#I recognize that may be a common practice but it doesn't make it right or fair

[star-ocean-peahen]

After watching Cinderella (the original animated movie, which was my favorite as a child), it strikes me how it solves many common problems people have with this fairy tale. Like:

Why did they try to identify the mystery girl using her shoe size? Because the bullheaded king's only clue to her identity was the shoe the Grand Duke picked up off the steps.

Why didn't the prince recognize her by her face? Because his father wouldn't involve him in the process at all, and wasn't the one going around trying to find her.

Why did the prince want to marry a lady he only met that night? Because his father was going to force him to marry someone, and he genuinely liked this woman.

Why did Cinderella want to marry a man she only met that night? Because marriage was her best and most secure way to freedom. Fucked up, but you can't say it's unrealistic for the setting of a fairy tale. She also genuinely liked him.

If they're using the slipper to find her, wouldn't it be more sensible to search for the person with the other slipper? Yes. The King is purposefully nonsensical and the Duke is purposefully terrified enough of him to carry out his orders to the letter. Furthermore, they end up doing that in the end anyway, because the Duke's glass slipper is shattered, and Cinderella brings out the one she has to prove her identity.

Why didn't the stepmother and stepsisters recognize Cinderella at the ball? Because they were dancing too far away, and then left the party to dance in private, which was possible because the King wanted very badly for his son to hit it off with someone and tried to arrange the best conditions for that to happen.

Why didn't Cinderella save herself? Because in real life, abuse victims should not have to shoulder that responsibility, and usually can't. In real life, you need and deserve an external support system. Asking for help, in this kind of situation, is very important. She is saved by others because she is loved. Because she is not alone. Because she has friends who love her, and want her to be happy and safe and free. Because in real life, people who want to help someone who is suffering are like the mice. We can't pull out miracle solutions, but we can provide companionship and if we're in the right place at the right time, we can help the person find a better life.

Why didn't the fairy godmother save Cinderella from her abusive household, or try to help her sooner? Because she's magic, and magic can't solve your problems. Quote: "Like all dreams, well, I'm afraid it can't last forever." This (and Cinderella's dream of going to the ball) is a metaphor for pleasurable things in bad circumstances. An ice cream won't get rid of your depression, but it will provide you with momentary happiness to bolster you, as well as the reminder that happiness in general is still possible for you. Cinderella doesn't want to go to the ball so she can get away from her stepmother and stepsisters, or so she can meet someone to marry and leave with. She wants to go to the ball to remind herself that she can still have things she wants. That her desires matter. This is important because the movie does a very good job of illustrating Lady Tremaine's subtle abuse tactics, all of which invisibly press the message that Cinderella doesn't matter. While going to the ball and fulfilling her dreams may not be a victory in the material sense, it is still a victory against Lady Tremaine's efforts.

Why is Cinderella's choice to be kind and obedient framed as a good thing, when you are not obligated to be kind to your abuser? This one walks a very fine line, but I think the movie still makes it make sense. Lady Tremaine never acknowledges her cruelty. She always frames her punishments of Cinderella as Cinderella's fault. Cinderella is interrupting, Cinderella is shirking her duties, Cinderella is playing vicious practical jokes. Cinderella is still a member of the family, of course she can go to the ball, provided she meet these impossible conditions. Lady Tremaine's tactics are designed to make Cinderella feel like she must always be in the wrong and her stepmother must always be in the right. If Cinderella calls her stepmother out on her cruelty, or attempts to fight back, Lady Tremaine can frame that as Cinderella being ungrateful, cruel, broken, evil, etc. If Cinderella responds to her stepmother's cruelty defiantly (in the way she's justified to), she's not taking control out of Lady Tremaine's hands. Disobedience can be spun back into her stepmother's control. She wants Cinderella to be angry and sad and show how much she's hurting. So since Cinderella is adapting to her situation, she chooses to be kind. Not only because she naturally wants to be and it's part of her personality, but because it is a form of defiance in its own way, and it allows her to keep a reminder of her agency and value. Her choice to be kind is her chance to keep her own narrative alive: she is not obeying because her stepmother wants her to and she has to do what her stepmother does, but because she wants to. It's a small distinction, but one that makes all the difference in terms of keeping her hope and identity. (Fuck, I wrote a whole paragraph about how this doesn't mean you can't be angry at people who hurt you or that you need to be kind to deserve help, and then deleted it by accident. Uh. Try again.) Expressing anger and pain is an important part of regaining autonomy and healing. Although it is commendable to be kind while you are suffering, it is NOT required for you to get help or be worthy of help. If Cinderella's recovery was explored beyond "happily ever after" she would need to let herself be angry and sad to heal. Cinderella is not only kind because it comes naturally to her, but because it's her defense against the abuse she's suffering. Everyone's story and experiences are different, and one does not invalidate the other.

Bonus round for answers that aren't part of the movie:

Why didn't Cinderella run away? Where would she go? Genuinely, in hundreds-of-years-ago France, where would she go if she snuck out of the window with a change of clothes? With her step-family, she's miserable and abused, but she's fed, clothed, and in no danger of dying or being taken advantage of by anyone other than her stepmother and stepsisters. Even if she escapes and manages to find financial security, her stepmother might be able to find her and get her back.

Why didn't Cinderella burn the house down with them inside it/slit their throats in the night/poison their food/etc.? Because that's a revenge fantasy, and this story is a fantasy about being saved. There's nothing wrong with making Cinderella into a revenge fantasy. That's perfectly fine, as long as you acknowledge that the other type of fantasy is also a valid interpretation. (I mean, the original fairy tale features the stepsisters getting their feet mutilated and all three of them getting their eyes pecked out, so go for it.)

Why isn't Cinderella more proactive in general? Because she's a child who has been abused for the back half of her life, who has had to be focused on survival because. you know. she's an abused kid.

How did she dance in glass slippers? Gotta agree with you there man, that's weird.

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Y'know, it's unfortunate more people don't compare Louis and Violet in good faith.

Like, when I do see people compare them, it's usually through the lens of one is good, and the other bad. One is more canon than the other, and here's why. One is objectively better for Clementine, and the other is less impactful, worse written, didn't have chemistry with her, insert several insults here, etc.

I don't think it's inherently bad to express why you might not like one of them, or why you prefer one over the other. That's fine, that's a matter of opinion. It only gets to me when it becomes hostile, or passive aggressive... but even then, I've learned to just roll my eyes and move on. Some people make it very clear that they're not worth having a discussion with.

However, I wish I could read more nuanced comparisons of the two that didn't default to the "and that's why this one is better." At least some are kind enough to tack on a "for my Clementine" at the end.

You know how it goes: Louis is cute and he makes Clementine laugh, whereas Violet's boring, her love is shallow, she's still not over Minerva and she's using Clementine as a rebound. Violentine's a bad ship because Violet's actually a traitor, and they're practically the same person and that's bad.

Violet's loyal and reliable, whereas Louis is annoying, he never takes anything serious, he's a traitor for his vote, and he's nothing but a distraction. Clouis is a bad ship because how could any Clementine possibly like him after he voted her and AJ out? That's bad!

That's always the conclusion, right? One good, one bad.

This is incredibly limiting and it drives me nuts.

They're foils. They contrast one another, highlight each other's strengths and flaws, in such an interesting way that it makes Clementine's choice between them all the more meaningful.

One is not good and the other bad, they're different, and I think that's worth exploring.

Let's start with a common argument: Violet is the more impactful option due to her connection to Minerva.

Now, to be fair, I can understand why someone on Team Violet would believe this. Yes, it's true that the confrontation with Minerva is more impactful for a violentine shipper who has more investment in Violet as a character. Louis doesn't have as strong of a connection to her.

However, what they're failing to recognize is that Minerva isn't the only ghost to haunt this narrative. Violet may have Minerva, yes, but Louis has Marlon... and that doesn't just go away once Marlon's dead.

Violet's route has Minerva as her ex-girlfriend, and her bond with Tenn that all comes to a head on the bridge. Louis' route has Marlon's death and how that specifically impacts his relationship with AJ and Clementine, and the slow burn of forgiveness on all sides.

Marlon and Minerva are also reflective of Clementine's worst outcomes.

Clementine and Marlon were tied together through Brody's blood splattered on their hands and faces. They both killed a part of Brody, but only one of them lies about who killed her first.

After Marlon dies, Clementine gradually replaces him throughout the game; Rosie is her dog now, she uses his bow [which Louis gave her], she becomes the leader. Clementine gets them to fight back, and when three of her people are captured, she doesn't cut her losses. She does what Marlon couldn't; "we're getting them back."

When she chooses Louis, he does for her what he never did for Marlon: he steps up.

Clementine proves she won't become Marlon just as she proves she won't become Minerva.

After getting James to agree to help them, Clementine and AJ talk about what to do if she ever gets bit. AJ says he'd want her to bite him, too. He repeats this sentiment after she's actually bitten, telling her he wants to stay and they could turn together, peacefully.

When Minerva confronts them on the bridge, she's dying... and she wants Tenn to die with her. She doesn't care who she has to kill in the process. She's more monster than human at this point, and most times, she succeeds.

They're both bitten. Clementine could've become a monster like Minerva in the end. She could've killed AJ, and they could've become walkers together. But she didn't. Minerva wanted Tenn to die for her, and Clementine wanted AJ to live for her.

Also, I should mention she has Minerva's axe. She carries the key weapons associated with Marlon and Minerva throughout different points in the game, further solidifying these connections. She uses Marlon's bow to save her friends, and she uses Minerva's axe to save AJ, who in turn uses it to save her.

What's also so interesting about this is how Marlon's alive in episode one, and Minerva is thought to be dead. Louis has his best friend, and Violet's lost hers. But, at the end of the episode, Marlon's dead and Minerva's revealed to be alive.

Marlon becomes the ghost, and Minerva becomes the monster. Clementine becomes to Louis and Violet what Marlon and Minerva never could... how does that not drive anyone else insane?

So, no. One is not objectively better, or more impactful, because of a connection to Marlon or Minerva. They're different. It just depends on which storyline you personally find more compelling.

Actually, let's talk about that a little more.

In my opinion, the most intriguing point of comparison between Louis and Violet stems from their perceptions of survival, and how that impacts Clementine.

An argument I see made against violentine is that Violet's boring because she and Clementine are too similar. This usually comes from clouis shippers who prefer the "opposites attract" dynamic Clementine and Louis have.

On the flip side, there's the counter argument that Louis is reckless, that he doesn't take survival as seriously as he should and Clementine wouldn't want him because of that.

These are interesting to me because I get where they're coming from... but they ultimately miss the point.

The other day, I replayed TFS. Except this time, I did something a little bit differently. I played my usual clouis route, but then I had the violentine route pulled up on my laptop so that I could watch these scenes, comparing them side by side… and something occurred to me. 

Louis is about challenging Clementine's perception of survival, and Violet is about validating it.

Louis challenges Clementine from the very moment we meet him—he’s playing music. His initial philosophy on survival butts heads with Clementine’s. The fact that hunting with him and Aasim challenges your perception of “your choices have consequences.” These games have conditioned the player to think along the lines of, “Yeah, Louis is more fun… but if I don’t hunt with Aasim, we won’t have any food.”

Except that’s just it. I hate to say it, Aasim, but in the grand scheme of things… hunting with you doesn’t matter. It's actually less rewarding. You know why? Because in the next section, we get food from the train station. It would’ve been more beneficial to spend time with Louis over hunting, hence how he challenges you.  

This then primes you for the choice between choosing to follow Louis or follow Violet. I know people complain about how this is presented with Violet doing something productive [checking the walls] and Louis playing piano… but that’s the point. If you’re going through with Louis’ full route, you need to meet him at his level, and in turn, he will meet you at yours. You need to accept the challenge, the idea that Clementine isn’t entirely right about the way she’s gone about survival.

Oh, and do I even need to mention the vote? The debate over Louis’ vote is exhausting. Often times, people tell on themselves in how they talk about it. It’s not actually about the fact that he voted against them. If it was, these people would have a bigger bone with pick with Mitch, Willy, Ruby, and Omar… and yet Louis is the one who takes all the blame as if he’s the only one personally kicking them out. 

Louis is reacting to the death of his best friend, and the complicated feelings that come with it being caused by AJ. He wants accountability, even if he knows something's wrong. You can either agree with him that it was murder, and set AJ on the path of atonement… or, you can double down and tell him to fuck off, AJ was justified. 

But here’s the thing… the vote adds to the appeal of Louis’ route. To someone who hates him, or at the very least is critical of his vote, that sounds mad or delusional.

Except it’s really not.

Ever heard of a thing called tension? Because there’s a lot of it in ep2 between clouis + AJ and it’s fantastic.

Yes, Louis voting them out is problematic because we need a problem to solve. We need something to feed the tension between him and Clementine. He stepped in front of a gun held by his best friend in order to protect her, forever changing their relationship… only for that to seemingly be taken away from us the moment AJ shoots Marlon. 

Yes, Louis’ route is about being challenged, but it’s also about challenging him. That he’s able to forgive them, that he’s able to question his own survival philosophy and understand theirs, that he’s able to apologize and actually change for the better… that right there is what makes clouis so damn good. 

He becomes hardened whereas Clementine softens. By the end of the game, they’re on a similar level now without neglecting their differences, and they can move forward together. 

That’s what makes Louis’ route appealing… and it’s also what makes it unappealing to people who prefer Violet. 

By contrast, Violet’s already on Clementine’s level when it comes to this perception of survival. She validates that Clementine’s on the right path.

They have other similarities in the way that they’re both female, queer, they both have a kid they look after, they’re not always great with other people, etc. 

People who prefer Louis might consider this boring, but I think to Team Violet, it’s comforting. It’s comforting to have a partner who takes this as seriously as you do, who wants to get shit done. They’re playing Clementine with a similar attitude, and don’t believe it needs to be challenged. It’s comforting to feel validated on something you already firmly believe in. 

We also see this if we compare the hunting and fishing scenes. You have to make an effort to choose Louis by choosing to neglect hunting, but the game makes you fish with Violet no matter what.

Violet’s prioritizing fishing because they need food. That’s what they’ve set out to do, so let’s do it. The game is letting you know that’s the case, and if you value that, continue pursuing her. 

While fishing, they discuss why things are weird with her and Brody. Violet doesn’t take well to Clementine’s blunt, “Because you make it weird. Brody tries and you just make fun of her."

That’s understandable because I think she already kind of knows why and is looking to have her feelings validated. She prefers it when Clementine suggests that it’s because Brody never said sorry for what happened to the twins. 

There’s also comfort and validation in the way Violet sides with Clementine and AJ after Marlon’s death. She votes for them to stay, vocalizing how much she disapproves of the results. There’s this feeling that I recognize from a lot of the sapphic romance I read; “it’s you and me against the world, I’ll always have your back, even if you’re in the wrong, I’ll fight for you.”

In our case, it’s violentine + AJ against the rest of Ericson, save Tenn and Aasim. Violet validates that AJ was justified because Marlon was a liar and murderer, claiming that AJ and Clementine did nothing wrong. Violet fights to keep them. 

The tension between violentine in ep2 is different because instead of one pushing the other away, they’re being forced apart by the vote and there’s nothing they can do about it. That tension is somewhat released when Clementine comes back and they’re reunited, working out a plan to best defend the school. 

It’s also why Violet’s presented as doing something productive when you follow her instead of Louis, and why she asks if you want to hang out after checking the defenses. 

All that being said, allow me to reiterate that one is not good and the other bad, they're different. These concepts of challenge and change/validation and comfort exist on a neutral road as diverging paths. It’s up to the player to pick what path they prefer, but that doesn’t mean the other path isn’t worth acknowledging or analyzing. 

I should also mention that they’re not exclusive; there is overlap with validation being present in Louis’ route and challenges in Violet’s. They’re just more present in episodes 3 and 4 after we’ve made our decision. 

There are several more examples of how this all fits together, buuuuut–

Ya’ll wanna compare some allegories?

Those familiar with my content might already know where I’m going with this as I’ve made a post about Louis and the piano in the past. 

You see, I believe that there are allegories for Louis and Violet’s hearts present in their routes: Louis’ piano, and Violet’s pin. 

I already have a thorough, in-depth analysis of Louis and the piano that you can read, so all I’ll say about it is that on the night of the raid, he asked Clementine to carve a piece of herself into his heart so that no matter what, their initials will be immortalized together in its wood…

And that makes me fucking feral. 

But I'm also so normal about it.

As for Violet, her heart is the star gazing pin she gives to Clementine. She gives it to her so she’ll always remember that night… but she doesn’t give it to her until after Clementine’s saved her, and that fascinates me in the context of it being allegory. 

Louis asks Clementine to carve herself into his heart right before the raid, cementing that from that moment on, he is utterly devoted to her. I believe this is part of the reason why Louis is still happy to see her if he’s the one who’s captured. Yes, yes, he’s also incredibly traumatized from having his tongue cut out and he’d be happy to see anyone, yada yada… but listen, if you romance Louis and he’s captured, his heart remains with her—that piano with their intitals is on full display. When he sees her, he’s still so devoted to her that he refuses to accept that it’s at all her fault. Even when she says it is, he shakes his head... and he so easily accepts her when they’re together in the end. From the moment Clementine puts knife to wood, he’s hers. 

Now, look… you might think I’m going somewhere not great with this but hear me out. 

I think after Clementine’s gone star gazing with her, Violet is fully ready to give her heart to her. Y’know, give her the pin. But, think about what Violet said about how people have left, but Clementine came back. Plus, with the impending raid to think about, maybe Violet should keep the pin until the right moment. 

I believe a key difference between her and Louis is that Violet needs one last thing to solidify that Clementine’s the one. 

Louis gives her his heart prior to the raid because of everything that’s already gone down between them following Marlon’s death. Violet needs to know that Clementine’s willing to fight for her the way she fought before. When Clementine saves her from the raiders, it’s solidified. Even after she sees Minerva again, it changes nothing.

It’s also worth noting that the pin is something Clementine wears. Like the piano carving, it’s a piece on display for everyone to see, to let them know whose heart Clementine has.

Violet literally handed Clementine her heart as a means of saying, “I’m yours. I’m devoted to you.” 

This is why romanced/captured Violet is devastating, and is why she behaves the way she does in the cells. She was so ready to give her heart away and then nope, sorry, Vi! You get knocked unconscious by raiders instead! 

If anything, you kind of deserve to be told to fuck off if you romanced her and then let her get captured. Just sayin’. 

Look, I have a lot of complicated feelings about the captured violentine route, mostly with Violet being as forgiving as she is after her eyes are burned—yes, yes, I know, her eyes are burned and Minerva messed with her head so of course now she’s not hostile, yada, yada. 

But I think it’s rather telling that you don’t get the pin in this route. Sure, Violet’s willing to forgive and possibly pursue this romance in the future… but she’s not ready to hand over her heart, not truly. Not after everything that’s happened. 

And if you want to get extra angsty about it, imagine that Violet made the pin right after they parted ways, but before the raiders came. Meaning that if she’s captured, it’s possibly still sitting somewhere, abandoned. 

Mmhmmm, very normal about this. I feel normal. My normalness about this continues... normally. I'm not losing my shit thinking about that. Nope. Why would I? I wouldn't! So normal.

Okay just let me talk about their reactions to Tenn's death and then I'll shut up.

This makes me want to gnaw my own foot off, I can barely handle it.

AJ shoots Tenn on the bridge because Clementine trusted him to make the hard calls. This saves Louis or Violet's life.

When Louis jumps across, he's completely silent as he watches Tenn die... and then he's pissed; "What the fuck?! How could you just shoot him like that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for him, and Louis is so upset that he forces AJ to look at what he's done, to watch the walkers eat Tenn; "Tenn's dead. He's dead! Do you realize that?! Look! [...] He's... he's gone, because of you. Just fucking gone."

If Clementine says AJ saved his life, Louis says, "So what, we just cut him loose? Gun him down like he was nothing?"

If Clementine says nothing, Louis says, "Tenn was just a little boy!"

The reason Louis responds this way is because in this moment, he just relived Marlon's death all over again, but worse. So, SO much worse!

When Violet jumps across, she breaks down, begging, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! No, no! No, no, no..." as she watches Tenn die... and then says to AJ, "No! What the fuck?! How could you do that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for her, and Violet is faaaar from okay; "For me? I can't... Tenn is gone! That soft little boy who liked to draw, he's gone, because of you!"

If Clementine says AJ saved her life, Violet says, "You think that's okay?! Just gunning down one of our own?!"

And there it is.

Louis is hardened in this situation because he already went through this... Violet hasn't, not with AJ. She softened up throughout her route due to her relationships to him and Clementine... but this is the moment where she realizes that maybe AJ wasn't as justified as she believed, and this is the consequence.

This leads us to the ending where AJ asks if they're still mad about him killing Tenn, and I just... I'm biting my foot right now because the script has flipped.

Louis is forgiving and understanding. He's soft, he's sympathetic, he shakes AJ's hand to let him know that all is forgiven and they're okay; "I... AJ, I guess it's like... You saw something I didn't. About the situation, I mean. Minnie and the walkers and Tenn, it's just all this chaos in my head when I think back on it. [...] Clem says you saved my life? Well, then, that's exactly what you did. And how can I stay mad at anyone for doing that?"

Or, alternatively, "He was your friend, AJ. I know you are hurting just as much as I am."

As for Violet? She's understanding, too... but she's not quite ready to forgive yet; "The thing you said on the bridge...that he was messing up all the time. It wasn't something new, you know. Tenn got himself or other people into trouble all the time, long before you guys got here. He was always so lost. He lived in a world that just...isn't there, you know? And that's why I tried to look after him. But when I was pulling him away from the walkers, and Minnie, I could also see...he just wasn't there anymore."

"So you're mad, but sad."

"Can I be that for a while?"

And it's completely understandable that she's hurting and struggling with how she feels about AJ moving forward! She wants to be okay, she wants to forgive him, she just needs time.

Now, because I'm forever bitter, but I'm gonna mention this as well: whenever I see someone point at Violet's scene and say, "See!? This is how LOUIS should've acted in ep2!" like... they're telling on themselves again. Not just that they don't understand Louis as a character or his route, but that they don't fully grasp Violet's part in this either. Or time frames, for that matter.

Let me put it to you in simple terms... they react the same.

After Marlon and Tenn die, they're upset. They're pissed. They blame AJ and yell at him. After they've had time to process what happened [Louis after the two week time skip, Violet after time passes between the bridge and the ending] they share the same, "I'm still upset about Marlon/Tenn. Can I be that for a while and still be your friend?" sentiment.

The difference is that Louis is treated poorly for it because of the vote, and because we feel it first hand for longer... Violet got to grieve off screen and come back after she's sorted herself out.

It's a disservice to both of their characters because it's rooted in that same mentality that I criticized at the beginning: "This is why one is better than the other."

Do I need to say it again? I'm gonna say it again.

One is not good and the other bad. They're different.

There are so many fun discussions that could come from putting Louis and Violet side by side, and examining them. I haven't even covered the different ways they're introduced, or compared their ep3 dates to see what it says about them and the overall narratives! What about the cell scenes!? How they react when Dorian's about the cut off their fingers! The way they approach James upon meeting him!

That last one in particular is especially funny! They're all under stress about blending in with a herd of walkers to infiltrate a boat to save their friends, and yet Louis easily saunters up to the guy wearing walker skins with a smile, and makes him laugh by saying, "Functional and fashionable. I'll take two."

Violet approaches James like he's an injured wild animal that's going to bite her, and bless her heart, she tries with, "I, uh… hey. Hey there, James. Sorry about Willy." Then James gives her this judgmental side-eye, like buddy? She's not the weirdo here.

There is so much potential to dissect here, and I want to see people do it... but I want them to do it fairly, in good faith.

I want to get away from the idea of comparing them to "prove" which is better because there is no objective better. There isn't! That's a waste of time!

I'm so done with The Debate™; it's unhelpful, it's annoying, and it's boring as shit. I've heard it all before, and you probably have, too.

I want to put Louis and Violet under a microscope and study them with the thought process of, "one does this and the other does that... what does it mean!? what does it say about the narrative!? Oh my god, they have the same opinion on this thing, WRITE THAT DOWN!"

So yeah, that's my ramble for the night.

I'm gonna go replay TFS for further research.

[myfandomrealitea]

I really wanted to ask you about this:

Do you have any advice of how to develop critical thinking and media literacy?

There are many, many ways you can practice critical thinking, evaluation and media literacy. At its most basic, you can access student resources for lower levels of education like earlier high school years and look at the examples and guidance given there. Rehashing this will often give you a good foundation to build off of and apply.

One of the main aspects of critical thinking involves discerning what is fact and what is opinion. A good portion of media analytics is opinion. What is 'bad' by one person's standards is 'sub-par' or even 'great' by another's. Similarly, the majority of fandom space is opinion-based. The main pitfall of fandom spaces is that everyone wants their opinion to be taken as fact, which is where critical thinking and even basic communication begin to fall away.

"I'm right and you're wrong" and "this is the way it should be, if you do it or think differently, you're wrong" are common roadblocks people run into when engaging with things like media analysis and even basic fandom activities like fanfiction.

'Mischaracterisation' is fanfiction is one popular topic, especially here on Tumblr. What people often fail to recognize is the true creative depth of fanfiction and using someone else's pre-existing characters. Characters as they are in the source material may not make the choices or behave in the ways necessary to activate or validate certain plot material or author intentions in fanfiction. Which is, inherently, one of the main points of fanfiction. Exploring the alternate.

While you might immediately recoil and say "he'd never do that!" you then have to sit back and recognise that that's exactly the point. That this iteration of that character is not meant to directly reflect the source material. Its a re-imagining, a re-interpretation. That doesn't mean its bad. Its simply different.

'Mischaracterisation' is only actually applicable in fandom spaces when someone is trying to insist as a blanket fact that a character would do something or behave in a way that blatantly contradicts their canon behavior, opinions, morals and perspective or deliberately interpreting an action in biased bad faith. It is not actually applicable to fanfiction where creative liberty dictates you can do whatever the fuck you want with a character because you're not trying to claim it as part of the source content.

Questions To Ask Yourself

Am I reacting to [media] emotionally instead of rationally? Is my emotional response to [media] blinding me to the rational or critical approach(es)?

Am I allowing my expectations to get in the way of me understanding [media] fully? Am I forming a biased negative opinion of [media] because it isn't meeting my expectations?

Even if I disagree with [media], do I actually understand it? Can I recognise the reasoning behind choices made or actions even if I don't agree with them?

Am I searching too hard to hidden meaning or purpose in absolutely everything? Can I recognise what is simply passive information/detail and what is active information/detail? (E.g; English tutors saying a character's curtains are blue because they're depressed when throughout the literature its passively reinforced that blue is the character's favorite color.)

Even though I disagree with the statement or opinion shown, is it necessary to argue against it? Is there any benefit to making my counter-opinion known or is it simply a no-end argument? Am I just using arguing as a means of release/fulfilment? Am I treating this person poorly because of their opinion/statement?

Resources

Critical Thinking Exercises & Explanations #1 The Critical Thinking Activity Workbook Early Stage Critical Thinking Games Five Media Literacy Activities Six Media Literacy Ideas

[queerfortress2]

Oh my god, I loved the way you described the support classes in an argument, I feel like it was totally spot-on. Would you be willing to write how the other classes would be in an argument, as well? Or, at least maybe the defence classes?? Thank you and have a wonderful day! 🥰

another engineer (technically) one, im in heaven. also, thank you! (also so very sorry for how short it is, my brain is so very very fried from art fight.) — mod engie

GN!READER X DEFENSE CLASSES ; ARGUMENTS

DEMOMAN

out of all of them? he is the best. he can actually recognize that he is wrong in an argument after the fact and apologise, which is crazy by mercenary means. after all, most of his problems are solved by alcohol and bombs, but he cares about you enough not to blow you up, so be thankful for that.

that being said… he’s also drunk most of the time, so the former may not even apply when you’re arguing. he most likely won’t recognise he’s even arguing— hell! he might not even remember he’s arguing halfway through and begin talking about a completely unrelated topic. it’s kind of difficult to continue from there, considering he’s either too drunk to recognise you, sleeping, or taking another swig out of a comically large bottle.

"Aye..! I know y’er mad aboot th’ match but in—" His glassy eyes looked around, almost not at you, rather your general surroundings, his leg limp slightly. Be tilted to the right as he looked towards the fireplace of the lounging area, stumbling slightly, "—Wh’teva’ ‘s really jus’ ah… hic!—" Almost on cue, the man had practically fallen, stumbling over, falling asleep momentarily. The second his body loses balance, you seem to have been forced by your instinct to catch him. The impact between him and your arms almost knocked you both over, but thankfully he slowly rose back up to his feet and looked you in the eyes. Unfortunately for you, he already forgot about the argument, and began incoherently babbling about how he missed being this close to you. ..Maybe bring it up another time. One of the rare hours when he’s sober.

when he's sober afterwards i imagine its a lot easier to have a conversation with him, after all he's usually willing to admit he was in the wrong, and a lot of the time, its not a big argument. he's just not a man easy to anger. while the support classes are much easier to aggravate. a common theme seems to be the defense class men are just a loooooot more patient. (also a lot more apologetic)

ENGINEER

its genuinely really hard to argue with this man because he is (most of the time) correct. even if it is an argument you thought you knew all about he's INFURIATINGLY on top. why? well, he does his research really. he's not as willing to win silly little debates but when it comes to much more serious decisions being made. or, say, doing something utterly STUPID at work that could've gotten you killed. yeah, the respawn exists, but darn it that don' mean you can play with it!

so when you, say, fuck around with dangerous technology, he will 100% start arguing. not because he hates you for messing with his latest trinket, but because you could've gotten seriously hurt! that's not a game he's willing to play. unlike the medic, he doesn't often fuck around with satan, the poor texan doesn't want to grow more grey hair in his... beard? eyebrows? i don't know, dell is practically bald.

"WHAT were you THINKING?" The Texan dropped his hard hat onto the desk beside him. The man works late nights to make sure no one gets royally fucked by that dangerous machine his Grandfather created a few generations before, and you're skipping out of it like it's a playground? It's safe to say his blood pressure suffers due to your recklessness. Though it was clear his volume was unwarranted, he finally started over with a long sigh, talking at a normal volume. "Y'know that thin' wasn't always 'dere? Dontcha? Don't get too comfortable with that thin'. I don' wanna see you get hurt, y' hear me?" Dell really didn't want to hear your side of the argument, after all, in his mind there was no reason in hell OR heaven for you to just casually run at the flames of the opposing Pyro for 'funsies'. Imagine how it is for him to see you die in numerous ways on the battle field. It AIN'T NICE, to say the least.

no matter how long the argument went on, he would eventually shut you down with a good 'don't pull that shit again' and move out to take a lap. he takes a lot longer to cool down than the other two defense mercenaries, mostly because whenever he argues genuinely, it gets rather personal. even if to you it seemed rather 'impersonal' and 'professional' feel-y, in his heart it was because all the machinery is what gives his family their name. whenever he sees someone messing around with it? it genuinely ticks him off.

HEAVY

man of little words argues the least, mostly because, unlike engineers, everything is rather impersonal. he's definitely heard it all, and while i don't think he apologises as often, it's also just difficult to get him to argue THAT BADLY. the most you get out of him is maybe two words telling you not to do something, and even then there's not that much room for argument is there? you either do what he's asked of you or you don't. both are things he can't quite control. he's just as stubborn, as you can tell he just does his own thing, only following directions when he can see it's vital for his or others' survival.

not impossible to argue with him, however. there are times when you can get him to argue, but its usually not anything important. perhaps you had a different opinion on how a cliffhanger was supposed to be interpreted? now we're getting somewhere. maybe you have a rather negative imagine of fyodor's brothers. he's not gonna let you pass without explaining why.

"I just didn't understand what the Father was supposed to mean in all that!" You may have exclaimed as you sat across from the largest mercenary on the team, yet sat composed in a comfortable sofa chair, with small glasses and a comically small book in hand. He wasn't usually seen like this, after all, most people see him screaming violently on the field. It's only this side that you see most commonly late at night. The way you seemed to speak of it was rather surface-level. Which, not to blame you, it's a Russian novel, not many are reading it at all. Heavy never owned books in English. So it's really just for you to 'suck up and take' while reading with him. Thankfully, he's taught you enough to have you fill in the blanks with common sense. Perhaps it was just American society getting to you. Back at home, the meaning was a lot easier to grasp, knowing that most were under a similar crushing situation under the new rule. At least in Russian society, where a lot of knowledge is needed to even begin to understand the book, the brothers' differences were clear in what they represented and what their father represented, especially in the modern day with the uprising and new government, filled with Soviet control. The man stared lost in thought at you, which is mighty intimidating on its own, before actually speaking up. "Ah, no." He simply shook his head, leaning forward in his chair for you to hear him better, "He uses father in metaphor not..." He snapped his finger attempting to remember the English word for his sentence. "Literal. Father mean more than just caretaker. Mean oppression." It sounded as if he were to continue before he simply sat back and relaxed back into his chair.

it didn't exactly feel like an argument, in fact it felt more like he was informing you. but that's genuinely the closest i could ever imagine him getting to an argument. he just doesn't seem like that type of guy.

[danceofthephilos]

"Repent and Make Efforts"

Kaoru's calligraphy display in episode 5 is very obviously targeted, but between natural difficulties in translating idioms, changes made in the English dub, and misunderstandings of the general meaning of "repentance", exactly what he's communicating often gets lost in translation - which is a shame, because it's not only a very telling moment about Kaoru's own feelings about Adam, but one that ends up being very important to the themes of the entire show and many of the central character arcs.

To give some quick establishing information, what Kaoru is writing in this scene is a called a yojijukugo (四字熟語), or four-character idiom - set idiomatic phrases that are very similar to (and originate from) Chinese chengyu (成语), which you may be familiar with if you've read any linguistic analysis of danmei. Four-character idioms are very common subjects for calligraphers like Kaoru, and the ways they can be used in speech make them very difficult to translate concisely. The particular idiom Kaoru has written here, read from right to left, is 悔悟奮發, a real four-character idiom (though usually written 悔悟憤発 in modern Japanese - Kaoru is using the Chinese hanzi.)

Read kaigo funpatsu, both the Crunchyroll subs and the dub translate this as "repent and make efforts", which is... fine enough given the complexity of translating yojijukugo. It's quite a literal translation, looking at the phrase broken down into its components - 悔悟 can indeed be translated to "repentance", and 奮發 means "to exert oneself." As an idiom, it means "to regret one's mistakes, and work hard to recover." It generally refers to remorse, but can also mean coming back from a loss. In this exchange from a Japanese website explaining the use of the idiom, it's used to describe recovering after a loss in a competition:

Tomoko: You must be in high spirits, to be practicing on your day off. Kenta: Everyone was shocked when I was eliminated in the first round of that tournament the other day. Next time I'll get my revenge. Tomoko: Oh, so you're trying to make a comeback*, good luck!

(*in a perfect example of how difficult yojijukugo can be to translate when used in regular speech, a translation as literal as "repent and make efforts" would sound very silly in English here.)

And this idiomatic meaning is how Kaoru explains it - and where I believe some misunderstandings are originating from, both due to the overall interpretation of the word "repent", as well as changes in nuance in the explanation given in the dub. To begin with, let's look at Kaoru's dialog in Japanese. (Due to him immediately explaining the meaning, I chose to leave kaigo funpatsu untranslated, unlike the official subs.)

And the same dialog in the dub:

It should be apparent just from this that Kaoru in the original and Kaoru in the dub are saying completely different things. Originally, Kaoru makes no mention of making peace with people that have been hurt, because that isn't what kaigo funpatsu is referring to. Kaigo is personal, internal regret - kaigo funpatsu is about self-reflection, recognizing one's mistakes and striving to do better, considering your past in order to take your next steps in the future. That could involve making amends with wronged parties, but it's not part of it inherently - Kaoru's original dialog doesn't even allude to people being hurt at all, because it's not relevant to the idiom.

It's here that I believe the word "repent" is causing some trip-ups: it's being taken in the Christian sense of atonement or penance, an action done to achieve forgiveness from others or redeem oneself for sinning, but Kaoru is simply talking about realizing you've done something wrong and feeling remorse for it. (Or, specifically, about Adam realizing he's done something wrong and feeling remorse for it.)

And while his last line in the dub is at least a bit more in the spirit of kaigo funpatsu, it's still missing what is at the heart of Kaoru's feelings about this idiom, and about the man it's clearly targeted at - the idea of coming back from one's mistakes, something that does not come up in the dub at all. The first word Kaoru uses, bankai (挽回), does mean "to recover", but also "to regain what was lost" or "to return to the original state." Torimodosu (取り戻す), as well, specifically means to regain something that was lost - in fact, it's the very same word Tadashi uses when speaking of Adam "regaining his love."

Kaoru is not asking Adam to personally make things up to him, or to anyone - Kaoru, at heart, believes in Adam, and believes that he can, and should, still come back from everything. Even in the finale - after the Full Swing Kiss, after his naive hopes of simply returning to how things were in high school are shattered - his first concern is still for Langa to make Adam understand that.

Like with Kenta in the example exchange above, kaigo funpatsu isn't about Adam atoning for his sins - it's a call for him to recognize he screwed up and move forward without making the same mistakes.

And he does, or at least he's beginning to take those steps. He recognizes the mistake that matters most to the themes of the story, and that led to everything that happened in his life since - that he lost sight of the innocent love for skating he had as a child.

He finally admits what Tadashi meant to him;

he directly defies his abusive family's wishes by working against Takano rather than throwing Tadashi under the bus;

and he finally shows up as Adam in daylight, on someone else's "turf", to celebrate his own defeat - reaching out to his former friends and gracefully accepting loss, things he refused to do even an episode prior.

He may not be begging for forgiveness, and with this coming at the very end of the series there's a long road still ahead of him, but he's recognizing that he did things wrong and he's making an effort to move forward in a better way - and in doing that he's regained the most important thing he lost, his love of skating.

And Adam isn't the only one whose character arc kaigo funpatsu describes, either. Reki regrets his mistakes...

...and comes back from them.

Langa recognizes his mistakes and comes back from them - and is even able to help Adam do the same.

Tadashi, more clearly spelled out than anyone, recognizes his mistakes...

...and he's able to come back from them, too.

None of these resolutions involve big direct apologies, or any kind of penance to earn forgiveness. (Personal forgiveness isn't something SK8 takes much interest in dwelling on or making characters earn in the first place, and its approach to forgiveness could easily be a whole other meta in and of itself.) They don't have to, because in the end, Kaoru's idiom is not only a message to Adam - one that he ultimately does receive, if a bit later than Kaoru hoped - but a moment that spells out a big part of the show's thesis.

Everyone is going to do things wrong in their life, one way or another - but anyone who regrets their mistakes and makes an effort to do better should be able to recover from them and regain what they lost.

Only season 2 can show us what moving forward is going to look like, but when it comes to what counts to the core narrative, everyone's taken the first steps.

[guardian-of-time-if]

Final Years with MC snippet: Tzesar

I wrote another snippet to go with the one for Lukyan I released yesterday. This one is for Tzesar. It doesn't have MC in it nearly as much, but since he'd be actively hiding his thoughts from MC this felt better to show where his headspace would be at. I hope you enjoy!

Also forgot to mention this in the last one, but there shouldn't be anything in these snippets that is an actual spoiler, but they do take place decades after the plot, so there's hints of where the characters will end up if you'd rather not know.

Tzesar flips through another esoteric, ancient tome. This one is proving to be even less relevant than the last. Perhaps elvish tomes weren’t the way to go. They already had immortality, why would they seek magic to recreate it? But that would suggest that human writings would be the best source for magic to prolong life, and he was pretty familiar with all human mages worth reading.

He was running out of options. The elven texts were more and more worthless with each one. None of the texts by scholars he recognized offered practical solutions, only theoretical starting points. While he didn’t necessarily mind doing the experimentation himself, he’d prefer to have a more concrete starting point. He’d rather not cause a lethal accident because his textual sources were too vague. He’d even tried asking Sentinel for help the Dragon Seekers could offer, but had been flatly refused. Or at least, Tzesar assumed that the elf walking away without waiting to hear the full question was a no.

“Excuse me,” a voice calls, forcing Tzesar to look up from his tome.  

“Headmaster?” He asked, surprised to see one of his former teachers from his days at school.

“I hear you are looking for old tomes detailing ancient magics.”

“That is true,” Tzesar answers. He knows this man, spent years learning from him, but decades at court have taught him not to trust when people show up unannounced claiming to have solutions to your problems. “How did you hear that?”

“One of my students tried to steal these volumes from our library,” he replies, holding up a stack of books. “Our guard brought her to my office, and she told me the grand arcanist of Nytheris was offering more gold than her entire village makes in a year for ancient tomes of unknown criteria. That was odd, I thought, knowing that the grand arcanist was once one of my students, and has full rights to visit our library any time.”

“I actually thought to plan a trip soon,” Tzesar interjected, coming very close to a lie. He’d thought about going, but immediately decided against it because he would have to explain to MC why he was leaving. 

“Well, I did some asking around of my own to ascertain which tomes you would be looking for. Once I accumulated a list of titles, I found a common thread. So tell me, child, why would you waste so many resources hunting down a form of immortality?”

“Who says that’s what I’m after?” He asked, turning away from the professor. 

“I may not be Eldrin Carathroth, but I did catch you sneaking into off limits sections of the library in your free time, and using unsanctioned magic in your dormitory. Your lies are as easy to see through now as they were then, even if you do hide them under a courier’s smile.”

“Fine,” he admits. “I’m looking for ancient texts about immortality. I’m hardly the first human to look into the existence of such magics.”

“You are far too good a student of history to claim ignorance on why such magics are so dangerous.”

“Those men were idiots,” Tzesar answers bluntly. “I am a genius. I’ve studied their mistakes. I won’t repeat them.”

“Which brings us back to my original question. Why do you pursue this path? You are the grand arcanist for a much loved king. The greatest wizard of our age. Do you really need the glory of uncovering immortality as well?”

“It’s not about glory,” Tzesar insisted. “It’s about… me. I need it for personal reasons. I won’t publish my research. No one will be able to use it after me.”

“Then why don’t you ask your brother for help?”

“He won’t help with this. He wouldn’t understand.”

“I thought you were close.”

“We are, but we can’t talk about this. He doesn’t… he wouldn’t…” Tzesar lets out a groan as he words seem to fail him. What is it about being in the presence of a mentor that reduces one to a child even in old age. 

“Then why wouldn’t you ask me? Or any of the professors you were close to. I know you miss Eldrin, but surely he wasn’t the only one you can trust.”

“I do trust you, but you have elven blood you wouldn’t understand.”

“I’m only half elven. I still age, and I’ll still die, it just takes a couple decades longer. I’m even getting close to death myself. Are you afraid?”

“No!” He hated how alarmed he sounded. 

“It’s normal to fear death.”

“I don’t fear death. I just can’t be the only one…”

Shit. He hadn’t meant to say that. That was too honest. 

“Only one?”

“Nevermind. It doesn’t matter.”

“Your love,” the teacher says, suddenly, seeing through every wall Tzesar had tried to keep up. “She’s going to outlive you.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I always knew your pride would be the end of you, but I never suspected it would be like this.”

“Pride?” Tzesar asked, not bothering to hide how insulted he was from his voice. “You think its about pride?”

“You can’t handle not being the best at something. If the woman you’re in love with can best death, why can you not?”

“Its not about beating death.”

“Then tell me what you would do if you found immortality.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I’m going to leave these books here, not because I think they’ll help you, but because I hope that reading the perspective of men who have lost themselves to the pursuit of immortality will prevent you from doing the same.”

“I won’t lose myself,” He promises. 

The professor leaves, and is soon replaced by MC. She walks over to where he’s deep into one of his tomes. 

“Tzesar,” she calls softly, nudging his shoulder. “You’ve been down here forever.”

“I’ve been working on my research.”

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a week,” she says, peeking over his shoulder. He shut the book before she could see anything important. “Why are you hiding away down here?”

“I’m not hiding,” he insists. “I’m doing research.”

“You just shut that book so I can’t read your book.”

“It’s government secrets.”

“Are you serious? How long have we been together?”

“Why are you being so nosy?” He asks, hoping to distract her.

“I’m not being nosy. Why are you being so shady?”

“I’m a scholar, we primarily do our work in privacy.”

“Why do you need privacy from me?”

Because he has a strong feeling she wouldn’t approve, but he can’t say that, so instead he sighs. “I don’t need privacy from you. It’s just not ready for sharing yet.”

Her shoulders slump. “Do I need to worry?”

“No,” he promises. “I have everything under control. I promise I’ll explain everything once I can.”

When he had finally found a way to preserve his life, so they could stay together. He didn’t have many years ahead of him, but all he needed was one lucky break. If he had any say over the matter, he was going to find a way to be immortal with his MC, even if it killed him.

[monstersdownthepath]

Herald of Abadar: Lawgiver

CR 15

Lawful Neutral Gargantuan Construct

Inner Sea Gods, pg. 276

Well, I suppose we have to get this guy out of the way at some point, so why not put him at the start of Monitors and Misfits Month? It's especially fitting considering Abadar is the first core god that most people will see in just about every list of deities thanks to his name! The God of Civilization has done a lot for the mortal world and for the Perfect City of Axis alike, with the implacable Lawgiver being one of his simpler creations, made to enforce the peace of Axis and to act as Abadar's strongarm in the mortal world. Much like its fellow "boringly-named Construct in service to a Lawful god crafted for the express purpose of combat" the Grand Defender, the Lawgiver was not born, but made, crafted directly from the metals of Axis to serve as its defender and to hit Chaotic creatures with a huge hammer. It's got a lot in common with the GD!

Including being very boring. If you put the Hand of the Inheritor on one side of a Venn diagram and the Grand Defender on the other, the Lawgiver would be dead in the center right under the topic of 'statistically boring.' This isn't to say it's weak, far from it! But the Lawgiver is as every bit as stuffy, practical, and to-the-point as its creator, eschewing having any unique abilities or equipment or any bombastic spells in favor of a handful of generically useful spells and the aforementioned hammer. It doesn't even have an interesting personality, the book outright noting the thing almost never speaks, and when it does it's almost entirely passages from Abadar's holy books and manuals which are relevant to the current situation.

You can, perhaps, sense my frustration with and boredom towards Lawgiver here, a feeling that appears to be shared with the staff of Archives of Nethys, who haven't updated its statblock since its original release in Curse of the Crimson Throne: Seven Days to the Grave back in 2008, forcing me to keep Inner Sea Gods open in my other hand to make sure my data is accurate. As you may expect from such a forgettable entity, this won't be a particularly interesting article, but it is one that must be written to set the stage for the rest of the Heralds this month. So, let's take a look at the Big Man With A Hammer which, as we'll find out, is all it needs to smash most proteans and demons to paste.

Let's get the big hammer out of the way, first. The guy is stanced up in his picture for a reason! He's winding up for a big, two-handed slam with a +1 Axiomatic Warhammer sized for a Gargantuan creature, the heavy weapon dealing 4d6+10 (+2d6 vs Chaotic) damage upwards to four times a round and triple damage on a critical hit. Should it prize power over accuracy, the Lawgiver can use Power Attack to take a -4 penalty to its attack rolls for +8 to the damage, a trade it will typically make without hesitation against Chaotic Outsiders.

With a 20ft space and 20ft reach, Lawgiver shrouds entire battlefields in its threat radius, being one of the largest Heralds yet one of the few who can take its foes by surprise; it's not only capable of freezing completely stock-still and pretending to be a statue, but it can freely Change Shape into a large eagle to scout or hide from prying eyes, typically doing so when patrolling Axis to keep an eye out for trouble. It can also be considerably less subtle by turning into a two-headed golden eagle, which most sane beings would recognize as an omen that something very bad was about to happen to them if they don't turn and leave.

Even in its natural statue state the Lawgiver can fly 60ft a round, letting it get really goofy with its Full-Attacks if it wants, slamming its hammer down on its enemies from above while they're stuck on the ground, Medium-sized foes unable to fly made completely worthless by its superior reach... though this is used more often to catch up to flying enemies than it is to let it safely attack ground-bound foes, because every protean flies and they're by far Axis' most common enemy. And if someone's got magical flight to keep up with it, it really has nothing to say to that.

It's got a huge pile of spell-likes, more than almost any other Herald, but they're all for the good of the people of Axis and the mortals fighting alongside the Lawgiver than for the Herald itself. Just take a look at the healthcare you get on Axis' battlefield: Cure Serious Wounds, Neutralize Poison, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Curse, Remove Disease, and finally Remove Paralysis, ALL of these spells usable 3/day! Paizo should have saved time and just given it Heal and Greater Restoration; mostly the same effect, less text.

You'll notice that every single one of those spells is useless to the Lawgiver, who--as a Construct--is immune to basically anything but HP damage. That spell list is exclusively for the mortals fighting alongside it and citizens harmed in the crossfires of the war on chaos! And speaking of Construct defenses, the Lawgiver is a fairly sturdy robot, all things considered: 34 AC, immunity to Acid and Electricity, 10 Cold and Fire Resistance, and 26 Spell Resistance overall. It's also got All-Around Vision to deny flanking bonuses and is immune to critical hits, and uniquely is also impervious to rust, something I assume many proteans hoping to erode the city of Axis found out all too late.

It's a pretty sturdy robot! Even if it is undecorated. Function over form, and all that; Abadar knew what he wanted when he built it, and it's no more than that. And that's more or less it!

You can sort of read more about it here; you'll need to use the d20pfsrd version to actually see its updated stats.

[aikoiya]

LoZ - Why The Gerudo Are Unfair

I really don't think that a lot of fans really get just how not okay the Gerudo's practices are.

For one, every Gerudo is treated wholy & completely as a Gerudo & nothing else. Now, while it may make sense based on appearances, it doesn’t when you really think about it. Especially when you take into account the well-known lore about the Gerudo.

Because the Gerudo aren’t reproducing asexually & they only get 1 male a century. Which means that 99% of Gerudo are likely all more than half Hyrulean.

Not even half, more than half, because it isn’t just a Gerudo herself who had a non-Gerudo father, but possibly every Gerudo who came before her going on for most likely myriennia, were non-Gerudo.

Yet, they only focus on the Gerudo part of their heritage. As though their fathers don’t exist. As though their grandfathers, great grandfathers, & great great grandfathers, don’t exist! As though the women they’re related to through their male family members, don’t exist!!

As separatist as they may wish to be, they do so at the expense of others & themselves.

Let me put this into perspective for ya'll. A DNA test can trace your ancestors back 6-10 generations. Which, I know, no DNA tests in Hyrule, but just because they don't have DNA tests, doesn't mean that deductive reasoning stops existing.

1st gen = 1 Gerudo & 1 Non

2nd gen = 1 Gerudo & 3 Non

3rd gen = 1 Gerudo & 7 Non

4th gen = 1 Gerudo & 15 Non

5th gen = 1 Gerudo & 31 Non

6th gen = 1 Gerudo & 63 Non

7th gen = 1 Gerudo & 127 Non

8th gen = 1 Gerudo & 253 Non

9th gen = 1 Gerudo & 507 Non

10th gen = 1 Gerudo & 1015 Non

4 + 22 + 94 + 380 + 1522

26 + 474 + 1522

500 + 1522

2022

10 + 2022

2032

(10/100)×2032

0.49%

0.5%...

Only .5% of a singular Gerudo's ancestors, going back 10 generations, are Gerudo. And yes, I'm leaving out siblings, but that's because I'm only counting direct ancestors.

Yet that is all they’re recognized for.

Doesn't matter who the rest of their lineage consists of. All that matters is their mother. And not even the non-Gerudo mothers on the Gerudo side.

Again, not even a full percentage & that is their entire existence as people.

---

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there's a general consensus among human Hyrulean males that, if a Gerudo starts flirting with him, but they can't tell him their father's name or where he was from, or even her mother's father, it's likely not worth getting into a relationship with her to begin with because it's likely that her answers will reflect the relationship that he'll end up having with any daughter that may come from it.

And unless he's okay with that, he's better off saving them both the trouble.

Though, now that I think of it, wouldn't that be both hilarious & horribly sad if these sorts of questions became considered racist?

Like, I was reading a cool idea for a comic &, in it, the term "redhead" was considered racist against Gerudo & I damn near wanted to punch someone.

Like, okay then, what word should we use to describe your hair?

Ginger? Ging?

Auburn Noggin?

Carrottop?

Ranga Cabeza?

Roux Attic?

Ruddy Dome?

Titian Tresses?

Cinnamon Scalp?

Carmine Cranium?

Scarlet Skull?

Akage?

How about, "Russet Rogue?"

You there, ma'am, the Signora with the Sanguine Cilium!

I'm sorry, it's just... Have you ever heard of a more unoriginal slur? Especially when it's one of the most common words used to describe those with more erubessed filaments.

If someone called me a "whitey" with the intent of it being a slur & I actually gave them the dignity of being insulted by it??

I would be legitimately ashamed of myself. Like, yes, I'm insulted, but not by the "slur." I'm insulted by that lackluster attempt at one!

Because the me right now would be extremely tempted to mock the heck outta them. I may legitimately laugh at them before I could stop myself.

Like, "Come on. I've been called a mayonnaise monster & a snow roach. You think I'm gonna be insulted by freaking 'whitey?' Please, you can do better than that. Come on. Come on. Try again. Try it! I wanna hear your best slur! Please, I'm invested now."

I'm talking full-on patronization. I might just mentally pat them on the head like a silly puppy.

I mean, if that's the best you have, then I'm sorry. That's just pathetic.

Like, personally, don't know about you, but personally? If I was gonna give this racist asshole of a creatively bankrupt jerk the time of day & that time was spent doing anything other than mocking him, even only in my own head, I'd be disappointed in myself.

It's like... have some dang dignity. If I'm gonna get offended by something. The least I can do is only bequeath the gift of my offense upon someone who raised more than a falange in the general direction of the finish line.

LoZ Cultural Masterlist

[squealing-for-harusono-sensei]

Is Sasaki to Miyano BL? (Pt. 1: Genre is COMPLICATED)

I can practically hear some saying "Obviously??" And others yelling "NO IT'S NOT!!!" to that question.

For those of you who don't get why this is even in question, it's because Harusono-sensei doesn't classify Sasaki to Miyano as BL. The first volume cover denies that it's BL and on the site where it's published, it isn't categorized as BL.

Some may argue that it doesn't matter. It's about two boys who end up together, isn't that enough? "Death of the author" and all that.

I studied literature in college. Admittedly, I had a hard time understanding genre–so I had it as one of the main topics of my graduating thesis out of spite. And got the best possible grade. So I think it's safe to assume that I learned and know more about this than the majority of this fandom. And I say, that question? Is VERY complicated to answer.

The thing is, a lot of people think of genre as a binary. Either something is or isn't a part of that genre. In reality, it's closer to a spectrum and there are a lot of grey areas.

Take the arguments I presented for and against Sasaki to Miyano being BL. How much you buy into either of those arguments is largely depended on

1) Who you think has the most authority over what genre a work is. Is it the author or the reader?

2) What makes a BL BL? Is love between two boys really the only factor?

Neither of these have a clear answer. The reason why I was so confused about genre was because the academic world don't agree on what it even is. We all agree that genre is a thing, but we can't define it.

As I see it, genre is a byproduct of the human instinct to see patterns in things. We see a story and go "This is like that other story!" Once we have a large enough amount of stories that resemble each other and we give that group a name, BAM! We have a new genre.

Which is why defining it is so hard. Stories can be similar in a lot of different ways. But stories aren't similar if they only have one commonality. And yet we tend to boil the similarities down to only one aspect.

Take the isekai genre. Stories about going to another world goes WAY back. And yet, it's only within the last decade that we gave them that name. As I see it, it's because earlier they were similar enough to fantasy stories to simply be lumped into that genre. Whether the main character was born into a magical world or came into it later in life didn't change things enough for those stories to be dissimilar. At most it was a sub-genre of fantasy (e.g. portal fantasy). But suddenly we got a lot of stories about being transported into another world that were very similar in a distinct way. The main character was similar. They ended up in similar worlds. They were, for one reason or another, OP in this new world. They had similar tropes, characters, plot progressions. So these stories were given a name–isekai. Meaning different world. And then, because being transported to another world is the most distinct feature, all stories with that premise is categorized as isekai regardless of how well the term actually fits. (Although if it only has the premise as point of similarity, veterans of the genre will typically say that it is only technically isekai, or distinguish it from other isekai in some other way.)

Looping back to BL, if romance between two boys is the only defining factor, we can't call BL a genre...right? Well, yes, but once something is a genre things get even more complicated.

But does it have to be? Couldn't we just solve it by having the author decide the genre?

Sadly, authors are not immune misclassifying their works. Authors are not immune to misunderstanding genres, for one, though I think we can safely rule out any of those reasons in this case. Harusono-sensei clearly knows a lot about BL–a lot of Sasaki to Miyano's humor wouldn't work otherwise. However, that doesn't rule out not being able to see the forest for the trees. Sometimes an author is too close to their work to recognize the genre because they get bogged down in all the details that make their work unique. There is also the possibility of Harusono-sensei just plain lying to us. Because sometimes authors do that.

But why would an author ever want to lie about the genre? Because genre shapes expectations.

This is why the question of what genre a work is even matters. In worst case scenarios, it's like eating something sour when you were expecting something sweet. You probably wouldn't like it, even though you would have liked it if you had known it would be sour. The worst case scenario isn't relevant for this question, but the point is that being told that something is a specific genre is going to affect how you experience the story.

Regardless of whether or not Sasaki to Miyano is or isn't BL, Harusono-sensei did have something in mind when she called it Boys' Life instead of BL. So whenever you recommend it, I think it's worth pointing out that it's a Boys' Life story. Because that's the expectation that Harusono-sensei intended for readers to have.

Does that then exclude Sasaki to Miyano from the BL genre? Not necessarily. Partly because I think that Harusono-sensei is half lying about the "not a BL" thing. More about that in part two, where I explore what I think Harusono-sensei intended with calling Sasaki to Miyano a Boys' Life story, NOT a BL.

But I did mention that the author might not be the most reliable source of what genre the work is. So I probably should try to answer the question instead of just making it more complicated.

If you try to rationally figure out the answer instead of just going by "I know it when I see it," there are a couple of different ways to do it.

One way of thinking about genre is that it's a collection of common traits that might occur in a genre. It might common character types (e.g. badboy uke), common tropes (e.g. kabedon), common plot developments (e.g. misunderstandings), etc. etc. Some are more critical than others. If there is no romance between two boys then it is categorically not BL.

Another is seeing genre as there being an imaginary story that perfectly exemplifies a genre. Whether or not a story is a part of that genre depends on how close it is to that ideal genre story.

These are just some examples, but the problem is that there isn't really a clear cut answer no matter how you try to figure out a genre. A lot is up to personal interpretation. Plus genre keeps changing. Each new story that is widely accepted as a part of that genre broadens what the genre can be.

Plus the simple fact that no one can read every story that may or may not be a part of a specific genre. I tend to avoid dark stories and have gotten less and less tolerant towards non-consent with age. So there are parts of the BL genre that I don't really engage with. Which then affects how I view the genre.

As I see it, the more you read a genre, the better your understanding of it is. And everyone who are avid readers of a genre will have similar but slightly different understandings of the genre.

Trying to figure out what genre Sasaki to Miyano is the rational way is way more work than I am willing to do. And realistically, kinda impossible. So I'll just give my two cents as someone who has read a lot of BL.

Sasaki to Miyano is partly BL. Which probably sounds like a cop-out answer, but I do mean it. While wholesome, it works a lot more on real world logic than BL logic and also focuses on things outside of Sasaki and Miyano's relationship. But the focus on the romantic aspect of Sasaki and Miyano's relationship, dealing with some of the same themes as BL, and the importance of the BL genre on the story can't be ignored either. So I consider it a fusion of BL and slice-of-life.

But if you read a lot of BL and have a different take? Then it's just as valid as mine.

[bronzefuryfic]

I wanted to ask this question about Rhae, but I forgot. Is her last name being Targaryen out of her choice or more related to the formality of Westerosi law (since it pushes for the father name to be attached to the children over the mothers)?

Hello! This is a great question!!!

The answer is pretty complicated, as I've blended a couple of worldbuilding pieces to decide on Rhae's last name.

In most instances, a child would inherit the name of the parent they're inheriting their titles from. That is to say, since Rhea Royce was a Lady in her own right, and Daemon was her consort, their children would inherit the Royce name. Thereby, Rhae would be Rhae Royce.

However, while common-practice, there are other factors that might influence this. Namely- power.

For example, in this same era, Corlys pushes King Viserys to decree that Rhaenyra's children take the Velaryon name, through Laenor. He argues this point on the idea that children inherit the father's name. This would be improper by the principle I highlighted above, but Corlys is making a power-move. Knowing that Viserys is desperate to solidify the Velaryons as allies, Corlys is using that leverage to make the Targaryen Throne into the Velaryon's. Corlys himself knows that he's overstepping, and while he doesn't succeed, he does force an interesting change:

Technically, all of Rhaenyra's children should be Targaryens first. Only the child that inherits Driftmark (Luke), would adopt the Velaryon name when he ascended the Driftwood Throne. This is flipped by Corlys' proposal. Now, all the children are Velaryons until one (Jace) inherits the Iron Throne, at which time he will adopt the name Targaryen.

Westerosi law (especially as it relates to inheritance, even moreso with daughters) is incredibly contradictory- what matters more is who has the power of enforcement. Any actions can be justified "by the law", depending on the decisions of those with influence.

Now, back to Rhae's situation. Technically, she should have always been "Royce". However, since this is near the height of Targaryen power, I thought it would be more interesting to indicate their influence by asserting that she take their name over Rhea's. When Daemon and Rhea were betrothed, it's said to have been to solidify Targaryen power in the Vale. So (in my story) when Daemon and Rhea were betrothed, it was with an addendum that their children inherit Daemon's family name. It breaks tradition, but it is once again a show of power.

From Chapter One:

But resenting [Daemon] did nothing to change her heritage. Rhae was the only person bearing the Targaryen name in all the Vale... her position was thus a precarious one. She was the heir to Runestone, but shared the name of the butcher who'd killed her predecessor. To some, to have a Targaryen sit the ancestral seat of House Royce was a great insult. As she was a woman, an engagement could easily remedy this slight... but there were those in Runestone that recognized the power in her name.

House Royce's displeasure at having a Targaryen heir is noted, as well as an avenue for reversing this play by the Targaryens. Rhae could marry a Royce cousin (remember- cousin incest is considered acceptable by Westeros). However, there's another path that will be explored in the future:

Because Rhae is a baby when she ascends, Ser Gerold acts as her regent. Regency typically ends when the heir comes of age, which is 16-years-old in Westeros. Because Rhae is 15, this hasn't happened yet. But when it does... Rhae in theory could choose to take on the Royce name herself. How? It's a weird situation- Daemon and Rhea's marriage was a failure. Daemon didn't uphold the Targaryen's half of the arrangement, and so I think there's room for the Royces to drop theirs:

Daemon had never disowned his eldest daughter, but he'd never extended a hand to her either. It was as though [Rhae] didn't exist, even as obvious as it may be she was a trueborn Targaryen. What House Royce remembers, the House of the Dragon forgets.

Jeyne Arryn rejects Daemon's claim to Runestone (which he didn't technically have), and he never used his power as a Targaryen (backing from the King, Caraxes) to pursue it further. In a similar vain, if Rhae adopted "Royce" as her name, I think she would face very little backlash from Viserys (and Daemon doesn't seem interested in involving himself). Everything about the arrangement has already been largely forgotten, and the King is incredibly conflict averse.

Regardless, the point is, right now Rhae carries the Targaryen name, and is considering a marriage to another Targaryen. House Royce will likely have a problem with that, as Rhae is somewhat supposed to be "undercover" and still primarily looking out for their interests.

Her name will be discussed more explicitly- when Rhae comes of age and makes her return to Runestone. Both because of House Royce's interest in keeping Runestone under their name, and to further explore Rhae's ongoing identity crisis.

(There's a lot tied to Rhae's conflicting identities in her first name too! "Rhae" is "Rhea", but with the letters flipped around. But!! It's also a shortened version of notable Targaryen names like Rhaenyra, Rhaenys, and Rhaena. Therefore, like the name's holder, the name itself is also "not quite Rhea" and "not fully Targaryen".)

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

Hello, dissociation tw.

On Friday I was dissociating and I was kinda locked inside my head and I was talking to headmates. Like, idk if someone "was there". And I am not diagnosed with DID and it is only an idea of me.

Usually, when I try to talk to potential headmates, I am like people in horror movies "uhm hey, if anyones there then blablabla" and I feel like an idiot because I am not certain if I even have DID. I just occasionally try to talk to headmates, because if they'd answer, I'd have a proof. And if not, nobody but me will know anyways.

And it felt the same "maybe someones there, maybe it's just me" on Friday but I was talking like I am certain that there is someone. Without thinking much about it. And I only realized until much later and am uncomfortable.

Because either A something made me realize that my idea is right and there are headmates or B I am taking my idea too serious, which I am really trying to prevent. I am honestly unsure how much it is based on facts, it "feels right" but my symptoms could be other illnesses, or overlapping stuff.

Since I didn't think about it and just talked to "someone" it makes me really uncomfortable. Why did I do that? And has it any meaning or was I just brain afk dissociating?

Hi anon,

I'm also questioning so please know you're not alone in these experiences.

It's common for newly discovered systems to have poor communication, which can mean you have to try really hard to stimulate conversation and sometimes it just doesn't work. In my experience I've actually described it as a seance, as it's an attempt to communicate with parts, which can be difficult.

I also find that it can be hard for newly discovered systems to get a feel for where one alter ends and another starts. It can be hard on top of the covert nature of DID to try to accept this, but every system looks a little different and just because communication does not come easy to your system or just because it may not be clear who is who doesn't necessarily mean you're not a system.

Also sometimes an answer may not be what you expect. If you ask something internally, you may not get an internal, verbal response. Alters can also reply merely by sharing things like thoughts, emotions, ideas, or imagination, especially if verbal communication is difficult. It can take time and practice focusing to notice these things more clearly.

It can be hard to face the idea that you may really be a system because it not only has a number of potentially overwhelming implications but the covert nature of DID often makes it so that an attempt to acknowledge the system can be blocked.

It's hard because it's unclear what may be going on for you, and so I don't want to potentially invalidate you as a system but I also don't want to lead you to believe something about yourself that may not be the case.

It sounds like you're just trying to figure out what's going on and not necessarily trying to take things too seriously, especially by recognizing that these symptoms may be indicative of something other than DID.

Best of luck in figuring things out. If anyone else has any comments or suggestions, feel free to add on. Otherwise, I hope I could help and please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[the-hem]

Jesus and the Verdict. From John 3: 14-21.

We cannot tell a world that is going balls in on a Third World War that things are going to be all right because God loves the world. No one disputes God is a loving God but times like these make us all wonder if he is loving enough. The scripture says if we believe in God and the Christ amazing things can happen, so why aren't they happening?

Jesus explains why not when he mentions Moses and the Bronze Serpent. Serpents are eye openers, they represent the transition that must take place between eye (or any other faculty) and the object of perception. The hunger pangs of the Israelites after they left Egpyt, symbolic of the lack of understanding of their predicament prompted serpents to bite them. Reality has that power:

"The root נחש (nhsh I) isn't used in the Bible and we don't know what it might have meant. BDB Theological Dictionary suggests it may be onomatopoeic, imitative of the hissing of a snake. Its sole derivative is the masculine noun נחש (nahash), the Bible's most common word for snake. See below for a look at the use of snake imagery and its possible meaning in the Bible.

It's not clear what came first, the verb or the noun (whether the verb נחש, nahash II, is a verb yielding the masculine noun נחש, nahash, or that the verb is denominative, formed from the noun). But the verb means to conduct divination or read omen, which was common practice in ancient times (Genesis 30:27, 44:5, 1 Kings 20:33), yet strongly condemned by the various Biblical legislators (Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:10, 2 Kings 17:17 and 21:6).

The noun נחש (nahash) means divination or enchantment and occurs only in the Balaam cycle (Numbers 23:23 and 24:1). "Balaam's way" is referred to twice in the New Testament (2 PETER 2:15 and REVELATION 2:14), and may in fact be the same as this art of divination and reading signs, which is still lavishly practiced today in fields ranging from the stock market to the church.

Knowledge that comes from the Lord has two distinct qualities by which it can be recognized: (1) It's understood in its context, and (2) it's never wrong. If a piece of wisdom is from the Lord, it can be explained logically and it works always and for everyone.

Someone who's in the know may advise, say, to not pass underneath a ladder because that could lead to misfortune. If that person is a diviner or a sign-reader, he will speak of bad luck and evil spirits and what not, and possibly advise you to also not pass through a triangular doorway, or quickly tap your chest in the shape of a square when your eyes fall upon something triangular. If that person has his knowledge from the Lord, however, he will explain you that a ladder stands there because someone is working up there. This worker may accidentally drop something, which will maim you if you happen to pass beneath it. The explainer may additionally advise you to also look out when you cross a street.

A diviner is not so much interested in getting the right information and with that protect and lead the people, but to secure a livelihood for himself by getting paid. The prime objective of a diviner is, therefore, not Truth but belief; the belief of his customers in him and his hocus-pocus.

To achieve this, the diviner will dress in striking garb, wave elaborate symbols around, operate in impressive buildings and speak in esoteric wordings about punishments and diseases that will befall the infidels. His predictions will essentially be as accurate as a coin toss, but his statements will be vague enough to be explained both ways (this causes the majority of his predictions to be right).

Correct predictions will be celebrated with great enthusiasm while incorrect predictions or ineffective measures will be explained away (a sick person who stays sick doesn't have enough faith, or opposing sprits are stronger than anticipated; all that). The worst part is that not all diviners are deliberate deceivers; many of them are their own greatest believers.

The man of God on the other hand will speak simply, clearly and logically. He won't be dressed other than normal, and he will live in an ordinary home and work out of an ordinary office. Furthermore, the man of God will never make a prediction that isn't true or a statement that can't be verified by others.

A man of God who speaks the Word of God is never wrong, and that's how he and God's Word can be recognized (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). Faith in the knowledge that comes from God cannot be lost, just like faith in gravity cannot be lost, or the understanding that one plus one equals two. Understanding that comes from God can grow, but it cannot change (for much more on this, see our article on the Greek word πιστις, pistis, meaning "faith")."

A bronze serpent, made of a metal normally used for weapons is a weaponized soothsayer who is enlightened, willing, able to describe society to itself and put it on the right footing sufficient to reform itself.

Jesus didn't come to save the world from its sins but to personally perform in the role of a Bronze Serpent, to tell us the truth. If we heed His words, repent of the violence and corruption and Keep the Feast, there is a good chance life on earth shall continue. If we ignore His Authority, we shall not have this chance:

12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g]

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 

21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

God's One and Only Son is not a person it is a phenomenon called Mashiach, global recognition of the rites of the religion of Judaism. Jesus quoted Moses and elucidated upon a story from the Torah for this reason alone, one that cannot be taken for granted.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 14-15: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness. The Value in Gematria is 9638, טוגח‎‎, "pounded."

= pounding of pure oil from olives.

"The anointing oil of Aaron, the High Priest, alludes to the mystical dimension of the holy oil in the Celestial Regions, which have their roots in the sefira of bina. In the book Pardes Rimonim, the concept of "oil" is described as follows: There are many different kinds of oil.

The anointing oil is an expression denoting abundance (otherwise known as "oil", as we will explain). When royalty is anointed by the oil it originates in the sefira of chesed and is called "anointing oil." In Aramaic it is called "mischcha d'rabuta/oil of greatness", an allusion to chesed.

When this oil originates in tiferet, however, it is called "oil for lighting". The reason for this is that the tiferet symbolizes the "Great Luminary." The Shechinah employs this light when shining.

When it originates in gevura, oil is called "holy oil of anointing". This is because when G‑d's abundance is absorbed through gevura, it also includes an element of the sefira chesed. The word "holy" is a hint of the sefira of gevura, whereas the word for "of anointing" alludes to chesed.The divine sustenance by itself is known as "a single olive"…

When the source of the oil is the sefira of yesod, it is called "pounded oil". This is the domain in which the olives (representing abundance from "above") are pounded into fragments from which the oil is extracted and, in turn, channeled to malchut, AKA sovereignty.

v. 16: God so loved the world. The Value in Gematria is 8932, חטגב‎‎, hategev, "Respond."

v. 17-18: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. The Value in Gematria is 13902, יגטאֶפֶסב‎, Igathepsev, "Dress up."

see Matthew 22:

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. 4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ 5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. 13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

v. 19-20: This is the Verdict. The Value in Gematria is 12598, יבהטח‎ ‎ "Surely I will trust you and confide in you."

v. 21: But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. The Value in Gematria is 9384, טגח‎ד, taghd "the one I will crown."

"Respond to the pressure. Dress up [for the wedding party] and I will surely trust you, you will be the ones I crown."

=

Do not trust people who speak not of the truth or perform hocus pocus. Salvation is not nigh until we set a date for that Wedding Party and incite the dawn of the Age of the Mashiach.

The Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, Iranians and Saudi Arabians are watching us haggle. Neither they nor we really think we have what it takes to defend ourselves because we waffle, and then we buckle, and then someone like Donald Trump shows up.

If Mashiach pertains to anything, it is the ability to look at ourselves in the Light, our hopeful and enlightened points of view realize they must be defended with everything we've got when they are threatened.

This defense which, must now take place domestically as well as internationally if prophesied well, will affect every corner of the globe and impress upon it these Words Christ spake. For this to be convincing, it you we to kill Donald Trump, the people he conspired to with during his theft of the Office, we have to go to Moscow and kill Vladimir Putin, to Tehran and Beijing, wherever evil is sheltered, we have to go there and kill it.

This is the reason Jesus said He was issuing a Verdict, so that we learned the differences between man and the Son of Man and know how to act, not just talk about saving the world.

[themomsandthecity]

Parenting Without Diapers: Elimination Communication, Explained

One of the first things new parents learn when welcoming a baby into their lives is that raising a child isn't cheap. According to research by the National Diaper Bank Network from 2022, disposable diapers cost approximately $80-$100 a month per baby, which adds up to about $1,200 for the first year. That number doesn't drop significantly until most American toddlers are ready for potty training at age 2 or 3. Some parents, however, have found a way to significantly lower the cost with a diaper-free practice known as elimination communication. What is elimination communication, and is it right for your family? We spoke with a medical professional and parenting expert to address common misconceptions and learn more about the practice of ditching diapers. What Is Elimination Communication? A journal article in the American Academy of Pediatrics defines elimination communication, also known as natural infant hygiene, as "using the infant's natural timing and cues to recognize when they need to defecate or urinate." Essentially, parents observe their baby's signs that it's time to do their business so they can whisk them to the toilet in time. When those cues are established, babies will need fewer diapers - or they can go completely diaper-free - from an early age because their parents hold them over the toilet instead. How Does Elimination Communication Work? "The basic concept relies on recognizing cues and then relying on reflexes," Jenelle Ferry, MD, a board-certified neonatologist at Pediatrix Medical Group in Tampa, FL, tells POPSUGAR. When the baby gives a tell-tale sign, the parent takes them into the washroom and holds them safely above the toilet (sans diaper) so they pee or poop there. While holding their baby above the toilet, some parents help their baby relax by making a soft hissing sound. "This often results in a reflex relaxation of sphincters and therefore voiding into the toilet," Dr. Ferry says. Some common cues that a baby needs to have a bowel movement or urinate include squirming, straining, or grunting. Over time, parents may also begin to recognize patterns for when their child has to use the toilet, like after naptime or a meal. What's the Difference Between Elimination Communication and Potty Training? While both practices aim to help young children learn to use a toilet, during elimination communication, the goal is for the parents to get their baby to the toilet in time. During potty training, on the other hand, the child learns how to identify for themselves that they need the restroom. "Elimination communication essentially relies on reflexes to release bowel or bladder function when naked," Dr. Ferry says. "This is different than potty training, where a child recognizes the signals of needing to use the bathroom and chooses the appropriate time to coordinate sphincter release," she notes. What Age Should You Start Elimination Communication? "There is not a well-established 'right age' to attempt elimination communication," Dr. Ferry says, but there are a few varying opinions on the timeline. She explains that some experts suggest starting before your baby is 4 months old so they haven't "learned to use a diaper yet," while others argue "starting later may result in the infant taking longer" to learn the practice. In some countries where the practice is common, including Kenya, China, and Vietnam, Dr. Ferry says, the common age to start elimination communication is reported to be a little later, around 6 to 9 months. Andrea Olson - a mom of six and the creator of Go Diaper Free, a resource for parents interested in elimination communication - first tried elimination communication with her oldest child. Olson says she witnessed friends struggling with traditional potty training and "wanted to avoid that." While researching the practice during her pregnancy, Olson remembers it sounding "complicated and hard," but she still jumped right in when her… https://www.popsugar.com/family/What-Elimination-Communication-44816466?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[peterlbrown3c]

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Replacing the siding on your house is an inexpensive way to give it a modern makeover and raise its value. Purchasing new windows is an inexpensive, low-maintenance way to increase the value of your house when you sell it. Respecting specific standards is vital when the structure's layout is crucial. The company to contact if you require any type of home maintenance or repairs is Peter L. Brown Co. This approach will allow each consumer to have a unique coupon code. It is advisable to use this paneling indoors.

The toughness and gloss of vinyl are attributed to the synthetic material polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) siding is a common exterior material. Unlike other siding materials, vinyl siding doesn't ever require painting or scraping. Vinyl siding comes in a wide range of colors, patterns, and price points. You can scale and reposition any panel to fit your requirements. The wall and panel have the same thickness. When discussing records, the term "surface finish" usually refers to the final coating. Conversely, a long, continuous wall will help to highlight the distinction more effectively. Everything is at stake right now.

It is currently common practice to install vinyl siding with a 12-foot overlap. By doing this, the siding's installation will be guaranteed. If the installation is of poor quality, it will be evident right away. No matter how skillfully you sew the seam, this will still happen. Examining the graphic to the left of this text will help you understand what I mean. The "steps" at the corners, which create the appearance that the walls "flow" into one another, add to the structure's graceful quality. Nothing is present that isn't necessary. This is significant since it implies that there won't be a flawless smooth intersection of surfaces. A flight of stairs is visible when the overlapping parts are separated. This is due to the effect's need for unfeasible large overlap sizes. Your two heights are absolutely equal, and the angle created by your chins is precisely ninety degrees.

Reducing packaging could make customers less interested and spend less money. If you want your home to appear "like new" for as long as possible, you need to make sure you are doing frequent exterior maintenance. Our talented workforce's dedication has allowed us to keep a solid profit margin and competitive pricing. Our findings suggest that giving something a try isn't at all awful. You won't even be able to distinguish your home from its prior appearance once we install vinyl siding on it. When can we anticipate seeing the installation of the vinyl siding? In the event that you only need to replace one panel, kindly contact us.

Turntable records let you hear both sides of an album.

Until it makes more sense for him to do so, Peter L. Brown is not required to install the vinyl siding. Boral is responsible for the delivery of the opulent Versetta Stone veneer. In the region, we provide the widest assortment of vinyl siding. The sun won't soon cause our siding to become discolored. If the building's exterior is to last for many years and maintain its beauty, it must be well maintained.

The majority of modern homes are poorly built and have uninteresting characteristics. Nonetheless, they take great care in how they present themselves and dress because they recognize the importance of first impressions. Effective candidates typically possess great communication and analytical reasoning abilities. They obsess over what other people perceive of them.

For this reason, a great deal of homeowners consider mastic to be essential. This is due to the fact that since it is no longer the undisputed global superpower, the United States has not faced a truly global, inventive, and formidable foe. With our reliable advice, excellent craftsmanship, and flexible design options, your house will become the talk of the neighborhood very soon.

Turntable records let you hear both sides of an album.

Until it makes more sense for him to do so, Peter L. Brown is not required to install the vinyl siding. Boral is responsible for the delivery of the opulent Versetta Stone veneer. In the region, we provide the widest assortment of vinyl siding. The sun won't soon cause our siding to become discolored. If the building's exterior is to last for many years and maintain its beauty, it must be well maintained.

Most renovations employed inexpensive vinyl flooring.

You may be able to save a significant amount of money on our standard Mastic lap siding without sacrificing quality. To increase its adaptability, vinyl siding can be painted or stained. Certain types are even made to look natural.

Make your house as tranquil as a walk in a beautiful park, if possible. Compared to its machine-made counterparts, hand-crafted shingle double seven tiles have larger grout lines and more wavy surfaces. Asphalt shingles can readily be mistaken for cedar shakes from a distance. In Shingle Double #7, wood makes up the furniture, the floor, and the ceiling.

[pruning-the-minds-garden]

I guess we're doing this now

Your lips are moving and you're complaining about something; that's whinging." -- Sandor Clegane

My mother in law and I have something broadly in common, and that is that both of us are mentally ill and disabled. She is more profoundly mentally ill than I am - her diagnoses are pretty extensive, as (probably) is the trauma that (likely) led to them - and differently disabled. It's... well it's complicated and not worth getting into here but it's a whole mess on its own. Anyway, we do share that aspect of our life experience. However, we approach it very differently.

This can be exemplified by one of the follow-up arguments my wife had with her, after she had her screaming fit where she spent 10-15 minutes cursing my wife out. In said argument, my mother in law said the following lines:

"You need to make allowances for people in pain."

"I don't remember that; you can't expect me to apologize for something I can't remember doing."

"You know I'm mentally unwell, and that's just going to happen sometimes."

... and when I heard those things I was practically vibrating with anger. When I fuck up because I'm in pain or in a dark headspace, I still apologize. When I hurt people because I'm going through something myself and not thinking clearly that may explain it, but that doesn't excuse it. You can say "I was not at my best in that moment and I'm very sorry for what I did," and that's a genuine apology... but the closest she came was "I'm sorry that you take Mark's feelings more seriously than you take mine" and that's fucking ridiculous.

You also need to follow up your apology with a genuine attempt at restitution and reasonable prevention of repeated occurrences of the same thing in the future, or the apology is itself just hollow words. So, when I fuck up and hurt someone because I'm in pain or something, I tell them both that I'm sorry and what triggered it and how I will prevent that combination of factors coming together in the future. I lay out what I am going to do, for them, so that they know I am aware that this is not an insignificant thing to me and that I am doing what I need to do to fix it.

She's doing none of that. Hell, she hasn't even apologized. What gets me is that my wife is just kinda okay with (or at least willing to accept) that, and now talking to her and moving on, albeit slowly, with the relationship. Like... I get that her choices are her choices and her priorities are not mine. She gets to set her own lines for what enough is in any given situation, and there is a lot of emotional context to this that I cannot see. But, if I did something that obviously abusive to her and then didn't even apologize, she would be sleeping at someone else's house by now and definitely not talking to me.

I also recognize that I cannot completely separate my vitriol at my MIL consistently misgendering me and invalidating my gender identity, as well as repeatedly stepping all over other triggers she knows speak to past traumas (and she's a rape crisis counselor, y'all!), nor my anger at my own mother doing similar, from my anger at this situation so there is an additive effect... but for fuck's sake, like, this whole thing is fuuuuuuucked. I'm keeping as quiet as I can and playing the role I need to play as caregiver, helping mend hurt feelings and listen where appropriate and when asked... but keeps my lips from moving is hard. I want to say a lot. I have a lot to say about this whole situation. But, it's not mine to comment on. If my wife wants to rebuild a relationship with her abusive, transphobic, increasingly MAGA-hat-wearing mother because she's afraid of being left without a parent in the world even though she's doing more caring for her mother in both the practical and financial sense than being cared for by her mother... that's her decision, not mine. I might not think it's the right one (made obvious by the framing of the prior sentence), but it's not my life, and therefore not my call to make. I will be there for her regardless, as long as that decision does not become something untenable for us in one way or another.

[livewithherpes]

Can I date normally with herpes?

Herpes, a common sexually transmitted infection (STI), often carries a stigma that can make dating feel like an uphill battle. However, it's important to remember that having herpes doesn't mean your dating life has to come to a halt. With the right knowledge, communication, and a positive mindset, it's absolutely possible to date normally and enjoy fulfilling relationships.

Understanding Herpes

Herpes is caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) and is categorized into two types: HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 is typically associated with oral herpes (cold sores), while HSV-2 is commonly linked to genital herpes. It's estimated that a significant portion of the global population has been infected with one or both types of herpes. The virus is known to cause occasional outbreaks of sores or blisters, but many people may also carry the virus without experiencing noticeable symptoms.

Addressing the Stigma

One of the biggest challenges for individuals with herpes is overcoming the stigma attached to the condition. The fear of rejection or judgment from potential partners can lead to feelings of shame and anxiety. It's essential to recognize that herpes is a common infection and having it doesn't define your worth or your ability to have a healthy dating life.

Communication is Key

When entering the dating world with herpes, open and honest communication is paramount. It's recommended to disclose your herpes status to your potential partner before engaging in any sexual activity. This conversation may seem intimidating, but it's a crucial step in building trust and establishing a strong foundation for a healthy relationship.

Tips for Dating with Herpes

Educate Yourself: Knowledge is power. Educate yourself about herpes, its transmission, treatment options, and ways to manage outbreaks. Being well-informed will help you answer any questions your potential partner might have.

Choose the Right Time: When disclosing your herpes status, choose a comfortable and private setting. Ensure you have enough time to address any concerns and answer any questions that may arise.

Be Positive and Confident: Confidence is attractive. Approach the conversation with a positive attitude and confidence in your ability to manage the condition responsibly.

Provide Resources: Offer credible resources or direct your potential partner to reliable sources of information about herpes. This can help dispel any misconceptions and alleviate their concerns.

Focus on Emotional Connection: While physical intimacy is important, building an emotional connection should take precedence. A strong emotional bond can lead to a more supportive and understanding partner.

Practice Safe Sex: To reduce the risk of transmitting herpes to your partner, consistently use barrier methods like condoms and dental dams. Avoid sexual activity during outbreaks.

Seeking Support

Dating with herpes can sometimes be emotionally challenging, especially if you encounter rejection or negativity. Surround yourself with a support network of friends, family, or even online communities where you can share experiences and receive encouragement.

PositiveSingles-The largest online herpes dating site since 2001

Conclusion

In conclusion, having herpes doesn't mean your dating life has to be compromised. Open communication, education, and a positive approach are key to dating successfully with herpes. By embracing your worth and focusing on building meaningful connections, you can navigate the dating world with confidence, debunking stigma, and fostering healthy relationships based on understanding and trust. Remember, you deserve love and happiness, regardless of your herpes status.