#something something platos allegory of the cave

[luxlightly]

A real statement I heard that's honestly terrifying: "Tik tok forced brands to be more honest and real with people because tik tok doesn't accept fakeness and that's why propaganda doesn't work on us"

This was said by an adult who claimed to study marketing trends. Do...do people actually think those "hey guys!!! checking out these new Doritos™! Hashtag yum am I right?" videos by brands are real? I get so angry at those videos because they're so insidious in their attempt to appear like friends or fellow average people and not scripted actors, going so far as to fake things like poor lighting or stumbling words, but I didn't think anyone actually BOUGHT it.

And before anyone is like "lol just don't go on tik tok", this is clearly not an app specific issue. And I'm sure that plenty of people know better than to think that brand videos are real or assume that, because you can't tell the difference between a real person and an actor, it means that you can't be fooled by propaganda. And I recognize that it's certainly not an issue entirely divided on generational lines. But it is a disturbing trend in advertisement that has consequences, especially for those who grew up with it. Younger people will get freaked out by giving a second of clear audio before speaking in a recording because it sounds "faked" to them. "The millennial pause" indicates pretty clearly "I am filming something and presenting information and making sure that it doesn't get cut off by leaving a second of audio in case something goes wrong and needs to be edited". They don't get it's done intentionally or why and don't like the explanation when they get it. They get freaked out by presentation voices. Or at least find them off-putting. Anything that says "I'm recording this to give information clearly and concisely" reads as disingenuous to people who grew up in a world where advertisers and brands carefully construct a facade of being a "normal, flawed person, just like you! You can totally trust me! Treat me like a person instead of a brand that wants your money!" Intentional imperfection and careful replication of candid endorsements skeeve me out. People like me, who didn't grow up with it, feel weirded out by them. It's a lie and we don't like it. It feels MORE fake because of how clearly it's trying to appear real. But if you've grown up with nothing else, I guess anything that intentionally tells the viewer that the subject is presenting information formally reads as "they have an agenda". Anyone recording has an agenda. Even if that agenda is just "tell people about my new dog". When you stop believing that, you don't get more immune to propaganda, you stop being able to recognize it at all.

#something something platos allegory of the cave #if you only know things trying to simulate earnestness #attempts to actually be earnest feel fake #because they don't line up with your idea of what earnest looks like #because your idea of what honesty looks like is lies

[rebornrosess]

glass animals lyrics are only meant to be understood by stoned people or gay people. if you’re both then you get to start hearing shapes and seeing the hat man.

#black mambo sounds like a rectangle. if you even care. #sorry i just got a google photos memory of the time last year i was high out of my mind at 5am and wrote a detailed analysis of cocoa hoove #in my notes app and the next morning i was just like. What the fuck did i mean by that. #but then a week later realized hey maybe i was on to something here ????? #i somehow managed to thread all of zaba together and was like oh guys intruxx is the world of noise mentioned in pools #so side a is before entering the jungle (considering the truth) and side b is entering the jungle (confronting the truth) #and then bla bla plato’s allegory of the cave and all that #but then i wrote that jdnt mirrors walla walla????? with the “take my hand” line so it’s all a cycle #i also somehow connected the crackling synth at the end of cocoa hooves to icarus’ wings setting on fire. #and then said “i think this is about mental illness” and DIDN’T ELABORATE so who knows #glass animals #maya.txt

[teamfortresstwo]

Hm . Alastor controls radio and the dark . Vox controls TV and the light . There’s a metaphor there .

#Something something Plato’s allegory of the cave . I don’t actually entirely understand that allegory sadly

[usbotthrills]

The use of Plato’s allegory of the cave in 1899 is so exciting to me, since just linking it to Plato could be some sort of foreshadowing.

‼️ 1899 SPOILERS‼️

Now, the use of Plato’s allegory of the cave is so interesting because it’s a way of explaining his world of forms. Now, I’m not great at explaining, so if you’re unsure of the whole idea, this is a great video. But the idea is that the world of forms, or the true world outside the cave holds the ‘perfect form’ of everything, in simple terms.

And to apply it to this situation, where the 1899 is the cave, in which they only see reflections, it’s implying that the real world, outside of it is better than within the simulation as that is not real.

The makers of this show are just so clever I can’t even.

And if we apply another one of Plato’s theories, it almost foreshadows the ending.

Plato theorised that when we gain knowledge, we don’t learn it, we’re remembering it (once again, in simple terms). Which makes so much sense, since the people on the boat aren’t experiencing, or learning, what’s happening to them as everything occurs. They are relearning it, from their real selves and the versions of them that were on the previous boats, only to have their minds wiped.

Maybe I’m pulling something out of nothing here, but either way talking about Plato is such a clever little thing they could have done and I’m so utterly obsessed.

#1899 #plato #platos allegory of the cave #philosophy #aneurin barnard #aka my EVERY thought atm #I was thinking huh idk any of their surnames #BUT THEY DONT HAVE THEM #I could pull something out of that too #emily beecham #Netflix

[donghuamuqing]

Mike wheeler and his epic allegory swag

#my post #allegory of the cave moment #idk how to phrase it but theres something there with mike and platos allegory of the cave #and your assumptions of the world based only on what youre told is true #heterosexuality are the shadows on the wall and will is the sun!! the real bright and heavenly sun!! #mike assumes his world is conformity and straightness and fallibg in love with the first woman sho loves him back and thinking thats it. ok #im done #BUT HES NOT DONE!! #he thinks he needs el and he desperately wants el to need him because those have been the last 3 years of his life #thats how he thinks it must be. how it will always be #but then he sees the painting and he sees will and he hears wills feelings #and the relationshop with el falls apart and he stumbles out of his cave #and into the the sun #and he can see the chickens and the fruit and the grass and the sky and hes no longer stuck in the dark or the deep #HES FREE!!

[cloudbends]

Finished the first dds yesterday btw. Banger fucking game and now onto the sequel

#vi rambling #smt #dds #ok ok ok. i think the ending was a bit rushed and well the game kinda just ENDS. but it is a very good game #unexpectedly i think the cast is GREAT. the atmosphere of this game is unparalleled and im really digging how theyre not going for #the obvious plato allegory of the cave simulation narrative and instead opting for something more complex in regards to the #junkyard and nirvana. ik ill be getting a lot more info in the sequel but when it comes to like #worldbuilding and atmosphere and foreshadowing (narratice construction) this game is so so good #and the approach to digitality is great i love early 2000s/late 90s digital approached theyre infinitely more creative #i will say. sera rn is the weakest element in the game for me because well. she barely got any agency. plays into a trope im not very into #but that might change. hope so at least

[kaiasky]

🍓 daughter-of-sapph0 Follow

op link the fucking article

⚪ fxckhaus Follow

https://www.sbnation.com/a/17776-football enjoy reading about football :)

🍓 daughter-of-sapph0 Follow

thanks. what the fuck

[x], desc in alt. If you're reading this, reblogs are back on! Go reblog the original post not my pale imitation. also stop using the for you page. u are in platos allegory of the cave. come out into the light of the following tab with me

#17776 #20020 #unreality #this post was created when op turned off the reblogs on the original post. But now they're back on! go reblog the original

[ladyshinga]

"Fallout show got something wrong, the 'Nebraska countryside' on the walls of the first vault doesn't look like Nebraska, we don't have those mountains and pretty colors"

haha yeah. I mean, would Vault-Tec do that? lie about something? fake it? paint an idyllic and peaceful and beautiful image of a romanticized version of America to manipulate peoples' feelings with, no matter how inaccurate?

that'd be such a weird and unusual thing for them to do haha

something something Plato's allegory of the cave something

#fallout

[dailyadventureprompts]

Homebrew Mechanic: Meaningful Research

Being careful about when you deliver information to your party is one of the most difficult challenges a dungeonmaster may face, a balancing act that we constantly have to tweak as it affects the pacing of our campaigns.

That said, unlike a novel or movie or videogame where the writers can carefully mete out exposition at just the right time, we dungeonmasters have to deal with the fact that at any time (though usually not without prompting) our players are going to want answers about what's ACTUALLY going on, and they're going to take steps to find out.

To that end I'm going to offer up a few solutions to a problem I've seen pop up time and time again, where the heroes have gone to all the trouble to get themselves into a great repository of knowledge and end up rolling what seems like endless knowledge checks to find out what they probably already know. This has been largely inspired by my own experience but may have been influenced by watching what felt like several episodes worth of the critical role gang hitting the books and getting nothing in return.

I've got a whole write up on loredumps, and the best way to dripfeed information to the party, but this post is specifically for the point where a party has gained access to a supposed repository of lore and are then left twiddling their thumbs while the dm decides how much of the metaplot they're going to parcel out.

When the party gets to the library you need to ask yourself: Is the information there to be found?

No, I don't want them to know yet: Welcome them into the library and then save everyone some time by saying that after a few days of searching it’s become obvious the answers they seek aren’t here. Most vitally, you then either need to give them a new lead on where the information might be found, or present the development of another plot thread (new or old) so they can jump on something else without losing momentum.

No, I want them to have to work for it:  your players have suddenly given you a free “insert plothook here” opportunity. Send them in whichever direction you like, so long as they have to overcome great challenge to get there. This is technically just kicking the can down the road, but you can use that time to have important plot/character beats happen.

Yes, but I don’t want to give away the whole picture just yet:  The great thing about libraries is that they’re full of books, which are written by people,  who are famously bad at keeping their facts straight. Today we live in a world of objective or at least peer reviewed information but the facts in any texts your party are going to stumble across are going to be distorted by bias. This gives you the chance to give them the awnsers they want mixed in with a bunch of red herrings and misdirections. ( See the section below for ideas)

Yes, they just need to dig for it:  This is the option to pick if you're willing to give your party information upfront while at the same time making it SEEM like they're overcoming the odds . Consider having an encounter, or using my minigame system to represent their efforts at looking for needles in the lithographic haystack. Failure at this system results in one of the previous two options ( mixed information, or the need to go elsewhere), where as success gets them the info dump they so clearly crave.

The Art of obscuring knowledge AKA Plato’s allegory of the cave, but in reverse

One of the handiest tools in learning to deliver the right information at the right time is a sort of “slow release exposition” where you wrap a fragment lore the party vitally needs to know in a coating of irrelevant information,  which forces them to conjecture on possibilities and draw their own conclusions.  Once they have two or more pieces on the same subject they can begin to compare and contrast, forming an understanding that is merely the shadow of the truth but strong enough to operate off of. 

As someone who majored in history let me share some of my favourite ways I’ve had to dig for information, in the hopes that you’ll be able to use it to function your players.

A highly personal record in the relevant information is interpreted through a personal lens to the point where they can only see the information in question 

Important information cameos in the background of an unrelated historical account

The information can only be inferred from dry as hell accounts or census information. Cross reference with accounts of major historical events to get a better picture, but everything we need to know has been flattened into datapoints useful to the bureaucracy and needs to be re-extrapolated.

The original work was lost, and we only have this work alluding to it. Bonus points if the existent work is notably parodying the original, or is an attempt to discredit it.

Part of a larger chain of correspondence, referring to something the writers both experienced first hand and so had no reason to describe in detail. 

The storage medium (scroll, tablet, arcane data crystal) is damaged in some way, leading to only bits of information being known. 

Original witnesses Didn’t have the words to describe the thing or events in question and so used references from their own environment and culture. Alternatively, they had specific words but those have been bastardized by rough translations. 

Tremendously based towards a historical figure/ideology/religion to the point that all facts in the piece are questionable.  Bonus points if its part of a treatise on an observably untrue fact IE the flatness of earth

#homebrew mechanic #d&d mechanics #research #tableskills #tabletop inspiration #dm tip #dm advice #exposition

[thesirencult]

Have any favourite book recommendations? ✨💘

5 Books Everyone Should Read

This is a collection of 5 books I believe anyone can read and gain something from them. These are all from different genres and I probably need to post a bigger "masterlist" of sorts when I have the time ! @siren-honey thank you for this question ! These books are some I read (or re-read) this past few weeks, so they are not my "all star" rooster but nonetheless they are great books!

The Bank by Marc Roche

This is an older book but its teachings still ring true. My dad bought this book many many years ago and it talks about Goldman Sachs and how the big banks and investment companies "rule the world ". Now I know that doesn't sound very exciting to read baout but it is great for anyone who wants to level up and open their eyes on what is really going on in the world. If you can not find the book and want to learn a bit about it, just send me a private message or an ask and I will post a summary <3

2. Why Men Love Bitches

Everyone and I mean, EVERYONE should read this book. Don't scrunch your nose because of the name! It helps you come in contact with your auntentic self and the wild feminine side of yours. Let your head down tiger ! It's time to show what you're made of.

3. Plato's Republic

A dialogue written by Plato. It doesn't only discuss the matter of "justice" but it also contains the "Allegory Of The Cave". Now, I'm studying history and philosophy so these texts are "easy" (lies!) for me to read and analyze (more lies! lol), but if you don't want to read thw whole dialogue just search it up online and read about the main points. You will still learn something !

4. 48 Laws Of Power

I'm a history buff. I love the way Robert Greene, in all of his books, combines history with psychology. Sadly, his teachings are right. This book will help you distinguish people and learn how to spot the good characters in your life. Anything by Robert Greene is great to read! You won't want to put it down !

5. The Richest Man In Babylon

This book is one of my favourites because it is a no bull$hit guide to wealth. It tecahes the fundamentals and shows that they never changed. As an example, many "wealth coaches" tell you to never buy a house and always rent, but right now we see that it is much cheaper to buy than rent. These cycles repeat themselves all the time and the author suggests you always have a home, big enough to live at comfortably or that you can rent and use as an investment property. The book is also a container of wise teachings on life in general.

BONUS:

6. The Body Keeps The Score

Health is wealth. PERIOD. I love this book cause it shows the link between our brain, mindset and physical body. If you read just one book of all the ones I mentioned let it be this. As a society we have glorified wealth and wordly accomplishments and we have forgotten our temple, our vessel of life, our body!

#high value mindset #high value dating #high value woman #high maintenance #femininity #divine feminine #femme fatale #wealth mindset #book quotes #books #book recommendations #mindset #level up journey #self love #leveling up #luxury

[aphroditeslover11]

How they’d deal with a student with exam stress:

Jonathon Crane:

This guy literally lectures at a university as a part of his job so he knows exactly what you are going through and what the exams are like. He’s also a psychologist so he understands pretty well what kind of emotions and stresses that you’re going through. When you’re struggling with something he’ll try to help you by finding the answers for yourself to try and build up your confidence. He will hate to ever hear you talking about yourself like you’re hopeless, you get a lecture about how if you can’t do it yet then you will be able to soon. Any tears though and he immediately gets you to give in, he’ll pull some strings with your lecturer at the university and you’ll still pass the course anyway.

Jim:

He would be the sort of guy that would just sit down with you and try to help you to do it, he wouldn’t see the point of sitting down and anxiously procrastinating when you could just get the worries out of the way. He’s put his glasses on and sit down at the desk with you, taking your laptop and reading down the screen. After he’d puzzled it out he’d start with a “Right, so, what I think you need to do is…” You could expect lots of soft fore head kisses along the way to try and keep you motivated. If you were revising for exams rather than writing something for an assignment then he would make a revision timetable, he’s a fan of an excel spreadsheet to keep things on track. He’s the sort to proactively manage stress rather than letting it sit and get worse.

Lenny Miller:

He’s a bit of a liability to have around when you’re studying. He has a bit of an ego so if you ask for help with something he will insist that he knows how to do it even if he doesn’t. Sitting with Lenny Miller at 2 am as he tries to explain Plato’s allegory of the cave from a Wikipedia article, whilst complaining that it really doesn’t make a difference to the world anyway, is a uniquely irritating experience.

Oppie:

He can be pretty short with mere mortals who simply can’t see the world in any greater depth than what is directly in front of them. The likelihood is though that if he spends enough time with someone to help them study then he is going to make the time and have the patience to help you. He’d be a dream to study with, no matter the topic he would be the annoying sod that could pick up anything if he was given the time and resources, being able to reword passages from textbooks in such a way that you understood them straight away. He’d sit there all night with you chainsmoking cigarettes and sipping from a glass of whiskey. Somehow studying with Oppie was actually enjoyable!

#cillian murphy #oppenheimer #oppenheimer x reader #cillian murphy x reader #peaky blinders #lenny miller x reader #jim x reader #the delinquent season #jonathon crane x reader #the dark knight trilogy #jonathon crane

[dragonomatopoeia]

okay i will say no matter how much i go back and forth with plato's allegory of the cave i cannot believe plato had the guts to go uggggh the representation of something will always be insufficient in comparison to the reality in both substance and ability to confer knowledge. in his ALLEGORY.

[inawickedlittletown]

You Can Always Find Me Where the Skies are Blue (BuckTommy fic) - 1/4

Summary:

Soulmates are rare. So rare that it's actually incredible that Buck has two soulmate couples in his life. Statistics tell him it's very unlikely for him to meet his soulmate. Of course, then he meets Tommy. Too bad it happens at the worst possible moment.

Canon compliant soulmate AU where Buck is still a mess and Tommy is still very understanding.

Words: 4,378

Ao3

-

Part One

The truth was that Buck never quite got an understanding for how the whole soulmate thing worked. His parents were soulmates which was strange to think about considering his childhood, but then Buck hadn’t known about the older brother he’d been born to save, the one he’d failed to save. 

From what he’d learned in school, soulmates had been more common in the past. They said it was something to do with population growth or something about cultural life experience and technology. 

There was a lot of research on why soulmates had dwindled, but no one had concrete answers. There was some kind of database where soulmates had to register. So while it wasn’t impossible to find a couple that were actually soulmates, more often than not people settled down with someone that wasn’t their soulmate. A lot of them were happy. 

Buck thought that one day, it would seem like some kind of myth. Instead of viewing Aristophanes’ speech in Plato’s symposium as an explanation, it would become legend. It would no longer be an early explanation of soulmates. It would be like Plato’s allegory of the cave, a thing to consider without real life application. 

And so, before Buck had even reached the age of eighteen, he was sure that he would never find his soulmate. He wasn’t resigned to it, he just knew enough about statistics and probability. Most people wouldn’t meet their soulmate. It was just how math worked. 

When he joined the 118, he couldn’t deny that a part of him had been surprised when he learned that Hen was married to her soulmate. He’d asked so many questions that Hen had eventually banned him from continuing to ask. 

It hadn’t stopped Buck from thinking that it was amazing. More surprising was his sister and Chim and how Buck had missed the whole thing even though he was the one to introduce them. That whole thing had made Buck well aware that even among soulmates things could be complicated. 

So, when Buck followed behind Chim and Eddie onto the tarmac of LAFD Harbor station air operations, the worry in his gut growing and growing the more he thought about Bobby and Athena being unreachable and Hen being correct about the need to go out and rescue them, he didn’t expect to meet his soulmate. 

In the books, it never described what it was like. It only said that you would know it if it happened to you. The book was right. 

Buck knew it the moment their eyes met. 

It was the world snapping to focus, narrowing down on that person and saying: “this one is for you”. It was a feeling in his gut. Tommy Kinard missed a step and as for Buck, he froze on the spot. What felt like minutes translated to seconds, but it was enough for them to both know. 

They were soulmates. 

Chim was explaining, expanding on what he’d said to Tommy over the phone as their uber driver drove them to Harbor. Tommy was nodding, but his eyes were on Buck and Buck couldn’t look away from him either. 

It was only when Tommy looked away that Buck dropped his eyes from Tommy. He tried to shake it off, remembering why they had faked stomach issues and left in the middle of a call. Yes, he might have found his soulmate, but it wasn’t the time or place. Of course, what they were about to do was verging on stupid and reckless…but if Hen was right — and she most likely was — then they had to and Buck couldn’t complicate matters because their pilot turned out to be his soulmate. 

He could tell that Tommy seemed to have decided the same from how quickly he began directing them to a helicopter.

“Thanks again, Tommy,” Chim said. “We’ll for sure owe you one. Collect from any of us.”

“That would require I know who exactly I’m allowing onto my helicopter,” Tommy said. 

Eddie stepped forward first, hand out to shake Tommy’s. “Eddie Diaz,” he said.

“I’m Evan Buckley,” Buck said, and he knew his voice was shaky. 

None of them noticed because it seemed that Hen had arrived. Tommy’s hand touched Buck’s shoulder. “Get situated. I’ll get Hen.”

His shoulder felt warm, it was in Buck’s head, but still it lingered even as he climbed in first. He took a few breaths to center himself. They would have time to deal with it later. He had to focus on that. By the time they were in the air, that got a little easier. When Tommy mentioned that they might all die, Buck felt the loss of what he’d just found and he wanted to scream. In a way, it also made perfect sense for his life. Of course he would meet his soulmate, get into a life or death situation, and perish. 

When they found the capsized cruise ship, he almost felt relieved, followed by the fear of what they would find once they got down there. Bobby and Athena had to be alright, they just had to be. 

Focusing on the work kept him from thinking about Tommy and about everything that came with it because there were so many layers to get through. It was a while before Bobby, the kid, and Eddie had climbed into the back of the helicopter, leaving Buck to sit up front. 

Tommy glanced at him right as he settled himself in and he smiled a smile that scrunched up his nose and the corners of his eyes. Buck shouldn’t have found it so endearing, then again, this was his soulmate. Buck smiled back and he wanted nothing more than to bring it up, to confirm with Tommy what they both knew to be true. He couldn’t, though. He didn’t want to do it over the open channel. So, instead, he turned away, admiring the clear blue skies and the water below. It was as if the storm they flew into hadn’t been there at all. When he looked back at Tommy again, it was even harder to look away, but he forced himself to when the helicopter touched down on the ship. 

His mind couldn’t quite wrap around it. He had a soulmate. He, Evan Buckley had a soulmate and he’d met him. Him. His soulmate was a dude. A man. It was hitting him secondary to the initial thing, that he had a soulmate at all. 

Same sex soulmates were a normal thing, Buck knew, it was just that in most instances soulmates were romantic and Buck wasn’t gay. He loved women. He slept with women. He was attracted to women. 

Bobby walked ahead of them and Buck heard Hen calling out to Athena. Buck stopped to watch as Bobby and Athena ran into each other’s arms and he was caught up in the moment. He hadn’t gotten a lot of time with Athena when Tommy first landed the helicopter on the capsized ship, but he’d seen her worry for Bobby. That was the devotion and love that Buck wanted…what he’d been searching for and failing to find for years. 

Athena and Bobby weren’t even soulmates, though they may as well be. They had always given Buck hope that he could be happy without a soulmate…but now he’d found his soulmate. Tommy. 

Eddie was next to him, but Buck was a little more focused on Tommy approaching. It all still felt like the wrong place or time and as Eddie headed towards the other side of the ship, leaving them seemingly alone, Buck had no idea what to do. Slowly, he turned to look at Tommy. Tommy was smiling wide. He looked beautiful. Buck didn’t think he’d ever thought that about a dude before and yet it was true. Their shared look was enough to confirm what Buck already knew. 

“You’re—” Buck managed to get out, his throat closing in on the word. 

“Yeah…we are,” Tommy said. His eyes were shining. 

Buck’s mind went blank, words and thoughts jumbled up in a way that had never happened before. Tommy seemed if not similarly affected, then willing to wait for Buck to be the first to say something. Buck also realized that he didn’t mind just losing himself in staring at Tommy. 

He only looked away when Eddie was back, bumping into his shoulder and delivering a bottle of water to him and Tommy each, entirely oblivious to what was going on between them. Buck’s hands shook as he opened the bottle, but he was grateful and drank almost all of it in one go. 

Eddie was talking about their ETA back to LA when Chim appeared at Tommy’s side. 

“Can’t thank you enough, man,” he said, clapping Tommy on the shoulder. 

Tommy laughed. “I’m always a call away, Howie. But, thank you…I really…thank you.” 

Chim just shook his head, but Tommy’s eyes were on Buck and Buck inhaled a breath. He’d have to thank Chim too, eventually. It wasn’t lost on him that he had introduced Chin to his soulmate and that Chim had now introduced Buck to his. 

Bobby and Athena approached, arms still around each other. They looked exhausted, but happy. 

“I was so glad to see you two,” Bobby said, directed at Buck and Eddie. Then, he turned towards Tommy. “And you…thank you, for helping these guys out.” 

Bobby reached out a hand and Tommy grasped it and Buck could tell he was shocked by Bobby pulling him into a quick but meaningful hug. Athena for her part just pat Tommy’s shoulder. 

It should have bothered Buck that he had yet to have a single moment alone with his soulmate, but he liked having him there among his family. They would talk about it, figure out what it meant later. It gave Buck a bit of time to think, too. He had a soulmate. His soulmate was a man. His soulmate was Tommy, a ridiculously impressive LAFD pilot. 

Buck was an ally. He always put a rainbow up on his social media in June. He’d gone to a few pride parades since living in LA. He’d never dated a guy before, though, never even thought that it was a possibility for him. Looking at Tommy, he wondered if Tommy had known that men were an option for him. All that Buck really knew about the guy was that he’d been with the 118 as far back as when Chim had become a firefighter and that he hadn’t stayed too long after Bobby took over as Captain. 

Maybe they were meant to be platonic…have some deep understanding about each other that no one else could ever comprehend. A little like he and Eddie, maybe. That wouldn’t be too bad. 

He stole glances of Tommy as Bobby and Athena started to tell them exactly what had gone down even before the hurricane. Buck was having a hard time focusing, but the few things he caught did make it seem like it had been far more eventful than any cruise had a right to be. 

He couldn’t deny that Tommy was attractive. He was tall and his arms were kind of huge. Tommy’s attention was wholly on Athena and Bobby, eyebrows a bit furrowed as Bobby explained how it had felt when the ship capsized. Buck’s attention was on the way Tommy’s mouth moved as if out of surprise for what Bobby had just said. His attention was drawn to Tommy’s storm colored eyes and on the slight curl of his hair. 

“I wish you had been there to see him, Buck,” Athena said. 

Buck refocused. Eyes reluctantly going to Athena. 

“Well, if Buck had been there, he would have been the one doing that climb,” Bobby said. “I’m going to be sore for days.” 

“I don’t think that’s the only reason,” Athena said. 

Tommy was called away before Buck could find a reason to explain wanting to talk to him on his own and then the next time he saw him, he was saying a quick goodbye and heading back to the helicopter. Buck watched him as he took off and wished that somehow he’d had a reason to go with him. 

“Cool guy,” Eddie said. 

“Yeah,” Buck said and he knew he sounded awestruck. 

—

Tommy had known from the moment he saw him. 

When his phone rang and Howie’s name appeared, Tommy had sort of known that Chim probably wanted something from him. It was why he called at all these days, but Tommy didn’t mind. He wasn’t wrong and as Chim explained something about Hen having a hunch and how she was probably gonna not pull off whatever she was thinking she was doing, Tommy had already mostly agreed to help. After all, Chim did save his life and he had a lot of respect for Hen too. 

Then, Chim arrived with two firefighters in tow. They both looked the part, strong and sturdy kind of guys. Attractive, though Tommy tried not to notice that type of thing while at work and most definitely about colleagues. It wasn’t until they had gotten nearer that Tommy got a better look at them, a better look at his soulmate. 

Tommy had never known that he would ever replicate the feeling of flying while on solid ground, but if asked to describe it later, that was what it felt like when his eyes landed on his soulmate right before he paused mid-step and almost lost his balance. He didn’t even know his name. 

Chim was giving him a more in depth explanation about the cruise ship and storm and Hen’s part in it, but while Tommy could hear him, he couldn’t process the information. He led them to the helicopter, glad it was already out on the tarmac and that it had been refueled just a few hours earlier. 

“Thanks again, Tommy,” Chim said. “We’ll for sure owe you one. Collect from any of us.”

“That would require I knew who exactly I was allowing onto my helicopter,” Tommy said, sure that if he didn’t say anything, he wouldn’t get to know his soulmate’s name. 

“Eddie Diaz,” the one that wasn’t his soulmate said, reaching his hand out for Tommy to shake.

“I’m Evan Buckley.”

Evan. Tommy repeated it inside his head. Evan. 

They didn’t shake hands like he and Eddie had, and Tommy had heard how shaky his voice sounded. He also didn’t miss the slight pink on Evan’s cheeks.  It was horrible timing. He could see the shock and awe in Evan’s face, but it was going to have to wait. So Tommy did the thing where he pushed aside the personal to focus on his job. He got Hen to the helicopter where the others were already stashed and then they were in the air. 

Tommy had been flying for so long that his focus didn’t need to be on it 100% of the time. It let him linger on the moment from earlier, what it had been like to see Evan Buckley for the very first time. He held onto that moment as they flew, even as he realized that what they were doing verged more on the dangerous and reckless side than anything he’d ever done. He had to get them through it, even when he had to make awful fake static noises at the chief and ignore his orders to get back to Harbor. 

In the end, it all worked out. 

They found the cruise ship and they were lucky they did, none of them talked about how easy it would have been for them to miss it. It was hours of work after that, not that Tommy minded. Eventually, he made a final trip to pick up Bobby, the kid he’d rescued, and Eddie and Evan. 

Evan wound up up front and maybe it was presumptuous to think about how good Evan looked right there at his side. Tommy hoped it would happen again and soon. With the skies having cleared up, the sun shone through and in the moments that Tommy allowed himself to take Evan in, there was no denying how gorgeous this boy was especially when the light hit him just right. 

With everything going on, they didn’t get more than a small moment to acknowledge it once they were on the ship and Tommy felt warm because it was real. He had a soulmate. 

It wasn’t until he was back at Harbor that he realized he hadn’t exchanged numbers with Evan — not that it was a big deal. He’d just have to call Chim. Yet, as much as there was an urgency, Tommy was still at work and he still had to write up a report about the night and explain to his Captain exactly what had gone down before he could finally end his shift. 

He texted Chim as he walked to his car almost an hour later, but got no response. When his phone did start vibrating, it was an unknown number. He picked up at once, heart in his throat because it had to be Evan. 

“Hello,” he said and hoped he sounded normal. 

“Hey, Tommy, it’s Eddie.”

He tried not to be disappointed, but of course he was. It was nothing against Eddie…it was just that he wanted to hear from Evan. 

“Got your number from Chim. I hope it’s okay I’m calling. I was just wondering if you’d want to meet up sometime,” Eddie said. 

For one very strange moment, Tommy wondered if Eddie was trying to ask him out. He probably had no idea that he and Evan were soulmates and…but, no, he didn’t think that Eddie had seemed interested in him like that. Tommy did wonder if it would be rude to ask Eddie for Evan’s number. He missed something that Eddie said, but caught:

“....drinks or something. Maybe as a thank you for helping us get to Bobby and Athena.” 

“Uh, sure,” Tommy said. 

“Cool. Cool. How about later tonight?” 

Tommy wasn’t great at saying no to things. He also had no reason to put Eddie off. “Yeah…yeah that sounds good. And if you want to invite anyone else from the 118 that’d be great.” 

Eddie chuckled. “I think they’re all pretty beat. It might just be us two, unless you want to bring along a friend or something.” 

Tommy wanted to ask about Evan. He wanted nothing more than to beg Eddie to bring Evan along. Knew if he did he would be giving away what they were or even just his interest in Evan. He couldn’t do that. 

“I’ll text you when and where,” Eddie said. “Just gotta secure a babysitter.”

“Okay,” Tommy said. “Sounds good.” 

Chim still hadn’t answered. Tommy texted Hen next. No response. Maybe it would be Eddie that would give him Evan’s number…Tommy would just have to show up for that hang out and get the number out of Eddie. Or maybe, Evan would call him first. He hadn’t known that this was going to be complicated and actually it kind of wasn’t, it was that he was impatient. 

Tommy managed a nap out of sheer exhaustion. He’d learned a long time ago how to sleep almost anywhere, which didn’t change that sometimes he just couldn’t sleep. Yet, despite not having contact with Evan, there was peace in knowing he was out there and knowing that he was his soulmate. 

Evan didn’t call. Chim and Hen didn’t respond. Eddie texted him the name of a bar that Tommy knew well. Some of the guys from Harbor liked going there to play pool. They also had Karaoke night every Wednesday night and trivia on Thursdays. Maybe he knew a little bit too much about that bar. So, he texted back a thumbs up and got ready to meet up with Eddie. Eddie was already at the bar when he arrived, a beer in front of him while he made small talk with the bartender. He looked relaxed, in a way that Tommy almost hadn’t expected him to be. 

“Hey!” Eddie threw out. “Glad you made it.”

He took the stool next to Eddie, ordering a beer and then turning to him. “How’s it going? I was surprised to get your call.”

Eddie smiled easily. “Well after Buck turned me down for drinks, I thought maybe you were like me and needed this a bit after everything.”

He usually didn’t. Not that it wasn’t welcome. The bartender passed him his beer. 

“Evan turned you down?” Tommy asked.

“Uh…yeah, guess he was really tired.”

“Right,” Tommy said. “It was a long night.”

A longer night than Eddie knew. Tommy took a gulp of his beer and tried to figure out a way for him to keep the conversation on Buck…Evan. He was Evan to Tommy especially knowing that everyone else seemed to use the nickname. 

“Well Bobby is kind of like a father to Buck, so even though he didn’t show it…he was really worried.”

“Oh,” Tommy said. “It’s actually like a family over there.”

“You could say that,” Eddie said with a smile. “I guess it wasn’t that when you were at the 118?”

“Farthest thing from it,” Tommy said. “I guess I left right before things changed.”

He had never once regretted leaving when he did. Tommy had always meant to get back in the air. It was where he was freest and the thing he missed the most after leaving the army. So, when he had completed the required years as a firefighter, Tommy had started looking for a transfer to any of the air operation stations. His experience as a pilot helped, and he’d found a place where he belonged. He felt freer than he ever had and it had allowed him a brand new start. One in which he could explore parts of himself he hadn’t ever thought he would.  

“I should say I’m sorry you missed out, but I’m sure you love what you do.” 

“I do,” Tommy said. 

If there was one thing, it was Evan. Would he have met him earlier if he stayed? Of course there was no changing the past. There was also who Tommy had been then and Tommy could admit to himself that he hadn’t been ready for a soulmate, much less Evan. 

Eddie drew the conversation in another direction. They started exchanging stories then. Stories about their time at the army which led into conversations about what it was like to return to a civilian life. It was hard, Tommy knew, to talk about it with regular people that hadn’t served and hadn’t seen the things they had. It was clear almost right away that Eddie didn’t have anyone to talk to about stuff like that. Tommy did still have a few friends from back then, but they weren’t all that close anymore. He figured it was exactly why Eddie had reached out. 

Past that, though, they had other things in common and it wasn’t that Tommy forgot about Evan — he was always there in his mind — it was that Tommy found himself having a good time with Eddie. They got talking basketball when the scores of a game were being reported on the tv, and when an ad for a MMA fight came on Eddie made a comment about how he missed going to see fights live. 

“Shift ran late when tickets went on sale,” Eddie said. “Didn’t even get a chance to try and get at them.” 

“I have tickets for this one,” Tommy said. 

“I hate you right now,” Eddie said, but he said it with a grin. 

He hadn’t bought them. A buddy of his had asked if Tommy wanted to go and then because he was a promoter, given him the two tickets. Tommy had meant to ask someone from Harbor if they wanted to go with him, but he’d forgotten. 

“Hey, you want to go with me?” 

“What? Wait, are you serious, man?” 

“Yeah. I mean, it was gonna go to waste, so why not? Fight’s in Vegas. I can probably fly us there.” 

Eddie’s grin grew wider. “Hell yeah, that sounds amazing.” 

“Yeah?” 

Eddie’s hand landed on his shoulder. “You just made my night, man. This is awesome.” 

They talked MMA fighting for a while and he could tell that Eddie had probably dabbled in it a bit. 

“So,” he said two beers in. “Is this the norm for you and Evan? Going out after a shift?” 

“When my kid allows,” Eddie said. “Half the time we’re at my house or his apartment with Chris. Marisol’s gotten used to it.” 

“Marisol?”

“My girlfriend,” Eddie said. 

“Ah. And uh, what about his…partner?”

Tommy braced himself. He hadn’t thought about the possibility that Evan would be involved with someone. It was one of those things that you heard about, people that were happily in a relationship and suddenly one of them met their soulmate. It wasn’t like most people were out there waiting for their soulmate convinced that it was something that would actually happen.

Eddie laughed. “He broke up with his last girlfriend a little while ago. She was a death doula if you can believe that’s a real thing.” 

“I can’t actually,” Tommy said. “But clearly it didn’t work out.” 

“Nope,” Eddie said. “He has the worst luck.” 

“Maybe that’s changing,” Tommy said. 

The conversation shifted again somehow and Tommy couldn’t ask more questions about Evan without giving away that he was looking for information on him. Tommy didn’t want to tell Eddie about Evan being his soulmate, not without first speaking to Evan. He did garner that Eddie and Evan were close, but despite trying several times, didn’t manage to finangle a way to ask for Evan’s phone number. 

He felt a little bit pathetic. After all, who met their soulmate — a rarity in itself — and then not insist on taking a moment to talk even in spite of the circumstances? Insist on exchanging numbers? 

By the time he made it home, a little buzzed from the beer, he realized that somehow he’d made lots of plans to hang out with Eddie and none with Evan. He was a mess.

-

Part Two

#911 abc #911 fic #bucktommy #tevan #kinley #bucktommy fic #soulmate au #tommy kinard #evan buckley

[cerastes]

'stultifera navis' is a reference? I mean, when I saw people going "oh it means stupid boat" figured that that wasn't *quite* the whole story but no one's explained what else it means.

You know how we are intimately familiar with Plato's Allegory of the Cave?

This thing? Alright, so Plato didn't make just one allegory. Plato's Allegory of the Cave comes from Plato's "Republic", specifically Book VII. In Book VI, one can find the Allegory of the Ship of Fools. Long story short, the allegory's intent is to represent the problems of leadership and governance in a political system where the key figures aren't chosen based on expert knowledge, but rather, other things altogether ('divine right' is a good example).

Now, with this in mind, we talk about Stultifera Navis, a satirical allegory from 1494 by one Sebastian Brant, a German humanist. It's other title is Daß Narrenschyff ad Narragoniam, in medieval German, all meaning the same: "Ship of Fools". It's worth noting that the Ship of Fools was a popular concept in this era, much like the internet really likes the Allegory of the Cave! Humanity has always been the same in some regards.

Brant's Stultifera Navis was about a fleet, the Fleet of Fools, bound for the Paradise of Fools and, without getting too into it, because it's a decently long read consisting of over one hundred brief satires, it serves as a criticism towards the Christian Church and how it was, largely, a mangle of underqualified fools not only having WAY too much agency in the lives of WAY too many people, but also, it was driving itself in such a hilariously self-destructive manner that it eventually sinking was practically inevitable. Brant creates a character, the Saint Grobian, whom Brant made into the patron saint of vulgar and crass people, so not only was he making a whole book with over 100 little stories about how much a dumbass collective the Church was, he also got spicy and threw in his own OC, Grobian the Hedgehog, the worst and shittiest of them all, and the one that codified the Church most closely.

Now, you may be thinking, "Hey, did Brant get fucking burned at the cross for this or something? Wasn't criticism of the Church the leading cause of death back in those days right after being invaded by Church for no reason?". Well, there was a SPECIAL JUTSU you could use back in the day, one that rendered you naught but a little birthday guy that couldn't be killed for criticism: Employing the voice of the fool. Y'see, Court Fools were allowed to say whatever they wanted, because they were court fools, and this little loophole allowed certain figures of the time, like Desiderius Erasmus, to criticize the Church openly, as he did in "The Praise of Folly", and when the Churchboyz came to his house with pikes and broadswords, demanding he step right out to they could eviscerate him for the SIN of speaking ill against Our Most Righteous, Loving, And Considerate Of Institutions, The Holy Church Itself, Erasmus threw his arms up in mock surrender and yelled "I'm just a little fool! The work was written from the voice and perspective of but a fool! I'm just a birthday fool! Come on, man, don't get so mad!" and then the Churchboyz, smoldering in white blistering ire, sheathed their arsenal and walked away FUMING because he was now impervious to Christblasts.

Well, Brant used the same jutsu, as the book is Entirely about Fools, he claimed it was just the fools talking, ergo, it's not what he REALLY thought, ok? Just some food for thought, a little what if, no need to get so spicy over a WORK OF FICTION. So the Church harrumphed and hmppphroomed their way home, stomping their feet all the way through because AGAIN they couldn't execute someone for their (alleged) opinion.

Now, moving to the Arknights' Stultifera Navis, given how much the event shows the longing for the Iberian Golden Age, and very much states how impossible it is to go back to those days, simply because, one, the world has changed to something that would never again sustain this Iberian Golden Age, and two, the 'Golden Age' in itself was built upon the systematic oppression and suffering of others, ranging from the Aegir persecuted within the Iberian lands to the Victorians and Bolivars raided and pillaged outside the Iberian borders, and it was the selfsame greed, close-mindedness and ignorance of Iberia that led to its natural end. The Inquisition is very much a Ship of Fools: Guided by old relics, fueled by archaic and obsolete beliefs, it's bound to collapse under its own weight. Saint Carmen himself is the perfect representation of the Inquisition: Tired, old, full of regrets, putting a strong front, yet completely ravaged and exhausted, his life artificially prolonged well past the natural lifespan of a Liberi, guided by ostensibly good intentions and yet adhering to principles that necessarily involve the oppression of certain people in order to exist. I wouldn't say Saint Carmen and Saint Grobian are one and the same, but you can't help but see some similarity. Patron saint of the vulgar and crass indeed.

The allegory also extends to Aegir to some degree as well, but we don't have the full picture just yet. Stultifera Navis does suggest that Aegir Beefed It to some degree as well, and not a minor beef, either.

Notably, Laurentina defies the trope: Her recovery stems in part to having let go of her "Golden Age": The times when she could have pursued her passions as a sculptor, the times when she happily hunted away with her fellow Hunters in the 2nd Company, the times when she didn't have a country's worth of Super Death Rock Cancer Juice in her spine, the entire swath of time she lost due to having been replaced by 'Specter', the time when she was blissfully unaware of her Seaborn blood, she makes it clear to Amaia: She's fully aware that all of these things are irrevocably lost, and that that's fine, she's got the present and the future still. She misses that Golden Age of her life, but doesn't agonize over it, she simply has to make a new Golden Age, comprised of other, unknown, exciting things, in the future.

Sometimes, you don't need to think too hard about it. Just tear apart what's in front of you, and move forward. She is not a crewmember of the Ship of Fools.

There's a few more comparisons and connections you can draw between the Allegory of the Ship of Fools and Arknights' Stultifera Navis, but I think the point has been made!

#biggaybunny #arknights #stultifera navis #specter

[astraltrickster]

But if you want my DETAILED reading of Astolfo's gender, well...it's one of those 5D-chess-with-multiverse-time-travel genders.

On the surface layer, Astolfo is just some guy. He's AMAB and he identifies with maleness, he doesn't really think about anything else, he just doesn't care about the standards that dictate the gendering of arbitrary objects.

On the next layer Astolfo is Nonbinary Lemonade Lover. "Why are you, as a man, doing that?" "Fuck it I'm nonbinary now this shit's getting crazy." He has absorbed the way society treats his presentation into his identity, seamlessly integrating it into his internal relationship to himself.

On the next layer Astolfo is Bugs Bunny. They are whatever is convenient, and/or whatever makes the joke work. She's a girl when she doesn't want to be left out of a gathering, or when it helps with a mission, or when it makes a relationship gayer, or just when it's funny; it is not a "disguise" or a "trick" but a real and complete identity shift, except it's not a shift because that facet has been there all along, except when it hasn't.

On the next layer Astolfo has no gender. Their gender is a blank slate, for anyone else to guess at. Their gender is a mirror, a tool of their absurd charisma, that lets those who need comfort see the unappreciated parts of themself in another and feel safe - and takes those who need to be disturbed and gently but firmly shows them the darkest, ugliest sides of themselves and prompts them to reflect upon their actions and behaviors and reconsider their treatment of others. They lost their gender when they gained their outlook on humanity and life. Their gender is distilled essence of ethical hedonism. Their gender is paladin. Their gender is hopepunk. Their gender lies abandoned on the moon, discarded alongside the other unwanted shackle that is their "reason". Their gender is whatever the world needs it to be. Their gender is reckless and irrational love.

And, crucially, he is not consciously aware of the majority of these layers at any given moment in time. He couldn't tell you anything about his gender, because it's just not something he really thinks about. Even when activating girlmode, it's as natural and unquestionable as breathing - so natural, in fact, that you will come off as the weird one for questioning it, if you can even remember enough about Society in the moment to remember that many people think of it as weird in the first place. Astolfo could never write a breakdown like this - he could rarely even give the abridged answer without getting distracted - because that would require thinking about it far more than he ever has, or could, or would even want to; he would see no point to this level of introspection when there are adventures to be had and people to be helped.

So, Astolfo's gender defies labeling; every label will be 100% correct when you first consider it, but the moment the thought solidifies, let alone when you speak it, it will become an imperfect fit, because he does not give enough thought to the matter to truly identify with any label, no matter how well it describes what he experiences at any moment in time. The moment you speak a label for Astolfo your brain is flash-fried with acute awareness of how language is an imperfect tool, how you can never truly perfectly describe what you experience, let alone what someone else does - for many people it recovers just as quickly, but something in there is irrevocably changed, or at least one step closer to being so.

In conclusion, Astolfo's gender is Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

#fate #astolfo #gender

[that-ari-blogger]

What's The Point of the Horde? Part 2

Ok, So, why can't Catra just leave the Horde? And why can Adora do it so easily? What's the difference between them? Besides "the show needed a protagonist antagonist dynamic that was interesting"?

Here's another question: How does She-Ra factor into this?

The Sword Part 2 is the second episode of She Ra and the Princesses Of Power, and it provides a fascinating turning point for the series, a moment when the characters split from each other, and I'd like to delve into the thematic significance of that choice.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Adora is an extremely naive person, intentionally so. This isn't just the writers making an interesting character, but the result of Shadow Weaver's specific parenting style. Adora has been raised into a person who is incredibly suggestable, someone who is receptable to ideas, someone who is malleable. She is quick to trust and as such, she falls in with the Horde, the rebellion, Light Hope, etc. This keeps happening.

Catra meanwhile, has been raised into the opposite, a person who is closed off, afraid of connection. She's rebellious to a fault, and almost paradoxically self-aware.

Five By Five Takes on YouTube put it best.

"Onto Adora, [Shadow Weaver] projects her ambition... and onto Catra, she projects her insecurities."

I think that a lot of the difference between the two is their experience. The best way to control someone is to control their perception, and perception is important here. Adora quite accidentally breaks free of Shadow Weaver's control and sees Theymore for what it is, peaceful. The soldiers and Catra see what they are told to.

"These aren't insurgents, they're innocent people." "Yeah sure, innocent people who kidnapped a Horde officer."

Plato, rather famously, proposed the Allegory of the Cave, in which people are chained to a cave for their entire lives and shown shadows on the wall in front of them. They call out what the shadows represent, not because they have ever seen the real thing, but because they have learned that these shadows are the real thing. Long story short, one person breaks free. He (yes it was a "he", this was Plato's self-insert OC) leaves the cave and sees the real things that the shadows could only represent. But when he returns to the cave to share what he has learned, he is called mad, because why would you believe your entire worldview is fake?

Plato was talking about enlightenment and other such nonsense there, the whole "I am a philosopher, and I have seen things no mortal can comprehend" thing. But the reason this allegory has gone on to be famous, is because it works as an understanding of how real-world ideologies clash and real people are so unwilling to change views.

It happens in She-Ra too. Catra can only see what she has been told, so she looks around and sees proof. Adora must have hurt her head.

But here's the fascinating thing, Catra is aware of Shadow Weaver's manipulation. So, this is an opportunity to escape that, why doesn't she take it?

Put simply, being aware of something doesn't free you from its influence. For example, I have been aware of James Corden for years at this point. You can see where I am going here. Catra thinks Shadow Weaver's manipulation is just about strength and overt power, but as demonstrated here, Shadow Weaver's power is emotional. She controls what you see, what you hear, what you feel.

Enter She-Ra.

Adora has been raised on conditional acceptance and love. "You do things for me; I give you basic common kindness." And she doesn't shake that worldview. Her acceptance into the rebellion is based around She-Ra. She has been given an ability that can be of use, and these people can give her acceptance, so she takes it. Morality factors in, of course, but the reason Adora sticks with the rebellion instead of going rogue, is She-Ra.

So, why can't Adora and Catra see eye to eye here? Why can one break free, and the other not?

Well, it's more complicated than that; neither really breaks free. But in terms of switching sides, Adora is susceptible to change, Catra is not. Adora sees the real world, Catra can only see the shadows being weaved in front of her.

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#rants #character analysis #literary analysis #literature analysis #she ra adora #she ra and the princesses of power #she ra spop #she ra catra #adora #catra #spop