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sophieinwonderland · 5 months

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Dealing With More Anti-Endos Invading Endogenic Spaces! This Time With a Dash of r/Systemscringe

This is just a straight-up lie.

While @thelunastusco did identify as endogenic at one point, that was a VERY long time ago.

I won't go into too much detail about this. You can see their response here:

Wait... are endogenic systems faking or not? 🤔

You seem like you're having a really hard time deciding.

If endogenic systems don't say they have a disorder, they literally can't be faking it.

If endogenic systems do think they have a disorder, then how would they be groomed into thinking they don't?

In the future, try your best to make a rationally coherent point.

Because you've clearly failed here.

Also, not what grooming is. Anti-endos, stop comparing endogenic systems to abusers.

Now, normally, I would go into the whole spiel of how actually endogenic systems are recognized by the majority of psychiatrists who have researched the subjects, by the World Health Organization, etc. But @cambriancrew already tried that, pointing to studies that have been done, and this was how @problematicpooch responded:

So essentially, don't trust the many, many professionals telling you endogenic plurality is real because some studies are wrong! 🙄

And WHAT RESEARCH HAVE YOU DONE?

Have you managed to find even one paper by a psychiatrist or psychologist anywhere stating it's impossible to be plural without trauma? Anywhere?

Because I think it's safe to say that our research is more valid than yours. Ours comes from respected doctors in the field. Yours comes from r/systemscringe. (Don't worry. I'm getting there.)

By the way, the Crew didn't say all studies need to be true if they're published. They said a book specifically peer reviewed and published by the American Psychiatric Association wouldn't have been published if the reviewers felt it contained untrue information.

Why are anti-endos always wanting to traumatize a bunch of children?

Why not just try testing alternative hypotheses for the formation of plurality?

Does anyone else get the feeling that anti-endos attack research into endogenic systems because they're scared?

"Research into endogenic systems is taking away from research into DID" is a pretty silly argument. A lot of research into DID and OSDD has been conducted by trauma specialists. Very little of the research into endogenic systems have been. Doctors who have traditionally focused on traumagenic plurality still are focused on that.

There's zero merit to the idea that this is taking away from research into DID in any way.

And again, the ICD-11, written by World Health Organization, is clear that you can experience multiple distinct identity states without a disorder.

The Hearing Voices Network has been fighting for the 80s to normalize that voice hearing isn't inherently pathological.

Just because someone has experiences similar to a mental illness doesn't mean they have a mental illness. Especially if the don't meet criteria for distress or impairment.

Okay... you know what... I AM going to whip out the ICD-11 here because I want to zero in on another part of this. In the criteria, for DID, you need to experience impairment in areas of functioning due to the disorder.

The DSM-5 has a similar criterion, worded as a requirement of "clinically significant distress or impairment" in important areas of functioning.

The ICD-11 contrasts this with non-aversive distinct personality states that aren't associated with impairment.

No, it's not ableist to say that DID is harmfull.

And the criterion I mentioned in the DSM is literally called the harm criterion, and establishes that a disorder can't be a disorder if it doesn't harm the person in some way.

Referring to dissociative disorders as being harmful isn't ableism. If they weren't harmful, they wouldn't be disorders. That's how disorders work!

Having other people in your head isn't inherently a disorder if it doesn't come with distress or impairment.

This doesn't mean that people with dissociative disorders are monsters. It just means they have a disorder that causes some for of distress or impairment.

Though maybe you, specifically, are.

r/systemscringe

After being torn apart, Problematicpooch ran to r/systemscringe where xe goes by u/Mikeyboi3000

Now, xe tried pulling this in the discussion with Cambrian too, who addressed it here:

Obviously, no correction from u/mikeyboi3000.

That would require a shred of intellectual honesty xe doesn't possess.

Anyway, while we're here, let's take a deeper look at the comments.

Casually accusing someone you don't of being an abuser while you have THAT as your flair is absolutely wild!

Also, they described symptoms the OP says are OSDD-1. At no point did the Crew actually claim OSDD isn't a disorder.

I think most people should have a general code of conduct for themselves. At least basic moral principles.

I would think it's weird that this person doesn't, but then I remembered that this is on r/systemscringe. Of course they wouldn't have any moral principles.

I don't think I've ever seen the Crew use that word for themselves. u/Mikeyboi3000 just stuck that in quotations for some reason.

By the way, if anyone's forgotten who u/sleep-bread-dough is, I debunked their r/systemscringe posts last week.

This is the user who makes system-friendly-sonas to pretend to be supportive of their system friends, and doesn't think DID systems should be allowed to work.

The problem isn't about consciousnesses.

While it may not be fair, if you're unable to hold a single member of the system accountable, then society's laws quickly break down.

Imagine if ghosts were real and could permanently possess someone. Ghosts start possessing people, and permanently are locked into those bodies. The ghosts then commit crimes. If you say, "well, we can't hold this person accountable because they're possessed," then they can commit more crimes without penalty.

If punishing a group is the only way to hold an individual accountable, then the whole group needs to be held accountable.

For example, if anti-endos routinely invade endogenic tags, crosstagging into our spaces, and they refuse to change and stay in their own corners when they're asked, then I have no choice but to crosstag my responses into their tags with the hope the rest of the anti-endo community can rein them in, punishing the entire group for the actions of an individual.

Maybe it doesn't seem fair, but sometimes things that seem unfair are necessary for maintaining order.

I think system responsibility is one of those things, where even if a system were made up of completely 100% separate people, all would need to be held accountable for the actions of one or nobody would be held accountable.

This wasn't the only post u/Mikeyboi300 made either after Tumblr arguments in the past few days. Xe also did one after being corrected by LunastusCo on their origins.

To anyone who may engage with this user, please be warned that doing so may result in them posting you to r/systemscringe in retaliation.

If you're worried about being posted on r/systemscringe, the best thing you can do is to block @problematicpooch.

#syscourse #pro endo #pro endogenic #anti endo #anti endogenic #sysblr #psychology #psychiatry #multiplicity #systemscringe #r/systemscringe #reddit #system stuff #systems #system discourse #actually plural #actually a system

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sepublic · 4 years

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Eda and Lilith as Teachers

One thing this show really likes to discuss is the idea of mentorship, of teaching others… And that naturally ties well into the show’s themes of education and systems that are meant to implement learning, but don’t do it so well. It’s about passing knowledge on to new generations, instilling a new passion into people, and/or feeding into the natural curiosity of others!

So I think Eda and Lilith’s roles as teachers is definitely worth analyzing, comparing, and contrasting, especially given their narrative ties and parallels to one another as sisters! The thing about Lilith is… She very much comes across as the ‘proper’ image of a teacher; She’s well-educated and has a prestigious position in the Emperor’s Coven, graduated from high school… She teaches multiple students –not just Amity- and she has access to a lot of educational texts on the matter. She’s transmitted plenty of knowledge on magic to Amity, which has contributed to Amity being a conventional Top Student!

In contrast, Eda is a dropout (by choice, she clearly loved learning otherwise). She’s not exactly rich and doesn’t have access to the materials that a member of the Emperor’s Coven would. She only has ONE student, a human who can’t even do regular magic… So what knowledge Eda DOES have is almost useless because she’s forced to learn from scratch a forgotten form of magic, Glyphs, to help Luz learn! For a while, Luz isn’t even enrolled at an actual school, she’s home-schooled by Eda… And Eda, admittedly, is not the ideal teacher. Unlike Lilith and her professionalism, Eda is far more crass and casual about her relationship with Luz.

And, obviously Lilith is the better teacher in the conventional sense. But, and as corny as it may sound… Eda is arguably the superior teacher in that her strengths come in teaching Luz things that matter and build her up not for a specific role in society, but just as a functioning individual in general; Actual life lessons, wisdom, street-smarts, etc., that apply directly to any and all situations Luz finds herself in, how she interacts with others and herself, and how she maintains relationships!

Even if the specific subject of magic isn’t taught very well by Eda –again, partly because of Luz’s unique needs and their non-ideal situation- she’s definitely been able to help Luz mature a lot… It’s with Eda’s help that Luz overcomes her issue of projecting fantasy onto reality, and recognizes that she isn’t entitled to greatness anymore than anyone else! It’s with Eda’s help that Luz learns to be patient, and to take the time to listen to what others have to say… etc.!

Eda teaches Luz to value her individuality and be critical of authority, but at the same time shows Luz how to admit when one has made mistakes to a person they’re supposed to be ‘smarter’, as seen when Eda swallows her pride to enroll Luz at Hexside! And, this fits a lot with what we’ve seen between Eda and Lilith… Eda is definitely the wiser of the two by a long shot (as befitting her Owl motif), and is easily able to recognize a corrupt Coven System, while Lilith happily chugs the kool-aid!

By contrast, even if Lilith DOES teach Amity great magical skill… In terms of maturity, neither of them really progressed much, if at all, up until Luz showed up. Amity in particular was excelling as Top Student, but remained just as miserable as ever… Sure, Lilith taught her how to do magic well, but in general, she didn’t really teach Amity anything meaningful, no life lessons or wisdom that could help the girl mature!

All Amity was taught was how to fulfill her function and role in society as a member of the Emperor’s Coven, but again, this focuses on what Amity does for others and not on building up Amity herself as a person with her own separate identity from the whole! It teaches Amity to prioritize her ‘purpose’ over building a sense of personhood and individuality, and as we can see… This ends up rather destructive for Amity’s part.

And Lilith herself was pretty immature and foolish, buying into Belos’ promises and propaganda, refusing to acknowledge there was more to her and Eda’s distance than just the curse, and only finally made a stance when her own sister was about to be petrified- And even then, Lilith initially tried to sneak her way back into the Emperor’s Coven like nothing happened!

And to be fair, I don’t think anybody would want to openly challenge Emperor Belos… But the idea is still there that for all of her ‘academic’ achievement, Lilith herself has matured and grown very little, with the majority of her learning have come by the Season Finale! She’s booksmart at least, but as we also see with Amity… This knowledge in academics doesn’t mean much if both characters are rather miserable, emotionally-stunted people! Lilith and Amity were taught to emphasize their roles as tools/parts in a larger machine, instead of as their own separate people who are simply allowed to live on their own and don’t have to justify their existence by contributing to some grander purpose!

This is further reflected in the contrast between the relationships of Eda and Luz, VS Lilith and Amity… Lilith and Amity are cold and professional, maintaining an air of distance and a sense of hierarchy with Lilith specifically above Amity! Amity can only defer to Lilith, and all she does is learn from her, without contributing any of her own knowledge to Lilith!

Whereas Eda and Luz teach one another in their own ways, help each other learn and grow… Their mentorship is far more mutualistic, and it’s reflected in how the two have a far more familial, casual relationship! There is no sense of hierarchy that must be maintained, that Eda automatically knows more than Luz and is thus better than her and clearly superior as a result, that she can do no wrong… No, Eda is also flawed and has a lot to learn from Luz, too! They’re in some ways equals, which reflects their rejection of educational status as a means and justification for academic elitism, which the Emperor’s Coven embodies!

All of this also ties into the show’s discussion of learning things and skills that are ‘practical’, for the sake of attaining more power, wealth, status, etc…. Versus simply doing things for the sake of prioritizing one’s happiness and enjoyment! As Dana herself said, Lilith and Amity saw one another more as tools to achieve their goals with. Their pursuit of magical knowledge was less out of a passion (at least it’s not anymore) and more for the pursuit of something else frivolous that neither of them really wanted, and neither of them benefitted from… But they needed it from a pragmatic scenario, so they had to put up with this!

In contrast, while Eda and Luz’s lessons don’t exactly focus on the more ‘pragmatic’ magic that would garner a good career, they DO focus on improving and maintaining the emotional wellbeing and growth of one another! And so even if they don’t have magical skills, power, status, etc., Eda and Luz still end up as far more fulfilled, happier, and mature individuals than Lilith and Amity! They may be at the bottom of society and wanted criminals, but Luz and Eda’s lives are clearly the more preferable ones to the powerful yet stifling positions that Amity and Lilith have respectively.

Now, obviously I have to be a bit fair to Lilith here; Eda had mostly willingly taken the role of Luz’s sole surrogate parental figure on the Boiling Isles… Whereas with Lilith, her relationship with Amity is just a professional one and not familial, and she’s busy handling other students too! As far as Lilith knows, Amity already has loving parents back home… and, well. Amity definitely has PARENTS. But in the end, Lilith herself isn’t necessarily performing some moral failing just because she hasn’t immediately signed herself up as Amity’s moral guardian and surrogate parent…

But because Eda’s strength lies in teaching emotional, personal lessons that prioritize the personal growth of individuals regardless of any ‘role/purpose’ they should serve, she’s arguably the superior teacher! Her lessons aren’t as fixated on magic and increasing one’s power and skill at it, which in turn reflects the idea of becoming a ‘powerful witch’ purely for reasons such as status, wealth, power, etc., that ultimately contribute little to one’s happiness as they do not necessarily prioritize personal satisfaction, but instead a mechanical purpose.

Eda and Luz are casual, they don’t try to maintain a divide or gap between one another, nor do they enforce a hierarchy where Luz is an empty receptacle that can only learn from Eda… They are on equal ground and thus benefit more as mutualistic partners, teaching one another as both grow, and respecting the contributions and individuality of the other! By contrast, Lilith and Amity focus on maintaining a certain hierarchy and divide between the two that believes Amity can only learn from Lilith.

As a result, what Amity has to give and say is silenced as she herself is taught that what she has to offer isn’t meaningful, and Lilith merely passes on pragmatic information about magic but doesn’t really gain anything from the interactions. It’s a paradoxical idea of uplifting the new generation as the one who will succeed the previous one and do so much better, but at the same time these young kids clearly know nothing and are inferior to the infallible wisdom of their predecessors! And if they question anything about the system, then again, they’re just dumb and silly kids and what do you know?!

There’s a power imbalance here, an assumption of total superiority based on academic merit, which again… Ties into the idea of educational elitism with the Emperor’s Coven! It’s only by working together on equal ground that a mentorship can propel both parties from their initial place in the world, be it within their own hearts or literally! And THAT goes along with this show’s ideas of how being your own individual and acknowledging others as such, actually leads to more powerful, meaningful bonds of family and community as people are allowed to self-actualize with themselves and one another, thus reaching their full ‘potential’!

To put it simply; Eda isn’t exactly the conventional teacher, but in all honesty… The ‘conventional teacher’ to the Boiling Isles is one that prioritizes distance and hierarchy, and the idea of transmitting practical knowledge for the sake of getting more power/status/wealth with little regard to one’s personal happiness… Whereas Eda and Luz’s mentorship emphasizes no gaps and encourages all participants to learn and offer things towards one another, and to focus on prioritizing their own personal happiness and emotional wellbeing first!

This in turn expands on the dilemma that Willow had once been faced with; Doing the more pragmatic, opportunistic Abomination Track, or self-actualizing with Plants! In the end, it’s the desire to prioritize doing things that simply make one happy, without regard to whether or not it can contribute to their material gain! And THAT relates to the Coven System’s flawed ideas of amassing power for the sake of being above others, which in itself is a pointless rat race.

In the end, Eda may not be the best at teaching magic… But as corny as it sounds, I think she’s better at teaching Luz about the things that really matter in life, lessons that actually bring you happiness and satisfactory relationships; Which the most skilled and powerful magic in the world can’t necessarily guarantee! Whilst Lilith taught Amity how to be ‘successful’, but by the specific standard/merit set by people like Belos… In reality, Amity’s success is paper-thin as she ends up a blindly obedient slave to authority figures that overtly-blames herself for her own mistakes and things she didn’t even cause, and is genuinely miserable!

While on the other hand, Eda taught Luz how to be ‘successful’ in the truly deep and emotional sense, in that she helps Luz focus more on maturing as an individual and coming off more well-rounded for it. Luz may not know everything there is to know about magic, and she’s no Top Student… But she’s actually enjoying herself, kindling her natural curiosity, and creating meaningful social connections! Luz is still allowed to learn things simply because she wants to, to engage with magical education on her own terms instead of by how others dictate it for the purpose of fulfilling a role!

And given what this show has to say about prioritizing one’s personal happiness over the practical option that will net them material gain (which in itself is a pointless goal that many families only pursue due to a lack of money)… It all points towards Eda and Luz having learned more, from one another or otherwise! Whereas Lilith and Amity remained stagnant and only seemed more educated, but in the end were fools for the Coven System to varying degrees.

Like the gilded appearance or masks of the Emperor’s Coven, their supposed status and glory above others is thin at best, and when subject to scrutiny gives way to a much harsher reality of personal weakness and lack of growth. From Eda, Luz gained life-skills that are far more applicable and flexible in their use to all of her experiences, rather than simple knowledge on how to cast a specific spell.

Luz’s lessons are more widely-applicable across every situation of life, while Amity’s lessons on magic, while important, ultimately do nothing to prepare her for self-love, being her own person, finding enjoyment in oneself again, etc. It’s all for a specific purpose within a specific machine-system set by Belos, but who is she without it?

And if one is miserable working for their role in the system, then what is even the point of fighting for material gain just to survive, if one is unable to truly live as an individual? And many poorer families only focus on material gain because their circumstances are skewed against their favor… They live in a system that forces them to need material gain just to survive, and it’s why they have to prioritize it when otherwise they would rather be their own people!

It’s no doubt intentional by Belos, to force people to remold themselves to fit into the very specific slots of his Coven Machine. Similarly, the values the Coven System uplifts prioritizes teaching kids to focus more on learning magical skills related to their function that ultimately characterizes them more as interchangeable parts rather than unique people with their own lives and desires!

TL;DR Eda actually has a LOT of value as a teacher, and so does Lilith! But Eda in particular doesn’t have that worth recognized, because the Boiling Isles society has reached a point where it only cares about learning stuff if it’s directly related towards getting a prestigious job/role in the Coven System… And most people are forcedto make that sort of prioritization over personal fulfillment, because a lot of them are trapped in a horrible situation otherwise!

It’s a nasty loop and cycle where people really would prefer to be brave like Eda and pursue who they are, but the brutal reality of the circumstances –set by Belos- dictates that they focus on pragmatic things and opportunities simply to do well in life! It encourages people to care more for survival and fitting in over being actual, well, people. This kind of mindset is of course more obedient and easier to control with Belos, who has access and control over wealth, power, and social prestige, which people are then taught to value above all else, thereby making them dependent upon his rule!

In general, the show poses the very important question; What does it mean to be a teacher? And what REALLY makes a good teacher? Luz no doubt expected Eda to be a more conventional, Fantasy-Magic teacher similar to what she’s seen in her books; But Eda’s more mundane lessons, once Luz learns to appreciate them (as seen in Episode 3), replace her idealized fantasies with a more mundane yet ultimately fulfilling reality. Of course, Lilith ALSO has value as a teacher in her own way too, hence why Eda learns in Episode 9 to both provide her usual form of instruction, AND the conventional, pragmatic kind we see in an institution like Hexside! Eda at least tries to fulfill both kinds of needs and roles as a mentor, which Lilith sadly never made the effort to do so, albeit with her own in-universe justifications of course.

#the owl house #owl house #the owl house eda #edalyn clawthorne #the owl house lilith #lilith clawthorne #the owl house luz #luz noceda #the owl house amity #amity blight #analysis

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the-moon-prince · 3 years

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The Last Of us~Kurapika x Reader ~Chapter III

AN: Hi my lovely fellows!

I finished the third chapter! Made with love and care for your enjoyment. I know this one is shorter, and I'm sorry. But I trust you will like it despite that detail! I made it extra fluffy, after the angst of the anterior, we all deserve a sweet.

I wish you a pleasant read, and I hope you’ll enjoy the new chapter of my story. (Chapter I) (Chapter II) (Chapter IV coming soon!)

Paring: Kurapika Kurta x GN! Reader

Word count: 2 111

TW: None!^

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It was clear something changed in Kurapika after that night. It didn't go unnoticed by Melody. She noticed in the rhythm of Kurapika's heart that the man's grief was lighter. Not to mention discreet short glances the young man sometimes gave (Y/n) when they were in the same room or how he tended to stay closer to them. Kurapika's heart longed in the days when (Y/n) was not at the Nostrade mansion.

And for Kurapika? He was neither oblivious of that change. He taught about how (Y/n) would serve him tea or coffee each time they did for themselves. He noticed the characteristic small manias no one else appeared to remark about (Y/n); like the silly way they stood with their hands in front of their chest when nervous, they touched their hair when they were concentrating on their work. Or even their nervousness around crowds. Despite the warmth that thoughts about (Y/n) gave him, they also filled him with doubts and fear. That person saw a side of him that very few had seen. On one hand, it made him feel less lonely, and he shared the burden of his soul with someone who, seemingly, comprehended him. On the other, it was his ugliest side. Don't get me wrong, at no point did he believe his cause was erroneous. It was the fear of lowering his defenses further, which had allowed him to survive so far, to at the end losing someone dear again.

There laid the dilemma.

On Saturday evening, as was customary (Y/n) went to "keep her company"-as Neon referred to her therapy. Neon, her bodyguards, and (Y/n) were in the girl's room; while she just played with her stuffed animals. Neon being herself, talked a lot about her pastimes and trifles. And then it happened. The trigger pulled. "You know, (Y/n) you're dumb sometimes." Neon said directly in the face of the mentioned. Kurapika did not appreciate the insult to his "darling"- Being his boss he couldn't face Neon directly nor punch her, although the desire was not lacking. In the end, Kurapika ended up saying, with a slightly irritated tone, sincerely "Neon, it's time for the pause, we'll all go take a breath" Without Neon giving any value to the subject, she permitted everyone to go. (Y/n) sticking to their routine, headed to the employee kitchen to prepare coffee, and began to boil water. Kurapika also followed, aspiring somehow to comfort them-only something lost in how- stated "That was rude. Are you upset?"

(Y/n) turned to see him, inclined their head, smiled, and denied "No at all! She's right. When I was a child, someone throws a rock at my head, and I ended up like this." - responded teasing, possibly to relieve Kurapika's worries- "Plus, it's not her fault... I mean... she said it, but she's entirely unaware of the impact of her actions on others... Not because she's mean, I'm not trying to be impolite."- they added, gaining a disconcerted look from Kurapika.-"Neon has a dissociative disorder. She has lived in her distorted bubble all her life. Consequently, she disconnected from the consequences that her actions may have!"- (Y/ n) explained excitedly to Kurapika. Their enthusiasm, more than their tone of voice, was also reflected in small movements that (Y / n) made with its hands. Inadvertently, Kurapika smiled, considering their enthusiasm adorable. To finally recognize how charming (Y/n) was to him.

Kurapika was sure he wanted to decide the whole condition with (Y / n), but he was still confused about what to do. He inferred that the wisest choice was to request advice. Next, he led towards the only other person he recognized as his friend in that place. Melody knew that Kurapika was young and inexperienced after all.

"I'm unsure about what to do, Melody. They've greatly helped me with something crucial to me, and I'm appreciative. (Y/n) is charming to me. They're so patient, thoughtful, and kind. I enjoy their company.

But what if it's not worth the trouble? It's illogical; we have known each other for roughly three months. They might not accept it or disappear. I can't permit myself to get disturbed." -Kurapika voiced all the insecurities he had. After a moment of meditation, Melody replied.

"I believe you like them. (Y/n) appears to make you happy, that's true. When they helped you, did they judge you, did they left?"-Melody tried to make Kurapika question his insecurities.

"Not at all; they were pretty reliable."-Kurapika answered, staring away. Melody gave him a sweet smile and continued-"If they proved themselves trustworthy, they merit a chance. I think you deserve to allow yourself a chance. I believe it will do good for you."

"Thank you, Melody." And he returned a sincere smile.

Likewise, Kurapika decided to take his chance.

Already 7:30 pm and the workers of the Nostrade house were leaving. (Y/n) was preparing their bag when they felt a slight touch on the shoulder. Kurapika quickly took a step backward when (Y/n) instinctively shrunk in surprise at his touch. They promptly looked at Kurapika, who cleared his throat before speaking. "(Y/n) do you care to stay a little longer. I require to tell you something."

The mentioned one gave their sign smile as they hummed and nodded-"Sure!"

"Accompany me to the kitchen please, it will be quieter." request (Y/n) fulfilled. Already in the empty room, Kurapika took a deep breath. So many details made him nervous at the minute. He doubted himself. He had no idea how to approach sentimental topics.

(Y/n) 's gaze was on him, but without meeting his eyes. Which caused him to not decipher what they were thinking. He had no idea if they would reciprocate, get angry, or react. If there was something that intrigued and delighted Kurapika, was (Y/n)'s way of being. For him, it was mysterious and transparent at the same time. Genuine but selective in what they showed. And he wanted to ascertain more.

"(Y/n), since our time together has been relatively short, this may seem illogical to you. However, for me, it has been remarkably important and enjoyable. So I reasoned: I like you."

(Y/n) still without seeing him in the eyes and without changing their smile, blinked a pair of times and sang, tilting their head "Thank you! I like you too; you're quite nice as well!"- Maybe they were a bit foolish after all...

"No, no! It's not that... I mean... I also do like you. I alluded to like you romantically." the young man amed to the person in front of him. Whose eyes widened making and making an O with its mouth. And while a flush creeped their cheeks , also rectified. "I do... too... like you romantically."-(Y/n) proceeded to put a hand on their forehead, the face visibly darker and embarrassed, to tremble-"I... That is much more logical... I am very sorry...I'm truly ashamed. I'm not good at those subjects!"

As (Y/n) felt bad, Kurapika also felt bad. He raised his hands, shaking them and little in denial "It's alright, it's alright. Worry not!" It was an embarrassing disaster. But they were a disaster together.

After some shame whines, (Y/n) sigh and continued "In this case, please allow me to invite you to morning tea tomorrow. It's the last I can do. I beg you." In an attempt to not make things more awkward, Kurapika quickly but joyfully added -"It would be splendid!"- to obtain a -"Marvelous!"- from his newly obtained sweetheart. They both went home ashamed. If something is clear, it is that neither of them stopped thinking about that event throughout the night. Also that the more they reflected on it, the more fortunate they felt.

The date was settled! The sole issue was that, due to the embarrassment, they both forgot to arrange an hour. And they both felt ridiculous.

Kurapika wondered what time would be proper to present, to ultimately arrive at 9:30 a.m. While (Y/n) was waiting for him since 8:30, worried they were going to be late. Since (Y/n) always wore some kind of embroidered floral ornament, Kurapika assumed they liked flowers. And showed up with a bouquet, plus it was the first time (Y/n) saw him with his traditional Kurta clothing.

"Good morning (Y/n). I bring you these, I hope they'll be of your taste." Kurapika greeted, handling the flowers. The (h/c) gladly accepted them as they made a sign to come in.

"Greeting Kurapika! They're splendid. Please come in and get comfortable." they told. Kurapika sat on the couch, and (Y/n) arrived with two cups, a teapot, and a kettle. "Do you prefer tea or coffee?"

"Tea, please." followed by the answer, (Y/n) poured tea into the cups and sat next to Kurapika. As if it were a silent understanding, neither mentioned anything regarding the incident on the schedule.

"I like your clothes. They are gorgeous!"- a little remark that touched the boy, who muttered a gentle -"thank you." Kurapika reflected a lot about his choice to confess, but he never repented it. The warmth he felt in that moment was pure for him.

(Y/n) raised his hands to their chest and, fidgeting with their fingers, modestly asked -"I apologize if my inquiring is stupid, but... are we lovers?"- They had their gaze concentrated in their hands. The first thing that people usually think of when meeting (Y/n) is that they were a serious, refined, and intelligent character. This was partially true, but it had a somewhat childish side, more intimate, and it was what Kurapika was witnessing at the time.

"Naturally," he answered.

"I'm sorry if I don't fulfill your expectation for me. You are the initial lover I have. In fact, also my first friend." Despite being a relatively sad statement, (Y/n) had their grin stamped on their inclined face. That smile. That it always seemed the same regardless of the emotion her voice conveyed, with certain narrow exceptions. Kurapika felt the obligation to if they were blue, comfort (Y/n). Just like they had done.

"I discerned that you invariably smile, and the smile is identical. Can I request an explanation?" He asked, knowing what his goal was. His partner was a bit uncomfortable with the question and shrugging their shoulders uttered.

"It's quite complex to elucidate... I have some challenges expressing emotions to others. Not because they are not explicit to me. Just my facial expressions don't mirror my sentiments.

Regularly, in addition to smiling, I can take a serious aspect. It does not cause me much trouble, since people consider me as someone friendly- not that I am not. Though may cause others to judge me uncanny. I'm sorry if it's the case."

"Do not apologize. It doesn't appear eerie to me." Kurapika assured with a sweet smile. (Y/n) looked him in the eye again, showing their happiness in their distinctive way.

"You are a kind person, thank you." following their remark, the room fell into a comfortable silence. Kurapika and (Y/n) were two shy souls enjoying each other's company. Although everything happening was alien to both of them, they appreciated it.

They needed a little kindness and company, which they seemed to have finally gotten.

Who could have guessed? Neon did something helpful for once!

#kurapika kurta x reader #kurapika imagine #kurapika kurta #hxh drabbles #hxh scenarios #hxh x reader #kurapika x reader #kurapika hxh #hxh #hxh imagines #kurapika #hunter x hunter

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thistangledbrain · 3 years

Text

Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month

Day 5!

“Special Interests”

Have a quiet Autie in your life? That won’t last long if you tap into their special interest. We can’t shut UP when we find someone who’s genuinely curious about what lights us up.

Every older Autie I know has at least one special interest, sometimes several.

Mine? Dogs. Primarily.

And I mean EVERYTHING dog, but starting with behavior. Then in no particular order, health/genetics, various breeds and their traits, training....literally everything. Even the genes that define coat color & pattern, and what physical genetics are tied to behavior (if you’re curious about that, start with the Russian studies about domesticated foxes and what happened to their red coats, the more tame they became). It was horses when I was younger, but I soon moved to dogs when getting into my late teens (more affordable and accessible I guess lol). And if I don’t know the answer to your questions, we find out together, because I *need* to know, too. 😉 I can talk dogs with you literally all day and never get bored...which helps socially, too (I’ve mentioned that most of my closest friends are dog people) - I have a larger network of friends than most other auties I know, and it’s because of a shared passion for all things dog.  Then there’s the sciences, but particularly quantum & theoretical physics. I. Fucking. Love. Physics. LOVE IT. Unfortunately, my brain hits a wall with more advanced mathematics, so I can’t “do” physics on the level I want to. Luckily for me, my oldest son is also pretty obsessed with it, and he is now pursuing a degree in physics....so when he comes home, we sit down with his notes and he breaks it down for me (the language behind the experiment or action). I have pictures of his notes saved on my phone, for simply the silly reason that I like the patterns of the math (it’s the “universal language”, if you didn’t know), and like to daydream about understanding it. (He struggles with the math as well...we are both HEAVILY right brained...but he manages.) If there’s a documentary out there about physics (plus many lectures), I’ve probably seen it multiple times. Idk why quantum physics in particular interests me...maybe because it’s almost like magic. ☺️ Quantum entanglement fascinates me, and the theory that things aren’t what they are unless/until you observe them...I can get stuck absolutely obsessing over these things.

Nature/animals are the big background special interest that the specifics tie into, though (and this ranges from astrophysics to the life cycle and structure of an ant colony - and even human psychology). Concerning observable animal/plant nature though (and this is a big one for me), Sir David Attenborough is my hero lol- no one else answers the questions I have, and opens up the natural world for me, like that dude. It was Mutual of Omaha’s nature shows when I was a kid, now it’s him. Sorry not sorry, but a doc on the secret life of plants is *fucking riveting* to me. Science is my JAM! 😆 I am happy to recommend any docs to any other fellow science nerds (Through the Wormhole, The Elegant Universe, and Cosmos are all MUST SEE - if you’re a nature nerd, of course Blue Planet, Our Planet, Life...gosh. So many great series). When I get on a science kick, I get the same feelings I get when I’ve tapped into a difficult dog’s psyche, and we start to figure things out. It’s an absolute thrilling obsession, and I am very restless until all my “why/how” is answered. It’s never enough - I never know enough, and I never will.

It’s also an area where my perpetual 2-3 year old is consistently mostly satisfied. I mean that’s the whole scientific community in a nutshell LOL! “WHY?” “HOW?!” When I was a kid, I’d have to write down all my questions that weren’t answered by our Encyclopedias, and wait till the weekly library trip to find the answers I sought. Now, I have a smartphone and Google LOL....and I cannot even begin to describe how consciously thankful I am for that quick access to answers!! Questions will *eat me alive* sometimes, so answering them in a timely fashion is sooooo satisfying 😆

I guess I’m a bit of an artist/creative personality. I’m unhappy when I don’t have space to create....but that space is pretty damn large, because I’m into almost all of it (you can’t exactly fit a miter and bandsaw into your apartment studio, so I’m very grateful I have the space for the power tools LOL...)  From building things to fabric crafts, I love it all. I get way burned out if one of those things become a “job”, though (ehh except being paid as a regular employee of a historic renovation construction firm LOL) - something I HAVE to do. Then it’s not enjoyable anymore. I had started down a path of marketable creations, and they were in high demand...but then it became something I HAD to do for money, instead of wanting to do for enjoyment - and I haven’t touched that particular craft in 8 years or more now (which frustrates people, because I was good at it). 🤷🏻‍♀️ That’s one of those things I really can’t help. My oldest son seems to be sort of similar....he’s commissioned several pieces (and secured his first few at a VERY young age), but he also tends to get a little frustrated when he’s expected to create something, instead of the urge naturally striking him. The whole beauty and satisfaction from art - for me anyway - stems from pure imagination without constraints. When you’re doing something to please someone, it ceases being art, and turns into just...a skilled task you completed. That’s how I look at it, anyway. So even though I could actually make my art into a career (at least supplementary income), it ceases to be enjoyable for me *at all*, unless I’m creating something for someone who means a lot to me. That, and I really just prefer to give my stuff as gifts. It makes me feel good to see people light up with joy over what I’ve made for them, whatever it was. (I also do a shitload of remote training with people and their dogs, for free. I point folks towards the trainers I respect if they need extensive in person work, but lots of folks don’t have several hundred bucks to sink into understanding their dogs better...so...I just help where I can, now. I think it *used to* frustrate my husband, but he absolutely understands now & is cool with it.)

Oh. And rocks and minerals. I’m an obsessive rockhound LOL - and a cousin is a geologist, so he can break down how and why each is so unique, how it formed & why, etc. I’m actually currently converting a large yard sale antique wardrobe into a piece that can showcase Sir Tommy on one side, and my extensive rock and mineral collection on the other (waaaay not extensive enough, but you might be surprised how expensive quality specimens are. Take moldavite for example...fascinating thing...little chip of it about the size of your pinky nail will run you $20 +, because it’s rare. And yes I am fascinated by the metaphysical value attached to these minerals, and why that’s even a thing.) The way minerals form - let’s cite Aragonite as an example - just captivates me.

So I guess those are my main special interests! If you have a *young* Autie in your life, try to expose them to various things. To find a “special interest” is to find a way to ground ourselves. Special interests are a bit different than...well, I’m not sure what words work for stim interests that you can escape into for NT’s, but it’s less of an interest, and more of an obsession for us. It consumes us.

So anyway, EVERY Autie has a special interest. It could be science, it could be gaming (that’s a big one with lots of males, and not a small one for Autie women either, because it’s an escape you actually have to engage your brain in) or computers; it could be mathematics or art. It could be animals and nature. But eventually (for those of you with wee Auties), Your Pet Autie ™️ will find something that they absolutely obsess over & gets them excited to share their knowledge or creations with you. I encourage parents of auties to help them explore the world and find their niche. It helps us navigate your world, and find a way to be at home in it. It also gives us something to fixate on other than our bumbling attempts at fitting in to a world not built for us.

Circling back - if you know an autistic in your life that you want an “in” to get to know, start with their special interest. (Of course we recognize when you’re doing it just for the merits, versus when you actually want to learn something from us, but we appreciate both, really. It gives us a chance to ...idk. Feel important, maybe. At least that’s what it is to me, and my boys. We love to feel needed for our knowledge!)

Special interests are truly your “in” to an Autie, regardless of what their subject is.

So that’s MY take on the special interests. What lights your beloved Autie up?

#asd #autism #autistic #acceptance

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swannkings · 3 years

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Do I want to wade into the murky waters of Ye Old Fanfic Vs Original Fic wars? Yes.

I don’t know who amongst Twitter or Tumblr needs to hear this, but your edgy as fuck takes on whether fanfiction has value or not aren’t new or enlightened. I tend not to get public with my takes on writing, because I was there 10+ years ago doing this exact thing on Quizilla & Mibba, and an individual’s medium of writing and impetus is their own damn business. Any and all writing has value. Sometimes it’s meant for personal indulgence or for small communities or friend groups, other times it has to pass muster for professional publication (which is a whole other shit bag of contention) or mass public consumption.

These arguments (they are never discussions) are also exhausting and pointless. Nobody wins these things.

I agree that Cassandra Claire/Clare and E.L. James are poor examples of professional writers having begun their careers in fanfiction. But, I’d also point out that actual literary agents and publishing houses signed and printed them, and professional editors did at least skim over their works. The authors aren’t the only ones to get blame for shit writing. And let’s not forget Anne Rice, infamously unfriendly toward fanfiction, chucked professional editors out of her equation altogether because she didn’t like them having opinions on her work.

Not all writers want to be published nor want fame.

It does seem to baffle when those words enter the ears of pretentious writers, readers, and others who don’t write at all. Some people write because it’s fun, like a hobby. Sometimes those people, who write for fun, will edit their work and sometimes they let it go as is because it’s just for catharsis.

My big personal project is to track down all digital and hard copies of my writing and catalogue them. I’ve been doing it for 10 years now. I’ve been writing and sharing my writings for the last 18 years. I have a hard copy of the very first major piece of fiction I wrote (a Lord of the Rings fanfic from 2002/2003) and a hard copy of the last piece of fiction I worked on (an AU fic for a Japanese otome game) and a hard copy of my first original novel (a urban gothic from 2017). There is an absolute difference in my writing from age 11 to age 28. And looking at my catalogue of writing, most of it is fanfiction. Do I have original works in there? Yes. Are they good? I think they are, and my friend thinks they are, but whether or not those works are up to snuff for a book deal—that’s up to an agent I haven’t sought out.

Improvements to my writing can be attributed to age (I’ll be 29 in a little over a week), to a university education (a BA in Performance Art from a STEM based offshoot of a way more prestigious school is the most I could afford after 3 years of community college), and alternating writing fanfiction online with a built-in audience/community and sharing original works online (where they got much less attention) and with writing groups/friends.

The truest rule of any endeavor is: you get better with practice.

Does fanfiction enable bad habits? Sure, but so does being educated at an Ivy League school. There’s no shame in acknowledging our own shortcomings. I mean, fuck though, I’d take overusing the phrase “carded his fingers” or inexperienced writers with funky grammar over being a snob with a Linguistics degree and a podcast.

What makes me, an unknown writer, a maybe valuable voice in this here shitkicking?

Because I’ve been doing this for half of my life and because I love stories. I’m an advocate for education and reading, and libraries and accessible information. I’m all for kids (anyone really) picking up comics or graphic novels, or reading fanfiction or webcomics, reading whatever genre or medium floats their boat if it means they’re engaging their minds and imaginations. This extends to film and video games and podcasts and audiobooks too because not everyone has the same level of literacy or ability to physically read or stay engaged with written text.

I don’t have a lot of experience in many things, and I am by no means a fabulous writer, but I am old enough to recognize an old argument and threadbare talking points coming from the mouths of unhappy people.

But is there really merit to writing fanfiction? Yes.

It’s a great way for people new to writing to learn how and practice creating engaging narratives.

It’s a great way for young writers to deconstruct their favorite worlds and characters in order to better understand both the creation of fiction and the types of fiction they enjoy writing. (Heads up: published literary fiction also uses tropes and archetypes)

Fanfiction has a built-in audience. This is perfect for any writers who a) are unsure of their abilities and wish to get feedback, b) wish to remain anonymous for various reasons such as being made to feel embarrassed for writing fanfiction but want a modicum of acknowledgment, c) have rich and engaging lives and just want to share some raunchy fantasies because they most certainly aren’t alone, and d) simply enjoy writing things that make others happy.

Have you seen the goddamned news? Let people have some silly little pleasures.

But what about... you know... brain rot?

That’s a real thing. Twitter has it too (have the last 5 years shown us nothing?) And have you met A Dude From Film School?

Let’s be clear: age doesn’t negate brain rot, neither does only writing original fiction. Young people who are Extremely Online, y’all can have brain rot too, it isn’t just Fandom Olds or your Uncle on Facebook.

You should never let your age dictate whether you are able to engage in fandom or fanfiction, but absolutely should in the ways you engage. Not every piece of fic is meant for you to read and not everyone has to praise the things you write, not even your friends.

For the record: writing tropes, even squicky ones, isn’t brain rot. Not believing fandom is racist or gate keeps is though.

The big take away...

Listen.

If you are a writer who primarily writes fanfiction and you want to someday be a published author of real live books, you do need to create original works and engage with writers outside of AO3, Tumblr, Wattpad, or whatever site is still hosting fic when you read this. It’s imperative you see other parts of the creative world. Stretch your wings, experience other ways of doing. Allow yourself to grow beyond what you know.

There is no guarantee you’ll have a career in writing. There is no guarantee your magnum opus will get you a publishing deal, or will even make it out of the slush pile. Writing to a career endgame can be just as detrimental as writing to a trend.

None of this is even getting into the gate keeping that exists in publishing already and only allows in diverse voices when it’s profitable, making fanfiction and online communities all the more important to marginalized creatives.

It’s perfectly alright to just write because you like writing, and it’s perfectly alright if you like playing in other people’s sandboxes. No one but you gets to place value on your hobbies or take merit from you for not writing like you have a MFA in Creative Writin. Writing a 100k Slow Burn fic takes just as much dedication as writing a 60k original novel, they just stretch different muscles.

#fanfiction #writing #will i regret this?

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hillnerd · 5 years

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Hi, I was reading an ask you answered on shipping and you mentioned that people don’t like the weasleys due to classism, which I’ve never thought of but definitely makes sense. Have you made any posts that expand on this? I’d be interested to read more

You know, I believe I haven’t made any long posts regarding this issue. Time to remedy that, eh?

I suppose it’s important to define what classism is and how it instructs our views on things in the first place.

It’s defined as: “prejudice against or in favor of people belonging to a particular social class.”

Classism is very much built into our social fabric, and almost always has. The social classes of Western society (which are the ones I’m dealing with as this is an HP post) have been highly structured for thousands of years. The names and qualifications may have altered over time, but in general there are always about 4-5 social classes. Elite, Middle, Working, Poor being the general layout, with overlaps and extra subsets within each class.

On some level we are taught that ‘money doesn’t mean everything’- but that is constantly undermined by the continuance of the classist messages put forth in media and advertisements. We are bombarded by images of success meaning accumulated wealth. Every time there’s another holiday businesses can exploit for profit, they will trot out advertisements for cars, jewelry, toys, homes etc. And we’re supposed to buy into that mindset- to find objects to display our very worth, and convey worth to others. It’s ‘sexy’ to be ‘successful’ in these ways.

In fandoms there are certain tropes people gravitate to- and the rich man with nothing but time on his hands to shower his lover in riches? That is a highly beloved trope. Mournful giant mansions are ever so much more ‘interesting’ than a working class farmhouse.

Which brings us round to the Weasleys. They are very coded as working class/lower middle class, as well as ‘normal’ when it comes to looks, and red haired (which between their great numbers and red hair read as Irish Catholic to many audiences.) The father is tall, skinny and balding, the bother is short overweight and overworked. This is not the vision of ‘sexy and succesful’ we are told are the height of accomplishment. They aren’t glamourous, wealthy, or traditionally good looking. We know the Weasley kids all must deal with the reality of coming from a poor family. The twins bemoan the price of books in CoS, and we see Percy angry about his father’s lack of reputation- but the only child we see consistently dealing with the consequences of this poverty is Ron.

The consequences of being poor, and from a large family, are evident in many ways- and from the get go Ron is the only one we get to see them with.

The ‘look’ of wealth:

He’s in scruffy hand me downs, doesn’t have extra money to spend on things like sweets, has a fat old rat as a pet, and a wand that’s not even his own. This is all well and good when you’re eleven- but as he grows up, in some ways he’s expected to ‘be cooler’ ‘be sexier’ ‘be more together’- so when he’s still gangly, freckled, in crap clothes with a silly owl- well it’s not the sexy picture of wealth and success.

The confidence of wealth that comes with curating your life:

The confidence of wealth is something people expect others to exude as well. If you can’t be wealthy, then you’re supposed to at least be incredibly confident and self assured. The luxury of choice is denied Ron. He’s unable to have choices about anything, because it’s either except what you’re given, or go without (jumpers, sandwiches, pets, broken wands, dress robes, brooms etc). Ron is unable to curate his life at all. He can’t pick and choose much- and this comes across as ‘childish’ or ‘lazy’ to some. He is unable to be self actualized due to his wealth status (And the fact that he’s a teenage boy), and this is further compounded by the fact that he’s from a large family where all paths of selfactualization he could take, have already been taken- thus undermining anything he hopes to accomplish for himself until he’s out of school, minimum.

Classism as a means of bullying:

Ron is the only Weasley to be consistently mocked and belittled for his wealth status throughout the series. When we first meet Ron, Immediately his class is thrown in his face by Malfoy- and this is continued- coming to a head with the ‘Weasley is our King’ song, where he is sung at about how poor he is.

The emotional consequences of poverty are written off:

The poor are allowed to be poor as long as they never complain. But the moment they do, there tends to be a view of this as not only weak, but ‘ungrateful.’ How dare they not be happy to have what they have? How dare they not dociley and silently improve their status so we don’t have to hear them complain anymore?

Workingclass stereotypes at play:

Working class stereotypes are very much at play, especially when it comes to how people perceive Ron. Uncultured, stupid, lazy, violent, wife beaters etc. You see fandom littered with this view of him. And then it also likes to paint the Weasley women as the shrewish, provoking nag.

In some ways the Weasleys do fit into these stereotypes- the Weasleys are ready for a physical fight many times in the books, Mrs Weasley can be the nagging wife/mother stereotype, none of the youngest Weasleys are seen as erudite library lovers and instead are more sporty, and many of the Weasleys aren’t particularly motivated about school.

Rough and tumble is quickly painted as problematic and dangerous. Jovial and sporty is quickly painted as uncultured and lacking in intellectual pursuits. Lovingly protective is quickly painted as controlling and harmful. Being laid back about certain goals suddenly makes them lazy.

The thing is, when these same features come from other characters, they are not generally seen in that way.

Draco and his family are a prime example of that. The framing of these two families by fandom is tied to closely with class distinctions:

They are constantly threatening violence, both with fists (even if they are hired thugs) and wands- yet they aren’t painted as particularly prone towards violence.

Draco is never shown as particularly intelligent or learned- yet is portrayed that way by fandom despite his lack of accomplishments. His barbs aren’t even very intelligent- they’re just mean and sarcastic.

The Malfoys actually are controlling and harmful- they’ve abused house elves, threaten people left and right, and are highly influential- but that’s seemingly not as big a crime as Molly Weasley worrying over her children?

Draco is so supremely lazy he goes out of his way to have servants do things for him- including Ron in PoA- he does not earn his way onto te quidditch team- it’s given to him, along with new brooms for everyone. Yet Ron is seen as lazy because he’s not a school nerd, and Draco an erudite because he sarcastically comes up with barbs on the sidelines.

Meanwhile the Weasleys are fighting for justice, all of them are proving their intelligence and grit every book, the Weasleys are so loving and helpful that they take in other people (Harry and Hermione), are the ones making the parties at Gryffindor tower awesome, and are the main caretakers for the whole Order. They earn everything they ever have (with the exception being when Percy is handed a position in ootp so they can manipulate him) and work hard to achieve everything they do. Ron puts in the time with his sweat and body- but it’s rarely recognized.

Classist tropes heavily enforced in the films

Steve Kloves heavily changed the Weasleys in the movies. He simplified them, made them pretty stupid, lazy, unloyal, and fearful. They are the bravest family in the books, but in the films it’s not really touched on. He loves making them look a joke, though. The films played heavily into classist tropes of dumb/funny poor people basically being kept around to amuse the middle and upper class.

It’s rare the actual merit of the Weasleys was shown, and so it re-enforced the stereoptypes people already had. Basically look up any ‘irish stereotype’ and it is heavily applied to the working class- and it seems this continues with the Weasleys.

Technically, with Arthur’s job, they are considered low middle class in many ways. He has a job that touches on the political, he knows people and has some modicum of influence. They own property. They are the ‘noble poor’ (which is very much set apart from the truly impoverished like Lupin, problematic poor who are criminals and snatchers, or the slave-class poor of the elves.)

They struggle, though, to balance it all out- and in the films we see little of their merits. They are played for jokes throughout most of the series, and are rather cartoonish.

The actors are all very good- but they were given a script and followed it- and in the script it very much dictates buffoonery and silliness is the rule of the day for the Weasleys the majority of the time. When they are not cartoons, they are to stand idly and cry as they are victimized/put in danger (literally every single film with Ron) much of the fire is taken out of Mr Weasley in is Arthur v Lucius scenes, They just stand around as their home is burnt down. We don’t see any of them fight successfully except Molly Weasley, and few throwaway spells by Ginny and Ron towards the end of the series. Like… They are not shown as intelligent, fearsome, or important to the narrative/Harry much at all, despite their significance in the series. They’re window dressing, but not actual people.

The Malfoys are given more gravitas and reality, by contrast- and they added in moments of humanity and heroism even (such as the deleted scene of Draco tossing Harry his wand.)

Same for Curse Child. Draco’s journey as a father is important to the play- his son is one of the protagonists- meanwhile Ron is basically pure comedy, Ginny is quiet, and Rose is snotty and barely present.

CONCLUSION

Overall the treatment we’ve seen of the Weasleys both in the films, the play, and fandom shows a disdain/ambivalence towards them that seems steeped in the traditions of classism towards the working class. They’ve become a bunch of Punch and Judys, or bystanders, while the rest of the main cast is afforded a bit more dignity and gravitas. Their importance and power are minimized, and their internal struggles are minimized so that when they DO come up they are seen as out of nowhere (sometimes even mean), their cartoonishness is emphasized- and their overall character arcs/journeys are treated as jokes, because that is how the working class is treated in society. I find it interesting that as JKR became more and more removed from the world of poverty she knew, the more cartoonish moments were added to the Weasleys. :P Just sayin’. She obviously still cares about them, but there is a difference in their treatment from the earlier books to the later in many ways- especially Ron- not even touching on how she let him be portrayed in the films and play.

#classism #harry potter #meta #weasleys #malfoys #analysis #my wriitng #hillnerd writes #Anonymous

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endless-bestiary · 5 years

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GREAT BEAR

I'll get the obvious out of the way first: yes, this is a regular bear but larger. The addition of moss to its chin does not a monster make. Why discuss a creature that one could go outside and see in the real world, then? There are two reasons. One, just like how there's merit to including realistic fantasy fauna in your game, there's also merit to including entirely real animals to hold your new ones next to; and two, the sheer hilarity of how the Dragon Age: Inquisition devs included a setting that just makes bears incredibly deadly. That alone warrants an inclusion with the rest of the monster roster.

I'm not going to talk about the conjectural history of the evolution of bears, or even rate what I think of them. Nature has me covered on both fronts there - bears are the terrestrial apex predator to end all apex predators. (It turns out that putting a bunch of sharp objects on an unstoppable wall of muscle works pretty well.) Instead, I want to talk about why you'd put real animals in a game next to things like dracolisks, fearlings, and the dwarves from DA:O.

When you're crafting a fantasy bestiary, the first (and often best) place to start is with the real world. See which shapes work and which don't. Which adaptations beget entire new branches of evolution and which are immediate dead ends. Certain things never show up in particular biomes because they're just impractical or worthless. Wolves don't grow fins because they have no need for them. Snakes don't develop cubic sections because that would just make them terrible snakes. Using nature as a guideline allows you to modulate your game on the scale of realism to fantasy, and more importantly, serious to silly. That cube snake could show up in a game with a sense of humor, since watching a terrible snake clunk around as it tries to get up some stairs is grade-A funny. On the other end of the scale, a tonally serious game like Warframe could never include it without breaking immersion. Instead, serious games take cues from nature to streamline the player's visual understanding of the enemy and help keep them immersed in the world. Dragon Age is one of those more serious games, and so its fauna is closer to the realistic side of the spectrum. When you want a realistic, tough, scary apex predator, sometimes it's best to just go with what works. DA's animals keep familiar shapes to make the world feel more grounded and allow the magical elements to stand out, even when you're expecting a fantasy romp.

On the subject of grounding your setting, the second benefit of using real-world animals is to help pull the more outlandish animals into line. Say I'm running through the woods, having just finished a battle with two magic wolves, a flaming slug, and a cloud of flesh-eating winged rats. Those are all suitably weird for a fantasy setting. If I then run into a Regular Vanilla Bear With No Extra Parts, my brain connects the dots and says "Hey, wait a minute. If this place has bears, which are normal to me, maybe clouds of flesh-eating rats are normal too!" Allowing your players to recognize things on an instinctual level does a ton for your world's cohesion. The designers of DA:I clearly wanted their world to feel just a little more fantastic than our own, with twists on existing animals rather than a totally new web of life, so they opted to make mostly new animals and include a few classic hits like the family Ursidae to make things feel more comfortable. That's not to say DA has trouble making interesting monsters - Envy Demon, I'm looking at you - but they chose to concentrate their weird where it counts.

SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF: LITERALLY JUST A BEAR/10 DESIGN COHESION: AGAIN, JUST A BEAR/10 BEAR: BEAR/BEAR PERSONAL RATING: BEAR

#monster #monster review #Dragon Age #great bear #professor shields #...#bear.

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werewolves-are-real · 5 years

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Would you be okay with sharing a snippet? I an so curious as to what you are working on!

Sorry I took so long to answer! I’ve mostly been working on Star Trek fics right now - a lot of Star Trek fics - and unless otherwise stated I assume most people are asking about Temeraire, lol.

So, I included both types!

Temeraire:

This is from a fic where Laurence gains wings + a tail + scales, due to the all-powerful Celestial Dragon Magic. It’s a thing, which I entirely made up. (The whole covert just kinda conspires to hide him from the rest of Britain)

________________

“What the hell are you doing?” Someone laughs. “What, are you stuck?”

“I am trying not to wake Captain Laurence,” Dulcia complains. “Do not laugh at me.”

“What? Oh – that is Laurence. Why, he is more like a dragon every day,” Chenery says, amused.

“Well, he is a dragon,” says Dulcia.

“I suppose so. Come on, now – I told you we need measurements for your new harness. You are getting far too fat.”

“That means I am healthy,” Dulcia sniffs. “And Messoria tells me it is rude to call females fat.”

“No has ever accused me of being polite.”

They leave.

Maximus is still snoring. Laurence blinks up and realizes it's grown late; he often sleeps outside at night, but for the life of him he can't remember why he chose to take a nap in the Regal Copper's clearing, rather than his own rooms. Messoria still seems to be asleep, but Laurence pushes away her wing and decides to return to Temeraire.

He feels vaguely guilty, and it's not hard to determine why.

'More like a dragon every day,' Chenery said. Is it true? Laurence still feels like himself. But then, a few months ago he probably wouldn't have joined a pile of dragons for a midday rest, so perhaps there's some merit to the observation.

Temeraire, when he explains his concerns, is unfazed.

“Well, I suppose you act a little different,” he says. “But I do not think that is a bad thing or a good thing. You are still the same in every way that matters.”

This is not reassuring. “Different in what ways?”

“Well, for one you sleep out with me more often,” Temeraire notes. “Which can only be good. And also your scent is a little different, so the cows are afraid of you now.”

“That is not quite what I meant, my dear.”

Temeraire stretches his wings. “You worry far too much, Laurence. You are different than when we met, but so am I. Even Granby has gotten much nicer, and cadet Roland has learned to clean my scales better than she used to. Everyone changes. As long as you do not change in a bad way, I do not see the problem. And I cannot imagine you doing anything evil, after all.”

The simple logic makes Laurence smile a little. And, oddly, he does feel better. “I suppose that is all true,” he agrees. “But...”

He is not just worried to find himself changing. He wonders if he is still transforming – becoming other, something less than human not just in body, but in mind.

Yet, looking at Temeraire's expectant eyes, he can't voice the thought. Dragons do not think like humans, perhaps – but even a few months has taught Laurence that they are no less unique, and their opinions no less worthy.

It is a thought he must consider more. Laurence shakes his head. “My dear,” he says. “I am sorry. You are entirely right; perhaps I have worried for nothing.”

“You always do,” Temeraire sniffs. “You ought to discuss your problems with me sooner, Laurence; you can be very silly about these things.”

__________________

Star Trek:

section of a continuation for “Identity,” where Spock has been given a physically feminine body after a transporter accident, and prefers to stay that way.

__________________

Over the years, Spock has found that it can be helpful to seek out certain crewmates for advice regarding the emotional undercurrents of confusing situations. In her early years at the academy she often sought this advice from Cadet Elisa Ryland, who she met through a number of astrophysics courses. Ryland had a quiet, rational demeanor that struck her as almost Vulcan, and she was often able and willing to explain issues of human sociology without any accompanying embarrassment. Spock still corresponds with her, although the current Lieutenant-Commander Ryland is not a sentimental woman.

Later Captain Pike became something of a mentor to Spock, who found the older officer full of useful command wisdom. In recent years Jim has been her closest confidante in all matters.

But she cannot approach Jim regarding an issue that does, after all, include him. Which is how Spock finds herself standing before Doctor McCoy's quarters, carefully weighing her options.

At last she buzzes at the door. McCoy is openly surprised to see her. “You need something?” he asks. Spock has only visited his quarters six times in the past several years.

Seven times, now. “I am here regarding a personal matter,” Spock says.

McCoy raises his eyebrows but immediately stands aside. “Well, take a seat.”

Spock politely accepts a glass of water; she is unsure if this is a rare deference to Vulcan tradition, or merely one of McCoy's own ingrained social niceties.

“Now,” McCoy drawls when he's resumed his own seat. “You're welcome any time, Spock, but you don't exactly make a habit of dropping in. What's this about?”

Spock considers how to phrase the matter.

“The captain is trying to seduce me,” she declares, and subsequently watches as McCoy chokes on his drink.

“I take it back,” McCoy tells her a minute later, wiping liquid from his chin. “You are never welcome here again. Goddammit.”

Ignoring this hyberbole, Spock continues. “I would seek your advice in this matter. In different circumstances I would not necessarily object to the captain's intentions, but I consider his motivations suspect.”

“Not opposed - oh, god,” McCoy says. “Spock, if you're going to tell me you're in love with Jim, I really need a drink first. A good shot of bourbon or five.”

“I am not 'in love' with the captain,” Spock snaps. “On Vulcan it is typical for partners to be chosen on the basis of mental compatibility. After Jim, Uhura or Sulu would also be excellent mates.” McCoy chokes again. “But I recognize that humans require a different type of connection. I fully intend to find a Vulcan husband.”

McCoy still looks a bit dazed. “Husband?” he echoes. Spock isn't sure why everyone is so preoccupied with the sex of her hypothetical mate. The doctor shakes his head, as though drawing himself from a daze. “Right, okay. First of all, Sulu would be thrilled to date you – male or female versions – and I ain't saying anything else on that.” Spock raises an eyebrow. “Second – I can't say I'm really surprised. Just to, uh, clarify – Jim never flirted with you before?”

“No, Doctor. Surely you have realized he has no interest in men.”

“Yeah, that's obvious,” McCoy agrees. “Despite the rumors. But you're... well, you're not a man. And you're so damn pretty it's a waste, if you won't slap me for saying it.”

Spock ignores the latter comment. “The point remains,” she says, “That Jim never possessed such interest before. I can only presume that he is acting on lust, which I find distinctly uncomfortable.”

“I'm distinctly uncomfortable,” McCoy mutters.

Spock stiffens. “If you do not wish to discuss this subject, Doctor...”

McCoy waves his hand through the air before she can finish. “Hell, Spock, I ain't sending you away. And you're right – Jim's being a dog, and you deserve to be mad about it. But there ain't any easy solution, except to give him an earful and tell him to shape up.”

“I see,” Spock says. “That seems insufficient. I have rarely known the captain to make personal errors.”

“Oh, we all make mistakes when we stop thinking with our brains.”

Spock tilts her head. She is genuinely unfamiliar with this idiom. “With what else would he think, Doctor?”

Oddly, McCoy reddens. “Nevermind that,” he coughs. “Listen. Just talk to him. That's all you can do.”

“I do not see how that will discourage his... interest.”

“Well, no. I don't think anyone's invented a way to stop men looking at women. But you Vulcans think action is more important than feelings – and even us humans can control ourselves that much.”

A fair assessment. Still: “I would not expect you to advocate emotional suppression, Doctor.”

“There's a difference between making yourself a computer and refusing to be an animal. The first is masochism – the second is just good manners.”

“Very well,” Spock concedes. Though she would never say so, it's somehow reassuring that McCoy doesn't seek to blame her for the captain's attentions. Spock knows that many people over the years – men and women – have found her attractive, though usually it was only the challenge – the exotic nature of Vulcan romance – that appealed to them. Somehow those pursuits never bothered her like this. “I will speak to him tomorrow. Though based on Jim's persistence in past encounters I am unsure if his behavior will change.”

“Jim ain't like that, Spock – you tell him 'no' and he'll back off. And if he doesn't,” McCoy adds darkly, “I'll have a talk with him.”

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theexistentiallyqueer · 5 years

Text

Okay so I’ve been thinking about that really bad Hot Take that’s been circulating about fanfiction. And it’s been kind of simmering in me. The root of the problem with it isn’t so much that it diminishes the quality of fanfiction so much as the way it characterizes two completely different genres of media.

Preface: at no point is this ever, ever, ever a diatribe or condemnation against fanart or the work fanartists put into their work. This is about the value that is ascribed to visual art vs the value ascribed to literary art. I am trying to talk specifically about the denigration of literary art in fandom spaces and the way it’s been recently, in a very popular tumblr post, martyred at the expense of queer and disabled writers and writers of color.

Fanart (as a collective genre, according to that post) - Good, artistically-driven, pure, wholesome. Fanartists draw for the sake of becoming better artists, and every work a fanartist draws or creates is made with the goal of becoming a better artist. Fanartists never draw anything that is base, silly, shippy, or smutty; if there is pornographic art, it isn’t pornographic but Erotica. There is no such thing as low- or middling-quality art, because all artists are striving to sharpen their skills and become better artists, and there are no fanartists who draw just for fun or shits and giggles. Fanartists achieve fame purely on the merit of their own artistic ability. There’s no room to criticize fanartists who attempt to cis-wash trans (or trans pesenting) characters, or fanartists who blatantly, frequently, and with frankly no impunity (as their art is reblogged, and reblogged, and reblogged) whitewash characters of color.

Fanfiction (as a collective genre, according to that post) - Smutty, ship-fodder, audience-pleasing trash. Fanfic writers write for the sake of expressing their inner boners or enacting their internal fantasies. No fanfic writers seek a sense of growth in their writing or work to improve their writing in any way. The only reason any works of fanfiction are popular is because they cater to the readership’s base instincts, and the True Authors, the Really Daring authors who write Real Literary Content, are cast the wayside.

It’s such a two-dimensional view of the situation--and it doesn’t even take into account edited content, such as gifsets, which makes up a huge portion of fandom content and has been a type of content, along with fanart, that fanfic writers have long voiced their (our) upset about getting more active & polarized attention than written works. It presents this dichotic view of fanart good/fanfiction bad. Which is also incredibly ugly and disturbing when you consider the fact that fanfiction is the earliest form of curated fan content, and fanfiction itself is inherently transformative in a way that fanart and edits are not, because fanwork in general, and and fanfiction in particular, is inherently in and of itself the public (fans) themselves overriding the corporate-owned landscape with their subversive interpretations.

Like, I have seen not-good fanart. I have seen bland, unimpressive, generic fanart. There is fanart from artists who don’t have their own unique sense of style. Fanart from artists who are just starting out and haven’t developed their skills yet. Fanart from artists who draw as a hobby, and damn they may be good, but they don’t give a fuck about contributing to The Body of Artistry because they have bills to pay and career interests outside of art, and damn, they’d really rather draw these two characters making out, or blushing at each other, or straight-up fucking, than they would create something of Great Artistic Importance. That art gets so many notes. It is liked and reblogged and shared.

And that’s all valid, because art ISN’T A COMPETITIVE SPORT. I embrace fanartists who draw just because they want to, because they don’t care about quality or artistic ideals or whatever, and just want to draw someone being happy, or sad, or angry, or getting dicked down, or whatever!!! It doesn’t matter. Draw because you want to draw. Because your art is an expression of yourself that speaks of your experiences and transgresses the definitions of the world you’ve been told to adhere to. You make art for yourself, to say fuck the system!!!! We’re just the lucky souls who get to appreciate it afterwards.

The complaints that come from fanfic writers--and yes!!! I am one, so proceed with the accusations of butthurt--are that fanart and edits get more social media attention (in the forms of likes, reblogs, retweets, shares, etc.) than fanfic does.

And it’s a valid complaint! It isn’t rooted in some alien reality that fanfiction is inherently more base and less artistic than fanart. I’ve seen some pretty aesthetically displeasing fanart get a high reblog count. And I’ve seen some incredible works of literary attention get no recs, no likes, no comments. I’ve seen works of middling writers who have a lot of fucking talent and show it in their work, and yeah maybe they write porn, but their prose SINGS, and no one comments, no one shares it, no one makes their love of it public the same way they do the fanart, the same way they do the edits and the gifsets.

It’s rooted in two things:

1. Literature (which fanfiction is a subgenre of) takes time to appreciate. You can look at a piece of art and reblog it without thinking about it. It could be a work on par with the Mona Lisa, and you could still look at it without any aesthetic or artistic sense and say, “Hey, that looks pretty.” But you can’t read without thinking; reading is an active mental pursuit you have to engage with. (If you try to pull out Twilight on this point to fight me, I’ll fight you back. I’ve actively read Twilight. Even reading awful literature takes effort; arguably it takes more effort than reading something good).

2. Literature is hard to market with words, because when you’re trying to encourage other people to read it, you have to use even more words. You have to use words to convince someone to read even more words! Some fanartists draw comics or fanart inspired by fanfiction--I love those artists and they do more for us than they could possibly know--but for the most part, you can’t use visuals to show someone why they should invest their time in reading a thing. And unlike fanart--when it’s a tribute, when it’s a showcase of the character’s or characters’ canonical attributes--fanfiction can’t be green-stamped by creators, because fanfiction is inherently built in narrative, and canon-compliant or not, that opens the legal owners of the property up to legal disputes.

So much easier, then, to focus on fanart, which distribution and publishing companies love because they see free advertising in sharing it, to complain that fanfiction is a dispirited genre of unartistic creators who just want to read the queer version of a bodice-ripper.

And then we get to the question of: why is the bodice ripper so bad? Are you willing to critique Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski with the same derision you have for queer writers? Are you going to hold the wish-fulfillment fantasies and introspective examinations of sexuality in relation to gender, race, class, and physical ability written by writers expressing their own experiences as inherently debauched and debased because pornographic fanfiction is popular, but not hold George R R Martin to the same standard? Are you going to criticize the prejudices and disparities and biases in publishing that prevent marginalized writers from being able to break into the industry?

Are you ready to combat the enduring popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is overwhelmingly a series of heroism tales about shitty and mediocre white men?

Are you going to take aim at HBO for taking a fantasy series that, while still written by a sexist author who has a disturbing fixation on female sexuality has uplifted its female characters as heroes in their own right, and then drove it into the dirt to end on a note with the male “hero” murdering his female lover, an abuse survivor, after engaging her in an intimate kiss?

Did you take issue with the streaming blockbuster Stranger Things only confirming a character as canonically gay--after planning to have her be a straight romantic option for a major character--because the actress is the one who repeatedly badgered the showrunners about how she didn’t feel her character fit that role?

Are you invested in the fact that video games continue to be majority white, majority male, majority able-bodied, and majority inaccessible to disabled gamers?

You want to complain about fanfiction having too much porn and somehow that deligitimizes fanfiction as a genre as a whole?

Fuck off. There are hundreds, thousands even more likely, of other authors of equal skill to you or greater, who are struggling to have their works recognized in fandoms that don’t want to put the effort in to reading them, the effort into sharing and appreciating them. It’s harder to make someone care about a fanfic. You can reblog a fanart, and your followers will see the art itself right away. If you reblog fanfic, they have to make the conscious choice to engage with it. And none of that is your fault, because you can’t control how other people engage with fan content, but you can advocate, vocally, for the fair and equal respect for fanfiction and fan-written content. You can remind people, again and again, how fanfic writers do so much for so little.

But you want to come into my house and compare fanart to fanficton and claim one is inherently better? You’re the Banksy to my Catherynne L Valente, to my N.K. Jemisin, to my Seanan McGuire.

Start understanding the system is built against us all and start understanding why your battle is uphill. What’s oppressing your creative success is a white, straight, cis monopoly on what the good story, what the correct story is, limiting your options, tying you to a narrative you don’t belong to. Queerness and marginalization exist beyond what’s depicted in mainstream media, and fans expressing that through their own written content?

That’s us taking back the corporate-owned narrative for ourselves. It’s self-liberation through the written word. And yeah, some of it is porn.

It’s porn when it’s a drawing too.

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mensbodybuildingtips · 5 years

Text

Does CrossFit Work?

All the awesome kids are doing CrossFit these days. Does it function? Should we all come to be 'WODKILLAS'?

' CrossFit will not just change your body,' an acquaintance told me, with a glint of fire in her eyes, 'it will change everything-who you are, how you view the world, what you think is possible.'

I'm a huge follower in the life-changing power of being fit, however she was being a little bit also significant also for me. I seemed like I was being hired for a crusade or trip, not an exercise program.

This kind of talk prevails among the CrossFit group, which is growing at an exponential rate these days. Is it whatever its followers-no, believers-claim it to be? Does it truly change simple 'exercising' right into something transcendent as well as sublime?

Let's find out.

What is CrossFit?

In situation you in some way don't already understand, CrossFit is a high-intensity workout program that focuses on carrying out a selection of toughness and also cardiovascular exercises, ranging from push-ups to sprints to clean as well as jerks.

The workouts are typically incorporated to 'Workouts of the Day,' or 'WODs' as the started call them, which are frequently brief (regarding HALF AN HOUR) as well as incredibly demanding. Efficiency is tracked and also placed to encourage friendly competition and procedure progress.

For instance, here's exactly what a CrossFit workout appears like (this set is called the 'Fran'):

Do the complying with as swiftly as possible:

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 representatives of: 95-pound Thruster Pull-ups

But CrossFit is more compared to just getting in an exercise. It's the society that has made it so popular. Check it out:

Brilliant advertising, that's for sure. ( I wonder if CrossFit's founder, Greg Glassman, has reviewed this book?)

But does CrossFit live up to such claims? Does it warrant the hype?

I don't assume so. Let me explain.

CrossFit Does not Reach Re-Define the Meaning of Fitness

The Oxford English Thesaurus defines fitness as 'the condition of being healthy and healthy and balanced.' And fit is defined as 'in great health and wellness, due to the fact that of routine physical exercise.'

Using these thesaurus interpretations, we can gauge our fitness level in several means:

By testing our muscle strength.

By testing our cardiovascular conditioning.

By testing our body composition.

By testing our flexibility.

By testing our metabolic health.

Thus, as we get fitter...

We become stronger.

We become better at managing the cardiac tension of physical activity.

We come to be leaner and extra muscular.

We become more flexible.

We improve our body's capacity to use food for fueling and restoring itself.

Well, in CrossFit lingo, fitness has a various, a lot more short-sighted definition-one that Glassman invented, which he claims is the very first 'purposeful, quantifiable means' to specify the word:

' Raised job capacity across broad time as well as modal domains.'

So essentially, inning accordance with Glassman, you're as fit as you could do CrossFit. Creative and also convenient. But silly.

You're not as fit as you could do CrossFit.

Case in point: watch some CrossFit video clips on the internet or head into a CrossFit gym and also you'll see a great deal of weak, obese, inflexible individuals that assume they're Spartans due to the fact that they can do 30 kipping (counterfeit, foolish) pull-ups or finish the 'Murph' and after that make a quick browse through to Uncle Pukie's.

These people are not fit.

Now, I do not say that to cloth on individuals that aren't in wonderful form. I respect any individual that places in job to boost their health and fitness, despite their existing condition.

But I AM ragging on the unfit CrossFit snobs that believe that because I'm not a component of their 'WODSQUAD,' I'm physically substandard in some way.

Wait a 2nd ... I can out-lift, out-run, and out-stretch you, and also I'm bigger as well as leaner than you ... but you're exclusive due to the fact that you could strike Olympic raises with bad kind as well as do air crouches up until you puke?

CrossFit Isn't the Ultimate Way to obtain Fit

With that out of the means, let's discuss really obtaining fit, starting with a simple proposition:

An activity is as reliable for physical fitness as it develops strength as well as aerobic endurance, and improves body make-up, adaptability, and also metabolic health.

Simple enough, right?

Well, if you've ever been pitched on CrossFit, you were probably hit with numerous buzzwords:

Functional fitness

General fitness training

Full-body workout

Metabolic conditioning

General physical preparedness

The chatter usually comes down to the case that performing a wide array of exercises is the most effective way to accomplish overall physical fitness and also a visual body. That a typical exercise program just can not perform like CrossFit can.

Well, CrossFit does have its merits. The exercises are difficult and entail doing genuine workouts, as well as you will see results if you stay with it.

But it isn't really the finest method to obtain fit.

Let's first appearance at research study on what takes place when you combine toughness and also cardiovascular training.

Researchers from RMIT University functioned with trained professional athletes in 2009 and located that "combining resistance workout and cardio in the very same session might interfere with genes for anabolism." In nonprofessional's terms, they discovered that incorporating endurance and also resistance training sends out "mixed signals" to the muscle mass and harms their capacity to adjust to either.

They additionally located that cardio prior to the resistance training subdued anabolic hormonal agents such as IGF-1 and MGF, and also cardio after resistance training enhanced muscle cells breakdown.

Several various other research studies, such as those carried out by Kid's National Medical Center, the Waikato Institute of Innovation, and also the College of Jyvaskyla (Finland), came to same final thoughts: training for both endurance as well as toughness at the same time hinders your gains on both fronts.

Now does this mean CrossFit won't improve both toughness as well as endurance? No, naturally not. If you want to obtain huge and solid, or if you want to optimize your cardio ability, scientific research states that CrossFit isn't the best means to do either.

Thus, it's no surprise that many CrossFitters aren't specifically muscular or strong, and also have mediocre cardio. Actually, the only CrossFitters I have actually known that had remarkable strength, size, or cardio were adhering to a standard weightlifting as well as cardio program in addition to doing CrossFit.

In my experience, both in my own training and also in collaborating with numerous others, the most effective method to both construct stamina as well as improve cardio endurance is to different weight training and cardiovascular exercise.

That is, adhere to a conventional strategy to improving fitness.

CrossFit and Overtraining

Part of the CrossFit culture is taking 'no discomfort, no gain' to a whole new level. Training to the point of outright fatigue makes you a 'warrior.' Puking after a workout is a vaunted sacrifice to the gods of gainz.

Well, unless you get on drugs, this is a fast lane to overtraining, which can lead to severe problems. It could become persistent, which is a progressive onset of overtraining signs like general fatigue, depression, restlessness, anorexia nervosa, loss of desire to work out, as well as a lot more. Or it can be intense, as well as in extreme instances, deadly.

A male called Makimba Mimms was awarded $300,000 in damages from a neighborhood CrossFit fitness center and his fitness instructor for injuries he endured during a CrossFit exercise in 2005. Those injuries consisted of rhabdomyolysis, a problem where seriously and rapidly harmed muscle cells is released into the blood stream, which can cause kidney failure.

The Workout of the Day, or 'WOD,' that nearly killed Mimms was relabelled the 'Makimba' and categorized as a youngsters's workout. Har har. Poor taste in jokes apart, nobody is unsusceptible to rhabdo.

For instance, in January 2011, 13 football gamers at the University of Iowa were hospitalized with rhabdo after doing a workout that consisted of 100 squats with 50% of their one-rep max. It wasn't a CrossFit exercise, however was similar in that it had them doing compound lifts for high representatives and also under severe fatigue.

Here's the simple truth of the issue:

If you're out medications as well as you're educating to complete physical fatigue multiple times weekly, and particularly if your workouts include weight training, you're mosting likely to wind up overtraining. It's only a matter of time.

CrossFit and Injuries

One of the very first points I observed concerning individuals I recognized doing CrossFit was mostly all of them had gotten pain. Strains, drew muscle mass, even torn ligaments.

I had not been surprised. Why? For a couple reasons.

The safety of the CrossFit workouts depends a lot on the trainers. If a rookie is going to execute a compound lift like a deadlift or squat, or an advanced Olympic lift like the nab, he had much better recognize precisely what he's doing. If the coach hasn't educated him best kind, or pushes him to move a great deal of weight or go to outright failing (which is typical in CrossFit classes), the chance of injury goes way up.

Unfortunately, nevertheless, an excellent trainer could just do so a lot. CrossFit features a raised threat of injury built right into it. Exactly how so?

Because CrossFit has you aiming to strike hefty Olympic lifts when you're worn down, which is a recipe for injury. Research has actually revealed this with the squat: as exhaustion sets in, create invariably worsens. Interestingly enough, our understanding of series of movement also alters with fatigue-what feels like all-time low of the squat really isn't really.

If you're tired out, you should not be trying to execute heavy weight-lifting exercises, and also especially not huge substance exercises like deadlifts, squats, as well as Olympic lifts.

Don't believe me?

' The problem concerns tiredness and going to failing,' states Stuart McGill, Ph.D., a teacher of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. 'Some exercises contribute to this as well as others are not.' McGill puts Olympic lifts in the 'not' category.

' Duplicating activities where form is compromised with exhaustion actually does not fit the viewpoint of Olympic lifting to decrease injury danger and also boost performance.'

This is one of the reasons the American College of Sports Medication advises at the very least 3 minutes of remainder between hefty weightlifting sets (1-6 reps).

So, you're not assured to obtain injured doing CrossFit, yet you're at a greater danger of injury if you follow the routine protocols.

Unsurprisingly, minority people I recognize that have been doing CrossFit for any purposeful amount of time without obtaining harmed are knowledgeable weightlifters and insert proper remainder periods between heavy collections of lifting.

So Should You Do CrossFit?

The solution to this concern really relies on your goals.

If you're seeking to obtain trimmer and also have some enjoyable, then CrossFit isn't really a poor choice if you have a great train and know exactly how to avoid overtraining and injury. People likewise like the affordable atmospheres as well as sociability of CrossFit gyms, which is totally understandable.

But if you're aiming to maximize strength or muscle gains, or maximize your aerobic capability ... CrossFit is not the optimal selection. You'll do better adhering to a proper weight training or cardio training program.

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thempoetry · 5 years

Text

“There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé” by Morgan Parker

This book had been years coming in my collection. Its name rang out inside me when I felt its titular sentiment — that the popular worship of Beyoncé is overblown — and whenever I thought of it, I felt a spark of solidarity.

Of course, this is not a book about Beyoncé — and in fact, this is not even a book that is very critical of Beyoncé. Instead, Beyoncé acts as a literary device throughout — a mouthpiece, an amulet, a proto-idea that shapeshifts to meet Parker’s endless need to talk, sing and moan about race, class, democracy, depression, music and drugs. It’s a brilliant move.

I’d like to start more broadly by commenting on Morgan Parker, because she strikes me as an outsider among insiders. In my head, Parker is of the generation of contemporary poets that includes Danez Smith, Franny Choi, Ocean Vuong etc. … she’s decorated with a Pushcart, she co-curates a reading series, she performs with Angel Nafis as part of The Other Black Girl Collective. Her poetic career is bedazzlingly active — so why don’t we talk about her more?

By which I mean: there seems to be a kind of halo around young poets like Ocean Vuong, who — and I say this with admittedly limited experience of his work — turn the harrowing vine-tangle of identity into a kind of rhapsodic experience: a thing worth looking at because it is beautiful. (Here is an example, from Vuong’s “Tell Me Something Good”:

Snow on your lips like a salted

cut, you leap between your deaths, black as a god’s periods. Your arms cleaving little wounds

in the wind. You are something made… )

There’s no arguing that Vuong’s poem is beautiful; my issue is with how the beauty is used. Vuong’s poem here seems an extension of the (frankly depressing and oppressive) idea that “foreigners” can make their stories worthy through pathos, pity and craft — i.e., hard work and relatability. If the sentiment sounds familiar, just tune into the way mainstream conservatives these days talk about immigrants: I don’t have a problem with immigrants writ large, I just prefer immigrants who work hard, keep their heads down, are pleasant to my children, are generally agreeable…

Anyway, it’s not fair for me to pass such a blanket judgement over Ocean Vuong’s work, and that’s for another review. But insofar as Morgan Parker is concerned, she parses the work and space of otherness in an entirely different manner. Similar to Claudia Rankine of Don’t Let Me Be Lonely, her argument is this: I won’t “fix” myself for you. I won’t try to make myself beautiful. I will tell the (magical, insatiable) truth as it is, and you will have to try to keep up. Because I am too tired to bow down, to construct something for you, to micro-manage. Parker’s poems are for haters of micro-management; they offer big gestures in small bottles.

Consider the opening lines of the opening poem, “All They Want Is My Money My Pussy My Blood”:

I am free with the following conditions.

Give it up gimme gimme.

Okay so I’m Black in America right and I walk into a bar.

With this bold opening, Parker’s commitments are clear: she will demand things of the reader (“give it up gimme gimme”) and she will clearly demarcate what commands her attention and respect (“I’m Black in America right”). And with this begins what I can only describe as a chimeric collection, more warm-blooded fantasy animal than diorama; more occult message written in glitter than typeset monolith. She scrounges from jazz, RnB and pop to fill her pauses. She is unrelentingly new instead of subtle. I like it:

I am a dreamer with empty hands and I like the chill. I will not be attending the party tonight, because I am microwaving multiple Lean Cuisines and watching Wife Swap… (“Another Another Autumn in New York”)

—and the sincerity of her materials shine through. (To continue this silly dogfight I’ve set up, compare the above with Vuong: “Air of whiskey and crushed / Oreos.” Parker’s allusion to pop culture delights; Vuong’s seems like an add-on, a sprinkling of something inappropriate on top).

But wherefore is the source of all this magic? I would say in what Sun Ra called “liquidity.” For example: Parker was best when R and I read her aloud on a grassy slope on Belle Isle in Detroit. There we were, in a historically Black city, in what I can only describe as a “public paradise.” Ducks waddled by and folks of all stripes strolled in front of us beside a small man-made lake. As we read Parker aloud, we laughed with her and from within her work — as though her words gave us the ability to access our inner performers, delivering punchlines (“I don’t know / when I got so punk rock”) and casting personal spells (“I breathe / dried honeysuckle / and hope”). We felt for her. And we wanted to continue feeling for her. All things told I had a moment of genuine orality with her work — a glimpse of what poetry must have felt like when it was shared, sung and social by default. This is a book that radiates the energy of the collective, that asks you to recognize it — and does not over-demonstrate.

So, in this false dichotomy, one might pose:

LIQUIDITY: ORALITY, SOCIALITY, LONG STANZAS SHORT LINES

against

SOLIDITY: WRITTEN, INWARDNESS, SMALL FORMAL STANZAS LONG LINES

In the former, you have the world of most popular songs, particularly jazz; in the latter, you have sculpture and “high art.” Perhaps this is why Ocean Vuong’s work has garnered him endless praise and attention, and most of us look askance at Morgan Parker’s messiness, silliness and genuine emotional bravery. She rambles, yes, but her rambling challenges the very idea of boundaries — of “discipline” as a set of limits, of borders we set for ourselves, however beautiful.

Finally, I will say this, as it’s becoming a theme in my reviews. Parker’s poetry feels affectively liberated. She is funny as well as ashamed. Take, for instance, this amazing section of “RoboBeyoncé”:

The reason I was built is to outlast some terribly feminine sickness that is delivered to the blood through kale salad and pity and men with straight-haired girlfriends […] Nothing aches in here It’s a quiet, calculated shame

Part of the power in these lines is the fact that despite the sprawling, messy energy of Parker’s poems, formally they are incredibly demanding due to their short lines. Parker does not give herself the liberty of overusing the form that has, frankly, become a meme among young poets — the poem composed of long couplets, like Vuong’s poem above — and instead prefers her poems one long connective muscle. The result is propulsive and exciting, like watching a figure skater do tight turns on the ice. She is insightful but also — I dare say it — entertaining. But in the wry, dark way that comedians have that communicates, “Look, I don’t care if you don’t like me. Most of the time, I don’t like me either.”

Which is not to say that Parker’s work is perfect — like the aforementioned figure skater, she does often fall short of her ambitions and can write poems that don’t hold together — often using the couplet form above. I think her work is best when it acknowledges its liquid merits, and doesn’t try to stand with too much air around it.

Overall: 9/10 for sheer spillage of fantasy radioactive plasma

Read If You: -Think it’s lame that Beyoncé talks so much about her “rock” -Miss the energy of cities like Detroit -Have friends you want to read with and you are all getting tired of the bone-dry landscape of contemporary poetry which is really just about “passing” politics and making pain beautiful and omg what if pain is NOT beautiful what if it is just pain motherfuckers what if leaving the party is political too goddamn

Further Reading

Don’t Let Me Be Lonely by Claudia Rankine -- deep classic, prepared the soil for Parker

BONUS: Things To Do In Life That Are Not Poetry

Inspired by Morgan Parker, try:

1. Starting a flashy project then abandoning it on purpose 2. Making a cocktail after a song by a Black American musician 3. Getting in a tub of ice cold water and listening to Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. while doing one’s nails without shivering

Feverish and anything but lonely, Michu

P.S. A last thought while in the shower. Morgan Parker’s poetry is relentlessly self-aware. But I think what we mean when we say “self-aware” is actually not “being aware of the self” but “being aware of everything but the self” -- i.e. seeing one’s pronouncements as part of a larger (in Parker’s case historical) context. When Parker sits down to multiple Lean Cuisines and Wife Swap, the irony she projects comes from a deep rootedness in the idea that this is a thing that people do: skip parties to self-indulge in everyday, consumerist ways that our higher selves disapprove of. It’s not that her sentiment or self-report is inauthentic, but rather that it is aromantic -- it doesn’t presume that her experience hits on some prized singularness about being human. And I like that; I find it smart and honest at the same time, which is a rare combination -- not just in poets, but in people.

#poetry review #morgan parker #poetry #lit #review

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meelsonwheelsies · 5 years

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KOTLC: A Robin Hood AU ~Chapter 2

A/N: I started this like a year ago, and my writing has progressed greatly since then. The first couple of chapters are rather poor, but since I am too busy to rewrite them at the moment I will just have to post them as is!

So, without further ado, here is chapter two!

Previously:

"A contest. Apparently, Prince Fintan is coming to Nottingham. Rumor has it that the Prince," Will said his name with disgust, "is concerned about the Sheriff. He's worried that the Sheriff isn't doing his job, so he's going to hold a contest to elect a new Sheriff."

"Who can participate in the contest?" Keefe asked.

"Any man of noble birth or rank," Will replied.

"Fitz, you could become Sheriff!" Linh exclaimed.

"No, I can't," Fitz said. "The Sheriff will recognize me. My status is broken. I can't exactly sign up as Robin Hood, either."

"I could do it," Keefe quietly said. "My parents were-"

"I'm not sure," I said in my deep fake voice. I've become quite good at mimicking.

"Why not?" asked Tam.

"The contest is extremely difficult. There will be a series of challenges, including brutal fight, swordplay, and finally, an archery competition," I listed. "If you won, you would be thrust under the spotlight of the Prince, who is working to eliminate Fitz."

"What if Fitz was disguised as a noble?" Linh thought aloud.

I shook my head. "It won't-"

"What if Fitz was disguised as a noble, but the noble would be someone we trust? If Fitz won the competition, then the noble could do the rest," Tam said.

We stared at him. "That's brilliant," said Keefe.

"I try," said Tam, smirking.

"But who would the noble be?" I asked, still skeptical. Though the plan had merit, I wasn't sure if we could actually pull it off.

Linh thought for a moment. "What about Lord Tiergan?"

"Yes," said Fitz. "I also knew him when I was younger. He wasn't fond of my father, but I could make it work."

"I can pass along the message," I offered.

"All right," said Fitz. "Just make sure that he's on our side. But we should have a backup, just in case. Who else?"

"There's always the esteemed Lord Erroll Forkle," Linh said. Tam snorted.

"That might actually work," I said. "He's known to be good friends with...a colleague of mine."

I mentally smacked myself. How did I almost blow my cover? Fitz was just so easy to talk to...snap out of it! He doesn't even know I'm a girl! I wish that-

"Lord Forkle it is, then," Fitz decided. Man, his eyes...

"Anything else we should know?" asked Keefe.

I hesitated and racked my brain. There was one thing they should probably know. I wasn't happy with the fact, either.

"Did I forget to mention that the winner also obtains Lady Sophie Foster's hand in marriage?" I said, unable to believe that I had just admitted the embarrassing fact.

Linh frowned. "Won't that mean that Lord Tiergan would have to marry her, then?"

I nearly gagged. What? How did I seal my fate with Lord Tiergan? Or worse, Lord Erroll? It was times like these when I was thankful that they couldn't see my burning face.

"No!" exclaimed Fitz, making me jump. "I mean, are you sure? Maybe they meant Lady Stina, or-"

"I'm positive," I sighed in despair.

"Why Fitz?" pressed Keefe. "I mean, I wouldn't want to force the marriage with Lord Tiergan on anyone, but what's it to you? Secret feelings for our lovely Lady? You know-"

"No, Keefe, I'm just worried that this would drive him away from agreeing," Fitz said softly while my heart sank. "We need this plan to work so badly."

Keefe took his hand and smirked. "Say what you want, lover boy, but emotions speak the truth every time."

"As much as I'd like to listen to your squabbles, I really do need to go," I said, cheeks aflame. "Do we have a verdict?"

"Yes," said Tam. "We can always steal the lovely Lady Sophie before she has to marry. Or, a marriage annulment could be instated. And besides, this is our best chance to restore peace to Nottingham."

"If I find anything else, I can't come here again," I said. People would get suspicious. Three times in one week was too risky.

"Can you transmit?" asked Linh.

"Well...yes," I said. "Who should I transmit to? It doesn't have to be a telepath."

"You could transmit to Fitz," said Linh with a sly grin on her face.

"That's fine with me," he said.

I nodded, trying not to look ecstatic. "If one of you ever needs something, transmit. Then meet me at the top of Lady Sophie's tower."

"Lady Sophie's tower?" Keefe asked, confused.

"Yes," I said. "We are close friends. She is trustworthy and knows everything. Lady Sophie can also be of service if you need access or lodging."

"Thank you, Will Scarlet," Fitz said. Was that jealousy in his eyes? It flashed for a second but went away quickly. I started to walk away. "One of these days we will find out your true identity!"

I turned around, smirking. "You can try, Fitz, you can try!" I took off running to my horse, Silveny.

I wonder if they ever will find out. Half of me hopes they will while the other doesn't. As Silveny and I ride, the wind rips through my hair. Ever since I was little, I've loved the sensation of riding. Tonight, however, there were other matters on my mind.

As they teased Fitz, I kept thinking about my silly crush on him. It was pretty stupid of me, considering my situation. Being married to Lord Tiergan...I shuddered. How did this happen to me? Everything was perfectly fine before King Grady left. Then his awful nephew took over as regent and...yeah.

A swirling storm of emotions overcame me as I neared my tower. I quietly secured Silveny in the stables, then climbed up my tower. There were guards posted at the bottom of the stairs, so I had no choice but to climb. The castle's entrance was no good either.

I entered my bedroom and walked over to my door. Because I greased the hinges, the door swung open soundlessly. A strawberry blond guard was sleeping outside. I tapped his shoulder.

"Dex, I'm back!" I whisper shouted.

His head snapped up. "Did you have fun?"

Thank you for reading!!

⤭ Meels

Let me know if you want to be in the taglist for this!

Feel free to reblog - not repost!

Taglist: @nervousnightcollector87 @sophiexmallowmelt @bananafosters-and-books @silveny-dreams

note: @silveny-dreams I can’t remember if you said you wanted to be tagged, so I did so anyway lol

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nonasuch · 6 years

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dogfather update: christmas

As always, everything dogfather-related is tagged with the dogfather and story updates are tagged with dogfather story post. If you get antsy waiting for the next update, check out my AO3 or the zines and comics on my Gumroad.

Also, I WILL be at the Wicomicon pop-up in Baltimore on Saturday! Come say hi if you can make it!

Moony is waiting just on the other side of the barrier. He only accompanies them as far as the car, though, and casts a few discreet spells over it while he thinks no one is looking. It’s not any kind of magic he’s seen at Hogwarts yet, but Harry thinks they might be protection charms. He’d never noticed it before, or thought to wonder, but it occurs to Harry that Moony and Padfoot must do this sort of thing all the time, and have done for nearly half his life. Little bits of magic to keep him safe, whenever they get the chance.

Before they set out, Remus tells them “We’ll see you back at the house-- oof, you ridiculous creature, get down--” but as they drive away, he’s still trying to get Padfoot to stop jumping up and licking his face. Ron is too excited about riding in a car to notice, though.

Harry’s mum and dad have loads of questions, the whole way home. How are their classes, their teachers, the other students, that nice Hermione girl, her parents are so lovely, was Padfoot keeping them out of trouble?

“He does his best,” says Harry.

“That’s not a yes,” notes Harry’s mum.

“Whatever you’ve heard, Malfoy probably started it,” says Ron.

“He’s awful,” says Harry. “I wrote you about it, remember?”

“I knew boys like that, when I was a lad. Horrible little bullies, every one,” says Harry’s dad. “I don’t like to think about his home life, though, if he’s bringing that sort of behavior to school with him.”

Ron frowns. “His family’s really old and rich, though. He’s always on about Malfoy Manor this and pureblood that.”

“You’d be amazed at the way rich old families behave when they’re at home,” says Harry’s mum, quietly. “Some of them, anyway.”

Harry’s dad lets go of the gearshift, to take his mum’s hand for a moment. Harry knows his mum doesn’t talk to her family much, and sometimes she gets a bit sad about it ‘round the holidays.

(Most of the year, Caroline can say ‘good riddance to bad rubbish’ and mean it. It just sneaks up on her, every once in a while.)

(There was never any big falling out, really. Just a series of straws that piled up: the uncles who sneered at her for not voting Tory, the beloved cousin whose funeral she alone attended, the remarks she wasn’t meant to hear about who was and was not our sort. When she imagined the way they’d look at her son, what they’d say about him when she was out of earshot, she found that she could live without them very happily.)

(Tim’s father died in the war. His mother lived to see them bring Harry home, and was delighted enough that it more than made up for the silence on Caroline’s side. Harry only just remembers her-- she passed when he was three. They’ve never been a large family, but in Caro’s estimation they have always been more than enough.)

(Anyway.)

“WE’RE HOME!” Harry shouts, as soon as he’s through his front door. From upstairs, he hears a startled sound and a thump, and after a few minutes Remus and Sirius, who Apparated back from King’s Cross, come clattering down the stairs.

“How was the car ride?” Sirius asks Ron.

“Bit weird,” Ron says. “Sort of like the Hogwarts Express, except that goes the same speed the whole way. Harry made it sound worse than it was.”

“I just wanted to warn you, in case you got carsick! Dad gets carsick if he isn’t driving,” says Harry.

“That happened once,” says Harry’s dad.

“Because you always drive, ever since,” Harry says serenely.

“I just stick my head out the window if I start feeling ill,” says Sirius.

“I think that only works if you’re a dog,” says Harry.

“All right, boys,” says Harry’s mum. “Go put your things away, and we can get started on the tree after we eat.”

While Harry and Ron unpack, and Harry introduces Ron to fascinating novelties like light switches and Nintendo and his mum’s hairdryer, the adults have a conference in the kitchen.

“Now,” says Caroline, once they’re settled and everyone has a mug. “What have you been leaving out of your letters?”

Sirius sputters, but she fixes him with a knowing look. “There’s something, I can tell.”

“Don’t look at me,” says Remus, when Sirius appeals to him for aid. “I haven’t said a word.”

“Yes, that’s why we’re asking,” says Tim.

“It’s really not ours to tell,” says Sirius.

He folds quickly, though, in the face of a matched set of stern looks. “All right! There’s a magical artifact that’s being kept at the school. But it’s nothing to do with Harry.”

“You said someone tried to curse his broom,” says Tim.

“Yes,” says Remus. “But someone tested the protections around the artifact that night, while everyone was distracted. So it might not have been about Harry at all. The trouble on Halloween wasn’t targeted, either, so far as we can tell.”

“There’s something off about the new Defense professor,” says Sirius. “But that’s not terribly unusual, in that job, and Dumbledore says it’s being handled.”

They’re interrupted, then, by the sound of someone trying to start the lawnmower in the back yard. By the time Harry and Ron have been retrieved, lectured, and sent upstairs to change into clothes that aren’t covered in grass stains, it’s time for supper.

It’s a little crowded in the kitchen. Once Remus charms the table longer and Sirius conjures extra chairs, they only just fit in the room. But that hardly matters. There’s plenty of food, wine for the grown-ups, an elaborate pudding waiting in the fridge. Stories about their first term come tumbling out of Ron and Harry, talking over each other in their excitement. Harry coaxes Moony and Padfoot into retelling a few of their Marauder exploits, since Ron has never heard them. Harry’s parents have news about family friends and Harry’s primary school friends. Caroline and Harry argue about the merits of the last book she sent him, while Tim attempts to explain the internal combustion engine to Ron.

After dinner, they hang stockings and trim the tree. There are new stockings, for Ron and for Remus, which makes them both go pink and quietly pleased. Sirius still insists on using the stocking they bought him his first Christmas with the MacIntyres, which says PADFOOT and has a fire hydrant appliquéd on.

Harry and Ron are assigned popcorn-stringing duty, and Ron complains it’s much easier with magic. They’re allowed to practice their levitation on the non-breakable ornaments, though. The tree is done nearly as quickly as it usually is, when they don’t use magic.

Tim goes to fetch his camera “All right,” he says. “Time for The Picture.”

“Da-ad,” Harry complains. “Really? Again?”

“Yes,” he says, as sternly as he can manage. “Again, and always, unto the end of time.”

“Best to humor him on this one, dear,” says Caroline. “I’ll get the bows.”

While Harry protests this indignity, Sirius explains, quietly, to Ron:

When Harry’s parents brought him home, it was nearly Christmas, and there were a great many jokes about Christmas miracles and surprise Christmas gifts from everyone who heard the happy news. So Caroline bought some oversized gift bows, and they took a family picture with an enormous red bow on each of their heads, and have done so every year since.

“For our Christmas cards, y’see,” says Tim.

“Mum says she’ll start sending Christmas cards again when Ginny’s done at Hogwarts or when we all stop trying her patience,” says Ron. “Whichever comes first.”

“Well, there’s seven of you, that seems fair,” says Remus.

Tim fusses over his camera settings until he pronounces them acceptable. He hands over photography duty to Remus with some ceremony, before he and Harry and Caroline arrange themselves in front of the tree.

Remus takes one version without the bows and one with-- one with Harry looking very put-upon at the hat-sized mass of red velvet ribbon, and one smiling-- Sirius changes into Padfoot and sits besides Harry, and Caroline produces an additional bow-- and then Harry says “Change back, Padfoot, and let’s do one with everyone!”

“Oh, I don’t need to--” says Remus.

“I mean, I’m not really--” says Ron.

“Nonsense,” says Caroline. “I’ve got more bows, come on--”

“But who’ll take the picture?” asks Ron.

“It’s got a timer, don’t be silly,” says Tim.

Ron is very impressed by this bit of Muggle ingenuity.

(Much later, after Harry goes back to Hogwarts, Remus gets grudging permission to use the Hogwarts potions supplies to develop this last photo. Severus Snape finds it hanging up to dry the next morning, when he arrives to collect the ingredients with which the fourth-year Hufflepuffs will no doubt disgrace themselves.)

(This is what he sees: six people, in front of a mantel crammed with stockings and a tree trimmed a little lopsidedly. They look wholly, improbably, unselfconsciously happy. One of the two boys sitting on the floor has his arm round the other’s shoulders. They’re sitting in front of a settee, occupied by a man and a woman in their early fifties, no one Severus recognizes. The man turns, periodically, to kiss the woman on the cheek. One of the two men standing behind the settee appears to have just told the other an excellent joke. Each time they finish laughing, they sling their arms around each other again with easy affection.)

(They all have enormous red velvet bows of their heads.)

(Snape will never, under pain of death, admit to having looked at the photo for more than a glancing, contemptuous moment.)

The days before Christmas are quiet. Harry’s parents still have to work, to start with, so Harry and Ron stay home with Moony and Padfoot, playing wizard chess, teaching Ron the intricacies and arcane lore of the Super Mario Brothers. Padfoot accompanies them to play pick-up football with Harry’s primary school friends, who greet him gladly and only tease him a little for now being the shortest one in the group.

Not only is Xia a half-inch taller than him, she scores two goals and is totally insufferable about both achievements.

“I am invincible!” she crows after the game, brandishing the football like a trophy while Jason and Omar and Katie chase her round the pitch. When they finally catch her, they have to give the ball to Malcolm for safekeeping, as he’s still half a foot taller than anyone else and can just hold it above his head.

After the game, Harry walks home with Ron and Padfoot in the twilight, their breath puffing out in clouds in the cold air. “They’re all right, your Muggles,” says Ron.

“They’re not my Muggles,” says Harry. “They’re my friends, same as you and Hermione.”

Ron concedes the point. “D’you think Hermione’s seeing her friends at home, too?”

“Well, she’s probably not playing football with them,” says Harry.

(He’s not wrong. Hermione never had a lot of friends, before she went to Hogwarts. Even then, she had trouble finding other children who saw her for what she was, who understood her when her clever mind went skipping ahead of her peers. There were a few, though, who shared her fiercely-held enthusiasms and her drive to know more, no matter the subject.)

(But they’re full of chatter about the things they’re studying in their own new schools: maths, not Arithmancy, and history without any magic at all. Composition and chemistry, not Defense Against Dark Arts, or Potions, or Herbology. For the first time in her life, Hermione has to hold her tongue about the things she’s learning. She’s counting the days til London.)

On Christmas Day, Ron wakes up first, and he and Harry creep downstairs before the sun is fully up. By the time any bleary-eyed adults stumble into the living room, they’ve sorted out the pile beneath the tree by recipient, and are near to vibrating with impatience.

Once all the grown-ups are more or less vertical and clutching a mug, they can start in on the presents.

Harry and Ron have whittled wooden flutes from Hagrid. They hoot delightedly at each other while Remus unwraps a fountain pen, and Sirius models a new jumper. Harry and Ron have jumpers, too, these from Ron’s mum, along with a tin of homemade fudge.

“I always get maroon,” Ron says, holding up his jumper.

“Swap with me?” offers Harry. “It’ll match my Gryffindor scarf.”

With a bit of charmwork to adjust the sleeve length, the exchange is pronounced acceptable by both boys. Harry’s dad confiscates the remaining fudge for after breakfast, though, along with the wizarding candy from Hermione.

Tim gets a new slow-cooker, and his mum gets new earrings and another old copy of The Importance of Being Earnest, which is an obscure joke between Harry’s parents that he has long since stopped paying attention to. There are more presents for him and for Ron, anyway: broom-care supplies from Padfoot and Moony, and a massive book called The Way Things Work for Ron.

“Look, it’s got all sorts of things,” says Ron, showing Harry an exploded diagram of a pencil sharpener. Flipping to the index, he says, “Hang on, what’s a space shuttle?”

There’s even a present for Whiskers: a clear plastic ball that she can run around inside, rolling happily down canyons of discarded wrapping paper and weaving between the chair legs.

It’s a lovely day. Everyone agrees. It stays lovely all the way through, all through dinner, at which Tim outdoes himself; through the Christmas crackers supplied by Remus, which play extremely loud brass-band fanfares and produce billowing clouds of colored smoke. After dinner Harry loses repeatedly to Ron at wizard chess. It snows just enough to justify bundling up again and going outside to romp around with Padfoot. By nightfall, there’s a fire in the hearth and the grown-ups are all sprawled on various pieces of furniture, wine glasses in hand. It’s one of the best Christmases Harry can remember having.

In the morning, Harry wakes with a start, not sure of what roused him. Ron, on the trundle bed, is awake too, if only just. “whazzat,” he says, blinking slowly.

“Dunno,” says Harry. And then he hears a loud thump, like someone slamming a door.

Harry pads downstairs, barefoot, Ron trailing behind him, and finds that his parents and Moony and Padfoot are all gathered in the kitchen, and they all look upset. Padfoot, in particular, looks thunderous.

“What’s wrong?” asks Harry.

“It’s not as bad as all that,” says Harry’s dad, trying to muster a smile. “Just a wee bit of an unpleasant surprise.”

On the kitchen table is a copy of the Daily Prophet, and on the front page is a rather blurry picture, cropped and enlarged from the Gryffindor Quidditch team photo Harry posed for just a few short weeks ago. And above it, in enormous letters, filling nearly half the page:

THE BOY WHO LIVES!

#the dogfather #dogfather story post

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blindkarakul · 5 years

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ffxiv asks: 17!!!!!!!!

17. Are there any stories or legends your character was told as a child? Which ones?

He was told many. His tribe lived around them! Here’s a very important one that explains the origin of his trophy necklace-- everyone in the tribe had a similar one.

M’Fhusa, M’Vadhe, and the Sojourn of Sun and Sky

[This story is the origin of the M Tribe’s pilgrimage; known formally to members as the Sojourn of Sun and Sky. All young miqo’te from the tribe are given a necklace when they are born, that they wear through the entirety of their lives. On the eve before their tenth Nameday, these young clan members are given a night of celebration; a glorious feast to gorge themself upon, and a night of dance and song, before they are cast to the wilds to find themself. Warriors are expected to string trophies of battle around their necklace, while crafters are expected to string trophies of their crafts. This can take as much as 10 years, and sometimes even more. But they are not to return until they feel as though they’re ready. Upon returning, the clan seer will commune with the spirits and ask that they recognize the returned member’s affiliation, and if they are received, the night is spent once more in a feast and celebration. The resulting necklace is a show of a member’s identity, and as such, it is an incredibly sacred object.]

Long ago, when the lands had seen their summers but were yet fresher, there lived a young man and a young woman of the M Tribe. Fhusa was the man’s name, and Vadhe was the name of the woman, and together, they prospered under the name of their Nunh for many summers.

The two were great friends. Being raised together as kits, they played in their youth, enacting great battles upon the sandstone of the desert home, and chasing the garners and butterflies to show the hunters each eve they returned with fresh kill. Sticks were spears, rocks were arrows, bruises were battle scars, and soft mewls were rallying cries of war, scarlet and daring as the setting sun.

While both shared common interests, too did they also enjoy their own delights. The visions of battle and fervor inspired little Vadhe, a warrioress and hunter to rival any by the time she could use tooth and claw. Fhusa, however, enjoyed days under a climbing sun in cool waters, weaving looms between his fingertips and painting masterpieces with pigment and hands alike, much like his own father.

However, trouble stirred in their beating, yearning hearts. A Beast within, that wailed incessantly for the taste of blood, the tearing of flesh and muscle, the cracking of bone… One night, on a hunting trip, Vadhe was thrown in a blind rage, eyes red and claws alight like fire. She attacked her prey with the fury of a stinging sandstorm, and promptly turned claw to her tribemates alike. Unfortunately, she was not alone, for Fhusa too joined the fury, angered by his own prey escaping through his fingertips. While the young kits were no match for the more seasoned fighters of the clan, their wounds were still troublesome.

Taken to the leader to be judged, the two were deemed unfit to live under their same sun. Too dangerous was their affliction. And so, at the age of ten summers, both were cast to the winds, like carrion.

However, the two did not see this as the end of their journey. Merely the beginning.

Setting to the deserts around them, they formed a great team, walking across their sands and finding places to make rest. Vadhe would claim them dinner, even on the most sparse of nights, and Fhusa fashioned them clothes to shield their skin from the sun. Snares for the rabbits, and blankets for well sleeping… all were specialties of his, as well as the painted markings they bore upon their face.

They shared the sky together like this for quite a few many years, drinking in the sun, playing in the moon, revelling by the juice of the cacti and making peace with the prey of the land. Exile was hard work, but nothing they couldn’t tackle together. As the suns turned their way overhead, the weary kits moved through the Peaks, and into the Lochs. For each of their footfalls, they grew ever more wearisome, and yet ever more motivated all the same.

Stopping near a mesa, overlooking the salt lakes that sprawled before the land, teeming with her life, the two pondered for a moment.

“We have been traveling for a long time.” Vadhe murmured.

“Indeed.” Fhusa replied, looking over the lands they’d walked… such a distance to travel on two small feet. “And this is not so bad a place to make rest. A cliffside, to shield us from the predators that stalk. An overlook, that we may see all…”But still, something did not sit right in Vadhe’s chest. She turned to Fhusa, the tents they had pitched, and the pit of fire they had placed in the spacious clearing. “It is lovely, Fhusa, but… I do not think my heart is ready to stop its walking.”“Then this is where we part. I do not believe I can make it much further…” The words were a pit in both their stomachs, but it was Fhusa’s truth. Vadhe wanted to grit her teeth and refuse, grab the other by the wrist and keep him walking… but was reminded of their youth. They could play together in the sun, and have their own days for themself. And still, when the sun turned on its head, and made for the refuge of the lands below, they could still find each other once more.

With curiosity, she flickered her ears. “Well… Will you be here, still?” Vadhe questioned.

Fhusa barked laughter. “I do not think I could move an inch if you made me sit on the sun.”

“Then I will go, and when I have seen the world, I will return to you, Fhusa.”

… The idea was not with merit. Fhusa nodded slow, he liked the idea… But Vadhe was ever forgetful. If she was leaving, Fhusa would hear the stories she had to tell ere she returned, and there was no way he would let the hunter forget her tales.He nods to the other. “I would not keep your free spirit to chains. However, before I go, I would ask that you stay, that I may give you something before you leave me…”“That gives me time to prepare a feast for you, then!”

And so Vadhe took to the hills, spear in hand, while Fhusa calmed his nerves by the whispering fire and wove sinew and careful beads of bone between his claws. A long necklace… and at its neck, a larger bone pendant, engraved with the symbol of Rhalgr’s guiding star. It was not too long that he wove one for himself, that Vadhe returned, a large bag of kill hauled behind her, and some fresh meat from a cactus.Both cracked open skins of a liquid they had been leaving to ferment for a long time, as they cooked the meat with fresh herbs, and drank of the cactus, thirsty from a long life’s travel. Together, they sang songs of old stories and danced happily by the fire, before weary limbs saw them sprawled in the dirt, under the stars and moon above. Filled with light and love, they sighed and watched the moments pass in the slowly turning stars… before Fhusa finally turned to Vadhe, and offered the necklace.“My friend, wear this when you leave, and let it never part from your shoulders. Keep momentos of your most glorious battles on its strings, that you may remember them ere you return. That you may tell me your greatest stories.” His smile was soft, as he stared into her eyes of wild wonder. Pressing the bone carvings into her hands, he blinked slowly, and lingered for a moment before letting go.Vadhe took a long gaze at the necklace, and quickly strung it around her neck. “It is a lovely gift! I shall wear it until the ground below claims me. But… I do wonder…”Fhusa tilts his head in curiosity.

Speaking slowly, as if unsure, Vadhe susurrs, “What if… I do not make it back?”The hands on Vadhe’s face are light and tender, as Fhusa takes them into his. A bright expression crosses his fingers, capturing the light of the fire. “Do not say such silly things. Our story has not even come close to its beginning. Not yet, Vadhe.” There was no bitterness in his voice. Only trust, and anticipation.And by the dying embers, they rested one final time in each other’s embrace, before both awoke in the morning, and said their farewells.

Vadhe let her curious feet bring her to the port of the great city of sandstone ahead, sparse in its progress, but still rife with life and new trade. Bartering the finer of her skins for fare to the Far East, she set sail for foreign horizons. Meanwhile, Fhusa eventually found his way there as a merchant, selling his woven arts and fine paintings for food and all else. Eventually, he was able to have a smaller, more permanent sandstone structure built on his mesa, and finer supplies for weaving and cooking.

Many summers saw them apart. But comfort it was, that they could stare into the skies, and find the same stars. Fhusa filled his necklace with beads that told stories of his accomplishments, from great paintings etched into the sides of the mesa, to friends made, and songs written in Vadhe’s absence.

The hunter herself was making well progress. In Doma, she met many people and creatures she had never glimpsed with her eyes before-- and thrill in the hunt. What caught her eye in particular was a tiger, the two embroiled in battle over a meal they both wished to claim for their own. In the conflict, Vadhe’s body was wracked with scars, but eventually, both beings came to and submitted to one another. They saw no need to end their life for the meal, and shared it instead. Having befriended the tiger, and claimed countless more trophies for her time there, at the age of 24 summers, Vadhe finally felt herself quelled. Returning to the budding port town of Kugane with her friend in tow, she set sail for Gyr Abanian skies once more.

When she made it back, it was with the same as with she had left-- fresh kill, fresh herbs, fresh cactus. Fhusa was overjoyed at her return, leaping from his small home on the Mesa to join with her once more in celebration. His own home being furnished with more luxuries, the two enjoyed a well cooked feast with wines and berries imported from far off lands. Sacrificing the flowers he was using for dyes, Fhusa braided Vadhe a crown, and then painted both their bodies in stark color.By the fire they ate, and they laughed. They exchanged stories, through dance and song. Each held their necklaces to another, and showed off their trophies one by one… the countless memories, the stories their lives now held. The meaning they each now lived; Vadhe as a warrior, and Fhusa is a crafter and trader,“... What is there to do now?” Vadhe pondered, draped over Fhusa’s chest.At that, the crafter laughed. “Have you eyes? There is much. This is our land, now. We must do what it takes to make it our own.”Vadhe ponders for a moment. “Hmm… That would be so, I suppose?”“But of course. All this was only the beginning.”

#karakuls tongue #stories of the m #THANK YOOOU #i had this pre written because i love my m tribe #don-pom

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kanguin · 6 years

Text

On Star Wars

Okay, so with the 8th Star Wars movie coming out on the day that I not only turn 21, but also finish my Bachelor’s degree in psychology, I have a few things I want to adress about how I, one of the first year of adults in Generation Z, view Star Wars and what the differences between how I view these movies vs earlier generations (Gen X and Millenials) might say about the series in turn.

Ever since I was born, there has always been Star Wars. My mother herself was one of millions who saw the original movie in theaters, and she and my father had a strong love of Star Wars and Star Trek that I’ve only found out about in the second decade of my life. And just like how the original series came out during their formative years, so too did the prequels come out during mine.

I’ll just say this forthright: if you see the mediocre quality of the prequels as an attack on your childhood, I believe you may hold the purity of your childhood in too high of a regard for any sensible dialogue to be made. The prequels aren’t perfect films, there were far too many yes men on set that idolized Lucas to question his decisions, and no man himself is a mountain. The writing is a little off, and sends many signals that, from what I’ve read and seen about the early production about the original movies, meant they should have been reviewed and discussed a little more. But a bad movie that does not make; the prequels were underwhelming, yes, and yet in my eyes, get better as they go along, but that’s just my personal point of view.

After the writing and questionable characters like Jar Jar, who as a child I might note gave me mixed feelings of annoyance and eye-rolling laughter, people like to go after the visual effects, notably the CG. This is another place the lack of nostalgia goggles is quite apparent; the original trilogy suffers the same issues, but in a different way. The CG effects in the PT don’t hold up today, but at their time they were revolutionary, and they don’t distract from the story in any way other than the fact that you can recognize “hey that character’s not really there”, but on the other hand, neither do the effects of the original trilogy? Of all the movies, the original Star Wars is actually he hardest for me to watch, because, again while revolutionary at the time in terms of physical special effects, the animatronics, costumes, and miniature models all look extremely fake, and give me the same feeling as something out of a Power Rangers episode, which I just so happen to also love. But beyond the annoyance of a few immersion breaking moments, I laugh at the hokiness and move on. Episode IV is still a great movie, and that’s the entire reason Star Wars exists. If it was ever bad, it would not have boomed into something this big and widely loved.

It’s easy to develop a sense of entitlement to good things over time. It’s easy to think, hey, I was happy when I was a kid, and I enjoyed Star Wars when I was a kid, so if new Star Wars movies make me happy, then they’re good movies, and if not, they’re bad. But that kind of thinking just sets us up for disappointment, because it fails to recognize that sometimes it isn’t the quality that has changed, but our tastes. We let films that we enjoyed as a kid get by with things that we don’t let other films, and this bias works behind the scenes to make sure nothing ever knocks our beloved childhood movies off their pedestals.

This kind of thinking is fundamentally unhealthy, and yet so common for the nostalgia-prone. And sometimes, this can lead to people lashing out at the world, or at specific targets. So many people say things about George Lucas that I would hope to god they would never say to Mr. Lucas’ face, because in isolation, insults feel better when they are as intense as they are unlikely to be seen; IE, if a comment is 10 times less likely to be seen or heard by it’s intended target, we tend to amplify the intensity of the insult 10 fold in return. It’s a cruel mentality that gives people a delusion of power, and often they don’t even realize it.

So with the new movie coming out, can we who love the series so much to keep returning stop throwing hatred and spite about? Enough with the bitter “Han Shot First”s and the gagging at the mention of midichloreans, enough angry vitriol at the creator of the series. The Star Wars franchise as a whole is silly under the surface, and we need to accept that. The premise of an Opera Western in Space is ridiculous on paper, but ballooned into something massive in practice. The effects are always trying to be the best they can with what they have, and the reality is that fake is fake, and the more we see fake things, the better we get at recognizing their fakeness. No effect is going to hold up forever, and no writing is going to be perfect. The merit of these movies should be more of whether they were fun to watch, and when things don’t meet our expectations, we have to remember that this isn’t our story to tell.

#kanguin original #star wars

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