#I adore this human being

[bennetsbonnet]

Two statements about characters can and should co-exist: Pride and Prejudice edition

Mr Bennet has a close relationship with Elizabeth and provides amusing observations on the folly of human nature BUT he is a terrible husband and father who consistently neglects the women who rely on him for absolutely everything; Elizabeth and Jane turned out so well in spite of him, not because of him.

Mrs Bennet's behaviour is understandable given the era in which she lived and the subsequent pressure she was under to get her daughters married well, which wasn't entirely for vanity reasons given that Longbourn was entailed BUT she was still fundamentally vain, ridiculous and rude; such pressure, even combined with an absent husband, still does not make her behaviour justifiable, nor her a sympathetic character, as she enabled Lydia (whose subsequent elopement with Wickham almost ruined the family) for far too long.

Mr Collins is unfairly portrayed as a middle-aged sycophant in most adaptations, rather than the young clergyman who sucks up to his patroness in pursuit of a more lucrative living that he was BUT he is still a ridiculous character who you are not meant to feel sympathy for when Elizabeth rejects him; he is rude, hypocritical and thinks of himself far too highly considering how vapid he actually is.

Caroline Bingley is often too harshly judged as a 'pick-me,' even though her relentless pursuit of Darcy is understandable given his wealth & status and how important it was for women to make a good marriage BUT she was still rude, vain and treated Jane terribly; plus she was a hypocritical snob, given the manner in which she looked down upon the Bennet family's relations despite the Bingleys' own background in trade.

Elizabeth is incredibly witty, courageous and endearing and instantly likeable which makes Darcy's slight of her at the Meryton assembly all the more of an affront to us as readers BUT, while it explains her dislike of him, she is no means perfect herself; she had far too much misplaced pride in her ability to successfully read others' characters and consequently ignored positive accounts of Darcy in favour of believing the deceitful Wickham, given her prejudice against the former.

Mr Darcy was harshly judged by Elizabeth, even though there are many more sympathetic elements to his character than immediately meet the eye BUT he was not shy or innocent; he was always a haughty rich man who had never been told no, thought far too highly of himself and, ultimately, thoroughly deserved to be rebuked and subsequently made to reform his character.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt in Memes 5

Once more, have a prompt entirely in memes because I'm too lazy to properly write one right now lol.

[dragqueenstarscream]

man, i don't usually talk about bumblebee, but

imagine bumblebee having a difficult time recharging and coming to you for help. you join him in the garage, concerned for this poor bot. he looks somewhere between embarrassed and exhausted, optics downturned, his antennae pinned back like a sad puppy's ears. he's beeping something at you, and while outsiders might not know what he's doing, you've learned to decipher what he's trying to say by now.

grabbing a blanket to make yourself more comfortable in the cold garage, you take a seat on the hard linoleum. bumblebee curls up in the fetal position with his head on your lap. the moment his head rests on your thighs, you hear him exvent deeply, something like a relaxed sigh.

you already know how to help him relax by now. you smile as you start gently massaging his head, neck, and shoulder plating, your tiny fingers reaching spots between his seams which his thicker fingers just can't. you can always tell when you've hit a good spot by his happy little trills. as you work, you hum to him a sappy love song he plays to you on his radio whenever the two of you drive together. you have a suspicion that it's one of his favorites; his excited beeping confirms your suspicion. every once in a while, between rubbing the dust from his head vents and tracing your thumbs along his cheeks, you sneak a hand up and playfully toy with his antennae. this usually gets you a surprised crackle of static, followed by a flurry of flustered beeps. you always laugh and apologize with a kiss.

how long it takes for bumblebee to enter recharge depends on the day. sometimes it's a minute or two, sometimes it's half an hour. but either way, eventually, his optics offline, his vents whirring softly in what can only be called robotic snoring. you're careful to work yourself out from under him without letting his head thunk against the linoleum and possibly wake him up. once you're certain that he's in recharge, you gently kiss him on the cheek one more time and drape the blanket you were wearing over his still form. it's not big enough to cover him, but having something of yours there with him soothes him if he emerges from recharge after a nightmare. besides, the sight of a giant robot tucked under a blanket is cuter than words can say.

with one last whisper of, "goodnight, bumblebee. i love you," you close the garage door behind you and go to bed, ready to rejoin him in the morning.

[vroom-vrooms]

Max speaking on how he wouldn’t push his child to be a driver broke my heart a little bit

I know he loves racing, and I’m glad he does, but hearing him be so thoughtful of his future child’s choices and knowing how much Jos put him through makes it all so bittersweet

[violent138]

I love the idea that Martha just knew somehow that Clark was an alien (don't give me a well duh he arrived in a spaceship you coconut because I read this one comic where Jonathan genuinely spins out at the realisation). I feel like Martha spent hours gathering evidence and Jonathan was like, babe I love you but would you fucking stop? He's not got attenae or anything can we just be pleased about our miracle kid. And then Clark gets powers and Martha whispers about her little conspiracy again and Jonathan whispers back this is not proof he's an alien! He's just like that!

Martha does classic exorcism movie shit like attend university lectures on extraterrestrial life and grill the professor on the chances of it and what if it looks like us, et cetera and share her notes and brochures with a highly bemused Jon who tells her instead about how Clark helped the vet they called over.

And then they get solid evidence and Martha is vindicated and Jonathan is floored. Because alien was so wacky he'd never seriously considered it amongst his chief hypotheses (misplaced lab experiment, standard miracle baby).

[oyeixcher]

Random San Gifs (2 ¦ ??)

[sometimesmaybespoof]

When she Half on my Life till I 2

[theanonymousninja247]

Human

While discussing different types of light in my astronomy class today, my professor said,

“100’s of years of science and research just so we can have popcorn in under three minutes. That just seems so human to me.” ~Professor Draper.

[sdrose93]

He's the freaking cutest, OMG 🥰😍❤

[stormofdefiance]

True knowledge exists in knowing you know nothing || Dr. Ratio & Socrates

Okay, I legitimately laughed out loud writing that title, but listen. LISTEN.

Ratio's inspirations derive from many sources; from referencing Archimedes's brain-blast in the tub, to being doomed to have his head bonked by Newton's apple ad infinitum in his idle animation, to his ultimate line ('esse est percipi' / 'to be is to be perceived') a direct quote from Berkeley on Idealism - it's apparent that his design nods towards scholars across time periods rather than being a direct parallel to a singular academic.

Nevertheless, just for fun, I've been rotating Ratio and ancient greek philosophers around in my head and have had a great time chewing over how parallels Socrates in particular. I am in no way saying that Hoyo even thought about Socrates while they were designing Ratio, but I thought I'd share my thoughts. I think there are some worthwhile parallels to be drawn that touch on all aspects of Ratio's own philosophy regarding ignorance, the value of knowledge, and his deep appreciation of life. So, let's get into it.

Ratio is interested in humanity and curing 'ill minds with knowledge', that 'to turn a blind eye to the folly of others is not an etiquette, but a wicked worldly practice.' Ignorance is a disease - this is a concept that can be viewed through a Socratic lens. Socrates believed that that virtue and knowledge were impossible to separate from one another, and that virtue could be developed through acquiring knowledge and insight. If knowledge is virtue, then ignorance is vice. In Socrates's mind, no one would rationally choose to do something bad. People might choose to do bad things, but this is rooted in their own perception of the world - as in, someone would only choose to do something bad (for the world, or for themselves) because they believed (erroneously) that it was the right or good thing to do. To Socrates, the cure to this was knowledge: 'There are two kinds of disease of the soul, vice and ignorance.' & 'What does most harm in the world is not sinfulness but ignorance'.

To Ratio, 'If ignorance is an ailment, it is the duty of the scholars to weed it out and heal the universe'. He views his own ignorance as 'filth' that must be cleansed through methods such as reading. He also views knowledge as a method for humans to overcome their problems - 'Another day has passed. If your problem still hasn't been solved, is it possible the problem is you?' & 'You look distressed. Is something troubling you? if so, you can figure it out for yourself.' These statements sound harsh, but they also clue us into Ratio's philosophy - that through self-examination and improvement, one can overcome one's ailments.

Socrates was also known for being a trouble-maker, he was abrupt and tactless and did not care for someone's social standing nor decorum. He was also known for using what is now called the Socratic method, asking a series of questions that ultimately seek to show contradictions in the beliefs of those who posed them, and to move systematically towards a hypothesis free from contradiction. Socrates rarely made assertions himself - after all, he had no wisdom of his own. But he could interrogate others in order to expose their own foibles, much to the embarrassment and annoyance of those around him. He was once described as a 'gnat' chewing on the 'lazy horse of Athens', causing it to wake up and spring to life due to his persistent gnawing and prodding. Ratio also employs the Socratic method - 'I'm asking questions' - and also adopts sophist tactics such as playing devil's advocate and taking opposing sides (with both himself as seen a story quest, and with others as we see with his texts urging us to take up a side so he might debate us). Through questioning and interrogation, upsetting what we consider social convention and norms, we can dispel contradictions and thereby come closer to some form of truth.

To add to this - as highlighted in the replies below - Ratio’s skill ‘intellectual midwifery’ is a reference to the Socratic method. The idea being that Socrates helped those around him give birth to the knowledge that was already within them, rather than treating his students minds as empty vessels for him to fill with his own answers. Again this is beautifully echoed in Ratio - he doesn’t want to tell you how to live your life, he wants you to work out for yourself what it is you need, thus empowering oneself through self-examination and questioning.

Socrates did not believe in writing anything down. He believed that face-to-face communication was a far more effective way of communicating knowledge - which means, unfortunately, what we know of Socrates is primarily derived from secondary sources. Much of what we know about him today comes from Plato's dialogues, and Plato was known for liberally exercising artistic license.

Although Ratio is not dead, I find it interesting that his character story is told exclusively through secondary sources. To quote - '…There are no less than eight documentaries detailing his legendary exploits, and over a dozen memoirs about him. However, despite the plethora of commentaries, none of them seems to provide a compelling perspective.' It's as though there are no surviving fragments penned by Ratio's hand and all we have to go on is through the lenses of other people. This challenges us, perhaps, to try to think about our own interpretation of Ratio since secondary sources cannot be taken as a wholly unbiased account - and once again employing the Socratic method and empowering the reader to come to their own interpretation.

While Socrates left no writing behind, he was interested in spreading knowledge. Socrates spent most of his life in Athens, a city that was, during his lifetime (~470-399 BC), a hotpot of scholars, wisemen and philosophers. Athena, the Greek god of wisdom, was named after the city - her symbol the owl that is also appropriately perched on Ratio’s shoulder. Also in Athens at this time where the sophists. The sophists were a class of intellectuals who were known to teach courses in various subjects - but often for a high fee, and generally centred around the idea that persuasion and the use of knowledge as a tool was more important than wisdom or truth itself. There's some debate about whether Socrates could be characterised as a sophist himself, but, crucially, he is characterised as refusing to take payment for his teachings. He was born a plebeian (perhaps you might describe it as a mundane background.) He was known to dress in rags and go barefoot, speaking to and (often antagonising) people from all walks of life, preferring the marketplace as a center of debate than palaces or courtrooms. I can't help but think of the sophists as similar to the genius society (or at least Ratio's depiction of them in contrast to himself), cooped up in ivory towers and gatekeeping knowledge to the most privileged. He doubts if Herta's talent is always helpful to others, he compares Screwllum to a 'monarch'. Then again, the sophists may in fact be a bit of a parallel to the Intelligentsia Guild - from Ratio, 'when someone is willing to listen to knowledge that is being disseminated and circulated, a price is created'.

Socrates (or at least the Platonic depiction of Socrates) was at one time declared the wisest man in Athens by the Oracle of Delphi. Socrates balks at this assertion - how can he possibly be the wisest man in Athens when he in fact knows nothing at all? This was not a claim made of modesty - he truly believed that he had no wisdom, that he was unsure what 'wisdom' itself even was. Ultimately, Socrates concludes that the only way that the Oracle could be correct is that by actually acknowledging that he knows nothing he paradoxically is the wisest man in Athens. All wisdom, therefore, is rooted in wondering, with wondering only possible if one is open to admitting one's own ignorance.

What I love about all of this in relation to Ratio is that Ratio styles himself as a mundanite. The Intelligensia Guild advocates that 'all knowledge must be circulated like currency' and accepts 'all beings… who seek to learn'. Ratio has no time for the satisfied self-styling of intellectualism, he himself states that 'to speak knowledge, we must first make people realise their own folly.' No one is above criticism in this regard, even himself - again, to quote 'Whenever someone agrees with me, I feel like I must be wrong.' Again, I feel as though he would resonate with Socrates here: 'Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, and stupid people already have all the answers'. With Aventurine, he is quick to mock his appearance as over-the-top and vapid - once again making it clear his distate for vanity and hollow displays of showiness (albeit he may have been acting for Sunday's sake here. Also, no comment about this coming from a man who runs around in a toga, lmao) Equally, with Aventurine, it is clear that Ratio is willing to learn from him - he apologises when he offends, he abhors his methodology and yet he still relies upon it and trusts in Aventurine's plan, he is drawn to him in some ways precisely because he is so different to himself. Aventurine (at least styles himself) as impulsive to Ratio's slow and steady methodology, Aventurine whose learning has been entirely self-made vs Ratio who has spent his life in classrooms, Ratio who scoffs at Aventurine's favourite games of chance yet adds slot machines to his simulated universe. And to Socrates, the experience of aporia – in all of its discomfort and disruption – is the very catalyst of wonder, and that wonder was not just the root of wisdom but also the way to live a good and happy life. There is something beautiful in this to me, and this extends to Ratio. Ratio fundamentally cares about life. For all his brashness, his lashing out against 'idiots', his harsh demeanour - he wants people to live good lives, he wants to contribute to the good of humanity - all people, even those he is annoyed by, he cares so profoundly and absolutely about life. The entire reason why he is obsessed with wisdom and learning is not to exalt or elevate himself, not as some kind of ritualistic expression of piety towards a deity, but it is instead an expression of devotion towards life itself. Ratio has a strict work out routine not so that he can show off his body, but because living healthily is living well and working out is a component of that. Even the way he fusses and worries about Aventurine, someone he is pointedly irritated by, reveals how deeply his care runs. So so much of his character is centered on caring for life, even if it is not immediately obvious.

Finally, I'd like to highlight some ways in which Ratio is not like Socrates. First of all, Socrates was repeatedly described as 'ugly' by fellow philosophers Plato and Xenophon - this is contrast to Ratio being repeatedly described as 'handsome'. This is an interesting subversion to me (albeit likely an indulgent one) as in both cases both men attempt to distance their physical appearance from the weight of their words. Ratio wears the bust for many reasons, but way to view it is that he is attempting to stop his appearance from bearing any influence in the subject of debate.

Socrates was also said to be blessed by a divine touch, and as we know, this is something that agonises Ratio as Nous has not yet turned THEIR gaze towards him.

Lastly, Ratio has - thankfully - not yet been ordered by the state to drink hemlock for all his trouble-making and blustering. Though perhaps he may someday be put on trial by the IPC if the theories that he is working alongside Aventurine to undermine the corporation are true - we will just have to wait and see.

Thanks for reading my little ramble. I'd be super interested in anyone's thoughts if they'd like to share, but regardless, I'll leave off on some of my favourite wee quotes from the Rat man:

'Even a life marked by failure is a life worth living - it is only in moments of solitude and despair, when help is absent, that fools grasp how to pick themselves up.'

'Do stay alive. I wish you the best of luck.'

[nadas-dirthalen]

.

[tanasha-not-yet]

can you draw a singetail ✨️

stole your boy . and your dragon .

[mwolf0epsilon]

Railway Mimics AU - One Night at the Sheds

Edward, sighing as he lounges on his plush bed: At this point I'm unsure if this charade is something we should be keeping up... Gordon, looking down at Edward from his repurposed cat tower: Oh, what are you on about now? Edward: I just think at this point the humans ought to know what they're getting themselves involved with... James, perking up: And what? Risk losing the luxuries we've worked so hard to get for ourselves?! I don't know about you Edward, but I'm not about to go back into the wilds and rough it out like some common beast... I like having a roof over my head! Henry, frowning: Living in the woods doesn't sound too bad... It's very peaceful out there. Gordon, snorting: You wouldn't last 5 minutes actually living like our wild ancestors Henry. You're too domesticated. As are all of us... And it should stay like that. Edward: I'm not saying we should leave... We have a duty to the railway after all! I'm just saying... I am beginning to feel uncomfortable pretending to be just an animal to be cared for... I'd like to actually connect with our human peers. Gordon: They're not peers. They're laborers that just so happen to practice animal husbandry in ways that benefit them and ourselves. And we must maintain that illusion for them... After all, if the humans find out we're intelligent, they'd ask for far too much of us. And I for one am not about to waste my time following some nonsensical human rules that cause more headaches than do any good... It's undignified. James: Yeah Edward. Undignified. We're creatures of class. Fae tricksters that pride ourselves in our masterful plays on humanity. Edward, raising a doubtful eyebrow: Well, if you ask me, inevitably they'll just figure it out on their own and they'll likely not be too pleased at the idea of being fooled so long. Gordon: We didn't ask you. James: Or care. Edward: Very well, then forget I said anything I suppose...

[itsriotmotherfuckers]

Now, I know that Remus’ patronus is a wolf (in cannon, I mean— I usually headcannon it as a massive dog) because he’s a werewolf, but I don’t think that that would be his animagus form. I also don’t think that Lily’s patronus being a doe makes her animagus form a doe, because that’s boring as all hell.

Personally, I think that Remus’ animagus form would be either a mouse or a sheep. A mouse because they’re incredibly clever, but also very kind, and I find it funny to think that the werewolf’s animagus form is one of the smallest mammals out there, also he kind of just reminds me of a mouse (plus, it would be sweet to see Peter not being the tiniest Marauder— I think that him not being the smallest would’ve prevented him from building resentment and then betraying them). A sheep just for the irony of a wolf in sheep’s clothing puns.

I think that Lily’s animagus form would be a mountain lion. They’re notoriously good mothers, they’re strong, they’re fast, but they’re pretty nice (by big cat standards). Also, I just think the gives off big cat vibes. She’s either a mountain lion or a lioness.

[the-tortured-fangirl-department]

I think the fact that Apollo doesn’t blame Meg for anything that happens with Nero is so telling about his character(even pre ToA)

[usernelly]

| The owner of my heart 💗🔥🥰