#its the crash course lecture by john green | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

regulusrules · 17 days

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Yo, I saw your post about orientalism in relation to the "hollywood middle-east" tiktok!

How can a rando and university dropout get into and learn more about? Any literature or other content to recommend?

Hi!! Wow, you have no idea how you just pressed a button. I'll unleash 5+ years on you. And I'll even add for you open-sourced works that you can access as much as I can!

1. Videos

I often find this is the best medium nowadays to learn anything! I'll share with you some of the best that deal with the topic in different frames

• This is a video of Edward Said talking about his book, Orientalism. Said is the Palestinian- American critic who first introduced the term Orientalism, and is the father of postcolonial studies as a critical literary theory. In this book, you’ll find an in-depth analysis of the concept and a deconstruction of western stereotypes. It’s very simple and he explains everything in a very easy manner.

• How Islam Saved Western Civilization. A more than brilliant lecture by Professor Roy Casagranda. This, in my opinion, is one of the best lectures that gives credit to this great civilization, and takes you on a journey to understand where did it all start from.

• What’s better than a well-researched, general overview Crash Course about Islam by John Green? This is not necessarily on orientalism but for people to know more about the fundamental basis of Islam and its pillars. I love the whole playlist that they have done about the religion, so definitely refer to it if you're looking to understand more about the historical background! Also, I can’t possibly mention this Crash Course series without mentioning ... ↓

• The Medieval Islamicate World. Arguably my favourite CC video of all times. Hank Green gives you a great thorough depiction of the Islamic civilization when it rose. He also discusses the scientific and literary advancements that happened in that age, which most people have no clue about! And honestly, just his excitement while explaining the astrolabe. These two truly enlightened so many people with the videos they've made. Thanks, @sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog

2. Documentaries

• This is an AMAZING documentary called Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Villifies A People by the genius American media critic Jack Shaheen. He literally analysed more than 1000 movies and handpicked some to showcase the terribly false stereotypes in western depiction of Arab/Muslim cultures. It's the best way to go into the subject, because you'll find him analysing works you're familiar with like Aladdin and all sorts.

• Spain’s Islamic Legacy. I cannot let this opportunity go to waste since one of my main scopes is studying feminist Andalusian history. There are literal gems to be known about this period of time, when religious coexistence is documented to have actually existed. This documentary offers a needed break from eurocentric perspectives, a great bird-view of the Islamic civilization in Europe and its remaining legacy (that western history tries so hard to erase).

• When the Moors Ruled in Europe. This is one of the richest documentaries that covers most of the veiled history of Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Bettany Hughes discusses some of the prominent rulers, the brilliance of architecture in the Arab Muslim world, their originality and contributions to poetry and music, their innovative inventions and scientific development, and lastly, La Reconquista; the eventual fall and erasure of this grand civilization by western rulers.

3. Books

• Rethinking Orientalism by Reina Lewis. Lewis brilliantly breaks the prevailing stereotype of the “Harem”, yk, this stupid thought westerns projected about arab women being shut inside one room, not allowed to go anywhere from it, enslaved and without liberty, just left there for the sexual desires of the male figures, subjugated and silenced. It's a great read because it also takes the account of five different women living in the middle east.

• Nocturnal Poetics by Ferial Ghazoul. A great comparative text to understand the influence and outreach of The Thousand and One Nights. She applies a modern critical methodology to explore this classic literary masterpiece.

• The Question of Palestine by Edward Said. Since it's absolutely relevant, this is a great book if you're looking to understand more about the Palestinian situation and a great way to actually see the perspective of Palestinians themselves, not what we think they think.

• Arab-American Women's Writing and Performance by S.S. Sabry. One of my favourite feminist dealings with the idea of the orient and how western depictions demeaned arab women by objectifying them and degrading them to objects of sexual desire, like Scheherazade's characterization: how she was made into a sensual seducer, but not the literate, brilliantly smart woman of wisdom she was in the eastern retellings. The book also discusses the idea of identity and people who live on the hyphen (between two cultures), which is a very crucial aspect to understand arabs who are born/living in western countries.

• The Story of the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane-Poole. This is a great book if you're trying to understand the influence of Islamic culture on Europe. It debunks this idea that Muslims are senseless, barbaric people who needed "civilizing" and instead showcases their brilliant civilization that was much advanced than any of Europe in the time Europe was labelled by the Dark Ages. (btw, did you know that arabic was the language of knowledge at that time? Because anyone who was looking to study advanced sciences, maths, philosophy, astronomy etc, had to know arabic because arabic-speaking countries were the center of knowledge and scientific advancements. Insane, right!)

• Convivencia and Medieval Spain. This is a collection of essays that delve further into the idea of “Convivencia”, which is what we call for religious coexistence. There's one essay in particular that's great called Were Women Part of Convivencia? which debunks all false western stereotypical images of women being less in Islamic belief. It also highlights how arab women have always been extremely cultured and literate. (They practiced medicine, studied their desired subjects, were writers of poetry and prose when women in Europe couldn't even keep their surnames when they married.)

4. Novels / Epistolaries

• Granada by Radwa Ashour. This is one of my favourite novels of all time, because Ashour brilliantly showcases Andalusian history and documents the injustices and massacres that happened to Muslims then. It covers the cultural erasure of Granada, and is also a story of human connection and beautiful family dynamics that utterly touches your soul.

• Dreams of Trespass by Fatema Mernissi. This is wonderful short read written in autobiographical form. It deconstructs the idea of the Harem in a postcolonial feminist lens of the French colonization of Morocco.

• Scheherazade Goes West by Mernissi. Mernissi brilliantly showcases the sexualisation of female figures by western depictions. It's very telling, really, and a very important reference to understand how the west often depicts middle-eastern women by boxing them into either the erotic, sensual beings or the oppressed, black-veiled beings. It helps you understand the actual real image of arab women out there (who are not just muslims btw; christian, jew, atheist, etc women do exist, and they do count).

• Letters of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This is a feminist travel epistolary of a British woman which covers the misconceptions that western people, (specifically male travelers) had recorded and transmitted about the religion, traditions and treatment of women in Constantinople, Turkey. It is also a very insightful sapphic text that explores her own engagement with women there, which debunks the idea that there are no queer people in the middle east.

---------------------

With all of these, you'll get an insight about the real arab / islamic world. Not the one of fanaticism and barbarity that is often mediated, but the actual one that is based on the fundamental essences of peace, love, and acceptance.

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judefan830-blog · 4 years

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corvid-knight · 6 years

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Demon Eyes - chapter 19

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13740258/chapters/33178092

Eventually, you tune back into things that're happening around you. Karkat can tell exactly when you do that, too; he stops in the middle of a sentence, wrapping his mind around yours and checking you pretty fucking thoroughly for mental injuries.

I'm fine, man, c'mon, you tell him, and immediately undermine that statement by flinching at the sound of a lighter being flicked. It's just D, you ascertain by the simple method of looking up at him, but holy shit the combination of that noise and the faint scent of tobacco catching...

Karkat growls, deep and rough, and pushes a wave of calming safety into your mind. "Put it out," he says sharply. "Now."

"What—" D gives him a purely confused look, then seems to remember the existence of the cigarette he just lit. "This?"

"No, fuck-for-brains, the dim fucking bulb you call your intellect—of course that!" The demon huffs and pulls you closer, glaring up at D. "My brother would be giving you a lecture on triggers and shit right now, but I'm fucking not him, so all I've got to say is that you're going to get rid of that, right fucking now, because if Dave has another panic attack I'll be taking it out of your hide—"

I don't have panic attacks, he's not trying to hurt me, and you need to chill, you think at Karkat in an attempt to get him to quit antagonizing the other hunter. It's okay, babe, I'm okay, you know I'm okay—

"Oh, shit," D mutters as he actually processes what Karkat's telling him, tossing the cig down and grinding his heel on it. You can almost feel the dismay pouring out of him as he fishes the pack out of his pocket and tosses it down to you. "Fuck, Dave, I didn't even think about that—he's the one who gave me the fucking habit in the first place, of course you'd have issues with it—"

"God, you need to chill too, you didn't do anything wrong..." You shake your head, fumbling with the half-full pack of cigarettes for a moment. I really don't want these...

I got 'em. Karkat nods, taking the pack and stuffing it in his pocket. "You're destined to never have anybody be chill around you, and you know it. Not me, not him, not anybody. It's your job to call us out on it now, right?"

"Oh, I can definitely do that." You grin back at him, pulling away so you can get to your feet—and taking the hand D offers, when he sees what you're doing. Karkat himself just rolls up with that insanely enviable grace he seems to show every so often, stepping close enough to wrap an arm around your waist. You

...huh. You kind of really like the implications of that gesture. This is probably called overthinking. Or maybe reading too much into things.

Jesus Christ on a motorcycle, you do know that you're right when you assume I'm being possessive on purpose, right? Karkat points out. Then, directed at D, "Are you going back in there?"

D makes a face, but nods. "Yeah, dude, probably have to; even if I blow off the rest of this, go 'hey I showed my face, cool, I'm done,' I still need to go tell Rose at least that I'm out, maybe say hi to Dirk and his crew—"

"Rose is here?" You have to cut him off and get confirmation on that, and when he nods again you can't stop a stupid grin from spreading across your whole damn face. Holy shit—you get to see your sister. She's probably no more than a hundred feet away from you. Holy shit. "Hell yes."

"You," Karkat states, very firmly, "are not going back in. D's telling Dirk where you went, and we're going home."

Home. Shit. Home, to Dirk and Jake and John's house, except now it's kind of your house, as least as far as you live there.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll drive you," D offers while you're still getting over the whole shock value of having an actual fucking semipermanent residence again.

"We're fine with waiting." Karkat shrugs and leans back against the wall, glancing at you again. We are okay with waiting, right?

"Yes, Karkat, I can handle hanging around out here. I'm not fucking dying, asshole; do you see brains leaking out my ears? Huh? Do you? Does it look like I'm—holy shit!"

Even as your hands come up to clutch at your head in instinctive response to the shock of the fucking huge surge of magic you just felt, you see several things happen at once. Karkat goes stiff and changes, eyes burning brighter and horns flickering into existence again; D drops into a combat stance, his attention obvious flickering between you and everything else, looking for a threat as two knives seem to just appear from nowhere in his hands; and a really fucking big, pure white dog skids around the corner of the building and almost crashes into you, swerving just in time and giving you barely a glance before it comes to a stop and starts barking at D.

"What the fuck—" Karkat starts, but D just waves a hand at him, slipping one knife back up into his sleeve and securing it in the forearm holster before bending down to hold his hand in front of the dog's mouth.

As soon as he does, it drops a very-wet but amazingly unchewed piece of paper in it.

That's weird as fuck, you think, forcing yourself to unwind your hands from your hair. "D, what—"

"Goddamnit, not again," he groans before you can finish your question, shoving the paper down in his pocket and leaning down to look the dog in its bright green eyes. "Do me a favor and stay with these two, Jade? Demons ain't exactly your shit anyway, not in these circumstances."

"Wait, Jade?" Okay, what the actual fuck. You look down at the dog as D heads for the door, and she looks back up at you.

Damn. The eyes are the right color. And you don't know much about dogs, but you're pretty sure that they're not supposed to look this much like they're smiling.

Jade barks again and jumps up on her hind feet, her front paws propped up on your shoulders so she can lick at your face. There is absolutely no way you can avoid this affection. Even though it's getting you hella slimy, you're not sure you want to. She's so fucking happy, holy shit?

Karkat is trying to get your attention. He's backed down from the full combat readiness he was at a second ago, but he's still agitated as fuck, so you reluctantly push Jade off you and turn to him.

"Stay here," the demon says, before you can even ask him what's wrong.

"No fucking chance, if you're going in there." And he's planning on it; he's already moving in the same direction D went, taking long quick strides that have you almost running to keep up with him, and Jade trotting beside you both. "Why exactly are you about to walk into a building full of hunters, again? Like, I'm with you every step of the way, but maybe—"

"Dave, I love you, but stop talking." He puts a soft growl in the last two words, and slips through the door.

You follow, and get really fucking overwhelmed as soon as you're in the room, to the point where you have to close your eyes and let your mind adjust. Shit, you thought it was bad when everybody was feeling approximately the same set of emotions? This is ridiculous—you can catch anger, confusion, a couple spikes of absolute delight, fear, rage—

Okay, okay, I can feel shit; how the hell do I stop feeling it?

That's the question, and Karkat is apparently too distracted to answer it. Okay. That's okay. You can handle this. As long as you don't panic, you can totally handle this.

You're fine.

You try thinking of everyone else's emotions the same way you'd think of your own, in any situation where Bro was watching you: they're there, and there's nothing you can do about that, but if you hold yourself in and don't think about them, don't let your attention get caught up, you can make them not exist for a minute at least. And it kinda works. Makes the dizzying press of emotion recede a little, enough for you to take a deep breath and open your eyes.

And then you have to take another minute to process what the hell you're seeing. Everyone's drawn back from the center of the room, other than Rose (Rose! Holy shit she got really fucking pretty and also really fucking scary) and a pale girl you don't know, at least until she hisses at the other two individuals in the middle of the room and you see her sharp fangs. That's gotta be the vampire, Rose's girlfriend, Kanaya.

The two in the middle really give you pause, though. They're demons. Like, really demons, at least the one in the shimmering warding circle is; the other one you're not totally sure about. The latter, a short and mostly-humanish lady (your mind insists she's a Lady, even if she looks like she picked her clothes out of a dumpster full of rejected neon-grunge fashion and gave herself a haircut with a not-too-sharp knife) seems mostly focused on either the summoning circle or the pissed-off demon inside.

D is over by Rose, asking her questions too quietly for you to hear and receiving mostly head-shake yes's and no's. After a second of hesitation, you head across the room to join them, with Jade right by your side.

"Stop," Rose hisses without taking her eyes off the demon, as you step up next to D. "You're going to make me drop the barrier—"

"Why the fucking christ would you summon a demon? Why here?" D doesn't even sound worried. Just really fucking exasperated, like this is something that's happened before. Your sister is absolutely terrifying. "This is a fucking funeral, Rose—"

"This is a memorial, not a funeral, and I summoned a Balancekeeper, the demon just—sort of came along, I don't know!" She shakes her head, short hair flying everywhere, and spares you a quick glance. "Hello, Dave."

"Hey, Rose." That's literally the only thing you can come up with. To buy time, you glance back at the demons in the middle of the room, and instantly regret it because the one inside the circle seems to be shapeshifting into a really bigspider. Jesus. "Are you gonna, uh...maybe send it back?"

"I didn't summon her in the first place!" This time Rose's voice briefly rises above the hissing whisper she's been keeping it at, to a level that can almost carry a tone of panic, before she gets herself under control again. "I can't exactly banish what I didn't call—fuck, now there's two—"

Even though you don't want to see the damn spider again, you turn around anyway. Rose is right; there's definitely two demons there now, plus the neon grunge whatever-she-is—but one is Karkat, who's approached the warding circle and is standing there with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Thankfully, the other demon's gone back to mostly-human form, not that you can see her that clearly through the shimmering barrier—just an impression of a lot of denim and long messy dark hair. Better than the spider.

As you watch, Karkat meets your eyes for just a second, sending you a burst of reassurance that immediately makes you suspicious as hell as to what he's about to do that makes him think you need that.

And you're right to be suspicious—he takes a step back from the barrier, then lets out a low growl that you can still hear across the room and changes, going from human to full demon in half a heartbeat and spreading his inky-red wings wide.

Rose yelps, Kanaya hisses again, and you're guessing that weapons come out, but you're not gonna scan the room to check. No, you're more interested in getting to Karkat as fast as possible, get behind him and guard his back from the attack you know will come because even if you can't keep him safe you can damn well make sure you go down fighting for him—

In the couple seconds it takes you to reach Karkat and fall into a defensive stance behind him, he's humanish again and the barrier holding the demon in is gone. Rose apparently lost her concentration when Karkat shifted. So now you have to fucking decide, what's the bigger threat: hunters or spider demon?

Karkat seems to have the latter handled, although that might be because she hasn't actually done anything beyond huffing irritably and flipping her hair back. The other one, Miss Fashion Disaster, makes a satisfied sound and steps up next to her.

"Karkat," the spider demon says, drawing his name out in a way that trips both your Instinctive Jealousy and Fearful Irritation switches at once. "What's a tough guy like you doing in a place like this?"

"I was fucking invited." Okay, why does he sound this calm. Annoyed yes, but calm. "Unlike you, Vriska."

"I was invited!" Fashion Disaster points out cheerfully. Now that you actually look at her up close, you realize that there's something fucked up about her eyes; they're red, almost the same color as Karkat's but devoid of pupil or iris, with scars marking the skin around them. Makes sense; she definitely dresses like she's blind. "Well, summoned, but who gives a fuck? Nothing says I can't bring a plus-one."

"Oh my fucking god." Karkat sighs and rubs his forehead. "You can't bring a fucking plus-one to a funeral."

Rose says, quietly but firmly, "Memorial."

The blind neon fashion disaster laughs at that. Really loudly. Vriska the weird spider demon just snickers.

You're really confused right now and kind of wish that this whole clusterfuck was a thing that wasn't happening.

"Can all y'all please leave?" D says. He sounds like this was the last thing he wanted to deal with today, and you sympathize with that sentiment. "You ladies gotta know everyone here is armed and ready to handle threats, but we'd all rather keep the bloodshed to a minimum. No need to get set for another memorial when we're not done with the one we got now, right?"

Vriska grins at him, a smile full of too many sharp teeth. "I mean, I bet we could make a deal for us to leave..."

"Oh fuck no—" Karkat grabs her arm as she takes a step towards D, hauling her backwards and growling back as she snarls at him. "No fucking deals! This isn't a crossroad—"

"It's a metaphorical one!"

"I don't give a flying fuck! I'm not handling the aftermath of your stupid shit today—"

Fashion Disaster laughs again, a gleeful cackle that has everybody looking at her again. (Well, everyone besides the two demons, who're more focused on each other.) When you look at her, she seems to be interested in you.

Shit.

"So you're the one on trial here, huh?" Yeah, fuck, there's no one else she could be talking to. Fuck. Fuck. "Kinda weird, that your blood kin is the one to summon me when she pretty obviously thinks you're innocent."

"Leave him be, Balancekeeper," Rose warns, stepping up next to you. "You haven't heard the issue to be judged—"

"Do I need to, when I can taste how much guilt he's carrying and how many people want to jump up and accuse him?" Goddamnit, why the fuck does she have to grin like that?

...and there's people here who want to accuse me of something? No, not of an undefined "something." You know what you did. They know too, huh? They all know I had Bro killed, fuck—

Yeah. Here comes the panic again. You can feel Karkat trying to curl around your thoughts and get you to listen to him even as he argues with the spider demon, but since you've got your mind mostly closed to keep out everything else, it's not working all that well.

"Hey," the Balancekeeper says. When you don't immediately focus on her, she reaches up and grabs your chin, blunt nails digging in slightly as she pulls you down to look in her eyes. They're red, and they're blank, and holy shit they're so fucking bright it's like looking in the sun. "Let's get this over with."

"Get the fuck off me!"

She does let you twist free of her grip pretty easily, but when you stagger away from her you realize that you're not where you were before. There's no one here, for one thing, and instead of the room you were in, this place is just...featureless. White walls, white floor, white ceiling some unmeasurable distance away from you. What the fuck?

"Karkat?" Karkat! You shout the demon's name and call for him in your mind, and get no response either way. No. Fuck. Please no.

"Calm down, cool dude," the Balancekeeper says. When you turn back to her she's seated on a white platform that's too featureless to be called a chair—which wasn't there a second ago—watching you with a thoughtful look. "You only stay in the courtroom until the judge—that's me—reaches a decision."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you didn't go through due process, bitch, so—"

"Shush." She shakes her head and crosses her arms, nodding to the second platform just behind you that also wasn't there a second ago. "Sit down, shades off, if you call me a bitch without providing due reason I'll find you in contempt of court."

"The due reason of you being a bitch is that you dragged me here without asking me." You do what she says, though, carefully folding your shades and turning them over and over in your hands as you glare at her. "Or fucking telling me what you're accusing me of." Not that you don't know.

And she knows you know, because she gives you another disturbingly wide grin. "See, we have two courses of action here—one, you tell me what you've been accused of, or two, I scry your past and see for myself."

"Like you could see anything."

"Right, make fun of the blind girl, very mature. If you weren't about ready to have a meltdown I'd find you in contempt of court—"

"Would that get me out of this shit?"

"No. But since you're obviously having issues today, I'll let it slide." She shrugs, sitting up a little straighter. "State your name for the record."

"What record?"

"My record, wiseguy, and also because I'd like something to call you other than 'cool dude' or 'Mr. Black Licorice Guilt.'"

"Mister what now?"

"You taste like you're just waiting for somebody to jump on you and call you out on something; I bet even humans can see it." She shrugs, resettling herself on the white chair, and frowns thoughtfully. "You're also stubborn and that tastes disgusting. Stop it."

"Make me." Why the actual fuck am I antagonizing a demon, exactly? "You know what? You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."

That earns you another cackle, and she nods without even hesitating. "Cool andsmart! You can have this point, Mr. Licorice—presiding over today's trial is Terezi Pyrope, summoned to arbitrate a dispute. Hopefully this one, because that's what I'm doing." Terezi pauses, raising her eyebrows in your general direction. "And the accused is..."

Shit. You guess you agreed to this information, if nothing else. "Dave Strider."

"Do you know what you stand accused of?" When you don't answer, Terezi huffs irritably. "C'mon, now, we both know you do. Do I really need to slap a geas on you to get you to talk?"

"Go ahead and try." You resist the urge to reach up and touch the scarred tattoo at the back of your neck. "I'm a fucking hunter. We ward against that."

"Point one: I'm a Balancekeeper, and this is a courtroom—wards against truthtelling spells aren't going to work here. Point two: your warding mark's broken to the point of uselessness." Terezi's mouth twists in distaste, the tip of her tongue poking out for just a second. "That fact is entered into the evidence as Exhibit A."

"You can't have evidence when you haven't fucking accused me of anything!"

"It's evidence in your favor, idiot, and it's not my fault you won't state what you're accused of." She shakes her head, and even though her eyes are just blank scarlet you're pretty sure she's rolling them at you. "So let's try this again. Do you know what you're on trial for, Mister Dave Strider? And if you don't answer, I willmake you answer."

Goddamnit. You don't want her working magic on you, especially now that you're certain that the way Bro scarred your neck rendered the protection rune there useless. Did he know that? Did he fucking care?

"Dave?"

"Yeah."

"Hm. I guess I set myself up for that, huh? State what you're here to defend yourself for."

Damn. That tactic didn't buy you much time to think about what you're going to say. At least she seems amused instead of annoyed, although if you don't do what she wants that's probably going to change.

So say it. Quit being a fucking coward and say it.

"I had a hunter killed. My Bro." Shit. You shouldn't be admitting it. This could get you killed, you and Karkat both, and while you can handle the former you don't want to even think about the latter—

"True!" Terezi snaps her fingers to get your attention, her wide grin replaced by a surprisingly serious expression. "The accused does not deny that he had a hand in the deceased's death—of course he doesn't! Mr. Strider knows better than to lie to a Balancekeeper!"

"You do know we're the only ones here, right? Like, I realize you're blind—"

"The defendant is ordered to shut up. The issue at hand is not whether or not the deceased is deceased, or how said death happened, or who did it. The only thing I'm interested in is justice!"

There's no way Terezi can see you flinch at that, but she still stops talking and frowns at you. "Does the defendant need a minute to stop freaking out?"

"...no." You just want her to get this over with. Whatever "this" is.

"Oh, good. The purpose of this trial is to determine whether the motives behind the death of the deceased were righteous or flawed. In other words, we can boil this all down to a nice yes-or-no question: did he deserve to die?"

You answer without thinking, give her the response your gut goes to every time you ask yourself that question. "No."

Terezi shakes her head and waves a hand, and the wall behind her shimmers and changes, images appearing on it. The first is a picture of the scarred and broken protection rune on the back of your neck. The second is just the word "REMORSE," written in blue-green capital letters. "Exhibits A and B: defendant has been obviously harmed by the deceased, and defendant nonetheless regrets the deceased's death. He's also scared out of his mind; it tastes awful."

"Shut up." She's right, but that doesn't mean you want to hear it.

"Nope. The judge will ignore that remark because of aforementioned reasons. Hmmm...does the defendant have any more evidence to put on display?"

"I—"

You stop almost immediately, because her blind eyes are fixed on you again, and you can feel something sifting carefully through your mind. Before you can tell her to fucking quit it, Karkat's voice speaks out of the air between you and the Balancekeeper.

"He'll kill you. Or he'll keep you like some kind of fucking beast, just so he can keep getting off on having you hurt and scared."

And it's your voice that answers, so raw and hurt that you cringe down in your seat and close your eyes. "So I fucking hope for the former and expect the latter."

"Defendant," Terezi says quietly, "believed he had cause to fear for his life."

"Get the fuck out of my head—"

She's still digging, but she stops and tilts her head thoughtfully, snapping her fingers again. The wall behind her shimmers again, this time displaying a long list of names. You recognize very few of them—the ones that you do know seem to jump out at you, the teal that they're printed in darkening to almost black. Most of them are names of hunters that you only met one or two times, or of people who were known to have information on demons.

"The deceased had killed before, both with reason—" she snaps her fingers again, and maybe a third of the two hundred or so names go bright, accusing red— "and without." The rest darken to black, with just a few wavering uneasily between the two colors.

Wait. That's what that list is? People Bro killed? "That...can't be right."

"Don't doubt a Balancekeeper, Dave."

"But—" It couldn't be that many. Yeah, there were a lot of jobs, a lot of demons, but that many? And there are hunters' names there—he wouldn't kill hunters, why—

You know why.

He told you he'd kill you if you ever crossed him. You've heard him threaten people who disagreed with his tactics—hell, that was a normal thing, to the point that you fielded texts from other hunters as often as you could, anything to avoid a confrontation that'd end with Bro angry and you left to try and dodge the fallout.

With someone like him, there isn't much space between threatening and acting.

"Fuck." You hear the word come out of your mouth, and hope that Terezi isn't going to threaten you with contempt of court again. You're not even sure what that is or what kind of punishment it'd carry.

"The judge would like to go on record as agreeing with that sentiment." Another wave of her hand, and the list of names shrinks to leave room for her first three pieces of evidence. "I'm not really sure if we're using the old laws or the ones humans have set down and use now, but if we accept any judiciary code which allows the death penalty, the deceased would have earned it twenty times over." She gives you a stern frown, and adds, "Which doesn't mean you have the right to pass judgement, just so you know."

"That's not what—"

"The judge is very aware that the main motive for the deceased's death was self-defense on the part of the defendant, even if the defendant was technically not in danger of being killed at that exact point in time. Exhibits A and E—"

"Uh, there isn't an Exhibit E."

"Damn." Terezi snaps her fingers again, and more images appear below the ones already present: pictures of scars on pale skin. You can place every one of them to where they're traded on your skin. "Sorry, Dave—you're Exhibit E; I forgot to add you into evidence."

" ...can we maybe not look at those right now. Please."

She just nods, and the images darken into obscurity. "Exhibits A and E show undeniable proof of long-term abuse perpetrated by the deceased—"

"He didn't—"

"The judge is going to remember that the defendant does to some extent believe that what he's trying to say is true, which means he's not really lying to a Balancekeeper, because the consequences of that would be really bad."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry, I already struck it from the record. Karkat would kill me if I jacked you up just because I could." Terezi shrugs, standing up; you instinctively do the same. "In conclusion: judge rules that the death of Derrick Strider was justified, self-defense on the part of Dave Strider, who was not able to access any other means of helping himself due to machinations of aforementioned Derrick Strider. Dave Strider is not to be held accountable for Derrick's death, or punished for it, now or at any time in the future. C'mere."

"Wait, what—" But she's already grabbed the collar of your shirt, pulling you down enough that she's able to...lick you.

Eugh.

Terezi's more slobbery than Jade was, and Jade's currently a dog. You pull out of her grip as soon as you can, taking a step back and wiping your sleeve across your face to clear the spot out of your eyes.

"Dave!" Karkat yelps.

Okay, well, you're back in the room where you started. Nobody seems to really notice your and the Balancekeeper's disappearance and reappearance, other than Karkat, who's currently inside a new binding circle with Vriska. Going by the fact that he's got her right arm twisted behind her and his other arm hooked around her neck, you're going to guess that they're not getting along too well.

"Here you go," Terezi says cheerfully, stepping over to Rose and shoving a folder into her hands. (The barrier holding Karkat and Vriska dissolves as Rose gets distracted, but the two demons are still occupied with trying to beat the shit out of each other.) "The ruling and full transcripts of the trial, with known laws that were referenced cited."

"But—" Rose starts. Terezi cuts her off with another cackle.

"You guys are really obsessed with asses here, huh? Vris, c'mon, playtime's over!" The Balancekeeper brushes past you, grabbing the spider demon's shirt as she tries to lunge at Karkat again. "Seriously, give it a rest."

"Fuck you!" But Vriska doesn't fight for more than a second, calming almost immediately and slinging an arm around Terezi's shoulders. "Ugh. Fine. Later, losers."

Rose has her mouth open to protest, but the two of them are already gone.

For a second, nobody in the room moves except D, who's shifting his weight from foot to foot, scanning the room for any new threats. Amazingly, you're the one who actually acts first.

"Holy shit, 'kat." You step over to the demon, trying to ignore everybody else looking at you, and reach up to push his red hair back from the new scratches on his forehead. "She clawed you up, huh? You okay?"

He winces and nods at the same time, catching your hands and wrapping an arm around your shoulder to steer you towards the door. "Isn't that what I should be asking you? Terezi has problems with personal space when she's fulfilling her duty..."

"Well, that is what Balancekeepers are meant to do," Hal points out, falling into step next to you. "Although the question still stands."

"I'm okay." For now at least. Later, you're going to have to get that folder from Rose, go over the list of names—

"There's absolutely no way you're doing that," Karkat growls. "Hal, are you going back to the house?"

The shikigami nods. "We all are, once Dirk and Jake get John to quit trying to fight some idiot. Rose and the others might actually get there before we do, at this rate—you should ride with them."

"Uh..." Damn, now I have to make decisions.

No, Dave, you really don't, don't worry. Karkat shakes his head and reaches over to grab D's arm, pulling him along towards the exit. "You're the driver, right?"

"Yep." D shakes the demon off after a second, offering you a quick smile. "Sorry. That might've been more than ten minutes."

"I mean, I was the one who held shit up, so..." You shrug. "We're going home now. It's all good."

And despite the fact that you have no real reason to, you feel just a little less shitty about having your Bro killed. Maybe it's because the Balancekeeper promised that you won't be punished for it, now or ever.

Stupid, but you feel safer.

It's good.

#demon eyes

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mikebrackett · 7 years

Text

12 Student Resources That Won’t Break the Bank

Whether you’re a high school, college or grad student, study tools can be expensive. With the cost of classes, books and supplies, adding in another resource like a private tutor or high-tech software can add up fast. Luckily, there are a number of online tools and phone applications that can help you make the most of your study time. And the best part? They’re either free or super cheap. This list has resources designed to help with things like creating bibliographies, taking notes and even getting up in the morning. Take a look!

Note Organization

Keeping notes organized in an easily accessible location is a great way to make studying easier. If traditional pen and paper notes aren’t your style, then these resources are for you.

Evernote

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as Windows computers

For all students

Evernote is probably the most well-known app on this list. It’s a free service designed specifically for note taking, to-do lists and saving online information. It works on a number of different platforms, allowing you to access and edit your class notes wherever you are. However, the free service only syncs with two devices per account. A paid account allows for more devices.

Google Keep

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as internet browsers

For all students

If you’re a big fan of Google programs and are concerned with the two-device restriction of Evernote, then Google Keep may be the solution for you. It’s known for its simple, easy-to-use setup and its OCR feature, which lets you turn photos of documents into editable text. Google Keep doesn’t have as many features as Evernote and requires a Google account to use, but it does connect directly to Google Docs, which you can use to convert notes to PDF or Word files.

Online Lectures

Online lectures are a great resource for anyone who wants to supplement class lectures and readings. They aren’t a substitute for going to class, but they’re a convenient way to brush up on forgotten material and to review what you’ve already learned.

Bozeman Science Videos

Accessible via internet browsers

For high school and college students

Created by educational consultant and YouTube creator Paul Anderson, the Bozeman video series covers a wide variety of science-related topics, from biology to earth sciences, and features subcategories dedicated to the major AP science tests. Although the videos are hosted on YouTube, the website offers a clear organizational style that makes it easy to find the topic you’re looking for.

Khan Academy

Accessible via internet browsers

For high school, college and GRE prep students as well as students in lower grades

Although this collection of instructional videos and practice exercises now features sections devoted to science, the humanities and economics, the majority of the Khan Academy’s content is focused on math. Created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan (not to be confused with the famous Bollywood actor!), the website is organized by subject and then by subtopic, with each handled like its own miniature class. You can quiz yourself, review areas you’re still uncertain about, and track your progress as you move through the lectures, making this a great supplement to in-class learning.

Crash Course

Accessible via internet browsers

For high school and college students

With probably the most visually exciting video lectures featured on this list, Crash Course is a zany feast for the eyes. Crash Course was created by author John Green and his brother Hank Green, and the videos cover topics such as study skills, philosophy, literature and much more. Each area of study is covered by a specific expert and features fun animations to liven up the topic. The videos are casual in style but contain a wealth of information.

Studying and Productivity

So you’ve got your notes and you’ve reviewed some online lectures. Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of studying. These programs will help you make the most of your study time and stay on track.

Cram

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as internet browsers

For all students

Carrying around a pack of flashcards isn’t the only way to test yourself on terms and concepts. Cram, which has a website and mobile phone apps, allows you to take your flashcards with you wherever you go and makes it easy to pick through the facts you know and the ones you don’t. Cram also has more than 191 million premade flashcards to choose from, helping you save some valuable study time. Quizlet and StudyStack are two popular alternatives.

SelfControl

Accessible via Mac computers

For all students

This downloadable computer program for Macs is designed to keep you focused on studying and nothing else. After setting up SelfControl, you choose which distracting websites you want to block and for how long. Once you’ve activated the app, you have to either wait for the time to run out or restart your computer before you can access those sites again. If Facebook and YouTube are taking up too much of your time, this is the app for you.

Zero Willpower/Focus Lock

Zero Willpower: accessible via iOS devices

Focus Lock: accessible via Android devices

Both: for all students

If it’s your phone that’s making it hard for you to study, then these apps may help. Both are simple: They block the things on your phone that make it hard for you to focus. Zero Willpower, which is an app for iOS devices that costs $1.99, lets you block distracting websites like Reddit and YouTube for a set period of time. Focus Lock, a free Android app, works along the same lines but blocks apps instead of websites. While they work a little differently, both are great ways to stop yourself from reaching for your phone when you should be studying.

Alarmy

Accessible via iOS and Android devices

For all students

Getting up in the morning can sometimes be the hardest part of the day. This app is the perfect solution for anyone who’s more likely to hit the snooze button than actually wake up. In fact, this app doesn’t even have a snooze button. There’s only one way to turn off the alarm: Go to the designated area of your house and take a photo. Until then, the alarm will keep blaring, forcing you to get moving.

Projects and Papers

As any student knows well, taking notes and studying for tests aren’t the only tasks that require a lot of time and organization. Completing major projects and writing papers can also be a large part of many classes. These resources are designed to spark ideas and keep everything organized while you work.

Coggle

Accessible via internet browsers

For all students

If you’re a visual person, mind mapping is a great way to get the juices flowing when brainstorming for a project or planning a paper. Coggle is completely free at its basic level and allows for real-time collaboration between individuals. Since it’s a website and not a program or app, the site is accessible virtually anywhere you have access to the internet.

Slack

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as internet browsers

For all students

When you’re working on a group project these days, there’s typically a lot of online communication involved. With texting, emails and face-to-face conversations, it can be difficult to keep everything straight. Slack can simplify this process. The app can be downloaded to your phone and gives you a place to keep project-related texts separate from personal ones. The app also keeps a record of the texts and gives you the ability to generate separate folders, making it easier to organize by topic.

EasyBib

Accessible via internet browsers

For all students

Organizing your sources and citations for a paper can very quickly become a time-consuming task. EasyBib is an amazing online source that not only gathers your citations into one place but also helps you create them in the first place. The free version is currently only for MLA, but students who need APA or Chicago can instead use Citefast, which works in a similar manner.

Although this list is by no means exhaustive, each resource here represents a multitude of other electronic tools available to students. Try searching on your own to uncover many more options. And remember, online resources aren’t the only free tools at your disposal. Many schools offer writing and math labs, where you can get one-on-one help for free, and never underestimate the benefit of talking to your teacher when you have questions.

If you’re looking for other great ways to save money as a student, check out some of the Zing Blog’s other articles and learn how to get through college without breaking the bank, discover unique scholarships to help you pay for school and download some of the apps that can help you save money.

Did we miss any of your favorite budget-friendly student resources? Add them in the comments and help your fellow students out!

Happy studying!

The post 12 Student Resources That Won’t Break the Bank appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/12-student-resources-wont-break-bank

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aaronsniderus · 7 years

Text

12 Student Resources That Won’t Break the Bank

Note Organization

Keeping notes organized in an easily accessible location is a great way to make studying easier. If traditional pen and paper notes aren’t your style, then these resources are for you.

Evernote

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as Windows computers

For all students

Google Keep

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as internet browsers

For all students

Online Lectures

Bozeman Science Videos

Accessible via internet browsers

For high school and college students

Khan Academy

Accessible via internet browsers

For high school, college and GRE prep students as well as students in lower grades

Crash Course

Accessible via internet browsers

For high school and college students

Studying and Productivity

Cram

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as internet browsers

For all students

SelfControl

Accessible via Mac computers

For all students

Zero Willpower/Focus Lock

Zero Willpower: accessible via iOS devices

Focus Lock: accessible via Android devices

Both: for all students

Alarmy

Accessible via iOS and Android devices

For all students

Projects and Papers

Coggle

Accessible via internet browsers

For all students

Slack

Accessible via iOS and Android devices as well as internet browsers

For all students

EasyBib

Accessible via internet browsers

For all students

Did we miss any of your favorite budget-friendly student resources? Add them in the comments and help your fellow students out!

Happy studying!

The post 12 Student Resources That Won’t Break the Bank appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/12-student-resources-wont-break-bank

0 notes