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g1deonthefirst · 10 months

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wasn't alfred a hedge fund manager? i get where ur coming from re: the class divide post otherwise btw but am somewhat stumped ab this bc he was definitely the one making the most money and likely highly educated as well, and ended up a cav. ig it is STEM/nonSTEM divide?

hi! yes, alfred was a hedge fund manager — he was also augustine's brother and so comes from a similar (presumably very wealthy) background. this exception doesn't really disprove the rule to me: either way, john was disproportionately likely to make people who were highly educated necromancers and people who were not cavaliers. i want to walk through a couple possible reasons for this.

the first possibility is that john (1) believed that people who were more "intelligent" were more likely to be able to understand necromancy and (2) implicitly believed that people who were academically high-achieving like scientists, lawyers, doctors, etc. were more "intelligent." clearly, john and the lyctors all seem to think pretty highly of their own intelligence. john in particular went from being a poor māori kid to being an accomplished scientist, and i don't think it's a stretch to say he probably believed he deserved it on the basis of intelligence.

in contrast, both alfred and cristabel have their own talents and intelligence disparaged — john describes alfred as "useless, but a darling" and augustine describes cristabel as "not hav[ing] the intellect you'd ordinarily find in a sandwich or an orange." additionally, necromancy is talked about in scientific terms, which lends itself to the idea that you might need some scientific understanding to be good at it. i think it's entirely possible that john consciously decided that some people wouldn't be intelligent enough to hack it and made them the cavaliers, a problematic assumption chiefly in that it equates academic achievement with innate intelligence.

the second possibility, and to me the more likely one, is that john simply made the people closest to him necromancers while making people he wasn't as close to (essentially his friends' friends) non-necromancers. it's pretty clear that the people john made necromancers were people who directly worked on john's original cryogenics project with him, while the cavaliers were all people who got dragged into his cult by those original project members. alfred is a perfect example of this — he's there because he's augustine's brother. other people have made posts about the possibility that john did this to intentionally separate his friends from the people they loved.

but either way, i think this demonstrates who john as a character cared about. john, as a successful scientist, surrounded himself by people who were highly educated and successful, predominantly (as you note anon) people in STEM. people who are disproportionately likely to be white, neurotypical, and cis, or at least disproportionately likely to be able to conform to white/european, neurotypical, cis standards. not only is john not as close to people in his project-turned-cult that aren't as highly educated, but poor people aren't present at all. there are no janitors, no retail workers, no manual laborers, no farmworkers. i don't get the sense that john ever really unpacked his internalized biases or questioned why he primarily values people who are highly educated.

"but," i imagine my hypothetical reader who's somehow made it this far protesting, "of course he's surrounded by highly educated people. he's working on a cryogenics project!" well...precisely. tumblr user sophelstien's scratch a liberal and a fascist bleeds essay touches on how this project demonstrates that john is not as progressive as some people assume he is, but what i'll say here is simply that john didn't have to make the people in his cryogenics project the leaders of his new society. and by installing the very people who our society rewards into positions of power, john — consciously or not — shapes the new society he's creating with the old society's inequalities.

#asks #tlt #realizing as i write this out that i have a lot more thoughts on what the people who john made lyctors says about the nine houses #like as anon points out they're nearly all in stem #and i think that has some crazy implications for the nine houses that tie back to john's disregard for pregnant people #on the cryogenics project which evinces a disregard for scientific ethics more generally #(which is also seen in the human experimentation on canaan house)#i also have a lot of thoughts on the supposed necromancer-cav intelligence divide #that i think fandom really buys into as you can see in people who believe pyrrha must be a necromancer #and on what john prioritized when shaping the culture of the nine houses #but i think this post is long enough #also would you believe i accidentally inserted a poll halfway thru this post and couldn't get rid of it so i had to like #copy paste all my individual paragraphs into another program discard the post and repaste them all here

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thecoffeelorian · 6 months

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And now, for something slightly different...

Hello again, everyone...

...Okay, gang...before we get started here, there's something I think I need to confess here first.

I don't know how in the world I'm supposed to feel about this show any more.

I mean...in the beginning, I thought their arc was clear as a bell: start removing every single darned inhibitor chip they could find, start the evac efforts to an Outer Rim planet, and then start rebuilding new lives, the end.

Instead, it's turned into what looks like a never-ending negative feedback loop: don't lift a finger to rescue a certain person; get told to give a darn about said person by the child character; finally act on the child's orders...but then as a creepy consequence for giving a darn at all, the title squad/'family'(?) starts watching its members not rethink one side of an ideological/psychological divide and leave them; not give up completely on rescuing Troopers/join the Margaritaville Society and leave them; not remember that there are human weight-bearing birds on a certain mountain planet and leave them; finally agree to be caught by the Empire in order to locate Mount Tantiss and leave them...and oh yes, let's add a 'Will They Kill A Brother/Won't They Kill A Brother' game to the mix, if things weren't totally weird enough...I mean, all right, already.

If this show WASN'T about having all six title characters come back together as a true family on an asylum planet, what IS happening here?

How in the world am I expected to respond to repetitive, exhausting moments of disaster and family splintering when for three whole years, I was endlessly told that there was NO disaster, that this was the PERFECT family, that they would NEVER end up shedding members one by one, etc...and...everything that the big-name fans and fandom influencers said WOULDN'T happen IS, in fact, happening right this very minute.

In other words, the squad and family keeps on disintegrating a little bit more with each new season, and I'm left thinking the same thing a few of you must have thought at least once.

Why am I here?

Is it because I'm studying this series as a whole like a certain Chiss studies art, and searching for all of its strengths and weaknesses in order to better improve my own writing? Is it for the sake of wishing to learn how to draw better, and practicing the craft in the safety of something familiar? Or, am I instead becoming some manner of corporate counter-revolutionary, and taking up fanworks as my mode of protest against stories that revolve more around too-short moments of cuteness and horror, sometimes solely for shock value alone...?

I'm afraid I can't answer questions like these just yet, no, not even to myself. I can only read and write and pretty much grieve everything that these episodes/seasons were supposed to be...yet for Force knows what reason, keep getting relegated to the same few plot points over and over again while expecting different results. I can only hope that there's some eventual breakthrough to make it all worth it in the end, if only to rid myself of the thought that this could be the very first bit of Nihilist media in the fandom.

Anyway...*deep breath* Now that I've given you my two cents on this issue...let's get right to my picks of the week, which, thanks to the return of a very interesting sister, I'm unofficially titling this as:

THE DATHOMIR EDITION

The Bad Batch Fan Art

Captain Howzer by @thespianwtch.

She Is Mommy by @anko-art.

Star Wars Rebels Fan Art

Alexsandr Kallus by @ghosty-blues1.

The Bad Batch Fan Fiction

You know, brother by whiteaxolotl

Fight Like Brothers Do by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz

deprogramming by vicious_creature

Whatever Is Necessary by ChopSyndulla

Domiciles by Polyphonic_Garden

Star Wars Sapphic Week, Day 5--Sparring by @violetjedisylveon

Serpent's Kiss by mediumsweet

Not A Soldier by TigerTheSpahget

Star Wars Sequels Fanfiction

What We Do In The Resistance by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz

And now, I'd like to put in a small advertisement, if only to bring more attention to an up-and-coming artist: @ve-ti-ver has started up their own Patreon page, available at this link . So, if you'd like to support them, please feel free to visit their page.

Finally, yes, you probably all know the drill by now...but just in case you need a reminder, here we go: Please give this post a like and a reblog, so that we can pass this post around the Internet and back!

This Week's No Pressure Tags Go Out To: @sharpasanaro @bananasugarwarrior @lazyprofessorpursesalad @callsign-denmark @melymigo @yeehawgeek @littlefeatherr @anko-art @guppyfreedom @giraffedragon-universe @clonebrainrot @gun-roswell @omglisalithium @falconfeather23435 @uuurgh @simply92-me @skellymom @metalatl @dathomirdumpsterfire @kuraiummei @thedynamicworm @ur-pal-ari @advisorsnips @groguandthebadbatch @lee-lee-la @themightychipmunk42 @random-chaotic-bitch @wastingstarsss @flyiingsly @ilovemedia @talesfrommedinastation @swarovski-yoda and anyone else who might be interested in catching more fanart and fanfictions.

Thank you, good afternoon, good luck, and...

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horizon-verizon · 5 months

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I genuinely don’t understand this narrative people are trying to push of Baela and Rhaena’s imagined avenging of House Velaryon like yeah their mother was a Velaryon but those girls are TARGARYEN. They had no stake and no claim to Driftmark/House Velaryon like I need people to leave those girls alone.

They had less "claim" than those who are in the actual "house" unless Corlys decided either would be his heir. And since he didn't, again, they had less claim than any person with the last name "Velaryon". That's just how the system works for Westerosi succession. In terms of the emotional family bonds, yes the girls are Velaryon. Yes their mother being a Velaryon and being their grandparent's daughter will always be valuable to Rhaenys and Corlys for them to be involved & actively offer or try to support in those girls' futures. But they aren't socially or culturally obligated to, they chose to be. If a lord or his wife chooses to not give material or emotional support to their niece or grandchild of a different house, it's not definitively seen as them abandoning said person. This isn't the real 21st century.

Having a specific surname in a feudal era/society does not prioritize nor is defined by "love", care, and emotional bonds between family members--it's about being a part of a very specific social group that owns particular hereditary lands or titles. A clan or blood related family that acts as another layer of identity in of itself for the sake of politics, which is why the Roman men had as much as 3 names (personal name, surname [clan or "gens"], and a nickname that indicated from what clan or "gens" you came from). I am of the ____ clan, this ____ house. Not "My last name is ___, it's what my parents (who have different family names) chose for me out of the options". More often than not, there are no options to "choose" a surname for a child; that child "belongs" to their father's house and they get their father's name. Are there exceptions? Of course (Jaecaerys' double identity). These are exceptions of a rule; that rule is already proven by how exceptional it is for a child to inherit the leadership of a different house through their mother or maternal grandfather. And though the clan/house is weighed above the individual, the head of the clan/house is given authority over their other members precisely because they are defined by being the director of the clan/house's future. Rhaenyra nor Viserys, however, is not the direct head of the Velaryon house and thus can't decide for Corlys regarding his heirs. They obviously can influence or make stipulations or show their preference in deals they make with Corlys...but they'd be thought of of crossing a boundary if they directly tried to tell Corlys who he should choose as his heir.

There's nothing individualistic nor community-affirming about it; it's meant to be exclusive for the sake of dividing resources and ensuring those resources go to someone within or very close to one's clan/house, and often as by the head's decision when open. Is this unappealing and even isolating at times, of course. But people need to know what the sociopolitical boundaries are to understand the quality of the social relationships people have or don't--thus see this one of many elements of the society the characters developed in shape/inspire the decisions that they make. The dragons twins are formidable; but Corlys valued passing down his legacy through boys of his own name, not matter how much he loved these girls.

And the reasons why they are pushing it is so that they can "prove" Rhaenyra was a worse person than she likely was AND to try to emphasize a sense of the blacks' faultiness to equal that that was clear for the greens for that "balance" some of them want. Others want that balance bc they agree with the greens and don't want them to appear as bad as they actually were so they can throw people's suspicion off of their choice and eschew really thinking about their own choice. That and they don't like that these badasses are black and, as one other anon said, are still tied to Targness and the Targs. Credited "Targness".

#westeros succession #driftmark claim #asoiaf asks to me #rhaena targaryen (daemon's daughter)#rhaena targaryen #rhaena of pentos #baela and rhaena #baela targaryen #the velaryons #westerosi society #westeros feudalism #feudalism

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velvetvexations · 3 months

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I also should have looked up the statistics to double check before sending my original ask, but I was referring to a specific news story I followed about a black men attempting to gain custody of his child, only for the mother to get it despite her history not severe neglect, and the child ended up dying in her care. I didn't want to spell that all out bcs it's an incredibly painful thing to think about, but I should have specified what I was referring to. That is also def not just a result of misogyny, but of racism, since black men are often seen to be absent or even dangerous parents. I am sure there are cases where men have an easier time getting custody, especially rich white men, but as will all situations the story is more complicated when you bring in intersectionality and especially race. I just think it's important to remember that a black man wasn't just being denied his child because he was black, the specific way society views black *men* was part of the problem.

As for the working in more dangerous jobs point, I brought that up because yes, men do tend to work those jobs more than women do, but where MRAs get it twisted is that that's only true *because* of misogyny. Women WANT to be firefighters and loggers and soilders and do hard labor, it's just that the fields are male dominated and riddled with misogyny so women often can't get an in or leave after being treated like shit. Additionally, it is also an issue with workplace regulation and capitalism devaluing ALL life in favor of profits. MRAs are right that more men work these jobs and thus die more and I can see how they would feel that their lives are devalued, the issue is that they blame that on women when the real culprit is misogyny and capitalist deregulation of workplace safety. They also bring up the draft, which again I can get how some men feel that their lives are only of value if they are willing to die, but that isn't bcs women are valued above them, it's because the draft is inhumane and NO ONE should be forced to go to war at all, and certainly not against their will. Like genuinely the fact that men have to sign up for the draft just to vote is insane to me and I can't blame any man for being upset about that, it's just a lot of them have a deep seated hatred of women and thus blame them for it rather than seeing that the real issue is forcing *anyone* to go to war.

(I also recall them using the Titanic disaster to show that society doesn't value men's lives but uh...yeah no the Titanic is one of the only instances where women and children were prioritized. Historically in shipwrecks women and children were left to die while the men escaped, but I can kinda get the irritation a little given Titanic was such a big deal it's overshadowed the true history of protocall in maritime disasters.)

I also meant to add in that in the RBG case the man wasn't being denied the tax credit just for being a man, it was because he was unwed and that tax credit was intended for families where the wife was absent, dead, or for whatever reason was incapable of providing care for an ill family member. I suppose you could even argue that it was less a case of him being punished for being a man and more him being punished for being unwed, thus a manifestation of amatanormativity and heteronormativity, but it is true from what I read they fought the ruling on the grounds that he was facing sex based discrimination, and the case went on to provide legal president to fight types of sex based discrimination that primarily harmed women.

I just also think it's important to fully understand what hate movements believe and how they can make their ideas seem rational and appealing, because it's the only way to counter them effectively. Hell the modern queer movement deciding that TERFs *only* hate trans women and have no other targets is why radical feminism is so prevalent in queer spaces. They can't recognize TERFs if they aren't screaming about trans women, and the TERFs know that. If you don't understand what your enemy believes and who they are against and how they doctor their arguments for recruitment you stand no chance of eradicating them. MRAs did successfully recruit women, very feminist women in fact, with some of these very talking points, because they held off on the blatant misogyny until they knew they had you on their side, just like TERFs will pretend to not hate trans people until they've already got you. It's important imo to not boil their entire belief system down to "incels who want sex" even if that is a major part of it because then we can't teach people to watch out for the less obvious dogwhistles and understand what the actual issue behind these points are and thus how to fight them and not get drawn in with seemingly reasonable arguments AND how to recognize the difference between someone drawing attention to real issues men face and someone who just wants to spew hatred.

I honestly kinda wonder if the current pushback against transandrophobia is born of the backlash to the MRA movement, but from people who didn't pay attention and learn the rhetoric and how to counter it and now think anyone who talks about any men suffering for being men in any context is a closet MRA who must be shown the door immediately, but idk that's just speculation on my part.

But anyway, I should have been more clear and checked my sources better, but tbh I just felt like the ask was getting too long and it was late and I had a headache so I just ranted about what I remembered of the movement. I'll be sure to be more clear next time I send something in, I don't want to spread misinformation or get any ire drawn your way.

However I do want to say comparing trans men and trans masculine people in general to MRAs is ridiculous because even when you break down the few few slightly valid points MRAs bring up before laying on the Horrifically Agrressive Misogyny that's clearly NOT what trans men and mascs are taking about, the two movements imo have so little in common it's legit ridiculous to compare them, and it's also ridiculous to act like some jackasses using the concept of misandry as a way to shut down women means the entire concept of the patriarchy harming men at all is so throughly tainted we can't even let trans men talk about it or coin language to describe anti-masc bias especially in queer spaces. Imo anyone comparing discussions of transandrophobia with MRAs is missing the point and has no idea what they're talking about re: trans mascs *and* MRAs.

Thank you for the clarification anon, though I'm still not totally sure about the custody thing because I've heard different things since your first ask. It's good to have a dialogue.

#transandro phobia #cw child death

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kainagant · 4 months

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do u have any thoughts about the kind of hypothetical relationships nagant could've had with other villains ( the league, shie hassaikai, mla, etc) if they had ever been explored in canon?

hey anon, thanks for the ask. the answer to your question is yes, kinda, and not yet. but by the time i am done writing out this post the answer will be yes, yes, and hell yeah.

i have definitely thought about lady nagant's interaction with the lov. mostly because (exposed) i'm a dabihawks shipper and i also subscribe to the fanon that lady nagant and hawks knew each other a little bit more than canon would imply. though i think with kaina's personality she was probably a little bit closed off, even with little keigo, but she was definitely big sister-ing, just from a comfortable emotional distance. anyway au kaina gives dabi the scariest shovel talk he'll ever receive, and all she did was point the barrel of her elbow at him and say "watch yourself".

the other league members think shes cool. mostly. i think there would be preliminary distrust due to her hero status but then they get to know her a bit and discover that she actually has good takes. i think shiggy could appreciate that shes critical of hero society without just regurgitating stain's beliefs. she has her own perspective and firsthand experience to back it up. he mentally adds her grievances to the compiled list of "reasons why the lov are committing unspeakable crimes against humanity, if anyone ever bothers to ask"

(cut for length)

i have kinda thought about kaina's interaction with the shie hassaikai, but mostly through the lens of her and chisaki. honestly the 8pods would be like. she's god. for real. or maybe she's actually the devil. chisaki already fills the god position for them and kaina clearly doesn't fear god (chisaki) so she's just a different beast entirely. basically they are all shocked by how casually and oftentimes brusquely she talks to chisaki. kaina herself is a bit weirded out by the 8pods insane worship of chiskai. "he's just a guy???? he's not even that cool cmon guys what am i missing…" chisaki grumbles "stop telling them that, it took a lot of effort to convince them im god" /j

okay jokes aside i think kaina would sympathize heavily with many of the 8pods downtrodden experiences. i mean she sympathized with chisaki, which not even the paragon of forgiveness and saving everyone (midoriya) was really willing to do. let's be real, for as much as kaina has a cold shell, she's very very gooey and warm on the inside and she sees this ragtag group of wet cats that chisaki scraped off the street, and she adopts them. with her unique brand of acting like she doesn't care when actually her heart aches whenever she thinks about what they went through.

i just want to preface this next part by saying that i'm a little bit biased against the mla. not to say that they're bad characters or that it's wrong to like or enjoy them, but from a personal standpoint i've never found them as compelling as other villains. i mean their motive is like. borrowed from another guy. and maybe if they had personal experiences with quirk discrimination, like toga or tabe, they might be more sympathetic. its not that they don't have a point, its just that its obvious that all of the members have a lot of privilege, and it makes me wonder how well they actually understand what destro wanted for society. also their motive is kinda funky because its a lot more relevant to the time literal decades ago that destro was actually living in. not saying that quirk discrimination isn't a thing in present day canon but like. we see it in the opposite direction that the mla sees it. we see people who are quirkless be treated like they're worthless. and the mla seems to want a society that only reinforces this issue, by assigning value to people based off of their quirks.

this is all to say that (i'm projecting) lady nagant would probably not like the mla that much. even putting aside whether their motives and beliefs are sympathetic or not, i think kaina would see the obvious privilege that they have, the pressed suits and influence and wealth, and be like. damn. did society really hurt you or did it actively benefit you? i also think on an individual level, members like curious and trumpet would irk her. like, btw, i love curious and i think that her being a media piranha makes her interesting, but also kaina would think she's incredibly annoying and invasive. kaina would also aliken trumpet to the hero commission, with his (what is essentially) brainwashing of his followers.

at the same time though, i think kaina has probably carried out hits on people like the mla. and although she may not agree with their ideology, she doesn't think that means they should be silenced. let the people speak, even if she thinks they're insane and wrong. because she believes that people deserve to have the whole, unfiltered truth, and then make their own judgements.

tl;dr on the mla thing. she wouldn't be besties with them, but she wouldn't necessarily hate them or anything. probably just scoff whenever they try to talk to her. like ok, re-destro, whatever you say (internally thinks he's stupid).

a more light hearted headcanon could be curious hounding kaina for the "untold story of the treacherous hero" etc etc. they develop an unfriendly rivalry in that kaina spends a lot of time trying to avoid curious and curious spends a lot of time hunting her down. maybe they have hate sex. this sounds like the plot for a crazy enemies to lovers slow burn rarepair nagacurious that i will not be writing. but yeah that could happen. maybe even throw curious character development in for flavor. i mean it starts out with curious relentlessly pursuing lady nagant, it evolves into "ok my interest in you has evolved from just pure journalism and now i'd like to kiss you and go on dates" and at some point lady nagant actually explains her tragic backstory, and the character growth moment is curious not betraying kaina's trust, and actually keeping the juicy details to herself. to reiterate delusional: i will not be writing this fic.

anyway thanks so much for the ask, anon. most of this was like. crack taken seriously and definitely in an au, but yeah. i love thinking about lady nagant, and i really enjoyed considering how she might mesh with the other villains in the series.

#anonymous #lady nagant #lov #8pods #overhaul #mla #curious

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meowcats734 · 1 year

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[Soulmage] "Academy Magic" is generally regarded as safe magic. "Fell Magic" is dangerous and can almost only be used for evil. "Vile Magic," meanwhile, is 'safe' but is also the magical equivalent of "don't google that, if you don't already know then you really don't want to know, I promise."

"Magic is emotion," Witch Aimes stated, one finger pointed towards the hovering screen of smoke that served as a blackboard. "We can divide the schools of magic by the emotion they are powered by. A witch who wields happiness creates light; a witch who wields passion creates heat; a witch who wields sorrow creates cold."

As she spoke, she cast a spell from each school respectively. An orb of light, a shimmer of heat, and a glaze of frost coalesced on the smokescreen.

"Witch Aimes?" I asked, raising a hand.

She arched an eyebrow at me. "Yes, Cienne?"

"What about the darker emotions? Grief, agony, fear, despair... we haven't learned about any of them yet."

Witch Aimes' lips tightened. "There is a reason for that. The primary schools of magic that you will learn at the Academy are what we call constructive emotions. Since emotions are a witch's power source, all witches are incentivized to create more of the emotion they wield—which is why in civilized parts of the world, witches of happiness, calm, and empathy are amongst the most valued members of our society."

Most valued. As if witches who dabbled in the darker emotions didn't have their uses. I carefully kept the scorn off my face, but it was useless against a witch—Witch Aimes read souls the way others read faces. She could feel the disdain and anger in my heart as easily as I could.

It was why they'd taken me in, after all. To "guide me on the right path."

I could tell Witch Aimes could glimpse the emotions swimming beneath my calm expression, but she simply moved on. "On the other hand, witches of pain and loss are incentivized to harm others in order to gain power. This is why the lawless wastes outside the Silent Peaks have so much trouble building up anything that lasts: a dark witch can always storm through, gaining momentum with every heart they break, and bring ruin to everything they've built." Witch Aimes' eyes pierced mine, as if daring me to object, but I knew that was the truth.

My hometown was a smoking ruin thanks to one of those dark witches.

"There are other emotions, too," I pointed out. "Ones that are neither intrinsically constructive nor destructive."

"And those would be?" Witch Aimes asked, folding her arms.

"Lust. Arousal." Some immature part of me was amused to see that Aimes actually blushed at that. "Or, what, are we just going to pretend that those don't exist?"

Witch Aimes coughed. "No, no, lust and arousal... exist. You, er... you're a little young to be visiting those parts of town, aren't you?"

I'd seen a lot for my age, admittedly, but to be honest I was purely curious from academic interest. Although now that I thought about it, if I expressed 'academic interest' in the magics of lust, I was pretty sure I'd be the laughingstock of the academy within days. Secrets moved fast in a society of empaths-in-training. "I am," I said neutrally. It was better than 'I've been constantly watched to make sure I don't go darkwitch on the academy ever since your people brought me here.'

"Well." Witch Aimes cleared up her blush—witches had remarkable emotional control—and said, "Yes, those witches do exist. I highly recommend you stay away from them. Their magics are not... well, let us say that they are somewhat vile, and leave it at that."

I hid my annoyance as best I could as Aimes moved on to talk about the fundamental elements. Oh, sure, we could talk about the evils of 'dark' magic all day, but as soon as we got to the squishy parts of being a witch, it was too embarrassing to be talked about in polite company?

I narrowed my eyes in thought. Perhaps that was my issue. I hadn't gotten where I was by hanging around in polite company, after all, even if that was how the Silent Academy wanted me to move forwards.

Maybe it was time to find some impolite company.

As class drew to a close, my mind made up.

It was time to find a witch of lust.

###

I'd been at the academy long enough to know I had a shadow. It wasn't obvious—the way crows turned their heads when I drew near, the extra attention stray cats paid me, the way moths and flies seemed to think I was a candle instead of a gutter—but anyone who lived in the Redlands knew how to tell when a witch of empathy was stalking them.

I didn't know much about the mind-transfer-nonsense that witches of empathy used. I was no stellar student, when it came down to it. I didn't have the raw material to make it as a witch of happiness, I was too perpetually angry to tap into the witchcraft of sadness, and I hadn't dared ask for help using the one emotion I could control.

But if there was one thing I knew about witchcraft, it was this:

Self-hatred made you feel small.

I didn't bother stripping off my clothes as I walked into the showers. They had hot water and divided stalls and all the things a mountain-city of good little witches thought were more necessary than doing something about the constant bloodbath that gave the Redlands their name. I simply reached into my soul as I turned the water on and threw the thorny, sticky vines of self-hatred out around me, bracing myself for the spell to hit.

Once I felt myself begin to shrink, I hopped onto a nearby ledge—probably for conditioner or essential oils or some other city-boy invention—so that I didn't get hit by any of the falling water droplets. Water got weird when I got small; something about the magic made it much harder for me to escape if I got trapped in a water droplet than normal. My breathing quickened and the air felt syrupy and thick—but I'd survived shrinking to nothing before.

I survived. It was what I did.

Once the spell was complete, I snuck underneath the dividing stall and made for the nearest window. I had to route through a nearby stall to get there, but the massive city boy didn't even bother looking down at little ol' me as I scampered by. They never did. By the time I reached the window—it was at ankle height, which just meant an unpleasant climb at my size—it had already begun to snow.

The year-round snow cover was what gave the Silent Peaks their name. The city boys said it made life peaceful and tranquil, the way the snow ate sound; privately, I just thought it meant that if someone jumped out a window, you'd never hear them scream. I landed in a snow poff, spluttering, then regained my original size before I suffocated in the snow. Some passerby gave me a surprised glance, but there were no suspicious animals around, so I deemed myself safe. It wasn't hard to deduce where the witches of lust would live—all I had to do was remember all the places they'd shown me on the grand tour of the city, then go to the places they hadn't shown me. The nearest such cluster of buildings didn't seem like anything special when I walked up to it—

"Can I help you?" A voice rang out from behind me.

—or not. I let myself flinch. If I was dealing with a witch, showing an honest burst of surprise would probably make them think I wasn't a twisted mess of lies and masks. "Er, yeah. I'm trying to find a witch of lust."

"You're talking to one!" The voice from behind me cheerfully said.

I paused, turning around. To my surprise, I wasn't talking to a filmy-clad succubus or whatever nonsense the Academy had primed me for—just a wrinkled-looking old man.

"How'd you, uh... sneak up on me?" I asked. "Magic?"

He laughed. "No. Just snowshoes and habit!" He raised an oddly wide boot, shaking some snow off it, and my esteem for him raised a notch. Anyone who had a habit of going around quietly was a friend of mine.

"Fair enough. So... if I can ask... what is your magic?"

He raised an eyebrow, then mimed holding something out and tossing it to me. By reflex, I moved to catch it—it was an invisible rod, about the size of my fist, and... strangely light. Was that... was that solid air?

"The witchcraft of lust," the old man said, an amused twinkle in his eye. "Temporarily makes things hard."

I eyed the rock-hard rod in my hand. "Lovely," I deadpanned.

He snorted. "Well, you didn't start moralizing at me, so you're not one of the Academy's boys." My esteem rose another two notches for the man. "I'm Jiaola. What's a fellow like you seeking out a witch of lust for?"

I grimaced. "The people at the academy... they don't talk about the orphans of the Redlands, or the rifts in the sky, or anything important. And... they don't talk about you, either."

Jiaola laughed. "Me? That's because my kind is an embarrassment." He nodded towards a nearby house. "See that?"

I nodded.

"Me and my husband own that place."

And I understood.

"Built it ourselves with our hands and our craft," Jiaola continued. "The craft that the Academy likes to say is a perversion, a way to spread our deviance. But you wanna know the first rule of witchcraft? Magic is powered by emotions. Magic drains emotions. Me? I became a witch because any hint of my sexuality was verboten—so I sealed it off and channeled it into my craft instead." Jiaola's gaze grew distant. "I became a witch to hide who I was."

And suddenly, my throat tightened.

"I became a witch to hide who I am, too," I blurted before I could stop myself.

Jiaola raised an eyebrow, possibly seeing something in my soul, but I shook my head. "I... I'm sorry. I have to go."

"Wait." Jiaola held out a hand, and something formed in it. I took it—another slice of hardened air, but this time, with... letters. Invisible letters I couldn't read, but letters nonetheless. "If you ever need me... my door is open."

I nodded once. Something writhed within my soul.

Then I sprinted away, not trusting myself to speak.

The words Jiaola gave me burned against my palm.

A.N.

Soulmage is a serial written in response to writing prompts. Stick around for more episodes, or join my Discord to chat about it!

Table of Contents

#writing #writing prompt #writers on tumblr #writeblr #serial fiction #fiction #series #web serial #oc

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burnthoneydrops · 2 years

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What Time Has Done (Part I) Benedict Bridgerton x Original Character Series

Synopsis: Emmeline Castillon is finally making her debut in London’s high society. After a few years away, the first ball of the season turns out to be quite the hassle with her rather protective older brother by her side. She manages to catch the attention of the some of the ton, but not the in the way she would like.

Requested: No

Warnings: none that I can think of, but please let me know if I forgot anything!

Word Count: 2988 A/N: This is a series I’m starting based on an original character but feel free to switch out her name for yours or whatever you’d like. Please give me feedback, it’s much appreciated!

Masterlist

From the bottom of the staircase, the room sparkled like a thousand diamonds, floating as if frozen in space and time.

“If you look up much more you’ll soon fall over,” my brother comments, a slight smile on his face.

“It just all looks so magnificent,” I reply, too fascinated by the decorations to notice the people giving me odd looks as I stood at the base of the stairs.

“Shall I leave you to your staring Sister? Or are you actually going to tour the room with me?”

“Yes, my apologies,” I take his arm and we begin to walk around, my attention now shifting from person to person as we step.

“Mr. Castillon!” Someone calls from behind. My brother is quick to look over his shoulder, and his face lifts lightly in recognition, turning the both of us fully around.

“Lady Danbury!” My brother smiles, putting himself slightly in front of me as Lady Danbury shakes her cane at us. “What a pleasure it is to see you ma’am. Might I say that dress is a wonderful colour on you.”

“Flattering as always Mr. Castillon,” she looks over at me, “and Miss Castillon. How are you this evening my dear?” “Quite well Lady Danbury. Your decorations are magnificent”.

“Why, it took but all my effort to remove her from the staircase so we could move on to other things,” my brother jests.

“Your compliments are appreciated Miss Castillon,” Lady Danbury replies, giving my brother a teasing smirk before looking back at me. “Have you been making your rounds? I have yet to see you on the dance floor”.

“Oh yes, we were just making our way around the ballroom ma’am,” I reply, trying my hardest not to look anywhere else in the room. Lady Danbury, while an excellent host and valued member of the ton, is quite an intimidating figure.

“Wonderful! Well I’ll be intrigued to find out who the lucky men are that fill your dance card,” she says as she walks away, moving on to entrap some other group in conversation.

“I am quite interested in that as well,” my brother comments as we begin to walk again.

“What?”

“Which men you have caught the eye of this evening. Countless of them I’m sure”.

“Oh well, I wouldn’t say countless-”

“Nonsense Em. Look, every eye is on you as we speak”.

“That is because I have delayed my debut by quite a few years. I can feel their whispers whipping past us,” I sigh, uncomfortably glancing at all the viscous mamas who look at me and then whisper to their daughters.

“You have to see it as quite the opposite Sister. The delaying of your debut has allowed you a few years advantage above the other young ladies this season. You have more knowledge and maturity and therefore all the more reason not to make a rash decision and bond yourself into a less than ideal marriage. I see it as the ultimate win for you Em”.

“Or, I am older and therefore less worthy of the attention because I have less years ahead of me to breed and bear children”.

“It is all a matter of perspective my dear sister”. Andrew parks us in front of the refreshment table, handing me a glass of lemonade before grabbing one for himself. The band strikes a last chord as the dancers bow gracefully, thanking each other for the dance. The mothers clap for a few seconds before pushing their daughters not so subtly in front of a potential suitor, offering them up for the next dance. I try to keep my shoulders up high so as to not hide myself in the corner of the room. Being back in London’s social season is much more intimidating than I had imagined. I see Mother making her way over to us, with two of my other siblings trailing behind her. Graham looks like he might tear our mother’s head off before the night is over, and it takes all of me not to laugh and attract more attention to myself.

“Good evening dears. Anything noteworthy to report?” Mother asks as she finally reaches Andrew and I. I shake my head no before taking another sip of lemonade.

“Is there any particular reason you look fit to burst Brother?” Andrew asks Graham, a smile fighting its way onto his face.

“Your brother has spent the last two dances with some wonderful young ladies, haven’t you love?” Mother looks at Graham expectantly.

“They were lovely, until one of them tripped over both her feet and mine, nearly causing quite the scene. The other I learned had accepted my proposal to dance on the false information that I am talented in both poetry and the pianoforte,” he explains, huffing in anger. It would be clear to anyone who has seen Graham attempt these things, or merely talked to him for a short while, that the arts are not his strong suit in the slightest.

“Where on earth did she hear that from?” Andrew asks, already knowing but wanting to poke fun a little bit more.

“I haven’t a clue Andrew, maybe our dearest mother would know something?” Graham retorts, looking directly at her.

“I was simply boosting your prospects dear. You hardly seem keen on making progress yourself”. Andrew and I burst into a short fit of laughter. “And what about you Emmeline. Any potentially dazzling beaus you would like to tell us about?”

“Not yet Mama. We have just finished our tour of the room, not without being stopped by Lady Danbury first”.

“Well, seeing as it is her ball, that can’t be too surprising,” my younger sister, Josephine, pipes in. This is her first season too and Mother thought it best to divide and conquer the dance floor, Andrew taking me around and her taking the younger two.

“She stopped us as well. I thought she and Mother would never stop talking,” Graham adds, not one for lengthy conversations.

“What about you Josephine? Has anyone caught your eye?” I ask, trying to lessen the probability of Mother asking me another question.

“Lord Gershwin seemed quite taken by her during their dance,” Mother butts in.

“Was he?” I ask, looking back to Josephine to get her honest response as best I could. Andrew scoffs in disgust.

“What was that for?” Josephine asks him.

“Lord Gershwin is a cheater and a liar. He has left his unpaid debts on our club books for months and insists every time he is questioned that they are paid off. The evidence stares him clear in the face and yet he lies,” he concludes with a nod, seemingly happy with himself for bringing the truth to light. Josephine looks slightly disappointed.

“Well, people are allowed to change, are they not?” I offer, trying to not crush Josephine’s possibilities in one fell swoop.

“If he wanted to change, Sister, he would have repaid his debts. The day he does that, I might reconsider,” Andrew quips back, firm in his stance.

“All the better I wasn’t too interested anyway,” Josephine comments, shrugging.

“We’ll find you a better husband Jo, do not fret,” Andrew tries to reassure.

The song comes to a finish and the partners bow once more. I look around at them, scanning their faces before glancing at my empty dance card. Before getting too sad about the lack of names on the small sheet that for some reason determines if the night was a success or not, I look back up, catching some couples smiling goodbye at each other. One poor girl looks like she’s on the verge of tears and her dance partner looks like the wind changed and his face is now stuck in a permanent grimace. A few people over from them stands a group of chestnut haired gentlemen, appearing deep in conversation. They look vaguely familiar, but I cannot seem to place my finger on who they are. Lady Danbury makes her way over to them, causing all three of them to turn around as if they could go unnoticed by one of the most observant women in the ton. I cover my mouth to stifle a laugh as each gentleman makes some variation of a straight, closed lip smile. The tallest of the three looks above the group, clearly not engaged as Lady Danbury talks to one of the others.

He glances in our direction and my eyes widen as we make eye contact, a heat instantly rushing to my cheeks. I quickly look away, choosing to look down toward the floor and sipping on the lemonade still in my hand. I thank the heavens that Mother and my siblings are still engaged in lengthy conversation, much to Graham’s disappointment, and therefore did not catch my flush of embarrassment. I look back up and the taller gentleman is still looking at me, a small smile on his face.

I turn back to Andrew, and as the conversation comes to a lull, “Should we make another round Brother? Perhaps you can tell me more about the dastardly men of the ton”.

“Of course Em. We will catch up with you lot later,” he addresses the rest of the present Castillon clan. Then, as we distance ourselves from our family, “I saw you making eyes with a certain gentleman across the way”.

“Oh was I?” I ask, trying not to choke on the sharp inhale I took in response.

“Indeed. Fortunately for you, there was another man blocking my view, so you are saved from that humiliation for tonight”.

“How gracious of you Andrew,” I reply, joking to save face and internally being grateful that whoever that mystery man was decided to stand directly in my brother’s line of sight.

“The human blockade had rather wide shoulders, and a rather wide frame in general now that I think about it. Impossible to look around”.

“Did he now?” I try not to laugh at his casual use of “human blockade”.

“I am being quite serious Em, this is no laughing matter,” he is also trying to keep a laugh down.

“My apologies dear brother,” I widen my face so that I might have some chance of gaining a more look about me again.

A gentleman takes the few small steps from his spot against the wall over towards us and stops directly in front of Andrew. My brother gives him a look up and down, as if taking in everything he would ever need to know about this man in a matter of mere seconds.

“Lord Castillon, Miss Castillon,” he nods politely at each of us, giving me a closed lip smile at the same time, “I was watching from over there,” he points back to his spot against the wall, “and I was wondering if I might have the honour of a dance”.

“Lord Campbell, was it? I believe my sister’s dance card is full unfortunately. Good evening,” he pulls me along, away from Lord Campbell.

“What was the meaning of that? You know too well that my card is in fact barren”.

“I know Lord Campbell from my days at university. Trust me Sister, he is not the type of man you want to keep in constant company”.

“At this rate, Madeline will find a husband before I do”.

“I’m just looking out for your best interest Em. And don’t be ridiculous, our 12 year old sister is not about to wed before you”.

“It certainly feels like she might with the way you are behaving. Though if you are anything like this when she’s of age, I wish her the best of luck”.

“As your brother it is my job to scour the marriage mart as much as you and make sure you have the best options placed in front of you”.

“And you are deciding those best options are you? Andrew, it is already difficult enough with Daphne Bridgerton being proclaimed the season’s incomparable, I do not think I need the extra burden of you shooting down all my potential prospects”.

“Nonsense, here comes a ‘potential prospect’ now”.

A gentleman about Andrew’s height had made his way over to us and stood just as Lord Campbell had done a few moments before. He smiles at both me and my brother before looking between the two of us and choosing to address me directly.

“Would you care for a dance Miss?” I notice he has the same chestnut hair as the group from before, and I conclude that they must be brothers, or scarily similar mates.

I look at Andrew, half expecting him to have some reason or another why this man is just as much a piece of scum as the rest of them, and when he doesn’t object, an awkward pause fills the space.

“If I’m not crossing any boundaries, that is. Should your dance card be full, I will gladly take my leave-” “Not a bother there Lord Bridgerton. Emmeline would be happy to dance, wouldn’t you Em?” He asks, turning toward me half way through his thought. My breath hitches as it dawns on me why the group of gentlemen earlier were so familiar. The Bridgertons are recognisable anywhere.

“Of course,” I smile as politely as I can, as Lord Bridgerton puts his arm out, guiding me to the dance floor. Andrew takes a step back, most likely going to find Mother and tell her the good news.

“So tell me Miss, you are Lord Castillon’s sister, are you not?” He asks as the dance starts anew.

“Indeed I am my Lord. You have siblings as well, yes?”

He laughs, though I didn’t think I had said anything funny, “Seven in fact”.

“Seven?” I repeat, the shock in my tone quite clear.

“So it is not as common knowledge as we once thought”.

“You’ll have to forgive me sir. I knew there was an abundance of you but the number seemed to have escaped me,” I internally frown; this does not seem to be going well.

“It’s quite alright. I can hardly expect everyone to keep track of the Bridgerton clan. Surely it is not just you and Lord Castillon though”.

“Oh no. Andrew is the oldest, then there is I, Graham, Josephine and Madeline. Josephine is also debuting this season”.

“I was wondering about that. She seems of the age for this to be her first season”.

“And I do not?” I ask, not meaning to sound offended, but to the untrained ear it might have come across as such.

“No, that is not what I meant at all. Just that her being younger than you-” he starts to ramble.

“I am merely jesting Mr. Bridgerton. We delayed my debut by quite a few years so I could finish my studies on the continent”.

“And what is it that you study?”

“Literature and artistry mostly, in France. There was a time when I was certain I would not debut at all and simply become a governess, so Papa thought it wise that I at least have some training in certain areas with which I could teach children. Then with some convincing from my mother and younger sisters, I decided I would enter the marriage mart and here I am.” I laugh awkwardly, hoping I didn’t say too much.

“Is that so? Well, you would get along great with my sister Eloise. She is much into literature of different varieties, much to our mother’s dismay on occasion,” he adds with a smile.

“You are all named in alphabetical order, are you not?”

“We are indeed,” he nods, almost surprised that I knew that.

“I do remember some things Mr. Bridgerton. Three years away did not melt my memories that harshly”. He laughs, and I can only hope that it means I made a good first impression.

“I just found out I am to begin my tour in Greece come the end of the season”.

“Greece? Oh how wonderful!” The song comes to a close, and we bow as is accustomed.

“Thank you for joining me Miss Castillon. I hope to see you again some time,” he smiles as he rises to full stature again, still having to look down slightly to make eye contact with me.

“Thank you for offering it Mr. Bridgerton. I greatly appreciate any excuse to be pulled away from my brother, though I wouldn’t go telling him that,” I reply.

He laughs, nods, and then departs, heading back in the direction of the rest of his family. His mother looks most intrigued when he rejoins them, grabbing his shoulder and no doubt peppering him with questions. I follow suit, finding Mama and my siblings. Josephine looks at me with wide eyes.

“You got asked to dance by Colin Bridgerton?” she questions me, amazed.

“That’s his name,” I mutter, trying to recall as much of the order of them as I can muster.

“You danced that whole time and you did not even know which one you were with?!” Josephine’s interrogation continues.

“Well, when there are eight of them and all the boys are to be addressed at ‘Lord Bridgerton’, there isn’t much time for guess work,” I explain, thinking it fairly reasonable.

“Sending you to the continent did much good for your academics, but poorly for your social knowledge,” Mother sighs.

“I do not think it was that obvious that I did not know the specifics. Besides, three years does a lot in the development of a person. The boys are hardly recognisable,” I try again.

“Hm, indeed,” Graham hums sarcastically, clearly holding the opposite opinion.

“When you spend three years not being filled in on the happenings of your hometown and focusing solely on your academics, things tend to slip your mind,” I try once more.

“Oh for God’s sake, looks like we’ll have some catching up to do,” Josephine says, though she’s never been one to turn away from good gossip.

#bridgerton #benedictbridgertonxreader #colinbridgerton #benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton x you #benedict bridgerton x reader #anthony bridgerton #simon basset #daphne bridgerton #eloise bridgerton #bridgerton x female reader #whattimehasdone

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relaxxattack · 2 years

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hey, so i still havent read knifetrick yet, but i saw the post you reblogged about it being about capitalism's treatment of disabled people. im aware that this is just one interpretation of your work, but did you consciously make decisions about what messages to send within your story? did you purposefully include imagery or motifs or references or anything else to create a particular theme or idea?

im wondering because im making my own story, and im curious about what others put into theirs. i have a few key ideas i want to send with it, so i'm trying to tie all my characters and their arcs and the symbols and everything in my story to it. my brand of autism tends towards the "everything MUST have a logic to it!" and this is an obvious influence on it, but i still also think it's worth putting a lot of thought into it because theyre ideas i really care about. i want curious readers to be able to look into my story and see how it all ties together, and i want to impart messages of compassion onto my general audience as well. i think that all art has messages within it, whether personal or otherwise, and by being aware of what those are you can create a stronger and more cohesive story. at least thematically. if that is what someone wants to do, of course.

i know knifetrick is a story you started for fun. there is absolutely value in that (in your own joy) and i dont think art without intentional purposes or messages is inferior in any way. but did you ever get an idea for an overarching message in your mind, and implement it? its cool if you didnt, or if you did but dont want to say what it is too btw lol. im kinda just looking for the experience & thoughts another author had with their own thing. (i am very nervous sending this ask. i hope i dont sound like im jumping the gun.)

do not feel bad for asking this question, i'm always down to talk about my written works, even if it takes me a bit to collect my thoughts and figure out a response. yes, the truth is i went into knifetrick from the start with a lesson/moral i wanted to explore and teach. a fun fact about me is that i have several younger siblings, who are often being taught things i personally don't agree with. having conversations with them about what is really "right" or "moral" is awkward and not really doable. but stories and characters have always been a good and safe way for us to have this discussion-- why did this character do that thing, what makes this bad guy bad, and so on. this is why with writing i don't just like to tell a story, but i also like to teach a lesson. as patronizing as that sounds, i kind of just think it's pleasing when stories have a good moral behind them. although they don't need to for me to enjoy them. but back to the actual topic, yes. i did intentionally choose to explore the idea of capitalism's failure of certain groups of people in my story. that is what the main plot is actually wrapped around-- there's the obvious struggle with the main character, ran. he is physically and mentally disabled, he is treated differently than his peers. in a way he is fed from a young age the idea that the only way he can be considered equal to everyone else is to have a use to other people; to be the hardest working member of the order. his society encourages this worldview so that they can take advantage of him, but they don't actually care about him at all. they would discard him if he stopped being useful to them. the second example of this is the other main character, jackie. jackie's society also failed to take care of him-- he was orphaned, and then immediately lacked a support system of any kind, personal or governmental. he turned to a life of crime to make ends meet and repress his emotions, but all that did was eventually make his severe depression worse and manifest itself in a lot of anger issues and lashing out. by the time ran meets jackie, he's attempting to turn over a new leaf and take this opportunity he's been given to make an honest living; jackie cares a great deal about the people around him. the missing children are failed by society in the fact that they go missing in the first place, and nobody has bothered to try and find them (although the blame for that rests mainly on watson's shoulders, seeing as he tricked the king into thinking that was being solved). scoots and clem are failed by society as well- scoots is denied the job she actually wants to have due to her disability, and they are very poor. obviously this is made worse when clem goes missing, and since no one else is doing anything, scoots stops working to look for her sister. possibly the most obvious examples i can think of are maia snail and laggius maximus. maia's children are both autistic, with one of the two showing much more severe symptoms than the other. she's dealt with this in the way she best can as a mother, which is give them things they can comfortably work on to get their energy out and be helpful without having to do anything they don't like. society fails them as well, in that laggius is killed in the pit. but the more important part of their story is something snail tells ran: "i would have loved my brother even if he was never useful a day in his life, because he deserves it". essentially all throughout knifetrick, especially through ran, we are shown this idea of usefulness as equivalent to worth; i.e. how capitalism teaches us to view ourselves. we are shown how faulty of a system that is through the various characters. eventually ran realizes that he does not actually have to do anything useful to be worthy of existence, comfort, or love, and that is the sort of “end moral” of the narrative. ran ditches the council, showing that he knows his own worth and refuses to be tied to people who only ever hurt him, and then jackie helps the king start to reform subbin’s systems so that less people will fall through the cracks as he did.

so yes, that is essentially how i explored the idea of capitalism failing disabled people through knifetrick. there’s likely more stuff that i forgot but that’s what i remember off my head right now. anything anyone else sees in knifetrick about this topic is probably fair as well, death of the author and all that. this is what i intended while writing but other people might have seen more things in other characters that i didn’t think of too hard.

i hope that helps.

(bonus: firefox completely froze while i was at the end of this ask and made me fear for my fucking life. it took so much waiting and minimizing the program before i could safely save this to my drafts and then close firefox. terrifying.)

#knifetrick #long post

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junipercastor · 3 months

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i like star trek but i hate that a lot of the episodes underlying messages seem to be "if you arent normal by human standards and cant fit into human society then you don't belong with us" even if the abnormal entity in question lives on a planet that is like barren of life or theyre the only human living there amongst incorporeal aliens.

spoilers/yap sesh V

urghhh i will never get over the charlie x episode like as a person with communication issues he reminded me so much of myself in adolescence, like he was just scared and angry and alone. -__- he could have been rehabilitated into society even if he had destructive powers. and as a matter of fact so could have the blonde lady from the pilot, like yeah she was aged and disfigured from a plane crash. yes shes old and disabled, theres still a place on the ship for her as well. she didn't have to stay behind just because she was no longer attractive by human standards. and also the poor alien from episode 2, why did the enterprise members have to destroy it?? the archaeologist that took care of it was literally trying to tell them it was an intelligent creature, they knew what the alien needed to live yet they just killed it because it killed their crew for nutrients. it didnt have human morals and it was starving :(

i like star trek so far i find it entertaining!!! but the journey of the ship is so shallow to me, just exploration? they could be rehabilitating or helping all of the entities that have asked for help. but no. well in my mind i am imagining there is a rescue ship that rescues people and helps them u____u ALSO any good anthropologist knows that you dont just touch down and visit for a day, you live amongst the people of the area and learn their ways and customs and take part in the preservation and upkeep of their community.

ok also, also, i understand that mr. spock is like a super logical dude but by his own logical standards, does he just not care that the humans dont see him as a 100% equal and that he could potentially be subjected to this type of disregard hes seen displayed for other 'aliens'? in mind spock is the humans equal but theyre ever presently bemused by his seeming lack of emotion. maybe vulcans are just so similar to humans that it doesnt matter to spock? maybe they have the same values? he seems just as bemused by their amount of emotional display.

Tldr any Of This: This show is definetly a product of the 60s lol

#star trek thoughts

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againstboredom · 2 years

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Who edited Orihime Inoue’s Wikipedia page?

Almost everything there is objectively, subjectively, grammatically and jUST PLAIN WRONG.

I may be be guilty of the same mistakes, but then I don’t have the hubris to edit wiki pages.

Let me quote from the great wisdom and factual knowledge found there.

/She becomes the true female lead for the rest of the Bleach franchise after the second anime season/manga arc, which was recognized when her character depth and importance raised drastically after she came back from the Soul Society and started to become a prominent plot device for Ichigo's character development./

Do you even read the same manga/watch the same anime as the rest of us, Ma’am/Sir?

Why do people measure Orihime’s value only trough her relationship with Ichigo?

Sora, her brother, that raised and loved her like a daughter, who saved her from an abusive household is not even mentioned in the top write corner among the members of her family. Masaki and Ishin are, but her brother, no. I guess a woman has no life or family before she gets married.

BTW, why do some people feel that they need to put Rukia down in order to lift Orihime up?

I am starting to believe that many so called fans of Orihime are just projecting themselves into the blank slate that she sadly became, as the manga/anime progressed.

I won’t label this as anti Orihime, because is not.

But I feel that Rukia gets disrespected. The heroine is the one that does heroic deeds, not the one that ‘‘does’‘ the hero. Leia is the heroine of Star Wars and Luke the hero and they are brother and sister.

Every time I think I’m out, some stupid stuff drags me back in.

AND YES, ICHIRUKI WOULD HAVE BIN THE BETTER AND MORE INTERESTING ENDING.

#I like Orihime #but Rukia is the queen of Bleach #pro ichiruki #rukia kuchiki #rukia kuchiki is disrespected on wikipedia

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cannotflyarc · 8 months

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panem au.

this is meant to be read as a bulleted list ( yes i know i cannot shut up ), but dumblr wouldn't allow me to make this a list. if you're familiar with the themes of the h.unger g.ames, you'll likely realize this is a very dark au. out of all of my verses, this one is probably my darkest one. themes include child murder, revolution, abuse, prostitution, miscarriage ( in the final paragraph ) and rape. i want this verse to be accessible to everyone so i try to be as vague as possible, but keep in mind these themes are scattered across this post. i do warn for some paragraphs, but i am not perfect and didn't catch everything. i will not give any warnings for murder as that is a central theme in canon. keep in mind, this is a more detailed description of the second way this verse can go. details for both are the same until i mention it differs. this verse is heavily affiliated with @playboths as i developed most of this au with jasmine. keep in mind, i'm always down to plot other things for this verse, just most of the time i will be referencing events in our muses' lives. read at your own discretion.

— j.ohanna barker: the pearl of district four.

johanna is a descendent of the covey that settled in district four. lucy's parents went along with everything peacefully and even started to morph more into panem society, though they raised their daughter in covey traditions and values. that included naming their daughter lucy coral, after the color.

lucy later married benjamin, the victor of the 48th games. their match was an interesting one, but they were young and wanted to be married as soon as possible. lucy gave birth to their daughter, johanna canary a year after their wedding.

turpin was from the capital on special assignment in four. he met lucy and attempted to woo her, failing at every attempt. after she escaped after an attempt to assault her, turpin bribed his friend to make lucy one of the female tributes for the upcoming games: the 50th games. the quarter quell. being the wife of a victor didn't protect her from the reaping.

no one volunteered in her place. at hearing that a member of the covey was in the games again, snow personally came to lucy and warned her to drop the second part of her name and make no mention of her ancestry. the capital adored lucy since her mentor talked her to extort the fact she had a daughter at home to gain sponsorships.

overall, lucy was one of the most favored tributes of the games. however, that couldn't save her from the knife in the throat from the male tribute from one.

benjamin was outraged. he knew the games were rigged and made an open threat on turpin's life. turpin did not take well to this. he sent him to prison on a flimsy charge. he was not made into an avox due to the fact that he would be recognized as a former victor. turpin wanted him locked away. he faked benjamin's suicide.

without a parent, turpin took johanna in. this is where the verse branches into two different directions:

one. turpin takes johanna back to the capital and he is one of the gamemakers. ( there's not much more to it )

two. ( more commonly used ) turpin stays in four under special assignment and johanna is raised in district four.

in the instance johanna in raised in four, she is given a very similar upbringing to her canon. she is privately tutored. she is raised to be very lonely. however, turpin is more brutal and abusive in this verse.

( warnings for rape and abuse ) details will be scarce here, but what he attempted to do to lucy earlier, he succeeds to do multiple times to johanna. panem isn't religious, thus most of the reason why he "held himself back" in canon mixed with the fact he was unsuccessful with lucy is gone. he doesn't care that he hurt a child. because of this, she is even more reclusive than in canon.

however, when johanna is sixteen, she meets a.nthony h.ope, a fisherman. turpin always implied finding her a good, capital match since he wouldn't want his ward to marry district. but that match didn't matter in that moment. anthony delivers goods to the house and johanna uses it as an opportunity to sneak him into his room or talk with him. they fall in love.

but despite her newfound bliss, turpin approaches her one night with filmed evidence of her and anthony. he reminds his ward that he is a very powerful man before leaving. the reaping was the next day.

johanna knew she was never in danger, but it felt worse to hear anthony's name. he rigged it and she knew it the moment his name was read. everyone in the crowd could hear her cry, yet no one volunteered. it was as if they'd been warned not to.

anthony did not survive his games. johanna became a shell of her former self. turpin had made her watch every moment.

two years later when anthony's sister name was read, she didn't hesitate to volunteer as tribute.

she barely heard turpin yelling at her during their minutes together. he did so much to prevent this from happening. how could she? what was wrong with her? ( honestly, johanna wasn't certain if she wanted to live anymore. )

when art donaldson, the son of the mayor and winner of the 65th games informed her that he was anthony's mentor, she clung to him. as they began to get to know each other better, she slowly felt herself falling for him. it terrified her to have a reason to keep living.

johanna proved herself have a good aim, though she also trained herself in the blade. she formed an alliance with her district partner, angler. however, it was her interview that gave her an advance. she charmed the capital, securing her sponsors. that night after punching patrick walters as he claimed art was a prostitute for the capital, donation and donation came through.

the next day, she clung onto art's hand for as long as possible before she was brought to the arena. she didn't expect herself to survive. she thought she would be dead by night. during the bloodbath, she was able to grab a poison dart gun and a water canteen. she and angler took turns guarding themselves. the first gift arrived that night: a loaf of bread she split with angler.

during her games, johanna relied on luck she never had before. she was fast and a good hider. with angler at her side, she didn't have much to worry about. but the career tributes found them one night. angler was killed in his sleep. johanna, ever the light sleeper, woke up and ran off before they could catch her. however, they'd cut half of her braid off. she was completely alone now. hiding in the trees as the other tributes killed each other off. she was able to get a knife out of a corpse which brought her belongings to a small pack, a canteen, a poison dart gun she'd yet to use and a knife.

eventually, she was confronted by the male tribute from district six. he crushed her gun and she only had time to grab a small dart before he backed her into a tree. he pressed his blade against her throat. as she accepted her demise, her hands seemed to work in spite of her numbness and stabbed the boy in the back with the poison. she watched as he slowly perished before taking his belongings and her own and darting into the trees.

she stayed hidden for the rest of the games. not even the cameras could find her. it was a small arena, yet hardly anyone knew that johanna was crying to herself over the loss of her hair in the trees. she was forced out of her tree when another tribute attempted to cut it down for firewood. the fall left her unable to move, but the tribute had pity on her and left without a word. she had helped her earlier in the games to get food. she would die anyway. once johanna was able to force herself into moving, she found another hiding spot. during the final bloodbath, the final two tributes killed each other. everyone held their breath as the second place tribute let out her final breath.

johanna was the victor.

she wasn't able to climb the ladder. they had to swoop in and begin surgery. before they knocked her out, she whispered art's name. the next few days were swirls of confusion. she did not like her nudeness under the hospital sheets nor the band preventing her from sitting up. finally, she was able to leave.

after dressing, she began to look for art. when johanna saw him down the hall, she didn't hesitate before running to him. when he kissed her, she kissed back. she hadn't realized there were cameras on them nor the fact that they weren't together. art was many members of the capitol's favorite pets. she had a guardian waiting at home who would not be happy. her interview wasn't brief on that kiss. the capital was abuzz with speculation.

( warnings for rape ) returning home to confront an incredibly unhappy turpin, he dragged her to her new home in victor's village. johanna hated to lock doors, but she would keep the door to the office forever shut. she didn't want to be reminded of what he did to her in there. after he left, she tried to stop herself from feeling anything. when that didn't work, she went to art's house.

the months between the games and her victory tour were spent mainly with art. nights at his house. days teaching each other things. despite neither of them mentioning what the capital thought they were or the kiss, they were as affectionate as ever. eventually, they confess their feelings for each other and begin what they hope to be a secret relationship.

on her victory tour months later, johanna and art were outed as a couple. still a couple. the news crushed the hearts of some of the capital, but the rest rejoiced over the love story brought together by the games. they attempted to dodge questions as much as they could. it didn't work.

they were secretly married shortly afterwards.

johanna and art mentored the next few year's tributes from district four. she sobbed for days when her tribute was killed.

eventually, turpin returned to the capital but it wasn't long until he missed her. he had snow arrange for her to be brought to the capital, just as what happened with art. at the news, johanna panicked and she and art made arrangements to flee to thirteen.

he would go to make sure it was safe, then come back for her. it was a safe plan. they were supposed to be safe.

( warnings for torture ) when patrick discovered art had gone missing, he reported it to snow. as revenge, johanna was ripped from their home and brought to the capital to be tortured.

( warnings for rape ) she nearly avoided seeing turpin again. she wasn't as lucky as she was in the arena.

( warning for torture ) they rebroke her back. they drew new scars all over her body. she knew who was behind it. she knew they were filming her to send a message to art.

eventually, art was able to break in to save her. he had a small team with him. one member known as the surname, "todd" couldn't be found during her rescue. when they got to the ship, he came back covered in blood and refused to elaborate. johanna barely noticed him between trying to clutch onto art and the med team attempting to help her.

she woke up in the med wing in district thirteen. there was no band holding her back. johanna tore off her ivs and needles and ran to find art. during her recovery, she would often sneak out to sleep in an actual bed with her husband. she did eventually recover, though her progress was slowed down by her rebellious nature.

johanna learned who the todd figure was from art. her father. utterly betrayed by his decision to assassinate turpin instead of rescue his daughter, she refused to speak to him.

while in district thirteen, lucy gray helped johanna discover that she is a descendant of covey. the two bonded over this, becoming good friends.

she later finds out her full name is johanna canary. she begins to go by both.

during the rebellion, she assisted with the injured and the homeless. while art was helping with the attacks on the capital, johanna could only hope he would make it back alive.

she is one of the other nurses, along with prim, that were rushing to help citizens in the capitol. todd knew about the bomb and he snuck into a vehicle, not hers. he wasn't able to warn her. he pushed her out of the way so she wasn't harmed. when she was able to sit up, she watched her father die, unable to do anything to save him.

people called todd a hero for saving his daughter's life. they talked about how much he must have loved his daughter for sacrificing his life for her.

johanna had a different interpretation. clearly, he knew about the bombing. he did it to lead himself to his own death. he didn't have any point in living anymore. he hadn't sacrificed himself. he was selfish.

( he had learned lucy wasn't dead after all. the capital mistook her for being dead and the capital doesn't make mistakes. upon realizing she was barely alive, they worked to save her life. lucy was used to assist the gamekeepers, as a prostitute under a different name and experimented on. even as she slowly went insane. she perished, but if todd had only went in to rescue johanna, he would have been able to save his beloved wife, as well. he couldn't live knowing he was the reason his wife died. )

johanna is kept in some sort of medical wing/hospital. her burns slowly heal and she trims her burnt hair herself.

art leans he had a daughter from one of his capitol "clients." they eagerly take lily in and johanna considers her to be her own daughter.

they move back to district four where mrs. everdeen set up a hospital. johanna continues her work as a nurse there.

a few years later, she finds out she's pregnant. they found out it was a boy before she miscarried.

a few years later, canary violet is born and named after covey tradition. mavis indigo joins their family a little while later, too.

#anyway......idk if the hype is gone but plot with me in this verse please #i have lots of ideas for lots of the other characters too they just didn't fit here #canon happens even in p.anem :)#*❈ ‣ this was an escape plan‚ carefully timed it‚ so let me go and dive into the waves below — ( v: panem. )#*❈ ‣ whence comes this melody constantly flowing? — ( meta. )#long post tw

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ahopkins1965 · 2 months

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Are we both teachers and students in our personal lives?

This is a very special blog that pertains to the traditional roles that we portray in our lives as human beings. The primary question is we both teachers and students in our personal lives? Are we fulfilling both roles at the same time? The answer to this question is yes. Why? This is because as children we are born from the wombs of our mothers. Frankly, life begins inside of the womb as soon as conception takes place. It's that when we emerge as human creatures from the womb of our parents; we go through a process of learning.

Next, a child learns a lot from his parents from guidance and direction that we receive from our parents growing up. This means that we are students first and foremost. This is because values are instilled from our parents on how to become good citizens of this country that we live. I would like to add that no matter how old we are in our lives, this means that we are still learning how to live as people inside of a changing environment. Although our parents have done their very best to properly give us the training that we need to become successful; it is that we are still students in life.

Further, as far as the role of the teacher is concerned, this role is fulfilled in our lives as people because we soon must learn how to give advice to others. Like the old saying goes; just pray each day!!!!!! As teachers of life, a person is supposed to give guidance, kindness, love, and respect towards mankind. This means leading another person in the right direction. If we cannot give this loving kindness and advice to others in need, then we must make adjustments in our personal lives ourselves. By doing so, we must have a power that is greater than your own self to help you.

Moreover, my life right now consists of giving good advice to others and putting things in perspective by staying positive. I do this by sharing what God has done for me so far in my life. In spite of all of my personal obstacles, I am able to give advice and assistance if necessary. This makes me a teacher and a student of life. This is simply because I am teaching someone else and learning from the next person. Learning is when one applies knowledge and digests it and processes it inside of the brain. It is ingested from what we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste through our five senses. The knowledge that applies here is from the information from others. It is information consisting of facts, data, numbers, and what is obtained through what is right in front of our own eyes.

In addition, learning is important because it enables humans to receive information that is beneficial and pertinent. Also, as far a being teachers and students of life are concerned, it is very important to gain as much information from others as possible. This enables us as humans to find out what character, values, morals, and habits that other human beings have inside of them. There are many answers to this important question.

First, we must learn how to analyze the character of others by spending time with them. This is called direct observation. Direct observation is when one spends time with another or a specific group and learn how each member behave inside of the group. Second, a person has to write down specific notes about a person or group to study their personal habits and behavior. The definition of human behavior is a behavior that is learned or applied through observation and applied by practice. Third, when a person's character has a lot to do with actions from others and how they use these actions are used inside of a society or community at large.

Finally, the question is we both teachers and students in our personal lives? Yes!!!!! As human beings we are both teachers and students as long as we exist. As long as there is a planet earth, there are teachers and students in life and this is mankind. Mankind itself is the teachers and students simultaneously. This is a dual role that must be fulfilled in life as long as life, air, matter, water, mammals, and everything else exist.

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6990portfolio · 7 months

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portfolio entry #7. blank check challenge

a very wealthy person gave you a blank check and told you to spend the amount you wished for to make yourself happy. what are you going to do with it? make a list of what you want to have. write as many as you want.

h a fully paid for house for each of my direct family members and myself, in our desired country of choice.

h complete furnishing for the houses stated above, including decor, to our tastes.

f latest model of electronic devices for the lot of us (laptop, phone, tv, xbox, ps5, etc.)

f items in relation to our personal hobbies and interest (paints, books, writing materials, musical instruments, etc.)

c stylish clothing and shoes that suit our personal style and tastes.

f fully paid tuition for any course to any institution for the ones looking to further their education, myself included.

answer the following questions:

how would you feel as you do the blank check challenge?

neutral.

which among the items on your list do you like the most? why?

perhaps the electronic devices, since majority of my interests and quality of life depends upon them.

if ever you were given a chance in real life to have one among the list. which would you choose? why?

the houses for all of us, because being able to come home to a house that’s completely yours just hits different.

does your choice different from what you answered in question number 2? why or why not?

yes, because number two comes from a materialistic mindset whereas number three is more of a realistic one.

go back to your blank check challenge list.

put a mark on the left side of each item with the following categories:

b – if the item is related to your body

c – if the item is related to clothes

f – if the item is related or intended for your family

h – if the item is related to home

answer the following questions:

a. which among the categories do you have the most in your list?

f – if the item is related or intended for your family.

b. what do you think these things tell you about yourself?

that i cater to my family the most.

make a reflection paper about the material self.

the concept of the material self delves into the tangible aspects that contribute to our identity, emphasizing the significance of possessions and physical attributes in shaping who we are. as i reflect on this material, i am prompted to consider the intricate relationship between what we own and how it influences our sense of self. our possessions, be they clothing, gadgets, or other belongings, often serve as external expressions of our identity, reflecting personal tastes, interests, and even socioeconomic status.

exploring the material self also raises awareness of societal norms and consumer culture, which play a substantial role in shaping our perceptions of what is valuable or desirable. the constant exposure to advertisements and societal expectations can impact our preferences and, consequently, our material choices. additionally, the environmental impact of our consumer-driven society becomes apparent when considering the life cycle of products and their contribution to issues such as waste and resource depletion.

moreover, the material self extends beyond physical possessions to encompass our bodies and appearance. societal standards of beauty and the pressure to conform to certain ideals can significantly influence our self-perception. this material aspect intertwines with psychological concepts like self-esteem and body image, underscoring the multidimensional nature of the self.

in conclusion, reflecting on the material self invites contemplation on the interplay between our possessions, societal influences, and personal identity. it prompts critical examination of the values we associate with material goods and encourages a deeper understanding of how our material choices shape not only our self-perception but also the world around us.

#portfolio entry

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