, pictures of the supposed blog, and/or more information about which admin this supposedly was and how they know.

Because on the off-chance that this isn’t just a completely falsified statement pulled out of thin air, it is definitely a situation where this player simply thought that we did something when we absolutely did not. Which brings us to claim 6:

‘Testimony’ 4, Claim #6: “Then they started sending hate to the Sam player pretending it was me mad at a new ship. I tried explaining that I didn’t even follow Joie anymore but the damage was done and I lost a friend and writing partner. The group the admins they are all toxic and I am still paying the price for making the mistake of joining that group.”

Much like claim 5, this claim is just false. Straight up, 100% false. Not ‘misremembered’, not ‘unreliable’. False.

And also much like claim 5, if this is not pulled completely out of thin air, it is a situation where this player simply thought that we did something when we absolutely did not. And for this claim, I actually am leaning a bit more towards it being this one.

It is obviously difficult to prove that you didn’t do something, but I have proof that the Joie main was also receiving odd and hate anons talking about Mercedes/this Mercedes player.

I logically have my suspicions that this is the Mercedes player themselves because on August 3rd, they had been away from the RP for over 7 months, and I highly doubt a ‘friend’ would be able to know we even had a Mercedes--let alone specifically her--after all that passed time, but this is about disputing claims, not making them myself, so I digress.

If nothing else, this screenshot shows that if there was someone other than the player sending weird Mercedes-specific anons, it was not us.

With ‘Testimony’ 4 out of the way, I will move my attention to ‘Testimony’ 2.

‘Testimony’ 2, Claim #1: “Hey! I just want to warn people about Joie. I honestly thought it would have died by now with the toxic admins. I joined that group near the beginning and was kicked without a single word from the admins AFTER they internet stalked me and found out my exact location. They held, and probably still hold, a grudge against me for no reason, or at least none that has ever been explained to me. It's super creepy and I'd be wary.”

There’s actually two false claims in this one statement. I will refute them in opposite order starting with the bit that’s bolded.

The tl;dr is that no one internet stalked anyone and, more importantly, no one has their exact location. (I will explain that further after giving background to the whole situation.)

This situation is another long one, but here’s the gist: The reason Daisy and I (and originally two other admins, but they are long gone) created this RP was to leave a different RP where the admins and some members were not kind to us. Not too long after Joie got off the ground, we received 3 new apps which we then accepted. Within a few moments of meeting them in the OOC, suspicions were DMed to us (both by one of our now long-gone admins and another regular player at the time) that at least one of the 3 apps was actually a person that I’ll call Z for the rest of this story, trying to pass as someone else by using a different alias and a brand new fake Discord account. Z had a negative history with one of our players, was a part of the group all 4 admins were fleeing from, and additionally had a particularly negative history with one of our long-gone admins.

Like implied in the story, we already had a history with this person, so we knew vaguely where the person lived (in the same way that all internet people talk to each other). In order to see if this person actually was Z, we checked the ping that submitted the app (more on that in a second), saw it was from the same country we know Z had mentioned living in, and then approached them about it.

While talking to Z, G (another one of the 3 apps) came forward to admit in a rage that they and the 3rd app, X, were all people with similar negative histories all doing the same thing in order to try to sneak into our RP.

Z and G left on their own accord while X was told by admins that they were going to be removed (more on that in a second).

You can see these conversations below.

Here’s Z’s convo:

Two quick clarifications: “Why both of you?” is me asking why both Z and X did this (we did not know about G’s involvement at this moment).

“There will be.” was me in the middle of preparing a server with all the admins in it so they could all be in the loop about this situation.

Here’s G’s conversation:

Two more quick clarifications: One, this is in the middle of a larger conversation where G came to me discussing IC problems with the player that all three of them had a negative history with (At this time, I had no clue G was with X and Z, so I was handling it like I would a normal quarrel.) Like others, I will put the whole conversation as a footer at the end, but above is the relevant part.

Two, like I said before, I am about transparency, so I’ve posted this conversation piece as a whole even though there is false info it in. Much like I will explain further in a second, no one stalked anyone. Nor was anyone harrassed past asking them why they chose to do this instead of just being truthful from the jump.

Now, onto addressing the “stalking” claim head on:

No one was stalked, nor did anyone find anyone’s ‘exact location’. We realized who Z and X were by looking at their pings.

For those who do not know what pings are, pings are the little dot that shows up when you go on a blog that has the ‘[blank] people online, [blank] total visitors’ code on it. This thing here:

A majority of Glee blogs nowadays have them. If you click on the links, it takes you to this page where you can see your ping.

The ping above is mine on Seblaine RPH’s blog. And I have no problem showing you this ping because it is nowhere near my real location. These pings are based on cellphone towers, so they’re vague to begin with (the really only show the state/country, and they also are usually fairly off (at least a few cities away in any direction).

This, completely readily available information that almost all Glee blogs have, is all the information that was used. The only reason it helped at all was because Z did not live in America. Something we already knew. And it confirmed that the alias we were suspicious of also didn’t live in America.

Otherwise, it told us nothing. No city, no IP address, and definitely no exact location.

To give further context, people get more personal information when they reverse search anon hate than someone could get from this ping. And people give more personal information when they simply post a picture of themselves than someone could get from this ping.

And since there are probably some people who didn’t know that’s what happens when you go on a blog, I want to add this:

In addition to this being something many Glee blogs have, we also (again in the efforts of transparency) have never shied away from explaining this process to our members when they ask.

I have screenshots of me explaining this to a member in more--and arguably, better--detail below (and this is the only conversation I will not post in full because they have nothing to do with the larger convo, and their reason for asking was personal.)

For a bit of context, using this same tactic, we found, months later, that a different player had created a fake alias and was playing more roles through that account after she was told to up activity before applying for another on her main account.

Now moving on to the other half of that false claim:

‘Testimony’ 2, Claim #2: “Hey! I just want to warn people about Joie. I honestly thought it would have died by now with the toxic admins. I joined that group near the beginning and was kicked without a single word from the admins AFTER they internet stalked me and found out my exact location. They held, and probably still hold, a grudge against me for no reason, or at least none that has ever been explained to me. It's super creepy and I'd be wary.”

Unfortunately, my conversations with X (the person I’m assuming sent this, as G and Z left in a huff on their own accord) are long deleted and gone, but I can assure that we explained to them the reason why they were removed. And the reason why I know is that because, like I said before, Joie’s mission has always been transparency.

So once they left/were removed respectively, we explained the situation to the main OOC as well. Most of it was via VC for ease on my poor fingers (unlike right now), but there’s still enough to hopefully get my point across.

Moving on to false Testimony 3 and 1:

‘Testimony’ 3, Claim: “If you are not a gay or bisexual white Male then stay away from Joie they pretend to be accepting but are not. As a minority female I was bullied constantly and the admins did nothing. But the moment the same person bullied a white male they kicked that person out. Joie is toxic.”

Much like previous false testimonies, this never happened. It’s as simple as that. This is false.

Much like mentioned before, whenever there is a situation, Daisy and I work hard to make sure that things come to a resolution as soon as possible.

Additionally, as I also mentioned before, I am also a minority female--specifically a black female. Why would I ever do something like that?

‘Testimony’ 1, Claim: “Joie Academy treated me like crap as well and practically told me that 'I seem like the kinda person no one would get along with in the real world'... I am surprised people are still there cause the admins are the worst and put me through so much.”

This is another testimony that is just completely and utterly false. Not ‘misremembered’, not ‘unreliable’. False.

I don’t have much to say on the topic past that that I haven’t already said multiple times over in other places throughout this.

In closing, I would just like to say that although I recognize and appreciate what Seblaine RPH is trying to do by warning people of problematic/toxic RPs, I am pleading that they please get both sides of a story before making such a bold post with such bold claims as he did.

False claims travel 6 times faster than real ones, and if the trend becomes that all it takes to get an RP to be considered blacklist-able is people sending false claims about it, Joie will unfortunately not be the last RP to fall victim to this.

To those of you who read this whole thing, I thank you.

~Vice Provost O

---

Full conversations will be posted here in the morning. I will indicate that this post is edited at that time.

#seblainerph #glee rp #glee rpg #ooc statement #joieuniversityrp #vice provost o

10 notes · View notes

thecatsaesthetics · 5 years ago

Note

Ashara's baby. The whole thing seems so weird to me. What do you make of it?

This is probably gonna be unpopular and let me say this I’m okay to be wrong. So many people write theories and act like they can’t be wrong. I’m fine if I’m wrong. Also, I don’t give a single fuck what the show did. The show to me will never define all the canon. As Martin said when answering if it was the correct ending yes… no…. yes…no. Meaning yes some things were probably “plot points” but just because the show didn’t go into certain things doesn’t mean it won’t matter in the books. So please no “BUT THE SHOW” cause I don’t believe everything has been revealed at all.

I tend to think if Ashara’s baby is gonna pop up it will be Dany. I know a very very controversial opinion. But let’s look at Lemongate, which doesn’t prove Ashara but raises doubt on Dany’s parentage. Lemongate is undeniable, anyone who says otherwise is completely fooling themselves.

Martin confirmed it’s important:

Livejournal Question: “Dany remembers a lemon tree outside the house with the red door in Braavos, but citrus trees shouldn’t really grow in Braavos’s cold, foggy climate. Is this discrepency significant? Does it point to future revelations about Dany’s past? Thank you so much.”

Answer: “Very perceptive of you. Yes, it does point to … well, that would be telling.”

This means no matter what Lemongate matters. There is a reason Martin put it in the plot. Whether I am right or wrong doesn’t matter, Martin has confirmed it points to something. Something he will be revealing. So for anyone who claims Lemongate is nothing is wrong.

Rhaella and Aerys infertility. Rhaella had Rhaegar, 3 miscarriages, 2 stillborns, and 3 short live children. There is obvious fertile issues with them and she has all of these losses under the best medical care. But we’re supposed to believe Rhaella gave birth to a healthy living child, without a maester, after an incredibly stress war, the loss of almost her entire family, flight to Dragonstone, and the constant fear of being caught by Robert Baratheon.

Dany has violet eyes. People might not think this is important but it is. Viserys has lilac eyes and Rhaegar has indigo eyes. No keep in mind Martin is pretty much you get either “mom or dad’s traits.” recessive genes don’t seem to be a thing (the whole reason the “black of hair” nonsense drives some fans nuts). On top of that Dany is supposed to be the daughter of two generations worth of brother-sister marriages. These violet eyes are a mistake. Even Viserys points it out in Dany’s first chapter he makes her wear a purple dress to “bring out the purple in her eyes” Viserys is terrified she doesn’t look like a Targaryen Princess. But will get into that later. The only person in the timeline of Dany’s conception that had violet eyes was Ashara. Barristan Selmy even says Dany’s eyes remind him of Ashara.

Back to the Viserys point. He is terrified she doesn’t look enough like a Targaryen. The first chapter is him dressing her up and trying to convince himself that she looks enough like a Targaryen. It’s the eyes that are worrying him probably, they are wrong.

Viserys doesn’t speak High Valyrian but Dany does. When they speak with in front of the Dothraki they speak in The Common Tongue. We know Dany speaks High Valyrian, a language few would know where they were. So it seems like Viserys didn’t know High Valyrian.

Dany says she was born in the worst storm in Westerosi history. Not a single person has a memory of this storm, this storm that supposedly smashed the Targaryen fleet (leaving them defenseless) and made the stones at Dragonstone come down. This doesn’t make for many reasons. First Stannis has a naval battle at Dragonstone, Davos mentions that Stannis led the assault against Dragonstone which implies there was a battle. Furthermore, Dragonstone castle isn’t made out of stone, it’s made out of magically fused Valyrian stones. Dragonstone couldn’t crumble the way Dany said it did. On top of that Stannis, Davos, etc never mentions repairs made to Dragonstone.

Further disproving the “stormborn” Dany claims the storm happened in the summer during her birth. Which doesn’t make sense, we know that winter/autumn storms are in The Narrow Sea with the worst being winter.

Dany remembers Willem Darry as a “great grey bear” of a man and also that he died wasting away of sickness. He remembers Willem Darry never leaving his bed, and him walking with a cane. She remembers he had soft hands, but Willem Darry was a knight and master-of-arms. His hands would be rough.

Dany says she and Viserys were robbed when they left the house with the red door. Leaving them with nothing. But Dany also said that Viserys sold all there Targaryen treasures, including there mother’s crown. So the servants stole everything but just missed all that good Targaryen treasure?

Dany tells us they went from Dragonstone-Braavos- Myr-Tyrosh-Qohor-Volantis-Lys-Pentos. Just look at a map. Tell me how this makes sense. On top of that Dany specifically says she remembers the flight from Dragonstone to Braavos. Dany was an infant apparently, how would she remember it?

Dany says in her first chapter they lived in Pentos for 6 months, Illyrio says that the marriage between Drogo and Dany was “years in the making” and also mentions to Viserys not to ruin plans that have been in the works for “years”.

And finally, Lemon trees don’t grow in Braavos. The smoking gun, Dany remembering a Lemon Tree outside her window: here is the specific quote

“That was when they lived in Braavos, in the big house with the red door. Dany had her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window”

Now many have claimed it’s possible that they lived with the Sea Lord and that the Sea Lord had a glasshouse similar to the Starks. Now that’s possible, but Dany doesn’t remember a glasshouse. She remembers a Lemon Tree outside her window. If you look at the Sea Lord’s Palace it doesn’t seem like the room Dany would be in would be close enough for her to see the Lemon Tree. Also in The Stark glasshouse, it’s interesting that Lemon Trees aren’t grown. Considering Ned Stark had a daughter who loved lemon cakes.

Lemon trees are most associated with Dorne. This has been repeated in the text a bunch of times. Similarly the idea that Braavos grows no lemon has also been mentioned. And as I mentioned in the first point Martin has said this issue will be brought up and revealed, and I’m sorry if I don’t believe Dany will have it revealed to her she once lived at a place with a glasshouse. I think it’s probably a little more.

Now all of this is evidence that Dany’s past doesn’t add up. There are questions about it. There are many theories about it, but if Ashara’s baby is going to be important I would suspect it’s because she’s Dany. Now many have speculated Ashara’s baby is Aegon, it’s possible but I think it’s important that we’re told that Ashara’s baby was a stillborn girl. Also Ned’s guilt over the decision to kill Dany. Also, The Daynes hold Ned in such high respect despite him killing Arthur. It’s very odd. I mean Edric Dayne is nicknamed Ned… which seems to be for Ned Stark. There is something going on with The Daynes, I’m sure of that. I mean Barristan says when he looks at Dany it’s like he’s looking at Ashara’s daughter. So I think if anyone’s gonna be revealed to be Ashara’s baby it will be Dany.

Now there are many baby daddies, Brandon, Ned, Aerys, Rhaegar… I still tend to think Dany is a Targaryen so I would throw out Brandon or Ned. I mean possible B+A=D, especially with the “looked to Stark” but idk I think Dany’s a Targaryen.

Aerys is interesting Daenerys Daen-erys Dayne-Aerys. Idk maybe the very name itself was meant to be a clue. Aerys was known to take mistresses, to be a rapist, etc. He was obsessed with Joanna Lannister for a while and Rhaella sent her away in order to protect her. It was said Aerys was interested in beautiful women and Ashara was supposedly the most beautiful of them all. Aerys would have had access to Ashara given she was his daughter in laws lady in waiting. Plus it was said someone “dishonored” Ashara at Harrenhall, Barristan claims. Who was known for dishonoring maidens? Aerys.

Rhaegar is also a strong case, Rhaegar again had access to Ashara. It makes more sense for him to fall for his wife’s lady in waiting then Lyanna a woman he just met. Dany has strong ties to Rhaegar in the books, he’s mentioned so much in relation to Dany. Rhaegar being Dany’s father would make sense. Again fits with the “dishonor” but I also argue it would fit with the “looked to Stark”. Let’s say Rhaegar and Ashara were having an affair, and then suddenly Lyanna showed up at Harrenhall and Rhaegar realized that only a child of “ice and fire” would be The Prince that was Promised. Is it possible Ashara took to the Starks in order to actively dishonor or humiliate them after being set aside for Lyanna? Again this is speculative but possible. We know she leaves Elia’s service soon after the birth of Aegon. It seems like she was set aside.

So that’s it… again don’t take this too seriously. I’m okay if I’m wrong. I’m not someone set in stone when it comes to ASOIAF theories. But I just think The Daynes do have a role to play.

#daenerys targaryen #meta #asoiaf meta #anonymous

70 notes · View notes

newstfionline · 4 years ago

Text

Sunday, March 14, 2021

Warp-speed spending and other surreal stats of COVID times (AP) The U.S. effort in World War II was off the charts. Battles spread over three continents and four years, 16 million served in uniform and the government shoved levers of the economy full force into defeating Nazi Germany and imperial Japan. All of that was cheaper for American taxpayers than this pandemic. The $1,400 federal payments going into millions of people’s bank accounts are but one slice of a nearly $2 trillion relief package made law this past week. With that, the United States has spent or committed to spend nearly $6 trillion to crush the coronavirus, recover economically and take a bite out of child poverty. Set in motion over one year, that’s warp-speed spending in a capital known for gridlock, ugly argument and now an episode of violent insurrection. Once, the attack on Pearl Harbor was the modern marker for national trauma. About 2,400 Americans died in the assault on the naval base in Hawaii that drew the United States into the Pacific war. The nearly 3,000 dead from the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, became the new point of comparison as the ravages of COVID-19 grew. The U.S. reached a total of 3,000 COVID-19 deaths even before March 2020 was out. By December, the country was experiencing the toll of 9/11 day after day after day. With deaths now moderating—so that a 9/11 toll comes cumulatively every few days—the U.S. death toll now has surpassed 530,000, exceeding U.S. combat deaths of all of the last century’s wars.

The Fighter Jet That’s Too Pricey to Fail (NYT) Last week, the new head of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Adam Smith, said in an interview that the F-35 fighter jet was a “rathole” draining money. He said the Pentagon should consider whether to “cut its losses.” That promptly set off another round of groaning about the most expensive weapon system ever built, and questions about whether it should—or could—be scrapped. Conceived in the 1990s as a sort of Swiss army knife of fighter jets, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was meant to come as a conventional fighter for the Air Force, as a carrier-based fighter for the Navy and as a vertical-landing version for the Marines. The problems, and there were lots of them, set in early. All three versions of the plane ended up at least three years behind schedule, and sharing less than a quarter of their parts instead of the anticipated 70 percent. Many of those already built need updates; hundreds of defects are still being corrected; the jet is so expensive to maintain that it costs around $36,000 per hour to fly (compared to $22,000 for an older F-16). At the current rate, it will cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion over its 60-year life span. So, kill the monster and start looking for alternatives? Or declare it too big to fail and make the best of it? Last month, the Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Charles Brown Jr., gave his answer when he said that the F-35 should become the Ferrari of the fleet: “You only drive it on Sundays.”

Colorado and Wyoming brace for severe snowstorm and potential blizzard conditions this weekend (Washington Post) A major winter storm is set to unload massive amounts of snow, the most in years in some areas, in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and western Nebraska this weekend into early next week. Before the wintry onslaught is over, some locations in the Colorado foothills and eastern Rockies might end up with as much as four feet. Winds are also going to howl, bringing the potential for blizzard conditions across parts of the region. Gusts of 35 to 50 mph or higher will cause blowing and drifting snow, as well as compromised visibility and whiteout conditions. Winter storm warnings are in effect in Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins where the National Weather Service predicts 12 to 24 inches of snow. In Cheyenne, Wyo., also under a winter storm warning, 22 to 34 inches of snow is forecast.

Stay or go? Fence, Guard pose Capitol security questions (AP) Nobody, it seems, wants to keep the security fence around the U.S. Capitol anymore—except the police who fought off the horrific attack on Jan. 6. Lawmakers call the razor-topped fencing “ghastly,” too militarized and, with the armed National Guard troops still stationed at the Capitol since a pro-Trump mob laid siege, not at all representative of the world’s leading icon of democracy. “All you have to do is to see the fencing around the Capitol to be shocked,” Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said in an interview Friday. How to protect lawmakers, while keeping the bucolic Capitol grounds open to visitors has emerged as one of the more daunting, wrenching questions from deadly riot. With warnings of another attack in early March by pro-Trump militants and threats on lawmakers that have nearly doubled since the start of 2021, the police, the Pentagon and lawmakers themselves are wrestling with how best to secure what has been a sprawling campus mostly open to visiting tourists and neighborhood dog walkers alike.

Bolivia arrests ex-leader in crackdown on opposition (AP) The conservative interim president who led Bolivia for a year was arrested Saturday as officials of the restored leftist government pursue those involved in the 2019 ouster of socialist leader Evo Morales, which they regard as a coup, and the administration that followed. Jeanine Áñez was detained in the early morning in her hometown of Trinidad and was flown to the capital, La Paz. She had earlier warned that officials were searching for her, terming it “abuse and persecution” in Twitter posts. The arrest of Áñez and warrants against numerous other former officials further worsened political tensions in a South American country already torn by a cascade of perceived wrongs suffered by both sides. Those include complaints that Morales had grown more authoritarian with nearly 13 years in office, that he illegally ran for a fourth reelection and then allegedly rigged the outcome, that right-wing forces led violent protests that prompted security forces to push him into resigning and then cracked down on his followers, who themselves protested the alleged coup. Dozens of people were killed in a series of demonstrations against and then for Morales.

British police officer charged with murder in missing woman’s kidnapping and killing (Washington Post) A British police officer was charged late Friday in the kidnapping and killing of Sarah Everard, whose disappearance and death has sent shock waves through the nation. Wayne Couzens, 48, who previously had posts at Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster, was charged with the kidnap and murder of Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive. She was last seen at 9:30 p.m. on March 3, walking home from a friend’s house in south London. Her disappearance sparked a national outcry in Britain over the harassment and abuse of women. The case has struck a chord with women across the country, with many demanding change. In the days after Everard’s disappearance, women have taken to social media to share their own experiences and fears about their personal safety and walking alone. Caitlin Moran, an author and journalist, tweeted: “Being a woman: my “outside” day finishes at sundown. If I haven’t taken the dog for a walk/jogged by then, I can’t.” Writing in the Guardian, columnist Gaby Hinsliff said: “When she went missing, any woman who has ever walked home alone at night felt that grim, instinctive sense of recognition. Footsteps on a dark street. Keys gripped between your fingers.”

Car bomb kills at least 7, injures 53 in Afghan Herat province (Reuters) A powerful car bomb near a police station on Friday night killed at least seven people and wounded more than 50 others in Afghanistan’s western Herat province, officials said. Herat Governor Sayed Abdul Wahid Qatali said that at least 53 people, including civilians and security forces, were hurt when a van packed with explosives went off in a crowded part of the city in the evening.

4 killed as Myanmar forces continue crackdown on protesters (AP) Security forces in Myanmar on Saturday again met protests against last month’s military takeover with lethal force, killing at least four people by shooting live ammunition at demonstrators. Three deaths were reported in Mandalay, the country’s second-biggest city, and one in Pyay, a town in south-central Myanmar. There were multiple reports on social media of the deaths, along with photos of dead and wounded people in both locations. The independent U.N. human rights expert for Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said Thursday that “credible reports” indicated security forces in the Southeast Asian nation had so far killed at least 70 people, and cited growing evidence of crimes against humanity since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

For Syrians, a decade of displacement with no end in sight (AP) Mohammed Zakaria has lived in a plastic tent in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley for almost as long as war has raged in his native Syria. He and his family fled bombings in 2012, thinking it would be a short, temporary stay. His hometown of Homs was under siege, and subject to a ferocious Syrian military campaign. He didn’t even bring his ID with him. Almost 10 years later, the family still hasn’t gone back. The 53-year-old Zakaria is among millions of Syrians unlikely to return in the foreseeable future, even as they face deteriorating living conditions abroad. On top of his displacement, Zakaria now struggles to survive Lebanon’s financial meltdown and social implosion. Nearly half a million people have been killed, and about 12,000 children have died or were injured in the conflict in the past decade, according to the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF. The conflict also resulted in the largest displacement crisis since World War II. The Norwegian Refugee Council this week said that since the war began in 2011, an estimated 2.4 million people were displaced every year in and outside Syria. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians face continued displacement with each year that the conflict continues and economic conditions deteriorate.

Number of missing Nigerian students raised to 39 after armed raid (Reuters) Nine more students than originally thought are missing after gunmen stormed a forestry college in northwest Nigeria earlier this week, a government official in Nigeria’s Kaduna state said on Saturday. The revision brings the total number of missing students to 39 following Thursday’s nighttime raid on the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, the fourth mass school abduction in northern Nigeria since December. Kaduna city is the capital of Kaduna state, part of a region where attacks by gangs of armed men, referred to as bandits, have festered for years. Military and police attempts to tackle the gangs have had little success, while many worry that state authorities are making the situation worse by letting kidnappers go unpunished, paying them off or providing incentives.

#headlines #news

1 note · View note