#that includes owning books on the topic
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hausarbeit season has reminded me once again that i need scientific literature to be freely available as pdfs and such forever bc i'm not gonna pay fucking 15⏠for a book i need one chapter of and then never again
#german stuff#i guess bc it's about my hausarbeit#like jstor and archive.org have come in clutch a few times but even they have their limits#and 15⏠is cheap compared to other books that i've seen which go for like 50⏠which is fucking insane#but i'm still not gonna buy it bc after this hausarbeit i never wanna have anything to do with the kohlekrise im ruhrgebiet ever again#that includes owning books on the topic#rhys's pieces
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Writing Lamentations after Morrigan and Silas got together is.. interesting because there's some things I can only imply or tip toe around because these two could not keep their hands off each other đ Gomez and Morticia type thing. Silas would write down his thoughts and feelings about it, but it would be weird for me to write it.
#i think it would be interesting to discuss this type of thing actually#the idea that anyone under 18 cannot so much as make a dirty joke#as if you're either 8 or 18 with no inbetween#the book i have to read for my literature class includes the main character's sex life and discovering herself#and it is such an interrsting topic because if delves into her religious trauma and how it affected her knowledge and feelings-#-about her own body. and it's something that a lot of teens could relate to#and yet i can't discuss it on here technically because i'm not 18 and shouldn't mention such topics#idk this is a very random rant comsidering this post is about two gay sharks fjfeidxi#quinn quips#morrigan clearcove#silas clearcove#twisted wonderland#twst oc
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BOOK REVIEW đ
Last year I kept track of the series & films I watched; this year I've decided to keep track of whatever books I read! So this one is for the month of January â I'll share these sometime after the month is over, or if I read more than one book during the month, I will do their reviews as soon as I finish the book :)
#ben picks up reading again#dania rambles about shit#should note that this is not spoiler free (don't give much context but still)#i would read it again just to catch all the parallels and symbolism#chose to read this on libby bc of the option to highlight and keep notes in one spot bc jfc I would've annotated tf out of a physical copy#doing this completely from my phone and made my own little template because I couldn't find any good ones for free#what else ummmm oh right this is like a basic answer/question and I ramble off topic but still within some type of margin#read that fanfic I recommend really since I feel like it's better written aka maybe I just like it more bc it has a happy ending#and it includes all the same problems that the characters of the original book went through (for the most part)#anyway 4/5 stars and not 5 bc like I got tired of clare's pov bc it felt like there was no different between#the varying ages we get once we reach her at like 12 and up#henry also affected this bc like he's likable but so stupid and shouldve studied paradoxes or something to solve his problems#again rambling it needs a fix it but blah blah not really their suffering is a main point of the book :)#yeah so structured like a traditional one but I focus on not so traditional aspects bc I have a way of analyzing things#as if I have an essay to write on it lmaooooo#these are handwritten bc I like to keep track in case it worsens due to my cubital tunnel affected wrist#(im a righty; lefty on the other hand has carpal tunnel but that only affects when I do hand on projects like pottery or painting)#I'm giving free trivia/lore about myself here lol
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sometimes youre like "hey, remember that lawsuit from years ago where warner brothers would have had to prove ghosts were real, i wonder how that whole thing ended. i should look that up."
and turns out you shouldnt look it up. or at least not when youre gonna be going to sleep within the next hour.
because turns out the legally proving ghosts are real thing is one of the easier things to digest in that clusterfuck of copyright claims.
the warrens are/were bad people who seem to have given away exclusive rights for their lifestory at least twice, maybe thrice, and its all downhill from there
#kai rambles#this is literally me just needing to put these words somewhere#because ive read many articles in the past hour#and wow#just wow#i forgot about the allegations against ed so that was just as horrible to discover as the first time#and i already believe judith because believe victims but just to add to it lorraine included very weird clauses in the second/third contract#where its like this film does not touch on any of these topics why is this in the contract?#also like#off of that topic#where does henry brittle land on the nature of his own book now? he claimed it a biography for like 30 years but then it was fictional when#he sued warner brothers#also theres like 30 amityville horror films and do they not infringe on his rights? the warrens were involved with that whole bullshit#also the producer who sued them and accused them of racketeering and originally got the rights from ed warren in the 90s even though ed had#already signed them away. the one who was also bankrupt and maybe making a poker show. that guy. he produced the 2001 josie and the#pussycats film because why the hell not#the whole thing is a mess and the case was dismissed with prejudice (that means he cant sue them again for the same thing) by brittle who#claimed he was an unknowing puppet for the producer guy and its just#theres a lot happening here#almost none of which would have happened if the warrens didnt sign away exclusive rights multiple times
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genuinely so fucking tired of the 'conversation' around 'trauma dumping'. none of you know how to use that word AND none of you motherfuckers understand what boundaries are. like yes if theres a pattern of someone or multiple people throwing heavy and triggering shit on you unprompted then theres an issue and they need to redirect their behavior, but so do you!! you need to communicate if you are uncomfortable and/or do not have the capacity to discuss things!!! YOU.
#and also. the idea that traumadumping is just anytime you have a heavy conversation with someone/friends/family is so. ohhmygod have you#never had a genuine connection in your life. shut up#maybe its just specifically how me and my community and friends exist together but like. im not one to shy away from heavy topics or to tal#about my own life experiences including trauma sometimes like if its relevant? like its not venting but its just fucking conversation??#like i consider myself an open book im not going to curate my thoughts and experiences for other people to take me seriously or whatever.#but obviously time and place yknow?? there Are more appropriate times than others to say certain things and its important to know when/wher#AND. ive been guilty of trauma dumping before!! we all have!! and it doesnt make you a bad person!!! it makes you fucking human!!!#and every other bitch who acts like their above poor communication or making mistakes and is 'so mature' can suck it and is a fucking liar.#okay rant over sorry#.txt
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my brain is leaking out of my ears fam, these last two and a half weeks of school are going to be ROUGH
#kee speaks#there are too many acronyms and number combinations in this trade#this past week has just been codes and the absolutely RIVETING topic of metallurgy#sarcasm cause half the class fell asleep during the metallurgy module today#and I'm not convinced the teacher that does that class actually knows what he's talking about#thank fuck we only have him once a week cause he just. reads the power point slides and can't hear for shit and if someone asks a question#it's usually another classmate who is able to answer the question better#and then fucking CODES. Cause Canada can't make anything easy and has got to make their own designations for codes#But instead of making their own they just adopt the industry standard made by the american based organizations and slap their own onto it#So this entire book is a word search of trying to find the associating codes between the American system and Canadian system#so like the Americans made ASME section IX for pressure vessels and all that shit but then Canada had to make the CSA#and just like. swiped some of the specifications of the code and slapped their own label on it as CSA B51 and it's all the same#but we have to know both the ASME and CSA designations of all this stuff#so I'm like trying to go through and find ok this particular thing is labelled as CSA W59 and this is CWB W47.1 and#then gotta find the associated ASME code that goes along with it because of course they gotta jumble it up and not put it together#This is all driving me up the WALL there is so much information#Thsi page I have open in front of me has like API SPec 12F and then B31.1 and CSA W47.1 and CSA W117.2 and Z662 and TC 44#I don't even know what the fuck TC stands for I have yet to delve into that#And I think most of those are CWB designations so that's not even including the bazillion ASME specifications which half of them#are broken down even further into divisions so it'll be like ASME section IX div V or some shit like that#đ”đ”đ”đ”#I was quite proud of myself yesterday because the teacher just did a quick review verbal test where he threw us questions and anyone could#pipe in with the answer and he asked what the specific associated CSA code for an ASME sect was and usually there's like four guys#that immediately answer and nobody did and I knew what it was and was able to chime in#that's the first time I've been able to chime in without several other people also answering so that felt good#but now I'm just sitting here like someone please just take me out there is no way I can make this all stick in my head#i find it helps to rewrite stuff into my notebook to help the information stick in my head but it took me five minutes to realize#that the acronym and the spelling out of the organization name of said acronym did not match at all#like the acronym was AISI and I wrote 'American National Standards Institute' next to it which does not match at all#well tbf the first and last letters match but the I and S should've been 'Iron & Steel'
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#The Ultimate Guide to Successful Rental Property Investing: A Bloggers Perspective#I recently finished reading The Book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner#and I must say it's a fantastic resource for anyone looking to delve into the world of real estate investing. Turner#an experienced investor and co-host of the BiggerPockets podcast#shares practical advice#strategies#and insights that can help both novice and experienced investors build wealth through rental properties. The book is divided into several#each focusing on a specific aspect of rental property investing. Turner covers a wide range of topics#from the fundamentals of real estate investing to more advanced strategies for growing and managing a rental property portfolio. One of the#you'll find valuable information and actionable tips in this book. One of the key takeaways from The Book on Rental Property Investing is#understand the local rental market#and calculate the potential returns on a property before making a purchase. He also provides practical guidance on negotiating deals#managing properties effectively#and dealing with common challenges that landlords may face. Throughout the book#Turner shares personal anecdotes and real-world examples to illustrate his points#making the content engaging and easy to digest. He also includes helpful visuals#case studies#and checklists that readers can refer to as they navigate their own rental property investments. Whether you're interested in buy-and-hold#house hacking#or Airbnb rentals#there's something in this book for everyone. One of the aspects of The Book on Rental Property Investing that I found particularly valuabl#establishing a budget#and managing personal finances in a responsible manner. By laying the groundwork for financial stability and understanding the basics of in#readers can set themselves up for success in the world of rental property investing. Overall#I highly recommend The Book on Rental Property Investing to anyone who is interested in building wealth through real estate. Brandon Turner#real-world experience#and accessible writing style make this book a must-read for both aspiring and seasoned real estate investors. Whether you're looking to sup#build a retirement nest egg#or achieve financial freedom through rental properties#this book provides the tools and knowledge you need to get started on your investment journey. So
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In Defense of Shitty Queer Art
Queer art has a long history of being censored and sidelined. In 1895, Oscar Wildeâs novel The Picture of Dorian Gray was used as evidence in the authorâs sodomy trials. From the 1930s to the 1960s, the American Hays Code prohibited depictions of queerness in film, defining it as âsex perversion.â In 2020, the book Steven Universe: End of an Era by Chris McDonnell confirmed that Rebecca Sugarâs insistence on including a sapphic wedding in the show is what triggered its cancellation by Cartoon Network. According to the American Library Association, of the top ten most challenged books in 2023, seven were targeted for their queer content. Across time, place, and medium, queer art has been ruthlessly targeted by censors and protesters, and at times it seems there might be no end in sight.
So why, then, are queer spaces so viciously critical of queer art?
Name any piece of moderately-well-known queer media, and you can find immense, vitriolic discourse surrounding it. Audiences debate whether queer media is good representation, bad representation, or whether itâs otherwise too problematic to engage with. Artists are picked apart under a microscope to make sure their morals are pure enough and their identities queer enough. Every minor faultâreal or perceivedâis compiled in discourse dossiers and spread around online. Lines are drawn, and callout posts are made against those who get too close to âproblematic art.â
Modern examples abound, such as the TV show Steven Universe, the video game Dream Daddy, or the webcomic Boyfriends, but itâs far from a new phenomenon. In his book Hi Honey, Iâm Homo!, queer pop culture analyst Matt Baume writes about an example from the 1970s, where the ABC sitcom titled Soap was protested by homophobes and queer audiences alikeâbefore a single episode of the show ever aired. Audiences didnât wait to actually watch the show before passing judgment and writing protest letters.
After so many years starved for positive representation, itâs understandable for queer audiences to crave depictions where weâre treated well. Itâs exhausting to only ever see the same tired gay tropes and subtext, and queer audiences deserve more. Yet the way to more, better, varied representation is not to insist on perfection. The pursuit of perfection is poison in art, and itâs no different when that art happens to be queer.
When the pool of queer art is so limited, it feels horrible when a piece of queer art doesnât live up to expectations. Even if the representation is technically good, itâs disappointing to get excited for a queer story only for that story to underwhelm and frustrate you.
But the world needs that disappointing art. It needs mediocre art. It even needs the bad art. The world needs to reach a point where queer artists can fearlessly make a mess, because if queer artists can only strive for perfection, the less art they can make. They may eventually produce a masterpiece, but a single masterpiece is still a drop in the bucket compared to the oceans of censorship. The only way to drown out bigotry and offensive stereotypes created by bigots is to allow queer artists the ability to experiment, learn through making mistakes, and represent their queer truth even if it clashes with someone elseâs.
If queer artists arenât allowed to make garbage, we can never make those masterpieces everyone craves. If queer artists are terrified at all times that their art will be targeted both by bigots and their own queer communities, queer art cannot thrive.
Let queer artists make shitty art. Let allies to queer people try their hand at representation, even if they miss the mark. Let queer art be messy, and let the artists screw up without fear of overblown retribution.
Itâs the only way weâll ever get more queer art.
_
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Very tired of people who continue to argue that Bill destroying Euclydia was completely on purpose and he didnât care about anyone at all because heâs just trying to garner sympathy in The Book of Bill, despite all the supporting evidence outside of Billâs words that allude to how deeply traumatic it was, (so many, many things about) how he loved and misses his parents, how much of a sore spot the topic is for him, how much he wants to return home but canât, etc. in addition to how perfectly Alex and co. crafted a parallel narrative between Bill and Ford, including how they hurt the people they love out of carelessness and blind pursuit of their dreams, justifying to themselves that the people they hurt just couldnât understand
Yes, Bill is an unreliable narrator, and that includes all the very obvious posturing that he did it all on purpose and it was actually a very good thing, that everyone loved him, that heâs NOT incarcerated or anything and that heâs still a really all-powerful being, etc etc etc. To fully believe that EVERY vulnerability he reveals is an evil manipulation tactic, and not actual character writing, you have to interpret his very prevalent denial of weakness, which continues into the conclusion of the book where he already knows heâs lost the reader and is still denying any emotional needs or trauma, as itself a lie.
Thereâs a reason why the Pines family cracked open this book and laughed at Bill, calling him a fractured, pathetic mess.
The Book of Bill has a plot, a great plot, and great character writing. Itâs a crazy companion to Journal 3, Fordïżœïżœïżœs story. Parallel stories, but where one ends with someone healing from their trauma, coming to terms with oneâs mistakes and accepting the need for human love and relationships, the other ends with one stuck forever in their layers and layers of denial, never acknowledging their own trauma, never acknowledging their need for human companionship, grasping in desperate need at their continued facade of hating to love and loving to hurt.
Bill isnât an always-in-control sly master of the mind, heâs a delusional and desperate man, fractured by his own trauma, who will continue to hurt others to prove that heâs in control. Iâm tired of the false narrative that abusers canât have trauma, arenât people, giving them this otherworldly status above all humanity. Aside from not being narratively or societally productive, it undermines the ending and message of the book. Acknowledging Billâs brokenness gives his victims POWER over him. The fact that Bill needs Ford, but Ford doesnât need Bill is powerful. Them laughing at his desperation is powerful. Looking at someone who once seemed untouchable to you and realizing theyâre just a suffering meat sack like any other human being is powerful.
The ending of The Book of Bill is the demystification of Bill. The book is a real look into his mind, telling a story thatâs actually very tragic. Itâs a very real story, a cautionary tale. Youâre not being manipulated or tricked if you feel bad, itâs a very intentional writing decision that this ending elicits that dark pity, as he desperately fades away (arts and crafts materials confiscated) saying that heâs FINE.
So yeah, The Book of Bill and the website are a masterwork of the character, I love them, theyâre incredible, and I donât want to see such a tight character story discredited as âyou canât believe ANY of it!â
#gravity falls#bill cipher#the book of bill#book of bill#gravity falls analysis#the book of bill analysis#bill cipher analysis#billford#? maybe? conceptually? is having parallel negative and positive story arcs about trauma gay folks#thisisnotawebsitedotcom#character analysis
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The truth about Medusa and her rape... Mythology breakdown time!
With the recent release of the Percy Jackson television series, Tumblr is bursting with mythological posts, and the apparition of Medusa the Gorgon has been the object of numerous talks throughout this website⊠Including more and more spreading of misinformation, and more debates about what is the âtrueâ version of Medusaâs backstory.
Already let us make that clear: the idea that Medusa was actually âblessedâ or âgiftedâ by Athena her petrifying gaze/snake-hair curse is to my knowledge not at all part of the Antique world. I still do not know exactly where this comes from, but I am aware of no Greek or Roman texts that talked about this â so it seems definitively a modern invention. After all, the figure of Medusa and her entire myth has been taken part, reinterpreted and modified by numerous modern women, feminist activist, feminist movements or artists engaged in the topic of womenâs life and social conditions â most notably Medusa becoming the âsymbol of raped womenâ wrath and furyâ. It is an interesting reading and a fascinating update of the ancient texts, and it is a worthy take on its own time and context â but today we are not talking about the posterity, reinvention and continuity of Medusa as a myth and a symbol. I want to clarify some points about the ACTUAL myth or legend of Medusa â the original tale, as told by the Greeks and then by the Romans.
Most specifically the question: Was Medusa raped?
Step 1: Yes, but no.
The backstory of Medusa you will find very often today, ranging from mythology manuals (vulgarization manuals of course) to Youtube videos, goes as such: Medusa was a priestess of Athena who got raped by Poseidon while in Athenaâs temple, and as a result of this, Athena punished Medusa by turning her into the monstrous Gorgon.
Some will go even further claiming Athenaâs âcurseâ wasnât a punishment but a âgiftâ or blessing â and again, I donât know where this comes from and nobody seems to be able to give me any reliable source for that, so⊠Letâs put this out of there.
Now this backstory â famous and popular enough to get into Riodanâs book series for example â is partially true. There are some elements here very wrong â and by wrong I do mean wrong.
The story of Medusa being raped and turned into a monster due to being raped does indeed exist, and it is the most famous and widespread of all the Medusa stories, the one people remembered for the longest time and wrote and illustrated the most about. Hence why Medusa became in the 20th century this very important cultural symbol tied to rape and the abuse of women and victim-blaming. HOWEVER â the origin of this story is Ovidâs Metamorphoses, from the first century CE or so. Ovid? A Roman poet writing for Roman people. âMetamorphosesâ? One of the two fundamental works of Roman literature and one of the two main texts of Roman mythology, alongside Virgilâs Aeneid. This is a purely Roman story belonging to the Roman culture â and not the Greek one. The story of Medusaâs rape does not have Greek precedents to my knowledge, Ovid introduced the element of rape â which is no surprise given Ovid turned half of the romances of Greek mythology into rapes. Note that, on top of all this, Ovid wasnât even writing for religious purposes, nor was his text an actual mythological effort â he wrote it with pure literary intentions at heart. It is just a piece of poetry and literature taking inspiration from the legends of the Greek world, not some sort of sacred text.
Second big point: The legend I summarized above? It isnât even the story Ovid wrote, since there are a lot of elements that do not come from Ovidâs retelling of the story (book fourth of the Metamorphoses). For example Ovid never said Medusa was a priestess of Athena â all he said was that she was raped in the temple of Athena. I shouldnât even be writing Athena since again, this is a Roman text: we are speaking of Minerva here, and of Neptune, not of Athena or Poseidon. Similarly, Minervaâs curse did not involve the petrifying gaze â rather all Ovid wrote about was that Minerva turned Medusaâs hair into snakes, to âpunishâ her because her hair were very beautiful, and it was what made her have many suitors (none of which she wanted to marry apparently), and it is also implied it is what made Neptune fall in love (or rather fall in lust) with her. I guess it is from this detail that the reading of âAthenaâs curse was a giftâ comes from â even though this story also clearly does victim-blaming of rape here.
But what is very fascinating is that⊠we are not definitively sure Neptune raped Medusa in Ovidâs retelling. For sure, the terms used by Ovid in his fourth book of Metamorphoses are clear: this was an action of violating, sexually assaulting, of soiling and corrupting, we are talking about rape. But Ovid refers several other times to Medusa in his other books, sometimes adding details the fourth-book stories does not have (the sixth book for examples evokes how Neptune turned into a bird to seduce Medusa, which is completely absent from the fourth bookâs retelling of Medusaâ curse). And in all those other mentions, the terms to designate the relationship between Medusa and Neptune are more ambiguous, evoking seduction and romance rather than physical or sexual assault. (It does not help that Ovid has an habit of constantly confusing consensual and non-consensual sex in his poems, meaning that a rape in one book can turn into a romance in another, or reversal)
But the latter fact makes more sense when you recall that the rape element was invented and added by Ovid. Before, yes Poseidon and Medusa loved each other, but it was a pure romance, or at least a consensual one-night. Heck, if we go back to the oldest records of the love between Poseidon and Medusa, back in Hesiodâs Theogony, we have descriptions of the two of them laying together in a beautiful, flowery meadow â a stereotypical scene of pastoral romances â with no mention of any brutality or violence of any sort. As a result, it makes sense the original âromanticâ story would still âleakâ or cast a shadow over Ovidâs reinvented and slightly-confused tale.
Step 2: So⊠no rape?
Well, if we go by Greek texts, no, apparently Medusa was not raped in Greek mythology, and only became a rape victim through Ovid.
The Ancient Greek texts all record Poseidon and Medusa sleeping with each other and having children, but no mention of rape. And the whole âcurse of Athenaâ thing is not present in the oldest records â no temple of Athena soiling, no angry Athena cursing a poor girl⊠âNo curse?â you say âBut then how did Medusa got turned into a Gorgonâ? Answer: she did not. She was born like that.
As I said before, the oldest record of Medusaâs romance but also of her family comes from Hesiodâs Theogony (Hesiod being one of the two âfounding authorsâ of Greek mythology, alongside Homer â Homer did wrote several times about Medusa, but only as a disembodied head and as a monster already dead, so we donât have any information about her life). And what do we learn? That Medusa is part of a set of three sisters known as the Gorgons â because oh yes, Ovid did not mention Medusaâs sister now did he? How did Medusaâs sisters ALSO got snake-hair or petrifying-gaze if only Medusa was cursed for sleeping with Neptune? Ovid does not give us any answer because again, it is an âadaptational plot holeâ, and the people that try to adapt Ovidâs story have to deal with the slight problem of Stheno and Euryale needing to share their sisterâs curse despite seemingly not being involved in the whole Neptune business. Anyway, back to the Greek text.
So, you have those three Gorgon sisters, and Medusa is said to be mortal while her sisters are not. Why is it such a big deal? Because Medusa wasnât originally some random human or priestess. Oh no! Who were the Gorgonsâ parents? Phorcys and Keto/Ceto, aka two sea-gods. Not just two sea-gods â two sea-gods of the ancient, primordial generation of sea-gods, the one that predated Poseidon, and that were cousins to the Titans, the sea-gods born of Gaia mating with Pontos.
So the Gorgons were âdivineâ of nature â and this is why Medusa being a mortal was considered to be a MASSIVE problem and handicap for her, an abnormal thing for the daughter of two deities. But letâs dig a bit further⊠Who were Phorcys and Ceto? Long story short: in Greek mythology, they were considered to be sea-equivalents of Typhon and Gaia. They were the parents of many monsters and many sea-horrors: Keto/Ceto herself had her name attributed and equated with any very large creature (like whales) or any terrifying monster (like dragons) from the sea. The Gorgons themselves was a trio of monsters, but their sisters, that directly act as their double in the myth of Perseus? The Graiai â the monstrous trio of old women sharing one eye and one tooth. Hesiod also drops the fact that Ladon (the dragon that guarded the golden apples of the Hesperids), and Echidna (the snake-woman that mated with Typhon and became known as the âmother of monstersâ) were also children of Phorcys and Ceto, while other authors will add other monster-related characters such as Scylla (of Charybdis and Scylla fame), the sirens, or Thoosa (the mother of Polyphemus the cyclop). Medusa herself is technically a âmother of monstersâ since she birthed both Pegasus the flying horse and Chrysaor, a giant. So here is something very important to get: Medusa, and the Gorgons, were part of a family of monsters. Couple that with the absence of any mention of curses in these ancient texts, and everything is clear.
Originally Medusa was not a woman cursed to become a monster: she was born a monster, part of a group of monster siblings, birthed by monster-creating deities, and she belonged to the world of the âprimordial abominations from the seaâ, and the pre-Olympian threats, the remnants of the primordial chaos. It is no surprise that the Gorgons were said to live at the edge of the very known world, in the last patch of land before the end of the universe â in the most inhuman, primitive and liminal area possible. They were full-on monsters!
Now you might ask why Poseidon would sleep with a horrible monster, especially when you recall that the Greeks loved to depict the Gorgons as truly bizarre and grotesque. It wasnât just snake-hair and petrifying gaze: they had boar tusks, and metallic claws, and bloated eyes, and a long tongue that constantly hanged down their bearded chin, and very large heads â some very old depictions even show her with a female centaur body! In fact, the ancient texts imply that it wasnât so much the Gorgonâs gaze or eyes that had the power to turn people into stone â but that rather the Gorgon was just so hideous and so terrifying to look at people froze in terror â and then literally turned into stone out of fear and disgust. We are talking Lovecraftian level of eldritch horror here. So why would Poseidon, an Olympian god, sleep with one of these horrors? Well⊠If you know your Poseidon it wouldnât surprise you too much because Poseidon had a thing for monsters. As a sort of âdark doubleâ of Zeus, whereas Zeus fell in love with beautiful princesses and noble queens and birthed great gods and brave heroes, Poseidon was more about getting freaky with all sorts of unusual and bizarre goddesses, and giving birth to bandits and monsters. A good chunk of the villains of Greek mythology were born out of Poseidonâs loins: Polyphemus, Antaios, Orion, Charybdis, the Aloads⊠And even his most benevolent offspring has freaky stuff about it â Proteus the shapeshifter or Triton half-man half-fish⊠So yes, Poseidon sleeping with an abominable Gorgon is not so much out of character.
Step 3: The missing link
Now that we established what Medusa started out as, and what she ended up as⊠We need to evoke the evolution from point Hesiod to point Ovid, because while people summarized the Medusa debate as âSea-born monster VS raped and punished womanâ, there is a third element needed to understand this whole situationâŠ
Yes Ovid did invent the rape. But he did not invent the idea that Medusa had been cursed by Athena.
The âgorgoneionâ â the visual and artistic motif of the Gorgonâs head â was, as I said, a grotesque and monstrous face used to invoke fright into the enemies or to repel any vile influence or wicked spirit by the principle of âWhatâs the best way to repel bad stuff? Badder stuffâ. Your Gorgon was your gargoyle, with all the hideous traits I described before â represented in front (unlike all the other side-portraits of gods and heroes), with the face being very large and flat, a big tongue out of a tusked-mouth, snake-hair, bulging crazy eyes, sometimes a beard or scales⊠Pure monster. But then⊠from the fifth century BCE to the second century BCE we see a slow evolution of the âgorgoneionâ in art. Slowly the grotesque elements disappear, and the Gorgonâs face becomes⊠a regular, human face. Even more: it even becomes a pretty womanâs face! But with snakes instead of hair. As such, the idea that Medusa was a gorgeous woman who just had snakes and cursed-eyes DOES come from Ancient Greece â and existed well before Ovid wrote his rape story.
But what was the reason behind this change?
Well, we have to look at the Roman era again. Ovidâs tale of Medusa being cursed for her rape at the hands of Neptune had to rival with another record collected by a Greek author Apollodorus, or Pseudo-Apollodorus, in his Bibliotheca. In this collection of Greek myths, Apollodorus writes that indeed, Medusa was cursed by Athena to have her beautiful hair that seduced everybody be turned into snakes⊠But it wasnât because of any rape or forbidden romance, no. It was just because Medusa was a very vain woman who liked to brag about her beauty and hair â and had the foolish idea of saying her hair looked better than Athenaâs. (If you recall tales such as Arachneâs or the Judgement of Paris, you will know that despite Athena being wise and clever, one of her main flaws is her vanity).
âWait a minute,â you are going to tell me, âThe Bibliotheca was created in the second century CE! Well after Greece became part of the Roman Empire, and after Ovidâs Metamorphoses became a huge success! It isnât a true Greek myth, it is just Ovidâs tale being projected hereâŠâ And people did agree for a time⊠Until it was discovered, in the scholias placed around the texts of Apollonios of Rhodes, that an author of the fifth century BCE named Pherecyde HAD recorded in his time a version of Medusaâs legend where she had been cursed into becoming an ugly monster as punishment for her vanity. We apparently do not have the original text of Pherecyde, but the many scholias referring to this lost piece are very clear about this. This means that the story that Apollodorus recorded isnât a ânoveltyâ, but rather the latest record of an older tradition going back to the fifth century BCE⊠THE SAME CENTURY THAT THE GORGONEION STARTED LOSING THEIR GROTESQUE, and that the face of Medusa started becoming more human in art.
[EDIT: I also forgot to add that this evolution of Medusa is also proved by strange literary elements, such as Pindar's mention in a poem of his (around 490 BCE) of "fair-cheeked Medusa". A description which seems strange given how Medusa used to be depicted as the epitome of ugliness... But that makes sense if the "cursed beauty" version of the myth had been going around at the time!]
And thus it is all connected and explained. Ovid did invent the rape yes â but he did not invent the idea of Athena cursing Medusa. It pre-existed as the most ârecentâ and dominating legend in Ancient Greece, having overshadowed by Ovidâs time the oldest Hesiodic records of Medusa being born a monster. So what Ovid did wasnât completely create a new story out of nowhere, but twist the Greek traditions of Athena cursing Medusa and Medusa having a relationship with Poseidon, so that the two legends would form one and same story. And this explains in retrospect why Ovid focuses so much on describing Medusaâs beautiful hair, and why Ovidâs Minerva would think turning her hair into snake would be a âpunishment fit for the crimeâ: these are leftovers of the Greek tale where Medusa was punished for her boasting and her vanity.
CONCLUSION
Here is the simplified chronology of how Medusaâs evolution went.
A) Primitive Greek myths, Hesiodic tradition: Born a monster out of a family of sea-monsters and monstrous immortals. Is a grotesque, gargoylesque, eldritch abomination. Athena has only an indirect conflict with her, due to being Perseusâ âfairy godmotherâ. Has a lovely romance with Poseidon.
B) Slow evolution throughout Classical Greece and further: Medusa becomes a beautiful, human-looking girl that was cursed to have snake for hair and petrifying eyes, instead of being a Lovecraftian horror people could not gaze upon. Her conflict with Athena becomes direct, as it is Athena that cursed her due to being offended by her vain boasting. Her punishment is for her vanity and arrogant comparison to the goddess.
C) Ovid comes in: Medusaâs romance with Poseidon becomes a rape, and she is now punished for having been raped inside Athenaâs temple.
[As a final note, I want to insist upon the fact that the story of Medusa being raped is not less "worthy" than any other version of the myth. Due to its enormous popularity, how it shaped the figure of Medusa throughout the centuries, and how it still survives today and echoes current-day problems, to try to deny the valid place of this story in the world of myths and legends would be foolish. HOWEVER it is important to place back things in their context, to recognize that it is not the ONLY tale of Medusa, that it was NOT part of Greek mythology, but rather of Roman legends - and let us all always remember this time Poseidon slept with a Lovecraftian horror because my guy is kinky.]
EDIT:
For illustration, I will place here visuals showing how the Ancient art evolved alongside Medusa's story.
Before the 5th century BCE: Medusa is a full-on monster
From the 5th century to the 2nd century BCE: A slow evolution as Medusa goes from a full-on monster to a human turned into a monster. As a result the two depictions of the grotesque and beautiful gorgoneion coexist.
Post 2nd century BCE: Medusa is now a human with snake hair, and just that
#greek mythology#medusa#gorgon#athena#gorgons#poseidon#neptune#minerva#ovid#rape in mythology#greek monsters#roman mythology
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THE GODS ARE NOT THEIR MYTHS â
I'd like to begin by stating that all religions have mythos. Christianity has the bible, Islam has the Quran, etc. That is to say, that most of these religions are centered in mythic literalism, as portrayed in their sacred texts.
The mythology surrounding the Gods, since we do not hold a sacred book, has been written by worshippers, for other worshippers, rather than prophets.
While myths may paint the Gods with human-like flaws, these narratives are symbolic, representing aspects of the human experience and the natural world rather than literal truth. The gods embody ideals, fears, and cultural values of ancient Greece, serving as a mirror to humanity's own complexities. In essence, the myths are not factual accounts but rather rich, allegorical tales that reveal deeper truths about existence, morality, and the cosmos, used by the ancients in order to make more sense of the divine, in their own perspective of the world.
We must also remember that whilst a lot of the subjects in these myths do include traits deemed unacceptable in our modern world, the ancients had different values and beliefs that were seen as "acceptable" or at least normative in their societies. Thus, we cannot place modern morals onto ancient writings.
Often times, people look down upon worshippers of the Gods, due to the mythology and the "horrible acts" they've committed, but this limited view embodies, again, mythic literalism, which is not present in Hellenic Mythology.
Instead, we must look outside of these myths for evidence of the Gods; both in the lives of the ancients, and in our own.
// short one today, because i could speak about this topic for ages, but i don't want to bore you all too much.
#hellenic community#hellenic deities#hellenic devotion#hellenic pagan#hellenic polytheistic#paganism#hellenism#pagan community#hellenic worship#librariantalks
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If there is one thing Eddie Munson is good at, it's hyperfixating. He can spend hours upon hours wholly entranced by whatever it is that has his attention, whether it's a newly discovered band or a book series he's reading or some random new interest he likes to immerse himself in. It's something Steve, who himself has the attention span of a goldfish, will never really understand, but that's okay: even without understanding it, it's one of the things he loves about Eddie.
Some of Eddie's obsessions fade just as quickly as they appear, but others stay with him for years. So when he reaches a 1000-day streak on Duolingo learning Elvish, Steve has a surprise for him: two tickets for a Lord of the Rings convention in Chicago. The second ticket is not for Steve â they enjoy their own separate interests just fine without the other's involvement â but for Dustin, and the two of them wave goodbye to Steve with a suitcase filled with nerdy costumes and matching excited sparks in their eyes.
Eddie returns a few days later filled with stories about all that he and Dustin got up to.
'Guess who we met at the convention,' is one of the first things he tells Steve. He's bouncing around with excitement, too impatient to even wait for Steve's first guess. 'The guy who created the Elvish Duolingo course! And guess what? He lives in Indianapolis! I'm having lunch with him next week!'
And it's cool, Steve is happy that Eddie met his hero and made a new nerd friend out of him, he truly is â until Eddie shows him the picture that Dustin took of the two of them.
Here's the thing: Steve is not a jealous person. Not at all. He knows that jealousy is a gross thing to feel and he can't even imagine not trusting Eddie. But... he had not expected Eddie's lame nerd idol to have amazing hair, a lip piercing, and muscles in all the right places. The guy looks like a freaking model. And usually, that wouldn't bother Steve â he knows he's not exactly ugly himself â but usually he doesn't have to compete with guys who speak Elvish fluently.
'You should come with me, we can all hang out together,' Eddie suggests. 'I'm sure you'll love him.'
Steve is hesitant about it, but Eddie refuses to take no for an answer, and that's how Steve ends up at Vikram's house for lunch two weeks later.
Eddie gasps loudly when Vikram leads them into his living room, clutching a dramatic hand to his chest in true Eddie fashion. Steve knows it's not all theatrics, though: there's no way a room like this wouldn't genuinely impress Eddie. It's dark and filled with big leather furniture. Framed posters for various metal bands and horror movies hang on the walls. There are shelves filled with big fantasy books, and every corner of the room has a display cabinet filled with what seem to be collectors' items for various series.
If Steve had been hoping for Vikram to look more like a stereotypical nerd in real life, he would be severely disappointed: the guy looks amazing in a leather jacket that would fit perfectly in Eddie's own collection and black skinny jeans that show off a truly amazing pair of legs, making Steve feel oddly self-conscious about the couple of pounds he gained since he left his high school sports days behind him.
While they're having lunch â Vikram bakes his own bread and it's so good that Steve doesn't think he can ever stop eating â Eddie and Vikram enthusiastically talk each other's heads off about all things Tolkien. Steve, on the other hand, grows more quiet as time passes, not really following along and sure as hell not able to give any contributions to the topic at hand.
'Did you ever try to learn some Sindarin as well, Steve? Or are you more of a Quenya guy?' Vikram asks him in what is no doubt a well-meant attempt to include Steve in the conversation.
Steve hastily swallows a big mouthful of bread and feels his cheeks heat up.
'I never read those books,' he sheepishly confesses.
'Oh!' Vikram's eyes widen and Steve can practically see him think: You never bothered to show any interest in one of your boyfriend's favorite things?
'Well, I mean, I tried,' Steve rushes to explain himself. 'But I um, I couldn't really keep my attention to it. They're a bit difficult to read. For me.' Somehow, explaining it only makes him feel worse about it.
'Oh, yeah, I get it, man. Those books aren't for everyone.'
There is no meanness or hidden insult behind his words. But Steve only feels more like an outsider while Eddie asks Vikram some incomprehensible question that has Vikram giving an in-depth explanation about the difference between two words that literally sound the same to Steve's ears. And when Eddie laughs about a joke that goes way over Steve's head, then says something in that stupidly beautiful nerd language which prompts a laugh from Vikram in return, Steve is reminded in full force how ugly of an emotion jealousy is.
They say goodbye â Eddie says something in Elvish again and Steve has to watch Vikram laugh a joyous laugh about it again â and Steve is quiet during the drive back home.
'Is something wrong?' Eddie asks when they're home, perceptive as always.
'No,' Steve lies.
'Stevie, c'mon.' Eddie studies Steve's face intently, a frown between his eyebrows just barely hidden by his bangs. 'What's going on?' Something in his expression shifts. 'Wait. You didn't like Vikram, did you? Did you hate him?'
'No, I didn't hate him!' Steve is quick to say. 'He's awesome, Eddie, he's perfect and smart and funny and perfect.'
Eddie narrows his eyes like Steve said something weird.
'Why did you say he's perfect twice?'
Steve huffs and runs a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. 'Just drop it, Eddie.'
'No, I'm not dropping it.' Eddie crosses his arms. 'What are you not telling me?'
Steve sighs. 'Okay, I didn't want to bother you with this, because it's my problem and not yours, and jealousy is an ugly emotion, butâ'
'You're jealous of Vikram?'
'I mean, he's like, super hot, and he has this cool house, and he loves the same things as you, and you can speak your cool nerd language with him, while I'm too dumb to even read your cool nerd books andâ'
'Steve,' Eddie interrupts him. 'You have no reason to be jealous.'
'I just...' Steve pauses, pinches the bridge of his nose. He finally manages to voice the thought that has been eating at him ever since he met Vikram. 'I don't want you to wake up someday and wish that you were with someone as smart as you are.'
The way Eddie's breath catches is barely noticeable. Then, he reaches out and gently places his hands on Steve's shoulders.
'I am with someone as smart as I am,' he says softly.
Steve scoffs.
'No, it's true,' Eddie presses on. 'Okay, so you don't enjoy reading Tolkien, and you don't speak Elvish. I don't care about that, man. I love the way you think. I love your inexhaustible knowledge of weird sports facts. I love how precise you are about weighing ingredients when you're baking something. I love your through-the-roof emotional and social intelligence.' He lifts one hand off of Steve's shoulder to pet his head, almost as if he's some kind of animal. 'You got a pretty big brain in there, no matter what you tell yourself, Stevie. And that's why I love you, more than anyone who speaks Elvish fluently.'
Steve tugs Eddie closer until their bodies are pressed against each other, his arms around Eddie's waist and his head resting on Eddie's shoulder.
'I don't think anyone has ever called me smart before,' he quietly admits.
'Well, I'll do it more often, then,' Eddie replies. 'Cause you are.'
(I wrote this because @undreaming-rambles has reached the unbelievable milestone of a 1000-day duolingo strike today. obviously that called for a silly fanfic celebration moment, congrats on your incredible perseverance aneta đ and credit where credit is due: this one was inspired by an episode of my beloved comfort show brooklyn 99)
#don't mind me rambling about stranger things#steddie#steve harrington#eddie munson#stranger things#fruity ficlet
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merry christmas to everyone celebrating i hope ur all having wonderful days đ
#despite protestations from my mother that i will not be receiving any books for christmas this year#bc i have too many ( untrue ) i have received at least one book from each member of my family including my mum#eventually they all give up and realise that my love of books is really my only personality trait#and also all i own are books clothes and musical instruments#my brother's very autistic approach of looking at my bookshelf to work out what my current special interest is and then finding books on#that topic is so fun to me! super excited to read about the seventeenth century witchfinders in the uk and monsters from anglo-saxon britain
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The thing I love about Hbomberguyâs latest video essay on plagiarism is it really gets to the root of why someone plagiarises, which in turn reassures the audience of the soundness of their own creative process and that of the creatives they love. He spends so much time praising and analysing the difference between derivative works (non-negative) and plagiarised works that it reassures and broadens the knowledge of other creatives and of the audiences consuming their works, which in turn helps assuage any unconscious reactionary feelings of âBut this other creative I love does something slightly similarâ.
As someone who writes, and as someone who went through the churn-em-out of the modern university degree system and all the plagiarism anxiety that comes with that, the topic of copying and mimicking other creatives is a heavy and ill-understood topic in so many spaces. The education system, at least in my country, went from encouraging rote-learning and copying by rewarding those who best memorised answers previously learned (e.g. exam answer schedules, memorising the wording of pre-practiced essays) to encouraging original thought in extensively-written about topics for essays. Itâs very hard not to feel like youâre plagiarising when youâre one of 300 first year law students writing about a a topic from one very in-depth source that youâve studied in class and three smaller ones, and Turnitin has put in your mind that the MOST important thing you can do for this essay is not to pass it, but to reword it well enough not to get caught up in this plagiarism detector. And I can recognise my behaviours in what Hbomberguy identifies - I remember minute-before-the-deadline essays where I was guilty of padding out my biography with sources from my sources, and can think of phrases or techniques of writing Iâve read in books that I sometimes worry might come through in my writing in a way that feels like stealing.
Plagiarism anxiety is real, and itâs fed by a lack of understanding around what plagiarism is and where it comes from. Hbomberguy is so right for complimenting a bunch of lame youtubers for the enthusiasm with which they openly bounce off of other peopleâs ideas. This collaborative method of creating where ideas are taken and passed on due to love of the craft can feel derivative eventually - but taken within a body of work where the creator is riffing or paying homage to and not merely regurgitating others success is at the heart of where any meaningful success and love for the medium lies. Creators need to be coming from a place of genuine enthusiasm and respect - itâs when they dont, when theyâre looking down on others, that we see these behaviours emerging.
And that helps identify the urges within ourselves, and know more firmly whether what weâre doing is tribute or theft, including the many not just acceptable but positive ways of referencing back to sources and inspiration. It helps us tell when we ourselves are genuinely trying to pay homage and when we are treading the more murky waters of unfair attribution. So thanks Hbomberguy for dumbing down this topic in the most relatable but inaccessible-by-length way possible, as per usual.
#continually impressed with the way he manages to add to conversations tbh#hbomberguy#breadtube#video essays#james somerton
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the gang with a soc!reader
authors note: sorry the last one was kind of all over the place. i tend to ramble when i write so ill try to stay more on topic this time. in this preference, you and the characters will already be a couple :3 im also wondering if people are clicking the hashtags then they see my posts?? so if thatâs whatâs happening and you can see my posts when you click the hashtags please tell me because i have no idea if itâs working LMAO
includes: ponyboy, johnny, darry, soda, dally, two-bit and steve
word count: 2.0k
warnings: mild cussing, mentions of fighting/getting jumped
PONYBOY CURTIS
you both are academic BEASTS so youâre somewhat rivals and trying to get to the top of the class
but youâre still together, itâs a healthy relationship
most of the time, youâll actually walk him home from wherever you are since itâs safe for you to walk home on your own, but since heâs a greaser itâs not safe for him
when you met the gang they taught you how to fight in case some greasers or even some socs tried to fight you
by walking him home, youâve actually prevented him from getting beat up
you like to take him out to get food or something he wants when he gets a good grade since he gets happy when theyâre high
sometimes youâll get lower grades than him and you two will study together, or reversed
youâll get him a new book every time he finishes another one, by the end of the year he has a new shelf just filled with books youâve given him
you occasionally read him to sleep when heâs having a hard time, or again reversed
he falls asleep pretty quickly when you do this and he really appreciates it
you always sit together during assemblies and choose to be each others partner in the classes you have together
if you donât decide to do track one year youâll go to his meets, and after you always take him out to eat since youâre proud
if heâs extra tired then heâll ask to go home so you will
you learned how to cook so he can have big nice meals, along with baking chocolate cake when soda and darry arenât there to make it
pony thinks you make it better than darry but will never tell him that
he really loves spending time with you and feels like youâre the first person besides johnny to really understand him
you made him think about socs in a different way too, in a good way
yall are just humans doing what you know best, some in different environments and had different parents with different parenting styles
you like to bring him to the best places in tulsa to watch the sunsets
you also get the best polaroids of the sunsets and the colors are so beautiful
JOHNNY CADE
as soon as he told the gang that he was dating someone they were excited for him, then they found out you were a soc
dally told him to break up with you without even knowing you, johnny told him to give you a chance
when johnny invited you to the curtis house to meet his friends, you brought presents for all of them since you wanted to make a good impression
you had your ways about finding what they like and donât like
they immediately took a liking to you when you gave them presents and a kiss on johnnys cheek
youâd patch him up and give him bandaids to take home after getting beat up by socs or his parents
sometimes youâd give him money and he would use that money to get you something youâve been wanting for a while
heâs always so thankful for everything you do for him and everything you give him
since your parents donât really care about the differences between greasers and socs, they let johnny stay over since they know things are rough at home
sometimes theyâll take you and him out for dinner with them and you think itâs so cute
he was nervous your parents wouldnât like him since most of the socs parents would think heâs gross
heâs always proud of you for naturally getting good grades and seeing the smile on your face when you get your report card
sometimes when heâs upset you two will cuddle in your bed or youâll drive him to a restaurant or fast food place
he always feels bad about spending your money but you tell him not to feel bad about it since you have more
DARRY CURTIS
things got more financially stable when you came into his life
youâd help him pay groceries and the bills if he was struggling, you also helped around the house
sometimes heâll wake up to the smell of bacon, waffles, eggs, etc and suddenly its like he doesnât have to be the responsible one 24/7
having you in his life has improved everything, and his brothers are so thankful to have you there too
youâre like a mother to them and theyâre comfortable enough to open up to you
sometimes youâll ask him out on cute little dates randomly just so he can get a break of hard work
heâll take the day off and get all dressed up since you told him you were taking him to a really fancy restaurant
occasionally youâll get your nails done just for your dates and he always notices
youâll ask him âwhich color is betterâ and heâll say âarenât they the same?â then you have to explain to him that one is darker than the other
he still doesnât see the difference but chooses one anyway since he likes to see you happy
heâs literally so in love with you and how youâll do romantic and domestic things for him
youâre so beautiful and perfect in his eyes, and sometimes heâll stare at you and his brothers will tease him
he really loves being around you and having you by his side
you also helped him become calmer, that pony and soda have their own problems and darry yelling at them probably just makes them scared
he starts to actually communicate with them and youâll give him gifts for completing or succeeding because why not
heâs always like âhon, you didnât have to get me thisâŠâ but you can see heâs happy with whatever you give him
he just loves you so much and his brothers love you too but obviously not romantically
SODAPOP CURTIS
people actually think the both of you are socs, i mean theyâre half right
they think soda is a soc since heâs so handsome and think youâre a soc because of your mannerisms and how youâre very beautiful
youâll always visit him at the DX just to hang out with him
your parents love him and how he treats you so they also let him stay over at your house
sometimes when itâs sodas turn to get groceries from the store, youâll go along with him
he just wants to be around you whenever he can
youâll offer to pay for the groceries plus stuff he doesnât need but instead wants
once he got a pimple and he freaked the fuck out
you bought him some cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen and pimple patches
you taught him how to use them and when, and in which order to use them in
his pimple went away in a few days
since youâre so smart and get good grades, youâll help pony with his homework sometimes
soda will stare at you helping him from far away, he thinks itâs adorable that you two are bonding
when the two of you are in your room, youâll play frank sinatra and the little dippers while having a home-date with sweets :3
you two have so much fun and he even opens up to you about his problems
you offer to get him a therapist but he says itâs that bad, you tell him to talk to you if he wants to talk about it again
he legit treats you like a princess and you love it
yall are the most attractive couple EVER no one can tell if they wanna be you or be with you
DALLAS WINSTON
when he realized he liked you he knew he had to protect you with his life
he needed a break from loud and annoying girls, then he found you
you could get quiet at times and you werenât constantly screaming and acting like an annoying 12 year old boy
you got him to steal less since you could pay for things on your own
he didnât really listen and still stole money from other people so he could get you things
whenever he got put in prison you could always bail him out due to the money you have
if he had to serve time then youâd give him money so he could spend it and get necessities
youâll also make diy crafts for him on your guys anniversary and his birthday
he brings you to meetups with the gang, and they love you being there with him
you spoil him rotten and he loves it
makes him feel like a princess, weirdly enough
heâll steal money to spoil you too, pays for your nails sometimes
you told him you wanted specific flowers once and he got you flowers sometime the next week, he acted nonchalant about it but he loved the happy look on your face
TWO-BIT MATTHEWS
sometimes youâre quiet but he always finds a way to bring you to tears after laughing so hard
heâs literally the funniest person youâve ever met
he never really expected a soc to get so loud since they were normally reserved and didnât talk to many people
anyway you brought him to fucking disneyland once and he LOVED it
you booked a hotel and everything so yall saw mickey mouse
two-bit kinda laughed at him but he seemed happy so he didnât care
he loves traveling with you and brags about it to the gang all the time
they say itâs cool then act like they donât care but theyâre kinda jealous he gets all that stuff
theyâre happy for him though
sometimes youâll get him little mickey figurines and heâll put them on his nightstand, sometimes even carry it with him if itâs a keychain
he never wouldâve expected a soc to be so nice to someone like him
heâs really glad that you love him and you show it
STEVE RANDLE
before you two started dating he tried to avoid you at all costs
he kinda thought youâd beat up him and his friends so he just stayed away from you
anyway when you guys started dating youâd drive him to the DX
youâd give him tips just for fun even if you didnât buy anything from him
youâd buy him all sorts of little trinkets and such just so heâd have something to mess around with
i donât have a lot of knowledge on him bro pls bear with me LMAO
heâs almost always with soda so you kind of became his best friend naturally
youâll buy steve food on his breaks and drive him to restaurants or fast food places and youâll eat on a bench or in a field together
you talk about some shit that happened at work while he listens
heâll occasionally get you some food since he knows you like sweets
then you repay him with something heâs wanted for a while that heâs been asking for
whether itâs a book or food or a trinket idk
he loves you so much and is glad soda gets along with you so well
sorry this oneâs shorter! iâll try to make the preference longer next time. iâm gonna try to post at least twice per week but if im feeling good ill try to post more đ thank you for reading!
#the outsiders x reader#the outsiders dally#the outsiders sodapop#the outsiders darry#the outsiders johnny#the outsiders ponyboy#the outsiders#the outsiders two bit#the outsiders steve#ponyboy x reader#ponyboy curtis#ponyboy michael curtis#johnny cade x reader#johnny cade#sodapop curtis#sodapop x reader#darry curtis#darry curtis x reader#dally x reader#dally winston#dallas winston#dallas winston x reader#steve randle#steve randle x reader#two bit x reader#two bit matthews x reader#two bit the outsiders#winstonsns
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The Jaws Effect and what it means for media representation
The Jaws Effect is the name of a phenomenon that described the panic and fear that sprang up around sharks, fuelled by Steven Spielberg's movie, Jaws. While the fear of sharks and other marine predators had always been a thing, Jaws launched the fear of sharks, and Great White Sharks in particular, to new (and mostly unfounded) heights. Most people will never encounter a real-life shark and so their only knowledge about the creatures come from movies and other forms of entertainment. Entertainment that largely portrayed them as mindless, unfeeling killing machines. After Jaws, sharks became a staple in the creature-feature genre of movies, which only perpetuated the idea of sharks as dangerous monsters even further, reigniting and reconfirming the beliefs the public held about them in the process. These ideas about sharks are, of course, not true, but the misconception and fear has had a real, observable impacts on shark populations, shark conservation efforts and even laws and legislations surrounding sharks and shark conservation around the world.
Ok but Cy, this is a blog about disability and disabled representation, what do sharks have to do with anything you talk about? Well, Because The Jaws Effect is just one of many examples that shows how massive of an impact representation in the media can have, for better or for worse, especially when talking about subjects the public generally knows very little about.
This conversation is not unique to disability representation, nearly every person I've seen who's talked about how to write and design characters from any minority brings it up eventually, but the media we consume, the movies we watch, the books we read can all have big impacts on people's perceptions on those topics. When talking about disability specifically, it's an unfortunate reality that not many people know all that much about us, and so, much like sharks, for many, their only real exposure to disabled people is through the media they consume.
If you don't know anyone in a wheelchair, and your only knowledge of life as a wheelchair user comes from books and movies like Me Before You, of course you're going to (spoiler) come away thinking that life in a wheelchair is horrible and death is better than living like that. If you don't know any DID Systems and your only exposure to a condition like that is through movies like Split (and honestly, a number of other horror movies and crime shows) of course you'll think people with DID are unstable monsters who could become violent any moment. If your only exposure to autistic people is Music, then it's not shocking that you might think Autistic people are "trapped in their own minds," completely unaware of the world around them and lacking any kind of agency. As much as I'd like to be able to say these are "just movies" or "just books," and that if we don't like them, we can just not watch them, they all had an impact on the real world and real people's perceptions of the disabilities they depicted, as do the many, many smaller examples of bad representation.
This is why I personally spend so much time focused on the portrayal of disability in the media, why so much of my content is focused on creating resources for creators to represent us better, and why I think writers, artists and other types of creators should care about the representation they include.
Unfortunately, people believing misinformation and stereotypes, while annoying, isn't the worst of the impacts bad rep can have. If a stereotype is prevalent enough, and enough people believe it, it can both put us in harms way and cause us to loose access to things we desperately need and things designed to help us. One really common example of this is when movies and TV shows show a character getting up out of their wheelchair, and use this as proof that the person is faking being disabled. However, in reality, there are many disabilities that might mean someone has to use a wheelchair, even if they can still walk a little bit or stand up. The stereotype of someone standing up from their chair being a fake, especially when it's reinforced over and over again in the media, leads non-disabled people to believe that anyone who stands up from their wheelchair is faking, and results in a lot of real disabled people being harassed and denied things like access to disabled parking, toilets and other accessible spaces. There were even a few cases of people reporting those they see get out of their wheelchairs to Centrelink (The Australian "welfare" department, for those not familiar) as frauds, and while these investigations don't usually go far before someone realises what's happened, it has, on occasion, resulted in people loosing the income they depend on to survive, even temporarily.
But the impact of representation, of course, can go both ways.
I was in high school when the first How To Train Your Dragon movie came out, and at the time, I didn't really like people being able to see that I was a leg amputee because I was sick of kids in particular staring, pointing at me, asking their parents "what's wrong with them?" or asking me directly, "what's wrong with your legs?". I wore long skirts and big, bulky tracksuit pants to keep my legs covered, something that became dangerous in the hot Australian summer, but I didn't care.
But the impact of How to Train Your Dragon came in two ways. The first, was that it was one of the first times I'd seen an amputee (or rather, multiple amputees) who didn't keep their prosthetics covered or hidden, and it gave me the little boost in confidence I needed to do that myself and wear clothing that was more comfortable and functional. And second, the comments from children changed, albeit slightly, but enough that it was noticeable. The questions and comments went from "what's wrong with you?" to "oh cool, your legs are like Hiccup's!" I even had one little girl ask me once if I had a pet night fury. They went from being scared of me and my legs, or at the very least concerned for me, to genuinely curious and impressed. While reactions like that did become less and less common over time, they didn't fully go away either. Even today, I occasionally get young kids asking me why I have legs like hiccup. A friend of mine who was born with one arm shorter than the other and without fingers on that side had a similar experience with the movie Finding Nemo. Her disability was a bit more complex than what I described here, and she always found it hard to explain "what happened" to small children, however, after Finding Nemo came out, she was able to simply tell kids "this is my lucky fin, like what nemo has!" and that was enough to take her from someone "scary" to these kids to someone like their favourite characters.
Of course, it's much easier to see the impact positive representation can have on people's perceptions when we're talking about kids media, but it's not exclusive to it either.
When it comes to a minority like the disabled community who are so thoroughly misunderstood by the wider public, misinformation can and does spread easily. What people see and read in the media they consume plays a big roll in how people perceive the real people attached to the stereotypes. We often hear people say "Fiction imitates life" but the reverse can and often is also true, life can imitate and be influenced by fiction, and those of us creating should be mindful of this, especially when we're talking about a group of vulnerable people.
[Thumbnail ID: An illustration of a Great White Shark swimming near the rocky bottom of the ocean, surrounded by silver fish. In the bottom left corner of the image is "The Jaws Effect and what it means for media representation" in big, white bubble text. /End ID]
#Writing disability with Cy Cyborg#Disability 101#Long Post#Disability#Disabled#Disability Representation#Writing Disability#Writing#Writeblr#Authors#Creators#Writing Advice#Disabled Characters#Disability History#On Writing#Disability in Media
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