#also 'nature is hierarchical there are leaders and followers'

[thedreadvampy]

me at the women in leadership conference: ah yes I will be so good at corporate leadership, I have many leadership insights

me at the pub an hour later: *actually uses leadership skills for labour organising like a boss*

[thegamingcatmom]

How do you think the denalis and the re8 ladies (Donna included) would react to their s/o already having a child from a previous relationship?

Considering I´m in the middle of writing a lil (big) smt that involves MC having to deal with kids (well, one....kinda, lol), this ask made my heart soar. :3

Tanya Denali: ☝️

very supportive

in fact, will take on parental duties right away if you wish/allow it

she actually has to hold herself back quite a bit on that

(it´s as precious as it is just a smidge suffocating)

it´s a leader thing as well

as a leader, it´s her job to ensure the safety and well-being of every coven member

that includes her mate´s child

especially her mate´s child

she's good with children

albeit a bit strict

...she won't win the award of "coolest aunt/mom" anytime soon, let's be honest

she means well though

(a bit too well, sometimes)

she'll frequently remind the child to stay on the path she's marked (yes, I HC that vampires "mark" their territory by leaving their scent all over)

sometimes, she forgets that humans don't have a sense of smell that's out of this world

so she'll walk the route with the child to get them used to it, maybe point out some landmarks to make it easier for them to remember

it's adorable

...not so adorable when the child ignores her anyway and does what children do

which is testing boundaries and not following rules

yknow, kids will be kids

they don´t possess this hierarchical thinking yet

which is something you have to remind the proud leader of more often than not

she´ll come to terms with it

at some point

after lots of huffing and puffing and-

child: *looks at her with these big, innocent puppy dog eyes*

Tanya: ...🫠

(...it´s not at all fair that charm seems to run in the family)

she'll oversee how her coven members (or any other of her kind) act with the child very closely

...especially Kate

it´s not that she doesn´t trust her sister, but...

well, see for yourselves:

Kate Denali: 🤡

very good with kids

which doesn´t really come as a surprise, considering she acts like one for the most part

(at least if you ask her sisters)

she´s the "cool aunt" alright

and also a clown

even more so when the kid is present

the kid loves it, ofc

which only encourages her to up the ante each time she gets to spend time with them

that´s probs the reason why they take to her so fast

she really gives her all in her performances

it´s most precious to see

...and also quite nerve-wracking at times

especially considering she´s down for pretty much anything the kid wants

mostly because it drives Tanya up a wall

but also because she´s become addicted to hearing that infectious laughter

the kid has become her best audience fr

finally, someone who appreciates her wit and her spirit

she could just eat the munchkin right up-

Tanya: *makes the 'I´m watching you' gesture*

Kate: ...😇

Kate, on the inside: 🍴😋

JK

...or am I?

that´s actually something she frequently does to make the kid laugh

yknow, pretending to eat their lil feetsies or their tiny fingers :3

she also takes them for a ride on her shoulders or back every time they ask for it

she´ll also happily do the zoomies when the kid asks for it

or just drop down from the highest point she can find if they ask for it

or, yknow, wrestle a bear if that´s what the kid wants to see

...

you have to remind her on a regular basis that following a kid´s every whim isn´t exactly in anyone´s best interest

...

...

...

it´s more yelling, let´s be honest

(her sisters are only all too happy to join in)

Irina Denali: ❤️

out of the sisters, she´s Momma

so, naturally, she´s smitten with the little one right from the start

they look so much like you, how could she not love them unconditionally as soon as she lays eyes on them?

carries them around every chance she gets

squishes those chubby cheeks wherever she can

reading to them is one of her fav ways to pass the time

she'll make the voices too, ofc

like, yknow, doing her damnest to bring those characters to life for the little one

it's fucking wholesome

she'll gladly take the little one if you need a break or a breather

no judgement here, we can't all have unlimited stam and energy (sadly)

watching the little one sleeping peacefully fills her cold, unbeating heart with warmth so fierce, it feels as though it might just start beating again at any moment

especially if you're there as well - the little one curled up into you as you both sleep soundly after a day full of adventures is almost too much for her to handle

will join you if it does get too much to handle

she just needs that contact

she´ll put a blanket in between though, so the two of you stay warm and cozy despite her freezing body

takes lots of photos for the many albums she has

(and she has lots of them)

this is a time you can´t get back

they grow so fast...

you have to cherish every moment

she´s very good at math, so that comes in handy when it´s time for homework

she nails every subject, let´s be honest

they all do, but Irina is the most patient about it

she´ll explain everything thoroughly and has no problem repeating what she said over and over and over and over and-

until the little one gets it

when they do, she´ll give them the biggest hug

and smooches

she loves blowing raspberries too

they always make the little one break out into uncontrollable laughter

which makes her laugh in return

which makes them laugh even harder

which makes her-

For the Denali sisters, there´s the added pressure of knowing they´ll have to turn you both at some point. For you, that´s a given. You´ve long since come to terms with it. You´re looking forward to spending eternity with your chosen one(s). For the child? Well...

There´s still time. And until that day comes, they´ll cherish every waking (and sleeping) moment, gradually easing the little one into this new world day by day, bit by bit. And once that day has come, well-

They´ll still cherish every moment. However, it can´t be denied that there´s a sense of relief in knowing the two of you are much less breakable now. <3

Bela Dimitrescu: 👩‍🏫

she´s quite strict

...she´s a drill sergeant, let´s be honest

she refers to it as "teaching"

she´s used to giving her all in everything she does to impress Momma - only perfect is good enough for her

so, naturally, she expects the same level of commitment from everyone else

neither you, nor your child are an exception to that

(except when you are)

she softens somewhat when you´ve had one of your many talks though

yknow, where you tell her that your child isn´t a dog for her to train

or one of her many prisoners to torture

(it´s more yelling on your part)

Bela is all for tough love, so that´s what she´ll receive in return when the "tough" becomes a bit too much for your liking

she has the decency to look the slightest bit...reprimanded

not for long though

(ffs)

she refers to the child as "little one", without exception

no matter the mood she´s in

it´s the tone that gives away her true feelings

when she´s mad, there´s an edge to her voice, dripping with condescension

when she´s pleased, she has the sweetest voice

in fact, her whole demeanor changes when you or the child do something she deems "appropriate"

she even purchases kid's toys and stuffed animals from the Duke as a reward

for the child ofc

...most times

she'll take the little one on tours through the castle to show them where they're allowed to go

and, most importantly, where they're not allowed to go

she might be a human-eating mass murderer, but she understands that there's just some things that are not suitable for children

the brutal torturing/killing/processing of people being one of them

(not that she's ever cared before meeting you and the little one)

she reads to the child and even tries to teach them

...let's just say, she isn't exactly the most patient individual

you have to interfere when the little one starts crying

there's lots of yelling

Bela is back to looking the slightest bit reprimanded

not for long though, as per usual

it's a vicious circle with her

also because you keep coming back

also because, despite the struggles, the little one flashes a toothy smile every time they set eyes on Bela

she'd never openly admit it, but anyone with eyes can see the effect it has on the eldest

the effect in question: 🫠

Cassandra Dimitrescu: 👹

she's a bit like Kate actually

just a lot more unhinged

(a lot more)

she'll accept the kid without question or hesitation

mostly because she's been bored out of her mind anyway

finally something interesting happening around the castle

she kinda turns into a kid herself

a very bratty one

it drives Bela (and you) up a wall because, naturally, the kid mimics her behavior

Cass couldn't be more proud of herself

she shows the kid her collection of sickles when nobody's watching

who tf am I kidding: she doesn't give a rat's ass if someone's watching

on the contrary

she enjoys the attention too much

she even asks the Duke to craft a mini sickle - fully functioning ofc

only the best for her little slasher :3

she´ll teach the kid how to swing it like a pro

she´ll also teach them how to string them up properly

(the people, not the sickles)

which prompts lots of yelling

mostly on your part (and Bela´s)

sometimes, she leaves bits and pieces of some poor unfortunate soul lying around in hopes the kid will see it and ask questions

(she pretends it was an accident ofc, just...fell out of her pocket or smt)

nothing too gory though, just a tooth here or a toe there

yknow, gotta keep it somewhat PG

needless to say, the kid does ask questions

naturally, you're horrified

naturally, Cass is delighted and will happily answer any and all-

there's lots of yelling on both sides then

which soon turns into death threats on both sides

it gets so bad that, eventually, Momma D has to step in

which isn't exactly something new when it comes to Cass the Crass

she tries sneak into the cellar multiple times a day

with the kid ofc

she wants to prove to them that she´s the "cool" one, yknow? not a party pooper like her big sister who´s all about rules and following orders (yawn)

fortunately for you and your waning sanity, there´s almost always someone guarding the entrance for this exact reason

mostly Bela

or Mama D, when Bela is busy doing other things

(like experimenting on people)

(which means she´s down there anyway)

(nothing gets past her)

not that Dani isn´t absolutely willing and ready to get the job done - she´s brimming with excitement

however, she gets...distracted

very easily

Daniela Dimitrescu: 🤝

she loves the child

right away

they´ll be besties forever!

and ever!

UNTIL THE END OF TIME!

she loves them

she often reads to them, making the voices and funny faces

when the child rewards her efforts with their sweet laughter, she immediately joins in

which only makes them laugh harder

which makes her laugh harder

which makes them-

(you catch my drift)

she loves them

so much

she frequently takes the little one for a fly ride

which means she transforms into a bunch of her flies and carries the child around à la Magic Carpet

it´s really quite wholesome to watch

their shared laughter that echoes through the castle even manages to put a smile on one or two faces

until she drops them

...

people are screaming BLOODY MURDER-

"HAH, GOT YOU!"

...

literally -> the child´s fine ofc, laughing hysterically at the stunt she´s just pulled

they absolutely love it

besides, like she´d ever-

...excuse?

are you saying she´d harm her bestie for life???

HOW DARE YOU!

SHE LOVES THEM!

...

she gets a kick out of making the staff fear for their lives by pretending she´s gonna drop the little one

(because, if that were to ever happen, someone´s gonna pay)

as adorable as you find the sight of the two of them cackling like maniacs, sometimes you have to rein her in a bit because she tends to forget that humans - especially small ones - need their sleep

she understands ofc...after lots of complaining and whining

...

LIKE THAT WILL STOP HER-

(she´s just gonna sneak into their room when nobody´s watching so she can curl up with her bestie :3)

Lady Dimitrescu: 🤲

she kinda has proud!grandma energy, if that makes sense?

meaning: the micuțul enjoys a bit of a different upbringing compared to the daughters

(meaning: a lot less bloodier)

she´d never admit it out loud, but she wants to put the little one in her non-existent pocket

she probably could because they would be gigantic like the rest of her

(not me imagining Lady D wearing one of those hoodies made for carrying your beloved pet with you wherever you go)

she can fit the micuțul easily in one of her hands though when she carries them around the castle

which she does a lot

also to show the little one off to the staff

and they better respond to their joint appearance with "aww" or "oh, what a precious little thing"

failing to do so will result in becoming her next bottle of wine

:)

she wears the biggest smile when she walks through the castle and its grounds, the micuțul in one hand as she gestures to various objects and people with the other, explaining in great detail what purpose each of those things serve

"And this, my little gândăcel, is our head cook, widely known throughout this village for their supreme culinary talents. They can conjure up the finest meals from even the simplest ingredients - always the freshest, naturally. Ask for anything your little heart may desire, and it shall be yours."

the head cook, on the outside: 😊

the head cook, on the inside, realizing their fate lies in the hands of a child now: 💀

has the micuțul sitting in her lap when she´s working because she finds that it´s incredibly helpful with managing her stress levels

(ever since you and the little one moved in, significantly fewer pieces of furniture have met their untimely demise at the hands of a stressed Mama)

she also starts teaching the micuțul the arts of winemaking very early on (gotta teach em young and all)

we´re talking about the PG version ofc

actual wine is what I´m saying

no maidens were drained in the making

...yet

they will be though, at some point

when the little bug is older

(much older, tyvm)

you do your best to keep the whole winemaking business as far away from your child as possible, even going so far as to lock yourself and the little one away if things start to venture into non-PG territory

but the Lady can be rather...convincing

(by the time she´s done with you, you´re too tired and too bruised to even lift a finger)

Donna Beneviento: 🧸

she invites you and your child into her home and heart right away

she loves children

especially yours

and she loves crafting toys for them

especially for yours

she makes dolls and little wooden figurines like cars and animals, but she´ll also happily replicate action figures or any character from any movie or series the piccolo wants

she´s a very talented seamstress, so she often makes stuffed animals and clothing for the little one too

her house might be a hellish nightmare for most adults, but for children? it´s paradise

Angie!Donna makes a real effort to talk and behave extra deranged after learning it makes the little one laugh uncontrollably

it´s quite wholesome to watch

albeit a smidge terrifying

and very unpleasant on the ears

the things we endure for our children

Angie!Donna loves tea parties, so naturally, she throws one (or five) pretty much every day for the piccolo

she frequently cooks for the little one (and you ofc), and she encourages them to try as well - under her supervision and guidance, of course

you can´t see it due to her veil, but you don´t have to - you know she´s over the moon when your child announces that her Spaghetti Bolognese is "the best thing ever!"

"Can I have more?"

she downright melts

she uses her hallucinations to conjure up things the piccolo has always longed to see "in the flesh"

like the most exotic animals

or their favorite superhero

or their favorite character/s from any movie, series, book, etc.

anything they can think of, really

she takes the piccolo with her when she goes to work in her garden

she needs likes to keep an eye

but she also lets them "help" her ofc

said help consists mostly of digging holes, which may or may not be needed later

she also uses this opportunity to teach them a thing or two about plants in general

yknow, things like how plants behave in different seasons, their purpose in general, what herbs you can get from which plant and so on

(now, that´s some teaching you can get behind)

Mother Miranda: 🔬

it´s a bit...complicated at first

she doesn´t show any signs of aggression or disdain or anything that might hint at an imminent murder attempt

on the contrary

she shows great interest in your child - their physics, their mental condition, their blood-

and that´s kinda the problem

in all those decades she´s spent working to bring back her own child, her brain has kind of been...rewired

which means that, instead of seeing an innocent child - your innocent child - all she sees is another opportunity to bring back Eva

needless to say, you´re furious

and disappointed

and, most of all, you feel betrayed

the latter is what ultimately snaps her out of it

she doesn´t apologize though

not with words, at least

...not yet

instead, she shows real interest now

however, her almost clinical way of speaking still hinders any progress from being made at first

"Can you share your thought process behind the colors you selected for this mammal?"

...

the fact you have to point out that the focus of a children´s coloring book isn´t necessarily on realistic representation is both amusing and slightly concerning to you

you also gently remind her that she´s talking to a child

only to feel bad right after when she merely blinks at you in confusion

...you help her out with the next questions to ease your conscience:

she asks them about their favorite school subject

(and has to hold back an eye-roll when they say break)

she asks about their favorite animal

(her eye starts twitching when they say fish)

she asks about their favorite food

(and almost loses it when they say bird)

you scramble to tell her that they mean chicken, but you fear the damage is already done

(however, you can´t deny that the sight of your child casually leading the High Priestess to the brink of a nervous breakdown fills you with no small amount of glee...especially after she tried turning them into her next specimen)

despite her efforts (and she´s trying yall), it takes quite a bit for your child to warm up to her

but then, one unexpected evening, after months of living with her:

MC and Miranda: *curled up on the couch, watching a movie*

MC Junior: *comes running into the living room wearing their PJs*

MC Junior: "I´m done brushing my teeth! Can you read me a bedtime story?"

MC, starting to get up: "Sure thing, pumpk-"

MC Junior, pointing their finger: "No! I want Mira!"

MC and Miranda: 👁️👄👁️

MC Junior: *runs back out and ahead*

MC and Miranda: *share a look of utter disbelief before simultaneously breaking into joyful laughter*

Also MC and Miranda: *share a passionate kiss that reflects the struggles they faced over these past few months*

MC Junior, in the distance: "Mira?!"

MC, nudging Miranda along: "Your devoted little follower craves your wisdom, oh holy Mother Miranda."

Miranda: *gives a knowing smirk and one last peck before getting up and following after MC Junior*

MC: *watches her go, a blissful smile on her face*

In case it wasn´t clear: Mother Miranda went from 🔬 to 🪺 somewhere along the way. And she damn well deserves it cause she worked hard to achieve that status. ✊😤

.

.

.

Thanks a lot for your ask! 💋

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Talking about my beloved Háma earlier this week got me thinking again about how Beregond is the Háma of Gondor. One of the ways Tolkien showed us how bound together Gondor and Rohan were as countries was by drawing explicit parallels between individual Gondorians and Rohirrim (like Boromir and Théodred), and it happens for everyone's favorite guards, too. They have some differences (I mean, Háma dies 😭), but they’re much more alike than not. 

Most importantly, they’re both soldiers—part of a very hierarchical, duty-bound structure—who nonetheless decide in key moments to disregard orders and follow their own judgment and good sense instead. Háma will let Gandalf violate the ban on weapons in Meduseld and Beregond will leave his post and literally slay anyone facilitating the burning of Faramir because their hearts and minds tell them that sometimes laws must be broken in service of a larger morality. That takes courage, independence of thought, and a strong sense of self. By disobeying, they both knowingly risk punishment—and, indeed, both are punished—but they do it anyway because they know it’s right. And ultimately, both are forgiven and honored because everyone can see they made correct, if unlawful, decisions. (This parallel is also replicated a little further up the respective hierarchies because Éomer and Faramir are also both noted mavericks who choose at pivotal moments to aid members of the Fellowship even though, by law, those outsiders should be arrested or killed. So, again, parallels between pairs of Gondorians and Rohirrim abound!)

I like that Tolkien takes care to show that it’s not just the folks at the very top of communities of Men that can have and display these really admirable and noble traits. It’s important for there to be a Háma and a Beregond so that we know these lands of Men are worth protecting—there is goodness there! And of course it fits very neatly with the “small hands do great deeds” theme of LOTR overall. Háma and Beregond each change the course of history when they trust to their own worth and hold to their own values, no matter the circumstances or consequences.

So that’s the biggest/weightiest parallel for Háma and Beregond, but it’s certainly not the only one. They both work for prestigious military units in the capital city of their countries. They both play formal roles in granting our major characters access to those cities. They’re both firsthand witnesses to the mental manipulation and torment of their leaders (Théoden and Denethor) by an enemy. They both get joyful moments witnessing the healing of a beloved lord. They’re both Gandalf enthusiasts in places where not everyone respects or welcomes Gandalf’s presence. They both demonstrate a willingness to draw swords on anyone they perceive as threatening their lords. They’re both pretty adept at rolling with it when things take a really weird turn (I mean, really, the legendary lost heir of Elendil shows up on Háma’s doorstep claiming to be friends with a mythical elf-sorceress, and he just goes with it. And Beregond has never seen a hobbit before and maybe isn’t even sure they’re real when one is thrust on him, and he immediately makes Pip his buddy!). 

Those are the canon parallels, but I would be remiss if I didn’t finish by specifying that @brigwife and I agree it is rock solid head canon that Háma and Beregond met somehow and became actual long distance best friends. It’s only natural that they’d get along given how much they have in common—just two absolute gems of the race of Men who would totally love and appreciate one another. And I’d like to think that even as Háma’s legacy is commemorated at his resting place in Rohan, there’s also a little memorial for him in Gondor built by Beregond in a beautiful, peaceful part of Ithilien. During Beregond’s lifetime it stands as a tribute to his enduring friendship with Háma, and in later days, when anyone who knew them is gone, it stands instead as a tribute to the enduring friendship of Gondor and Rohan.

[therealsophiependragon]

My Fics

Heyy, I'm therealsophiependragon on Ao3 or Pendragon as I go by on the dangerous seas of the internet. Here's a comprehensive list of everything I have written and put on Ao3!

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Moon Told Me Of You

Cages are for monsters. Azula knew this well. Cages were deserved, by those singular enough to earn the watchfulness of others. And if that was true, then Azula was the queen of them, for hers was a very careful cage.

A careful cage for a monstrous girl.

Well, tonight they would see if it was careful enough.

Or,

A summoning-gone-wrong lands two princesses on a legendary quest to save the world that abandoned them both.

This fic includes:

Yuezula (Azula/Yue)

100k+ words, WIP multi-chapter

Dangerous quest

Obscene amount of liberties taken with the spirit world (the author admits to having only watched the first season of Korra... but I promise the liberties taken are kind of interesting?)

Annoyances-to-lovers with a sprinkle of grumpy/sunshine

Sun and Moon trope into oblivion

Moon Rabbit

“You think it was my destiny to be defeated by my pathetic excuse for a brother.”

“I think we write our own destinies.”

“Oh, for the love of Agni, go away.”

Or,

Yue visits Azula the night after the Agni Kai.

This fic includes:

Yuezula

4.8k words, complete one-shot

Sun and Moon trope

Musical inspiration (Moon Rabbit by Blackbird & Crow, very good song highly recommend also if you do give it a listen please consider writing out the lyrics and sending them to me because I have a very bad ear for lyrics and understand maybe half of what she's singing)

Yue Talking Sense Into Azula tm

Contains kneeling/subversion of hierarchal norms because love transcends all boundaries

My Hero Academia

Sidewalk Chalk

Toga does not know how to flirt, so naturally she stalks Uraraka for weeks before finally mustering the courage to ambush and invite her to participate in a sidewalk chalk challenge. As one does. Uraraka is unamused.

This fic includes:

Togachako (Toga Himiko/Uraraka Ochako)

2.4k words, complete one-shot

Toga being Toga

Improper usage of sidewalk chalk

An abundance of banter

Character study of the togachako relationship

Fun

Corporeal Levity

"I think my family is rotten."

"Yeah, welcome to the club, kid."

Or,

Hanako Takahashi used to have a family. Now, she's a villain, using her quirk to help the League of Villains find their leader, who they all know has to still be out there—before the rest of the world does. When a lead puts U.A. on their radar once again, Hanako must don a mask of morality and join the many wannabe heroes at the school to obtain information that could put the villains on top once more. And she might be able to pull it off, too... if her annoying new classmate would stop following her around like an overly-enthusiastic, opposite-of-stealthy puppy.

Eri Aizawa has a family, and a very nice one, but sometimes she feels... lost. When her dreams of heroism are put on hold by her wearily worried father, Eri knows she has to prove herself: by taking the U.A. exam anyway, and working her way up to being a hero everyone can be proud of. And if she can figure out her awesomely mysterious classmate while she's at it, well, that's just an added bonus.

This fic includes,

Not much actually because it's on indefinite hiatus after two chapters

12k words, incomplete

Found family

Teenage Eri Aizawa & LOV-child OC

Necromancy

Hopefully more once I decide I have time to write it

The Walking Dead

The Other Way

Sophia has always been a scared little girl in a world of monsters. The apocalypse didn’t change much.

But it did teach her one thing: there are lots of ways to turn.

This fic includes,

Zombies

A traumatized child

3.2k words (one-shot, complete)

Sophia Peletier character study

Is the brunt of all of my frustration that she died so early because DAMN if she had survived... ugh i wish

My pride and joy

It got hit with that kudos bot a while back too so now the kudos-to-hits ratio is obscene and makes me sad but whatever even the robots love me y'all

Harry Potter

Listen To Me Love You

Ginny and Luna are in love, they just don't know it yet.

Fortunately, all it takes to fix this is a nudge from Fate, and a little bit of bad luck.

This fic includes,

Linny (Ginny/Luna)

2.5k words, completed one-shot

Sun and Moon coded (kind of idk I say that but do I mean it nobody really knows)

Sad Ginny, Wise Luna

Set in Fifth Year (so Ginny's fourth year)

Actually beta-read, which is a first for me

[minggukieology]

Hi, do you mind translating this clip? Cos I’ve seen another version which was slightly different so I’m not sure which is more accurate: https://mobile.twitter.com/lovemazejikook/status/1641421413193220096

Thanks in advance!

Hi, thanks for your message 😊

Shortly, it seems to me that this translation is not correct. (explanation below)

Adding the inquired about translation for context:

and also the full clip for anyone interested (apologies for the quality, i just quickly screen recorded this off of twitter)

The issue here is that the translator incorrectly assumed the pronouns and thus misinterpreted what Jimin said.

My translation is as follows:

MC: What's the ranking in the team? Jimin: Our maknae decided the ranking and he decided for the lowest (rank) for (me). *pointing at himself*

MC: (You're) the lowest? *pointing at Jimin* Who's the top rank then? Jimin: The top rank? I think leader hyung-nim, his ranking is the highest.

The meaning becomes also obvious when you look at the added captions that say:

"[Jimin] Designated as BTS' lowest rank"

and then the MC asking him:

[Jimin-ssi] (you're) the lowest rank?

to which Jimin responded with agreement.

As always, here the pronouns have to be assumed as they are not spoken in Korean (I typically put the added pronouns into brackets in my translations), so these discrepancies can sometimes happen. Though I believe one should be careful to get the full context before issuing a translation.

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

To add to this topic:

Funnily enough, I've already made a few posts on the whole ranking talk which has been a trope within the team ever since BTS has been formed. (I think this also stems from the fact the Korean society is hierarchical in nature, therefore in every team an important aspect is the dynamic according to the hierarchical order based on age and seniority)

The twist here is that from the very beginning Jimin was treated as the 'maknae' especially by Jungkook which Jimin once again acknowledges even nowadays 😆 If you are interested in learning more about the whole topic of "ranking Jimin the lowest' I am linking my previous translations and write-ups here and here. 😊

Thanks a lot for your question once again, I hope I was able to provide a sufficient answer!

[nyaagolor]

Paldean League Worldbuilding

aka how Geeta is reshaping the poke-economy and making herself the most hated woman ever in the process

I generally try to keep any sort of real world analogues out of my HCs for Pokemon bc I think it's more of a utopian society and doesn't need to operate on the same logic of economics or politics as irl, but swsh and sv seem more grounded in our reality so I've been thinking about them (especially sv) a LOT. Decided I would just dump all my musings and HCs about the paldean league here if only to organize it all. Also disclaimer that I am not an economist and will never pretend to be so it’s more than likely this system would never work irl but it’s pokemon so it’s fine

The Galarian and Paldean Leagues always struck me as relatively recent, at least in terms of their current operation, and mostly spearheaded by a super ambitious head of operations who restructured the entire place as soon as they got there. I'll talk about Galar in another post, but atm Paldea has my brain in a chokehold so this is all about them

My main HC about the Paldean League is that up until extremely recently (20 years ago give or take I'm not doing specific timelines here) the Paldean League was extremely corrupt and poorly run. When the Paldean empire collapsed, the League was formed as a way to try and maintain the status quo and keep power in the hands of those who previously held it. It was, and continued to be for the next few centuries, an oligarchy. No one in the system was elected, and those in lower positions had to be personally selected and approved by their superiors. There were no checks and balances, so the people at the top could and did maintain power indefinitely. By the time we reached 20~ years before the main story, the structure was as follows:

Chairman: The leader of the entire thing. Has absolute power over everyone else in the system. Does all the boring stuff Top Champion: A battler and figurehead for the public. The "face" of the League, but generally not in charge of anything and has no political power. Their battle with up and coming trainers determines whether they get champion rank ^ If ur thinking this is similar to the Galar League, you'd be correct. They were based off the same model for a while Elite Four: Originally called the Council of Four, they act as a council that makes decisions along with the Chairman and test trainers' worthiness. Typically in charge of a handful of gym leaders Gym Leaders: Local political leaders that operate under the Council of Four and ensure things don't get too rowdy on the town level. In charge of testing trainers, protecting the town from wild threats, keeping up appearances, and union busting (they mostly did that last one) Everyone else: Salary workers. They have not yet unionized

The system, ultimately, was corrupt as hell. There was no job security, and the hierarchical nature of the league ensured you had to suck up to and do the dirty work for your boss if you wanted to get paid at all. Unions? Idk her. Corruption and embezzlement was the name of the game, and Paldea was basically flat broke because of it, with infrastructure decades behind neighboring regions and a bevvy of shitty trainers. The champion, unlike other regions, was not decided by who unseated the current champion. It didn't matter how good someone was, they had to be selected by the chairman to be Top Champion, and the Chairman would only select someone who would work with them without question. Paldea was basically the laughingstock of the world because of their complete and utter incompetence in any and all battle tournaments and lack of advancements in literally every sector. Then shit hit the fan and we moved onto the system we see in-game

I'm not sure what the event was (a recession, investigative journalism, doesn't really matter) but the newfound understanding of just HOW corrupt the league was and the resulting scandal made the Chairman resign and shook the very foundation of the League. Luckily or unluckily, a young upstart politician named Geeta was quick to fill that void, and through a few political loopholes and charisma, she managed to secure herself as Chairwoman. She had long since hated the current Paldean system, thinking that it held her beloved region back from greatness. She had always been gunning for higher and higher positions, a dark horse of Paldean politics with undetermined motives, extreme intelligence, and frightening levels of ambition. The Chairman had always had their eye on her, personally keeping her in check, but when they were gone Geeta immediately seized the opportunity to grab as much power as physically possible. Getting the position made her effectively untouchable, and that was the ultimate goal, because her plan for Paldea was about to make her the single most hated woman in the region's history

Geeta, upon gaining a position where they legally could not get rid of her, decided to fire every single person in the upper echelons of the league. Every gym leader, elite four, and the top champion were all fired, and she withdrew Paldea from every battling tournament and public appearance until she could workshop the league into something servicable. It was the boldest move since the dissolving of the Paldean Monarchy and it did NOT make her any friends

Though her ultimate goal was to reform the entire Paldean league, her early changes were only possible because of the old system. She could and did reform the system to her liking without consequence only because of the old hierarchy system already in place. Her ability to hand select her coworkers and fire people indiscriminately was one of the greatest abuses of power Paldea had ever seen, whether for noble reasons or not, and the people she fired tried to smear her as much as they could. Though these radical steps were necessary to undo and reshape the corruption hellscape the League had become, it wasn't exactly a good look for the new chairwoman (not that she cared)

Geeta also combined the top champion position and chairwoman position, which was so shockingly unpopular and suspicious-looking that she effectively cemented her godawful reputation. She saw the top champion as an unnecessary expense and decided to take on the responsibilities herself so she could funnel the top champion salary into public projects. This is part of the reason why she’s so Bad at being champion: she’s doing it to save the league money and only needs to the absolute bare minimum. Most of her job for the first decade was analyzing the current hierarchy, finding trainers to fill positions, and trying to figure out how to fix things so that would be sustainable after she left and wouldn't fall back into old corruption. She took on a job in the academy schoolboard to keep an eye out for younger trainers, put as much money into research and economic opportunities as possible, then got to work shaping the League to her vision

Her main vision for the league was to make as many parts of the system economically self-sustaining as possible, which was vital for her gym leader choices. She picked people who had *enough* skill in battling, but who all had other careers that would generate interest in and revenue for the gym. Paldea didn't have the pure battling talent yet to make a name for itself on any kind of world stage so Geeta was completely unconcerned about the actual battling skill of her picks as long as they were good enough and making cash. In terms of gym challenges, she mandated that they had to be free or extremely cheap and somehow tied to the town itself-- the giant contraptions of other regions were NOT in the budget. She wanted the gym system to be a celebration of the towns they were in and to inspire people to visit in the same way Galar's stadiums did, all in the hopes that gyms wouldn't need money from the league itself

The gyms would maintain a similar system as before, with each town and gym operating like a smaller independent organization. Most day to day operations and decisions like numbers of workers and salaries would be handled by the gyms themselves, but with all details publicly available so interventions could take place if things got fishy. All revenue generated by the gym would stay within the town-- it would be used to pay salaries, do upkeep, etc, and anything left over could be used to make renovations / add more stuff to gym challenges / support local businesses. If the revenue generated wasn't enough to cover upkeep and salary, the league would fill in the rest

The reason the gym buildings Look Like That is because the old league funneled most of the money into the pockets of the higher-ups and very little was allocated for building gyms. Geeta kept the design bc it's cheap, Paldea is broke, and the uniformity of the gyms allows trainers to find it more easily. it's also convenient if there's a turnover of the position-- no need to build a new gym! It's mostly an administrative office anyway, only there for paperwork and to house office staff, and Geeta is under the (correct) impression that most gym leaders prefer having stages at their favorite places instead of a specific building. Only two gym leaders have strong negative opinions about the building itself: Grusha, who can't have an outdoor reception area because of the snow and hates sitting in the lobby all the time, and Brassius, who thinks it's ugly as shit (he's right) and wants to paint a mural on it

The gym system is actually run much better than it was before-- it's still hitting its stride at the time of the game but is shaping up into a system that will work long after Geeta retires. The gym leaders also like how things are run quite a bit-- they just hate Geeta as a person (but that's smth I plan on exploring in another post)

The Elite Four is something Geeta admittedly hasn't put much thought into: her main focus was on redoing the administrative side of the league and ensuring the gyms were generating enough money to function + helping the towns they were in. The Elite Four, in her mind, were an afterthought, especially since she stripped them of their political power and distributed that power amongst regular office staff. She uncoupled politics from battling in the upper spheres of the league, allowing for more concentrated and specialized attention to issues so the Elite Four could just battle

In the new league, the Elite Four isn't a council of politicians, just people who test the strength of trainers looking to be champion-- every current Elite Four member is an employee in another sector working the job for a bonus (except for Poppy-- her parents are accountants and she ended up in the position as a joke that went a liiiiittle too far). In the future, the Elite Four and Top Champion might be dedicated battlers rather than a side hustle, but Paldea doesn't have the talent nor money for that at the moment

In terms of economics, Geeta decided to set an inflation-adjusted salary rate for each position that was viewable by the public and that couldn't be changed without a public vote in the hopes this would limit corruption. She also redid the League Points system— it used to be how employees were paid, but now it’s mostly for trainers, allowing the league to subsidize common trainer goods and make things easier to buy (all employees are paid with regular money). Paldea doesn’t have designated trainer routes like other regions and cash is far easier to mug than digital currency, so trainers are encouraged to use LP as a precaution so they don’t get robbed while in the Paldean wilds. However because the LP system isn’t very popular and NOT secure, Geeta is debating phasing it out

In the new system, gyms operate mostly on their own, so the central administrative stuff (aka everything that happens in the league building by the academy as well as E4 salaries and whatnot) gets their money from returns on investments— mostly from Tera Orbs. Fees from defeating trainers also helps, but Geeta made sure not to tie it to anyone’s salaries so that they wouldn’t thrash trainers for money, as encouraging them is the whole point of the challenge. Side note about Tera Orbs: once the league got the patent, Geeta didn’t think twice about the professors, being far too busy with Everything Else to think about her old business partner. Not keeping an eye on them is one of her greatest regrets

In terms of future plans, Geeta has already implemented checks and balances on every position but her own. When she’s confident in how the League is progressing and is sure the system won’t fall back into corruption, she plans on turning her own position to an elected one. Geeta isn’t stupid, she knows that everyone hates her and will lose her position as soon as she puts proper checks and balances on it, so she’s waiting until she’s confident in the League’s system to let the rest of the league get rid of her. By that point, she hopes that the League will be organized, financially stable, and balanced enough so that it can run smoothly long after she’s gone. Also, the league is likely to enter back into international batting conferences by the end of the decade, since there’s a LOT of up and coming battling talent that can make Paldea proud (and hopefully bring enough positive attention and money back to the region so they can actually make the league profitable)

To me Paldea’s league always felt like it was in a transition period, building itself from the ground up again. We happen to see it right at the middle, just before it’s really up to a properly functioning and self-sustaining entity. I don’t really have a closer for this but if u read all the way here I’m very flattered and apologize for being a lil delusional about this :)

[10blue10]

Draconic Sociality

Many species of dragon are social. However, there are different levels of sociality, and dragons, like most animals, fall into various categories. 

Level 0 - Solitary 

Several species, such as Skrills and Armorwings, are highly territorial and do not tolerate the presence of other dragons. They likely only tolerate the presence of their own kind, as adults, if there is an opportunity to mate. 

Level 1 - Gregarious 

Many species, including Nadders, Gronckles and Terrors, are gregarious. They congregate, either naturally or under certain conditions, for the sake of protection, company, easier access to mates etc. These groups are referred to as flocks. There are single-species flocks, such as those of Smokebreaths, and there are multi-species flocks. Within flocks, a loose hierarchy often forms. 

Typically this is a case of Might makes Right. The bigger, stronger and more aggressive dragons tend to dominate over the smaller, weaker and less aggressive ones. Therefore, it follows logically that the biggest dragon in a flock, especially if they have no competition from their own kind, will become the ‘leader’ of the flock (also known as a Queen, King, alpha, defender etc.)

However, dragons do not behave solely based on instinct. They can and will recognise other qualities as being worthy of high status. (For example, Toothless is the de facto leader of the Berk flock not because he’s the biggest dragon, but because he killed the Red Death.) Dragons will naturally have friends and rivals within the larger social network of the flock. 

Level 2 - Hierarchical 

Several species, such as Changewings or Speed Stingers, live in single-species packs. A pack is distinguished from a flock by the more rigid social hierarchy and distinct pecking order they develop. The kind of hierarchy varies between species. For instance, Changewings have a social hierarchy similar to that of spotted hyenas, where females are dominant over males. 

‘Pack’ used to refer to single-species groups and ‘flock’ to multi-species groups. However, further research into the social dynamics of dragons has revealed that a more accurate distinction would be that packs have a pecking order, whereas flocks are more generalised. The norm is to have multi-species flocks and single-species packs, but of course there are always exceptions. 

Level 3 - Eusocial 

Firewyrms (and possibly Prickleboggles) are unusual amongst dragons as they are eusocial. Eusociality is characterised by the following: Reproductive division of labor (with or without sterile castes), overlapping generations, and cooperative care of young. It is considered the highest form of sociality. 

The Firewyrm Queen is the sole reproductive female within a colony. She reproduces parthenogenically, laying hundreds of unfertilised eggs that develop into non-reproductive drones. Genetically speaking, these are male, though functionally speaking they are sexless. The workers care for future generations, defend the colony and scout out new territory or food sources. 

When a colony starts to get too large, the resident Queen will produce a special type of fire-comb gel called drottninghunang (lit: ‘queen honey’) that is laced with hormones. This gel is fed to one of the hatchling drones, though the mechanism behind which this individual is chosen is not yet understood. 

The drottninghunang basically triggers their transformation into another reproductively-capable female, known as a Firewyrm Princess. When this female is large enough to fend for herself (and before she gets large enough to be a potential rival to her mother), she will leave the colony to start her own. 

[nkn0va]

I hope this isn't too complicated but I was thinking you could do the childhood friends to lovers trope with Tsubaki and a reader that is the adopted son of Hakumen and his apprentice.

Holy shit anon, this idea is super cool. I'm totally down for this. Hakumen's CS story made me fall in love with their dynamic.

Though not nearly as much as I'm hopelessly in love with her, why the fuck can't she be real...?

(LONG ass post incoming, I had way too much fun with this.)

-For the sake of this ask, canon will have to be changed around a bit. Hakumen never went into the Boundary, he was able to force Terumi into it without having to do a hail mary. Also, Tsubaki sees Jin as only an older brother, as is confirmed by in-game dialogue.

-For all the curses and inconveniences of having to wear the Susano'o Unit to be able to fight, there were it's upsides, such as being pretty much immortal, or at the very least a drastically increased lifespan, likely longer than mages.

-One day, by pure chance, Hakumen ended up finding a small child while wandering through a barren, quiet part of the city of Naobi.

-At first, his instinct was to pay this child no mind. But, getting a good look at you, something...seemed to awaken. Or rather, re-awaken. The humanity he thought he'd thrown away a long time ago when he put on the armor. What little of Jin Kisaragi remained after all this time.

-Hakumen was cold, yes, but he wasn't cruel. No kid deserved to be condemned to survive on their own out in the lower levels of a Hierarchical city where seithr poisoning was a possibility if one wasn't careful.

-...Perhaps he could give this boy at something of a life, a childhood that he never got to have, that was taken from him by that damn bastard Terumi.

-It wasn't long before the Duodecim caught wind of the leader of the Six Heroes adopting a child. The Yayoi family had taken a particular interest in such news, inviting the two of you over to their manor.

-There weren't kids your age you could see there. Hakumen had told you that you didn't need to stay, and to feel free to wander the manor at your own leisure as long as you stayed on the property. That was how you eventually found yourself in the garden outdoors.

-It was when you wandered out that for the first time, you'd found someone your age. A redheaded girl dressed in traditional clothing.

-She seemed to freak out, in a good way, when you told her that you were taken in by Hakumen. She was apparently a huge fan. The two of you became fast friends, being the only kids in the manor and the girl, who called herself Tsubaki, seeming ecstatic at just finally finding someone her age, not having any siblings or cousins.

-When the time came to leave you told Hakumen about your new friend. It was hard to really tell what he was thinking most of the time, mostly due to the fact that he had that mask always covering his face, but he seemed almost...nostalgic, longing. He didn't really do much, saying it was good you'd managed to make a friend and left it at that.

-He did make it a point for you to see Tsubaki as often as you could from then on, though. Whenever the Yayoi family was going anywhere, he'd make sure to follow mostly so you could see her, and accepting their invitations to the manor, which was quite a surprise considering none of the other families could say the same. When questioned on this, Hakumen refused to give an answer.

-Fast forward a long while, and you and Tsubaki both find yourselves in Torifune together to attend the academy. It had taken quite a bit of convincing to allow Hakumen to let you go (mostly because he knew the NOL's true nature), but he eventually gave in, on the condition that you'd "make the right decision when the time came." There were a lot of ways for that to be interpreted and he didn't seem to be in the mood to elaborate.

-As you go through your years there together with Tsubaki, you make memories, friends, and eventually the time comes to graduate and join the NOL. For the most part all seems to go well. That is until...Continuum Shift.

-Something changes inside Tsubaki, you heavily suspect it has something to do with Jin, and possible jealousy of Noel being his secretary.

-Of course, being as perceptive as your master/father had trained you to be, it's not long until you figure it out, and your worst fears come true. She had fallen under the Imperator's curse, and had become nothing more than a mindless slave to her will.

-You find yourself soon being swept up in Kagura Mutsuki and the Grimalkin's plans to overthrow the Imperator, though the main reason you join is to assist in saving Tsubaki from the Mind Eater curse.

-You join the operation inside the Eclipse Field with Makoto, Noel, and Jin. Once she'd materialized the Zero-Type Izayoi it was up to you and Jin to snap her out of it. Jin was to hold her off and weaken her a bit before tagging you in. You desperately held her off with all your might, trying to encourage her to resist the Mind Eater.

-Her breaking point is your reminding her of the promise you made as children. That'd you always be there for each other, no matter what. If you had to die for Tsubaki's sake, you'd gladly do so. The thought of you dying for her was the push Tsubaki needed. That's not what she wanted, she didn't want you to to be taken from her. At the very least, not without being able to tell you how she felt. Unfortunately for her, the Imperator had other plans.

-She stabbed you head on with the Immortal Breaker before passing out. Hakumen, or rather a vision of him appeared to Tsubaki as the curse broke, encouraging her to confront her true feelings.

-It was then she woke up and realized that thankfully you were unharmed. It was when your will was strongest, when you wanted to see Tsubaki safe and happy even more than you wanted to draw breath, that you finally had finally mastered Hakumen's teachings. The power of Order had manifested from your strength of will and protected you from the fatal blow.

-Tsubaki quickly breaks down into tears seeing you're alright, apologizing profusely for everything she's done. Makoto, Jin, and Noel thankfully have the tact to realize you two need some privacy.

-It's a long conversation of apologies, and reassurances between you two, and eventually you two realize you can't afford to hide from the truth anymore.

-Tsubaki's the first to confess. Ever since that fateful day you two had met, she'd felt some...special connection to you, even ignoring the fact that you were the son of her childhood hero. And you admit that you had fallen for her back. The tears of sadness and regret soon turn to ones of pure joy.

-That night you find yourself unable to sleep. Too many emotions were going rampant through your mind. Most were good, thankfully, yet some were of worry. There was still a lot to do. You wander through the city late at night, when out of nowhere a voice startles you out of your thoughts.

-Your father was behind you, arms crossed and back turned to you. Despite his closed off body language he congratulated you for what you'd done.

-It was then you realized what he'd meant those years ago. He wanted you to make the right choice, and save Tsubaki. To not leave her in her darkest hour, when she needed you most.

-An awkward pause permeates the air for a few moments. Hakumen seeming to try and come up with the words to say what was on his mind. He makes his way to leave, but not without saying something. A few short words that you never thought you'd actually hear from him in a million years.

-He was proud of you.

-And deep down he was, he really was. You were better than him when it mattered most. You stayed by Tsubaki's side and never gave up on her. Because of you, she'd live on.

-Hakumen of the legendary Six Heroes...no...Jin Kisaragi...

-He'd finally found peace.

[wyrmfedgrave]

Pics: Shaded HPL portraits are, I think, the best way to honor his cosmic endeavors.

I particularly like numbers 7 & 8.

Number 9 is, of course, the Old Gent himself.

Intro: This is a look at Lovecraft's main literary themes & at his own particular worldview.

Both are usually intertwined & can lead to discoveries on a creator's work habits & personal beliefs.

This is a shortened version of Alex Kurtagic's masterful intro in his essay on HPL's The Conservative.

Work: Worldview, Part 1 -

Howard had an aristocratic, elitist & hierarchical¹ worldview.

(This, I've argued, was the result of being raised by his rich mother & even richer uncle - who were both training Lovecraft for a life as a rich heir.)

HPL basically rejected the trappings of egalitarian modernity², while he also embraced a nostalgic past.

He used, instead, a strict classicism³ with the archaic gentlemanly arts & propriety⁴.

Howard's use of an old-style British diction⁵, syntax⁶ & idioms⁷ only showed off his scorn for modern literary ideas & sociopolitical movements.

He also rejected the tenets of religion, superstition, romanticism⁸ - plus, the sterile & 'exhausted' sentimentality of the Victorian Age⁹.

Lovecraft dismissed them all as the products of simple ignorance.

HPL's cold worldview arose from his scientific interests, his own extreme rationalism¹⁰, a cynical materialism¹¹ & his profound cosmic indifferentism¹².

He was able to make a coherent & consistent philosophy out of these personal thoughts.

This is why The Conservative's most apparent feature is Howard's own literary style.

He grew up reading mostly British poems & literature of the early 1700s period.

And, came to feel that there was nothing better for him than this.

Lovecraft grew up in a social class with rigid conservative values - which led him to try improving the literary standards of his 'degraded' times¹³.

(But, his mother disproved of his tutoring of another kid & he stopped this early social experiment.)

HPL was a vocal critic of extreme radicalism¹⁴, artistic popularity, free verse¹⁵ & T.S. Eliot's¹⁶ "The Waste Land" - all of which he derided as "the grotesque displays of egotism & affectation¹⁷."

Due to his early reading material, Howard was attracted to the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons¹⁸.

This intense Anglophilia¹⁹ led Lovecraft to reject the American Revolution - to the point of some revisions of history.

Further, he offered his total allegiance to the British King²⁰ - while HPL was still quite young²¹!

Howard actively railed against the Americans who kept the U.S. apart from "The Mistress of the Sea²²."

He even denounced 'biased' history books that upheld "the independence of pig-headed politics & the economic interests of a seditious²³ minority."

Lovecraft thought the same about the Irish - blaming Hibernians²⁴ for will- fully "sowing division from a greater glory (England)."

Notes:

1. Aristocratic, elitist & hierarchical support the ideas of a ranked society & it's leaders living a privileged life above 'normal' folk.

2. Egalitarian is believing that every- one is equal & deserve the same rights & opportunities.

3. Classicism is following ancient Greek or Roman ideals of harmony, restraint & craftsmanship.

Craftsmanship, however, covered the period from the Renaissance to the 1700s!

4. Propriety usually means to follow the accepted morals & behavior of one's lifetime.

In Howard's case, however, he was speaking about the 'morals' of the 1700s.

5. Diction covers the choice of words that one uses.

6. Syntax is the arrangement of words that make well-formed sentences.

7. Idioms are words with meanings beyond that of the individual words.

Examples: "To rain cats & dogs" & "to see the light."

(For HPL, British norms of the 1700s were his major inspiration.)

8. Romanticism was a cultural move- ment of the late 1700s.

It emphasized: emotion, the irrational, subjective, nature, the primal human, expressions of feelings, remoteness & melancholy.

9. The Victorian Age was the reign of Queen Victoria: June 20th, 1837 til January 22nd, 1901.

In America, it was known as the Gilded Age - a period of economic growth, social reforms & strict cultural rules.

10. Rationalism is making decisions thru reason & knowledge, rather than using belief or emotions.

11. Materialism considers possessions & comfort as more important than any spiritual values.

12. Indifferentism usually means that no one religion or philosophy is better than another.

But, for Lovecraft, it meant that the universe at large doesn't care about human life nor 'destiny.'

13. The Decline of the West (1918) by Oswald Spengler states that man's 'historical weight' becomes 'diluted' the more that his culture becomes a 'defined' civilization.

Spengler thought that all Western Culture had entered the end of its civilized stage & was nearing its ending.

14. Radicalism wants complete quick social or political reform - usually thru violent means.

15. Free Verse is any poetry that doesn't rhyme nor has a regular pattern formed out of beats.

Howard especially hated the sensual free verse written by Walt Whitman.

16. T.S. Eliot was a British-American poet & essay writer.

He was a leader in the Modernist Movement in poetry.

(And so, was HPL's 'enemy.')

Among Eliot's works are:

A. 1915's "The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock."

B. 1922's "The Waste Land."

C. 1925's "The Hollow Men."

&,

D. 1930's "Ash Wednesday."

One of his most famous sayings is, "Life is a long lesson in humility."

17. Affectation is anything 'artificial' - a lie - that's meant to impress others.

18. Anglo-Saxons were a northern nation in ancient Germany.

During the 400s AD, they conquered most of eastern & central England.

They, in turn, we're conquered by the Normans (French Vikings & some others!!) in 1066 AD.

And, the surviving English were sent to the lower classes of society.

19. Anglophilia is an intense love for English people, culture, etc.

20. In 1915, this was King George the 5th, who would rule until 1936.

21.

22. "The Mistress of the Sea" were titles for England & Venice.

This was due to their powerful navies.

The phrase is originally taken from the Inuit (Eskimo) goddess Sedna, who was 1st described as the Mistress of the Sea.

23. Seditious is anything that gets folk to rebel against their state or leader.

24. Hibernians are the proud people of Ireland.

Hibernia, "Land of Winter?" is Roman for Celtic Iweriu, "Fertile Land?" from which the Irish got Eire, "Ireland"!

Iweriu was 1st known to the Greeks as Ierne, which describes the Iwernoi people who lived in southern Ireland.

Tomorrow: Part 2.

[alchemyfire]

In case you are interested...

Yesterday I reblogged some post about the tarot birth cards and of course, I could not resist to put in Maxime's and Antoine's birth dates. The results are so perfect (especially for Maxime, imo) that I have to share. <3

Maximilien's cards: (Donť you just see his whole life there?)

Temperance and The Hierophant share a passionate nature, a concern for purity of intention and action, faith in personal evolution and perfectability. Both are impatient with wrong-doing and lack of effort.

They contrast as natural vs. formal, personal vs. hierarchical, righteous vs. moral, individual vs. communal. Self-knowledge contrasts with received lineage. The path of mighty effort contrasts with the path of perfect surrender.

The Hierophant listens to the inner voice and allows it to speak through him. He knows the secret path that connects the inner and the outer, the hidden and the visible; and he is a sure guide to anyone traveling from one to the other. The Hierophant's job is to clearly separate right from wrong, to create and lead the rituals of the spirit, to teach the true knowledge, to open the door to the chamber of the heart; and to initiate all who have done the outer practices into the inner mysteries. He is the guardian of the gates of Paradise.

Temperance is the captain of the armies of the spirit, the beam of light in a dark room. He combines the powers of opposite intensity — of hot and cold, of light and dark, of dry and wet, of weightless and heavy — into the passionate impulse of the center. He is the drawn bow of the arrow of Sagittarius, aimed at the bulls-eye. His job is to know first-hand every danger and pitfall of the right and left-hand paths, and then to find and travel the middle way. His energy, passion and purity are the shortest, surest way out of the prison of our personal limitations, and into our freedom and true power.

Unintegrated and imperfectly realized, The Hierophant can be intolerant, inflexible and hypocritical, concerned with form instead of essence, permitting vice while forbidding heresy, exchanging the inner kingdom for a personal following.

Temperance can be given to extremes — of self-righteousness and self-contempt, of anger and pity, of action and lethargy, of asceticism and license. He can be self-involved, lazy, sloppy, and given to fantasies of personal greatness.

Together, they can be focused, inspired and charismatic. They can be both trusted leaders and loyal followers. They know, speak and act from their own highest truth.

---

And Antoine's cards:

Judgement and The High Priestess share the energy of beginnings, the beginning of an awakening and the beginning of an initiation. And so they also share the finality of endings, since each marks an irrevocable boundary between levels of awareness. The Priestess guards the gate to the last secrets of self and world. Judgement is the door to the beginnings of the secret knowledge of self and world. On the far side of Judgement everything is sound asleep in the dream of the everyday. On the far side of The Priestess everything is wide awake at the end of the final journey.

Judgement listens to the sound of a call so loud that it cannot be ignored. It emerges from the ordinary, stripped of everything it previously held precious and identified with. It begins a brand new life in a world made new by a new awareness, awakened and motivated by a distant energy it hears and obeys but doesn't understand. It finds itself in a state of constant transformation fueled by a steady and unquenchable inner fire.

The High Priestess is mysterious, self-effacing and self-sufficient. Her silence is ancient and perfect. She says nothing and does nothing, but leaves nothing unsaid or undone. She is cool, serene and complete.

Unintegrated and imperfectly realized, Judgement can be deaf to the inner call and heedless of its potential, remaining steadfastly concerned with everyday matters and ordinary pursuits. Nevertheless, it can still be susceptible to visions, ghosts and all sorts of paranormal experiences, with a strong psychic talent and a readiness to believe stories of the super- and supra-natural.

The stubborn denial of Judgement can join forces with the Priestess' certainty that she knows everything. When this happens, they combine as foolish self-confidence alternating with a fear of the unknown, making personal growth a harrowing experience.

Together, they focus on the transcendent rather than on the commonplace. They combine high energy, and a capacity for radical change and impressive growth, with an intuitive awareness of the vastness of the mystery of things. They can be great explorers, willing to plunge into the fertile and frightening unknown and take their chances with it.

[dailyanarchistposts]

J.7.2 Is social revolution possible?

One objection to the possibility of social revolution is based on what we might call “the paradox of social change.” This argument goes as follows: authoritarian institutions reward and select people with an authoritarian type of personality for the most influential positions in society; such types of people have both (a) an interest in perpetuating authoritarian institutions (from which they benefit) and (b) the power to perpetuate them; hence they create a self-sustaining and tightly closed system which is virtually impervious to the influence of non-authoritarian types. Therefore, institutional change presupposes individual change, which presupposes institutional change, and so on. Unless it can be shown, then, that institutions and human psychology can both be changed at the same time, hope for a genuine social revolution (instead of just another rotation of elites) appears to be unrealistic.

Connected with this problem is the fact that the psychological root of the hierarchical society is addiction to power — over other people, over nature, over the body and human emotions — and that this addiction is highly contagious. That is, as soon as any group of people anywhere in the world becomes addicted to power, those within range of their aggression also feel compelled to embrace the structures of power, including centralised control over the use of deadly force, in order to protect themselves from their neighbours. Once these structures of power are adopted, authoritarian institutions become self-perpetuating.

In this situation, fear becomes the underlying emotion behind the conservatism, conformity, and mental inertia of the majority, who in that state become vulnerable to the self-serving propaganda of authoritarian elites alleging the necessity of the state, strong leaders, militarism, “law and order,” capitalists, rulers, etc. The simultaneous transformation of institutions and individual psychology becomes even more difficult to imagine.

Serious as these obstacles may be, they do not warrant despair. To see why, let us note first that “paradigm shifts” in science have not generally derived from new developments in one field alone but from a convergence of cumulative developments in several different fields at once. For example, the Einsteinian revolution which resulted in the overthrow of the Newtonian paradigm was due to simultaneous progress in mathematics, physics, astronomy and other sciences that all influenced, reacted on, and cross-fertilised each other (see Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions). Similarly, if there is going to be a “paradigm shift” in the social realm, i.e. from hierarchical to non-hierarchical institutions, it is likely to emerge from the convergence of a number of different socio-economic and political developments at the same time. In a hierarchical society, the oppression authority produces also generates resistance, and so hope. The “instinct for freedom” cannot be repressed forever.

That is why anarchists stress the importance of direct action (section J.2) and self-help (section J.5). By the very process of struggle, by practising self-management, direct action and solidarity, people create the necessary “paradigm shift” in both themselves and society as a whole. Thus the struggle against authority is the school of anarchy — it encourages libertarian tendencies in society and the transformation of individuals into anarchists (“Only freedom or the struggle for freedom can be the school for freedom.” [Malatesta, Errico Malatesta: His Life and Ideas, p. 59]). In a revolutionary situation, this process is accelerated. It is worth quoting Murray Bookchin at length on this subject:

“Revolutions are profoundly educational processes, indeed veritable cauldrons in which all kinds of conflicting ideas and tendencies are sifted out in the minds of a revolutionary people … “Individuals who enter into a revolutionary process are by no means the same after the revolution as they were before it began. Those who encounter a modicum of success in revolutionary times learn more within a span of a few weeks or months than they might have learned over their lifetime in non-revolutionary times. Conventional ideas fall away with extraordinary rapidity; values and prejudices that were centuries in the making disappear almost overnight. Strikingly innovative ideas are quickly adopted, tested, and, where necessary, discarded. Even newer ideas, often flagrantly radical in character, are adopted with an elan that frightens ruling elites — however radical the latter may profess to be — and they soon become deeply rooted in the popular consciousness. Authorities hallowed by age-old tradition are suddenly divested of their prestige, legitimacy, and power to govern … “So tumultuous socially and psychologically are revolutions in general that they constitute a standing challenge to ideologues, including sociobiologists, who assert that human behaviour is fixed and human nature predetermined. Revolutionary changes reveal a remarkable flexibility in ‘human nature,’ yet few psychologists have elected to study the social and psychological tumult of revolution as well as the institutional changes it so often produces. Thus much must be said with fervent emphasis: to continue to judge the behaviour of a people during and after a revolution by the same standards one judged them by beforehand is completely myopic. “I wish to argue that the capacity of a revolution to produce far-reaching ideological and moral changes in a people stems primarily from the opportunity it affords ordinary, indeed oppressed, people to exercise popular self-management — to enter directly, rapidly, and exhilaratingly into control over most aspects of their social and personal lives. To the extent that an insurrectionary people takes over the reins of power from the formerly hallowed elites who oppressed them and begins to restructure society along radically populist lines, individuals grow aware of latent powers within themselves that nourish their previously suppressed creativity, sense of self-worth, and solidarity. They learn that society is neither immutable nor sanctified, as inflexible custom had previously taught them; rather, it is malleable and subject, within certain limits, to change according to human will and desire.” [The Third Revolution, vol. 1, pp. 6–7]

In short, “it is only through th[e] struggle for freedom, equality and solidarity that you will reach an understanding of anarchism.” [Nestor Makhno, The Struggle Against the State and Other Essays, p. 71]

So, social revolutions are possible. Anarchists anticipate successful revolts within certain circumstance. People who are in the habit of taking orders from bosses are not capable of creating a new society. Tendencies towards freedom, self-management, co-operation and solidarity are not simply an act of ethical will which overcomes the competitive and hierarchical behaviour capitalism generates within those who live in it. Capitalism is, as Malatesta noted, based on competition — and this includes within the working class. However,

co-operation is stimulated within our class by our struggles to survive in and resist the system. This tendency for co-operation generated by struggle against capitalism also produces the habits required for a free society — by struggling to change the world (even a small part of it), people also change themselves. Direct action produces empowered and self-reliant people who can manage their own affairs themselves. It is on the liberating effects of struggle, the tendencies towards individual and collective self-management and direct action it generates, the needs and feelings for solidarity and creative solutions to pressing problems it produces that anarchists base their positive answer on whether social revolution is possible. History has shown that we are right. It will do so again.

[digisurvive]

More on Shuuji and Aoi's parallels.

While I did dedicate a section to Aoi's and Shuuji's parallels in my Wrathful meta, there's actually more to expand on: as previously stated, they're the overachievers, Harmony-seekers of the group, and their behavior is underlined by the want to conform to external expectations placed upon them. As a result, they have strong outer personas that look downright jarring when put side to side with their respective partners. Shuuji starts out as the seemingly iron-fisted and downright noxious leader in contrast to Lopmon's innocuous fragility and sensitivity. Aoi's personable, lenient and nurturing behavior contrasts to Labramon's opinionated, prideful and rather waspish demeanor. As we know, their partners represent their most authentic/ideal selves, so it's both reflecting their true natures/interiority as well as either the best of them (in Shuuji's case, his better points are not as apparent as his worst, so Lopmon is a good peek at the potential) or what they value (Aoi often mentions how Reliable Labramon is, and she often talks about wanting to attain that reliability for herself and heavily links to assertiveness).

As such, we have certain toying with appearances going on with both. Shuuji being rigid and logical would be expected of a guy, and he Is Logical, but also very gentle & easily molded by external expectations. Whenever the majority's opinion outnumbers his, he sets his aside and follows them: it happens twice in part 3, first he's opposed to exploring but caves in, then he mistrusts Arukenimon but follows the group to the cable car. In part 5, he's straight up at the verge of a breakdown over his intense fear of exploring the waterways, but he goes Anyway. This is a trait that never goes away— in Truthful, he wants to secure the Southern Shrine first since he deduces that being the least weakened would mean it has the least kenzoku presence, however, he follows the group's decision to tackle the Northern Shrine first. Not to mention his entire sense of self is predicated on fulfilling the narrow idea of what his father considers as success.

Aoi, on the other hand, is the one who ends up having the most set ideas over how things should be and the most rigid thinking out of the group— the extremely controlling and manipulative extents she goes on Wrathful and the fact she's the one kid who never backs down (because she's 'the one who's right') are the most telling examples of this. However, she's also the one who regularly reminds others of what the appropriate conduct is, which is partly the reason the group is so hierarchical early on (and this, of course, earns her the teasing over how nagging she is in that one affinity dialogue in part 9 when Takuma calls her a wizard lol). All of this behavior stems on how deeply inflexible she can be about her values at times, as well as her hidden grievances (She does often get unfairly passive aggressive to Minoru lol).

Both Aoi's and Shuuji's positive character growth is predicated on the idea of them embracing their true selves more, as part of Survive's ever-going preoccupation with a balance between individualism and collectivism. This is best observed with what ends up being their end-game with regards authority: Shuuji thinks that he needs to be in that center position even though it makes him deeply uncomfortable/he's not suited for it. He has to learn to be okay with taking a more supporting role. Whereas Aoi was being wishy washy about it (and straight up shrinks out of the responsibility in part 2) because of her belief she couldn't handle it and her fears over making the wrong decision/not being able to live up to the expectations. However, it's still a position she ends up occupying as she gets more involved with the group, partly because of her strong sense of responsibility but also because of her want to guide others to the Right Behavior. She wants the respect to take care of the group in a way that allows her to enforce certain behaviors & dynamics and set the tone about how they should operate. Even if that how is getting everyone on board, she still wants that authority to get to do things her way.

In a sense, you could say their positive developments go in opposite directions while still informing the same thematic threads.

[spectrum-color]

Random question but do you think the characters from the following series would get along with each other:

The Wheel of Time

The Stormlight Archive

Realm of the Elderlings

This is a good question! It varies I think. Like Fitz would probably respect the wonder girls and Aviendha because they are the kind of strong women he’s used to and commiserate with Rand on the world changing destiny and chronic mental illness, but I think he would get annoyed with Perrin for trying so hard to reject the wolves. As a fellow wolf man who has embraced it he would be like wtf why are you so against being a wolf brother I’m offended on Nighteyes behalf. The Fool would absolutely hate Mat too and probably say some hilariously cutting things to him, because though they’re similar in some ways as trickster characters they have key differences (Mat constantly tries to escape his destiny while the Fool takes his very seriously, Mat married the Seanchan empress and there’s nothing the Fool hates more than deeply hierarchal and repressive societies.) He would totally hit it off with Min though; they could talk about the burden of knowing the future and what it’s like to be hopelessly in love with an emotionally dysfunctional man. Kettricken would be all in on Aiel and their culture; I think the ji’hi’toh thing would really resonate with her and her views on duty and sacrifice.

Bringing Stormlight into it, Kaladin would click with both Rand and Fitz. Tortured heroes who blame everything on themselves and are full of guilt and general angst. Fitz would find Shallan annoying and not understand her at all, despite ironically using the exact same coping mechanisms of repression and denial, because he has no self awareness and doesn’t like seeing his own issues reflected like that, but the Fool would def feel a kinship with her and they would be besties. The Fool would also really like Renarin; he tends to pick out the nearest outcast and bond with them plus queer solidarity. Chade would LOVE Jasnah; he would def see her as like the ideal template for a queen with her ruthlessness and analytical nature and be getting into all sorts of discussions with her. Mat, Adolin, and Burrich can all bond over the care and keeping of horses. Adolin, the Fool, Nynaeve, and Elayne could also form a little fashion club (Mat would show up every time and insist that he’s not actually a part of it he just happens to stumble upon them when he’s in the area.) Fitz and the Fool would also be considerably less bothered by Moash than the Stormlight characters because political violence and assassinating bad leaders is much more normalized in their world; Chade may even admire his effectiveness. Szeth and Fitz would have a hilariously awkward convo on being assassins where they just talk past each other because though neither of them enjoy it their respective books have very different approaches.

[generation1point5]

There is an implicit dichotomy instilled in almost all narrative storytelling as a result of neoliberal, capitalist system that runs the global economy and society. The moral of so many stories today is that the only reliable means of change comes from individual development and our external circumstances cannot be depended upon, or even altered.

Perhaps part of that dichotomy is also psychological at heart; it is terrifying to face a reality where there is a class of people and their descendants who have spent years accumulating power and insulating its loss to any other, who have spent decades, even centuries, legitimizing their own tyranny; to fight against it would feel like facing a force of nature, like fighting gods.

When a government beholden to capital interests can drop a missile on someone and their whole family's house thousands of miles away on a whim, that is not far from the truth. To resist this imperialism by any means available to them, including violence, is only natural, but also ultimately doomed. Hope for justice in this is bleak. What has risen in its place is a feckless neoliberal order, beholden to the interests of capital.

Liberalism and the Kingdom of Conscience is small and individualized by necessity; it is the only room in the world we can carve for ourselves from the scraps left to the majority by the powerful who have come before. We are the crabs in the bucket, consigned to our castles of sand. Likewise, it soothes the conscience of the powerful, that by individual, inconsistent, and ultimately meaningless acts of charity, they can ease the conscience of the brutality of the system from which they have benefitted.

What Disco Elysium proposed was so revolutionary that I feel much of its player base did not understand the truths that it highlighted, the importance of historical materialism and the dynamics of power that so greatly affects all our lives, and the trials and tribulations of the human condition stuck somewhere between, universal to all but affecting others differently by degrees of how their government supports them.

Acknowledging the universality of human suffering is a given; but our actions to mitigate these things should not be examined solely through our own hands, our own decisions. Liberalism and its thought are intuitive in this respect; we cannot reliably influence the will and decision of others, but we can control what we ourselves do with whatever means are available to us. That is true, but the solutions to our problems should nevertheless be examined also through the lens of power: namely, who has it, and what they do with it. It is necessary that these considerations be taken into account, that in response to the broad powerlessness of many there is organization among them. There must be a creation of a counterforce by the many to offset the powerful few. 

Any organization with strong leadership is hierarchal, and by that nature also at risk of corruption, but it is no less necessary for that shortcoming; the tent that leftists try to create is necessarily bigger than that of the conservative minority, and must satisfy the greater collective interest of its constituents, lest it become no different than the oppressors themselves. Moreover, the material benefits of being elected leader within a union are lesser than that of the owning class; if self-interest and the accumulation of wealth is the goal, then success would not lie in grifting for progressive values. Arguments from cynicism become just that; it fails to distinguish the meaningful, consequential, material differences that follow when pursuing values diametrically opposed to the current order. Socialism is not a poverty cult; it is the creation of a new system of providence entirely. Its ends are strived for by an entire revolution of means, not by individual acts to reverse the unequal results of the existing system.

Revolutions by violence or efforts at incremental process are resisted in equal and overwhelming measure; the former by a greater capacity for violence by the wealthy, and the latter by capitalism’s uncanny ability to absorb anything, even its critiques, into a consumer product. If history has taught us anything, it is that the chances for success, at least in our lifetimes, are incredibly low.

But if we truly believe what we are working for is right and good, then it is persisted upon for the sheer virtue in the act, and the hope that we are planting the seeds of trees in whose shade we will not live to enjoy. It is a call to live beyond oneself, and beyond making the choice to pursue it, that call is fundamentally an anti-liberal act. 

I want to write and read stories with such sentiments. Whether the end is happy or not is immaterial; there is virtue, even necessity, in the struggle itself. It is a message I feel like is badly needed in this day and age.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (October 17)

On October 17, the Roman Catholic Church remembers the early Church Father, bishop and martyr, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, whose writings attest to the sacramental and hierarchical nature of the Church from its earliest days.

Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate his memory on December 20.

In a 2007 general audience on St. Ignatius of Antioch, Pope Benedict XVI observed that “no Church Father has expressed the longing for union with Christ and for life in him with the intensity of Ignatius.”

In his letters, the Pope said, “one feels the freshness of the faith of the generation which had still known the Apostles. In these letters, the ardent love of a saint can also be felt.”

Born in Syria in the middle of the first century A.D., Ignatius is said to have been personally instructed – along with another future martyr, Saint Polycarp – by the Apostle Saint John.

When Ignatius became the Bishop of Antioch around the year 70, he assumed leadership of a local church that was, according to tradition, first led by Saint Peter before his move to Rome.

Although St. Peter transmitted his Papal primacy to the bishops of Rome rather than Antioch, the city played an important role in the life of the early Church.

Located in present-day Turkey, it was a chief city of the Roman Empire.

It was also the location where the believers in Jesus' teachings and his resurrection were first called “Christians.”

Ignatius led the Christians of Antioch during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian, the first of the emperors to proclaim his divinity by adopting the title “Lord and God.”

Subjects who would not give worship to the emperor under this title could be punished with death.

As the leader of a major Catholic diocese during this period, Ignatius showed courage and worked to inspire it in others.

After Domitian's murder in the year 96, his successor Nerva reigned only briefly and was soon followed by the Emperor Trajan.

Under his rule, Christians were once again liable to death for denying the pagan state religion and refusing to participate in its rites.

It was during his reign that Ignatius was convicted for his Christian testimony and sent from Syria to Rome to be put to death.

Escorted by a team of military guards, Ignatius nonetheless managed to compose seven letters:

six to various local churches throughout the empire (including the Church of Rome) and one to his fellow bishop, Polycarp, who would give his own life for Christ several decades later.

Ignatius' letters passionately stressed the importance of Church unity, the dangers of heresy, and the surpassing importance of the Eucharist as the “medicine of immortality.”

These writings contain the first surviving written description of the Church as “Catholic,” from the Greek word indicating both universality and fullness.

One of the most striking features of Ignatius' letters is his enthusiastic embrace of martyrdom as a means to union with God and eternal life.

“All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing,” he wrote to the Church of Rome.

“It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth.”

“Now I begin to be a disciple,” the bishop declared.

“Let fire and the cross; let the crowds of wild beasts; let tearings, breakings, and dislocations of bones; let cutting off of members; let shatterings of the whole body; and let all the dreadful torments of the devil come upon me: only let me attain to Jesus Christ.”

St. Ignatius of Antioch bore witness to Christ publicly for the last time in Rome's Flavian Amphitheater, where he was mauled to death by lions.

“I am the wheat of the Lord,” he had declared, before facing them. “I must be ground by the teeth of these beasts to be made the pure bread of Christ.”

His memory was honored, and his bones venerated, soon after his death around the year 107.

[awesome-luciano-blog]

Unlocking the Power of EVAN Leadership: Transforming Organizational Culture

In today’s fast-paced and diverse corporate landscape, effective leadership is the cornerstone of any successful organization. Traditional leadership models often focus on hierarchical control and task management, but modern approaches, such as the EVAN leadership style developed by Dr. Luciano Santini of Common Sense Consulting, emphasize a more holistic and humane approach. EVAN stands for Empathy, Value, Attitude against all negativity, and Nourishing the mind. This article explores what male and female leadership can mean for an organization when leaders are trained in the EVAN leadership style, highlighting its benefits to mental health and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI+B).

Understanding EVAN Leadership

E - Empathy: At the core of EVAN leadership is empathy. Leaders who practice empathy can understand and share the feelings of their team members, fostering a supportive and cohesive work environment. Empathetic leaders are more likely to build trust and loyalty, which can lead to higher employee satisfaction and retention.

V - Value: Valuing each team member is essential. This means recognizing and appreciating the unique contributions and perspectives that everyone brings to the table. Leaders who value their employees create an inclusive culture where individuals feel respected and important.

A - Attitude Against All Negativity: A positive attitude is crucial for overcoming challenges and maintaining a healthy work environment. Leaders who adopt an attitude against all negativity inspire their teams to stay motivated and focused, even in the face of adversity. This positive outlook can be contagious, promoting a resilient and optimistic organizational culture.

N - Nourishing the Mind: Continuous learning and mental well-being are vital. Leaders who prioritize nourishing the mind encourage professional and personal growth, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability. This approach not only enhances individual performance but also contributes to the overall success of the organization.

The Benefits of EVAN Leadership

1. Mental Health: The EVAN leadership style significantly benefits mental health within an organization. By fostering empathy and a positive attitude, leaders create a supportive environment where employees feel understood and valued. This reduces stress and anxiety, promoting a healthier work-life balance. Nourishing the mind through continuous learning and development further contributes to mental well-being, as employees feel engaged and motivated to achieve their best.

2. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI+B): DEI+B initiatives thrive under EVAN leadership. Leaders who value and empathize with their team members naturally create an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are celebrated. This inclusive culture ensures that all employees feel a sense of belonging, leading to increased engagement and collaboration. A positive attitude and focus on mental nourishment further enhance DEI+B efforts, as employees are more likely to support and uplift each other.

Comparing Leadership Styles: EVAN vs. Traditional

Example 1: The Empathetic Leader vs. The Detached Manager

Consider a scenario where two managers lead their respective teams in a large corporation. Manager A, trained in the EVAN leadership style, regularly checks in with team members, actively listens to their concerns, and offers support and encouragement. Manager B, following a traditional leadership approach, focuses solely on meeting deadlines and maintaining authority, with little regard for the personal well-being of their team.

The results are starkly different. Manager A’s team feels valued and supported, leading to high morale and productivity. The positive work environment reduces stress and fosters collaboration, resulting in innovative solutions and a strong sense of loyalty. In contrast, Manager B’s team experiences high levels of stress and burnout, leading to frequent conflicts, low morale, and high turnover rates.

Example 2: The Inclusive Leader vs. The Authoritarian Boss

In another example, two leaders are responsible for driving DEI+B initiatives in their organizations. Leader A, an advocate of the EVAN leadership style, actively involves diverse voices in decision-making processes, ensures equal opportunities for growth, and promotes a culture of continuous learning. Leader B, adhering to an authoritarian style, makes decisions unilaterally and prioritizes efficiency over inclusivity.

Leader A’s approach leads to a vibrant and inclusive workplace where employees feel empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. This inclusive environment boosts creativity and innovation, driving the organization forward. Leader B’s approach, however, stifles diversity and discourages open communication, resulting in a stagnant and disengaged workforce.

Conclusion

The EVAN leadership style developed by Dr. Luciano Santini represents a transformative approach to leadership. By prioritizing empathy, valuing individuals, maintaining a positive attitude, and nourishing the mind, leaders can significantly enhance mental health and foster a thriving DEI+B culture within their organizations. The benefits of EVAN leadership are clear: improved employee well-being, increased engagement, and a more innovative and inclusive workplace. As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of the modern business world, adopting the EVAN leadership style can be a powerful catalyst for lasting success.