eragon (inheritance cycle) ⚔️

Madame Putiphar Readalong. Book One, Chapter Eleven:

For the final chapter of Book One, we have intriguing character psychology from Deborah, and Borel exploring two fascinating literary tropes.

Othello tailpiece illustrated by Kenny Meadows, engraved by John Orrin Smith, 1846

European Lit Tropes Petrus uses in this chapter:

Ok, so some weeks ago @sainteverge had alerted us on the tags of one of their posts that a certain Nodier story would be relevant for madame Putiphar very soon. The story was The Bloody Nun. (SV has already covered the Lewis -> Nodier -> other French Romantics pipeline)

As I was not familiar with that story my mind went elsewhere and I thought first of the image of Lucia de Lamermoor entering a feast with her bloodied white dress (i am not familiar with the plot of the Opera, but it’s based on the Walter Scott novel, and guess who loved Lewis’ The Monk? Scott did) Besides that, I thought of the trope of a feast that becomes a masacre of some sort, and found out about the restoration play The Bloody Banquet, which is not terribly relevant, but is interesting as hell, and shares with the Borelesian scene the basic outline of a feast or a party that goes terribly wrong thanks to an unexpected bloody deed (in this play's case: disciplinary cannibalism!) Finally, I remembered the series of paintings by Boticelli, the Nastagio degli Onesti. Based on a scene from the Decameron, these pictures depict a young bride being hunted by her husband's hounds on her wedding feast. (and were commissioned as gift for a young bride)

So in these examples we always have a bloody deed disrupting festivities. I find these scenes incredibly effective because they deal in “ostranenie”, making us see these celebrations under a strange new light, they betray spectatorial expectations, images of joy and celebration are turned to bloody massacres, “civilized” fun sometimes degenerates into the taboo of cannibalism. The root of these tropes could lie perhaps in ritualistic practices of Europe’s pagan past? Of course some of the historical events that serve for inspiration are not pagan at all like the Black Dinner.

But going back to the Nodier’s story, (which Cam has already pointed out the similarities) it’s very interesting that the trope of the vengeful ghost is subverted by Borel. No longer the inert, reified body that through a violent death becomes a mute denunciation of society’s brutality upon women, Debby is quite alive, and she decides to return to the party, not maddened like Scott’s Lucy, but in full possession of her rational capacities. And so, her wounds become the ultimate proof of her father’s violence.

Another thing I found very, very intriguing is Debby’s psychological development

-When the wounded Debby is awoken by Patrick, the first thing she does is apologize to him.She confesses her first thought was that Patrick was her aggressor. Deborah has lived her whole life shut within four walls where the most prominent men in her life are constantly violent towards women. Her Father, Chris, are all men of violence, and we know she has repeatedly witnessed her father abusing her mother. Has this trauma left her unable to believe in a male/female relationship that does not involve violence? Or more accurately, any relationship regardless of gender, since we see how her mother treats her, and although she feels a crushing guilt when she thinks of Anne, we know their rapport is also coercive. It’s strange though, despite the recurrent allusions to death and doom Debby uses when speaking of Patrick, we have only seen them being very loving towards each other. Patrick cannot believe what he hears her say. And Debby although contrite, brushes it off as a fruit of her delirium and nothing more. I still find it compelling, and I don’t have a clear explanation as to why her subconscious acted up in such a way. (Patrick has a couple of very beautiful monologues in this chapter, dealing with the theme of their fatalistic fate, and how it would be best for Debby to live on, without him, who is a cursed being)(but of course Debby rejects this nonsense, how could she be happy without him? Their fate is a dark one, but their only joys in life are possible only when they are together)

-the second intriguing aspect from a psychological point of view, is her withdrawing her aggressors’ identity. She brings religion into the matters, claiming their identity is a secret between her and the Heavens. When Patrick maintains he wants revenge, we could assume she withdraws the information to protect him, to get him to leave, which is the wisest plan of action. But beyond these rational reasons, it is very possible that the act was so aberrant Debby simply cannot bring herself to verbalize it. She is left mute by the outrage. Even after all she has seen from her father, she was surprised to find herself his target in chapter IV.

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-We also hear that although she is in tremendous pain, there is no threat to her life. Chris though he had hit Patrick’s heart, but the shot landed on her leg, and most of Chris enthusiastic stabbings did not land. This gives another layer to the black comedy element, and highlights-once more- that their power is merely the social powers they are endowed with. They are clumsy as killers, they are brutal, but do a sloppy job, the sheer physical joy Chris experiences gets him all carried away and prevents him from being efficient. And Cockermouth cannot even be bothered to check his victim’s pulse-well he is a Lord, that is not his place, even his bloody blade must be cleaned by his underling-. What makes them terrifying -and drives this into romantic social critique and away from the violent thrills of the gothic novel, as Steinmetz calls it- is the impunity of their acts, the power to commit them again without consequences, and that is what keeps smarter and more capable people like Debby and Patrick under their heel.

-The guests flee at her sight instead of offering to help her. Lord Cockermouth clumsily tries to patch things up and make them stay and keep on partying ignoring the wounded Deborah.

-One of the guests, an old man, dares to point out to Cockermouth his blade is stained with blood.

Cockermouth drops his sword as if it suddenly burnt his fingers.

And so, we have reached the end of Book One. See you after the hiatus for more Borel!

Trust NPC: Orrin

Selection: “Happy to help!”

Job: Youxia (Tank)

Weapons: Ci Tong (sword)

AI Behavior: Orrin is your tank, and as expected, he will be first to engage the enemy when the party gets close enough. (Unlike most other tank NPCs, though, you’ll find you might have to get a little closer than usual to coax Orrin into pulling.) He’s a bit quick to try and shield his fellow teammates, and Orrin will periodically cast defensive buffs with priority being on whose health is at the lowest percentage. If a party member’s health drops below 30%, they can run closer to Orrin for him to throw Cover on them.

For any mechanic that has a boss charging a move with a meter (such as Zenos does in the Ala Mhigo dungeon), Orrin will cast a move similar to Passage of Arms once the meter has stopped and before the room-wide AoE goes off. He does this regardless of what percentage the meter stops at.

Orrin will only limit break if the entire party is under 30% health, or if the max limit break sits a full 30 seconds without being used.

Battle Lines:

“Leave them be!” - Starting Attack Line “I have you covered.” - Using Specialty Skills, Variation 1 “Hopefully this will help.” - Using Specialty Skills, Variation 2 “Don’t worry; I have you!” - Assisting an ally

Limit Break:

“Aiya!” - Using limit break with 1 bar “This will protect us!” - Using limit break with 2 bars “Unyielding as the mountain!”  - Using limit break with 3 bars

KO’d:

“Mazu save us...” - Variation 1 “Ugh... I tried...” - Variation 2

Revived:

“It’s much appreciated!” - Variation 1 “Allow me to repay you.” - Variation 2

Tagged by: @spotofmummery did for Ehn then I wanted to do it again LMAO

Tagging: You. Do it. It’s fun!

Orrin’s having some vivid anxiety about how his date might go. He will not accidentally eat the cute upperclassmen boy. He tells himself, he will not accidentally eat the- ughhh why does he feel like crying? this is stupid. He shoves his hat on tighter on his head and stuffs his hands in his pockets and trudges determindly out the door of his dorm, kicking it shut behind him with a soft but final thud. He will not accidentally eat the cute upperclassmen boy.

(( Wixard Academy tag by @princewelcomematt ))

(( part 5 of Orrin’s Wixard Academy storyline ))

(( story links tba ))

New Post has been published on OmCik

New Post has been published on http://omcik.com/congress-could-kill-state-retirement-plans/

Congress could kill state retirement plans

Dozens of states are trying to make it easier for workers to save for retirement, but Congress could throw a wrench in their plans.

New state-sponsored IRA plans would aim to help small business employees who don’t already have access to a retirement savings plan at work — like a 401(k). But new legislation could stop them before they even begin.

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The House of Representatives voted along party lines last month to roll back an Obama-era rule that paved the way for these plans. On Thursday, the Senate narrowly passed legislation that takes another step toward finalizing the repeal.

Republicans say that under President Obama, the Department of Labor created a “loophole” that allows the plans to bypass a consumer protection law.

“This resolution, once passed and signed, will roll back a last-second Department of Labor regulation that eliminated long-standing federal protections for the retirement savings of private-sector workers,” said Republican Senator Orrin Hatch on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Lawmakers in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and Oregon have already approved plans that would require businesses to enroll their workers in state-sponsored IRAs if they don’t have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The IRA would be vetted by the state, but provided by a private firm. Oregon and Illinois plan to be the first to roll out these plans later this year.

The Labor Department rule exempts state-sponsored plans from having to comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which sets minimum standards for retirement plan providers regarding consumer protections. At the time, the Obama Administration said uncertainty about complying with ERISA was a “roadblock” to a broader adoption of state plans.

“Ultimately, I have to wonder why states and municipalities want to do away with these protections in the first place,” Hatch said.

Other opponents, like the Chamber of Commerce, say that state-sponsored plans would lead to a patchwork of laws across the country. This could make it difficult for small businesses to keep up, especially for those who might have workers who live in a different state.

Related: One in four workers have less than $1,000 saved for retirement

But advocates of the existing law say the plans are meant to ease the cost and burden on the business, and that there will be sufficient protection for consumers without having to comply with ERISA.

The IRA plans themselves are offered and run by private firms that are already regulated. And the plans are carefully vetted by a board looking for low-fee investment options. The employer isn’t charged anything when their worker enrolls.

Half of workers, estimated to be about 55 million Americans, don’t currently have a retirement plan through their employer. AARP, which supports the state plans, says people are 15 times more likely to save if they have access to a plan that deducts money straight from their paycheck.

In Oregon, workers will have three investment options to choose from. Accounts will be treated like a Roth IRA in regards to contribution and withdrawal rules, meaning they’ll be funded with after-tax dollars, but withdrawals in retirement will be tax free. Businesses that fit the criteria would have to auto enroll their workers, but they can also opt out.

California’s plan — which could cover 7 million workers — would be similar, but would start by offering workers super safe Treasury bonds as their only investment option.

Related: Another way for Millennials to save for retirement

Rolling back the regulations won’t necessarily stop the plans from moving forward. Ultimately, this could be decided in court.

“We view it as an advantage to have the additional clarity from the 2016 rules. But if this does pass, it’s not something that will stop us,” Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read told CNNMoney last month when the House approved the rollback.

Lawmakers in dozens of others states and some cities are also considering launching retirement plans for private workers. But not all of them include an auto IRA. Washington, for example, is expected to launch a marketplace that offers different, low-cost savings account options for businesses that want to voluntarily make it available for workers. Those plans aren’t allowed to charge employers any fees.

These marketplaces have the support of the Chamber of Commerce, which believes states can help workers save for retirement this way without an exemption from ERISA.

Related: Why your 401(k) didn’t earn as much as the market

The Washington marketplace would not be directly impacted by the DOL rule rollback, said Carolyn McKinnon, the marketplace director and policy advisor.

But the uncertainty over the DOL rule has already had a “chilling effect” on the conversations Washington is having with companies that would provide the plans, McKinnon said.

Senator Hatch favors a different approach to helping workers save for retirement. He’s sponsored legislation that that would allow businesses to voluntarily pool assets and participate in “multiple employer plans.”

Republicans are using the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Obama-era rules with a simple majority. They need to approve two resolutions to do so because one concerns cities that want to create IRA plans and the other paves the way for states.

The Senate voted to approve the city-related resolution by a vote of 50 to 49 on Thursday. They have not yet voted on the second resolution. If approved, both will be sent to the desk of President Trump.

CNNMoney (New York) First published March 30, 2017: 12:29 PM ET

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