#almost like we’re all individual people with individual beliefs

[felinefractious]

Final (hopefully) Notes on Moonpaw

So first off I’d like to specify this is not a Warriors blog.

The Warriors series was hugely important to me during my childhood so there’s a definite nostalgia factor there. I no longer read the books but I still interact with the material and community.

There is a hefty overlap between the cat genetics + phenotype community and Warriors fans. A non-insignificant portion of my followers are involved with the series to some extent.

As such the subject will occasionally come up. Going forward these instances will be tagged as #wc bullshit, even if the circumstances or nature of the discussion aren’t negative. It’s just better to have one consistent tan people can block.

But ultimately this is not and will never be a Warriors blog.

Now onto the matter at hand.

Let’s summarize.

Moonpaw is the protagonist of the upcoming series of Warriors. The official website recently released her design as well as her parents, which has caused a buzz within the community for multiple reasons.

She is labeled as a chimera in her description, which the authors represent with a split-face pattern. A notable aspect of her story is going to center around this and how unique and special this makes her…

Which only demonstrates the authors poor understanding of the subject, as the split-face pattern is a normal presentation of tortoiseshell coloration and something which would certainly have occured numerous time within the clans population prior to now.

One of the authors thought mackerel referred to a green-hued cat, though. So.

It is possible for Moonpaw to be a chimera in the same way it is possible for any character to be or have been a chimera, there is no singular way for chineric cats to look and phenotypically normal cats can be chimeric and it’s just not detected because no-one knows to look for it.

But the split-face in itself isn’t suggestive of being a chimera, this is a widely perpetuated myth.

The belief that split face = chimera may be a relatively benign misunderstanding but it’s somewhat concerning how devoted to this misbelief some people seem to be. It’s okay to be wrong, it’s okay to not have known something. If you’re given new information accept it, don’t come snapping back with “Why does it matter?”

It’s a slippery slope to try and decide what degree of misinformation is acceptable to spread and the way some people react to almost as if it’s a personal slight to be told is teetering dangerously close to anti-intellectualism, especially during a time where misinformation in general is on the rise a la AI.

Don’t get me wrong, deliberate information can be fun to play with because it involves some degree of understanding that it isn’t true. Goncharov is an excellent example of “Yes, and” and sometimes I’ll assigned completely fabricated breeds to followers cats as part of a game.

This is different than sincere ignornance.

And we’re already seeing the inevitable conclusion of this behavior, I’ve seen swaths of misinformation about chimerism stemming from this which are not as benign as the initial split-face misbelief.

Chimerism occurs when two zygotes fuse into one organism… and that’s all chimerism is.

Chimerism is not a and is not related to any disability. It is actually so benign that we don’t know how common it actually is because most remain undiagnosed because there’s no inclination to test for it.

In instances where it is tested for this usually isn’t due to any medical complication for the individual, rather reproductive anomalies seem to be the most common instigator for testing, such as someone failing a parental DNA test.

So of course Moonpaw could be disabled but in the same way literally any character could be disabled. There’s been nothing in her design or the rest of the source material we’ve seen thus far that indicates she’s canonically disabled. Her chimerism is irrelevant to this subject.

Chimerism is also not inherently an intersex condition, although it absolutely can be. Intersex conditions occur when there are chromosomal, hormonal or anatomical variations that deviate from the narrowly defined social norm of one sex or another.

Ezra is a well-known chimera who with 96% XX and 4% XY chromosomes in blood but 100/% XY chromosomes in skin which means Ezra is intersex… but if the zygotes that fused were both XX or XY the individual would not be intersex due to their chimerism, though.

Discrimination of intersex people is a real problem.

But it has nothing to do with Moonpaw as a chimera.

Of course Moonpaw could be intersex, the same as any character could be intersex. Moonpaw can even be intersex as a direct result of her chimerism, as is the case with Ezra! But being a chimera in and of itself isn’t an indication that she’s intersex, it is entirely possible for her to be a chimera and still be endosex.

So once again there is nothing present in the canon we’ve been presented with thus far to indicate she’s canonically intersex, and if she is intersex then her chimerism may or may not be relevant.

And finally… the inbreeding issue.

I’d like to emphasize that Moonpaw being inbred was not a deliberate choice made by the authors and is not intended to represent individuals born from a consanguineous union. The cast of these books are tremendous and they fail to keep track of the family tree, frequently resulting in related characters being paired essentially due to sloppy record keeping.

So with this in mind nothing has been included in the canon thus far to indicate Moonpaw canonically experiences any adverse effects due to her lineage.

Anyways, it seems that people learned about the Habsburg family in 9th grade and that they had health kssues attributed to inbreeding and that… is where their knowledge on the subject ends, I guess?

The problem with inbreeding from a strictly biological perspective is that recessive traitd are retained and perpetuated. This article from BBC Earth does a pretty good job of breaking down the jist of the issue in a language that’s pretty accessible to the layperson.

Speaking of the Habsburg I’ve seen Moonpaw’s situation related to them a few times so I plugged Moonpaw’s family and the Habsburg family into a calculator to see how similar their COI (coefficient of inbreeding) is.

Moonpaw has a COI of 11.62% which is about the same degree of relatedness as first cousins while Charles II of the Habsburg family had a COI of 25.20% which is the same degree of relatedness as half-siblings.

So if Moonpaw were to display characteristics of inbreeding they would most likely be hypertyping (essentially extreme preservation of family traits), recessive traits (which may be benign) or inherited disorders such as PK Deficiency.

Other characteristics of inbreeding in cats that we’ve seen come through the clinic include pectus excavatum, abnormal testicular and lymphatic tissue, bilateral or unilateral cryptorchidism, or non-severe structural abnormalities such as a syndactyl digit or additional, small tail vertebrae.

So there’s no reason to believe Moonpaw would resemble the mother from Barbarian (2022) and real people born of incest don’t actually look and act like that either. It’s a horror movie myth and acting like it’s an accurate representation does a disservice to those genuinely born into and disabled due to such circumstances.

Side Note: Jokes about incest aren’t funny and stereotypes about inbreeding in rural areas are deeply rooted in classism.

A final note that the inbreeding is entirely unrelated to the chimerism, there is no evidence that inbreeding increases the likelihood of chimerism occuring. So logically and canonically her chimerism and her inbreeding exist completely independent of each other.

So TL;DR

Moonpaw could be a chimera but the premise that her split-face is indicative of being a chimera is based in misinformation.

Moonpaw being a chimera is not and is not related to a disability.

Moonpaw being a chimera can cause her to be intersex but her being intersex is not a given based solely on her being a chimera.

Moonpaw is inbred due to author negligence but the way people visualize the effects of this are grossly sensationalized.

Moonpaw being inbred and Moonpaw being a chimera are unrelated.

Chimera, disability and intersex headcanons are awesome for any and all characters indepent of canon. Go wild!

#pinned #caterwauling #wc bullshit #incest cw

[nedsseveredhead]

Funniest vague ive seen about me so far is the person who was mad I as a jew wasnt mad about the same performative bs they, goyim, were but since im jewish they cant make a callout post about me and theyre absolutely seething that i have a semi popular text post around rn

#im a naughty lil jew who doesnt act the way they were told we’re supposed to act #almost like we’re all individual people with individual beliefs #who have thunked #the reason they dislike me btw is because i didnt condemn a friend of mine who rted a meme about clip studio paint #that used the trad wife time machine whatever format #‘thank you for being perfect’ ‘im a free art program’ or something #there was a post going around awhile back that talked about that particular meme formats 4chan origins #because of that some people are jncomfortable with its uses #i personally dont care so long as the subject matter isnt bigoted #co opting shitty memes is good akshully in my personal opinion #but i expressed to them when they brought it up that its true some people may be uncomfy with it and thats fine #then they got mad lmao

[glitteringobliteration]

this might be an unpopular opinion. i’ve been seeing (and posting) a lot about buddy dawn since finishing the episode (which, expected! makes total sense given all of the everything about the end of the episode). but i think something important to keep in mind is that we shouldn’t be treating him like a soft little cinnamon roll baby boy now just bc he’s dead.

the same exact thing happened with lucy frostblade and yolanda badgood. another blog on here (i can’t find it at the moment, i’ll tag them) made a post about this phenomenon and how it shows up in reality too, and it’s exactly what emily was referring to when she was saying (as wanda childa) that the complicated women’s podcast episode about lucy was “nothing she could get her rocks off to.”

we start almost romanticizing these characters and people once they’re gone, but they were complex individuals with full lives, with the capacity to be good and bad.

buddy dawn’s death doesn’t negate the actions we‘ve seen him take in the show thus far. yes he was brought up in a highly restrictive environment and his beliefs have been shaped by his surroundings, and we can’t fault him for that. he was just a transfer student in the wrong place at the wrong time. he was used as a pawn in kipperlilly’s game, and that should make us upset for his sake. but i don’t think we should be waxing poetic about him just yet. right now he’s still just a cleric of helio who got fucked by his circumstances. we don’t know anything else yet.

he did deserve better. we’re obviously allowed to feel upset or overwhelmed by what happened during the episode. but he’s probably going to get revived and we’ll learn more next week. everybody pls calm down (i’m guilty as well i’m talking to myself too)

#fantasy high #fantasy high junior year #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #d20 #dimension 20 #dimension 20 fhjy #d20 fhjy #fantasy high spoilers #buddy dawn #kipperlilly copperkettle #brennan lee mulligan #jy15 spoilers #pls don’t cancel me

[mochi-owos]

Meeting genshin men at your local grocery store?!

Childe, Itto, Kaeya, Alhaitham, Ayato x Reader

To be honest, the job itself wasn’t too bad. Pretty normal actually. Aside from the few weirdos that have been walking in lately..

Inspired by @abyssruler’s 7/11 Diaries! (One again written in the depths of night, so I apologize for the errors and tbh it’s kinda bad 😰)

Childe:

You could do this! Self belief! Stay awake! Your shift was almost done, 2am on the clock and two more hours to go. Everything was pretty mundane, occasionally mopping the floor, checking the stock, handling the (basically unused) register— all mundane with the lack of people. But today a real odd ball walked in: ginger hair, roughed clothing, tussled hair, and oh- the massive nose bleed dripping down onto his clothes.

He walks through the store so calmly - it’s almost startlingly - he strolls through the isles putting random items, then walks up to the counter. He grins, "Well hello there, I didn’t know such a pretty thing would be working at a time like this." He says, all while blood is still dripping down his nose.

You blink once, you blink twice, you take the basket and start scanning, "It’s too early in the morning for this.." You mumble, tired eyes fumbling with the unreasonably items. The prices of each individual item would send you into cardiac arrest, but all in all? Fucking nuts. How does he even have money? Have you seen the economics state of the world?

Your words only make him laugh, as you look up at him your gaze fuses on his bloody nose, "You’re bleeding."

"I know." He smiles.

"O," You blink slowly once more. "Want a tissues or something?”

He raises a brow, "Ha! You’re pretty funny, you know! Most workers get scared!" He laughs, watching intently as you pack away his items handing them to him.

You look him in the eyes, "I don’t get paid enough."

From that day since he’d often come to the store chatting with you, all while buying odd products. At this point you were starting to think it’s all to speak with you, I mean— Instant rice and pickles? You raised a brow, almost like a mind reader he spoke,

"My friend dropped his phone in the toilet so we’re doing the rice method, and the pickles is for me, nice snack."

Isn’t the rice method supposed to be bad? “Why don’t you just go to a repair shop?"

"Hes quirky like that."

"Just leave."

At some point you started seeing him outside the shop, he also goes to the same university as you. Which did make sense seeing at though he looked your age, but what surprised you the most is that he’s pretty well know. So now you started to wonder how you hadn’t heard about him. Maybe it’s because you have no friends— that’s a problem. You’ll need some of those.. you guess. Now that you think about it, you never got his name. How odd.

Itto:

It was very much valid for you to assume that the man before you was drunk. He was awfully loud (so much so you could hear him from five blocks down), he talked funny, and so did he act the same.

As you tiredly rub your eyes you to try shake yourself awake, there was still so much time until work was over. And with the shouting going on outside it was actually quite easy, most would be worried of a murder being what’s taking place outside but it was awfully normal for such screams, also the sound of drunk laughter easily disproves the thought of murder. A man -easily 7ft tall, White hair, super buff, his hair oddly whisked - trudges in, panic written all over his face. "WHERE IS YOUR RICE?" He asked anxiously.

"Excuse me?"

"I NEED RICE FOR MY PHONE." He jumped around in place, you point him towards the section and he runs off, few of his friends snicker while some look worried.

You wait around at the counter, it takes him a few minutes to gather what he needs, next time he comeback he has at least four small bags of rice and bandages. As you ring him up you hear the man speak with his friends,

"Do you think it’ll work?" One of his friends ask.

"I think so! I got the premium rice, and I think the bandages will work too!" He smiles.

"For.. your phone?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing.." his friends mumble, stifling a laugh.

You simply shake your head at such idiocy, but then again you can understand, repair shops are unbelievably expensive and half the time it gets even more broken. But your action seems to have caught the man’s attention, gawking he turns to his friends, “THEYRE SO HOT.”

From that day forward he constantly visited the shop, goofing around in the store in attempts to get your number.

"So, you like jazz?" He has this odd smirk on his face, almost as if that was his attempt to finesse you.

"Yes."

"Ah. You were supposed to say no."

"Sorry?"

Soon, Itto (his name, he had written it on a piece of paper and whilst paying for his newest purchase slipped it in) started being able to spot you on campus, following you around like a lost puppy. Perhaps you’ll slip in your number next time you give him change.. perhaps.

Kaeya:

To Kaeya you were hot, really fucking hot. Though you were kinda invisible that added to your charm, that or he just had a thing for total losers, he couldn’t tell. And for the most part you weren’t entire invisible, often seeing your name on the first board after grades come out, or even seeing you enrolled in competitions, or he’d see you studying in the library - looking so adorable- writing away at your notes. He thought you were utterly ethereal, and the need to get to know you was insatiable. His friends quite literally needing to hold him down from running up to you and scaring you away. So come to find out lovely ol’ you works at one of his favourite convince place he already had a plan brewing.

You drearily watch the clock, your body feeling as if it's numb. Your hands lazily drawing circles on the counter, starting to regret the fact you decided to work the graveyard shift. The ringing of the store bell waking you from your hazziness, a man dressed nicely came in: blue hair, blue eyes (odd combo, to be completely honest), dressed in what looked like ballroom clothing, his expression of.. smugness? Unyielding.

As you wait to ring him up you take out your phone and start scrolling through it, but soon you here light steps approaching placing your phone back in your pocket and take the items and start scanning. All as you do so the man watches you intently, and little too much.

”Can I help you with something, Sir?"

He raises a brow, "Sir? You don't think I'm that old, do you?!" He cried.

"No, Sir. I'm required to do this."

"So you think I look nice?"

"Sure."

"Would you go out with me?" Was that really his attempt at rizzing you up?

"Please just take your items and leave, Sir." (I'm saving you the embarrassment -and myjob-)

He couldn't stand it, no, he was determined-- he will rizz you up. You have to give him a chance! And so whenever you had a free moment you would see him walk up to you, it’s not that you minded his unbreaking tenacity, it was quite admirable actually.

"Hey!" He ran up to you, waving his hand. He stops in front of you weaving, "Trying to run away from me?"

"No. I’m hungry."

"Ah! The allow me to do the pleasure and buy you lunch."

"If you have money, sure.”

You were oh so happy, free food truly did taste the best. So while he got to know you you got full - and happy - tummy. Maybe you’ll actually let him take you out.

Al Haitham:

See, typically you were fine with customers, but this time you were utterly enthralled by this.. this asshole with a stick up his ass. You’d love to hop over the counter and give him a wack, but you refrain from doing so— he looked rich, and he was buff, you most definitely could not take him in a fight.

"It’s 14.55."

"I’m aware."

"I am in a rush, please let me pay already."

"Im sorry, Sir. I’m required to ring this all up."

"But I already told you, it’s 14.55." His eyes looked a bit agitated, his arms crossed.

"Sir, I am just doing my job."

"K."

To be honest, you didn’t really know what was coming out of his mouth after that, nor did you care, you simply nod, most of the “conversation” you looked at his.. uh, breast(s) pocket. You’d never see him again, what’s the harm?

You were wrong, so undeniably, unbelievably, wrong. Exactly 5 hours later you’d see him at the gym, staring at you, approaching you- wait, approaching you?? You look around the room, what do you do? How do you seem like you’re busy? Pull out you pho-?!

"Hey."

"Hello..? Do you need something?"

"Do you need help?"

"No."

"I’m helping you anyway."

"O."

And workout buddies you came to be, often meeting him during your workout sessions. You never really needed his help, but with his insistence you agreed. Sometimes even studying together.

"Are you stupid?"

"I think so, I’ve been talking with my doctor lately and-"

"I didn’t mean it literally."

"Ah."

With exams coming up you’ve been seeing each other a lot more, and the study areas have been a lot more.. romantic? Close, cool mood lighting, cold- sometimes even his own house. But then again, maybe it’s just you.

Ayato:

This was absolutely fucking nuts. This guy was decked out— SO BAD. The Ayato Kamisato, one of the richest bachelors was before you, you couldn’t help but be a bad bit taken back. But regardless you tried your best to scan all his odd items.

For a hot bachelor his grocery items were really weird, and so fucking expensive you felt your heart clench.. you’ll need a break after this, maybe even a smoke (you’ve never smoked in your life and if you were to you were pretty sure you’d have an asthma attack).

His gaze wondered you curiously, has you handed him his groceries he smiled, leaving a.. 100$ TIP?? WHAT THE FUCK. WHERE DOES HE GET THIS MONEY? I THOUGHT WE WERE IN A RESCISSION. WHAT. Your eyes were massive, looking back up at him, "Uhm, Sir. I think you misplaced this bill.." as much as you wanted to keep it, you had morals (sadly), holding yourself to high principle.

"Oh, that was no mistake. I appreciate the fact someone like you is working at such an hour. Have a lovely morning." He waved and left.. someone like me? Is that an insult? Does he think I’m poor?

As you pondered what he meant you started seeing him more, and more. Always leaving a massive tip, does god.. love me? Your reactions always brining a smile to his face, and conversations with you always left him with a swelling in his chest, you were awfully funny.

"Here, a tip."

"Am I.. in more debt?" You tilt your head, "Do you want something from me?" Your eyes widen, "Is this perhaps your way of buying me? Is that what rich people do..? That’s what’s I heard.." mumbling the last part you look into the floor, bringing your hand up to fumble with your lip- in deep concentration.

He was so weird, people said he was cool. From what you can tell all he is a weirdo. Who tips this much? Who buys this much weird stuff? Isn’t he rich? Why doesn't he just get someone to get him groceries? Why does he look at you weird? Honestly, if he kept giving you this much money you might as well become his sugar baby (not that you would mind).

#genshin impact #x reader #genshin fluff #childe #childe x gender neutral reader #childe x reader #itto headcanons #arataki itto #itto x reader #kaeya x gender neutral reader #kaeya x reader #genshin kaeya #alhaitham x reader #alhaitham #kamisato ayato x reader #ayato headcanons #genshin ayato #genshin x reader

[thegaybluejay]

Okay hi I’m back with another ramble-y ATLA character analysis since this is low key my brand on here lmao-

Today I want to talk about Zuko from the lens of someone who also had to deconstruct. This will be long, but please bear with me!

I was raised in a very white conservative evangelical Christian bubble where literally EVERYONE I knew for the majority of my childhood and teenage years thought mostly the same way. There was a lot of othering and shaming of anyone who thought too differently. Even if it was sometimes said more passively than cruelly, there was always that underlying tone. “The others/the people outside of our group/the worldly ones are lost and need our help because we’re better than them!”

While I strived to not be cruel, my beliefs were still harmful. I lost a few friends when I got to my mid-late teenage years because I didn’t yet know how to challenge what I’d been taught.

I see so much of myself in Zuko.

Zuko was surrounded by propaganda his entire life. He was steeped in it - steeped in the blood of those that the system he supported/represented had hurt and killed.

Anger is a huge part of all of this. While my anger was never quite as outward as Zuko’s (I hid it fairly well and was always known as the “pretty good kid”), I can still so heavily relate to his anger. His anger at always falling just short of being good enough or perfect enough. His later anger at himself for not understanding how fucked up the system was sooner. His anger at the people that failed and hurt him. His anger at realizing how he failed and hurt other people. All of it.

I also understand his backslides in Book 2 and early Book 3. When you begin tackling the first layers of harmful shit you’ve been taught, it can quickly become so tempting to just call it quits and go back. You almost start to romanticize the simplicity of life before you began this journey. The rules and goals were so straightforward back then, and deconstructing is messy as hell. Even if you were deeply hurting in your old life, at least you weren’t so damn confused. You used to know your next steps, but now everything is in disarray and you don’t have a direction to rebuild in yet. Going back almost feels like it would be a survival tactic, a way to have a sense of control again. Zuko definitely 100% needed to atone for what he did in Ba Sing Se because it hurt others, and while I’d like to think I would’ve made a different choice in his shoes, I also get it on some level. The confusion stage sucks, and it’s not always linear either.

But then.

One day, something just clicks. You eventually deconstruct enough that you truly come to full terms with how fucked up it all is. And you realize that you don’t belong there anymore, and the version of you that DID belong was just a facade. The blinders fully come off, they’re never going back on, and a spark lights in you that prompts you to make a big change. The deeper you go, the more urgent this deconstruction becomes in your mind because holy fuck I have to do something about this. I want this shit out of my brain for good and I want to help make things better. I want to learn who I am and finally live that out.

THAT is one of the most pivotal points in the journey, and I loved seeing it within Zuko’s arc when he comes to this realization after the war meeting in Book 3 and leaves to join the Gaang. I also loved that they didn’t trust him the first time he came to them - both he as an individual and the system that he had once supported/represented had hurt these people, and it took some real apologies and some time to build up trust. It also wasn’t done with half assed centrism either - it was “I acknowledge that this system is completely broken and wrong and I will do everything in my power to help gut it from the top-down and restore it with love”.

This leads to another pivotal point in the journey - instead of being motivated by fear like you were when you were deep in the indoctrination or by the raw anger you first felt as you initially left, you start to be motivated by love. And it’s the most freeing thing.

It was so cool to see Zuko learn that, while his anger was a helpful tool (ie: the confrontation with his father and his overall anger at the corruption he saw in his nation), he couldn’t be fueled by it any longer. He had to find another motivation to keep going, and he was then taught by the Sun Warriors and the dragons how to be motivated by light and life and love and also how to use those alongside an anger that was finally righteous.

And with this, he was ready to fight. To fight for a cause he knew to be good. To fight arm in arm with his newly acquired family. To fight to fix what his nation had done to the world and to itself. To fight for love and peace instead of division and hate and destruction.

And wow is it a beautiful journey.

TL;DR - Zuko’s story is so powerful to those who are deconstructing and I love him so much! I also just enjoy doing character analysis hehe.

(I really love talking about ATLA, so if y’all want me to analyze other characters or even plotlines through a specific lens, feel free to submit an Ask and I will happily do so!!!)

(Also, quick ending note - this is just my personal experience with deconstruction! Other people’s retelling of their own deconstructions may be different from mine, and that’s totally okay!!)

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #prince zuko #character arcs #i really love zuko guys #deconstruction #deconstructing christianity #exvangelical

[uptoolateart]

Those Two Were Made for Each Other

I have heard a view from a few people that Adrinette aren’t interesting because we know from the first episode that they are destined to be together, and we’re reminded repeatedly that they were ‘made for each other’. Basically, they're so inevitable that it's boring. I guess this is why there is so much fan fiction about other pairings.

I disagree. It's true that it’s okay for Adrien and Marinette to end up with other people - sometimes you think you’re in love and that love passes or changes into a different kind of love, and being with someone else is another kind of happy ending.

That said, the ‘made for each other’ trope is a standard found in thousands of romance stories, not just ‘Miraculous’ - and when done right, I absolutely love it.

To give a personal example: when I first heard my husband speak, without even seeing him, I thought, ‘I need to know this person.’ I couldn’t tell you why. I knew he was ‘the one’ almost immediately. I spent months thinking he reminded me strongly of someone, but I couldn’t place who - then realised what I was experiencing was that feeling you hear about in stories, like you knew each other in another life. I have no solid beliefs about such things, one way or the other, but I definitely had that feeling. And the more I learned about him, the more I caught myself thinking he had actually been made for me.

But that didn't mean everything was instantly perfect for us. 'Inevitable' love definitely happens in real life, but it's still fraught with challenges / points for growth.

I love the way Adrien and Marinette keep running into obstacles, and how they overcome them - how they each learn from one another and grow together. The inevitability may be there, but it’s all about the timing. Sometimes you might be ‘made for each other’ but it’s just not the right moment, and that’s what we’re seeing in ‘Miraculous’.

Thinking of another love of mine, in the manga / anime ‘Inuyasha’ he declares that Kagome was ‘born’ to meet him and he to meet her - but they had to wait 500 years to meet and then learn more lessons together before they were both in a place where they could be equal partners. Likewise, Adrien and Marinette have been on their individual paths, figuring themselves out, and can only come together when they have worked things out enough to be equal partners. If they come together too soon, the relationship will be unbalanced and unhealthy.

So it's true that with such romances there might not be the surprise of who they end up with...but that's not the point of that type of story. The joy lies in watching two very flawed (i.e. normal) people learn their lessons and grow, separately and together. It's in watching the friendship blossom and unfold, so that when the romance finally happens there is a solid foundation to carry the couple through all of life’s ups and downs. Think Mulder and Scully.

Destiny can be real - it’s just not always a smooth ride. And all of that is exciting.

#chat noir #miraculous ladybug #cat noir #mlb fandom #miraculous fandom #mlb #ml fandom #miraculous cat noir #marichat #adrien agreste #adrinette #miraculous adrinette #miraculous ladybug adrien #adrien x marinette #miraculous adrien #adrienette #miraculous marinette #marinette dupain cheng #adrichat #ladrien #ladynoir #mlb thoughts #ml thoughts #mlb analysis #ml analysis #ml adrien #ml adrinette #ladybug and chat noir #mlb s5 #mlb season 5 spoilers

[circulars-reasoning]

If One Alter Believes It, You All Do (it’s okay, promise)

Time for another long post, though fair warning, I am a bit sleepy. I just feel this is a very important post to make.

This post is open to debate, from all sides of syscourse. However, this post is written with specifically DID/OSDD/UDD/p-DID in mind, and may not be applicable to Endogenic plurals or DID (umbrella term) systems have spiritual headmates. Please keep this in mind if you reblog.

TL;DR: If one alter says something, you cannot just pass it off as “their personal belief.” That’s a belief the system, as a whole, has, and it’s up to YOU to fix that belief if it’s harmful.

I’ve seen more and more frequently lately folks posting about their alter doing XYZ horrible thing, and immediately saying how they disagree with those things. “I’m sorry for what Someone said, it was homophobic and wrong.” “I’m an anti-endo alter, but that alter is pro-endo, I apologize for what they said.” “This alter sent harassment to people, we’re deeply sorry for the pain they caused.”

It’s been very lovely seeing the culture on tumblr shift to have more system accountability - the recognition that someone in your system did something wrong, and YOU (as a collective) need to apologize.

However.

These things are almost always followed by bullshit. “Because of their actions, they’ve been put into forced dormancy.” What? “X isn’t allowed to front anymore.” You’re kidding me.

Remarkably, shoving the homophobe into a corner does not, in fact, make a homophobe no longer homophobic. And shoving your problematic alter in “system jail” for a bit is not going to get to the root of the issue, and is ignoring a much bigger problem.

Alters are all parts of one whole; they are fragments of one personality. This means, if one alter is homophobic? Congrats. You’re homophobic.

“But Circ! This is erasing the individual beliefs of a system!” Nope! If one alter is homophobic, and another alter is not, then congrats - you’re all homophobic sometimes. Just like a singlet, your beliefs and what you stand for changes sometimes.

It’s an uncomfortable truth, one that a lot of systems don’t want to acknowledge. “That alter is bad though!” Yes. And whose problem is that? Yours! I’m so glad you’ve come to recognize that there is part of you that you dislike. It’s common for people to realize they have an aspect of themself that might be problematic or “not good.” What are you going to do to change that part of yourself for the better? “Oh, don’t worry, I’m just going to lock that sort of myself away forever and ever.”

🤦‍♂️

When you’re a system, you need to work through your shit. If you have an alter that is homophobic, then you need to look at it less like “wow that alter is an asshole” and more like “yikes. That alter is part of me: why are they this way?”

Yes, maybe pulling this alter from the front is a temporary fix. But that cannot be the end of the story! You need to then analyze why you have this alter, why they are this way, and how you can help them grow.

“My alter said something homophobic and is a horrible person when fronting. We have stopped them from fronting for awhile.” Awesome! What will you do next?

❌ I will never let them front again and will condone their actions. They will continue to be homophobic, but now it won’t bother anyone.

✅ I will work through some of my internalized homophobia with them and help them feel safe enough to open up about it. They can change for the better, and while I acknowledge that they won’t change immediately, I can do my best to try.

I have seen more and more systems lately treat forced dormancy or stopping “bad alters” from fronting as the end of the story. That simply is not the case. It is up to each individual system to help process their trauma and help those alters grow - that’s the only path to recovery. And never forget: they are part of you. You are locking a part of yourself away. That would not be healthy for a singlet, so why on earth would it be healthy for you?

#syscourse #did #other specified dissociative disorder #osdd #dissociative identity disorder #plural #system accountability #recovery

[krowbby]

Hogfather footnotes poll, Part 1!

Since it's Hogswatch season, I'm back with another footnote poll! Hogfather has a ton of footnotes, so this has to be split into 2 parts :P Part 2 linked here!

Full text of each footnote plus a little context for each is below the readmore so this post isn't a mile long. Enjoy!

Later on they took the blood out to make the stories more acceptable to children, or at least to the people who had to read them aloud to children rather than the children themselves (who, on the whole, are quite keen on blood provided it’s being shed by the deserving*) *That is to say, those who deserve to shed blood. Or possibly not. You never quite know with some kids.

"The sign which says ‘Do not, under any circumstances, open this door’?” “Of course I’ve read it,” said Ridcully. “Why d’yer think I want it opened?” “Er…why?” said the Lecturer in Recent Runes. “To see why they wanted it shut, of course.” * *This exchange contains almost all you need to know about human civilization. At least, those bits of it that are now under the sea, fenced off, or still smoking.

Downey stood up with some relief and walked over to his large drinks cabinet. His hand hovered over the Guild’s ancient and valuable tantalus, with its labeled decanters of Mur, Nig, Trop, and Yeksihw.* *It’s a sad and terrible thing that high-born folk really have thought that the servants would be totally fooled if spirits were put into decanters that were cunningly labeled backward. And also throughout history the more politically conscious butler has taken it on trust, and with rather more justification, that his employers will not notice if the whiskey is topped up with eniru. 

He was called Peachy, although no one had ever found out why.* *Peachy was not someone you generally asked questions of, except the sort that go like: “If-if-if-if I give you all my money could you possibly not break the other leg, thank you so much?”

[…]but who were nevertheless inconveniently positioned where they were and could much better be located on, for example, a sea bed somewhere.* *Chickenwire had got his name from his own individual contribution to the science of this very specialized “concrete overshoe” form of waste disposal. An unfortunate drawback of the process was the tendency for bits of the client to eventually detach and float to the surface, causing much comment in the general population. Enough chicken wire, he’d pointed out, would solve that, while also allowing the ingress of crabs and fish going about their vital recycling activities. 

[…]said his brother [Medium Dave].* *Ankh-Morpork's underworld, which was so big that the overworld floated around on top of it like a very small hen trying to mother a nest of ostrich chicks, already had Big Dave, Fat Dave, Mad Dave, Wee Davey, and Lanky Dai. Everyone had to find their niche. 

MOST OF THE LETTERS… THEY DON’T REALLY BELIEVE. THEY PRETEND TO BELIEVE JUST IN CASE.* *This is very similar to the suggestion put forward by the Quirmian philosopher Ventre, who said, “Possible the gods exist, and possibly they do not. So why not believe in them in any case? If it’s all true you’ll go to a lovely place when you die, and if it isn’t then you’ve lost nothing, right?” When he died he woke up in a circle of gods holding nasty-looking sticks and one of them said, “We’re going to show you what we think of Mr. Clever Dick in these parts…”

Despite the decorations put up inexpertly by Igor the barman to show willing,* Biers was not a family place. *He’d done his best. But black and purple and vomit yellow weren’t a good color combination for paper chains, and no Hogswatch fairy doll should be nailed up by its head. 

Fairies aren’t necessarily little twinkly creatures. It’s purely a job description, and the commonest ones aren’t even visible.* A fairy is simply any creature currently employed under supernatural laws to take things away[…] *Such as the Electric Drill Chuck Key Fairy. 

Apparently he ran a fruit stall and was married to a girl called Angie.* *Who was (according to Sideney’s mother) a bit of a catch since her father owned a half-share in an eel pie shop in Gleam Street, you must know her, got all her own teeth and a wooden leg you’d hardly notice, got a sister called Continence, lovely girl, why didn’t she invite her along for tea next time he was over, not that she hardly saw her son the big wizard at all these days, but you never knew and if the magic thing didn’t work out then a quarter-share in a thriving eel pie business was not to be sneezed at…

He’d seen the way the others reacted around Teatime, and they were men who did things he’d only dreamed of.* *Not, that is, things that he wanted to do, or wanted done to him. Just things that he dreamed of, in the armpit of a bad night.

Juvenile teeth earned no less than a dollar each from her father, without argument.* *In fact, when she was eight she’d found a collection of animal skulls in an attic, relict of some former duke of an inquiring turn of mind. Her father had been a bit preoccupied with affairs of state and she’d made twenty-seven dollars before being found out. The hippopotamus molar had, with hindsight, been a mistake. Skulls never frightened her, even then. 

#terry pratchett #discworld #hogfather #polls #gnu terry pratchett

[sigynpenniman]

People either blorbofying Ricky September and hoping he wouldn’t have been racist too had we had the chance to find out OR saying his seeming mostly decent is all moot because he’s a horrible racist like the rest of them are BOTH NOT GETTING IT. Tumblr’s need to flatten all things into purely good and purely evil is going to make everyone miss the point. Ricky September is clearly not pure evil in fact he seems to be the most reasonable individual available but he’s also almost certainly just as much of a racist as the rest of them and that is the POINT because we HAVE to be able to acknowledge that otherwise Good People can also harbor racism and people who are racist can have other positive qualities because if we don’t then we start excusing ourselves and others from being capable of racism because we’re “good people.” Oh I’m a decent person who cares about others, so iiiiii can’t be racist. But that’s not how it works white supremacy is baked into the core of our society and influences our most root perspectives on the world and it’s something you have to be constantly aware of in how it influences your thoughts and actions and base assumptions and it’s SUCH a root part of western colonialist perspective, which most of tumblr grew up in, that there are so many things which are in some way based in some form of racism or white supremacy that we can’t even see them (because they’re outside of our bubble…you get it). I understand the urge to either try and pretend someone’s racism doesn’t exist so you can like them OR to want to erase someone’s other positive qualities because of the racism but the problem with that dichotomy is that it encourages us to disregard and dismiss any racist actions and thoughts in ourselves because we know ourselves to be at least decent and to try and excuse the racism of others because “I know him, he’s a decent guy.” He probably IS a decent guy he also holds on to subliminal white supremacist beliefs and even if he knows and is trying to unlearn them he still probably has a few kicking around. the question is what do you do once you know. once you start thinking about it, what do you do. and that’s the fucking point. flatting people with bad beliefs into pure monsters and inventing other explanations for the actions of people we know not to be monsters allows us to categorize ourselves as people who could never have a bad belief. yes Ricky September is apparently a decent guy yes Ricky September is almost certainly a white supremacist in some capacity because even though he’s the most intelligent and curious character depicted all of the literature and academics he’s been reading were written by the white supremacist society he lives in. just like you.

#dw spoilers

[fleet-off]

I've been reading various fanfics dealing with the series for a year now. Endless variations of Vegas and Pete, Kim and Chay… One shots, novels, longer stories. I feel like almost everything has been said and thought about. The fleshing out of the canon, the back story, the childhood and what might come after.

I developed a real addiction and couldn't get enough, especially of the complex relationship between Vegas and Pete and their respective very multi-faceted characters. The number of authors is huge, but I also spent a lot of time reading them. To my dismay, I am noticing signs of fatigue in me.

Now that everything seems to have been said, every possible happy or tragic ending seems to have been thought out and told, many fics veer off into alternative universes and genres. It's all wonderful to read and I'm grateful that there are so many unknown but readable authors whose work will never be printed but who are worthy of a large readership.

But:

Since fanfiction is tied to concrete people and concrete, and to a readership that has seen the series. How do you see the future? The actors will take on new roles, and if all goes well, new beautiful plots will be developed and good series or films will be made.

How long can the hype around KinnPorsch and the series continue? How do you see the future? how much longer can you write about this? Do you have the feeling that everything is coming to an end now that the anniversary of KP is being celebrated in great style? Is boredom creeping in or is the end not yet foreseeable and there is still much that needs to be written?

Thank you for the ask, scarlett!

To start: I feel for your dismay about your fatigue for the fandom—beginning to lose interest in something you love is hard. It is a natural experience, but it feels like outgrowing a dear friend. I can only say that time will bring new loves. It may also refresh the old ones and spark your passion anew.

There’s that oft-repeated cliché that no idea is original. Fandom loves to relive and repeat itself. Fanfiction doesn’t care if every moment has already been fleshed out; the originality of any given plot matters less than the sincerity of the intent, the emotional power of the prose, the love of the characters. There are many hospital-era VegasPete stories already, and there will be many more. Plenty of fics have put Kim and Chay in a coffeehouse and forced them to reconcile—they will continue to do so. Kinn and Porsche have been and will be childhood friends, fuck-buddies, vampires… The omegaverse will never die. Korn will, in endless marvelous iterations. And these characters will fall in love again, and again, and again. Each time like the first time, each time fresh.

It is my firm belief that fandoms do not need to have an expiration date. Fandoms don't die when all the actors move on or new fandoms are born or even when all the stories have been told (were that possible). Fandoms die when they cease to be loved.

I’ve seen individuals move on from KinnPorsche, but I’ve not seen boredom or lack of love on a fandom level. On AO3, we’re fast approaching 10,000 works--if I posted a story early this morning, it could be on the third page of the main tag by tonight. Vibrant, active events like the current KP anniversary event are not harbingers of an ending; they’re an indicator of continued strength of interest.

The fandom will naturally slow down with time. Some folks will move to other fandoms, partially or completely. But, other folks will stay. And new people will arrive, with new talents and voices. I personally hope to continue creating for this fandom for a long time. :)

#asks #kinnporsche #i’ll add--a single year seems an incredibly brief time to me #i've been in some of my fandoms for a decade plus (for reference I’m 24!) #the intensity of passion for these stories waxes and wanes #the things i seek from them shift #but the love never truly fades #fleet post #fleet answers

[radkindoffeminist]

I have a lot of issues with your pinned post and if you are willing to have a respectful discussion in dm's or whatever I will gladly explain my rationale on several of the points you made but I think you are really missing the point of inclusive language.

Yes, there are people who attack individual women for calling themselves "pregnant women" instead of "pregnant people." The reality is that there is always someone out there arguing for the stupidest possible version of any belief in existence. But that isn't the point of inclusive language.

The reason it's actually important isn't about validating people, it's about people getting access to the healthcare they need. If you, as a woman, go to a gynecologist looking for help with birth control, or pregnancy, or menstrual issues, etc etc you're not going to be turned away because "you're a woman, not a person." (This is NOT the same as not being taken seriously btw. Before you bring up that argument.) But trans men can and have been turned away from those procedures because "this treatment is for women/you can't possibly have [insert issue here], you're a man." Basically, read Stone Butch Blues I am begging.

Individual women can call themselves women as much as they want, but in medical settings it's important to use inclusive (and accurate!) language. "People who can get pregnant" acknowledges that there are women who are too young or old to get pregnant, or lack certain organs necessary for it, while including people who aren't women that can. And by the way, there are plenty of trans people who do encourage the use of inclusive language when it comes to male healthcare and are frustrated by terms like "womxn" being popularized.

You say you don't hate trans people or want us to come to harm? Help us protect our access to basic healthcare.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Medical inclusivity? Really? What makes you think that just turning from ‘pregnant women’ to ‘pregnant people’ is going to make people recognise that there are female people who don’t identify as women who can still get pregnant? Like, is that really going to be such a big problem in the medical community that actually we need to change all of our language because that alone will make doctors recognise that trans men can also get pregnant?

Moreover, even if I accept the above -that the language needs to change to accommodate trans people, especially as it seems like disagreeing with you about this makes you think that I want trans people to be harmed but I’ll deal with that later- why should it mean that I’m not allowed to be offended by this language change when it forces me to address myself and other women by our organs? This is especially offensive towards women who have a long history of being treated as a walking baby-maker/uterus/vagina. You only picked pregnant person in your example, but there are so many other terms I’ve seen: uterus owner, vagina haver, menstruator, etc. Why is my offence taken as hate on trans people? There are so many other terms which could be used which are significantly less offensive but those ones aren’t chosen, just the ones where we’re forced to refer to ourselves by our organs. Women, AFAB non-binary people, and trans men, for one.

Finally, if the actual argument that you’re going with is because it’s necessary for medical reasons then why is it only women who are targeted with this language? I literally don’t care that some people are encouraging the male equivalents because the reality of the situation is that these terms are directed almost exclusively towards women. There are so many examples of sites which use this language for women while men are still male! It just goes to show how deeply misogynistic this all is and how it was always meant to dehumanise women and separate us from our sex and our sex class.

You’ve basically just said ‘it’s better and more inclusive to trans people so shut up about being offended about it because if you disagree then you want harm to come to trans people’. You’re never going to care about my arguments or my feelings on this subject because all you’re going to do is say that I just hate trans people and want them to be hurt if I disagree. You don’t care about the fact that this language is deeply misogynistic and targets women. You just want us to shut up, accept it, and feel bad for being offended.

[septicmomma]

THE KERBLAM CONUNDRUM

The main idea behind Kerblam, other than a general condemnation of ecoterrorism is that businesses have to go beyond doing just the bare minimum to placate its workforce. Is a tool inherently evil or is it the bearers of those tools that use them that way? Almost every issue originates from a parasocial system engrained within a society of space corporatocracy, driven by an over-reliance on the system. Even going so far as giving the automated system the capacity to develop an emotional amoral compass. And thats the fundamental problem...You cant assign a moral value to a system (at least not in the way how we can emotionally convey as people), but you can assign a moral value to individuals that comprise that system. So the question becomes are people producing morals separate from greed and egoism ?, which represents one of main conflicts in the episode (Charlie vs 'the system')

Throughout Kerblam it's telling us that automation as a principle isn’t inherently malicious, so long as you don’t start treating people like left up currency, only to be used and abused.

It’s easy to say “capitalism bad” but it’s not that simple. Any system is bad if the values within it are bad Communism, socialism, none of these systems work if they have bad leadership and/or corrupt values.

If capitalist values changed and the wealth generated by it actually went back into the system to improve it. What prevents capitalism from making a good society are the values that are currently upheld. homelessness, climate change, wage gaps we could generally lead towards better lives with better values that cultivate ways to deal with all the crises we’re facing. As long as people had the money held good intensions.

The most common criticism surrounding this episode is that 'it presents capitalistic systems of power as inherently good, and anyone critical of it or who desires to change the system, are violent and inherently irrational'.

Which is an argument has never made much sense to me. We see a clear distinction between the AI system of Kerblam and the system of Capitalism. Kerblam has a union, something the likes of Amazon doesn’t have. There's Judy's who's whole job is based around maintaining safety and worker moral. You also have Slade, noting down the numerous 'disappearances' hence his own distrust of the system.

Kerblam explores what corrupts a system, whether it's the people outside or within, or whether it's simply a result of centuries of capitalism being cemented at the core of our current climate. You the Kerblam men acting as allegories for overbearing busybodies. “grouploops" Serve as house arrest ankle monitors.

Everything wrong with Kerblam's treatment of it's workers stems from the automated system, which originates from the capitalist society on Kandoka.

The problem is the system model it follows, a system that prioritises automation In pursuance of higher profit and efficiency, lower-class workers are being phased out by robotics and A.I, over people getting jobs at the price of living. 'The system' itself isn't evil, rather it made an informed decision without concern wether the behaviour in of itself was morally inscrutable. A system that Slade and Judy intend to break away from as shown by the ending.

There are deliberate parallels drawn between Charlie and the system. Both prone to violent outbursts, share a firm belief that the ends justify the means. Those traits are habitually inhabited in response of Charlie's discourse. Ironically, this is is something he refuses to see in himself, due to his own reckless abandon, the consequential outcome resulting in the death of Kira. His motivations weren't out of trying make conditions better, it was an elaborate act of vengeance under the facade of justice, outrage for the sake of outrage, as Charlie's desire for a 'better world' was going to result in the death over a multitude of people regardless of their political affiliations. His argument on how Kerblam undervalues its workers and that the system needs less control, so people are seen with more empathy and emotion in order for things improve; Is a valid concern but becomes completely antithetical as he was already murdering his own co-workers prior to being discovered. Workers who very much contribute to that “90%” he claims to be so fiercely in favour of defending, hence the Kerblam AI killing Kira in order to help him feel that same empathy which the Doctor reiterates to him the pain he feels over Kira's death is the same pain those families would feel if he continues down his current trajectory. 13 tries to motivate him into refocusing his love for Kira in an attempt to show him the ramifications of his violent actions and lead him into becoming more empathetic, but he’s just too stubborn and distort to see reason. It’s a sad possibility had Kira survived Charlie may have been more subject to reason however, her death acts a breaking point as his only emotional anchor is now gone...He let his own personal vindication override his original mission statement, rather than enact any real change that would actually allow people in his position to beneficially prosper.

Although the moment where Kerblam truly muddies the waters is where it concludes with the company suspending the operations for a mere month and workers are only given 2 weeks paid leave?? as a result it leaves those aspect feeling slightly glossed over and hangs a pretty limp celebration over the episode considering multiple employees were murdered by an ecoterrorist who almost got away with even MORE murder...

Kerblam sets itself up as a criticism of late-stage capitalism but the only issue that is ultimately addressed by the ending is automation. which is a problem but it’s more so the timely result of these systems flaws and how they have historically been exploited. However, those underlying issues aren’t really dwelled upon, or at least they don’t factor in with the episode's ending discussion as we don't see what results from the proceeding fallout.

#13th doctor #doctor who #kerblam! #controversial #doctor who series 11 #new who

[art-of-mathematics]

Your blog intro brings to mind the best line I’ve ever read as someone trying to change how mathematics classrooms and curriculum are approached. From Paul Lockhart’s A Mathematician’s Lament, “We’re killing people’s interest in circles for god’s sake!”

Anyways, as someone with similar specific interests and passions, wanted to thank you for the serendipitous encounter your blog has brought to my life, it was especially enchanting on a day like today.

Thank you for approaching me via the askbox - I am glad my blog could give you something enchanting.

Lockhart's Lament is brilliant! And I agree, the curricula are destroying education for memorization's sake - also, and especially the math field suffers under the rhetorics current "education sytems" are handled/led: "Understand nothing. Don't question. Just do what you are told." Curiosity is not just important for STEM and the arts, it's also essential for a maintaining healthy human aspects and functional co-existence. It's, much like creativity as well as compassion, the driving aspects why mankind could even come that far. Would mankind ever have survived so long with a severe reduction or even lack of curiosity (and an elevated drive by fear and avoiding?), or by morbidly elevated drive by egoism and not wanting to try anything new? I doubt it. Curiosity, creativity and compassion are three sides of one and the same (manifold-)medal, so to speak. Are they almost gone, the "scale" is out of balance - fear, comfort and hate become primary driving motivations - suffers the individual then the accompanied society suffer as well - and the loop leads back: downwards spiral. Morbid individuals and morbid groups go hand in hand.

If you give the individual hope again they can restore their own inner "flame", so to speak.

I have witnessed very often how much spark people get in their eyes when I make them realize interesting things by themselves - the eureka-moments they get - it's a very fascinating thing.

It reminds me of futility of life: People tend to fear or hate the idea that life might be futile, because they value nothingness as a lack of something. But what does a futile life lack? A pressure to achieve a pre-defined sense? Why should meaninglessness of life be considered so bad if one can create meaning all by oneself? Re-valuation requires a perspective shift - like seeing the bright side of darkness, so to speak. And seeing the neutral ("futile") reality as an empty notebook, and an opportunity to create the most wonderful playground all by yourself. I think people are confused and helpless because they can't set something helpful against unpleasant topics suh as futility. I have smashed some people's beliefs already, but afterwards thes were thankful for the perspective I have stated.

That is what curiosity induces:

"We stand on the shoulders of giants, not in fear but in wonder."

Or as a quote attributed to Marie Curie goes:

"Nothing in life is to be feared, but to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we can fear less."

Also: I remember Martin Luther King's quote:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Strength to Love, 1963

As for "love", I would like to hint towards the connection between love and compassion, and compassion and curiosity:

Curiosity not just indicates an interest in topics, but also interest in other people, and an interest in thinking about the impact of one's own actions and words on other people.

Thus, to come back to King's quote: Hate cannot drive out hate, but compassion and understanding can. We might not be able to understand each other's viewpoints- but we can try to understand each other.

---

Curiosity serves many functions:

It satisfies natural interest. It lets us expand our minds. It gives us insights. It makes us wonder. It might give us awe and inspiration, and fuel us to challenge the status quo.

But it might also enable a more functional co-existence with other people, as it might also increase authentic interaction with others.

Curiosity might also help restore a better own inner harmony with oneself.

Sooo, I am sorry I indulged into a semi-sentimental rant.

(I am also really thankful that you encountered me - and shared your thoughts. I am glad you have similar interests and passions. )

#sandtripper #curiosity #math ed #math education #education #education system #creativity

[plurals-helping-plurals]

Having a bit of an identity crisis. We only recently learned about median systems and it’s all a lot! For a while we’ve been saying “it’s almost like DID, but not like that!” Only to realize it is like that. It’s been a few months of finally getting to know each other, but it’s confusing because we all have the same memories. It’s like we’re different versions of the same person, not different people?? Is it normal to get confused even in ourselves? Sometimes I don’t know who’s talking or even if it’s me. Any info helps! (Sorry that was long!)

Yes, this is very common for systems of all kinds, really.  Even systems who are more distinct and do not share memories can sometimes become what is known as “blurred”. 

Blurriness/Blending is essentially: an overlapping of consciousness’ where the “channels” that access the Front are being flooded with everyone’s mixed feelings and thoughts to the point that an individual fronter cannot be identified. This can cause identity confusion, psychological disturbance, and stunted growth of identity. 

Here are some Tips & Tricks for Blurriness.  The other candidate of what can occur in these instances (but can happen when un-blurred as well) is called Passive Influence.  This is when one or more system member is passively influencing another system member to feel their feelings or participate in an activity/hobby/belief that the fronter may not hold themselves but the passive influencer does. Passive Influence can be done on purpose or just by the simple permeation of sharing a body (accidental). In these situations it is often good to ask if anyone is feeling left out, or like there is something they need to do/say in order to release their projections of thought/wants over the Front-hold. 

Hope this was helpful! - Mod Contagion | Event of Horizon @polymorphology

[adamwatchesmovies]

Divergent (2014)

Divergent is a post-apocalyptic adventure film populated by teenagers, meant for teenagers and conceived by teenagers - at least that's what it feels like. Even if you can get past the story’s rickety premise, you'll be constantly reminded of other, better movies you'd rather be watching.

In a post-war future, only the city of Chicago remains. Society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (humble people who are in charge of governing the society and ensuring everyone has enough to eat), Amity (farmers), Candor (judges and lawmakers, known for their brutal honesty), Dauntless (the thrill-seeking, bungee-jumping tattoo-clad police and army) and Erudite (the scientists). When it comes time for Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Shailene Woodley) to take the test that determines which faction she belongs to, the results are inconclusive. Rather than expose herself as “Divergent”, she chooses Dauntless. As she trains to meet the demanding requirements of her new “family”, she discovers a massive conspiracy to overtake the government.

On paper, the concept may not seem so unbelievable but seeing it live raises many questions. People are categorized at the age of 16 and their personalities remain static forever? And we're supposed to believe the snooty know-it-all Erudite people are the ones fixing the high-tech wall surrounding the city from impending attack (from what, exactly?) Or are the farmers also serving as plumbers and garbage men? Perhaps the factionless - shambling, miserable wretches who are alternatively pitied and hated by the rest - are the ones running gas stations and such. What I’m saying is that the five factions we see don’t seem like enough to run a city. You simply don’t believe the world this film is set in.

Moving past what would ultimately be nitpicking if the story and characters were engaging, we have Triss, a vanilla protagonist who struggles to pass the various physical and mental tests demanded by sexy instructor “Four” (Theo James). It’s by-the-books high school business with the generic bully (Miles Teller as Peter), the romantic drama and the best friend who also didn't expect to join the fun-loving faction that seems more concerned with tattoos than actual law enforcement (Zoë Kravitz as Christina). Except the stakes are higher because if Tris fails her exam, she’ll end up family-less and homeless.

It culminates in a confrontation between Tris and a few individuals against – of course – the “smart faction” who has used mind control technology to turn the Dauntless into robots and is slaughtering every member of Abnegation. It’s one of those films where you almost wish you could see the villains win and find out what would happen next. I don’t know if the factions are supposed to be balanced in terms of numbers – I don't think so as a quarter of the new Dauntless recruits have been banished to the factionless slums after failing the leaders’ outrageous demands - but if there’s a group that’s smaller than the rest, it’s got to be the “smarter than everyone else” people. Had their plan succeeded… what was their next move? Were they just going to expect everyone else in Chicago to be ok with the wholesale slaughter of the previous politicians? Would the police have been kept under mind control forever? It’s one thing to spread rumors and shake people’s beliefs in the government, it’s another to wipe out a fifth of the human population!

Despite the numerous problems with the story, you can see why this tale has appeal to its intended audience. The scenes of Tris using her wits to pass her exams in a way that doesn’t reveal her “out-of-the-box Divergent thinking” are interesting. Shailene Woodley is a compelling lead. Neither of these would ever make you watch Divergent over Harry Potter or the very similar Hunger Games, however. (On Blu-ray, September 7, 2018)

#Divergent #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #neil burger #evan daugherty #vanessa taylor #veronica roth #shailene woodley #theo james #ashley judd #jai courtney #ray stevenson #zoe kravitz #miles teller #tony goldwyn #maggie q #kate winslet #2014 movies #2014 films

[pomoculture]

Demigod's of Death

We touched on this a little in the “Lysenko, Famine’s High Priest” blog post, but lets get to the meat of what he and many like him really had going on. How do we even begin to comprehend the size of his ego, to try and force biology to fit to his opinion of what it should be; or Stalin or Mao’s supporters belief that they worked towards utopia. Maybe these “cosmos-heads” could be somewhat forgiven if there was any fruitfulness from their attempts, but they weren’t even close! There’s a term that beckons from the soviet era to refer to these unhinged academics, “The Intelligencia.” What made the intelligencia so dangerous and arrogant was their echo-chambers and adoration. Echo-chambers should need no introduction in this modern age, with social media creating hubs of like-minded individuals, from gardening to politics. When they truly become warped is when they are founded on a sacred, or irreproachable premise. Life is almost never black or white, everything has its caveat, its instance of fallibility, but this impedes conversation and the pursuit of transcendence, so we often ignore them. For the intelligencia of Soviet collegiates, the irrefutable premise was Marxism. This was made even worse by the guarantee that only vocal Marxist students had a chance of being selected for state jobs (Keep in mind that all academic jobs were administered by the state). So, the USSR really thought it had a jewel of pure truth worthy of worship figured out. Now lets imagine we’re one of these students that really “drank the Kool-Aid.” We’re tasked with plotting the way forward in every walk of life, consistent with the “holy dogma” of the party. Uplifting the downtrodden and making life better by reshaping the old ways to fit this system of casteless utopia. Thoughts and concerns of personal elitism were tabled for when the pure vision manifested (in theory). In no slight to the very definition, they were the creators of heaven. Imbued with self-righteous certainty that validated every warped theory crafting conversation and honest solution-seeking conference they held. What’s more, they were so valuable to the cause, they were shown ultimate deference by the rabble they guided, lest the secret police mark them a dissenter of the doctrine! How could one not view themselves as a god when made socially irreproachable? This should be ringing some bells of what is currently happening on our own western campuses. Intelligent, theory-inundated students that tout a doctrine so apparently righteous, that it stupefies them to be met with contention. A sign that maybe a thousand hours of study would’ve been better spent with a hundred and planting some tomatoes with a stranger. We should always be wary of people who shut down when tested in their beliefs. How arrogant and self-righteous to assume that possible fault found within their beliefs is out of the question. To view another person as so ignorant that we can only educate them, or silence them. We have to be careful of how we elevate others, especially our nerdy and naïve specialists. We need talented problem solvers, not deranged demigods.

#pomo #post modern #pragmatism #marxism #hubris #psychology