#i come on this website and talk the big talk about “have no loyalty to your job fuck capitalism slack off at work”
Text
normal people: i'm taking a week of PTO to go on vacation :)
me: i'm taking a week of PTO to sit on my ass in my apartment and participate in nanowrimo :)
#i come on this website and talk the big talk about “have no loyalty to your job fuck capitalism slack off at work”#and then i have my one-on-one meetings with my boss and SHE tells ME that i need to use my pto days#i didn't realize i have so many left asdflkj#i was only going to take nov 1-3 off but then i realized i still have 15 days left. sooo ok i'll take a full week off! yolo or whatever#my secret is that i don't take much pto around the holidays because everyone else is taking their pto days#so there's hardly anything to do and i end up goofing off on my personal computer anyway lol#(i'll probably go do some other stuff too but it's gonna be mostly writing. i'm gonna be even more Unhinged™ about nano this year)#m.txt
5 notes
·
View notes
Text
Katherine Wolf- 9/21/22
Undivided: Through Forgiveness by Katherine Wolf
Big Takeaways:
Bad things are bound to happen in life, it is up to us how we deal with them. The "bad" things in life, may not always be so bad. It is important to use the trials in life as a learning experience.
God is good!
Nuggets:
I love how Katherine describes her as "wheelchair free" instead of being "wheelchair bound." She mentioned about how we all have our own wheelchairs whether they are physically there in front of us or if they are invisible. We all have our own problems (wheelchairs) that bring us down and make our lives harder, no matter what it is or how severe. However, even though we all have our "wheelchairs" we have to use them as a positive thing because there is nothing we can do to change the situation.
Readerly Exploration: Read texts deeply in order to
interpret, critique, and analyze the various layers of meaning a
text might offer a reader (Learn something about the author and draw conclusions for their motivations behind the words)
Listening to and watching this video has honestly helped me to further my progress in developing a stronger growth mindset. I was very intrigued with her message, and wanted to learn more about her and her story. I decided to look at her personal website (hopeheals.com) in hopes of learning about her more in depth. It was really easy to find this, as I just had to search her name and her personal website popped right up. On their page entitled "What We Do," it talks about their mission and how much their lives have changed so quickly. One very enlightening thing the Wolf family mentions is "If you have a pulse, you have problems and you have pain." This really stuck out to me because this is so relatable, and it is relieving to read this knowing that other people are fighting internal battles just as bad or worse than mine. It makes me feel like it is not out of the ordinary to have hardships in life. When applying this to my own life and my own trials, this helped me to understand Katherine's message so much more deeply. She was so intentional with every one of her words, and those words were from the Lord. Even though this was not directly part of our course, it still helped me to understand a lot that I can apply to my teaching. In addition to that, when I have my own family one day (God willing) I can apply this video to that situation as well. Everyone is going to have problems in life, it is not something that you can prevent, and can only prepare so much for. With this, we need to embrace our invisible wheelchairs as a learning experience. Katherine expresses that all of us have problems, and we all deal with them differently, but expecting things to always be okay is not ideal. Life is not always easy, and hard things will be thrown at us, there is no avoiding it. As a future teacher, I can apply this into my classroom by not telling my students, "Everything is going to be okay," because that is not always the case. Children should be able to know the truth, and be able to feel and process the emotions that come along with hardship. If we shelter our children from hard things in life, when they get older, it will be so much more painful than if they learned it from a young age. Giving children a sense of false hope is such a let down if they are proven wrong. As a parent, this is just as important because allowing your kids to feel and process negative emotions will be so crucial for their maturity. The only way to truly be able to cope with adversity is by filling your mind with the truth that will always be there, the Word of God. God puts us through trials, and they are not easy. They are meant to test our loyalty and our faith, but as Christians we know how to use those trials to pursue Him even further and more intentionally. The Lord uses His power to help us get through our battles. Katherine explains this so beautifully in her speech that it gives a sense of comfort just listening to it. In conclusion, there are so many different takeaways from this amazing woman and her experiences. It is so applicable to each and every one of us, especially to teacher who are preparing the future generations for their lives ahead of them. Katherine and Jay's website helps to indirectly show all of this exceptionally well, that it is crystal clear what she is telling us to do. Katherine Wolf is an amazing woman of God, and she wants to spread her story and her love of the Lord as best as she can to change the lives of those around her.
Evidence
This is a screenshot from my laptop of the homepage of the hopeheals.com website that I analyzed to get a better understanding of what Katherine Wolf and her family do for the community around them. It is such a beautiful website that shares so many important messages that need to be heard by all
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
thirty-one.
What is your favorite genre of music?
alternative.
Do you believe in ghosts?
i think so.
What colors are the walls in your room?
off-white.
What is your favorite kind of cookies?
chocolate chip.
What are your thoughts on euthanasia?
not sure what euthanasia we're talking about (for humans, animals, etc.), but i think it's a good thing as long as there's good reason for it and it's a well-thought out decision.
Who did you last speak to on the phone?
my partner.
Do you scare easily?
yes.
What was your first car?
i've never had a car.
What was the last book you read?
i forget the name of it, but it was for one of my classes.
Do you like Gatorade?
yes.
What is your dream career?
neuropsychologist working with autistic children.
Favorite time of day?
very late night.
Have you ever lived somewhere that has a fireplace?
my current apartment has a fireplace, but it's not functional.
Have you ever donated to charity?
yes.
What size mattress do you sleep on?
queen.
Do you exercise?
never.
Do you believe in any old wives tales?
no.
Have you ever lived in an apartment?
i've lived in a few different ones over the past four years.
What color are your bed sheets?
gray.
Are you afraid of the dark?
depends where i am.
What is your favorite kind of juice?
orange.
What is your favorite pair of shoes?
white high-top converse.
Have you ever written daily in a journal?
i used to my freshman year of college, but gave up when things in my life/in the world got too hectic.
Do you prefer jeans or sweatpants?
sweatpants.
Are you a night person or a day person?
night person.
Have you ever had any surgeries?
no.
Would you rather write the story or read it?
read it.
Do you currently owe anyone money?
no.
Do you like to give people jump scares?
no.
Do you believe horoscopes are real?
no.
How old were you when you got your license, if you do have it?
i never got my license.
Do you want to get married someday?
yes.
What is your favorite fruit?
peach.
Do you like romantic movies? If so, what is your favorite?
not really, but i don't hate them either.
What are your favorite qualities in a S.O.?
honesty, loyalty, and respect.
What is your favorite meal to cook?
tacos.
What is your favorite fast food place?
subway.
Did you have a lot of friends in school?
i had a big friend group, but was only close with two or three of them.
Are you good at wrapping gifts?
yes.
Have you ever been in a toxic relationship?
no.
What website could you not live without?
youtube or google.
What would you do if you won 1 million dollars?
pay off my student loans.
Do you like to do crafts?
depends what the craft is. i love scrapbooking, for example.
Are any of your grandparents still alive?
on my dad's side, yes.
How many windows are in your room?
two.
What is your favorite animal?
lions.
What weather is your favorite?
cold outside and a little overcast.
Have you ever read a book of poetry?
yes.
Do you have any nicknames?
no.
What is your natural hair color?
dark blonde.
Did you ever get detention in school?
never.
Do you consider yourself a pessimist?
no. i would say i'm more of a realist.
Do people come to you often for advice?
every now and then, yes.
Have you ever had a board game night?
many times.
Do you enjoy going grocery shopping?
yes.
What is your favorite kind of candy?
jolly ranchers. in general, i prefer non-chocolate candies.
Have you ever been to the zoo?
yes.
What was the best vacation you’ve ever been on?
my family has taken two trips to maine that i have loved. it is such a beautiful state and, if i had to live anywhere other than a city, i would choose there after seeing how incredible it was during our visits.
Have you ever traveled out of the country?
no.
What are your top three favorite holidays?
christmas, halloween, and new year's.
Do you have a difficult time falling asleep?
yes.
Who is the most attractive actor, in your opinion?
i don't know enough actors to pick, lol.
Have you ever slept nude?
yes.
What is the scariest movie you’ve ever seen?
i haven't seen many, but there was one i watched in middle school on netflix, but i can't remember the name of it. i was terrified, though.
When was the last time you went outside?
last evening.
Did you have over-protective parents?
no.
How many stories tall is your dream house?
two, at most.
What is your favorite thing about yourself physically?
my lips.
What does the last text you received say?
"‘on." my mom was correcting a type she had made in a previous text, lol.
Do you consider yourself to be promiscuous?
no.
Are you close to your family members?
some, yes.
Do you consider yourself a flirt?
no.
What emotion are you currently feeling?
overwhelmed.
What was the last thing you ate?
a brownie.
Who do you have the most in common with?
my mom.
What is your favorite form of art?
music.
Have you ever had sex in a public place?
no.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
mouth noises.
Do you consider yourself a sarcastic person?
yes.
Do you have any obscure pets?
no.
Do you think you’re an attractive person?
no.
Have you ever had a blog?
no.
Do you consider yourself politically correct?
yes.
What is your wifi password?
it's random letters/numbers created by my internet provider.
Who was the last family member you spoke to?
my mom.
Have you ever won money on a scratch off ticket?
like, $2, lol.
Do you like Disney movies?
yes.
Are there any candles burning in your home right now?
no.
Where is the person you love the most?
at home, getting read to go to work.
Have you ever grown any plants or flowers?
i think i did in elementary school for science class, but other than that, no.
Do you consider yourself a smart person?
yes.
What is your favorite flavor of candy?
hard candies.
Have you ever tried to follow a painting tutorial?
no.
Are you good at working on cars?
no.
0 notes
Text
5 Best Practices to Grow Your Small Business Quickly
Each and every businessman remembers how they used to struggle in their initial days. Every person starts any business with high ambitions, wanting to establish a brand and, most importantly, to make money. But ask yourself, can this be done overnight? We all know the answer to that question is a firm no. But can the process be made faster? Yes, assuming that you make the right moves at the right time your business can grow faster than expected. In order to make it big in a relatively small amount of time there are certain things you can do. We’ll discuss five techniques to show you how to grow your small business.
Get to know everything about your line of work
Doing research is important before doing anything. Trust us, you do not want to start a business without first getting to know about the field first or learning a little bit about the field first. It’s a sure-shot recipe for failure. While doing research on your niche, learn what are the current trends or what are the existing shortcomings of the most commonly used products belonging to your category, learn what the customer wants, research thoroughly about your possible competitors, and learn what are the most competitive rates in the market. Basically, learn as much as possible. That way there will be little to no surprises along the way, and surely helps you provide better service to your clients.
Retain and expand your client base
You definitely want to keep the customers that have already walked in through your door and at the same time would also want that more customers walk in through that door, correct? Well, we’ll get to the second part later. First let us focus on retaining your existing customers. We all know that a happy customer is a customer retained. But what you need to realize is that in today’s modern world just satisfying your customers is no longer enough, you also need to keep them engaged so that they come back to you. Now, the question arises how do I keep them engaged? There are several ways you can keep your customers engaged, one good example is a customer loyalty program. Another thing that you can do is simply call them up and ask for feedback and if they would like anything else to get done. Simple things like these go a long way while retaining customers.
Now, let us come to the part where we talk about expanding your client base. You can expand your client base in many ways: you launch a social media marketing campaign, or perhaps launch a referral program, etc.
Readymade website for your business
A readymade website is a pre-designed template that can be customized to suit your business needs. It is an excellent tool for small businesses looking to establish an online presence quickly and efficiently. With a responsive and user-friendly design, optimized for search engines and mobile devices, a readymade website can help attract more visitors and turn them into loyal customers, ultimately driving growth for your small business. By showcasing your products and services through high-quality images and videos and including clear calls-to-action, a readymade website can help increase sales and revenue. With the ability to integrate social media profiles and customize the template to suit your brand, a readymade website is a cost-effective solution for small businesses with limited resources. By following best practices and creating a professional-looking website, you can establish your brand online and attract more customers.
A readymade website is a simple and affordable way to establish an online presence for your small business. With a wide variety of templates to choose from, a readymade website can be easily customized to reflect your brand and showcase your products or services. By choosing a responsive and user-friendly design, you can ensure that your website is accessible and easy to navigate on any device. With optimized content, clear calls-to-action, and integration with social media profiles, a readymade website can help increase engagement and drive more traffic to your site. By creating a professional-looking website quickly and efficiently, you can establish your brand online, build credibility with potential customers, and ultimately drive growth for your small business. A readymade website is a cost-effective solution for small businesses with limited resources, allowing you to focus on other areas of your business while still maintaining a strong online presence.
Get online
This is perhaps the most important thing to do. You have to get online in order for your business to thrive among the competition. Getting online helps in attracting customers from locations where you can’t even launch stores. But what does getting online mean? One can always wonder how to grow a small business online. Well, We’ll tell you how to grow your small business online. The number one thing you have to do is to build a website. Building a website gives you an online presence that you can not only use as your digital store but also as your showcase or as your business card. In today’s digital age if new customers want to visit your store the first thing they’ll do is search for you online. You can also try opening up a social media account and promoting your brand online on various social media platforms.
Provide the best customer service
Making the customer happy depends a lot more on your customer service than the product itself. How customers feel when they visit your store matters a lot. If you treat the customers like royalty they are more likely to come back just because they felt like royalty when they visited your store. That’s why if you want to know how to grow your small business, the number one secret is that the customer is king. This is why it is important to always provide the best customer service possible.
Have only the best on your team
It is very important to hire the best possible candidate for your business. This is important for two major reasons the first being that your employee will be representing you and your business whenever you’re not present. Another major reason is that when you hire someone really good they are able to contribute a lot to the team which matters a lot in the initial stages.
Conclusion
In your initial days, you need to work with a plan for your small business or a strategy for your small business. Trust us, if the strategy for your small business is perfect then you’re destined to grow perhaps not overnight but at a relatively faster rate.
Source: http://bit.ly/3K4ytLb
0 notes
Link
0 notes
Text
Why Your Business Needs the Advantages of Digital Marketing
When it comes to businesses, whether small-sized or medium-sized or even big ones, moving with the times is always necessary, and staying ahead of time mostly brings us first-mover advantages. No matter how much we try to resist popular trends, platforms, and technologies, they always find a way into the dynamics of our businesses and affect them in unexpected ways. Digital marketing is one of those, and in todayss times, we need to harness the advantages of digital marketing and not only move with the times but stay ahead of time.
Are you aware of the fundamentals of digital marketing? Do you know which type of digital marketing would suit your business and lead to its expansion? Does this all imply to you that traditional marketing over TV, radio, and magazines has lost its charm?
There is thus so much to discuss when we talk about digital marketing, but which business needs digital marketing is not a debatable question anymore when we think of it.
Every business needs digital marketing today, and what you need is to explore different types of digital marketing.
Digital marketing vs. traditional marketing
Traditional marketing includes ads on TV and radio, hoardings and banners, print ads and articles in magazines. Traditional marketing helps to increase your brand presence and is broad in its approach. It is, however, costly and is not customer-centric. It is a one-way communication at best.
Digital marketing does not only include social media marketing but also email marketing, customer reviews, and content marketing through SEO. There are hence different types of digital marketing, and these are usually cost-effective and also more targeted in their approach.
The advantages of digital marketing are many over traditional marketing, and that is what makes the role of digital marketing prominent in current times.
In a nutshell, I would say—
Digital marketing is affordable and costs you less than traditional marketing.
Digital marketing helps you reach a targeted audience while traditional marketing helps you reach a broad audience.
Digital marketing is two-way communication with your customers while traditional marketing is only one-way communication.
Why your business needs to use digital media
We cannot deny the fact that most of us always go on the web first to check about a business, product, or service. This is what makes the advantages of digital marketing manifold, and learning the fundamentals of digital marketing a need of the hour.
When you publicise and market your business through your website, emails, and social media platforms, that helps you increase your brand awareness dynamically.
When your audience sees you involved in trends of the day and open to customer feedback, that leaves a positive impression.
When you try to engage with your customers and get to know their specific requirements, that helps you develop customer loyalty.
Gone are the times when you could just say that if your products and services are good enough, your business will grow by itself in no time.
Word of mouth and traditional advertising do not suffice anymore.
Digital advertising and marketing, on the other hand, helps you exactly calculate the growth rate of your business and the engagement of your target audience. It helps you plan your strategies more effectively and change them from time to time as need be.
Digital marketing and competitor analysis
You might have noticed that no matter how innovative a product you bring into the market, you already have competitors or soon have many. That is where knowing the fundamentals of digital marketing pays you off.
You will get to refer to the digital marketing tactics that your competitors are using and learn from their strengths and mistakes.
It becomes easy for you to compare what the targeted audience is saying about your competitors business and what it is saying about yours. In a way, it is, more or less, all out in the open.
Digital marketing strategies can help you emerge as a trusted business and increase your customer base in the competitive environment.
When you promote your business using various types of digital marketing, your competitors are also doing the same.
So, as easy as the digital world makes it for you to stay on par with your competitors, it also challenges you to innovate and stay ahead by bringing in new forms of interacting and communicating with your audience. The advantages of digital marketing are yet to be explored in their entirety, and if you succeed in doing that, your business gets to reap unprecedented benefits.
Flexibility is the key to success
After everything has been said, it is not that traditional advertising and marketing should not be entertained.
In fact, digital and traditional marketing make a great combination. When what your audience sees in physical surroundings is reinforced by what is seen in the virtual world, that helps you generate leads, bring in conversions, and increase revenue.
However, try not to indulge yourself in everything that goes trending. It is better to analyse first which business needs digital marketing of this kind.
When you have found the right platforms, both online and offline, for your business, what is then left for you is to put all your energy into making the best happen!
0 notes
Note
Hi I realise that this probably isn’t the kind of ask that you usually get but I’ve been wanting to get into Hellenic polytheism for a little while now but have no idea where to start. Are there certain books or texts I should read? Are there values or rules I should know to follow? do I need to be of a specific nationality or worship specific gods within the religion? How do I pray and make altars? Are there specific clothing garments that should be worn?
again I’m sorry for the bombardment of questions but I have been scouring the internet looking for how best to go about this and have found nothing so I thought it would just be best to ask someone.
thank you in advance if you do end up answering this but if you don’t that’s understandable and thank you anyway :)
Hi there! It's alright. I'm open to all sorts of asks and happy to help!
Before we get into it, I'll be talking about some things that might be quite traditional, things I use as someone who relies on historical accuracy in my practice to a certain degree. You don't need to strictly do everything like the ancients did. If you'd like to reconstruct in your practice that's awesome. I know from my own experience that it can be difficult at first, so don't be too hard on yourself if you can't do something. It takes time, patience and a lot of learning.
Texts
IMO the basics are The Iliad, The Odyssey, Theogony, Homeric Hymns and such.
Theoi.com is a fantastic resource for myths, cults, and historical information on the gods. The website has a library where you can find plenty of classical texts.
Here's my post on how mythology applies to religion. I'd like to edit it soon and add a couple things but maybe you'll find it helpful.
These also might be helpful:
Perseus Digital Library
Sacred Texts - classics
What to avoid:
Hellenic Online Groups/Forums to Avoid
Authors to Watch Out For in Hellenismos
Rules
You don't need to be of a specific nationality, ethnicity or come from a specific background. It's an open religion, meaning everyone's welcome regardless of where they come from!
There is no one specific strict set of rules one needs to follow in order to be a Hellenic Polytheist. There are certain customs, for example when it comes to worship and of course, remember to learn and respect the culture and the tradition.
If we observe the history, there are things that might seem like some form of rules but it didn't just regard the religion. It was also about functioning in the ancient society and religion played an important role in said society. Not all of these rules may be applicable nowadays, though and they could vary in different regions.
Some of them include:
Don't violate Xenia
Stay true to your oaths
Don't allow Agos
Don't abuse supplicants
Stand against murder
Bury the dead
Try to approach the gods while washed
Obey sacred laws (they varied depending on the sanctuary)
Respect Pythia
Do not steal from temples
Now, in the modern-day reconstruction of the Ancient Greek religion, these are the so-called Pillars of Hellenismos:
Ethike Arête - the practice of habitual excellence
Eusebia - reverence, loyalty, and sense of duty toward the Gods
Hagneia - the maintaining of ritual purity by avoiding miasma
Nomos Arkhaios - observance of ancient tradition, (religious) law, and customs
Sophia - the pursuit of wisdom, understanding, and truth
Sophrosune - the control of self through deep contemplation
Xenia - adherence to hospitality and the guest-host relationship
It's more of a modern thing created for the purpose of reconstruction and has its origins in philosophy. They're pretty much the ideals the ancients admired and strived for, which can be mirrored in one's practice. I think they can be quite helpful. Not everyone follows the same pillars, however. They may vary depending on the practitioner.
Prayer & altar space
Your altar can be as extra or as simple as you want. Essentially, it's a space you dedicate to the gods. The altar doesn't need to be super big or too fancy. It's up to you. You can have one altar for multiple gods or a general home altar. It's quite practical. You can also have separate altars to the deities of your choice but that's not a requirement. For example, I have a general altar for Theoi where I normally pray and make offerings and separate altars for my patrons.
Some "basic" elements an altar could include are:
Candles
Something to burn the incense
A place for the offerings, e.g. a plate/bowl
A depiction of the deity, e.g. a statue, drawing, image
Something that reminds you of the, e.g. their symbols
You don't need to spend a fortune. Handmade things are always a good way to honour the gods.
If you need to practice in secret you could make a "hidden" altar. I mentioned it here: LINK
When it comes to prayer, traditionally there are some customs depending on the deity:
When praying to Ouranic [heavenly] Gods, one should stand with hands outstretched in the air and palms facing upward
When praying to Chthonic [underworld] Gods, hands mustn’t be raised, and the prayer should be murmured
When praying to Einalic [sea] Gods, Nymphs and spirits of the earth, arms must be spread wide towards the sea; the hands are also be facing the cult image
You can pray out loud or silently, though. I often do it "in my head" whenever I can't do it out loud.
One more important thing. I won't ramble about it here but here's a great post about purification and miasma: LINK
Getting dressed
It's not required to wear a certain type of clothing however, if you're down for something like that veiling could be an option. Its purpose was to exhibit modesty. It was a common practice among women but it was not exclusive to them, men did veil as well.
It's a good way to honour Hestia, for example as she's known to wear a veil herself.
Here's an amazing post about it listing different styles: LINK
The most well know form of veiling involved using Himation, a rectangular cloak or shawl wrapped around the body and thrown over the left shoulder, like on the picture above but a more simple way to veil could even be wearing a beanie.
Or... you could always do it Achilles' way lmao! ↑ Whatever floats your boat!
Additional links
Here are some posts that might be useful:
Hellenic Polytheism Masterpost
Hellenic Polytheism 101
Cheat sheets for Hellenic deities
Offerings (traditionally)
Misinfo about Hellenismos
Hubris
#asks#hellenic polytheism#hellenic polytheism 101#helpol#hellenic gods#hellenic deities#hellenic pagan#hellenic paganism#hellenic pantheon#hellenism#hellenic prayer
741 notes
·
View notes
Text
for @bend-me-shape-me 's SPN advent calendar 2020. prompt: phone calls and late night texts.
Cas isn't a serial texter.
And Dean's a-okay with it.
But for all that's worth, they sure seem to have a ridiculous amount of emotionally significant conversations via, or starting off as, texts. And most often, in the middle of the night.
*
>>> hello, dean. [12:07 am]
Dean jolts up at the sound, realizing he fell asleep still wearing his headphones, with the laptop on his lap (and a new episode of The Good Place playing) and rolls his eyes at himself, hitting pause before he can see what’s happening (because he has good reflexes, and because screw spoilers that’s why) and rummaging for his phone.
At this hour of the night, it has to be something important.
It doesn’t really strike him that Mechanical Engineering majors whose only other selfprofessed skill is air guitar aren't exactly the frontline warriors for midnight emergencies.
Cas's name shows up when he squints at the too-bright screen, and he sits up a little straighter.
<<< hey [12:09 am]
<<< you OK? [12:09 am]
The response is immediate.
>>> do you have peanut butter? [12:09 am]
And as if it's an afterthought, Cas adds.
>>> yes, I'm fine. how are you? [12:10 am]
Dean blinks.
<<< peachy. peanut butter? [12:10 am]
At least this time the response takes a while. Dean wonders if Cas realized it was midnight, and not exactly a time to run inventory on your best friend's stash of condiments.
>>> I ran out. [12:12 am]
Dean sighs, unable to help smiling.
It's not like he's a stranger to Cas's weird cravings when he's high. (There'd been this one time with pie and a traumatized Gas 'N Sip cashier that still sits heavy on Dean's conscience.) But he doesn't think Cas is supposed to be high right now — Dean's usually either invited or informed by an unspoken rule — which just means this is regular "jelly, not jam"-Cas, at his core a weird, persistently sleep-deprived economics major and astronomy nerd, that Dean may or may not have had a crush on for an embarrassingly long time, and who's also prone to grammatically perfect texting, deadpan, Disney references, and bluntness when the occasion calls for it.
<<< pretty sure i have some [12:14 am]
>>> :) [12:14 am]
>>> I'm coming over [12:14 am]
*
And weird as it may sound, that had turned out to be the night Cas told him he was gay. Said it had been a revelating moment, unprecedented and wholly unexpected — and apparently revelations come in pairs because it had been followed by an intense need for peanut butter, and the rest, he explained emphatically, was history.
Dean had just snorted, congratulated him, and brought out the fancier plates for sandwiches — shipped in from home instead of a sale at Target — all the while, repeating to himself in a loop, that this changed nothing between them, nothing at all, and Cas having the capacity to be attracted back to him didn't mean that he ever would be (or for hell's sake, he'd scoffed at his traitorous chick-flick-nonsense brain, is.)
*
The second time had been early — way, way too early and it was by pure chance that Dean was awake to respond at six friggin' am on a Sunday. Like, that’s practically nighttime.
Goddamn stupidly-fit running-freak.
Dean picks up his phone blearily, tongue in cheek as he clicks on it.
>>> I miss you [6:28 am]
>>> I'd* miss you [6:29 am]
Dean's stomach twists, and he's not sure if it's in a good way, or a bad way, or what-the-sincere-fuck-are-you-talking-about way.
<<< what [6:32 am]
<<< wtf are you talking about? [6:32 am]
Nothing.
<<< cas? [6:33 am]
<<< dude [6:34 am]
<<< cas???? [6:34 am]
Dean swears at his screen, more queasy than irritated. He can't stop fidgeting, so gives up on lying down altogether and hoists himself to his feet. Better to get his friggin' toothbrush since he's already up, and now definitely awake. Cas was so paying for this later.
He comes back, mouth mint-fresh in theory but still tasting awful and of fear and dread, and practically sags when he sees his screen blare with two messages from Cas.
>>> sorry, I had to make a call. [6:42 am]
>>> I'm not taking the job. [6:42 am]
*
And that's how Dean finds out about Michael (Cas's oldest brother, entitled asshole) inviting Cas to join his and Lucifer's (second oldest, bag of dicks) firm the year he graduates — invite, of course, being a loosely used word here for expecting it blindly (out of some crap he calls 'loyalty') and being readily willing to manipulate him into it.
And it's how he finds out that Cas turned them down.
"It's not who I am anymore." Cas had repeated, third time probably, and surer than before, and Dean had nodded earnestly before realizing Cas couldn't see him through the phone, and humming his affirmation instead. "And if I go back there, I'm never getting out again."
Dean'd swallowed.
"I don't want to." Cas had said, voice trembling. "I am — my own person here. It shouldn't be like this but this is the first time I have autonomy, Dean. Here is free will, and here are you. I don't — I can't. I'm not going to let them take it away."
"Good." He'd sounded shaky to even himself. "Don't."
"Yes." Cas had promised. "I'm not going."
*
And eventually they'd moved past the heavy talk into why-didn't-I-hear-about-this-before territory, Dean being righteously annoyed at his best friend for keeping something so huge from him, and Cas making lame (but probably valid) excuses in the name of not knowing how to explain the situation until he knew himself what he was going to do, because Dean may've been the first person he'd confided in about the insane fuckery that been his childhood and adolescence, but that still didn't mean he'd understand this, broken and convoluted.
And then Cas had nicely segued himself out of Dean's target of irritation and added, "They asked Gabriel too, by the way."
"And?" Dean didn't ever have much care for Gabriel (third oldest brother, cares about Cas, still a jerk) but Cas shared an apartment with him, so he had to face him plenty.
"He's running off to Miami."
And Dean had thrown his head back and laughed until Cas had smoothly added, "And I was wondering if you would consider moving in with me."
At which point, of course, he'd started coughing instead, because holy shit, it actually made sense (Sammy had left for Stanford two months back, and Dean lived alone in a space that had probably been two big even when there were two of them) and might actually happen, but Dean wasn't really sure how much longer he'd be able to hide his crush, sharing a friggin' kitchen with the guy.
*
The third time's after their first date.
(Because, well. It happened.
It happened with Dean leaning across the breakfast table to prove to Cas his bacon was superior (to cookie friggin' crunch, because goddamn is Cas a dork) and Cas taking a bite with their eyes fixed on each other's, and Dean turning red when Cas licked his lips and then, just like that, Cas swearing under his breath (definitely filed for later pondering, that bit), grabbing Dean, and kissing the living daylights out of him.
And Dean had kissed back with everything he had, hands cupping his face, and nearly melting in his arms - but then they'd separated for air and Cas had had an apologetic look on his face and when Dean had tried to lean in to kiss it away, he'd received half a smile and a shake of his head.
"Let's do it the way we're supposed to."
And Dean had known immediately what he'd meant. Let's not fuck this up by becoming best friends and roommates who sleep together. Let's...play safe.
"Okay. Uh," he'd rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"
"Thursday." Cas had promised with twinkling eyes, though Dean had already known he was going to say that since he knew Cas’s week at least as well as he knew his own, and two days and an anxious half of a thursday later, they went on their first date. Burgers and beer, and Led Zepp, and hands held in the Impala. Four hours later, they were back, and in their respective rooms, and Dean couldn't stop thinking about Cas.)
When his phone vibrates, Dean reaches for the bedside table.
It's at least midnight, it feels like he's been in bed for ages, and the only reason he isn't asleep is because all his brain seems to be capable of at the moment is thinking endlessly about the date. Fortunately, he's not the only one — although he's better at hiding it (practise, he'd say) because his heart is in his mouth the moment he reads Cas's text.
>>> I think I'm falling in love with you [11:43 pm]
>>> already. [11:43 pm]
Dean is very grateful for autocorrect as he types back with too-excited thumbs and a racing heart.
<<< so much for doing it the regular way cas mosby [11:44 pm]
>>> in my defense, it's been years. [11:44 pm]
<<< that part i get [11:44 pm]
<<< me too [11:44 pm]
<<< but youre supposed to wait three days before calling dumbass [11:45 pm]
Jesus, he'd never expected to blush cause of texts, but here they are.
>>> I'm texting. [11:46 pm]
And he guesses he'd never expected to giggle (he's alone there, sue him) cause of them either, but Cas apparently exists to prove him wrong about himself.
<<< good for you [11:46 pm]
He sends, biting his lip, and then lies in the silent darkness for a couple of minute, devoid of text notifications entirely, thinking uneasily — before he gives up.
They're idiots, sure, but nobody is this dumb.
<<< so when the fuck are you coming over then [11:50 pm]
>>> on my way <3 [11:50 pm]
And thinking about the lightening speed of that reply and the fucking heart emoji is enough to sustain him the entire one minute it takes Cas to get there, gently opening Dean's door, and climbing into bed — fitting in Dean's space like it's been made for him, and kissing him in greeting after leaving his phone on the table next to Dean's.
*
As it goes, with the confessions and the midnight cravings (and the grocery lists that keep getting piled onto through the day, and random pickup lines Cas decides are perfect to send Dean daily once he's found a website for puns, courtesy of Claire, and of course, pictures of Grease, which clog Dean's cloud in dozens whenever the ridiculously cute cat does something even slightly out of routine, god bless her lazy soul) Cas might just be a texter.
But Dean's pretty sure he's more than okay with it, so it doesn't really matter.
#spnadventcalendar2020#destiel#destiel college au#casdean#dean is bi#texting fic#destiel fluff#best friends to lovers#+ roommates :))#deancas au#young dean winchester#young castiel#bluefirecas#rambleoncas#tearsofgrace#userpris#oh writing my writing#i had fun writing this :)#college aus almost feel like my roots at this point
691 notes
·
View notes
Text
Die Schwartze Familie interview 2007
Despite her big tour in Germany, Emilie found some time ... to answer a few questions ...
But better read for yourself
DSF: Hello Miss Autumn! Could you please introduce yourself and the Bloody Crumpets to our audience?
EA: It's me !!!! Emilie Autumn. How's it going? I like tea, rats, and dead doctors. Is there anything else?
DSF : Let's pretend it's a tabula rasa ... how would you describe yourself in this world in which we live?
EA: Somewhere outside.
DSF : You are a fantastic violin player (everyone can see this for themselves on the double CD Lace / Unlaced). Which violin do you prefer?
The baroque or the electric?
EA: As an instrument, nothing beats the actual violin. Wood is important when it comes to violins. And that is old, very old wood. Electric violins are a beautiful invention, but it's not a comparison - it's more like two different types. The trick to enjoying electronic violins is to stop making them sound like real ones. And of course an electric violin is nothing without a guitar FX pedal, they are simply part of it.
DSF : LACED / UNLACED: I assume that the majority thought you would sing something on it too, but it is "only" instrumental;) Wasn't that a bit risky?
Something "abnormal"? How did your fans react to that?
EA: My fans seem to have a very open mind and a loyalty that lets them have fun and excited about what's next instead of always judging predictions and the last album. I was very pleased with the response from LACED / UNLACED and it is growing. There are also more and more listeners from the metal scene. I never think about the risk factor because it's on purpose. If it's not risky, it's not interesting.
And as far as normality is concerned, on the one hand it is overrated and on the other hand, as a classical violinist who spends her whole life training, an instrumental album is the most normal in the world.
DSF : When we talk about norms and rules: You have your own style when it comes to clothing, music and lifestyle.
How does your family and the environment deal with it?
EA: That's an interesting way of describing it - asking that your environment get along with you instead of you with your environment.
Everyone with a bit of individuality has to find out for themselves.
DSF : I assume that your family hoped that you would become a good violin player?
EA: No. They hoped I would become a trapeze artist.
DSF : Where do you get your inspiration from? Do you read Shakespheare and his contemporaries a lot? Or, since you also play a lot of Bach, Coreli and Ortiz, do you feel the old style of music and then create your own, new one?
EA: Inspiration comes from the soul, I've learned and I'm no different from others. I read books and play music of the masters because I find it beautiful and enjoy it, but when it comes to creating something myself, I am very selfish and only write about myself. Even if it's not about me, it's about me. They say "write what you know" and I do that.
DSF : I had the opportunity to see you on the Mera Luna this year. You with your Bloody Crumpets in the hangar, that looked very strange ... Do you love these opposites?
EA: Of course, that's the idea behind it. I love duality.
DSF : How ... or better why are you holding a tea party on stage? What is the background of the "bloody crumpets"?
EA: The tea party is a symbol. It is a tradition that remains constant despite the hustle and bustle of the world - in England, China, Japan, almost everywhere. Now imagine a group of small, dead girls living in a madhouse under the most painful circumstances and you understand the meaning and necessity of the tea party.
The Crumpets are my bandmates, chosen from among many from the Asylum. There are many different ones and no two are the same.
DSF : Anyone who wants to know more about Emilie Autumn can visit the Asylum on your website ...
EA: Yes, but so far it's actually just looking through the keyhole. Entrance is still denied.
DSF : Can you tell us what to expect there? Is that your kind of "home, sweet home" I remember Bram Stoker's Dracula .. not a really nice place to live ...
EA: The asylum is usually a really terrifying place and I have to warn anyone who wants to enter it. It's usually easier to get in than out. For the rest of the story you have to hear my new single "4 o'Clock," watch my live shows, and most importantly wait for the new book, "The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls".
DSF : Your new album Opheliac is excellent. The booklet is very successful and "liar" and "Opheliac" are masterpieces of your work. "Opheliac" suggests an affinity for Shakespeare? Or is this just the story of a girl who wants to free herself from her father's grip?
EA: Well, my word "Opheliac," is derived from Shakespeare's character, so the closeness to it is pretty clear, but "Opheliac" is more of a bet against itself - in that particular song, I didn't want to break free from any other grip than my own. And we all know that is the hardest part.
DSF : Since we are a parenting community, what about your future plans? Do you want to have children?
EA: No thanks. I have no urge to have children, no matter how beautiful your community and scene are - I have strong tocophobia (= fear of childbirth / childbirth).
DSF : How would you raise your children ... Would you show them the world through your eyes?
EA: Good God, I don't think so. It's already difficult enough for me to see the world through my eyes, I wouldn't expect anyone to do that. I would also never make my genes available for research or breeding. All in all, I tend to love dogs, horses, rats ... I'm a great rat mom.
DSF : What are your principles in life?
EA: I don't try to fix it for fear that I won't be able to change it then. Much worse than a debate about principles is one about morals, and I don't do either ... at least not soberly.
DSF : And last but not least, do you have a few special words for our families (voluntary)?
EA: I just had fun doing this interview and if you should ever stay in a hotel in Scotland, then never wash your panties in the sink and hang them up to dry or you might never see them again.
DSF : Thank you for the interview and a good tour!
EA: Thanks your cupcakes!
@shefightslikeagirl
13 notes
·
View notes
Note
AU where Tomura rebels against AFO trying to turn him into a villain by becoming a dog trainer and rescuer, only kurogiri knows this side job. People don't ever believe the guy they hire as a dogtrainer is a villain bc he just seems like a nice but cranky gamer guy
Tomura starting to get clearer memories of his family earlier on, remembering more and more of his life before AFO took him
Tomura remembering Mon-chan and missing the closeness of having a dog, the loyalty and unconditional love
At one point, Tomura thought of AFO as having these qualities too, but for some reason when he looks back at Mon-chan it feels different
He doesn't tell AFO about his memories getting clearer as time goes on. Most of them are still just visions but the most clear memory he has is of hugging Mon-chan and feeling so comforted
He starts to miss it so much that he goes out on his own to dog parks just to interact with any that come near him. He gives the excuse of "observing the faults of Hero Society" to sensei just to get him off his back (and its not entirely false)
He sort of gets known as That One Mysterious Guy In The Dog Park and becomes well acquainted with a few of the local dogs
A shy and inexperienced owner tells him about the trouble they've been having with their dog behaving, and despite the fact that Tomura knows little about teaching dogs, he tells the owner about how he used to watch his mother teach their dog. He tells them what his mother did, for nostalgia's sake if anything, before leaving
The next day that same owner comes up to him and thanks him for the advice. "It worked! Your mom really must have known what she was doing! My dog actually sat down and waited until the cars had passed instead of chasing after them! Thank you!"
Tomura had no idea it would help, he was basically just rambling about his memories and it wasn't his intention in the moment to help this person, but it worked
He didn't anticipate this person telling their dog owner friends and then coming to him for advice. Even tho he doesn't even know much about dogs - if anything, he goes off logic and intuition
Since then, his Internet history consists of websites that instruct how to take care of dogs and train them. For some reason, this feels like something he was meant to do - the instinct to help people, to help dogs... maybe this is for him
Bing bang boom, he finds himself being given dogs to train. It's a bit of a challenge to do so when he doesn't have any outside space to train them. He settles for the dog park, finds an open field and gets to work
The dog owners find him kind but strange. Strange in the way that he always keeps his head down, hasn't really talked extensively about himself apart from his old dog Mon-chan. But they just chalk it up to the man being shy and an introvert (plus the guy makes a few game references here and there, so maybe he just doesn't have a lot of friends?) so really, its not that big of a deal to them - besides, dog training is expensive and this guy is doing it for free! Can't get a better deal than that
Tomura finds himself getting more and more involved with dogs, training them and relaxing in the dog park with them. There have even been cases where he has found some abandoned and rescued them from those back alleys and horrible living conditions. In these cases he turns to the clients he has, the locals in the park, who are more often than not happy to take in the dog for a few days and call up a dog shelter, help this poor thing find a new home (Tomura knows well that he can't just take the dog home, sensei would find out everything that way, but it still makes him itch that he couldn't do more)
He has to make a lot of excuses to get away with everything. AFO can only takes so many "I am going out to observe Hero patrols" for the 20th time that week before getting suspicious
And see, the more involved Tomura gets, the more he doesn't see any point in Villany. Rather, he finds himself thinking about his clients and dogs more than All Might and Heroes. Don't get him wrong, he's still angry over society and he still hates how the public acts towards said Heroes, but he's... calmed down now. The itch doesn't go, not completely, but he's finding that he doesn't feel the need to scratch as much as he did before
The more he goes out, the more he abandons the disembodied hands. He even keeps Father in his hoodie pocket, and sometimes he just leaves the hand in his room. There's no need for it anymore
Sensei tells him to wear the hands, to keep the memory of his family alive - but see, he already is. By helping people with their dogs, he's reliving the comfort of having a dog around, by interacting with other families. It's not exactly the memory of his family, but don't think he doesn't see them everywhere still
He remembers the little girl who hid behind her parent as they talked, she wore pigtails just like Hana and she spoke just as kindly as she once did. He remembers the mother with kind eyes who gave him protective and sympathetic looks just like his mother used to. The grandparents who were walking their child's dog, who walked arm in arm and spoke about making their child's favorite food. He's met corgis with the same fur pattern as Mon-chan and couldn't help remembering his precious dog
He even met a father who seemed stiff and pent up. A man who reminded him a little of his own father, and he had been incredibly reluctant to interact with him. But this man, see, he asked Tomura if he had seen a little doll in the field somewhere. The man had averted his eyes, not knowing what to say, not knowing what exactly to do except sigh in disappointment. The man had looked at him with tired hard eyes, and said "Have you seen any dolls in the grass? My son... he dropped it as we were walking and he won't stop crying for it back. I don't know what to think about something like that, it's just a toy, and a DOLL of all things... but... I don't want to make him cry. I want my child to be happy, no matter what."
It had made Tomura itch afterwards, the man had reminded him of his father but... it made him think. Think about his family and how they had acted towards him. It made him wonder what could have been, if they had just tried to understand and accept him
So you see, he doesn't need those hands to remind himself. He has his memories. He has the people he meets. It doesn't mean he's forgiven or forgotten, but it's not as if he needs those stupid hands to remember
So he doesn't wear them anymore.
Keeping this dog training thing a secret is a challenge, and he ends up being caught by Kurogiri. He orders him to keep it a secret, even insists that its just "a hobby" of his and that he is still a Villain wanting to destroy society. Kurogiri takes this quite easily, even offers to warp him to lessons, which is very helpful
He'll tell Kurogiri the truth at some point
(Kurogiri already knows the truth. He'll do anything for Tomura Shigaraki. He has his loyalties to AFO, but he was made to serve Tomura only. He lets the man indulge in his "hobby" and waits until the day Tomura feels comfortable enough to tell him everything)
AFO comes very close to learning the truth a few times. The man is neglectful, but one way or another, he's always watching. As time goes on, Tomura starts to realise just how creepy that is
His escape is the dog park. Dogs in general. The park seems so untouchable, but Tomura knows just how far AFO's roots can touch, which is why he tries to distance his sensei from the truth
Anyway
Yeah lol. Thats it. Thats all I have I think
(Aaaaaaa this is so long and I didn't mean it to be!! But! It got me thinking so)
Very long post short, AFO finds him in the field training dogs and it becomes this
AFO: You will become a Villain!! Its your destiny!! Its who you were meant to be!!
Tomura, holding dog: THIS IS WHO I AM, SENSEI!!! AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT!!!
Owner who stayed a little too long to drop off their dog + got caught up in the argument: 😐
Owner sees this abuse and is like "hmmm nah fuck that" and tells Tomura that he can stay with them if he wants instead
That owner? Why, ITS VLAD KING IN DISGUISE! He brought his dog to the park for training and saw everything!
So now Tomura is being given care and shelter by this Hero, away from his abuser, and Vlad offers to help with pressing charges against "the man who yelled at him"
Tomura tells him that "the man who yelled at him" is a Villain and an investigation and hunt is underway to apprehend AFO. They have a location, so its time to capture this Villain
(Later it would be revealed by updates from Vlad that this Villain is actually AFO, a very powerful and evil man who was, apparently, supposed to be dead.
"We're working on arresting him. Our team is doing everything we can to keep eyes on him, so he shouldn't come near you anymore. If he does, please let us know. We won't let him hurt you.")
Tomura gets a big apartment with Kurogiri. They decide to buy some rescue dogs too. The dogs have enough room to play and run around and Tomura is so understanding of their nervous behavior. Luckily, they don't move as far away, so Tomura still visits the dog park from time to time, on top of learning to become a professional dog trainer and continues to rescue dogs from time to time
Everything is fine and Tomura is happy, the end :)
(I just came up with a whole fic script huh? This wasn't the plan, but my mind was racing with ideas lmao)
#this is a lil messy but um FIC IDEA#there are other ways to write this going down but this is the route i picked#i also didn't plan for tomura being saved by a hero but there ya go. i just want him to be happy🥺#thank you for the ask!😊#bnha asks#asks with metty#tomura shigaraki
13 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hii I saw astrology and divination talk and got curious! If you are into it, do you have any even vague headcanon of what Solomon's relevant(?) placements could be? This topic always makes me go 👀 and its funny that even ancient demons got their lil sun sign listed on their profiles lmao.
Completely disregard this if u dont like astrology though oh 🙈😳 and also !!! hope you're having a nice day~💌
HELLLLLLLOOO my love I hope you meant big three signs because that's what I did lol! And no I did not BUT the moment I got the ask that prompted this I did wonder "hmmm what would Solomon's big three be?" and then this ask came in SO...I looked it up lol
I will warn you though that I don't know a lot about astrology other than my own sun sign (Aries) so this is all from a quick little search!! My descriptions of what they're about come from here so if it's wrong.........I tried <3
Solomon's Big Three
Explaining his Sun Sign - Sagittarius
starslikeyou describes Sagittarius like so:
"Born with the Sun in Sagittarius, you are gifted with an abundance of warmth, energy and positivity. Your sign is noted for a willingness to transcend the everyday by pushing boundaries, demanding freedom and seeking to explore unchartered horizons whenever possible. Your journey involves discovering all that is possible.
At a deeper level, your sign is also concerned with the cultural, philosophical and metaphysical frameworks which make life meaningful. Your life path involves searching for truth and then sharing that with others."
Honestly, I think this works for Solomon!! I think his energy and positivity are more calm, but he's very playful and welcoming just in general. Obviously he's all about exploring the unknown [gestures @ immortality] and I definitely headcanon that Solomon knows a little bit about everything. A true renaissance man...
IDK this was short I just wanted to address it lol. Onto the good stuff!
Guessing Solomon's Moon Sign - Scorpio
According to starslikeyou...
"Born with the Moon in Scorpio, you are likely to be sensitive and loyal, but have intense emotional needs...You are likely to give the impression of being perceptive, powerful, and transformational.
Scorpio is also a Fixed sign, suggesting that when you align your emotions with something you desire – be that a friend/lover or an anticipated outcome – you will be constant, enduring and unwilling to let go."
In terms of the emotional needs, I think this might be the weakest part of my argument - but hear me out. The website describes emotional extremes that may swing back and forth, as well as intense reactions to emotions. I could argue that Solomon does experience this - although I think he's gotten good at hiding it.
I wouldn't describe him as having mood swings, but I can think of a few instances where he has shown them. I think this would mainly take place in his anticipation of rejection. We've seen multiple times how he's willing to indulge in being with MC, only for a moment - happy, satisfied - but then he quickly realizes that they could reject him, that they might not want him, and he backs off and retreats again. This isn't exactly a mood swing, but it fits for my argument. He easily flips from accepting and eager to show affection whenever he has the chance to reserved and pulling away. From confident to almost insecure. Additionally, his emotional reaction to the possibility of rejection - or of returned feelings, like in the Threads of Fate devilgram - could also help my case. The website also argues that people with a moon in scorpio are self-aware, introspective, and private individuals, which definitely sounds like Solomon to me.
In terms of intimacy, the website accents a need for emotional honesty, and finding an inner transformation as you share more parts of yourself and expose your vulnerabilities. I've talked about this for long periods of time, but I really, really think that this is the type of beneficial relationship Solomon needs. He needs someone he can trust completely, someone who can get him to open himself up and be a little more free because they accept his past and the parts of him that are messy.
Also the website says this:
"Finally, the Moon here often also brings highly developed intuitive and psychic gifts. You may find yourself drawn to explore the mysteries of life, wanting to know more about magic, alchemy or anything occult."
And if this isn't Solomon, idk what is.
Honorable mentions i also considered: Moon in Gemini for emphasis on communication / knowledge exchange and intuition, Moon in Sagittarius for passion / creativity and a call to freedom, and a tentative Moon in Cancer for intuition and need for connections.
Guessing Solomon's Rising Sign - Aquarius
As starslikeyou says...
"Born with Aquarius on your Ascendant (or Rising), you will find a clearer sense of individuality is gained by stepping back to look at life from an objective perspective. A detached point of view allows for a logical assessment of the circumstances around you, giving you the ability to find, at times, lightning fast resolution to key issues.
This is the sign of the collective over the individual, the group over the singular. You are likely to have an especially broad view on society that allows you to mix with a great variety of people. Your awareness of group and social dynamics is paramount for your overall self-expression. Putting group endeavours first may override purely personal concerns.
There is likely to be a pronounced tendency to act in ways that will benefit the collective, rather than provide personal gain. This then is the rising sign of the true humanitarian, who gets what they need in ways that are socially responsible and considerate.
...You may also be drawn to arenas such as science, politics, communications or human resources, and have a strong social conscience. Usually open to scientific innovation, you can be an early-adopter or work with advances in technology."
This one really hit me as correct because of the whole collective over the individual part. Solomon acts as a sort of guardian for humanity, and he spares no expense to ensure the continued safety of humans. I understand that Solomon formed pacts beforehand and maybe for selfish reasons, but at least now he's put himself in the affairs of demons to make sure humans have some sort of voice. Now that he's in a position of power, he uses his leverage and makes his loyalties known. Demons probably wouldn't eye him so warily if they weren't suspicious of him turning on them or using them - and if he did so, it'd probably be for humans. Whether or not it's a side effect of his warped view on his own humanity, I definitely think he'd put himself in "harm's way" (though with him, the goalposts for that kind of shift compared to other humans) in order for the greater human good.
The sign also highlights intellect and the ability to make specific and well-thought out decisions with complicated information, as well as an impressive intuition. It describes those with this rising sign as idealistic yet practical, somewhat unorthodox or seen as eccentric (and paying the price for this perception), and a somewhat isolated and aloof front. Honestly, the further I read into the page, the more it reads like just an explanation of Solomon.
Honorable mentions i also considered: Rising Virgo for being humble yet sometimes self-effacing, critical and practical tendencies, and and urge to be useful over recognition. Also Rising Scorpio for transformation, charisma and perception, and insight.
ANWAY...I hope this is what you meant with this ask because if not I will feel SO dumb. But either way I hope you enjoyed, maybe even agreed, and I sure hope this information was correct!! And also....I hope your day was/is great too 😘
#obey me#obey me solomon#obey me swd#obey me shall we date#swd solomon#swd obey me#solomon#asked and answered#baalism
32 notes
·
View notes
Note
I’m surprised yet I’m not surprised that I haven’t seen anyone on tumblr talk about the Balenciaga collab. Twitter and Instagram are almost universally panning the move and are quite pissed off at it. Personally I think the collab was a dumb and tone deaf move on the management, but I can’t fuss about it too much because of a lot previous musicians I liked ate these kinds of designer streetwear brands up and I just had to turn a blind eye to it eventually.
😕 I was really happy tumblr largely ignored it because I expected the outrage and dreaded it. My take is not gonna be a popular one, and I am sorry it’s probably not what you hoped to get. I’ll try to explain why, but I do have big feelings about this and I don’t know how articulate i can be.
The thing I am seeing in all of these comments, and what I think you refer to when you say it was tone deaf, is a lot of hurt. And in a way I completely, 100% understand that. The problem is, I think, that it’s misdirected when it is directed at the band. The fact that some well off fashion victim can drop what some of us earn in a month on a hoodie, hurts. It hurts that people that have been with this band for years and years, have saved any and each magazine clipping they can get their hands on and struggle to save up for months to buy a concert ticket while other people can do that - that shit hurts. And I understand that. I really do. I feel it too.
The thing is though, and this is where I fear what I say could be taken the wrong way: Rammstein doesn’t owe anyone anything. They don’t owe anyone to stick with only accessible merch, they don’t owe us some weird class loyalty where they turn stuff like this down. They just don’t. Why would they? Why? Because the thing that is hurtful about it is systemic, and they don’t owe us to fix systemic unfairness. They don’t owe anyone to not take advantage of it either, when it is offered to them, because they aren’t exploiting anyone but the exploiters, if that makes sense. They just don’t. Sorry. They are a well off band, but they aren’t rich enough to fix capitalism. I am gonna ask you very honestly, would you say no to becoming successful in a system that by it’s very nature devalues what you do, makes it a huge lottery draw if you can even make a living of what you do and takes advantage of you wherever it can? Rammstein got very lucky, and worked very hard for longer than most people on this website are alive. But in general, the way this society treats people like them, yes, even a large potion of their fan base, is a disgrace. They are a 1 in I don’t know how many cases of people who took the same risks and had the same passion and didn’t make it. And I think they know that too. I am sorry, but they’ve earned it.
I grew up far below what is considered the poverty line in my country, in a community of artists, and I feel very strongly about this one thing: The same person that will drop a 6 figure number on a painting will tell you not to go to art school and get a real job instead, because you can never be “successful” that way (whatever they mean by that.) Please read that sentence again.
Society doesn’t give a shit about artists. And when I mean “society” I actually mean fans, too, because ... I could write an essay about this, but basically because they complain more about not getting a ticket refund than the fact that currently thousands of artists fall by the wayside and won’t make it through this pandemic. I repeat, society, AT large, don’t give a wet fart about artists. It pretends it does, because they want to look cultured, but it really doesn’t. Every now and then they lift one up into the heights of the glittery temples of fame and stardom, to circle jerk with their art criticism and their champagne events and photo ops. And it’s disgusting it works that way, yes. But again, that is systemic. And what I need you to understand is that the majority of people who turn to the extremely precarious lifestyle of trying to paint or to make music for a living, take up with how the world is treating them, take the risk of falling of the grod financially, take the degradation of being asked to “work for exposure” and the “why are you still doing this, wouldn’t it be easier to —— it’s clearly not going anywhere” questions year after year after year for ... they do it for that one tine little chance to be that 1 that gets lifted. This isn’t about the passion — you don’t make art to be “successful”, there are so much easier ways. It’s about taking the merciless grind and maltreatment for that one shot to one day be seen and recognised as worthy people and to get out of the grind. And when it happens, they are supposed to turn it down? Why?
Sorry, but no.
I understand that this is an inflammatory take. I do, in a way, understand why people get angry. I just don’t agree with the direction of the anger - at all. The thing is, if you look at it in a more innocent way, the creative director of Balenciaga, as I understand it, was a civil war refugee who somehow managed to become the leading designer on one of the biggest name in fashion. Do you think it was likely for him to get there? Do you think it was ever easy for any boy to become a fashion designer against a backdrop of constant teasing and a probably even smaller chance of “making it” than musicians? But he did it, and turns out he is a Rammstein fan. So he does what he loves. Big deal. To be clear: I think the existence of brands like Balenciaga is stupid to me too. But still - the same person that will drop a 1000€ bucks on a raincoat will tell you not to go to fashion school, you know? Rammstein also have a history of being in the high fashion world. They had 3 exclusive photoshoots with zoo magazine in the time they had like, idk, 1? With Rolling Stone, they were in fashion magazines first in the US, they had runway shows in their early career ... this was a long time coming. I WAS surprised it was Balenciaga. I hoped it would be something like Givenchy or McQueen but I guess they’re not that classy - what do you expect from a bunch of guys who wear sandals with tracksuits.
Another take I see quite often is the whole “well now there will be knock offs and people that don’t even know the band will start wearing it” and while that is a huge pet peeve, I have to think of Flake writing about that in his book and being all awed by how anyone could become that big - and just feeling a but of a misty eyed satisfaction of “they made it.”
I understand people are angry. But maybe consider of you’re really angry at the band - or simply the fact that we live in a world where some people have to make a living for weeks off the same money someone else drops on a t-shirt.
49 notes
·
View notes
Note
2,12,19,20,25,30,36,37,39
2. Do you RP anywhere else.
I do, it's on a website of my home country, but I've kind of been less active since I started playing on tumblr but I didn't like the attitude there. It was pretty negative.
12. What do you think about AU's?
I love them! I want to play all the AU's. Feel free to write me, IM me, shoot me an ask to plot. I'm open to most things.
19. Do you have ship bias.
I don't think so. Honestly, I am not all that experienced with writing male muses or Clint. I try to be open to all forms of shipping, but I mostly ship chemistry :)
20. what's a ship you don't want to write with this muse (except for gross things/ inapropriat things)
I know that a lot of people have a thing for Clint and Tony... I can't see it. And I wouldn't want to write it either. I think it's a given that Clint won't date anyone who's younger then their 20's and other things like that.
25. do you play smut? do you play it only with characters you’re shipping with, or are you open for “one night stands”?
I do play smut, but I prefer a good story. It's integral to a relationship. I think I do prefer a fade to black at some point, and yes, def. open to one night stands as long as I at least know you as a player a little bit. Be respectful about it :)
30. what are your favorite RP tropes to play? (angst, hurt-comfort, etc…)
I am a big fan of hurt-comfort, I love angst and fluff too and just lots of shenanigans :)
36. do you feel similar to your muse in any way?
Oh heck yes. When it comes to accidents (on a minor level) Clint and I are super similar... I don't jump off buildings.
We both do Archery. I hope to match his loyalty to his friends and family at some level. Clint is amazing :) he deserves all the love.
37. do you feel different to your muse in any way?
I'm not as reclusive. I don't share his mental struggle in RL. I'm definitley NOT as athletic or a hero.
39. what’s the best inspiration for your muse?
The comic books. I love the Matt Fraction run so much! It's the series that made me a comic book fan.
Talking to my Partners is amazing.
Also I read a lot and I take inspiration from books and TV-shows and talking things through with people.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Thanks a lot for answering! I wonder could you please give examples of everyday deeds/types of behavior of different primaries and secondaries? Like what are they like when there's a school test or when they need to visit a doctor? The more the better. Something more down-to-earth than the situations from the fantasy movies listed on the website that may never take place in the real world, something found in everyday life that will help someone identify themselves and mb others around them
I’m not sure I can do that, because frankly, your Primary House is a state of mind. It’s what you want and how you feel about things (or do not feel, in the case of Ravenclaws, ahem). But I can talk about a few things, particularly in response to Harry Potter, that can shed light on the state of mind of the Primary.
What I have most noticed about people in general is that we all have a built-in bias, and in order to find our true type—whether that is our MBTI type, our Enneagram core and tritype, or our Hogwarts House combination—we must abandon our ego defenses. What does that mean? We have to overcome our biases and want to know our true self, and own it, more than we want to fight against an answer that might not please us. In the Enneagram, I’ve noticed particular biases against being a 2 or a 6. Everyone wants to be the more “glamorous” 4 or the elusive, bookworm 5.
Harry Potter, for better or worse, introduced us to the concept of Hogwarts Houses, but also introduced us to a bias, because it made Gryffindor the most glamorous House, due to all the main characters (however unrealistically) hailing from that House. Or, at least, all the main characters we like. Ravenclaw is full of wise weirdos like Luna Lovegood, who irrationally believes in things no one can prove. Slytherin is host to mostly back-stabbing, snobbish cheaters. And Hufflepuff is an “afterthought” where all “the boring, nice people are.”
What I like about Sorting Hat Chats is… they made the entire system more interesting and a lot fairer. Now, Slytherin isn’t the only House with villains automatically placed in it: their villains have to be specific in their love (and not betray their family, because it is the house of My Family is My Life). This also means people, fictional or real, who prioritize their loved ones, are Slytherins. Such as Mr. Darcy, or Katniss Everdeen. Suddenly, being a Slytherin doesn’t seem so bad, right? Not if you are loyal to the ones you love! That alone will appeal to the mindset of a Slytherin, because they will think, “Of COURSE I am. Of COURSE my loved ones come first! They SHOULD!”
I have friends in all four Primary Houses, but I will use myself as an example of the Ravenclaw. When I was reading the books, having all the main characters in Gryffindor bothered me, because not only did it show a bias, but I felt some of the main characters ‘belonged’ in other Houses—such as Remus Lupin being a Hufflepuff rather than a Gryffindor. I also felt like Hermione belonged in Ravenclaw. But that is neither here nor there… my objections to the system came from the logical flaws in how she arranged it. It wasn’t realistic to have everyone ‘important’ or ‘admirable’ within the story come from Gryffindor. It was easier to have them share Common Rooms, but people don’t isolate like that and only befriend someone from their House. They look for like-minded friends who share interests, and would make them all over the place. It was my little Ravenclaw brain, pulling away at her system and finding flaws in its logic, but reacting from a place of logical reasoning rather than moral indignation.
When I took the SHC test, it placed me in Slytherin. And I was not opposed to that. In fact, I explored it for a long time, as I thought about how I respond in various situations. Slytherin appealed to me, because… I wish I could stand up for my family automatically. I wish I could prioritize my loved ones all the time. But I kept hitting upon the fact that – I like to think about things in a detached manner, and come to what I feel is a rational consensus. It’s more clinical and less emotional than Slytherins are—and it helped at the time that I knew a Slytherin, and could easily see both how possessive she was of people (they are “mine to protect” – she always reminded me of Slytherin Sam Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, with his “MY MR. FRODO”) and how, without fail, her sister came before even me, her best friend. Through comparison, I knew I had to be something else. So in typical Ravenclaw fashion, I went through and considered them all. Because, as a Ravenclaw, I want to be RIGHT more than protect my ego. I am always looking for the truth, even when it hurts. And I am always measuring the world against an ideal in my head, built up of my belief system. I do not go against my beliefs; I mold myself to them. And it shocks me to find others who do not, but who claim to be the same as I am. I take, for example, my Christian faith seriously—so what do you mean you are ignoring what your faith says, and doing whatever you want??? YOU MOLD TO YOUR BELIEFS, DON’T YOU? Well, yes, if you are a Ravenclaw, you do. If you are any other House, you do not.
The Hufflepuff Primary I know has a far more ‘felt’ opinion of the books and their sorting system. She got livid reading them, and thinking about how constantly unfair it all was, how biased Rowling was, and how Dumbledore was clearly playing favorites constantly with Gryffindor House. She developed a bad attitude about him as a result… which, of course, is coming from her being a Hufflepuff. To a Hufflepuff, people come first. They are all treated fairly and seen as equals. You do not discriminate, you do not alienate, you do not give unfair favors to Harry and his friends, just so Gryffindor can win the House Cup over and over again. She was actually so angry about this, from a Hufflepuff perspective, that she was willing to be a Slytherin in defiance of ‘The System’ until she realized that kind of mindset is… pure Hufflepuff. “You are not being fair about this, I will oppose you.” It’s all instinctual, it’s all emotional, and it’s all loyalty to the human race, which includes Slytherins. (This caused us some friction for awhile, until I realized it was “just a Hufflepuff” objection, because... how can you be mad at Dumbledore for that? It’s just a convenient plot device in the book! ... says the Ravenclaw who isn’t getting too emotionally involved. ;)
The Slytherin I know, by the way, denied being a Slytherin at first, because she felt ashamed of it. She has been taught to act like a Hufflepuff, that she SHOULD care about everyone all the time, but… she does not. She cares about her loved ones the most, and she would protect them above other people, every time. I pointed out to her that Hufflepuff fits her less than Slytherin, because “You ARE Katniss. You told me that once. That you identified so heavily with her, because you would go into the arena for your Prim.” And then she admitted it, and saw the gloriousness that is being a loyal Slytherin.
The Gryffindor I know is always looking for a Cause, and… as a Ravenclaw, I find that exhausting. She wants to be mad about things, because that anger gives her the fire she needs to do something about it. She has taken on big Causes by financially supporting the Causes she cares about, and done physical things about smaller Causes. For example, as a teenager, she came upon three guys tormenting a dog. It made her so livid, she charged straight at them, swearing and screaming at them to leave the animal alone, and it scared them all so much, they turned tail and ran. She just knew it was the right thing to do, and she and I often butt heads a lot, because she expects everyone else (meaning me) to be as passionate as she is about doing the ‘right thing.’ My more detached “well, let’s look at both sides of this issue” has no place in her black and white Gryffindor mind (no, that is WRONG).
Secondary Houses are… something that may take a little more time to figure out, as you think about how you handle the ‘unexpected.’
Gryffindors… have to speak up if they see an injustice, or hear something they disagree with. They are they person who cannot keep their mouth shut, they need to voice their opinion. They don’t care if you don’t like it or don’t agree, to not state their views would be antagonistic to their central self. My Hufflepuff friend is a Gryffindor Secondary. Not only did she get mad about the biases in Harry Potter, she complained loudly about it, to me, and to other people, and even in a blog post, because the injustice of it needed drawn-attention to, and dealt with, and she doesn’t really care if you disagree. That’s just how she rolls, about EVERYTHING. Because Gryffindor Secondaries state their views. They see an injustice, and they rush toward it. (My Gryffindor friend is also a Gryffindor Secondary: see dog being abused, rush in to do something about it!)
Ravenclaws… want to prepare for everything, and then rely on their own skill set to handle problems as they arise. They are the person who, when their bike breaks down halfway home, consider what they know about bikes (can they fix this easily?), and what they know about public transportation (am I going to be able to catch a bus home?), and make decisions from there. Or who study for a test in advance and show up, only to panic because they found out they read the wrong chapter in the book and know nothing about it. My father is a Gryffindor with a Ravenclaw Secondary, and he over-prepares himself with any useful knowledge he thinks he might need to combat a wide variety of situations—and then is stumped if confronted by something he did not prepare for, and knows nothing about. He is always trying to think ahead and prepare so that he doesn’t have to improvise anything at the last second—because he sucks at it.
It was a comparison with him that actually shifted me away from assuming I had a Ravenclaw Secondary, because… I don’t suck at improvising. I’m actually quite good at it. And I don’t over-prepare, because in true Hufflepuff Secondary position, I figure I can ask someone for help. And they always give it to me. But what really cemented the deal for me, in terms of recognizing my Puff Secondary House, were two—no, make that three, truths from my life. 1) Ravenpuffs distill complex information and put it back out into the world for others to enjoy (hello, Funky!). 2) Puff Secondaries show up and do the tireless work, clock the hours, and are highly reliable, which is… me. I have run this site day in and day out for years. I am punctual, fastidious, I put my responsibilities ahead of all else (even turning down fun occasions because I need to work), and I will painstakingly work on perfecting something, finishing something, improving something, or polishing something (even when I’m bored). In short, I show up and do the work. And 3) the truth that Puff Secondaries have friends to stand up for them, because they have proven themselves reliable and trustworthy, is no joke. A few years ago, I had trouble with someone online and, without being asked, three of our mutual friends came to my defense. Proof of the Puff.
Lastly, Slytherin Secondaries are highly adaptable. It’s no problem for them to shift their approach given the needs of the situation. It’s the equivalent of a friend you admire, but who puzzles you (if you don’t share their Slytherin Secondary trait) because… it seems like they are a different person everywhere you go, because whatever is needed, they can become it. They are the person who has no trouble with change and no need to plan, because they just trust that it’s all going to work out fine, based on their ability to adapt. It’s the person who shows up at a friend’s birthday party expecting it to be formal, finds out it’s casual, sneaks into the bathroom to rearrange their attire, and emerges ready to play Twister. Or who will be serious with you, joke constantly with your brother, and behave like a saint around your mom, according to whatever works and appeals to you the best.
Hope some of that helps, though it wasn’t explicitly what you asked for. Best this ENFP can do, since in-depth sensory specific examples require a heck of a lot more Si than I’ve got. :P
60 notes
·
View notes
Text
“E” as in Eurus, Enola and Estate
In June this year the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd filed a lawsuit against an impending Holmes adaptation movie on Netflix (article from RadioTimes here: X).
Sherlock, Mycroft and Enola, starring Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin and Millie Bobby Brown.
This post about it by @tendergingergirl (X) seems to have gone largely unnoticed, but I think it deserves far more attention. In fact, it got me thinking “What’s all this actually about?” and looking a few things up.
My curiosity about the doings of this Estate began in December last year, before the release of BBC Dracula in January, when an interesting discussion initiated after an excellent meta by @yeah-oh-shit (X), who had made some investigations into previous copyright and public domain issues and lawsuits, which I had never known about before.
And now it turns out that the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd (from here on I’ll call them ‘ACD Estate’) is suing the film makers, along with Nancy Springer, author of a book series based on characters from the Holmes universe called The Enola Holmes Mysteries (2006-2010), for copyright infringement.
But I thought most of ACD’s Sherlock Holmes stories are now in public domain, including the Illustrious Client, the Sussex Vampire and the Three Garridebs, whose copyright under US law expired last year (2019)? Well, yes, but that’s still not all of them, and according to ACD Estate “for those of the stories whose copyright terms have ended, this action is brought within the three-year limitations period for infringement.”
More under the cut.
So, the ACD Estate’s copyright, they claim, still includes the following ten stories collected in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes:
The Creeping Man (1923)
The Illustrious Client (1924)
The Three Garridebs (1924)
The Sussex Vampire (1924)
The Retired Colourman (1926)
The Lion’s Mane (1926)
The Three Gables (1926)
The Blanched Soldier (1926)
Shoscombe Old Place (1927)
The Veiled Lodger (1927)
The whole lawsuit can be downloaded as a PDF file from this news article (X), and it’s quite an interesting read.
Claims about Sherlock Holmes’ emotions
So, since this is not the first lawsuit from the ACD Estate about adaptations, what’s their beef with the film makers this time? As far as I can see from their claims, this is about Sherlock Holmes’ emotions.
This is how the ACD Estate reads Holmes’ character development in the lawsuit:
“Conan Doyle made the surprising artistic decision to have his most famous character—known around the world as a brain without a heart—develop into a character with a heart. Holmes became warmer. He became capable of friendship. He could express emotion. He began to respect women. His relationship to Watson changed from that of a master and assistant to one of genuine friendship. Watson became more than just a tool for Holmes to use. He became a partner.”
They even quote the famous passage in The Three Garridebs (3GAR, 1924) where Watson says: “It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask.”
But all this progress, they claim, specifically happened within these ten still (allegedly) copyrighted stories, which Conan Doyle wrote after World War One, where he had the traumatic experience of losing both his son and his brother.
They claim that Holmes’ emotional development is still under their copyright (which I believe in practise means their power to decide whether to allow a film adaptation or not) and apart from the emotions issue, they also provide the following other examples of developments that are (supposedly) unique to these ten still copyrighted stories:
Holmes employs a knowledge of medicine in Watson’s absence
Holmes and Watson use modern technologies in detective work for the first time
Watson marries a second time during his association with Holmes (BLAN)
Holmes changes into someone who has great interest in dogs
Sherlock’s “secret sister”
The Enola Holmes Mysteries got me interested, and now I’ve read the two first of six instalments in total. The series is about Sherlock’s and Mycroft’s younger sister Enola, a clever teenager whom the brothers – in particular Mycroft - want to send away to a boarding school after their mother has disappeared and abandoned her. But Enola hates the idea of being confined to a place where she will be forced to wear a corset and restricted to a certain (‘female’) behaviour at all times. She escapes to London, where she starts a secret private detective career specialising in investigations of missing persons. Enola must keep ahead of her brothers who are determined to capture and force her to conform to Victorian society’s expectations for young women. She skilfully uses different disguises, just like Sherlock, and she meets John Watson pretending to be someone else. With her cleverness she manages to outwit even Sherlock. She is good at drawing and uses her sketches in her work. She manages to communicate with her mother (and eventually also with Sherlock) by using ciphers.
All of this does seem to have certain similarities with how Eurus Holmes is described in S4, doesn’t it?
Eurus is, like Enola, the secret Holmes sister whom we never have heard of before.
In TFP Mycroft claims Eurus’ intellect was superior to both Sherlock’s and his own; she was “incandescent”.
We see little Eurus draw sketches of her family members (not very pleasant sketches when it comes to Sherlock, though).
Mycroft made sure Eurus was sent away to an isolated prison/institution (Sherrinford) at an early age.
Their parents seemed absent and not particularly interested in the whereabouts of their own daughter (they didn’t even know she was alive); they let Mycroft and ‘Uncle Rudy’ take care of things, so one could easily suspect she was abandoned.
Eurus seems to have escaped to London at her own leisure, while Mycroft thought she was incarcerated.
Eurus appears in London under three different disguises: “E” (flirting and texting with John),
“Faith” (walking the streets of London with Sherlock)
and John’s new therapist.
Eurus makes riddles with codes for Sherlock to decipher (“The cipher was the song”).
So, one might wonder if the Eurus plot is – at least to some degree – inspired by Enola Holmes? On the other hand, while Eurus appears cold and calculating, Enola is compassionate and sensitive and makes mistakes because of emotional bias. Enola seems more similar to Eurus’ disguised personas than to the supposedly ‘real’ Eurus - the one who burned the family estate down and killed Victor Trevor.
I still believe that Eurus only exists inside Sherlock’s head in BBC Sherlock, being a part of himself, but that’s for another discussion.
As for the Holmes siblings, it’s also interesting that on the ACD Estate’s website, where they have a collection of ’facts’ about ACD’s characters, they seem to have included BBC Sherlock’s Eurus as a valid sibling of Sherlock and Mycroft (scroll down to “Holmes facts” on this page: X), even though this character is nowhere to be found in canon. Please correct me if I’m wrong about this, but the only reference I can find to ”the East Wind” in ACD’s stories is in His Last Bow (LAST, 1917), where Holmes says that ”There’s an east wind coming, Watson”, and goes on to talk about a cold, bitter wind that is threatening England; most probably a reference to WWI, which was raging at the time of publication. No one with the name Eurus is ever mentioned, though. If Eurus had already been part of canon, why would Mofftiss have claimed her to be the big ”rug-pull” in TFP?
I haven’t read the final part in the Enola Holmes series (X) yet, where allegedly Enola reconciles with her brothers (Sherlock in particular) and they end up respecting her independence and skills. But according to several reviews Sherlock softens up a bit in the end. In the parts I have read, the two adult brothers appear rather conservative, patronising and sexist towards their younger sister – indeed more condescending than I think Holmes view of women actually is described in ACD’s original stories (allegedly – we never see him treat women badly in practice, do we?). At any rate, I haven’t this far been able to find a single specific plot element from the ten (supposedly) still copyrighted stories in Springer’s work.
In their lawsuit, the ACD Estate claims that “The Springer novels make extensive infringing use of Conan Doyle’s transformation of Holmes from cold and critical to warm, respectful, and kind in his relationships. Springer places Enola Holmes at the center of the novels and has Holmes initially treat her coolly, then change to respond to her with warmth and kindness.”
So what they’re doing here is the same thing they’ve done before (and lost): they’re claiming they still own some intrinsic characteristics of Sherlock Holmes, even though most of the stories are already in public domain.
Other lawsuits
A similar lawsuit towards Miramax (X) was made in 2015 for the film Mr Holmes, which had Ian McKellen as protagonist. But it ended in settlement before the defendants had responded to the accusations, which were similar to those regarding Enola Holmes about Holmes’ emotional life, but also had to do with the details of Holmes’ life as a retired man.
So, this is not the first time the copyright owners are interfering with content in Holmes adaptations. To complicate things further there seems to be two different estates claiming copyright for Doyle’s work. In 2010 there was some reporting that another estate had threatened Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes movies with disapproval after Robert Downey Junior had discussed Holmes possibly being gay on a TV show (X). According to Digital Spy, Andrea Plunket, who then represented the ‘Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate’, said: "I hope this is just an example of Mr Downey's black sense of humour. It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future. I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books."
It’s very unclear which legal rights Andrea Plunket’s family (Andrea apparently died in 2016) actually has to represent ACD’s work, though. Andrea had been married to one of the copyright owners, and her family’s money had paid for the purchase of those rights, but after her divorce Andrea seems to have lost her part in the copyright, according to @mallamun on tumblr: (X). There’s also a lot of interesting things to read about these copyright issues in an article by Mattias Bodström from 2015: (X). However, there’s still a website from ‘Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate’ claiming ownership of the stories: X, and they have published a detailed account of their version of the matter (X).
The current case
I have no idea what the court will think about these new accusations against Netflix et al, but to me, if this isn’t farfetched, I don’t know what is. I think a good case could be made for most of these ‘unique’ elements listed above being expressed already before the Case Book. For example, in His Last Bow (LAST, 1917) they use a car, in The Dying Detective (DYIN, 1913) Holmes manages to fool Dr Watson that he’s very sick. When Watson declares his intent to marry for the first time already in The Sign of Four (SIGN, 1890), Holmes resorts to drugs. The dogs are all over the place since day one, and Holmes seems to appreciate them very much, not least Toby in SIGN.
And don’t get me started on the contradictions in Watson’s various discussions of whether Holmes has a heart. Holmes’ actions of helping people often contradicts the image of a cold, emotionless person. The Yellow Face (YELL, 1893) ends with Holmes being deeply repentant for being over-confident in his suspicion of a woman for adultery or maybe worse offences, when she was actually only trying to protect her little daughter from society’s racism.
In the Devil’s Foot (DEVI, 1910) there’s the following conversation (my bolding):
“Upon my word, Watson!” said Holmes at last with an unsteady voice, “I owe you both my thanks and an apology. It was an unjustifiable experiment even for one’s self, and doubly so for a friend. I am really very sorry.”
“You know,” I answered with some emotion, for I had never seen so much of Holmes’s heart before, “that it is my greatest joy and privilege to help you.”
Why on earth would it be a “surprising artistic decision” from ACD to develop Holmes into a little more caring and openly compassionate person as he grew older? Isn’t that the very classical character development of any literary hero’s journey and also a logical personal development for many people in the real world? It’s called ‘learning’ and ‘maturing’, as far as I know. To claim this is infringement of some unique idea is frankly ridiculous.
In short: They make a very literal, textual interpretation of the Holmes character, cherry-picking the parts that suit their interests, they claim there’s a clear story arc with very separate characteristics before and after WWI, and that they own the end of it. Thus, no adaptation with a progressive story arc regarding Holmes’ character would be permitted without their consent. Since apparently BBC Sherlock have ACD’s Estate’s license for their own franchise, this just makes me wonder how much trouble Mofftiss et al had with including things like Sherlock’s and John’s hug in TLD, or his emotional breakdown with the coffin after Eurus’ experiments on him in TFP.
Possible satirical meaning and small hints
Allow me to speculate a bit about the possible implications of BBC Sherlock in relation to the Estate. In a recent excellent meta by @raggedyblue, the ACD Estate as ‘Doyle’s bank’ is discussed, regarding the significance of the banker Sebastian Wilkes in The Blind Banker (X). Many interesting ideas are presented in this meta, I really recommend a read. This topic also initiated an interesting discussion about Doyle himself mirroring John in this post by @devoursjohnlock (X).
In an addition to that meta @shylockgnomes brings up John’s blog post about Tilly Briggs as another possible reference to the Estate (X). I totally agree with this; some time around the release of BBC Dracula this year, and our discussions about legal issues connected to both shows, I stumbled upon this particular ‘aborted’ blog post and came to realise its possible significance. It gave me the idea to change the title of my own blog to “Tilly Briggs Ship with Johnlock on it”, since I suspect that the blog post might be a clue about legal obstacles to a certain relationship. And that title is staying, at least until we know the true story (if ever).
Canon contains some info about Matilda Briggs is in The Sussex Vampire, one of the late ACD stories that should be in public domain by now, since the copyright supposedly expired in December 2019. But, as shown above, the Estate now claims there’s a three-year lapse when they can still sue for infringement. Here’s the quote from SUSS (my bolding):
“Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson,” said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. “It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.” Sumatra, by the way, was Sherlock’s preferred destination in the TST tale of the merchant who met Death in Samarra. In Sherlock’s version, according to Mycroft, the merchant survived and became a pirate... ;-)
John’s aborted blog post (X) is titled “Tilly Briggs Cruise of Terror”, which just might be yet another little jibe at the Estate. John says that “I had to take this post down for a while as the ship's owners are launching an appeal”. According to Jacob Sowersby (a Sherlock fan on the blog) and Mike Stamford, this was “mind-blowing stuff”:
So I can’t help thinking this sounds like a hint to us about the Estate and a certain ‘ship’ which is still partly in their (legal) power and control. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the whole show - on the meta level - is partly meant as a satirical commentary on how Holmes’ and Watson’s characters, and therefore also their relationship, have been treated the last 100+ years by their ‘owners’. A treatment where I believe the hetero norm has always ruled, and where Andrea Plunket’s quote above indicates that homophobia regarding Holmes and Watson is still tied to legal obstacles.
Charles Augustus Magnussen also talks about ownership at the beginning of HLV (thanks for the quotes, Ariane DeVere): “Of course it isn’t blackmail. This is... ownership”. And later in the episode: “It’s all about knowledge. Everything is. Knowing is owning”. In fact, quite a bit of emphasis in HLV is put on Magnussen’s ‘ownership’ of characters people: “I’m a businessman, acquiring assets. You happen to be one of them!” Apparently - as this new lawsuit shows - it’s even possible to make money out of Holmes’ emotions.
@catwillowtree also pointed out, in another additional thread to @raggedyblue’s meta, that Eurus’ burning down Musgrave Hall – the family estate - in TFP also seems like a reference to the ACD Estate. I would add to this, saying that the bomb that didn’t go off in TEH and the “patience grenade” that did go off in TFP might have to do with the same issue. What would happen if the ‘bomb’ of Johnlock would go off before the relevant stories are legally in public domain? Most probably another lawsuit from the Estate, which might become very expensive.
Come to think of it, in TGG Greg Lestrade mentions an estate agent, when Sherlock receives a text message and a phone call on the pink phone from Moriarty: “What the hell are we supposed to make of that? An estate agent’s photo and the bloody Greenwich pips!” Well, if the Estate agent is somehow connected to the five pips, that fandom theory of the pips representing five series in the show comes to mind... For every pip in TGG there’s a victim covered in explosives; a huge bomb threatening to go off. (The third bomb did go off in TGG, but in S3 Sherlock found the ‘off-switch’ in time). If the fifth bomb is to explode in S5, I bet it won’t be until the relevant stories are safely in public domain. 2023?
More wild speculation while I’m at it: Maybe Sherlock and Ajay’s smashing of Thatcher busts in TST also ties in metaphorically to the same topic? The Thatcher era was not easy for LGBTQ people. There are several owners in TST whose Thatcher busts need to be smashed in order for Ajay’s lost memory stick to be recovered. AGRA is referred to as Ajay’s and Mary’s “family”. The memory stick contains personal information, ‘who you really are’. Could be read as if the info of who Sherlock Holmes really is can only be released once certain obstacles are overcome...
In another interesting meta from last year by @yeah-oh-shit (X), they mention the secret underground station at Sumatra road in TEH, where Howard Shilcott tells Sherlock and John that “They built the platforms, even the staircases, but it all got tied up in legal disputes, so they never built the station on the surface.” So maybe S5 is basically already written? It would make sense to me if the long hiatus we’re facing right now has a far more logical reason than the excuses Mofftiss have presented in interviews - the risk of legal disputes with the copyright owners.
Tagging some more people who might be interested: @gosherlocked @ebaeschnbliah @sarahthecoat @sagestreet @thepersianslipper
ETA: I have corrected some details about the copyright owners in this post; thanks @devoursjohnlock for pointing them out!
129 notes
·
View notes
Note
Do you think this Armie Hammer cannibalism scandal thing will ruin Death on the Nile?
Death on the Nile has been affected by the scandal, yes, one way or another, just by association. I don’t see how it wouldn’t be. It’s a given, it’s how Hollywood works. What we don’t know is the extent of the damage, not just to the production, but in effect the Agatha Christie Estate, or even Kenneth Branagh because he's the director and person responsible for casting Armie (it’s unfair, I know, I feel so bad for everyone involved).
And I say “one way or another” because “He’s fantasizing about cannibalism during sex!” is but the tip of the iceberg of a much more complex issue that includes sexual assault allegations, women coming forward on social media about his sexual abuse, etc. There’s a lot to this story. :(
The allegations give me flashbacks of another Agatha Christie adaptation, the Ordeal by Innocence (2018) tv series, that had to re-cast one of its main actors because of a very similar scandal. BBC spent 12 days re-shooting 35 scenes after allegations against W*stwick.
So here we are again and it’s heart-breaking.
What does this mean for Death on the Nile? I think its fate depends on whether the full scope of the scandal is reported by October when the film is supposed to come out. Also, will the story reach any major outlets like The New York Times (if any of the people involved go on record in interviews, so far it’s only been via social media) or will it remain on smaller media websites and in gossip rags? Will there be a legal battle? How will Armie and his team deal with the allegations in the following months? What is their strategy? Is there going to be a statement from the film studio?
We can’t predict the outcome at this point or what route the studio will take because the story is developing, and Disney and Armie have made no statements about DOTN. They’re waiting just like we are. While the Christie Estate could potentially distance themselves from the film if they so wanted, the issue is more complicated for Disney and Ken and I’m sure they’re having meetings about their options, discussing Plan A, Plan B, etc.
It goes without saying, the bigger and far-reaching the scandal, the more inclined would the studio be to do "damage control". Movie studios are in the business of making money, so bottom line for them is, how much money are we losing because of the scandal, and how big of a hit can our reputation take if we don’t act?
What options does Disney have? Here are a few I can think of:
- They release the film in theatres as planned, and accept any bad press, potential loss of box office, etc. The “keeping fingers crossed, hope for the best” option. Sidenote: Hopefully this option does not lower the chances of a potential third Poirot film.
- They release it but remove Armie from future promos, solo + group interviews, and cut down his screentime in clips and trailers. In short: they don’t advertise he’s in the film.
- They dump the film on streaming only, and decide against a theatrical release, which may be contractually impossible because DOTN originated as a Fox movie, and Disney signed the agreement about a theatrical release. Or so it’s been reported.
- They lessen Armie’s screentime in the film itself, though it's debatable to what extent it can be done because he's not a side character but the other male lead besides Ken. It’s also debatable what purpose cutting down his screentime would serve, he’s still IN the movie.
- They re-cast Armie with a new actor, which would not only mean re-doing the whole promo campaign with new trailers and posters and everything (they’d have to start all over again from scratch), but also very expensive re-shoots and pickups in the middle of a pandemic, unless they delay DOTN until 2022. The cast would need to be in the same physical shape as before, and be willing to re-do a big chunk of the film. Some may accept a smaller paycheck out of loyalty to Ken.
It would be a logistical nightmare getting all the cast together again for group scenes because the actors have already signed on to other projects and may not be available. Group scenes like those several minutes-long uninterrupted shots Ken is famous for, would be hardest to re-do, while some scenes could be re-shot against blue/green screen or on the studio set instead of on location like before.
They could also use alternate takes from the original shoot, or film more closeups of each actor separately for dialogue scenes, rather than having them all in the same shot (because they only have limited time with the group). This way the shots give the illusion our actors are all present in the room and talking to each other but in reality they were filmed on different dates (depending on actor availability). Ken would need to improvise a lot.
It all comes down to how much money Disney would be willing to spend on re-shoots of a film they got from another studio via the Disney-Fox acquisition, a project they’ve delayed several times already due to the pandemic. How invested is Disney in DOTN?
- They CGI another actor's face over Armie’s for certain scenes to save on cost, and re-shoot the rest with a new actor. CGI is an expensive option that could produce very awkward results, but may still end up being cheaper than re-shooting EVERYTHING with the new actor and the rest of the cast. However, I think this option is unlikely.
I’m sure there’s more. Someone mentioned selling the film to another studio. I don’t know how realistic that is. At this point in the developing story, my theory is they’ll go with option 1 or 2, just put the film out and try to move on from the drama. It’s not in the studio’s interest to re-cast and re-shoot because it would mean more budget spending. But who knows where the story will lead us...
Thanks for your question and take care!
#Anonymous#replies#trigger warning#what alternate reality is this :/#i wonder how ken is feeling#sorry for not addressing the matter sooner#but there's a lot to take in#especially for an outsider looking in#and i had my birthday to celebrate
21 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
mayra5381
Mayra
mind-spirit-body-energy
Untitled
lucxboyce
defiant shit show
schpicy
Schpicy
jstnurmind
JSTNURMIND