—There was a concept he learned about, years ago, when he was but a boy under the tutelage of various scholars (prior to their replacement by Sariel). An old empire, one scholar had told him– a wizened old man who seemed more a part of his beloved history books than of the living– older than Rhodolite, or Obsidian, or even Benitoite. The people had a peculiar way of dealing with tyrants and despots they deemed unfit for the governing of the country. They would carve out the names of the damned from the annals of history, chip away at statues until they remained faceless, and destroy every record until there was nothing that could prove they had ever existed. A total condemnation of memory, he had said, stroking a contemplative hand over his whiskery beard, one that served to wipe every trace of their person from the people’s hearts and minds.

He didn’t need to ask what it felt like, because he already knew. Slowly but surely, over days, months, and years, his posture was fixed, his manner of speech grew refined, and every sinew and muscle in his body was tenderized over and over and over to make his body no longer recognizable to himself. Until he could walk like a royal, could talk like a royal, could effectively fool kin and community into believing he was their beloved prince. Until the yoke of authority felt as familiar on his shoulders as the chains of oppression, until his duties were as natural to him as sleeping and breathing.

Until every last fragment of his being was forgotten and replaced, leaving nothing behind but “Leon Dompteur”.

—excerpt from my wip of ‘Damnatio Memoriae’, a Leon character study

It really fucking sucks how the Aequitarians are seen as the only 'correct' way to care about mages while the Libertarians are constantly demonised and shoved under the bus. Almost as if having a strong opinion about anything in this series is considered anathema. And they do it while parading around quiet soft spoken mages like Rhys and Bethany while all but spitting on Anders, Adrian,Velanna and Fiona. It's sickening to be honest.

I forgot those had in-canon definitions for mage colleges of thought and my brain short-circuited trying to figure out why someone would equate the in-world politics and actions of those characters with the IRL political party libertarian. I don’t think there’s any need to diss the quieter Mages; I love quite a few of them, and there’s nothing wrong with some of them being less active or more softspoken. Also, Bethie gets pretty god damn active determinately, and Finn slips his collar and runs off, so it’s not like they all stay that way either. The enemy isn’t the characters; it’s the people who don’t know how to use critical thinking or not have rotting belief and value systems in play. But absolutely true the duality is a thing to see, and a horrible one. You’re right that strong opinions are all but spat on. 🙄 People will act like any strong opinion is soooo extreme and judgmental and not seem to see the hypocrisy like “idk bro like for someone who thinks it’s a cardinal sin to care a lot and have strong opinions and talk about it, you sure run off your mouth judgmentally and vitriolically at the drop of a hat about anyone who dares to have a fuckin opinion.” It’s a series steadily more and more written by centrists with empty ethical codes and a lot of sanctimonious posturing, for people of the same. It’s beyond exhausting and off-putting. And it just keeps getting worse.

352.

5000 Question Survey Pt. 4 301. List 5 things you have not experienced that you would like to experience before you die. fly first class, travel to japan, do a social painting class, ride in a hot air balloon, eat something super expensive. 302. Will you try to accomplish any of these things within the next year? yeah, the social painting one probably. 303. What do you feel controlled by? nothing really. 304. If Jesus appeared to you and told you that the moon was made of green cheese would you believe him? i’d have to make sure i wasn’t dreaming first. 305. What is one thing you are sure of? i hate my job lol.

306. At what part of the day do you feel the most alert? early evening i think. 307. Have you ever played in a band? nope. 308. Have you ever stared into the ocean thinking 'early creatures crawled outta that'? nope. 309. If not, what do you think of when you are staring into the ocean? i wonder what’s at the very bottom. 310. Do you like the mental challenge of chess or other games? i don’t like chess but i love other board games. 311. Do you ever think of where your atoms were before they were in you? not really. 312. Do you ever think about where your atoms will go after they have been in you? nope. 313. If you didn't know that people couldn't fly do you think that you could? i guess it would’ve been a possibility. 314. Are you someone that others call when they're having a problem and want to talk about it? yes, i’m the listener of the group. but most of  my friends don’t follow my damn advice!!! 315. When it comes to literature, do you see beyond the writing and into the meaning intended by the author? haha no, that’s what english class was for. 316. Is there anything you can take apart completely, and then put back together, and have no left over parts? probably not unless it was made up of like ten parts and under lol. 317. What are your feelings about the death penalty? i don’t really know. like i’m usually one to say let them rot in jail, but that’s space, time and money from taxpayers of society. idk tbh. 318. If there was a god and you could ask him/her one question what would it be? what is the meaning of life? 319. Do you believe that life will be found on other planets? maybe not the planets in our galaxy, but probably other ones. 320. What is something worth suffering for? anything for the people you love. 321. If you could put an extra eye on your body anywhere you wanted, where would you put it? behind my head lol. 322. Are you in touch with the earth and nature? not really. 323. Would you rather live simply or extravagently? simply. extravagently would be draining. 324. Have you ever been camping? yes. 325. Is your heart open when you meet someone new? no, because i have a boyfriend. 326. Are you able to have conversations with and become friends with people who are not like you and are interested in different things than you are? hmm i can definitely have conversations with them, idk about being friends. i’m assuming if i spend a lot of time with them we’d become friends eventually. 327. Are strangers more beautiful or frightening to you? err neither. i look at people sometimes and wonder if they’re a genuinely good person lol. 328. What stops you from doing everything you want to do? myself. 329. Can you think of three adjective that do not apply to you at all? patient, stupid, enthusiastic. 330. How do you feel about Jeremy Jaynes, who got a nine year prison sentence for spamming people with junk email (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Jaynes)? idk them. 331. Do you know who the current premier of China is? nope. 332. Are you very active? nope. 333. Is there a city that reminds you of the landscape of your brain? not really lol. 334. Have you ever loved someone who has loved you back? yes. 335. Is it really being 'in love with' someone if the other person doesn't love you? nope. 336. Do you believe that there is someone perfect for everyone or that people just fall in love with who ever they are with at the time? idk tbh. it honestly depends on the person.  337. Do you know secret things? not really. 338. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn't have? nope. 339. How do you overcome your fears? facing them. 340. What can you do better than anyone you know? surveys. hahaha. 341. Would you benefit from a wilder existence? idk. 342. Does it seem to you like the range of socially acceptable behavior is getting smaller or larger? smaller tbh. 343. Have you ever fired a gun? yes. 344. Are people becoming more afraid of each other? yes. 345. If you had to choose the percentage of freedom vs. safety what ratio would you decide on (ex: 100% free 0% safe)? ugh, idk. 346. Does safety stifle you? not really? 347. Who or what needs to be stopped? obviously the group that’s been spreading all sorts of terrorist attacks in the world lately. 348. Are human beings becoming more domesticated? i guess. 349. Do you follow the lives of the British Royal Family? not really. i know the main ones i guess. 350. How did the death of Pope John Paul II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II) affect you? i was sad but a little too young to understand. 351. Have you ever lost something and never found it? of course. 352. Do you listen to any talk radio shows? not religiously. 353. Who do you trust more, your friends or your parents? parents. 354. Would you ever date someone outside of your race or religion? yes. 355. Which of the 7 deadly sins in the worst (gluttony, greed, pride, lust, envy, wrath, sloth)? wrath. 356. Which one are you most guilty of? sloth. 357. Are you afraid to be alone with yourself? Do you try to avoid thinking? nope. i like being alone sometimes. 358. Would you venture to tell someone you loved him or her if they didn't say it first? i’ve done it before. 359. What are you the most sensitive about? myself. 360. What can you talk about for hours? with the right person, absolutely anything. 361. Do you talk about yourself, other people, or ideas the most? it depends on who i’m talking to.  362. Do you believe that spell casting can work? idk. 363. Are you a fan of The Legend of Zelda games? i never played them tbh. 364. What old movie would you go see if it were re-released in the movie theaters? none haha. i hate going to the movies. 365. Is there a celebrity that you would be too starstruck to talk to if you met them? yeah, probably. 366. Have you ever left a mean unsigned note? nope. 367. Do you think it's cheesy to paste things you didn't write into your diary? i don’t have a diary. 368. What are three things that you try not to think about? well if i don’t want to think about them it’s better to not answer this question right? 369. Is casual sex acceptable for you? to each their own, as long as everyone is being safe. 370. What form of sexual protection do you use? birth control. 371. What is expected of you that you feel is unnatural or not right? that i should have my entire life together. 372. Do you sometimes place your own expectations on other people? yeah but it’s whatever. 373. Do you sometimes act overeager to make friends when you are around strangers? not really. i used to be like that when i was younger, i slowly got more anti social lol. 374. Do you take everything that is said literally? no. 375. Do you take most things others say seriously? no. 376. Do you have a quick wit? i wish i did! 377. Do you believe in the need for political correctness? not all the time. 378. Do you have strong opinions and beliefs? to some they’d be strong. 379. If yes, can you still hang out with and be friends with people who disagree with you? errr... i pick and choose my battles. i would think differently of someone i’m friends with that had entirely different views to me and who are pushy about it. 380. Are you uptight? i don’t think so. 381. Do you sometimes do risky things? kinda. 382. Could just about anyone hold your interest in a conversation for at least ten minutes? haha it depends. some people are just shy. 383. Are you self-conscious? yes. 384. What would be your ideal destination for a Saturday afternoon? anywhere tbh. 385. Does anyone have a video tape of you doing soemthing embaressing? yeah, probably. 386. What is Kevin Smith’s(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Smith) best movie? idk. 387. Where do you like to go on Friday or Saturday nights? one night for staying in, one night for going out. 388. Do you like your friends to act the same way all the time or do you accept their moods and changes? i accept their moods and changes, we’re all human. 389. Do you often feel like other people are judging you? not often because i don’t care most of the time. 390. What do you think other people judge you to be like? idk. 391. Are you quick to judge others? not really, i usually give everyone a chance. 392. When you have a fight with someone do you want to talk about it right away or calm down first and then talk? it depends who. i usually talk about it right away. 393. Some say love is a river (according to the old song). What do you say love is? love. 394. What is the worst fault a person can have? not being able to change for the better. 395. Do you have it? no. 396. Which do you think has more impact on a person’s character, genetics or environment? environment. 397. Who was your first best friend? pj. 398. If you are not best friends anymore, what came between you? well we were like 5 and eventually i moved like 40 minutes away so we didn’t see each other anymore. 399. Who have you read a biography about? mindy kaling. 400. What would your own autobiography be called? nooooo idea.