#not that i'm qualified enough on game development to say one way or the other

[kooldewd123]

you know, we're sort of in a weird spot with plza news now where it doesn't really seem like there's time left for them to properly kick off the hype cycle any time soon. they definitely want to do a big announcement for pokemon day like they do every year, and i feel like it would be awkward if we get the big plza blowout trailer just a month or two beforehand. pokemon day seems like the optimal time for them to actually start giving us more info, and having an unprecedented entire year between announcement and proper reveal is super exciting to think about after people have been spending the past few generations begging game freak to slow down.

[herearedragons]

“Who would your OC say is their best friend?” For all you pillars characters?

fandom OC ask meme

Lorenzo: Oh, Kana for sure. He was the first other chanter Lorenzo has met after escaping slavery, and the one who helped him recover his voice after blowing it out due to Chanting Overexertion, and develop his own chanting style that didn't rely so much on harsh, breathy sounds. Kana was the person who really helped Lorenzo see the beauty of chanting instead of just perceiving it as a tool, and made him realize he wanted to dedicate his life to it as an art. (and I don't care what the epilogue slides say, they've kept in touch throughout both games and they're trading letters to this day)

Mae: Funnily enough, Hiravias. They've had a rough start, but eventually their rivalry turned into a prickly kind of friendship where casually joking about murdering each other is just part of the deal. They do get each other in a way no one else in the party can really understand because they haven't had the experience of being small and alone and ridiculed/outcast by everyone around you and having to become a caricature of yourself in order to survive. All in all, they've been hurt in similar ways and they have very similar kinds of anger inside them, and once they realize that, they go from enemies to allies.

Selene: Honestly Edér qualifies for this, but since they're also romantically involved let's look at other companions. In POE1, Sagani and Grieving Mother and Lady Webb come to mind (for cipher solidarity/arctic ranger solidarity reasons), but if we look across both games, weirdly I'm going to say Aloth. Which is funny because throughout POE1 him and Selene aren't that close (he has many secrets and her mind reading makes him nervous, and his brain is too noisy for her liking), but as more Backstory is revealed they become more comfortable around each other. And then in Deadfire, Aloth is the most familiar person around aside from Eder, Selene has known him the longest, and... she can kind of relate to his sense of failure at the beginning of the game. She also feels like she failed Caed Nua and the Dyrwood (and the world, really) by letting All That happen, and Aloth is maybe the one person with whom she allows herself to not pretend to be confident because he's right in the same place as her. There's just comfort in knowing someone else feels like just as much of a failure as you are. (and then there's my headcanon that Selene has taken over Dunryd Row over the timeskip, and has definitely offered Aloth to work together to destroy the Leaden Key, and Aloth has definitely refused, and then five years later when they meet again and he barely has anything to show for his efforts, Selene goes "....well, alright. do you want to try that one more time?" and they pool their knowledge together and try to figure out the best approach to his quest but this time, working together and utilizing Selene's network which Lady Webb literally designed to do what Aloth is trying to do)

[askmerriauthor]

Pokemon S/V and the Fourth Wall

For those of you who may not know the term, the Fourth Wall is a narrative/theater concept that refers to the unseen barrier between the Audience and the Fictional World being portrayed. When a character in a given work looks directly at the camera/audience, speaks to the viewer, or otherwise interacts with the medium their story is being presented in outside of the way a being in that setting could normally do, that's called "Breaking the Fourth Wall".

Pokemon games have always played pretty fast and loose when it comes to the Fourth Wall. In the early days this could be attributed to simply not having better ways to familiarize Players with the games' systems, functions, and command prompts. The games were heavily limited by their medium and file sizes, so it's not like the devs could spare the extra space to give a more sensibly in-universe explanation to a lot of things. Sometimes a dev has little recourse but to have a character say "Press the B Button", speaking directly to the Player and breaking the Fourth Wall by acknowledging the game/console mechanics. Since Pokemon itself, as a setting and story, has taken lengths to establish a living, breathing world full of lore and history and characters with their own lives, such fissures between Player and Game are generally ignored as a necessity, or cheekily winked at as an Easter Egg, such as when the Player can find Game Freak studio in many of the games and talk to the dev team. Suspension of disbelief maintains.

That said, I have a MAJOR problem with recent developments as of Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.

PLA takes place in the far-flung past of the setting and covers a lot of mankind's first real efforts at domesticating Pokemon, which leads up to the modern era the other games take place in. That's a fantastic concept and one I love to see explored. But it also introduced an extremely unnecessary concept into the lore:

All Pokemon have the ability to shrink themselves down small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. All of them. All Pokemon. At-will. It's just an innate thing shared by all Pokemon in existence, even ones from other planets and dimensions or artificially made by man or spontaneously manifested from the grudge of a dying soul, regardless of their differences in biology.

To which I say... no, they fucking don't.

Far be it from me to tell the writers at Game Freak how to do their jobs, but y'know what? I'm a writer in the game development industry myself, so I will since I at least qualify as a professional peer. This doesn't make any sense whatsoever, directly flies in the face of the established lore, and doesn't add anything useful to the lore either. It's not used to expand or fiddle with our understanding of the setting. It's just an excuse to justify why Pokemon shrink away and disappear when they're defeated (a common video game practice of de-rezzing an unneeded character model) or why they can fit inside Pokeballs (we don't need to know that, we've gone the entire series without knowing for certain, it's better not being explained). That said, as the other Fourth Wall breaks prior, this can be massaged away and gently ignored. The story takes place at the very beginning of mankind's scientific exploration of Pokemon, so we can easily wave this statement aside as "they were operating on flawed logic and assumptions that seemed accurate at the time, but didn't hold up to scrutiny as scientific understanding progressed". Suspension of disbelief may be bruised, but it maintains.

Pokemon S/V takes this needless invocation of the game mechanics even further and far more to the detriment of the setting. The Academy is a place that was criminally misused by the game: the Player has the option to explore biology, language, history, math, and other topics outside of the normal Trainer framework we usually play in. It's the perfect opportunity to examine the lore of the setting, really dig into how Pokemon society functions when you're not a combat-focused Trainer, and really flesh out the whole story in interesting ways. S/V did exactly none of that. Instead, all of the classes just discuss combat mechanics or S/V-specific Paldea backstory. That's bad enough on its own because it's such a massive waste of potential, but S/V goes into territory that doesn't just break the Fourth Wall, but grinds it into dust and throws it in our eyes.

Classes in the Academy make statements that blatantly defy the setting we actively interact with at the very moment we're doing it, purely for the sake of justifying a game mechanic. The "Let's Go" function, where you can call out your Pokemon to walk along with you in the overworld, doesn't work indoors because of sizing/pathing constraints. That's fine, it doesn't need to be explained at all. But S/V goes out of its way to state that Pokemon in Paldea, regardless of their species, AREN'T ALLOWED INDOORS, even as virtually every room - including the very class that statement is being made in - features Pokemon in them. Just like the "all Pokemon can shrink" line, this exists only to explain a game mechanic and plainly breaks the setting for no reason.

Further, all these lessons directly reference concepts that don't exist in the setting itself but do exist as part of the game mechanics. They discuss the specific mathematical odds of Shiny probability, the exact damage equations of Super-Effective moves and STAB mechanics, the numerical likelihood and effects of a Critical Hit, and even refer to system statements made in the USER INTERFACE ITSELF THAT EXIST SOLELY FOR THE SAKE OF PLAYER.

What this sort of thing does is directly tie the game's mechanics to the nature of the setting itself; these mechanics are no longer a medium by which to interpret abstract concepts that can't easily be addressed in the game, but are now a fundamental part of how this setting operates. It's absolutely ridiculous and outright damaging to the integrity of the game setting, especially when it comes to the implications it brings up.

For example, there's an invisible stat called "Friendship" in Pokemon that measures how friendly a Pokemon is to you, which raises and lowers based on how you treat them. Some Pokemon will only evolve if they have high Friendship values, or some moves will change their effectiveness based on if a Pokemon likes or dislikes you. As a shorthand mechanic, there are items in the game that alter a Pokemon's stats, including making it more friendly to you. Previously, Players could just use this as an abstraction - "Oh, Pokemon enjoy these items, so using it is the game's way of representing me caring for the Pokemon and giving it things it enjoys". But now? Because of how S/V explicitly ties the game mechanics into the setting, it means these items basically mind-control a Pokemon. "Oh, this Pokemon doesn't like me at all? Let me shove a handful of Grepa Berries down its throat - now it instantly loves me". See how that completely defies the entire concept of Pokemon being independent creatures, Humans befriending Pokemon, establishing a bond with them, and being partners in adventure that even S/V itself tries to present?

This is made so much worse by the fact that it's completely unnecessary. One might argue "But Merri, this is some Players' first Pokemon game! They need to have the mechanics explained to them or else it won't make sense!". I understand that, dear Convenient Strawman, but that's ignoring a very important facet of S/V: the Adventure Guide. That is to say, an in-game key item the Player has from the very start of the game that explains all of the game's various functions, mechanics, and concepts in a non-lore manner. It's a tutorial guidebook specifically for this purpose; its presence in the game explains these ideas better and more thoroughly, making the integration of mechanics into the lore itself redundant and pointless.

For the love of lore, Game Freak, please stop trying to over-explain and integrate game mechanics into the story. Go home. You're drunk.

[goodnightmoonvale]

Interesting! I really gobbled this book up, couldn't put it down. But I do agree with you that there was enough material in here for multiple books, and that the story would have benefitted from some breathing room.

Specifically, there were a lot of character moments and relationships I would have liked to see fleshed out (keeping in mind of course that it's all limited to Isobel's POV)(spoilers, so under the cut)

Devin, as a person, and specifically how they and Isobel get to know each other. Devin was Isobel's "assistant" for at least what, a week, a month? Surely Isobel must have formed some sort of opinions about Devin. Was she able to talk to Devin at all? Did Devin give her any more snarky commentary while Isobel was trying to pick up a job she wasn't qualified for on the fly? You can usually get SOME sort of sense of a person after working with them for a month. Otherwise, why reach out to Devin later? Why did any of them think Devin might be sympathetic?

Isobel and Jordon. I feel like there should have been way more character interaction & development here. The Sparkle Queen and the Keeper of the Moonlight Prism are supposedly like, best friends in game, right? They've been playing together for YEARS at this point. You would get to know someone pretty well, at least an aspect of them. The book basically brushes off the reveal that Jordon is the Keeper of the Moonlight Prism. Isobel is like, starstruck and also working on the music video for her. Did they never have ANY conversations about any of it? Hissed accusations, attempts to figure out WTF Jordon was doing with the Church of Goron, what she was doing for what's-his-face the leader? Later in the book she says "he's keeping me here as like his live-in girlfriend or something" but I feel like the book hadn't established that she was even dating him before then? You don't think Isobel & her had a furious conversation about "what do you even see in him anyway?" Their relationship was not very well laid out.

Tbh I don't think he showed Isobel and Maddie's relationship buildup very well either. I get that I'm coming more from romance/fanfiction where the point *is* the relationship and therefore the buildup gets more screen time, but I feel like there was a lot of telling and not showing here. A lot of Isobel saying "we practiced morphemes all day and then I laid awake thinking about how attractive Maddie was" and that was it. Not really that much about specific moments she found interesting or attractive about Maddie.

Once again, I get that this is all coming from Isobel's limited POV. But we don't really get to discover how the "cabal" (ugh) got to know each other. I feel like if the events had happened over more time, or the reveals had been a little slower, and we'd gotten this spread out over more books, if these would have been able to be teased out and revealed more.

I also agree that it seemed to suffer through "too many ideas per square inch". Like. When they're interrogating Olivia, and Jordon goes "I could reverse engineer the Cult of Goron's super weird energy reading software and sand down your personality" - what???? This is only mentioned in passing one time and is not explained at all. Or, what happened to the artificial punctuation marks? Did they decide the "invading" punctuation marks were fine, actually, now that the thunderstorm was gone? And I'm all for things like this that get brought up early in a series and look like they're going to be further explored later, but this book didn't feel like it was setting up for another one.

Honestly I could go on for pages and pages about this. I loved this book a LOT and I still wish it had been done such better justice.

I'm having very complicated feelings about Battle of the Linguist Mages. I almost DNF'd it so many times, but every time I thought I'd had enough a new plot twist or good piece of writing would pull me back in. Finally I resolved to finish it because I wanted to know where it was going, and if the overall experience would be worth it.

Overall, there were things I really, really, liked about this book that still, ultimately, did not make the reading experience worth it. I'm tired and inarticulate so lets have a pros and cons list:

Pros:

- sparklerave dungeon aesthetic. very fun, I really enjoyed the medival fantasy disco rave aesthetic of the video game. Unfortunately there were huge chunks of the book where this was barely a factor

- the Dauphin. I really enjoyed this character's story and whole deal

- linguistic magic. I like the basic concept of this but it kind of turns out to be more con than pro

Cons:

- density. This book is ~450 pages and felt like it was 800. Especially past the quarter mark, it really became a slog.

- doing too much. Ties in with the above. There was enough material here for like, three books. I honestly think it would have been more digestible if it had been less dense plot-wise, if we had more downtime and character moments to let the world sink in. I felt like I was having to adjust my conception of the world every few chapters, it was just too much.

- linguistic magic. Maybe I just didn't get it, but it didn't seem to me that the linguistic aspect of the magic went much deeper than the vocabulary used to describe it.

- flat descriptions. Other than the really fun sparkledungeon aesthetic, there's very little in the way of satisfying description. There's also a lot of intangible concepts in play as tangible things, and there's never really enough description to give you a mental picture. I think that kind of thing is fine when used sparingly, but it's actually a huge recurring thing in this book.

Honestly, I'm having a hard time pinpointing what exactly was wrong with the execution here. Generally I don't mind stories that are dense, that make you work to make sense of them, that are complicated wild rides. But for some reason this really did not hit for me. I think it mostly comes down to the feeling of trying to do to much without giving me any breathing room.

[bullworthdrabbles]

This might be a controversial opinion here, but I'm really sick of seeing this in this fandom.

Stop giving one of the few canonically neurodivergent and mentally ill characters who already informs us of his diagnoses even more diagnoses without researching the disorders you intend to give him.

The number of times I have seen Gary get falsely diagnosed with disorders he canonically has never been diagnosed with and in many cases are outdated diagnoses that he doesn't even begin to fit the criteria of is fucking atrocious and I'm fucking done.

Many of y'all are basing the diagnosis of "sociopath" (which I will state isn't a diagnosis anymore) on a few lines of dialogue FROM HIS ABLEIST ASS PEERS. Last I checked not a single student in Bullworth is qualified to diagnose anyone with a broken bone much less a personality disorder. Imagine if you received a diagnosis just because your bullies called you OCD in high school, that's what I see a lot of you doing with this shit. And it's not just ASPD (the actual disorder you guys mean when you say "sociopathy" which you would know if you did a 10-second google search) many are labeling him with NPD, and/or megalomania (this one isn't even a diagnosis and is related to Narcissistic personality disorder which once again is easy to find out with a google search. The DSM doesn't even distinguish between Megalomania and NPD.)

By y'all doing this you are only further stigmatizing cluster B personality disorders which are already stigmatized enough. These disorders often come from years of abuse and neglect from a very early age and are born as responses to that abuse. These disorders are serious and can damage the quality of life for the person suffering from these conditions and those closest to them. People with these conditions actually deserve more empathy and understanding because of the toxic environments that these folks had to endure which contributed to them developing these disorders. Also just so y'all know, many people who have these disorders with treatment can be perfectly normal members of society you wouldn't otherwise know had these diagnoses. You doing this just goes to show how you view those with cluster B personality disorders as not deserving of empathy or understanding often treating them as subhuman and it's fucking gross.

So by labeling the openly neurodivergent and mentally ill villain the "sociopath", or "narcissist" without any research into these disorders you are very much displaying a lot of casual ableism because you are saying the only reason Gary did what he did was due to a disorder we never once get informed of him having, the only confirmed canonical diagnosis he has IS FUCKING ADHD. Btw, as someone with ADHD, I can confirm that even in my unmedicated state I have never harmed another person intentionally or taken over any schools.

I know part of the problem was back in 2006 Rockstar's shitty ass writing stated that the reason Gary did what he did was that he went off his meds and implied he was all this stuff through the other characters, but c'mon people use your critical thinking here. We don't have to write and talk about Gary the same way some lazy ableist ass men back in Rockstar did. If we can all acknowledge all the fucking ableist ass slurs in the game are fucking wrong and shouldn't be used, why tf can't we come to an agreement that this is also not fucking acceptable. I'm not saying you can't write him with any other disorders aside from ADHD, but you need to at least do basic ass research and write with a certain level of understanding and care of and for these disorders.

We are in 2022, many of y'all have your own fucking diagnoses, so why tf am I still seeing this shit? Do better.

[thorraborinn]

I'm reading The Viking Spirit by Daniel McCoy after being recommend it, but I'm finding myself quite disappointed with it as the author seems to often insert his own opinions and emotions, mostly without clearly stating what is his own conjecture and personal opinion and biases.

Do you know of any better books that go over the history of the religion of the Norse peoples?

Hey, yeah, I don’t recommend Dan McCoy -- anyone presenting their website as “Norse Mythology for Smart People” is trying to sell you something other than just the information you’re looking for.

I gotta admit, the longer I’ve been out of academia, the less qualified I’ve become to answer this.  Still, if I sat here for a while I could probably come up with hundreds of books on the topic off the top of my head (although to be fair, most of the authors would be listed as “I forget their name, I think they’re Danish?”). It’s a huge, multidisciplinary field. The old general introductions are all out of date and the topic has gotten so broad and detailed that a new general overview probably couldn’t possibly be written, because it would be such a massive undertaking that by the time it’s done, it would already be obsolete. I’ll give you a few recommendations though. Some of these are about narrow topics like seiðr or fate, but it’s impossible to treat those thoroughly without also digging into other aspects of Norse religion, so even those may be helpful even if those more narrow subjects aren’t of particular interest.

The best way to find good reading material is, once you have something already that you like, check out that book’s footnotes and works cited. Look into the author, see what else they’ve written and who they’ve worked with. Of course, you need to already have gotten started for that to work, so hopefully my response can help with that.

I have a lot of very well-informed followers, so hopefully some of them can add some stuff to the list too.

Most of the work that gets done in the field gets is in articles rather than books. That can be hard to break into, because most of them assume you already know a bunch of stuff that you might not. Any peer-reviewed article should be well-cited enough for you to investigate any of that, but sometimes those sources will turn out to be hard to acquire or maybe in a language you don’t know. Still, it’s not a bad idea to head to https://www.academia.edu and search for some sub-topics interesting to you, or find a paper like this one (just a random example) and check out the related papers on the right.

Old Norse religion in long-term perspectives, ed. Anders Andrén, Kristina Jennbert, and Catharina Raudvere (2006). A big collection of conference papers from a conference on this topic in 2004 by some 70ish authors, covering a huge range of topics. It’s not a general overview -- this is like going to academia.edu to look for papers but taking a shortcut by having a collection curated for you, but it’s a good collection by some of the most important authors in the field.

Thomas DuBois, Nordic Religions in the Viking Age (1999). I’ll be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually read this, but it was kind of a game-changer when it was written. I found it early in my own development and it helped send me in the right direction. Once this book came out, it was no longer possible to write about all Nordic peoples having a single monolithic culture. It also takes the Sámi people into account in an actually respectful and considered way, which has become more common since then, but was a big deal when it was written.

Christopher Abram, Myths of the Pagan North: The Gods of the Norsemen (2011). This is an introduction to the study of Norse mythology, which is to say, not an introduction to Norse religion. It treats these as two distinct spheres of study with different methods for approaching them

Anders Andrén, Tracing Old Norse Cosmology (2014). This is actually about the pre-history of Nordic religions. It’s about using a dialogue between archaeology and later mythological texts to try to see what can be learned about the development of that later mythology. Andrén focuses specifically on three aspects of the cosmology: the world tree, middle-earth, and the sun.

Karen Bek-Pedersen, The Norns in Old Norse Mythology (2011) or her dissertation, which is free online, Nornir in Old Norse Mythology (2008). The most thorough source out there on the topic of the norns and of fate in Norse myth and religion. One thing that stands out about this book is just how much upheaval of old assumptions and misunderstandings it does. If you happen to be heathen yourself, that probably makes this one even more important.

Neil Price, The Viking Way (2019). An extremely dense, detailed book about seiðr, using mostly an archaeological and anthropological perspective. Definitely a must-read for anyone interested in the topic, and it’s very well-sourced and there is a great deal of text in it explaining the history of research and fairly presenting opinions of other authors that diverge from his.

And here are some more that might be useful, but should be read with a little bit of caution:

Neil Price, The Children of Ash and Elm (2020). Full confession: I haven’t read this one. It comes highly recommended from many corners of the internet. I’ve already recommended a book by the same author. This is probably something somewhat like what you’re looking for. Just, if you’re going to read it, read this review by Mathias Nordvig and keep the criticisms in mind.

E.O.G. Turville-Petre, Myth and Religion of the North (1964). This is kind of the old standard introduction. It’s quite out of date, having been written back when such a general overview was possible. While I recommend reading it with the understanding that anything in it could have become corrected, recontextualized, debunked, or otherwise made obsolete in the last half-century, it’s still actually not a bad idea to read it anyway, not only because there’s plenty of stuff that actually will be found to hold up, but also because it gives you a picture of the state of scholarship as it went into the more contemporary modes of research. Norse mythology has been studied for so long now that scholars aren’t just studying that, they’re also observing and dialoguing with Norse studies from earlier periods, and this is among the best of that. It also has the benefit of being in the public domain: https://archive.org/details/TurvillePetreMythAndReligionOfTheNorth

I hope that helps, and if you want some more, or if there are particular subtopics that you’re looking for, or if there’s anything I can clarify for you feel free to send another ask.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

What TV shows deserve a new season?

"A lot"

TV shows that I love:

Bojack Horseman

Community

Steven Universe

Orange Is the New Black

Rick and Morty

The Expanse

Arrested Development

Bojack Horseman

Sherlock

Mad Men

Seinfeld

The Wire

Rick and Morty

South Park

The Good Place

I'm not sure if any of these qualify as "TV series that deserved a season 4" (although perhaps some of them).

Other shows that I love but didn't get enough attention:

Doctor Who

Archer

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Gravity Falls

Gossip Girl

South Park

Teen Wolf

Teen Titans Go!

The Simpsons

The Office

These are all series I watched a whole bunch as a kid, which is why I have so many memories of them, but I might have some "you had to be there" feelings about them if I were watching them as a late-teenager/young adult. I never watched Steven Universe as a teenager, although I am glad it was renewed.

Other shows that I watched as a teenager and never liked as a late-teenager:

Community

Friends

How I Met Your Mother

True Detective

You can probably guess which ones were my favorites. I loved these shows, but I was never a huge fan because I preferred shows that had less going for them (and also less of a "I'm old and cynical and my teen-years are over, go away" vibe). I watched a lot of mediocre shows as a late-teenager, and this is why I don't have a lot of nostalgia feelings about that era of TV.

My own tastes have changed a lot in the last few years. I used to be much more into "the fantasy genre" -- TV shows like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones and Doctor Who -- but now I'm much more interested in "genre-mashing shows," which are aimed at a wide audience rather than a small one and have a lot of elements that don't match their genre. This is why I like things like Bojack Horseman, but not, say, the X-Files.

I've also been developing this strange kind of "post-irony" taste, where the best fiction feels more like a "revelation" than a deliberate work of art. I'm not sure how to describe that but I'm wary of talking about it as though it's a "trend." There are some novels I've enjoyed lately that feel like they would be described in this way. (You can think of them as post-irony books in the same sense that post-ironic music is music that is meant to be listened to ironically.)

TV shows that I've watched or read a bunch of episodes of recently and liked:

Archer

Breaking Bad

Doctor Who

In the Loop

In This Moment in History

House of Cards

House of Cards (again)

Jenny XJ7

King of the Hill

Lost

Master of None

Newsroom

Newsroom (again)

Orange Is the New Black

Orphan Black

The West Wing

West Wing (again)

[formulatrash]

Lewis just got his 7th title. I'm happy for him.

Me too. What Lewis has done is so almost incomprehensibly titanic, in any sport, that it feels like something that needs contextualising again and again.

It’s easy, if you remember Lewis in the hybrid era, in Mercedes, since Rosberg left - whatever the recency is that creates the illusion it’s almost straightforward for him to perform at this extraordinary level - to minimise his achievements, even if you don’t intend to. Lewis now is a force of nature so impossible to rival that it wouldn’t really matter if you gave everyone GP3 cars and told them to go, the rest of the field would just be closer together behind him. 

I am, as Tumblr constantly likes to remind me, very old - nearly as old as Lewis himself - so I remember him arriving in the junior formulas and hoping that he’d get to F1. He was goofy and nerdy and awkward and a bit of a gamer - actually way more like Lando than you’d believe, in retrospect but he had this burning, furious defiance that he was going to get there and win. Because that was what he needed, to overcome the barriers and my god, there were a lot of people openly saying what they try to at least code these days, back then.

Lewis when he was young was a Verstappen-esque firecracker of teammate beef. I don’t know that anyone other than maybe Max could have taken on Alonso, at that point, in his junior year - he’d destroy Nelson Piquet Jr, despite all his weight of racing heritage, the next - and it took a level of pretended self-assurance that I don’t think Lewis had, then, at all.

He’d proven himself all the way up, was still proving it. Licking his and McLaren’s wounds, meekly apologising after the end of the spygate scandal he’d had nothing to do with while Fernando pranced off from the smouldering remnants, there were plenty of people who were so pleased to see Lewis humbled. 

He took the championship, instead. Which made a lot of people very angry, despite really it only being Felipe Massa who had a right to be. It was very underrated, in the British press; made more striking because Jenson Button’s win, the following season, really wasn’t and the ludicrous bar that Lewis would have to jump to prove himself was moved again.

Not just good enough for F1. Not just good enough to take on a two-time champion. Not just good enough to become a champion himself in his second season. Lewis was regarded as a sort of curious celebrity most people barely considered an athlete or British, in the press.

He’s never gone a single season without winning a race. Even in dog cars, biding his time for an opportunity. Olden times McLaren was a different, dysfunctional beast to the one Andreas Seidl has somehow steered back to success and especially the Dennis era was run with a pretty iron fist* so it wasn’t necessarily somewhere the drivers had much ability to steer developing the car and you can see how badly that affected them in the KERS and ERS era. 

Comparatively, joining Mercedes, Lewis walked into an opportunity where instead of having to furiously fight for that, he could work on it as a project for the whole team. People really underestimate how hard he works, in terms of factory hours and how it wasn’t always the fastest car. 

The team pitted him and Nico against each other to force the project forwards and that turned into a destructive mess, backfiring on them quite badly. It’s probably the worst call Mercedes have made, in their modern F1 existence, although a cynic would say: it worked.

Yes, they trod a line of near-implosion for years that was only steadied by Nico’s retirement but they became, unquestionably, the best, in the inter-garage arms race. Lewis didn’t necessarily become a better driver in the sense of having more brilliant race craft for it but things like qualifying laps, at which he is now without doubt the GOAT, became so crucial that he learned to take on more and more feedback from engineers without ever forgetting it. 

When they tell them, on the radio, that their teammate is finding more speed through corner X and braking later - and they’ll show them more detailed telemetry - then Lewis can, like any driver, take that on and do it. But he can also make hundreds of micro-adjustments per lap without ever forgetting them or dropping one - again, they all can do it, sometimes, perfectly but he just doesn’t ever not. 

Since 2016 he’s been able to grow as a driver without being in the pressure-cooker of mind games with his teammate and that shows, too. A more outward-looking, globally-focussed Lewis, a Lewis who’s more comfortable sharing elements of himself, treating himself less like an industrial espionage project.

(some irony, for a man who started his career amidst spy gate)

If Lewis was a white boy from a millionaire or billionaire family, his achievements in sporting terms would still be staggering. He’s neither of those things, so they’re placed on a different scale.

It is now, even for the most racist, the most close-minded alleged fan of the sport, impossible to deny that he has the records on paper. They can’t take away the seven titles and 94 wins, no matter how they try to minimise them. The bar that was constantly set higher has been met and exceeded and a driver who, for a lot of years, looked set to be a one-off champion whose brilliance could be more easily swept away as a footnote to diversity, has become the benchmark against whom other achievements can be measured. 

That Lewis did that despite the odds against him? The racists won’t see that and sadly can and do try to deny it but that is a world-changing, sport-transforming moment that’s been a decade-and-a-half in the making, since F1 started looking achievable for him. 

Lewis has nothing left to prove, so all that furious energy he’s used for years to get this will take other outlets - he still, after all, as everyone, has a lot to change. I am so excited to get to work in the sport during this era, to see what kind of transformative effects he’ll have, has already had. The work shouldn’t be on Lewis and mustn’t be on him alone but you do absolutely fucking love to see it getting done.

Anyway, I’m so proud of him. I’m so astounded by the skill and focus - the relentless pursuit that’s driven him all this time and that isn’t diminished at all by having got here. I truly believe Lewis is gonna carry on awhile yet and it’s fucking exciting just to think about what we’re going to witness this short-ass nerd kid who looked kind of sulky and defensive in press conferences for years do.

(and, of course, the first driver accused of being a social media poseur who didn’t pay enough attention to the sport. Plus ca change...)

*This is a really petty example but you had to wear a tie if you went to MTC, as a visiting journalist, in the beforetime. 

[watayaaratamblr]

Arata is an unfortunate character.

No, he is NOT!

But if we wish to make him one, then we don't need one fifth of the effort put into making Taichi the "sad" character that most fans keep labeling as "Poor Taichi", and Arata would have been then the most unfortunate character in Chihayafuru. All we need is a good mangaka (Suetsugu is!) & the intention to make him draw sympathy (the whole point), simply because Arata’s story is well packed with good material serving the purpose.

Starting with the fact that he was an almost blind child … Like “looking through a magnifying glass”, hearing voices outside but being unable to see anything~ A child who had to wear glasses from the age of 3, any writer can make this a touching story if so they wished -But Suetsugu sensei did not want to.

Growing up as a weak boy who is a letdown in everything most boys do, crying alone when he fails to fit in, disappointing his father who kept pushing him to go outside and be “normal” like all the other children all while letting go of Karuta that he was confirmed to have liked since he was very young. Writing a bit of his struggles to find a place for himself within the norms could have made readers cry a lot.

His grandfather thankfully extended his hand to him, offered him a place where he can be himself; But that too, created a situation where he maybe had to take a side & deal somehow with the other side because his grandfather & his father had a fight and he can only be torn between them. I’m no writer myself, but I can make this sentimental.

Then his father took him away to Tokyo where he had to be a part of a poor family, and not only to cancel his needs & desires (like for example having different outfits for school instead of the few he will be noticed to wear frequently) but to also work sometimes to support his parents, to wake up before school time in the early mornings when other children are probably sound asleep in their warm beds, to go outside in the cold, to earn some cash and to give it to his parents … I read some real sad stories with this idea. So yeah, Arata could have been one of the saddest characters if Suetsugu wanted him to be.

And not to mention being bullied and laughed at for not only his impoverishment (which he can hope to change) but for his identity (as a boy from Fukui speaking a “weird” dialect). He received all this with lot of patience, and tried to comfort himself by himself with his grandfather’s “gift”, how it was a refugee for him.

Any writer can make a sob story out of Arata’s unspoken loneliness & yearning for home, his grandpa & for playing his beloved Karuta properly.

Or out the fact that he couldn’t make any friends in his new school either (he was confirmed to never have real friends since his childhood through the fact that he struggled to fit in + he stayed like that even after he grew up (like Murao said), and he is not someone who doesn’t care about having friends because he was confirmed to almost worship his bond with Taichi & Chihaya, Taichi specifically even though their friendship isn’t really a comforting one; he longed for friendship however it is!)

He enjoyed that friendship nonetheless, he might even have felt like he was compensated for everything he wished for through it but he was soon robbed of all of it as he was separated from these friends & while he could still enjoy a bit of it through correspondence (at least Chihaya kept in touch), he wasn't as untroubled as needed for that because he was about to lose his precious grandfather.

And the process of losing him wasn’t something to take lightly either. Having busy (or rather negligent?) parents made him (a boy not even 14 years old) a caregiver for an old man who suffered from paralysis on the right side of his body and later dementia, not as simple as that, he had to watch what his most beloved & respected person turn into day & night, when he worked “really hard” (as stated in the manga) with his rehabilitation exercises, when he helped him with his baths, he massaged his limbs, he fed him, constantly talked to him & showed him Karuta cards to “keep him” in this world. And when it's too much for him, he goes outside the room and cries bitter tears silently, all alone! There was this person who suffered from (PTSD) for years because their sick aunt didn’t recognize them (they were her favorite nephew before & they were 17 yo at the time), this person couldn’t visit her since & couldn’t see her before she died & they developed a fear of “getting too close” & of seeing sick people, they had to seek long & serious therapeutic help. And Arata actually suffered from PTSD for over a year & half, any psychologist can easily recognize that from the fact that he quit Karuta, refused to touch & hated to see the cards (I stress on this), how he answered Chihaya when she called him, how the calm & patient him (that we knew from his childhood) was agitated & treated her rudely when she insisted on playing a match. And it was all confirmed in Arata’s last words in the same chapter: “I wanted to see you, I always had, but I didn’t want you to see me like this” (in the official tr), he knew that he wasn’t himself (contrary to what Taichi thought, his friend who decided to abandon him instead of trying to help. Chihaya still had faith in him but Taichi was louder -ch10)

Still, thanks to Chihaya, Arata was back to his beloved Karuta, though we all questioned how much fun he really felt while playing again, how much of him was involved with the game now. And eventually, he himself expressed the pressure (not the fun) he felt while playing. What took his passion away, what turned the feelings of a Karuta baka into mere obligation, this also is good content for an emotionally charged story, it only needs the intention of the writer.

And he shone in the world of Karuta. YET he was never “proud” of it, that was never received as anything special. When he comes back home, none really cares (or at least, none shows any enthusiasm), he goes to the western-challenger qualifiers and his parents won’t even go watch, won’t even prepare some food for him, he comes back home late & finds none, and prepares everything by himself (apart from Yu’s help). His parents pray for his defeat, meaning that his DREAM to become Meijin/be strongest in Karuta doesn’t mean much to them, and he knows it, and he was never shown telling them the news like when you want to share a happy one. Arata’s mother -before giving up after acknowledging Arata’s dedication- wanted his defeat even though there was enough money to support him, the lack of money being the excuse she & her husband claimed to be the reason of their lack of support.

The support system Arata lacks isn’t only in his family. Since the death of his grandfather he seems to stand alone in Karuta too. Murao was the only one who spared some time for him but only after he realized how “alone” he was and took pity on him. Murao's realization implies that the training Arata was doing at the Nagumo society didn’t really count for what he really needed. Kuriyama sensei (being expected by fans to be the “Harada” in Arata’s side) was almost useless & he himself expressed his confusion about what to do with him & how to help him. We never saw him particularly guide him in any way either. "Experiences" & "taking chances" were two factors that helped Mizusawa members for example to grow a lot, but these chances are doors without knobs & we know that they were opened for them by adults who were taking care of them in a way or another + being friends ensured that they encouraged each other then proceeded with every idea they got to learn & experience more. Arata lacks both these sources (adults around him rather burdened him with their expectations) so he kept training on his own mostly & we saw how it felt frustrating to him to be relying only on his solo training & an "image" encouraged by a long-dead teacher, he realized the toll of lacking real opponents in practice with whom he can measure his abilities & correct his mistakes to grow stronger. Support can also be emotional. Did Arata ever receive particular emotional support? I can only remember panels where the people worried for him kept watching him from afar while he dealt with it on his own.

Yu was an exception but even her support was written in a way suggesting that Arata was prepared to go on without it. Because with time, Arata learnt to "not expect much" which is also a very interesting trope for a sad story.

And he was described as “a lonely player on top” but this was never elaborated to show how it felt like to be one for Arata himself. This idea is also brilliant for melancholy if the author wanted fans to sympathize with Arata but she didn't go beyond praising Chihaya who could somehow reach him & Shinobu chan.

And while playing on his own (or working part time to support himself), taking care of himself, he met his two precious friends again (they were the only selfish desire Arata has openly expressed throughout the series). But what he felt is that he was left behind & that he was the only one so far away. And he was. They got to experience so many things he didn’t, they made new friends & new bonds & he didn’t, they got closer to each other & he didn’t… At the end he went back to be the outsider & them the two old childhood friends. If the author wrote just a little bit more about these, if she highlighted these facts they could have made a good drama.

Love is the main reason Taichi is "felt for" (because he progressed in karuta but not in Love ..not yet at least). Arata is also a part of the love triangle in Chihayafuru, and if we try to summarize it with the intention of making it sad, then let's go, there is enough to say for that, we just need a good writer (which I'm not sadly). Still in short: Arata seems to have started to develop feelings for Chihaya a long time ago but he had to keep that in check because he thought she was dating Taichi & he kept his distance out of respect for that assumed relationship even though he craved at least connecting with his old friends. When he came closer, Chihaya was interested in him but he never knew, the enthusiasm she showed him was not different from how she is with everyone, no, Taichi received special treatment, while for him, every time he tries to say something to her he is cut off somehow. Everything seemed to be against them getting close. Later Chihaya seemed to have ultimate fun with Taichi too, maybe that was the only thing he thought he could give her, now she didn't need it. Maybe he had that thought again when she praised his game against Harada sensei that's why he confessed but soon, She is once again so far away, she seemed to need Taichi to function properly, he understood that & he used that to cheer her up in her most important tournament. He wanted badly to play with her again to only be totally iced, he couldn't even be seen by her, he was so far away, she belonged to where he wasn't part of (& even her friend kana found a way to express her disapproval of him) Can we not make a drama out of this? Or out of his stuttering, awkwardness & introversion? Or maybe the fact that his parents don't understand him? And did anyone alse feel that in most of Taichi's mother's appearances, we got this feeling that Taichi is a son who should be cared for while when Arata's parents appeared, many times, we can feel how Arata was used to highlight their feelings as individuals & he was drawn there as the member of the family who had to pay attention to that? Anyway, every single one of these points alone is very good material for a "tearjerker" so what about all of them combined? because they are all facts from Arata's reality.

Again, all we need is a good writer (we have it) & the intention to make it that way which isn't there. Suetsugu decided instead to put double the effort to make Taichi the "sorrowful/anguished" one because Arata is not a character written to feel sorry for or to commiserate. He is rather written for the most part of the manga as an inspiring one, an aspiration, to be a drive & a goal. So despite having all the above circumstances, he is instead written as a character who keeps to himself, doesn't complain, hides his hardships, makes it seem that he fine when he notices that someone is watching, tries to focus on what he has & be happy with it however little or simple. That's why it's easy for him to forget & forgive, easy for him to recover & stand up again because there are other characters who need him there as an example, who think that he is perfectly fine so they should only focus on themselves and thus, Bildungsroman can be used for them. And finally- wait, what were Taichi's problems again?

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

Writer adds:

[formashimataichi]

Lot I agree with and yes his problem with loss and the way he was brought up is significant.

Here's where I'm coming from though. Karuta itself as a game doesn't reallly matter. What matters in any of these types of stories is not the sport itself, what matters and always will are the characters and their relationships. The sport and competition are useful insofar as they serve as a playground on which these characters develop and interact.

What makes Taichi so interesting as a character is that his relationship with Karuta exemplifies this principle the most. There are different levels of complexities through which it is expressed. First of all there's what we're talking about which is his inability, because of the way he brought up, to deal with loss in a healthy way. We see this in the flashbacks when he's praised and pushed to be the best at even Karuta and he stoops so low to maintain that as to steal Arata's glasses.

But there's also another dimension to it which is his feelings for Chihaya. Huge part (maybe the main reason) of why he worked hard to excell at it is to get noticed by her since it's the thing that has taken her whole focus. That's why he wanted to win against her that badly.

Thens theres another layer to it which is Arata. His inferiority complex with regards to Arata signifies both "struggles". Arata is someone that he (believes) he can't beat. He thinks they're not or can't be even on the same level. That highlights his problematic relationship with losing and not being the best at something as he was pushed since he was a kid. But not only that, Arata's excellence at Karuta grabs Chihaya's entire attention. Her passion for the sport starts with him and he continues to be someone she looks up to. (She later develops her own reasons for reaching the top that has more to do with her rivalry with shinobu)

Apologoies for the long introduction. But this kind of mishmash of struggles and renaltionships fueled by his anxities and insecuries manifesting in his relationship with Karuta is exactly why I don't think like you think, which is that his arc is about coping with loss and therefore losing was necessary. That's merely one aspect to the story. There are different lessons that can be learned and each could take his arc in a different direction. Just to give you an example I can totally see a conclusion where he ends up with Chihaya but ultimately loses to Arata. The arc could be him learning that not being the best at Karuta isn't the end of the world and that appreciation and self worth dont and shouldnt come from his skill at Karuta. That lesson can be validated by Chihaya for whome excellence at Karuta was not a deciding factor in seeing his worth and deciding to be with him.

I could imagine the opposite where he does beat Arata but doesn't win over chihaya. And the lesson can be that it was insane from the beginning to try to win a person over using Karuta and how that developed an unhealthy relation in which he tied his self worth and performance and enjoyment of Karuta to Chihaya(we see that clearly since its been pointed out several times that when she's there he underperforms) . So "losing chihaya" to Arata wasn't the end of the world and his enjoyment of Karuta shouldn't depend on his attempt to win over Chihaya and that he can find fulfillmemt in working hard at something and excelling at it against all odds but free of the insecurities he brought with him initially.

There are many ways through which he can find self worth be it within Karuta or outside it. My problem with your take is as I said the emphasis on one aspect which is the competitive loss. (Also I think it's kinda misleading to talk about loss. He loses a lot and keeps pushing himself all the time. Sense of cope with not being the best or at Arata's level is more accurate). But if you add the Chihaya dimension you could make a coherent but also satisfying conclusion in which he loses in both aspects but finds self worth.

Guess my point is everyone should stop dismissing others criticisms and for everyone to stop seeing their interpertation as the only valid one.

P.s. I still prefer my arc in which he loses in all aspects but doesn't find self fulfillment either inside or outside of Karuta.

Sorry for rambling for so long.

I don’t mind rambling! I ramble all the time, as I’m sure you’re already aware, lol. And I think I understand what the miscommunication between us is now. I don’t think at all that loss is the all-defining trait of his character arc or the only one by which his character resolutions will ultimately be made. It’s just the one I’ve focused on specifically in my posts since yesterday because of the issue I had with people’s interpretation of that depiction of loss to begin with. I wholeheartedly agree that Taichi’s arc conclusion is also definitely going to take into account his feelings regarding Chihaya and Arata respectively; those are also really important closures he has to reach in order to be able to move forward, and they tie in just as heavily to his issues with self-worth. I’ve discussed those in detail elsewhere, though, so I wanted to focus on the loss aspect specifically with that post I made yesterday, because the overwhelmingly negative reaction to it kind of baffles me. That’s not to say that I think people with other view points are outright wrong or that people don’t deserve their right to criticism. Any narrative is going to warrant that after all, and that’s the beauty of discourse! But I feel like a lot of people who are upset with where Taichi’s arc goes tend to feel like Suetsugu abruptly ended it with the Qualifiers and defined it by that loss—even the main translation team that had been handling scalantions for years quit after the Qualifiers were over, because they weren’t satisfied with the direction his story took—and to me at least, I don’t think that was the end of his story, and there’s still resolutions left to be made by him afterward. I can definitely understand people still being doubtful to a degree, of course, but I simply hope people can be patient enough to see Taichi’s ultimate endgame before they decide whether what everything he went through was worth it or not and if that loss was really the end for him. I have my own doubts about things, too, but I want to afford Suetsugu that chance to prove herself first, I guess. I know that’s not something everyone will feel about similarly, but maybe I feel about it that way because I’m a writer myself. 😂

[cannot-decide-on-a-fandom]

Part 2 of this way too long already crusade

This time, manga match ratings! Same rules as last time. Here's part 1-

Nekoma Vs Fukurodani Tokyo Qualifiers

Can I just appreciate how there's an entire arc in this series where our main characters only appear a couple times, about completely different teams playing matches they are not in any way involved with? It's so cool to see this, especially because Fukurodani isn't really Karasuno's rival as much as Nekoma's. Haikyuu really, really does give the spotlight to every single person at one point or another. And we see this happening in the nationals too, we don't only see Karasuno play.

Specifically for this match, I loved seeing the inner workings of all their plays, and it was such a great thing, as this was the first time we saw an official match with high level teams where it still remained relatively friendly, without removing from the competitiveness. I'm so glad we're getting the OVA of this.

Also, Akaashi having a numbered freaking list of Bokuto's weaknesses...I just can't deal with this

I love those dorks so much

And we met Akane and Alisa!

7.5/10

Nekoma Vs Nohebi

Alright, so I completely DESPISED Suguru at first. The first character I thought negatively of.

But...dammit Furudate, why are you such a great writer? How can you make me love him eventually?

Anyway, let me talk about the MVP of this match (in my eyes anyway!)

My boy!

I'm so sorry you got hurt! But you did so well!

Do you know what? When I was reading this and heard it was a sprain, I was like "oh, that sucks. But hey, it could be worse"

Then I sprained my own ankle in a competition and... damn, that hurts! I couldn't walk properly for like a week, and I couldn't exercise for 6. It's so much worse than I expected. My poor boy.

But we got Shibayama playing due to this, and that was great. And the moments with Lev. And HUGS!

I also liked the backstory for Yaku and Kuroo.

They're just...nerds. I love them so much.

I need to reread this match soon.

8.5/10

Okay, there weren't really any "matches" as such I could comment on during training camp, and Karasuno/Dateko practices we didn't see enough of, so! Jumping straight into nationals!

Karasuno Vs Tsubakihara

I have to apologize to Tsubakihara because for like a month, every time I tried to think of their name I couldn't remember it.

But still, this was a nice match. It brought us some new things like the ceiling serve, and the characters on the opposition were nice. It wasn't extraordinary, but you know what? I'm glad it exists.

Also! We started getting Kinoshita development! Yes, baby! He was always the least explored person on the team and I'm glad Furudate didn't ignore him (like they ever would, though, they're too great for that)

It was also the start of Hinata's improved receives, at least in official games. And I really liked how there was exploration of how the arena effects plays, because that is definitely the case. you perform in anything better when it's more similar to your own regular location. I love it.

7/10

Karasuno Vs Inarizaki

HELL YEAH!!!!!

This is my second favourite match of the entire series

It's so good! The Miya twins are stupidly chaotic, Kita is just wonderful, the entire team is great, and as for the actual match?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH THIS?

How can I not love it? Hinata, I'm so proud baby! The twins version of the freak quick? Awesome. Tanaka's backstory? I LOVE IT!

Showing mistakes and screw ups by each player was fantastic, there was a lot of humour as well without detracting from the seriousness of this game, the freaking declaration of Atsumu tossing to Hinata one day, I just....I can't deal with this game

9.5/10 Would be 10 if the next match didn't exist

Karasuno Vs Nekoma Nationals

Okay. I'm not gonna say much, because I could honestly rant about this game for like 2 hours straight no problem. But....YEAH!

This is EASILY my favourite game of the entire series. It was the most emotional game of any of them, the freaking symbolism of the birdcage and all, seeing Kenma planning and Hinata being frustrated is so weirdly satisfying, Yamaguchi and Tsukki celebrating together, the HUGS!

KENMA!!!!!!!

I'm so proud of you! Are you kidding me?

Like, I know we say Tsukishima has had the best development, and I'm not necessarily disagreeing, but can we for a moment appreciate my precious boy?

He grew SO MUCH! IT'S SUCH AN AMAZING THING SEEING HIM SAY HE'S HAVING FUN! I JUST ABOUT DIED!

There's so much more, but I think I might burst if I talk about this more.

10/10. If I could give it 1000 I would but that would destroy the point of the scoring system.

Fukurodani Vs Mujinazaki

Oh, boy. How are we gonna follow up the best match of the series?

I'll tell you how, by more backstory, this time of Akaashi, hell yeah!

...I say that too much.

Anyway, this arc is what cemented Akaashi's place in my top 10 characters. I love seeing usually calm and collected characters struggling and feeling frustrated, but he handled it so well. He tried so hard, and he overcame it, and I love the little glimpses of his past with Bokuto.

I'm pretty sure the line "no matter what other people may say, we are the protagonists of the world" came from this match too (though I could be wrong), which is the rawest freaking line possible

I just...I really enjoyed seeing a Fukurodani match like this. As I said earlier, Nekoma and Fukurodani are rivals more than Karasuno and Fukurodani, but because Nekoma and Karasuno are strongly correlated, they were kind of tangentially related to the qualifiers, and they were mentioned a few times too.

But this was purely about Fukurodani. We got character arcs entirely about a team who we never actually saw Karasuno face

The entire game was great. It was good enough to not feel like a let down after the previous match, but also a nice cooling off period. I do adore this match

8.5/10

And, Finally

Karasuno Vs Kamomedai

...oh boy. Why not just hit me with a brick while you're at it?

Gonna be real, Hoshiumi is my least favourite rival (again though, that doesn't mean I dislike him, I love every character in this series) and when reading this match at first, I was like...I won't be able to get into this, will I?

...I need a clown mask or something.

This match made me cry so much! Hinata abandoning the name "Little Giant" and aiming for the title of "The Greatest Decoy", and how mature he was throughout this match, and everything alongside it...I can't deal with it without feeling things.

Actually, and I swear I'm not adding this just as a self promotion or something but purely because it's a lot faster to just link this than describe my thoughts here again, I made a video pretty much about this match, so check it out if you want my thoughts

9/10

And we've come to the end

This was...way too long

But oh well. Do you agree?

[lesbeet]

this might be a strange question but what goes into becoming a teacher? i've been thinking about becoming a teacher and i'm nervous even though it's something i really think i want to do and i'm curious as to how you go about becoming one like what courses/requirements do you need to take and how do you come up with a lesson plan and everything? and how did you know teaching was something you wanted to do or realize it was something you would be good at?

hm well i can only tell you about my own experience, which i would say is probably pretty unorthodox, but it’s been working really well for me! 

so i’ve been working on a masters in teaching for english/language arts grades 5-12 from western governors university, which is an (accredited) online program for aspiring teachers who need to be licensed as teachers in general as well as certified/endorsed in their particular subject areas. depending on what you want to teach, there are a couple of undergrad teaching degrees they offer (i believe it’s elementary ed, special ed, and a couple of different math and science programs), but to do like language arts or social studies etc, you’d need to have a bachelors degree to qualify -- though i also did my bachelors at wgu (in business management sdklfdjskdflsjd i hated it) so it doesnt need to be education-related or anything

if you wanna know more about my particular program let me know, bc it works fairly unusually but is a legitimate post-secondary educational institution and is also incredibly affordable, and idk what i’d be doing if i hadnt found out that it existed lmao

but so yeah idk what an education undergrad would consist of, but for my program in particular there were a lot of english content classes, obviously, like secondary disciplinary literacy, english pedagogy, secondary reading instruction and interventions, stuff like that

and then there were a lot of more generalized pedagogical courses, like educational assessment, foundational perspectives of education, classroom management, fundamentals of diversity and inclusion, principles of psychology: child and adolescent development, and stuff like that

again, this is just based on my own experience, but re: lesson plans, i actually just had some assignments for my courses where i had to write them and justify the thought process behind the decisions i made! like in my english pedagogy course, i had to write 3 essays (one for a literature-based lesson, one for a grammar-based lesson, and one for a writing-based lesson), and in each essay there was a section where i had to plan an entire lesson using their lesson plan format, and then explain and justify why i made each choice that i made. 

i’m starting student-teaching next semester, as soon as we get back from winter break, and i assume i’ll get more practice with lesson-planning through that, but basically it kind of comes down to like...figuring out the standards your students are supposed to reach, then figuring out how you’re going to break them down into a curriculum, and then for each lesson you figure out what objectives/goals you want your students to reach by the end, and you figure out how to present the material and then assess in some way whether or not the students understand it. once you know what the purpose of a lesson plan is (whether re: the idea of lesson plans in general, or a specific lesson plan you’re working on), the rest is just figuring out how to achieve that purpose. and it comes with practice! and trial and error, and figuring out what works and doesnt work with your own teaching style and in your classroom, etc. ik that’s super vague but so much of it depends of the parameters you’re given—like while i’m student-teaching i won’t be picking the books we read, so i’ll already have that requirement figured out for me, yknow?

as for your last question, my mom has been teaching my whole life, and my dad started teaching when i was about 10. my aunt is also a teacher, and my other aunt is a speech-language pathologist, so. i grew up around teachers kfjsldkfjs

i’ve just always liked explaining things to people and helping them understand them! i think really what it comes down to is that i just have a lot of passion and a lot of things to say sldfksjdkflj like i really do believe that english/language arts in particular is applicable in all parts of life, because all people communicate. i can’t speak for like. calculus or biology or whatever, but 99.9999% of people will need to do some sort of reading, and some sort of writing and/or speaking and/or communication of some type or another, and for all of the “the curtains are just blue!!!” whiners out there, it’s crucial to know how to communicate with others, and to understand what others are attempting to communicate to you, and i can’t think of a single scenario in which that isn’t the case. 

plus like, idk a single person who doesn’t like some form of story, whether through tv shows or movies or books or plays or podcasts or video games etc etc etc, and imo those can all be enhanced and made even better by having some sort of background knowledge of storytelling as an art, or as a process, or as an established medium with its own structures and intertextual lexicon etc! like the more i read about the art and history of storytelling, the more i enjoy movies and tv shows (which i already love and watch frequently), bc storytelling isn’t just a textual medium!

tbh part of the reason i think i’m good at explaining things is because i grew up in an emotionally abusive household, and i learned very early on how to anticipate the way another person (usually my dad lol) would interpret something i said to him, regardless of what i actually meant by it. so i subconsciously learned to apply that skill to other people, and now i’ve got sort of a knack for being able to cater my explanations to different people based on how i think they’ll best understand the information, and not just in a classroom setting—like i sometimes serve as a mediator/”interpreter” when my sister and my dad are having difficult conversations, because i know them both well enough, and the way they think well enough, that when one of them says something, i can usually understand both their intention AND how the other person is going to interpret it, and i can rephrase or explain things so miscommunication doesn’t end up making the problem worse

so in a classroom, i can explain things in several different ways, and if i’m working one-on-one with different kids i can usually figure out what isn’t clicking and can try another way to explain it. also bc my adhd brain processes information by making connections to other things i already know, i’m particularly good at coming up with (often unusual) metaphors or analogies for things, and people are like “oh wow ok that’s a weird way to explain it but i definitely get it now” and stuff

so basically i’ve learned bc of necessity how to communicate more effectively with others, and because i want everyone else to get the enjoyment out of language arts that i do, i’m drawn to teaching because i hope to help the students find at least some area of it that they’re interested in, and to show them that literature/storytelling/communication aren’t just about reading old boring books written by racist white dudes who hated women, but about learning to represent and interpret and take part in the human experience, because the foundation of any sort of society is communication, and that very basic desire to be understood by others

so even when i didnt actively Want To Be A Teacher it was always kinda in the back of my mind like “well if i dont find anything else i wanna do, i can always be an english teacher” bc most of my favorite teachers growing up were english teachers, and even at my absolute worst i did just fine in those classes, even when i hadnt read the books we were discussing (which was most of the time jsdklfsjd which is now kind of a problem for me as a teacher so i do think i shot myself in the foot there but oh well, i was 14)

anyway, as usual that got super long, but i hope it was helpful! lemme know if you have any other questions :)

[wondereads]

Books I Read in October + Opinions

Ahaha I meant to post this a week ago whoops

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (9/10)

This is the first of many I read for school. Despite being technically forced to read it, I enjoyed this one! The concept is super interesting, and I liked the writing style. The meandering, stream-of-consciousness writing really serves to enforce the tone of the story. However, I will say that it's pretty unsatisfying at the end. I can let it go somewhat because it's kind of the whole point, but it's still frustrating.

Heaven Official's Blessing Vol. 3 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (9/10)

Xie Lian's backstory is absolutely heartwrenching in this volume, and I know we're far from over. I'm loving the slow burn (on Xie Lian's part) so far! The only reason this isn't a 10 is because Xie Lian's past and present each take up about one half of the volume, and they feel a little disjointed as if they're different stories. Still, I appreciated getting back to the present since it's a little more lighthearted. Hua Cheng interacting with any heavenly officials that aren't Xie Lian is hilarious.

Strike the Zither by Joan He (7/10)

I enjoyed this book, I did! I love political and military fantasy, and this book is a combination of the two with a big emphasis on the strategy side of things. I especially like the main character, Zephyr, who was nuanced, complicated, and a great perspective to read from. However, I can't look past the fact that the pacing is all kinds of off. There's just not enough space for this kind of story. There's a huge plot twist halfway through, and it's not paid even half the attention it should. Still, I'll definitely be reading the next book. Check out my full review here!

The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey (6/10)

This is another book I read for school. It's another take on the zombie apocalypse, a really good one. After all, it's told from the perspective of one of the zombies. It asks interesting questions about what qualifies as humans and what will replace us once we're gone. So then, why did I give it a 6? Because this book is painfully written by a man. Of the five perspectives, the three female ones are perfectly fine. The men, however, won't shut up about masturbation and porn and whatnot. It pulled me out of the story and just grossed me out overall.

Beguiled by Cyla Panin (8/10)

This is actually the first partnership with an author I did! I did a reading vlog with it and everything Still, I can promise you this is my personal, honest opinion. I enjoyed reading this book; a lot of research went into the weaving aspect, and I loved the way the main character used lots of weaving metaphors. I also really like the Irish folklore influences, but I wished there had been more about the world, specifically the political climate. It was slow to start, but we got there! Check out the reading vlog here!

The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Vol. 3 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (10/10)

This volume was very backstory heavy, but it still had me giggling and kicking my feet. Look, they are very cute! Yes, there is all sorts of tragedy and horrendous corruption stuff going on. Do I care? Kind of, but not really. There was tons of character development in this volume, and I think it ended on the perfect note for the fourth one.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (5/10)

Yet another book I read for school. This is a childhood classic, but it also means a lot of stuff went over my head. Such as the vitriolic racism and classism, which is present throughout the entire book. I have to say, it really impacted my enjoyment; I couldn't stop thinking about throwaway lines that basically amounted to certain people being inherently better and more civilized than others. I don't think I'll be rereading this one anytime soon.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (10/10)

It is my firm belief that this book is one of the best dystopian novels ever written. It addresses a plethora of issues in a way that is serious but understandable for teenagers. Also, it doesn't fall into the black-and-white worldview that other famous dystopian novels (i.e. 1984) fall into. People from the Districts can be awful and corrupt, and people from the Capitol can grow and be kind. Katniss is a stupendous main character, and the political atmosphere for the future books is perfectly set up. Check out my review here!

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (10/10)

This is the third time I've read this book in a year and a half, and I still had the time of my life. This time around was a bit more analytical, and I especially noticed a lot of Jones' family life reflected in this story. I love Diana Wynne Jones' writing, and Sophie is one of my favorite protagonists ever. Her no-nonsense attitude is exactly what I love in a heroine, and I love her and Howl's dynamic. The side characters really shine, especially Calcifer, who is a fan favorite for good reasons. Check out my review here!

Shades of Rust and Ruin by A. G. Howard (8/10)

A. G. Howard is one of my favorite authors; I love her writing style, and she does great retellings. I really liked Nix, the main character, and I loved the worldbuilding, which meshed traditional faerie lore and steampunk aesthetic. However, this book is strikingly similar to another book of hers, Splintered. So much so that I was actually waiting for elements to line up with each other (which they often did). It was really entertaining, but I just can't get over that, so it's rating dropped a bit. Check out my review here!

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (9/10)

This was a really sweet children's book; I can't believe I've never read it before! It pulls a lot from Chinese mythology and culture in both physical items and creatures and ideological themes. The illustrations are beautiful and clearly inspired by traditional Chinese art. The message is sweet and pushed in a way that will get through to children but doesn't feel like it's being forced down my throat. A lovely book!

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (10/10)

I could not have asked for a better conclusion to this series. I was in great distress half the time, but that feels about par for the course while reading The Scholomance. El and Orion's story came to a beautiful close while answering all the questions yet to be answered about the magical world. The message is lovely, one that isn't often told in adult fantasy. It destroyed me, and I am very happy about it. Go read The Scholomance trilogy.

Bonus! November TBR

The theme this month, in honor of NaNoWriMo and my attempt to write a fantasy novel, is classic fantasy (+ some ARCs and overflow from previous TBRs)

Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory

The Serpent's Shadow by Mercedes Lackey

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Song of Silver, Flame Like Night by Amelie Wen Zhao

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Damsel by Evelyn Skye

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir

[kuuderekun]

I'm not an expert on Economics, but here is broadly what I support.

https://solascripturachristianliberty.blogspot.com/2018/09/im-not-expert-on-economics-but-here-is.html

Hopefully someone who is more of an expert then me will get where I'm coming form and work out the details. First you should know what some of the earliest posts I made this blog I'm not exactly gonna stand by anymore.  For example the post I made a little over 4 years ago on Taxation has some of what I still view as the truth in it, but in 2014 my politics were still broadly in Ron Paul mode.  The three documentaries I recommended in that post I'm not gonna recommend anymore, one was an Alex Jones film, another was one Alex Jones did repeatedly endorse.  I don't know much about the over all politics of the people behind The Money Masters.  But basically I don't care as much about the Federal Reserve as I once did, I think it does need more oversight but it's not my main boogeyman anymore. I'm also undecided on what my ultimate position on Tariffs is.  I know I oppose all existing "Free Trade Agreements" but I'm not sure what to do after that. At the end of this post I'm gonna link to three Peter Coffin video. Phase 1: Taxation. The problem with how we talk about Taxes is that it simplistically comes down to Conservatives lower them and Liberals raise them, with not nearly enough discussion of the different kinds of Taxes. There is even specifically more then one Tax called an Income Tax, so I need to be really specific about what I mean when I say I want an Income Tax abolished altogether.  What I'm referring to is sometimes called the Personal Income Tax or the Labor Income Tax.  It's the Tax on the worker's hourly wages.  The working class isn't making what they deserve to start with, so their wages certainly shouldn't be Taxed. There might be some people who, compared to what the average America makes, seem to qualify as "Rich" that are making an hourly wage. But when I talk about the "Super Rich" I'm talking about people who even make Hollywood Celebrities and Rap Stars look humble.  Contrary to the impression you get from watching how the Business world is depicted in most movies and TV shows, most people holding the position of CEO are not the actual owners of the Company but a person hired to run the Company for them, like The Hand of The King on Game of Thrones.   But even owners who do hold that title themselves, whatever wage their paying themselves is a small percentage of their total income.  No one in the Fortune 500 is in any significant way effected by the Labor Income Tax. So I ideally want the Basic Income Tax abolished, but for now I'm willing to settle for it being massively lowered.  It's percentage should certainly be lower then the Capital Gains percentage. I do not want to lower the Capital Gains Tax, or any other type of Income Tax that focuses on big businesses.  In fact I want to introduce a new one.  I support the Wallstreet Sales Tax.  I suspect that can easily more then make up for the income the Government would lose by getting rid of the Labor Income Tax, but I don't know for certain since I'm not an expert. It's not about "penalizing people whoa re more productive", it's about the fact that with great power comes great responsibility, and under Capitalism wealth is the only real power. I believe the 50c3 Tax Exempt Status needs to be abolished.  Tax Exempt Foundations are a big part of how the Rich avoids paying the taxes they're already supposed to pay. Also I fully support Legalizing marijuana and putting a Tax on that similar to the current Taxes on Tobacco and Alcohol. Phase 2: Minimum Wage. I fully support the current movement to raise the national Minimum Wage to $20 an hour.  In the long run I think the working class should be making even more then that, but this is a good place to start. Phase 3: Basic Income. As I've said before, I support having a Basic Income sometimes called a Guaranteed Minimum Income. (Scott Santens follows me on Twitter.)   I think it's highly Immoral that so many Americans are offended by the notion of Feeding people who don't work.  Scarcity is a Myth, we are now producing enough to provide for everyone, we simply don't.  All life is Sacred whether or not one "Contributes to Society" and many may have the ability to contribute in ways that aren't so easy to make money off of. The notion that if everyone gets money for Free we'll wind up with not enough people working to be able to Tax to pay for that simply isn't true.  Maybe if we tried to do it in our current Taxation system, but certainly not in a model like what I proposed above. The two main Basic Income models being proposed as $10,000 a year, or $1000 a month which would come to $12,000 a year.  Most people are going to need or at least want more then that ultimately, especially if they're raising a family.  And those making Millions or Billions every year certainly aren't going to suddenly decide a Thousand a month is enough, those people are addicted to constantly making more money. The people who are so lacking in ambition that $1000 a month would be enough for them, are mostly people who are having trouble holding a job anyway.  I can say that because I'm one of them.  But even then those people are a small percentage of those having trouble holding a job.   For many people their need to hold a "real job" are only slowing down their ability to peruse their true talents. Now some Basic Income supporters are saying that it would be Cheaper then our current system of social safety nets and so we wouldn't even need to increase the Government's revenues.  I do want to increase the state's revenue since I want to keep at least some of those. Phase 4: I support having a single payer Health Care system, like most other developed nations. Phase 5: If you wanna cut Government spending, it's military spending we waste the most money one.  Ron Paul proposed cutting the Defense Department's budget in half and that is one area I still agree with him on.   If you want to abolish some government agencies, abolish ICE, Homeland Security, the DEA and the ATF.  Not the the ones that regulate corporations. That's all the phases for now. My ideal society arguably goes even beyond that.  But these proposals are the compromises that I think could vastly improve things. Here are three Peter Coffin Videos I recommend.  The third is much longer then the others but still essential information.  I don't always agree with him, but these three videos are very informative and enlightening. Why Criticize Capitalism? Why We Need Single Payer Healthcare. Overpopulation.

[o0o-chibaken-o0o]

Hi there, do you have any recs for long drarry fics? I'm not very good at finding them

Hello!! I’ve done a rec list for long, slow burn fics in the past, so please check that out because I love every fic on that list to death! But OH MAN I could talk about long Drarry fics for the rest of my life, so here are some more! All very long, but not necessarily slow burn this time ;)

What We Pretend We Can’t See by gyzym (131K)- Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.This is the only one I am going to copy from the slow burn rec list, because I just want to rec it every day of my life. It is quite literally my number one favorite fic ever, and I am not exaggerating. Do you see how serious I am right now? I am never serious. This fic is so amazing it turned me serious. I’m not even going to summarize it again because if you trust me at all you will just go read it nooooooow.

Turn by Saras_Girl (307K)- One good turn always deserves another. Apparently. Of course in the middle of declaring my favorite fic ever, I had to remember Turn and how utterly brilliant it is and how I’ve reread it and it was STILL utterly brilliant the second time and have a crisis because MAYBE THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FAVORITE FIC???! Aaah help, I can never choose! Anyway, are you a drarry fan who hasn’t read Turn yet? Really? Well, in that case FUCK YOU BECAUSE I AM SO JEALOUS YOU GET TO READ IT FOR THE FIRST TIME YOU LUCKY BASTARD. *ahem* Anyway, in this amazing fic, epilogue-compliant and worn-down Harry goes to an alternate dimension in which he is happily married to Draco, owns the best pet snake ever, and makes furniture for a living (love artsy Harry

Tales from the Special Branch Series by femmequixotic (272K so far)- (Summary is from the second part of the series, which is the first long installment: Lost in Your Arms) Three months after their brief encounter, Draco has almost forgotten about Potter–or so he tells himself. Then a Dark wizard shows up on the Auror radar and all hell breaks loose. Draco will have to choose between everything he holds dear–everything he’s worked so hard for–and a few stolen moments of passion with a certain green-eyed Inspector, once his sworn enemy and now something rather different entirely. He’ll make the right choice, won’t he? Who is he kidding? He’ll ruin everything, as per usual. Bad choices and the name Malfoy go hand in hand.This series is a WIP, but a regularly updated one and the FIRST CHAPTER OF THE NEXT BOOK IS BEING RELEASED TOMORROW AND I AM SO EXCITED!!! I feel so lucky to be following along with it as it comes out, because let me tell you, this is an instant classic! There is lovely forbidden fornication between a boss (Harry) and his subordinate (Draco) (the prequel was written for the kink fest so you can bet the sex is SCORCHING), a very compelling mystery/case, and truly brilliant characterization! I identify so much with this Draco. And I also love that Harry isn’t the perfect flawless cinnamon roll he is often portrayed as in fics. Everyone in this series is very human, and I am just dying of excitement to find out what happens to them next! I know I’ve already gushed about this fic in several other places recently, and I’m sorry to repeat myself but I really can’t get enough! PLEASE JOIN ME IN ROOTING FOR @femmequixotic AS SHE KINDLY DEDICATES HER SOUL TO US ALL FOR THE NEXT BIT OF HER LIFE

Secrets by Vorabiza (395K)- Beginning with Draco’s unexpected arrival at the Dursleys, Harry’s summer after sixth year becomes filled with activity and many secrets. As his summer progresses, Harry generates several unexpected allies as he finds himself actively becoming the leader of the Light side. OMG it’s the first fic I ever read!! The fic that brought me into the fandom! I have suuuuuch a soft spot for this fic, and it is just so so so good! It’s probably my favorite adventure/wizarding war plot of all. Harry is just so confident and he embraces his Slytherin side and really Gets Shit Done, and it’s SO SATISFYING. Also, I love any fic in which Draco helps with the Horcrux hunt. Also there’s a baaaaaaby (no mpreg) and mentor!Snape, which is really nice. This fic was written post-HBP, but is SURPRISINGLY accurate in its predictions. Oh, and the sex is super hot too ;)

Checkmate by Naadi (245K)- Draco has the perfect plan to get Harry Potter and challenges him to a game of Dare Chess. But is it love, or betrayal, he has in mind? A real chess game is played throughout the story.This fic is so lovely! It’s an “alternate 7th year AU”, written after Goblet of Fire. It’s fluffy and funny and lovey and then dramatic and passionate and YEAH I LOVED IT. The real time game of chess, in which Harry and Draco take turns making “moves” (on each other) is just such a wonderful idea. Read the author’s note for more info! 

Leo Inter Serpentes by Aeternum (658K combined so far)- Just one conversation between two eleven year old boys goes slightly differently, and the world changes. Just how much will be different with Harry being sorted into Slytherin, and how much will stay the same?SLYTHERIN HARRY ALERT SLYTHERIN HARRY ALERT! Yep, a Slytherin Harry rewrite, and a REALLY GOOD ONE. Like usually I love the idea of Slytherin Harry, and then once I start reading I either find I’m bored because everything is just a repeat of canon or I can’t get into it because everyone is so OOC. But not this one! This fic is engaging and different enough from canon to be interesting and I love the eleven-year-old baby drarry friendship that eventually turns to romance! This fic also features benevolent mentor!Snape, which I suppose is either an enticement or a warning depending on your preferences. You SHOULD be warned that it’s a WIP. But the author is currently actively posting the 6th book, and I have hope it won’t be abandoned :)

Any Instrument by dicta_contrion (131K)- Draco Malfoy wouldn’t go back to England for anything less than an exceptional case. Being asked to figure out why Harry Potter can’t control his magic might be exceptional enough to qualify.Okay I have a HUGE thing for healer!draco and this fic portrayed him so so so perfectly. Harry is having complications with his magic after an operation gone wrong. So Draco comes from France and of course they can’t get together because Draco is Harry’s healer but OMG THE UST and then let me just say that when they finally do have sex, it’s the most beautiful, moving, heart-stopping sex scene you will ever read. Like, I felt it in my soul. And the character development is so compelling and there are literally no flaws in this fic whatsoever.

Starts With a Spin by Maxine (120K)- It started with the spin of a bottle, and now Harry and Draco have gotten themselves so far into their own game there’s almost no way out again. Except to keep playing.AAAAH this fic has all the teenage drarry feels! They’re so in character, always trying to one-up each other! And like these constant party games are happening and they’re being “forced” to go further and further with each other by their friends until they’re actually having sex, and YET THEN THE WAR IS STILL ON AS WELL, and it’s just super well-written and great! Another classic :D

Changing of the Guard by Lomonaaeren (210K)- Need a perfect stranger? Ask Metamorphosis. Harry Potter runs the business secretly and becomes whoever’s needed for each occasion. He’s not sure whether he should be more surprised, worried, or amused when Draco Malfoy comes to Metamorphosis and requests an actor who can play his boyfriend so that his parents will disown him. Yet Harry has even more dangerous choices after he creates Brian, Draco’s “perfect” boyfriend. Draco doesn’t know who Brian is, but he’s trying to find out—and now so is Harry.Aaah Lomonaaeren! Drarry writer of my dark, dark heart! And yet I know some people aren’t huge fans of her style and I don’t want to be reccing her fics all the time, so I try to keep the Lomon recs relatively infrequent. But if you are looking for long fics and you do like her style, I’m pretty sure she can keep you busy for like an entire year. This woman is more prolific than Steven King, and it’s a true blessing. As for this particular fic, Harry basically has Dissociative Identity Disorder, but he has been making the most of it by running a whoever-you-need-for-hire business. Only then Draco arrives, and Harry’s world had to come crashing down at some point and that point is NOW, and the drama is just so so good and this fic gave me ALL THE FEELS. It’s possibly my favorite of her fics :)

[compassionisobligatory]

Thanks for your respectful reply. I can give a personal example: A few years ago I was thinking of quitting the degree program I'm in. Another student (a white guy) had quit, citing in part mental health and lack of social support. And I remember talking to a friend (a very SJ-involved latina) who was just merciless about this guy, mocking him for being coddled and weak. I'm sure had I told her about my own problems, she'd probably have said I was different, an exception. But I kept quiet (1/2)

“(2/2) Maybe my friend was just less virtuous than you, but I think she honestly believed that a white man could not have meaningful disability. Or maybe that he could, but that it was okay to mock him for it anyway because she was less oppressed. And it's pessimistic, but I think that's just the way people are wired, to have double-standards. And SJ provides a narrative that says your double-standards are not only valid, but morally good. I don't see any way to fix that.”

Whoah now stranger! I’m not a good one! You’re making me wish I was more acidic in my first reply. You’re a human being, I aim to trait human beings with respect, that isn’t about you it’s about me. And I refuse to accept your offer of praise if I condemn your friend! What a friend you are to her, to throw her virtue to a stranger on the Internet! I mean, I don’t even believe in virtue as a concept, other than like, the virtue of fire is that it is hot and the virtue of steel is that it is strong so people have many virtues - strength, and speed, and insight, and every other talent one can cultivate.

I’m sorry that you were having a hard time in your degree program. I know when I was in grad school it was awful for my mental health (mostly because I made a bad choice of advisors) and quitting after 7 years was hard. So it sounds like you’ve been able to stick with it, which I hope was the right choice for you. I’m sorry that your peer had to drop out because of poor support. That’s not okay and shouldn’t happen.

At the same time, your example is a woman who said something ungenerous. I saw a lot of ungenerous things about colleagues who irk me when I’m 1-1 with other people. Now, it would be better if I talked out my issues with the person in question, but this feels like a venal sin? I’d think that the “masculinity so fragile, LOL” memes which are essentially bullying men seeking affirmation of the gender identity is probably more harmful.

And here’s the thing - there is already a double standard. Every black teacher I know has some white students assume that they are ignorant of their content, even when they hold ph.d’s. This doesn’t happen to white teachers. We struggle, sometimes our kids don’t like us, but my black colleagues face a presumption of incompetence and face a high bar to prove otherwise. For white teachers, the situation is reversed, especially if they are older. This is how a student can fill out a strong course evaluation of a white male teacher and simply write “The straight man!”

I see my white students heap on each other ludicrous praise, developing the habit of rating whiteness highly. So that an awful presentation because “significant contribution to the field” it starts as a game, but they are learning to claim superiority with a straight face.

I see my young men talk over the young woman in the class. I hear them say “I have an idea!” and then repeat the last thing she said.

I see three older white male teachers in a row go to bat for a white young man “he’s a great kid” and the bar they set for greatness is “no longer says explicitly misogynistic things in my hearing.” This is not the standard set for our black students, or even for our white girls.

In spite of all of the double standards, it’s sometimes not enough. So sometimes even white men can fail, in fact, this happens all the time. There’s a lot of white men. 

In college and graduate school I never had a professor who was a latina. I’m not even sure there was one at all where I went to college. I’m pretty sure that I did have professors with personal experience of depression. I’m extraordinarily sympathetic to your friends experience of watching less qualified white men selected over her, and put in power over her, again and again and again. Anger is a healthy and appropriate emotional response, though in all likelihood your depressed friend was blameless with respect to her. Still, I ask you, what if she had something important to tell you? What if her anger was a gift because she trusted you to understand her perspective and the empathize with her experiences?

White supremacy is real, and it is wrong, and I will oppose it as best I know how.

Sexism is real, and it is wrong, and I will oppose it as best I know how.

This is a promise I make to my students, especially the black girls I teach. This is a promise to my friends, to be in solidarity with them, and this is a promise to myself to not accept the unacceptable.

So you see, I’m not a good one. 

But I share your goal of making a world with more support and more care. I am still very much learning how to navigate institutions, but I do hope that I can help to improve these things.