#i just read a book where there was an entity in a forced relationship with these high up families who generations later's kids are now also

[canwriteitbetterthanueverfeltit]

y'know I think horror is such a cool genre bc you're literally looking at these things that are deep seated fears based on culture- like having your personhood taken away based on your queerness, body horror surrounding pregnancy and fertility, self destruction from your own strive to be seen as good enough- and you can do it in so many COOL and weird and varied ways that it's always suuuuuch a downer when someone goes "what if there was a monster trying to kill you. um. that's the whole idea"

[autistichalsin]

In retrospect, four years later, I feel like the Isabel Fall incident was just the biggest ignored cautionary tale modern fandom spaces have ever had. Yes, it wasn't limited to fandom, it was also a professional author/booktok type argument, but it had a lot of crossover.

Stop me if you've heard this one before: a writer, whether fan or pro, publishes a work. If one were to judge a book by its cover, something we are all taught in Kindergarten shouldn't happen but has a way of occurring regardless, one might find that there was something that seemed deeply problematic about this work. Maybe the title or summary alluded to something Wrong happening, or maybe the tags indicated there was problematic kinks or relationships. And that meant the story was Bad. So, a group of people takes to the Twittersphere to inform everyone who will listen why the work, and therefore the author, are Bad. The author, receiving an avalanche of abuse and harassment, deactivates their account, and checks into a mental health facility for monitoring for suicidal ideation. They never return to their writing space, and the harassers get a slap on the wrist (if that- usually they get praise and high-fives all around) and start waiting for their next victim to transgress.

Sounds awful familiar, doesn't it?

Isabel Fall's case, though, was even more extreme for many reasons. See, she made the terrible mistake of using a transphobic meme as the genesis to actually explore issues of gender identity.

More specifically, she used the phrase "I sexually identify as an attack helicopter" to examine how marginalized identities, when they become more accepted, become nothing more than a tool for the military-industrial complex to rebrand itself as a more personable and inclusive atrocity; a chance to pursue praise for bombing brown children while being progressive, because queer people, too, can help blow up brown children now! It also contained an examination of identity and how queerness is intrinsic to a person, etc.

But... well, if harassers ever bothered to read the things they critique, we wouldn't be here, would we? So instead, they called Isabel a transphobic monster for the title alone, even starting a misinformation campaign to claim she was, in fact, a cis male nazi using a fake identity to psyop the queer community.

A few days later, after days of horrific abuse and harassment, Isabel requested that Clarkesworld magazine pull the story. She checked in to a psych ward with suicidal thoughts. That wasn't all, though; the harassment was so bad that she was forced to out herself as trans to defend against the claims.

Only... we know this type of person, the fandom harassers, don't we? You know where this is going. Outing herself did nothing to stop the harassment. No one was willing to read the book, much less examine how her sexuality and gender might have influenced her when writing it.

So some time later, Isabel deleted her social media. She is still alive, but "Isabel Fall" is not- because the harassment was so bad that Isabel detransitioned/closeted herself, too traumatized to continue living her authentic life.

Supposed trans allies were so outraged at a fictional portrayal of transness, written by a trans woman, that they harassed a real life trans woman into detransitioning.

It's heartbreakingly familiar, isn't it? Many of us in fandom communities have been in Isabel's shoes, even if the outcome wasn't so extreme (or in some cases, when it truly was). Most especially, many of us, as marginalized writers speaking from our own experiences in some way, have found that others did not enjoy our framework for examining these things, and hurt us, members of those identities, in defense of "the community" as a nebulous undefined entity.

There's a quote that was posted in a news writeup about the whole saga that was published a year after the fact. The quote is:

The delineation between paranoid and reparative readings originated in 1995, with influential critic Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. A paranoid reading focuses on what’s wrong or problematic about a work of art. A reparative reading seeks out what might be nourishing or healing in a work of art, even if the work is flawed. Importantly, a reparative reading also tends to consider what might be nourishing or healing in a work of art for someone who isn’t the reader. This kind of nuance gets completely worn away on Twitter, home of paranoid readings. “[You might tweet], ‘Well, they didn’t discuss X, Y, or Z, so that’s bad!’ Or, ‘They didn’t’ — in this case — ‘discuss transness in a way that felt like what I feel about transness, therefore it is bad.’ That flattens everything into this very individual, very hostile way of reading,” Mandelo says. “Part of reparative reading is trying to think about how a story cannot do everything. Nothing can do everything. If you’re reading every text, fiction, or criticism looking for it to tick a bunch of boxes — like if it represents X, Y, and Z appropriately to my definitions of appropriate, and if it’s missing any of those things, it’s not good — you’re not really seeing the close focus that it has on something else.”

A paranoid reading describes perfectly what fandom culture has become in the modern times. It is why "proship", once simply a word for common sense "don't engage with what you don't like, and don't harass people who create it either" philosophies, has become the boogeyman of fandom, a bad and dangerous word. The days of reparative readings, where you would look for things you enjoyed, are all but dead. Fiction is rarely a chance to feel joy; it's an excuse to get angry, to vitriolically attack those different from oneself while surrounded with those who are the same as oneself. It's an excuse to form in-groups and out-groups that must necessarily be in a constant state of conflict, lest it come across like This side is accepting That side's faults. In other words, fandom has become the exact sort of space as the nonfandom spaces it used to seek to define itself against.

It's not about joy. It's not about resonance with plot or characters. It's about hate. It's about finding fault. If they can't find any in the story, they will, rest assured, create it by instigating fan wars- dividing fandom into factions and mercilessly attacking the other.

And that's if they even went so far as to read the work they're critiquing. The ones they don't bother to read, as you saw above, fare even worse. If an AO3 writer tagged an abuser/victim ship, it's bad, it's fetishism, even if the story is about how the victim escapes. If a trans writer uses the title "I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter" to find a framework to dissect rainbow-washing the military-industrial complex, it's unforgivable. It's a cesspool of kneejerk reactions, moralizing discomfort, treating good/evil as dichotomous categories that can never be escaped, and using that complex as an excuse to heap harassment on people who "deserve it." Because once you are Bad, there is no action against you that is too Bad for you to deserve.

Isabel Fall's story follows this so step-by-step that it's like a textbook case study on modern fandom behavior.

Isabel Fall wrote a short story with an inflammatory title, with a genesis in transphobic mockery, in the hopes of turning it into a genuine treatise on the intersection of gender and sexuality and the military-industrial complex. But because audiences are unprepared for the idea of inflammatory rhetoric as a tool to force discomfort to then force deeper introspection... they zeroed in on the discomfort. "I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter"- the title phrase, not the work- made them uncomfortable. We no longer teach people how to handle discomfort; we live in a world of euphemism and glossing over, a world where people can't even type out the words "kill" and rape", instead substituting "unalive" and "grape." We don't deal with uncomfortable feelings anymore; we censor them, we transform them, we sanitize them. When you are unable to process discomfort, when you are never given self-soothing tools, your only possible conclusion is that anything Uncomfortable must be Bad, and the creator must either be censored too, or attacked into conformity so that you never again experience the horrors of being Uncomfortable.

So the masses took to Twitter, outraged. They were Uncomfortable, and that de facto meant that they had been Wronged. Because the content was related to trans identity issues, that became the accusation; it was transphobic, inherently. It couldn't be a critique of bigger and more fluid systems than gender identity alone; it was a slight against trans people. And no amount of explanations would change their minds now, because they had already been aggrieved and made to feel Uncomfortable.

Isabel Fall was now a Bad Person, and we all know what fandom spaces do to Bad People. Bad People, because they are Bad, will always be deserving of suicide bait and namecalling and threatening. Once a person is Bad, there is no way to ever become Good again. Not by refuting the accusations (because the accusations are now self-evident facts; "there is a callout thread against them" is its own tautological proof that wrongdoing has happened regardless of the veracity of the claims in the callout) and not by apologizing and changing, because if you apologize and admit you did the Bad thing, you are still Bad, and no matter what you do in future, you were once Bad and that needs to be brought up every time you are mentioned. If you are bad, you can NEVER be more than what you were at your worst (in their definition) moment. Your are now ontologically evil, and there is no action taken against you that can be immoral.

So Isabel was doomed, naturally. It didn't matter that she outed herself to explain that she personally had lived the experience of a trans woman and could speak with authority on the atrocity of rainbow-washing the military industrial complex as a proaganda tool to capture progressives. None of it mattered. She had written a work with an Uncomfortable phrase for a title, the readers were Uncomfortable, and someone had to pay for it.

And that's the key; pay for it. Punishment. Revenge. It's never about correcting behavior. Restorative justice is not in this group's vocabulary. You will, incidentally, never find one of these folks have a stance against the death penalty; if you did Bad as a verb, you are Bad as an intrinsic, inescapable adjective, and what can you do to incorrigible people but kill them to save the Normal people? This is the same principle, on a smaller scale, that underscores their fandom activities; if a Bad fan writes Bad fiction, they are a Bad person, and their fandom persona needs to die to save Normal fans the pain of feeling Uncomfortable.

And that's what happened to Isabel Fall. The person who wrote the short story is very much alive, but the pseudonym of Isabel Fall, the identity, the lived experiences coming together in concert with imagination to form a speculative work to critique deeply problematic sociopolitical structures? That is dead. Isabel Fall will never write again, even if by some miracle the person who once used the name does. Even if she ever decides to restart her transition, she will be permanently scarred by this experience, and will never again be able to share her experience with us as a way to grow our own empathy and challenge our understanding of the world. In spirit, but not body, fandom spaces murdered Isabel Fall.

And that's... fandom, anymore. That's just what is done, routinely and without question, to Bad people. Good people are Good, so they don't make mistakes, and they never go too far when dealing with Bad people. And Bad people, well, they should have thought before they did something Bad which made them Bad people.

Isabel Fall's harassment happened in early 2020, before quarantine started, but it was in so many ways a final chance for fandom to hit the breaks. A chance for fandom to think collectively about what it wanted to be, who it wanted to be for and how it wanted to do it. And fandom looked at this and said, "more, please." It continues to harass marginalized people, especially fans of color and queen fans, into suffering mental breakdowns. With gusto.

Any ideas of reparative reading is dead. Fandom runs solely on paranoid readings. And so too is restorative justice gone for fandom transgressions, real or imagined. It is now solely about punitive, vigilante justice. It's a concerted campaign to make sure oddballs conform or die (in spirit, but sometimes even physically given how often mentally ill individuals are pushed into committing suicide).

It's a deeply toxic environment and I'm sad to say that Isabel Fall's story was, in retrospect, a sort of event horizon for the fandom. The gravitational pull of these harassment campaigns is entirely too strong now and there is no escaping it. I'm sorry, I hate to say something so bleak, but thinking the last few days about the state of fandom (not just my current one but also others I watch from the outside), I just don't think we can ever go back to peaceful "for joy" engagement, not when so many people are determined to use it as an outlet for lateral aggression against other people.

[thebiggerbear]

Let Me Set Your World on Fire

Summary: While on a hunt, you all get stuck in an abandoned cabin in the woods due to a snowstorm that comes out of nowhere. It's cold as hell (Cas' fact checking not withstanding) and both you and Dean are trying to fight off the icy temperatures. When Cas offers his coat to Dean, in usual Michael fashion, the archangel offers you something bigger and more to his liking than a simple article of clothing to keep you warm.

Pairing: Michael!Dean x Female!Huntress!Reader; background hints of Destiel if you squint

A/N: Inspired by this post by @angelicbros 💖💖 that had me laughing for a good five minutes because I could absolutely see that happening with those characters and dynamics. Idk if this turned out okay or not but it was so much fun to write.

I'll admit that I wrote about 5k more than what's posted here, which was mostly background of how Michael!Dean and the Reader's relationship came to be, how Michael looks the way he does, why Team Free Will puts up with him, where Jack is, etc., but ultimately, I really felt it got away from the theme of what I was going for so I cut it out. I think I might clean it up and post it separately.

And you just know that Dean would be super grumpy if Baby was stuck in a snowstorm. 😉

All unbeta'd.

Warnings: implied sex; language

Word Count: 2529

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187; @rieleatiel

Supernaural Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch; @just-levyy; @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl; @brightlilith

@muhahaha303; @mariahoedt; @solacedthistest; @deansimpala; @foxyjwls007

@onlyangel-444

Jensen Taglist: @samanddeaninatrenchcoat; @deansbbyx; @lyarr24

You can also read on AO3

You blew warm air into your hands and rubbed them together. You and the Winchesters were stuck in a cabin in the woods while a snowstorm raged outside. Dean had complained earlier about Baby being stuck out there, getting pounded by ice, snow, and who knew what else. “I better not see a single scratch on her,” he warned Sam. He then groused about her probably needing a new paint job once this was over, a mere three months after the last one. 

You had been hunting a pack of werewolves, hot on their trail, when the blizzard from hell came out of nowhere, forcing you to find some form of shelter quickly. Cas had disagreed when you called the storm as such. It was a known fact that snow didn’t come from Hell, it came from a weather system on Earth. Besides there was nothing cold about the pit; Chuck and Lucifer had made sure of that. Dean and Sam had joined you in your stunned disbelief at Cas’ matter-of-fact tone before you all shook your heads and continued looking for materials to burn in the fireplace. Sam had managed to find some scraps of old newspapers in the long abandoned cabin and an old book of matches that had one good match left. So now, there was a small fire burning but from the looks of it, it wasn’t going to last long.

Sam kept checking for cell service but no such luck. You and Dean sat in two opposing chairs, facing towards the fire. “Anything?” Dean asked his brother. Sam glanced at the screen and shook his head. “Dammit.”

Dean blew into his hands just like you had and then crossed his arms, keeping his fingers underneath the material of his jacket. None of you were dressed for this extreme weather or temperature drop. If you didn’t know any better, you could swear some magical being or entity was causing this sudden storm to hit. Sure, Washington was known for its colder, wetter weather most of the time, including snow that could start falling at the drop of a hat, but this fast and this hard…you tended to doubt it. Especially when you had been closing in on the werewolf pack.

“Are you alright, Dean?” Cas asked, drawing your attention to the eldest Winchester.

“Yeah, just cold but I’m good.” He then blew more warm air into his hands. “Can’t believe this freaking place doesn’t have blankets or something,” he muttered.

Suddenly, Cas stripped off his trenchcoat and draped it over Dean.

“I’m fine,” Dean protested grumpily, trying to push the coat away, but Cas held firm.

“No, you’re not. It’s not much but it can provide a little protection against the current temperature.”

“What about you?”

“I’m fine. I don’t feel it.”

“And Sammy?”

Sam cleared his throat and took a few steps towards you all from the other side of the room. “I’m good.” You glanced at Sam to find him smiling knowingly in the direction of his brother as he watched Cas tuck the coat a little more around Dean despite more of his grumbled protests before looking around for more materials to add to the fire. 

“And you?” Dean asked.

You met his concerned gaze and waved a hand dismissively. “I’m good, too. I mean, yeah, I’m cold but I’m fine. Thanks, though.”

Suddenly, heavy but carefully measured footsteps made their way to the opposite side of your chair. “You’re cold as well?” 

You glanced up to find another pair of green eyes intent on you. That intense gaze used to make you uncomfortable, piss you off even, but now you were used to it. Though you never quite got used to there being two Deans around all the time. “A little but I’m okay,” you reassured.

His brows knitted together in displeasure before he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. The fire in the fireplace suddenly grew without warning and sent Cas flying backwards. Dean and Sam both rushed over to him, making sure he was alright. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a cocky smirk form on the face that you loved as he watched as well. You dropped your head into your hands, shaking it.

“Michael…”

“Now, you will no longer be cold. As a matter of fact…” You heard another snap of fingers that made your head pop up. Not only did you suddenly have three different blankets covering you but you noticed a strange orange glow coming from the windows that hadn’t been there before. You threw back the blankets, making him tsk quietly in disappointment, and rushed to look outside. The snow and winds had stopped and there were flames everywhere. Trees, bushes, the ground — all of it was burning. 

“Did you just set the world on fire?” You asked in disbelief, turning shocked eyes onto the angel. 

He shrugged, not caring in the slightest.

Dean and Sam rushed to the other window to see what you were talking about while Cas, who was now on his feet, glared at his older brother. 

“Michael,” You had to be careful how you worded this; the last thing any of you needed was an archangel with an attitude. “I appreciate that you’re trying to make sure I’m comfortable, but setting the world on fire is a bit much, don’t you think?”

Once again, he gave you an unapologetic shrug with a smile. 

“My car is out there!” Dean yelled.

Michael’s smirk grew and he snapped his fingers again. “Not anymore.”

“You son of a bitch!” Dean started to charge towards him but Sam held him back. Michael’s amusement at the hunter’s anger was palpable. You decided later you would have to once again talk to him about the constant antagonizing of your best friend. You knew they were forever going to hate one another due to what happened before you came on the scene, but you were determined to keep things civil between them, for your sake as much as theirs. 

While Michael watched Sam attempting to wrangle his brother with clear enjoyment, you took the opportunity to approach the archangel. His eyes suddenly snapped to you as you got closer. “You don’t need to set the world on fire to keep me warm.” You shot him a look and he appeared pleased as he got your meaning. You watched as he snapped his fingers again and the orange glow was suddenly gone. The howling of the icy winds outside could be heard once more. 

“You couldn’t get rid of the freaking storm?” Dean threw at him. 

Michael’s gaze flickered to his doppelganger. “Do you ever stop complaining? I left the fire in the fireplace as well as the blankets. Be grateful I did.”

You took his hand in yours, urging him to look at you. “Michael,” you whispered, shaking your head.

“Are you freaking—”

“Dean, stop,” Sam warned. Cas glared at Michael but remained quiet, keeping himself positioned in between the Winchesters and the two of you.

Done with what he’d dubbed as the boring weak human sideshow, Michael pulled you closer and used his free hand to cup your cheek, tenderly brushing his thumb along your bottom lip. His gaze burned into yours and you immediately knew why he didn’t snap the storm away altogether. Sure enough, he used an invisible wing to sweep you off your feet and into his arms. You glared up at him as you held tightly onto him but he only chuckled in response. He knew you hated it when he did that; you knew he enjoyed it. 

He snapped his fingers again and a clean bedroom with its own roaring fireplace and fresh linens and pillows on the bed appeared that was suddenly boxed in by walls and a wooden door. Michael immediately began to carry you towards it.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” 

Michael didn’t look back at Dean or any of them, he only kept his focus on you. “I’m going to keep her warm. Maybe your pet should do the same for you.” More angry commentary from Dean erupted that Sam attempted to tamp down but neither of you paid it any attention. You buried your teeth into your bottom lip at the thought of him keeping you warm, his earlier transgression immediately forgotten, and your reaction caused him to flash his usual crooked smile at you. You had a feeling that the storm was now going to last until Michael decided it would end.

“You’re not seriously going in there to have sex and make us all listen to it, are you?”

Once again, neither you nor Michael paid attention to Dean’s question or his resounding groan of “Do they ever stop? They’re like rabbits” when he didn’t get an answer. Instead, Michael walked you into the room and the door closed behind him, locking itself. 

“See? You didn’t need to set the world on fire to keep me warm,” you teased.

“Oh, I’m going to set the world on fire.” He gently tossed you onto the bed, making you laugh, before crawling onto it to hover above you, watching you as you watched him. Your heart rate and breathing both sped up in anticipation. His thumb brushed over your lips once more. “Just yours.” He leaned down to kiss you then and as he’d said, your entire world ignited. 

Michael had indeed kept you warm, to the point where you had forgotten all about the craziest blizzard you had ever seen in your life still going on outside. You’d even forgotten about everyone else. Keeping his promise, Michael had set your world on fire, over and over and over again. Until your bare body lay there, blissfully sated and sprawled out over his. You were more than comfortable as you drifted off on his chest, feeling him running his fingers through your hair in gentle strokes as he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

The storm didn’t begin to clear until you woke the next morning, finding Michael offering you his usual cocky smile when he murmured, “You slept deeply.” You tiredly swatted at his chest, making him chuckle, and he pulled you in for a kiss. He set you on fire one more time before you both finally emerged from the room, now fully dressed, to find both brothers asleep in the chairs under the blankets you’d left with Cas standing sentry at the window, his trenchcoat now being used as a pillow under Dean’s head. 

When you noticed the snow that had covered the window panes the night before was gone and the sun was shining through them instead, you turned a knowing look on Michael. And as expected, he gave you an unapologetic shrug and his signature smirk. You knew you should be annoyed, now knowing he had been the one behind the storm all along, but last night — and this morning — had been incredible. So you couldn’t be too upset at what he’d done, unless he was protecting the wolfpack for some reason.

As if he could read your thoughts, he yanked you up against him, making you quietly squeal in surprise. “No one has my protection. Except you.” His gaze was dark and serious, his meaning beyond clear. You slowly nodded and he framed your face with his hands, studying you before kissing you deeply. You understood his words for what they were; it was a combination of him reassuring you that he wasn’t surreptitiously working against you and him letting you know just how much you meant to him. Some might want the words said aloud, a declaration made in the form of a particular phrasing, but you didn’t need it. You felt it as he sent grace coursing through you from his hand on the small of your back. Reinvigorated from the icy hot tingles affecting your whole body, you grabbed at him and turned the kiss even more passionate, ignoring his infuriating chuckle and moaning into his mouth. You jumped into his arms and he easily caught you as you practically began mauling him, running your fingers through his hair and gripping fistfuls of it.

“They’re still going at it?” Dean gruffed out, the sound you made earlier having clearly woken him up.

“Looks like,” Sam grumbled.

“I believe this is the beginning of another round as you humans like to call it, after many successful copulations throughout the night and earlier this morning,” Cas stated, not sounding quite happy himself.

Normally, you would have told them all to shut up but right then, you were on fire, about to combust, and Michael was the only one that could push you over that glorious edge. A grace-infused orgasm was a world ender all on its own and who better to give that to you than the archangel you were currently playing a ferocious game of tonsil hockey with? The guys would never understand, just like they would never understand your relationship or how you could be with someone who had once wanted to literally burn this world to ash. They wouldn’t understand how now it was only your world that ended on an almost daily basis, that you were the figurative version of scorched earth that Michael created — repeatedly. He could send grace running through your body with any touch between you so when he pulled your legs over his broad shoulders and smirked up at you as he lowered his head…

The thought had you moaning again and him snickering as you squirmed against him and tore at his shirt and jacket, which actually ripped thanks to the temporary grace. He turned and slammed you up against the wall — something he could now do without you getting hurt — and the infrastructure of the cabin shook a bit. He sent more grace through you and you broke away, moaning as he attached his lips to your neck. “Oh God,” you gasped as more icy hot tingles flowed throughout your body.

He lifted his head, staring into your eyes. “No. Just me.” His eyes flared brightly before he kissed you again. 

“I say we go out there and try to dig Baby out rather than sit here and listen to them go at it for the six thousandth time. Whaddya say?” 

“Uh, yeah, let’s,” Sam quickly agreed with Dean the second you started to rock your hips against Michael’s, eager for him to stop torturing you and finish what he started.

You heard them get to their feet when Michael suddenly lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. Almost as if the storm had never receded, the howling of the wind sounded again and you didn’t need to look to know there was snow and ice whirling around outside once more.

It was confirmed the moment Dean yelled angrily, “Are you freaking kidding me?!?”

You couldn’t help but laugh as Michael ignored him and walked you back into the bedroom, the door slamming shut behind him. The two men groaning in unison in the next room could wait a little longer. Michael needed to make you warm again and fast.

Please let me know if you would like to be tagged for this character.

dividers by @firefly-graphics

banner by @cafekitsune

[katyagrayce]

If I had the time, and the resources, I would write an entire PhD about how Taylor Swift’s relationship with her fans has been variably represented through her songs, and how that representation has in turn shaped that relationship. And I have neither of those two things, but I do have the next-best options – a free evening and a Tumblr account. So here we go. As far as I can remember, there are only six songs where Taylor directly addresses her fans: Long Live, mirrorball, Dear Reader, and now But Daddy I Love Him, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? and I Can Do It With a Broken Heart. I could be missing a few, because the woman does have a 20-year career. But even so, I think it’s telling that those are the six songs that come to mind: one huge feel-good ballad released when she first made it really big; then nothing for 10 years; then two quiet songs buried in their respective albums; and then, out of the blue, three loud, unforgettable bops released at the same time. From that alone, it’s pretty clear that Taylor has something that she wants to tell her fans – whether consciously or not, something about her relationship with them is increasingly weighing on her mind. And it doesn’t take much to figure out that said relationship is changing.

In Long Live, the fans are addressed mostly as a ‘we’ – a part of a collective that also includes Taylor, her band and her team, all of them with equal status and common goals. ‘Long live the mountains we moved / I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.’ Later, those dragons are further described, are established as factions of the general public whom the fans stand separate from, in opposition to – ‘The cynics were outraged / Saying “this is absurd”.’ Basically, Taylor’s fans are shown to be fighting for her like an army ‘on the history book page’, which is not an uncommon metaphor in pop culture. But this is where things get interesting. Because, although Taylor creates that image of the army, she doesn’t structure it in the traditional way. Her fans are not footsoldiers defending her throne – they too are ‘the kings and the queens’, the ‘heroes’, hearing their names read out and holding up trophies. And because of that – because they stand equal with Taylor – they don’t look up to her even in victory, and she doesn’t claim to be anything more than a member of their bedraggled mob. Even at her pinnacle, she’s simply part of ‘a band of thieves in ripped-up jeans [who] got to rule the world.’

There’s only one point in Long Live where this total equality fractures – where the ‘we’ splits into a ‘me’ and a ‘you.’ And it’s in the bridge, where, for just a moment, Taylor steps outside of the present – she imagines herself and her fans growing up in the future. ‘Promise me this / That you’ll stand by me forever / But if, God forbid, fate should step in / And force us into a goodbye / If you have children someday / When they point to the pictures / Please tell them my name.’ This is usually the part of the song where you see audiences crying, and it’s easy to understand why – because even when Taylor separates herself from the fans, even when she doesn’t explicitly share her title of ‘queen’ with them, she still portrays them as the ones with the power. She asks them to stand by her, then to remember her. Scratch that, she pleads for them to do it. She’s expressing that she needs her fans, deeply. They’re not looking to her for guidance – it’s the other way around.

Fast forward 12 years, to Dear Reader, and you wonder how the hell did we get here?

Dear Reader is the exact opposite of Long Live. The fans are never part of a ‘we’ – in fact, they don’t play an active role in the song at all. All that they are is an omnipresent but silent entity, the titular ‘readers’, who hover offscreen as Taylor sings verse after verse of advice, then spends the chorus telling them not to follow it. This is Taylor as the long-crowned queen in the history book – the ex-thief, the grown-up revolutionary, who realised at some point that no matter how equally you fought alongside your people, no matter how young and inexperienced you all were, at some point they will need a ruler and then they will all look to you. Inch by inch, you will find yourself climbing up onto the throne, and you will be alone up there. The words you speak will fall down on the subjects sitting by your feet, and their power will be absolute, even when you didn’t mean them that way – even when they don’t have any conscious meaning, are just ‘desperate prayers of a cursed man / spilling out to you for free.’ And in the end – just like before – all you can do to rebalance the power is plead. ‘Darling, darling, please / You wouldn’t take my word for it / If you knew who was talking.’

And of course, this plea is interesting in itself, because it’s also the exact opposite of the plea in Long Live. In Long Live, Taylor is asking her fans to immortalise her in the future, to pass on her memory – the underlying assumption is that they can do this because they were there with her, they know her. But here, Taylor says that her fans wouldn’t listen ‘if they knew who was talking’, which implies – well, they don’t know. They don’t know the person behind the words. Despite all the mountains they moved – all the magic they made. Despite all the games they played together, the secret sessions, the Easter eggs, the friendship bracelets. Despite the songs spilled out like confessions. Despite it, or because of it. They don’t know her. They don’t know Taylor Swift.

In Dear Reader, this concept is portrayed as tragic. There is a lot of sadness in that image of Taylor alone above the crowd, a perceived ‘guiding light’ that is actually so lonely and broken in the way it shines – which is a good segue back to an earlier song on our list, mirrorball. The metaphor there was very similar to in Dear Reader, but the plea Taylor made was more in tune with Long Live – she begged for her fans to keep standing by her, keep listening to her. ‘When they called off the circus, burnt the disco down / When they sent home the horses and the rodeo clowns / I’m still on that tightrope, I’m still trying everything / To keep you looking at me.’ Basically, in mirrorball, she begs her fans to stay with her despite the new gap growing between them; in Dear Reader, she begs them to take a step back, to acknowledge that the situation is becoming toxic. And then, we get to the songs of The Tortured Poets Department. And Taylor isn’t begging anymore. If anything, she is screaming.

TTPD was marketed as Taylor’s saddest album, but to me, it’s more obviously her angriest. Rage is not a new concept in her songs, but it’s previously always been directed at very specific people – Kanye West in Look What You Made Me Do, the online haters in You Need to Calm Down, Jake Gyllenhaal in We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and I Bet You Think About Me and All Too Well (10 Minute Version). Alternatively, it’s been couched in fiction, like how the story of Rebekah Harkness couches mad woman. But in TTPD, there is no couching – the very marketing leans into how personal each song is for Taylor – and nobody is safe. For the first time, Taylor’s fans are not represented as a separate entity protecting her against the rest of the world – they themselves are a part of that roiling mass whom she needs protection from. That message becomes very pointed in the third line of But Daddy I Love Him, ‘I just learnt these people only raise you / To cage you.’ That line flags the entire song as directed not towards strangers, but towards the people who have surrounded Taylor since she was 16, who have shaped her career, who claim to care about her – the army of Long Live, the audience of mirrorball, the listeners of Dear Reader. Those people are the ‘Sarahs and Hannahs in their Sunday best / Clutching their pearls, sighing “what a mess.”’ And that makes sense when you remember that it was Taylor’s fans who were most critical of her relationship with Matty Healy, and even with Travis Kelce when they first started dating. But it doesn’t make the song any less uncomfortable to listen to. For the first time, the ‘you’ Taylor is yelling at is actually you, and maybe that’s why she’s so unguarded and vicious in her choice of words – ‘I’ll tell you something right now / I’d rather burn my whole life down / Than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning.’ It also brings a new dimension to the lyrics ‘Time, doesn’t it give some perspective? / And no, you can’t come to the wedding’. Because of course, when things are going well in Taylor’s relationships, it’s her fans who want to share in that – her fans who want to hear updates from her, like her social media posts, listen out for wedding bells. And with those lyrics, Taylor’s taking that away from them. No, you don’t get to be there for the good parts. You haven’t earnt it. You weren’t there for me when I needed you. You don’t know me that well.

And that leads, of course, to the ultimate song about Taylor’s fans not knowing her – I Can Do It With a Broken Heart. Arguably, the song doesn’t quite belong on this list, because Taylor never directly addresses her fans either as a ‘you’ or as a ‘we’. But that’s telling in itself, because it’s a song where the fans play an active role in the narrative, and yet where they only appear as a foreign, menacing entity – the crowd that sees ‘all the pieces of [Taylor] shattered’ and responds by ‘chanting “more.”’ There’s been a lot of debate online about whether this song will ever be performed live, and personally, I think that it’ll be just too uncomfortable an experience. Because this song is mirrorball without the plea in it. This song is so self-reflexive, its light burns your eyes. Every single syllable of this song is designed to say what you see is not who I am, and you don’t know me, and what you think is love is killing me. And how can a crowd cheer during a performance when that’s what their cheering means? I love you, you’re falling apart for me. I love you, it’s ruining your life.

Of course, the song was written about a very specific time in Taylor’s life, and I think that’s worth emphasising for every song on this list – they all capture a specific moment, immortalise a specific emotion like fixing a bug in amber, whereas in the real world, emotions come and go. The fact that Taylor felt like this about her fans at one point doesn’t mean she always feels Iike this about them. The fact that she was hurt and furious doesn’t mean she can’t also be happy and grateful. But what angry songs do is disrupt the assumption that everything’s okay, form a crack in the glass, introduce doubt behind every smile. You only need to see through someone once to never take them at face value again. And when that experience is immortalised in a song, it’s even harder to forget it. What angry songs do is become self-fulfilling prophecies, echoing in the fans’ heads every time they see Taylor until, eventually, some distrust is inevitable. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing – to be more aware of how the mirrorball turns, the illusion of light, the real person underneath. But it’s a change. It’s a change, and even by singing about it, Taylor is ironically making it happen.

Which brings us, finally, to possibly the angriest song Taylor’s ever written – the last song I’m going to be talking about, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? At first glance, this song isn’t necessarily directed at Taylor’s fans. It reuses a lot of imagery from my tears ricochet and mad woman, and it’s easy to write it off as also being about Big Machine Records or her detractors in the general public. But some of the lyrics in the bridge are very, very telling. The most obvious is ‘Put narcotics into all of my songs / And that’s why you’re still singing along.’ Then there are all the veiled references to obsessive people trying to get closer than they should be, closer than any stranger is allowed – ‘So all you kids can sneak into my house with all the cobwebs… I’ll sue you if you step on my lawn.’ Elsewhere in the song, we also see the circus imagery of mirrorball turned threatening – ‘I was tame, I was gentle till the circus life made me mean’ – and the opening lines of But Daddy I Love Him come back, ‘You caged me and then you called me crazy / I am what I am because you trained me.’ This song has all the evolving messages about Taylor’s fans rolled into one – you don’t know me, you don’t own me, you’re ruining my life, you have no right to criticise. And then, for the first time, she says it in black-and-white – ‘You hurt me.’ No metaphors. No frills. It’s only three words, but it says volumes – You hurt me. You were meant to be on my side. We were meant to be fighting together. But, somehow, we’ve been split apart. You broke the promise I asked of you when I was 19 years old. You turned on me. And it hurts.

TTPD is an incredibly, incredibly angry album. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? is an incredibly, incredibly angry song. But they are also both incredibly, incredibly sad. Taylor sings ‘Who’s afraid of little old me? / You should be’, when, 15 years earlier, she was singing ‘I’m not afraid / We will be remembered.’ And yes, a song is just a moment in time, but a series of songs – that’s a story. It’s a life. You can play through Taylor Swift’s discography, and you’ll hear the story of a 16-year-old girl whose trust was slowly destroyed. Sure, that might be the story of most 16-year-old girls. But most of them don’t go through it in the public eye. Most of them don’t have to balance being honest against perpetuating the cycle. And most of them listen to sad songs to get them through, instead of being the one putting those sad songs out into the world. ‘You don’t get to tell me about sad,’ Taylor sings, because of course she does. We don’t have to tell her about sad. For our generation, she is one of the people who defined what it means.

~~~

(Disclaimer: This essay is not intended to deal with the actual content of any criticism Taylor received from her fans, or the question of whether that criticism was justified. I’m leaving that discourse to other people. My aim was just to explore how Taylor’s writing about her fans has changed over time, and what that tells us about their relationship and her career as a whole).

[rollercoasterwords]

different anon, but i thought we all agreed canon remus is a timid, sheltered boy? unlike the fanon's alphamale remus. i think that was an important point. don't know why you said like it was a personal interpretation. and i think when the anon called it fanon toxic heteronormative wolfstar, they meant the r & s in your fic are alphamale-ed remus & abused, shorter sirius. you can make disabled remus fight, but the alphamale-ification of him is. i think we writers should try to not spread that remus. man, i don't think you have to agree with the anon or me, you do you and we do we. sent it just to clarify a few stuff

you guys have caught me in a bad mood so fine let's get into it lmao

"i thought we all agreed canon remus is a timid, sheltered boy?"

well, you thought wrong!! generally speaking if you're saying "i thought we all agreed..." about something in fandom, you are wrong. this space is huge and there are tons of different interpretations of canon. i don't like all of them, but you know what i do when i don't like someone's interpretation? i unfollow them or block them or simply scroll past their post or don't read their fic!! it is sooooooo easy to ignore a stranger on the internet's take on harry fucking potter c'mon now

that being said, the idea that remus is "sheltered" in canon is laughable to me. that kid became a werewolf at six years old, he was forced to deal with the harsh realities of the world wayyyyyy before any of his friends. and i guess you could interpret him as timid, maybe, but i personally don't!! professor lupin in the books is incredibly vivacious, sarcastic, funny--plus, he spent his youth fighting voldemort + death eaters. none of that screams "timid" to me.

and, again, even if that was my interpretation of canon remus, this is not a canon-compliant fic. i am specifically putting the characters in a universe where voldemort won and they grew up separately, without all going to hogwarts together, and exploring my interpretation of how their personalities would change. remus in this world is definitely not fucking sheltered and he literally could not be timid if he wanted to survive. you don't have to read the fic if you don't like seeing him that way!

unlike the fanon's alphamale remus. i think that was an important point. don't know why you said like it was a personal interpretation.

again, the idea that "the fanon" is a single united entity is laughable. there are tons of fanon interpretations of remus. you can choose not to interact with the ones you dislike!!! and i said the "sheltered and timid" thing was a personal interpretation because it is.

and i think when the anon called it fanon toxic heteronormative wolfstar, they meant the r & s in your fic are alphamale-ed remus & abused, shorter sirius.

let's just say what you mean here: you think interpretations of r + s where one is more "feminine" and one is more "masculine" are heteronormative. i think that's bullshit! the idea that gay couples where one is more feminine and one is more masculine are "heteronormative" is the shit that's been ostracizing + marginalizing butches + feminine gay men within the queer community for literal decades--genuinely, it was (and continues to be, apparently!) a huge lesbophobic talking point in feminist circles that butch/femme relationships were un-feminist because butches were basically just "mimicking straight men." not only that, but it leads to pretty blatant transphobia on account of, y'know, trying to police people's gender presentation based on how you think someone of their gender is meant to present. so i don't have ANY fucking patience for this discourse and if you try to bring it to my blog you will get blocked.

and i'll address the idea that remus in my fic is an "alphamale" in a second, but for now--what about having one person be shorter and one person be taller in a relationship makes it heteronormative?? are short people automatically feminine to you?? and what about having one party being abused makes a relationship heteronormative?? is being abused an inherently feminine trait?? i'd recommend thinking about what exactly you're trying to claim here before you bring it to my askbox.

you can make disabled remus fight, but the alphamale-ification of him is. i think we writers should try to not spread that remus.

first of all, i think the idea that The Fandom is spreading some sort of plague of "alphamale remus" is silly. The Fandom is not a monolith; the majority of blogs + writers i follow portray him as a wet sock. so if you're being inundated with "alphamale remus" content that you don't like, start learning to use the block button.

beyond that, the interpretation that remus is an "alphamale" in my fic at all just tells me that both you and the first anon have not read the fic in its entirety. the only reason i can imagine that the first anon even brought that up is the fact that remus is in a werewolf fighting ring and acts flirty with sirius when they first meet. we get an entire chapter from remus's perspective where we learn that this is a specific persona he has had to adapt to survive, and we also learn that he is fighting in this werewolf fighting ring for reasons that are specifically tied to the way he is marginalized in this fictional society. the fic spends a ton of time exploring the way his marginalization has shaped his life and i spend over 20k words writing his pov in his head demonstrating that his anger comes from that marginalization, and that the "aggression" he is interpreted as having is a) partially stereotyping because he's a werewolf and b) partially a persona he has to adapt to survive in the werewolf fighting ring. again, if you don't like reading him like that then you don't have to read the fic. but the idea that fighting other werewolves specifically as a facet of the ways in which werewolves are oppressed in this society is something that makes him an "alpha male"....i mean if that's what you're taking away from it then i simply don't want you to read my fics in the first place.

man, i don't think you have to agree with the anon or me, you do you and we do we. sent it just to clarify a few stuff

the first anon literally asked me to rewrite my fic. sure, i could have just ignored the message and blocked them, and maybe i should have--but like i said, you guys caught me in a bad mood, and this is my blog, so. to answer that ask, i actually did have to disagree with them, because i had to say, "no, i will not rewrite the fic." and you've put me in a position where i actually do have to disagree as well, by saying stuff like "i thought we all agree," where not saying anything would be tacit agreement when i don't agree. i will do me, and i suggest you and the first anon go do you far away from that, because it seems like it would be better for everyone involved! i don't really care if you think you were being polite or helpful with this message; i didn't need you to clarify, and i did not need the holier-than-thou moralizing about what "we writers" should do when it's not even something i'm doing.

again, i don't care if people don't like my fic. just don't read it!!!! and just don't follow this blog!!! there is literally zero point in sending me messages like this nitpicking interpretations, especially not when the crux of your issue is that i'm making wolfstar "heteronormative," an argument that is deeply rooted in homophobia and transphobia. felt like ranting tonight, but generally speaking i will just block anyone who brings that shit into my askbox.

[real-godzekiel]

i DONT know if you still do spookys hcs but if you have any for specimen 12 or its host........

YES OF COURSE but just keep in mind i am a little rusty when it comes to spooky lore right now. too many new games are filling up the storage space in my brain but i think i can contribute some stuff. i'll start off with the host before moving on to the Specimen itselfI must admit that when I first heard the pretty-much-canon idea of the old man being the vlogger in endless I shat myself. But then I remembered geriatric1927 and how my grandma used to play Fruit Ninja and realized my shitting of myself is probably just ageism. Old man used to film abandoned buildings and it's fucking awesome until it isn't. I think from what you can read of the vloggers' notes, he seems to have a certain attachment to having an audience. Bro really starts a note off with "Hey everybody" and "Ok guys". I don't know why he stops after Specimen 12. I guess the mansion-in-mansion has something that bears off people's coping mechanisms.

Just to somewhat build upon the previous point, I want to spectulate on the old man's past a bit. The mansion controls the host to "attack with various means depending on the host's characteristics." I absolute do NOT think Protag ended up as anything near a new host instead of their own specimen, I think that theory is a bit poo poo. However, I do find it fun to compare these two ex-"typical humans" a bit. Specimen 14 is angry and stiff, at least in what most people picture them and what the Bad Ending somewhat suggests to me. Of course, most protagonists are just Like That, but from all that shit about Specimen 7 and "It Was Never A Mask" achivement name for the bad ending. Specimen 14's violence, to me at least, stems from rage and fear and the need to survive and tell these monsters who's boss based on a more stoic past personality. Old man's not like that. Maybe staying way too long in painted walls and floors fucked him up a little, but I still think that, with his vlogger persona and the way he talks, that he values his relationships with other people a hell lot. An extrovert, perhaps. I can't be sure. In any respect, this further explains how the mansion fucked him up.

Overanalyzing time, but I also find it interesting how in his Specimen 12 notes when he hears movements and voices downstairs he immediately goes: "Finally, other survivors. Ah yes. This is definitely some other survivors and it will be a Good Thing." He also acts like he's finally something to do whenever he first appears. It would be even funnier if he knows when and where you're hiding at times but just doesn't do anything about it because he deliriously thinks it's against the "rules" of the game he wants to play with you. I mean. There's this:

Old man has probably been reading "fake" books and eating "fake" food for at least half a decade. The food has probably permanently distorted his taste buds. Not sure about his speech, however. He probably tries to play pretend and conversewith the wall. or this thing. but still. the lack of another human intelligence articulating complete sentences to his face has likely signficantly deterioriated his ability to hold long conversations.

Stays in his area most of the time, but not because he likes it. He subconsciously thinks it to be a safer area than other parts of the mansion.

He is not friends with any of the Specimens. This includes Specimen 12 itself, as his possessed mind blocks out information regarding the mansion being the entity that is using him. He has no idea what has happened to him.

Old Man has never had a wife nor did he have kids. His parents died of natural causes a while after he went into the mansion. This is perfect for Specimen 12 because that means its host does not have to think too much. Yup!

Ok onto the Specimen itself

Not a spirit. Not an individual. Not a hivemind. Certainly an entity and not a natural force. Like Whiskers in Growing Your Grandpa, I believe Specimen 12 is something that grows depending on what happened in and around it. A tragedy canonically has taken place in it, and I think the vengeful souls that were lost during the massacre made it their duties to continue a cycle of violence and madness.

It has regretted the decision to move here. There are too little people and they always only come by themselves. There are not enough hosts to manipulate. To use so it can explain how they are planning to leave. Things are getting too slow and yes I am suggesting that the old man has the highest life expectancy a Specimen 12 host ever had. I think Specimen 12 used to be somewhere else, and bloodbaths were more often back then. A huge group of people would often come to investigate past atrocities or to challenge their friends, and crowds would come to be driven to paranoia and murder. After the entire area became restricted to anybody, there was no one. Specimen 12 moved to Spooky's after that, but kills are slow and scarce. It is currently stockpiling murdered souls for a trip around the world.

Flexible, but not very smart itself. Cannot quite find a balance to unnerve visitors while also compelling them to stay. It does chores. It does what it does to maintain its host and trap new victims. (UNNATURALLY GENERATED FOOD! eat it my bald middle-aged child) Not that smart about what to clean and what to keep. Sickle man's notes have been left for years and it did not ever think of cleaning them up. I think it is probably powerful enough to clean it up, but it doesn't. When you're trying to pretend to be a normal mansion so people would stay and get killed, you probably would think of cleaning that up. I think Specimen 12 a just a bit stupid, although that is partly due to it probably not having an actual mind of its own. kind of House of Leaves type shit, but nerfed (coconot make a horror-related post without mentioning house of leaves challenge)

Old Man's dislike of most other Specimens is put onto by Specimen 12, somewhat. Specimen 12 has a filter system of some kind, only letting in creatures that can either be killed by the host or become a new host. It does it by making other Specimens forget what they were visiting Specimen 12 for, if there are any possible reasons, however minute. It has to do this to protect its host, mainly. Also, some Specimens leave dirty prints and marks on the floor. There is not much it can do about what Old Man does outside the mansion, although Old Man is stuck connected with Specimen 12 until he dies. (Spooky can come, though. She does her monthly inspections and hangs up decorations sometimes. These decorations disappear about a week after they are put up, for some reason. )

Most Specimens don't want to find out what happens if they try to kill Specimen 12's host. They don't even know if it really gets angry, or just generates out consequences to further its own purposes. Nevertheless, interferring with Specimen 12 is an one-way ticket to a month of zero kills for themselves, as it will grow to lead visitors away from the offending Specimen.

The 12th key on the piano plays an unpleasant screeching sound.

So this took a few hours and I am not even close to being certain that most of this can fit the actual lore of spooky's. honestly, take it as it is. i wished i had more funny ideas, but "if Specimen 12 has no bathroom where does Old Man excrete" is not really appropriate. Not something I would want to write about. I have no more clue what to write.

Here's some silly comments in Specimen 12's Fandom Wiki page:

that's it. feel free to leave a comment if you notice anything not matching up in this list of headcanons. i am going to sleep now. yes

[dangakkisland]

Dangaronpa Portuguese Translation Chapter 4

Firstly I wanted to show off my amazing spelling skills for a second, this gambit was never a struggle for me (I struggle with the comic part) I'll get the fun parts out of the way:

''Casca de bala'' Or candy wrapper is synonymous for best friend at the moment, the reason is: A song I believe that I don't know the name off..Mom is more aware of the internet than me

I literally took business/economics classes in high school (Forced). I can't believe I didn't know what day trading was. I mean, at least I know all the bank names, the best way to do insurance, and the best way to pay taxes. Where is the knowledge when I need it?

Who taught this bear how to fucking laugh (He said more curses in this trial compared to any other character in the game: he did it 7 times in only one chapter) Additionally: Makoto got his..''Little title'' little Makoto ''Makotinho'' by Shou..So tiny.. He got called tiny..I'm on ''Makotinho'''s team forever Portuguese class of today: If you want to know it is pronounced more like Makoti (Normal) Nho is like ''Nyo''

''This isn't a work of Machado de Assis, this makes so much more sense!'' I'm so glad I am not the only one that thinks his books (Machado de Assis) are so damn complicated and they put this at reading class (Forced) and it was like 200 pages or so long and it was for 3 weeks and you had to study all its conflicts and how it related to relationships, geography and sociology and then you had to do a theater about it and the book did not make any sort of sense...

(The last one is called the Fortune Teller...Makes sense for Yasuhiro)

Shou speaks spanish For the class trial, there wasn't much else I believe they were trying to take this more seriously because you know...Sakura died and they avoided every joke possible, the class trial was easy, and the mood was so tense you could cut with scissors, Monokuma or let's say Junko are a bitch really, I do have some sympathy for her to some extent (Puttind DR 0 into account and that I have to re-read it) this chapter is tough to forgive after all Monokuma and Junko aren't really separate entities I wanted to add that my friend really hates Junko because of this chapter, I was drawing when she was watching the chapter go on and I just heard her anger screams (True despair for sure)

TEAM ROCKET REFERENCE!!!

I really like James voice in portuguese I always believed that in English he sounded like cosmo from the Fairly oddparents

Obrigatory pause for Mukuro Ikusaba:

''Mukuro Ikusaba''

''huh?''

Kyouko whispered in my ear

''Mukuro Ikusaba''

''The sixteenth student hidden somewhere in this school''

''The girl refered as the Supreme level despair''

*Gandalf voice* ''Be watchful of Mukuro Ikusaba...''

''I mean... be wary of Mukuro Ikusaba''

this post is quite all over the place because what best way to describe my experience..

[cuttoncandyhair]

thoughts on some (canon) HoN couples

Zoey and Stark: I never really understood what their connection was supposed to be. She thought he was hot and he for some reason decided to be eternally loyal to her for... what reason again? So I guess they will be together forever. Should they be? Probably not. They fight an awful lot. I consider them the kind of couple that'll come to resent each other but won't break up. Fun! Aphrodite and Darius: I think they'll last. I just don't like them together. Their relationship is almost too perfect. It's like the authors brain stormed about what kind of relationship they wanted to give to Aphrodite, picked an idea, but never developed it further. They also didn't really give Darius much of a personality. He is a perfect warrior and a perfect lover for Aphrodite. Period. Considering how big of a role Aphrodite has in these books, her man is considerably underdeveloped as a character. They are just not interesting to me. Stevie Rae and Rephaim: Love them. Love them to death. Definitly an otp of my childhood. Will they last? I don't know, and I hate that. A lot of their relationship is based on novelty, I feel. They have very strong feelings for each other, but how will they work 20 or more years down the line? What do they have when the initial passion mellows out a bit? What do they have in common? What will they talk about? I will never forgive the Casts for not developing them further. Their relationship was such a big part of the middle of the story and then they were practically abandoned for the sake of making room for more Zoey-drama. Too bad. I really wanted to see at least glimpses of their relationship getting long-term-development. Damien and Jack: Cute, but once again drastically underdeveloped. Also, what's with all the gay stereotypes? I could write up a whole wall of text about those, but whatever. They got significantly more development in the Other World series. One of the few, and I really mean FEW, good things about it. They got a little more of an edge and personality and I must say, it suits them. I even started to care about them. Shaunee and Erik: In all honesty, what the fuck? That felt so forced! Why are the Casts so afraid of letting their characters be single pringles? I appreciated them trying to redeem Erik, but that sure as hell wasn't it, fam. In the Other World series they didn't seem like they would last either. I think they are gonna break up on amicable terms soon. All in all, I couldn't care less about them. Shaylin and Nicole: Umm... Where did they come from, again? I never saw that coming? They too just felt forced to me. Also, that thing they did in the sequel? What in the everlasting fuck? Was that supposed to be funny? I found it terrifying. Did anyone else find that funny? Maybe I just didn't get it? Frankly, I found it offensive, but I'm not a lesbian so what do I know... Kalona and Nyx: I'm happy for them. I don't get it, but good for them. As in, good for Kalona. He's got the love of his life back. How did Nyx forgive him again, though? Like, she knows of everything he did. Damn, she probably welcomed the people he abused and killed in her realm and had to calm their souls and reincarnated them. I take her for an empath, so she probably felt their pain with them. I can somewhat understand she loves the good side of Kalona, but how she forgave him for all he's done is beyond me. I wish her reacceptance of him would say something about her as an immortal entity and how she preceives the death and pain of mortals, but there is no way in hell the Casts would have thought that far. In the end Kalona definitly changed but his sacrifice doesn't make up for everything he's done by a long shot. What a mess! Travis and Lenobia: Darling! So cute! The only thing that hurts me is that he will die before her again. It must be so hard for Lenobia to think about losing him again. But all in all I think they were fun to read about.

[todayinmagicalgirlhistory]

i saw another ask you got asking about your expectations vs reality with astral travel and i was wondering the same except with your experience with faeries?

i guess the biggest thing is that i hadn't really been planning to work with faeries to begin with? then it just sort of happened without my meaning to and fast forward to 2023, here i am

the sight runs on one side the family so interactions with the other side and the good neighbors weren't really strange. usual tricks like hiding the remote or calling my name so i'd go ask my mom what she wanted with her swearing she never called me. or even spookier were the times she wasn't in the house at all. then there was a time that both my and my youngest brother were both being tormented by some entities in the house until mom2 handled it when i was in my junior year of high school i think?

then i just forced myself to not notice these things that by the time i started looking into witchcraft and seeing so many branches of it, that it didn't really cross my mind to pursue hedge witchery of faerie witchcraft

back then the idea of potentially getting lost in the astral and never finding my way back seemed scary. and there was a LOT of fear mongering about avoiding the fae entirely that it made me decide not to

but somehow i got pulled into working with spirits anyway, i can't really remember how it happened it just did. from there, so did a desire to astral once i started reading stories of people's adventures about it. then came the research about faeries, more in-depth this time and looking back on some old experiences with new eyes

some were fae, some were definitely ghosts and i went back and even read about how some of my fav entities in folklore were faeries too. so outside of perusing folklore wiki articles and books were looking at the fae witch tags of tumblr and learning about other people's experiences

that pretty much kickstarted my desire to actually want to work with faeries even though i made no move to do anything beyond research. i pretty much wanted to be 100% down on etiquette and faerie species before doing that since i was worried about pissing something off

i've always been interested in fae like selkies, banshee and dullahan but it strangely never crossed my mind in the research phase to pursue working with them. it was just a desire, i think i thought my first experience with fae work would be with brownies since i'd been told as far as introductory interactions with faeries that was something pretty name and recommended by other fae workers. same with flower pixies. and i'd overall been told that working with seelie fae was the better option since unseelie fae could be quite hostile

before that i think i was imagining that my experience with the folk would be more... transactional? i'd leave offerings, they'd help with spells here and there and occasionally i'd see some signs of fae activity in my home. something along those lines since it sounded similar to what everyone else was going through, then again it could be that that was all of their practice they were sharing

i wasn't expecting the intimate relationship i'd have with the folk i became so close to either. everyone's relationship with the faeries they know are different, special and unique to them. the deeper you go into it, the more that's true. i've also found when it comes to such intimate fae work where you're actually learning and conversing with these folk that you slowly become aware of what is and isn't okay to share even without them saying anything

so i can understand now why certain things about faeries you might find online sound so similar when looking at fae work experiences. you can't always share the more intimate details about your practice

i guess i also thought that my work with fae would be more general to my neighborhood? i've interacted with local fae like the hair toucher, even met one of her friend's a small pixie that was from the lake court. but honestly the large bulk of my interactions with fae come down to selkies, banshee and dullahan

my first experience with faeries wasn't anything concerning house fae or floral fae though, it was selkies. i won't go into all the details about how i met the pod i worked with but because of the unique way we became acquainted, we're more akin to a familial bond than anything else. like i said previously, selkies are pretty family-oriented, once you're in you're in

there's nothing transactional about that sort of relationship. i was always fascinated with selkies, like i said, so when the realization crossed that i could interact with them if i wanted to try i was still pretty much at a stump. gotta say so that rather than going out to find selkies, selkies found me- by accident. but a happy accident

and while i can't really go into the specifics of it, the relationship i have with death fae is quite unique. i've never been scared of banshee or dullahan. but like with selkies i wasn't really sure how to interact with them or show i was interested in working with them besides a one off conversation i had with a banshee back in 2018 thanks to a spirit friend of mine introducing us

it wasn't until i connected with the morrigan, my goddess, that i started seeing an increase of death fae in my life, acting as a sort of gateway into learning more about them and getting to interact with them. learning more about death magic and seeing the cycle of life and death through their eyes

[the-hornedwitch]

While I wear the crown of Theistic Satanist, I am at my heart and soul a Pagan and Animist. 

When I started in The Craft, I joined a Wiccan coven and worked through my 1st degree. Before that, I was always fascinated by theology, folklore, and mythology of North America, Ancient Rome and Egypt. I spent years reading and studying (non academic) about such things, so when I started my path I felt confident in my knowledge of the gods. 

As a baby witch I had a difficult time "connecting" with a God and Goddess. No one seemed to call to me, or ones from cultures that didn't mix well did. Still, "Mom" and "Dad" eluded me. Then I found Baphomet.  Now I had heard the name before, and was aware of their usage as a symbol for Satan within Laveyan Satanism (Atheist). Thankfully, my High Priest at the time was a Freemason and assisted with questions I had. 

As I've mentioned in prior posts, I read a book titled the Baphomet Codex. While I do not adhear to everything in that text, it assisted me with a foundation. Which is as follows. 

Baphomet is all, and nothing. Baphomet is Source, Spirit, Universe, The Force. 

The Divine Masculine is Sammeal. 

When I met Him, it was not the Fallen Angel other Theists see Him as. He was Primordial, dark, unbridled. Very much the embodiment of a Dark Horned God (The Devil) 

The Divine Feminine is Lilith.

The Dark Mother was just that, Primal, beautiful and Dark. I viewed(view) her as The Scared Mother. The snarling she wolf, the deep dark abyss, wreathing Primordial beast. 

Their intensity hit me hard and fast, it was scary and traumatic. Certain aspects of my life started to fall away, and instead of trusting them I held on. Allowing the process of my awaking to them to slow down and almost stop. (More on that in a future post).

Being a Witch, I do enjoy ritual. Whilst studying and practicing Wiccan I simply referred to the quarters as their corresponding elements and titles of "Guardians of [insert direction]" 

After reading the Baphomet Codex and other sources aligned with Demonolatry I found Watchers or Principalities of the quartets. They are as follows. 

North:Earth-Hekate. 

After meeting her in this capacity, I found her showing up in other aspects of my life and she has since become important to my practice outside of her principality.  

South:Fire-Satan or Azazel 

I first started with Satan or more importantly the creative trickster force of nature. I am someone who isnt to keen on separating Lucifer/Satan as different entities. So it became complicated for me. After some time, I started working with Azazel outside of this aspect. I soon found Him to fit nicely in the role of Southern Quarter. (His direction is south) 

West:Water-Leviathan

Within the Baphomet codex, Taimat is the western principality. I attempted to utilize her as such, but did not feel a connection. I then incorporated Jorminder the great serpent from Norse pantheon, but soon found Leviathan to be more suitable. I am still in the process of building a relationship with Him. Being a heavy water sign, Sun Cancer, Moon Scorpio. I tend to get "lost" in the flow of Abyssly Ether when I work with Him. 

East:Air-Lucifer

Oh where oh where to begin with dear Lucifer. 

I did not "officially" meet Him in this aspect. Yes I felt his pull when I read the Baphomet Codex and saw Him placed in such a role. However I did not meet Him as such. That's another story for another time. I have found His standing as the Eastern Watcher to be beneficial, however He has come to play an even more important role in my life. 

Working outward and away from the Quarters, I work with other Daemon, Sprites, Ancestors and guides. 

I am not someone to only go to Daemon when I "need" something. I very much enjoy worshiping and Venerating them. There are certain ones I feel pulled to work with, recently it has been Raum, Stolis, Valac, and Paimon. 

When it comes to Spirits, I often take an Animist/Shinto approach. I hold that there are spirits of the land, of a thing/place and a spirit that resides. I also hold that spirits of the dead are very much real, as are older spirits such as Fae, "cryptids" , hildafolk and those within other cultures I do not know their names. 

When I speak of my ancestors it is not just those from ancient times. I have been attempting research into my family's history. Having both my grandparents and mother not within this plain of existence I often honor them when I can. 

My guides tend to appear in animal form. Often times to teach me a "lesson" of some sort or reminders of my path. They are often animals associated with the God's I work with. Such as, snakes, owls, hawks, crows, goats, cats, and black dogs. 

Another important guide is Lucifer. Though I hold Him in a higher standing, he often takes on this role. 

Other God's I find important are those of the Crossroads, Underworld and Dark Feminine. 

Note: What I have expressed is simply my own practice, no two practioners are the same. This is what works and calls to me. As my former High Priest would say, "eat the chicken spit out the bones". Take what you will from books and resources, only you know what works for you.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Olivia Atwater returns to the world of Half a Soul with “a sharp and beautiful gothic romance” (Alix E. Harrow). Dive into The Witchwood Knot, and enjoy a dark faerie tale set in a magical version of Victorian England.

The faeries of Witchwood Manor have stolen its young lord. His governess intends to steal him back.

Victorian governess Winifred Hall knows a con when she sees one. When her bratty young charge transforms overnight into a perfectly behaved block of wood, she soon realises that the real boy has been abducted by the Fair Folk. Unfortunately, the lord of Witchwood Manor is the only man in England who doesn’t believe in faeries—which leaves Winnie in the unenviable position of rescuing the young lord-to-be all by herself.

Witchwood Manor is bigger than its inhabitants realise, however, and full of otherworldly dangers. As Winnie delves deeper into the other side of the house, she enlists the aid of its dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr Quincy, who hides several awful secrets behind his charming smile. Winnie hopes to make her way to the centre of the Witchwood Knot through wit and cleverness… but when all of her usual tricks fail, who will she dare to trust?

Review:

A gothic faerie tale featuring a magician pretending to be a victorian governess in order to solve the mystery at the heart of Witchwood Manor while dealing with monsters... both fae and human alike. Throw in a dash of romance, a stolen young lord, a tricky fae pretending to be a butler and a protective familiar cat and you get a absolutely fantastic read. Winifred Hall is hired to be a governess to a spoiled young lord as a favor to an old friend, a friend who just happens to be living in a manor that is said to be haunted and cursed by the fae. Winifred is actually a magician herself and is beginning to realize that the magic and curse surrounding this manor is much darker than she realized. When the young lord is kidnapped, she'll have to delve into the dark fae realm to get him back and the games are only just beginning. The more she pries into the truth of the manor the more she is realizing that this is a very complicated knot and that she'll have to rely on her wits to try and make it out. It doesn't help that there is the very dark and dubious faerie butler, Mr. Quincy, who is hiding so many secrets behind his charming smile, is the one person she'll have to help her navigate the fae realm of Witchwood Knot... There's a price for everything when it comes to the fae and what price will Quincy ask of Winifred? I have to say I fell absolutely in love with this book. I cannot wait for the next books and to see where Winifred and co go. Winifred was a wonderful protagonist, she used her tricks and wits to get by and after everything she went through she was still strong and resilient. The romance was very soft and sweet and I just adored the relationship between Quincy and Winifred. I also have to say Ollie, my sweet sweet boy, a true star in this book, a familiar cat after my own heart. This book was the perfect mixture of gothic romance and fairytale! I can't wait to read the next book!!!

*Spoiler: Winifred was sexually abused (forced to kiss her older male employer) until she summoned the Lady of the Hollow who took her under her own wing and vanished said abuser. Winifred knows she is blueblood but has no recollection of her family or her true name. She grew up as the ward of the Lady of the Hollow and of Lord Socrcier (hint at the previous 3 novels). She knows Lady Longell (owner of the Witchwood manor) and the lady knows that Winnie is a black magician and can help with saving her grandson. Mr. Quincy is a formieg, a separate entity from faeries and lives off of blood and iron (things faeries fear). He was bond to serve the Lady of Mourningwood but wanted to save some of the people of Witchwood Manor as best he could. Winnie and Quincy fall into a romance, a sweet and gentle one. When Quincy is forced to take Robert by his lady lord, the Lady of Mourningwood he does (he inadverdently saves him from being killed by lord Longfell) Lord Longfell is the reason the faeries are cursed in Witchwood and he killed his own mother and was going to kill Robert, he made a deal with the other formeieg, Quincy's brother Secundus who was freed when a drop of Lady Hollow's blood fell onto the earth (Quinct had saved and freed the Lady of the Hollow when she was a young child trapped with the Lady of Mourningwood). Secundus wanted revenge against the faeries and thus is the reason why there are no faeries in London (he is also the reason the Lady of the Hollow has disappeared and why Winnifred is trying to find a way to free her). Winnie gets back Robert and Quincy kills the Lady of Mourningwood, making him the new Lord of Mourningwood. Quincy and Winnie take Robert as their new student and Winnie now is set to free the Lady of the Hollow who was trapped by Secundus all the while the Hollow lady's husband (lord sorcier) lays asleep beneath the hollow land which is now taken over by Tritia (Quincy and Secundus's sister who has also been freed). Now they'll have to find a way to trick Quincy's siblings and free the faeries).

*Thanks Netgalley and Starwatch Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[nabipenda-blog]

BOOKS I READ IN JANUARY.

1. Perks of being a wallflower - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

We follow Charlie in highschool as he writes letters to a friend about his life and experiences.

This book is very short thus a quick read and is written in epistolary format and is very slice of life. We just see Charlie through his days in Highschool.

What I loved about this book is our main protagonist who is socially awkward but still very relatable. I also loved the other characters like his friends and family. I loved the music references and currently working on adding them to my playlist.

Highly recommend

2. Apothecary diaries light novel vol 1 and manga vol 1,2 and 3- 🌟🌟🌟🌟.25 ( average rating).

Set in ancient Asia, we follow Maomao as she is kidnapped and sold to the royal palace as a servant girl. She quickly gains attention of the higher-ups as an apothecary after solving a mystery involving the king's infant children.

I am actually a sucker for period pieces and this scratched an itch I had and was very satisfied. Loved Maomao and Jinshi's relationship as they helped each other solving this mysteries in the rear palace.

The light novel vol 1 is a combination of the manga volumes 1,2,3 and 4.

The anime is currently airing and I have just started watching it and so excited to experience this story more.

3. Komi can't communicate vol 1 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

Komi is a beautiful girl who is admired by everyone for her looks but is socially awkward and has social anxiety to the point where she cannot talk to anyone. We follow her as she joins highschool and meets Tadano who is a very regular student and helps her make 100 friends.

This manga was such a breath of fresh air for me. I loved Komi and her budding friendship with Tadano and the journey she is undertaking to make 100 friends. We meet a few of the friends she makes along the way and all are interesting characters.

This is a slice of life comedy with lessons about friendship and life in general.

4. Billy bat vol 1 - 🌟🌟🌟.75.

Kevin Yamagata is a mangaka who writes a manga called Billy bat but soon he realizes that he might be copying an image from Japan that he saw while working in the military. This forces him to go back to Japan to look for the original creator and while there he realizes that this is a conspiracy bigger than what he could imagine.

I started reading this manga because I wanted to get into Urasawa's work and this one intrigued me because it was about art and I enjoy media that explore art. This manga does expand into conspiracies of it's own as we see Billy bat as an entity on its own. It also takes real life major world events in history and incoporates them into the story.

5. The murder of Roger Ackroyd- 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟.

This is a Hercule Poirot murder mystery. We follow Hercule Poirot as he is tasked with investigating the murder of a good friend.

It is so hard to give a proper synopsis of this book because of spoilers but I loved this book. It is a very typical murder mystery but the twist and how it was revealed was so shocking that I saw this book in a whole new light.

This is not my first Agatha Christie book and it will not be my last.

6. Heartstopper vol 2 - 🌟🌟🌟🌟.

We follow schoolmates Nick and Charlie who become friends after they meet in a class. This is a love story between two boys from different backgrounds.

Vol 2 begins immediately after vol 1 and in this one we see Nick coming to terms with his sexual identity and the blossoming love between him and Charlie.

[daosies]

the only one

Sylus has a soft spot for you.

sylus ♡ gn!reader

warnings: reader is the protagonist but gender neutral, pre-established relationship, crude & violent descriptions, not proofread

notes: muehehe

You are the only one in the world who can treat Sylus like this. 

“[Name],” he calls for the nth time. “[Name].” 

Sylus observes the furrow of your brow, the wobbly line of your lips. He notices the way your entire expression scrunches up, the way you visibly gasp when your gaze drifts over the most audacious line of the book you’re reading. 

It’s endearing, really. The way your feelings dance across your face, oblivious to the crimson irises that do the same. Sylus notices all these things about you; he also notices how you don’t notice him, how your attention is fixated wholly on your book, how his adoring looks are bested by an inanimate object and how his terribly-obvious advances are shut down because of printed words on a paper.

Sylus hates losing. He hates being ignored. In fact, Sylus has never been ignored in his life—his sheer presence commands attention, his gaze alone being enough to silence a crowd. When it comes to you, however, his gaze is not enough.

Again, you are the only one in the world who can treat Sylus like this.

“[Name].” Sylus has had enough of losing. He reaches for the book and steals it from your hands. 

“Sylus?” you reply, as if he hadn’t been there the entire time. “Since when did you arrive?” 

Oh, he thinks. So, to you, he really hadn’t been there the entire time. 

“Ten minutes ago,” he states coolly. 

“Huh? Why didn’t you call me? Or tell me?”

“I did.”

“Really? Oh, sorry! That book was really getting crazy, I mean, like, the main character was—”

Sylus decides not to mention the part where he gave up. He had tried to get your attention, but somewhere along the way, he opted to sit in your presence instead, perceiving despite not being perceived. 

In the silence, Sylus’s gaze trailed over your features, from the bridge of your nose to the curl of your lips. His red eyes tied knots around your expression, burning the image into his retinas, weaving the strings towards himself, from the base of your pinky to his. Sylus hates being ignored. He hates losing and he hates the idea of not being acknowledged. 

When it comes to you, however, it’s different. 

Everything is different. 

“And then—oh, sorry. Am I boring you with the details?” you suddenly say, becoming bashful. Your pupils avert from his. Sylus is desperate to force them back on him, his brows furrowing ever-so slightly. 

Quicker than he can think, he replies, “Not at all.” 

You look at him. The tension laced into his expression eases. 

“I almost forgot to ask,” you say, switching topics abruptly, “why are you here, Sylus?” 

He chuckles at your bluntness. You are the only one in the world who can talk like that to him.

“I just wanted to see someone.” 

Your eyes widen. Sylus relishes in the sight, unblinking, desperate and wild and oh, utterly miserable. To rely only on sight is a terrible fate, but again, you are the only one in the world who Sylus cannot catch. Your image slips in between his mind, falling through the intangibility of memory and vision. You cannot be contained—your unabashed and radiant spirit, your breathtaking and limitless beauty. You torture him! With thoughts of your existence, with thoughts of your real and incomparable being! 

You—you exist! 

(Sometimes, Sylus can’t believe it. And then he looks at you, and then himself, and he realizes that you are damn near divine. You are damn near intangible, an entity he worships, a concept he follows and offers himself towards. If you were to tell him to dismember himself now, Sylus thinks he would. If you were to ask him for his eyes, he’d tell you to hand him a knife. If you were to ask him for his heart, he’d tell you to take all four chambers.)

“You… you wanted to see me?”

Sylus smirks a little. “Did I say that?” 

Your face erupts with embarrassment. “Hey! You… you!” 

“Me,” he affirms.

(Look at you.)

Mirth flickers across the carmine expanse of his irises, the scarlet of his lips and the crimson within his veins. His pupils catch yours for a moment before you look away, covering your expression with the palm of your hand. Sylus is used to people avoiding his gaze, to shying away from his presence out of sheer terror. He prefers it that way, really. It makes his job easier. 

(Look at him.)

When it comes to you, however, it’s different. Sylus doesn’t want you avert your eyes from his—he wants to peer into your soul, to pick apart the temple with his own bloodied hands, to witness for himself the grandness of your presence, the impossibility of your existence. 

(How could he ever believe you exist? When he is terrible and haunted, while you—oh, you—are utterly divine?)

Sylus wants you to perceive him. He wants you to pick him apart, too. To dismember him! To peel apart his skin and come to realize that everything, everything within himself—from the branches of his veins to the curl of his ribs—have only ever flowed back to his heart. 

And you own that heart of his. That wretched, twisted little thing. You own it. And everything else that comes with it. 

“You’re so…!”

“So?” Sylus encourages you to continue, tilting his head slightly. A smirk twists at his lips. He’s enjoying this far too much. 

“Whatever!” You try to snatch the book back from his hands, your movements agile and befitting a hunter. Unfortunately for you, Sylus is used to playing things dirty, so he snaps the novel away with his Evol and calls it a day. 

“Let’s go,” he says, standing up. “You like the arcade, right?” 

You glare at him without saying a word.

You are the only one in the world who would ever make Sylus wait. Still, he obliges.

“You’re insufferable,” you mutter.

He hums. “And?” 

“Disrespectful.” 

Sylus’s cool expression remains unfazed. “I’ve never heard that one before.”

You snort. “Who would ever call you that?” 

Only you, he thinks. For some reason, the thought doesn’t irritate him. 

After all, you are the only one in the world who can treat Sylus like this. 

(As a matter of fact, to Sylus, you are the only one in the world.) 

[edwardgdunn]

Exploring the Wisdom of Life: The Key Takeaways From “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran

Published in 1923, “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran is a timeless collection of poetic essays that delves into the myriad aspects of the human experience. Through the voice of the prophet Almustafa, Gibran imparts profound wisdom on topics ranging from love and marriage to work, freedom, and spirituality. In this comprehensive analysis, we will explore the key points made in “The Prophet,” each offering valuable insights that continue to resonate with readers across generations, much like it did with me when I first read it in my twenties.

1. On Love:

Love, often regarded as the most universal and profound emotion, is a central theme in “The Prophet.” Gibran’s poetic exploration of love portrays it as both an essential force in life and a source of great vulnerability. He emphasizes that love is not to be possessed or controlled, but rather a force that binds souls together while allowing them to retain their individuality. By describing love as something that flows freely, Gibran encourages readers to embrace its transformative power and recognize that it is a gift that cannot be contained.

2. On Marriage:

The chapter on marriage is perhaps one of the most celebrated sections of the book. Gibran’s insights on this institution shed light on the delicate balance between unity and autonomy. He suggests that marriage should be a partnership in which both individuals support each other’s growth and encourage each other to flourish as individuals. The verses remind us that marriage is a shared journey where each partner must maintain their own identity while nurturing the bond between them.

3. On Work:

Gibran’s perspective on work challenges conventional notions of labor as mere drudgery. He extols work as a means of expressing one’s love for life itself. The act of putting one’s heart and soul into their labor transforms it into a fulfilling and spiritual endeavor. By emphasizing the importance of finding joy in one’s work, Gibran invites readers to rethink their relationship with their occupations and consider how they can infuse their daily tasks with passion and purpose.

4. On Freedom:

The concept of freedom is explored in depth, with Gibran highlighting that true freedom is not solely about breaking physical chains but also transcending inner limitations. He encourages readers to recognize that they are bound by their own fears, desires, and beliefs. True liberation comes from conquering these inner constraints and attaining a state of self-mastery. Gibran’s insights prompt us to reflect on the nature of personal freedom and the journey towards realizing it.

5. On Self-Knowledge:

Gibran’s exploration of self-knowledge emphasizes the importance of understanding oneself deeply. He believes that by acknowledging our own vulnerabilities, fears, and desires, we can cultivate compassion and empathy for others. Gibran suggests that it is through self-awareness that we can connect with our true selves and foster a sense of authenticity in our interactions with the world.

6. On Joy and Sorrow:

Gibran beautifully portrays the interconnectedness of joy and sorrow. He explains that experiencing sorrow makes us more capable of experiencing profound joy, as both emotions are threads woven into the tapestry of life. By acknowledging the inevitability of both joy and sorrow, Gibran encourages us to embrace the full spectrum of human emotions and find meaning in every facet of our journey.

7. On Good and Evil:

Gibran’s perspective on good and evil challenges binary thinking. He suggests that good and evil are not distinct entities but rather two sides of the same coin. Just as light casts shadows, good and evil are intertwined elements that exist within each individual. Gibran’s insights prompt us to examine the complexities of human nature and consider the role of choice and intention in shaping our actions.

8. On Beauty:

Gibran’s chapter on beauty extends beyond the superficial to explore the beauty that resides within each person. He presents the idea that beauty is not confined to physical appearances but emanates from the harmony between one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. By recognizing the profound connection between inner and outer beauty, Gibran invites us to cultivate a sense of inner harmony that radiates outward.

9. On Spirituality:

Gibran’s exploration of spirituality emphasizes the individual’s direct relationship with the higher purpose. He encourages readers to seek spiritual fulfillment within themselves rather than relying solely on organized institutions. Gibran’s perspective fosters a sense of personal connection to the whole of the living world and universe, reminding us that spirituality is a deeply personal journey that transcends dogma.

10. On Death:

The chapter on death offers a poignant reflection on the inevitable end of life. Gibran portrays death not as an ending, but as a transition into a new realm. He suggests that death is a return to the infinite, where the spirit is released from the confines of the physical body. Gibran’s perspective on death provides solace and encourages us to view mortality as a natural part of the cosmic cycle.

In “The Prophet,” Kahlil Gibran weaves a tapestry of wisdom that transcends time and speaks to the essence of the human experience. Each chapter is a gem of insight, inviting readers to reflect on their lives, relationships, and inner selves. As we journey through the words of Almustafa, we find ourselves immersed in a profound exploration of love, freedom, joy, and the interconnectedness of all aspects of existence. “The Prophet” continues to guide, inspire, and uplift, reminding us that the quest for wisdom is a timeless endeavor that enriches our lives immeasurably.

Check out the podcast episode

Check out the Happiness 2.0 Podcast — https://podcast.edwardgdunn.com/

Happiness 2.0 Blog — https://edwardgdunn.com/blog

[pearblossommina]

ToG Read-A-Long, Tower of Dawn, day 2

Ch 6

“to completion”

Gosh this hurts my heart. So much of sex is focused on a man’s orgasm, anyways. Especially for a young man, like Chaol. He probably feels so inadequate, and I feel like that was the worst come-on imaginable. I just love her for offering, for being willing to love him and treat him like she always has. Chaol needs someone like her. But this whole “completion” thing - I feel for him. I think the most important thing right now is just making sure they both enjoy themselves. Don’t put so much pressure on the act of an orgasm, male or female, I can’t think of a worse way to make a sexual encounter feel like an obligation instead of just letting it be as fun and meaningful as any other part of a relationship.

I also get the vibe this prince is kinda flirtatious with Nesryn. We love a flirtatious prince!

But uh, I’m growing to like Nesryn a lot. And I don’t want to see her break Chaol’s heart. I mean, she can do what she wants, she can flirt with a prince and go for a breathtaking ride on a ruk through the skies of Antica - she should be able to do that, she should be able to enjoy herself, and flirt, and fall in love - and I want her to. I want to see her live her best life, believe me, I do. But i’m a little bit obsessed on Chaol, lol, and I need to see him be treated with kindness and love.

Ch 7

Ah political intrigue, and peacocks and posturing.

I’m not sure how to feel about Chaol being obsessive over Nesryn, lol. I know I just stood up for him in the last chapter but he was being kind of possessive and mean in this one. She’s Captian of the Guard, and she’s strong and capable, and this is her family and her home. Probably their dynamic needs to change a little bit. Mutual respect, yeah.

I’m glad her family is okay.

I’m glad she’s not in eminent danger.

Ch 8

There are… too many new characters lmao I’m having such a hard time keeping them straight.

One prince wants to be with Yrene and one prince was flirting with Nesryn. One prince was posturing politically to Chaol. One princess is a lesbian and she’s friends with Yrene and likes to go out drinking. My ability to focus is so strained right now for this.

"There are choices in my past," he said tightly,

"that I have come to regret. But I can only move on - and attempt to fix them. Fight to make sure they do not occur again."

That’s right baby! Good for you Chaol! You still fight for a better world, and for a better you! Never forget that you are a hero - you are my hero!

This chapter was so touching, ugh. Yrene is gonna be a hell of a healer someday, but she does need to work on herself. I think agreeing to work with Chaol is going to end up benefiting both of them.

Ch 9

“Indeed, some small part of him hoped Yrene would stay away, if only to avoid what she so heavily implied they'd also be doing: talking.

Discussing things. Himself.”

This is the book where Chaol gets therapy

I love this book, lol

The little dinner scene is good and helps me kinda get more familiar with all these characters.

I like Hasar the most, surprise surprise, Maddy latching onto the only sapphic character

Ch 10

“She knew that face, gaunt as it was. Knew the golden-brown hair, nearly the twin to her own. The healer from the Womb, the very one she'd comforted only hours earlier -“

WTF

Who’s sucking out souls in the library???? What entity - is it a valg - this is BS, we’re all over here without firepower and magic (except healing magic) HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT SOUL SUCKING DEMONIC FORCES

I’m very upset about this

[halogenwarrior]

I think the question of the morality of the machines is distinct from the question of the morality of forcing everyone to leave the matrix. The first question is about whether the machines are doing as best as they possibly could for human lives (which they aren't, because that is not the goal they are optimizing for), the second is about whether humans will have a better life now and in the future inside or outside the matrix. I read a chapter of a book on the philosophy of the Matrix where they discussed just this and concluded that the matrix is still bad because the "don't make paradise" rule prevents humans from taking control of their destiny and making the world a better place, but though it's been a while since I saw the movie so I may be misunderstanding this, as I remember it I don't see why the machines would be preventing this from happening; humans in the matrix could still make their world better through coherent historical events like technological developments and social movements, and the humans in the matrix would accept it because it has a probable cause and wasn't just everything becoming a utopia without a historical path towards that.

Also I think the emphasis on the relationships is because from a preference utilitarian perspective a lot of people (at least I am included in this) would care a lot about the people they interact with being real people but not as much as, to use your example, a sunset is real, at least not enough to be willing to make the immense sacrifices necessary to see a real sunset. The endangered frogs example is a bit different I suppose as that is more like the human example than the sunset one, it's about knowing the sentient beings you interact with are actually real and benefit from your benevolent actions so that doing good has any real meaning. And this is just talking about my personal quirks, but not being deceived into believing I am doing good when I am not (and thus being led to spend effort to "do good" that is really doing nothing or even harming another person) is so important to me that I despise the social norm of people lying to you about liking the things you did for them (like food you made), thus manipulating you into harming them further for the sake of social niceties, even though it's the prevailing opinion that these kind of lies are actually good and for your benefit. Yet if I knew the people around me were real, I wouldn't care at all beyond scientific interest if I found out we were all living in a simulation. While my opinion on the polite lies thing is unusual I think there are a lot of people who share my values of caring about the reality of relationships but not the physical reality of the world.

All I know is that if someone WERE to find out we were living in a simulation that some entity had created for selfish reasons, but were all real people within it, were perfectly capable of improving the world as we would normally, and were not at risk of those who ran the simulation either making our lives worse or destroying the simulation altogether, and a person were to forcefully eject everyone in the world into some post-apocalyptic hellscape and draft us into a war against the creators of the simulation, I would think that is no less morally heinous than utterly ruining the state of the world through more conventional means like a massive nuclear war. Though if we were in a simulation and someone found out, I think they WOULD be ethically obligated to tell everyone this fact and let people choose for themselves whether they wanted to leave, but if they had to choose between telling no one or forcing the decision on everyone to leave I think the first option would be by far the most moral.

the interestesting thing about the matrix, as presented in the famous 1999 film "the matrix", is that is actually not that bad for one specific reason. the people there are real.

its telling that in the movie neo is not given close friends or family or a partner or any meaningful kind of human conection, it helps to sell the world as distant and fake and inhuman.

but the thing is that any relation you form inside the matrix... is actually a real human conection. like say you are in the matrix and you start dating this really cute, cool person who likes to play boardgames and s a fan of romantic comedies and is studying to become and architect. that is a real human who is somewhere in the rows of human cultivated fields connected to a bunch of tubes floating in goo. but when they are talking to you in the matrix they are actually talking to you. the things they say actually mean something, the love you feel for each other is real.

like, thanks morpheus, your fight for Zion is cool and all but i have a daughter, i have my best friend with whom i went to college. and morpheus might say something about how the college was fake and it never existed but the moments i had with my friend were real!

the real problem with the simulation machine is solipsism. in a premise where you ARE actually the only mind that exists and everything else was a simulation then, well, that is a lot more scary (would it? if all your friends were AIs would that mean they were not real? food for thought), but my point is that is not the premise of that movie.

i would really like a story where someone is woken up from the matrix and they are resolute to find their partner somewhere on the fields of bodies maybe to wake them up too. or maybe the partner convinces them to go back into the matrix, i dont know. there is a lot of place for drama there.

the last matrix movie sort of touches on that but i feel it doesnt really count because it does it with neo and trinity who both got to know each other outside the matrix and also they were both forcibly put back and whatever