#having a civil debate where you genuinely want to understand and respond to the other person's arguments is one thing

[lilyliveredlittlerichboy]

blocked someone this morning for being antisemitic on my antisemitism post. i don't have time to argue with people who are hell bent on misunderstanding me right from the start

#on that note. #do you ever see someone in an online argument and they're just so stubbornly incapable of taking anything the other person says on board #cus i do and im just like. just stop. just stop!!! #what are you trying to accomplish here??? #having a civil debate where you genuinely want to understand and respond to the other person's arguments is one thing #but soooo many ppl online just want to be right and use anything and everything to justify why they're right #and don't want to listen or understand anything at all #those people are a complete waste of time and energy #and im getting much better now at recognising them #and blocking them before they can ever really start having an argument with me #don't care. didn't ask. fuck off #i need a tag for my own rambles

[girl4music]

You know, morally grey characterisation in visual media like TV/movies or graphic/comic novels is actually very difficult to do because if it’s a beloved protagonist character that either is already or is becoming morally grey, the last thing you want to do is write them in such a way that de-humanizes or alienates them from the audience. That is to say, you don’t want to have the audience say “I don’t like them anymore” because they don’t like what’s going on with them. You want to avoid this reaction at all costs because then that beloved character’s reputation is tarnished to the point where people lose interest in watching and engaging with them on the screen/page. And the thing about this reaction is it’s entirely subjective. Very rarely will you have a majority of the audience or fans react the same way towards the morally grey character unless it’s extremely purposeful to. Unless the intention by the creator/writer is to make the audience feel this way about them. Unless the point is to tarnish the character’s reputation. But for the most part, the reaction to morally grey character representation and development on-screen/page very much depends on your subjective take away of them. Your understanding of who you think that character is.

I can give you a personal experience example of what I mean by this here on Tumblr. One of my mutual followers and frequent responders on my Tumblr blog is @confusedguytoo. A lot of my blog posts are about the character Willow Rosenberg from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and her character arc throughout the entirety of the show but especially in Season 6 where her actions and choices become so blatantly ambiguous morally that it’s hard to accept what the writers are doing with her and her arc in this season. We completely disagree on how we both think and feel about the character and her actions and choices this season and so we often clash in our responses to each other on it. Always in a very civil and respectful way, but nevertheless, we absolutely cannot reconcile our differences of opinion on this subject - this character. Now I genuinely enjoy our debates and our banter because I’m just the type of person that loves that kind of thing for my own self-learning purposes. But I always find it surprising nonetheless how they view this character’s seasonal arc compared to how I do. It’s clearly a very subjective experience, and that’s so great to me because it just shows how significant ‘BTVS’ really is if there’s endless different views, perspectives, interpretations and beliefs on everything that happens in it. On everyone in it. And I always find that this happens more so with characters that toe the line between good/right and evil/wrong than it does a static or only one-or-the-other character. Not sure I’ve explained that in such a way that will make sense to people but I’ve tried my best.

But basically, my point is, that morally grey characterisation is the most compelling to watch and engage with because it’s the most difficult to create/write/produce in visual media. Especially when it’s good-to-evil primarily. Like Willow. When it’s corruption and manipulation and abuse that a character is showcasing, it’s a very difficult thing to have a beloved protagonist represent that on-screen and for us to see that in them and still love watching them. For me, seeing all of that in Willow makes me riveted/glued to the screen. For @confusedguytoo, it’s something they want to avoid seeing entirely.

And I don’t know - I just find it fascinating how differently we watch and engage in Willow Rosenberg and I hope our deep discussions on her never end.

It all just goes to show me that characterization that already is or is becoming morally grey is crucial to represent in visual media art/entertainment because there can be endless take aways from that very thing. Which means a more diverse and expanded audience. It’s just something to think about for all you visual media creators out there. I know it’s difficult but it is something you definitely want to endeavour to do because, so long as you do it right, the pay off is high because you give us a character that goes from this:

to this:

#buffy the vampire slayer #willow rosenberg #alyson hannigan #morally grey #characterization #representation #development #confusedguytoo #visual media #creation

[masterjedilenawrites]

I’m not good at making requests, so forgive me if anything come out wrong.

But, could you do something were reader and Tech are fixing some eletronics and listening to cientific things, and start talking about a wrong thing people said there, so they get distracted and when realize, they’re in to a awkward position (like him btween her legs or sth like that)

I love your writing and thanks (: <3

Omg I've been so soft for Tech lately and this prompt is perfect 💚 I hope this is what you were looking for, I really enjoyed writing it!

Tech x reader | 2k words

...making bacta the most important scientific achievement in history...

"Dank farrik," Tech huffed beside you.

You came out of your daze at the sudden exclamation and looked at your friend with concern, trying to quickly figure out what had gone wrong. You were helping him with a project, though what it was exactly you weren't completely certain of. All you knew was it involved digging into the walls of the ship and untangling a lot of wires. You'd been instructed to hold onto several of them, keeping them pulled taught out of the wall so Tech could fiddle with the other ends, and the dullness of the task had caused your mind to wander.

"What's wrong?" you asked, doubtful you'd understand any explanation, but wanting to be sure you hadn't done anything to mess up his progress.

He waved a hand at you dismissively, not pulling his attention away from the work in front of him. "Just the radio," he mumbled.

You hadn't been paying attention; it had only been turned on as background noise to keep you from going insane with boredom. And since it was tuned into some kind of scientific news frequency, you didn't really understand much of what was being said anyway.

...with the most influential application simply being in the field of medicine, providing us higher life forms with a versatile tool in maintaining our quality of life, and potentially even prolonging it...

Tech huffed again. Scoffed. Your mouth quirked at how upset he was getting. It was kind of cute.

But, you had to debate whether engaging with his frustration would be worth it. He had only recently calmed down from his outburst earlier that day, the only time you had ever seen him genuinely upset. Wrecker had accidentally knocked over a piece of machinery that was... well, something very important, apparently. No one was too sure. But Tech had spent most of the week carefully arranging its parts just-so, so that when all his hard work went crashing onto the floor, his breathing had suddenly resembled that of a charging Nexu. He'd drawn himself up, trying to match his brother's height, and ordered the poor guy to never step foot in this part of the ship again. The other Batchers had tried to defend him and were subsequently banned as well.

That left you as the only option for help.

Maybe that meant he wouldn't kick you out for debating him....

"Sounds like they're saying some pretty reasonable things. Am I missing something?"

Tech's fingers, which had been deftly working through the wires before him, clipping some and splicing others, finally froze. The clone's face tilted over to you, his eyes looking a little too judgmental through those glasses for your liking.

"You think bacta is the most important scientific achievement?" he asked. You didn't like his tone, either.

You scrunched your mouth in thought, actually giving the question serious consideration. While you mulled it over, Tech stood up from his hunched position in the wall and started pulling on some of the wires, unraveling them from their tangled mess.

"Yeah," you finally decided. "I think medicine in general is pretty important. And bacta specifically is the strongest known substance to deliver fast and effective healing."

Tech was mostly focused on the wires, but he spared you a glance.

"And treating symptoms is the most important thing for humanity? Here, hold this." He added another wire for you to hold in your hands.

You knew it was a loaded question so you chose to answer it with one of your own. "Well if it's not bacta or medicine, then what would it be?"

"Electricity," he said quickly and assertively, as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy. He continued to focus more on his work and you were annoyed he didn't seem to want to offer up an explanation to his opinion, despite having made you give one. He'd finally untangled the wires and was back to leaning into the cavern in the wall and setting them into their proper places.

"Why electricity?" You hated how dumb your question sounded; obviously you understood the concept and understood its importance. You just really wanted to challenge him to give you some explanations.

"For one, most medicines would not be able to be mass-produced were it not for the electrically-run vats in which they are made." He held his hand out behind him and made a grabbing motion. "Blue, please."

You sorted out the blue wire and passed it over.

"For another," he continued, his voice sounding distant as he leaned further away into the wall, "we must ask what constitutes a quote-unquote important achievement. For example, is an achievement worthy of the title simply because it improves our quality of life? Green, please."

You handed over the corresponding wire. "I'd say it's more about preserving life. Even outside of war, there's enough injury and illness that would end life were it not for medicine to heal them."

"Ah, but in that same reasoning, electricity also sustains life. It powers sources of light and warmth, which can also provide a means of boiling water and cooking food. All keys to survival. Yellow, please."

"So does fire," you shot back. "People survived long before electricity, and there's still plenty of civilizations living fine without it."

Tech finally emerged from the wall and took the last few wires from you, the red and black ones. He met your eyes with an earnestness that let you know how much he was enjoying this conversation. "And people have survived without medicine. At least the manufactured forms that you're arguing for, like bacta. Traditional medicine is as sufficient as fire."

Before you could respond, Tech moved to the side, motioning toward the wall with his head and holding up the remaining wires.

"Now, unfortunately these last ones need to be clipped in down below. I'm not able to fit through the lattice of the floor, but someone of your stature easily could."

You stepped forward and peered down. It was a mess of machinery and pipes and beams, but you could clearly see the port where the wires had been yanked out earlier. You knelt down, resting your stomach on the edge of the wall, but paused before bending over.

"If it wasn't for bacta, you wouldn't have been born." You were confident in your comeback and thus didn't linger for his reaction, turning to bend down into the ship with your wires instead.

You were disappointed to hear his soft chuckle from above you.

"And what do you think powers the bacta tanks that hold the clone embryos?"

You were glad he couldn't see the frustrated frown on your face. While you tried to think of a new point in your debate, you snapped the red wire into the proper port. But then you realized you couldn't quite reach the black one, and started carefully shimmying forward, deeper into the wall.

"It seems we have circled back to the initial question," Tech offered in your silence. You felt his hands hold on to your hips, steadying you as your legs lifted from the floor, most of your body now inside the ship. You didn't think anything of it, though, your focus split between your task and his words. "What makes an achievement the most important? Both medicine and electricity are capable of preserving life, but neither are essential to survival. So, what criteria are we left with?"

You were finally within reach of the last port and pushed the wire into it. "Sounds like you already have the right answer, so why don't you stop teasing me and just say it?" you called up to him.

"I...I didn't mean to sound like I was teasing."

You could hear the apology in his voice, how truly caught off guard he was to hear that you had perceived his attempts at a friendly debate, a conversation, as mocking or disrespectful. Your stomach knotted up in guilt, making your journey to wiggle back out of the wall a little more difficult.

"I'm sorry, Tech," you said through a grunt as you tried to push yourself back. "I didn't mean to sound rude. I just don't know the answer."

You felt his arms snake around your middle, pulling you the last of the way out. You came to rest on your knees, breathing heavily at the sudden increase in air supply. Tech was crouched alongside you, his chest against part of your back, his arms still holding you.

"I honestly don't know the answer, either," he blinked down at you, speaking quietly. "I don't know what criteria would constitute the most important scientific achievement. I thought maybe we could figure it out if we kept discussing it."

You craned your neck around to look at him, unconcerned about the discomfort it took to do so. You needed to face him fully. "Or... maybe we don't need to figure it out? I mean, does there need to be one achievement labeled more important than any other? Can they not all be valued equally?"

"I suppose..." he relented. But only a little. "It is a fun thought exercise, though."

You smiled at that, and it made your heart flutter a little to see him return the expression. There were a few seconds between you where you sat pleasantly in each other's arms... before the realization hit that you were in each other's arms.

"Uh," Tech stuttered first. His eyes looked about frantically as if the more he saw of you practically sitting in his lap, the more he would know what to do about it.

Your face was hot and your heart thumped forcefully in your chest. But you weren't panicking. Even though you'd been around the Bad Batch for a while now, this was the first time you'd gotten physically close to any of them, especially this dorky genius, who made you feel just a little better about life than the others did. You hadn't been sure why, not until this moment, your face being mere inches away from his own. Now it clicked.

His arms had removed themselves from your frame and he was starting to crawl backward on the floor. You quickly grasped his shoulder to stop him.

"Tech, wait."

He froze, looking at you with wide, apprehensive eyes. His shoulder was tense so you relaxed your grasp and simply let your hand rest on it gently. You gave him a small smile. Thankfully these little gestures were enough encouragement for him to lean back to you. He still looked at you timidly, but he wasn't pulling away anymore. It seemed like maybe he had been feeling the same things about you.

"Yes?"

He was waiting for you to make the next move.

"So, this project," you stalled, needing just a little more time to work up the courage. "What is it again? Why did I just crawl into the bowels of the ship?"

Your face was creeping closer to his, breath gently fanning across each other, warm but refreshing.

"I... I..." Tech seemed to be short-circuiting. "I was just, uh, re... redecorating."

Your nose had just brushed his when you suddenly frowned and moved back to look at him questioningly. "Redecorating... wires?"

You were very amused at how flustered he seemed to be in this situation. But then the tables turned as Tech rolled with it.

"Yeah, I didn't like the way they looked in there. Wanted to change things up. You know me."

The smile on our face spread as he talked and you couldn't hold back your laughter any longer. You bent forward, resting your forehead in the crook of his neck while your body convulsed with giggles. Tech laughed along, bringing his arms back around you to hold you in place. When you finally looked up at him and the shit-eating grin he had plastered on his face, you knew you'd finally found your courage.

"Oh, Tech..." you chided, pressing your smiling lips against his own.

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #the clone wars #the bad batch #tech #tech x reader #my easy breezy beautiful nerd boy #ask box open #i'm feeling creative in this chilis tonight

[vidalinav]

Decided to do this on anon—don’t like aggressive arguing (not yours). I kind of disagree with your rant. I don’t see how Nesta was made to change her personality. I saw no indication of that, even from Rhys. Channeling her powers is not a call to change who she is. I mean, Amren has a shitty personality, but she is tolerated and even respected. Nesta IS difficult and her personality isn’t great, even in ACOTAR. Like, she was, absolutely abusive to her family, to Feyre. Yes, there are reasons for it, but it doesn’t excuse the way she behaved. Now with the ‘intervention’ I genuinely think it was driven by good intentions. Not to change her personality, not to make her nice or placid, but to stop the self-destructive behavior. Was it ideal—that’s a different discussion. But going back to your original point—I just didn’t see how her personality was the driver behind ICs decisions. The only true asshole in the whole of IC was Mor, because her comments were dumb and unhelpful. The rest, I feel like they truly tried to deal with her spiral, and not who she was as a person. Sorry this is long. You don’t have to respond if you don’t want to. PS love your headcanons.

You said this very respectfully so I really don’t mind. It’s definitely my interpretation of the reading. But I do feel that I disagree. I definitely think that Nesta has said bad things, and I don’t ever excuse that. But I also think that the only person who can really say that they were genuinely hurt by Nesta is Feyre, and the only person who has actively said that Nesta made up for it in some sense, because she did, is Feyre. 

Rhys’s disdain comes from Feyre. Mor’s disdain as we note in ACOWAR, comes from Cassian. Elain’s problems are iffy, because you can both say that Elain is hurt by Nesta but also hurts Nesta. Relationships are two ways so we definitely chalk it up to that, unless the debate is who hurt the other worse. Which I don’t know that’s a good question. Words hurt a lot, but so does not feeling supported at your worst. So shrugs. 

But I am also not arguing that the IC’s intention is for Nesta to change. I’m more arguing that the structure of the book does not work as a healing arc, because Nesta must change to fit in with this group, because everyone in the group has a problem whether unfounded or not (except for Azriel). That’s what happens. Let me explain. We get more scenes where they are actively using her when she really doesn’t want to, saying she has a choice and then being proven wrong by another character’s words, we have characters saying horrible things knowing that she is going through something terrible, and we have very few instances where empathy or compassion is shown. Rhys goes into her mind, and is compassionate for the moment and then reverts back. We don’t have ANY scene where any of them talk to Nesta, except for when Elain goes to the library and says something along the lines of are you healed yet? There is no time where they have a cry session, except with Cassian when he takes her to a healing mountain that is supposed to be her punishment, for admittedly something that they should all be punished for. Because is it the intention that was wrong or the information she spewed? To Rhys, it was the information, and that’s why he said he wanted to kill her. Very dramatic response that is excused under “mate protectiveness.” There are no times even when they are arguing which would work the same, because narratives are being exchanged and therefore possibly understood. 

Nesta is ashamed of her own actions. She can be ashamed of her own actions that’s accountability, but she cannot be responsible for other people’s opinions of her and she cannot hold the sins of other people. But she does because there is no growth in anyone else except Nesta, because no one interacts with Nesta on a deeper level than solstice, when they need her power, or when she saves Feyre. But because there is none of that interaction, all of the instances after don’t seem genuine. There is no foundation for people to be close at all. So, all of the problems must remain or its a complete deviation from what has been said and done. 

There is no problem with Feyre not putting a picture of Nesta, but there is a problem with it if the only time she does it is when Nesta proves her love, and does something that NO ONE will ever be able to repay, which I’m assuming was the point, because she is no longer held accountable for not hunting when they were young. It’s a problem if in ACOFAS, Feyre did want Nesta to be a part of her family, but then actively shows that she is not a part of the family. Because not only does she not validate what Nesta is going through in the text with a conversation or a note or whatever, after them having some sort of a relatively civil relationship after ACOWAR, she then makes this intervention which is not based on her own idea, which is suppose to be founded on “love,” which is not shown in a reciprocal scene until the END of the book. 

This is not a problem of the characters, it’s not even a rag on the characters. It’s the fact that this is not a healing arc, based on the fact that the narrative is very imbalanced. Where is the empathy? Where is the compassion? Where is the validation that Nesta went through a war? That Nesta saw her father die? That Nesta almost died herself? All of the characters have trauma yes, but this is Nesta’s POV, this is Nesta’s book. This is suppose to be her healing. So where is it? We get it only with Gwyn and Emerie--that empathy, that compassion. But we don’t get it from the people who love her?? 

Again it’s not a question of these characters suck. It’s that the writing is not great. Because we could have eventually had compassion or empathy or validation or open communication throughout this book, even after the first initial anger of an intervention. But we didn’t get that. And because no one changed and because we don’t have any scenes with the others and Nesta, Nesta did have to change or she wouldn’t belong in the group. If they had growth alongside her, if they had an understanding scene, an argument, yadda yadda, where they understood Nesta or learned something about Nesta as she learned something about them, then the narrative would be based on accountability and acceptance. But that is not what happened. 

And unfortunately that’s why it’s not very satisfying and why I don’t consider it a healing arc, because healing is based on growth and acceptance. Who is allowed to accept who if the only person who changes is Nesta, and a lot of the consequences that were placed on her were from other people who did not change nor have any scenes where they saw a different side of her except at the end when she saved Feyre?

*** But thank you for the compliment! I certainly hope you do not feel that I was attacking you. Just structuring my own argument in a way that makes sense. I tend to go on tangents.

#nesta archeron #anti acosf #anti SJM

[bookofmirth]

Hi

I'm not up to date with all the drama in this fandom bc i tend to scroll past it. But being a reader of the books before I landed in these fandoms, I'm utterly shocked about how people treat eachother.

I'm very neutral on this stupid ship war going on. I tend to fall more for Elriel. But I understand everyone's opinion. I used to read all the book analysis, but now it just seems so exhausting. I get that people love books and ship different people. That's normal, everyone has different taste etc i'm just here trying to understand why we need to bring other human beings down in order to push our own narrative.

Since when is it okay to do that???? Can't we have a normal conversation without sending death treats?

I normally don't really respond to anything that involves drama. But these last couples of months have gotten me to dislike the books more and more solely because of these, may I call them blandly, horrible people.

And i'm very sad to have to admit that i'm also getting sick of the art of the multiple ships. Which that's horrible because I love what all these amazing artists create. But the hate they receive and the comments just make me hate it all more,this whole fandom with all these toxic people ruining it for me personally.

Can't we all just agree that we like these books, and respect eachother as human beings, no matter what everyone else thinks? And maybe wait and see what the author writes? In the end it are still her books and she will have the final say in everything.

I wish SJM would release the next book sooner so all this hate would stop, then again i don't know if it will stop. They will likely continue and probably bother SJM too...

Thank you for listening to me ranting, you always seem very nice to people with different opinions, so I thought i might as well rant a bit too.

Have a lovely day!!

Hello! Thank you for this message! I think it's really helpful for people to see because they can see the impact of the things they are doing and saying in the fandom. There are a lot of people who feel comfortable being vocal in the fandom, but I gotta say, if I were just joining now, I'm not sure that would be me. I wonder how many people walk in, take a look around, and walk the fuck back out. I probably would.

I got on my soap box a little bit because I was thinking about some of the things you've said!

I was just talking with some friends, some of whom I've been in the fandom with since 2017, some who are newer. And we all 1000% agree with you. It's so, so frustrating that the fandom has gotten so nasty to the point where we've become so separated from each other that we can't have a single civil conversation. Where people of color don't feel safe, and where a lot of the fandom doesn't even seem to care about that.

When I first joined the fandom, there were definitely people who shipped one way and people who shipped another, but we were still able to have conversations with each other. There would be these really, really long posts that were chains of people commenting on posts and reblogging, then someone adding on their thoughts, then op would respond, etc. Yeah, the posts were super long to scroll through, but there was so much engagement, ya know? And it was genuine, too. We could disagree or say "hey OP I like this point, but have you thought of X?" And it was great! (I even have a tag for it, #long post tag, because I once got an anon who was annoyed at how long my conversations with people would be 💀so I made that tag for people who wanted to block those posts.)

I'm not going to pretend it was perfect - there were definitely people I didn't get along with. But that wasn't a fandom thing, that was just a personality thing. And I never in a million years expected those people to fly off the handle and start attacking me anon, or to ss my posts to make fun of elsewhere. Now, that's a constant fear hanging over everyone's heads.

It has created an extreme echo chamber. I would genuinely like having those old fandom discussions where people would comment - in the open, on reblogs - and then we could all engage in that discussion in public. Now, all of that discussion happens in private, in groupchats and Discord. And don't get me wrong, Discord is super fun. But it also means that 1) people who aren't in those groups have no idea wtf is going on when we vague, although I try not to do that anyway, and 2) when people are in those groups they egg each other on to be worse and worse. Worse than they would have been if they were on their own and didn't feel like they had a group of people there to support their asshole behavior. tbh, I have to check myself sometimes and think, "would I do this if I hadn't just gotten into a rant conversation with friends on Discord?"

And what you said about fan art, it's so frustrating!!! Since when did fan art become a battle ground??? Since when did the appearance of fan art = a win for one ship or the other?? Why can't the comments of those arts ever just be nice and appreciative of the work someone has put into it? Honestly, it makes me paranoid to write fanfic, too! I mean, is that next???

I totally agree with you that we should be able to respect each other as people. We used to be able to do that. I hate to admit it, but I have so many people blocked now because I just don't trust them. I don't trust them to be civil, I don't trust them to be able to see my posts, I don't trust them to even read what I've written without misconstruing everything I've said.

I'm not sure if people realize that there is a big difference between this:

I don't like X ship

And this:

People who like X ship are delusional

The first one is okay! It's normal! Like you said, we all have feelings and interpretations and stuff we would prefer to see or not see!

The second one, not okay! Stop insulting people, people!!!!

The idea of engaging in a normal, healthy debate with a huge portion of the fandom is such a foreign concept to me at this point, and it never used to be. There could be a lot of reasons for this. And I always try to avoid pointing fingers because I know that not everyone is like that, though I'm sure I have slipped into that from time to time.

I think it would help if we stop seeing each other as a gwynriel or an elucien or an elriel, and start seeing each other as individuals. When acosf first came out, I started noticing a trend where people would send me asks and write them as if they were writing to every single person who ships elucien, or as if they were writing to every single person who holds a certain opinion about Azriel. It was really confusing at first, and I'm gonna request that the fandom stop doing that altogether, to everyone. If you want to engage with someone, engage with that person, not your idea of who they are and what they think.

I'm down for conversations where we talk about the series and what might come next as possibilities, because that's all this is, so far. Anyone who says that "X thing will never happen" is making some bold claims, and it's really off-putting to people who know that that's not why we are here. It's not a contest where we "win" canon. It's fandom, where we talk about what we like and what we don't like and what we want and cross our fingers and hope.

EDIT I wanted to add on one thing - a lot of this behavior is incredibly shocking and disgusting and I think that we, as a fandom, need to be better at 1) calling it out, and 2) not assuming that whoever did X horrible thing represents all people from that corner of the fandom.

I hope that you have a lovely day as well! And that the fandom doesn't get you too down. @heleencollier

#acotar fandom #acotar #acosf #fandom wank #leslie being a fandom grandma again

[sarenhale]

Honestly, relating to your WoW/FFXIV post, I wonder if the 'great community, by the way' thing only has become what it has because the influx of WoW players? I hope it stops because acting like everyone in XIV is a perfect saint is only going to upset people even more if someone is even slightly less positive in game. I don't know I hope the whole WoW vs FFXIV stuff dies down, even Yoshi-P had to basically say 'shut up, WoW is what we want XIV to be, and we'll never even touch the heights WotLK had.' I just think if Blizzard hadn't been ousted as a bunch of sexual abusers it wouldn't be this extreme, like trashing WoW is kind of 'slacktivism' in a way. Sorry this is so long you're just the only person I've followed that did the WoW -> XIV jump and you haven't really done the extreme 180 everyone else has, and I think you have good opinions on things. Also I hope you have a good day :)

Thanks for the kind words! I'm flattered to hear that you like my opinions and attitude. I do try my best to not be grating over things like games.

I will put a 'read more' because I do get into a bit in detail for this ask.

I personally do get a bit tired of the costant ffxiv and wow comparison and debate too. That's why I sometimes make fun of it in a light way, and make jokes or memes about it, but also keep to myself when debates come out and people start complaining or piling up discourse over discourse. I'm just glad to enjoy my game and see people enjoying it too, that's enough for me. I honestly don't have the patience or age to withstand game discourse anymore lmao.

I completely understand why people would want to switch games because of the recent Blizz horrifying actions, the fact that the game apparently hasn't been fun or well curated in a long time, or just for funsies and switching things up. I'm absolutely not complaining about the switch in games, if anything, I'm glad people are giving other games a chance. But I am a bit tired about the costant comparison, discourse, and millions of videos essays where people try to defend wow (as if you needed to defend a game you like... you can enjoy that game, period, and not create wars over it), or people making huge ffxiv against wow essays. Like I said some months ago, I studied the whole 'wow effect' for my thesis years ago for my Uni degree and I don't plan to go back at studying the phenomenon cause I just don't care about it anymore, to be honest.

I think sometimes people are just way too over protective of things they care about, like games, and when change occurs they react with panic and overprotection over something they can't control - people migrating over games, new influx of players, etc - instead of seeing the whole thing as something of a natural process all games and popular media are subject to. Like, imagine how bad things would be for every game or media if stuff NEVER changed. Especially for MMOS, that's a death sentence. And you don't want that for your favourite game. Even WOW suffering player loss might be a good thing in the end, it might force the companies to rethink their approach to games and community, since a lot of problems laid in there.

I played my fair share of WOW during my Uni years. I played for around 3 years or something, on and off with friends irl and online, and enjoyed my experience. Overall, I still have very good memories of fun and friendship in WOW, and it's a game I still like aesthetically a lot, along with its story and fantasy races. Hell, sometimes I think about how much I miss my WOW ocs, and drawing WOW related stuff.

But I don't think my relationship to WOW was as intense as some people's - I did transition from WOW to FFXIV, but I spent something like 2 years when I stopped playing WOW (I started in mists of pandaria, stopped around the beginning of battle for azeroth times) playing almost no videogames. So it wasn't like I switched from a game to the other immediately, I think mine was more of a timed and organic switch, I didn't start playing FFXIV until quarantine hit and I had nothing to do (and was feeling really bad and needed a distraction from the imminent doom), and I also got my new desktop computer knowing I could start playing a new game comfortably, and not on a toaster-like computer like I was doing during the WOW days. (computer shutting down due to overheating mid-raid, it was fun)

So maybe the fact that I didn't do the 180 turnaround switch like some other WOW players is what makes the difference in attitude and thinking. When I started playing FFXIV, I didn't have WOW fresh in my mind so I could do costant comparisons between the two games, or my affection towards WOW kinda like... influencing my taste, or opinion of the new game in any way.

WOW was a good memory but nothing more. I never forged a huge relationship with the game anyway, so it's probably what's different between me and other players that maybe (understandably) have more history with it. I engaged with it, liked it for a game I could spend some free time on, and then moved on when I got bored with it. That's kinda it. I understand that some people who have been playing for way more years than me might have a more affectionate memory or relationship with WOW, and that might be something that influences their reasoning sometimes. But it's also a bit of a common thing withing some communities like WOW- something that people could definitely abandon and move on, change attitude. Time and game change. There's no point in getting stuck in the past with the old WOW glory days, and that kind of sentiment- we're not getting back in time, and change should always be something to be embraced, especially in games and MMOS. Changing views, games and opinions is the base of not getting stuck in the same state of mind and I highly encourage people to do it.

As for the ‘critiquing WOW has become super extreme and almost like it’s a rule’... I mean... yeah? That’s the effect that often times ‘problematic’ things have on large crowds of people online. It’s to be expected, but it doesn’t come from nothing- a lot of bad things piled up in the game, the company, the community and their attitude- and it just so happened some things tipped the waters over and everything came out in a costant flow during the past year or so. But it doesn’t come from nothing- it’s just a result of people being genuinely critic of the game they engaged with, which is something good to do. 

So yeah, I appreciate the ask! I like hearing from people that follow other games too and may have experiences similar to mine, and I'm also grateful that you've been following me from so many years since I was playing WOW, to now.

That said... I would like to keep asks like these to a minimum. I enjoyed this ask because it gave me a point of inspiration to think about my journey from games, and the chance of talking about something I care about (and I would like to think I know something about too, degree and experience and all...), but I don't plan to respond to more comments or asks that might move towards a more 'discoursy' tone of this same "ffxiv and wow" topic. I do enjoy asks like these but you can't count on everyone making a good and civil argument when asking questions, so I do have to keep a firm hand on asks and topics sometimes, or people get rowdy and think my tumblr blog is the new reddit. It has already happened with some people coming to my askbox to complain about shit I genuinely couldn't care less about. That will just get your question deleted, go to reddit if you want to complain or fuel the flames. I'm just here to vibe.

#thanks for posing the question in a genuine and mature way- i enjoyed talking about this #answered

[sonicgetsrawed]

Hold Me Today, You Might Not Have Me Tomorrow

Second prompt for varigo week!!!!! I had fun with this one!!!! Enjoy!!! @alistairwrites

Tensions had been high since, well, since Hugo joined the team. It’s not that he was a terrible person, Varian refused to give anyone that title outright. But he couldn’t help be a little weary of him. And now that Nuru has joined them as well, tensions seemed to be even higher. Everyone, save for Yong, was constantly at each other’s throats, something was bound to break soon, he just desperately hoped it wouldn’t be their group. They just needed something to break the ice and pave that magical road to friendship. Varian wrinkled his nose in disgust at that thought, maybe Rapunzel’s attitude had rubbed off on him more than he thought. Regardless, he didn’t want to be part of a team that could get nothing done due to constant fighting. So when the town they were heading through was holding a festival of sorts Varian convinced the rest of the group to stay for the night. It would be a nice break, which would hopefully get them on civil terms.

Varian smiled widely as he took in the banners and streamers that filled the cobblestone street. The flowers hanging from every windowsill, their petals lining the floor, it almost reminded him of the festivals back in Corona, except he couldn’t understand a damn word anyone said. One of the locals had informed them that they were in the midst of celebrating a festival of love, all kinds of love being welcomed, familial, platonic, and romantic. It kind of reminded Varian of the day of hearts. The only downside was that they would be hard pressed to find someone they could understand. As part of their celebrations the locals spoke in the language of their ancestors, a language long lost to anyone outside the village, even Hugo, their seasoned traveler, could hardly make out more than a few words. Unfortunately most refused to break this tradition for fear of bad luck throughout the year, but there were an odd few that didn’t seem to mind one way or another. He supposed it didn’t matter, they were still able to partake in the festivities, scarfing down sweets, dancing in the streets, and playing a few games. Until finally the night was winding down. Candles and lanterns were lit, delicately placed along the pathway, people starting to line up by them. It looked like one final dance was about to take place, and despite his aching feet Varian was determined to partake.

He jumped to his feet, offering his hand to Hugo, who despite their best efforts refused to do any of the previous activities. “Dance with me?” He asked, Hugo raising his split eyebrow at the invitation, his arms crossed defiantly over his chest.

“No.” Hugo responded, staying firmly in his seat on the small rock wall they had found.

“Come on! You haven’t done anything all day, is one dance going to kill you? It’ll be fun~” Varian teased, trying to keep any of his irritation from seeping into his voice.

Hugo gave a light shrug of his shoulders, rolling his eyes with the motion. “I suppose-“

“Great!” Varian pulled him to his feet, before he could change his mind, quickly finding a place in the lineup of people. Varian flashed him a smile and moved into the same position as the people on his side of the street, Hugo thankfully doing the same, his hand joined in Varian’s and the other resting on his hip. The music started shortly after, the dance fairly simple, the group moving in a steady circle as they moved down the street. Varian offered a wave to Nuru and Yong as they passed them. They finally made it to the end of the square where a string of flowers was wrapped around them before being allowed to continue. Varian’s face flushed slightly at the closer proximity the flowers had caused, but it disappeared when he saw that Hugo actually seemed to be enjoying himself, adding an extra step or two to their movements every so often.

“What’s the matter, Goggles? I thought you said this’ll be fun.” Hugo teased, leaning down to whisper in Varian’s ear. Varian’s face turned redder if that was even possible, the closeness of their bodies doing him no favors. He hadn’t even realized they stopped moving, somehow lost in Hugo’s green eyes. He’d known from day one that Hugo was attractive, he’d just never let the fact bother him before, but now like this, he was terribly aware of the fact. His heart started to pound in his chest, no matter how he willed it to stop, no matter how he convinced himself it was just from the dance, because there was no way in hell he had a crush on Hugo.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost missed the announcers words, actually he missed most of them, but it didn’t make a difference he couldn’t understand them anyways. Hugo on the other hand turned white as a sheet, his grip on Varian’s hand tightening painfully so.

“What? What did he say?” Varian asked, a small bit of panic rising in his chest as the pairs, couples, around them began to kiss. Deep down he knew what this was, he just hoped he was wrong and whatever Hugo heard was right. Hell, he’d take a fucking blood sacrifice over marriage at this point.

“He- he said we're married. This was a fucking wedding.” Hugo hissed, his stunned silence quickly turning to anger.

Varian pushed away from Hugo, the flower chain breaking apart as he did so. The streamers and rice falling from above hindering his vision, the firecrackers unusually loud in his ears. There was no way this was happening, he had not just fucking married Hugo. “Oh fuck no.”

He felt like he was going to be sick. The world was spinning, the noise too loud, the clapping, the cheering, it was all so overwhelming. Varian flinched as a hand reached for him, landing harshly on his ass. He yelped as he was roughly pulled to his feet.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?! Get up.” Hugo hissed, keeping a firm grip on Varian’s arm as he dragged him away from the crowd. His mind was still a fucking mess, but Varian pushed any panic away so he could properly deal with the situation. If they just went back and talked to someone surely they could get this all sorted out. Varian pulled back, ripping his arm out of Hugo’s grip.

“Wait, shouldn’t we-“

“You-“ Hugo turned sharply, his finger jabbing Varian’s chest. Varian glared up at him, sure Hugo had the right to be upset, but he didn’t have to be so damn aggressive. “-don’t get to make anymore decisions today.”

“That’s hardly fair. I don’t think-“

“Obviously.” Hugo sneered, turning on his heel and storming in the direction they had come from. Varian rolled his eyes, but followed Hugo nonetheless. There was no point in arguing, he had technically gotten them into this. It wasn’t his fault he was just trying to have some fun, get the group on more amicable terms. That had backfired drastically.

“Maybe if you were nicer I wouldn’t have had to force you to have fun with us.” Varian murmured, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Look, I get Corona is all about sunshine and rainbows, but I’m not here to be your friend. This-” Hugo gestured between the two of them. “-is strictly business, nothing more. Except now we’re fucking married because you couldn’t mind your own fucking business.”

Varian opened his mouth to argue, wanting to insist that it was his business because if none of them got along they’d never be able to complete the trials. They needed to at least learn to work together. He never got the chance to say it, a streamer popping off by his ear.

“Congratulations you two! I had no idea you were so close!” Nuru laughed, her tone far too sweet to be genuine.

“Fuck off.” Hugo hissed, swatting at the stray bits of paper that had landed on his head.

“It’s not that big of a deal. We just need to find someone to reverse it.” Varian said, shooting Nuru a glare. He was trying so hard to keep a level head about all of this, but it was hard with Nuru and Hugo at each other’s throats.

“Not a big deal? You were the one having a panic attack in the middle of the square.” Hugo huffed.

“Well I would too if I found out I had just married you.” Nuru shot back.

“WIll you guys please stop arguing for two seconds so we can figure this out?!” Varian shouted above them, running a frustrated hand down his face, briefly debating if all of this was worth it. It was a hell of a lot of stress for a few answers he might not even get. Sure he wanted to know more about his mom, but there had to be less stressful ways to go about it. He just wasn’t sure how much more of this in fighting he could take. He could feel his resolve starting to break, he didn’t want to give up but this was almost too much. If either replied Varian didn’t hear them, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

“Maybe we can ask him.” Yong said, tugging Varian’s shirt and pointing to a man walking by, a man Varian recognized as the announcer from the wedding. Varian pushed away his negative thoughts as best he could, he could deal with them later, getting this fixed would have to come first.

“Good idea.” Varian said, not bothering to interrupt Hugo and Nuru’s screaming match before taking Yong with him to talk to the announcer. “Excuse me!”

The man turned, smiling widely as words Varian didn’t understand fell past his lips. Varian rubbed his arm sheepishly. Right, he forgot that they were only speaking in their native tongue today. He hoped Hugo knew enough to understand. “Uh, sorry. Just- one second.”

Yong seemed to be two steps ahead, already making his way back to them with Hugo in tow, Nuru taking up the rear looking more irritated than when he’d left them. Great, just fucking great, another problem to add to his list of things to solve. Hugo at least had the decency to put on a fake smile as he talked to the man, the tips of Hugo’s ears turning red as he tried his best to speak to the man. It would almost be cute if Hugo wasn’t so fucking annoying all the time. Varian brought his thumb to his mouth, biting at his fingernail as he waited with baited breath for Hugo to tell them what he discovered.

“What did he say?” Varian asked the second Hugo rejoined the group.

“He can take us to the Capital to get this all sorted out.” Hugo said, his eyes briefly darting to Nuru and Yong.

“But~” Varian said, twirling his hands for Hugo to continue.

“It’s going to be a bit of a journey, so it’s probably best these two get settled into the inn.” Hugo explained, his tone odd to Varian, it held none of its usual bossiness, just very flat and almost hollow like he was trying very hard to hide something.

“I’m okay with that.” Nuru said, looking relieved to not have to go on another journey.

“Yes please! My feet are aching.” Yong said, rocking back on his feet as if to prove the point.

“Okay. Yeah, I suppose that’s fine.” Varian said, giving a small nod and a wave as Nuru and Yong headed towards the inn. He jogged slightly to catch up with Hugo. “So, how far is the Capital?”

Varian blinked in confusion as Hugo opened a nearby door, the announcer heading inside as Hugo held it open for Varian gesturing for him to follow. “Right here.”

“Wait- what? But- I- you said- Hugo what’s going on?” Varian stuttered, hesitating at the entrance to the building. They were in a much better place than when Hugo had first joined the group, but he definitely wouldn’t call them friends. And he definitely wouldn’t put it past Hugo to try and take the totems again.

“For all this bullshit you keep spewing about trust you're not very trusting are you?” Hugo said, one hand resting on his hip, an eyebrow raised, daring Varian to challenge him. Varian pursed his lips, biting down on his tongue to prevent himself from saying something he’d regret. He held his head high as he brushed past Hugo, pulling his bag tighter around himself. The room was small, too intimate for Varian’s liking, candles lining the walls, a desk on the far side with a pen and paper, a certificate if he had to guess.

“What do we have to do? Just sign the paper?” Varian asked, walking further into the room as Hugo shut the door, all light except from the candles.

“Uh, yes.” Hugo answered, moving into the room so he was standing next to Varian. Their shoulders brushed together, Varian feeling the tips of his ears heat up. What the fuck was wrong with him? He took a small step away, Hugo raising an eyebrow at the action but he didn’t comment.

“So-“

“We need to kiss.” Hugo said, cutting Varian off, looking ahead instead of at the dark haired boy.

“I’m sorry?!” Varian said, this time taking a large step away from Hugo, his bag hitting the wall, the candles wobbling dangerously. There was no way in hell he was ever going to kiss Hugo. “But why a kiss? Isn’t the paper enough?”

“Look, Goggles, I don’t want to kiss you either.” Varian crossed his arms over his chest, fixing Hugo with a glare, pretending those words didn’t sting a little bit. “But this is how they do things here. Today was a celebration of love. It needs to be undone with love, at least according to him. Unless you want to stay married.”

“No I really don’t.” Varian said.

“Good.”

“Good.” Varian repeated, sticking his tongue out at Hugo when he rolled his eyes.

“Great. So we just sign the paper, he says a few words, kiss, and we’re done, like this never even happened.” Hugo explained, moving to stand in front of the desk, and quickly signing the paper. Varian followed suit, scribbling his name on the parchment as the man said a few words, none of which he understood. And then Hugo turned to face him, Varian’s stomach turning because he knew what was coming next. “I know this is probably your first kiss, so if it sucks I’ll try not to hold it against you.”

“It is n-“ Hugo captured Varian’s lips, cutting off his reply, Varian’s hands instinctively wrapping around Hugo’s neck like they’d done this a hundred times before, Hugo’s hands settling on Varian’s hips as their lips moved against each other. It was oddly pleasant, and for a second Varian lost himself in the kiss, his eyes slipping closed as the kiss deepened. Hugo seemed to lose himself in it too, pulling Varian closer to him, their bodies flush against each other. It almost felt right. And the longer it went the more Varian found himself not wanting it to end, but eventually he needed to breathe. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Hugo’s, lost in the afterglow of it, his blue eyes clashing with green.

Hugo smiled softly, bringing his hand up to cup Varian’s face. “Not bad, Goggles.”

Varian leaned into the touch, a small smile on his lips as well. It was such a soft and intimate moment, one he never thought he’d be having with Hugo of all people, but here they were, not arguing, not fighting, just the two of them and- the man cleared his throat, waving the certificate through the air. Reality crashed down around Varian. His face flushed red as he remembered the situation that had led them to this moment, as he remembered this was fucking Hugo of all people. Varian pushed away from Hugo, grabbing the certificate and heading out the door before Hugo could say anything. His stomach doing flips, his heart skipping a beat as he thought about the kiss, about how he missed the feeling of Hugo’s body against his, about how unbelievably perfect it had been.

He ignored Nuru and Yong’s questioning glances as he grabbed a key from them and stormed into his room without so much as a word, without so much as a glance, slamming the door shut and sinking to the floor. Holy fuck. What was going on with him today? It was just the emotional stress of it all, that’s all it was. He definitely did not have a crush on Hugo, he didn’t. He held the certificate close to his chest, the proof that this was all just a misunderstanding, that nothing would come of this, that tomorrow when he woke up things would go right back to normal. It was over now, everything was fine, everything would be fine, and he would not fall for Hugo.

*********************************************

In hindsight he should’ve probably told the group that he knew exactly what the townspeople were saying, his father was originally from here, but per the usual whenever he tried to speak he was pushed to the side, so Yong let them struggle through their day. It was kind of funny too, to watch Hugo stumble through a conversation, to watch Varian try to order food, to watch Nuru try to make a purchase. It was probably just a little cruel but no one got hurt so it was fine and they all had fun in the end. Until the “wedding”. He knew the ins and outs of the festival and he knew without a doubt that the dance that Hugo and Varian had participated in was not a wedding, it was simply a proclamation of love, although the words were similar enough that he could see how Hugo had mixed them up. As long as they didn’t go to the courthouse there was nothing to worry about.

And of course they went to the courthouse. He knew he really, really, should’ve spoken up then, but he was too far into this and he didn’t want to get in trouble, especially when everyone had been so on edge recently, so he stayed quiet. He spent the whole time hoping that Hugo knew enough to realize that what they were walking into was the actual wedding, but he didn’t.

He really was going to say something when Varian and Hugo came back, but Varian had gone straight to his room and so had Hugo. It left him tossing and turning all night, spending half the night contemplating on if he should get up and tell one of them. He didn’t. He couldn’t. They’d be so angry with him. They might send him home. So he kept his secret, he kept his mouth shut, and when morning came things were better, Varian looked relieved, Hugo was back to his annoying self, and even Nuru seemed to be in a better mood. It was great to be a functioning team again, so that night when they set up camp, Yong slipped the certificate out of Varian’s bag and burned it in the fire when no one was looking. He smiled at a job well done. Things were back to normal now, no one had to know that Varian and Hugo were married, it wouldn’t be a problem unless they wanted to get married in that town, which he was sure they wouldn’t, and within the next week Yong too had forgotten all about it. Until four years later when Varian and Hugo showed up on his doorstep announcing their engagement and he knew it was time to fess up.

“What do you mean we’re already married?”

Yong laughed at the couple in front of him, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “That- that’s a funny story actually.”

#tangled the series #varian #varian and the seven kingdoms #varigo #hugo #varigo appreciation week

[khadij-al-kubra]

Ticklish

Pairing: Logince (platonic or romantic)

Characters: Logan, Roman

Words: 1411

Author’s Note: A short fic I wrote a while back based off this post. I realized i’d only written/posted it in the reblogs, so i thought i’d make it’s own post.

AO3

It had been a rare quiet afternoon in the Mindscape. Roman was off on one of his quests in the Imagination, Virgil was holed up in his room, and Thomas had summoned Patton to help him with a social event. So Logan had chosen to take advantage of the peace to curl up with a good book.

Today’s selection was a variety of science fiction short stories from “The Time Traveler’s Almanac,” a favorite of his. He has been captivated by a Ray Bradbury story but paused in his page, taking a moment to enjoy the delicious solitude. The sun shone through the living room window, the thermometer was at a comfortable temperature, and he was halfway through a cup of jasmine tea. Logan took a deep content breath and smiled. So peaceful…

SLAM

“I’m baaack!” sand Roman, bursting through the door. “Did you miss me?”

Logan groaned. ‘So much for peace and quiet.’ “Greetings Roman. I take it your ‘quest’ went well?” he asked, attempting to be polite.

Much as the creative side aroused his ire, the four of them did live under one roof. It was wise to attempt maintaining some semblance of civility.

“Why of course. I always emerge triumphant! Still, it is good to know that I was missed,” Roman smiled, his teeth practically glinting. “So, did i miss anything? Where are padre and the stormcloud?”

“Patton is busy with Thomas and Virgil is in his room. I meanwhile have been here reading all afternoon. Nothing of note happened in your absence, other than the interrupted quiet upon your rather boisterous entrance.”

Logan adjusted his glasses and gave Roman a pointed look. Apparently the creative side didn’t get the hint. Instead he chose to plop right next to Logan on the couch. Rather close might he add.

“Oh hush sub-astute teacher. So,” Roman leaned over Logan’s shoulder to peek at the page. “Whatcha reading anyways?”

“A science fiction story,” said Logan.

“You? Fiction? That seems out of your realm.”

“I’m not opposed to delving outside of my usual genres from time to time. Besides, I happen to appreciate well written prose.”

“So what’s it about?”

Ordinarily Logan would take any opportunity to share knowledge with someone else. However he has rather enjoyed his previous solitude and frankly wanted to just get back to reading in peace. Besides, he was just getting to the good part when Roman had popped in. Nothing worse than being interrupted during the big climax.

“Roman, if you’re so curious I shall lend you my book later. For now though I’d prefer to get back to the story.” Logan lifted the book up to his face.

“AWw come on Logan! Just tell me.”

Then Roman poked him in the side. It was only a light finger jab, but it had been right beneath Logan’s ribs, a.k.a. his hidden proverbial Achilles Heel. Before he could hold it in, Logan let out a giggle. He shut up and sat up straight as a meerkat. Too late. Roman had heard.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Logan cleared his suddenly high voice. “Nothing at all.”

“Logan…are you ticklish?”

“……no.”

Logan slowly turned to Roman. To his dread the creative Prince had the most villainous grin plastered to his face. He let out an ominous giggle and held up his fingers, wiggling them in front of the logical side’s flushed face.

Oh no.

Logan didn’t need Virgil around to know his fight or flight reflexes were kicking in. Fast as he could Logan fled from the living room, Roman tailing behind.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME, FIEND!”

“I’m gonna getcha Logan!”

“Nooooo!”

Roman chased him around the kitchen. He chased him up the stairs and past the bedrooms. Logan almost lost him outside the bathroom when he slid under tho taller side’s legs. Logan had considered shouting to Virgil for help, hoping that the anxious side would surely come to his rescue against a common enemy. However when he passed Virgil’s room he could hear music blaring loudly from the other side. Not the usual kind that signaled Virgil was having a panic attack, but even so there was no way he’d be able to hear Logan. Just as Logan was debating on whether or not to slide down the banister he felt Roman wrap his arms around his torso. Roman pulled Logan away from the stairs and then…oh the torture.

“Tickle-tickle-tickle!” said Roman as trailed fingers lightly up Logan’s sides.

Logan couldn’t fight against the ticklish sensations. They set him into a racoucious laughter that left him breathless. He felt himself sinking to the floor beneath Roman’s phalangial assault, taking the princely side down with him.

“Ro-ro- ROMAN! HA! P-pl-PLEASE AHA-HA!I ca-can’t BREATHE!” Logan laughed, tears running from his eyes. “Plea- STOP!!”

Mercifully so, he did. Logan fought for air, taking several deep breaths. Finally, after a trail of weak laughs, Logan was able to compose himself again. He glared at Roman fiercely. He despisedbeing tickled! Not only was it an awkward sensation that forced him to show laughter when nothing was amusing, but it made him lose all sense of composure. It was rather embarrassing.

“Don’t ever do that again!” said Logan, his tone pencil sharp.

Roman winced. His face shifted from amused to genuinely sorry. Logan almost felt sorry for his harsh tone.

“I…I’m sorry Logan. Truly,” said Roman, his voice soft and hesitant. “I didn’t think you’d mind that much.”

“Well i do.”

“Patton usually likes it when i have tickle fights with him.”

“I am not Patton.”

“No…you’re right. I-I am sorry Logan. I just…really needed a laugh after my last quest. And ordinarily I go to Patton for that, or even Virgil if I can rope him into playful banter. I did not mean to violate your personal space in such a way. It was…wrong of me.”

Logan could hear the genuine remorse in Roman’s voice. He took a deep breath. “…Apology accepted Roman. Just…don’t ever do it again.”

“I promise!” Roman held a hand over his hear and raised his right hand as well.

They sat on the carpeted floor for a while in silence.Ironic given that was what Logan had been trying to regain in the first place.

“You know,” Roman said , looking at him with a small smile, “you have quite a nice laugh. Shame I so rarely get to hear it. Truly.”

Logan didn’t understand why his face suddenly felt warmer. Perhaps it was a side effect of being tickled. Still, he cleared his throat before responding.

“Well…thank you Roman. That’s flattering, i supposed.”

“So,” Roman lay on his side looking up at him. “What was that story you were reading about anyway?”

“Oh. Well, it was, in short, a story exemplifying the repercussions of the butterfly effect. Quite good actually.”

“Sounds like it. Would you…” Roman looked away, blushing. “Would you read it to me?”

Logan stared at him baffled. “Why would you wish to read with me?”

“Honestly? Because, like i said, it was a difficult quest. One that had left me tired and, well, rather down. And the two things i need most to make me feel better after something like that is a) a good laugh, and b) some peaceful relaxation. And i can think of nothing more peaceful that hearing you reading aloud. Unless…you’d rather be left alone.”

Something in Logan softened at the sincerity of Roman’s explanation. It was only then that he realized just how drained the other truly looked.

“I supposed that would be an adequate way to spend the remainder of the day.” Roman sat back up, beaming at him. “However, notickling. Do not even entertain the thought.”

“You have my word!”

So they went back downstairs and sat together on the couch. Logan picked the almanac back up and went back to the beginning of the story so he could catch Roman up on the tale. As promised, Roman did not attempt to tickle Logan again. However, he did lean against Logan’s side as the logical manifestation read aloud in a soft yet steady voice; a gentle smile of easement resting upon his handsome face. To Logan’s surprise though, he didn’t mind. He still had the light shining gently through the window, a freshly brewed cup of tea, a good book and comfortable quiet. Perhaps, he mused, solitude wasn’t necessarily needed to feel at peace.

General Tag List: @quoth-the-sparrow @altruistic-skittles @em-be-lievable @justisaisfine @broadwaytheanimatedseries​ @thekeytohappiness-is-you @jynxlovesluck @queer-human-being​ @phlying-squirrel @ab-artist @grey-lysander @a-valorous-choice​ @xx-fandom-potato-xx @impatentpending @book-of-charlie @randomslasher @tinkslittlebelle @insanelycoolish  @ironwoman359​ @icecoldparadise @bluebloodstains @purpleshipper​ @patchworkofstars @axyzel @hissesssss @beautifully-terribly @pink-and-purple-flowers @thatsanswitch @6tick6tock6 @hanramz-the-fander @azlinne @helplesscreator @thestoryofme13 @bibbidi-bobbity-booyah @accidental-sanders @moonstone-fox​ @smokeyrutilequartz @madly-handsome @puns-and-patton​ @notveryglittery @eequalsmcscared @safesandersides​ @lizziepopanime @anxiously-unsatisfied-world @unikornavenger @fuck-my-life-i-want-food @backatthebein @mephonic  @paperghastly @ravenclawangst @iamtrashcans​ @loganberrysanders @icequeenoriginal @ierindoodles @a-new-witch-in-learning @punsterterry @your-average-pangirl  @goldteethandacurseforthistown  @dragonsight9​ 

#KDsWriting #logince #logan sanders #roman sanders #tickling

[innuendostudios]

Research Masterpost

This is my research list for The Alt-Right Playbook. It is a living document - I am typically adding sources faster than I am finishing the ones already on it. Notes and links below the list. Also, please note this does not include the hundreds of articles and essays I’ve read that also inform the videos - this is books, reports, and a few documentaries.

Legend: Titles in bold -> finished Titles in italics -> partially finished *** -> livetweeted as part of #IanLivetweetsHisResearch (asterisks will be a link) The book I am currently reading will be marked as such.

Media Manipulation & Disinformation Online, by Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis Alternative Influence, by Rebecca Lewis The Authoritarians, by Bob Altemeyer*** Eclipse of Reason, by Max Horkheimer Civility in the Digital Age, by Andrea Weckerle The Origins of Totalitarianism, by Hannah Arendt On Revolution, by Hannah Arendt Don’t Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein How Propaganda Works, by Jason Stanley*** This is an Uprising, by Mark and Paul Engler Neoreaction a Basilisk, by Elizabeth Sandifer This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed, by Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me), by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson Healing from Hate, by Michael Kimmel The Brainwashing of my Dad, doc by Jen Senko On Bullshit, by Harry Frankfurt The Reactionary Mind, by Corey Robin*** Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram X. Kendi Fascism Today, by Shane Burley Indoctrination over Objectivity?, by Marrissa S. Ballard Ur-Fascism, by Umberto Eco Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, by Lindsay C. Gibson Anti-Semite and Jew, by Jean-Paul Sartre Alt-America, by David Neiwert*** The Dictator’s Handbook, by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Alastair Smith Terror, Love, and Brainwashing, by Alexandra Stein Kaputt, by Curzio Malaparte The Anatomy of Fascism, by Robert O. Paxton Neoliberalism and the Far Right, by Neil Davidson and Richard Saull Trolls Just Want to Have Fun, by Erin E. Buckels, et al The Entrepreneurial State, by Mariana Mazzucato

Media Manipulation & Disinformation Online, by Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis (free: link) A monstrously useful report from Data & Society which- coupled with Samuel R. Delany’s memoir The Motion of Light in Water - formed the backbone of the Mainstreaming video. I barely scratched the surface of how many techniques the Far Right uses to inflate their power and influence. If you feel lost in a sea of Al-Right bullshit, this will at least help you understand how things got the way they are, and maybe help you discern truth from twaddle.

The Authoritarians, by Bob Altemeyer (free: link) (livetweets) A free book full of research from Bob Altemeyer’s decades of study into authoritarianism. Altemeyer writes conversationally, even jovially, peppering what could have been a dense and dry work with dad jokes. I wouldn’t say he’s funny (most dads aren’t), but it makes the book blessedly accessible. If you ever wanted a ton of data demonstrating that authoritarianism is deeply correlated with conservatism, this is the book. One of the most useful resources I’ve consumed so far, heavily influencing the entire series but most directly the video on White Fascism. Even has some suggestions for how to actually change the mind of a reactionary, which is kind of the Holy Grail of LeftTube.

(caveats: there is a point in the book where Altemeyer throws a little shade on George Lakoff, and I feel he slightly - though not egregiously - misrepresents Lakoff’s arguments)

Don’t Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff An extremely useful book about framing. Delves into the differences between the American Right and Left when it comes to messaging, how liberal politicians tend to have degrees in things like Political Science and Rhetoric, where conservatives far more often have degrees in Marketing. This leads to two different cultures, where liberals have Enlightenment-style beliefs that all  you need is good ideas and conservatives know an idea will only be popular if you know how to sell it. He gets into the nuts and bolts of how to keep control of a narrative, because the truth is only effective if the audience recognizes it as such. Kind of staggering how many Democrats swear by this book while blatantly taking none of its advice. Lakoff has been all over the series since the first proper video.

(caveats: several. Lakoff seemingly believes the main difference between the Right and Left is in our default frames, and that swaying conservatives amounts to little more than finding better ways to make the same arguments. he deeply underestimates the ideological divide between Parties, and some of his advice reads as tips for making debates more pleasant but no more productive. he also makes a passing comparison between conservatism and Islam that means well but is a gross and kinda racist false equivalence)

How Propaganda Works, by Jason Stanley (livetweets) A slog. Many useful concepts, and directly referenced in the White Fascism video. But could have said everything it needed to say in half as many pages. Stanley seems dedicated to framing everything in epistemological terms, not appealing to morality or sentiment, which means huge sections of the book are given over to “proving” democracy is a good thing using only philosophical concepts, when “democracy good” is probably something his readership already accepts. Also has a frustrating tendency to begin every paragraph with a brief summary of the previous paragraph. When he actually talks about, you know, how propaganda works, it’s very useful, and I don’t regret reading it. But I don’t entirely recommend it. Seems written for an imagined PhD review board. Might be better off reading my livetweets.

Neoreaction a Basilisk, by Elizabeth Sandier A trip. Similar to Jason Stanley, Sandifer is dedicated to “disproving” a number of Far Right ideologies - from transphobia to libertarianism to The Singularity - in purely philosophical terms. The difference is, she’s having fun with it. I won’t pretend the title essay - a 140-page mammoth - didn’t lose me several times, and someone had to remind which of its many threads was the thesis. And some stretches are dense, academic writing punctuated with vulgarity and (actually quite clever) jokes, which doesn’t always average out to the playfully heady tone she’s going for. But, still, frequently brilliant and never less than interesting. There is something genuinely cathartic about a book that begins with the premise that we all fear but won’t let ourselves meaningfully consider - that we will lose the fight with the Right and climate change is going to kill us all - and talks about what we can do in that event. I felt I didn’t even have to agree with the premise to feel strangely empowered by it. Informed the White Fascism video’s comments on transphobia as the next frontier of bigotry since failing to prevent marriage equality.

On Bullshit, by Harry Frankfurt Was surprised to find this isn’t properly a book, just a printed essay. Highly relevant passage that helped form my description of 4chan in The Card Says Moops: “What tends to go on in a bull session is that the participants try out various thoughts and attitudes in order to see how it feels to hear themselves saying such things and in order to discover how others respond, without its being assumed that they are committed to what they say: it is understood by everyone in a bull session that the statements people make do not necessarily reveal what they really believe or how they really feel. The main point is to make possible a high level of candor and an experimental or adventuresome approach to the subjects under discussion. Therefore provision is made for enjoying a certain irresponsibility, so that people will be encouraged to convey what is on their minds without too much anxiety that they will be held to it. [paragraph break] Each of the contributors to a bull session relies, in other words, upon a general recognition that what he expresses or says is not to be understood as being what he means wholeheartedly or believes unequivocally to be true. The purpose of the conversation is not to communicate beliefs.”

The Reactionary Mind, by Corey Robin (livetweets) Another freakishly useful book, and the basis for Always a Bigger Fish and The Origins of Conservatism. Jumping into the history of conservative thought, going all the way back to Thomas Hobbes, to stress that conservatism is, and always has been, about preserving social hierarchies and defending the powerful. Robin dissects thinkers who heavily influenced conservatism, from Edmund Burke and Friedrich Nietzsche to Carl Menger and Ayn Rand, and finally concluding with Trump himself. There’s a lot of insight into how the conservative mind works, though precious little comment on what we can do about it, which somewhat robs the book of a conclusion. Still, the way it bounces off of Don’t Think of an Elephant and The Authoritarians really brings the Right into focus.

Fascism Today, by Shane Burley Yet another influence on the White Fascism video. Bit of a mixed bag. The opening gives a proper definition of fascism, which is extremely useful. Then the main stretch delves into the landscape of modern fascism, from Alt-Right to Alt-Lite to neofolk pagans to the Proud Boys and on and on. Sometimes feels overly comprehensive, but insights abound on the intersections of all these belief systems (Burley pointing out that the Alt-Right is, in essence, the gentrification of working-class white nationalists like neo-Nazi skinheads and the KKK was a real eye-opener). But the full title is Fascism Today: What it is and How to End it, and it feels lacking in the second part. Final stretch mostly lists a bunch of efforts to address fascism that already exist, how they’ve historically been effective, and suggestions for getting involved. Precious few new ideas there. And maybe the truth is that we already have all the tools we need to fight fascism and we simply need to employ them, and being told so is just narratively unsatisfying. Or maybe it’s a structural problem with the book, that it doesn’t reveal a core to fascism the way Altemeyer reveals a core to authoritarianism and Robin reveals a core to conservatism, so I don’t come away feeling like I get fascism well enough to fight it. But, also, Burley makes it clear that modern fascism is a rapidly evolving virus, and being told that old ways are still the best ways isn’t very satisfying. If antifascism isn’t evolving at least as rapidly, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to win.

(caveats: myriad. for one, Burley repeatedly quotes Angela Nagle’s Kill All Normies, which does not inspire confidence. he also talks about “doxxing fascists” as a viable strategy without going into the differences between “linking a name to a face at a public event” and “hacking someone’s email to publicly reveal their bank information,” where the former is the strategy that fights fascism and the latter is vigilantism that is practiced widely on the Right and only by the worst actors on the Left. finally, the one section where Burley discusses an area I had already thoroughly researched was GamerGate, and he got quite a few facts wrong, which makes me question how accurate all the parts I hadn’t researched were. I don’t want to drive anyone away from the book, because it was still quite useful, but I recommend reading it only in concert with a lot of other sources so you don’t get a skewed perspective.)

Healing from Hate, by Michael Kimmel (Michael Kimmel, it turns out, is a scumbag. This book’s main thesis is that we need to look at violent extremism through the lens of toxic masculinity, so Kimmel’s toxic history with women is massively disappointing. Book itself is, in many ways, good, but, you know, retweets are not endorsement.)

A 4-part examination of how men get into violent extremism through the lens of the organizations that help them get out: EXIT in Germany and Sweden, Life After Hate in the US, and The Quilliam Foundation in Europe and North America. Emphasizing that entry into white nationalism - and, to an extent, jihadism - is less ideological than social. Young men enter these movements out of a need for community, purpose, and a place to put their anger. They feel displaced and mistreated by society - and often, very tangibly, are - and extremism offers a way to prove their manhood. Feelings of emasculation is a major theme. The actual politics of extremism are adopted gradually. They are, in a sense, the price of admission for the community and the sense of purpose. The most successful exit strategies are those that address these feelings of loneliness and emasculation and build social networks outside the movement, and not ones that address ideology first - the ideology tends to wither with the change in environment. The book itself can be a bit repetitive, but these observations are very enlightening.

(caveats: the final chapter on militant Islam is deeply flawed. Kimmel clearly didn’t get as much access to Qulliam as he had to EXIT and Life After Hate, so his data is based far less on direct interviews with counselors and former extremists and much more on other people’s research. despite the chapter stressing that a major source of Muslim alienation is racism, Kimmel focuses uncomfortably much on white voices - the majority of researchers he quotes are white Westerners, and the few interviews he manages are mostly with white converts to Islam rather than Arabs or South Asians. all in all, the research feels thinner, and his claims about militant Islam seem much more conjectural when they don’t read as echos of other people’s opinions.)

Terror, Love and Brainwashing, by Alexandra Stein A look at totalitarian governments and cults through the lens of attachment theory. While not explicitly about the Far Right, it’s interesting to see the overlap between this and Healing from Hate. Stein stresses that the control dynamics she discusses are not exclusive to cults, and are, in fact, the same ones as in abusive relationships; cults are just the most extreme version. So you can see many similar dynamics in Far Right organizations, like the Aryan Nations or the Proud Boys. It’s made me curious how many of these dynamics are in play in the distributed, less controlled environment of online extremism, and makes me want to look further into the subject before drawing conclusions.

(caveats: book is, as with How Propaganda Works, sometimes a slog and rather repetitive. I clocked a 4-page stretch in chapter 8 where Stein did not say a single thing that hadn’t been said multiple times in previous chapters. also, when talking about people coerced into highly-controlled lifestyles, she offhandedly includes “prostitutes” among them? it’s that liberal conflation of sex work and trafficking which is really not cool. this isn’t a major point, just something to notice while you read it.)

Alt-America, by David Neiwert (livetweets) A look at the actual formation of the Alt-Right, and the history that led up to it: the Militia and Patriot movements of the 90′s, the Tea Party, the rise of Alex Jones and Glenn Beck, and so on. Having been steeped in the rhetoric and tactics of the Far Right for so long, someone doing the work of sitting down and putting it all in chronological order is immensely helpful. Generally clear and well-written, too, and would be an easy read if not for how goddamn depressing the content is. Has an unfortunate final 7 pages, where Neiwert starts recommending actual policy. Falls into the usual “have empathetic conversations with genuine conservatives to turn them against the fascist wing taking over their party,” not recognizing the ways in which conservatism is continuous with fascism, nor the ways that trying to appeal to moderate conservatives alienates the people whose rights they deny. Means an extremely valuable book leaves a bad taste in the final stretch, but everything up to then is aces.

#the alt-right playbook #alt-right

[schraubd]

In Relating to our Black Allies, Jews Need To Stop Being Babies

Every toy for babies is basically the same. There is a button to be pressed, or some other simple action -- a bop or a shake or a slap. The toy emits a sound, squeak, or noise. The baby is happy beyond belief, and presses the button again. The sound repeats, and the baby is (somehow) just as ecstatic as the first time. Rinse, wash, repeat forever. Sometimes I feel like, in our relationship with the Black community, the Jewish community remains in infancy. Because we are constantly behaving like babies, and we need to cut it out. Here's the play: we find a Black person. We ask them to condemn antisemitism (Farrakhan is always a good target). They comply. We are delighted. We press the button again. They make the condemnatory noise again. *clap clap clap*. Oh, what could be more fun? And again and again and again we go, pressing the button on our fabulous condemn-antisemitism toy. Until eventually, our partner doesn't want to play anymore. Maybe they're concerned at the disproportionate attention Black antisemitism seems to receive. Maybe they want to talk about something other than antisemitism. Maybe they just don't like being used as a toy. So we press the button, expecting to hear the delightful sound of a condemnation of antisemitism, and ... it doesn't come. And then, like a baby, the tantrum begins. "How could you not condemn a monster like Farrakhan?" "Don't you care about Jews?" "If anyone asked me to condemn a racist in my community, I wouldn't hesitate!" Bawl bawl bawl. A moment's reflection shows how juvenile these demands are. There are plenty of actions by the Israeli government I oppose as wrongful or even (in some cases) prejudices. And I condemn them, often. But I would not accept anyone's entitlement to have me do so "on demand", like a speak-and-spell, any and every time I wished to present myself in a public space. That sort of behavior -- and it does happen (remember Matisyahu in Spain?) -- is rightfully deemed antisemitic. So we should understand how our parallel demands in the Black community are rightfully understood as racist. In Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Derrick Bell recounts an incident where Rep. Charlie Rangel was asked on television to condemn some antisemitic remark by Farrakhan. He did so, while also expressing frustration at the sense that Black Americans "have to carry around their last statement condemning Farrakhan" like a passbook in order to be accepted into civil society. Yet this is the effect of our infantile mode of relating to our Black peers. Whenever they swing into our orbit, we reach out and press the button, waiting for them to say those magic words for us. I'm not saying that there is no antisemitism in the Black community, and I'm not saying there aren't Black people who really do apologize for Louis Farrakhan's antisemitism. This post isn't about them. This post is about people who know full well that Farrakhan is an antisemite, and have never given any indication they think otherwise, but just resent being asked to say so over and over and over again. So to be clear: What makes a Black person an ally to the Jewish community is not that they stand ready to be pressed as a button whenever a Jewish person needs to hear the comforting sound "Louis Farrakhan is an antisemite." That's an unreasonable, frankly infantile demand. But too often it seems characteristic of how Jews relate to those in the Black community we wish to see "allyship" from. There's one other element of this analogy that I think it's important to bring forward. The reason babies love these toys is not just because they appreciate the sounds that they make. That's part of it, but just as important is the toy's testament to the baby's ability to manipulate the world around them. They can tell that when they push this button, that results -- and for an infant who generally can't really cause things to happen in the world (no matter how much they might want to), that's a really nice feeling. When it comes to antisemitism and eliciting a response to it, Jews are in a similar boat. We very much want people to respond to our calls; to condemn antisemitism when we ask them to. But for the most part, the world doesn't listen to us. When we, say, ask Mike Huckabee to not make gratuitous Holocaust comparisons, he flatly rejects the demand and snarls that "Israel and Jewish people need to make friends, not insult the ones they have." Like infants, Jews are constantly made quite aware that we are for the most part sitting at the mercy of people bigger and stronger than we are. So, when there is a spot in the world where, when we say "condemn antisemitism!", something actually happens, there is something understandably exciting and delightful about it. It is an exercise of power by people who typically feel powerless. A similar dynamic explains why sometimes there might seem to be outsized attention to Jewish racism. For the most part, condemnations by communities of color of racism instigated by White Americans fall on deaf ears, for it is a feature of Whiteness in America that they are if they wish impervious to such demands. And likewise, it is a feature of Jewish vulnerability that we are not so impervious and that therefore at least sometimes, in some spaces, we can be compelled to answer. That, I imagine, is a delightful rarity. So perhaps it's understandable why those attacking racism so often seem to draw from the Jewish well. But if it still feels like an exploitation of Jewish marginal status, that's because it is. And likewise, the reason we're able to get some Black leaders, some of the time, to condemn antisemitism on cue is because of racism. The comparative vulnerability of a Black American versus a, say, Mike Huckabee means that they have to be responsive to these sorts of demands in circumstances where others don't. The constant call to "condemn antisemitism" exploits that vulnerability -- which is to say, it exploits Black marginalization. And that exploitation is reasonably resented. If the only way we relate to our Black allies is by asking them, again and again, to condemn antisemitism, we don't actually have a relationship as allies. We have a relationship that could be fulfilled by a tape recorder. True allyship is bidirectional. It involves giving as well as taking, and it involves learning new things, not just repeating the same homilies over and over again. Most importantly, a genuine allyship involves trust -- trust to know that one's partners oppose antisemitism even when they're not saying out loud. Trust that they've got your back even when they're operating in precarious circumstances, where sensitivities are on edge and tensions run highest. And unfortunately, right now, it seems that trust is lacking. Can that lack be laid entirely at the feet of the Jewish community? No, it can't. But do we have our share of the blame? Yes, most certainly. I get, obviously, why it feels good to hear Black people condemn antisemitism. And I get the social conditions which make it easier to focus on Black people who do or don't criticize Louis Farrakhan compared to tackling the far more entrenched, but far more dangerous, iterations of antisemitism in Congress, in churches, among Soros-conspiracymongers and White supremacist murderers. But such pleasures are cheap, and we are not babies. It's time for the Jewish community to grow up. via The Debate Link http://bit.ly/2VXNNOF

#Black #Jews #racism

[cornelisdemooij]

Innuendo Studios Research Masterpost - With More Links

This is my research list for The Alt-Right Playbook. It is a living document - I am typically adding sources faster than I am finishing the ones already on it. Notes and links below the list. Also, please note this does not include the hundreds of articles and essays I’ve read that also inform the videos - this is books, reports, and a few documentaries. Legend: Titles in bold -> finished Titles in italics -> partially finished *** -> livetweeted as part of #IanLivetweetsHisResearch (asterisks will be a link) The book I am currently reading will be marked as such. Media Manipulation & Disinformation Online, by Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis Alternative Influence, by Rebecca Lewis The Authoritarians, by Bob Altemeyer*** Eclipse of Reason, by Max Horkheimer Civility in the Digital Age, by Andrea Weckerle The Origins of Totalitarianism, by Hannah Arendt On Revolution, by Hannah Arendt Don’t Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein How Propaganda Works, by Jason Stanley*** This is an Uprising, by Mark and Paul Engler Neoreaction a Basilisk, by Elizabeth Sandifer (Patreon) This Nonviolent Stuff’ll Get You Killed, by Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me), by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson Healing from Hate, by Michael Kimmel The Brainwashing of my Dad, documentary by Jen Senko On Bullshit, by Harry Frankfurt The Reactionary Mind, by Corey Robin*** Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram X. Kendi Fascism Today, by Shane Burley Indoctrination over Objectivity?, by Marrissa S. Ballard Ur-Fascism, by Umberto Eco Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, by Lindsay C. Gibson Anti-Semite and Jew, by Jean-Paul Sartre Alt-America, by David Neiwert The Dictator’s Handbook, by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita & Alastair Smith Terror, Love, and Brainwashing, by Alexandra Stein <- (currently reading) Kaputt, by Curzio Malaparte The Motion of Light in Water, by Samuel R. Delany Media Manipulation & Disinformation Online, by Alice Marwick and Rebecca Lewis (free: link) A monstrously useful report from Data & Society which- coupled with Samuel R. Delany’s memoir The Motion of Light in Water - formed the backbone of the Mainstreaming video. I barely scratched the surface of how many techniques the Far Right uses to inflate their power and influence. If you feel lost in a sea of Alt-Right bullshit, this will at least help you understand how things got the way they are, and maybe help you discern truth from twaddle. The Authoritarians, by Bob Altemeyer (free: link) (livetweets) A free book full of research from Bob Altemeyer’s decades of study into authoritarianism. Altemeyer writes conversationally, even jovially, peppering what could have been a dense and dry work with dad jokes. I wouldn’t say he’s funny (most dads aren’t), but it makes the book blessedly accessible. If you ever wanted a ton of data demonstrating that authoritarianism is deeply correlated with conservatism, this is the book. One of the most useful resources I’ve consumed so far, heavily influencing the entire series but most directly the video on White Fascism. Even has some suggestions for how to actually change the mind of a reactionary, which is kind of the Holy Grail of LeftTube. (caveats: there is a point in the book where Altemeyer throws a little shade on George Lakoff, and I feel he slightly - though not egregiously - misrepresents Lakoff’s arguments) Don’t Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff An extremely useful book about framing. Delves into the differences between the American Right and Left when it comes to messaging, how liberal politicians tend to have degrees in things like Political Science and Rhetoric, where conservatives far more often have degrees in Marketing. This leads to two different cultures, where liberals have Enlightenment-style beliefs that all you need is good ideas and conservatives know an idea will only be popular if you know how to sell it. He gets into the nuts and bolts of how to keep control of a narrative, because the truth is only effective if the audience recognizes it as such. Kind of staggering how many Democrats swear by this book while blatantly taking none of its advice. Lakoff has been all over the series since the first proper video. (caveats: several. Lakoff seemingly believes the main difference between the Right and Left is in our default frames, and that swaying conservatives amounts to little more than finding better ways to make the same arguments. he deeply underestimates the ideological divide between Parties, and some of his advice reads as tips for making debates more pleasant but no more productive. he also makes a passing comparison between conservatism and Islam that means well but is a gross and kinda racist false equivalence) How Propaganda Works, by Jason Stanley (livetweets) A slog. Many useful concepts, and directly referenced in the White Fascism video. But could have said everything it needed to say in half as many pages. Stanley seems dedicated to framing everything in epistemological terms, not appealing to morality or sentiment, which means huge sections of the book are given over to “proving” democracy is a good thing using only philosophical concepts, when “democracy good” is probably something his readership already accepts. Also has a frustrating tendency to begin every paragraph with a brief summary of the previous paragraph. When he actually talks about, you know, how propaganda works, it’s very useful, and I don’t regret reading it. But I don’t entirely recommend it. Seems written for an imagined PhD review board. Might be better off reading my livetweets. Neoreaction a Basilisk, by Elizabeth Sandifer (Patreon) A trip. Similar to Jason Stanley, Sandifer is dedicated to “disproving” a number of Far Right ideologies - from transphobia to libertarianism to The Singularity - in purely philosophical terms. The difference is, she’s having fun with it. I won’t pretend the title essay - a 140-page mammoth - didn’t lose me several times, and someone had to remind which of its many threads was the thesis. And some stretches are dense, academic writing punctuated with vulgarity and (actually quite clever) jokes, which doesn’t always average out to the playfully heady tone she’s going for. But, still, frequently brilliant and never less than interesting. There is something genuinely cathartic about a book that begins with the premise that we all fear but won’t let ourselves meaningfully consider - that we will lose the fight with the Right and climate change is going to kill us all - and talks about what we can do in that event. I felt I didn’t even have to agree with the premise to feel strangely empowered by it. Informed the White Fascism video’s comments on transphobia as the next frontier of bigotry since failing to prevent marriage equality. On Bullshit, by Harry Frankfurt Was surprised to find this isn’t properly a book, just a printed essay. Highly relevant passage that helped form my description of 4chan in The Card Says Moops: “What tends to go on in a bull session is that the participants try out various thoughts and attitudes in order to see how it feels to hear themselves saying such things and in order to discover how others respond, without its being assumed that they are committed to what they say: it is understood by everyone in a bull session that the statements people make do not necessarily reveal what they really believe or how they really feel. The main point is to make possible a high level of candor and an experimental or adventuresome approach to the subjects under discussion. Therefore provision is made for enjoying a certain irresponsibility, so that people will be encouraged to convey what is on their minds without too much anxiety that they will be held to it. [paragraph break] Each of the contributors to a bull session relies, in other words, upon a general recognition that what he expresses or says is not to be understood as being what he means wholeheartedly or believes unequivocally to be true. The purpose of the conversation is not to communicate beliefs.” The Reactionary Mind, by Corey Robin (livetweets) Another freakishly useful book, and the basis for Always a Bigger Fish and The Origins of Conservatism. Jumping into the history of conservative thought, going all the way back to Thomas Hobbes, to stress that conservatism is, and always has been, about preserving social hierarchies and defending the powerful. Robin dissects thinkers who heavily influenced conservatism, from Edmund Burke and Friedrich Nietzsche to Carl Menger and Ayn Rand, and finally concluding with Trump himself. There’s a lot of insight into how the conservative mind works, though precious little comment on what we can do about it, which somewhat robs the book of a conclusion. Still, the way it bounces off of Don’t Think of an Elephant and The Authoritarians really brings the Right into focus. Fascism Today, by Shane Burley Yet another influence on the White Fascism video. Bit of a mixed bag. The opening gives a proper definition of fascism, which is extremely useful. Then the main stretch delves into the landscape of modern fascism, from Alt-Right to Alt-Lite to neofolk pagans to the Proud Boys and on and on. Sometimes feels overly comprehensive, but insights abound on the intersections of all these belief systems (Burley pointing out that the Alt-Right is, in essence, the gentrification of working-class white nationalists like neo-Nazi skinheads and the KKK was a real eye-opener). But the full title is Fascism Today: What it is and How to End it, and it feels lacking in the second part. Final stretch mostly lists a bunch of efforts to address fascism that already exist, how they’ve historically been effective, and suggestions for getting involved. Precious few new ideas there. And maybe the truth is that we already have all the tools we need to fight fascism and we simply need to employ them, and being told so is just narratively unsatisfying. Or maybe it’s a structural problem with the book, that it doesn’t reveal a core to fascism the way Altemeyer reveals a core to authoritarianism and Robin reveals a core to conservatism, so I don’t come away feeling like I get fascism well enough to fight it. But, also, Burley makes it clear that modern fascism is a rapidly evolving virus, and being told that old ways are still the best ways isn’t very satisfying. If antifascism isn’t evolving at least as rapidly, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to win. (caveats: myriad. For one, Burley repeatedly quotes Angela Nagle’s Kill All Normies, which does not inspire confidence. He also talks about “doxxing fascists” as a viable strategy without going into the differences between “linking a name to a face at a public event” and “hacking someone’s email to publicly reveal their bank information,” where the former is the strategy that fights fascism and the latter is vigilantism that is practiced widely on the Right and only by the worst actors on the Left. Finally, the one section where Burley discusses an area I had already thoroughly researched was GamerGate, and he got quite a few facts wrong, which makes me question how accurate all the parts I hadn’t researched were. I don’t want to drive anyone away from the book, because it was still quite useful, but I recommend reading it only in concert with a lot of other sources so you don’t get a skewed perspective.) Healing from Hate, by Michael Kimmel (Michael Kimmel, it turns out, is a scumbag. This book’s main thesis is that we need to look at violent extremism through the lens of toxic masculinity, so Kimmel’s toxic history with women is massively disappointing. Book itself is, in many ways, good, but, you know, retweets are not endorsement.) A 4-part examination of how men get into violent extremism through the lens of the organizations that help them get out: EXIT in Germany and Sweden, Life After Hate in the US, and The Quilliam Foundation in Europe and North America. Emphasizing that entry into white nationalism - and, to an extent, jihadism - is less ideological than social. Young men enter these movements out of a need for community, purpose, and a place to put their anger. They feel displaced and mistreated by society - and often, very tangibly, are - and extremism offers a way to prove their manhood. Feelings of emasculation is a major theme. The actual politics of extremism are adopted gradually. They are, in a sense, the price of admission for the community and the sense of purpose. The most successful exit strategies are those that address these feelings of loneliness and emasculation and build social networks outside the movement, and not ones that address ideology first - the ideology tends to wither with the change in environment. The book itself can be a bit repetitive, but these observations are very enlightening. (caveats: the final chapter on militant Islam is deeply flawed. Kimmel clearly didn’t get as much access to Qulliam as he had to EXIT and Life After Hate, so his data is based far less on direct interviews with counselors and former extremists and much more on other people’s research. despite the chapter stressing that a major source of Muslim alienation is racism, Kimmel focuses uncomfortably much on white voices - the majority of researchers he quotes are white Westerners, and the few interviews he manages are mostly with white converts to Islam rather than Arabs or South Asians. all in all, the research feels thinner, and his claims about militant Islam seem much more conjectural when they don’t read as echos of other people’s opinions.)

[diversetolkien]

more questions

Just for those who’re following or just reading, this is a continuation of THIS META regarding Galadriel and colonization. I would recommend reading that before you read this!

@absynthe--minded  Sorry I’ve taken so long to respond. This week has been a very busy week especially since the semester is coming to an end. I’ve also been dealing small health issues, so I wasn’t able to answer this as quickly as I would have liked.  That said, as before, your questions are bolded, while mine are not!

first off, thank you so much for your responses! I’m glad to be able to discuss this in a way that doesn’t involve everybody getting angry, especially since one of my goals at least is to achieve a better understanding of other perspectives on a somewhat problematic source material. I’ll concede immediately that you’re right, and that whether or not Galadriel was actually ruling she was looked to as a person of authority, and she benefited from being seen that way. And I genuinely want to discuss, not attack - my end goal is to try to reach a better understanding of your view of her character, which is something I’ve found both worth my time as a fan and difficult to grasp because of various canonical elements. Hence my continued discussion, which is meant respectfully and considering you as a worthy and equal academic partner.

You’re very welcome :) I try not to open up my blog to certain types of anger, mainly just respectful discourse and debate, as I believe (according to the situation) that this is the best way to sort these things out. I think, as i said in my previous meta, Galadriel falls victim to the narrative, and it’s entirely possible that she did not even know what she was doing. That she thought she had “grown”, but in actuality, had only assimilated into a colonialist society as one of the colonialist themselves. I think this is a prime example of her privilege, and the kind of thing that we tend to see in examples of white feminism today. That, or she did know. I’m stuck in between the two, as I know she was genuinely trying to do better. That said, on to your questions! :)

second off (as a partial response to your response) I actually think part of the Hot Topic-ness of Galadriel stems from whether or not you see specific sub-groups of elves as indigenous populations or as different groups of one whole population simply scattered by time. There’s a solid canonical argument to be made that elves never actually belonged in Middle-Earth, and that the Avari made the wrong choice in not going to Valinor even though they were exercising their free will.

What makes them indigenous is the fact that they believe they belong in Middle Earth, and this is shown in the case of both Mirkwood and Loth Lorien where the elves chose to stay at the dawning of the 4th age. They may not belong in Middle Earth on the basis of them being elves, but clearly the Silvan see it as their homes, as they chose to remain in Middle Earth.

And we need to make a distinction between indigenous and belonging, because those should not be used interchangeably. They are indigenous because they were born in Middle Earth and considered it their home, whether or not they belong there does not negate this. And because they believe they are indigenous, they believe that they belong there--which is clearly seen in their actions.

Whether others consider them indigenous to the land is beside the point, honestly. It matters what the marginalized group considers themselves and their home.

And I hope you don’t mind me using real life allusions but I believe it makes it easier for everyone following this thread to understand. I’m African American, and there have been arguments since slavery has been abolished that my people don’t belong in America, and that we’re not indigenous to this land. But, we’ve made this our home, we’ve build our traditions and customs here in America. That said, I consider myself indigenous to this land because I was born here and because my ancestors have made their culture here for the past 200 years, and my history and heritage is very much ingrained in the American south.

Now there are those who say I don’t belong here, there are those who are say I belong in Africa, but they’re not apart of my marginalized group, so they don’t necessarily have a say in that. The same thing can be seen with Native Americans, and immigrants from Latin America.  

The Silvan elves consider themselves indigenous to Middle Earth, they consider themselves belonging to Middle Earth, and we see this in their refusal to go to Valinor. At this point what others believe doesn’t necessarily matter considering it doesn’t change how the elves view themselves, and how that plays into their narrative.

What makes their story and Galadriel’s colonization is based on how they--as the marginalized group--perceives themselves, not how others do.  I think when we try to introduce this other debate regarding whether or not they belong in Middle Earth, we tend to look at it from a perspective that is not that if the Silvan elves, and consequently lose their voice in the midst of things.

That said I’m not denying that there’s a canon debate going on in regards to whether or not the elves belonged in Middle Earth or not, because I believe it.

And I think we can both sit here and argue for opposite sides, but that’s not what the point of this post is about.

It’s about Galadriel and colonization, so let’s try not to derail it by introducing another debate.

Admittedly, this does require a shared viewpoint with Tolkien (that while the Valar occasionally made incredible mistakes their end goal of “preserve all of these elves from the passage of time” was the right thing to do) and it requires an assumption that the Valar are inherently benevolent, but the argument does exist. (I think the reader’s perception of this generally falls under their opinions of religion as a whole? At least that’s what it’s been in my experience.) And Galadriel’s use of Nenya prolonged Lothlórien’s life as a viable civilization, protecting it from the fading that realms like Mirkwood faced over the centuries. This doesn’t mean I think you’re wrong, because it doesn’t, at all. I’m just confused because some of your responses seem to treat the active preservation she took part in during her time in Lothlórien as inherently bad for those living there. Especially because fading wasn’t something she and the other Noldor introduced, it was a natural consequence of the passage of time that all elves were inherently subject to as long as they remained in Middle-Earth. Basically I think that if we ought to blame anybody for it, we ought to blame Eru - the One seems to be responsible for the changing nature of the world. Tolkien himself is also guilty here, since Arda is our world and that necessitates the removal of fantasy races.

While Nenya preserved Loth Lorien, in the long run, it destroyed it. I don’t deny that it helped the realm, but in the end it completely ripped the realm of life, to a point where it could not even be replenished. Since we’re looking at this in terms of the effects of  colonization, i’m going to talk about why it’s bad in terms of colonization and racism, by of course, using real life allusions.

Consider Europeans coming to the certain indigenous lands and promising to keep them safe from warring tribes (We see this in Africa during the slave trade, and in certain indigenous cultures during colonization in the Americas and Western Expansion). They protect the indigenous tribes for a while, i’m not denying that. But it always ends with them leaving the indigenous populations scarred and drained. Yes, the Europeans came over and protected the tribes from warring tribes, but in the long run, they stole resources, eradicated cultures, and left the land in runs. Not unlike Loth Lorien.

More recent examples would be the Civil War in Rwanda with the Hutu and Tutsi peoples of Rwanda. I won’t get too into it, but basically the UN came and promised to help the Tutsi people, and for a while they did--they defended the Tutsis. But abruptly, they left when the Rwanda was in a state of chaos. They not only made things worse, but left the people they’d promised to protect to defend themselves. It wasn’t until the rebellion (of Rwandans) stepped in that things started getting better.  It’s the same concept with promising to help, but leaving when the realm or society is in a state of chaos, as Loth Lorien was.

I’ll use the reconstruction of the South post slavery as another example. Because the South was in such bad shape after the the CIvil War, and racism was at an all time high, the government sent in the army to protect freed slaves from violent racism (as well as to rebuild the South). In the short run, they helped protect the freed slaves from racism and even began rebuilding the South, but like the UN for Rwanda, and like the Europeans for certain indigenous tribes, they abruptly left, leaving the people to fend for themselves (or in certain cases, go with them to a land where they would face discrimination).

We can even see this in warfare today. Countries go overseas to fight and “protect” the other citizens, only to leave when the fighting is done and when the country is ruined.

We need to realize that there’s this history of privileged groups coming into marginalized communities and offering to help and protect them, and while they do this for a short while, they essentially ravage the land and people at the end. This is the case of Galadriel and Nenya.

In the short run, she helped them, but in the long run, she destroyed their homes and offered them an awful ultimatum as we discussed earlier.

And it’s not like their realm couldn’t have survived without the Ring. I mean Thranduil’s realm is a prime examples of a Realm surviving without the power of a Ring. Yes, it wasn’t perfect. But as far as we know Sauron’s forces never actually entered the actual palace, it was still safe enough for the King and his people to have picnics in (though arguably that was when things were better), and in the long run Mirkwood was replenished. So yes it went through hardships, but in the end it worked out for both the realm and the people.

Galadriel stepping in and “saving” Loth Lorien only to suck the life out of it afterwards is a prime example of colonization. The ends do not justify the means in her case.  

I think a lot of the controversy over “is this colonialism” (at least in predominantly white circles) comes from this sense that all elves are equal if culturally different. They have the same religion, they have languages stemming from the same family, they have cultural outlooks and opinions similar enough that marriages between different groups don’t seem to cause a lot of problems with regard to cultural blending. Also I’m curious as to where in canon it suggests that Silvan elves will be oppressed in Valinor, because what we see in the Histories and the published Silmarillion is that different people groups established their own cities in different geographical locations, with their own governments and sovereign states. If I’m missing something, I want to know, because that would change my entire opinion on whether or not the Valar-offered chance to leave was a good or a bad thing.

I think a lot of this has to do with the definition of oppression, and how I see it vs. how you see it. Depending on who you are, oppression is taking people’s right away completely. Others, such as myself, believe it to be the society I live in, due to increased racial discrimination and injustice fueled by racism. It’s like living with a constant target on your back based off of things you cannot control, and it gets even greater than that.

And off the bad I won’t say that there is strict sentence or paragraph saying  “They’ll be oppressed” more so implication leading up to it. The fact that we already have a group that is deemed less wise and more dangerous tells us this, because this is usually how oppression begins. With one group, usually marginalized, being deemed as less than the privileged group. So we already have an unfair and unjust prejudice against these people, not taking into consideration why exactly they are like that.

Juxtapose this with Loth Lorien, that’s ruled by Sindar and Noldor who impose their traditions on the Silvan, that’s not considered “less wise and dangerous”. So we have this idea that in order to be socially acceptable, “safe and wise” you need to be ruled by elves that are not of your kind, who impose their own culture and ways on you.

That’s oppressive.

Coupled with that, we already have this model where elves who are not of Silvan descent feel they are entitled enough to rule over Silvan elves, which implies that they see these elves as below them,  and these are elves coming straight out of Valinor believing this (and not entirely, because we have the Sindar, but with Galadriel, we now have Noldorian eves imposing their culture onto others), and benefiting from an establishment that colonizes other societies.

The mere idea that you can rule over people who are not your own implies that you see yourself above them, and that crosses into oppressive territories. And when Valinor itself already has aspects of oppression (main case being Feanor, the Valar believing they have the right to take his creations from him, and going as far as hallowing them. Essentially he doesn't even have the right to his own things, but I don’t want to open a Feanor debate, I just want to use that as an example) that Galadriel falls into, it’s not unsurprising to believe that this would continue with the Silvan elves in Valinor. They were going to be going with her to Valinor, and with Silvan being considered less wise and dangerous without being ruled by Noldor or Sindar, I feel like the situation we see above (in that someone would have to be ruling them) would have occurred again, only worse though, because it’s the Valar we’re dealing with. This is not meant as a defense of Galadriel. More than anything it’s meant as a “how do you interpret these various canonical elements? because your perspective is one I don’t see intuitively and I want to understand” chain of questions.

No, I understand that this is not a defense of Galadriel because at this point it’s nearly impossible to do so. And I understand you want to see the evidence as to why I and others think like this. I hope these answers sufficed, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask :) As stated before though, I would not like to bring any other debate that’s not strictly related to this topic, only because I don’t want this post to be derailed.

#galadriel #lotr #loth lorien #valinor #colonialism #jrr tolkien #submission

[indjones4]

Karoor Soman (Author) vs Cyberbully Liars- Techniques Explained

Firstly, happy and secure people don’t need to bully. This article will not look at the plain cyberbully who barks out nonsense for the sake of it but at the educated cyberbullies who defy reason and logic to entertain themselves from their pathetic lives. I hope this small article is of benefit to both kids and adults alike in our socially connected worlds where cyberbullying is allowed and is flourishing.

 To identify genuine cyberbullying is relatively simple -: look for patterns of behaviour that is demeaning and deliberate towards the victim frequently. Ugly trolls of today are crooked, lying losers who genuinely have little substance going on in their life, so involve themselves in such acts. Make no mistake, they will do everything to mock and alienate you from others.

 Consistent harassment is one sign of spotting a cyberbully; which in the initial phases would involve some sort of financial arrangement.  There is always a financial arrangement with such people. Always! Greed is a huge driving force and should not be underestimated. These ugly **** crooked cyberbullies tend to do charity with the blackmailing extortion fees from the victim. Pun intended.  

 Blackmailing is standard for such people. There will be some hypocrites who wail about “Oh! I am doing a social good” nonsense. Separate the chaff from the wheat. If it is genuine, they would not victimise and neither harm. They would find out, sort out, work out, and find a better solution than cyberbullying. If the victim does not play according to the blackmailer’s demands, the blackmailer turns from playing blackmail to playing full mode cyberbully.

 Another trait to look out for among these new breed of cyberbullies is what I call the term “moral cyberbully”. The cyberbully usually would use an excuse/circumstance/situation to enhance one’s own feeling of moral superiority to do the trolling and cyberbullying. They display primitive response/reaction of hate and jealousy. Please note there is no cure for jealousy. No matter what reason or debate is thrown at them, they cannot view past their own little brain of hate, revenge and spite. They would make excuses so that they can keep hating.

 Personal revenge motives also play a huge factor with such idiots. These crooked liars pretend to fight for truth and justice. This is one of the best indications that you are dealing with a real douchebag whose main purpose is attention seeking or to become famous and “fight for a cause”. Look out for these types as they tend to drown on their ideas for a long time.

 Advice: Ignore such people and get on with your life. No point even debating or reasoning with them. “Justified criticism” is the excuse for cyberbullies to take on victims and has no place in a civilized society. Absolutely don’t waste time on such retards! Pointless waste of time! You can make more sense to a chimpanzee than with these cyberbullies.

 Standing up to cyberbullies literally takes skin and a rhino’s skin if they are in the 100s or 1000s. It’s understandable for a lot of people, this can be scary, hard, or even completely clueless. I have seen couple of recent examples from different people, who react differently to cyberbullies, but have their own methods of dealing with it. Everyone has a certain threshold after which point, some people break, some people become stronger than before.

 Character assassination is the goal for many cyberbullies and will stop at nothing to destroy your virtual identity and in real life.  Naming and shaming is a common tool of cyberbullies and usually they have a few core idiots who partake with a cyberbully leader to victimize people. Other zombie followers who can’t think for themselves usually are not far behind.

 Cyberbully followers are another easy spotting exercise. I call them zombies because they don’t have much neurons firing in their brain and respond to a herd mentality.  The cyberbully leader uses peer pleasure (yes, not pressure) technique to get people to help them in their bullying and mocking. Partaking in ridicule of the victim is a thrill from their boring lives. Imagine a person eating vomit nonstop- this is what the zombie followers of a cyberbully liar would look like in cartoonish terms.   

 One very recent example, I got an opportunity to look into after it was brought to my attention involves an author from India, who from the looks of it, either was gullible or was genuinely guilty or was clueless. I cannot be the judge of this. Unlike cyberbullies, I allow the courts of our land and law enforcement to do their job before I come to a decision to be critical of somebody I don’t know.

This author’s weakness or lack of hindsight was pointed out in the social media platform by some people who were affected by it. From what can be gathered, author made an unofficial statement about it, clearly stating that he was cheated by someone on this matter. The so called moral cyberbullies were aware of this and initially, looked like there was a real concern about this, but slowly as one separates the chaff from the wheat, it became clear that this was classical premeditated cyberbullying.

 Why do I say this? Similar cases are usually seen among teenagers or kids partly due to jealousy and partly lack of maturity. The similarities are astounding. And here is the Eureka moment! The cyberbully started a rant about the victim, even before the author was aware of it. Supposedly, the author came to know about this through someone else who watched a video of the cyberbully vomiting accusations and playing the mocking bird. If a person is genuine and has good faith, they will tell you honestly face to face like real men or women. There are situations where that doesn’t work and their only other means is to go viral. But always notice the first action- like they say the first impressions matter in an interview- it is similar- notice what a person does. Usually tells a lot about themselves, their background, their parents, culture etc. Try it out. It’s fun to see this in real life and in practice. Notice also the repetition that the cyberbully will use when they have nothing else to say. Yes, but…. Yes, but….

 Another interesting aspect was the amount of bullshit that was sprouted between the cyberbullies and their followers. Please see the debate/reasoning/arguments/ that was happening in social media-:

 Person 1(usually crooked cyberbully leader) starts a statement

Person 2 is shocked and agrees

Person 3 is amazed and dumbfounded and agrees

Person 4 is raging as if the author has spread chemical weapons

Person 5 agrees to this rage

Person 6 rallies more people and all of them agree

Person 1(cyberbully leader) usually claims an mission at this stage

Person 7 practices hashtags ######### (must have been illiterate)

Person 8 agrees and is shocked at the authors audacity

Person 9 is sure this was done on purpose by the author

Person 10 agrees and is shocked

Person 1(cyberbully leader) makes statement and agrees with Person 1-10

Person 11 amygdala rages and agrees with cyberbully

Person 12 is angry this happened - OMG!

Person 13 agrees to this anger! - OMG!

Person 14 agrees and speaks for the whole community

Person 15 is clueless but agrees at this outrage!! - OMG!

Person 16 wants to spread the word and agrees with Person 1-15

Person 17 finishes his work in his office and sees trending topic on social media and of course agrees!

 When you start reading this chain of events, majority of the time, not always, the issue is exaggerated, blown out of proportions, one-sided, filled with lies and has no signs of a sophisticated conversation.  It’s another sign of the stupidity and behaviour of cyberbullies. Thank heavens such people do not become political leaders with access to nuclear codes. They could literally start World War 3 based on a tweet! OMG!

 It was amusing to discover this as these are classic cyberbullying 101 tactics. As I researched further, it was clear that the crooked lying cyberbully was spreading rumours and lying that the author was doing this and that and was “selling arms and ammunition to kill people in Pluto” to get his zombie followers to act. It was interesting to see the slaves of zombies working hard to prevent the “cruel” author from writing any further.

 To stop someone from writing especially as an author, who is passionate about it is beyond cruel and is equal to Nazi behaviour to the Jews. Writing is a blessing and these losers wanted the author, Karoor Soman, to stop writing. We can learn very quickly how to differentiate the original from the duplicate critics just by looking at this example. A genuine critic being fierce in their criticism, would not bow down to Nazi tactics of cyberbullying as in this scenario, which stems from an under developed brain.

 Another trait related to this also involves mixing of truth with lie. Always make sure to differentiate the claims and their evidence for it. If they claim that everything the author has done is wrong, they need to give evidence for all of it. This brings us to the principle of “one bad, all bad” syndrome.

 A cyberbully targets one weakness of the victim, rotates the truth 180 degrees to suit the cyberbully liar’s narrative. If you are a celebrity/famous person/public figure they usually use the public interest/benefit/criticism reason to defend their cyberbullying.  

 If you as an independent third party, are reasonable and really after truth and justice, make sure that they have evidence to substantiate their bigger claims. The bigger the accusation, the bigger the evidence should be. If you see a lot of big words with little evidence- start raising your eyebrows! If they claim 100+100=200, and evidence comes out with 100+100 = 60; start running the opposite way, you are dealing with an immoral person at best and worse a crooked cyberbully liar who is convinced they are telling truth and really bad at their mathematics. It’s amazing what the brain can imagine and concoct.

 Author: Its worthwhile remembering the biggest critic in our lives is between your own two ears. You have been blessed with a brain which took millennia of evolution to bring to this stage. Focus on the road ahead of you and forget these walls of cyberbullying (Oops, Constructive criticism!) and negativity. Use all the hatred that is channelled towards you as an author for you to keep writing, recommitting to your work, refocussing on your goals. Life is too short for any victim to focus on such trolls. Cyberbullying liars only know how to tear down the work of other people, so do not worry about their huge numbers.

 The cyberbullying liars cannot take writing away from you as an author. It’s who you are and what you are. They are bigots who hiss for hatred. Its manufactured discontent and frustration that causes them to bully and troll. Meaningful dialogue to them is equivalent to singing La, La, La. The fate of these liars and hacks is to stay looped in their ether of fantasies. They cannot support, so they stigmatize as that is all they know. Unless you read their zombie creed, you are not one of them. They salivate and are turned on by the very presence of your name, Karoor Soman. Hats off to your courage and determination to stand firm even when everyone around you is going bonkers.

 Such bigots are loud to grab attention and only know how to hate and mock, as that is all that they know best. You don’t expect to smell flowers in a smelly trash can! Unfortunately, abuse is what comes out of some people’s mouth in the name of freedom of speech and criticism. Its ok, it is their fate that they are in this loop of immaturity. We can hope for maturity, but some people take a lifetime to mature.

 Take it from Mr Rushdie, who once responded to bullies both offline and online, who also wanted him to stop his writing, “Here’s my choice: not to shut up. To sing on, in spite of attacks, to sing (while my dreams are being murdered by facts) praises of butterflies broken on racks.”

 REMEMBER: Cyberbullies are Big Ugly Lame Losers who are Yearning for attention using hate, rumour, false accusations, jealousy, suspicion and lying.

#stopcyberbullying #karoorsoman #karoor soman #കാരൂർ സോമൻ Karoor Soman

[unabashedly-here]

A/N: I know, I know. I’ve done a Peter Parker x Stark!reader imagine, but I wanted to take a different approach and form an actual story instead of one imagine. Peter will not take be in this imagine since this is purely exposition between the reader and Tony Stark. I’m not sure when Peter will show up, but he will before Civil War. This is set during Iron Man and for the sake of story telling, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, the Avengers, and Civil War will happen in a year or so

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

It was a normal day, for a person living in New York during the middle of summer. You were walking back to the apartment after your part time job, unaware that it would be the last time you worked at the diner.

That sounded sinister, but in your mind, nothing could be more sinister than the news your mother revealed when you entered the room. Your luggage was packed next to her, making you stop slightly. “What’s going on?” you asked curiously.

Your mother only smiled a little before explaining, “Your father called-” You immediately groaned at the mention. Your parents had married young and had you before getting divorced. It doesn’t help that your father is one of the most famous person in New York. She sent you a disappointed glance and continued, “He wants you to visit.”

“What?” you exclaimed before sitting on the couch, “Absolutely not.”

“Y/N, he was just held ransom and perhaps he realizes that he would have regretted not spending time with you.”

“He has been back for months,” You glowered and crossed your arms. “Where was this realization when I was in the hospital for my sprained ankle? Or during any one of my birthdays instead of sending a card,” you ranted, “And I’m pretty sure his assistant sends the card.”

Sighing a bit, your mother resorted to using the guilt trip. “Y/F/N, are you telling me that you would have been fine if your father had died out there without even seeing him recently?” You knew that it would seem cold if you said yes and you couldn’t even think of saying yes without your stomach feeling like lead.

“How long?” you asked with reluctance.

“However long you see fit,” she responded while handing you your luggage.

The car ride with the driver Tony had sent was awkward. He didn’t talk or even recognize your existence. You went on your phone to text your friends about your situation until the car stopped in front of Stark Tower. You looked up with disgust and went in.

Almost a second after you stepped in the building, a receptionist immediately took your arm and began leading you to the elevator. She started talking about knowing who you were and how Mr. Stark would be so pleased. You only rolled your eyes at her perky attitude. It wasn’t the famous Pepper Potts, whom you haven’t had the chance to meet.

The receptionist accompanied you for the elevator ride and traded you for the secretary of the floor. She smiled at you and hurriedly left for her own job. The secretary informed Tony that you were here and told you that he was ready to see you.

You made your way to his office, a place you haven’t stepped in since you were a little girl and has definitely changed since you’ve last been there, knowing your father’s fickleness. You paused at the door, debating whether you should just go and stay with your friends for a day or two.

Before you could make your decision, a lady with red hair exited the office. She practically jumped at the sight of you until smiling at you. “You must be Y/N,” Pepper greeted, “I was just leaving, but I hope you have a nice day.” You rose an eyebrow at her behavior, as if she was nervous of you.

She left the door open so your father could see you. You stood in the doorway as he cleared his throat. “You can come in, you know,” Tony gestured with his hand. The air was awkward between you two until he began talking again, “I have a press conference regarding the Iron Man fellow, so I will be out late, but we will have a welcome dinner tomorrow, if you would like to invite anyone.” 

“I probably won’t,” you stated truthfully, “Is that okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.” Tony’s face lit up as he remembered something. “So your room is at the house and a driver will take you there. J.A.R.V.I.S. is all set up so I’m sure he’ll help you out.” You nodded and waited for some kind of indication that he might have missed you or even loved you at that point, but the two of you just stood there.

Finally, you asked, “Is that all? Nothing else I should know?”

Tony shook his head. “That’s it. We’ll be able to talk more tomorrow. I promise.” He began grabbing his things that were needed. “The driver should be right outside. See you, kid.” You exited the room with a dazed expression that remained on your face until you were in the car and you felt angry again.

Since the press conference is in New York and you were visiting, Tony moved most of the important things from his mansion in Malibu to his penthouse in New York. You vaguely remember being in the penthouse when you were little, but a lot has changed.

After unpacking a little, you decided to turn the TV on and see what was on the news. Of course, it was none other, than Tony Stark talking about how his company was not involved with the Iron Man incident. A reporter asked a long detailed question that made Tony think for a second before stating clearly, “I am Iron Man.”

The visit extended for a while. Tony was loving the attention that was given to him once he revealed himself to be Iron Man. You remained indifferent to the whole situation, purely focusing on your schoolwork over the summer and hanging out with your friends.

It wasn’t until Tony revealed that he might be dying did reality truly hit you. After the fiasco with the drones, you spent more time with him, listening to what he was saying about technology. It genuinely interested you when Tony explained how his inventions worked.

By the end of summer, Tony had the widest grin on his mouth when he caught you tinkering in the lab. You turned around and smirked slightly. “Why are you so happy?”

“I just got off the phone with a principal of a very special school,” Tony answered vaguely, hoping to tease you a little.

You didn’t really understand the situation. “What school?”

“So, since my dad’s photo is there, I was able to send in your application to Midtown High School of Science and Technology for this year.” Tony smiled to himself at the accomplishment. Your excitement couldn’t be contained so you squealed and hugged Tony tightly.

He hugged you back with one arm. “Ah, anything for you, Y/N.”

#peter parker #peter parker imagine #tom holland imagines #peter parker x reader #tom holland #peter parker imagines #tom holland imagine #spiderman homecoming #spiderman imagine #spiderman #tony stark #stark!reader

[blackkudos]

Carter G. Woodson

Carter Godwin Woodson (December 19, 1875 – April 3, 1950) was an African-American historian, author, journalist and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Woodson was one of the first scholars to study African-American history. A founder of The Journal of Negro History in 1915, Woodson has been cited as the father of black history. In February 1926 he launched the celebration of "Negro History Week"; it was the precursor of Black History Month.

Background

Carter G. Woodson was born in Buckingham County, Virginia on December 19, 1875, the son of former slaves, James and Eliza Riddle Woodson. His father helped Union soldiers during the Civil War and moved his family to West Virginia when he heard that Huntington was building a high school for blacks.

Coming from a large, poor family, Carter Woodson could not regularly attend school. Through self-instruction, Woodson mastered the fundamentals of common school subjects by age 17. Wanting more education, Carter went to Fayette County to earn a living as a miner in the coal fields. He was able to devote only a few months each year to his schooling.

In 1895, at the age of 20, Woodson entered Douglass High School, where he received his diploma in less than two years. From 1897 to 1900, Woodson taught at Winona in Fayette County. In 1900 he was selected as the principal of Douglass High School. He earned his Bachelor of Literature degree from Berea College in Kentucky in 1903 by taking classes part-time between 1901 and 1903.

Career in education

From 1903 to 1907, Woodson was a school supervisor in the Philippines. Later, he attended the University of Chicago, where he was awarded an A.B. and A.M. in 1908. He was a member of the first black professional fraternity Sigma Pi Phi and a member of Omega Psi Phi. He completed his PhD in history at Harvard University in 1912, where he was the second African American (after W.E.B. Du Bois) to earn a doctorate. His doctoral dissertation, The Disruption of Virginia, was based on research he did at the Library of Congress while teaching high school in Washington, D.C. After earning the doctoral degree, he continued teaching in public schools, later joining the faculty at Howard University as a professor, where he served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Convinced that the role of African American history and the history of other cultures was being ignored or misrepresented among scholars, Woodson saw a need for research into the neglected past of African Americans. Along with Alexander L. Jackson, Woodson published The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 in 1915.

Carter G. Woodson stayed at the Wabash Avenue YMCA during visits to Chicago. Dr. Woodson's experiences at the Y and in the surrounding Bronzeville neighborhood inspired him to create the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915. The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History), which ran conferences, published The Journal of Negro History, and "particularly targeted those responsible for the education of black children". Another inspiration was John Wesley Cromwell's 1914 book, The Negro in American History: Men and Women Eminent in the Evolution of the American of African Descent.

Woodson believed that education and increasing social and professional contacts among blacks and whites could reduce racism and he promoted the organized study of African-American history partly for that purpose. Woodson would later promote the first Negro History Week in Washington, D.C., in 1926, forerunner of Black History Month. The Bronzeville neighborhood declined during the late 1960s and 1970s like many other inner city neighborhoods across the country, and the Wabash Avenue YMCA was forced to close during the 1970s, until being restored in 1992 by The Renaissance Collaborative.

He served as Academic Dean of the West Virginia Collegiate Institute, now West Virginia State University, from 1920 to 1922.

In addition to his first book, he wrote A Century of Negro Migration, which continues to be published by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He studied many aspects of African-American history. For instance, in 1924, he published the first survey of free black slaveowners in the United States in 1930.

He once wrote: “If you can control a man’s thinking, you don’t have to worry about his actions. If you can determine what a man thinks you do not have to worry about what he will do. If you can make a man believe that he is inferior, you don’t have to compel him to seek an inferior status, he will do so without being told and if you can make a man believe that he is justly an outcast, you don’t have to order him to the back door, he will go to the back door on his own and if there is no back door, the very nature of the man will demand that you build one.”

NAACP

Woodson became affiliated with the Washington, D.C. branch of the NAACP, and its chairman Archibald Grimké. On January 28, 1915, he wrote a letter to Grimké expressing his dissatisfaction with activities. Woodson made two proposals:

That the branch secure an office for a center to which persons may report whatever concerns the black race may have, and from which the Association may extend its operations into every part of the city; and

That a canvasser be appointed to enlist members and obtain subscriptions for The Crisis, the NAACP magazine edited by W. E. B. Du Bois.

W. E. B. Du Bois added the proposal to divert "patronage from business establishments which do not treat races alike," that is, boycott businesses. Woodson wrote that he would cooperate as one of the twenty-five effective canvassers, adding that he would pay the office rent for one month. Grimke did not welcome Woodson's ideas.

Responding to Grimke's comments about his proposals, on March 18, 1915, Woodson wrote:

"I am not afraid of being sued by white businessmen. In fact, I should welcome such a law suit. It would do the cause much good. Let us banish fear. We have been in this mental state for three centuries. I am a radical. I am ready to act, if I can find brave men to help me."

His difference of opinion with Grimké, who wanted a more conservative course, contributed to Woodson's ending his affiliation with the NAACP.

Black History Month

Woodson devoted the rest of his life to historical research. He worked to preserve the history of African Americans and accumulated a collection of thousands of artifacts and publications. He noted that African-American contributions "were overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use them." Race prejudice, he concluded, "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to the progress of mankind."

In 1926, Woodson pioneered the celebration of "Negro History Week", designated for the second week in February, to coincide with marking the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The week of recognition became accepted and has been extended as the full month of February, now known as Black History Month.

Colleagues

Woodson believed in self-reliance and racial respect, values he shared with Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican activist who worked in New York. Woodson became a regular columnist for Garvey's weekly Negro World.

Woodson's political activism placed him at the center of a circle of many black intellectuals and activists from the 1920s to the 1940s. He corresponded with W. E. B. Du Bois, John E. Bruce, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, Hubert H. Harrison, and T. Thomas Fortune among others. Even with the extended duties of the Association, Woodson made time to write academic works such as The History of the Negro Church (1922), The Mis-Education of the Negro (1933), and others which continue to have wide readership.

Woodson did not shy away from controversial subjects, and used the pages of Black World to contribute to debates. One issue related to West Indian/African-American relations. Woodson summarized that "the West Indian Negro is free." He observed that West Indian societies had been more successful at properly dedicating the necessary amounts of time and resources needed to educate and genuinely emancipate people. Woodson approved of efforts by West Indians to include materials related to Black history and culture into their school curricula.

Woodson was ostracized by some of his contemporaries because of his insistence on defining a category of history related to ethnic culture and race. At the time, these educators felt that it was wrong to teach or understand African-American history as separate from more general American history. According to these educators, "Negroes" were simply Americans, darker skinned, but with no history apart from that of any other. Thus Woodson's efforts to get Black culture and history into the curricula of institutions, even historically Black colleges, were often unsuccessful. Today African-American studies have become specialized fields of study in history, music, culture, literature and other areas; in addition, there is more emphasis on African-American contributions to general American culture. The United States government celebrates Black History Month.

Woodson's legacy

Carter G. Woodson died suddenly from a heart attack in the office within his home in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC on April 3, 1950, at the age of 74. He is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland.

That schools have set aside a time each year to focus on African-American history is Woodson's most visible legacy. His determination to further the recognition of the Negro in American and world history, however, inspired countless other scholars. Woodson remained focused on his work throughout his life. Many see him as a man of vision and understanding. Although Woodson was among the ranks of the educated few, he did not feel particularly sentimental about elite educational institutions. The Association and journal that he started in 1915 continue, and both have earned intellectual respect.

Woodson's other far-reaching activities included the founding in 1920 of the Associated Publishers, the oldest African-American publishing company in the United States. This enabled publication of books concerning blacks that might not have been supported in the rest of the market. He founded Negro History Week in 1926 (now known as Black History Month). He created the Negro History Bulletin, developed for teachers in elementary and high school grades, and published continuously since 1937. Woodson also influenced the Association's direction and subsidizing of research in African-American history. He wrote numerous articles, monographs and books on Blacks. The Negro in Our History reached its eleventh edition in 1966, when it had sold more than 90,000 copies.

Dorothy Porter Wesley stated that "Woodson would wrap up his publications, take them to the post office and have dinner at the YMCA." He would teasingly decline her dinner invitations saying, "No, you are trying to marry me off. I am married to my work". Woodson's most cherished ambition, a six-volume Encyclopedia Africana, lay incomplete at the time of his death.

Honors and tributes

In 1926, Woodson received the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Spingarn Medal.

The Carter G. Woodson Book Award was established in 1974 "for the most distinguished social science books appropriate for young readers that depict ethnicity in the United States."

The U.S. Postal Service issued a 20 cent stamp honoring Woodson in 1984.

In 1992, the Library of Congress held an exhibition entitled "Moving Back Barriers: The Legacy of Carter G. Woodson". Woodson had donated his collection of 5,000 items from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries to the Library.

His Washington, D.C. home has been preserved and designated the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site.

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante named Carter G. Woodson on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

Wikipedia

#Carter G. Woodson #12-19 #04-03