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lifeinacartoonart · 7 months

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CREATING AUTHENTIC DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING CHARACTERS: A WRITER'S JOURNAL

Introduction

Creating authentic characters in your writing is essential for engaging storytelling, and this includes characters who are deaf or hard of hearing. To craft a character that accurately represents this community, it's crucial to do your research, gain a deep understanding of their experiences, and portray them with sensitivity and respect. In this journal, we'll explore how to write a deaf or hard-of-hearing character, including key information and preparation steps.

Understanding Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Characters

Research: Start by researching deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals' experiences, challenges, and culture. Read books, articles, and personal stories, and watch documentaries or interviews featuring members of the Deaf community.

Consult with Experts: Reach out to members of the Deaf community or experts in Deaf studies to gain insights into their experiences. They can provide invaluable guidance and help you avoid common misconceptions.

Diversity Within the Community: Understand that the Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities are diverse. Some individuals communicate using sign language, while others rely on lip-reading, cochlear implants, or hearing aids. Be aware of these differences when creating your character.

Character Development

Backstory and Identity: Consider your character's background. Were they born deaf, or did they become deaf later in life? How do they identify within the Deaf community? Understanding their identity and experiences will shape their character.

Language and Communication: Decide how your character communicates. Are they fluent in sign language, or do they primarily rely on lip-reading and spoken language? Their communication style will influence their interactions with other characters.

Cultural Awareness: Explore the cultural aspects of the Deaf community. Understand the importance of Deaf culture, including its history, art, and values. Incorporate these elements into your character's life when relevant.

Writing Tips

Dialogue and Communication: When writing dialogue for a deaf or hard-of-hearing character, be mindful of their unique communication style. Use visual cues, body language, and facial expressions to convey emotions and context.

Access to Information: Consider the challenges your character may face in accessing information. This could involve issues with closed captioning, subtitles, or accommodations in educational or work settings.

Social Interactions: Depict social interactions realistically. Show how your character navigates conversations, group dynamics, and social events within their community and with hearing individuals.

Preparation

Sensitivity Readers: Consider hiring sensitivity readers who are part of the Deaf or hard-of-hearing community to review your work and provide feedback. Their insights can help you avoid stereotypes and inaccuracies.

Learn Sign Language: If your character uses sign language, take the time to learn at least basic signs. This will not only enrich your writing but also demonstrate your commitment to accuracy.

Beta Readers: Seek feedback from a diverse group of beta readers who can assess the authenticity of your character and offer constructive criticism.

Engage with the Community: Attend Deaf community events, workshops, or online forums to immerse yourself in the culture and better understand the perspectives and experiences of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

Creating a deaf or hard-of-hearing character that resonates with readers requires dedication, empathy, and thorough research. By following these steps and embracing the rich culture and diversity of the Deaf community, you can create a character that is not only authentic but also promotes understanding and inclusivity in your writing. In addition, when writing dialogue for your deaf or hard-of-hearing character, remember:

It's important to clarify why, when writing dialogue for a deaf character, you should continue to use structured English grammar and not sign language structured grammar.

Maintaining Structured English Grammar:

Readability: Writing in structured English grammar ensures that the text remains accessible and comprehensible to all readers, including those who may not be familiar with sign language or Deaf culture. It avoids potential confusion that could arise from using sign language grammar in written text.

Universal Understanding: English is a global language, and adhering to its grammar rules allows for a wider audience to understand and engage with your story. Sign language grammar varies between different sign languages, making it less universally applicable in written form.

Respect for the Medium: While sign language is a rich and expressive mode of communication, it is primarily a visual and gestural language. Attempting to replicate sign language grammar in written text can be cumbersome and may not fully capture the nuances of sign language communication.

Balance of Realism and Readability: Striking a balance between authenticity and readability is crucial in storytelling. Maintaining structured English grammar while depicting a deaf character's interactions helps convey the character's experience without compromising the reader's ability to follow the narrative.

As an illustration, consider the following text: Dialogues with Descriptive Sign Language:

Sarah greeted John with a warm smile, her hands moving gracefully as she signed, "Hi, how are you?"

John returned the greeting in sign language, his expressions mirroring his words. "I'm good, thanks. Did you see the new movie?"

Sarah's eyes lit up as she signed back enthusiastically, "Yes, I loved it!"

In summary, using structured English grammar when writing dialogue for a deaf character is a practical and respectful choice that ensures your writing remains inclusive and accessible to a broad audience while still authentically representing the character's identity and experiences.

Furthermore, it's essential to avoid creating a character who is overly perfect or one-dimensional. In real life, we understand that everyone has imperfections and complexities, regardless of whether they are deaf or hard of hearing. Therefore, it's entirely acceptable to depict your character as a villain with a hearing issue if that aligns with your storytelling goals.

#writing deaf characters #hard of hearing #writing tips #writing resources #sign language #bsl #asl #auslan #fiction writing #building a character #writing guilde #writing characters with disibilities

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theminecraftbee · 11 months

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Once again, Zedaph finds himself outside the closed gates of the Deep Frost Citadel, tapping his feet with annoyance. Honestly, by now you’d think the stupid thing would understand Zedaph always gets his way, when it comes to Tango, but no, Tango’s stupid base keeps trying to stop him.

“I told you, I’m not here to negotiate, I’m here to pick up my friend,” Zedaph says irritably. The gates of the base don’t respond, and don’t open. “I have a very important nap to be taking, I’ll have you know, and I will not be stopped by… by base chicanery!”

There’s a deep, rolling growl from somewhere in the bowls of the citadel. It sounds like ravagers.

“Oh, don’t you threaten me, you know I’ll run around and die in there all you want as soon as it’s ready. Not even afraid, am I? You’ve had your taste of the good old Zed flesh, but no sir, you aren’t getting me today. The high-voltage wires were a good trick last time I came to bother Tango, I admit, but it won’t work again!”

Another rumbling growl. Zedaph huffs. It would certainly be nice if Decked Out spoke in human to him, so he wouldn’t have to keep guessing. Even sheep would be better—Tango may have an affinity for beasts, but Zedaph only has an affinity if the beasts are also silly.

He makes an educated guess. “Yes, yes, I know you’ve ‘eaten him’ or whatever. Well I’ll have you know that Tangos have more nutritional value after watching me take a very important nap. And also dying. Its enriching. You like enriched Tango—okay, okay, that wasn’t the complaint, geez, you don’t have to shout at me. At this rate I’ll just use my pickaxe to break through the door, and then what will you do, huh? Nothing. You’ll do nothing, because you’re a big stupid building in the ground, and Tango was my friend first.”

A rumble.

“Haha, yeah, take that. We’ve been friends for years. You might be his magnum opus, but you’ve never made him sign a custom body pillow with your beautiful face on it, have you? That is the bond of men! No base can do anything about that.”

A louder rumble. Zedaph feels what he thinks is supposed to be fear and desire to wander into the depths and die or something silly like that. Zedaph isn’t certain, because it’s not as important as Zedvancements. This is one of Zedaph’s special abilities: if it’s not as important as whatever he’s doing right now, he’s very good at ignoring it until it becomes important. So, like, the Citadel is trying to lure him to his death, but that’s less important than taking a very deadly nap while Tango watches with horrified awe, so he’ll just ignore it until later.

Works every time.

“Listen, I’ll bring him back in one piece! Have I ever lied about that? I never do. He always comes right back to work, even when I do distract him, and he’s chipper again, right? I barely even disrupt things. Not that you could do anything if I did, of course, you hunk of stone and ice.”

Zedaph stares at the closed doors for a bit longer. He thinks this is about when anyone else would either die on the spot, or run away screaming, or maybe just come in and feed themselves to a ravager, but the that’s because the other hermits very frequently don’t have anything better to do than to get caught up in other people’s nonsense, in Zed’s experience.

Zedaph simply has so much nonsense of his own that he can out-stubborn even Tango’s base. Like he said: a special talent.

Slowly, as though greatly reluctant, the gates open.

“Thank you, geez! Was that so hard?”

Zedaph stomps through to the hidden access door of the Decked Out maintenance tunnels, grabbing one of the supplemental oxygen masks as he does. He sighs as he realizes that Tango, once again, has forgotten he needs to breathe. Hopefully, the fact Zedaph is currently keenly aware of needing to breathe on account of planning to not do that ten times in a row does not remind Tango.

He finds Tango taking a nap tangled in some high-voltage redstone lines. This time, Zedaph knows better than to touch them. It had been a mite embarrassing the last time. “Tango! Hey, Tango!”

“Wuh?” says Tango, eloquently. “I’m up, I’m up, level three’s almost done I swear—”

“Tango, get up, I have bedroom tricks to show you!” Zedaph says.

“I’m up! Zed? Oh hey! What are you doing all the way out here?”

“I told you. It’s urgent, Tango, urgent. I have bedroom tricks only you can assist me with.”

“Well, that’s a good time I wasn’t expecting,” Tango says.

“No, you idiot! Get your head out of the gutter, and come on! I have things to do!”

“Okay, Zedaph, geez, geez, lemme just—”

“I’ve already asked your stupid base,” Zedaph says. “It’s fine. Now, get out of those wires before I get shocked or something, and we’re going to go have fun.”

Tango slowly uncoils himself. “Right. I’ll get ready and—” Zedaph whips a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket. Tango pauses before smiling brightly. “Oh, you’re the best.”

“I really am,” agrees Zed, and he grabs his best friend’s hand and leads him out of the Deep Frost Citadel to show off his latest contraption. He turns around and sticks his tongue out for good measure at the base as they go. Hah. Take that. The best. There’s no beating it.

And there’s no keeping him away from Tango. Zedaph guarantees it.

#hermitcraft #zedaph #tangotek #tango tek #I. can’t remember if I tag with the space or not I think I’ve used both. whoops #a bee fic #anyway in the continuing saga of ‘tango is a little possessed slash eaten’: zedaph #because zedaph is the exception to many things when it comes to tango #and the rule of ‘tango doesn’t leave without permission’ is one of them.#(and besides. that’s how it’s always worked when zed’s isolating himself; may as well return the favor to tango.)

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sensualnoiree · 3 months

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astro notes: jupiter through the houses pt.1

Symbolizing wisdom, luck, and spiritual growth, Jupiter guides us through journeys of abundance and higher learning. As it rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and co-rules Pisces with Neptune, its reach extends to philosophical pursuits, foreign travel, and spiritual exploration. From its exaltation in Cancer to its debilitation in Capricorn, Jupiter's placement illuminates our beliefs, aspirations, and sense of justice. Throughout this exploration of Jupiter's journey through the houses, we unravel its transformative power and guiding light, embracing its blessings of prosperity, abundance, and divine guidance.

Jupiter in the 1st House:

Jupiter, the planet of expansion and wisdom, graces your first house with its benevolent presence, imbuing you with an aura of confidence and optimism that is hard to miss. Your natural charm and amiable demeanor draw people towards you, and your boundless enthusiasm for life makes you a natural leader and mentor figure. With Jupiter here, you possess a larger-than-life personality, exuding an air of positivity and hopefulness that inspires those around you.

Your insatiable thirst for knowledge and higher learning leads you on a lifelong journey of self-discovery and personal growth. You may find yourself drawn to philosophical or spiritual pursuits, seeking to unravel the mysteries of existence and expand your understanding of the universe. Whether through formal education or self-directed study, you are constantly seeking to broaden your horizons and deepen your understanding of the world.

However, it's important to remain mindful of the potential pitfalls of this placement. Your tendency to think big picture and overlook details can sometimes lead to unrealistic expectations or a lack of attention to practical matters. Additionally, your generous and forgiving nature may sometimes leave you vulnerable to exploitation or manipulation by others. It's important to strike a balance between optimism and pragmatism, remembering to ground your lofty ideals in practical reality.

Overall, Jupiter in the first house blesses you with an abundance of confidence, optimism, and generosity, making you a beacon of hope and inspiration to those around you. Embrace your natural leadership abilities and use them to uplift others on their own journeys of growth and self-discovery.

Jupiter in the 2nd House:

With Jupiter gracing your second house of wealth and possessions, you are blessed with a natural talent for attracting abundance and prosperity into your life. Your financial affairs tend to flourish, and you may find that opportunities for growth and expansion abound in the realm of money and material resources.

Your eloquence and wisdom make you a persuasive communicator, able to charm others with your words and inspire them to action. You have a deep appreciation for the value of wealth and resources, and you are generous in sharing your blessings with others. Whether through philanthropy or simply by being a supportive friend or family member, you take pleasure in enriching the lives of those around you.

Family life is particularly harmonious for you, and you may find that your home is a source of comfort and stability in your life. Your upbringing may have instilled in you strong moral values and a deep respect for tradition, which you carry with you throughout your life.

However, it's important to guard against the temptation to overindulge in luxury or extravagance, as Jupiter's influence here can sometimes lead to excess. Remain mindful of your spending habits and remember to cultivate gratitude for the abundance you have already attracted into your life.

Overall, Jupiter in the second house blesses you with financial prosperity, eloquence, and generosity, making you a valuable asset to both your family and your community. Embrace your ability to attract wealth and abundance, and use it to create a brighter, more prosperous future for yourself and those you love.

Jupiter in the 3rd House:

With Jupiter gracing your third house of communication and intellect, you possess a natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge that drives you to explore the world around you. Your mind is sharp and inquisitive, and you excel in areas that require critical thinking and analytical skills.

Your relationships with siblings, neighbors, and peers are characterized by warmth and camaraderie, and you may find that you are able to forge deep bonds with others through shared interests and intellectual pursuits. You have a gift for teaching and sharing knowledge, and you may find fulfillment in roles that allow you to impart wisdom to others.

Travel is another area where you may find opportunities for growth and expansion. Whether through short trips or longer journeys, you have a deep appreciation for the adventure and excitement that comes from exploring new places and experiencing different cultures.

However, it's important to guard against the tendency to scatter your energies or spread yourself too thin. With Jupiter's influence here, there may be a temptation to take on too many projects or pursue too many interests at once, leading to a lack of focus or follow-through. Remember to prioritize your goals and channel your energies into pursuits that truly resonate with your passions and values.

Overall, Jupiter in the third house blesses you with intellectual curiosity, communication skills, and a love of learning. Embrace your natural gifts for teaching and sharing knowledge, and use them to inspire others on their own journeys of exploration and discovery.

follow for more astro insights like this and support me over on instagram @sensualnoiree or yt @sensualnoiree

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iww-gnv · 13 days

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Writers employed by “Sesame Street” producer Sesame Workshop have voted unanimously to support a strike authorization vote from the Writers Guild of America as the April 19 expiration of the current contract approaches. The 35 writers represented by the union have been in negotiations with the production company behind “Sesame Street” and other children’s programs since February. If the sides can’t reach a deal by April 19, picketing will begin outside Sesame Workshop’s Manhattan headquarters on April 24, the WGA said Tuesday. “We are committed to working with Sesame Workshop to codify a fair contract for writers that embodies these values, and which allows the Workshop to continue to attract top-level talent who can artfully create stories that successfully balance entertainment, playfulness, and joy with education and enrichment,” the union’s Sesame Workshop negotiating committee said in a statement. “Our demands would be extremely meaningful for the affected writers, particularly those in animation who are currently being excluded from basic union benefits and protections like pension and healthcare. We hope for a speedy and amicable resolution to these negotiations so that we can continue to do the work of helping the next generation grow smarter, stronger and kinder.” “Our writers are integral members of our creative team, and we are engaged in good faith negotiations with the WGA. We’re still hopeful that we’ll come to an agreement in advance of the expiration,” the company said in a statement. Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit organization, which means it’s in an unusual position of facing a strike threat. WGA East president Lisa Takeuchi Cullen acknowledged the awkwardness of the situation. “No one wants to see a picket line on Sesame Street,” said Takeuchi Cullen. “Millions of parents and families around the world are going to have a lot of questions. They might ask why the bosses at Sesame Workshop are ignoring their company’s own messages of kindness and fairness.”

#news #us news #entertainment news #sesame street #sesame workshop

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astrojulia · 9 months

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Natal Chart Express - Sun Edition

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Houses

1st House: Radiating Self-Identity This placement bestows a strong focus on self-awareness and self-expression. Individuals with the Sun in the 1st House possess a magnetic aura that draws attention to their unique personality and leadership qualities.

2nd House: Shining Identity on Resources and Values With the Sun in the 2nd House, one's identity becomes closely intertwined with material possessions, finances, and personal values. These individuals are driven to create security and abundance in their lives.

3rd House: Illuminating Identity in the Immediate Environment The Sun in the 3rd House emphasizes communication, learning, and adaptability. These individuals shine when expressing themselves within their immediate social circles and communities.

4th House: Nurturing Identity and Emotional Security When the Sun resides in the 4th House, the core of one's identity revolves around family, home, and emotional foundations. These individuals seek security and stability through creating a nurturing environment.

5th House: Creative and Expressive Self-Identity Individuals with the Sun in the 5th House have a flair for creativity and self-expression. They find their true identity through artistic endeavors, romance, and embracing their inner child.

6th House: Identity Seeking Self-Refinement With the Sun in the 6th House, self-improvement and service become central themes in one's identity. These individuals find fulfillment in refining their skills and contributing to the well-being of others.

7th House: Identity Defined by Relationships The 7th House Sun placement highlights the significance of partnerships and collaborations in shaping one's identity. These individuals thrive in harmonious and balanced relationships.

8th House: Identity Focused on Intimacy and Transformation Individuals with the Sun in the 8th House seek profound connections and transformative experiences. This placement indicates a deep need for emotional intimacy and self-discovery.

9th House: Identity Driven by Exploration and Understanding With the Sun in the 9th House, one's identity is enriched through travel, higher education, and philosophical pursuits. These individuals are eager to broaden their horizons and gain a deeper understanding of the world.

10th House: Identity Striving for Achievement This placement emphasizes ambition, career success, and public recognition. Individuals with the Sun in the 10th House are driven to leave a lasting impact on the world through their achievements.

11th House: Identity Connected to Society With the Sun in the 11th House, a person's identity is closely tied to social causes, friendships, and group affiliations. These individuals are natural leaders who champion collective progress.

12th House: Identity Seeking Inwardness and Self-Discovery Individuals with the Sun in the 12th House often feel a deep connection to the unseen realms and the subconscious mind. This placement indicates a profound need for spiritual growth and inner reflection.

Signs

Aries: The Warrior's Emerging Self-Identity Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, symbolizes the journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Those born under this sign experience life as a continuous quest to assert their individuality and courageously pioneer new paths.

Taurus: Identity Rooted in Possessions and Resources Taurus individuals find security and self-assurance through their material possessions and resources. They are grounded and steadfast, embodying a deep connection to the tangible aspects of life.

Gemini: The Multi-faceted Chameleon of Self-Identity Gemini's identity is incredibly versatile, reflecting a variety of interests and personalities. They are social butterflies, effortlessly adapting to different situations and presenting diverse facets of themselves.

Cancer: Emotionally Nurtured Self-Identity Cancer individuals experience their identity through deep emotional connections. Their nurturing nature creates a strong bond with family and loved ones, anchoring their sense of self in the realm of emotions.

Leo: Self-Identity as a Majestic Persona Leo, like the regal lion, embodies grandeur and charisma. They experience their identity through self-expression, seeking admiration and validation as they shine brightly in the spotlight.

Virgo: The Self-Examining Perfectionist Virgos are meticulous self-examiners, constantly seeking self-improvement and growth. Their identity is closely intertwined with a desire to be of service and to perfect their skills.

Libra: Identity as a Delicate Balance of Self and Others Libra individuals perceive their identity as a delicate dance between their own needs and the needs of others. They strive for harmony and balance in their relationships and surroundings.

Scorpio: Identity Rooted in the Depths of Power Scorpio's identity is immersed in the realm of power, transformation, and intensity. They navigate life's mysteries with a profound understanding of the darker aspects of the self and the world.

Sagittarius: Seeking Self-Identity through Exploration and Understanding Sagittarius individuals are adventurous seekers, finding their identity through exploration, travel, and intellectual pursuits. They yearn for higher knowledge and philosophical insights.

Capricorn: Self-Identity through the Climb of Achievement Capricorns embody the spirit of hard work and ambition. Their identity is forged through their determination to climb the ladder of success and leave a lasting legacy.

Aquarius: The Unconventional and Differentiated Self Aquarians revel in their unique and individualistic identity. They are trailblazers, often challenging societal norms and envisioning a future that embraces progressive ideals.

Pisces: The Boundariless and Empathic Self Pisceans have a boundless sense of self, often merging with the emotions and experiences of others. Their identity is fluid, transcending boundaries and connecting with the universal consciousness.

Aspects in the Natal Chart

Moon:

Conjunction: The sense of self is intimately tied to the emotional and subconscious realms. These individuals experience a deep emotional connection with their identity, and their intuition plays a significant role in shaping who they are.

Trine: The sense of self and emotions are in harmony, creating an innate understanding of their feelings and needs. These individuals navigate life with ease, being emotionally attuned to themselves and others.

Sextile: Opportunities arise for the emotional and subconscious functions to interact positively with the sense of self-identity. This aspect encourages a healthy balance between emotions and self-expression.

Opposition: The sense of self and emotions are at polar extremes, leading to internal conflicts. These individuals may struggle to reconcile their conscious self with their hidden emotions, leading to inner tension and external challenges.

Square: The emotional and subconscious functions clash with the sense of self-identity, creating inner friction. Individuals with this aspect may face challenges in understanding and expressing their emotions effectively.

Mercury:

Conjunction: The sense of self is strongly aligned with the mental and communicative functions. These individuals tend to identify themselves through their intellect and articulate communication style.

Venus:

Conjunction: The sense of self is deeply connected to the evaluative and relationship functions. These individuals find a significant part of their identity in their values, aesthetics, and harmonious connections with others.

Sextile: Opportunities for positive interactions between the evaluative and relationship functions and self-identity. These individuals have an innate ability to create harmonious relationships and appreciate beauty in life.

Mars:

Conjunction: The sense of self is closely tied to the action and desire functions. These individuals have a strong drive to assert themselves and pursue their ambitions actively.

Trine: The sense of self and action/desire functions are in harmony, leading to a smooth expression of their desires and a well-aligned sense of purpose.

Sextile: Opportunities for constructive interactions between the action/desire function and self-identity. These individuals can channel their energy into productive pursuits and self-improvement.

Opposition: The sense of selfhood and the action/desire function are at polar extremes. Individuals with this aspect may struggle with impulsiveness and conflicts in pursuing their goals.

Square: Challenges presented by the action/desire function. These individuals may face obstacles or resistance when trying to assert themselves and achieve their desires.

Jupiter:

Conjunction: The sense of self is strongly identified with expansion, beneficence, and understanding. These individuals have an optimistic and generous outlook on life, finding their identity through personal growth and helping others.

Trine: The sense of self and the functions of expansion, beneficence, and understanding are in harmony. These individuals naturally attract positive opportunities and are open to learning and growth.

Sextile: Opportunities for expansion, beneficence, and understanding. This aspect encourages a broader perspective and a compassionate approach to life.

Opposition: The sense of self and the functions of growth, understanding, and grace are at polar extremes. Individuals may experience inner conflicts between their desire for expansion and their need for inner growth and understanding.

Square: Challenges presented by expansion, beneficence, and understanding. These individuals may struggle to balance their desire for growth with the need for moderation and patience.

Saturn:

Conjunction: The sense of self is strongly identified with limitation, structure, and discipline. These individuals value responsibility, hard work, and long-term planning in shaping their identity.

Trine: The sense of self is in harmony with structure, discipline, and limitation. These individuals have a strong sense of self-discipline and can achieve their goals through careful planning and perseverance.

Sextile: Opportunities to develop structure and discipline. This aspect encourages individuals to build a solid foundation for their identity and long-term success.

Opposition: The sense of self and the functions of structure, discipline, and limitation are at polar extremes. Individuals may face challenges in balancing their need for security with their desire for personal freedom and expression.

Square: Challenges presented by limitation, structure, and discipline. These individuals may encounter obstacles and self-doubt when trying to establish boundaries and structure in their lives.

Uranus:

Conjunction: The sense of self is strongly identified with uniqueness and transformation through revelation. These individuals seek to break free from conventions and embrace their individuality.

Trine: In harmony with change and transformation through revelation. These individuals embrace change and use it as a catalyst for personal growth and self-discovery.

Sextile: Opportunities for transformation through change and revelation. This aspect encourages open-mindedness and adaptability, leading to positive transformations in their identity.

Opposition: The sense of selfhood and the function of change/transformation through revelation are at polar extremes. Individuals may experience inner conflicts between their need for independence and their fear of the unknown.

Square: Challenges presented by change and transformation through revelation. These individuals may struggle with sudden changes or unconventional ideas conflicting with their desire for stability.

Neptune:

Conjunction: The sense of self is strongly identified with transformation through transcendence. These individuals seek a deeper connection with the spiritual and transcendent aspects of life.

Trine: The sense of self is in harmony with transformation through transcendence. These individuals have a compassionate and empathetic nature, understanding the interconnectedness of all beings.

Sextile: Opportunities for transformation through transcendence. This aspect encourages self-awareness and spiritual growth.

Opposition: The sense of selfhood and the function of transformation through transcendence are at polar extremes. Individuals may struggle with illusions or escapist tendencies as they navigate their spiritual journey.

Square: Challenges presented by transformation through transcendence. These individuals may face internal conflicts when trying to balance their spiritual pursuits with the demands of the material world.

Pluto:

Conjunction: The sense of self is strongly identified with transformation through crisis. These individuals undergo profound changes that lead to personal growth and empowerment.

Trine: In harmony with transformation through crisis. These individuals embrace challenges and use them as opportunities for deep transformation and renewal.

Sextile: Opportunities for transformation through crisis. This aspect encourages resilience and adaptability in the face of difficulties.

Opposition: Transformation of self-identity experienced through the crisis of facing your shadow-self. Individuals may confront deep-seated fears and hidden aspects of themselves through intense life experiences.

Square: Challenges presented by transformation through crisis. These individuals may encounter obstacles and resistance when trying to transform and reinvent themselves.

ASC (Ascendant):

Conjunction: There is a projection of the identity and an integration of the self. Individuals with this aspect are seen by others exactly as they perceive themselves. They radiate their core essence, and their external persona aligns harmoniously with their authentic self.

Trine: This indicates a natural flow and ease in how the individual presents themselves to the world. Their self-expression and public image blend seamlessly, resulting in a confident and well-integrated sense of self.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and positive interactions between the Sun and the Ascendant. This aspect encourages adaptability and a positive outlook on life, making it easier for the individual to relate to others and navigate social situations.

Opposition: This leads to potential inner conflicts between the individual's self-image and their relationships with others. There may be a struggle to balance personal desires and external expectations.

Square: This may result in difficulties in projecting the true self to the world. Individuals with this aspect may experience internal tensions between their self-identity and how they appear to others.

IC (Imum Coeli):

Conjunction: There is a strong connection with family roots and a profound sense of belonging. This aspect influences the individual's private and emotional life, shaping their sense of security and emotional foundations.

Trine: This aspect fosters emotional security and a grounded sense of self. These individuals have a strong inner foundation that supports their personal growth and emotional well-being.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and emotional development through the influences of the IC. This aspect encourages the individual to nurture their inner self and establish a strong sense of emotional stability.

Opposition: The Sun and the IC are at polar extremes, leading to potential conflicts related to the individual's sense of security and emotional roots. They may experience tension between their private and public lives.

Square: This aspect may result in difficulties related to family dynamics and emotional foundations. Individuals with this aspect may face inner struggles when trying to reconcile their past with their present identity.

DC (Descendant):

Conjunction: There is a strong identification with relationships and social connections. These individuals may derive a significant part of their identity from their partnerships and how they relate to others.

Trine: This aspect promotes harmonious and balanced relationships. These individuals have a natural ability to cooperate with others and form meaningful connections.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and positive interactions with others through the influences of the DC. This aspect encourages the individual to approach relationships with diplomacy and cooperation.

Opposition: This aspect leads to potential conflicts in the individual's partnerships and social interactions. They may struggle with finding balance and compromise in their relationships.

Square: It may result in difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships. Individuals with this aspect may experience tensions and conflicts with others.

MC (Midheaven):

Conjunction: There is a strong identification with professional ambitions and the desire for recognition and success in the public sphere.

Trine: This aspect ndicates a natural alignment between the individual's sense of self and their career path. They are likely to find fulfillment and recognition in their chosen vocation.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and achievement through the influences of the MC. This aspect encourages the individual to pursue their professional goals with confidence and determination.

Opposition: This may lead to potential conflicts between the individual's career aspirations and their personal life. They may struggle to find a balance between their public and private roles.

Square: This may result in difficulties in finding their true vocation and facing obstacles in their career path. Individuals with this aspect may experience setbacks and doubts related to their professional pursuits.

North Node:

Conjunction: This indicates a strong identification with destiny and life purpose. These individuals feel a profound connection with their soul's mission and are driven to fulfill their higher calling.

Trine: This signifies a harmonious alignment with the pursuit of destiny. These individuals progress smoothly on their life path, guided by their inner sense of purpose.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery through the influences of the North Node. This aspect encourages the individual to embrace new experiences and evolve towards their destined path.

Opposition: This leads to potential conflicts between the individual's soul purpose and their ego desires. They may struggle with reconciling their higher calling with their material ambitions.

Square: This which may result in difficulties in fully embracing their destiny. Individuals with this aspect may encounter obstacles and resistance as they strive to align with their life purpose.

South Node:

Conjunction: This indicates a strong identification with past patterns and ingrained qualities. These individuals may initially rely on familiar traits but need to grow beyond them to progress.

Trine: This signifies ease and harmony with their past predispositions and innate qualities. They can draw on their experiences to support their current life journey.

Sextile: Opportunities to use their natural strengths and talents for personal growth and development. This aspect encourages the individual to leverage their past experiences positively.

Opposition: This leads to potential conflicts between their past patterns and their soul growth. They may feel torn between their comfort zone and their evolution.

Square: This may result in difficulties in letting go of old patterns and embracing change. Individuals with this aspect may struggle with releasing past habits and moving forward.

Chiron:

Conjunction: This may indicate a strong identification with the wounded healer archetype. These individuals have experienced deep emotional wounds, which they can heal and transform into sources of strength and wisdom.

Trine: This allows the individual to harness their healing abilities and use them to support others effectively. They can inspire and uplift those around them through their own transformation.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and transformative experiences through the influences of Chiron. This aspect encourages the individual to embrace their vulnerabilities and work towards healing and wholeness.

Opposition: This leads to potential inner conflicts related to the individual's healing journey and self-acceptance. They may struggle with acknowledging and embracing their wounds.

Square: This may result in difficulties in accepting their wounds and finding effective ways to heal and grow. Individuals with this aspect may encounter internal struggles and self-doubt.

Lilith:

Conjunction: This may indicate a strong identification with suppressed or unconventional aspects of the self. These individuals may rebel against societal norms and embrace their wild and independent nature.

Trine: This encourages the integration of the shadow self and the acceptance of one's true nature. They may embody powerful and transformative energies, embracing the darker aspects of their personality.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and self-expression through the influences of Lilith. This aspect encourages individuals to embrace their uniqueness and stand firmly in their authentic self.

Opposition: This leads to potential conflicts related to the individual's rebellious nature and societal expectations. They may struggle to find balance between their individuality and fitting in.

Square: This may result in difficulties in expressing their true self and accepting their unconventional side. Individuals with this aspect may face inner tensions and external challenges when embracing their uniqueness.

Ceres:

Conjunction: This may indicate a strong identification with nurturing and caregiving qualities. These individuals find fulfillment in nurturing others and fostering a sense of security in their relationships.

Trine: This signifies a natural alignment between their nurturing instincts and their self-expression. They have a harmonious approach to caring for others and themselves.

Sextile: This aspect encourages the individual to embrace their nurturing side and use it to support their personal development and relationships.

Opposition: This leads to potential conflicts between their nurturing tendencies and their personal needs. They may struggle to find a balance between caring for others and self-care.

Square: This may result in difficulties in finding a healthy balance between nurturing others and nurturing themselves. Individuals with this aspect may feel drained from constantly caring for others.

Pallas:

Conjunction: This may indicate a strong identification with wisdom, strategy, and problem-solving abilities. These individuals have a keen intellect and often use their intelligence to navigate life's challenges.

Trine: This signifies a harmonious alignment between their analytical skills and their sense of self. They can strategize effectively to achieve their goals.

Sextile: This aspect encourages the individual to use their intelligence and creative thinking to overcome obstacles.

Opposition: This leads to potential conflicts between their rational thinking and their emotional expression. They may struggle to integrate logic and intuition.

Square: This may result in difficulties in applying their problem-solving abilities effectively. Individuals with this aspect may face obstacles in finding practical solutions to life's challenges.

Juno:

Conjunction: This may indicate a strong identification with partnership and commitment. These individuals highly value their relationships and seek deep emotional connections with others.

Trine: This signifies a harmonious alignment between their commitment to relationships and their sense of self. They can form and maintain strong, supportive partnerships.

Sextile: This aspect encourages the individual to foster healthy and balanced partnerships.

Opposition: This leads to potential conflicts between their desire for partnerships and their need for personal freedom. They may struggle to find a balance between commitment and independence.

Square: This may result in difficulties in forming and maintaining long-lasting partnerships. Individuals with this aspect may face obstacles in finding emotional fulfillment in relationships.

Vesta:

Conjunction: This may indicate a strong identification with dedication and focus. These individuals have a deep sense of purpose and may devote themselves entirely to a specific cause or pursuit.

Trine: This signifies a harmonious alignment between their focused dedication and their sense of self. They can channel their energy into productive and meaningful endeavors.

Sextile: Opportunities for personal growth and positive commitment to their goals through the influences of Vesta. This aspect encourages the individual to cultivate discipline and dedication.

Opposition: This leads to potential conflicts between their intense focus and their need for balance in life. They may struggle to find harmony between their dedication and other aspects of their identity.

Square: This may result in difficulties in maintaining their focus and dedication to their goals. Individuals with this aspect may encounter obstacles in fully committing to their chosen path.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

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rachelsfav-queer · 2 months

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Girl Scouts

Wednesday: I find this whole notion entirely ridiculous, and I protest it vehemently, Enid!

Enid: Come on, Willa! It'll be a fun and enriching experience for her. She'll meet so many new people, and she'll learn valuable life skills there. I don't see what the problem here is!

Wednesday: The problem here is that you're trying to send our daughter to a cult of patriarchal values and insufficient education of basic survival skills.

Enid: First of all, it's not a "cult" and second, I hear the Girl Scouts has actually gotten a lot better about the whole "women belong in the kitchen" thing. Eugene's daughter went last year, and she actually really enjoyed herself! And what are you even talking about, "basic survival skills"?

Wednesday: What I mean is, my family has a long-standing tradition where each new Addams, once they've reached the proper age of two years old, will be trained by the family all necessary skills that all Addams are well-versed in. Fighting, hunting, torture plus torture survival, and most importantly, the rich and in-depth history of our family. Jillian was supposed to go through this when she turned two as well, but you insisted we push it back, which I agreed to because I value your authority as her mother.

*In the background*

Yokovina daughter: So uhh, what are they arguing about again?

Jillian: Whether to send me to Girl Scouts or not.

Yokovina daughter: Oh... and have they asked if you want to go?

Jillian: Nope.

(Wenclair daughter name stolen from @caitlynskitten)

(Also, this is awful, I know. This is why I don’t do incorrect quotes lol)

#wenclair #incorrect wenclair #wenclair daughter #jillian sinclair addams #yokovina daughter

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h-sleepingirl · 2 months

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Milton Erickson and a Rabbi Walk into a Bar... (Essay)

Finally, I've finished this essay about connections I'm finding between hypnosis, Judaism, magic, and intimacy. It's ~4.5k words, extremely "me," and I'm really thrilled to share it. Enjoy!

My weakness is getting deeply invested in very niche topics.

Hypnosis was my first and most lifelong obsession. It was my confusing, shameful sexual fetish that I eventually took by the horns and -- through my desire to learn as much about it as humanly possible -- turned into a job. But not a normal sex work job where I do hypnosis for money -- a weird job where I just teach about it. The kink community, and the further-specific niche where people want to hypnotize each other during intimate experiences, became my home.

But the value of study doesn't really come from the quantity of people I'm able to engage with. It comes from the way it enriches my life. It creates and benefits from the capability to see overlaps between all of my various interests.

On the surface, it may appear that two skills have no relationship. But the deeper you get into each one, a synthesis appears.

At a certain point when you are learning hypnosis, all seemingly-unrelated information seems to fit effortlessly into your hypnotic knowledge. You can listen to a song and suddenly you learn something new about how to hypnotize someone. Maybe it was a lyric that gave you an evocative emotional response; maybe it was a pattern in the music that you thought about replicating with the rhythm of your hypnotic language.

Over a decade into my own hypnosis learning, I got very lucky and found a second passionate home in communities of Jewish text study about a year ago. I started from almost zero there and found myself again to be a greedy novice, obsessed with digging into it.

Of course, as I got further, it became that I read a page of Talmud (a text of rabbinical law and conversation) and suddenly I learned something new about how to hypnotize someone. And as I progress, it is starting to go the other way: I learn about Torah study by reading about hypnosis and intimacy.

There are two directions this essay can be read. “How can intimacy and hypnosis teach us about Jewish text?” And, “How can Jewish text teach us about intimacy and hypnosis?” One half is of each part written by me as an authority, and the other half is by me as an avid novice. The synthesis of these two parts of me -- just like any synthesis between concepts -- may perhaps create something new.

Models

I’m sure most communities have a version of the idiom, “Ask three people a question and get five answers.” For a long time, this was a source of frustration for me in the hypnosis community. Is hypnosis a state of relaxation and suggestibility? Kind of, but also no. Is it more accurate to say it is based on unconscious behaviors and thoughts? Well -- kind of, but also no.

So what is it? Well, it’s probably somewhere in the overlap of about 20-30 semi-accurate definitions and frameworks for techniques -- what we’d call “models.” Good luck!

Why is hypnosis so impossible to define and teach? How have we not found a model that we can all agree upon yet? I think many people share this confusion, and it's complicated by the fact that most sources for hypnosis education teach their model as the model. It makes sense -- it would be difficult to teach a complete beginner a handful of complex frameworks with which to understand hypnosis when that person is just trying to muddle through learning “how to hypnotize someone” on a practical, basic level.

…Or would it be? By the time I got involved with Jewish study, I had long given up on chasing the white whale of some unified theory of hypnosis. I was firmly happy with the concept that all ways to describe hypnosis are simply models -- and all models are flawed, while some models are useful. I was delighted, when entering Jewish community spaces, to hear the idiom, “Three Jews, five opinions.”

This concept is baked into Jewish text study, in my experience. You can look at any single line in Torah and find innumerable pieces of commentary on it, ancient and modern, with conflicting interpretations. Torah and other texts are studied over and over -- often on a schedule -- with the idea that there is always something new to learn. And this happens partially by the synthesis of multiple people's perspectives adding to and challenging each other, developing new models. My Torah study group teacher always starts us with a famous line from Pirkei Avot, a text of ethical teachings from early rabbis: “If two sit together and share words of Torah, the Shekhinah [feminine presence of God] abides among them.”

The capacity to develop and hold multiple interpretations at once enriches your relationship with the text. So too do I believe that being able to hold multiple interpretations of what hypnosis is and how it works enhances your skill with it. It is not a failure of the system -- it is the best thing about it.

Intimacy

It is intentional to make the distinction of “relationship with the text” -- not “relationship to the text.”

My job on the surface is to teach hypnosis, but the meta goal is to simply teach something that helps people develop profound intimacy with others. I think that hypnosis is a kind of beautiful magic that is well-suited to this, but it’s not the only path to take.

One of my favorite educators, Georg Barkas, describes themselves as an intimacy educator who teaches rope bondage. Their classes and writings are highly philosophical and align closely with my own ideas about intimacy -- as well as my partner’s, MrDream, from whom I’ve learned so much. I frequently cite Barkas when I talk about hypnosis because I feel the underlying ideas they have about rope bondage are extremely applicable to all kink and intimacy -- and I will continue that trend here.

Barkas recently published an excellent essay looking in detail at the concept of intimacy itself. They posit that our first thought of intimacy is usually about a kind of comfort-seeking and familiarity. That’s contained within the etymology of the word, and socially it’s what many of us think of when we define our relationships as “intimate”: settling in to engage with a partner who we love, know, and understand.

But, Barkas asks, what if we place this word into a different context? They talk of how in scientific endeavors, the goal of “becoming familiar with” is unpredictability and discovering things that are surprising and unexpected. This perhaps offers a different view of intimacy: intimacy where you do not engage with your partner as though you know everything about them; intimacy where being surprised by them and learning something new is the goal.

My partner MrDream teaches about this often in hypnosis education: approaching a partner with genuine curiosity and interest -- “curiosity” implying that you don’t know what to expect, with a positive connotation. There is a kind of delicate balance between being able to anticipate some aspects of what is going to happen hypnotically -- to have a general grasp on psychology and hypnosis theory -- versus holding tight to a philosophy that neither you nor the hypnotic subject really knows how they are going to respond. The unexpected is not to be feared, but celebrated and held as core to our practice. Hypnotic “subjects” (those being hypnotized) who can relax their expectations will often have more intense experiences.

Thus we come to the first time in this essay where I mention Milton Erickson, my favorite forefather of modern hypnosis. Erickson was a hypnotherapist active through the 1900s and is famous (among many things) for presenting a model of hypnosis that wasn’t necessarily an authoritative action done to a person, but a collaborative and guiding action done with a person.

In his book “Hypnotic Realities,” he talks about how his view of clinical hypnosis is defined by how the therapist is able to observe each individual client and directly use those observations to continually develop a unique hypnotic approach with them. The client’s history, interests, and modes of thinking are utilized for the trance, as well as any observable responses they have in the moment. For example, a client with chronic pain may have the frustration they express over that pain incorporated into the trance. This is in deep contrast to hypnosis where the therapist comes in with any kind of “script” or formula to recite ahead of time.

It’s important to Erickson’s model that the therapist doesn’t know exactly what to anticipate, and it’s also important hypnotically that the same is true for the client. A common “Ericksonian” suggestion is, “You don’t have to know what is going to happen, and I don’t know either.” In order to develop the most effective approach with each patient, Erickson would enter into a session with some presumed knowledge, but ultimately learning -- not assuming -- how to best hypnotize each individual person.

We circle back to the phrase, “a relationship with Jewish text.” In my opinion, engaging with Torah is exactly this kind of intimacy. Torah is something we come into in order to poke and prod at it, to interact with it and to see how it interacts back at us. The teacher of my study group always cites a model where Torah itself is a participant in our partnered learning and group discussions. We ask it questions, we push its boundaries, we strive to glean something new and yet unseen. A line that may seem simple on the surface can reveal much more when we explore its context or put it into a different context entirely.

This is easier for me to say as someone who is coming into learning Torah for the first time, but I am able to look ahead to when I will be fully familiar with the text and still be able to take this expanded definition of intimacy with it. Not coming to it without a sense of comfort, but still engaging with curiosity. MrDream teaches a model for hypnosis that is based on the idea of exploration -- exploring your partner no matter how long you have been with them. You are always coming to them as a different person, shaped by your ever-growing experiences and identity, and your partner changes as a human as well. I believe Torah is also dynamic in this way, as the context within which it exists -- and the way we interpret it -- is constantly shifting.

Ritual

I have been engaging with spiritual ritual on and off for as long as I’ve been learning hypnosis. The concept of magic has always been alluring to me -- not from a motivation to meet specific goals, but for something more difficult to pin down. I like that ritual, in an esoteric framework, is about looking at various metaphors between ingredients and actions; a candle representing an element of fire which may in turn represent intensity, or purity, or something else. Drawing meaningful connections between concepts like this is a skill I’ve developed in parallel with hypnosis, as well.

I was recently talking with a friend of mine who is also interested in esotericism -- we were sharing our frustrations with various books on magic and ritual. We wondered why so many sources would go on to teach prescriptivist formulas and associations, and not much else. Do this, and that will happen. This symbol represents that. My friend and I agreed that the ritual value of ingredients comes from how you personally assign meaning to them -- but why was everything always trying to teach us their meaning, as opposed to teaching us how to cultivate our own associations?

A week or so later, I happened to go to an excellent class that explored whether or not there was a place for smudging and smoke use in modern Jewish ritual. The teacher first took a careful, measured approach towards looking at indigenous smudging practices and the concept of appropriation. What followed was 30 minutes of history and text exploring examples of smoke in early Judaism, and then 30 minutes of a handful of interpretations of what “smoke” could mean and represent with relation to Jewish ideas -- directly practical to modern ritual. It was utterly excellent and immediately profound for me, as someone who has been yearning to blend my experience with esoteric ritual with my relationship with Judaism.

Observant readers will note that through this essay I speak passively about Judaism -- I am a patrilineal Jew, which for better or worse means that it is not a simple matter to say, “I am ‘fully’ (or ‘not’) Jewish.” (I am in the beginnings of working with a Conservative rabbi -- who affirms that I’m Jewish -- to make my status halachic [lawful], which is deeply exciting.) Opinions on that aside, a relevant piece of information is that the Jewish holiday we celebrated most consistently when I was growing up was Chanukah. While a lot of Jewish practice has been something I’ve been striving towards as an adult, Chanukah has always been “mine.” It was fast approaching after this class, and I felt motivated to use my newfound knowledge to make more ritual out of lighting the candles.

I was deeply surprised when all I did was light a stick of incense before saying the blessings over lighting the menorah, and my experience transformed into something intense. I smelled the incense and couldn’t help but think about what I’d learned about the Rambam’s commentary that incense in the time of the Temple was about making the Temple smell sweet to pray in after the burning of sacrifices. I thought about what I’d learned about the presence of God being smoke and clouds to the ancient Israelites. I thought about things I’d learned from other places -- hiddur mitzvah (the value of beautifying a practice), and a midrash (parable) about God loving the light and rituals we do in a very personal way simply because they are from us.

Esoteric ritual has often felt to me like exerting effort in making the associations of ingredients work for me. But this was effortless. I was doing something that was entirely my own, solidly founded by the broad and deep study I’d done, by my personal relationship with the concepts, by my identity.

In other words, the power behind this ritual came from knowledge, and the knowledge came from my intimacy with it. And that intimacy was not just with the study I had done -- it was also the process of being surprised in real time by what I was learning through the ritual itself.

Hypnosis gains “power,” in so much as we let ourselves use the term, through these same acts of intimacy towards knowledge. It operates directly based on various ingredients: how much we know about hypnosis theory itself, general psychology, the person we are working with, and ourselves. Hypnosis is a ritual -- it is setting aside special time to do something with a collection of ingredients that you have personal associated meanings with. If you can’t connect to those deeply enough, it won’t reach its full potency.

Knowledge, Perception, and Unconsciousness

One of my favorite concepts to teach in hypnosis is, “A change in perception equates to a change in reality.” This is derived from Erickson by MrDream, and it’s something he and I have had a lot of conversations about to refine. The implication of this is not something as trite as hypnosis having the power to change a person’s perceived reality. It is the concept that if you look at something from a different perspective, you gain various different capabilities.

For example, when you are feeling stuck in a situation and you think about what a close friend of yours would do if they were in your shoes, you gain the capability to see more options, to change your actual view of the reality of the problem and therefore change your actions towards it. In hypnosis, this could be the difference between simply telling someone to relax their legs versus another perspective of telling them to imagine what it would be like if their legs just started relaxing. It could be the idea that when a person does feel relaxation from a simple suggestion, their perception changes on what is happening -- they build more belief in hypnosis, and that belief in turn makes the next suggestions easier to buy into.

Erickson’s model of hypnosis is predicated on the idea that hypnosis itself matters, that hypnosis is a time within which someone’s reality changes. In his ideal hypnotic context, the subject feels like they no longer can expect things to behave as they usually do in their “waking” reality. They are thus opened to many different kinds of new experiences and capabilities. To Erickson, perception matters -- by itself, it’s a primary driving force behind literal change and response.

This ties back to our idea of intimacy -- just as I aim to approach my partners with this profound curiosity, just as I aim to approach Torah, I want to have this intimacy of the unexpected with trance itself. I want to allow myself to be surprised by hypnosis, by the things I don’t yet know about it even after more than a decade and thousands of hours of trance. But more than this, in an Ericksonian sense, simply changing my perspective to this motivation is one of the things that lets me get there.

I went through a guided study class about Shabbat (Judaism’s weekly sabbath of rest) with a partner, and so much of the class was in the abstract that it at times felt difficult for me to latch onto. We were learning all of this background context about a view of Shabbat where instead of spiritually striving and reaching on that day, you come in acting as though your spiritual work -- like your other work -- is “finished.”

In one session, we spent a chunk of time parsing through how we could interpret that as actionable. It felt like it just wasn’t clicking for me -- the midrashic texts weren’t offering enough for me to feel like I could make judgments on questions like, “Does this imply I shouldn’t meditate on Shabbat in this context?”

It wasn’t until I slept on it that I found a very simple piece of the puzzle: putting aside the questions of concrete actions, in an Ericksonian sense, the internal act of shifting my perspective would absolutely change the way I behaved and interacted with the day. It would become more indirect and unconscious -- instead of carefully analyzing my actions as I might with other Shabbat prohibitions on work, I could simply let myself act in ways that fit that perspective of “spiritually resting.”

The abstraction of the class made more sense -- perhaps it wasn’t trying to give us direct answers, but rather create a psychological environment for us that was well-suited to this more unconscious processing. Or rather, in addition to the sort of typical conscious halachic interpretation. If I allow myself an opinion here, I’d say that I care about halacha as actionable, but as always, I tend to care more about feelings and what’s internal.

This also lent credence to ways this class and the class on smoke and ritual changed my experiences. I was not given a set of actions to take, but rather a variety of perspectives that unconsciously made me think and behave differently. The concept of “knowledge is power” is both true and alluring in many different contexts, and yet had often fallen through for me in most ritualistic frameworks. The way that it succeeds, I believe, is when you develop a relationship with knowledge that actually changes your internal perspective and perceptions.

Limitation

With this we return to the concept of models and interpretations. It is serendipitous to be going through these experiences at a time where I am avidly working on my next book -- the thesis of which is that in order for us to progress as hypnotists, we must get comfortable moving fluidly between many differing definitions and frameworks (models) of what hypnosis is and how it works.

It is as the Ericksonian principle would say: If you take a perspective on hypnosis that boils down to “hypnosis is about relaxing the conscious mind,” you will do hypnosis according to that perspective. You will use relaxation-based techniques and make an effort to get someone to think “less consciously.” If you instead take a perspective that is “hypnosis operates based on activation of the conscious mind,” you may do hypnosis that causes someone to think and process in a more stimulating way.

Both and neither are true, and they can coexist. I believe that most models can be useful -- some more useful than others. But the best thing you can do is to not assume that one model is the most correct one -- instead, it is to develop the capacity to work within many at once even while being aware of their boundaries.

Jewish text, in my experience, provides models -- perspectives that themselves give guidance on how to understand things and act. I think especially about midrash and stories that are explicitly intended to fill in the gaps or give an alternate view on something. The question of, “Is there one correct way to do/see things” is more complicated here, but there are areas -- especially in those subtle shifts of mindset for ritual or interpreting text -- where the answer is still “no.”

My time so far in Jewish study supports this in a different way. There is a human element of collaboration and challenge. Learning as we do with a chevruta (study partner) adds another person to the relationship -- it is no longer just between you and the text. There is another human who you are building something with, and it is “intimate” according to our exploratory definition in an even clearer way.

The purpose of a “scene” inside of kink (a “session” of kink play) is to operate in a semi-limited framework -- limitations exist on who is involved, where it begins and ends, how partners communicate, and what themes/topics/activities are involved. These limitations -- though they may be quite broad -- are partially what allow for intense experiences. A scene needs to exist in a different “space” than our daily lives, and it needs to operate by different rules and involve different ingredients. Here, we also see overlaps with the definition of a “ritual.”

This doesn’t just facilitate intensity (and safety) -- it facilitates learning something new about your partner. By taking your relationship and putting it into a limited context, it allows you to observe it in a more careful way, where novel changes can be more obvious.

Studying with a chevruta is much like this. I have had study sessions where my chevruta and I are meeting for the first time and the only thing we are aware of sharing is our desire to dive into a piece of text. I’ve also had chevrutas where we know each other outside of study, and some of our time is schmoozing and catching up. But in all cases, we are limited in scope, and that limitation creates ease of access towards the common goal of expanding our knowledge and relationship with the text. We are focused; we are motivated. We are creating something that we can only create through who we are as individuals and what we are doing as avid learners.

This has surprised me at times with its tenderness and intensity. Building well-founded interpretations with someone is in and of itself very intimate -- not sensually, but humanly. It has given me something I have always wanted -- an intimacy that is pervasive not just in application of knowledge, but in the development of it. A feeling of sacredness and joy from being able to see so many different perspectives.

I long for this connection, this alchemy. Yes, all models are limited. But within those tight, restricting limits is the potential energy of creation.

“And I Must Learn”

There is an infamous story in the Talmud, in Berakhot 62a, where Rav Kahana hides under the bed of his friend Rav Abba. Rav Kahana hears Abba and his wife giggling and starting to have sex, and remarks out loud that Rav Abba is acting like someone who is famished. Rav Abba, mid-sex, understandably says, “Kahana, why the fuck are you under my bed listening to me fuck my wife?” Rav Kahana replies, “It is Torah, and I must learn.”

There was a version of this essay that began with this tale. I am enamored with the vast overlaps I can derive from its briefness: that intimacy can be studied sacredly both as a general concept and specifically with your partner; that we are obligated to learn ourselves, our partners, and general human desire; that there can be a thread of wholeness in every action of your life if you give every action sacred attention.

Even this, though, is a limited-context interpretation. The rabbis of the Talmud were certainly not sex-positive, especially not as we currently use the term. The surrounding triptych of conversations is similarly humorous but seems to comparatively describe sex as dirty or gross, and this bit of text cannot really exist separately from all of the places where there is halacha derived about sex that is about controlling women’s bodies or preventing queer and trans people from being able to live authentically.

But -- we are allowed to interpret like this. We are allowed to play with context and see what we discover.

For me, this is about finding the connections between my actions and my interests; parts of me that synthesize the whole. It is about developing intimacy with Torah, with my learning partners, with my romantic partners; with the people within the writings, with the authors, and with the readers.

Reading Torah is the same as hypnotizing someone is the same being intimate with someone is the same as doing a ritual. All things on a broad enough scale overlap this closely. There is value in this “zooming out” to a wide enough context to see the connections that exist -- just as there is value in celebrating the limitations that arise, models nestled alongside each other, when you “zoom in.”

We need both to be able to treat our learning -- all forms of it -- as something special.

#my writing #hypnosis #judaism #hypnokink

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orcinus-veterinarius · 1 month

Note

I’ve seen this video circulating recently and was wondering if you had any idea what’s going on and why the orca is doing this. I don’t know much about cetaceans

Hello! Thanks for the ask.

So this gentleman is Nakhod, one of the adult male orcas at Chimelong Spaceship (which is in China, so it would not be even remotely affected by the SWIMS Act promoted in the video’s caption). Let’s preface by saying that since I don’t actually know this animal or the specifics of his care, I can’t come to any hard and fast conclusions from watching a 20 second video.

The Instagram page you linked is using this clip as proof of “mental health issues.” First off, animals can’t be diagnosed with mental health disorders as we understand them, but I think it’s safe to say they’re referring to stereotypies.

This could absolutely be a stereotypy, and I definitely don’t want to diminish that possibility. However, but its very nature, a stereotypy must be repeated. In this 20-second clip, we only see Nakhod smack his head once before swimming off, so this particular incident doesn’t seem overly stereotypical. Personally, I think it’s more likely he’s displaying misdirected aggressive behavior, particularly since he opens his mouth afterward. As for what’s causing him to be so frustrated, it could be he’s annoyed at the guests. But the fact that he very clearly smacks his genital slit against the acrylic really makes me think it may be sexual.

Chimelong is actively breeding its orcas (Nakhod himself has already sired a calf), so we know their whales are not on birth control (at least not all the time). It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that there was a female in estrus that he was either separated from or rebuffed by. From personal experience, male cetaceans tend to get a little crazy when the females are receptive, and that includes aggressive displays. If I had to go with my gut, I think this is sexual behavior. But again, that’s pure speculation on my part.

So, in conclusion, I don’t know for sure what’s going on. He could be developing a stereotypy, or he could be frustrated, sexually or not. It’s not a benign behavior, but it’s also not automatic evidence of extreme distress.

Note: Normal orca vocals sound sad and pathetic. They’re not screaming or wailing, that’s just how they are. Not sure if the video said “sound on” to hear that or the thuds from him banging the acrylic.

Another note: My overall feelings on Chimelong are really complicated. They purchased their whales from wild captures 8-10 years ago, but their current facility is by far the largest and certainly the most enriching orca habitat ever built. They’ve also had a lot of success breeding healthy calves, which indicates they’re at least doing something right. At the same time, the park is outer space themed for some reason, and since I can’t read or speak Mandarin, I have no idea what the educational value of the aquarium section is. But I hope the Chimelong pod does for China what Shamu did for the United States—inspire a passion for orcas.

#orcas #killer whales #cetaceans #marine mammals #animal behavior #animal welfare #chimelong spaceship #answered asks #specimentality

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astrorakesh1726 · 10 days

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What are the astrological results for venus in 9th house?

Venus in the 9th house of a natal chart has various implications, often pointing to favorable and enriching experiences related to 9th house themes, which include long-distance travel, higher education, philosophy, and exposure to foreign cultures. Here are some of the typical astrological results for Venus in this placement:

Love of Travel and Culture: Individuals with Venus in the 9th house often have a deep appreciation for foreign cultures and may enjoy traveling. They find beauty and value in experiences that broaden their horizons and may develop a strong connection with places far from their birthplace.

Educational Benefits: Venus, the planet of harmony and attraction, in the 9th house suggests a favorable attitude towards higher education. These individuals might excel in academic environments, particularly in fields related to arts, social sciences, or any discipline that they find beautiful or aligns with their values.

Philosophical and Optimistic Outlook: Venus in the 9th house can indicate a naturally optimistic mindset. Individuals might be philosophically inclined, seeking to understand the world through a lens of fairness, justice, and beauty. They tend to be idealistic, sometimes to the point of being overly optimistic.

Relationships with Foreigners: There can be significant relationships with people from different backgrounds or countries. This placement might also indicate romantic relationships or friendships that form during travels or in academic settings.

Spiritual and Ethical Growth: Venus in this house can also suggest a person who finds beauty in spiritual pursuits or who may adopt spiritual beliefs that are harmonious and inclusive. They often seek a personal code of ethics that is rooted in love and understanding.

Each chart is unique, so the specific results of Venus in the 9th house may vary depending on its sign, aspects and the overall position of Venus and the 9th house ruler in the birth chart. For more detailed and personalized information, it would be beneficial to view the complete horoscope. For which you can take help of Kundli Chakra 2022 professional software. Which can give you a good information.

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gatheringbones · 8 months

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[“If you erect a community of expensive, beautiful homes and prop up the value of those homes by making it illegal to build more housing, which turns your home into a resource so scarce that potential buyers do things like write pleading letters or make cash offers above the asking price or bid sight unseen—behavior that has become commonplace in liberal cities like Austin, Seattle, and Cambridge—then you pretty much want to keep things as they are.

If you design a public school system such that it primarily serves students of professional parents, who have the time and know-how to invest in their children’s schooling, and who can afford to pay for extra tutoring and college prep coaches and out-of-state field trips and therapy, you can create an enriching educational environment and pipeline to college. Economically integrating schools would challenge this design, this social status preservation machine, requiring rich students to share classrooms with poor students who might carry some of the traumas of poverty, speak English as a second language, and spend their summers watching a lot of television because going outside is dangerous. One study found that growing up in a severely disadvantaged neighborhood is equivalent to missing a year of school when it comes to verbal ability. Another found that achievement gaps between rich and poor children form and harden before kindergarten.

It has become fashionable these days to pitch social change to the privileged classes by appealing to their material self-interest. The right thing to do is also the best thing to do! Integrating our schools is antiracist, and it improves the overall learning environment, preparing your children for a diverse workforce! Raising the minimum wage allows workers to buy enough food, and it’s good for business, stabilizing the company’s labor force and saving on turnover costs! When then-presidential-candidate Joe Biden told a room of wealthy donors that “nothing would fundamentally change” if he were to be elected, he was repeating a familiar liberal talking point: If you join me in this effort to reduce the inequality you yourself benefit from, you won’t have to give up a thing.”]

matthew desmond, from poverty: by america, 2023

#matthew desmond #history stuff #currently reading

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is-the-primate-vid-cute · 1 year

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How can you tell if something *is* a pet monkey? Sometimes it's hard to tell esp if people label themselves as rescues or sanctuaries or whatnot.

It can be hard to tell. My usual process involves looking for specific red flags: wearing clothes, being on a leash, being inside a human house, doing human activities, and being the subject of internet content that has little to no information, focusing on the cute factor. Lets take an example:

This is Pockets Warhol the capuchin. This photo, and many others on the twitter account @PocketsWarhol, depict Pockets playing with toys, painting, and sleeping in blankets indoors. Additionally, the Twitter account posts from Pockets perspective. This photo was tweeted with the caption “I know that I never want to stop smiling #BeKindToAnimals #AfterLife #storybookmonkeys“

It is easy to think that Pockets is a pet, and you’d be half right: he used to be a pet before being surrendered to the Storybook Farm Primate Sanctuary in Ontario. So how do we go from seeing this type of content from determining if Pockets is a pet?

1. Context gathering. Just from scrolling through Pockets’ Twitter, more tweets can be found which indicate more about Pockets’ care and keeping. Not much, but the background of several pictures and videos indicate an enclosure suited to capuchin needs rather than someones basement or living room. He is also only seen engaging in species safe enrichment including baby-proof children’s toys and classic monkey enrichment like sawdust. This still isn’t much to go off of, but at this point we would probably see if his caretaker was treating him unambiguously as a pet. If at this stage we saw him wearing baby clothes, being handled inappropriately/like a human baby or a domesticated animal, or being kept in a persons bedroom, yard, or a similarly obviously bad environment. At this point we can go into the next step:

2. Background Research. We know Pockets lives at the Storybook Farm Primate Sanctuary, but is this a real sanctuary or just someone with a farm that keeps “rescue“ exotics? Let’s look. One of the first things you may notice on the website linked from Pockets’ Twitter bio is an endorsement from Jane Goodall. Pretty solid stuff in their favour, but not every place is going to have an endorsement that so obviously speaks to a high standard of ethics and primate welfare. If you hover over the “About Us“ section of the website directory, you can click on the “Our People“ tab. Here we find some info that you are likely not going to find for any sanctuary that isn’t the real deal:

A board of directors (7 members)

Staff members (3 caregivers and 2 veterinarians)

Names of all the volunteers

Non-legitimate sanctuaries almost never have this level of transparency. This also allows you to look up individuals such as board members to see what their qualifications are. Real sanctuaries value transparency and tend to be more forthcoming. Seeing “John Smith Phd, resident veterinarian” is a big green flag, whereas “Founded by John and Judy Smith who love animals“ doesn’t say much.

Storybook Farms also has a resources tab for educational information, including a tab on pet primates. They do not say outright that primates should never be pets, but instead emphasize that the needs of primates are most often not met when they are kept as pets and that neglect and poor quality of life is very common. This may seem like a questionable stance, but Storybook Farms is very gentle in their condemnation of keeping primates as pets as they form and maintain relationships with primate pet owners to ensure the welfare of these privately owned animals. Primate pet owners should not exist, but if someone has a pet monkey an all or nothing approach is not going to help them or the monkey. As I mentioned, Pockets used to be a pet, but he was willingly surrendered by his owner who realized that she was not capable of giving him the quality of life he deserves.

3. More critters? Pockets is just one monkey out of all the monkeys and lemurs at this sanctuary, and luckily Storybook Farms has a tab where you can read bios and see pictures of every individual there (yay for transparency and good websites!) From reading through these bios I found quickly that most of the sanctuaries residents live in small groups/couplings that are species appropriate and take the needs of the individuals into account. Inner species relationships are prioritized and care is taken to allow natural, non-human-centric lives.

Remember Darwin the IKEA monkey? He lives here! Because Darwin (a former pet like Pockets) was rescued when he was less than a year old, he has been largely rehabilitated to be more macaque than human and spends his time with his own kind, foraging outside. Unlike Darwin, Pockets was a pet for far longer and consequently is not able to be re-socialized as effectively. It’s sad, but long term pet primates tend to prefer humans to other members of their own species, are more easily made anxious, require more attention and reassurance, and often have been castrated or have had teeth removed. Because of this, Pockets and others like him require lives that, while not ideal for monkeys, are better for the individual. Pockets was lucky enough to not have been traumatized by life as a pet, and his life looks pet-like because it is all he has ever known and anything different would possibly cause more harm than good.

Hopefully this helps you do your own research! There will always be ambiguous cases, and don’t be afraid to be wrong or to not know. There have been some places, pictures, and primates that I have been unable to judge due to lack of information, and it is fine to say you don’t know for sure. Feel free to ask more questions if you have them!

#mod J #inquiring minds want to know #primates are not pets #pockets warhol

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grison-in-space · 2 months

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at lunch one of the undergrads in my lab mentioned a study that had administered an autism score--I think the BAP-Q?--to academics at a variety of levels and got back some hilariously enriched ranking for autism among the faculty, which I have just spent twenty minutes digging through the lit for and failing to find.

however: I did find a bunch of articles by Sandra Jones, autistic researcher and national treasure, which are well worth perusing if you have a moment and this is a topic of interest. In particular:

Advice for autistic people considering a career in academia

Academia is underpinned by an apprenticeship model, with increasing recognition of the need for a ‘cognitive apprenticeship’ model in which the methods and strategies of academic success are learnt through participation in a community of inquiry. Autistic people face systemic barriers in academia, as in other professions, and these may be exacerbated by a model based on learning by observing and modelling. This study sought to obtain specific practical advice for autistic people considering a career in academia, from the perspective of those already working within the academy. Thirty-seven autistic academics provided written reflections on the advice they would give a young person considering a career in academia. Five key themes were generated from these reflections: know the role, find the right people, know (and value) yourself, remember well-being and proceed with caution but with passion.

Autistics working in academia: What are the barriers and facilitators?

Autistic people are under-represented in university student populations, but their numbers are growing, and the barriers to their inclusion are being recognised. Outside of the student body, autistic people in academia are often overlooked, although this is starting to change with the growth in inclusive autism research. However, they remain absent from the academic literature, despite the evident synergies between autistic strengths and academic careers. This study explored the perceptions of 37 autistic academics from various disciplines: what are the positives of working in academia for autistic people, and what are the negatives? Participants reported many positive aspects of an academic career, including the fit with the strengths, characteristics and motivations of autistic people. However, they also noted barriers and challenges – social, environmental and structural – many of which could be addressed by greater awareness and acceptance of autism. Given the considerable benefits that autistic teachers and researchers bring to higher education, there is a clear need for universities and colleges to implement changes to the physical and social environment to make academia more inclusive.

both are excellent food for thought and digestion, imo.

#actually autistic #autism research #etc #neurodivergence in academia

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tadpolejourney · 16 days

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Thoughts on D&D alignments and BG3

Don't mind me, I just felt like spending my day off writing a philosophical essay about Baldur's Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons character alignments. I may or may not have been inspired by someone I admire here on tumblr. And by may, I mean yes, I was inspired by that. :) Everything that follows is my opinion as an experienced D&D player and dungeonmaster. My main motivations are being a 3.5 D&D nerd above all else, and wanting to educate others about a cool but misunderstood system in a game I love.

Respectful discussion and questions are highly encouraged! <3

Character Alignments in D&D

Alignments in older versions of D&D were much less about the morality of a character's choices, and more about the confluence of a character's values (good vs evil) and loyalties (law vs chaos). There is long-standing recognition among many D&D players that these alignments are merely guides to help you create a fully realized character and encourage good role-playing. Just as it is widely acknowledged that all characters are capable of changing and capable of surprising anyone when faced with a situation, even themselves. Flexibility is not only implied, but highly encouraged in response to an event, because it enriches role-playing. It also encourages creativity when you're making a truly unexpected character because that character still needs to make sense in the world they are in despite being rare or unique among their kind. For example, how would someone become a chaotic evil druid when typical druids are neither chaotic nor evil? How does that influence their actions and decisions as a druid? The potential for rich backstories and truly unique characters can multiply when thinking about a character in terms of their alignment. The broader concept of categorizing characters to better understand them isn't new or unique to D&D either. See also: Carl Jung's Archetypes.

Alignments are supposed to guide role-playing decisions, not dictate them or pass judgment on a character's worth. In D&D, players are not supposed to know the alignments of the other players' characters, and in fact alignments are often withheld from the dungeonmaster (DM) as well to limit meta-gaming. When your character's alignment can be revealed as a creative surprise to the whole table upon confrontation with a game mechanic that exposes you? That's fun. I heard fun is the point of games, idk.

Character Alignments and BG3

In the spirit of not making things fun, BG3 character alignments have become broadly associated with moral judgment of a character instead. Another mistake being made in the BG3 fandom over and over is the erroneous conflation that D&D 5.0 = all D&D ever. D&D 5.0 is D&D simplified and reworked to be more accessible to more players. This is a good thing at the end of the day, but resulted in a lot of difficulty imbalances, lost mechanics, and confusing remnants from the more robust versions of D&D. In the case of alignment, it should have been either included entirely or left out entirely. Instead it was left in name only, causing it to be often and easily misunderstood and misused.

Larian wisely left alignments off the character sheet in the game, and I'd like to think that was at least partly done out of reverence for D&D. It would take away from one of the most powerful experiences in BG3 that separates it from D&D: your choices, as the video game player, guiding and influencing ALL of the characters, not just the one you chose for yourself.

I consider the characters in BG3 to be well-written characters. Well-written characters are meant to be seen in multiple dimensions, and at best an alignment gives you 2. There will always be nuance in a complex, fully realized character that alignments just won't cover.

All alignments have two sides to them. The first side of an alignment is good, evil, or neutral, while the other side of an alignment is lawful, neutral, or chaotic. If both sides of their alignment are neutral, that character is considered a 'true neutral' (often simplified as neutral, sometimes referred to as neutral-neutral).

Good vs Evil in Alignments is Not a Value Judgment

The good vs. evil side of alignment is all about degrees, not about a character's worth. Anyone can be an asshole or an angel under the right circumstances. Good vs evil is about what they value most. A traditional argument for the meaning of goodness asserts that all killing/harming is evil, and therefore a truly good character would never harm anyone. On the opposite end, the simplified definition of evil is anyone who kills or harms others, regardless of their circumstances or motivations. These definitions are way too reductive and inflexible, and would be the worst framework for the good vs evil side of alignment. In D&D alignments, characters who fall along the good axis are primarily motivated by altruism no matter their loyalty. Characters that fall along the evil axis are most motivated by power no matter their loyalty. Neutral characters on the good vs evil side of alignment are most motivated by personal relationships.

What follows is my perspective on how alignments shake out for BG3 characters. For the sake of brevity, I provide either a single example or a short justification of why I think that character 'fits' within a given alignment only if needed. I also account for contexts where a character's alignment can change based on players' choices in BG3. This is presented along the law vs chaos side of alignment, rather than good vs. evil, to diminish moral knee-jerk reactions.

Chaotic Axis

Chaotic characters are not always actually chaotic by definition, nor are they selfish by definition. Characters in the chaotic axis are most loyal to personal autonomy rather than rules/duty (aka law).

Chaotic Good – places the highest value on freedom of choice. Different from personal choice, freedom of choice implies that all people should have liberty but not at the expense of the liberties of others. (Karlach's arc is largely driven by this.)

Chaotic Neutral – places the highest value on personal choice.(Astarion doesn't care if others' lives don't benefit from his personal gains. He won't commit an evil or altruistic act that would disrupt or compromise his ability to live how he wants to.)

Chaotic Evil – places the highest value on personal gain (Ascended Astarion, on the other hand, will harm or kill anyone to be and remain powerful, no matter the consequences. His romanced line about being two sovereigns when in reality you are subjugated by him is a good example of that shift in values. See also: Every devil in the game. Orin fits here in theory but her alignment is more chaotic stupid, which is a special circumstance I won't cover here.)

Neutral Axis

The neutral axis gets wacky, because true neutral is the only alignment where neutrality is typically the goal and neutral shows up on both sides of alignment. Neutrality is difficult if not impossible to maintain unless you're in a vacuum, and true neutral characters are the most difficult to role play correctly. It is rare that a true neutral character is presented in a way that makes them compelling and interesting. They are likely to read flat and/or as though they're missing something. This alignment isn't useless however, because true neutral alignment as something intentional and/or temporary allows for interesting characterizations not available to other alignments.

For neutral good or neutral evil characters, their neutral alignment is determined by them being most motivated by their values rather than their loyalties. For chaotic neutrals and lawful neutrals, the opposite is true: their loyalties come first.

Neutral Evil – places the highest value on total control. (The Emperor. The Netherbrain. Ketheric. Gortash. Don't feel like I need to explain these to anyone who has played through BG3.)

Neutral-Neutral (aka True Neutral) – all things are considered equally. They favor neither their loyalties nor their values when making decisions. Their typical actions neither directly harm nor directly help others. A character without specific motivations to maintain balance in all things (aka a true neutral that isn't a druid) is likely experiencing or has experienced something which prevents them from possessing strong convictions or values. (Shadowheart when you first meet her, literally only because she's missing chunks of her personality and nearly all of her personal history. Her attempts at conviction are shallow and unconvincing, and her values don't land consistently either. I'd put God of Ambition formerly known as Gale here too. He's not actively bringing harm or help to anyone. He's just kinda there, soaking in worship while being really detached, uninteresting, and uninvolved, as any god would be.)

Neutral Good – places the highest value on kindness/compassion for others. (Gale. How outraged Halsin is at the state of the refugee crisis in Baldur's Gate. Jaheira allying with the Astral Prism gang once she realizes they're on the same side, despite misgivings about them being infected. Selunite Shadowheart.)

Lawful Axis

The meaning of 'law' in the law vs chaos side of alignment is extremely flexible: duty, order, honor, justice, tradition, and rules, are all considered law. The lawful axis is for characters who place law first, above their values. The type of law is not necessarily indicative of the good vs evil side of their alignment, but there is a certain amount of boxing in that can take place. If the character's highest priority is fulfilling duties for an evil god, for example, they're lawful evil, period.

Lawful Evil – places the highest value on attaining and maintaining 'rightful' power. (Minthara embodies the lawful evil paladin archetype pretty fully. She has a malevolent sense of justice. See also: Dark Justiciar Shadowheart, Vlaakith's Zealot Lae'zel.)

Lawful Neutral – places the highest value on upholding law (Lae'zel. Duty is everything to her.)

Lawful Good – places the highest value on benevolent justice (Minsc and Wyll, always kicking ass for good and willing to sacrifice for it too. Killing may be an unfortunate side effect, but the values of lives are respected.)

A Scandalous Visual Representation

Final Thoughts

These are just examples, of course. There are many characterizations in which you can argue for an alignment where the standard description I provide here wouldn't apply. That is part of the fun of debating character alignments and thinking critically about what motivates the decisions of characters. As a creative tool, character alignment has value outside of the game as well. It facilitates that difficult process fan fiction writers go through of not being the original writer while trying to determine how a character would react, what they would do, and what they would say. Writers who can see characters in three dimensions are capable of expanding on any existing well-written universe with believable canon and stories. If you got this far, I appreciate you entertaining my rambles!

#apparently I just like school so much that I school even when I don't need to school #sorry if you're in college and an essay is the last thing you want/need #I hated writing essays the whole time I was forced to do it but now I'm really glad I developed the skills to write like this when I want t #bg3 #baldur's gate #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #bg3 spoilers #baldur's gate oc #dungeons and dragons #d&d

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venticuliao · 10 months

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sumeru, capitalism and cultural hegemony

The first thing we learn about Sumeru is that knowledge is handled as a resource, that is to say, it serves both as social and economic capital that grants people different status. The more academic merit a person obtains, the more power and opportunities they’re handed.

The nation is ruled not by mora, but by knowledge. The equivalent to our capital irl (wealth) in Sumeru is knowledge or academic merit.

To put it simply, it works as an allegory for capitalism.

The sages, as the political class, hoard this capital from the lower and marginalized communities (working class and desert people) and distribute it unfairly through the Akasha system: Access to knowledge is restricted by each person’s academic merit, and those outside Akademiya are not granted further education than what their labor limits.

As such, the conventional idea of personal relationships within the Akademiya is transactional in nature, it’s based on creating bonds with the goal of producing academic (and therefore economic) value. These bonds are traditionally formed when the people involved share the same objectives and are able to cooperate in research, since that’s what their professional pursuits and livelihood depend on.

In the idealized perspective of academics and Akademiya culture, relationships only have justified purpose for the collective society if they produce academic (therefore economic) value. Not unlike the way capitalist society pushes the roles of traditional family, heterosexual and focused on parenthood, with the purpose of generating inheritance that will maintain and renew its system. (give it up for 4ggravate as local allegory for homosexuality on top of the regular yaoi)

Nilou's story quest, for instance, features a daughter alienated from her father who seeks to escape the burden of the Akademiya’s traditional concept of family. Her father, Sharif, pushes her for higher academic performance despite her attempts to please him and the ways in which she's tried to establish a bond through other alternative means. The purpose of having a daughter, of family, is entirely practical in this sense: it seeks to produce academic merit.

An allegory works as a symbol of sorts, it's not a 1:1 comparison you can make with the actual system, so let's not get caught up in meaningless details such as "Acshually, Sumeru is a noocracy" and the likes. It represents aspects it wants to address through symbols.

For example, the sages quite literally steal the citizen’s dreams —the personal experience and knowledge stored in their subconscious— to create an artificial god, the unlimited source of knowledge they wanted to replace their archon with.

This god is a projection of themselves in divine form, made not only of the capital of the nation that they control, but also of the forceful cooperation of the middle and working classes: an allegory for exploited labor that enriches the political class.

The experience and technical expertise of workers outside Akademiya is something that can only be acquired through labor, not from theory or the Akasha itself. The sages wouldn't have bothered taking dreams from them if such knowledge was worthless.

We know it is not a highly valued resource, however, since these workers in the public boards are struggling to get by:

Kaveh, bless his heart, tries to help them from his ideals of altruism, but while Alhaitham's disinterest in interfering with the status quo is reproachable, he is not wrong to call his attempt meaningless: there are more people in the same situation as these workers, and after they complete the job Kaveh gave up for them, they will still be in the same situation.

Change cannot be achieved with small, individual gestures of kindness; it's the (let's talk in tree terms) root cause of the issues that needs to be attacked.

(Let's cut feeble scholar some slack though, he's the one who achieved precisely this by overthrowing Azar and the political class, after all, the ones who upheld this system)

Nahida makes a distinction in how Alhaitham and Kaveh view society: she says Kaveh has an almost perfect grasp on what it means to be a nation of wisdom, and chastises Alhaitham for looking down on the "mediocre majority".

Kaveh’s altruism is genuine, if a little influenced by his compulsive guilt due to believing that he caused his own family’s demise. He grieves the losses he’s suffered and the loneliness left behind to such a degree that he can’t ignore those in need around him. He aims to help others in order to avoid guilt, yet he himself feels burdened by the weight of his reputation and can’t afford to ask the same from others.

In this sense, Kaveh himself is an element of change for his community: he aims to help people in need without asking anything in return; and since he is unable to ask for help, those around him (Alhaitham, Tighnari, Cyno, etc) must notice his weaknesses and spontaneously attend his needs. This creates a reciprocal community focused on collectivism.

On the other hand, Alhaitham had a recluse childhood. His parents died before he was old enough to remember them, and his grandmother allowed him to study at home instead of the Akademiya. As a result, he grew up without forming meaningful interpersonal bonds and to be self-sufficient and of independent thought.

He is a character who lives outside the borders of society, independent from his relationship to others. It is precisely for this reason that he’s able to detach himself from the Akademiya during the archon quest in order to overthrow Azar —even though, as we know, it was a selfish decision in nature, since he wanted to maintain his job as the Scribe (and therefore, the stability that Kaveh relied on to survive).

We’ve seen the problems that belonging to a community conveys in Nahida and Alhaitham’s story quests: the people who wanted to avoid grief by staying with the memories of their dead loved ones, and the scholars who felt ostracized from their community and organized into a hive mind to share their strengths (though at the same time sharing their weaknesses).

Though both gathered people with a unified interest that made the community function, the nature of this collective commitment was fragile and fated to fail. However, rather than focusing on individual faults, it’s important to note the characters who got involved in these communities were more a product of their environment and a victim to their own human vulnerabilities, whether grief, arrogance or loneliness.

Unlike Alhaitham, who has a comfortable job that pays well enough to spend on luxuries and doesn’t have any blood relatives to take care of or fulfill filial piety for, characters like Ilyas were burdened by these constraints, and the additional emotional need to belong in society.

(In Chinese, that final “us” is between quotes)

Interpreting this line in terms of how society is built, Nahida argues that there are common people who depend on the support of a community to survive and thrive (the “mediocre majority”), so naturally without them there is no nation (“us”).

Only focusing on people’s strengths while leaving their weaknesses unattended, like in the Hivemind from Alhaitham’s quest, makes the structure of the community frail and it will easily crumble.

Supplying a means to ignore people’s pains or vulnerabilities instead of actual support, like the illusion world created to avoid grief from Nahida’s story quest, only leads to stagnation.

A nation is not made of exceptional individuals only either, nor is it upheld only by those with more power. Everyone deserves to have their needs met, and everyone can contribute in their own ways.

A collective formed on the basis of collectivism and altruism is fated to succeed, Nahida is right to consider this in her concept of an ideal nation. However, Alhaitham is not blind to this fact either (or at the very least, the events of the archon quest and his collaboration with Cyno, Dehya and the traveler contribute in changing his mind).

He has an exceptional intellect, but that doesn’t mean he lacks emotional intelligence as it’s usually assumed. He may not share the pains of others like an empath, but the archon quest proved that emotion should be appreciated where it’s meant to be valued: this was precisely the key to fight the sages at the Akademiya when they used Cyno as an involuntary mole.

At the end of the Sumeru archon quest, Alhaitham says this about the Grand Bazaar during the toast of victory:

The Grand Bazaar that supports the theater is depicted as a small community that thrives on collectivism within the borders of the city in Nilou’s story quest and lore.

The locals are fine giving away their merch for free so that the goods won’t be wasted, that they welcome anyone who is willing to be part of them and protect each other fiercely, and that they share a bond that goes beyond just working for wages.

We're all like neighbors, so we're always helping each other out. It's easy to forget that everyone's running a business. That's why there's no need to stress over freebies. All of us replay others by helping them when they need it.

These bonds are not formed on the basis of academic pursuits, but on human connection. It is not measured by the results produced of joint collaboration, and whether there’s failure or success, they can still stand on their own and act as a support for both parties.

It’s only when the basis for a community centers around supporting and relying on each other beyond transactional or academic interests that a true, successful collective can be achieved.

We can observe this in the Akadmiya-independent micro-communities formed by Cyno, Tighnari and Collei; between Kaveh and Alhaitham who are cohabitating despite their intellectual differences in a house that Kaveh gave up ownership of; and by Alhaitham, Cyno, Kaveh and Tighnari, who we know have become friends despite not sharing any form of academic activity.

Now, that's nice and all, but we have the omnipresent problem of the Akademiya and the political class that rules the nation. Echoing Nahida's words about Kaveh's ideals: the truth as he understands it will never be accepted as the mainstream.

In Marxist philosophy, cultural hegemony is the dominance of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate the culture of that society—the beliefs and explanations, perceptions, values, and mores—so that the worldview of the ruling class becomes the accepted cultural norm.

Marxist homeboy Antonio Gramsci proposed that cultural hegemony, the domination of one class over another, is supported by intellectuals, which he considered to be a role in society (rather than an adjective describing someone who devotes themselves to study or whatever), who safeguard the interests of their respective social class.

Sumeru doesn’t tackle issues of social class (I’m hoping because they saved it for Fontaine), but it does center its narrative around the institution of education, where the upper class intellectuals are traditionally formed.

Education in Gramsci's marxist theory is the supporting block of oppression and exploitation, as it serves to create intellectuals that only look after the interests of the political elite: lower classes and marginalized communities don't have direct access to them, and those who do join the system become intellectuals who serve the upper classes, not their own.

Cyno, as an agent of the state that keeps order and punishes those who defy the rules (alright he's a cop), and Setaria, a scholar working directly for Azar in their secret project, both are originally from the desert, but serve the interests of the ruling class. This is not meant to offend their pixel integrity (they are overseeing the projects of education in Aaru Village in the aftermath of the archon quest), but to point out the reality that the intellect of marginalized groups is "stolen" by the upper classes.

Their two minor character arcs in the archon quest revolve around confronting the guilt they feel and taking responsibility for their lack of defiance, and they're both key actors in overthrowing the political class.

The other major actor is Alhaitham, an intellectual that belongs to the upper class but separates himself from their interests and goals, as his grandmother raised him to live a simple life without ambitions.

Before Gramsci, Lenin proposed that change had to come from the top to the bottom: educated intellectuals had to give up the privileges of their social class and provide that education for lower classes. This is certainly an idealistic view, and I don't like it much for how unrealistic it is, but genshin's not the first nor the last to adhere to this perspective.

You can see this same narrative in the work of Bong Joonho, for example: the intellectual that pushes the ideas of revolution in Snowpiercer was originally from the front side of the train; and the family in Parasite is condemned to suffer through the system because they lack the element of the educated intellectual.

Alhaitham in the archon quest is the driving force in the plan to overthrow Azar, regardless of his motivations, and at no point is his privilege an obstacle for this purpose. It's not an unforgivable creative choice, but I was disappointed by it. I wished that at some point Dehya or Candace would be able to resolve something he couldn't precisely because of his limited understanding as a member of the upper class, but the closest we got was when Dehya proposed Raman to cut her arm.

She's a member of the marginalized community of the desert, yet not quite part of the working class since the eremites aren't regulated job within the system. But I'm glad at the very least she rejects Alhaitham's offer to join the Akademiya, so she doesn't become someone who upholds the values and interests of the elites.

Just as a sidenote, since this was discourse at some point, Alhaitham only asked her to join because he thinks she's a weirdo like him.

You can read into this narrative what you must, but the canon reason is that he sees himself in her, an equal, and he's against socializing so the only reason he could keep her in his life is within the workplace. Somebody teach this man to make friends, god.

Nilou is the only character that properly belongs to the working class of Sumeru (not a scholar, within the city, regulated by Akademiya) and her participation in the archon quest is rather on good faith, she trusts what Alhaitham, the intellectual, tells her. Which is not bad, realistically, change largely depends on the force of an uneducated working class that understands their own predicament and their suffering leads them to oppose the ruling class naturally.

And I mean the girl performed art as an act of political defiance, if you go to any protest you'll see art and performance that the community creates spontaneously. It's a form of expression that doesn't need academic background.

There's an extra layer, though.

Going back to Gramsci, in addition to traditional intellectuals, he thought there were also what he called organic intellectuals, those who fulfill this role with the expertise and knowledge acquired from their labor. Think, like, union leaders.

To put it simply, in her story quest, comrade Nilou unionizes the working class of her community (the Grand Bazaar) and fights for their rights as workers against the political class of the Akademiya. She rightfully becomes an organic intellectual that succeeds in protecting the rights and interests of her own social classs.

The theater, a community we saw earlier that functions on the basis of collectivism, is informed it will be demolished for not having academic (and therefore economic, since academic merit is the capital of the nation) value, and she gathers the collective experience and knowledge of the Grand Bazaar to participate in a debate against one of the Akademiya's representatives.

And they win!

Anti capitalism and pro communist narratives can either be approached in two believable ways in fiction: an allegory that encompasses the major issues and explores paths towards liberation, or a more down to earth depiction of a worker defending the rights of their small specific community.

genshin tried both in Sumeru, but personally I'm always going to find realistic stories about workers' right more meaningful, the rest just comes across as fantasy. But we need the fantasy too to believe in the possibility of liberation.

#genshin lore #genshin impact lore #sumeru lore #genshin analysis #if someone says something anti communist im going to kill myself in front of them to change the trajectory of their life #nilou #alhaitham #cyno #dehya

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