#political disscusion

[susililys]

MY SHIKATEMA FANFIC RECS MASTERLIST PART 2

Continuation of my ShikaTema Fanfic Masterlist, click here for Part 1 or Part 3 :

Blank Period / Dating / Shinobi Union CONT.

The Way You Are by: pieceofmind22 ONESHOT Cute Shikamaru defending his girlfriend from unnecessary comments.

Indulgence by: dinosaurspice M | ONESHOT Shikamaru and Temari see each other again after Naruto and Hinata's wedding, good smut.

First Kiss by: silverkunai ONESHOT Cute fluffy blank period first kiss.

double the trouble by: tentendeservedbetter M | ONESHOT Includes InoSai, Shikamaru relucatancly agrees to help Ino with her relationship with Sai by going on a doubledate. Really sweet fic.

summer sweets by: eeveleon DRABBLE Sweet fluffy ShikaTema on a lunch break in the early stages of their relationship with an indirect kiss.

midnight missions by: eeveleon ONESHOT Super cute, ShikaTema on a mission, where Shikamaru chooses to save Temari over completing the mission.

All Caught Up in the Mood by: Meticulous_Melodies M | ONESHOT Smut after the NaruHina wedding gift misunderstanding.

All the Right Moves Meticulous_Melodies M | ONESHOT Temari ends up having to stay with Shikamaru's place due to no other accomdations available, smut after confessions.

Kiss Kiss (Fall in Love) by: Laisaxrem ONESHOT Shared Kiss for different ships, first chapter is ShikaTema and it's really sweet.

The Ruin of Us by: CinderRoses M | COMPLETE Friends to lovers smut, first person, literally amazing. No words.

Jealousy by: narutostuff101 ONESHOT This is such a cute little fic, loved it!

Oh? You don't know who Shiho is? by: ArmchairAnthropologist ONESHOT Fics like this are always fun, sorry Shiho!

Blank Period / Proposals / Engaged / Married

A Long, Troublesome Way to the Altar by: penandpad0613 INCOMPLETE I am a true sucker for fics where ShikaTema have to go through the political struggles in order to get married, especially since those issues were only slightly mentioned in Gaara Hiden and in Boruto filler.

A Business Proposal by: silverkunai ONESHOT Gaara helps convince the Suna council regarding Shikamaru and Temari's marriage.

Epiphany by: mississippimudpiecraves ONESHOT Shikamaru being forced to have a Bachelor party, honestly one of my favorites.

Uninhibited by: Sylversmith ONESHOT This was so funny and sweet, loved every minute of it, drunk Shikamaru antics not recognizing his wife, but being loyal af.

extraordinary love by: chaosnojutsu ONESHOT Always end up coming back to this fic, ShikaTema having to convince the Suna council to get married.

Gaara's Help by: drowninglinguists ONESHOT Temari disscusing her emotions with Gaara before the wedding.

Who she is… by: pieceofmind22 ONESHOT Short and fluffy. Shikamaru's feelings regarding marrying Temari.

If I May Propose by: SpicedGold COMPLETE Different ways Shikamaru could have proposed, they are all super cute! I've been placing my favorite fics from this writer, especially from the Nara Family series throughout.

our hearts beat as one by thecivilunrest ONESHOT Shikamaru proposes to Temari in true lazy fashion, and Temari makes the decision to leave her village.

A Future Together by: thegizka ONESHOT ShikaTema breaking the news of their engagement to Gaara and Kankuro.

Midnight (& Day Off Mini) by: yoursuccubusnightmare M | ONESHOT Newly wed smut.

Love, Marriage and Other Disasters by: Dunesya INCOMPLETE Shikamaru wants to get married, Temari deals with insecurities and issues leading up. So good!

The Request by: BrazilianWriter ONESHOT Shikamaru has a conversation with Gaara about proposing to Temari.

Not Yet by: KiaraShell ONESHOT Very sweet proposal fic.

What's in a Title? by: dentsucree ONESHOT Such a cute/funny family interaction.

Five Hundred Game Tiles by: Lady_Otori ONESHOT

Growth by: owlishdelight ONESHOT Fluffy, just married.

Dangerous Territory by: theskywasblue ONESHOT Shikamaru falls into a trap.

New Parents / Post Chapter 700 / BORUTO / Nara Family

The 700th by: glockcourage COMPLETE Short drabbles, Nara family cuteness.

Falling for you (again) by: BrazilianWriter M | COMPLETE Seriously one of the best things I've ever read, another one I read daily for clear skin. Temari wakes up from a coma due to a severe injury on a mission, and wakes up with amnesia. The process of remembering with her loved ones is perfect, I can't stress this enough!

Back in an Hour… by: ShrimpArmy COMPLETE Good married smut in Ino's flower shop.

The Best Laid Plans by: SpicedGold ONESHOT A group in Suna is not happy about Temari's marriage to Shikamaru, and decide to kidnap Shikamaru/Shikadai and Temari isn't having any of it, loved this!

Endangered Pasts by: Tjwr INCOMPLETE Truly amazing, only bad thing about it is that it's not complete. Includes NaruHina. Shikadai and Boruto are sent to the past.

Home: by: SpicedGold ONESHOT It's Temari's birthday and she just needs to find out what Shikamaru's present is! Way too funny and cute! See the rest of the series here: Nara Family Series

According To Plan by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Shikadai gets hurt during training with Temari and what follows is some cute parenting banter with Shikamaru.

The Sacrifices We Make by: greenho4 ONESHOT Shikamaru discusses what Temari gave up to be with him with Shikadai, extremely sweet.

Ten minutes to Midnight by: KiaraShell ONESHOT Cute fic set during Shikadai and Shikamaru's birthday, where Shikamaru is on a mission.

Just Relax by: clumsydragon28 ONESHOT Much needed Nara family vacation.

Crybabies by: KiaraShell ONESHOT Shikadai gets his ears pierced.

9 Months by: Aspire2B COMPLETE Following Temari's pregnancy, the ending with Naruto in the hospital was so funny.

Ino-Shika-Chou by: Aspire2B ONESHOT

To The Next Year by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Loved this so much, Shikamaru and Temari have a phone call on New Years, beautifully sweet marriage banter bliss.

Office Hours by: OstaraNight M | ONESHOT Hot smut, enough said.

Why by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Shikadai asks about how his parents met. Simply adorable.

Nara Family by: SandriBeee COMPLETE Newborn Shikadai and being new parents.

Being Rescued is a Terrible Birthday Present by: SpicedGold ONESHOT Cute, mostly Shikadai's feelings.

family functions by: eeveleon ONESHOT Sand/Nara family cuteness at the beach.

Can't Reach by: Dunesya ONESHOT Shikamaru calls Gaara and Kankuro to take care of a pregnant Temari while he is on a mission.

[barbthebuilder]

Mutuals, followers, complete strangers, friends and enemies:

Holidays can be exhausting and stressful so I urge all of you to be kind to yourself, stay safe and take care. I'm sending you my strength to survive through uncomfortable questions and awkward silences and political disscusions during family gatherings. Don't let anybody's comment make you think less of yourself. Some people are just assholes or simpy ignorant.

Be strong, it will be over soon ❤

[allyriadayne]

I saw a disscusion about who would Otto support as heir, Baelon or Rhaenys and this person reasoned Rhaenys because she's the heir under Andal law, he could gain more political influence under her reign and it would further keep Daemon away from the throne, do you agree or disagree?

lol disagree. otto would 100% support baelon (in a case where the council is called to choose between baelon and rhaenys?? but baelon will win no questions asked). otto doesn't care about andal law or primogeniture, he's going to support the one who will give him more advantage, and he won't ever consider a woman as a queen, in this case he would be thinking of how much he could get into corlys which is not much. his real choice in this is between baelon and corlys.

i guess this comes from some sort of twisted belief otto is following the laws to a t in canon? he isn't, because if he was, he would be following the king's word which is law unto itself, and he doesn't. he only cares about what will give him more power. while baelon might not be that easily to influence, viserys is. getting daemon away from the throne is nothing, we see otto doing it for 15 years in the first episode, at this stage daemon is in the vale and viserys and aemma are trying for a child. daemon is not a worry. otto is not isolating daemon because he really thinks he's going to be an awful king (he would be) but because otto doesn't like daemon and he would never listen to him.

what is a preoccupation for otto is the velaryons. he doesn't care about rhaenys and what she personally could bring as a queen or how she could be, as i mentioned before, he is thinking what most thought during the great council of 101: corlys velaryon would be the king in all but name. corlys is much more difficult to handle than even baelon who seems to me like a very decent kind of guy, not too prideful or ambitious like we know corlys is. otto has no life with a man like that ruling alongside rhaenys, we see how they clash during the first few episodes.

[spite-made-me]

Cazadors content got cut; people found in datamined sources that he was supposed to play a much bigger political role in BG, which would include Cazador confronting Orin and Butcher (don't have the detes rn, but there were plenty of disscusions on reddit)

It's weird to me that Astarion is the fan favourite and has got so much content, but ultimately, he's kinda pointless.

His beef with Cazador is completely irrelevant to the Absolute cult and the chosen 3.

Lae'zel is a githyanki, and her story is very wrapped up with Voss and the others.

Shadowheart is the one with the Prism, and act 2 is very heavy on Shar. Hell, she's pretty much the main character for that entire arc.

Gale has the Netherise orb and connections to the crown of Karsus. The artefact that lets the dead 3 control the elder brain.

Karlach has relevance to Gortash.

Wyll is Ulder Ravengards son, and probably the best candidate for the "canon" protagonist. Aside from the dark urge.

The Dark urge is Bhaals chosen and the former ringleader of the entire operation.

The story really loses a lot from the absence of all these characters.

Astarion? Not so much. You don't even need him to confront Cazador, who again could be taken out completely and wouldn't change anything.

I just find it weird how Astarion got so popular when he contributed the least out of any of them from a narrative perspective.

[cassatine]

Thank you for replying to me! I really enjoy your disscusions and analysis of Westerosi politics, I relate to your attitude of this is fun to talk about but ultimately doesn't mean much. Yeah the problem is not about who has the better claim but how the succession for the iron throne has no set rules or laws only prescedants that can be changed.

my pleasure! i do wish the fandom was less ridiculous about the whole legalese-taken-seriously thing because it's sucking the fun out of my niche meta hobby but u know. people gonna people.

(technically there are set rules for the iron throne's succession, it's just that no set of human-made rules can account for everything, no matter how complex: no legal code exists outside human interpretation, and there always are moments when which rule trumps which rule is unclear)

[stargiirl27]

Man I hate class discussions sometimes cause when we get into political shit theres this one girl thats always like "no violence guys, we cant be violent" meanwhile im in the front row with a giant patch that says "decapitate your local Nazi" like, sure Jan

[jesuscrab]

Harry Du Bois and politics

Back when i was regulary browsing 4chan, i frequently went into the Disco Elysium threads on /v/. As you can imagine, they were mostly pepole screaming at eachother about politics in video games. Calling DE "commie propaganda", posting out of context screenshots to prove that the devs have an evil agenda to destroy america. That Harry is canonically a communist, game activley shits on any other ideology and blah blah blah.

But amids this disscusion, there was one anon that i keep thinking about. He said that Harry doesnt accuretly represent the game's political climate. And that's becuse he is an amnesiac.

Out of context, the facist dialouge sounds like someone put the most sterotypical bigoted statments in a blender, like the devs were actively making fun of you for picking them, mocking you. But that works in chracter of Harrier. Harry has lost so much memory, he doesnt even know what money is. He completly clueless. SO why are we expecting that guy to have coherent political opinions? harry doesnt fully understand the politics that he engages with, he only understands the little bits his broken mind puts in his dialouge box.

Every one of the political options sound like a parody. Communist makes you constalty make quips about freeing the working class, eating the rich, talk about your noble quest to save the world... while mocking you that it doesnt work. Ultra makes you talk about money all the time. Tell everyone how much you "grind" and "hustle". Parody of corprate slogans, shouted out by a blasted out of his mind drunk cop. Moralists are so painfully boring and non-confratational. Hell, some of the dialouge makes you break the 4th wall and say how much you dont want to pick other options. Your political dialouge reflects the absolutley overdrawn extremes of movements you support, becuse your character doesnt understand what the fuck he's talking about!

None of the other characters are like this! No one yells about burgoise sausage grinders or hating women. The facist characters are written with personalility. You may not like them, but they are more then just "a dude yelling slurs".

It doenst matter what Harry bielieved in his previous life. He knew about politics, and after losing everything - just like with the other thoughs - his mind picks bits and piecies to rebuild himself anew.

Anyway, this is all opinions and thoughs based on some 4chan post so take it with a grain of salt okay thanks byeeeeeeee

[winem0m]

Sipping wine and watching this election with my littles. So incredibily nervous, but excited to be educating my daughter on the process of american politics and how much her voice matters. We’ve been disscusing LGBTQ+ issues, feminism, covid-19 and how it’s been handled, racisim, and so much more. It’s been a really good night, and I’m hopeful but weary of these results.

[rotten-zucchinis]

Part 2: “I choose to prioritise...”

This is part of a series exploring the language of “I choose to...” and “I am prioritising...” (and avoidance of “I should...”) as it is regularly used in a particular Relationship Anarchy/Anarchism community... and some the ableism in how I’ve seen that play out (particularly insofar as it impacts folks with limitations related to chronic illness and neurodivergence).

Introduction (contextualising this conversation) [text]

Part 1: The meaning of “can” (or “I often do things I can’t do”) [text]

Part 2: “I choose to prioritise…”

Part 3: Alternative meaning of “should” [text]

Part 4: Navigating the costs… [text]

Part 5: Choosing between a rock and a hard place [text]

Similar to how the meaning of “can” is relative to both abilities and costs of doing things (disscused in Part 1 [text]), one of the limitations about “prioritisation” is that it's inherently relative. I might value attending a certain event, for example, just as highly as someone else who doesn't share my limitations, but prioritisation isn't about how highly people absolutely value things, it's about where they rank those things relative to other things. This hierarchical ranking is necessary because of the limitations of space-time— we cannot simply “choose” to be in two places at once for example: we have to choose one (or neither). But the language of “choose to prioritise” focuses only on the hierarchical ranking and not the absolute value that things are each accorded, which is weird for a group of people who are explicitly all about deconstructing hierarchies.

And more importantly, it ends up reinforcing a lot of ableism, in ways that are often rendered even more “taken-for-granted” because when people don't do stuff, this model says it's because they're “choosing” not to prioritise it (i.e., and not because the world is shaped such that there are barriers that make “choosing to prioritise it” too costly or that result in that choice incurring negative consequences specific to people who face certain types of barriers). “I choose to prioritise __” is all about me and doesn't consider anything about the circumstances in which I make that choice— circumstances that are often profoundly harmful and that collectively people often can change (i.e., if they were to prioritise that), even if there's no way for me to change them myself through the power of my own individual choices.

Interestingly, the naming of collective choices and priorities tends not to be part of the project of naming choices to highlight agency. Even in spaces where people routinely speak their choices and priorities explicitly, this tends to be limited to their individual choices and individual priorities. I don't think I've ever encountered people systematically naming and making explicit their moment-to-moment choices to participate in collective resistance against structural violence and harm (including ableism), or alternatively their moment-to-moment choices to participate in the collective perpetuation of these things (though sometimes we name these for each other).

While people critique these systems in moments of analysis, they rarely name the ongoing praxis of these critiques (or their failures to behave in ways that align with their politics) as they move through the world. Instead, in the swing of things, people routinely take these violent systems and their effects for granted, as immutable context, without the recognition either that our collection in/actions sustain these systems or that together we do have the power to change them to some degree. 

There are limitations of language that make it somewhat unwieldy and awkward to name our participation in collective choices, actions and priorities. But I would argue there is still value in making those attempts and in trying to figure out a viable way to shine a proverbial spotlight on our collective choices and priorities which are typically concealed by the shadow of “taken-for-grantedness” (and thereby implicitly positioned beyond our capacity for change). Doing so makes it possible to start envisioning and discussing alternatives— makes it possible for us to make different choices, including choices we wouldn't have otherwise imagined.

At the same time, whether or not people do this, the issue of individuals prioritising individual choices is also less than straightforward when considering access barriers or limitations of ability. It might be entirely true, for example, that I will not attend or do stuff because I am prioritising “other things” over that stuff, but those “other things” might be my ability to function and make choices at all about a lot of things for the next day or week or month. It doesn't mean I don't value the stuff that I'm relatively “deprioritsing”. And it certainly doesn't mean that I value it less than do other people who are choosing to priorities it (as is commonly assumed). It doesn't mean that I don't want to attend or do the stuff that I might miss and it doesn't mean I want to attend/do it less than other people who attend/do it. It just means that there are other things that are also very high priority for me, and that I might “choose” to prioritise because I might face significant / devastating natural consequences that other people do not face if I don't make those choices.

With my limitations, me not doing stuff is not an indication that I don't value it. It doesn't mean it's a “low priority” for me. It might just mean that no matter how high a priority for me it is, my basic survival is higher and in jeopardy in this moment in some way. It might just mean that there are some less obvious accessibility barriers that make participating even more costly for me than for a lot of other people (i.e., barriers either about the stuff per se or about my life more generally). Sometimes it means that I need help in completely unrelated areas of my life because my capacity is limited so exceeding it on one front (i.e., in terms of physical exertion, sensory overload, etc.) pushes the whole system beyond what it can handle. Shovelling more snow than I can shovel doesn't just mean my legs will give out— it probably means my words will give out too. And that doesn't make sense to so many people who have never experienced it.

But that brings us to a meaning of “should” that isn’t about any kind or moral obligation or commitment: Part 2 [text].

[ansheofthevalley]

Do you like Lindsay Ellis? Even though her points on Sansa and Dany were completely off? She basically bashed Sansa and defended Dany treating her like an actual hero. That’s just wrong.

I haven’t heard of her until her name started to pop up on my dash because of her “hot takes”, especially on Sansa. So, to give you a proper answer, I went and watched her video. And, oh boy...

 You may take this as a counter-argument to hers. I’ll take her approach; first I’ll speak about power citing Important People™, and then I’ll head straight to the rebuttals. (You may skip the philosophy lecture if you want. I’ll actually use it to justify my answers, so, it’s up to you. In case you don’t want to read the whole thing - which is totally understandable and, you know what, even recommend - I’ve put the key points at the end of first part of this meta.)

 She starts the video talking about the nature of power, quoting the writer Robert A. Caro:

 “We’re taught Lord Acton’s axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely [...]. I believed that when I started these books (about Lyndon B. Johnson), but I don’t believe it’s always true anymore. [...] What I believe is always true about power is that power reveals. When you have enough power to do what you always wanted to do, then you get to see what the guy always wanted to do”.

Let’s take a second to analyze this. First off, it starts with a quote that GRRM likes to go back to a lot. After all, ASOIAF is a work of (fantasy) fiction that analyzes the nature of power and its dynamics and just how much it can corrupt a person, even those with good intentions. That’s the core of GRRM’s work, the nature of power and what it can do to a person.

I agree with Caro when he says that power reveals, but power does not only reveals what a person wants to do, but how that person does that. The how is just as important as the what, especially when we’re talking about political figures (fictional or not).

(I talked about Daenerys and what is it that she does with her power in a couple of metas - some are mine, the others are from awesome people in which case I’m just putting my two cents on the matter - : X, X, X, X, X)

There’s a very interesting conversation between Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, called “Intellectuals and power”. Here are some excerpts that I believe are important when talking about the nature of power:

M. Foucault: [while talking about the prison system and can power be found its raw form in prisons] What is fascinating about prisons is that, for once, power doesn’t hide or mask itself; it reveals itself as tyranny pursued into the tiniest details; it is cynical and at the same time pure and entirely “justified”, because its practice can be totally formulated within the framework of morality. Its brutal tyranny consequently appears as the serene domination of Good over Evil, of order versus disorder.

What Foucault is that we can find power (in this particular case, in prisons) that is tyrannical but, at the same time, manages to justify its ruthlessness, all because it was built in a framework that enables it to do so. So, we can see people punishing other people, sometimes in the most brutal of ways, all in the name of morality: because Evil must be punished by Good, as to set an example that Good will always dominate over Evil.

M. Foucault: [about the nature of power] (Power) is at once visible and invisible, present and hidden, unbiquitous. [...] The question of power remains a total enigma. Who exercises power? [...] We now know with reasonable certainty who exploits others, who recieves the profits, which people are involved [...] But as for power... We know that it is not in the hands of those who govern. [...] Everywhere that power exists, it is being exercised. No one, strictly speaking, has an official right to power; and yet it is always exerted in a particular direction, with some people on one side and some on the other. It is often difficult to say who holds power in a precise sense, but it is easy to see who lacks power”.

In this excerpt, in which Foucault disscuses the nature of power and how it works, I’d like to highlight two sentences; the first one being “Everywhere that power exists, it is being exercised” and the second being “ [...] It is easy to see who lacks power”.

Regarding the first sentence, it shows power as something that is always active; there’s always someone with power, using that power. There is a person/group regarded as the powerful. But given the dual nature of power (visible/invisible,present/hidden), if there’s the powerful, then there’s also the powerless. And that’s where the struggle appears. Because power is a force with no master, yet it seems someone/some specific group has it. So, there’s always a struggle to obtain power.

Regarding the second sentence, Foucault distinguishes that the most recognizable characteristic about power are the powerless. When you have something that can hide and disguise itself, which is the case with power, then it’s clear that it’s easier to spot those who lack that something. That’s why when trying to understand power dynamics, we always talk about things like “true power”, “the person behind the curtain/calling the shots”, etc., but we don’t have phrases like that regarding those who lack power. The powerless are just that: people who lack power. Powerlessness doesn’t hide to the eye, it’s always present in its true form, unlike power itself.

G. Deleuze: [...] How is it that people whose interests are not being served can strictly support the existing power structure by demanding a piece of the action? Perhaps, this is because in terms of investments, [...] there are investments of desire that function in a more profound way and diffuse manner than our interests dictate. But of course, we never desire against our interests, because interest always follows and finds itself where desire has placed it.

Here, Deleuze presents an intriguing thought. How is it that people that have no power support a system that won’t change their situation (in relation with power) and still be active in said system? Deleuze argues that desire weights more than interests when it comes to the powerless; so, when driven by desire, people act according to them. But there is something that’s worth keeping in mind: whether be powerless or powerful, people never desire against their interests, because desire can act as a tool to protect those interests.

TL;DR:

Power can be tyrannical while disguising itself as being moral, all because it exists in a framework that allows it to do so. With this kind of power, ruthlessness is justified as Good dominating Evil.

Where there’s power, there’s always a person/group exercising said power, even though power belongs to no one. So, with the exercise of power, comes the making of two distinct groups: the powerful and the powerless; both groups then struggle to control that power: the powerless fight to gain power, the powerful fight to keep their power.

Powerlessness doesn’t disguise itself. It’s easy to recognize. So, the powerless appear just as they are, they have no reason (or means) to disguise their true nature.

Sometimes desire can weight more than interests, but people never desire against their own interests.

So that’s that on (some of) the philosophy of power. Now, let’s get into the what you asked, nonny.

I’ll start with the things that I agree with.

Problems with characterization

I think we can all agree on one single fact: D&D (and the entirety of the writer’s room) downplayed the characters’ defining traits in order for them to fit within the plot/drive the narrative forward. This is something that started around S5, when D&D ran out of books to adapt. So, the problem D&D were presented with at that time is that they knew the endgame to all the core characters, but had no step-by-step guide to help them reach said endgame.

Flash-forward to S8, and we’re in the middle of a whole mess. We get to certain plot-points, but we reach those by the way of the narrative explaining us how the characters or the story gets there, instead of the characters reaching those plot-points organically. The characters’ endgame is treated more as a destination (somewhere we must reach) and less as something that would wrap up the characters’ arcs in an organic* way.

* By organic, I mean that we (the audience) see the characters make certain choices (or not), say things (or not) that will eventually lead them to their endgame. A story like Thrones is character-driven, it always was. It was the decisions these characters made that had a ripple effect on the storyline, either personal or political (or both). By season 7, and more explicitly in season 8, the storyline was driven by plot-points, so it was not the characters influencing the story, but the story influencing the characters acted

So, what we end up with is various examples of “tell, don’t show”, which really is a sin in storytelling, especially in a visual medium. That’s why a lot of people weren’t sold by Jonerice, because it was so easy to spot the “lie”.

 Now, time for the counter-arguments! (I’ll focus on some of the “arguments” she makes that stood up for me).

 “Sansa has no pathos”

Well, that’s actually true. First, let’s start with some definitions of pathos:

 Pathos is a quality of an experience in life, or a work of art, that stirs up emotions of pity, sympathy, and sorrow. Pathos can be expressed through words, pictures, or even with gestures of the body.

Pathos is an important tool of persuasion in arguments. Pathos is a method of convincing people with an argument drawn out through an emotional response.

Emotional appeal can be accomplished in many ways, such as the following:

 -by a metaphor or storytelling, commonly known as a hook;

-by passion in the delivery of the speech or writing, as determined by the audience; and

-by personal anecdote.

One of the characters in GOT/ASOIAF that appeals to the emotion of others (uses pathos in their rethoric) is Daenerys. I’ve written a little thing about it here

Sansa, instead, uses ethos in her arguments. That’s how she appeals to people. But, what is ethos?

Ethos represents credibility, or an ethical appeal, which involves persuasion by the character involved. [...]  The credibility of a speaker or a writer relies on his or her authority on the subject matter, as well as on how much he or she is liked and deemed worthy of respect.

Ethos forms the root of ethikos (ἠθικός), meaning "moral, showing moral character"

Speakers must establish ethos from the start. This can involve "moral competence" only; Aristotle, however, broadens the concept to include expertise and knowledge. Ethos is limited, in his view, by what the speaker says. Others, however, contend that a speaker's ethos extends to and is shaped by the overall moral character and history of the speaker—that is, what people think of his or her character before the speech has even begun.

For Aristotle, a speaker's ethos was a rhetorical strategy employed by an orator whose purpose was to "inspire trust in his audience" (Rhetorica 1380). Ethos was therefore achieved through the orator's "good sense, good moral character, and goodwill", and central to Aristotelian virtue ethics was the notion that this "good moral character" was increased in virtuous degree by habit (Rhetorica 1380).

Lindsay Ellis refers to pathos (or the lack-of) in Sansa’s arc meaning that she’s never shown to emotionally process what she’s been through. But if we were to properly use the word pathos, Sansa never appeals to us, the audience, in an emotional way. That’s her criticism. And it’s fine, but there’s something she’s missing while making this criticism: all of Sansa’s storylines were based around other characters, oftentimes male characters. Sansa has never been at the center of her own narrative, unlike Daenerys.

 “New Empowerment Sansa spends the whole battle trash-talking Daenerys, who, unlike Sansa, is out there risking her life”

(I’ll do this one in parts because there’s a lot to unpack here)

First of all, it’s not trash-talking if it’s true. As I pointed out before with the conversation between Foucault and Deleuze, there are two things to keep in mind regarding the Sansa-Daenerys clash in S8:

 “Everywhere that power exists, it is being exercised”; and

“We never desire against our interests, because interest always follows and finds itself where desire has placed it.”

The struggle between Sansa and Daenerys is political, they both seek to have power over a specific territory (the North). That’s their interest and their desire. It’s Sansa’s desire to keep Northern Independence and it’s in her best interests (and those of her people). Sansa’s desire and interests clashes with Daenerys’, since having the largest region of the Seven Kingdoms to remain independence goes against her interests (and desires) as a Conqueror.

Secondly, the living only had a fighting chance because of all the efforts made by the northerners and the KOTV, all under Sansa’s leadership as Lady of Winterfell. In S7, most of the northern lords were ready to jump out of the USS Jon Snow, but it’s because of Sansa’s leadership skills that the North remained a united front. The people fighting outside Winterfell were vital in the Battle of WF, but so were the efforts of the people tasked with assembling the barracks with dragonglass, the people putting leather on the armours, the men forging dragonglass weapons, the people tasked with feeding the soldiers and the refugees from all parts of the North. All of that was possible because of Sansa.

 “New Empowerment Sansa won’t shut the fuck up about how much she doesn’t like Daenerys”

Seeing Sansa express her discontent with Daenerys is actually good, especially when you remember that she has been surrounded by enemies basically by the entire run of the show. That means she always had to keep her true feelings to herself, relying on very few people (trust issues are a big thing in Sansa’s overall arc). Sansa voicing her opinions shows us, the audience, she’s finally at a place in the story in which she finally feels safe to do so.

 “Sansa’s evolution mirrors the Starks as a whole. The compassion and nobility that defined the Starks is one of their biggest assets, but in the end, they’re no better than the fucking Lannisters”

Ok, here’s the thing. Time and time again, we had different characters tell us, the audience, that northerners are loyal to their own, that they’re distrustful of outsiders (there’s a reason why “The North remembers” is basically their cathphrase). We’ve seen it with Robb, Cat, Sansa and Jon.

If one had to single out a theme for S8 (something weird to do, since D&D don’t believe in themes, but themes are present in every single story, whether you believe in them or not), the theme could very well be survival. At this point, everyone’s looking after their own. All those that made it this far had been through so damn much, have seen so damn much, that what they all want is to survive.

People have this misconception about the Starks: they’re this very good, very noble group of people. That’s true; if you talk about how the Starks are with the people they love and trust. And we’ve seen that trust issues are a big thing for the remaining Starklings. Ever since the start of the show, all of the Starks were separated: you had Ned with Sansa and Arya in the South; Cat with Robb, Bran and Rickon in WF; and Jon at the Wall. As the story moves forward, the Starkling find themselves alone; it’s all so they can learn to fend for themselves and once they reunite, act like a Pack of Wolves, each with a particular skill. From the beginning, the Starks were the one family that was beaten time and time again, only to get up and get beat one more time. People talk about the Starks acting like the Lannisters in S8 because we, as an audience, never had the chance to watch them act as a unit. And is it really so surprising to watch a family taking care of each other  when every single person in the show is doing the exact same thing?

The Starks, for the first time since reuniting, are acting like a Pack. Like Old Papa Stark used to say: the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. The Starklings are after survival, just like everyone else. The difference with, let’s say, northman #3 is that the Starks are aware of the political struggle in the near future with Daenerys and what that political struggle means fro everybody. Take S8E4 as an example. Tension is growing between the Starks and Daenerys. We, the audience, know that. Northman #3 doesn’t.

Going back to the subject of power, it’s really noteworthy how the powerful players use their power regarding others:    

We see Sansa put the food issue on the table

(an issue no one seems to worry about or even remember, not even the writers).

She insists for the gates to remain open until the last northerner arrives for shelter. She is constantly fighting for the freedom of her people

(the northerners chose Robb as KITN, then chose Jon).

She also uses her power as Lady of Winterfell to protect her family

.

She tells Tyrion about RLJ not because she wants to cause trouble, but because she knows if the truth gets out, Daenerys won’t be able to hurt Jon

while they’re in the South.Since it’s difficult to make a clear reading of Jon’s arc in S8 (

since D&D butchered his character

), this will be more of an assumption. What

I

get from Jon in S8 is

Sacrificial!Jon

.

He does whatever he has to do to secure the alliance with Daenerys and to protect his family

. Ride a dragon? He’ll do it. Try to ease her temper regarding his family, namely Sansa? He’ll try his damnest. Tell her she’s his queen and that he loves her? A thousand times. Ride South to help her get the Iron Throne? Well... that didn’t go as he has hoped. What I’m trying to say is that

Jon tried to manage the situation at hand with the little power he had

(and he had

very little

power).

What we see is Jon trying and failing, and ultimately, he has this huge dilemma presented in front of him

: kill Daenerys and save the Starks; or let Daenerys roam free, knowing she will most likely burn Sansa (and all of those she feels like it) for treason? But the answer to this dilemma has been there since the beginning.

Jon Snow fights for the North. All his life, he wanted to be a Stark

. We know what happened next.

Ned says something that captures the essence of the Starks:

Ned: (to Arya) You’re a Stark of Winterfell, you know our words. (Winter Is Coming) You were born in the Long Summer, you’ve never known anything else but now Winter is truly coming, and in the winter we must protect ourselves, look after one another. 

“So Sansa is a northern separatist now for some fucking reason even though now is not the time”

Sansa has been “a northern separatist” since this moment:

She’s been a central part of the Northern Independence plot. In case some of you don’t remember, Joffrey used to command his Kingsguards to beat her every time Robb won a battle (which was pretty much all the time). 

The Red Wedding only intensifies her desire to go home and rebuild it (RE: Northern Independence). S5 happens (let’s leave it at that). In S6, we see Sansa reclaim her identity as a Stark, leading her House alongside Jon and fight for the North, for her people. In S7, we see her in a place of power, we see her leading her people. And in S8, we see her fight for Northern Independence, just like her brother before her. The only difference between her and Robb is that she doesn’t use a sword, she uses words and politics. 

Northern Independence is a key plot-point all throughout the story. It’s what drives the political side of the story forward. It’s when the North declares itself independent from the Iron Throne that shit gets real for Joffrey and Cersei (and the rest of the Lannisters). From there, we have the War of the Five Kings, which ends with all five kings dead. We have a fractured Westeros, divided by war and power and sides. You can’t talk about Thrones without talking about the Northern Independence plot.

About the timing. If one argues that Sansa’s timing is off, then one could also say the exact same thing about Daenerys in S7. By S7E7, she has already seen the Night King and his army, she has seen what they can do. But still, she insists on a truce. Even as of S8E2, she doesn’t see the Battle of Winterfell as her duty as Protector of the Realm (since she calls herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, PoR is one of her many, many titles) but sees it as “Jon’s war”. Sansa, representing the North, has to give away their independence (and yes, I say Sansa and not Jon because the true political power of the North is Sansa, not Jon Snow) to a foreign Conqueror. And even then, after having to give away their hard-earned independence, their new Queen still don’t see defending them from a life-threatening situation as her duty but as something her boyfriend has to deal with and she’s so cool by helping him. 

Also, seeing that the supernatural threat was dealt with by episode 3, we had 3 90+ minutes episodes to deal with the political side of the story. And what has been an integral part of that side of the plot? The North.

Lindsay Ellis mentions Torrhen Stark in her video, as someone Sansa should’ve taken as an example when dealing with Daenerys. But I disagree with this thought.

Torrhen and Sansa are supposed to mirror each other. Not parallel, not follow, not imitate. Why? Because they achieved the same goal when in the (basically) same situation, only by doing the opposite of what the other did. 

Torrhen Stark, “the King who knelt”, bent the knee to Aegon, a Targaryen Conqueror, so his people would be safe. Sansa Stark, “the Queen who never knelt”, who pushed for Northern Independence did the same by not kneeling to Daenerys (a Targaryen Conqueror), because she knew she would’ve been the same (or worse, if we’re actually being honest with ourselves) as any other Southern ruler.

Also, the last King in the North was Robb Stark. 

“What do dragons eat anyway? You know what, Sansa? It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry your empowered little head about it. Enjoy those dragons and supplies from other regions now that it’s fucking winter and you all have a common enemy”

RE: the food. Daenerys burned all the food from the Reach (y’know, the harvest that was meant to be stored for the longest winter to date) in S7E4. Maybe people forgot about the first war crime Dany committed in Westeros?

But I already talked about the food issue. If you want to read more about it, here you go.

The line “what do dragons eat anyway?” is a subtle way to do two things at the same time: Daenerys threatens Sansa (basically saying anything that I might set my eyes upon will be mine, because you cannot overpower me and you can’t do nothing about unless you want become my enemy) and it showcases just how different Sansa and Dany are when it comes to “everyday ruling”. It’s been established back in Meereen that these “trivial” things bore Daenerys to death, but what she failed to comprehend back then and fails to comprehend again once she’s in Westeros is the fact that those “trivial” things are what solidifies her rule. How she rules and what she does has a direct impact on her people, noble and smallfolk alike. That’s why she failed in Meereen: she failed to meet the best interests of both the smallfolk and the nobles. In Westeros, she faced resistance in the nobles. After the Battle of Winterfell, sure, she won some nobles over. The smallfolk felt indebted to her. But her role in the Battle of Winterfell doesn’t erase her previous actions: it doesn’t erase her treatment of the meereenese, it doesn’t erase her burning the Tarlys (father and son, just like her father did to the Starks), it doesn’t erase her willingness to burn a city to the ground (and a million innocent people with it) just to win the war, and it most definitely doesn’t erase her promise of “liberating” the world, from Winterfell to Dorne, from Lannisport from Qarth, from the Summer Isles to the Jade Sea.

I already mentioned the Night King and his army, but what the hell, I’ll do it again. They do have a common enemy in the Night King. But that enemy is half of the story. That’s the Ice of the famous Song for the Prince that was Promised. The other half is Fire. And that Fire is Daenerys. The NK and Daenerys are the ultimate Big Baddies the heroes (the Starks) have to face off.

“Sansa’s only purpose this season is to have an unfounded suspicion of Daenerys, which only proves to be founded when Daenerys does something nonsensical”

Sansa’s role in S8 was to further the Northern Independence plot, as well as to be a resisting force in Daenerys’ quest for absolute power in Westeros. Like I mentioned before, Sansa’s desires and interests clash against Daenerys’ own, so there ought to be a power struggle. 

Sansa’s suspicions are founded. Let’s me rephrase this. Any type of suspicion Sansa might have of someone that doesn’t come from the North are founded in her own mind, and that’s what matters. Because it’s the character driving the story forward using previous stages of the character’s arc as justification. Sansa has been held prisoner since S1; she was at the mercy of the Lannisters, the Tyrells (yes, I include the Tyrells because incriminating Sansa was a very important part in Olenna’s plans for the Purple Wedding), her aunt Lysa, Littlefinger and the Boltons. She was used for her claim, she bled and was tortured for the North, every time Robb “I’ve won every battle but I’m losing this war” Stark would win, Joffrey would order one of his Kingsguard to beat her for it. It makes sense for her to be distrustful, especially of someone who came to claim something that wasn’t hers. Now, we can go on a merry-go round about whether Daenerys deserved this treatment or not, but facts are facts: it made sense for Sansa as a character to act that way, even if the execution (RE: the writing) was a bit off.

And Dany’s actions in S8E5 weren’t nonsensical. I’ll just leave these pictures:

And how can we forget her infamous speech to the Dothraki in S6?

So, if anyone says that Dany’s actions were nonsensical or out of nowhere, that’s because they weren’t paying attention. I mean, getting what’s “yours” with Fire and Blood? I don’t know what people expected... Rainbows and sunshine and a happy song? The Targaryens are villain-coded for a reason.

“Otherwise, Daenerys has essentially given all of her resources to defend Winterfell based on the promise of the guy in charge and Sansa is still like “Hmmm... I don’t know. I don’t like the cut to her jib”.

I’ll try to keep it short because this is getting repetitive:

Sansa had reasons not to trust Daenerys

Jon Snow might had the title, but Sansa was the true political power of the North

Daenerys did take her armies and dragons North, but that was her duty as Protector of the Realm, since she’s claiming to be the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms

I’ll expand a bit on this part, though: “otherwise, Daenerys has essentially given all of her resources to defend Winterfell based on the promise of the guy in charge”

Since the northern lords elected Jon Snow as King in the North, the true (raw) power lies with the lords. To quote Michel Foucault from the excerpt I transcribed at the beginning of this meta : “But as for power... We know that it is not in the hands of those who govern.” Power is an ever-changing force. It’s always in flux. Political power might be one one side, then on the other (just as it was with the Boltons/Lannisters, then with the Starks), but the true, raw power lies with the people and their desire. The people choose who they want to rule them. As of S7, they wanted Sansa to rule them, but she declines their very kind and subtle offer at treason siding with and supporting Jon. That is until Daenerys arrives and she’s able to form an opinion of her. As of S8E1, she doesn’t trust Daenerys, doesn’t believe her to be their Queen, and even questions Jon’s reasons for bending the knee (something she, and the lords didn’t approve of). Her purpose in the story, since S6, is to play an explicit role in Northern Independence, to finish what Robb started. Daenerys is to Sansa what Tywin and Joffrey were to Robb.

“By the end of the stupid, dumb Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys has proved herself worthy of being a Queen about as well as one can expect in this universe. She’s forging alliances, doing battle, keeping her promises to her followers and to her allies. So Sansa’s stink-eye over Daenerys makes no sense”

As to Daenerys being worthy of being Queen of the 7K, I’ll say it one more time: she did her duty. As claimant of the titles Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she’s also claiming the title of Protector of the Realm.  The title of Protector is a military one, basically it gives her command of the armies of Westeros. So, it’s part of the job to defend the Realm from any and every threat: that includes ice zombies and the dead, making her war, too, not just “Jon’s war”.

Also, she did what Stannis Baratheon did in S5. Did he do the right thing by aiding the Night’s Watch? Yeah. Was he fitted to be King? Well, he burned his only daughter alive so he could win a fight, so I’d double check that one. It all boils down to the same fact that I’ve been talking about time and time again: doing the right thing for the right reasons. Stannis didn’t do the right thing for the right reasons. And he didn’t make a good king. Sure, he was far better than all the other options available, but he still wasn’t good. Same thing with Daenerys. She did a lot of good things, but all for selfish reasons. Was she a better option from all the others she was fighting against? Yeah, maybe. But she didn’t put any effort in doing right by those people, by doing something that benefitted them and only them. So, was she fitted to be Queen? The answer is no.

Daenerys forged alliances when it benefitted her (she made a deal with the Greyjoys – which included independence btw, since a lot of you seemed to have forgotten – because she needed ships to get to Westeros; Varys forged alliances in her name with Olenna Tyrell and Ellaria Sand – she needed Westerosi allies, otherwise it would’ve been too simple for Cersei to win the war – bringing two powerful regions into her command). But, once Yara and Ellaria were captured, she didn’t even lift a finger to rescue them. It was a great opportunity to show the rest of the nobility that she wouldn’t forsake her allies, that she wouldn’t leave them at the mercy of her enemies. Alas, she did leave them to the mercy of Cersei and Euron. And her reaction to the Lannister forces taking Highgarden? Burn all the food, in a spectacularly stupid way of saying “if I can’t have it, then no one can”.

And since we’re in the subject of allies; ­Olenna actually sided with Daenerys not because she believed her to be the rightful heir to the throne or because she thought Dany would be a good Queen. Olenna wanted some plain old and simple revenge. She wanted to watch Cersei and everything she worked (and bled and disgraced) for to burn, just like Cersei did with House Tyrell. And what better way to do achieve your revenge plans than with a Targaryen with three weapons of mass destruction? Same goes for Ellaria and the Sand Snakes, they just wanted revenge for what the Lannisters did to Oberyn and Elia Martell (oh, the irony of making the people that want to avenge Elia Martell side with a woman that belongs to the family that was just as responsible for what happened to her and her children as the Lannisters. THE IRONY, I TELL YOU). 

So... that’s all I can think of.

I’m sure you expected something shorter, nonny, but when it comes to defending Sansa Stark, I gotta do it properly.

So, I apologize. I know this got out of hand. But the thing is, when it comes to Sansa (and people treating her as an Evil Bitch That Needs To Calm Down™, while claiming D is someone who Did Nothing Wrong™):

Thanks for the ask! 

[redbunnydragon]

Can i add my 2 cents please? this is a very civil discussion and i liked so i want to say, an endesly search for profit is fucked up and i first hand experience this in my country. For context i live in Honduras, a central american country which is famous for being a “banana republic” and currently is facing this issue:

All bussiness are trying to maximize their profit by cutting on employees wages.

and by all mean all small bussiness, every single bussiness that has less than 150 employees does this,(theres only like 10  companys with more than 150 people) legal minimun wage is 400$ per month, but they offer 170$ to 300$ per month becouse even if you legally complaint they just fire you and go hire somebody else. So the aftermatch of having most people winning less that 400$ per month is that we all cut corners here and there to survive, so, and i know this a strech, less money spending = companys selling less = more wages/quality cuts. Now we have a 50.30% poverty  and no idea how to fix it. If small business start paying the 400$ theyll go broke and cost of living keeps getting up. 

I know theres a bunch others things in this equation like Hurricanes, corruption/goverment high taxes etc but, how do you think we could fix this?

Anyone else think the concept and reality of profit is just...completely fucked up?

[gabriellacl16]

im lonely y'all

Not to be annoying and clingy, but I'm honestly so lonely rn. Bc of quarantine I don’t see my friends every day and I don’t want to reach out to them bc I don’t want to annoy them (ik this is bad, im trying to stop) and so my only social interaction has been on ig on a group chat and ranting to an amazingly understanding 30 year old who responded to my story and then I just DUMPED her with personal info which she did NOT ask for but at least it turned out ok bc it turned into a disscusion about politics which we agreed on. So if anyone wants to chat, I am here!!!

[allyriadayne]

It's kinda weird how pretty much all of the disscusions and speculation about S2 is based on the war and politics and the character relationships when one of the mayor plot threads in S1 is the prophecy and we know they're gonna be showing the Wall and the Night's Watch and there's gonna be Wights(??) and yet nobody is talking about this. There's more speculation about whether or not Sara Snow will be on the show than wtf is Jace gonna see in the North. He's Rhaenyra heir she's probably gonna tell him about the prophecy! All of this stuff is important!! Just because people don't like it doesn't mean it's not going to be a mayor part of the show.

i think it's because the prophecy stuff is not going to have immediate effects in house of the dragon, we don't know if rhaenyra told jace (but if you asked me my opinion i think she did and it's a v delicious bit of characterization if jace is weighted by the prophecy on top of everything else). as for me i'm excited for jace visiting the wall :D

[gregpear24]

Biden may have an upfront talk with Israeli Prime minister ‘Soon’

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007607662/biden-jen-psaki-netanyahu-middle-east.html?searchResultPosition=3

Be forwarned this is a video. Their is not a supreme amount of discussion that could be had over this video. However it is still a matter of importance when of course we have to look at every possible future that the Israel and Palestine conflict might have with the U.S. involved must be see through the persective of the U.S. relations with Israel. Thus the first talks between the two leaders especially after a brief period of silence due to the prior adminstration is a point of focus for those who are studying the conflict. Statements and offical reports by organizations are always good but out right disscusions between state leaders is always better when attmepting to determine future realtions between said states and the conflicts that are involved.  

[creativityworks-sx]

4 Legendary POC (People of colour) you SHOULD be watching on YouTube & if you aren’t, pls WHAT ARE YOU DOING?- By Cheryl Bruce #injectit

1. Rhea Ellen

Man like Rhea Ellen you knowwww, 27, well known for her ‘Rhea Rants’.... Legendary.... absofigingely fantabulously legendary if it isn’t her elite sense of humour, adlibs, random singing outbursts or the famous ‘STRESS PON MI LEFT BREAST’ then her facial expressions and raw realness will have you tumbling & hooked. I first stumbled across her channel back in 2018 and was wondering WHY I hadn’t heard of her sooner, her channel covers everything from very relatable everyday life nuinsenses, tv/ reviews & dilemmas to mental heath and now including clips of everyday life whilst with a newborn.

Rhea’s like that one reaaaaaal best friend you have who isn’t afraid to tell you wa gwaaan and that’s essentially why we all need her in our lives or at least on our screens, her topics are so relatable she’ll have you ‘omadaiiizzz-ing’ with every story.....

‘Loiiiiiike that l-i-t-o-r-allly just happened to me the other day,like, yaknowwhata meannn’

Honestly at this point you really just need to head over and have a nosey for yourself grab ya popcorn, grab ya lemon water and in Rhea’s words ‘move pon di left’

Instagram: @rhea.ellen

Twitter: @rhea_ellenn

2. Murad Merali

Murad Merali, 23, Clinical Psychiatric, Cognitive Neuroscientist & avid content creator.

The most consistent content serving you PIPING, HOT Tea, reactions and serious/ controversial disscusions daily, sometimes even as the tea brews. Murad Merali isn’t afraid to open discussions on racism, politics, sexuality, mentality and more placing these topics in a central light allowing room for needed conversations within our society.

Murad uses his profession as Clinical Psych to give non biased perspectives and informative anylasis on his social platforms, he is direct and to the point meaning the majority of his YouTube videos are usually under 5 minutes and since beginning his Podcast ‘I’m over it’ he is able to expand his initial opened discussions.

Murad’s ability to question the taboos within our cultural society and not tip toeing around these issues is what drew me to his channel initially and of course he stans’ hard for us Black women ‘INJECT IT’ and we’re here for it! He isn’t afraid to call out people on their Bulls**t but what’s most important is he’s able to remove his own opinions and give multiple points of views.

Instagram: Murad_Merali

Twitter: MuradMerali

Podcast: I’m over it

3. Janai Briggs

Janai Briggs, 21 also known as Janai Kirsten which she goes by on her social media platforms, is one of my fave Natural hair youtubers to watch since doing my second buzzcut. It was her creative flair for eclectic hair colouring/ Bleaching videos that had me hooked! Being a Londoner, during those times it wasn’t as common as it is now to dye your hair all the shades of the rainbow, her influence as an American blogger gave me and I’m sure many others confidence in rocking our natural ‘TWAs’ (Teeny Weeny Afros) providing straight forward hair colouring tutorials she herself was able to achieve, aside from Hair dying tutorials Janai also is a Skin care & Beauty blogger.

In November 2019 Janai Launched ‘Kristen Parlour’ her own hair Care brand focusing on products tailored to those with colour treated hair and is now gearing up to launch a collection of semi-permanent hair dyes. A Multi talented Entrepreneur to definitely watch!

Instagram: @Janaikirsten

Twitter: @Janaikirsten

Tumblr: @janaikirsten

4. Lloyd Lothian

Lloyd Lothian, who goes by Chuckie, 37 is an outstandingly well known Versatile DJ

Who became one of England’s top underground club DJ’s serving as the main DJ for U.K rapper Angel.

Also an Official DJ for Jay Prince (@loungeinparis), WSTRN (@wstrnmusic), Nike (@nike) & Monster (@monsterproducts) as well as the DJ’ing Chuckie is the Host of the #Halfcast podcast

I know some may question why I’ve placed him in the ‘top YOUTUBERS’ category my reason for this is that’s where I first came across him. About 2 years ago his famous podcast did come up in conversation but my attention is drawn visually so it wasn’t until his Chanel was recommended to me via YouTube that I tuned in and 2 minutes in began following the podcast.

Halfcast is essentially a series of a range of topics from Grime, Rap music & culture to covering discussions on the LGBTQ+ community, Mental health, society and topics gender focused; this is where his YouTube channel is essential as each episode depending on the choice of topic Chuckie will invite at least one panalist who associates with that particular community (as well as familiar members of the cast) in order to have a non biased conversation whilst learning and listening to an opposed insight/ opinion. Halfcast for me is like being in a room with your close friends and ‘talking about everything and anything’.

Personally I enjoy his conversations on both platforms but in order to listen to the full topic I’d definitely follow up on Halfcast Podcast how I spend my Sunday afternoons whilst I change my bedding.

Instagram: ChuckieOnline

Twitter: ChickieOnline

Podcast: HalfcastPodcast

[dachi-chan25]

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 5 Recap Pt. 3

WARNINGS: SPOILERS; not a D@€n€r¥$ fan; Jonsa shipper.

————

8.- Back in Winterfell Lord Royce and Lord Glover are the North’s Mean Girls, talking shit about Jon to his back and regreating not naming Sansa QitN when they had the chance (OK as a Sansa fan I saw lot of my fellow fans were pissed that she got no credit whatsoever for retaking WF and that she should have been queen, I agreed that she deserved to get recognized but didn’t feel she wanted to be queen, but nevertheless it was good to see she has won her people’s respect after all she went through) Sansa thanks them but defends Jon’s claim in a very polite way. Arya watched all the scene, and she walks with Sansa to her chambers (Jon won that argument, good to know) that are her parents’s chambers while Sansa is like I warned Jon the North wouldn’t wait on him like Ghost (my shipper heart is pleased that they disscused this sort of things), Arya is clearly not happy about how Sansa managed things and Sansa being the observant girl she is immediately picks up on it and prompts Arya to speak her mind about what’s bothering her, because that’s what she did with Jon: she talked things through even if they didn’t agree on everything they were never afraid to speak clearly about it they loved and appreciated the other so much mere disagreements would never come between them. Arya is very different though and she is very harsh and unfair to Sansa,I understand her personality is different from Jon and Sansa, she is a more action type of person, she has taken revenge and now she is at home she can’t bear the thought of this people disrespecting her beloved big bro and her sister, the one she had a lot of friction with, just standing there and listening without screaming or hitting them, but Sansa is right she can’t do those things without repercussions, Arya is like there won’t be repercussions if you kill them (tell that to Robb) and Sansa (bless her soul) tries to explain the situation they are in, and how much Jon and the North need this people and that is much better working together than killing everyone (gosh now I really want Sansa to meet D) she gives Arya a reality check on how WF wasn’t just handed to them. Honestly Sansa Queen of everything 2kforever. Arya retorts in a very childlish way about how Sansa just wants to make sure people will accept her in case Jon dies, and Sansa is horrified that her sister would say such a thing (also I think she is horrified by the thought of Jon dying) and Arya keeps taunting her. No fuck I’m out of here, never wanted this Starkbowl stuff, didn’t wanted it with Jon don’t want it with Arya, why do the writers make her Sound like every Sansa hater ever???? Sansa does not deserve this (Dickon come back pls and sweep my baby off her feet in those amazing arms of yours) I understand Arya hasn’t still procesed Sansa’s changes and she loves Jon and hates to see people trash talking him but no sorry, Ned already had told her she and her sister needed each other even if they were so different, and Arya said she didn’t hated Sansa Back then, I just hope this nonsense is over quickly because I Love the Stark Sisters too much.

9.- So the magnificent plan of Tyrion starts with convincing Jaime to tell Cersei to grant the Suicide Squad an audience so they can show her the WW, and they will need to go to KL, Davos smuggles them and then goes off to find my boy Gendry.

My boy is Back on the blacksmith business, and Davos makes a joke about rowing (he is the daddiest dad of the 7 realms) and he is trying to explain their super amazing mission but Gendry is like dude idc I just wanna go away from this shit hole and fight some Lannisters on the way with my magical Baratheon Hammer like the one my daddy had.

#AtrueBaratheon.

Tyrion apparently convinced/payed to Bronn so he would take Jaime to creepy dragon basement, Jaime is clearly conflicted at seeing Tyrion, but still he listens.

Back on the boat some gold capes found their boat, Davos is a Master of manipulation and manages to fool them ‘til Tyrion shows up, fear not cuz Gendry puts that Hammer to use (he is epic guys) and Davos is practically signing those adoption papers.

10.- Jaime goes to Cersei’s chambers, she was talking with Qyburn and sasses the heck out of Jaime when he asks what was Qyburn doing there, anyway Jaime tells Cersei about his talk with Tyrion and the WW, Cersei is very dismissive (must be real easy when she hasn’t seen the Dragons or the WWs) but she thinks she can use this in her favor, also she is preggo (oh god why do I feel this is emotional manipulation or she is reaching menopausia?) they kiss and god Jaime stop.

11.- Our boat buddies are back on DS (traveling doesn’t make any sense what is time? What is distance? Who knows? No really jokes aside I understand they have to advance this plot fast as possible cuz they have only 2 episodes left this season) and Davos warns Gendry not to mention his dad or real name to King Jon, and that’s the first thing Gendry does!!! LMAO, this friendship is epic already (RobertxNed2.0) and Jon smiles for the first time in the south (dude he was almost dead all his time in DS but his bastard buddy shows up and he immediately jokes and laughs) this is my favorite bromance, and Davos is worried for this unruly sons of his (so he is Jon Arryn 2.0 right???)

So the very next day? Week? Who knows? They depart, Jorah gets a sad goodbye with D, and Jon a very awkward one, for real D is tryin to flirt and Jon says 'good fortune in the wars to come’?? Wasn’t it the same thing “The Sword of Morning” told Ned before they fought to death??? I mean one can clearly see Jon can’t wait to get the fuck out of Dragonstone, D makes goggly eyes at the boat (Jon) while Jorah turns back makes puppy eyes at D, and Jon is pushing harder to go as soon as possible.

11.- Back on the Citadel, Gilly is reading (I miss Shireen so much, she would have been so proud) some stuff of a Maester obssessed with registers, and discovers a prince Ragger (Imma call him that forever, thanx Gilly) got an annulment and married someone else in Dorne. We all, know this is about fuckboi Ragger Tupperwere and his rightful wife Elia Martell princes of DORNE, so you tell me this fucker not only humilliated her publicy on Harrenhall’s tourney but also re-married in her homeland?? And made her children bastards???? Seriously most of you don’t know how hard it is as a PoC and specially a WoC and watch this stupid bullshit where a woman of color’s suffering and humilliation just serves to further a white character’s (Jon Snow) storyline, while Raggers gets this beautiful memory lane stories about him singing the Poor, and people justifying his selfish bullshit with OMG he didn’t Love Elia he did it for true wuv!!! Miss me that bullshit who said Elia loved the bitch??? Yet still beared with dignity all the awful stuff he did, not only that but her and her children died (awful, awful deaths, not in a battlefield glorified as a song ones) scorned and set aside by Rhaegar while he was protecting new wifey and his new white super speshul babe.

I am beyond angry at this.

Anyway, Sam doesn’t care (nobody does really, they don’t even say her FUCKING name) cuz the maesters just won’t listen, so he steals some books and fucks out of the Citadel with his family.

12.- Yeah so in WF Arya is the worst spy ever following LF around, and he is purposefully as shady as he can be, Maester Wolkan gives him a copy of a letter and LF very loudly thanks him in Sansa’s name, he get’s the letter inside his chambers and goes away, Arya enters his chamber and finds the letter you know that one Sansa was manipulated into writing to protect her dad and the rest of her family, and Arya buys it. Honestly I am too empty now to care, Arya got played by a obvious stupid scheme but I can’t find the enrgy to care about all this drama.

13.- On Eastwatch, Jon and co. Talk with Tormund, who talks about the Dragon Queen and the one who fucks her brother (tha made me laugh a lot cuz Jon’s uncomfortable expression and Gendry’s smile) and he is frustrated cuz why didn’t they brought Brienne??? Jon’s smile is amazing and I am glad he is among people he is comfortable with. The moronic plan is laid, and Tormund is like well we are not the only ones who wants to go beyond the wall Tormund takes them to the cell, the Bannerless Brotherhood is there, and everyone hates each other suddenly, but the Hound hates everyone and makes them shut up, Jon frees them and they go to their stupid ass mission.

———– *sigh* Yeah so this is all, next week (May the gods help me) I’ll try to stop being so repulsed so I can Watch the next episode.