#am I reaching my target audience still with this reference? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chloeseyeliner · 6 months

Text

(there's ranting. you've been warned.)

um... happy monday to the young royals fandom/edvin's fans in general.

(via edvin's instagram stories)

he is... he is twenty years old. good grief.

(i won't comment on anything regarding his physical appearance on this post, even if everything i'd say would be very, very positive, due to the fact that, although he's never going to come across this, it would still go against his wishes.)

can we just please, please leave people alone? this behaviour... it's not healthy, for anyone involved.

generally speaking, we live in a society where beauty standards are, unfortunately, an inextricable part of some people's lives. these same people believe they can force their own standards, "inspired" by a million different factors surrounding all of us every day (family, school, friends, the environment we grow up in etc etc), to other people, the "trend" (if i can call it such) especially targeting complete strangers, mainly on the internet.

and yes, that includes celebrities, too. famous people, if you prefer this term better. artists. whatever they want to be and are- most of us have been there to not know a day where these people's rights on their personal lives and choices and clothes and pets or whatever a paparazzi or a fan is going to decide does not fit their standards of the day have not been infringed on.

because, believe it or not (and i am NOT refering to the wonderful, respecting, brilliant, supporting majority of fans, at least in this specific fandom), your favourite actor is not your friend. even if the comments on their appearance, for example, like in edvin's case, are written in a playful, sarcastic tone, this cannot be understood through text on a screen- another problem of our society's current state; harmful words you write on a screen, whatever the intention is, do not just stay there, floating around. you aren't trying to communicate with your notes app. a person is reading them, even though you may think they will never reach them, because, for instance, of their huge audience. and it can (excuse me for my language) fuck them up the same way it would fuck someone (e.g. at school or at work) up to say the same harsh words- again, even if you don't correctly estimate the power they can hold- to their face.

so, again, as i have written and reblogged posts in the past regarding similar issues in this specific fandom,, which i love so so dearly, my intention is not to play the part of the "angelic fan" or whichever label might fit the text.

my intention is to maybe, just maybe, reach someone out there who will change their way of thinking; who will have second thoughts when writing a comment about a mustache (for god's sake); who will gain a little grain of empathy towards a fellow global citizen of theirs; who will try to cease some of the "madness"... before a person whose only intention was to make their dreams come true by entering the, in this case, film industry feels obliged to address the issue via a platform on the internet, as if not commenting on his looks etc is not the sensible thing to do... before this attitude turns to bullying for real. if it hasn't already.

that's all i had to say. i am apologising for the length of the post or any mistakes, since english is not my first language and i am quite mad and disappointed, maybe little hurt actually, especially as someone who has been struggling with their physical appearance and comments on it since i was literally a child.

i cannot imagine dealing with that plus being famous and having people judging you all the time. jesus. i really hope edvin has his support system near him and that he will be alright. <3

#seriously okay #at first i was like #maria don't address the issue people are going to say there are more serious stuff going on #but then i was like #yes i acknowledge the very serious stuff surrounding us at the moment and not only in a social media space with only generic posts and such #(like many people OF COURSE)#(and people don't have to know everything we can act on justice withour the internet knowing)#so yeah i did it #because it pissed me off very much #this is not healthy at all tbh #i am not being judgy i thought taylor swift and selena gomez would be my besties when i was like eleven #but parasocial relationships are not good #neither is (technically speaking here) online bullying #some comments appeared on my instagram feed when i liked edvin's post the other day #but i did not want to comment on it if edvin did not say something bc it felt very personal so yeah #this happened #young royals #edvin ryding #cw discussion/(better) mention of physical appearance issues #anyway #i still canot believe that respecting one's boundaries is not taken for granted nowadays

20 notes · View notes

semper-legens · 4 months

Text

192. The Memory Thieves, by Darren Simpson

Owned: No, library Page count: 297 My summary: Life is perfect at the Elsewhere Sanctuary. The children spend their days doing whatever they want to do - and therapy, of course. This is a place where they have come to forget their pasts and the traumas that haunted them from their old lives. But when resident Cyan finds some mysterious writing on the side of a whale bone, he starts to wonder why anyone would want to remember their life. And why new girl Jonquil is so resistant to treatment... My rating: 3/5 My commentary:

I think I'm going to be a little unfair to this book. It's dystopian YA with a message, and that message is not a particularly subtle one. And I am going to judge it for that, while fully acknowledging that I am, in fact, a fully grown adult and therefore very much not the target audience for this book. It's not fair for me to judge it for being lacking in maturity when it's aimed at a younger audience than I am. I know this. I know it well! And yet, I am going to judge it anyway. Sorry, but this blog's about my subjective opinions, and this is mine. Anyway, I've managed to go this far without talking much about the book itself, and so - onto that!

Our protagonist is Cyan, a young man who has been at the Elsewhere Sanctuary for a long time. Here everyone has forgotten their pasts, and is being treated for trauma. That all the residents are children and teenagers should be a red flag. As, indeed, it is. Yeah, all is not well here - turns out the head doctor is trialing a new memory-erasure treatment with the kids, and when it goes wrong he removes the kids from the Sanctuary and erases everyone's memories of them. That this is going on isn't exactly subtle, but to be fair I think the book plays very well with the dramatic irony of the audience being far more clued-in to this than the characters are. We know the type of story we're reading, after all - we're supposed to smell a rat early on, so when the reveal happens it's not meant to be new and shocking information per se.

Cyan is a good protagonist. He's stubborn and inquisitive, with a caring heart and a lackadaisical spirit. It's rewarding to watch over his shoulder as he discovers the mysteries of his home, as well as the mysteries he keeps within himself. He reacts very well to situations, makes smart decisions, and has enough flaws to feel real. Unfortunately, the other characters fare a bit less well - though to be fair Cyan is the main focus of the novel, the others are more side-characters. Ruby, Teal, and Jonquil are respectively a similarly feisty kid, a nervous mess, and a troubled teen who ends up disappearing.

The thing I was referring to in my opening, however, is the thematic point of the novel. Burying your memories and emotions is a bad thing to do, it's far healthier to embrace them and to heal through letting yourself feel the fear and sadness and guilt that comes with them. And that's a fine moral, don't get me wrong, my problem is more that it's very, very close to the surface, to the point where I felt the characters were just about to turn to camera and deliver a very special message about how bottling up your feelings is unhealthy. I get it, this is quite a young YA, but still. I wanted something subtler, and the book didn't quite reach it for me.

Next up, more troubled teens, as something strange stalks Nithercott Academy.

#The Memory Thieves #Darren Simpson #bookblr #book blog #book blogger #3

2 notes · View notes

adultswim2021 · 5 months

Text

Space Ghost Coast to Coast #71: “Girl Hair” | October 22, 1999 | S06E03

One of the few nice things about getting old is feeling some sort of custody over cultural references that, as time hurdles forward, require explanation. I get to feel smart for having my consciousness crapped out into the universe at a particular time and place, ahead of others. Before I am consumed by the same void which I fleetingly sprang from, I get the wonderful prize of condescending to people who are younger than me. And all I had to do was watch MTV when I was in high school.

Hanson were, unless I’m missing something obvious, one-hit wonders whose cheery and perhaps intentionally cheesy song “Mmmbop” was wildly popular (and widely mocked). They still make music, they are just not as hyper visible as they once were. In fact, they are probably most famous now for being in memes and on T-Shirts where they are cheekily misidentified as Nirvana.

Hanson were a trio of beautiful boys who were frequently derided for looking like girls. Being assigned male at birth and resembling what traditionally could be called “girly” made you a bit of a target in the 90s, especially if you lived in a hick town in Northern California, and were a comedy fan. In the late 90s even if homophobia (and what could perhaps be considered transphobia, but only in hindsight) wasn’t your main thing, and even if you didn’t consider yourself to have hate in your heart for queer people, you still had to put up with a decent amount of the stuff in your comedy. Even if you liked the irreverent, envelope-pushing/anti-establishment alternative stuff. Gay jokes persisted, and it probably led to people like me casually calling people the f-slur or call something “gay” with varying degrees of supposed irony. People who rebelled against this paradigm seemed like a much smaller minority back then.

I’m not shaming the episode, which is only very lightly guilty of this. I’m just saying, insinuating Hanson were girls was a very popular, obvious, and inescapable joke to make around this time. Another thing that was inescapable: children who, after viewing an anti-Hanson joke or comedy sketch, would promptly start a rumor that they heard from somebody that Hanson saw the joke while watching TV at home and it made them cry. I actually remember somebody telling me this while we were watching this episode AS IT PREMIERED. Never mind that they PARTICIPATED in this episode, but somehow the news about Hanson had reached my friend and myself as both parties were watching it simultaneously.

The thing about this episode is: Hanson probably loved and watched Space Ghost. They were so enthusiastic to be there, and they wanted to get zapped by Space Ghost’s rays. They literally asked for it. Sure, I suppose that there’s a chance that they didn��t anticipate the slightly darker end they meet in the episode; being disappeared by Space Ghost after witnessing the apparent murder of the Tooth Fairy. And, to be fair to my friend, the ending is easily the freakiest thing Space Ghost ever did, though it didn’t involve Hanson-bashing. I am certain some kid saw this and cried at just the sheer terror of mutant Santa.

The section with Hanson present is very light-hearted and wacky, with a lot of “random” humor type jokes. The uninitiated might think that this episode was intentionally courting a younger audience due to the guest. But then Space Ghost kills the Tooth Fairy by accidentally hitting her with his Phantom Cruiser. Space Ghost grimly casts Hanson out into space since they were witnesses to all of this. When Space Ghost returns to the studio, Santa Claus greets him and thanks Space Ghost for doing away with her. It turns out Santa has been jockying for her job for a while, so he can take all the human teeth and use them to build twisted toys for his own amusement. Santa eventually contorts himself into a creepy alien-like mutant being. The “real” tooth fairy shows up; turns out Space Ghost killed an imposter. It gets pretty intense. It’s almost like they were trying to traumatize Hanson fans, hilariously.

Girl Hair is one of my favorites. The unusually uncartoony way he does away with Hanson is really funny. Mutant Santa left an impression on me for sure. Whenever they repeated this one, I’d see Hanson and immediately think “oh! This is the mutant Santa ep!”, causing me to have a positive association with the Hanson bros. This is the Hanson I’d like to remember: on Space Ghost’s monitor, full of life, and covered in long, bountiful girl hair. May they rest in peace. In space.

MAIL BAG:

snusuwiwjs asks:

Why was Moltar ragged on so much in the later seasons? I remember liking him the most, and it felt so weird to see him become the punching bag instead of Space Ghost.

I guess it's a function of Space Ghost's arrogance. Zorak is usually at odds with Space Ghost, so they clash. Moltar often tries to be helpful and gets shit on for it. I think anyone who isn't Space Ghost is going to take shit no matter what. Zorak piles on because he's the biggest bitch of them all.

In the writers room, probably it's the same reason why Lisa Simpson is underappreciated; it's bitterly realistic, and that's the cosmic joke of it all. Being exceptional makes you a lightening rod for criticism. Trust me on this. I'm the only person in the whole world who is right about everything, and literally every person on Earth is against me. It sucks, but you just gotta keep getting sucked.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #space ghost coast to coast

5 notes · View notes

azxxkhyun · 10 months

Text

Little Journey of Mine

Author's note: Before everything else, let me remind you that this blog is for school purposes. Thank you^^

“New media is like a megaphone. It amplifies your ability to reach more people.”

-Mark Batterson

Throughout the course of this instruction, I was able to gain a variety of skills that will be useful to me on a daily basis. Writing for New Media was able to develop my skill set - for someone like me who is fond of writing, this course was really beneficial in improving and honing my writing skills.

Hello dear reader! My name is Alexandra Kahryl de la Cruz, a newly born digital artist, aspiring photographer, new to the world of cosplaying, and I am someone who explores the online realm. Two decades of living here on this planet, and I am still an individual who is too intrigued, and very much interested in discussing New Media and the trends of today.

Let me tell you about my experience this semester in the subject matter Writing for New Media.

"New Media" refers to any digitally distributed media, such as newspaper articles, blogs, music, and podcasts. Any internet-related form of communication, from a website or email to mobile phones and streaming apps, can be termed new media.

What is Writing for New Media all about?

In Writing for New Media, also known as networked and programmable writing, e-literature, or digital writing, the screen replaces the role of the paper – making the authors or content creators free from any content limit. They will be able to edit or update their content as well which is an advantage in new media because it is too convenient.

We can make words move and experiment with new sorts of interactivity in these writing settings - being able to establish a collaborative environment and engage with your audience or reader effortlessly and swiftly. We also connect many web pages as we make content easy to analyze.

The course Writing for New Media seeks to teach students how to recognize news, generate story ideas, perform research on stories, write in a journalistic manner, and publish information in a variety of media.

That being said, I was actually expecting that this course will have plenty of writing activities that will also help to enhance my writing capabilities, and that will also aid in making me learn how to use different media platforms. But for the whole semester, there was not much to be enjoyed – except for the times that we were able to do activities and those times we were able to have lectures in the school ground. This is probably because of the times when we are not able to have face-to-face classes because of different reasons. However, through online discussions and recorded sessions (even if I don’t actually like online classes), I was able to learn something important about how new media works and how to create content properly.

This course made me worried at first because, while I enjoy writing, I knew very little about appropriate writing and assumed that my writing abilities were restricted to traditional types of writing - and they are not even written in a way that a content should be written.

On the bright side, I was able to build my capabilities in writing for new media - I was able to write materials suitable for the world of the internet - with the lectures, assignments, and assistance of my friends. I was also able to learn about the various channels accessible for content creation, such as blogs, social media, podcasts, and more, courtesy to the provided handouts.

Speaking of online platforms where I could generate and publish content, I learned the importance of selecting the proper platform - because it will also be one of your determining factors in determining who your target audience will be - either mixed from teens and adults, students or professionals, and many more.

Writing for New Media was beneficial to me in developing compelling, insightful, and audience-relevant content and products. In conclusion, this course has been hard, but it has allowed me to broaden my knowledge and skills while also developing my creativity.

Although there are only few group activities given to us, I was able to enjoy them all. Probably because those were my first time those kind of activities. Take for example this:

Author's note: This a coffee shop found in General Santos City, Philippines; Breve Coffee & Pastries ~ Near Holy Trinity new bldg. | Beside Pharmameds.

This is our Midterm task performance in Writing for New Media: CREATE A VLOG FEATURING A PLACE HERE IN GENSAN.

This must be my favorite and memorable experience throughout this course. What do you expect when we're short on members but we got friends on the other groups that helped us through this vlog. None of us in the group has an actual experience of vlogging and that made us cackle up because who will even initiate our vlog? There's only four of our group members that actually came which includes me and none of us has an idea how to do vlogging. But in the end, we got through it and finished our vlog with the help of the others and even got to relax in that café.

Another example is this:

This is our Prefinal task performance in Writing for New Media: CREATE A PODCAST THAT ANSWERS FOLLOWING ISSUES.

This is also one of my favorite activity but I was not able to participate in this because of some personal reasons. But anyways! I also don't have any idea what and how a podcast should work but as I review our video and the other groups podcasts, I was able to gain knowledge on how to create a podcast content - hoping that one day, I could make one as well.

However, behind the scenes of our podcast is more podcast-like that our final output. But even so, it is an experience worth to remember because I was able to learn another way of making a content and I was also able to have fun, it was really fun creating contents.

"When you're having fun, then you're most interested in learning."

-Magnus Carlsen

I can be very certain that I managed to participate in class discussions and presented my own ideas and opinions on numerous themes linked to new media writing throughout the Writing for New Media subject. In my own distinct way, I communicate with my peers, particularly during group exercises, and even though it is not a group activity, I am eager to contribute any suggestion that comes to mind that may benefit my fellow classmates.

Although we were all having fun, we were also learning. I am happy that I was able to take this course with the right people around me. I was able to grow - improve and develop my skills in writing, and my overall. I am still growing but I can also share the things that I have learned throughout the semester, or throughout my life.

I was also allowed to compose my projects on my own, which is helping me improve my writing style as I go over my work again and again. I work hard to make my projects something I will not regret, and I pass them with pride since I know I did not take it lightly.

I am happy of the contributions I have made to the Writing for New Media subject and believe that attending this class has helped me improve as an author, creator, and communicator.

As this semester ends, finals have come, I am happy to enter this course. Thank you for teaching us even at the time that you actually needed rest for your own sake. We all appreciate your hard work. Stay safe always, ma'am!!

2 notes · View notes

e-wills-afterhours · 2 years

Note

I have been missing httyd so much lately I made myself watch that stupid nine realms and the few references made me emotional. I miss Hiccup and Toothless so much! I just randomly ended up looking into the hiccstrid tag and to my pleasant surprise I saw your blog! OMG what a blast from the past! I remember you were one of my favorite fanfic writers in the httyd community.. I really miss those old days sigh

Aw, thank you! I do miss the fandom in its heyday when it was predominantly about the films and not RTTE. It's a far cry from what it once was, but I'm still glad people are occasionally putting out HTTYD content. The fandom has diminished, but it doesn't appear to be dead yet.

I am back and writing again, mainly to finish the Affairs AU fic trilogy (finally, after like 8 years...) to prove to myself that I can complete a longform writing project before I start branching out into other stories. I am also, however, avoiding the fandom at large--due to the fact that "The Age Of The Fandom Wine Aunties" has ended, and I am more of a cryptid, a mythical being from a bygone era, than an actual relevant writer now. That's not to say I don't greatly miss back when my stories would easily garner 100+ views; and I'd get several asks about headcanons and analysis per day. I don't want any drama this time though, which is another reason I'm not trying to gain attention. The drama killed my love of HTTYD and writing for 3 years. I'm not so arrogant to expect I'd come back and still be important.

You aren't the first person to reach out and remind me that I used to reach a lot of people with my work; and it does feel good to know my presence in the fandom was foundational and impactful to many, particularly in the Hiccstrid side of the house. I don't suspect it will be that way ever again--but thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my work. It encourages me to keep writing, even now.

As for the Nine Realms...I just don't think I'm the target audience for that. If it leads new fans to discover a love for HTTYD overall, then I suppose it's ultimately a force for good. The only way I'm going to watch it though is if I get really, really drunk.

#ask me #httyd #httyd fanfiction

6 notes · View notes

ayeon0307 · 8 months

Text

Presentation Reflection

19th September (Tue)

Like the other blogs, I would also like to start my reflection with a description. From this blog, I still feel uncomfortable speaking for myself in the blog, but I hope this writing can form my own style of writing.

So, I started with the toolkit activity 'Four Square Story' from The Collective Action Toolkit by Frog. This activity is thinking about how my project would affect people by drawing a story. Since this presentation was not formal, there was no limitation to how to present my project and prototype. Therefore, this activity could help me to find out the way.

-> Four Square Story from Frog’s The collective action toolkit. (David Sherwin, 2023) (1)

-> Four Square Story activity

Coming up with a story wasn't easy - I didn't have a target market, and I didn't have a clear idea of the impact I wanted to have, so I had to go through a process of reflection on all of my previous works to come up with a story in four boxes.

Four Square Story: 4/5 - It really helped me to find a way to present my idea and a great chance to redefine my project's target audience.

The toolkit itself is very helpful, but my project is still greedy. My project wants to reach a wide range of people with a simple configuration now. Why don't I let go of my ambition and accept the limitations of my project? The ambition is following me for the whole project process. I still want new ideas to cover my weaknesses and hope to include more products in my finalised toolkit. I know that time constraints and the determination to accept your own limitations are also important parts of being a designer.

-> Presentation instruction

I was planning to give a presentation without any supporting materials, but English is my second language, so I created a toolkit supplement for the presentation for, the situation that I forget everything about my toolkit. I wanted to improve the understanding of the paper prototype by instruction.

Prototype: 3/5 - The paper prototype didn't show enough promise. Especially inside the box, when I started my presentation, all the products were mixed up because I needed to organise them better. Also, I included the explanation of 'how to use' with only writing, which was a disadvantage since there was a short period and the audience had a short time to understand my toolkit and writing wasn't really helping them to understand.

-> Presentation

To conclude, the presentation was disastrous: I read my hastily prepared script with a shaky voice and ended up with a very disappointing presentation. The reason for my nervousness was my lack of preparation. My head was scrambled, and I ended up skipping the Whare Tapa Whaa I had prepared.

Presentation: 1/5 - It's always a matter of being generous with myself. I'm disappointed in myself for not preparing enough for an informal presentation, especially considering the treaty partners and Whare Tapa Whaa.

Conclusion

Disappointed. In particular, watching other students present their projects was very inspiring. Knowing that I didn't put my best foot forward in the presentation made me feel useless, but it also gave me an alert about the final presentation.

My project is heading in the right direction on the prototype side, but I have to work on the details. The presentation made me realise that my project needs to have the responsibility of being a Treaty partner and the relevance of Whare Tapa Whaa, which is the first thing I should have considered as a student in the community stream.

Action Plan

The biggest issue remains the consideration of treaty partners and the analysis of the Whare Tapa Whaa model. I will further research the Treaty of Waitangi and the Whare Tapa Whaa model. I believe that I am still lacking as a designer in understanding New Zealand and that I need to become more aware of myself as a treaty partner.

Reference

(1) David Sherwin. (2023). frog’s Collective Action Toolkit. DAVID SHERWIN. https://www.davidsherwin.com/collective-action-toolkit

#DES301 #Week7 #Week8 #Assignment3 #Te Whāinga #Presentation #Reflection

0 notes

suh4n · 1 year

Text

WEEK 1 - ‘IDEATE’

Campaign Brief / Proposal:

" Name of Campaign: Conceptual Climate Reality

The aim of this campaign is to educate and raise awareness through play regarding the climate crisis, and actions we could take to prevent it from going further in order to leave a better planet behind us for the generations that will come after. This campaign will also aim to achieve to help the audience love and celebrate nature. The target audience for this campaign is usually teenagers or young adults who I consider to be actually able to receive the message of this campaign/game through its story and ready to take action.

To get more ideas concerning the work I could produce as a visual content for this campaign, I looked at some concept artists’ work on ArtStation that focuses on climate crisis and nature which I think also conveys powerful messages regarding this topic. Some examples of those are:

Water World

“3D environment concepts for Grafit studio's project WATER WORLD is a conceptual game with post-apocalyptic setting, the scenes take place years after a great war that killed most of the planet's population and changed its climate dramatically, so that it now is covered mostly with water. Humans now have to survive in a world full of monsters and mutants, fight for clear water and energy resources, and create vehicles and machines with parts they can find. Here is an environment concept of a post-apocalyptic city view. Lower levels of the abandoned megapolis are now occupied with greens and inhabited with monsters. The project started in 2015 and is still on.”

After the Flood - Hong Kong

“Concept for a future city in crisis due to the ever changing climate issues. This one obviously took heavy influences from Blade Runner and similar films. Will be adding screenshots and process breakdowns soon.”

Inhale

“The smoke is finally cleared from my part of California but the images of that time remains in my mind. I wonder what next year and all the years after will be like if we don't work together to stop climate change from getting even worse than now.”

For the visual content I am planning on making throughout this campaign and module, as it is for the most part planned to be digital, I could be using MAYA for some object and perhaps, environment design, alongside Procreate for 2D bits such as the characters or concept art in general.

As the outcome, I am considering to produce mainly 2D work that involves character and concept art for a game idea which I came up with myself, as well as object design which I can develop further by applying the same idea into 3D using MAYA beside some environmental elements such as buildings etc.

These ideas might change as I am still currently in the thinking process, coming up with new ideas and doing further research as I go, however the main thought I have of this game is an open-world RPG where the player can interact with the environment as they explore the future world going through extreme climate crisis. As for the platform, I would like this game to be accessible for more people, so it can reach more audience, I imagine it to be available in multiple platforms such as Steam and Mobile.

References:

Citation:

Here is an environment concept of a post-apocalyptic city view. Lower levels of the abandoned megapolis are now occupied with greens and inhabited with monsters. The project started in 2015 and is still on.”

Fig. 1: Grafit Studio 2015-2017. Water World

Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/xVA61

Citation:

Fig. 2: Jake Williams 2019. After the Flood – Hong Kong

Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/W2VGZE

Citation:

Fig. 3: (Yuumei) Wenqing Yan 2020. Inhale

Available at: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/OoP0Xb "

0 notes

smapc-marekjaksic · 1 year

Text

Should public service journalists be active on social media?

Traditional media have started to use social media very significantly in recent years. Virtually every traditional media is already active on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Thanks to these platforms, they can reach a much larger group of people. (Nielsen, Cornia & Sehl, 2018) In addition to their traditional target group, they can also reach users who would otherwise barely listen to their broadcasting or read their newspaper.

This strategy is, in my opinion, completely understandable, and I believe that we cannot blame the traditional media for it. After all, they are just trying to keep up with the trends of today's world and in many cases, I believe they are doing a very good job. And of course, public media are no exception. However, their journalists are also very active on social media. Here, in my opinion, it is much more controversial. Should public journalists really be active on social media? And if so, what rules should they follow?

In my opinion, public media journalists should definitely be active on social media. As we can see in the survey made by the American independent think tank Pew Research Center, social media is an important source of information for them. (Jurkowitz & Gottfried, 2022)

In addition, they are also a space for them to promote their articles and reports. And in my opinion, even this activity of individual journalists on social media can attract younger viewers, listeners, and readers. The public media in particular have had long-term problems with that. According to the survey made by the British research center Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, news published by public media has been reaching people under 25 years of age less and less in the last few years. (Nielsen, Levy & Schulz, 2019)

On the other hand, I think that public media journalists should behave a little differently on social media than ordinary users. I am not saying that any special rules or perhaps laws should apply to them, in my opinion, for example, codes of conduct would be sufficient. In my opinion, public media viewers should not know what the journalists think of certain issues. And willy-nilly, social media is helping this.

Yes, it is true that sometimes journalists can find it too strict and binding, but in my opinion, this is something that one has to take into account when deciding to become a journalist.

For example, in the Czech Republic, the accounts of Czech Television journalists on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter work in such a way that each of the journalists has a statement on their profile that their contributions do not represent the opinions and views of Czech Television.

Even so, journalists should still behave impartially and should not express their opinions. And I must say that it works in the Czech Republic. The main reason, in my opinion, is the fact that journalistic codes of conduct are generally respected there.

To sum up, I think it is practically impossible to avoid social media in today's world, public media and journalists included. However, in this case, the public media should significantly tighten their guidelines and codes of conduct. Otherwise, there is a risk that there will be a loss of people's trust in the medium, which nowadays public media around the world cannot afford.

References

JURKOWITZ, Mark a Jeffrey GOTTFRIED. Twitter is the go-to social media site for U.S. journalists, but not for the public. Pew Research Center [online]. 2022, 27 June 2022 [cit. 2022-11-22]. Accessible through: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/27/twitter-is-the-go-to-social-media-site-for-u-s-journalists-but-not-for-the-public/

KLEIS NIELSEN, Rasmus, David A. L. LEVY a Anne SCHULZ. Old, Educated, and Politically Diverse: The Audience of Public Service News. Reuters Institute [online]. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2019, September 2019 [cit. 2022-11-22]. Accessible through: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/public-service-media-are-struggling-reach-younger-less-educated-audiences-and-risk-decline-and

KLEIS NIELSEN, Rasmus, Alessio CORNIA a Annika SEHL. Public Service News and Social Media. Reuters Institute [online]. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, 2018, 2018 [cit. 2022-11-22]. Accessible through: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/research-how-public-service-news-uses-social-media

0 notes

stellacarrierimaginationbuilders · 2 years

Text

Resurrecting The Teenage Valedictorian Spirit Within 18 Months andor Sooner Episode 1 Creative Fiction Genre

intent: I Stella Carrier channel creating heaven on earth happiness unity faith hope with my fun writing therapy of creative fiction writing

Start Time Thursday June 16, 2022 by sometime after approximately 5 am

Completion Time Thursday June 16 2022 , 2022 by 606 am

Greetings, I am a celestial career and money spirit guide with the current alias name of Golden Veil Sanctuary Hotel who has experience in helping a certain number of currently earth based men and women ages 18 to 118 fulfill living out at least partial andor all of their divine life purpose with the remaining time that they have left on earth. A great deal of them have talents andor gifts carried over from a multiple number of their past lives and some either consciously andor far from consciously channeled some of their gifts andor talents from past lives during their teenage years and I have been assigned to help a great deal of them revive andor reawaken some andor all parts of that spirit. For instance earth based men and women who have made class valedictorian in either the 8th grade andor 12th grade, earth based men and women who have self published books during their teenage readers and garnered a reading audience of at least 50 andor more people, any other achievement accomplished before the person reached their 18th birthday that the person’s celestial spirit guides feels that the spirit of that would generate beneficial resurrections/revivals metaphorically speaking. Some of the following ideas have been channeled through me to help revive andor enhance creativity for a person to refer to for later intuition, wisdom andor spiritual andor higher self soul development

Choose 3 online playlists from any website though ideally one website to create creative fiction genre mini stories based on and try to do this at least once a week with at least 3 characters minimum regardless if they choose to do so on a personal blog, a personal email andor somewhere online, for instance a person utilizing a 70 song music playlist could write a personal story of three characters who are going to concerts of three of the artists performing the songs the reason for this is because many earth based men and women are receiving vital spiritual and intuitive messages from their celestial spirit guides and higher self soul and some even their celestial spirit guides and it is easier to pick up on the messages by archiving and connecting certain songs in a fun fiction genre writing type of way, for instance just yesterday a person I am helping intuitively received an idea of where to go socially from an entree written for creative fiction fun approximately 4 months ago and they unexpectedly heard an idea from a person at the social event that has helped them joyfully and passionately shed 10 pounds within the past two weeks when it would sometimes normally take them 4 to 8 weeks to do so. this brings me to my next point

For earth based men and women still in the process of passionately shedding a certain amount of weight it is very important essential to strive to put into writing somewhere both offline andor online your eating and fitness plan for at least the week ahead even if you are far from certain how you are going to consistently afford all of the food moneywise andor consistently put in the time, for instance someone I have been recently helping was given a celestial message in collaboration with her celestial higher self spirit guides and intuition on what to eat that would safely help them still get to her target goal weight while still getting the nutrients that they need however they were far from certain how they were going to consistently come up with the money to afford that food as they were still in the process of leveling up career and money wise and some of the paperwork that they would benefit from helping them rejoin the military was still pending from certain sources. However they went ahead and wrote in their meal plan for the week when fortunately their long term partner received a money boost that was luckily more than enough to help them cover their food for the week. Another person did this and was offered a job that included a weekly food allowance

For certain money goals make sure that one tries to put in the time whenever feasible to try to implement 8 processes ideally a day though when time is extremely busy at least 8 techniques a week to joyfully transform one’s life. For instance a prior military person who was still in the process of leveling up their life utilized 8 techniques weekly from 8 books to help line up the actions and thoughts they were implemening at least 5 times a week to joyfully change their life, 11 months from the time they did this a great deal of their goals finally were starting to come true one goal I am authorized by both that person and their celestial spirit guides to share is that they finally manifested 13,000 in savings after taxes after 18 months of putting in both the 8 technique and intuitively guided action to level up their money with one of their most powerful techniques coming from meditation. Some of that money surprisingly came from a creative fiction story inspired by the permanent sterilization surgery that they voluntarily chose to have several multiple years ago.

Resources

In real-life I was class valedictorian in the 8th grade out of a class of approximately 389 people around the 1996 timeframe

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/hotel-names.php

intent to utilize apassion2022-29 600 song music youtube playlist, magical powerful me youtube playlist and a youtube playlist that I intend to keep secret for at least 23 minutes andor longer from this posting.

I had a successful tubal ligation permanent female sterlization surgery through the Planned Parenthood clinic of San Diego California by the April 2004 timeframe which fortunately my husband was supportive of me obtaining, I am very happy to have made the decision multiple years later for multiple reasons, one reason I feel comfortable sharing is the complete freedom and abundance of time I have to pursue my career and money goals and improve myself in certain other goals regardless of any help andor encouragement I get from friends andor allies in my personal andor work/career life.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/got-fallopian-tubes-removed-cant-165517186.html

I Got My Fallopian Tubes Removed by PollyAnnaBrown Wednesday May 4 2022 1255pm

https://www.yahoo.com/news/got-fallopian-tubes-removed-cant-165517186.html

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ana-navarro-says-republicans-have-mistresses-that-get-pregnant-and-theyll-regret-overturning-roe-080922965.html

anna navarro says republicans have mistresses by stephen proctor wednesday may 4 2022 at 409 am

I confess that I voluntarily had successful tubal ligation (permanent female sterilization surgery) performed on me at a California Planned Parenthood clinic around April 2004 and so abortion is one issue that I am going to have the privilege of being concern-free about during my current earth lifetime. However for other women and men indirectly andor directly impacted by what Anna Navarro is mentioning I do tragically believe that Anna Navarro’s words about abortion may eventually end up proving to be somewhat prophetic because it is common knowledge that many consenting age men and women on both sides of the political aisles are sometimes far from immune from the temptation of what can happen outside traditional romantic relationships andor marriages and removing the option for abortion for millions of women affected by this option could increase the numbers of children born to couples where one andor both parents may not be fully available because of one andor both parents already having previous obligations with previous andor existing family andor children dynamics.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ana-navarro-says-republicans-have-mistresses-that-get-pregnant-and-theyll-regret-overturning-roe-080922965.html

Share this:

0 notes

azureflight · 3 years

Text

I, for one, am grateful that WoW Devs have come out in support of the changes.

They exposed themselves as the absolute hacks they are. I have been saying for years now, that devs are definitely a huge part of the problem if not straight up responsible for the most of it. This is where the no fun allowed bullshit is coming from. This right here, is the real source of arbitrary restrictions, punitive gameplay and braindead design.

Look at them. Look at the shit they are concerned with. Look at that self-absorbed, condescending tone. Look at that completely tone deaf, fake ass virtue signaling nonsense they spew.

More inclusive game? Really? Because two random picture that no one even knew were there until these changes were made, was the thing gate keeping? This is the major concern devs have about their game and their environment? Really? This is what you have done with your court scared, law firm suggested feedback time? REALLY?

Look that entitled ass attitude. “We wanted this, as devs, we have an opinion on it”. Well, I hope you also enjoying paying for your own game, because I sure as shit won’t be. This bullshit of making a game for themselves instead of their customers, is why this game sucked ass for years now. Because they put themselves and their own weird hysterics to the forefront instead of the actual god damn money paying player base’s demands.

Oh no! Not the vaguely female-ish, naked-ish figure on a god damn painting that most people never saw! Not that! That right there is killing the game and making it exclusive! Constant plot of genocide Olympics? Lol, that’s fine!

Bunch of loud mouths managed to push their own personal petty bullshit through. Say it so. Stop trying to sell me the morality you clearly do not have.

Not only does the game still have bunch of ridiculous shit within the same vein, the stuff they obviously have no problem having and the stuff they try to sell as a must go are so wildly out of proportion it is mind boggling.

YO! BLIZZARD! The plot of the 4 out of your last 6 expac was “Horde/Orcs commit genocide. Everyone forgets and forgives within the year and those who don’t, get demonized.”

HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT NOT BOTHER YOU?!!

How did we reach a point where rampant, actively genocidal racism is an a-ok plot device, but a god damn picture showing some cleavage became an acceptable thing that needs to go?

I have been waiting for almost 20 years for the nations of Azeroth to get over their racism and come together. Instead we have pearl clutching, puritanical censorship of random references to sexuality. Any instance of sexism or homophobia (well, the arbitrarily selected ones they feel personally icky about) gets retconned from the game, but the racist genocidal part has only gotten worse. WTF does that say about your priorities?

Who the fuck is this game being made for? Players? Devs? Hysteric wokies? Extremely racist genocide larpers? WHO?

You have no problem writing every single hurt female character as this irrationally mad bitch that needs to get over or get chopped. You have no problem constantly making rape jokes about men. You have no problem constantly writing stories where a nation suffers genocide and they all just need to get over it and the genocidal side is actually good. But a basic ass masturbation pun and a joke mount with a joke name are these totally unacceptable things that needed to be removed?

When you retcon the sexism that characters managed to overcome and succeed despite, that societies have managed to grew out of, that doesn’t make me feel included. When you tell me that this setting never had a cultural norm of homophobia, I believe you. But then you go on and say hysteric, murderous racism is an inherent, unchangeable and dominant dynamic of this setting, that doesn’t make me feel included.

I seriously wanna know, who is this game for? Who is the target audience, because it sure as shit ain’t me. And if you have a new base that pays for it, all the more power to you, such is the free market. But don’t you fucking dare try to gaslight and guilt-trip me into buying this hot mess. Because no, I don’t fucking support you, and I don’t have to. This ain’t a fucking charity.

Defend the shit ass covenant restriction, come out of the woods to confirm that yes, these completely unnecessary and arbitrary changes were your brilliant idea... I do love feeling validated for my low opinion on devs, but unfortunately, I am more angry about how they will keep ruining the game. Or rather, keeping it in a ruined state.

“Umm, ackchyullay, your fun won’t be ruined by them removing those few things”. No, it won’t. But it will continue to be ruined by a self-absorbed dev team obsessively wasting time and resources on meaningless arbitrary shit like that while still refusing to accept they have been wrong on their stupid ass design decisions.

#World of Warcraft

23 notes · View notes

hauntedziosportrait · 3 years

Text

The Relativity and Connections between Jamaasian Lore and Mirabai

WARNING! ⚠️ Very religious themes. I apologise if I have any incorrect or outdated information, it's very risky writing about something surrounding a certain religion when in fact.. I'm an atheist.

The lore of Jamaa has always been a really tricky and fairly eerie topic to cover. It has themes from all sorts of different cultures and despite the main tale being retold, changed and edited one thousand times, the information we receive is clear about who the certain deities and characters are and what their roles to play give.

Today, we're looking more on the more eerie side of Animal Jam- The relationship between Mira and Zios. Surprisingly, we know more about our enemies the phantoms than we do the entities we're serving. Alot has been told about Mira, but on the other hand, not much information has been provided about Zios and his identity making him more or less a very suspicious character to take heed of. That's why there are so many theories regarding him specifically; the most we know is that...

●He is the spiritual highest point of the Jamaa heiarchy, having created Mira and setting the stars and planets in motion

●He is often depicted as a bodyless golden mask surrounded by intricate patterns and grooves

●He was the lover of Mira

●He dissappeared at some point in time and never came back.

To jog your memory, I'm going to be basing this theory more on the Old Jamaasian Lore. Interestingly, the lore was changed to make it appealing to a younger audience, but in the old lore we get a stronger sense of emotion and alot more information about the guardian spirits of Jamaa.

Zios is practically a God. He sets several plants, stars and seas in motion. Eventually he gets lonely and gives life to a deity said to be the perfect incarnation of humble beauty; a graceful grey heron named Mira. Mira and Zios get on well together and she often tells him how talented and artistic he is.

Eventually, Zios falls for her, and creates a beautiful land for he and Mira to share; Jamaa- as a sign of his love.

Mira is ecstatic and suggests and creates the idea of giving live to mortal inhabitants to the land- us, the animals. However, Zios gets a little snappy at Mira for that. He meant for this place to share just between the two and for nobody else to interfere.

He then snaps at Mira for creating the Animals and the two fall into a fearsome and emotional argument. Mira's tears then, without her knowing, come into accidental contact with the mortal world. Since she is an omniscient deity, mixing such power with normal life would end in ruin- Thus creating the phantoms.

Here's the catch. Mira and Zios are too wrapped up in their argument to notice the phantoms attacking Jamaa. Since the phantoms were created by Mira, they would only obey her. That is why they are after Zios, to avenge Mira. Also a case why we never see the phantoms target Mira specifically.

Then, they notice the peril Jamaa is in and, still angry at eachother, select the powerful and strong remaining animals in their selective tribes as Alphas to defend.

Shortly after, Zios goes missing. We're told the phantoms took him through the phantom portal never to be seen again. However, there is alot of evidence to suggest he fell victim to the phantoms and gave in to their side, furthermore taking control of the Phantom Empire. That may be why, despite their goal being reached, they continue to harass and attack the alphas, Jamaa, and by extent, Mira.

From then, the Alphas succeed, and all is well. Zios, however, is never heard of again.

Despite their argument, Mira is eternally upset. That is why phantoms keep producing, due to her tears. Since Zios left angry at Mira, it may be an extra that she thinks Zios left hating her.

And... That is what is inferred from the old lore. The new lore consists of less knowledge about Mira and Zios, but more information about the Alphas and of course the animal heartstones.

Now, here is the thing. The tale of Jamaa is very familiar sounding to some people. Zios is often seen as omnipotent and very powerful. He's often seen as similar to several different gods in mythology..

●Zeus, the Greek god of sky and thunder (This one is self explanatory, even their names are similar: however I've seen this one cause a bit of controversy as this is comparing Zios to a technically VERY problematic god.. Also, Mira sounds alot like Hera!)

●Viracocha, the great creator deity in the pre-Inca and Inca mythology in the Andes region of South America. He's mainly mentioned in incan and mesopotamian mythology as the high creator god (and this one shares more similarities than you may think!) They both had lovers, both dissappeared after creating the world, both had similar powers (examples of heliokenesis) and they actually look REALLY similar, most likely Zios' design being based off of Viracocha's golden armor. Viracocha pictured below!

●And the last one... Krishna. An important religious figure in Hinduism and the final reincarnation/eighth avatar of Vishnu.

And that last one is what I'm planning to talk about today!

The perhaps most important part of this theory is Mirabai. Mirabai, often called Meera or Mira, was a 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna. She was known for her elegant beauty and poetry, as well as her eternal devotation to Krishna.

Meera pictured below as well as a figure of Krishna in the distance.

Surprsingly, we have our own Mira too. And if we're comparing Zios to Krishna, this relationship makes alot of sense. Meera was in love with Krishna, and Mira was in love with Zios. "In her last years, Meera lived in Dwarka or Vrindavan, where legends state she miraculously disappeared by merging into an idol of Krishna in 1547. While miracles are contested by scholars for the lack of historical evidence, it is widely acknowledged that Meera dedicated her life to Lord Krishna, composing songs of devotion and was one of the most important poet-saint of the Bhakti movement period." That paragraph was taken from Meera's Wikipedia entry, and relates alot to the story of Mira and Zios. Its said that Meera one day miraculously dissappeared just like Zios did and they only things she left behind were her poems, music, and of course, her devotion and husband-like considered relationship between her and Krishna.

Krishna pictured below.

Most of Meera's poems are dedicated to God in the form of Krishna, calling him the Dark One or the Mountain Lifter. "Some Meera songs include Radha, the lover of Krishna, and her jealousy and hatred for them. All her poems have philosophical connotations, mainly centered around Krishna."

The "Dark One" and "Mountain Lifter" terms are certaintly strange. Why would somebody refer to a "Dark One" in such a loving term?

Lets not forget the example of Zios not only representing the light in most cases, but spiritually, representing the dark. There's alot of evidence to actually suggest instead of the common thought that Zios represents the Sun and Mira the Moon, it may actually be the vice versa in a yin yang sort of way. Light and Dark cannot coexist without eachother and Zios and Mira are a great example of that.

I may explain the Zios is the moon thing a different time but you're going to have to roll with me here on this one... Zios is a perfect representation of the dark. Dark gives space and life to the light, but of course light always gives life to the dark.

Also, "Mountain-Bearer"... Not much to say here. Quite literally what Zios did to create Jamaa. "In her poems, Krishna is a yogi and lover, and she herself is a yogini ready to take her place by his side into a spiritual marital bliss. Meera's style combines impassioned mood, defiance, longing, anticipation, joy and ecstasy of union, always centred on Krishna."

Let's take a look at perhaps the most well known poem by Meera... And perhaps the one that relates the most to Jamaasian Lore. I am aware Julian2 has covered this in a video before, but here im going to take a proper analysis.

My Dark One has gone to an alien land. He has left me behind, he's never returned, he's never sent me a single word. So I've stripped off my ornaments, jewels and adornments, cut my hair from my head. And put on holy garments, all on his account, seeking him in all four directions. Mira: unless she meets the Dark One, her Lord, she doesn't even want to live.

— Mira Bai, Translated by John Stratton Hawley

Alot to process here. Let's see what we can compare.

●"My Dark One has gone to an Alien Land"- Zios= Krishna: has gone to the realm of the phantoms/alien land

●"He's left me behind, he's never returned, he's never sent me a single word"- Exactly what Zios did. Never responded to Mira and didn't speak to her again after his dissappearance.

●"So I've stripped off my ornaments, jewels and adornments, cut my hair from my head"- Julian2 suggested this may be about Peck running away but this has been outdated. This could possibly refer to the "jewels and adornments" being the Alpha stones as Mira gives them away.

●"And put on holy garments, all on his account, seeking him in all four directions."- This refers to Mira yet again giving the alphas their Alpha Stones and after that she prepares to go out and find Zios.

●"Meera: unless she meets the Dark One, her Lord, she doesn't even want to live."- Unless Mira doesn't meet her Dark One- in this case, Zios-she doesn't feel the will to live, referencing her sorrow and despair without him.

I'm not sure about you, but I'm very convinced AJHQ may have based their lore on this poem specifically.

There is another poem that can relate to the legend of Jamaa, but there's not much to infer. I'm not going to do a thorough line by line analysis, but hopefully looking back on the analysis I just did you can atleast gather some stuff.

After making me fall for you so hard, where are you going? Until the day I see you, no repose: my life, like a fish washed on shore, flails in agony. For your sake I'll make myself a yogini, I'll hurl myself to death on the saw of Kashi. Mira's Lord is the clever Mountain Lifter, and I am his, a slave to his lotus feet.

"Meera speaks of a personal relationship with Krishna as her lover, lord and mountain lifter. (Sanson Ki Mala Pe Simru Main Pi Ka Naam) is written by Meera Bai Shows her dedication towards Lord Krishna. The characteristic of her poetry is complete surrender." -Quote from Wikipedia

The song of Sanson Ki Mala Pe Simru Main Pi Ka Naam is an interesting one-referring to her "beading the name of her beloved on the garland of my breaths". Interestingly, this song refers to Krishna as a Cuckoo Bird- A little bit of a crack theory, but this may suggest Zios could actually be the same behind that mask of his?

Examples of this bird-referring lyric are this quote from that same song:

"He is a melodious bird

He is a magnificent man

This foolish girl has taken

The beloved’s heart as the Lord"

I will link the full song plus English translation below!

https://www.google.com/amp/s/ekta25.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/sanson-ki-mala-pe-simroon-main-pi-ka-naam-on-the-garland-of-my-breaths-i-have-bejewelled-my-beloveds-name/amp/

Intresting... Perhaps Zios IS some sort of bird!

In conclusion, Mirabai's poetry, devotion and songs have alot of connections to Jamaasian Lore! I find this interesting, but this did help us gather quite a bit of information!

#animal jam tumblr #Animal jam #jamblr #lore #ajpc #ajpw #lore analysis

49 notes · View notes

incarnateirony · 4 years

Text

DM questions, a new round.

"i am very curious for the vids on amara right now, because I feel like I did not understand a lot of the underlying text from her plotline."

My Amara heavy vids are Reflection (S14 orig)/Destiny's Reflection(S15 update), End of the Line, and Xanthosis. However they're more how she interplays to the storyline for the mains rather than a breakdown of the mythological significance at large. I'd say check my talk on Absence. Somewhere I do have a cosmogeny post from like S13, where I break down the Qabbalah on this but I can’t seem to find it at the moment and would be a bit extra. Almost overcomplicate things right now since it went into the tree of life and pillars, even if that’s quite predictively mapping out our path right now episode by episode.

I will say: not all mentions of “absence” on my blog are specifically in regards to Amara, but rather, to a collective mindset. The fandom -- frankly, humans in general -- tend to think in dualities. A subtle point in the subtext of this all is that dualities are often more a matter of being and unbeing. Darkness isn’t a thing, it is an absence of light. Death isn’t a thing, it is an absence of life. Evil isn’t a thing, it is an absence of good. It wasn’t by magic that I pre-quoted Cas in well...Absence once I saw the episode title while dealing with Jack being soulless. (x) This is something to learn moving forward-- or uh unlearn. Be absent of former dichotomous coding. This is critical in other things like The Absence of Life which is going to be incredibly crucial to grasp coming up. (x)

Many authors talk about the Absence of Cas as a narrative tool, and while this is very valid, I find it’s almost too targeted. It’s a valid tool to start thinking about empty space: absence of Cas in AUs, the loss of Cas in the alternate future, and more--you’ll find me showing how Amara’s exit itself paralleled Cas and both handled Absence. But this is a very large scale idea that also impacts the sum of our cosmogeny really. You don’t think of it being “Cas” and “negaCas”, it’s just... absence. Something that isn’t there. Now expand that on these ideas.

I once etched this out on paint to try to streamline it when it comes to our Alpha and Omega (11.23), aka our Form and our Void (11.2).

"For the graphic, i just watched a few vids on alchemy and the 'souls' 'occultum' and 'eden' stand for 'soul' 'mind/spirit' and 'body' respectively right? But I am a bit confused about the end of the second paragraph, because from one of your posts I gathered that the souls are collected/destroyed/taken by amara and then "returned" to the empty. But in the graphic you seem to be implying the exact opposite? I think? Anyways it was very helpful to put all the different info into context thanx!”

They're pulled out into Absence, Absence is the lack of Being, Being is the created world. Beyond the created world there is the Empty. In the Empty there is only the Shadow.

And you're kinda close on the soul stuff. I'm at work so pardon if I'm going to be brief, I have a boss in my ear on a conference call but the long and short of it is... soul, mind/grace, body. But body is also the physical world. As above, so below. Everything, and I do mean everything, ties into this. Souls, heaven, how reality is structured -- if you haven’t yet, check my heaven meta as it tries to communicate this but also make sure to read through the rest here. (x)

The soul is the foundation of all things, the mind reflects the soul and identities grown of it from the creative collective, body/earth is the perception of the world and vessel in which we grow.

VISITA TERRAE RECTIFICANDO INVENIES OCCULTUM LAPIDEM

Visit the interior parts of the earth; by rectification thou shalt find the hidden stone.

Or, “loosely translated,” In order to be in the Occultum, the Occultum must be in you.

The alchemists often referred to this as the “Marriage of the Sun and Moon,” which symbolized the two opposing ways of knowing or experiencing the world. After this Marriage of the Mind, the initiate experiences an increase in intuitive insight and the birth of Intelligence of the Heart. This newly found faculty produces a sense of reality superior to either Thought (Mind/Grace), or Feeling (Soul), alone.

The soul lights and powers the mind, the mind perceives the body, the body is vessel of the world and gives meaning and form for the soul for the mind to receive, relive and understand, as opposed to the unformed and seeking Shadow in oblivion wondering if it even exists that just wants to sleep. This is also not so different from the world orbiting around the sun despite previous confusion, if sun = soul, but the moon reflects the sun’s life and is a key catalyst for making life achievable on earth in many ways. Wherein moon = mind. Hmmm what was it that led Cas right to the occultum before it passed in the same order as the last sphere this year?

"Yes! I believe I actually understood everything you just said perfectly fine! (Three hours ago this basically just would have been gibberish to me, for real!) but for real, tysm for explaining, you really have a way to get everything down short and precise, even if i have to read a few things double. Just one more question, you saying they are pulled out into absence, and then the circle gif: does this mean in the grand scheme of things that the circle is finished by the time "a soul goes back to the empty" (very loosely described). Or is the circle a bigger one where it began with "the empty" / "the ink man(was one of 'his' names I think)" waking up -> everything forming out of nothing. And will end at some point with everything returning to nothing. Just to start anew - and therefore cause another unrelated circle? Sorry I this makes absolutely no sence at all "Waking up" referencing the big bang of course - "everything returning to nothing" meaning the collapse of the universe - and the "start of another circle" meaning a second big bang"

There's actually two takes on this! Very good question! Ironically, most gnostic branches believe the ascent does return you to the formless shadow, and it's called a Nihilistic view. Basically you return to the source of the machine as the one. On the other hand, more hermetic structures are called Optimistic, in that the machine is self-created by us to learn and master ourselves through and achieve enlightenment by returning to a *reflection* of the core. In supernatural, this would be the Garden, where the unconscious shadow being built over in creation reaches down as the subconscious serpent and asks who you are-- man returning to the garden.

In fact, Jack’s role in this (including the Luciferian parts I’ll talk below) in being the one TO return to the garden corresponds with phanes and the orphic egg, the (remastered) being that CAUSES that big bounce. (x) Why yes, I AM going to just keep throwing season 14 posts at you because this structure is a few years building at this point.

The Shadow may be the source but a still raw and unformed one, it's the fish before it crawled out of the cosmic water if you will.

Whereas the question of Being or Unbeing, first sourced in ideas like Chuck and Amara, came as thought. Thought and Mind made the world in Being.

So Chuck Had A Dream, and built it, but off the back of a primordial Shadow soup that already existed before him.

So the Thing that wonders why, or even if it exists, does exist as a formative Prima Materia, first material, on which the mind itself was made, but in reaching into the created world also has a new form. There, the crossroads of man and divinity, the Garden, where Jack reclaimed his soul.

Chuck is the first Mind to create by Grace and the Word (Logos, notice the book between Dean and Castiel) and half of the first question. Abraxas: Abrahadabra: I speak, therefore I am.

Chuck would thus be (half of) the Shadow's mind in its first form, but lacks the actual essence that defines the Shadow, and the Soul. Some schools of gnostic thought believe that humans were originally created, their body forms, by the Demiurge (Chuck), but they had no souls. So the Shadow descended as a serpent, sometimes Lucifer sometimes not (I don't think SPN is doing that part--or more, as above, is using Jack, the orphic child, as Phanes), to teach them the difference between good and evil, but that forbidden fruit wasn't an apple or whatever, it was giving them a soul, because the soul is the one true good and foundation of it all.

There is no evil, there is only the absence of good.

But the acquisition of that made them more than Chuck's dream, but able to have their own.

Hope, art, dreams. Those are human things.

Yes, they are.

The soul breeds the mind, the mind perceives the body, the body shapes the experience OF the soul as perceived by the mind, and these things make our heavenly thrones, thought boxes if you will

Supernatural is actually asking the audience to ponder the meaning of life.

What about all of this is real? Is it our circumstances?

No. The where isn't significant as much as what we do with it.

What about all of our Lives is real?

People, families. We are.

This is real.

Why do we exist? What is the meaning of it all?

The meaning is what we make between each other.

Who are we when we are first born? Are we as an infant who we become? Would I be a completely different person if I lived a different chain of circumstances and knew completely different people? How many lives must I live to find my way?

Chuck wants them to believe that the Gold they have made in this world and their interpersonal relationships cannot stay. Perhaps in his world that may be true. But man and his soul and his mind is a mortal beyond the body of this world

If they break Heaven from the chains he put around it then he has no power over man. It's the same reason he sealed Amara away. He knew they were equals and he couldn't stand it.

Man has the same right to the throne that Chuck has. Only his propaganda machine and keeping people in the ecosystem of his boxes is what gives him Authority. But as Fortuna says, don't play his game. Make him play yours.

As Dean said when he threw Michael in the Box.

My mind, my rules.

In that box, Dean was God. Everyone else was just All The Same. Michael couldn't snap his fingers and nuke them all, he didn't have Chuck's given right of being a wavelength of intent across the realm.

"In this place, I'm God!" cried the mayor in Peace of Mind.

Each and every heaven box is a potential world made by man, a timeless place shuffling their greatest memories and ideas, but left empty by the lack of other souls in it. The souls remain the one true thing and he who has the most souls is god.

Man is god, end of story, Chuck's just... an architect.

And every human can be one.

Perhaps my greatest frustration in this fandom is trying to slam out post after post explaining how wall to wall this incredibly deep philosophy is, to try to point out its resounding and powerful message to an entire audience, only to be met by resistance over silly fan warring about wanting or not wanting a ship like. Honestly, I don’t care if someone doesn’t like ~Destiel~ like. Get over it. You can see it as a long series (15.09, 15.13, etc) of platonic bro marriages of the platonic bro mind for their cosmic taxes to get a discount on the loan for their galactic fucking refrigerator at this point, but you are fundamentally doing yourself an entire assed disservice on the very moral bone structure of this show to not be willing to absorb this, much less prepare for how this will usher out our ending.

I don’t care if you ship Dean with Anna or Lisa or some other ancient shit, I don’t CARE if you prefer some Cas ship from 1492, tuck all that away. Please, for the love of everything holy, try to understand these lessons that the writing crew are even using to try to help counsel everyone through the ending of a show that took up much of our lives and, beyond that, learn how to carry these lessons into the real world in a way that just might maybe make you a better person who is able to have a better experience in their life.

#supernatural #spn #meta #my meta #pagan life #amaah #amara #death #darkness #absence #dichotomy #souls #cosmogenesis #vitriol #occultum

79 notes · View notes

lumau · 3 years

Link

Chapters: 3/7 Fandom: The Invisible Library - Genevieve Cogman Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Irene (The Invisible Library), Kai (The Invisible Library), Peregrine Vale, catherine (the invisible library), Lord Silver (The Invisible Library), Li Ming (Invisible Library), Ao Shun (Invisible Library) Additional Tags: ilcharacterweek, Angst, Some Humor, Some Romance, all a bit trippy, but it'll make sense, potentially additional tags per chapter, minor spoilers for the dark archive and all other books Summary: 7 chapters, each focussing on one of the main / favorite characters (written for 2021 Invisible Library Character Appreciation Week)

Chapter 3 - Vale

additional safety notes for this chapter: contains reference to death / suicidal thoughts

╳

Vale’s cane tapped on the dark, polished floor as he strode briskly down the corridor.

This, he could feel it. This was it.

His usual instinct that helped him to meet the right people at the right time had never failed him, and he would trust it also in this case. While his whole system was on full alert, there was the smallest twitch in the corner of his lips. He quietly muttered to himself, as he briefly bent down to check the floor, before continuing onwards with even more determination.

“If my record were closed tonight I could still survey it with equanimity. Today I crown my career by the capture or extinction of the most dangerous and capable criminal in Europe.”

He cast a quick glance over his shoulder, but, as expected, the hall was empty. Very well. He had sent Strongrock to meet up with Winters, which should distract both of them sufficiently. This was one matter he had to face alone.

In front of him the corridor ended and opened into a vast space. Not only the ceiling lay hidden in complete darkness, but also the other sides of the wide room. It was impossible to make out how far the room stretched in any direction.

Vale stopped in his tracks and stood completely still, listening intently. He could not hear any noise by another living thing, but found that he could make out a vague rushing sound, like water running down a stream in the far distance. And still, he knew that he was not alone.

Ahead of him a narrow bridge stretched out over the darkness that lay below. There was only one way onwards.

Vale was perfectly calm when he pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket. He set down his cane, leaning it against the wall of the corridor, and in his usual firm and clear manner, he wrote out a few lines, before cleanly ripping the sheet from the book and sticking it behind the cane’s handle.

My dear Winters, my dear Strongrock! I write these few lines through the courtesy of my adversary, who awaits my convenience for the final discussion of those questions which lie between us. I am pleased to think that I shall be able to free society from any further effects of his presence, though I fear that it is at a cost which will give pain to my friends, and especially to you.

However, my career had in any case reached its crisis, and no possible conclusion to it could be more congenial to me than this. I made every disposition of my property before leaving London, and handed it to my sister Columbine. Pray give my greetings to Inspector Singh, and believe me to be, my dear fellows,

Very sincerely yours, Vale

With one deep breath and not a moment's hesitation, Vale turned to face towards the narrow plank across the unfathomable chasm. As he began to walk, he could make out a shadow opposite him, the dark figure of a man, walking towards him at the same, steady pace.

Vale felt his heart pounding fast in his chest, but no sign of the thrill of anticipation passed through to the outside. There was the familiar weight of his revolver against the side of his leg. Without his cane it did give him something to focus on, a target for his senses, to keep them alert and focussed. He knew that if he only slipped for a second, it would be a lost game. Only fools underestimated their enemies, and while Vale was prepared to die, he would not do so without taking his with him.

The light was so low that he could still not make out more than the outlines of the man opposite him. The bridge was so narrow that neither of them would be able to evade the other.

"It is a dangerous habit to finger loaded firearms in the pocket of one's coat."

Vale startled for a second, as the voice rang out ahead of him, loud and clear, an echo in the vast chamber. He drew to a halt, the figure opposite mirroring his step. Vale smiled, and pulled out his revolver.

"You evidently don't know me," snarled the voice.

“On the contrary," Vale answered in a light tone, that gave none of his tension away. "I think it is fairly evident that I do. Pray, spare me the chatter. If you have anything to say, then do it now."

"All that I have to say has already crossed your mind."

“Then possibly my answer has crossed yours," Vale replied.

“You stand fast?”

“Absolutely."

The silence was cut by the faintest rustle of fabric, and with one swift motion, Vale raised his pistol, just as the other moved in the same manner, and pulled the trigger.

The shot was an explosion in the vast, empty room. Within the same moment Vale knew that something had gone wrong, even while the sudden, blinding light made it impossible for him to see. Then the fragments of broken glass came hurling towards him and he understood.

It was an instinctual move to dodge the bullet that had ricocheted from the mirror that sent his foot over the edge of the bridge. His weight tipped with nothing to grasp for, and he fell.

╳

“Strongrock?”

Vale stepped into the room, carefully avoiding the shattered glass and fragments of what looked like it had once been a chair that were strewn all across the floor. The figure kneeling crouched over in the middle of it all had nothing of the poise and energy he knew his friend to hold in almost any situation, but it was clearly him. With a critical glance around Vale quickly took in the scene. Just a moment ago he had woken slouched in a dark corridor without any recollection of how he got there. But as he followed the faint noises around the corner and was faced with this scenery, all his senses immediately sprang to high alert. He itched to investigate the rubble and this odd place. Yet, the dragon’s state seemed the most pressing issue for now.

“My dear fellow, are you alright?”

He went down on one knee next to him and touched a hand to his shaking shoulder. Kai flinched and looked up at him. His face was streaked with tears and ashen. Tiny cuts stood out dark against his deadly pale skin. Kai stared at him in shock with the expression of someone who had just seen a ghost, or believed he had. Vale frowned, clearly something had shaked his friend to the bones, and he knew this was not easily done.

“Vale? You… are you real?” His voice was hoarse and small, and Vale could hear the desperation in it. It met some part inside his chest with a stinging pain.

Vale swallowed down a lump in his throat, and gave the dragon’s arm a sympathetic squeeze.

“Quite, for all I can account for, I am very real.”

“I thought I had lost you,” Kai slumped forwards in a shudder of sobbs, clasping onto Vale’s arm.

Vale was taken aback by the outburst, wondering what might have inspired it. He put his hand on Kai’s heaving back. This was a moment where Winters would say something sympathetic and yet constructive, witty but kind. He on the other hand was rather out of his depth, and while he had faced many distraught clients and victims, they weren’t generally his friends as well.

It took him a moment to regain his composure. As Kai sat up, he looked more miserable than Vale had ever seen him, but his eyes had regained some of their sharpness now. He focussed on Vale, and there was something in his look that he had not seen there before.

“Vale, please forgive me. I don’t even know what I can say to express how sorry I am.”

“I can’t see what you should apologize for and what has upset you that much. Won’t you explain to me?” Vale asked softly.

Kai took a deep breath to steady himself and told Vale what had happened. His face drew into a pained expression as he told him of his struggle to free them, and his desparation as he simply couldn’t do anything. He averted his eyes, clearly fighting to find the words.

“I just had to do something. It was not as if I would not have tried to help you and Catherine as well. Please, Vale, you must believe me,” he pleaded.

Vale paused, thinking rapidly. This was all very curious. “You might have fallen victim to some sort of wicked illusion. Surely you must see that this is so, as I am right here, unharmed?”

Kai swallowed, then shook his head decisively. “But that is not the point,” his voice rose to an urgent tone that Vale had rarely heard from him, at least not directed at himself, “I betrayed you. How can you be so dismissive about this?”

Vale took a moment to consider.

“My dear Strongrock, had I been there, I would have implored you to save Winters. And it would have been the sensible thing, too, as her abilities might have enabled further action," he said calmly. "I would have expected nothing less of you. There is nothing to forgive.”

Kai stared at him, aghast, and Vale could see a whole array of emotions pass over his face. He was so obvious, still, and it was one of the things that made him such a fine person.

“Why do you have to be so utterly noble?” Kai grunted, but the strained expression on his face had softened somewhat. In a spontaneous gesture, Vale held his hand out for him. Kai took it, and then leaned forward to pull him into an embrace.

Vale was startled, but forced himself to not just hang in his arms boardlike. That was usually not an appropriate reaction. Instead he settled on returning the embrace, and for a moment, he thought he shared the others relief and allowed himself to relax a bit.

And then, the screams started outside.

╳

(with abbreviated quotes from The Adventure of the Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle)

#the invisible library #ilcharacterweek #peregrine vale #the angst prevails #theres finally some comfort too though #tw: suicidal thoughts #tw: suicide

9 notes · View notes

itsmyara · 3 years

Text

About That Night... (Hisomachi Fanfic)

Note: Another translation, though my English is not that great ^^’. It’s 3532 words NO SMUT! I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Pairing: Hisoka/Machi

Summary: Hisoka realized that he was still analyzing her for a reason other than trying to investigate the possible sources of her drunkenness. He was mesmerized by the way emotions were running free in her face, something he had never seen before.

Warning: Drunk!Machi, Jealous!Hisoka, Alcohol, Mentions of Drugs, Mentions of Sex, Mentions of Getting Sick, Passing Out, Hangover, Mild Language.

[Link to AO3 in English]

[Link to AO3 in Brazilian Portuguese]

Her body moved insanely under the colorful lights of the room to the sound of a repetitive and irritating electronic beat. Although she was dressed much more discreetly than the other girls in the club, wearing simple jeans and a black tank top, she drew attention and caused a small audience to gather around her. Dancing with a big, strong man covered in tattoos and looking like a local crime boss, she moved boldly and sensually, with a loose laugh that occasionally lit up her face.

"Is this just alcohol effect or did she use something else?" Hisoka questioned the man standing next to him, without taking his eyes off Machi on the dance floor.

The tattooed man's hand slid down her small body and slipped under the black tank top, pressing her waist against him while his mouth whispered something in her ear that made her laugh. Hisoka's fists clenched hard.

Illumi shrugged before answering the question in a monotone voice:

"I don't know, she was already like this when I arrived, so I called you. She's dancing with my target and it doesn't look like she's going to leave him anytime soon. So I called you. I figured you wouldn't want it to be me taking her out of there."

Hisoka moved his eyes to face the ever-so-cold colleague. He was right. If he used his methods against Machi, even if it was just to get her out of the way, he would have to make a little reckoning with him. But the assassin was smart. Illumi decided to turn the situation around and, by calling Hisoka, he won himself a favor to collect later.

When the magician looked back at the pink-haired woman, he saw the tattoed man leading her towards a door in a reserved corner of the nightclub.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Illumi observed the scenario calmly and then turned away, unconcerned.

"Just remember that no matter what he does to your girl. He is my target and I need him alive. I will wait outside."

Hisoka responded with an annoyed snort before walking in the opposite direction of his friend. The bloodlust that exuded from the magician made people open the way naturally, looking suspiciously at the strange man who carried a macabre look on his face.

He unceremoniously kicked down the door to the private room, much to the surprise of some people who ran away, but not Machi. She has been waiting for him, even though she was pressed against the wall by the other man's body. She could be intoxicated, but her perception would never fail to notice Hisoka's bloodlust.

Hisoka leaned against the damaged door frame, crossing his arms casually as he faced the scene in the room by the half-light.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" He asked wryly.

The tattooed man immediately released Machi and faced him without fear.

"What's up, clown? This one is mine now, if you want the leftover you'll have to wait outside."

Hisoka laughed shortly. The man had given the worst answer he could when he was so obviously in a risky position. He was nothing between the two nen users — even though one of them was intoxicated — and the only difficulty the magician faced was being forced to use only his fists to bring down the thug. He didn't like having to control himself that way, not when he wanted to end the existence of someone so weak and unwary, but he would have to leave that to Illumi.

Machi only seemed to understand the situation completely when the man was already lying on the floor unconscious, and Hisoka was heading to her with an enigmatic smile.

"You could have chosen someone stronger, you know? This is almost an insult..."

"What are you doing here? After everything you’ve done, you decided to follow me?"

Even though the place was dark, Hisoka could see her cheeks flushed. Her eyes shone with tears and her lips swollen, red, and moist; probably as a result of the kisses she shared with that useless guy. He took a long time to analyze it, for a moment believing that it was because he had to determine if she was under the influence of a drug other than alcohol.

His hands grabbed her face, and the only reaction she had was to hold his arms as if she was going to try to stop him, but she didn’t actually apply enough force to it.

"I'm too busy to follow you, ok? But when a little bird tells me that you're out there screwing up, I have to act, don't I?"

Machi laughed sadly, her chest shaking almost quietly between them, and Hisoka realized that he was still analyzing her for a reason other than trying to investigate the possible sources of her drunkenness. He was mesmerized by the way emotions were running free in her face, something he had never seen before.

"You think I'm weak, Hisoka..." she murmured under her breath, and then in a burst, she pulled his hands away from her face and pushed him away. "Do you think I need you to defend me from this ?" She pointed to the dead weight on the floor and then laughed sadly again.

Actually, he was defending her from Illumi, who wouldn't be so patient with her drama, but Hisoka resigned himself to smile in response, making her snort.

"I hate you!"

There was a very sincere feeling in those words, which came out of her mouth as if they were ripping her up. This made Hisoka lean his head in curiosity. However, Machi simply looked at him from head to toes in disbelief before turning away and stumbling out of that room, pushing one or the other person off her way and randomly stealing a drinking glass from one of them as she headed to the exit.

Hisoka sighed, grabbing the unconscious man by the hair and dragging him along while he went behind the woman. He caught up with Machi near the door, where even the security guards had already moved away. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her off the floor, carrying her out despite her protests.

"This is yours," Hisoka declared as he threw the unconscious body at Illumi’s feet.

The body that writhed and struggled, trying weakly to attack Hisoka without ceasing, was his.

"Do you want some help with her?" Illumi offered, watching the woman's wildness with some curiosity.

"No, she has the right to protest. When she gets tired, she'll see that this is in her best interest."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, you wretch! Fight me like a man! I'm going to kill you with my bare hands!"

Between punches and kicks, Hisoka just waved a greeting to Illumi and went on his way.

[...]

When he crossed the threshold of his hotel room, Machi was less savage in his arms. In fact, at some point along the way, she had given up attacking him and started just pouring out words about him being a traitor, about Chrollo, and even something about Pakunoda's death. Some of her words actually made sense, but the state she was still in, which seemed to get worse by the second, made any response from him useless.

Therefore, in the face of silence, Machi finally burst into tears before reaching their destination, and Hisoka thought it was best to cradle her properly in his arms so that when they crossed the door she was being carried like a bride, but a tearful one against his chest.

When he tried to accommodate her on the couch, she clung more tightly to his shoulders, as a clear sign that she didn't want to part at that moment.

"Oh? I thought you hated me," he declared with a playful laugh.

"Why do you have to be like this?"

Her voice was so heartfelt that he couldn't help but sigh before settling on the couch with her in his arms. Machi wouldn't remember any of that the next day, which is why he stopped to think for a few seconds about what she just said. He knew that she was not referring to his jokes, but to the fact that he had lied for years and, in the end, revealed a goal that clashed with her own completely. If it weren't for that, maybe she wouldn't have to hate him that much.

She finally looked up and, not without effort, focused her reddened eyes on his. Hisoka looked at her expression legitimately surprised. He could expect hatred and tears on her part, but the way she looked at him now was... sweet. For some reason, he was sure that if he kissed her now, despite anything that preceded this moment, what he would taste on her lips would be something so deep and meaningful that, yes, it scared him.

That's why he didn't kiss her, allowing her to break the silence:

"You're spinning..." Machi murmured, and then laughed in a silly way, breaking the magic as well. "You're spinning and you're not going to tell me anything, are you? You're not even here, I'm imagining you," she put her face back on his shoulder. "At least you smell good…"

"Machi, what did you use?" Hisoka knew he probably wouldn't get a coherent answer, but that doubt had haunted him since the moment he saw her that night. It was hard to believe that only alcohol would do that to a woman as strong as her. There had to be some other chemistry influencing her altered state.

"What did I use?" She asked, confused, and then looked up to him again. "Ah… you wanna know if I did something," she approached his ear and whispered: "Maybe…"

Suddenly she let go of his shoulders and stood up, staggering a little and cleaning the tracks of the tears on her face with the back of her hands. She walked a few steps erratically and looked around in amazement before looking at him again.

"Do you pay to sleep here?" Machi asked in surprise and laughed right away as if it were really hilarious. "You pay ! You're such a fancy-pants."

Hisoka just settled down more comfortably on the couch, watching the scene. On several occasions, he wished to see her acting more spontaneously, freer, but this situation was just sad. He didn’t even want to take advantage of it or tease her about it — at least not until the next day.

He watched Machi shrink into herself again, leaning against the wall and letting the weight of her body drag her to the floor. She crossed her arms very specifically over her stomach, and he knew it was a sign that something rather unpleasant was about to happen.

"You’re feeling sick," he declared, standing up to meet her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Machi flinched a little more, however. "I just miss them..."

Ignoring the way she was closing herself off, Hisoka lifted her from the floor by the shoulders, as if she were a small child. He looked at Machi’s eyes seriously, while pinning her against the wall.

"I know you miss them, but acting like this is stupid. I can't believe you're the same Machi I know."

"Pakunoda was the first person who cared about me in this world," she declared and then swallowed hard before continuing: "she was my family and now she’s dead. Chrollo is my family and now he's far away, unable to use his nen, and I know you had a part in it. The chain guy..." Machi closed her eyes briefly as if to take his name from memory, "Kurapika, you sold our secrets to Kurapika because you wanted to, didn't you? He didn't do to you what he did to Paku, you don't have a fucking chain in your heart. You don't even have a fucking heart! You are a..." eyelids closed again, this time, however, she couldn't remember the word. A single tear streamed down her left eye. "Damn it…"

"You talk as if you have a heart," Hisoka interrupted her coldly, which made her look at him with a sharp look, a faint bloodlust pulsing from her intoxicated body. "You don't feel anything for anyone but for a few of your friends. You're not much better than me."

Machi struggled in his hands for a fraction of a second, resigning herself to kill him only with her intentions when she was unable to leave. She looked a little more like who she really was now.

"You have no idea, you idiot."

Those words were followed by a few seconds of silence in which the blue of her eyes became indecipherable. That was when he remembered who she was and why he cared so much. Machi was the lady of the labyrinth, and he had never managed to get out of her tortuous paths because, very wisely, she had never given him her threads, leaving him lost forever in her maze.

"When I fight Chrollo, who do you want to survive?" He didn’t know where this question came from when it left his mouth, but the reaction it had caused in the woman justified it.

Machi blinked a few times, as if trying to calculate the seriousness of what he had asked, and then closed her eyes with a certain solemnity.

"I don't want you to fight Danchou. I don't want either of you dead."

Perhaps the answer was more than enough, but she had also progressively got closer to him, so much so that her lips touched his lightly at first, completing the touch quickly in a kiss. Without so much lightness, he finally advanced against her mouth, pressing her against the wall now with the weight of his own body.

Machi moaned at his advance, embracing him with arms and legs irresistibly, making him also express the delight that took his body and his aura when, suddenly, she stepped away from him, with such assertiveness and urgency that he couldn't stop it.

And he was thankful for that when he saw her turn and lean her body, finally fulfilling the omen he had moments ago, throwing up on the floor of the hotel room.

Hisoka gave a disappointed snort, but the way her back curved with each spasm of her stomach made him quickly accept that this night would really be unique in his life.

The night he would spend taking care of someone's booze.

[...]

Machi opened her eyes, but the ambient light hurt like a razor and she hid her face in the pillow by reflex. Both her head and stomach were aching with an intensity that made any thought difficult, but when she smelled Hisoka's scent on the pillowcase, she knew something was very wrong. She fought the pain and opened her eyes at once, sitting on the bed and trying to identify where she was. A messy double bed, a hotel room lit with curtains open. Then she found herself wearing only a stretched, cropped T-shirt with playing card suits printed and panties that she at least recognized as her own.

Her nightmare was completed when she heard the magician's happy voice humming at the bedroom door.

"Good morning sunshine!"

There he was, holding a breakfast tray and wearing nothing but one of his ridiculous pants.

Machi wanted to disappear, but the best she could do was cover herself with the bedsheets.

"Don't worry, I saw all this and much more last night," Hisoka stated at her gesture as he left the tray on the nightstand and sat beside her on the bed.

She wanted to emanate bloodlust to let him know it wasn't funny, but the pain in her body prevented her, so she just squinted, watching him pour coffee in a cup and hold it out to her.

"Take this, it will make you feel better."

Machi held the cup suspiciously, without bringing it to her mouth, however. The smell of the drink, which at another time would be inviting, made her stomach turn.

"What's going on? What did you do to me?"

"Now, now, don't you remember anything?" He lay on his stomach beside her, looking at her in that paradoxically, uncomfortable and inviting way.

Machi vaguely remembered some things, but none of them made sense. So she let Hisoka continue:

"I saw you at a party yesterday by chance, you were already… happy… so don't ask me anything before that. You were dancing with a man who is dead now. I got him out of the way because he wasn't treating you like you deserve. So we danced, I made you laugh a few times, I brought you here, we made many, delicious things on the couch, and then against the wall, but unfortunately, you got sick and, by the way, that's why I pay to stay here, they clean up this kind of a mess," the smile broke with malice on his lips, while she tried to assimilate everything he said. "Now you, I was the one who cleaned you up. We took a hot shower together and you fell asleep in my arms soon after."

The sharp pain in her head seemed to create a wall in her own memories and in her ability to distinguish, in his words, what were lies and what were truths. Machi knew he was lying; it was too perfect a situation for him. Too easy. But the way she found herself left her without arguments.

"Well, I don't feel like we did anything much last night," she tried to fish, her voice cold, but he just laughed briefly.

"I was gentle with you this time. Believe it or not, I care about you."

"Liar," Machi accused him coldly, and then abandoned the cup on the nightstand beside her, making an effort to get out of bed, despite the pain.

It was incredible how she, always so resistant, was now suffering just because of a headache.

Machi looked for her clothes in the room, finding them folded on a chair, and began to dress while her other headache who was lying on the bed brought to him the cup she had abandoned — using nen, most likely — sipping and mumbling something about how she really should have drunk the coffee to feel better. Her eyes looked at Hisoka briefly. From her position, she had a wide view of his back, and the absence of the spider tattoo there, which was no longer needed because he was no longer keeping cover, seemed to make her a little dizzy.

How had she not realized before that his tattoo was nothing more than his Texture Surprise? How had her intuition not warned her that he was lying all the time? And why was the real Hisoka — well, at least, the Hisoka who no longer had to pretend he belonged with the Troupe — bothering to bring her coffee in bed?

She shook her head, with the excuse of trying to fix her hair, when in fact Machi was trying to put away those pathetic thoughts, even if the gesture caused her more pain. As soon as she buttoned up her jeans she headed to the bedroom door, stopping in her tracks, however, by his words, or by the unconscious desire to hear them.

"You should stay, you're not completely recovered and it's cold outside."

Hisoka sat on the bed but just looked at her with that serenity of someone who knows what they want, and knows that the object of their desire wants them in return. But it wouldn't happen today, and possibly, on any other day after he revealed his betrayal, Machi tried to conclude.

"I know how to take care of myself," she replied, determined to continue on her way.

"At least get a coat before you leave..."

"Stop pretending that you worry, you know you don't have to fake it anymore!" Machi declared, like an outburst, and finally left the room, slamming the door behind her.

Alone, Hisoka deposited the cup on the tray and lay down on the bed, taking a deep breath when feeling its comfort. He had missed it after spending the night on the couch.

He had obviously intertwined lies and truths in the story he told her. After Machi felt sick, he had actually called the room service to clean up the mess while he undressed and bathed her in the bathroom; she was so lethargic that she didn't even protest. Nor had she protested when he dressed her in his t-shirt and left her sleeping alone in his bed. Just that, and nothing more than that.

Still, he knew that last night had been very interesting and revealing in many ways, and he was satisfied with that.

He looked to the side and found a pink strand of hair on the white pillow. He took it between his fingers, bringing it to him as if it were a beautiful and precious memento.

"You have no idea, do you?" He murmured to that tiny part of her she had left behind. "You have absolutely no idea..."

#hisomachi #my fic #this one is old but I love it so much #maybe I'll try to translate more later #hisoka #machi #myarawrites #machi komacine #machi komachine #hisoka morrow #machi hxh #hisoka hxh

29 notes · View notes

thewritershelpers · 4 years

Text

Improving Your Writing when English Isn’t Your First Language (mega-ask)

As you can see above, we've gotten more than one question about writing, improving your writing, and even publishing in English when it's not your native language. First off: that's awesome. To anyone writing or even consuming in a language that's not your first, kudos to you.

You can google any variation of this question and get different articles with a ton of the same advice, and some with conflicting advice. Not only have I compiled the most commonly repeated information, but I've also reached out to people on our Discord server and others for their personal experiences.

I'll start off by listing concise versions of the advice and then expound on them further on in the article. Remember that we are not experts on your writing and that everyone learns in different ways and at different paces. These are in no particular order.

-be patient

-practice

-get feedback from native sources

-don't undermine yourself to your audience

-Grammarly

-research

-don't get discouraged

Be patient

That's first because, well, duh. Patience is so important for both yourself and your writing. Writing is hard enough of a passion without the added difficulty of doing it in a language that doesn't come naturally. In the world of literature, writing/publishing in your non-native language isn't just a matter of translating words. It requires translating of ideas, concepts, and even cultural norms, which is why just slapping it into Google translate won't work.

Part of the reason for the advice of having patience, too, is that writing in your native language needs to take time. It doesn't really matter how fast you can whip out 20 pages of a first draft--it'll still be a simple first draft. Writing is a craft that requires not just love and passion but time. So what if you need a little bit of extra time--or a lot of extra time--because you're accomplishing a feat most don't even think about attempting?

Next is to practice.

That goes hand in hand with what I said about being patient. Again, writing in and of itself is all about practice and doing it daily (not that I'm an expert on getting that done, but you know). But when it comes to practice another language, there are different ways you can do that. You can reach out to native speakers (for English, there are going to be so many people willing to help, even just in our community! you just need to ask) and practice having conversations or ask them to look over your work. Practice by turning on your favorite movie or TV show in English with subtitles in your native language. Watch videos on YouTube, find a Spotify playlist/podcast, in your target language. There's also plenty of people who have done what you're trying to do who have shared their experiences and what helped them on those same platforms.

Get feedback from native speakers

This is a bit of an expansion on what I mentioned in the previous paragraph. In my experience, and from what others have shared, writing in a non-native language can be pretty clinical. Writing with figurative language or in metaphors won't be as easy or come as naturally as it does in your own language. Things like idioms and even pop cultures reference aren't always going to translate even if you have the exact words. That's where native speakers come into play. If they're willing to look over your work, whether as a friend or in an editorial position, they can give you advice about whether the wording in one spot sounds clunky or if a phrase doesn't make sense or if there're synonyms for what you already used to help convey your message even stronger.

Don't undermine yourself

This is something that I personally am saying. It's not mentioned on any of the linked sites, and no one I talked to said it. But as someone who is a native English speaker (and even has a degree in it) I think this is super important. This point goes towards native English speakers/writers, too. Don't undersell yourself and undermine your work to the audience before they have even picked it up. Disclaimers are different, and it all comes down to the words you use and how you use them. Let your readers know, whether it's people on AO3 or a literary agent, that English isn't your first language. Let them know concisely that they may find some basic errors--but stop there. Don't grovel. You have nothing to apologize for, especially once you've given that warning (those is it really a warning? what's so dangerous or scary about a few mistakes?). You're writing is not going to be any less of an accomplishment for a few grammatical errors, or mistranslated phrases, or even typos. I've seen so many mistakes in published works that it's kind of ridiculous. But if you put something out there for someone to read and in the same breath say "I don't know that this is worth reading" I'm going to need extra convincing to pick it up. *kicks soapbox away*

Grammarly

*NOT sponsored*

Grammarly is a wonderful tool that you can use, for FREE. It not only (with the free version) helps correct spelling and grammar, but can also help point out the tone you're writing with. For example, right now, Grammarly is telling me that this writing sounds mostly informative--which it's meant to be--and a little appreciative and friendly. When sending emails I've had it tell me that it sounds formal (which I was going for), and I've also had it not say anything because the text was a different kind of writing (like when I'm proof-reading something being posting it on AO3...). I honestly don't know what else it helps with once you've paid because I've been happily using the free version for about 3 years now.

Research

Don't be afraid to pick up a book, or head to the library, or pull up Google. Research is paramount to writing anyway, let alone once you're doing it in another language. Your research options are limitless and can include your mutuals on social media as well as those dictionaries that translate from one language into another. Research can also include (in my humble opinion) binge-watching/reading your favorite things...in English. In four years of university, one of the most frequently said things was to improve your writing 1) write every day and 2) read every day. You're never going to learn from worrying or overthinking, and you're also never going to learn from just doing DuoLingo (that's more conversational than literary anyway).

Something a member of Discord specifically said in relation to research was to look at morphology, at the roots of words (and root words). Morphology is, in linguistics, looking at how words are formed. For example, let's look at "biology". There are parts to this word that each has a different meaning, that formed together created a new/elevated meaning. "ology" means the study of something, and bio means life. So biology is, simply, the study of life. Once you've got those basics of things like "ology" under your belt it'll become easier to not just translate words but the concepts (if this works with your learning style).

Last but not least, don't get discouraged.

Writers of all kinds get discouraged when writing in their native language. Even those of us who speak English as our first language make mistakes worth discouragement (you will never know how many typos were corrected by Grammarly as I wrote this all out the first time). English is not an easy language. It's not the hardest, but it's far from easy (learning another language isn't easy regardless of what languages are involved). This is a post from someone who is a non-native English speaker but you would never know unless they told us.

While researching for this, I found some articles/blog posts that said mostly the same thing, and are where I got some of the information

This one is from a native English speaker giving advice

This one is for writing for non-native English readers, but still has good advice

And finally this one is a blog post (I think) from someone who is a non-native English speaker!

In specific response to some of the asks:

English, like any other language, changes. It's a very dynamic language, actually, and from region to region, there will not only be different accents but different frames of reference. 1950 isn't so far back in time for the English to be drastically different from what is spoken today, but I'm in the USA and you're asking about Oxford. English in England has very different nuances, even more so than you would get between California and Texas and New York. This is a link to the Oxford English Dictionary list of words that became more common in the 50s. However, this is a generalized list, not specific to any English-speaking country let alone region or city. If you're wanting to look at how to convey the accent of people from/in Oxford, there are videos on YouTube of people speaking in different accents so that you can have an idea, a comparison, at least in your own mind. With the 50s it's going to be more just thinking really of what words and lifestyles and things weren't around yet; cell phones didn't exist yet. Here's another link to some stock images of Oxford in the 50s. Remember, this time was very close to WWII so there'll be lingering effects of that, especially in England.

About fight scenes and curses, there's a ton of resources on that. If you just search "fight" on our page, you'll get a ton of posts answering that question. Also, here's a link to a superb and excellent source on writing fight scenes. When it comes to curses...just watch Rage Quit on YouTube, or spend a while on TikTok. If you want to dive right in just Google "English curses" and there'll be YouTube videos, entries on Urban Dictionary, you name it.

When it comes to publishing, once you've gotten your manuscript is a perfect time to have a native-speaking friend look it over. Whether editing is their thing or not, they'll be able to help with the things that are really obvious. I don't have any experience publishing in a different language, though, so there might be other resources along the different stages to help you. Some general publishing advice I've gotten: when wanting to publish fiction, literature, start small. Start with short stories in literary journals, online and in print. You really can't make much headway with large publishing houses without a literary agent and it'll be easier to attract one if you have evidence that you can write, and write well enough people want to read it. When it comes to poetry, just start submitting. Get familiar with the process, and educate yourself on things like simultaneous submissions and a good rejection. Publishing is an ever-changing game that isn't cut and dry in any language or country. We can't tell you what's best, but my advice is to go with your gut and try your best. Don't be afraid to try again, too.

Everyone overthinks their writing. Or at least, everyone I know who writes does. Honestly, in my opinion, if you're not overthinking at least a little bit, you're not worried enough. You will never be able to fully know whether you've explained or described enough. A good chunk of the experience is up to the readers, so you have to leave them some wiggle room for imagination. But that doesn't mean you have to cheapen your story or short-change your characters. You mention specifically that you're POC, which I'm gonna guess also means that your characters will be POC. It's never too much to specify the race/ethnicity of your characters, even in a fantasy work. How you go about writing those descriptions might need to change but it's kind of like chocolate chips, in my mind: you decide those things with your soul.

So, there you have it. A ridiculously long way to say: you're awesome, you do you, practice, love yourself and your writing, and don't be afraid to put yourself out there (in any way).

(images read:

Anonymous said: Im writing a book based in Oxford in 1950s. how was the language different from now. I am not from an English speaking country at all. Never been outside my country either. And Im going to write a book based in England in English

Anonymous said: Hi there, I’m a writer for almost 3 years now but since English isn’t my first language I get discouraged easily if things I write come off strange to myself. Do you maybe have any advice for me, on how to motivate myself and not comparing myself with native English speakers? Thank you in advance!

Anonymous said: Hello! I starting to work on this shortfic but it’s been really hard. It’s like I’m trying to building a house alone and with my bare hands. Even though I’m already used to write in mother tongue. Any advice for non-english speaker trying to write their first story in English?

Yaelburstine said: Hi. Do you have any tips about how to write a good fight scene and curses that people speak English get cus’ it’s not my first language

gyger said: I am not a native english speaker, but most of the books I read are in english and I generally prefer writing in english as well. However, I am worried about making mistakes that I can’t recognize myself. I have no idea how good my english is to a native english speaker, plus some things are easier to write in my native tongue (such as dialogue). I’m also worried about publishing, since that definitely would be easier in my country than abroad. How do I decide what language to choose?

Anonymous said: As a POC writer and English as their second language, I overthink all the writing I do. I feel like I don’t describe my ideas thoroughly or my character descriptions are vague or not good enough. I’m currently working on a YA novel but I plan on writing a YA fantasy novel but I feel like my lack of vocabulary and grammar structure makes me give up on finishing my book. Is this normal for native English speaking authors or is this considered a language barrier thing? Thanks! Love your blog!

Thank you for your questions, and for your patience as we do our best to answer them.

-S

#TWH Respond #ESL #writing in a second language #mega ask #improving English #resources

204 notes · View notes