#if you’re going to tokenize yourself you’re going to be held to a higher standard. imho

[roobylavender]

i feel really mean sometimes with the way i critique diaspora literature but personally i just feel like you have no excuse to write a book while riding on your identity to sell it and then it’s not even good or worth anything analytically. like you’re making serious bank writing like a fraud meanwhile real storytellers who actually care about the intricacies of culture bc they live in it intimately every day barely make a dent outside of their local entertainment industry

[basketballandtextbooks]

disaster take

i saw this discourse on other blogs and come to the realization that most people probably won’t agree with me but... here’s my two cents:

wendy and kyle are very similar characters, not identical, but the character writing in south park is usually quite shallow (for any character in the cast) and normally any depth that can actually be found in any one character is entirely coincidental or accidental on the part of the observer. For example, in a previous post I mentioned that Kyle probably learned to dance after the events of the rain forest episode, and we know he must have because of highschool musical. This creates and interesting nugget of character depth that fits with his overall character but the connection is most likely entirely accidental. Did the writers think that deeply about Kyle’s character, or did they just forget the throwaway joke they kin-assigned Kyle for one episodes purposes?

for me these gaps between writers intent and interpretation are entertaining and it’s very fun for me to play detective, putting together the whole characters through the lens of ‘death of the author’ and figuring out how the characters behave based on not only their behavior in any one individual episode, but how the inconsistent and shallow character writing makes an overall character-arc (no character is more fascinating in this fashion than Eric Cartman, who has the most cohesive and entirely accidental character arc that spans from episode one and showcases a fascinating and horribly flawed individual)

All of this stated, the similarities in how Kyle and Wendy are written may not be intentional, but the fact is that given the same exact situation they respond similarly and to varying degrees. A good example of this is when they are jealous or their ego is bruised, they both have a tendency to have excessive if not murderous reactions (teacher into the sun, nuke canada, burn down the school, bully your friends)

I don’t think anyone can really make a good faith argument denying that they have strong similarities. There are of course differences, during the smurfs Wendy showed a much cooler head than Kyle would in the same circumstance. They do not need to be identical to share strong similar characteristics

Now for how fandom has perceived Wendy.

There is good reason that some individuals feel that the fan-reaction towards her isn’t entirely based on her writing being inherently ‘worse’ than Kyle’s. It also isn’t true that everyone who loves Kyle and hates Wendy is sexist or suffering from a case of internal misogyny.

That said, Wendy is held to a higher standard than Kyle is. Or more accurately, she is held to account for her actions in canon and Kyle is not. A primary example that I’ve heard multiple times in explaining why she’s a ‘bad’ character or a ‘bad’ person is that she broke Stan’s heart by dumping him. Some accuse her of cheating on him (with either Gregory or Token, pick your poison).

We can dismiss the cheating accusations immediately, there isn’t even a sliver of evidence she ever cheated. The times where she pursued other love interests they were either broken up or not together.

But the underlying message that hurting Stan makes her a bad character and not holding Kyle to that same account when Kyle, as early as the super best friends episode and as terribly as the assburgers episode, has a pattern of hurting Stan and in worse ways.

Wendy dumped him, that’s awful, but she’s allowed to have different feelings for other people and she’s allowed to end a relationship with a boy who constantly vomited on her. But the fan perception of this is “what a bitch” while the reaction to the style friend breakups is “oooh the angst”

This is only one of the ways we can see her being held to a different standard than Kyle. Not every fan is guilty of this, but enough people share this sentiment that is entirely justified for people to point out what appears to be underlying misogyny in how the characters are treated.

There are arguments based more on her writing than her actions, I have heard the ‘she’s always right and that’s not realistic’ on at least four different occasions now. But not only is this factually untrue if you’ve actually watched the show, it ignores the many times Kyle has also been right for seemingly no other reason than the writers convenience. Making him the moral center of the episode or a center of a joke. I find the ‘she’s too perfect’ to be a bad faith argument because the research behind it is shoddy and even when the person behind it acknowledges cases where she was wrong (killing her teacher, bullying, petty grudges to name a few) it’s always hand-waved away as ‘oh, okay, that once, but other than anything that disagrees with me, she’s too perfect. This is a very clear case of confirmation bias. Any evidence that backs the argument that she’s too perfect is guarded and anything that refutes it is discarded.

There will be some fans that hate her and love Kyle for completely unrelated reasons to holding her to a different standard, sexism, or internalized misogyny. But it is a fact that a significant amount of the fandom holds her to a completely different standard and a very possible reason for that is either her gender or how she disrupts their precious ships.

I would make the argument that she has a far stronger and more engaging characterization than Clyde using the same standards I set above where I judge characters based on the totality of their appearances rather than on individual episode. A even removing that framework and basing solely on episodes that focus on them individually, she has a stronger character. And yet I have never once heard or seen anyone making the argument that they dislike Clyde because his character is too flat. This is another case where she, and the majority of the female cast, is held to a different standard. I’ve never seen anyone say ‘it’s hard to write Gregory because he has very little character and the writers only created a flat stereotype’. But I see that sort of perspective all the time for female characters that have more screen-time and development than Gregory ever had.

I love all the characters above and I find their characterizations and lack thereof to be a fascinating puzzle that I spend my free-time putting together.

But female characters in South Park do suffer from what I would consider a form of internalized misogyny. Most fans don’t do this on purpose (thus internalized) but the society we’ve been raised in has a tendency to put men and women on different scales.

This isn’t a scale that’s fair to either sex. The unconscious mentality that “its okay if he has no personality because he’s a guy” does men a disservice too. If you do fall under the category of someone who judges the female characters more than the male ones, I’m not trying to say you’re a bad person or even that you’ve done a bad thing. I want you to reconsider your opinion. Take a moment to actually think about it. I know I’ve been guilty of holding men and women to different standards. In both real life and fiction, I expect less from men. I look down on them in an unhealthy fashion that if I don’t address, could lead to ending up in harmful situations or harming someone else.

fiction is a lens that we can use to better understand reality. I am an advocate that you can treat fictional characters in any way you like and it doesn’t fucking matter. You want to kill Wendy because you think she’s an annoying bitch? Go for it. It doesn’t matter. Wendy is not real.

I don’t want you to change your fandom behaviors, I want you to reexamine them and ask yourself how deeply the disparity in how you view men and women goes. If you use fiction as an outlet for misogynistic or even misandrist feelings, I think that’s valid, but I want you to know that you’re doing it.

If you hold men and women to different standards, whether in fiction, real life, or both, I want you to be aware of it.

Now the elephant in the room.

Damien is one of the most popular characters in South Park and he has one episode focusing on his character. His personality is frequently discarded because in canon, he’s an uppity little git who is both petty and weak. He wants to be liked, is affected by bullying, and cries to his daddy about it.

In fandom he is frequently portrayed as a cool and collected impervious person who, yes, has a temper but instead of how petulant and bratty he appeared in canon, fandom portrays this as ‘badass’.

To put it simply, fandom has a tendency to ignore canon entirely in the name of what’s ‘hot’. They want the prince of hell to be sexy and dangerous, so he is just that.

The majority of popular fanon characterizations fit these same molds. They want Butters to be cute and sweet, so every character flaw he’s ever had is hand-waved away.

How does this relate to my topic?

Fans of the female characters are not impervious to this. Heidi Turner is an extremely flawed and vicious individual who would stoop to any low to protect her damaged pride. She is also a victim in a toxic relationship that put her through a horrible experience. And so the fandom either acknowledges one half, how cruel she can be, or the other, how pure a victim she was someone protect her. And neither combine her to a whole character. A person who was in a bad situation, had a lot of positive traits, bad things happened to her, and she didn’t bad things in return. Her penitent for cruelty in some earlier episodes when she was still a bg character is completely hand-waved away by both camps.

She’s an interesting character and she’s dumbed down for the pleasure of the audience, isn’t this the same treatment the men receive and thus invalidates my entire thesis that they’re held to a different standard?

For starters, the idea that an argument is entirely invalid because of one exception is in itself a fallacy, but to avoid acknowledging her existence would be confirmation bias. She is an anomaly, a female character given the same treatment as the male characters. Is it because she’s deeper or better written than the other female characters? I would argue no, critically watching her episodes she has tons of the same troped behavior that the fans love to despise in the rest of the female cast. Although unlike the other characters (both male and female), where I must do an in-depth watch of the series over the course of 20+ seasons in order to create a whole understanding of them, the majority of her arc happens over the course of two seasons.

An easily digestible amount of content. No one needs to put together the puzzle pieces to understand her like you do with the majority of the cast, it’s all there.

Except it isn’t, and this is why I mentioned her behavior in earlier seasons is discarded. The way people frame her is solely from the seasons where she’s a primary character, ignoring the clear characterization we got from her in earlier seasons that do help to create a more whole understanding of her personality and character.

That all said, there are still portions of the fandom who hate her purely because she blocks their kyman or style or insert-gay-ship-here. There are fans who hate her not because of her flawed personality or even that they find her character flat, but purely because they want to see ‘two hot boys kiss get the gross girl out’. Which is a pretty common mistreatment of Wendy as well.

Now, male characters are on occasion given this treatment but nowhere near as often. While creek shippers and crenny shippers might fight until their last breath, neither group seems to actually hate Kenny or Tweek. But in the ship wars of a ‘het ship’ vs a ‘gay ship’, the female character is frequently trashed by the gay side.

I could go into an aside about the troubling fetishization of gay men that borders on outright homophobia at times, but this has been surprisingly alot.

I guess my point is that any which way you fandom, try to at least understand that sexism is real and be aware when you might be perpetuating messages that can appear unbalanced. And maybe, ask yourself why you do that.

[ashesurnsjewellery]

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[dommateolopez]

forgetful || LoBeiste, 6.26

WHO: Mateo and Jamie @jamie-beiste

WHAT: Jamie forgets, and Mateo has to punish

WHEN: Wednesday 6.26

Mateo took a few minutes to calm himself down. Seeing Jamie admit publicly that he'd forgotten what it meant to be in a claim felt like a punch to the gut. Pacing around his bedroom, he ran his hands over his hair, letting out a slow breath before going into the spare room and standing in front of his kneeling boy. "Please explain to me why you did not come to me in the first place for assistance and decided to take this upon yourself when you know the Headmistress's daughter is not the most stable of persons."

Jamie's head was a whirl. What had he done? How could things go so badly from something so innocent. He'd simply wanted to request the woman not publicly call his brother a fool. She had the right to tell him no of course, but he hadn't expected everything to go so spectacularly sideways from there. He undressed to just his briefs and knelt in he spare bedroom, feeling his walls of armor coming up even as he tried to resist. His body reflexively tightened as he listened to his Dom enter the room and his footsteps stop in front of him. "I did not foresee my simple request becoming anything more. It was my first interaction with Miss Robin and was not aware of that instability." He breathed in hating how shaky it sounded and taking a moment to fortify himself. "None of that is an excuse for my behavior however.  I am ready for my punishment Sir."

Mateo sighed and ran a hand over his hair again. “I realize you didn’t think it would go sideways at the beginning. But once it did, you should have alerted me. And not... admitted you forgot you were in a claim, albeit a trial, but still a claim,” he said, his voice soft as he tried to disguise the hurt inside of it. Reaching in the drawer of the side table, he pulled out a couple of sheets inscribed in Braille - a copy of Jamie’s rules he’d had made. Mateo had been planning on presenting them to his boy when their claim was made official but this situation called for it. “Hold out your hands,” he instructed. He set the sheets in Jamie’s hands, then pulled a pack of clothespins from the drawer as well. “I’m going to put clothespins on you, boy. And you’re going to read off your rules to me. Once you repeat each rule three times, you’ll have a clothespin removed. Falter or read too quiet, I’ll add another one and you’ll have to start over. Understood?”

Jamie's voice sounded even and almost detached as he spoke, though his heart was thumping painfully in his chest. "With all due respect, I didn't admit I forgot I was in a claim, Sir. I simply forgot that while in a claim trial or otherwise other Dominants and switches were prohibited from punishing me. I am sorry that I offended you by being so careless and ill-informed. I'm certain both Miss Robin and Sir Nate have a diminished opinion of me and ashamed that my behavior could in any way reflect on you." He heard the drawer open and then papers being placed in his hand. There was braille imprinted on the page and he found himself only feeling smaller. Mateo had thought so much of him and he'd failed him. "I understand Sir."

He hated the empty tone in Jamie's voice. He'd done that. Mateo swallowed hard to ground himself. "Nate hardly thinks less of you and I couldn't care less what Robin thinks," he said, keeping his voice even. "Mistakes are made, Jamie. But this one has repercussions to ensure it won't be made again." He started placing the pins on Jamie's body, one for each of the rules listed, in tender places like the underside of his arm, the skin of his ribs, his nipples, the inside of his thigh. Once they were in place, he sat on the edge of the bed. "First rule."

But I am diminished in your eyes my Sir. I feel it. he thought to himself. "Yes Sir. I understand that my trespasses have obligated my punishment. " He did his best to endure the pinch of the clothespin, the pain growing with each placement, without detaching from the pain either. A punishment was to be experienced not endured. He placed his left finger at he beginning of the line and let his right finger pad slowly but smoothly slide along the line. "The submissive is expected to adhere to all school rules, especially in regard to respect for staff members, titles for those with higher marks and respect for his peers."

Mateo kept his lips pressed together as he listened to Jamie read, wanting to just call this off. He hated this. Punishing either of his boys was the most painful thing he had to experience. "Again," he prompted, waiting until the third repeat before removing a clothespin over Jamie's rib. "Next."

Jamie was having difficulty keeping his breathing even by the third time. He was failing and even more than the clothespins that was what was hurting.  "He is also expected to wear his collar at all times to symbolize the claim his Dominant has on him. In return, his Dominant will wear a token to symbolize his devotion to his submissive i.e., a wrist band or pendant of some kind."

He slid his fingers over the band around his wrist, a cuff similar to the one he wore for Nick. Mateo swallowed hard and prompted Jamie through the repetitions, then removed the next pin from the underside of his arm. "Take a deep breath, boy. Then the next one."

He followed the instruction, but only instinctively as it was an order from his Dom. His body remained tense and stiff. His finger slid to the next line and he read, "He is expected to perform well in his classes and chosen activities, and in school-sponsored events, should he choose to participate. He may ask for input, but the choice to participate is his own."  He knew that there was so many more rules to get through and his body stung where the clips remained and burned in the places they'd been removed.

And so it went, Jamie repeating each rule three times, the clothespins coming off slowly. Each place was redder than the last when he removed it. But the lesson would stick. The punishment would stick. And they wouldn't have to do this again. Mateo could feel his throat tight, though he took a moment to clear his throat to keep his voice even as he prompted Jamie for the last rule on the list, the final pin gripping the tender skin of Jamie's stomach.

He could barely make it through the last line as his hand was trembling and couldn't stay on the braille line. When the last clothespin was pulled free, his stoicism collapsed and a small sob broke free before he could start to rebuild it.

He choked back a sob of his own, kneeling before Jamie and wrapping his arms around his boy. “It’s done. It’s over with, my love, you did so well,” he rasped into Jamie’s ear, pressing a kiss into his hair.

He wanted to accept the comfort and the praise, but something held him back. "Th...thank you Sir. I won't ever forget." His body ached and his heart was full of shame.

Mateo kissed his forehead, rubbing one hand over the unblemished skin of his back. “I know, my love. You’re my good boy, I know you are,” he murmured as he helped Jamie to his feet. “Lay down on the bed, buhito and I’ll put something on those marks,” he said quietly.

Jamie was shaky as he stood up, leaning heavily into Mateo. He lay down on the bed, feeling like he never wanted to get out of the bed again. Everything ached.

He quickly grabbed some numbing gel, slipping on a glove before beginning to ease the gel onto the angry red marks. “How does that feel?” He asked softly.

The numbing gel eased his aching body and soon the shaking muscles eased. "Better Sir." His mind was still a whirl of emotion that he couldn't seem to settle. "Thank you Sir."

Once he had applied the gel to Jamie’s skin, he set it aside and took the glove off, stretching out to lay beside the boy. Mateo lightly ran his fingers through the switch’s hair. “Tell me where your head is at, my own,” he ordered quietly.

An order he couldn't ignore and yet didn't know how to comply. "Ashamed Sir." He wanted to climb into a hole, he wanted to hide behind the walls that had been coming down brick by brick since arriving at Lima. He wanted anything other than feeling like a failure, unable to follow simple rules.

“Tell me why,” he said softly, wanting to hear it in Jamie’s own words. If he didn’t know exactly why, he couldn’t repair the shame hurting his boy’s heart - and he desperately wanted to.

"I hurt you. I behaved badly, exercised very poor judgement, and caused you harm.  I... I... " and with that the thing that had always been his strongest tool and faithful shield, his words, completely failed him. He shook his head and then turned it away from Mateo forcing his raging emotions back down. He didn't want to feel.

Reaching out, he stroked Jamie’s cheek, gently turning his face back towards him so he could see the play of emotions on his features. “You made a mistake, love. And you’ve paid for it, and you’re forgiven,” Mateo murmured, thumb touching his lip.

He knew that Mateo forgave him. His Sir would never hold this against him especially after giving a punishment. He just couldn't really forgive himself. "I know Sir. Thank you. I won't forget again."

“I know you won’t. Being forgiven though means no punishing yourself further either, love,” he murmured. “I’m the one who decides when that happens, understood?” Mateo leaned over to kiss his forehead gently. “I love you, buhito. No matter what, through any mistake. I always will.”

"I know Sir. I must hold myself to a high standard though and... and today I didn't do that." Letting go of his guilt and shame was one of the hardest things he could do. "I love you too Sir."

“We all have days like that. I’ve had many days I look back on with shame. But it just means you’re human - not that you’re any less than,” he reminded Jamie. Stretching out beside him, he pulled his boy into his arms, holding him against his chest.

He felt small in Mateo's arms, wanting the comfort and yet resisting it. "Yes Sir."  His mind kept playing and replaying not only today's mistakes but all of the mistakes he'd made. It was a spiral and he knew it, could hear his therapist describing it to him, giving him strategies for dealing with it and yet he continued on. If it were not for his Dom being there it would have been a dangerous moment.

He kissed his cheek gently. “Tell me about the latest book you’re reading, love,” he said, knowing Jamie would probably stew much like Nick did after a punishment. He had to at least try to distract from that.

"I... umm... I'm reading a book about protections for slaves under the mark codes in the modern era." He chewed on his lip. "It's interesting."

“Oh? I’ll have to look that up. Could be useful for the future considering what I’m hoping to do. What we’re hoping to do,” he amended. “Tell me about what you’ve learned so far,” Mateo encouraged gently.

What we're hoping to do. That was what this was about. "I've learned that at the moment things are fairly bleak. There are protections of course, but the way they were written are near impossible to enforce."

Mateo frowned and sighed softly. “It’s frightening to think about how they’re treated when they have done nothing to deserve it,” he mused. “I wish more people would fight for them. Not to change the system but to protect all those within it.”

"You'll change things Sir." He didn't know what part he was going to be able to play in that as a submissive, but he admired Mateo's passion and hoped he could support him.

“We will. Together,” Mateo insisted. “I don’t care about your mark. You’re so much smarter than I am, buhito. I need your wisdom to make any changes in this world.”

He shook his head. "I might use bigger words Sir, but I am most certainly not smarter. I will always help you. I want nothing more than to be by your side."

He slid his fingers over Jamie’s cheek lightly. “You underestimate yourself, love,” he said softly, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his mouth.

"You're too good to me Sir." He knew his Dom could have punished him much more harshly. Maybe if he did Matty would come around finally. He responded to the kiss in kind, not feeling deserving in that moment.

“Nope. Just as good as you deserve. And if I ever am? Youre mine and I like to spoil you.”

"Yes Sir." He wasn't about to compound his mistakes of the day by arguing with his Dom. Besides he really wanted to just trust. He knew that was what his role as a submissive was.

He let out a soft sigh. He could tell Jamie still wasn't in the best headspace, which made his chest feel hollow, considering it was his fault. But he had to punish to correct, he couldn't avoid it. Mateo kissed his forehead lightly. "Would you like some time to yourself, love?" he asked quietly, not really sure how to proceed since Jamie wasn't exactly.. opening up to him or responding to aftercare.

Jamie sighed in tandem with  Mateo and nodded. "I should do my homework, Sir. I've gotten a bit behind in a couple of classes with the move and whatnot. He felt himself continuing to fall short.

It felt wrong to let Jamie be on his own, but apparently he was just failing as a Dominant all over today. He pressed another kiss to his forehead, then got up. "All right, love, get dressed. I'll be in the master bedroom if you or Nick need me," Mateo said, trying not to sound as defeated as he felt.

"Yes Sir." As he got up he remembered the earlier conversation with his brother and visibly deflated even more. "I forgot..." He swallowed around the word that was at the heart of everything that had gone wrong today. "my brother Eli arrived yesterday. I've been invited to Sir Matthias' tomorrow evening. Would that be alright Sir?"

Mateo looked back at Jamie, his brows drawing together at the word. Was it truly forgetting, or was Jamie keeping things from him? He swallowed and tried to shove the idea out of his head. "That's fine with me, love. You know I'd never keep you from being with your family."

"I know Sir. I'm not even sure..." he ducked his head chin hitting his chest. "if I'm welcome."

He frowned a little, reaching out to tuck his fingers under Jamie's chin gently. "Why would you feel you're not welcome?" he asked, stroking his jaw lightly.

"Matty... I mean Sir Matthias doesn't respect me any more... doesn't actually seem to like me anymore, Sir." He quickly shook his head. "I'm sorry Sir. This is unbecoming of me. I don't know what is wrong with me today."

Mateo frowned deeper, confused at this turn of events. "What on earth makes you say that? You're his brother, love, why would he not like you?" He had a sinking feeling it had something to do with their claim since Matthias had made less than zero effort to actually support his brother in something that made him happy.

"I don't know Sir. I don't. He..he said I was boring. I know he isn't one to throw around compliments, but he never threw insults at me either. He stopped talking to me and.... and..." His throat closed and he could only shake his head feeling keen shame running through him. "I... I should get some homework done before Nick arrives home. Would you like us to make some dinner for you tonight My Sir?"

Boring? That was never a word he would consider matching with Jamie, and his brother was calling him that? Mateo tamped down on the urge to change his mind since clearly this relationship with his brother was turning toxic. "I'm sorry, love," he whispered, wrapping Jamie in a warm hug and kissing his cheek lightly, before stepping back to give his boy some space. "I would love that. Let me know when it's ready?"

Jamie nodded into Mateo's shoulder. "Lovely Sir. It will be nice to just have a quiet meal together.  Though I must admit I'm nothing more than a helper to Nick's culinary  genius."  There was some steady ground to be found in words. "I will let you know as soon as things are ready, Sir." He let his hand slide down the doorjamb so that he could locate his bag and nodded before leaving for the living room where he proceeded to spiral down yet again

[cryptonewsupdates]

Ripple price prediction 2018 XRP USD: Should I invest now? (Ripple News) XRP Price today - expected market cap of ripple 2025 - Ripple price prediction news - Tue Apr 10

Ripple’s (XRP) price grew by over 28,000% in 2017, leaving it the second largest cryptocurrency market cap at the start of 2018. Despite a total supply of 100 billion XRP, the coin topped US$2 by the start of 2018, giving the coin an enormous market cap.

Ripple still has some growing room left, but meteoric rises like those seen at the end of 2017 will naturally be few and far between, and it’s safe to assume that the price changes will settle into more sustainable ranges. This is especially likely for a coin like Ripple which can benefit from price stability.

With its large supply, and currently limited use, investors will want to be wary of readjustments following price rises. This is especially true for a coin like Ripple that benefits from stable pricing, and is designed more for corporate use than individual use.

Before buying Ripple, find out how it works (finder.com/ripple) and decide whether you’re in it for the long haul or a quick buck. This can help inform your decision-making going forwards.

If you’re in it for the short term, you’ll naturally want to take care to buy low. It’s also worth paying attention to upcoming hype. Ripple’s becoming a household name so getting ahead of the news can pay off.

If you’re in it for the long run you’ll need to pay close attention to the features and current applications of Ripple, and ask yourself some big questions about the future of the global economy. You should also be paying close attention to Ripple’s sister coin, the Stellar Lumen.

55 billion XRP in escrow

Despite a total supply of 100 billion coins, the Ripple company has put 55 billion XRP in escrow. These are held in place by a smart contract which releases 1 billion XRP per month over 55 months. Any unused amount will be put to the back of the queue, for release in month 56, 57 and so on.

Unlike everyday inflation, the release of these might be good news for prices. This is because they’re released to Ripple partners and other affiliates to help get them involved, let them test drive Ripple and start using it with low costs.

So rather than going to the exchanges, newly released XRP is being used to grow the its use. It’s worth keeping this in mind.

Ripple’s partnerships

Ripple is designed to facilitate international money transfers by acting as a settlement layer. Essentially, it lets people make international money transfers much faster and with minimal fees.

It’s been picked up by a range of banks and international organizations, and is mostly designed to facilitate transfers in a business setting. Individuals will likely be using Ripple indirectly through their banks, and indirectly benefiting with faster transfers and lower fees.

If XRP becomes the industry standard for international money transfers, it will still grow enormously and could conceivably top US$100 per coin.

Additional features

Ripple is more than just a transferable store of value. It also aims to offer smart contract functionality which will increase its applications considerably. Institutions will be able to use XRP for a range of different purposes.

You only need to look as far as the 55 billion XRP in escrow for an example of potential applications. Those funds are being held with Ripple’s own smart contract application.

Why Ripple investors should also pay attention to Stellar

Ripple performs an essential service, and it does it very well. So at this stage one of the only things that could derail the currency as a whole might be a continued shift towards direct peer-to-peer systems that cut Ripple and banks out of the equation.

This is where Stellar Lumens come in.

Stellar Lumens are Ripple’s sister coin. Lumens are also designed to facilitate international money transfers, and its price increase has closely mirrored Ripple’s. The main difference is that Stellar is designed for individuals to make international money transfers, or currency exchanges, directly with each other peer-to-peer.

Essentially, it lets people exchange currencies and send money overseas by trading directly and automatically with each other, and cutting banks out of the equation.

And for Ripple’s price to see major growth it needs to have banks using Ripple to conduct international transfers on behalf of individuals. While it’s still a long way off, the future of technology is increasingly based on decentralized peer-to-peer systems like Stellar, rather than centralized systems like Ripple.

This town is big enough for both Stellar and Ripple, but there’s only so much money to go around. Ripple still has plenty of growing room, but anyone in it for the long run will want to pay close attention to the news, and how the world’s changing.

Ripple XRP News Today: Ripple co-founder theoretically richer than Google co-founder

According to CNBC report, Ripple co-founder theoretically richer than Google co-founder. Ripple has significantly increased in value in the last few months. It has touched $ 3.84. At the valuation of $ 3.84, the co-founder of ripple that is Chris Larsen is actually worth the $$ 59.9 billion. This is more as compared to the co-founder of Google. This is the reason why the astronomical rise in the price of this crypto-currency has resulted in billionaires being created out of nowhere.

Ripple is designed to enable banks as well as individuals to transfer money anywhere around the world

The ripple protocol is designed to enable banks as well as individuals to transfer money anywhere around the world at the click of the button. Overall, more than 100 financial institutions are currently using the ripple protocol in order to transfer money.

Many of the banks are also trying to use the ripple protocol in order to transfer money for their clients. As the number of these clients goes on increasing, the value of ripple would also go on increasing. In the future, with the rise in the value of ripple, you can be sure that the founders are of ripple would be much more valuable as well.

Ripple is lightning fast and also it can deliver money to the recipient anywhere around the world

The truth is that the founders of ripple have actually created a product for which, the need was around for quite some period of time. If you compare it with the techniques which are used by banks as well as financial institutions to transfer money around the world, they are still pretty old and it takes between 2 to 3 days in order to transfer the money. On the other hand, when you’re speaking about the usage of the ripple, you would realize that it is lightning fast and also it can deliver money to the recipient anywhere around the world almost instantly. This is one of the main reasons why ripple is so valuable as well. The usage of ripple is increasing significantly as well.

Since touching a high of $ 3.84, ripple; however, has fallen off from those levels. It remains to be seen whether ripple is able to gain those levels again or not. One thing which is for sure is that the numbers of companies which are using the ripple protocol in order to move the money around are surely increasing. That is why it is an expectation among the investors that ripple would also be able to get new high and owing to this very reason, the ripple would be able to make its founders as well as investors richer in the future as well.

Tags: ripple xrp price prediction, investing in ripple, ripple news today, xrp news today, ripple twitter, buy ripple coin, ripple coinbase

tags:what is ripple, buy ripple, ripple price in inr, xrp price prediction, ripple xrp news, ripple coin wallet, ripple vs bitcoin

  What’s The Difference Between XRP’s Tech And Other Cryptocurrency Assets?

Spot the difference between XRP’s tech and other cryptocurrency assets.

Written on: Mar 12, 2018 –  Sometimes, it appears like there is no public support for cryptocurrency networks, but this isn’t the case: at least not exactly. It’s true that cryptocurrencies come in different forms, but they all share the same logic regarding programming, private key cryptography, and peer-to-peer networking.

So, What Makes XRP Different?

XRP was created in 2012 but has already secured $40 billion in value. Regarding market capitalization, it ranks as the third largest cryptocurrency worldwide. Ripple, the company in charge of its operations, has been able to link up some impressive partnerships for the asset successfully.

New reports have revealed that the asset, XRP, isn’t as successful as it appears. Ripple’s other financial products have contributed to its overall value. If you want to benefit from the market, learning as much as you can about the distinction between Ripple’s tech and other products (say Bitcoin and Ethereum) in the market will be helpful.

Although Ethereum, Bitcoin, and XRP trade on public exchanges, the method of operation is different. For starters, the ledger and consensus algorithm isn’t the same. XRP as a cryptocurrency runs on the XRP ledger. The difference between this cryptocurrency and others is how the system solves a common challenge. The main problem people face with an algorithm like this is the double-spend problem. Ethereum and Bitcoin solve this problem with the proof of work algorithm. However, XRP solves it with an alternative trust-based system that depends on a segment of nodes to make the ultimate decision.

The segment is referred to as Unique Node List. This system allows the blockchain to cope with a higher throughput of transactions compared to other systems that depend on the proof of work.

The development and governance, supply and token economics, and value proposition techniques all contribute to make XRP a rather exceptional product. Statistics have revealed that it will continue to rise in value as time goes on.

[laughingfuji]

White Privilege

Now, this is a bit of a difficult subject but it’s something a lot of people, a lot of white people, do not wish to acknowledge.

So I got tired of seeing the same response from either side of the issue so I thought I’d do a little research of my own. I sent out a text to some of my white male friends that said this;

“Super random - how would you explain white privilege to a white man that believes white privilege is non existent. Just trying to do research. Or perhaps maybe you also do not accept that such a thing exists? Either way, I’m gathering research so I’m eager to know. thank you”

Their responses were as follows. Names not included for obvious reasons.

Response#1

“Firstly, there exists a reverse privilege as well, doesn’t make up for racism, or white privilege, but it’s not a simple duality we observe. It’s a multifaceted issue/occurrence. For example, business and positions are required to have a certain amount of female and minority personnel on staff, not that they shouldn’t, but an argument could be made about that being a type of privilege as well, minor compared to the overwhelming white existence, but there nonetheless. I would use social stigma as an example. White guys are seen as less dangerous and less likely to be criminals than black guys. Black mother are more likely assumed to be single. When kids were polled about dolls and which ones are ‘better’ often even the minorities pick the white dolls over the ones that look like them. So tests can and have shown a certain negative stigma to being a minority. Statistics also often show an unfortunate pattern that might or might not back up certain aspects of that stigma...”

Response#2

“Think of it as how on a typical day the worst fear you have as a white male is what the hell am I going to eat for dinner or how am I going to pay a certain bill. But now, for example a black man, a race that has been seen as less than a person since they were first brought to this country, they have always have that brand on their race still even though they’re supposed to be equal. So they, with some people seeing them as less than human by some, and being stereotyped have so many more fears. Like the fear of potentially being killed just walking down the street. Unfortunately several generations apparently  isn’t enough time for people to get over their prejudices. I have recently been thinking that some memories and knowledge is passed genetically, kind of like how infants these days can pick up an iPad and have no troubles working it, because their parents had experience with it and there is a genetic evolution passed to that child with some small understanding of how these things work. Survival is easier to achieve, so this new kind of instinct is passed. And like that knowledge a lot of prejudices passed on, and reinforced by some peoples’ parents. Unfortunately not enough people rise above that genetic instinct and look at the true nature of people.”

Response#3

“Well that’s a tough on. I guess it depends on the degree of ‘privilege’. Being white doesn’t automatically grant success in life, but I definitely believe white privilege exists. I guess very basically, it’s the tendency of (mostly other white) people to be generally more trusting, friendly, accepting toward you, whether it’s dealing with cops, at work/job interviewing, or just in the general public. Like they’re automatically predisposed to liking you and respecting you even if you’ve never met before.”

Response#4

“Let me start off by saying that I think white privilege does exist. Trying to explain that to people that don’t believe in it is like talking to a brick wall. I feel that most people are too stuck in their ways and ideals and can’t be persuaded. I’m lucky to come from [Redacted] where I grew up in my early years and was able to develop relationships with people of all ethnicities. The only way for people to understand white privilege is to take them and put them [in] someone else’s ‘shoes’. I also believe that you can make something of yourself regardless of other circumstances. But I also feel the path is easier for some people. In the end I think it all depends on What kind of Upbringing people have.”

Response#5

“Instead of explaining, I tend to go the route of asking people questions like, ‘How often do you believe people of color have an apartment or job not offered to them based off someone’s impression of them from their skin color? How often do you think that happens because a person is white?’ Things like that. Just ask them their thoughts because they may not have ever had to sit and think about it.

Response#6

“It doesn’t exist. Anyone who says it does is a whiny crybaby that can’t get what they want on their own.”

Response#7

“I think it exists, yeah. Like, the only description that I have is it’s basically racism too. I know that’s not what white privilege is exactly but let’s take a look at the NEWS. Yes, in the NEWS mostly people in the NEWS is a person of color. They hardly show white people committing a crime unless it’s a cop.”

Response#8

“That’s a deep subject. I guess I feel it does exist. I don’t think I should have to go around feeling apologetic for it, or have people expecting me to acknowledge it all the time. It ties in with white guilt. I shouldn’t feel guilty that I’m white. That would imply that I have done something wrong, simply for existing. It’s like the concept of original sin. Before we are even born, we are guilty of transgressions by those that came before us. There are schools where they’re telling small children that they should be ashamed of their whiteness, and that should be held back and held down because of that. I’ve also seen videos of small children being shown dolls of black and [white] babies and asking which one is the beautiful one. They usually picked the white doll, instead of the black doll. Even the black kids picked the white doll. It’s been hammered into society as a whole. I don’t think anyone, regardless of race, creed or gender should feel bad or be told they need to feel bad because of something like that. That’s why telling people they have white privilege and they need to feel bad because of it doesn’t work. All you are doing is bringing everyone down to a lower level. We need to work harder to elevate those that are disenfranchised. Minorities, if you will. Even something as simple as hiring someone for a job, or applying for a loan or getting into a school for example. It should always be based on merit or skill or something like that. If you meet the qualifications, regardless of who you are, you should get it. Places that hire only white people or only men. That’s not right. But by the same token, only hiring someone because you need to appear more diverse, isn’t right either. The best people for the best positions. I’m a firm believer in equal chances for everyone. White privilege does exist, and the only way to work past it is to be mindful of the situations that other are in. Hell, I will even go as far as saying we have an American privilege too. We are privileged to have been born as US citizens. We have a leg up over everyone because of that. We also should be held to a higher standard. Especially on the world stage. I’m looking at you, Trump. Any-who. This is more or less gotten way off topic. I hope this helps a little bit. TL;DR white privilege exists and we need to be better about treating everyone equally.”

Response#9

“I don’t feel privileged, life deals you your cards but you have to play them to win or lose. But being around racist people you can see that they don’t like other races living in their neighborhood, statistically other races get longer prison sentences. Harder to get opportunities, but it’s what you make of it. Where I live the city spends their money in primarily white neighborhoods or in places they want other people to look at as a representation of our city. And don’t do much in the other neighborhoods. Primarily black schools in cities get less funding, white suburban schools get enough money that they overspend only to get the same amount of money or more the next year. I feel like it exists more in middle class/upper class communities. I feel like there’s a class war more than a skin color or gender privilege. Minorities have a lot of privilege too, they have schools that offer scholarships based on race, there’s schools that offer only women scholarships. There’s a million reasons why I live in the lower class and me being a white male isn’t one of them. I see both sides of the argument, in some cases I see it as a product of racism/crutch other make valid points, other times people need an excuse for why their life isn’t what they wanted. It’s a more complicated issue than just claiming white people are privileged. Racist people with the power to discriminate fuel white privilege. To anyone saying I’m privileged walk a mile in my shoes, grow up with split up parents, an alcoholic father, family who doesn’t appreciate you because you’re not successful enough, family who tells you that you’re fat. Grow up being embarrassed to bring someone to your house because your step parents are racist. I have zero white guilt,[…]. I like who I am. I feel like claiming white people have white privilege is counter productive to progressive thinking. I meet people from all over the world, I treat them [with the] same respect as anyone else. I’m [?] … I have to think about racism every time I meet someone of a different race because of the shitty racist white people in the world, social awkwardness like, “does this person hate me because I’m white”. I wish people were more comfortable in their own skin to talk about their culture and heritage instead of being scared, ashamed or offended all the time. I feel like over time when the people making laws are younger and more progressive there will be less and less of this problem. Where I live it’s a mix of all sorts of people so someone brought up somewhere where there’s primarily white people wont have the same view as someone who lives in a more diverse area.”

Response#10

“This […] –--- Short version, I pretty much try to refuse privilege of any sort. I think everyone should be equal , and talking about what makes people unequal breeds the thought that it’s still alive instead of trying to do something about it. Then again I’m white and makes it’s easy to do that. I live with the motto of trying to be friends with anyone and everyone. I would like to make brutha or black jokes with “black people” like how they do with white folks and feel comfortable because it doesn’t mean anything. I hate it when people use racist slurs in negative connotation. But I too […] which probably aren’t always funny but I think it’s funny and she wont’ always say it hurts. Again it’s hard to admit privilege when you are the privileged, and I want everyone to be equals, whatever that takes. Whites, blacks, yellow, red, purple, blue daba dee daba da, straight, gay, bi, trans, or whatever else is used now. I’m very laid back and blah blah blah. We can […] and go more in depth if you want Haha. A little longer than I expected to say but there you go.”

Response#11

“Ok so here we go. Take all this with a grain of salt. I am a white male who is in the lower middle-class. I have a little college education. I decided to work for what I have when I had the option not to. To me, white privilege is a thing in some places not all. I also believe that saying the term white privilege has a form of racism that goes along with it. In the unit I was in was 80% African American, multiple times I was passed up for promotion or re-class position when I was the more qualified individual. If I were to say the term Black privilege there would be a lot of people who would say there is no such thing. However, this is not an issue with just black and whites, there are so many other races that can say they have seen white privilege first hand. After all of that I have seen multiple instances where another race does an action and someone else of a different race does the same action it can have a negative action. I feel that I have to take a stance on the subject though. I see arguments for both sides. I tend to be on the side that says that the term white privilege is racist and causing even more of a divide. I feel that if you’re a lazy [person] it should not matter what color you are, you’re lazy and not going to go far. If you work hard then you deserve the rewards of you benefits. Some people just get things handed to them and no matter how you look at it is still just a handout. Again this ifs from a white low middle-class prior military male against the term white privilege, it’s not that much of a shocker.”

Response#12

“A person can really only understand the concept of it. Because we won’t really see the other side of it. I believe it is a thing but I also think it is not as prevalent as it was in the past.”

Response#13

“I feel that white privilege stems from racism itself. They kind of go hand in hand. I don’t believe I get some sort of privilege from being white myself, but it’s out there unfortunately. If a white, a black and a Mexican person were all applying for the same job, I believe the majority of the time the white person would get the job, even if the person wasn’t the best candidate on paper. Which again I believe stems from racism since we’re all brainwashed to see color. Black this. White this. Why can’t we see people for what they are instead of pigment of their skin. I believe with our generation we will start to see less segregation and more being together as one society. At least I hope. So in all I believe there is white privilege but it’s more a racism segregation thing. Because if you’re a white female and gay you may as well be a black person. You only win the game if you’re a white male from the US.”

So, after reading all of these wonderful responses from my friends (thank you!!!) I believe I am the one who has been educated the most. A common narrative I noticed was the fact that these white males want the division as a whole to stop. They feel bringing up the fact that white privilege exists simply causes the issue to carry on. I do see where they’re coming from; however, I do not fully agree. While yes, an issue continuously being brought up isn’t going to exactly solve the issue, it will in fact spark change. If the black men and women during segregation were to remain silent, who knows what kind of future we’d be living in today.

This was a difficult thing to do because I was fully aware I would be offending someone. Something I hate doing but I had to persist! I wanted to know more on the topic of white privilege – if white people acknowledge it exists, or why white people feel it a fallacy. I knew I would get answers from either side but their responses would never affect our relationships in any way.  People are going to have a difference of opinion but it doesn’t degrade their worth whatsoever. I know all of these men personally and every single one of them are respectable human beings that strive for an equal future for all.

I’m a firm believer in facing the issue head on – bringing light to EITHER side and hearing everyone’s voices and working TOGETHER, regardless of disagreeing, to see a better future for us all.

Thanks again, dudes.  

Lauto Luann McCaffrey

[homestuckkinsafespace]

Hey can I ask for a tarot reading about my Meulin canon please :3c? Oh! And/Or a pendulum to see if Kurloz was,,, bad? -MeuMeu

first action as mod on this blog hecc yecc!!!

for the pendulum reading: unfortunately, i was given a yes to kurloz being bad under the standard of being unkind to you and/or friends.

tarot: of course!!! i’m using the astrological spread from barbara moore’s book “tarot spreads: layouts and techniques to empower your readings” found on pages 39-41 in tandem with the homestuck deck.

First House: Self-image, personality, & what you’re driven by

Eight of Swords. This can indicate the feeling of being trapped or powerless, especially close to endings when you feel like there’s nothing to be done. Unfortunately, this indicates a generally negative self-image. You may have seen yourself as stuck close to an ending that you couldn’t have reached by any means. Generally, you were perhaps driven by the idea of resolution, getting the story you started to finish. When it comes to personality, this card can indicate being a person who was often concerned in one way or another.

Second House: Attitudes towards material possessions

Two of Wands. This can indicate contemplating things, possibly for a long time. This means that when it came to things you owned, you were likely protective of them, but knew how to bargain off or what was worth keeping for memories.

Third House: How you communicate & learn; siblings

The Lovers. As a Major Arcana card, this is a very important part of the reading, indicating that communication was an important part of your life. It means general optimism but also love in any form it manifests, romantic or otherwise. You likely communicated to others via actions that were caring, even just little things. You were willing to give those you cared about your full trust, and it’s likely they gave it back in return. This could also mean the way you communicated was likely through action, which, under the assumption you were deafened, makes sense.

Fourth House: Domestic life

King of Wands. This card is associated with the Aries sign, which could indicate closeness with a Megido, but could go any way. In this position, this card indicates the need to lighten up and be less concerned when it comes to romantic endeavours. It means you would probably bottle up your emotions for the sake of others and feel taken for granted.

Fifth House: Creativity/hobbies, fun, social life

Four of Wands. This can generally indicate communication, but is also a very good card in this house, as it can show ideas manifesting. The first thing that comes to mind is writing - something that’s in the realm of thought (as the Wands suit is based on thought) but takes a long time to develop, and is a way of communicating your feelings, directly or otherwise. Fun could have often been in the form of outings with friends. Socially, this could be an indication of arguing or stormy waters that were eventually resolved by some means.

Sixth House: Responsibilities & relationships

Five of Wands. This likely means you saw all of your friends as your responsibilities. Solving every little problem or squirmish became your problem, and you could have gotten tangled up in the issues of others because you saw it as something you had to take on to be a good friend. With relationships, this shows things taking times. Friends could have put you in the background for a long time only to later realize how dear you are to them, or other relationships could have been halted due to personal stress or things on your mind.

Seventh House: How you interact with others

Temperance. As a Major Arcana card, this is very important to the reading, and also gives clues towards the fact that other people and how you interacted with them was a very key part of yourself. With reference to the Sixth House, we can take this to mean that you often interacted with others in a way that balanced them out. You felt the need to keep the balance and make sure that nobody got out of hand so that nothing bad would happen.

Eighth House: Obligations

The Hanged Man. As a Major Arcana card, this indicates that obligations were important to you. This indicates the idea that there’s nothing to be done. You have to wait, and eventually, enlightenment will come of it. This shows that you felt the things you were obligated towards had to be solved immediately, when in reality, it was more important to step back and see the entire situation, and then make decisions or take actions.

Ninth House: Spirituality & morals

Four of Cups. This indicates being unsatisfied or feeling that there isn’t enough. You could feel unfulfilled, and you want to believe something is out there, but you’re losing hope. Generally, this means that you were not a spiritually active person. You maybe had the drive or the want to believe in some higher power, but found yourself disappointed and doubting the existence of one due to poor experiences. When it comes to morality, this could mean that you had morals that wavered a lot, mostly sticking with what felt right at the time rather than a justice system.

Tenth House: General image you project

Two of Swords. This could indicate indecision. People likely saw you as a person who was never quite sure what they believed in or didn’t know what to do all the time. However, on a different token, you were seen as a supportive friend (though perhaps gave support to others at the cost of your own wellbeing). You were seen as an emotional person, but that isn’t necessarily negative so much as it means that others found you hard to read.

Eleventh House: Friendships & goals

The Empress. As a Major Arcana card, this means friendships and the hopes you hold close to you were important, even if in the Ninth House it shows that the latter could have been let go of several times. Most likely, your friendships are the most important part of this house. This is a positive card as it indicates friendships full of life and support. You knew how to keep a friendship stable and hold onto others while also letting them hold onto you. Despite any other troubles, those who you held dearest knew it, and you (hopefully) were able to know just how much they cared for you too.

Twelfth House: Inner self

Wheel of Fortune. As a Major Arcana card, this shows that who you were inside was a strong foundation of yourself. This makes sense, because with all the chaos of other people, concern, and not knowing what you believe, the person you can always anchor back down to is yourself. This indicates change, typically for the better. However, this change is unforeseen, and can at first be seen as a bad thing. This shows that in the face of adversity, you were often determined to hold onto who you are and try to take some lesson from it.

Overall

This reading has a lot of Wand cards, showing activity in the realm of thought.

(- mod john)