#which is like the most important element of why so many people are afraid of teenagers

[maryrouille]

Toxic romanticization of studying

In a word of introduction, my profile partly shows that studying and exploring is wonderful. But as a person involved in science*, I would like to show healthy and true patterns of this beautiful adventure in acquiring knowledge.

The inspiration for writing this post this time was not the phenomenon from Tumblr (although you can also observe it here), but from Pinterest. There you can come across cycles composed of quotes and photos whose aim is to motivate young girls to learn, succeed and get good grades. These images often also show examples of characters from movies, TV series or real life that you can aspire to be like. Overall, I have to agree that it really works! But I would like to draw attention to certain elements that need to be verified.

1. You shouldn't get up at 5am

First of all, the correct amount of sleep is one of the most important factors affecting the proper and effective functioning of our brain. During sleep, nerve cells regenerate, organize information acquired during the day and consolidate memory traces, which is directly related to learning. Lack of sleep increases impulsivity, deepens negative thinking and slows down the body's reaction time!

2. You can be a genius without good grades

Of course, good grades are a pleasant confirmation of our knowledge and praise for hard work. However, sometimes it is worth considering whether the structure of exams themselves, especially those with closed questions, affects the results. We often study for one specific exam, the knowledge of which may be very… limited and sometimes not useful, so it is worth prioritizing the topics that we study hard.

3. It's not cool to think you're better than others

We are different and have different priorities in life. It is also worth considering how many people escape from the rat race and start a slow, stress-free life. So we have to agree that judging people based on grades or responses under stress (sic!) is not cool.

The good thing about romanticizing studying

As I have already said, these types of collages are really motivating. So let's talk about what's great about them and what's worth highlighting and saving for later.

1. Knowledge is beautiful, but your outfit and surroundings can also be

We know that we should never judge a book by its cover, but… the issue of social perception painfully confirms that we do and will continue to do so because this is how our brains work. And isn't it nice when someone looks at us and thinks this girl is so classy?

Moreover, a nice outfit that makes us feel good gives us a lot of self-confidence. There are also many studies confirming the positive impact on motivation and concentration of a neat and aesthetic workplace.

2. Not just cramming, but also discovering

Broadening your horizons is easier with passion and real commitment. And to achieve this, the topics must really interest us. Not everyone has yet found something that they are extremely passionate about in science, so that is why you have to dig deeper and discover different areas.

3. Don't be afraid to use your knowledge in practice

Schools and universities, unfortunately, have their own rules and they do not always allow you to show your 100% potential. Thus, share your knowledge with others externally, write essays, blog and social media. This form of activity also makes you learn things faster and easier. In addition, contacts with others will expand your knowledge.

Therefore, I must say that it is worth choosing your inspirations carefully. Nothing helps you enjoy studying better than a clear head and lack of prejudices.

*This post was inspired by my own experience with studying. If anyone is interested, I think I can share my mistakes that did not help me in an academic adventure :)

[hispg]

Between royalty and vows

Pairings: Prince! Leon x Fem! Reader

Summary: A forced marriage, a fate set in stone, nothing could change that.

In the world of royalty, there were no choices, only obligations to fulfill. What you didn't expect was to become engaged to a renowned prince, ready to succeed the lineage.

Until that moment, you still had some hope that everything would work out, maybe it wasn't so bad. But it would be a shame if your future husband had a mistress.

Wouldn't it?

Wc:2.4k

Warnings: slow burn, angst, hurt/ comfort, cheating, arranged marriage, eventual smut, one sided love, affairs, (I'll put more once things starts to progress).

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

An: So, initially I was going to post the other fanfic I did with Fuckboy! Leon, but I thought it was bad and decided not to post it for now. But I still have plans for it.

I intend to do several chapters on this fic(I'm sucker for royalty AU), I don't know exactly how many but I plan to do more than 10 or 15, since I have a lot of stuff I want to put in. Most of them are not comforting.

This is a thank you to the 200 followers, which by the way is almost 300 by now. I'd like to genuinely thank each and every one of you<3 And I hope you enjoy this story, because I'm genuinely excited about it.

Prologue

Royalty wasn't for everyone, that much was obvious to those who already lived in this reality. A world of appearances where everything was perfect, people, everyday life, relationships. But that was a facade, the reality took place between closed doors.

It was never clean, the backstabbing behind the king's back, the betrayals, the lust that hid behind the elaborate and sophisticated costumes. But in the end, what mattered was how beautiful that royal family was to its subjects, honor being a crucial element to maintain.

Faced with all this, the Italian prince, Leon, was well aware of the dynasty's sacrifices. He was already aware of his duty, and knew that at some point his life would take a completely different turn from what he had expected. As the only heir, he knew that it wouldn't be long before his father wanted him to marry, after all, he had to carry on the line. The honor of the kingdom had to continue, and he was the only one who could.

Although he already knew that the burden of succession would come to him one day, he just didn't expect it to be so soon.

Leon was a man known for his accomplishments, despite his young age he was a brave man, as well as the incomparable beauty he contained. Sharp features, a piercing blue gaze, a prince who wasn't afraid to speak his mind. He had a unique authenticity.

Yet he still couldn't fit in with his surroundings. His eyes staring at the chandelier, seeing how decorated everything in the castle was. Seeing the expensive clothes of each of the invited guests, the glittering dresses of the ladies who were there. He watched the people walking around the hall, seeing how comfortable they were in that situation.

But not him.

The evening was planned to be perfect, days and weeks of planning went into making this great event happen. All the most important royals were present at the castle, from the most prestigious dukes and duchesses to other kings and queens.

Today was the day that the Italian prince, Leon, would be presented to his future wife. He was the rightful heir, the next to rule his own kingdom. That's why the ballroom was perfect, every last detail thought of and worked on to create the perfect occasion.

To show off the future rulers of the country. The next ones who would take care of that kingdom and prosper it. It was a more than necessary moment to demonstrate the future couple.

Despite all the sophistication and dedication that the queen put into the celebration, Leon didn't seem to be at all excited or happy about the situation. He was sitting in one of the royal chairs, taking small sips of the most expensive wine, his expression sullen and bitter.

He didn't ask for any of this.

The day when the fates of two royals would cross, intertwine and become one. A marriage that would unite them, a commitment that once made could not be broken.

If he was being honest, he didn't even want to be a prince. This royal life didn't suit him, all these comforts and perks that didn't seem to fit in with anything he liked. A forced life, just because he was born into this family.

From where he was sitting, he could see you coming. The beautiful British princess, dressed in the most expensive of dresses, hair tied up in a bun. The ornaments that shone on you, as well as the enchanting smile that could melt even the hardest heart. At that point, all eyes were on you, curious and expectant. Everyone there was close to the soon-to-be queen.

Admiring your features, he couldn't deny that you were beautiful. Your sweet features, your face that exuded the purest grace and youth. Your way of walking that seemed to make you flutter with every step.

Still, you weren't her. You weren't the woman he loved. The only one capable of bringing a genuine smile to the skeptical man he was.

You weren't Ashley Graham, the princess he had fallen madly in love with. The one with whom he had sworn several vows of love, the one with whom he had promised to spend the rest of his life.

And there he was, preparing to marry another woman. One he didn't even know, or have any proximity to, and even worse, to marry a woman he didn't love. No matter how much he protested this to his father, nothing he said was listened to.

'You're going to marry her, whether you like it or not.' Words that still echoed in his head, and seeing how close this marriage was, he felt the weight of the situation on his back.

Yes, he had always known that this moment would come. His duty as a prince, to follow what was prescribed. What fate was supposed to have in store for him, even if he didn't believe in it.

But all his thoughts vanish once he hears a sweet voice calling him:

"Your Highness." The tender feminine voice coming from your lips, along with the elegant curtsy you made.

He blinked a few times, holding back a sigh out of politeness. Like the gentleman he was, he rose from his seat, returning the bow to you.

"Good to see you here, Your Highness." He says courteously, even if it's a lie. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was keep up appearances.

It was hard not to notice the prince's beauty, his handsome and charming face, his eyes the lightest shade of blue you'd ever seen. His blond hair was just as captivating. No wonder he was one of the most desired.

You felt lucky to be the woman who would marry him, even though you knew that the prince already had someone else in his heart. Rumors spread fast, especially when it came to a family as important as his. But magically things remained under wraps, even though the suspicions of this secret relationship were well-founded.

You always knew that like most marriages, you wouldn't marry someone you were in love with. But you still had a glimmer of hope that you could make him like you, at least a little bit. You hated to think that maybe your marriage was a ruin like all the others.

Love and royalty didn't go together, yet you wanted to try and make it something unique.

"Would you like a dance?" Leon asks, snapping you out of your deep trance of thoughts.

You nodded with a polite smile, holding his warm hand as he led you into the middle of the hall. The classical music that echoed through the space, as other people danced and celebrated, gave the place a joyful atmosphere.

As soon as you were in the middle of the ballroom, all eyes were on you. With a gentle kiss on your gloved hand, he bowed and began to dance with you.

One hand on your back, the other intertwined with yours, your bodies very close, your faces almost touching.

His feet moved in sync with yours, both of you moving gracefully. Whirling around the ballroom. The two of you waltzing all over the place, keeping smiles and gentle glances for each other. Acting as if you were a couple in love, making silent vows. His eyes not leaving yours for a minute, his hand briefly squeezing yours, the moment seemed magical. In a way you never imagined it could be.

His cologne filling your nostrils, the heat emanating from his body. Everything about him seemed to draw your attention, as if it were a temptation.

You could feel your heart beating fast, the butterflies in your stomach that showed your clear nervousness. But still you didn't stumble once, your grace and elegance being whispered about among the guests.

His eyes staring into yours, a slight smile at the corner of his lips. This dance was a demonstration of the cooperation between the two countries, the union that was about to take place. A reason to be honored.

Despite the delicacy of the moment, the fluidity with which you danced, the mesmerizing sophistication of your movements. The way your dress dragged across the floor and danced with you. The passionate look you insisted on seeing in him.

You knew it was a lie. A damn lie.

It was confirmed once you saw his eyes light up, the outline of a sincere smile forming on his lips. At first you thought it was directed at you, but that feeling was crushed when you decided to take a look back.

There she was, the breathtaking Highness Graham, the blonde who had captured Leon's heart. The girl who wore a delicate white dress, with sophisticated and expensive accessories, enhancing her beauty. She stood among the others, just admiring him with a beautiful smile.

She knew she had his heart in the palm of her hand, so she couldn't feel the slightest bit jealous of you. He belonged to her.

You felt it in the way he admired her, in the way he looked at her in a way you couldn't even dream of. He was hopelessly in love, to the point where he even forgot you were standing in front of him. His body just moved on automatic, as if his focus was only on Ashley, only on her.

Although you wanted to pull back a little, you couldn't. The waltz wasn't over yet, it was a tradition, and you had to go until the music stopped. You couldn't help but feel a pang in your heart, the feeling that you had already lost a battle that hadn't even begun.

Nobody said you could have his heart.

As he twirls with you, he seems to focus his attention on you once again. Just for a brief moment, he was smart, he knew he couldn't give too much leeway for other rumors to spread around.

It was imaginable that the marriage would be a failure, since both kingdoms only saw it as an opportunity to increase business. However, you didn't expect to get this response so quickly.

Destined for an unreachable man, who was so close and yet so far away. How cruel could fate be?

And so you continued, keeping up the play of a couple in love, dancing and waltzing around the room. His gaze shifting between you and her, just as his expression changed with every glance. For one he gave a polite smile, for the other he gave a genuine one.

And you already knew who was who in the story.

After what seemed like an eternity, the waltz was over. You are presented with a round of applause, whistles and sincere words of approval for your union.

This while you waved and smiled, then bowed to each other, a sign of respect from both sides. As well as showing your gratitude to each other for the opportunity to dance. Etiquette and tradition, which you were following to the letter.

As soon as the applause stopped, Leon held out his arm for you to take, so that he could guide you to the place where the king would give a speech about the future marriage.

Consequently, you and Leon would officially become engaged. There were many looks on both of your faces, so many that you couldn't even count.

One in particular caught your eye, the same woman who had captured Leon's attention earlier, Ashley Graham.

The subtle smile, which was soon reciprocated by Leon, although discreet, you were able to perceive this small exchange between them. You couldn't deny the lump that was forming in your throat as you tried to let the situation sink into your head, that you would at least understand how it would go on.

As you walked through the great hall, stepping on the expensive marble, making your way to where the king would make his pronouncement. Walking through the crowd of distinguished guests who were there.

You noticed him looking at you from the corner of his eye, as if he were analyzing you from head to toe. It wasn't as if he was judging you or anything, it seemed more like the look of someone who wanted to look at his future wife, as if he was thinking about how things would be from now on.

Which you didn't even know what it would be like, either.

It wasn't long before you arrived at the King's chambers, a polished and expensive place, you could feel the sophistication of his throne just by looking at it. The place was perfectly tidy, the carpet had no fuss at all, perfectly done. Every butler and waiter duly took their places, bowing as you walked.

It seemed that the king had already started his speech, but he hadn't gotten to the important part yet. First, he had to give a statement to those attending the event, nothing more than a courtesy to them for being there, as well as reinforcing his duty to his kingdom, and to each of his subjects.

A while later, the king stood up, raised a glass of wine and said loud and clear:

"Tonight is a special night," then his gaze falls on the two of you, and he smiles broadly, "My heir, my only son is going to marry."

Despite the obvious, a round of applause echoed around the room, whistles and compliments. Which caused you and Leon to smile at each other, acting as if the happiness was genuine, as if you weren't two unacquainted people about to get married.

As soon as Leon's father saw the general reaction, he raised his glass and said, "Cheers."

Enough for another wave of loud sounds and murmurs from people. They seemed to be very happy about the future of the kingdom.

Leon then gave you a hug around the waist, swirling you in the air. Even his smile changed, and you believed even for a second that it was real.

"We'll be happy," Leon murmurs, loud enough for the people around you to hear and giggle at the new couple.

"Yes, of course." You say with a sweetness in your voice, buying his conversation. Deep down you wanted it to be real, but you knew the shadow that stood between the two of you.

It was a lie, a facade, and maybe it would never be real.

[max1461]

I'm terminally humanities brained, but I am kind of interested in pure mathematics and POM and generally just more mathematics oriented philosophy stuff/mathematics in general, I haven't studied any kind of maths since Highschool, how should I get into it? Should I read Quine?

Oh, this is a great question and I am very happy you have decided to send it to me! My answer reflects my particular views on mathematics and what it is all about, of course, so keep that in mind.

The number one thing I would like to convey about mathematics to someone coming from the humanities is that mathematics, far more than most fields, is something you do in addition to something you learn. Mathematical thinking has to be practiced, it is a skill that you train. If your primary interest is in philosophy of math, I'm afraid I haven't read very deeply on the subject and probably can't recommend a good starting place. Maybe... Russell? Look into Hilbert's program, and why it failed? But if you want to understand math "from the inside" instead of "from the outside", then you have to do math, and to that end I think "who to read" is the wrong question.

This might sound a bit scary, but I don't think it needs to be. Math is not so hard to do, although it is a very foreign type of thinking to those who are not practiced at it. In fact, this is why I think doing math is important even if your interests are primarily in POM; math is ultimately a human activity, regardless of e.g. what you believe about the ontology of mathematical abstractions, and I believe that in order to understand it fully (to have a picture of it beyond just its ontology) it must be understood as a human activity. Thus, one must do it, at least a little bit. It is, if nothing else, a whole realm of human experience all its own, and I think just about anyone would profit intellectually from spinning their mental gears in a mathematical way here and there.

Thankfully, there are many great places to start if this is your aim. I assume that what we're talking about here is "proof based" math rather than just calculation. To that end, a great introductory book is Velleman's How to Prove It, which will give you some guiding principles and many examples of how to approach a mathematical proof. Beyond that, I think you'll want to pick up an "entry level" introductory text (that is, an introductory text aimed at undergrads, etc.) on any math topic that strikes your fancy, and work through it—making sure that you understand the structure of the arguments (proofs), and attempting as many of the exercises as you can. The exercises are really the most important part. You cannot learn math without the exercises. You cannot learn math by reading it. The only way to learn is to try your hand at it yourself.

Expect your reading speed to be slow, and new concepts to be confusing. Expect to read things over and over, and fiddle with them in your head, before they make sense. Well, I mean, if you're anything like me or like most people. I think one of the biggest reasons people get turned off to math is that most of it just doesn't make any sense the first time you encounter it; it won't make sense until you've thought about it a lot.

One way or another, if you have a background in philosophy and are used to parsing and evaluating careful arguments, you will have a leg up on many people getting their introduction to proofs.

As for what topic to start with... you could always start with Euclid's elements, which is still a perfectly solid introduction to Euclidean geometry even after 2500 years. It does not quite meet modern standards of mathematical rigor (in other words, its proofs have gaps by modern standards), but realistically this is not a big deal: the basic thinking style is the same, and the gaps are somewhat subtle and technical IIRC, so I don't think it will really affect the beginner experience. On the other hand I believe at least a couple of Euclid's proofs are genuinely flawed (that is to say, they aren't just uncareful in their presentation, but are actually invalid in their structure), so maybe it's better to start with a modern work first.

Some books that I think are good for a beginner:

Graham, Knuth, & Patashnik, Concrete Mathematics — The focus of this book is on mathematical tools for computer science, but even if that is not your interest it's still a great book. It deals mostly with familiar concepts such as whole numbers and sequences (you might have encountered, e.g., the Fibonacci sequence), but is great for learning to problem solve and think mathematically.

Rudin, Principals of Mathematical Analysis, ("Baby Rudin") — If you want trial-by-fire. A lot of math undergrads have this as the textbook for their first proof-based math class, and it's notoriously challenging. Its topic is the field of real analysis, the rigorous foundations of calculus. I... wouldn't start here if I were you, honestly, but it's definitely a classic.

Some graph theory text. Some people seem to be recommending Wilson's, which has the convenient feature of being available online here. I haven't read it, but looking over it, it seems fairly gentle. There are a lot of pictures, and proofs don't enter the picture until a couple of sections in. Graph theory has the advantage of being very visual and having basically no prerequisites, so this might be a nice place to start.

Some abstract algebra book. If you're looking for a really clear presentation of the way mathematics is done today, starting with axioms and proving theorems deductively from them, etc., there is probably no place where it is more straightforwardly visible than in abstract algebra. The first math book I ever attempted was Herstein's Topics in Algebra; not the most beginner oriented, but certainly not inaccessible, and hey, it worked out for me! If this one is not to your liking there are a million books on e.g. introductory group theory you could look into, or the very canonical Dummit & Foote, or so on.

Uh yeah I think that's all I got. Anyone else feel free to put any more thoughts or recommendations in the reblogs!

[lucygxybaird]

billy x reader preview - reader owns the ranch billy wants to buy

People don’t tend to believe him when he says this, but Billy never wanted to be famous, least of all for gunslinging. He’d hated seeing his name in the paper — each time felt like a bramble burrowing into his skin, drawing blood and stinging mercilessly. At first, his actions were purely motivated by survival: escaping from jail, shooting the blacksmith, falling in with Jesse. And then it had become something bigger than that. 

He had just wanted to do the right thing. To grow into the sort of man that could make his mother proud. It’s why he involved himself in the Lincoln County war, because he just couldn’t stand it anymore. He’d seen it all his life. People like Mr. Hurley, like Antrim, like the son of a bitch who’d killed Carlos, like Riley and Murphy and Dolan, they all thought they could get away with being bullies. 

Because that’s what they were, really, every one of them. Bullies who had never been checked before, who didn’t care who they hurt as long as they got what they wanted. Anybody who didn’t bow and scrape and play along, or at the very least get out of the way, were crushed beneath their boot heels. 

Billy couldn’t — and still won’t — let that sort of thing stand. And so he’d been pulled into their trouble like pieces of a broken house sucked into a tornado, watching the peaceful, hopeful future Mr. Tunstall had promised get torn out of his grasp. More than once during his time in Lincoln County, he’d expected he wouldn’t make it out of this fight alive. Either a bullet in his chest, or a noose around his neck, maybe even the elements if he was stuck out in the middle of nowhere while he was on the run. 

It hadn’t really mattered to him; he’d seen too much death to be afraid of it, and he’d lost too many people not to have half a hope in the back of his mind that he would see them again when he passed on. The most important thing was to do as much as he could, for as many people as he could, before he was taken down. 

And yet, if there’s any one lesson running through his life like a thread in a tapestry, it’s that hope really does spring eternal. Even if the odds seem impossible, insurmountable, you can’t give up. You can fall down, you can bleed, you can go to ground for a little while if you need to, but you have to keep going. 

Which is how, along with sheer dumb luck and a governor who actually keeps his promises, he’s ended up here. 

Billy urges his horse to the top of the rise, a sea of gently waving grass falling away from him in a sweep of emerald, up past a log fence, where it laps up to the steps of a neat little front porch. The ranch house is just big enough for one — maybe two if they don’t mind getting cozy — but that’s all he needs. 

Its boards are painted a faded yellow that might have been sunny once; it looks bright enough, still, in the mellow afternoon light. There are a few shingles missing on the roof itself, but the little chimney jutting up from the center seems sound enough. Two windows frame the front door, and as he watches, he thinks he catches a flicker of movement through one. 

Urging his horse forward, Billy rides up to the fence and dismounts, lashing the reins to a post. He nudges the gate open and steps into the yard, hesitating for a moment. He knows his reputation in this part of the world still carries bloodstains like a bandage wrapped around a wound, and he doesn’t want to frighten anyone who might be inside.

“Hello?” he calls out, feeling a little foolish but considering it worth it as long as he doesn’t scare anybody — or come face to face with a gun barrel, for that matter. “I wanted to take a look at the property. Is anyone here?”

This time he’s sure he sees something through the window, a flash of red. Then the front door opens with a creak, and he’s struck by the sight of you.

“Oh,” he says cleverly, and you just smile at him.

You’re beautiful, sure — smiling like that, you’re damn near stunning — but that isn’t what makes him feel as though he’s been knocked off balance, teetering on his feet. Somehow he has the sense of a lighthouse on the shore, guiding him toward a new shore. Toward home. 

Speaking of home — 

He clears his throat. “I, uh, I wanted to take a look at the property,” he says, only realizing a second too late that he just said that a few minutes ago. 

God, is he blushing? He’s pretty sure he hasn’t blushed since grade school, when he’d helped his pretty teacher with her groceries and she’d given him a kiss on the cheek for his trouble. 

“Right,” you say. “You’d like the owner for that, I bet.” 

“I would.” Billy clears his throat again, folding his hands behind his back as though proper posture will help him get his equilibrium back. What the hell is wrong with him? “Can I — is he around?”

“No,” you say, and Billy feels a pinprick of disappointment, followed by the realization that, at least, this means he’ll have to come back — and so, he’ll see you again. 

And then you add: “She’s around, though.” 

“She?” he repeats, as if he’s never heard the word before, and when you just smile at him again, the truth dawns on him. “Oh! Oh, you — it’s you?”

“It’s me.” 

[kalolasfantasyworld]

My recent Zobra arts got very popular on twitter and I received many questions about them so I decided to make a thread explaining the appeal this ship has for me.

Since I already wrote it, I want to share it here as well.

Zora x Nebra - ship appeal

A thread about why I am personally a big fan of Zora x Nebra and how it's more than just a silly crack ship

@f-oighear with who I'm co writing a Zobra fanfiction helped with this

Let's start with the basics

Zora - a peasant who hates royalty

Nebra - a royal who hates peasant

This ship would go against class barriers, but even more as these two would have to overcome their own prejudice which they've had since they were little.

They have (kind of) a canon interaction!

During the elf attack Zora saved Solid and Nebra's lives. It's a point where both siblings were humbled and I'd say a point where their redemption can slowly start.

Enemies to lovers

I personally love this trope and Zobra have great potential for it. I don't think I need to expand here.

Their magic

Both of them have "vaporous" kind of magic and rely on tricks to overcome their opponent. It's a game of thought and preparation.

Ash and mist are also more subtle versions of primal elements (fire and water).

They could be really compatible if they worked together.

Aesthetic

Black & white, that's a classic

Edgy & princess

You can't say they don't look good

And now probably the most important (and long) part of the thread their characters and later surprisingly many similarities

Zora wouldn't be afraid to call Nebra out and she NEEDS it. Nebra doesn't see people as her equals, she's used to being looked up to which Zora wouldn't do.

He would do it right, point out her flaws, harshly. Nebra would hear how she really is.

Hopefully reflect

It would also annoy her and a chain of (sometimes hilarious) interactions would start.

They're both very smart so their comebacks would be intelligent and snarky. None of them would hold back and I think at some point they would start enjoying the game of trying to one up the other.

"The smirk"

Zora snickers, Nebra giggles. They can both be very mean.

See if you put them as enemies it's fun, but imagine having them both against one person. I'd feel sorry for them. (we have a scene like that in our fic and it's perfect)

Prejudice

Both of them are greatly prejudiced against the other’s class. And isn't it BC's thing to break those class differences?

It would require work, effort and time but just like other Royal/Peasant ships they could bring an example of the world Asta dreams of.

Now to issues

A dead parent who they used to idolise and passing of that parent messed them up in... many ways

We use that similarity to have them bond on a deeper level

After Zara's death Zora goes on a vendetta

While Nebra feels inadequate and takes it out on innocent Noelle

Neither of them copes well and it just pushes them to extremes.

Zora luckily gets better with his found family (the Bulls we love them), while Nebra... I won't defend her, it's a long way to go even after the last manga chapters.

However these two could help each other grow.

Noelle is Nebra's sister and Zora's squadmate

This topic would need to be brought up at some point. Zora cares about his squadmates.

Nebra was awful, toxic and simply terrible. I think that talking about it with someone who won't beat around the bush could help her redemption.

I think Nebra could start seeking out that honesty at some point.

Zora had crossed out all of the nobility, but seeing himself an actual example of someone as rotten (yes I said it) as Nebra changing could help him too.

It's about seeing a different perspective.

"They wouldn't interact if not made to"

True, thus in fics @f-oighear and I put them in situations where they have to interact such as a mission together, or in our Formula 1 AU they're both drivers on the grid, or we send them to the same resort for summer break.

Things we like to do in fics

- they call each other names, starting of offensive (Princess and peasant are classics)

- making them work together -> they hate it -> miraculously it works out

- hair and clothes comments

- personal development

Taking into account all of the above, they would need specific circumstances to work out, thus I understand why they don't have to be everyone's cup of tea (I need at least a 100k slowburn), but I hope I brought to you closer this ship and why I personally find it appealing.

[arrephoros]

Lydia Deetz Character Analysis

This might not be the time or place, but I’ve seen many analyses about Betelgeuse that range in quality. However, I always feel there’s a lack of a good analysis focused on Lydia. Sometimes, it feels like we fall back into seeing Lydia as a passive element in the equation, or we simplify her into a single dimension like “she’s traumatized” or “she was just a kid.” Other times, we outright ignore her experiences and project onto her our own ideas about why she should or shouldn’t feel attracted to or repulsed by Betelgeuse.

Let’s start with the fact that Lydia has infinitely more screen time than Betelgeuse, and yet we ignore all the clues both films give us about her character development. From the first movie, Lydia is a complex character (yes, framed within the melodrama of adolescence) but complex nonetheless. She isn’t an innocent child; that’s not how she’s portrayed at any point. She’s a teenager who feels misunderstood, who doesn’t fit into her family, who feels alone in the world, and who seeks solace in the macabre and the unknown. These things attract her. You just have to look at her expression when she imagines what Barbara and Adam might look like under the sheets. She wanted them to be grotesque specters. It was almost disappointing for her that they turned out to look like normal people. For this reason, Lydia is never truly afraid of Betelgeuse (except for the snake form, but she was also scared of Barbara and Adam in monster form, so it’s fair to say both cases don’t really count).

The first time she sees Betelgeuse, she’s not even surprised to find a tiny corpse-like figure in the model town, she talks to him as if it’s the most normal thing in the world. Again, the world of the dead fascinates her, and Betelgeuse is part of that world. That’s why she has no problem turning to him for help the first time, to save Barbara and Adam. At that moment, the marriage is merely a transaction for both of them: she gets to save her friends, and he gets to escape his confinement (and probably whatever spell binds his name). The ones who make the wedding a big deal are Barbara and Adam. They’re the ones who warn Lydia about Betelgeuse and ultimately stop the wedding.

Fast forward 30 years, during which Lydia has likely tried to be “normal” and failed. Let’s assume Barbara and Adam eventually found a way to cross over. This would leave Lydia with a deep sense of abandonment. Her character is heavily marked by loneliness, and that remains true 30 years later. The Maitlands are gone, her marriage to Richard failed and he left, Astrid resents her and distances herself. This is why she clings so desperately to Rory, even though he’s clearly repulsive. Initially, I struggled with this because I couldn’t see how teenage Lydia could become the woman she is now. But it all ties back to her core personality: she will do anything to avoid being alone. She knows Rory won’t leave her, and she hopes that’s enough to sustain their relationship, even if it means compromising her principles by doing things like the TV show.

Meanwhile, Betelgeuse occasionally appears to her. He appears to her, it’s not visions or flashbacks. I’ve seen people interpret these “visions” as signs of PTSD, but Lydia doesn’t have PTSD from Betelgeuse. That’s impossible because he wasn’t an antagonist to her. Even if we consider the wedding a bad experience (which, knowing Lydia’s personality, I’d argue against), it only lasted a few minutes. The rest of Lydia’s interactions with Betelgeuse were, at worst, neutral. Let’s not forget that he literally helped her save the Maitlands. His appearances likely frustrate her because, while everyone important in her life eventually abandons her, this entity, warned against by everyone, remains. What Lydia experiences is cognitive dissonance regarding Betelgeuse. She knows she’s supposed to hate him because others have taught her to, but she has no personal reason to.

That’s why she doesn’t hesitate to ask him for help with Astrid. Lydia is smart; she’s probably read the Handbook a thousand times and knows plenty of ghosts from her ventures into the afterlife. Yet, the first thing she does is go straight to Betelgeuse, because she knows he’s the only one (ghost) who’s never let her down. Not her family, not Richard, not the Maitlands—Betelgeuse is the only constant in her life.

This is why Lydia has “unresolved feelings”, because how do you reconcile the fact that the being everyone says is dangerous, a threat to both the living and the dead, the one you’re warned never to summon, is the only one who’s never abandoned you?

Betelgeuse will never leave her—that’s a fact. He’s tethered to her like a ghost to a house. If you ask me, I’m almost certain the reason Betelgeuse latched onto Lydia in the first place was to end his own loneliness. That’s why he makes so many references to Lydia “getting him.” He’s also alone and hates it. Look at how clingy he got with the Maitlands after two seconds of meeting them, or how he tried to make conversation in the waiting room until he realized they were ignoring him. Yes, he’s intense, a liar, and unpleasant, and his methods are all wrong, but at the end of the day, what Betelgeuse seeks is companionship. Meeting Lydia and realizing she needed the same was enough for him to become stuck on her for years (and probably for eternity).

I’m sure Lydia knows Betelgeuse will always be there, and her internal struggle is likely reconciling the part of her that wants him out of her life with the part that doesn’t want to lose that constant presence. Ultimately, no matter how much she’s buried it under years of rationalizing and adopting others’ narratives about how harmful and dangerous Betelgeuse is, Lydia will never lose her fascination with the grotesque, the macabre, the strange, and the unusual.

[sweettjrose]

Quick question for you cuz you seem to know very well the little guy

Do you think Mickey has any bad sides? Bad qualities/Habits

Ooh! I was hoping someone would ask this question. It was sitting in my mind for a while. I love sharing my thoughts on this little guy.

I do think it is important to remember that when it comes to characters like Mickey it can be challenging to ascribe specific traits to him since there are so many interpretations with differing personalities. Mickey in the black and white shorts is different from Mickey in the Gottfredson comics who is different from Mickey in the Paul Rudish shorts and etc. So some traits may fit better for some versions than others.

I don't know if I can say I am the Mickey expert. But I do think about him a lot and if I came up a list of what I think are bad habits or flaws that he has, based on how is generally portrayed and my own personal interpretation, I would say:

Stubborn - To start off, I feel like a common flaw for Mickey is his stubbornness. Once he sets his mind on a certain idea or situation, he has a hard time being convinced of anything else. It can be really difficult to change his mind, though not impossible. I don't think it comes from a place of seeing himself as better than anyone though, but rather from his desire to hold fast to what he believes in. And in some cases, it can have beneficial results. Such as when he is investigating some kind of mystery he tends to drop everything else, unable to change focus until he finally solves it. This usually gives him the push to solve problems most people give up on. But unfortunately, it tends to result in him ignoring the world around him which can be frustrating at times, especially for Minnie. Sometimes I think Mickey even uses these situations as an excuse to push aside things he doesn't want to do and focus on something he would much rather do.

Untamed Curiosity - I feel like this is actually an offshoot of his earlier personality. He was much more mischievous in his earlier appearances, but that was somewhat tamed over the years. However, I do think one element that has remained is this mouse's curiosity for the unknown. It seems like Mickey can't help himself but stick his nose into things he probably shouldn't. Whether it is listening to a conversation, checking a locked room, testing out a weird machine, or even following an odd feeling. I also feel like his stubbornness doesn't really help as it seems like once a curiosity is in his focus, he can't let it go. Mickey rarely likes to cause problems, but if his curiosity overtakes him, he usually ends up being a troublemaker. Sometimes this usually leads to him catching a crook. But other times it results in a big mess that he would have to clean up. I do think though that his mischievousness isn't entirely gone and does pop up every once in a while. Especially when trying to get out of things he finds boring or doesn't want to be in. And sometimes he just wants to be a prankster and have fun with his friends and family. Which is funny until things get out of hand.

Overthinks - Mickey is very intelligent and can come up with pretty clever plans when trying to solve problems. Unfortunately, this comes with the side effect of him overcomplicating even simple situations. This is usually why Goofy is such a vital friend for Mickey. Mickey tends to come up with complex solutions while Goofy tends to show the easier option Mickey tends to overlook. I think part of this does come from Mickey being afraid of being wrong and making mistakes, so he tries his best to be as thorough as he can be, which unfortunately can lead to more mistakes.

Lack of Self-Protection - One positive about Mickey is that he cares about others and would stand up to protect them. But unfortunately, this doesn't always extend to himself. He is not a doormat but tends to lean more "Turn the other Cheek" approach when he is the only one getting bullied (unless things go too far or if others get involved). To be fair, it is important to know when to pick your battles, but this tends to lead into other areas as I feel like he doesn't really share his problems and tends to keep personal issues to himself. I personally see him as the kind of guy you really have to pry to get him to talk about what he is feeling as he would much rather bottle it up to not cause any trouble. I also feel like he rarely is one to ask for help and tends to try and solve it all on his own, especially if he is worried that others may get hurt. The issue is, he doesn't seem to worry about whether he would get hurt.

Takes on Too Much - I also feel like this connects to another flaw as he tends to take on too much and constantly puts himself in risky situations. Whenever a life-threatening situation comes up that could help everyone but is extremely dangerous, he is usually the first in line to do it. It feels like Mickey doesn't even consider his own safety or limitations at all. Sometimes it feels like he is overconfident in his abilities and just believes that he will be okay, which works until it doesn't. It also doesn't help that Mickey has a hard time saying "No", so even if he didn't want to do something or knows he is not capable of doing it, he would probably still do it, not wanting to disappoint anyone. He rarely thinks of himself. And seldom considers what would be best for him. Usually, his friends are the ones to think about his safety and needs.

Need to be Perfect - Though I feel like part of the reason Mickey takes on so much is his need to be the hero. He feels like he has to be a perfect, selfless, and brave role model who does everything without a single complaint. I feel like he overexerts himself because he is afraid of what happens if he doesn't. He is afraid of not being needed or wanted. He is usually the underdog, a small mouse in a world with characters twice his size, and if he isn't constantly proving himself people will leave him behind. I also feel like he has a hard time admitting to mistakes (which connects to his stubbornness) because he feels like he can't make mistakes, or that would show that he isn't as capable as people think. I also think this explains why he has more of a heated rivalry with Mortimer. Mortimer somehow taps into his insecurities in the ways others don't. I feel like Mickey is kind of jealous of Mortimer because he tends to be taken seriously (at first) while Mickey usually needs to earn it. I also kind of wonder if he is worried that if he starts messing up, Minnie and the others will leave him for someone like Mortimer, so he feels like he can't mess up. Ever.

Lack of Self Worth - Unfortunately this means that he is very reliant on others for his self-worth. Luckily Mickey is really good at making friends. But he tends to rely on the existence of his friends for his worth. I can imagine that if for some reason they all stopped existing, I don't think he would even know what to do with himself. While he doesn't need everyone to like him. He does need at least one person to like him to help ground him or I can see him going into a deep depression. I feel like he would really struggle with being alone for too long unless there was some hope of being able to be with his loved ones soon.

But yeah these are the bad qualities that I feel like Mickey generally has. There are probably more, especially ones more specific to certain interpretations, but these are the ones I was able to come up with. As nice as Mickey is, he isn't perfect and his insecurities, overthinking, stubbornness, and curious nature tend to get him in trouble. But fortunately, he is also just as capable of getting out of trouble.

I would honestly love to see other people thoughts on this as well.

[philonous]

1, 4, 5, 12, 19 Forrrr Ivan :] ⛪️

1. Do you have a favourite mirror world/id of yours? Or least favourite?

I do not care to think about the supposed versions of ‘myself’ that exist in other worlds. The phoney reproductions that masquerade as I in these mirror worlds do not concern me in the slightest.

4. Would you say you’re particularly close to anyone in your branch? Is there anyone you’d like to get closer to?

You are strangely curious (and quite audacious in your assumption that you would receive a response) about some very insignificant matters. I quite fail to grasp why this should be of any concern to the likes of you?

5. On the contrary, anyone you particularly dont get along with? Anyone you can’t really stand?

My personal relationships have no reason to be discussed here- or with you, whoever you may be, for what it is worth.

12. What would you consider to be your own ‘weaknesses’?

I am not so much a fool to casually hand out such vulnerable information about myself. Your shamelessness with these pointless questions is beginning to get on my nerves.

19. I give you the classic trolley problem. What’s your answer?

Ah, so it is this question now. A more respectable one, at least. (the answer is. Long. so im putting it under the cut)

To discuss it, it is important to consider the background of the dilemma before anything else- It was proposed by Philippa Foot as a thought experiment trying to explore the idea that it seems permissible to our moral intuitions that we can sacrifice one man to save five when the one is tied up on the tracks. Ultimately, I do not believe that there is a correct answer to the trolley problem, as it was created specifically to inspire deep thought and analysis, and the concept of ‘righteousness’ is something that is hardly rigidly defined across the world or even within the limits of a single culture.

To approach this question we must first define what it means to be moral. Morality is the human attempt to define what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in thought and behaviour, but you will find that in many instances, no two men can agree on one definition for this concept. It is said that man is a moral creature, but morality is in itself a subjective matter. It greatly varies and depends on one’s geographic location. Religion and culture within a certain geographic location determine the set of moral values that people incidentally subconsciously live by. It makes sense, then, that there are so many different answers to this seemingly (to many) simple trolley question. Most often religion is the thing that primarily shapes morality, so if there is no god to guide man, then everything is permitted, is it not? Thus the trolley problem is rendered meaningless, so one must answer this question while assuming that a god exists, and im afraid i am not the person suited for this. The trolley problem is often presented with a set of follow-up questions to further complicate the discussion. It is a valuable question to ask whether our answers do, or should, change if (for example) the five individuals on the tracks are convicted felons and so on. However, assuming that the question I'm being asked is simply about the ambiguous and lacking in detail trolley problem which simply asks whether one would or would not pull the lever, I will disregard any hypothetical additions to the problem to save us time and simultaneously, not wander ‘off track’ (haha). The problem is based on the person in question not having any knowledge about the people tied to the tracks. If we add a new element to the problem, it will of course be altered completely. If we know nothing about any of the people involved, each life is valued as unequivocally equal. To reach my personal answer after all, I do not believe I can confidently say that I know, in the moment, whether I would switch the lever and kill a single person or whether I would allow for the train to kill five others instead. Aside from moral intuition, our setting and emotional state will affect our action or inaction in every possible situation. The trolley problem is fundamentally based on the question of whether the lives of five people are worth more than the life of a single person. We are not God, we cannot make such a comparison and judgement, and thus we are not allowed to interfere with the situation one way or another(if we consider morality). There is no 'right' answer to this dilemma ( there is not meant to be one in the first place), only an acknowledgement that we cannot anticipate all the possible outcomes because we do not have all the information available. Ugh. Such a question is impossible to discuss in only a few words, there are a lot of other factors to consider, but I will have to finish here, for the sake of saving the time I do not possess the privilege of wasting at the moment.

[zerothesonic]

i think harumi was a better villain than all of us have given her credit for. 

she’s just like lloyd. grew up without parents, natural born leader, they’re even both blonde. the only difference is, he is the greatest hero. she was the greatest villain. strap yourselves in guys, this is gonna be a long one.

so my first point, natural born leader. lloyd takes charge. he’s strategic, he knows everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, he’s reliable, he’s trustworthy. he’ll save as many people as he can, or if possible everyone, no matter what it takes. you know you’re safe when he’s in charge. harumi though? she can do exactly what lloyd does, but she does it better. she knows how to lead a large group, get their respect, earn their trust. which is important because remember she was the princess, so if even a single person from the SoG snitched she would be dead. meaning that she had really gained their respect for them to listen to her and protect her identity. but she also leads from the shadows. she knows when to back off, for example in the presence of someone more powerful like garmadon or the overlord. sure, fine, let the all-powerful guy take control. but guess what? behind the scenes, she’s the one with the biker gang. she’s the one giving orders. truth be told the all-powerful guy is just that. an all-powerful guy. he’s just there to keep the ninja afraid and away while she gets things done. she may not have elemental powers, but she has brainpower, willpower, and power over others.

my second point, she grew up without parents. “lloyd had it worse he’s suffered so much as the green ninja”, you say. lloyd grew up without parents and had this title of “almighty green ninja” hanging over him all his life. but he had a family who supported him no matter what (also they were probably the most powerful family in all of ninjago but that’s besides the point). harumi though? she had no one. she may not have had a prophecy, but she never had a family either. and who’s fault was that? sure, lloyd was just a kid. but what he did for candy killed her parents. she was alone. he wasn’t. why did she have to pay the price for his mistakes? think about it. if a kid wanting candy killed all you had left in this world you’d want him dead too. you have nothing left in this world. HE took away EVERYTHING from you and yet he’s everyone’s hero?? the murderer? and no one will ever take your side because he saved their families. he saved theirs, but he killed yours. and they’re never coming back. 

my third point, she can do what lloyd does but she does it better. lloyd believes that everyone has good in them, no matter how deep down it’s been buried. harumi doesn’t give a shit about that. the so called “good guy” is the same guy who killed her family. “good” doesn’t mean anything, it’s nothing just a title the self-righteous give to themselves. so she does what lloyd does, she talks to others, convinces them that they need her. basically manipulation. but she does it so well you don’t even see it coming until you’re buried a thousand feet underground. she does this many times, but one of the best examples is lloyd. as princess rumi she’s so sweet and nice and thinks of lloyd as her hero, so much that lloyd believes it too. then she turns on them all and becomes the quiet one. and that’s how she gets to lloyd. she wants back to bring back his father, but she wants to bring back the evil part of him. the one that never saw lloyd as a son and never will. and even before that happens, she makes sure lloyd already feels as though he isn’t garmadon’s son anymore. she calls her gang the sons of garmadon, though lloyd is the true son of garmadon. she’s making him feel replaced. and she barely calls him by his name, most of the time she calls him “green ninja”. she’s reminding him that when garmadon comes back, lloyd will be nothing more than the green ninja garmadon needs to defeat (or kill). and you can clearly see her manipulation working, and it works so well that it takes two seasons to resolve what she started.

and finally we reach the last point, the moment i’ve been waiting for. face it, she is the greatest villain. her reasons for hating the green ninja are totally valid. her leadership is unlike that of any other ninjago character ever seen. her manipulation skills are absolutely insane. but… she realises something. she realises that lloyd genuinely wants to help people. he sees the best in you no matter how little there is left. he doesn’t act like the “almighty green ninja”, he’s humble, he just wants to be like any other guy. and she realises he, too, is human, and humans all make mistakes, even the most powerful people in the world.

and looking back, lloyd may have killed her parents, but since starting her life as the quiet one how many parents of others has she killed…?

[windvexer]

hi fool chicken!!! hope you're having the loveliest of days🫶.

I've seen that you've read Gemma Gary and I was hoping you can help me understand something. I've found connecting with elements and directions and the watchtowers etc really difficult in the past because I didn't even know why are we even using them and giving them random directions but reading Six Ways helped me understand that it gives us a system to work within even if there literally isn't Fire in the South. I really enjoy Gemma Gary's spirits associated with the directions and elements but as i said, it's something i find difficult to connect with, do you have any advice on how can i? like maybe i invoke them with a physical representation and... meditate? and those spirits in her tradition.. they are just based on Cornish lore i believe? (sorry English isn't my first language and i had a TOUGH time reading that book and I'm afraid i didn't understand very much of it). so by my understanding, she assigned these spirits to the directions and elements based on lore and UPG and if i connect with that imagery, i can ask for Hare to help me with connecting to Earth. Even though in other traditions, there are other spirits. and i can invoke the specific spirit i need According to my working or do i need to invoke them all for each, like the hearthside rite? I'm sorry im confused. thank you chicken!!!!!!

Hello,

The concept that the four cardinal directions are not only important, but also have metaphysical elements associated with them, is a belief that is optional to work with.

A lot of ceremonial or ritualistic Traditional Witchcraft do employ the elements and the directions, and it may be difficult to extract your own system of sorcery from that if you want to do TW. However, if you're not super sure that TW is for you, this may be something you don't need to deal with at all.

If you would like to work with elements more, I think what you are describing (meditating upon a physical representation of the element) is a good idea.

I do not know the exact source of Gary's Serpent, Hare, Toad, and Crow. So, I can't confirm or deny your thoughts on how Gary ended up believing in them and their purposes.

Yes, if you want to, you can evoke the White Hare of the Earth in order to aide your workings. You can still do so even if you don't heavily identify with Gary's practices.

You do not need to call every element/direction every time you do every single spell or working.

One way of trying to connect with the four elements is to understand why we even use them. As far as I'm aware (let me know if I'm wrong), it was John Dee's Enochian magic which was the first established Western system that codified the terrestrial world into belonging into four directions, or quadrants, each one associated with a classical element, and each one ruled by an angel.

This idea was developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who started calling these quadrants Watchtowers.

In Enochian magic and OtGD, each element was associated with one direction, and nobody got to pick or choose which was which. There was one system and everyone did the same thing.

Later on, Gerald Gardner took the concept of the Watchtowers and included it in Wicca, the predecessor of modern Western witchcraft.

As Wicca evolved and inspired many non-Wiccan spiritualities and magical practices, the inclusion of the four elements evolved again. Now, people freely associate elements in the directions that make the most sense to them, based on UPG, and so on.

But even before all of this, the four elements (and aether) were aspects of ancient philosophy: they were ways that people tried to describe the nature of the world around them.

I think that any practitioner who wants to deal with the elements is very well served by understanding how this idea has evolved throughout time.

And I think that starting at the root is very helpful: these concepts are ideas that are supposed to explain and describe the universe around us. Now, we tend to use them metaphysically, not philosophically.

And, just like the modern idea of assigning any elements to any direction, the specific meanings you find within the elements only need to make sense to you. And this includes whether or not you find any value in them at this time, and if they are worth exploring for you.

[mylifebeingautistic]

book review: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor

Sam Sylvester is an autistic, non-binary 18-year-old who has just moved to Astoria, Oregon to escape a traumatic event in their past. Sam is interested in what they call “half-lived lives”, people who died before their nineteenth birthdays, and they are worried that they may have the same fate.

So when they move into the house of one of these people, Sam begins an investigation. Everyone in the town claims that the teenage boy who died in Sam’s house was killed in a tragic accident, but Sam and their new friend Shep are convinced it was murder.

I loved this book. The teenage characters were written so realistically and I really liked how Sam was able to find people who they could be themselves around. Also, Sam’s dad was one of my favourite characters! He’s such a good parent because he’s so understanding and kind.

The only thing I wasn’t so sure about with this book was the ending. It just didn’t fully satisfy me, I wanted the mystery to be wrapped up better. But overall, this was a really good book!

From this point on, I will be discussing spoilers and quotes from The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester. If you don’t want to see those, stop reading here!

First I wanted to share my thoughts on the autistic representation in this book.

Sometimes I feel like a balloon with a thousand inputs filling me with conversation noise, smells, clanking chairs, whispers, someone talking to me, so many things until I’m full to bursting but can’t pop, and the only way is to release that pressure with my fists. My leg’s the most usual casualty.

I really relate to the way Sam feels here: it can be hard to find healthy ways to release all the pressure that builds up inside you from just existing in the world. Their dad buys them a punching bag to help them channel these feelings in a way that doesn’t harm them, which was so thoughtful and nice!

“I’m autistic.” “Oh.” Shep nods towards the crosswalk, and I follow, afraid she’s going to say something dreaded like but you don’t seem autistic or you must be “high-functioning” or you should say “person with autism” or some other horrible thing that neurotypical people say to me when they find out, all of which just mean you’re really good at pretending to be “normal”, but you’ll never really be normal. Instead, the next thing out of her mouth is “What’s it like?”

This scene made me so happy! When autistic people trust someone enough to tell them that we’re autistic, people often have reactions that make us uncomfortable. Shep is a good friend because she doesn’t want to be affected by her preconceptions of what autism is, she just wants to support her friend in the way that is best for them.

“Can I tell them you’re autistic?” he asks me, and I appreciate it.

This is something that might be difficult to understand for some people, but it really is important that (when it’s possible) autistic people are allowed to decide whether or not they want to share their diagnosis. It’s a very personal thing and there may be all sorts of reasons why someone wouldn’t want to share, so the best practice is to always ask first.

Now I’m going to write about my thoughts about the plot and the mystery element of the book.

What I found hard to understand in this book was whether or not it was supposed to have a fantasy element. Sam seems to be in communication with Billy, the boy who died in their house, but it was unclear whether this was real, or just their imagination. So I didn’t really enjoy that element of the book.

The mystery was good and I liked the reveal of the murderer being Carl, but Esme thinking she had accidentally killed Billy. But I didn’t like how the mystery of who was threatening Sam was resolved. I’m not even sure who it was that was throwing the rocks at their windows, whether that was one of the people from school or if it was Carl.

That’s all I have to say about this book! Have you read it? Did you like it? What did you like or dislike about it?

[hypnotisedfireflies]

I’m reading drifters dusk and there’s that part when Lachie goes to check on Jackson and Ellie says she’s the only one that’s not afraid of Tess. True or is she bluffing? I’d love to hear a situation where Ellie realizes Tess is actually pretty scary, but in the best way!

Hahaha, yes. Well, Ellie has the naivety of youth! She's not bluffing; she's had no reason to fear Tess herself, though she's probably heard some stories from Lachie (and I do have a prompt for that which is coming one of these days!) that might give her some idea of how scary she can be. Plus, Ellie's witnessed Tess firsthand as the Joel Whisperer, and she knows what he's capable of.

On the other hand, Ellie has been on the receiving end of a soft interrogation by Tess way back in Boston and while she held her own, you can't tell me that 14 year old kid wasn't a little scared of those two adults, one putting questions to her, the other sitting back with a gun. I mean omfg, Tess in this scene?? Chilling, so in control:

Ellie: You take me back, you don't get your battery.

Tess: Why are you so important to Marlene? And don't lie to me or we'll take you back.

Tess: You heard that? Then you must've heard that he wants to shoot you. I'm gonna talk to you like you're an adult. Okay? Joel and I aren't good people. We're doin' this for us because, apparently, you're worth something. But we don't know what you're worth if we don't know what we have. So answer my question.

In Driftersverse, Ellie really esteems Tess. There's this badass woman who doesn't take any shit, had chosen her own independent way to survive, controls the room, out thinks most people ... And it also doesn't hurt that the person Ellie loves and trusts most - Joel - basically worships this woman and she still calls most of the shots.

In many ways, Ellie wants to grow up and be a survivor just like her. From the very start Tess was role model material but she also came back from the dead, so how cool is that?!

(Honestly, I think the part of Tess that would scare Ellie most is Tess when she's not in control of herself. It would scare the ever-loving fuck out of Ellie if she saw Tess in a panic attack, for instance ..... oh shit, now I really want to write that.)

She has some idea of how Tess is scary, but she's too busy thinking it's awesome to appreciate Joel and Lachie's sensible fear as anything other than funny.

I also have a prompt in the wings requesting conflict between Tess and Ellie, a situation where Tess's cool factor takes a hit. Perhaps I can weave these all elements together ...

All that said, I think the 'best way' and certainly the most fun is Ellie observing that aspect of Tess exacted on someone else and I would LOVE to find a way to weave that into a story. I think Tess and Ellie would need to get out of Jackson for that one, maybe run into some people who don't belong.

I was going to drabble it here but I think this actually might work as part of another prompt request, so I'm going to link it into that, anon!

[bluebeezle]

This is late, and most likely has been said before, but since I'm not plugged in, this is me saying it. And I guess the trailer for Gunn's Superman is as good a reason as any.

We haven't seen Superman for decades. And it's because of Zach Snyder's libertarianism.

He has an utter disdain for his fellow man. They don't deserve to be saved if they can't save themselves. It's a major reason why Pa Kent tells Clark not to save him. Sure, ostensibly, he wants to keep Clark's secret. For some reason, that's more important than saving his father's life. But can you imagine a libertarian father figure living in the aftermath of having to have been saved by someone? The indignity of being weaker than anyone with respect to their practical, Darwinistically relevant attributes? How dare people have other priorities and skills as members of a species that exists outside the food chain?

Snyder doesn't trust people and he sees them as takers. He thinks if people knew Clark to be above everyone else, they would tear him down.

It's why Snyder treats the heroes like gods that we don't live up to. Like we should worship them. Even when he's forced to show his heroes helping people, it's depicted as if it's a burden.

"You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards." You can hear it in his dialogue. He sees people as inherently inadequate, and the only virtues that Jor-El knows his son will have over humans at the point when he says this are his physical abilities. So the only virtues Snyder cares about are physical ones.

Reeve's Superman delighted in helping people. Do you think he'd be happy to let people start worshipping him as a god without having anything to say about it?

His characters are all ego. "You've never met a woman like me." "If I wanted it, you'd be dead already." "Do you bleed? You will." Superman takes every opportunity, whether it's the handcuffs or the satellite, to let the military know how inept they are compared to him. Snyder's characters seem to care more about posturing, edge-lording, and communicating how capable they are than actually helping people.

And the whole "you don't owe this world a thing."

The world that took him in from a dying planet and raised him as their own.

Fuck that.

I mean seriously. Imagine you're a person surrounded by ants. They are as feeble against you as humans are to Superman. They've chained you in grass handcuffs. They're using satellites to try to control you. You KNOW these measures aren't even close to being an issue for you. What do you do? Especially as a hero?

Do you easily tear your way out of your cuffs like paper? Smash the satellite into the ground and gloat about how they can't control you?

Or do you allow them to think they can control you until you have an actual reason to break the deception? Do you recognize that they are AFRAID, and let them take the measures that make them feel better so that they're LESS afraid, instead of making them MORE so?

Snyder seems to think that what a hero does is the FORMER.

Snyder is antithetical to Superman in every way. He was exactly the wrong person to ask to direct a Superman movie.

As solid as Gunn has been, I'm not sure I would pick him to run so many mainstream character storylines. He strikes me as someone who thrives in the offbeat underdogs. Which isn't how I would describe any of the mainstream DC characters. Clearly, he's taken that philosophy to Superman, including goofier characters like Krypto.

I'm ambivalent about that. The MCU got ridiculous after Endgame, living in a world of magic, aliens, and multiverses. It was just too much. Ironman was grounded, and the more outrageous elements were slowly added in.

Gunn seems to have no qualms about diving into the deep end. It might get too crazy too fast. Then again, maybe it's a much-needed shot in the arm if it wants to stand out to a superhero-exhausted audience. And if anyone can pull it off, it'd be him. At the very least, be doesn't seem to be coming in with an antithetical political agenda.

I might see it eventually if I hear it's good, purely because it's James Gunn and that makes me curious. I do miss Reeve's refreshing charm, and they had the gall to bust out the old theme, which instilled me with hope in a meta way, so I imagine that means they're going with that characterization of Superman.

But I'm also perfectly happy letting this 25 year fad die.

[thisworldisablackhole]

Solaris, by Stanisław Lem (1961) - 5/5

I was a little hesitant to read Solaris. Based on the synopsis, it just didn't seem like the type of science fiction novel I was used to. There are no large scale intergalactic battles or worn down cities disintegrating under the weight of hyper-tech and late stage capitalism, Solaris' scale is much smaller and more personal than that, but the ideas it represents are no less important.

Solaris takes place on the planet of it's namesake, where a living ocean is believed to be responsible for the planets ability to orbit two suns while maintaining a stable gravity. This has obviously garnered significant interest from the scientific community, to the point where a whole school of Solaristics was invented purely for the study of this anomaly. A research station was established on the planet, the ocean was confirmed to be, infact, not-fucking-normal at all, and thousands upon thousands of research papers were published. This torrent of research ultimately began to divide Solarists into separate schools of thought, which almost transformed the whole ocean into something more resembling a God with many faces. Experiments were carried out, discoveries were made, but not one scientist was ever able to make any real progress in actually understanding the ocean's existence, and more so, many scientists died in the process. It's motives and mechanisms remained a frustrating secret.

As the decades passed, interest in Solaristics began to dwindle, and calls to shut the station down entirely gained heavy traction as mankind's return on investment was essentially a net zero. Humanity slowly began to abandon the study of Solaristics completely, as it was believe to be a lost cause, meanwhile the research station was slowly abandoned as more people were driven mad and suicidal by the ocean itself. Only three committed scientists remained on the station. And here we begin the story.

First off, the beginning of this book was some of the most tense and gripping fiction I've ever read. Stanisław Lem drops us right into the hot seat as our new arrival, Dr. Kris Kelvin, arrives at the station to aid his colleagues. The atmosphere is eerie from the second the doors open, and only becomes more unnerving as Kelvin tries to figure out what happened to the rest of the crew. The psychological horror elements of this book landed way harder than I expected. Every sentence felt like a cold sweat dripping in tension. Lem moves things along at a pretty quick pace, but that strong sense of unease doesn't really go away until around the middle of the book, and naturally so—as our knowledge of the problem increases, we become less afraid.

The second half might not be as scary, but I thoroughly disagree with the notion that it is more boring. The crew relations stay tense and dynamic throughout the whole ride, and what we lose in fear, we gain in a higher focus on philosophy. The final chapter is actually one of my favourite parts of the whole book as Kelvin sits and explains his theory of an imperfect God. It becomes quite obvious what the ocean represents in the grander scheme of things by the last few pages, but Stanisław Lem lays down a genius stroke and reveals this in a way which will force you to connect the dots on your own, and it recontextualizes the entire story. The coolest thing about it, is it seems to be interpreted in a few different ways depending on who you are. Hell, some other reviewers seem to have missed the meaning entirely, which is maybe why they thought the second half of the book was boring. I guess the ocean really is a reflection of ourselves after all. For me, the ocean represents our deepest fears and insecurities. It's the grief swirling inside of us, of which we obsess but can not cure. The inability to understand. All of the isolation and paranoia aboard the station finally makes sense.

There are a few exposition dumps here and there, but it is what it is. It's a pretty hard science fiction book after all, so we might as well get our hands dirty. Were they a bit of a slog to get through? Yes. But did I appreciate the effort that the author went through to build such a believable world and problem? One backed by countless research papers sitting conveniently in the station's library for our protagonist to read at his convenience? Absolutely. The info dumps are there for the people who want to know the gritty details, and they are pretty easy to skim over for those who don't. My only real complaint with the book is that it wasn't longer. I felt like so much more could have been expanded upon and explored. The atmosphere was so enthralling that I wanted to stay in it forever, but I also think the quick pace is part of why all the different horror, sci-fi and mystery elements worked so well together. Some of the conversations also seemed a little unreasonably hostile at times, but I wonder how much of that is just a byproduct of translation. Either way, this gets a hard 5/5 from me. Now I wish I didn't smudge the ink on the cover by reading it in the bath.

[lizseyi]

Can Consumer Psychology Increase Conversion – Conversity

Have you ever wondered what drives human behaviour and what could guide people towards a desirable choice? Are there certain elements involved, a psychological hack, or just something that happens by chance? Many psychological models look at factors that determine if an individual takes action or not. At Conversity, we have focused on the Fogg Behavior Model, to help us understand why consumers do what they do. Our intelligent guided selling solutions help consumers choose the best possible products or services based on their needs, so understanding consumer behaviour is critical to designing optimal customer journeys.

The Fogg Behavior Model was formulated by Dr. BJ Fogg from Stanford University, who suggests, for a particular behaviour to take place three variables need to be present- motivation, ability, and a suitable prompt. If the desired behaviour does not take place, then it could be because motivation or ability is low or a prompt or trigger to act is not present. People need to be motivated themselves to perform a certain behaviour, this cannot be decided for them, but language and the placement of it at varying points of the shopping journey can be used to increase motivation levels and therefore desire to change. There is a trade- off between motivation and ability shown by the action line. The more motivated someone is to perform a certain behaviour, the less able they need to be able to carry it out.

Social proof can drive motivation. Reviews are heavily relied upon; research has shown that around 85% of people now trust reviews as much as opinions of family and friends. With one of our clients who is still growing in popularity, we used Trustpilot and Google reviews to instil confidence with the consumer that it is a trusted and reliable brand to purchase from. This was one of the primary aims set out before the design of the intelligent guided selling journey and helped them achieve greater online conversion rates.

Call to actions are needed for someone to change their behaviour. Placement of language descriptions such as ‘selling fast’ and ‘best seller’ across ecommerce sites encourage the consumer to purchase since a sense of urgency is created. Through this the item is portrayed as popular and that many other people are buying the item. Humans on a social level generally have a desire to fit in and are afraid of rejection or being different. However, it is important these product descriptions are presented to the consumer at the right time during the shopping journey and that they are used ethically- it would not be appropriate nor a Conversity best practice to describe a product as a ‘best seller’ on a product that was performing poorly.

Understanding the customer, their needs, how they shop and how they go about finding what they need is fundamental when considering the design of an intelligent guided selling journey. From here we can formulate different mindset categories that we believe most people would fall into. Mindsets are based on motivation and readily remind users at the start of the journey the reason they are shopping for a particular product in the first place.

Often the ability of the consumer is assumed and overlooked. An individual must have the ability to carry out the behaviour otherwise it will not take place. According to the Fogg Behavior Model there are three ways to increase ability: provide them with a tool which they can use to perform the behaviour, scale back the behaviour making it easier or train the person to carry out the task. Within our guided selling journeys, we frequently provide education through small pieces of information that can be accessed by the user, as and when they need them. This information is more likely to be taken on by the user since they have actively engaged by opening the modal containing the information. This leaves the customer with the knowhow and confidence on how to adopt the desired behaviour, increasing ability.

With one of our veterinary pharmaceutical customers, we designed a journey to guide people to adopt a regular preventative treatment for their pet and, in turn, purchase a particular product from their website. An initial question is asked to understand the mindset of the consumer, understanding how the intelligent guided selling journey could help them and what they are looking to achieve. By providing information to the user regarding the possible negative economic, health and personal consequences, motivation, driven by fear would hopefully drive users to adopt a desirable behaviour. The preventative treatment recommendation followed by dosage information is the last prompt at the end of the journey that gives the user the reason to convert.

In summary understanding the key motivations behind different purchasing behaviour is important, knowing the motivators means there can be careful consideration of language and placement of nudges throughout the journeys. Acknowledging the potential barriers that may prevent someone from converting at checkout allows us room to try and attempt to overcome any of these issues. Using the psychology behind decision making does not just enable a good customer experience enhancement and help the customer choose, but also unlocks the ability to drive business outcomes.

Conversity uses the principles that underlie the Fogg Behavior Model to ensure that we are designing online customer journeys that maximise conversion rates. Our team of customer experience experts ensure that our customers are provided with consumer psychology best practices that enable consumers to optimize their online experience while providing truly authentic recommendations that meet their needs and expectations. And what’s not to like about that?

If you would like to learn more about Conversity’s intelligent guided selling solutions and the Consumer Psychology considerations that go into their design, get in touch. We would be delighted to explain how this approach can help your business.

[joylinda-hawks]

This period is not the best for me, I have terrible thoughts. Now, when I look through entries on the Internet, I feel a great sense of disgust. I understand that there are people who would stab their own mother for their own gain and would feel no remorse. Let me put it simply: there are many people who have chosen a different narrative than ours, that is their choice. Looking at them from the side, it seems that these people have forgotten what ZZH said in his only real interview in January 2022. This interview was very important for him and for us, after many months we could hear his voice, the voice of a young man who said with full determination and conviction that he would fight for justice and would come back when justice was served. He said he believed in the party and his country. Some people should listen to this interview many times so that ZZH's words and voice stick in their mind. This is one of the aspects I want to write about here. The second aspect is the history aspect and you need to read professional books describing the history of China before and during World War II. I'm not talking about general entries on the Internet or historical blogs, which may not have reliable sources, but about real history books describing this period. Then we will learn what impact the occupier had on the Chinese nation and what suffering ordinary Chinese people experienced. There are still people alive who remember this time because it is difficult to forget. I hope some people remember what charges were brought against ZZH. No other dirty charges were found against him, so the accusation a tra1tor of the Han nation was created for the purpose of slander. The worst and most terrible trait that can be described in a Chinese citizen. It is like a death sentence that allows you to kill such a marked person without legal consequences. Did anyone wonder why ZZH was afraid to leave the house after 8.13? Perhaps he was afraid for his health and life. If, as some people believe, this accusation was trivial, then why did ZZH decide to hide at home after that date? To understand this, you need to know the mentality of CN citizens, their historical sensitivity and the way they treat people marked as tra1tors. In no country is a person called a tra1tor treated well. Most people don't care whether the accusation is true or not, they are looking for cheap sensationalism fueled by social media. ZZH will never become an international star without clearing his name on CN. To become an international star, he must be a star in his own country. These two elements are like connected vessels. Understanding these elements will allow you to see the true aspect of the ZZH situation.