#we cry for understanding tolerance and empathy

[damntheyare]

your dad Alastor makes me cry really hard (and laugh a little lol)

let me just say my full opinion about Alastor dad - just my vision/headcanon for the full understanding that I started to have, based on fan facts from the fandom wiki - I consider him a mentally unstable egoist (even his aroace thing comes from the fact that he loves only himself lol) with a low degree of empathy (because you are unlikely to be very kind when you killed half your life and then the same amount after life), he is not a fan of useless cute things, he is more like the one who kicks a puppy and feels normal from this. friendship comes easily to him, because he sees it as entertainment + benefit, since “we can adequately talk with you on general topics”, we can build a profitable business that will be based on some “general confidence” - simple a form of relationship that benefits him or provides some form of entertainment (just think that all his friends are cute, slightly crazy ladies with whom he can talk about both funny things and murder while sitting over a mug of something), love is more complicated for him , because there are a lot of emotions in which control is required, but in an established long-term relationship, his love is expressed as “selfishness for two” - like "all the privileges that I have for myself, I transfer to you, and you become part of my space" but again, at the core of it all there is something interesting/useful to him. With Charlie it’s fun, calm, funny, common interests, status privileges (and sometimes we kiss, oh my God) - "I understand why I need\want this and what I get from it." BUT A CHILD is a small, useless creature, of which there is no use, nothing can be done with a child, it is impossible to establish adequate contact, share interests (you know, eating raw venison and killing, not exactly children's hobbies), so Alastor is not interested in a small child, he doesn't need them for anything, again Alastor would rather just tolerate them, like "ok, as long as you don't get in the way, it's acceptable." As a not entirely healthy person (understatement of the century), does not have a developed sense of complicity in this topic with the child, he looks at them and does not think “wow, we did this together, this is my blood” / he just looks and says: “ Hey, you're annoying me." If you tell him “but this is your child, you must love them”, it will not make any sense to him. But the child would still like to attract the attention of his father ,they tries to be interested in the same things as Alastor (like maybe they will want to know about his favorite music or will begin to be interested in dark magic, and so on) and then Alastor may already be interested in them and they will have a more or less good relationship, but still not family, but rather mentoring. Bonus - Alastor had a moment when he was "kind" - once when Lucifer was looking after Lamb and was like "who's your favorite grandpa, you love me the most" and of course Alastor turned on the competitive part of his brain and was like "no, they love me more than anyone" and walked the kid all day just so they wouldn't hang out with grandpa.

[violentviolette]

i see we have reached that time every 2 to 3 years when this entire tag completely forgets/warps the meanings of words and instead of just doing absolutely any research, just says incorrect information with their whole chest with the false confidence of a child emporer so here's a little reminder

empathy is broken up into 2 components. cognitive empathy and affective/emotional empathy

cognitive empathy is the ability to correctly identify and intellectually understand the emotions of others. an example would be, ur friend has lost a relative and has been upset and down recently. u recognize their lack of engagement and low energy and need for time alone as them processing that grief, u understand why they are upset after the death of someone they cared for. none of this requires u to personally feel any emotions, it is an intellectual understanding and is therefore something people learn through experience with others. it is connected to emotional literacy and understanding human behavior

affective/emotional empathy is an involuntary and uncontrolled mirror response. it exists in social species to help strengthen bonds and encourage emotional understanding, and is when u very literally experience the emotions of others. an example would be, ur friend has lost a relative and is upset, and u mirror their emotional state and share in their grief. u feel pain and sadness and loss alongside them, u cry, u need time alone to process, u not only understand why they are upset, but u urself are also upset as if this was happening to u as well. this is an involuntary response, it cannot be taught or learned, and it cannot be conciously or actively turned on or off by the person experiencing it. u feel these emotions reguardless of if u want to or not. it is instinctual the same way yawning is. yawning is theorized to be a type of affective empathy and the instinctual response to yawn after seeing someone else yawn is an example of mirroring

all human beings are capable of cognitive empathy. it is a skill that can be taught and learned. most people learn this skill in childhood, others when they are older, but there is no limit to when u can learn to understand this

emotional empathy on the other hand, is much more complex. people experience this on a spectrum, like most things. trauma hugely impacts our ability to feel emotional empathy, and it is a common and standard symptom for victims of abuse to develop empathy dysfunctions. this can include anything from empathy "turning off" or "shutting down" which describes a fluctuating state of empathy within a person. they can have empathy for some people or situations but not others and is highly connected to their specific trauma. its a defense mechanism, these people often had their empathy weaponized against them and used to abuse them, so their brains learn to stop feeling it in order to protect themselves, like building up a pain tolerance some people lose the ability to emotionally empathize entirely after abuse, and cannot expereince empathy reguardless of the person or situation. sometimes this is temporary and with enough healing and time away from abuse they can regain that ability, others do not and never experience it again. and some people are born without the ability to emotionally empathize at all and have never expereinced it (like some autistic people, this is again a spectrum)

cluster b disorders cover a range of empathy dysfunction, but they do all expereince it. hpd is usually catagorized with short, temporary interruptions/dysfunctions and can almost always regain the ability to emotionally empathize, bpd and npd usually have fluctuating empathy that turns on and off, in bpd it is much more likely for that to become lifelong, whereas with npd it is more likely to be able to regain full empathy, and lastly aspd is catagorized by a complete break and lack of emotional empathy that is not able to be regained

and absolutely none of that is connected to ur treatment of others. empathy is not an action, it is solely about ur own internal emotional expereince or lack thereof. it has nothing to do with how u respond to others, how u handle situations, or ur ability to act compassionately or with care and consideration for those around u. it is solely about ur own personal internal emotional expereince in response to other peoples emotions

hope that helps

[justanotherdumbteenboy]

A little rant over the why I consider that Midoriya Izuku is autstic

Disclaimer: This is just one of my many mha theories. I would rather if peope didn't attack me for this. If you don't like it, just ignore it!.

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Special interests

Having a special interest is one of the most common characteristics for autistic people, and personally, I believe that his interest in heroes, quirks, and All Might can be read as special interests. Specially having in mind how this interests are actually very deep and time consuming for Izuku, and a very important part of him. This derivates in another characteristic that is infodumping and that is something that Izuku does A LOT.

He even shows distress when he doesn’t know something about one of these topics. (More specifically, when All Might told him that he used a support item, and Izuku was upset that he didn’t know that and went on a research rampage after finding out (I relate)).  

I also think that his hero quirk analysis notebooks are an outlet for him. Like a safe space where he can rant, and store information etc. And that is really important, because it seems like his notebooks were another reason that people bullied him for (although that is not confirmed, apart from that one scene with Bakugou).

Stimming

He stims a lot through the show. He rocked back and forth as a child, he repeatedly jumped, and is constantly exercising  (vestibular stims (i think)), and he built a habit of watching the same All Might video all of the time (and he still does that as a teenager when he is upset.  After the USJ attack he is watching the video in his bedroom before his mom calls him for dinner). This can be considered a visual stim. 

Trouble identifying social cues and has a hard time socialising 

He doesn’t seem to be able to fully understand when someone is completely invested in what he is saying, or on the contrary, when someone is bored and wants him to be quiet. He also seems to have trouble knowing when to stop talking, getting interrupted multiple times by All Might, and getting yelled at by Bakugou especially when he infodumps. 

He has a hard time meeting new people and socialising in general. I think that this is easily appreciated when he first started to interact with class 1-A, in his first interaction with Night Eye, when he met Hatsume, etc. There are many examples of this honestly. 

Sensory processing issues 

He doesn’t exactly go on sensory overload but he does have a crazy pain tolerance, and that can be connected to difficulty processing pain stimuli. We can see this on pretty much every single fight Izuku has been involved in. 

Hyper empathy and emotional dysregulation  

It’s obvious that he cares about others and feels deeply for them and what they go through. Maybe a little too much. I think this could be one of the roots for his hero complex and his need to fix everything and everyone by himself. 

And he is a very emotional person, we have seen him having mood swings, and crying a lot both in public and in private. Apparently his tears are something that he cannot control, even if other people make fun of him for it. (I relate). 

Has a different way to view the world 

This is something that both All Might and Gran Torino have pointed out about him. He has a different perspective, a different way to think about things (like when he was trying to figure out how to “not make the egg explode”). 

Adherence to a certain way of doing things 

I think this is why it took him so long to develop his shoot style. He was so focused on using his quirk in a specific exact way, that he kind of forgot he could just use his legs. It could also be why it took him so long to figure out that he should see one for all in a more natural way and not as a special move (I don’t think I explained that correctly, but for reference, it happens around the Stain arc).

And this is very minor, but I would also like to mention his very iconic red shoes. 

Safe food

This might be a little bit of a stretch, but I think it is a possibility that Katsudon is one of his safe/comfort foods since it is canon that it’s his favourite food. 

Physical contact

He seems to struggle receiving physical contact from people he is not close with. The only people that if I remember correctly he actually seeks physical contact with are Inko, All Might, and Bakugou sometimes. 

Note: this could also be a cultural thing and not be autism related, since in Japan people tend to avoid touching others unless it is unavoidable , especially if they are strangers, not related, or not close. (Little side note not mha related, but this is quite the cultural shock for me as a Latino, since physical contact is widely accepted here in Colombia. Which is funny, because I hate physical contact).

Speaking differences/struggles

He mutters a lot in the show, and many times, he seems to be doing it unconsciously, others having to stop him, and even sometimes being annoyed with it. This is something that I struggle with as well, since I’ve been told that I speak to fast and too low, and I do it completely unconsciously and have to apologise many times for it, just like Izuku.

He is a very detailed oriented person

I think this is evident mostly on the way he is fast to analyse fights and his opponents (like in the fight against Gentle Criminal and La Brava), and also on his quirk analysis notebooks. 

Since the very beginning this has been an important trait of his, that shines when he saved Bakugou from the sludge villain, or when he analysed the fight between Mount Lady, Kamui Woods and the giant villain in literally the first episode when he was still in middle school. 

This is even seen on the Provisional Hero License Exam, the joint training arc, etc. 

————————————————————————

In conclusion: Izuku Midoriya is autistic and I’m absolutely convinced that he is. 

If anyone else has something to add please do, I thrive for neurodivergent mha headcanons. Izuku isn’t even the only character I theorise to be autistic. 

I’m sorry for any spelling or redaction messages. I think my English is pretty good, but I apologise for any mistake I did here (which I’m sure I did, because I wrote it at midnight in the google docs app in my cellphone without my glasses on). 

And if you read all of this, then thank you for reading, because I think I went a little overboard.

[utilitycaster]

Extremely cathartic to hear these whiners get blasted on twitter by the creators of their supposed favourite show. I know for a fact theyre the same weirdos ive seen making statements like “the CR fandom is toxic and bad and theyre going to bring all their toxicity into our fandom, which has no toxicity and everyone is kind and nice to eachother and nothing problematic has ever happened here, unlike bad and evil critical role!!!”

I also believe theyre the same people who:

-misgender ashton when most optically convenient for them (ie he did something they didnt like)

-did the whole “ghelvan is an allegory for queerness” thing or whatever that was

-crying about imogen no glasses

Because the common denominator of these takes (besides being dumb) is that the person making them has to have a lack of empathetic understanding that other people have different experiences from you, in combination with lacking the understanding that actually, its okay if someone doesn’t agree with you. Like, its okay to not be in control of every narrative or microscopic detail around you.

So obviously I'm with you on "these people just hate CR for nebulous reasons which like, they can, but then just skip the season" and "an inability to accept other people have different takes on canon than you do says concerning things about your empathy, especially if all your fanon has characters conveniently matching your exact demographics" but I do want to point out that the people bashing Matt over fanlore are explicitly not CR fans. I think you addressed that too so maybe you're trying to say that it's like, the same broad attitude shared by these two groups of people? Which is true in some cases but not others.

I think that misgendering Ashton is not anger at canon. It's just transphobia; it's people thinking it's appropriate to be transphobic if a character is "bad". They misgender Ashton when he has a conversation with Laudna that fails to strike the appropriate tone of "fawning, yet sufficiently distant."

For glasses...I think a lot of the defense of glasses fell into this category of "no you cannot criticize our fanlore, for it is pure" but for what it's worth, joking aside? I haven't seen anyone complain about the lack of glasses in the new art (though I haven't been in the tag much today). I've seen people continue to draw Imogen with glasses, but like, I want to be clear: it's their right to do it. It's my right to say "I don't like this" but like, they can do it, and I'm only going to break out the mockery when it turns into "no you don't get it we're NORMALIZING wearing glasses, which is why we only ever draw one very specific style of glasses on one specific character".

And for Gelvaan as a metaphor for queerness...I think that one genuinely just came from someone seeing the real parallels of many a personal experience with homophobia (it is a small southern town! People do look at Imogen strangely!) and just either not having a strong enough grasp of the lore or being so quick to project their own experience they forgot to think through the implications to realize "oh wait, people look sideways at Imogen because she nearly killed a couple people; perhaps 'having psychic powers is kind of like being gay' is, as Taliesin's ALA panel speech indicates, a broken metaphor."

But it is true that (aside from Ashton) these do largely share a theme of people not being able to tolerate disagreement with their own interpretations, either from canon or other fans.

[vivianbernadetteaurora]

The HOT K!ller

✨🌟🦋💫🍄💎🪞

This girl and her ways , this woman stabbed her partner 17 times I think, she was that girl she met him at conference many years earlier about two years earlier or three years earlier, the speaker there and she was charmed about how good he was impressed and it made her want to join Mormons which were big in Arizona, she had many relationships before and suffered with borderline personality disorder attractive,, she doesn’t admit to killing I don’t know even if she admitted it she said other people were there she’s changed the story anyway a few times which don’t doesn’t fit at all, when you look at certain way you can get away with murder clips of her being really narcissistic online and wanting her make up ready before she talks to interviewers but that’s all Jodie,,, but after she done the kill she literally died her hair and made herself look completely different. She died her hair and looked like a mousey librarian and she looked in these pictures and she would do such a horrendous act. What was that? His friends were not keen she was extremely jealous, but Travis did mess her about. I will not mess that part of the story out. He messed her about by not being, faithful but then wanting faithfulness from her and then wanting a relationship but no one to marry her and then choosing other woman to make her jealous which drove her crazy. She didn’t know where she stood with him and he was getting older and was needing to get married and he had other relationships of other girls in the church, but it was weird that he was not married in his church by his age, a lot of people did say that, he’s had a couple of lifetime movies made about her as well in which they show her devious ways and side but a lot of people have empathy for it’s called the halo first horns effect. I think where if somebody looks a certain way if they’re attractive in a traditionally attractive kind way then you think of them more as a nice person where is someone let’s say who isn’t traditionally attractive you would see as more devil like this is probably why, people have a fascination with serial killers specially like people like Ted Bundy this girl Jodie because of how they, but don’t be deceived at attractiveness is not worth the deception of what these people do to you, believe me I have borderline personality disorder, get this regulated all the time by other people and they hurt us and then they act like they’ve done nothing wrong so they fuck with their heads or heads cause they know that they, travis is party to blame with that we fucking with our head with other girls because he knew that she really loved him and wanted to be with him and wanted to settle down with him. Some people just tired of that and like I’m not gonna take it anymore, it drove me to my limit, I would say I’m in a similar situation not the killing but the BPD and the autism and people not understanding the deep level of it. They’re also shallow and surface level especially in the drug world and this woman has literally drove me insane I can’t stand her. She doesn’t like me. She’s really rude to me. She doesn’t understand that the reason she says I need to open up more but then she’ll ridicule me and bully me and I hate it but won’t admit it. She’s a really nasty character I think and I really don’t like having anything to do with her anymore because it is drove me to my wits end, and I’m literally literally sat here crying now about all of it because it is driving me mad. It’s now to the point where, I have to get my partner to deal with any sort of situation with that because it will drive me up the wall.

Personality disorders have a low tolerance, distress and anxiety. Depression depression seems more common in the antisocial type and anxiety seems more common in the borderline types hard. they with severe self-esteem issues, is an antisocial person although it can be covering they suffer more with the depression side of it and also can be asexual a lot of the time. It is interesting to look at Jodie looks and then her looks changed when she became on trial., but I will always have sympathy for my fellow. We always get portrayed so bad BPD people..

[granulesofsand]

not believing survivors, as a survivor? it's something we've struggled with a lot. at first it was just for our own trauma with specific phrases directed at ourself and distractions (like we'd suddenly stop any conversation/research and be watching a video with no idea how we got there), but now it seems like because that stopped working as well our brain has decided to pull up feelings/phrases to disbelieve *all* survivors. it makes us feel very guilty and we're not sure how to help ourself or even uf this is a program

🗝️🏷️RAMCOA, deprogramming, guilt

Holding Space

Disbelief is a common response for survivors, and can be for anyone in these situations. You’re not alone, and you’re not being bad for having a hard time.

There are a couple things you can do to practice holding space for yourselves and others. Programming around this area typically relies on natural, exacerbated issues and may loosen as you learn.

One of the things our therapist says a lot is that it doesn’t really matter whether or not you’re telling the truth as long as doing the work helps heal you. Human brains are very good at imagining, so processing needs to happen even if it is all made up.

Empathy

Empathy is a good skill to work on. You can start with whichever side comes easier, yourself or others, and pick a topic that feels more neutral.

There are different kinds of empathy, and any of them are a good place to start. Empathizing with others, including inside others, can help build communication and alleviate social guilt.

Emotional empathy is feeling others as though they were yourself, which some people really struggle with. For example, if someone crying makes you sad too.

Cognitive empathy is knowing how others are thinking and how they feel as a result. Maybe someone spills a drink on their white shirt, and you understand that there would be shock at the sensation and distress over stains.

Compassionate empathy can build on either of those, or on the knowledge of social etiquette. This is when you take appropriate action as a display of sympathy, which doesn’t require putting yourself in their shoes. Consoling an anxious peer would be a correct response to another’s experience.

In practice, a consensual sharing of trauma can be validated regardless of whether you truly believe someone, and you can do this as though you were giving a textbook right answer if that’s all that feels tolerable.

A goal would be to gain proficiency in whichever kind of empathy is possible for you. Sometimes none of them are available to you, and distancing from scenarios that require empathy is the best choice for now.

Distress Tolerance

Similarly, it’s more difficult to hold space if your window of tolerance is too low. Distress is a normal reaction, but overdoing it can lead to dissociation or inappropriate action.

Building distress tolerance is slow going, and requires pushing yourself to go a little further every time until you’re comfortable sitting with high arousal topics.

You won’t be ready to look at extreme trauma, internally or externally, until you can withstand the steps leading up to it.

You might be able to respond well to someone who scraped their knee, but not someone who survived sexual assault. Finding your comfort level will help you build, and you might have to start from scratch.

Identifying your own emotions as you tolerate those of others is quite helpful, and that might be another goal if you currently are unable.

Programming

For programming specifically, you can do the ol’ faithful inside inquiry. Ask if anyone is making this happen, and be prepared for responses that aren’t in words or don’t come at all.

Building internal communication around programs is another bullride, and that empathy and distress tolerance are good to have available. I might be able to help with that, too, if it comes up, but it’s nice to have autonomy over your own internal affairs.

Please let us know if you have other questions, or if I didn’t answer this as you needed. Thank you and good luck.

[bridgertonbabe]

Can we get a Drabble where Sophie or Benedict send william a howler after he’s done something horrendous?

William Bridgerton was tucking into his third helping of breakfast in the Great Hall, so invested in filling up the bottomless pit that was located where his stomach should have been that he paid no attention to any of the conversations happening around him between his siblings. It was also why he failed to hear his little sister's gasp as she looked up overheard upon the arrival of the owls making their morning deliveries.

"It's Clement!" she squeaked, capturing Charlie and Alex's attention as well as they clapped eyes on their father's greying owl.

"Well that can't be good." Alex remarked as Clement swooped down low - his parents only sent Clement in cases of urgency, otherwise they allowed Ember to do the honours of delivering a letter.

"What's he carrying?" Violet's wondered as she narrowed her eyes at the red object clutched in Clement's talons.

"Oh! It's a Howler!" Violet's friend, Bernadette, observed.

Charlie and Alex snapped their heads at each other, their eyes rounding with apprehension.

"Well that can't be good at all." Charlie said.

They then watched as Clement gracefully landed on the arm Charlie had proffered up to him - and then the eagle owl flung the letter off directly onto William's plate.

"Oh of course." Alex breathed a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed knowing he wasn't the one in trouble.

Amazingly, the red envelope on his plate didn't register to William and he simply moved the Howler aside to continue gorging on his breakfast muffins.

"Merlin's Beard, Will!" Charlie huffed and got a hold of the envelope and swatted his brother with it, at last grabbing his youngest brother's attention.

"Oh, that for me?" William acknowledged with a mouthful of food.

"Close your mouth when you're eating, please!" Charlie groaned as Clement accepted the nibbles Violet was offering to him.

"Cool!" William's eyes lit up. "A Howler!"

"Nope." Charlie heaved a sigh and shook his head. "Not the correct response, Will."

"Nah, this will be brilliant!" William grinned and went to open it.

"For crying out loud, William!" Alex spluttered in disbelief. "Most people when they receive a Howler take it and run so the entire school doesn't hear them receiving a bollocking! Are you seriously happy for everyone to hear your scolding?!"

William wore a devil-may-care grin and shrugged. "Hey, who doesn't like a show?"

And then he opened up the Howler and a second later his father's voice boomed across the Great Hall and captured everyone's attention.

"WILLIAM MICHAEL BRIDGERTON! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING RELEASING BLAST-ENDED SKREWTS INTO THE GIRLS BATHROOM?! DO YOU NOT POSSESS ANY SORT OF FUNCTIONING CONSCIOUS TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG?! WHY, WHY, WHY MUST YOU INSIST ON CAUSING PROBLEMS ON PURPOSE?! WHERE IS YOUR SHAME THRESHOLD, YOUR BASIC MORALS, YOUR EMPATHY?! HOW COULD YOU ENDANGER YOUR PEERS FOR THE SAKE OF PRANK?!"

Benedict Bridgerton's admonishment continued, sounding around the hall as if being blasted through loud-speakers and while Charlie, Alex, and Violet were all red-faced from hearing their father's scolding (even though it wasn't aimed at any of them), William had a very self-satisfied grin on his face and was looking round to make sure everyone was listening to his telling off... almost like he was proud for the amount of trouble he was in with his father.

"AND QUITE FRANKLY A SATURDAY DETENTION FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR DOESN'T SOUND LIKE ENOUGH BUT THAT'S ALL YOU'RE GOING TO GET SINCE MOST OF YOUR TEACHERS CAN BARELY TOLERATE YOU!"

William then had the audacity to wriggle his fingers over in the direction of the teachers table, most of whom rolled their eyes and were most likely restraining from sending a rude hand gesture back to him.

"I HOPE YOU'RE PROUD OF YOURSELF, WILLIAM, BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING; NOBODY ELSE IS! YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTER WON'T BE PROUD OF YOU MAKING A SHOW OF YOURSELF AND THE SAME GOES NOT JUST FOR YOUR MOTHER AND I BUT YOUR GRANDPARENTS AS WELL! ONE OF THESE DAYS YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GROW UP AND REALISE YOU CAN'T GO AROUND ACTING LIKE THIS AND THE SOONER YOU LEARN THAT LESSON THE BETTER!"

The Howler then disintegrated and Charlie, Alex, and Violet all looked to William expectantly, wondering if there would be any flicker of remorse or any signs of regret - but instead William stood up on the bench and bowed to the Great Hall.

There was a gale of laughter from those who thoroughly enjoyed William's antics and Peeves floated by to voice his approval for the third year.

"Unbelievable." Charlie shook his head with despair.

"Charlie, can I take Clement to write back to dad please?" Violet asked him.

"Sure thing, Vi." he smiled and Clement was transferred from his arm to his little sister's.

Violet and Bernadette then hurried off eagerly, leaving Charlie and Alex to have a word with their remorseless brother - who was now resuming his breakfast as if nothing had even happened.

"William; dad has a point, you know." Charlie remarked.

"Yeah the lack of basic empathy is starting to become concerning." Alex agreed.

William snorted. "I have empathy."

"So you recognise that releasing the blast-ended skrewts into the girls bathroom was wrong?" Charlie asked, talking to his brother like he was a toddler instead of the thirteen year old he was.

"I recognise the action can be deemed as wrong." he countered.

"For Merlin's sake, William!" Charlie groaned.

"Look at the end of the day, I did what I did and I don't regret it." William shrugged.

"And so you just don't care at all that some of those girls ended up in the infirmary because of you?" Alex pointed out.

"Oh please, they're fine. Pomfrey sorted them out." William rolled his eyes. "And anyway, they deserved it. They were being bitches."

"William!" his brothers chorused in admonishment.

"That's no way to talk about girls!" Alex exclaimed.

"Look, I'm not being sexist or anything! I'm calling them bitches because that's what they were being; bitches."

Charlie and Alex exchanged an exasperated look.

"And how exactly were they being bitches?" Charlie pressed wearily.

Both brothers were surprised when William paused, clenching his jaw as his brow furrowed before he responded. "They were being mean."

"Oh." Charlie's annoyance with his brother immediately dropped at how suddenly sour William's mood had become - it was rare that his brother ever appeared in a mood other than jovial and completely unserious.

"Will; were they being mean to you?" Alex asked and reached a hand out across the table, offering to comfort his younger brother.

"No, not me." William tutted and then in an even bigger indicator that he was truly vexed stopped eating - even though he had yet to finish his plate.

"Well then who?" Alex enquired.

Charlie's face fell. "Will; it's not Vi, is it?" he fretted, immediately hating the thought that their little sister might have older girls picking on her and already feeling consumed with guilt for having no idea about it.

"Not Vi." William shook his head quickly. "It's Bernadette."

"Oh." Charlie and Alex sounded in response, not having expected William to mention their little sister's best friend.

"They were being really cruel to her." William explained as a rarely heard tone of bitterness laced his words. "Calling her names and mocking her. I just don't get why they would pick on her like that. She's only a first year and she's the sweetest most harmless person ever. How anyone could treat her like that is beyond me. So yeah, I don't feel any guilt for what I did. That's what they get for being horrible to someone who doesn't deserve it."

Charlie and Alex were genuinely shocked by their brother airing his grievance with the girls who up until now they had considered to be William's victims. Rarely were his pranks fuelled with any actual fire; they were only ever pulled for a laugh or to provoke a reaction out of someone. This time however, it was personal and an act of vengeance.

"Will. That's... actually very sweet of you." Charlie said.

"Yeah. I didn't realise you had pulled that because you were looking out for Bernadette." Alex nodded.

"Well yeah. I couldn't just stand back and let them get away with it. Not on my watch." William replied. "But, um, if you could keep this just between us? I don't want Bernadette to find out and feel guilty that I acted out to defend her, you know? Plus, I have a whole prankster prince reputation to uphold. I don't want everyone to think I pull pranks purely to get back at others."

"Right." Charlie nodded and suppressed an amused grin from his brother's reasoning.

"It stays between us." Alex assured him with an equally restrained smirk.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go return the favour to dad." William said and got to his feet.

"Return the favour?" Alex frowned.

"In what way?" Charlie asked.

"I'm going to send a Howler back explaining all seven seasons of Riverdale to him."

"And how are you going to send him a Howler exactly?"

"Oh I nicked some from his desk because I figured at some point he'd be sending one - and probably more - to me so I had to preemptively figure out how to get back at him."

His brothers stared at him pointedly.

"It's like you want to be dad's least favourite." Charlie remarked.

"Yeah; and you're welcome."

[isawken]

so the thing is

the thing is i think about my sorry 20 year old ass taking dozens of mgs of stolen barbiturates in my one bedroom apartment luxuriously paid for by an excess of student loans playing spyro the dragon on my 11 year old playstation 2 slim living the young artist's dream just me and a cat and and memory loss skipping class to make mediocre art too high to self harm in the old fashioned "burn or cut myself" way so i didn't think the other stuff i was doing was all that bad and trying really hard to be a mediocre waitress at a mediocre faux-high-brow restaurant and finally after a month being honest with my therapist and her recommending, not telling, me to self admit to Forest View Psychiatric Hospital and i actually did because i didn't know what else to do and i got in there and they took my shoelaces and i cried for about 36 hours straight because what the fuck did i just do, until they finally gave up on the trazadone that just straight up was not working and gave me seroquel and i finally slept for a while and then just sat in the bedroom i shared with an 18 year old anorexic (who would soon ask to get transferred to the minor ward and they'd let her for reasons i'm still not clear on other than the assumption of empathy on the part of her assigned psychiatrist which is frankly hard for me to believe) because they didn't actually care if you went to the group therapies as long as you were somewhere visible for their regular 15 minute check ins but after the 3rd day of now-intermittent crying and 6 new medications and mediocre forced sleep i asked if i could take a nap in one of the quiet rooms and they let me and it was one of the best naps i ever had in my life and when i woke up i was in a great mood and my whole perspective had somehow shifted and suddenly this was a good thing i was okay with being here (i still have no idea how this happened) and i went to group therapy and i tolerated the others in therapy telling me the solution to my immense self hate was to trust that god loves me and i went to the art room and drew in coloring books with the others and chatted and a 19 year old taught me about the chemical compounds in mucinex that get you high and i got a new roommate who was also my age also bisexual and she was an opera singer and she knew danish and we chatted up a stereotypically intimidating-looking biker man who had a voice as beautiful as my roommate's and he told us as he was waiting for the single-shower room about the benefits of MDMA for trauma and how the best thing you can do when you're rolling is "the airplane" and a 48 year old pill popper mother of 4 taught me how to jam a plastic spoon into the shower button in your room so you don't have to keep pressing the button for water and a guy named zander told me a bunch of pun jokes and we started sitting together at lunch and one day it was chicken wings, like actually decent chicken wings, so he ate a bunch and then left the bones piled on his plate as he left to get another round and the woman sitting across from us leaned over, eyes honed on my face, and very gently asked if it would be okay if we could cover up the bones on our plates because it reminded her of her captivity by two men and subsequent torture, specifically when they shoved a broken handle through her foot and

and

and my reaction was, of course, to say yes yes, of course, it's no trouble at all, zander won't mind either, and he came back as we were talking, and i simply told him let's cover up our bones as i unfolded a napkin and draped it over his plate, and he nodded in immediate understanding, and i switched conversation topics to something light like oh where are you from what did you do before this what drugs did you take and it was an otherwise fine lunch as we all commiserated over our substance abuses and

and

and ever since then, even during subsequent life-changing mental breakdowns, it's never been as bad as that first one, because i think of her (i can't remember her name i wish i did she deserves me to remember her name) and i am grateful that i can look at a pile of chicken bones and be okay

as far as psych ward experiences go mine was pretty much as positive as one could get and i'm so lucky and i'm so grateful but

it wasn't until way after my experience that i learned that other psych wards gave their patients fun grippy socks.

i never got grippy socks. and even worse than that.

i never got my fucking shoelaces back.

[writemystic]

A Heartbreak Story (Taylor’s Version Lyrics)

Honey, when I'm above the trees, I see this for what it is…

Hush, I know they said the end is near but I'm still on my tallest tip-toes, spinning in my highest heels, love, shining just for you.

Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke.

Handcuffed to the spell I was under, for just one hour of sunshine.

I gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy. And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest soldier, fighting in only your army, frontlines. Don't you ignore me, I'm the best thing at this party (you're losing me).

I wait by the door like I'm just a kid, use my best colors for your portrait, lay the table with the fancy shit… And watch you tolerate it.

I greet you with a battle hero's welcome, I take your indiscretions all in good fun.

Another summer taking cover, rolling thunder. He don't understand me…

If it’s all in my head, tell me now. Tell me I’ve got it wrong somehow. I know my love should be celebrated but you tolerate it.

Tell me, when did your winning smile begin to look like a smirk? When did all our lessons start to look like weapons pointed at my deepest hurt?

Talking down to me like I'd always be around.

Mister Steal-Your-Girl then make her cry, said I'm the love of your life about a million times.

You said I needed a bravе man then proceeded to play him until I believed it too… And it kills me.

And it was always on your terms. I waited on every careless word hoping they might turn sweet again like it was in the beginning.

Good girls, hopeful they'll be and long they will wait.

My friends tried but I wouldn't hear it, watched me daily disappearing for just one glimpse of his smile.

I said “I don't mind, it takes time”. I thought I was better safe than starry-eyed.

You say “I don't understand” and I say “I know you don't”. We thought a cure would come through in time, now I fear it won't.

How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dying?

You didn't even hear me out. You never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs). You didn't even see the signs.

I made you my temple, my mural, my sky. Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life, drawing hearts in the byline. Always taking up too much space or time.

You assume I’m fine, but what would you do if I… Break free and leave us in ruins? Take this dagger in me and remove it? Gain the weight of you then lose it? Believe me, I could do it.

And the air is thick with loss and indecision. I know my pain is such an imposition.

Every breath feels like rarest air when you're not sure if he wants to be there.

I kept calm and carried the weight of the rift, pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away. My spine split from carrying us up the hill, wet through my clothes, weary bones caught the chill. I stopped trying to make him laugh, stopped trying to drill the safe.

All this time I was wasting hoping you would come around, I've been giving out chances every time and all you do is let me down.

Distance, timing, breakdown, fighting. Silence. The train runs off its tracks. Kiss me, try to fix it. Could you just try to listen? Hang up, give up. And for the life of us we can't get back.

And I'm fading, thinking: Do something, babe, say something. Lose something, babe, risk something. Choose something, babe, I got nothing to believe unless you're choosing me. You're losing me.

This is the last time I'm asking you this, put my name at the top of your list. This is the last time I'm asking you why you break my heart in the blink of an eye.

Second, third, and hundredth chances, balancing on breaking branches. Those eyes add insult to injury.

But I got tired of waiting wondering if you were ever coming around, my faith in you was fading.

As I comb back through my memory, how you said you'd be here. You said you'd be here…

And right before your eyes, I'm aching.

Stop, you're losing me. I can't find a pulse, my heart won't start anymore.

What do you say when tears are streaming down your face in front of everyone you know? And what do you do when the one who means the most to you is the one who didn't show?

It turned into something bigger, somewhere in the haze got a sense I'd been betrayed.

Oh, I hate those voices telling me I’m not in love anymore. But they don’t give me choices and that’s what these tears are for.

But if you look a little closer, I said “Leave” but all I really want is you to stand outside my window throwing pebbles screaming “I'm in love with you!”

So babe, if you know everything, tell me why you couldn't see? That when I left I wanted you to chase after me.

But you held your pride like you should’ve held me.

Could've loved you all my life if you hadn't left me waiting in the cold.

And it took you five whole minutes to pack us up and leave me with it.

I think I've seen this film before and I didn't like the ending.

But people are people and sometimes it doesn't work out. Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fallout.

And I wouldn’t marry me either, a pathological people pleaser who only wanted you to see her.

I move through the world with a heart broken, my longing state unspoken.

You know I didn't want to have to haunt you, but what a ghostly scene. You wear the same jewels that I gave you as you bury me.

I call my mom, she said that it was for the best. Remind myself the morе I gave, you'd want me less.

I know I'm probably better off on my own than loving a man who didn't know what he had when he had it.

'Til we were dead and gone and buried. Check the pulse and come back swearing it’s the same after three months in the grave. And then you wondered where it went to as I reached for you, but all I felt was shame and you held my lifeless frame.

And I see the permanent damage you did to me. Never again, I just wish I could forget when it was magic.

I was dancing when the music stopped. And in the disbelief, I can't face reinvention. I haven’t met the new me yet.

Dancing phantoms on the terrace, are they second-hand embarrassed? That I can't get out of bed ‘cause something counterfeit's dead.

They say all's well that ends well, but I'm in a new hell every time you double-cross my mind.

Maybe I was naive, got lost in your eyes and never really had a chance. My mistake, I didn't know to be in love you had to fight to have the upper hand.

What a sad, beautiful, tragic love affair.

I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost. The room is on fire, invisible smoke and all of my heroes died all alone.

I wish it wasn't four AM, standing in the mirror saying to myself “You know you had to do it”. I know the bravest thing I ever did was run.

Screaming: Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay? (I see right through me, I see right through me).

I was dancing when the music stopped. And in the disbelief, I can't face reinvention. I haven't met the new me yet.

It's been a long time and seeing the shape of your name still spells out pain. It wasn't right, the way it all went down, looks like you know that now.

And you call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest.

People like you always want back the love they pushed aside, but people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye.

And now you're asking me to listen 'cause it's worked each time before. And you can tell me that you're sorry, but I don't believe you, baby, like I did before.

Words, how little they mean when you're a little too late.

We might still be in love if you were a better man.

Let me remind you this was what you wanted. You were all I wanted, but not like this.

Your kiss, my cheek. I watched you leave. Your smile, my ghost. I fell to my knees.

So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep and I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe.

I never thought we'd have a last kiss, I never imagined we'd end like this.

I guess it's the price I pay for seven years in Heaven.

But I forgot that you sent me a clear message, taught me some hard lessons.

When your impressionist paintings of heaven turned out to be fakes? Well, you took me to hell too.

Baby love, I think I've been a little too kind. Didn't notice you walking all over my peace of mind in the shoes I gave you as a present.

Putting someone first only works when you’re in their top five.

After giving you the best I had, tell me what to give after that. All you want from me now is the green light of forgiveness… You haven't met the new me yet.

And I don't even want you back, I just want to know if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal. And I don't miss what we had, but could someone give a message to the smallest man who ever lived?

The idea you had of me, who was she? A never-needy, ever-lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you.

In public, showed me off, then sank in stoned oblivion

'Cause once your queen had come you'd treat her likе an also-ran.

I would've died for your sins instead I just died inside.

Six weeks of breathing' clean air, I still miss the smoke.

Were you making fun of me with some esoteric joke? Now I wanna sell my house and set fire to all my clothes.

You shit-talked me under the table, talking rings and talking cradles. I wish I could unrecall how we almost had it all.

And you say I abandoned the ship, but I was going down with it. My white knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment.

So how much sad did you think I had in me? How much tragedy? Just how low did you think I'd go before I'd self implode? Before I'd have to go be free?

Is it a wonder I broke? Let's hear one morе joke then we could all just laugh until I cry.

Was any of it true? Gazing at me starry-eyed in your Jehovah's witness suit. Who the fuck was that guy?

Haunted by the look in my eyes that would've loved you for a lifetime.

I gave you my best and we both know you can't say that.

I'm just getting color back into my face and I'm just mad as hell 'cause I loved this place for so long.

Now that we're done and it's over, I bet you couldn't believe when you realized I'm harder to forget than I was to leave.

You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same.

Oh, what a valiant roar, what a bland goodbye. The coward claimed he was a lion. I'm combing through the braids of lies, “I'll never leave”, nevermind.

You didn't measure up in any measurе of a man.

Stole my tortured heart, left all these broken parts, then told me I'm better off.

And I'm pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free.

I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me.

But it's gonna be alright, I did my time.

I lived and I learned, and found out what it was to turn around and see that we were never really meant to be.

And time is taking its sweet time erasing you.

And by morning, gone was any trace of you. I think I am finally clean.

I'm gonna find someone someday who might actually treat me well. This is a big world, that was a small town there in my rearview mirror disappearing now. And it's too late for you and your white horse to catch me now.

And I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end… But on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again.

Long story short, I survived.

[petitelepus]

Hello again! I'm the anon who requested the kny match up, im sooooo sorry it went above the word limit !! T^T

Here we go again, oof:

I excel academically, though I don't particularly enjoy studying. My achievements often inspire others, but some feel pressured by me. As a school journalist and feature writer, I've won competitions and offer comfort to many, earning a reputation as a good listener.

I tend to overthink, leading to misunderstandings. When upset, I might ignore friends, expecting them to understand why. Despite my high tolerance and patience, I believe friendships should be mutual in patience and empathy.

I love pancakes and have a sweet tooth but dislike cakes with too much icing. I'm a night owl and prefer a small, close-knit group of friends. I resonate deeply with the quote, "A wolf is a wolf, even in a cage. Even dressed in silk."

I'm sorry for the inconvenience again !! Thankyouuu <33

I match you with Doma!

This Demon is super impressed by you and your academic success despite hating studying. It's honestly so inspiring! He knows wisdom is power, and you have a way with words and he really wants to harness that power of yours for good.

"Hey hey, you're pretty smart and cute also! Wanna go out with me?" He asked with a charming smile, "Together we could make people really happy!"

How can you say no?

It may have started more as a business relationship, but Doma can't help but fall for you. He insists that he offers happiness to people and that there is no way he is scamming them. He also takes your happiness very seriously.

Doma isn't stupid and he can see when you are starting to overthink things too much and how those thoughts of yours take a toll on you.

Whenever you get upset enough to ignore even a bright person like him, he nods and leaves, offering you some time alone. You may feel a little betrayed, being left alone with your sad thoughts...

But then Doma comes back and surprises you with something sweet, like pancakes, and offers you one of his happy smiles, "I couldn't help but notice that my sweetheart was feeling down so I went and got you your favorite!"

His sweet gesture may or may not make you cry a little as you munch on pancakes and he pets your head while telling you how cute you are.

Doma has many followers, but he likes to keep you solely in his room where you can be alone and at ease.

He may introduce you to other Upper Moons, telling them how you are his other half and he likes bragging about your academic, writing, and other talents.

When you tell him about the saying about the wolves, he grins and gently grasps your chin as he makes you look into his gorgeous eyes.

"My sweetheart, is that really how you feel about me?" He would ask with one of his handsome amused smiles.

His closeness would overwhelm you and make you blush and stutter, but this only amuses him further. Spoiling you is fun, but so was lovingly messing with you also!

[pazodetrasalba]

Worth the Candle - Update

Dear Caroline:

I've finished book VIII, which means I'm in the home stretch now. I am counting of getting to the end in December, which will aptly make WtC the last month of the year's Carolingian book.

As to my predictions, it was pretty obvious that the Onion was going to get chopped, and I also got the Cannibal partly right - I had almost forgotten the dragon, but then I was seeing it as more of a background threat than as something to be instantiated. The conclusion of book VIII was a mouthful!

Things going through my head:

-Yes, some threads have been tied (?, one can never be completely sure): Anglecynn and dragons; I still feel there's too much on our plate for a satisfactory ending of each of the mayor open ones. We shall see.

-Amaryllis has suffered some grievous physical damage (fixable? how?). Juniper too. I get that Soul Magic allows repair, but when legs and arms are missing, I am not sure what you can actually do, besides some Druidic bs. Juniper still has his level ups, but they don't extend to companuons.

-I'm glad Lisi survived the skyfall and carnage. Yay!!

-The overwhelming moral reflections inevitably got me thinking. Unlike you, I can empathize very easily with the main protagonist: I was a young, angsty, socially clueless teenager once, and a DM for my very small RPG community (perhaps more bookish and academically oriented than you, and even worse with girls), and within the narration, I can easily be led away by desires for revenge and painful retribution (like literally enjoying the perspective of Juniper dealing grievous bodily harm and mockery to Onion and most of the Penndraig princes and princesses). I took very seriously Raven's reflections, and I'd say there are two things at play here: vicarious pleasure and ultimate unreality.

Literary critics, in their efforts to justify the works of writers to men, usually make the case that 'art' as opposed to 'entertainment' has a some sort of value -aesthetic, pedagogic, mimetic, creative of whatever they can cook. Ultimately though, there is a way in which fiction panders to our tastes, allowing us to explore multiverse scenarios that are close enough to our own to be meaningful (and generate emotional investment) but also far enough that we don't have to actually reflect on consequences. One common argument in favor of literature is it develops our empathy by putting us in the shoes of completely different peoples, characters and societies, and making us more tolerant and understanding. Perhaps for some books, but we still tend to focalize on the protagonist(s).

Another argument, for meta and deconstructive texts, would teach that about the dangerous effects of narrative and one-sidedness, and this gets much attention in the late chapters of book VIII, in a very complex rephrasing of 'one man's hero is another man's villain'. And it gets translated to this world - even when we're out of fiction, the framing narratives we get told about people and events obfuscate us and reduce complexity to simple black and white stories that flatter our tribal instincts and identifications, our desire to see our adversaries crushed along with the moral justification to let ourselves loose and enjoy their pain and suffering, in a way which is dehumanizing.

I don't think this makes us psychopaths, though. Ultimately, 'it is a narrative video game', and we know that if we were playing with real stakes, life's complexities and empathies would kick in. Even in fiction, a change in focus -seeing an evil character suffering, crying, suddenly being humanized by friends, family and some good intentions- immediately impacts you. And I can think of at least one recent case when I actually felt sorry for a convicted criminal when just thinking about his gloomy future, the waste of potential good agency, and his relative's obvious grief. So there's a clear lesson spelled out here, even if most critics would consider WtC as something beneath them and the texts they classify as 'literature'.

Quote:

An EAG play in three acts: Act 1: Is that worldoptimization!? Act 2: She mentioned Worth the Candle, it is! Act 3: Oh no, she left early. Well, at least I got another reminder to read that fic.

[bloglutfi]

Revealing a strong message behind the 50th chosen work of Denny Ja: “Don’t Cry Palestine”

In the world of literature, there are works that are able to inspire, break down limitations, and convey strong messages to readers. One of the work that deserves to be highlighted is the essay poem selected by Denny JA entitled “Don’t Cry Palestine”. This work has become a hot topic in Indonesian society. Let’s reveal the strong message behind this selected Denny JA 50.    In its meaning full of meaning, “Don’t Cry Palestine” presents a call to act, not only to stop at the sympathy and compassion. This work invites us to empathize and take part in efforts to help Palestine. The strong message to be conveyed by Denny JA through his essay poetry is to build awareness of the importance of solidarity and concern for the struggle of the Palestinian people.    In this work, Denny Ja describes the reality experienced by the Palestinian people and the conflict they face everyday. In his narrative, Denny Ja succeeded in arousing the empathy of the reader to the suffering and destruction experienced by the Palestinian people. He invites us to not only see Palestine as news in the media, but rather as a real struggle that requires attention and actions from us.    Denny Ja also invited the reader to see the Palestinian situation from various perspectives, including political, social and cultural perspectives. In this work, he highlighted the conflict between Palestine and Israel, and its impact on the daily lives of the Palestinian people. Through this point of view, the reader can understand the complexity of the problems faced by the Palestinian people, and the importance of joint efforts to find a fair and sustainable solution.    In addition, Denny Ja also revealed how important peace and tolerance between religious believers in resolving conflicts in Palestine. He highlighted the importance of interfaith dialogue and cooperation between Muslims, Christians and Jews to create lasting and fair peace for the Palestinian and Israeli people. Denny Ja invites us not to be trapped in religious polarization and conflict, but focuses on universal human values.    Another strong message conveyed by Denny Ja is the importance of education and knowledge in dealing with conflicts in Palestine. He invited the reader to explore information and deepen the understanding of the history, politics and culture of Palestinians. With a better understanding, we can be part of the solution to the conflict, not only as a passive spectator.    Through the work of “Don’t Cry Palestine”, Denny Ja succeeded in inspiring the reader to be involved and play an active role in the struggle of the Palestinian people. He reminded us that every individual has an important role in creating positive change. The strong message behind this work is that we have a moral responsibility to stand next to the Palestinian people and support their struggle.    Denny Ja also advised that solidarity and concern do not recognize geographical or religious limits. We all have the obligation to fight for justice and peace in this world. By understanding and appreciating works such as “Don’t Cry Palestine”, we can become agents of change that play a role in overcoming the ongoing conflict in Palestine.

Check in full: Uncover a strong message behind Denny Ja’s selected work to 50: “Don’t cry Palestine”

[neliakablog]

Exploring Denny Ja’s selected work to 50: “Don’t cry Palestine”

Welcome to this article! Today, we will explore one of the chosen works from Denny Ja who is very touching, titled “Don’t Cry Palestine”. The work became the 50th anniversary of Denny JA, an Indonesian literary figure who has made an extraordinary contribution to our literary world.    In this work, Denny JA tells the story of a very emotional story about the conflict that is raging in Palestine. With expertise in describing the character and situation, Denny JA succeeded in bringing the reader to feel the suffering and suffering experienced by the Palestinian people.    In “Don’t Cry Palestine”, we were introduced to the main character named Ali, a Palestinian boy who grew up in the midst of endless conflict. Denny Ja beautifully described Ali’s life full of limitations and anxiety. Ali had to deal with fear of losing the person he loved every day, and had to survive in the midst of destruction and violence.    Denny Ja also described the relationship between Ali and his mother, Fatima, very touching. Fatima is a tough, tough, and loving mother figure, even though living in an environment full of uncertainty and danger. This mother and child always try to provide mutual support and strength, although sometimes the suffering they experience is too heavy to bear.    In the course of the story, Denny Ja invited the reader to reflect on the meaning of this conflict. He highlighted the importance of peace, tolerance, and justice in a society. Denny Ja also shows how important it is not to forget human rights, anywhere and under any circumstances.    It is clear that Denny Ja has traced jelly and is full of empathy for the reality experienced by the Palestinian community. He succeeded in making “do not cry Palestine” as a work that touched the heart and arouse the awareness of the reader for the pain experienced by them.    In Denny Ja’s 50th anniversary, this work was a clear proof of his genius as a writer. Denny Ja has been able to arrange words beautifully and present a strong picture in the mind of the reader. He is able to describe complex emotions in great detail, so that it can make the reader swept away in the story he made.    “Don’t cry Palestine” is also a reminder for all of us that literature has extraordinary power in influencing and enriching our lives. Karyakarya like this is able to open our eyes about reality that is sometimes forgotten or ignored by the community.    As readers, we are invited to empathize and understand the condition of Palestinian society, as well as thinking about how we can contribute to creating peace in this world. Through Denny Ja’s work, we are reminded that we should not be indifferent spectators of the suffering of others.    Finally, Denny Ja’s selected work “Don’t Cry Palestine” is proof of the intelligence and sensitivity of the heart of an accomplished writer. This work is able to touch the heart and inspire us to do better, and invite us to respect peace and justice in this world. Hopefully Denny Ja’s work is always a source of inspiration for all of us!    Thank you for reading this article.

Check more: Exploring Denny Ja’s selected works to 50: “Don’t cry Palestine”

[aksarabumilangit]

About digging the message behind the 50th chosen work of Denny Ja: “Don’t Cry Palestine”

In 2021, the Indonesian literature world celebrated the 50th commemoration of Denny Ja’s elected work entitled “Don’t Cry Palestine”. The work has become one of the icons in Indonesian literature. Through the strength of his words, Denny JA has succeeded in presenting a strong and deep message to his readers.    In “Don’t Cry Palestine”, Denny JA brings us in a deep emotional journey through messages hidden behind the story. This essay poem tells the tragic story of the life of a Palestinian child who must grow up in the midst of an endless conflict. In continuous darkness and suffering, the child finds strength in him to survive and maintain hope.    Through a picture of the lives of Palestinian children, Denny JA gives us a different perspective on the struggle in this world. He evokes empathy and understanding of the suffering experienced by people who are trapped in conflict. Denny Ja shows that behind the news that we often see about war and injustice, there is ordinary human being who struggles for their lives.    One of the messages implied in this work is the importance of maintaining hope and enthusiasm in the midst of darkness. Although the life faced by the main character is so cruel and full of suffering, he still believes that the only way to deal with it is not to give up and keep fighting. This is an inspiring message for all of us, that in any situation, we must be able to maintain the enthusiasm and confidence to achieve our goals.    In “Don’t Cry Palestine”, Denny Ja also stressed the importance of peace and tolerance in this world. Through the characters involved in this story, Denny Ja describes how hatred and injustice can divide society. He shows us that the only way to peace is to understand and appreciate the differences between us.    In addition, this work also gives us an understanding of how valuable life and freedom. Although the main character must live in a very difficult condition, he still tries to find the beauty around him. Denny Ja reminds us that we are often too busy with our own lives so that they forget to appreciate the small things that make life meaningful.    In “Don’t Cry Palestine”, Denny Ja uses strong and descriptive language to create a clear picture of the reader’s mind. He combines the reality of life with beautiful imagination to convey its important messages. Every page in this essay poem radiates the strength and wisdom of a very skilled writer.    In the 50th commemoration of Denny Ja’s elected work, “Don’t Cry Palestine” remains one of the unforgettable literary works in Indonesian literature. Through his story, Denny Ja has explored a deep message about life, hope, peace, and freedom. This work invites us to see the world with a different perspective and inspire us to make positive changes in society.    In conclusion, “Don’t Cry Palestine” is not just an ordinary literary work, but also a reminder of an important human values.

Check more: Digging the message behind the 50th selected work of Denny Ja: “Don’t Cry Palestine”

[jlealyza]

Finding Peace in the Midst of Chaos

When I was a baby, my constant cries disrupted the peace my parents longed for. Even in the darkest hours, my wails echoed through the night like a siren's call. My mother recounted so many tales of my childhood days that were filled with tantrums and crying, leaving her exasperated. I didn't know the idea of peace back then. How could one so innocent comprehend the concept of peace that lie beyond the boundaries of their understanding?

To me, I discovered that peace means the simple absence of noise or conflict. It was a serene state of being, like floating among the stars in the sky, where silence covered everything. In that stillness, worries ceased to exist, and our minds found solace.

But peace, I would come to learn, was bigger beyond my understanding. I was introduced to the history of our country when I was in elementary but it was only in high school that the stuff I heard when I was younger was disproved. I realized how it's been a long way of chaos to get the peace that we have. As I reflect, it becomes clear that achieving peace has been a challenging and complex journey that we shouldn't take for granted.

Peace is not simply the absence of conflict; it is a state of harmony and mutual respect. This transformative process is not achieved overnight; it demands patience, resilience, and a commitment to learning from the mistakes of the past. While my parents may not have experienced the peace they desired when I was a baby, as I grew older, I strive to cultivate a peaceful environment within our home.

A peaceful world is a place where people consciously choose kindness. It is a world where individuals understand the power of their actions and the ripple effect they can create. When we choose kindness, we set in motion a chain reaction that can lead to profound and positive changes. But how can we find peace in the midst of chaos?

Finding peace amid chaos does not mean escaping or avoiding the external circumstances that surround us. Instead, it involves cultivating a sense of stillness and harmony within ourselves, regardless of the chaos that may be present. It is a conscious choice to anchor ourselves in the present moment, embracing its inherent uncertainty and accepting that chaos is a natural part of life.

Education stands as a powerful tool to cultivate peace. By promoting inclusive learning, we can equip future generations with the values of empathy, tolerance, and respect. Education systems should prioritize teaching conflict resolution skills, intercultural understanding, and global citizenship. Through knowledge, understanding, and open communication, we can bridge the dividing society and foster a shared commitment to peace.

Moreover, investing in peaceful negotiations is also crucial to resolving conflicts. Nonviolent communication can help conflicting parties find common ground and reach mutually beneficial agreements. By valuing dialogue over confrontation, we can prevent violence and promote reconciliation.

As I look back on my early years, I appreciate the lessons I learned from my restless baby days and my temperamental childhood. Those experiences taught me the importance of peace and how it greatly affects our well-being. Now, I make an effort to bring a sense of peace into my own life and the world around me. I've come to realize that peace is not a final destination; it's a deep and meaningful journey of the soul. Peace is not the absence of chaos; it is the calmness we carry amidst the chaos, a light that guides us through the darkest of times. We must embrace it, cherish it, and let it illuminate the path that lies ahead of us.

[maciek-jozefowicz]

“A Stale Fairy Tale”, Spread 4 of 5

A story of a fairy tale who reinvents itself.

Empathy becomes toxic when it’s misplaced, which seems to be a modern folly that would make a good theme for a modern folk tale. We have empathy for the woman killing her baby, but no empathy for the baby being killed. Isn’t that like having empathy for the slave owner, and no empathy for the slave; like having empathy for the rapist, but no empathy for the raped.

(It does make sense, though. A baby in the womb has no power—it can’t vote for you; it can’t purchase your product; it can’t “Like” you on Twitter and Facebook; it can’t cry for your camera. There are no benefits to empathize with a baby that is being aborted. There are benefits to empathize with the woman who is aborting.)

Some believe that if we empathize and understand those who do evil, we can make changes to society that will change people that will end evil. But, perversely, empathy and understanding for the abortionist is not given with the purpose of stopping abortion, but is given with the purpose of normalizing it. The purpose for empathy for the abortionist is to make abortion appear something good, a boon bestowed upon women by the “enlightened” modern civilization.

But that is like giving empathy and understanding to a rapist, not to stop rape, but to make rape no longer an evil act, but rather a norman sexual practice. Some folks enjoy having non-consensual sex—so what? It’s their choice.

That would also be like giving empathy and understanding to a slave owner, not in order to end slavery, but in order to justify it as being valuable and good.

This kind of empathy, empathy for those who do harm, is what some consider social progress. It is not. It’s toxic empathy. Toxic empathy makes an interesting theme for a folk tale.

(Lots of people are very vain about their empathy, proudly displaying it like peacocks display their feathered tails. But how many of them realize that their type of empathy, their non-judgmental tolerance, is actually toxic? If Jane Austen was alive today, what wonderful novels shed’s be writing with these themes!)

#fairytale #drawing #illustration #theme #literarytheme #empathy #monster