#learning the rules when they're no longer applicable

[myersesque]

i'm terrible at social cues but i'm Really Fucking Good at doing things and then realising immediately afterwards that it was a mistake lmao

[mahvaladara]

THE BOLD THE FACTS tag

Wanted to do it for Fannar.

Rules: Bold the Facts

[ PERSONAL]

$ Financial: wealthy (Their parents are pretty wealthy and they know they can turn to them. They are a doctor and not overly spending so they have a moderate income and savings) / moderate () / poor / in poverty ✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable (By defualt Fannar is pretty healthy, but they health plummets when Arlo isn't well due to their shared heart, so he is prone to developing anemia is response to Arlo's own frailty). ✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other ✔ Education: qualified (Has a degree in general medicine and family health) / unqualified / studying / other ✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed

[ FAMILY]

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children ◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s)/ not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased ◔ Affiliation: orphaned / adopted / disowned / raised by birth parent / not applicable

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between ♦ disorganized / organized / in between ♦ close minded / open-minded / in between ♦ calm (they do have PTSD but by defualt they're pretty calm) / anxious / in between ♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between ♦ cautious / reckless / in between ♦ patient / impatient / in between ♦ outspoken / reserved (they're pretty quiet) / in between ♦ leader (they weren't always, but have developed a more leadership personality) / follower / in between ♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in between ♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between ♦traditional / modern / in between ♦ hard-working / lazy / in between ♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown ♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown ♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ BELIEFS]

★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist / agnostic / none ☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care ✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious ❀ Philosophical: yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual ❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless  ♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable /naive and clueless / romance suspicious ❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced (their only one has been Arlo and they have been learning from one another) / curious ⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male/ female / agender / other(Arlo) / none / all ⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male/female / agender / other(Arlo)/ none / all

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good (in my game, they're either painting or hitting the combat dummy, so they can hold themselves well in a fight currently) / moderate / poor / none ≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate/ poor / none ✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good (they're a great painter, but their calligraphy is shit) / moderate / poor / none ✂ Technical Skills: excellent (medicine, pharmacy and handiness) / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes (likes a glass of nectar) / frequently / Alcoholic ☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / Chain-smoker ✿ Recreational Drugs: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict ✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed (ansiolitics) / frequently / to excess 👀 Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes (They're very mindful of what they eat, but do enjoy soul food every now and then) / frequently / binge eater $ Splurge Spending: never  / sometimes / frequently (they like buying gifts for Arlo, and binge buy a lot of writing and painting material) / shopaholic ♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler

[duckprintspress]

Hi! I’m preparing a sample of my writing for the application and am REALLY excited. How exact are your limits on word count? I’ve been workshopping a piece of writing and have it down to 1580 words, but can get it down further if need be.

Also, you say that the writing sample can be part of a larger project. Part of my sample has references to the larger work it’s part of. Can I add a small explanation of what’s going on in the larger story?

Hi anon! Yay, we're excited too, we love hearing that people are considering applying!

To answer your questions:

For a small peek behind the curtain...in the past, when people have been up to 25 words over our limit, we've let it go (so, up to 1,525). Basically, we allow about a sentence of wiggle. Once it's more than that, it adds enough that we feel it's unfair to other applicants (like, 80 words over is 5% more length than all the other applicants get...that's a lot!). When this happens, the person who does our anonymization ( @ramblingandpie ) deletes every word over 1,500. We have absolutely read submissions that ended mid-sentence. We've even accepted applicants whose stories ended mid-sentence! Still, I'd definitely recommend that you try to get it down more if you think those 80 words over 1500 are important.

We'd rather you not include a small explanation; it's in our rules that the piece has to function as understandable outside of other context (such as fandom-specific knowledge or knowledge of a specific 'verse), and we're more interested in seeing how you write than learning about the (surely super cool!!!) longer story that you wrote. If your sample won't be understandable with that additional explanation, it's probably not a great choice to send to us. If you're not sure if it'll be okay, I'd recommend asking a fellow writer you're friendly with who is unfamiliar with the original work to read it. If they understand without the additional explanation, you're good to go! If they don't...you might have an issue.

I hope that all helps! I feel like they're kinda downer answers, I'm sorry. *sweat drop*

-unforth

[cipherwrites]

Everyone has a superpower. Some people can fly, some people can control an elemental force itself. Me? I nullify things.

It wasn't too useful at first. All I could use it on was sound. As a kid, it was appreciated, at least. When you can quiet down a bunch of screaming kids by muting them, the teachers really start appreciating you. But as I got older, people liked me less and less. Because even if I could quiet people down, what use was that? That's not the kind of power that can actually help people. I spent my life chasing the high of approval I had back then...

One day, something strange happened. Someone's power had gone a bit haywire- they had the power to summon fireworks or something- and one of these fireworks was just running wild through the school and not exploding. In a panic, I focused my power around it when it came to me, and it just...stopped. The light grew darker, it dwindled away, before it stopped existing. My power...it could do more! I was so excited...but then, all that changed was people using me like a glorified garbage disposal. I had to get rid of my "friends'" constructs (as we called them) without them having to put in the effort.

When I graduated, nothing changed. I was still a laughing stock, the girl with the useless superpower. I tried to make up for it. I pulled up old books, from before the Mass Mutation. I taught myself how to fight, martial arts and more...but what good is martial arts when some people have the power to use them flawlessly?

I had had enough...so I began practicing. Training. I wanted to see the full extent of my power, to see what I was capable of, to prove them all wrong! And you know what? I found my answer.

First, I discovered I could nullify anything. Even pain. I could exercise for hours on end, and without feeling the pain, I could get stronger faster...granted, it also meant I slept for longer while my body got used to the stress, but I'm making it work.

Secondly, I can use my power on other people, other than muting them. I can't make them vanish or shrink or anything like that, I can temporarily nullify their minds. Prone to suggestion. It's kind of like hypnosis.

It was only when I discovered the third application of my power that I decided to take to the streets. I walked right into the bank and used my power on the clerk woman without a second thought. Under my suggestion, she led me right to the vault without resistance. I made her help me load some satchels up, and the cameras and silent alarms have gone off- just what I wanted.

No one uses guns in this world. No one carries weapons. Not unless they're directly linked to their power, and law enforcement mainly consists of people with pretty offensive weapons. The officers came forward. I saw some wielding fire, some posing in martial arts stances like a movie, and some did have guns of some kind- just with bullets of energy that they conjure up. I reveled in the fact that they were all helpless to me.

Because the third application of my power lets me nullify superpowers. With a wave of my hand, they were all normal people. And as the only one who bothered to learn something like martial arts, I destroyed anyone who stood to me and walked away. The nullification isn't permanent...

Not yet.

But the superpowered have ruled this world for too long. The rare folks born without powers are called "crippled" and treated as second-class citizens. People like my parents. It's time for a change. My change.

They all laughed at my useless power...

Well, who's laughing now?

You have a completely useless superpower in a world full of amazing superpowers. You have been a laughing-stock for years, until you started using your powers for evil… nobody is laughing now.

[d0llqueen]

Unprompted personal rant,

I hate rote memorization as a learning method

I'm 28 with a full time job but I still remember when in school I got to the point where I could no longer take the time to understand material because there was too much to stay caught up

If I understood a math formula and what it DID or the movements leading up to a historical event or how the parts of an orgainism worked together I didn't need to memorize much because I could always logic out the answer

Then I started falling behind because of how little time we had to get through a lot of material and it got to the point where cramming what I needed to pass what test came up in each class then move on & prep for the next one was the only way to survive.

Some kids had been doing this for years and I had to scramble to get into the habit but it kinda felt like giving up a bit

Anyway at my job now over a decade later I'm constantly called by my boss & peers to fix problems because I can come to solutions much faster.

Our computer system sucks and I probably have like 50 little rules now to know to make everything work.

When a new problem comes I'm usually the one to solve it because I read the prompts and interpret them with what I already know.

When a customer has a problem I understand the laws, our system, & our limits, so I usually find if not a solution an actionable task to move things along.

I'm CONSTANTLY explaining my actions & logic to my boss and peers. They are smart people! My bosses have done WAY more school than me & I'm not nearly qualified to do their job!

But sometimes I get frustrated because if they READ WHAT THE COMPUTER SCREEN IS SAYING AND COMPREHENDED IT THEY SHOULDN'T NEED ME TO DROP WHAT I'M DOING TO FIX IT

I'm pretty sure they're too stressed to listen when I walk them through it AGAIN or embarassed. I don't think they're not listening per se, but I suspect the only thing they try to retain is one of the special little rules and not the logic of "this says X, go to Y, then apply Z". Like, they half remember "apply Z". When it happens again all they remember is that they apply something but they have a bank of a dozen similar things and they can't recall what.

Like, asking for help is better than screwing someone over BUT COME ON

I remember one time that sticks out in college where we were going over a simple algebra problem & I was walking through it for someone who didn't get it.

Instead of listening to my explanation my classmate was trying to find what SHE did wrong. This isn't nessecarily a bad method if it leads to understanding. It did not. It got to the point where I was about to explain how division worked because she just kept saying she didn't get it. I know she isn't dumb. I also know me continuing to explain & simplify wasn't going to get us anywhere.

I'm feeling a lot of the same frustration now. It's not enough for me to memorize the answer. Knowing the answer to me means understanding at least to some degree how we got there.

On a similar note when talking to customers, I hate using terms I KNOW a layperson wouldn't fully know. Understanding the concept & explaing it properly when speaking is part of professionalism imo. So often though my coworkers will say "just do X". Customer will respond "I already did Y". And coworker will just repeat "No, just do X" instead of attempting to actually communicate.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH

This does not save time! You save so much time by being concise! You can only MAKE your phrasing concise IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT BOTH PARTIES ARE TRYING TO COMMUNICATE

WHICH REQUIRES CRITICAL THINKING AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE

[aboxthecolourofheartache]

how about 39+124 with shadowgast for the non-sexual intimacy writing prompts? feel free to use only one of the prompts if they don't work together (but this seems like a prolific combo for them ;) ) ♥ thanks, love your writing!

oh god oh no an honest conversation??? 😂 They're doomed. I have actually posted this snippet elsewhere, but this prompt seemed like the perfect opportunity to share it here. Please enjoy Honesty Hour feat. Touch-Starvation?

(I don't think there are any obvious applicable cws, but if someone catches one, please let me know and I'll tag it!)

They learn each other slowly, backwards, reverse engineering the normal progression of mutual interest. Two geniuses; of course thorough study follows a grand discovery.

Essek knows Caleb habitually dodges left before he learns that Caleb hates the texture of wool on bare skin. Caleb knows that Essek will go stone still when there is someone in his blindspot, ears swivelling, before he learns that Essek has slightly better than average darkvision for a drow.

“Only two yards or so.” Essek shrugs, as if naturally being able to see 126 feet into pitch darkness is a quirk. Those extra yards are, for a drow, a bit like being able to roll your tongue. “At that distance, it is movement that catches the eye. Grey moving across different grey. Colors are muted or absent altogether.”

Caleb hums a note of interest. “One of my schoolmates could not see red or green. He said my hair was a muddy grey brown.”

“Colorblindness is frequent among my people. I struggle discerning shades of green.” Essek glances at him, a silver minnow flicker in a dark pool. “But I see red very well.”

Caleb can barely make out the lines of Essek’s face in the dimness. He had entered the study off the library under the assumption it was empty. Essek had been reading comfortably in the corner chair by the light of a few glowing beetles escaped from Caduceus’ room. Caleb dropped a stack of books on the coffee table next to the sofa, making Essek jump and giving them both a scare.

“Were you planning to trance here?” Caleb asks, because old habits die hard. He tosses a few globes of light into the air, evening the playing field, just in time to see the last flash of Essek’s wicked, knowing smile. He meets Caleb’s eyes, exchanging a spark, and closes his book. Caleb threw a volatile question into the ring apropos of nothing, and they both know the rules of that game.

“Am I answering my host or my friend?” Essek asks.

In another life, Caleb would fasten onto the quick, unconscious emphasis to ‘friend.’ It costs Essek something to say it every time, doling out the coin of his insecurities and vulnerabilities in the only currency of value that changes hands in their world. Essek spends a fortune like it’s pocket change.

Caleb’s lights turn his white hair to pale gold.

Like a fairytale, it will revert to white salt in the morning.

Trust, too, is coin, and Caleb decides he is too long a miser.

“Your friend.”

Essek is too well disciplined to drop his jaw open, but he pulls his head back and beetles his brow, which is the same thing. Caleb has him totally wrong-footed by validating his claim, and that is… sad.

“I designed this tower to keep my friends safe in comfort. You are a friend,” Caleb assures him.

Silence from the man in the corner chair. Then, testing the bridge over the chasm: “...Your friend.”

It’s a question posed as a statement. Caleb rifles through what little he knows about Undercommon, wondering if there is a grammatical hang-up somewhere or if Essek has really assumed he was tolerated here on nothing more than Caleb’s polite forbearance all these weeks. The longer the pause, the more mild and pleasant Essek’s face becomes, like the Shadowhand’s mask-like smile lives in his bones and emerges from the marrow.

Before Essek shutters completely, Caleb forces the truth between reluctant lips and says, “My friend, ja.”

Silence again, this time scrutinizing, not nervous. It fades into meek happiness. This, from an arcanist who sold his nation’s literal souls for a dipperful of water out of the well of knowledge, even knowing the well was poisoned. For someone so cautious, Essek’s calculated risks are monumentally self-destructive. No wonder he is cashing out bites of his heart at the end of the world.

“Were you planning to trance here?” Caleb asks again, trying to make it a teasing question.

“Ah.” Essek worries sheepishness and shame between his fingers. “Yes, actually.”

Caleb’s brow furrows as he thinks. “Should I change anything about your rooms?”

Essek huffs a self-deprecating laugh. “It sounds so ungrateful, but this space feels… I’m not sure. Occupied? That is not the word.”

“Lived in?” Caleb supplies, already mentally adding wear to the plush carpets of Essek’s suite, tarnished door handles, some of Luc’s scribbles at halfling-child height on the walls, visible cat pathways, and the like.

“Yes! That's it. I....” Essek trails off. He deliberates, mutters as if admitting something taboo. “Luxurious solitude holds less appeal than it used to.”

“I understand,” says Caleb. “I want you to feel comfortable in the tower.” He smiles, knowing Essek probably needs the reinforcement of expression with the words.

The spark when their eyes meet again would be strong enough to restart a heart.

Caleb feels the change tipping towards something warmer and makes a gamble. “Can I do anything to make you more comfortable right now?”

Essek would not have survived so long in court if he couldn’t identify flirting. He smirks in coy appreciation even as his eyes express something very different. Sitting cross-legged on the big corner armchair, Essek unfolds himself, puts his feet on the floor, and perches forward on the chair leaning steeply towards Caleb. He scours Caleb with a searching look yet again.

“Yes,” he says, at last, with the beautifully synthetic confidence of the terrified. He stands and comes to sit on the far end of the sofa from Caleb, which is not what Caleb was expecting. Caleb had hopes for a lapful of elf, but, then again, they are still struggling to make eye contact for longer than a second. Essek leans forward earnestly as he did before. “But I have a question for you, first.”

Frost rimes the edges of Caleb’s heart. “Do you now.”

“No! I- yes.” Essek steeples his fingers and presses them against his lips. Caleb thaws as he watches Essek struggle to ask his question. His head snaps up, silver eyes narrowed. “Promise you will not mock me for this.”

Caleb’s eyebrows rise, but he holds up his right hand. “I promise, if it is that important to you.”

All in a rush, with barely contained shame, Essek shoves the words towards Caleb. “How does a person ask for touch?”

Essek’s teeth snap shut.

Caleb’s heart breaks a little more.

Some of Essek’s mask slams into place like a reflexive portcullis, and Caleb doesn’t begrudge him that retreat.

Essek continues, more academic. “I have tried replicating the body language that prompted you to take my arm, but that hasn’t worked. Jester is generous with hugs, but those are typically a greeting or by her whim. Caduceus would be so kind about this I couldn’t bear to ask him. And I am not about to walk up behind you and slap your ass, so that rules out Veth, Beau, and Yasha as examples. Yes, I know the word ‘ass,’” says Essek when Caleb makes an undignified little choking sound. “That leaves Fjord, who is… gentle and strong in a way I certainly am not.”

Caleb does not laugh, thus clearing the easiest of bars. “You always flinch,” he explains gently. “I assumed you would rather not be touched.”

“Of course I flinch,” Essek snaps, but at himself and not at Caleb. “It feels like- like…I do not know what it feels like.”

Caleb remembers what it feels like. Years by himself, slinking through towns like a kicked dog, and the decade of nothing preceding; working up the nerve to hold Veth’s small, green hand felt more monumental than his escape from Vergessen in the moment.

Searching for a baseline, Caleb asks, “When Jester hugged you, that day when you gave us the house-“

“That was the most willing personal contact I made in more than fifty years.” Essek’s words drop like a sandbag into the space between them.

“Well,” says Caleb, recovering. “No time like the present. May I?”

Essek nods, face tight. But, as Caleb reaches forward, Essek watches his hand as he would watch a snake and stiffens in something that looks like dread. Caleb pulls back, considers. “What about the reverse? Come closer, please?”

Essek creeps forward.

“You start,” Caleb encourages. “Do what feels natural, ja? I will say stop if you do anything I don’t want you doing. Though, uh, please stay above the belt.”

Essek turns a charming shade of plum. “I wouldn’t dream—“

“You can dream,” says Caleb, honestly, earnestly. “You can dream, if you like. I know I do.”

Essek almost glows with embarrassment, but now that they have acknowledged the mammoth in the room, he regains some of his archness. “I… would encourage you to dream,” he says, a quiet but delicious note of confidence in ‘encourage.’

“Good, because I intend to do so. We could—“

“—compare notes?” Essek asks, grimacing. “Caleb, that’s dreadful.”

Caleb just grins, and Essek’s hand comes up of its own volition to touch the corner of his mouth. Essek hovers there, but when he is not rebuffed, he traces his fingertip along Caleb’s cheekbone. Caleb is as patient as a stone and as taut as a bowstring under his hands. Dark fingers ghost Caleb’s hairline, press a little more firmly into the texture of his beard, smooth featherlight over the thin skin below his eyes, the long, strong line of his nose, tickle the rounded, pink shell of his ears.

By the time Essek is brave enough to lay the pad of his thumb on Caleb’s lower lip, he is also wild-eyed and half-ready to bolt. Caleb telegraphs every movement, takes Essek’s hand, and transfers it to his collarbone.

“Come here?” Caleb asks, lifting his arm to create an inviting place at his side. Glaciers move faster. Essek fights himself every step of the way.

But once he is sitting with Caleb’s arm around his shoulders, a barricade of inhibitions collapses. Essek tucks his legs up and curls against Caleb’s side. Caleb’s hopes for a lapful of elf continue unfulfilled, but perhaps this cat-curl of trembling elf with his cheek on Caleb’s chest is better. Essek has a fistful of itchy wool sweater.

“Sorry about the wool. It’s so warm with a shirt underneath, but it can’t be comfortable.” Caleb wants to play with Essek’s hair, but refrains.

Essek only clutches the sweater tighter, and Caleb smiles.

[you-stand-corrected]

So, you'd rather kill yourself than be informed. That tracks. You mentioned the Dunning-Krueger Effect because you're suffering from it yourself, and you assume that I am, too. The fact that I know what it means and you don't means that you're projecting your ignorance onto me. And failing.

No, I actually didn't say that. It was never at any point even remotely implied indirectly. What I did say is that Nazism is an idea that isn't potent anymore. And for good reason, having been beaten into the ground ~80 years ago. No, what makes it "seem" like I "support" Nazism is your delusional (non)arguments made against a caricature you have of me already prebuilt in your head. I made it emphatically clear that there is zero difference between fascists and communists: the practical application of both ends with a whole lot of dead people. Communists have been around a lot longer, and have been able to do a whole lot more damage. Maybe if you don't want to seem like an absolute fucking retard, don't maliciously and aggressively misinterpret what's being said to you on fucking purpose. America isn't a democracy and never has been. Democracy isn't freedom, either. It's 50+1 mob rule. Simple as.

Commies stormed through Europe committing ALL of the same crimes the Nazis did, on a larger scale. The Soviets killed 62 million of their own, including 12 million Ukrainians. Communism is only "better" than Nazism at killing more innocent people, which still continues to this day. There is zero practical difference in the outcomes of a fascist or communist regime that comes to power.

Antifa again? Okay, let’s assume that you are right. You’re not, but we’ll just pretend you are. Let’s pretend that they’re all god hating communists who want to gay-ifiy your children specifically, and just shit all over the constitution. That doesn’t matter. Antifa is not an anarchist group. They are just anti fascist. Anarchists could be anti fascist. Or communists could be anti fascist. The only people who can’t be Anti-fascist, are actual fascists.

I am right about AntiFa. It's not assumption, but a fact. Communists also either expelled, forcibly converted, or executed gays as "sexual deviants", by the way. Not that you'd know that. AntiFa claims it's an "anarchist" group, just by their flag. Anarchism and communism are fundamentally irreconcilable and incompatible. They're wanna-be dictators with a chip on their collective shoulder.

The rindersteaks were incontrovertible proof of how similar the groups were to be effectively interchangeable. The only reason why people stopped switching sides was because one side was eventually physically wiped out.

You are fucking stupid. That's a political compass of someone's malformed opinions on where political groups fall on a political compass. I highly doubt you've ever even laid your own eyes on a self-described conservative, let alone actually sat down and really talked to one, because they're not "far-right" as a general rule. Communism has all of the same features of fascism: total power concentrated into the hands of tiny ruling party which treats everyone else below like cannon fodder and disposable cogs in a machine.

They are, again, on the same side of the political spectrum. You need to get that through your thick fucking skull, you fucking hunch-backed cromagnun.

The micharaterization here is this false narrative of a "trans genocide", which by any definition is absolutely not what's going on here. Because when you say that there is, you are lying.

The only media mischaracterization is the media pretending that the laws being passed in respect to trans people are not genocide. Because when they say that, they are lying. We will compare trans people to the minorities the Nazis tried to erase.

1. Women generally should not be in the men's bathroom and vice-versa. We all learned this in fucking kindergarten. There are situations where it could be necessary, such as a mom or dad taking their opposite-gendered child into a bathroom, for instance. Trans people are not required, will not be required, and cannot be required to wear anything identifying them as such. 

2. Certain trans SLACKtivists are being called immoral. Like those pushing chemical transition and puberty blockers onto pre-pubescent children. It's not a blanket statement.

3. No, they're actually not. It was mostly caused by bad monetary policy over a very long time period as well as the illegal and counterproductive lockdowns. WW1 was also caused by bad foreign and domestic policy.

Those are asinine and factually untrue comparisons. So, yes, I get the message: you know nothing. Trans people are not morally or legally being obligated out of existence, either. That's what obvious. You have absolutely been corrupted by the media, which has totally fucked up your pattern recognition into seeing things that are simply not fucking there. There was no attempted coup, either. Even the institutionally-corrupt FBI said there wasn't. Twice. As a matter of fact, the recently release Durham report outlines a soft coup against Drumpf. Also fuck Biden and the liberal party who are every bit as bad, but in different ways. There's a reason why you don't like these laws alright, it's because you were told not to and you don't question the media's narrative surrounding them.

Both are authoritarian, and they're both quite radical. They're on the same end. They're the same philosophically and operationally, just used different methods and reasons for targeting groups they felt threatened their control. They are absolutely philosophical concepts.

If you came back knowing at least as much as I do, you wouldn't be arguing with me at all. I know I'm smarter than you, and you're reaching IMAX levels of projection. You don't want to be shown how ignorant you are. You learned the phrase Dunning-Kreuger Effect and haven't stopped misapplying it. If you rose to my level, you'd be looking down on the whole Milky Way galaxy. If you rose up to my level, you'd be somewhere above average. And now you think that because you're dirty, you assume that I'm dirty, too. Predictable as the next sunrise.

Antifa literally fought against the nazis

They literally didn’t but it’s cute you think so.

Anyway, nazism is just an idea 🙃

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Trickster: an Ethari theory

I've had yea many Ethari headcanons, and I hope I live to have yea many more. Most of them are probably wrong, or incomplete at best. But boy are they fun.

I love to wonder what Ethari will really be like in canon when we get to know him for more than 3 minutes, but whoever he really is on his own, he will have an effect on Runaan , Rayla, and everyone who loves him, because they love him.

The first headcanon I can remember having for "Tinker" was that he could be like Leonardo da Vinci: a genius, creative, surrounded by beautiful ideas given shape by his hands, but also capable of creating deadly weapons, enchantments, and devices with equal beauty, and perhaps not really seeing where the line between them was. It was fun, but Ethari has ended up far softer than my headcanon, and I love and support him in his softness!

After a nice string of Ethari headcanons, this year I've started poking at the Trickster archetype and seeing if it applies to him. And I think it absolutely does!

Tricksters often seem like Chaos. But they're not. They're just Difference. "Chaos" is subjective. Like the "divergent" in "neurodivergent." Who says? Divergent from what, exactly? Perspective matters, and Tricksters have a very broad take on things which allows them to think outside any box people might try to invite them into.

My enjoyment of Loki has brought all kinds of ideas to my dash with the arrival of the Loki show. I've got a copy of the Edda, and I highlighted the hell out of it a couple of years ago as I searched for the roots of Loki's origin story. (It's truly fascinating reading and the symbolic language hidden inside their poetry is dazzlingly amazing and I'm super using it sometime just so you know)

Loki is a Trickster, and he's far from alone in myth and legend. Anansi, Coyote, and Sun Wukong are some you may have heard of. Aaravos is another, of course. Tricksters can be called upon to lend aid and wisdom when the rules don't have an answer for some extraordinary circumstance which the Trickster's people find themselves in. But that's not because they are truly outside the rule of order. They are actually a part of it. They are the catch-all for when the everyday ordinary rules fail people, and something "unthinkable"--in the literal sense--might just hold the answer.

This post crossed my dash today, and something finally clicked in my head, and all of this coalesced from what felt like separate places. But they're not separate, not anymore! Serotonin, baby. It's basically upped my headcanon to a full-blown theory.

What caught my eye was an answer to why Ethari's clothing is so determinedly asymmetrical, compared to Runaan's specifically, but Moonshadows in general. It's because of this:

Long protective sleeves below patterns on shoulders. A high collar paired with a bright and noticeable swoop around the neck. Fine detailing and graceful taste. Asymmetrical tunic point on the left, below broad strappy leather. Knee high boots with stylish protective gaiters.

And let's not forget the curling horns! In some comics, Loki has a broken horn. So does Ethari.

Yes, there is a lot of similarity here, but I'm not focused so much on the visuals as the reason they were chosen. Feel free to consider other aspects of Ethari's personality and how they might be similar to certain parts of Loki's. I did! But I wouldn't be me if I didn't go deeper than that.

My favorite book in the universe (so far) is Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, and one of the many reasons why is because of her pantheon. It holds five gods, represented by a hand: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, and Bastard. The first four all have their roles and places. The Bastard--the thumb--inherits everything else. He is the god of all things that do not belong to any other gods, and that includes self-sacrificing vengeance and queerness. He is a Trickster, and his influence on Cazaril's life is far deeper than at first glance. Chaos has its place. It belongs, and so do the Tricksters who engender it. God, I love this book. Please read it if you haven't. Bujold's work is amazing.

If you've seen or read any version of MDZS/Untamed, you know that Wei WuXian is a trickster. Competent and badass in battle, but playful and teasing to the point where sometimes even he isn't sure what he truly wants, he can bring a massive amount of power and focus when he wants to. It's always a matter of "but is it important to me?"

I love WWX so much. The Trickster vibe is very apparent in his character, and in a way you just don't get in Western media. We see him on his own, and we see him with family and loved ones. And he's always feeling something so intensely! He's driven by his emotions, for good or ill. He vibes with chaos, and he will create it if it doesn't exist yet. But he will also create family from nothing, and that's something you don't see enough of! WWX is a Trickster with an emotional preference for joy.

In TDP, Ethari doesn't have a lot of lore yet. It's being Moonshadowed because spoilers for future seasons, and I respect that. The longer the wait for S4, the more ideas I will just amuse myself with in the meantime--and yeah, this is one of them, so what? :))) But we do know a little about him.

He loves music. He loves to read. He leaves his mark on things in swirly form. He works very hard, even through headaches, because what he's doing is that important to him, even though he would much rather be making jewelry. He loves taking the time to polish rough stones into brilliant jewels, and he adores big pretty flowers and had them at his wedding.

Ethari has a temper, but he also loves puns. The weapons he crafts are exquisite: "light, elegant, strong, and clever." And he knew darn well that Runaan was trying to flirt with him, but why return a sentiment he may or may not feel yet when he can play with the overly earnest assassin just a little bit first?

Okay, just... A "simple craftsman" deciding that it's going to be fun to toy for a bit with a broody assassin's feelings? Would you risk that? Ethari got balls the size of the moon, and a brain to match. When he has to make weaponry, he does not half-ass it. Ethari's stabby creations nearly have a life of their own. His creations are literally called "trick weapons." This elf is a lot, okay. And it's possible that he doesn't even know how "a lot" he is. Yet.

We're meeting Ethari after he's found something that is, in fact, genuinely important to him: Runaan, and Rayla, and Laindrin too. Ethari has found a relatively stable place to settle and find a role to adopt. I say adopt, though, because making weaponry for his loved ones is not what he grew up wanting to do. It's what he had to do to keep them safe, once he found a place to bestow his heart.

But in the show, Ethari has lost his family, one by one. First Lain and Tiadrin, ghosted. Then Runaan, supposedly fallen on his mission. Then Rayla, ghosted for abandoning Runaan. He and Rayla have reconnected now, but the rest of his family is still out of his reach. If Rayla has indeed told him, by S4, what she learned at the Moonhenge in TTM, then Ethari may parallel Rayla's journey to seek answers. But even if he doesn't know yet, and gets pulled into some other story arc first, we will be seeing Ethari without his family.

Remember the ATLA episode "Zuko Alone"? Consider: "Ethari Alone."

Ethari has chosen, for love, to fit himself into a box that wasn't of his own making. And now that box has broken. His family doesn't need him to be their craftsman anymore. Perhaps others will need him to be other things to them. Or perhaps he will know that his family does need him, but to be far more than just a maker of pretty swords. A rescuer, perhaps. A healer, a guide? An avenger?

A trickster. Capable of taking many shapes, because he understands them all. Ethari works with form and function. If he needs to transform himself, he will.

That's what Tricksters do. It's delightfully queer and delightfully neurodivergent. Ancient peoples accepted and revered the different among them and actively sought their help with things they themselves struggled with.

Tricksters are Difference. Sometimes that manifests as chaos, sometimes as genius. But if you do not love and appreciate your chaos, it will absolutely turn on you. Wei Wuxian did. Loki certainly has, many times. Perhaps Aaravos is doing so as well.

I cannot wait to see what Ethari does with his difference. I have something very specific that I hope he goes and breaks.

All this from a picture of Tom Hiddleston in his Avengers 1 Loki costume? Yeah. Because Ethari was designed to wear asymmetrical clothing, in a Moonshadow culture that prides itself on balance. Sure, there are some other Moonshadows who wear this or that asymmetrical item, and I do love to see it. But Ethari has the most asymmetrical lines of them all. The meta glee I feel knowing that Moonshadow elves are designed to hold many layers of meaning in their appearances--that the writers, creators, and character designers just flexed with them--is truly a delight.

Ethari is asymmetrical. The full and practical application of that is a glass casket, and I hope it becomes a gift that keeps on giving, because boy do I want to keep receiving it. But right now, I'm genuinely seeing evidence of the Trickster archetype in him. And I really hope it gets to come out and play.

[taehoons-taekwondoblog]

Results

Boyfriend application quiz? Haha, you're fooled. Those are the questions asked randomly in a black belt test. Oral examination is graded by the grand master himself - Seong Hansoo. Students who possesses enough maturity to answer the questions can get their black belts. The youngest in my dojang is 13. 

I'm gonna pretend to be dad and grade your answers. 

Question 1: How is the spirit of martial arts applied to Taekwondo?

Anon: Moral compass and discipline are the spirit of martial arts. 

Comments: But what kind of moral compass? The good? The evil? What kind of discipline taught in Taekwondo? Strict or lenient? 5/10

Hobin: Discipline, mindfulness, perseverance, and muscles. Lifestyle and moral code. 

Comments: I like how you mentioned the Five Tenets. Yes, they're the best examples in Taekwondo. 7/10

Yeonwoo: The meaning behind the word Taekwondo, its origin was mentioned in addition to the Five Tenets. 

Comments: I like how you talked a bit about the history of Taekwondo, but I think you were being smug. I'd give you a 7 but dad would probably give you an 8. 8/10 

Question 2: How would you use Taekwondo when you achieved a black belt?

Anon: Self-defense and also self discipline. Learn more if becomes fond of Taekwondo. 

Comments: Dude, you must love Taekwondo enough to get a black belt. Reaching that point isn't easy. What do you mean “if"? 6/10

Hobin: Not sure how to use it. Wouldn't mind teaching others. 

Comments: What do you mean “not sure"? Come on man! At least you want to help me with the teaching. Good! 8/10

Yeonwoo: Learn more and more, until no longer can learn. Help others. 

Comments: Typical nerd answer. 8/10

Question 3: What are most important things to consider in Taekwondo sparring?

Anon: Wear protective gear.

Comments: Not even close. ITF Taekwondo's sparring doesn't need protective gears (sometimes). Disappointing. 0/10  

Hobin: Rules, capabilities, and just sparring mindset, not a street fight.

Comments: Talking like a true fighter. I like that. 10/10

Yeonwoo: Safety, respect and honour. 

Comments: Talking like a fucking nerd. I also like that. 10/10

Question 4: Stances, blocks, kicks, strikes and punches, which is/are the most essential for beginners to grasp?

Anon: Rear foot, front kick, side kick.

Comments: Clearly you didn't read my Taekwondo lessons. 0/10

Hobin: Stances.

Comments: You're right. Dad and I teach the kids stances first. But not enough. 6/10

Yeonwoo: All of them. 

Comments: I have to give it to you, dweeb. You must've taught students before, amirite? You used your advantages correctly. 10/10

Question 5: What do you think of this quote? Support the answer with your knowledge and experience.

Anon: Helping someone learn something and seeing them thrive is truly wonderful. 

Comments: Ok, I'll give you that. You have the spirit to become a Taekwondo instructor. 9/10 

Hobin: I don't think I can expect just "nothing" in return. I help because it benefits me. 

Comments: I like your answer but dad wouldn't like it. We share different values. But I'm the judge here, heh. 9/10

Yeonwoo: The notion of “self” is destructive.

Comments: Getting philosophical again, this dude. For a sec I thought you digressed. I don't want to think much about your answer, but I get your point. 7/10

Total score:

Anon: 20/50

Hobin: 40/50

Yeonwoo: 43/50

[sheblah]

OK I'm apparently not done talking about this. Here I'm going to expand on my meta that DT's motivation = survival and all else is just a byproduct.

Lots of people have commented that Double Trouble does what they do purely for drama, or chaos, or because they just love destroying lives. It's as valid an interpretation as any, I guess, but I don't agree with it. They are certainly manipulative, but I don't think this trait is incidental to their personality; it's very much intentional on DT's part. If put together with other clues, I think it reveals something very different about them.

What I propose is that ultimately, DT's goal in life isn't to cause drama or have fun at other people's expense (bear with me). Their goal is to survive - or more accurately, to maximize survival chances - and they have a very meticulous way of going about it.

First I want to take a broad look at the elements that shape DT's personality and motives. This might involve some speculation, since we don't know anything about their early life and very little about their internal thoughts, but I'll stick to onscreen evidence as much as I can. What we do know is that they first appear in the Crimson Waste. I choose to assume they live there and have done so for an indeterminate time before their first appearance. And in the Crimson Waste, the strong make the rules. Not everyone can be the "strongest in the Crimson Waste." Most people just have to be strong enough to survive on their own, or else join up with the strongest like Huntara's goons or Tung Lashor's lizard gang. Since DT isn't ostensibly allied to any group in the CW, they're probably the former. And their strength isn't muscle; it lies in deception, observation, and manipulation. As a shapeshifter, they're naturally predisposed to that sort of skillset. They probably started their career of deception by shifting to blend in and escape danger, and then expanded the applications of that ability into eavesdropping, information gathering, and eventually espionage. Their best strength is knowing more than everybody else, and knowing how to use that information.

Let's go back to S4E2 for a moment. This is the first time we see DT:

They're looking down at Adora, Bow, Huntara, and Perfuma. In retrospect I thought this was odd, since they then proceed to approach Catra, not the heroes. They don't interact with the heroes until Catra has them do their "audition." Why show DT watching them? I think, in this moment, DT is choosing which side to join. For at least a moment, they consider offering their services to the Rebellion instead. We also know this because they mention the possibility to Catra.

Now my opinion is biased towards a morally gray interpretation of the character, but to me this is a pretty big hole in the popular rhetoric that DT is evil for the lulz. Why even think about joining the "good guys" if all you want is chaos and destruction? The Rebellion is about stopping all that noise. And why consider them first? We don't see DT watching Catra and sizing her up.

But before we get to that, we have to ask: why get involved in the war at all? What would drive them to leave the Crimson Waste and seek employment in the wider wartorn world of Etheria? I posit that it's because the Waste is no longer survivable.

In that episode, we see that the Valley of the Lost is crawling with Horde soldiers.

They're terrorizing the denizens of the desert. Now these are mostly hardened criminals who aren't easily terrorized, but the Horde has armor and weapons and numbers on their side. As Huntara puts it, "It wasn't always like this. It used to be a great place, where an honest criminal could carve out a life." When she says this, it's news to her; from what we can tell, she's been living in Bright Moon for awhile. But everyone else there has just been living with this new state of affairs however long the Horde has been in their valley - and it's probably been awhile since they have a whole warehouse set up. It's reasonable to assume DT has been suffering from the Horde's presence as much as anyone else who lives there. How can you make a living gathering intel when there are soldiers around every corner interrogating everyone?

It's simple, actually: if you can't beat them, join them. Or maybe join their enemies.

I think they don't have great choices at this point - either keep working and hope that business picks up while ALSO avoiding the aggressive soldiers, or get involved in a war that you and your home have avoided thus far. The choice that gives them the best chance to keep making money - and, you know, living - is to get involved with the war one way or another.

So then, why pick the Horde way? Also simple.

From where DT is standing, the Horde is winning. They have sophisticated technology, abundant resources, and enough soldiers that they can afford to station a few dozen in a remote desert town. Who does the Rebellion send to steal the ship back? Three kids and a former gang leader. And oh sure, one of them is She-Ra, but what's one superpowered princess against an army? Any way you look at it, the Horde's forces are more impressive.

So they offer their services to the Horde first, with the rebels as a backup in case the Horde says no.

So, let's summarize up to this point. Pretend you're DT. You make your living as a spy, but suddenly a powerful presence takes your town by storm and completely disrupts everyone's daily lives. Finding clients becomes difficult, and actually doing the work is next to impossible when the streets are clogged with armed aggressors. Your income starts drying up. You can't avoid the war anymore - the war has come to you. So you decide to join it. You spot a handful of outsiders trying to avoid attention and figure this must be the Rebellion's forces. It's four people versus dozens of armored soldiers with enormous resources. You pick the stronger side. But now you've gone from working with petty thugs to working with literal warlords, and that's a hell of a dangerous position to be in. If you piss off your employer, you just might die. So. How do you cover your ass?

By getting the dirt.

Because that's your strength. That's how you survive. By manipulating the people who could hurt you. By gathering information that could hurt them so bad they couldn't even retaliate. And, hey, you don't necessarily gather this information with the intent to use it - but if the crap hits the fan and you do something that'll get you on a tyrannical world leader's naughty list, well, you need something to defend yourself with. For you, information is the best weapon.

That explains why they're so determined to get in Catra's skin. They want to know what makes her tick, her strengths, her weaknesses, her obsessions. It's not just for the love of acting. These are all bullets that they can use to bring her down if need be. And when they decide to switch to the other side? Need be.

Giving Catra that devastating speech has multiple effects. I think a part of them really does care about Catra and wants to be honest with her. But my theory is that they're mainly trying to get one important message across:

Don't try to retaliate for this betrayal. I know enough to destroy you without throwing a single punch.

As an ending note, I want to examine that line above. "The best way to survive is always choose the winning side." As amusing as the "would sell you to satan for one corn chip" memes are, that's not actually the sort of attitude they have about betraying Catra. They're not talking about getting a reward here. No mention of superior pay is made. They're not saying they destroyed everything she's worked for on a lark (although they may have had a lark in the process). They're talking about literal survival. The basic gift of continuing to stay alive. That's what they betrayed Catra for. They do the math in that cell in Bright Moon, figure they're on the losing side of the war, and decide what they're getting from the Horde isn't worth getting killed over. Anything else they get out of it is incidental.

Mind you, none of this is meant to imply that they don't enjoy messing with people's heads. There's abundant evidence that they do. Rather, my point is that they probably learned how to manipulate people not as a hobby, but as a vital survival skill... and probably long before they learned to enjoy it.

[christianedundal-blog]

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