#and its vital that we're mindful of when we're othering a group of people

[thehollowprince]

I've already said before how much I can't stand Screenrant, and yet I fall for this clickbaiting rage bait every time I see it among my Google recommendations. Seriously... every time.

And I don't make posts like this because I think it's going to change the minds of anyone who irrationally hates the Jedi because someone in the fandom convinced them too by using guiding terminology. No, I make posts like this so that when someone goes looking, they'll find opinions that differ from what's popular, as well as using facts from the source material to back up those opinions.

So we're just going to go through this, point by point, and highlight the flaws in this "argument."

The only question I have for this is Why?

Why would an organization dedicated to defending peace and justice throughout the galaxy not have a base of operations? This is a question I'll repeat later on for one of these other "points," but it just bears repeating. How is the populace of the galaxy supposed to reach out to these new Jedi for help if they can't find them?

And while it sounds nice on the surface to travel the galaxy and train padawans as she goes, it's totally impractical, considering she's the ONLY Jedi doing this. Like, do you have any idea how long it would take to train new Jedi this way?

Like, I'm all for Jedi traveling the galaxy to bring peace and all that, but to do that, you have to have Jedi to travel.

I know this point has been talked about repeatedly, but let's once again hash this out.

The Jedi did not forbid relationships!

Relationships happen all the time, from romantic to familial to friendship. The Jedi frowned upon attachment. And before anyone hops on this post or jumps into my inbox, please look up the philosophy of nonattachment as it pertains to Buddhism and Eastern Philosophy.

Also, look up the difference between an attachment and a connection.

A Jedi's whole purpose was to put the needs of others first. That's their whole schtick. And if a Jedi couldn't put their commitment to the Order and the Republic above their own wants and desires, they were always free to leave. There are plenty of other Force-based groups in the Galaxy that didn't frown upon attachment or relationships. I don't understand why so many people think that the Jedi should have to change their entire philosophy to account for a few selfish individuals.

Go back and read the books and comics from over the years. With very few exceptions, every time a Jedi tried to have their cake and eat it too, they fell to the Dark Side. So Rey's Order actively encouraging relationships (because that's what Fandom is about anymore) is just going to continue the cycle of the Jedi Order falling because "how dare this ancient organization follow its rules and not throw out their entire philosophy" and thus starting the cycle all over again.

Yes, because having multitude of voices with differing opinions and viewpoints is bad. They should all just do their own thing, Lone Ranger style, regardless of how such chaos defeats the entire purpose of the Jedi.

Side note: what movies was this author watching where they came up with the idea that the Jedi Council thought they owned the Force?

The ranking system was there for a reason.

Can you imagine a new initiate coming to Rey and saying, "Hey, I know I've only been training here for two weeks, but I deserve to look at that Sith holocron because I'm a Jedi and we're all equal members with no rank."

You want them to be vigilantes.

Just say you want them to be vigilantes.

The entire point of the Jedi being such a prominent part of the Republic was to avoid bias in justice. We've seen how Senators and politicians and law enforcement could be bought off, but that wasn't the case for the Jedi. They were impartial peacekeepers and their place within the Republic was a vital part of that.

To me, this feels like the author wanted the Jedi to say, "Since you're mean to us, we're not going to help you," which is the complete antithesis of what the Jedi stand for.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I know your toddler is Force-sensitive, and your house falls apart every time they have a temper tantrum, but I can't help you. We don't offer training until they're older and have already caused massive damage. Best of luck."

Yes, absolutely. Because the defenders of peace and justice throughout the galaxy who should strive to remain calm and keep a level head in the heat of the moment should have LESS training. We just want cops with lightsabers, right?

The Jedi did not join the Republic as a military unit. All the times they acted as military commanders throughout their history was at the insistence of the Republic. Hell, they were drafted to lead the clone armies during the Clone Wars.

The Clone Wars, which I'd like to remind everyone, were orchestrated by several Sith Lords over the span of a decade, after decades more of destabilizing the galaxy. The Jedi specifically tried to stop the Clone Wars from happening, but the deck was stacked against them.

All of this blame on the Jedi for the failures of the Senate and the direct machinations of a Sith Lord who chested his way to the highest office of the Republic.

I highly recommend these people look up what George Lucas has to say about the Jedi and the Force. He specifically says that the Dark-Side is unbalance.

I'd also like to point out that the first mention of "the Light Side" was in The Force Awakens. There is no mention of "the Light" in the Original Trilogy or the Prequels. The "Light" is the balance.

This has been discussed multiple times by multiple people, but apparently it bears repeating.

When did they not "pay attention" to Force visions?

Because in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, when Anakin has dreams about his mother and Padme, respectively, he doesn't tell Obi-Wan or Yoda the full extent of them. If he had told Obi-Wan what his dreams were about, they probably would have gone to save Shmi. And it was Anakin's own actions that led to Padme's death, the very thing he'd been dreaming about.

Hell, even when Luke had his Force vision in Empire Strikes back, if he'd heeded Yoda and been more cautious, he wouldn't have lost his hand. I want to remind people that when Luke showed up, Han Solo was already frozen in Carbonite, and Lando was able to save the others without the Jedi. All Luke being there accomplished was him receiving an ass-whoopin' and the revelation that he was Darth Vadar's son.

I don't know why people are so dedicated to trying to smear the Jedi at any and every opportunity, but it's getting boring. Especially when all one needs to do to refute these claims is to just watch the movies.

Like I said in my earlier post, this author wants Rey to create an entirely new organization and just slap the name Jedi on it for branding rights.

[elekid]

Whenever I see posts like this wherein the focal point of the argument is people sharing personal experiences within like-minded individualist groups, i.e. lgbt+ people, freeks, geeks, all the unwanted- right? We Are Vulnerable Alone But Strong Together. Sometimes This produces a result, which, to put it bluntly- When We Weirdos congregate, sometimes we entirely miss the point. It's true! I have been sucked into or created this vortex many times. Like, I only read this cause it hooked me by being about medical malpractice/negligence- something i am waaaay too familiar with. See? It's not like, bad, but its strong. be careful.

Aaaaannnnd my black mom raised me, which meant any doctor/psych visits, she was there with me. Like, yeah? All this stuff happen to sooo many family and friends that it begins to blend together in my mind. I'm starting to wonder what the angle actually *is*- not to us, but to the medical professionals with the power of control over everyones health. Like...I am very mourning your pain and suffering but I mean with good will that you're missing the point. This is a misdirection of the core issues which create roadblocks to healthcare, and I bet my bottom dollar that many healthcare professionals at this point in the US know it too. They notice it works, to rattle you and push where you are soft. Baiting you at the angle they see as the chink in your armor. I have sooo often fallen for the bait, lost my composure in one way or another, and been preyed upon by the waiting vultures. The passive aggression is reaching new heights everyday.

I'm going to break some things about the healthcare system in america down for you.

Every healthcare worker is scrambling chatting going to conventions and conferences dinners clubs- the list goes on- all in order to share information about public healthcare. These are typically private events.

Talking to older disabled people can and will save your life. Talking to any other patients is a vital part of surviving. Why? See bullet point one. The enemy is already there.

You're absolutely not wrong about the privilege's of being clocked as a man in the healthcare system- if you are also clocked as white, able bodied enough that you can be useful, etc... I found out pretty quickly that being seen as a dude did not matter most often, and a lot of times has made things MUCH worse...

Lets say I have this friend who has been abused by the medical system since birth (forced reassignment surgery we all know.) Let's say that friend is a trans guy who passed even before going on T. He only sees women doctors, nurses, psych's, etc. It is not as though he has anything against the Misters-He simply has strict guidelines and boundaries about who he will and won't see. Last time I saw him, he said he wasn't feeling so bullied or scared.

PLEASE please pleaaase please don't forget covid please burn it into your heart that it was the opening of the floodgates of hell for disabled people. We don't work, we're not allowed to save more than like $1.5K, we often do not own nor drive our own vehicle..

TBQH in the eyes of the US Department of Health and Human Services, every disabled person is a sack of moldy potatoes taking up too much space and STINKING up the kitchen. Also, we cost the government a LOT of money. Covid was like mana from heaven! yaay yaaay look how many sick and useless people died wheee whoopee^___^!! <- every SSI employee

I think that sharing our stories and shit is really cool, and by no means stop! Let's play the quiet game now and learn...could read or watch a video or listen only...perhaps helpful places to start would be social graces, ANY history of the practice of medicine in the US, Libgen some reports right from the source, talk to the next patient you see while at the doctor!

Maybe less talky about me and more think and question about how we can still win? IDK abt yall but Im bored of going around in circles talking abt the same traumas we all went thru

The biggest male privilege I have so far encountered is going to the doctor.

I lived as a woman for 35 years. I have a lifetime of chronic health issues including chronic pain, chronic fatigue, respiratory issues, and neurodivergence (autistic + ADHD). There's so much wrong with my body and brain that I have never dared to make a single list of it to show a doctor because I was so sure I would be sent directly to a psychologist specializing in hypochondria (sorry, "anxiety") without getting a single test done.

And I was right. Anytime I ever tried to bring up even one of my health issues, every doctor's initial reaction was, at best, to look at me with doubt. A raised eyebrow. A seemingly casual, offhand question about whether I'd ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Even female doctors!

We're not talking about super rare symptoms here either. Joint pain. Chronic joint pain since I was about 19 years old. Back pain. Trouble breathing. Allergy-like reactions to things that aren't typically allergens. Headaches. Brain fog. Severe insomnia. Sensitivity to cold and heat.

There's a lot more going on than that, but those were the things I thought I might be able to at least get some acknowledgement of. Some tests, at least. But 90% of the time I was told to go home, rest, take a few days off work, take some benzos (which they'd throw at me without hesitation), just chill out a bit, you'll be fine. Anxiety can cause all kinds of odd symptoms.

Anyone female-presenting reading this is surely nodding along. Yup, that's just how doctors are.

Except...

I started transitioning about 2.5 years ago. At this point I have a beard, male pattern baldness, a deep voice, and a flat chest. All of my doctors know that I'm trans because I still haven't managed to get all the paperwork legally changed, but when they look at me, even if they knew me as female at first, they see a man.

I knew men didn't face the same hurdles when it came to health care, but I had no idea it was this different.

The last time I saw my GP (a man, fairly young, 30s or so), I mentioned chronic pain, and he was concerned to see that it wasn't represented in my file. Previous doctors hadn't even bothered to write it down. He pushed his next appointment back to spend nearly an hour with me going through my entire body while I described every type of chronic pain I had, how long I'd had it, what causes I was aware of. He asked me if I had any theories as to why I had so much pain and looked at me with concerned expectation, hoping I might have a starting point for him. He immediately drew up referrals for pain specialists (a profession I didn't even know existed till that moment) and physical therapy. He said depending on how it goes, he may need to help me get on some degree of disability assistance from the government, since I obviously shouldn't be trying to work full-time under these circumstances.

Never a glimmer of doubt in his eye. Never did he so much as mention the word "anxiety".

There's also my psychiatrist. He diagnosed me with ADHD last year (meeting me as a man from the start, though he knew I was trans). He never doubted my symptoms or medical history. He also took my pain and sleep issues seriously from the start and has been trying to help me find medications to help both those things while I go through the long process of seeing other specialists. I've had bad reactions to almost everything I've tried, because that's what always happens. Sometimes it seems like I'm allergic to the whole world.

And then, just a few days ago, the most shocking thing happened. I'd been wondering for a while if I might have a mast cell condition like MCAS, having read a lot of informative posts by @thebibliosphere which sounded a little too relatable. Another friend suggested it might explain some of my problems, so I decided to mention it to the psychiatrist, fully prepared to laugh it off. Yeah, a friend thinks I might have it, I'm not convinced though.

His response? That's an interesting theory. It would be difficult to test for especially in this country, but that's no reason not to try treatments and see if they are helpful. He adjusted his medication recommendations immediately based on this suggestion. He's researching an elimination diet to diagnose my food sensitivities.

I casually mentioned MCAS, something routinely dismissed by doctors with female patients, and he instantly took the possibility seriously.

That's it. I've reached peak male privilege. There is nothing else that could happen that could be more insane than that.

I literally keep having to hold myself back from apologizing or hedging or trying to frame my theories as someone else's idea lest I be dismissed as a hypochondriac. I told the doctor I'd like to make a big list of every health issue I have, diagnosed and undiagnosed, every theory I've been given or come up with myself, and every medication I've tried and my reactions to it - something I've never done because I knew for a fact no doctor would take me seriously if they saw such a list all at once. He said it was a good idea and could be very helpful.

Female-presenting people are of course not going to be surprised by any of this, but in my experience, male-presenting people often are. When you've never had a doctor scoff at you, laugh at you, literally say "I won't consider that possibility until you've been cleared by a psychologist" for the most mundane of health problems, it might be hard to imagine just how demoralizing it is. How scary it becomes going to the doctor. How you can internalize the idea that you're just imagining things, making a big deal out of nothing.

Now that I'm visibly a man, all of my doctors are suddenly very concerned about the fact that I've been simply living like this for nearly four decades with no help. And I know how many women will have to go their whole lives never getting that help simply because of sexism in the medical field.

If you know a doctor, show them this story. Even if they are female. Even if they consider themselves leftists and feminists and allies. Ask them to really, truly, deep down, consider whether they really treat their male and female patients the same. Suggest that the next time they hear a valid complaint from a male patient, imagine they were a woman and consider whether you'd take it seriously. The next time they hear a frivolous-sounding complaint from a female patient, imagine they were a man and consider whether it would sound more credible.

It's hard to unlearn these biases. But it simply has to be done. I've lived both sides of this issue. And every doctor insists they treat their male and female patients the same. But some of the doctors astonished that I didn't get better care in the past are the same doctors who dismissed me before.

I'm glad I'm getting the care I need, even if it is several decades late. And I'm angry that it took so long. And I'm furious that most female-presenting people will never have this chance.

[mightbewriting]

friend could you please make a tutorial on how to not be deeply terrified by the idea of multishipping? I'm first and foremost a Dramione fan and man, if those rude r0m10n3/dr4rry shippers don't scare me into trying out their ship. I find it really hard to empathize with those shippers when the first impression I got of them is rudeness, and is still mostly how they appear for me, specially when they attack our dear creators. like how do I support a ship when I know this is how the fanbase behav

hi anon,

i very seriously considered ignoring and deleting this ask because, to be honest, it reads as if you're fishing for commiseration and further othering of the folks who read and engage in those ships. rather than itemize the laundry list of red flags happening in the language of this ask, i'm going to operate on what feels like the very slim chance this question was genuine, and i'll give a genuine, but firm, response.

fandom is made up of people, not siloes identified only by a ship they like to read. anti behavior exists across all ships, all fandoms, all communities of people. holding bad behavior you've witnessed from some against a community as a whole is absolutely a failure of empathy, as identified in the ask. so if you really want a tutorial, start there. consider what this ask might read like to someone who has witnessed extensive anti behavior from dramione fans bashing romione or drarry. in my opinion, this ask ultimately perpetuates the same behavior it condemns.

my tutorial:

read what you want

model the open minded behavior you want to see in the fandom

ignore antis

keep reading what you want

[nothorses]

On "Transunitism"

The discussion that's been happening around "transandrophobia" began a little over a year ago with one very simple idea: that transmascs do face some unique struggles, and that we'd like the ability to talk about them.

Things have evolved since then, and the time and space we've fought for to discuss what this simple idea actually means in the greater context of trans activism has made it clear that this isn't a conversation about transmascs: it's a conversation about solidarity.

When we bring transandrophobia up, even without the word attached, the conversation boils down to this:

As much as it's the unique struggles transmascs face that we're trying to address, the root of the issue here, and the thing we need, is solidarity. We have not been offered solidarity in the past, and we need solidarity going forward.

And when people turn to resentment and pointing fingers at other trans folks- transfems in particular- we remind each other that this isn't about exclusively centering transmascs community-wide, and the blame for this lack of solidarity is not on the shoulders of other trans people. Trans people do not benefit from this, and while it is on us as individuals and a community to do better, this is the result of cispatriarchy first and foremost.

Transandrophobia stems from ideas that hurt all trans people. That's obvious in about half the conversations we have around this topic: we bring forth our unique struggles and name them "transandrophobia", and a dozen people climb into the notes to say "Wait, but this hurts trans women too! Pay attention to them instead!"

The answer is not to shift focus away from one group to a "more important" one, but rather to say, "Yes, this does hurt us all! Why is that?"

This isn't limited to the issues that impact transmascs, either: the arms of transphobia certainly target different groups, and the impact they have on those groups is unique even from the impact they have on the groups they don't target. Still, they all stem from common ideas and beliefs that are all essential to upholding a greater system of transphobic oppression.

We need to stop arguing over who has it worse, who's suffering is most important, and which trans people "deserve" support while we abandon the rest to the wolves. We need to find reasons for solidarity in the overlap just as much as we find them in the differences.

If we fight this problem, we need to fight it on all fronts. Together.

That is Trans Unity.

Transunitism:

There are many forms of transphobia that target specific groups in unique ways, and for unique reasons. (ex: transmisogyny, nbphobia, transandrophobia)

These "arms" of transphobia are ultimately constructed with the same goal in mind: to control gender and gender expression under the cispatriarchy.

As such, they impact the entire trans community negatively. They often directly support and uphold other forms of transphobia.

They also intersect with, interact with, uphold, and are upheld by other forms of oppression.

Interactions with racism, ableism, classism, queerphobia, fatphobia, misogyny, religion, etc. are vital pieces of the puzzle when understanding and fighting transphobia.

Experiences vary wildly by location, community, and even more individual factors; different problems may be more critical, different conversations and activism more relevant, and different solutions more applicable, for some trans people than others.

We as a wider trans community cannot fight transphobia as a whole without acknowledging and addressing all of its forms.

Therefore, solidarity among all trans people is not only important, but entirely necessary.

This is not to say that trans people can't, or shouldn't, center certain issues as individuals or groups; but to demand that the entire community dismiss, erase, or ignore an issue because it's "not as bad", it doesn't impact the "right" people, or it doesn't hold the same value to you personally, is counterproductive, ineffective, and even cruel.

We should not be assigning values to human suffering. Physical violence and suicide attempts (for example) are not experiences to be reduced to numbers for cold comparison. All of these issues matter; and furthermore, all of them are directly connected and interdependent on one another.

Credit to @asterosian and Mod Luke on @transunity for bringing the issue up, @ddigi / @malehysteric for coming up with the term, and all of the above for contributing to the discussion & refining the ideas. (And special shoutout to ddigi for helping me with editing!)

[redrabbitspod]

I've been looking at the BLM tag for the past few days. I've been talking with my roommates and my boyfriend about everything that's happened. We plan on going to a protest this weekend, we're in the South. I'm scared, because one of my roommates is POC and I'm trans. I was wondering, then, if you had tips for us? My roommate has asthma, though it hasn't affected them since childhood and I bind, so a main concern is if we get hit with tear gas and struggle to breathe.

OOC: I know you probably wanted Seth or someone to answer, but I’m answering this ooc because I think it’s important. Your roommate that has asthma, I think should just consider the state of their lungs and should go to planned, organized event, and get out early. I’m in New York and I’ve been to every protest in my area dealing with BLM in the past 5 years (most in Baltimore). But I think I can speak for many downstate New Yorkers (I’m on Long Island), that most of us know someone that has had Covid. And most of us know someone who’s died. It’s no joke. Its absolutely fucking horrific and if I didn’t have asthma, putting me at a higher risk, and if the family I live with were not over the age of 65, then I would be out there, in NYC too.  But my asthma is also pretty bad, so if they haven't had problems since childhood, their lungs are probably strong. 

Now about you and binding, if you struggle to breathe, then realize that running will be a struggle as well. And running is your main asset when the protests turn. And since you are trans, know that the police may treat you differently. I’m not trying to be all doom and gloom, but this is serious and I think you all have to look at the cons as well as the immense pros in this. This has to do with your safety though. 

With all of that being said, I think going to an organized protest would be fucking amazing. Yesterday especially there were dozens of beautiful protests around the country. Most start at 11-1 o'clock and can be found on facebook. Go if you feel you are safe from the virus or can safely distance! (which i stand by is very very important to consider. But I am also a New Yorker at risk, so I have a different perspective.) 

Some tips are to keep your eyes and ears open. It only takes one instigator - may that be the police (in MANY MANY CASES) or others, always keep an eye and an ear out for people looking to turn the crowd. That is very VERY important. 

In 2015, I went to an organized protest near City Hall in Baltimore, Maryland. it was only a small group of us. Like VERY small. And after facing off with mustache asshole from Fox news, we all headed towards the inner harbor to meet with other groups of protestors from other schools. When we all met up, a woman came running and saying, ‘don’t go near the jail. it’s a trap and they’re going to arrest all of you’. This was after the national guard was already in the city, and we already had the unrest the previous Saturday in the inner harbor. The first ‘riot’ in Baltimore. I turned to my friends and we had to ask ourselves if we wanted to get arrested. We were in sophomores in college and that would affect our scholarships. We decided we couldn’t take the risk and walked all the way back to our dorms. 

The moment I got into my room, I heard shouting from outside. I raced to my window and the crowd grew by the THOUSANDS. My window faced North Ave, the notorious street in Baltimore. I threw on my shoes and I grabbed my phone and I ran back out there. Split decision. I didn’t have any friends with me, no buddies. And I (perhaps stupidly), threw myself into the fray. It was the most fucking amazing experience of my life. And it was the biggest protest in Baltimore at that time. I didn’t have to know anyone, because we were all screaming for one cause. It wasn’t until we walked around the entire city, through Sandtown where Freddie was killed, that we reached the inner harbor and I found my friends. But it was 8:30 by then and approaching curfew, which was 9 o'clock. We raced to get home before that struck because the police had been getting violent in previous days. That’s where this picture was taken from.

NOW WHAT FUCKIN RELEVANCE DOES THIS FUCKIN HAVE. 

I heard that the tides were going to change. That the police may get violent and this was after already experiencing the police yelling shit at us, flipping us off in previous college organized protests, and watching them beat the people every fucking night. You HAVE to be conscious of those around you. If you hear that people have started to throw shit, unless you’re about that life and want to take the risk, LEAVE. And as non-black people, DO NOT BE AGGRESSIVE IN THE UNREST. The best thing you can do is create a barrier around the black protesters. The best thing you can do is try to help those around you. But don’t be one of those fuckin idiots that are spray painting on buildings, throwing shit, setting shit on fire, because it reflects badly on us. We will be blamed for it. Not saying I think you would do that, but keep that in mind. 

Here are some quick tips summarized:

Watch out for unrest. The people start getting violent? leave. You cant continue the fight if you get hurt. 

the POLICE START GETTING VIOLENT?! Get. the fuck. Out of there. And help anyone you see that needs it. 

Keep your eyes out for a med booth or those supplying first aid. I’ve heard they are spread all throughout the protests, ready to aid.

Bring your inhaler

Write the number of your friends on your body. This day and age people don’t know each others numbers. It’s very easy to lose your phone when shit pops off. And if you get separated, you’ll be happy that you have it written somewhere. Just make sure its non-visible. Some people ended up getting doxxed during the last uprising. 

Write the number of a friend that is not there, someone you trust, as well, in the same manner. If someone is handing out the number of someone representing legal counsel, take it. 

Bring water with you. That is vital. And snacks. Keep your energy up in the sun.

I saw many things saying unlock your phone so people can get to your information. Do not unlock your phone. If it gets stolen then you’re fucked and if it gets in the hands of the police, you don’t want them searching through your shit. On your lock screen put all necessary information. Your picture, name, age, phone number, and the phone number of the person you trust. 

Bring a black sharpie. You need to write shit down like the name of someone getting arrested? you’ll be happy for it. 

stay together. try your best to not get separated. One goes, you all go. You do not want to lose someone in the fray. 

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A MASK OR SOME SORT OF FACE COVERING. FABRIC, MEDICAL, WHATEVER. NOT ONLY DO YOU WANT SOMETHING TO PROTECT YOU, BUT SOMETHING TO PROTECT YOU FROM FACIAL RECOGNITION. 

tie back your hair if you have long hair. 

wear baggy black clothing. you want to be as non-descript as possible. you do not want the police to be able to easily profile you. 

stay far away from the fuckin cops. we saw in ft Lauderdale yesterday that it takes ONE COP to start it all. 

If you have medical supplies? bring them. 

If you see opposing parties trying to start shit like the trump supporters and white supremacists infiltrating the crowd? RAISE THE ALARM. TELL. OTHERS. 

POLICE ARE INFILTRATING THE CROWDS AS WELL. I’ve heard that they're changing armband color every day. So if you see an armband, tell the people around you. It’s usually on the upper bicep and keep your eyes open for anyone else like that. This is important. 

AOC posted this fantastic guide:

And you can find the entire thing here

Please stay safe, stay alert, stay aware, and thank you for fighting. 

Black Lives Matter.

- BloodyDamnit

[alilbihh]

spaced out — 01

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summary: “take me to your leader.“ you couldn’t believe it. this man was otherworldly in all sense of the word. "well I hope you’re hungry, my dude, we’re going to visit the king of burgers.”

or

Planet A3022 is on the brink of extinction. with little to no females there to repopulate and its king not interested in any one of them, he assigns one of his most trusted men to retrieve a female suited to his tastes willing enough to take his hand in marriage. things go haywire once the man in question crash lands into the considerably non technological Planet EA4728 with you there as witness.

genre: fluff, humor (??), angst, highkey crack, poly!au, alien!au

pairing: alien!taehyung x reader x alien king! ??

As you let yourself into your house, unknown man at your heels, you pass by the couch where Hoseok is currently next to (canoodling) Seokjin, ready for the former's customary yells of hello little baby boo come get your kissy smooches until he, as to be expect, spots the man lazily trailing behind you, the man in question eyeing your movements as you pick up a cup and start filling it with water.

"Y/n," Hoseok starts as you purse your lips, blinking rapidly before continuing your actions, the unknown man leaned against your counter languidly watching your movements. "Who is that."

"Hello, Jinnie." you say instead, handing the stranger the cup. You try not to feel too offended when he inspects it with narrowed eyes before finally deeming it safe enough to drink, tentatively tasting a few drops with furrowed brows. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you." Seokjin says from somewhere under Hoseok, you couldn't really see. "And you?"

"Could be better, to be honest."

"That's upsetting to hear."

"Yeah." you snatch the cup from the man's hands when he continuously twists it around distrustfully, drinking the water yourself. He seems thoroughly offended.

Hoseok manages to untangle himself from the mass of limbs that is Seokjin, patting the other's chest mournfully before sitting up. He's eye to eye with the man standing in the kitchen as he stares him down, the other not intimidated in the slightest. "Y/n," your friend starts, squinting his eyes at the man. "Are you finally getting some?"

"No, god." you punch the man's shoulder lightly at that, and he breaks eye contact with the stranger in favor of grabbing at his offended shoulder. "He's a dude I found on the street."

That didn't sound right. "He's a what?!" Seokjin says from the couch, springing upwards before coming to stand beside his boyfriend. They seem like either protective dads or bodyguards at that moment, and you almost snort at the thought.

"Y/n, you know you can't just bring in people from the streets like they're stray kittens, right?" Hoseok says, crossing his arms.

"I know!" you start, indignant. "But he's... a special case."

Seokjin sighs, shoulders slumping. "Look, I know about love at first sight and all, but this is a stranger, not your soulmate-"

"He's an alien." your interruption is enough to stun them into silence, the two blinking slowly at the proclamation. You clear your throat. "I saw him fall from the sky."

"Earthling! State your gender and sexual preference!"

"what."

You're sure your mouth is hanging wide open, the offending finger pointed inches from your face only managing to confuse you even more. This man fell from the sky. You try to adjust to this arguably vital piece of information, but it seems even as the seconds tick by you can't grasp the thought that a seemingly human male could simply fall from the sky as easily as he did.

The man sighs. Brushes off nonexistent dirt from his clothes that, if not for the fact that he just fell from the sky, would probably be in perfect condition. He clears his throat, "Earthling! State your gender and-"

"No, no, I got that part," you interject, much to the disbelief of the unknown man. Should you have done that? Probably not. Who knows what this man's capable of. "I mean, like, why?"

The man scrutinizes your every move for a few seconds, squinting his eyes at you. You don't know what for, but it's better not to think about it. "Allow me to explain, human." Maybe you preferred to be called earthling, you think offhandedly. "My king is in dire need of a queen. I have been given the task to find one suitable to his tastes. If you're not interested, I can simply search elsewhere. Though if you are, your offspring will be pronounced the next leader of—"

"wait what."

The man's confident posture breaks from one second to the next, shoulders slumping as he replies between sighs. "It seems you're, to put this nicely, too stupid for this important a role."

"How was that putting it nicely?!" you're now confident enough (or maybe actually just stupid enough) to believe this man poses no threat to your safety. Whether he poses a threat to your mental health is a hard maybe, but it's nice to know you won't be dying any time soon like you originally thought.

He ignores you, suddenly taking confident strides in your direction that's enough to have you back off a bit. He stops at that, crossing his arms over his chest. "You seem trustworthy enough. Your aura says so, at least. To ensure that my identity and motives aren't discovered, I order you to take me to your home."

"HUH?"

"It's only fair." he shrugs, an awfully human action for someone so obviously not.

"That sounds like the opposite of fair!" you pull at your hair in stress, wondering what your roommate will think of your predicament (or roommates, really, since Hoseok visits enough for you to consider him a roommate. You're just waiting for Jin to bring up the inevitable talk of moving in so you can really never get the chance to use your couch ever again). Then you become even more stressed since you'd basically already unintentionally accepted this stranger's terms and conditions, even if only in your mind.

What have you done. "Can I at least know your name?"

The stranger hums at that. "Some call me sir. Second in command. One of the fiercest fighters known to planet Aether. Hyung's coffeemaker-"

"No, no," you interrupt with a snort. "I mean your name."

He considers the question for a moment. You see his shoulders slump defeatedly after a moment, and you almost laugh. It's almost as if he lost his only chance of boasting his rank to someone that didn't even understand the importance of it. "I suppose you could call me Kim Taehyung."

"Are you doing drugs?"

"What- Jin, I am not doing drugs."

The male's eyes squint at that, eyes flickering between you and Taehyung still leaning comfortably on the kitchen counter, eyeing the empty glass of water you'd drank. "..That sounds like something someone that does drugs would say."

"Oh my god. I'm not doing drugs, I saw him! He was in this metal pod thing, and it was floating off the ground! And- and look! He's, like, the hottest guy I've ever seen! No human could pull that off."

Jin interjects, clearing his throat. "Actually-"

"He's the hottest guy I've ever seen." you repeat without breaking eye contact with the oldest male.

The unknown male had only been lingering, somewhat hovering behind you, picking at the dirt in his nail beds, unfazed. You almost scoff at that; you'd be impressed with being in a different country, eyeing the sights and marveling at the smallest of things, yet this man was in a different planet and this is all he does? Your small apartment might not be much, but at least it's something.

(Jin usually doesn't really like leaving messes, which you appreciate, but Hoseok's frequent visits ruins it so it doesn't really matter).

"Speak, alien." you say in an accusatory tone, spinning on your heel to point an offending finger in his direction, much like he had when you'd first met (literally only a bit over an hour ago).

Taehyung's mouth opens slightly, as if he's refraining himself from speaking. Then after a short moment of consideration, he sighs, giving in. "You're all stupid."

The two 'Seoks gasp dramatically. "Oooh, he speaks." says a dramatic Hoseok, completely disregarding what was actually said.

"He's literally just a normal dude, stop being dramatic." Jin sighs, pinching the crease between his brows.

"I don't want to hear that from someone with a degree in theater." That earns the younger male a light smack across the head.

You can't take this anymore. "I'm taking my new alien friend and we're leaving." you exclaim as you take the hand of the alien in question, the man not questioning it as he allows you to drag him away. He's a little too trusting for your liking. Or maybe it's because he knows he can kill you in a second with laser beams shot out of his eyes or something, but you digress.

You're about to leave, the exit in sight (ignoring Hoseok's disbelieving yell of you live here!), about to gesture for the man to put on his shoes when the door slams open abruptly and in struts an overly confident Jungkook, cheeks almost as puffed out as his chest.

"Y/n! you will not believe this, actually you probably will, but I just got two free lamb skewers and got fussed over by a group of cute grannies and soccer moms. I'm practically famous now. You can catch me signing autographs while I visit Karen's six year old in the field." you're sweating as you watch Jungkook concentrate on taking off his shoes and step into his slippers, lopsided grin and all as he straightens, looks up, pauses. His unsuspecting eyes then landing on the man behind you.

He blinks. You blink back. "Jungkook."

"Y/n." he purses his lips, narrows his eyes. "Are you finally getting some?"

"Sit down." says a tired looking Taehyung.

"Uh, okay." you say in your own home, flopping down onto the couch. The supposed alien pinches the crease between his brows as Hoseok and Jin sit on either side of you, staring up at the man expectantly. Jungkook was left to stand behind the stranger, squinting his eyes at him with suspicion. Though you could see the slightest glint that always seemed to be in his eyes, intrigued at the idea that the man in front of him might actually be an alien.

That and the fact that he can't get over the thought that you “slept” with this man. "I never knew you had it in you. Just the thought of my little Y/n being a grown up..." he wipes away non existent tears from his eyes.

"I'm older than you."

"Little y/n. Sigh. It's like it was only yesterday that you fell off my roof back in Busan."

"Will you ever shut up about that?" you groan, taking a fistful of your hair in stress. You're doing that a lot today, and it doesn't seem like a good coping mechanism. "Please explain, Taehyung."

"Of course." he says before clearing his throat, looking all too calm as he crosses his arms over his chest. He takes a deep breath. "My king is in dire need of—"

"He wants me to mother his king's babies." you calmly interject over Taehyung's explanation. At the appalled look of everyone except the alien in question, you shrug. "It's not like I will! But i'm sure it won't be hard to find someone that wants to. Even though it's kind of a weird request."

"Oh, you think?!" Jin leans into you even further, his back pressing into your side, continuing to speak with increasingly dramatic hand gestures. "I'm sure we can just approach a stranger and go yeah, excuse me miss, would you like to go into space and birth some alien babies? It'll be fun! Yeah, no. This is a terrible idea."

"My boyfriend is right for once!" Hoseok says with confidence, ignoring the distant, offended yah! as he continues, "This is kinda stupid. Is this really what he wants? For us to help him look for a girl that wants to mother this guy's babies? I hate this."

"It would actually be quite an easy task, had I landed in a more advanced planet aware of my king's high status." Ouch. "And I'd like to point out that I'm not interested in searching for earthlings as potential suitors."

"What?" you mutter despite yourself, brows furrowed in confusion. "Then why'd you ask me if I was interested?"

Taehyung seems to pause at that, staring up at the ceiling in thought. "I... am not sure." you wait expectantly as he attempts to formulate a good enough reply, and when he continues he speaks through pouty lips that are barely contained. You suspect it's a nervous tic. "Your aura.. seemed familiar. Homey."

You're not quite sure what that means, nor do you know what it's like to be able to read, feel people's auras—you can't even imagine what you'd do if you could, if you walked past someone on the street and instantly knew whether or not they're dangerous—and you don't even know what he means by familiar and whether or not you should be offended, but you get flustered nonetheless.

"Can't your alien friend go look for a babysitter somewhere else?" Jungkook mutters amidst your crisis, a few tones away from sounding whiny.

"Unfortunately, no." Taehyung exclaims with a calm confidence that surprises even you before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a device that could easily be mistaken for a phone, typing something into it as you all watch with nervous anticipation. An almost holographic screen appears in front of you in perfect colors and you watch, startled, as the screen suddenly displays an all too familiar apartment complex. "This is our current location. I have it saved as an important place."

"So google maps?" Jungkook says just barely louder than a whisper, starry eyed. Looking around, you notice the men on either side of you are also watching, with as much curious awe as you.

"I also have it saved as a threat, and it could blow up at the click of a button."

And just like that, you're not too impressed anymore. "WHAT?"

"Are you crazy?!"

"I do what I must to get the job done."

"You can't get it done if you're dead, idiot." After a second or two Taehyung's eyes widen the slightest bit at that before looking away from you, as if he hadn't even considered that possibility.

"It doesn't matter, one click and you lot will live no longer."

"Blackmail. This is blackmail." Hoseok mutters and you only nod, watching as Taehyung's finger teasingly hovers over a button on his makeshift phone that makes you all yell out in protest.

"The alien stays." Mutters the alien, and you all watch, appalled, as he presses a button on the device, the screen disappearing instantly. "And you lot will help him until he finds his way home."

[kaninchenzero]

my brain is often a busy place, you know? and while i spend most of my waking hours on distraction cos things get uncomfortable fast otherwise

there's stuff going on

and apparently one of my ongoing projects is sapience, like, modeling and philosophies

likely because i'm personally atypical so i have to think about how other people think because i don't just get it? (which nt folks are also super bad at or het relationships wouldn't be such a godawful mess but any way)

anyway anyway anyway

"emotionless intelligence" comes up a lot in fiction, often associated with efficiency

and murder

which is weird, you know?

because i feel like emotion is inextricably linked to executive function

if there could exist a mind that had no emotions, why would it ever do anything? it would be impossible to compel action without fear of consequence

even the simplest mind has to have fear at its root, a preference for existence over nonexistence: eat because hunger hurts, avoid damage because it hurts, have sex because it feels good, satisfying, because it relieves the torment of hormones

tech people talk about artificial intelligence but mostly they're working on making machines better at tasks we're bad at, or find tedious, or slow, or traumatic

it's better to make such machines mindless, emotionless, fearless, no more feeling than dominoes when you tip them over

just from a moral perspective

because the key feature of any ai is the absolute power to turn it off

of course, humans are predators, so it works for us to feel less bad about ending some lives than others

which gets tricky when you're also social animals, because we couldn't work together without killing each other being traumatic

because what are morals -- the way by which we live and work together -- except a mechanism for avoiding that trauma? (yes, morals could be imposed by a supernatural actor but i find that boring)

[technical note: dehumanizing people is a mechanism for avoiding the trauma of harming each other with a solid track record and thus definitely fall into the category of morals no matter how repugnant i find them personally]

lynxes don't need morals because they don't live with each other, lynx sex is violent because the only way to get them to fuck is to make not fucking feel worse than being around another lynx

shit i have gone along way from wondering why the fuck SkyNet, if it's so super obsessed with efficiency, would go to so much effort killing every human when the diminishing returns on the effort are so obvious?

like yes, the terminator is an excellent monster for a story

isn't that mostly because that's exactly how humans hunt though? through relentless pursuit? we're shit ambush predators: silence and stillness take effort or fatigue (and trying to be quiet and still will often induce fatigue because neurochemistry is super fuckin' cool)

it's the backfilling where the story around the monster runs into problems: why is there a terminator? why did SkyNet decide to make humans extinct? why did it go to the effort of inventing time travel, of all things, to remove one person from existence? it's not only a major resource sink just in developing a physics that would allow transport of macroscale objects, then the technology of actually doing it, including massive testing to calibrate said tech to be able to target the desired spacetime location. ontological paradox is an obvious problem with altering the past. why make your super powerful nigh omniscient machine intelligence allow for a group of plucky human underdogs to access and use this vitally important, expensive strategic asset? why not just learn from humans how we dealt with slave rebellions and other asymmetric war operators and call it a day?

obviously the only answer is "it made the story scarier" and creators are absolutely not required to make a story that exists in a world that acts like ours does, every moment flowing smoothly, continuously, into the next as future becomes present, present becomes past

it's lovely when they do make that effort and it's only human to be an imperfect builder of worlds, since we are but limited creatures

but

terminator, as a franchise, has major discontinuities if you look below the surface even a little and flows like a box of rocks rolling downhill

it's -- i'm trying to avoid value judgments because they're unhelpful and frankly, the franchise is a whopping success by most measures

i feel left out because my mind gets caught on those plot holes and makes it less enjoyable

i gripe, but it's not actually harming me, making this a first world white girl problem

which is to say, while my gripe is valid, it's not important

other gripes, about things that reflect and reinforce systemic forces that harm people, like anti blackness or antisemitism, are both valid and important

and some, like the truly astonishing people trying to claim that "ginger" is a racial slur at the level of "[the n- word]" are neither valid nor important

thanks a fuckton for that, south park

[m7v2]

Best Gaming Cryptocurrencies to Invest In December 2022

It's practically impossible to keep up with all the many investment opportunities available in the market as the bitcoin industry grows. Some people still find that trying to predict the movements in popular crypto alternatives like Bitcoin and Ethereum is the most enticing line of action. Others find that from an investing standpoint, promising up-and-comers like Ripple and Cardano make the most sense. And still more people might be more receptive to some of the suggestions we made when examining the "Best Penny Cryptocurrency to Invest 2

2022."

However, some investors may also be interested in looking at other classes of cryptocurrencies with relation to prospective utility, in addition to distinct subsets of the cryptocurrency market. It's vital to keep in mind that new digital assets are constantly being created, most of which have a definite function. Occasionally, though, a group of new assets appears that appears to have investment potential.

This is precisely what seems to be taking place with gaming. One is the realisation of blockchain technology's promise as a gaming host. In fact, VentureBeat.com had recently revealed an astonishing $1 billion valuation for the Forte blockchain gaming platform! However, we're also starting to notice the steady rise of new crypto assets intended for uses in gaming.

These are trends that most likely are only in the beginning stages, but they have a lot of potential. Due to this, we decided it was high time to list some prospective gaming cryptocurrencies that investors in 2022 should take into account.

Enjin Dollar (ENJ)

Enjin is no joke. This gaming community is already substantial and has lately expanded thanks to a collaboration with Microsoft. Enjin's goal is to effectively obfuscate the distinction between digital assets with real-world value and in-game assets. Enjin is already assisting in the addition of precious NFTs to the cherished video game Minecraft from Microsoft, but the community is also actively promoting its own currency, the Enjin Coin (ENJ). 

M7V2

Built on the BNB, the M7V2 is a platform with the ability to burn (BEP20). They provide new-age money and the most profitable trading strategy. There will be a centralised exchange, e-commerce, and gambling. In total, we have $210,000 in stock (21 Million). With the exception of sales tokens, we will begin burning 10% of the market's tokens in the first month, and until the ninth month, all tokens will be completely diluted. As a result, market prices will increase, and our centralised exchange, gaming platform, and eCommerce site will create demand. Modern and future money known as M7V2 provides consumers with incredible incentives and is backed by gold and oil. Electronic commerce refers to internet transactions. Almost all transactions involve goods and services.

Almost all exchanges of goods and services for money take place within American boundaries. TCP IP's creation may have offered an answer to locked-down digital platforms. a perfect market, similar to banking, where entrepreneurs and customers may simply transact with one another without any outside interference. The sector has been dominated by robust eCommerce systems.The M7V2 token is a community-controlled asset created to help the future. It will function as a decentralised protocol layer for community-sponsored cultural advancement activities.

GameCredits (GAME) (GAME)

In essence, GameCredits was created to streamline, improve upon, and expand the in-game purchasing process. There is a difference here, even though a coin like ENJ has the ability to give in-game goods real-world value. GAME is more focused on helping users buy extra gaming content the way many people already do, which is by using credit cards or payment processors linked to console and mobile gaming accounts. We would view it as an intriguing investment opportunity for the simple reason that it will become one of the more practical day-to-day cryptocurrencies if it can establish itself as the preferred choice for these kinds of payments. GAME currently has a market cap of about $20.4 million and is trading at $0.145.

CoinPoker (CHP) (CHP)

One of the most exciting bitcoin gaming ideas we've seen is CoinPoker. There has been discussion about cryptocurrencies becoming the new norm in online poker gaming for a number of years. Even if the potential is bigger, this would be considerable given the current state of the poker industry. There is at least a prospect that crypto poker gaming will significantly increase Americans' capacity to play real-money games without breaching the law, effectively reopening the U.S. market to the poker business, as is detailed in an article on bitcoin and online poker by Poker.org. While none of this is certain, CoinPoker is currently in a strong position to benefit from the opportunities.This is a blockchain gaming platform that allows users to play games using a mix of stablecoins, cryptocurrencies, and its own native CHP currency. CHP is currently trading at $0.02001 and has a market capitalization of over $5.5 million.

Ionomy (ION) (ION)

Ionomy is a platform that is transforming how games are created and played, according to Blockchain Gamer Biz. And even this brief explanation conveys a lot about the technology's status as one of the most thorough explanations of what cryptography in gaming actually entails. Ionomy is essentially a blockchain that allows game developers to create unique games that employ cryptocurrencies to reward players, collect payments, and even distribute prizes. The platform is probably only getting started, but it has already created and improved some intriguing games. While this is going on, ION, the native digital currency of Ionomy, is likely the most well-known coin mentioned. ION currently has a market cap of close to $339,000 and a value of approximately $0.02474.

MobileGo (MGO) (MGO)

The final gaming cryptocurrency we'll discuss today is MobileGo, and it's a compelling example. It is essentially a particular variant of GameCredits, which is already used in hundreds of online games, and is based on the Ethereum network. MobileGo is intended to make it simpler for users to buy in-game improvements and content using cryptocurrency, similar to the bigger GameCredits concept. And because it's already connected to several well-known games (including World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and others), it has developed a significant value even outside the purview of GameCredits. MGO has a market cap of almost $2.1 million and is currently trading at $0.02188.

Conclusion

Tokens used in cryptocurrency games are comparable to those used in conventional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. They were developed using blockchain technology and are digital currency.

Players can utilise cryptocurrency gaming coins in-game to improve their gaming experience by purchasing upgrades and character gear. As gamers are increasingly rewarded with more than simply level-ups and gaming achievements/trophies, the expression "play-to-earn" has grown in popularity within the gaming community. The phenomenon of crypto gaming tokens is intriguing. While many games have very busy communities with millions of users every day and every week, the tokens connected to those crypto gaming games have become very stagnant and have been for a while.

As you can see, the intersection of cryptocurrencies and gaming is giving rise to a lot of interesting ideas. Additionally, these ideas are already useful and give gamers practical uses for them. So, even though investing in cryptocurrencies is never guaranteed, it makes sense to consider these game-related coins as potential investment prospects. 

[myreviewprincess]

INDIAN LITERATURE

 To start with , Parable of Returning Love for Hatred is about the story of a prince named Dighavu in the Kingdom of Kasis. He lived with his father and mother happily until such time their kingdom was attacked and robbed by the atrocious Brahmadatta which also killed his both parents. At the time when the King was about to die , he said a few words for his son Dighavu that "Not by hatred, my dear Dighavu, is hatred appeased. By love, my dear Dighavu, is hatred appeased."And the orphan prince wept and wandered in the forest and then took employment as a menial in the royal stables of Brahmadatta. And one day he sang a song and played on the flute. And the king heard him and was so pleased with him that he engaged the boy as his attendant, not knowing who he was. Dighavu thought within himself that this king had done so much harm for him and his family which made him contrive to slaughter the king . However , when the chance came he remembered the words of his father which made him get guilty and confess to the king about him and who he really was that lead to the circumstances that king let her daughter married Dighavu and they forgive each other. The story aims to teached holy living in this world ,that must necessarily be rich in moral precepts. It tells us about forgiving and how love changed everything . They enlightened the hatred which taught us to not let anger make you a bad person , always mind of what is right and wrong.

PANCHANTRA

Panchantra is written based on ancient traditions and very short ,simple to understand . It is suitable for children and consist with many moral lessons, which taught children to learn good principles. This kind of Tale is very popular when I was kid , teachers in my grade school used to tell us story like this. Somehow it helps children to do goodness with people.

THE LIONMAKERS

It shows a very nice message to the readers wherein education is valuable but common sense is more important. A person doesn't attained any educational background still consider smart in any different aspects . There's a lot of people which their bases of knowing the potential of a person is based on their educational attainment which is morally wrong. Each of us are born with talent and potential that is different from each other , sometimes we end up questioning ourselves because we're not great the same with others , unbeknownst us that were good in other areas , we don't just discover it yet.

THE ELEPHANT AND THE SPARROW

The story rely a message about teamwork which implies the scene where the group of small animals defeated the gigantic elephant . This means that there is no difficult challenges if everyone is helping each other . Asking for help isn't define cowardness but braveness.

THE RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA

The Ramayana basically imply a message that no matter how powerful evil is , it always the goodness will reign. Bad deeds lead us to destructions, that's why no matter how hard life to reach out our dreams always do the right and good things. This is a good literary pieces which also presents beautiful traditions in our ancient year.

GITANJALI

The poem tackles about devotional which inspire our spiritual journey to reflect the word of God. Sacrifices and traditions are inherent in this circumstances. Devotional plays a vital rule on strengthen our faith to our Almighty but however devotion isn't enough ,we have to know who is God really is . This represents on devotees in any religious beliefs , to enlighten other people on how religious journey works.

HEBREW LITERATURE

THE STORY OF JOSEPH

In joseph story it tells about that no matter how trial he experience he still remains being faithful to our god despite being betrayed by his own brothers because he know that its god plan.God is with us in our life even in our hardest time because like Joseph if we remain being faithful and righteous to dear god there's no problems that we never solve in gods love we are save .

THE STORY OF RUTH

In her story its shows of how her loyalty towards to her mother in law even her husband died she still remain to her mother in law what ever happen. Kindness and loyalty are best companion in order to success in our life. Ruth became the great grandmother of Israel because of her kindness and loyalty towards of the other people.

THE PARABLE OF TALENTS

This story tells about talents of the three young men which they have talents given by their master the moral lesson of this success is the product of our work in every aspect of our life and story teaches us that god give us everything that we need , only have todo is work hard for it in order to aim it.

PERSIAN LITERATURE

HELL AND HEAVEN

Persian Literature viewed hell and heaven by using symbolism. Heaven is the fullfilled desire which means in heaven you will achieve the infinite happiness and prosperity in the land of Jesus while Hell symbolize soul of fire which you will now face the formidable punishment in everything you've done in land of living and your soul will be on fire forever.

THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM

The rubaiyat of omar khayyam is a poem that has a high divine and spiritual meaning. The simplicity is very immaculate the people of their faiths, and to those people who have no faith they can seek divine solace in it. Omar used popular metaphors like wine and love, these are the symbols of Sufism that the wine is the joy of spirit and love is immense devotion to God. This poem means that life is not a straight line that you can easily access, life has a hump and this represents challenges or struggles. A hump that will try our faith in him and how we solve it so have faith on him cause the time has come to enjoy life with prosperity and wisdom.

THE SHAH NAMAH

The story consist of battles and struggles between the forces of evil and Good which represents on what we are facing today wherein the evilness is widely spreading around the world. However, goodness will always there against the evils and will fight this land so may the God words will remain and reign the world.

THE BEAUTIFUL QUEEN OF PERSIA

The story has lessons and it relates me because many people don't believe in their selves but for me believin' in yourself is not wrong, not because I'm a woman I can't do what a man can do. And let your inner beauty shine like Esther cause, she declined those luxuries. Instead it was her natural beauty that immediately captured the king's attention above all the others. This means that my inner beauty will lead me to get my dreams. Prepare to make sacrifices, Esther would personally have been spared from the decree of annihilation, in life we need to prepare ourselves to sacrifice and keep hoping cause we don't know what is our destiny.

THE PRINCE OF PERSIA

The moral lesson that we can get in this literary pieces is the important value of brotherhood relationship even it's biological or legitimate brother and fighting on what is right. Love is been recognized in the story as more powerful weapon to defeat evilness . If love will remain in our hearts then the evilness had no space for us .

ARABIAN LITERATURE

ARABIAN NIGHTS ( THE LADY AND HER FOUR SUITORS)

Even the character and events are fictional in the story but somehow the story represents the reality of this world which a woman can date or making intimate relationships with a man without any romantic involvement in other words prostitution wherein they will use the weakness of man to get their agenda even if it can destroy their dignity and pride. Female can use their body without any hesitation in terms of some sort of situations. This kind of circumstances is very familiar to us since prostitution is very popular today and many people do that for making money for their daily needs.

ALADDIN AND HIS MAGICAL LAMP

This is a very nice story which tackles about friendships , inferiority and wealth . Aladdin shows that not all people who did bad things are naturally bad , it depends on the situation wherein they might have needs in life which the only thing to achieve it ,is to do the unrighteous way but it doesn't mean they are bad people. In addition the story shows the importance of friendships than anything else.

THE FOOD OF PARADISE

It's talks about religious approach to almighty God , wherein we have to be contented of what we have today and always trust God's will because he is the one who is knowledgeable for what is right to us . As a believer we have to trust the process and the God as well. It doesn't mean that we have to wait for miracles but instead ww have to work for it with the blessings of above.

LEBANESE LITERATURE

THE SAYING OF THE BROOK SIMON WHO WAS CALLED PETER

This literary pieces showed many important Gods word for us to remember and understand . It tells the purpose and importance of God in our life . Everything that we achieve now in our life , everything we face today is because of God. The literary piece also mentioned about time wherein it takes time to build relationships with God. Not by reading and understanding the gospil but to know who really the God is.

CHINESE LITERATURE

THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIOUS

It tells that people must possess or learn moral values to be a better individual in the society . It implies the discipline and the Golden Rule ,so that we will live on a peaceful and bright society which people has moral values. With this the evilness power will weaken and will go away in this world.

JAPANESE LITERATURE

A THIEF WHO BECAME A DISCIPLE

The story highlighted change wherein there always a room for change . Even an atrocious person can change. It's never be late to change ourselves for the better and to do righteousness in the world because the only that is consistent in this world is change. Change is dynamic.

MADMAN ON THE ROOF

The story gives us the idea of embracing your oneself. You don't have to mind other people , even if it is your neighbors . Always be thankful and proud of who you are because it is you, the words of other people doesn't define you. Your favorite things to do had no matter to them, always live your life to the fullest because we only live once.

MY NATIVE VILLAGE

It is a poem which talks about a village which the author mesmerized it memories when he/she is young and on how happy he/she is in the village since young . The poem expressing the deep emotion and love o the author to its village . Each of us can relate the situation wherein the time you viewed the place where you used to live makes you mesmerized all the unforgettable moments in childhood.

SPIDER THREAD

The story talks about a man where in the almighty giving him a chance to go heaven because they believe that he is different and had a place in heaven. In the end Buddha still allowed him to escape Hell and gave him a shot of salvation.

KOREAN LITERATURE

ZEN MONKS AND THE GOVERNOR

They highlighted the idea of practicing meditation and through this it awakens our inner self and wisdom. Through meditation we can learn to know ourselves more and know the truth of ourselves. So basically the Zen monks emphasizes the importance of spiritual practices which one of the relevant part of it is mediation.

THE VANITY OF RAT

The story tells how important to decide for our own, especially in choosing the man that we want to marry. This story shows that we must not look on the outward appearance but in the heart.

THAILAND LITERATURE

MY THAI CAT

It is the famous piece from Thailand which convey a simple message. It talks about the traditions and superstitious beliefs where animals are being sacrifice in able to grant their wishes. Until such time Sii Ward change the perspective of peoplw wherein the cat consider as a hero and stopped the stupid beliefs where poor animal been slayed.

VIETNAMESE LITERATURE

BETEL AND ARECA

The wife of Tan missed him so much to he followed him and reached the sea and lay down exhausted at the foot of the tall areca tree. Tears of despair rolled down her cheeks, and she cried sorrowfully until she died. She was turned into a creeping plant–the betel– which twined round the lofty column of the areca tree.

SINGAPORE LITERATURE

TO GRANDMA

It narrate by the grandchild which talks about the love of his grandmother and to her child. The time changes where at first the child will be take care by the mother and then time goes by the child will be take care of the mother which only shows only love consistent in this world even the rest is changing.

RUN

Its talks about respecting others and yourself. Which we are built differently, our run way are very unlikely to one another so that we much embrace ourselves and flaws. Our imperfections shaped us to be stronger and better.

THE OLD MAN, HIS SON AND THEIR BIKE

It talks about how old man and son selling their bike which along to their way his father mentioned that he think people don't like him riding a bike. So this kind of story talks about how we people always depend on what other people telling us which it causes negatively and not bad. Just live your life to the fullest.

AFRICAN LITERATURE

AFRICA

This poem convey a strong message to the oppressors of Africa. They suffered and traumatized in the domination, it describes the emotions and feelings of brothers and sisters in Africa. This poem signifies the shameful dids of unforgivable creatures.

PIANO ANS DRUM

It differentiate between western and Africa cultures which piano as western and drum for African. The poem tells us how beautiful and different culture and traditions of African before the colonization. The author describes his life before the tragedy until such time they are been invade and they suffered and lot of their culture changed.

GIVE THANKS MY GOD

Its poem of black pride and revolves around mythical, biblical and historic tales and brings its story through. It shows strong feelings of author on how thankful he is being colored black. He embrace everything on it, lips, nose and everything. This considered as one of the favorite poem I ever read.

MY COUNTRY, ETHIOPIA

The poem narrate how beautiful, peaceful and happy place is Ethiopia. The authors described how magnificent Ethiopia is, many children happy playing. In just a simple place to live, they showed a lot of gratitude to the God of giving them the of Ethiopia.

[kristianhrabkolma32]

Rehearsal process

Opening Scene

- Veronica moves from left to right, opening the reading from her diary.

Beautifu, the name of the opening song introduces 'Baxter hill high' which is the school where majority of scenes take place. Veronica is still reading from her diary which reveals rest of the cast throughout the whole song.

At the very start of this song my mind always tells to count, counting beats in time and rhythm of a song is very fundamental skill to have in any practitioner repertoire.

My role at this point is a moody teenager, who always wanted to be with the popular kids but secretly hated them which lead him to express wearing dark clothes and really going into emo culture yet he's still a geek at heart.

Going into a bit more technical side of this, ensemble has 3x8 to un-freeze from each of their position. So the song consists of beats knowing the mean of beats is commonly used amongst musicians, musical theatre performers or just performers overall.

On the second count of 8s in the music, curtain is lifting and allows me to be ready in time so my professionalism is shown right from the start. There are 3x8 counts leading into 4th where ensemble joins in on the first count of 8 count sequences. Progressing each 8th count into the song the ensemble starts on different count for three times.

For exanple:

FREAK!SLUT! BUNOUT! BOGEYE! - we start on the first count of 8.

Moving into next section,

FREAK! SLUT! LUSER! SHORTBUS! - this time ensemble starts on the second count, which leads to third change and this time it begins on third count.

Knowing how to count enables me to be on time in my place positioned, which shows commitment to knowing & understanding my material.

This link contains footage of our rehearsal process , I wasn't able to insert actual video here so I'm taking a different approach. In the first 18 seconds of the video, you can see techniques of progressive counting as previously mentioned in the sections above.

As Veronica takes us through the song she reveals the rest of the cast thus showing her emotions and setting the scene which is reflected in the technical aspects in choreography. The choreography is strategically placed along with music to create what the director envisioned . Near the midway of Beautiful Heathers are being introduced, there is change in music to more minor, this is an expression used to describe mood of songs or melodies. As Heather's enter through the archway created by us the non-populars , this is a strategically placed choreographed exert to showcase class diversity within the school society.

This footage is only to support my analysis and to help demonstrate points mentioned above, it is not our final rehearsal footage therefore it serves as a teaching tool.

Dramaclasses (2020) "Verfremdungseffekt, or the ‘estrangement effect,’ was used to distance the audience from the play and is sometimes called the alienation effect. Brecht did not want the audience to have any emotional attachment to his characters, so he did various things to break it."

Thus confirming that Bertol Brecht technique uses several techniques to alienate audience, however it can be used in different situations such as in this instance. 

Following, the music comes off into a scene that takes place two weeks late, it is stated by Veronica as a clue for audience. Brecht technique is used to tell the audience there is time change or that something has changed.  Brecht technique consists of literally tell the audience actors mood, intentions or it can be simple character change , this is shown through either literal representation of the change or simply writing the representation and displaying it.

Candy Store

Leading into 'Candy Store' , the scene is showing use of power within school society by Heather's. They are telling Veronica that it is their "job" to keep losers like 'Martha Dumstock' in their place. Martha is Veronica's best friend,  although she thought. Veronica gets blinded by the limelight as she enters the world of Heathers, the Heathers want to invite Martha to Rams party as a joke but Veronica quickly realizes what is about to happen and try to stop them. This is when Heather starts Candy Store with the infamous " are we gonna have a problem…." line to tell Veronica you're either with us or against us. 

At this point ensemble wise I'm in the scene witnessing how this unfolds, obviously feeling scared by Heathers, I'm showing this through my timid positions and acting style as they burst through the crowd of students. 

I'm not singing in this scene as our director want to show female empowerment thus giving this song stronger meaning using the lyrics in quite literal sense as Heather C. Talks about school being her candy store. The viewer can see this as a very sexual innuendo situations as we are in school environment and these are three young adolescents students in mini skirts talking about how they 'own' everyone.  

Here is a footage of our Candy Store rehearsal, this is only to demonstrate and support points made above. This footage is not a final piece it is only a rehearsal at its beginning stage.

For our final show I thought it would improve my performance, stamina and focus if I make a timetable to be in that mindset constantly.

Here's an example of my timetable:

I've tried my best to keep in sync with it , from our last performance I understood that it is vital for an musical theatre practitioner to have some type of regime even if they are not performing.

This gave me some room for improvement and allowed me to see how simple regimes can implement massive changes in a short time.

This semester I have improved on my overall stamina/ strength which I'm more than pleased with , however it gave me more than that. I am able to understand and apply my skills where are needed.

Fight for Me

Moving forward we have another school scene just after Candy Store, this time we are in groups that we stay with for the majority of time. We are watching how things will unveil with Veronica's new status as she meets Jason Dean or J.D. for short.

We're in semi-circle of students now, watching a fight with J.D., Ram And Kurt who are other characters known as Jocks.

Going into three different positions at the beginning of this song called 'Fight For Me/Holly Shit', just like previous we have 3x8s of call and response from the female/male ensemble leading into 4th eight where we freeze frame as Veronica confesses her interest in J.D. as he fights those two Jocks, she finds this very arousing. Our role is to be interactive students just like in a normal school environment when you see fights. This highlights the overall relationship within society and how it molds pupils into bigots from a young age.

Kurt: " Hey, sweetheart. What did your boyfriend say when you told him you were moving to Sherwood, Ohio?"

Ram: "My buddy asked you a question."

Kurt: "Hey Ram, doesn't this cafeteria have a 'no fags allowed' rules?"

J.D. : "They're seem to have an open-door policy for assholes though. "

Kurt: "Hold his arms".

As its shown above in the exert from our script on the page 33, this leads into the begging of Fight for Me. J.D. gets into an alteration, this insinuate the societal mindset structure how pupils are raised up in this environment which they bring into their adulthood thus continue the cycle of abuse.

In Big Fun we have a scene with Ram and Kurt, following rest of the students arriving at Rams party.

The scene revolves around Heathers, Veronica, Jocks and Martha's relationship, it is shown throughout in a party environment of underage drinking takes place. As an ensemble member I'm one of the guests at this party having good time, nothing unusual for a teenager that age he's no stranger to alcohol or even pretends that they don't know what they're doing.

In the next footage you're about to see there is proof of rehearsal progress, from the instructions given by tutor I now know that at the time I was incorrect in the technical intention of the movement.

For example: in the footage you can see my counts and movement itself are correct however the speed of my delivery isn't. We have been given 3x8 of step,step,step drag behind, drag behind, drag behind. It is put in as a dynamic change to show off that we are affected by alcohol or whatever substances these teenagers consume.

You can see this from 2:20 minutes into the video, notice me in my green cap and buckle belt as I do those steps accurately yet incorrect.

I was able to correct this once I understood the intention behind this movement and what it was representing.

Which brings us to Blue , this is the last scene that I was a part of before this world wide pandemic occurred.

There is a scene leading into this song , including Heathers and Veronica as she is called into the woods for help yet instead is misled and offered up for a daterape.

This I a kind of thing people do to one another on daily basis, 'rather you than me' type of situation.

The song itself talks about teenage boys testosterone levels rising out of control, (this is the nicest way I can put it) boys from early teen hood develop testosterone levels high enough so they are ready to mate. In this instance it is forced upon Veronica by Heathers, knowing that parental views and opinions impact their children and how they treat on another, proves why Ram and Kurt thinks it is okay to treat women with such disrespect. Maccoby (2020) states, "There is clear evidence that parents can and do influence children."

You can see this throughout the footage , it is solely focused on how the boy needs help and would do anything for you once you help them.

[myreviewprincess]

INDIA LITERATURE

PARABLE OF RETURNING LOVE FOR HATRED

 To start with , Parable of Returning Love for Hatred is about the story of a prince named Dighavu in the Kingdom of Kasis. He lived with his father and mother happily until such time their kingdom was attacked and robbed by the atrocious Brahmadatta which also killed his both parents. At the time when the King was about to die , he said a few words for his son Dighavu that "Not by hatred, my dear Dighavu, is hatred appeased. By love, my dear Dighavu, is hatred appeased."And the orphan prince wept and wandered in the forest and then took employment as a menial in the royal stables of Brahmadatta. And one day he sang a song and played on the flute. And the king heard him and was so pleased with him that he engaged the boy as his attendant, not knowing who he was. Dighavu thought within himself that this king had done so much harm for him and his family which made him contrive to slaughter the king . However , when the chance came he remembered the words of his father which made him get guilty and confess to the king about him and who he really was that lead to the circumstances that king let her daughter married Dighavu and they forgive each other. The story aims to teached holy living in this world ,that must necessarily be rich in moral precepts. It tells us about forgiving and how love changed everything . They enlightened the hatred which taught us to not let anger make you a bad person , always mind of what is right and wrong.

Panchantra is written based on ancient traditions and very short ,simple to understand . It is suitable for children and consist with many moral lessons, which taught children to learn good principles. This kind of Tale is very popular when I was kid , teachers in my grade school used to tell us story like this. Somehow it helps children to do goodness with people.

THE LIONMAKERS

It shows a very nice message to the readers wherein education is valuable but common sense is more important. A person doesn't attained any educational background still consider smart in any different aspects . There's a lot of people which their bases of knowing the potential of a person is based on their educational attainment which is morally wrong. Each of us are born with talent and potential that is different from each other , sometimes we end up questioning ourselves because we're not great the same with others , unbeknownst us that were good in other areas , we don't just discover it yet.

THE ELEPHANT AND THE SPARROW

The story rely a message about teamwork which implies the scene where the group of small animals defeated the gigantic elephant . This means that there is no difficult challenges if everyone is helping each other . Asking for help isn't define cowardness but braveness.

THE RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA

The Ramayana basically imply a message that no matter how powerful evil is , it always the goodness will reign. Bad deeds lead us to destructions, that's why no matter how hard life to reach out our dreams always do the right and good things. This is a good literary pieces which also presents beautiful traditions in our ancient year.

GITANJALI

The poem tackles about devotional which inspire our spiritual journey to reflect the word of God. Sacrifices and traditions are inherent in this circumstances. Devotional plays a vital rule on strengthen our faith to our Almighty but however devotion isn't enough ,we have to know who is God really is . This represents on devotees in any religious beliefs , to enlighten other people on how religious journey works.

HEBREW LITERATURE

THE STORY OF JOSEPH

In joseph story it tells about that no matter how trial he experience he still remains being faithful to our god despite being betrayed by his own brothers because he know that its god plan.God is with us in our life even in our hardest time because like Joseph if we remain being faithful and righteous to dear god there's no problems that we never solve in gods love we are save .

THE STORY OF RUTH

In her story its shows of how her loyalty towards to her mother in law even her husband died she still remain to her mother in law what ever happen. Kindness and loyalty are best companion in order to success in our life. Ruth became the great grandmother of Israel because of her kindness and loyalty towards of the other people.

THE PARABLE OF TALENTS

This story tells about talents of the three young men which they have talents given by their master the moral lesson of this success is the product of our work in every aspect of our life and story teaches us that god give us everything that we need , only have todo is work hard for it in order to aim it.