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kishimotomasashi · 2 years

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Okay, I finished watching this video on Naruto women and female characters, and I want to write my thoughts. You don’t have to read this because I’m making arguments most people have probably gone over to death by now, wording it much better than I ever could:

To preface, I don’t think most of what this person is saying is necessarily wrong (I say “most” because some sections definitely made me squint), and that the video is overall well done and easy to follow.

I just think that, in their analysis, they completely skirt around what contextualizes the behaviour and arguments they’re criticizing, despite naming it multiple times: this being fandom.

More specifically, how stanning culture affects fandoms of fictional characters as well, and colours the discourse surrounding them.

It really doesn’t come as a surprise to me that there are huge portions of the Sakura and Hinata fandom come across as pseudo-feminists when it comes to whichever of the two they stan, and that’s precisely because they stan them. I’ve been around kpop fandoms for three years now and have had bad encounters with stan twitter in general and honestly? Passionate stans of characters act the exact same way (and I can attest to personal experience on this, bc I started out on this site as a passionate Sasuke stan and I could not tell you that, now that I’ve calmed down, I agree with every single thing I used to say when I started out).

It’s never about meaningful arguments or actual analysis of how stories and characterization reflect author views and the viewer’s reception reflect theirs, it’s literally just about uplifting their personal favourites no matter what it takes; to prove that they’re the best and everyone else is indistinguishable in comparison. The reason some Sakura and Hinata stans (especially some SS and NH shippers I’ve seen) don’t sound very feminist when they’re constantly uplifting one and bashing the other is bc they’re really not interested in genuine feminism much, only a contest of pitting their faves against each other.

I think it’s very disingenuous to represent this approach as the general feminist approach to Naruto or even shounen anime in general. It removes the impact of stan behaviour and its ability to grab onto every buzzword it sees and warp it to mean something to uplift their “faves”, which is something people in fandom do a lot. I think a more accurate analysis would take this context into account and shape itself along with it accordingly.

Second, this video makes the same mistake countless others do when defending the writing of female characters in media written by men who don’t put in as much effort compared to the male characters they write, and that’s treating them as if they’re real people with agency. One argument the video stresses is “We need to give Sakura and Hinata agency in their decisions” and that’s incredibly difficult to do bc... they don’t have personal agency. They are lines on paper, penned by a person. And that person’s choices were:

to have both their characters strongly revolve around a man

to give them little opportunities to shine compared to the male characters (which is more difficult to accept in Sakura’s case because... she is a main character. She’s the main female lead)

to write the other female characters not in the main lead duo with many sexist stereotypes attached to them (obsessed with romance or resigning themselves to focus on it despite other ambitions, obsessed with looks and staying young and beautiful, etc.)

There are times when treating characters as if they were people can be useful, like when writing specific character analysis to determine their ideas, mindset and motivations, but when it comes to discussing how they’re written, meaning how the writer presents them, then going about it with in-universe arguments and justifications is pointless.

Like overall, I get the intention behind the video, but I could only agree with it if most of what it’s arguing wasn’t missing the above context.

#send post #I am willing to discuss this and particular points in the video if anyone asks! I don't think my mind will be changed much bc the video #makes arguments I onced believed in that I don't anymore but I'm still willing to be civil about it

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walkuntilthedaylight · 3 years

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The people have spoken! How can I not give them what they want?

I'm gonna put this all under a cut, since it's a bit long, and also because it's highly interpretative/speculative and not everyone likes those kinds of posts as they can be rather subjective and, I suppose, invasive. I want to give two major caveats to my thoughts below: first is that I tend not to buy the idea that Paul was the "stable/normal" Beatle, mostly b/c I view marijuana dependency and workaholism as addictions and I take them pretty seriously. Second is that I really do love this kind of tabloid/gossip/personal account shit; I think it should be taken with a handful of salt, but I don't think it should be entirely dismissed out of hand either. I read this stuff like I'm piling up sheets of stained glass: I'm intrigued by the places where the colours blend and overlap, and ignore things that fall outside the prism. Anyway, let's dig in:

Okay, so what I found fascinating about 'Body Count' is that it's one of the only sources which observes Paul McCartney's mental health during the period between the India trip and when the band breakup really got rolling. I think it's overall a fairly self-absorbed text that definitely has some lies and exaggerations peppered in there to make things spicier and more dramatic, but its broad characterization - as I mentioned in my first post - isn't exactly libelous or out of left field. Some elements that make me think it's generally if not wholly authentic are: Paul's simultaneously forceful and dorky seduction style, his terrible Liverpool diet and poor housekeeping, the bouts of thrill-seeking recklessness, avoidant adventure crafting, dark moods when drinking non-socially, the occasional hot and cold bouts with the Apple Scuffs camped out at his gate, and the way in which he underplays his drug habit, which is SO "in truthfulness we spent most of the filming of Help! slightly stoned":

These details are so bizarrely specific and have significant overlap with both sympathetic and spurned personal accounts of Paul I've read in the past, so I believe Francie is just telling "Her Version Of The Truth" here rather than crafting a piece of pure fiction. The most important and revealing anecdote in the book is this one.

There's no reason not to believe this is a fairly accurate representation of something that actually happened, imo, since we know that anxious purse strings were an ongoing issue in the unusual turnover rate within the band Wings, and there are plenty of confirmed and rumoured cases alike of extended family members feeling entitled to a "piece of the pie"; this is just like, the kind of thing that happens to working class people who get catapulted into fame and fortune. And Paul in particular already had deep-seated financial anxiety for whatever reasons he'll never fully admit (as is his right, but I think his offhand claim that he "once heard some adults arguing about money and that's why" might actually be alluding to having heard some adults - y'know, like his parents - arguing over money fairly frequently). What esp interests me about the anecdote is the way Paul seems to connect the conflict b/t his dual "identities" with these financial expectations. Perhaps the CAPSLOCK emotional hysteria related in the book is puffed up for drama, but it does bring to mind one of the most revealing comments Linda ever made about their relationship, which is that Paul needed to be told he would still be loved when the cameras weren't rolling. And that's the thing: Francie caught Paul at the exact moment that the pillars of his Smile-For-The-Camera "Beatle" identity were collapsing; the dissolution of his relationships with John and Jane.

Whatever all this could possibly mean re: the breakup of the Lennon-McCartney partnership is a post for another time. What I wanna do instead is apply the level of speculation we usually reserve for that relationship to the endpoint of Paul and Jane's courtship.

So like, Paul and Jane: I know people are resistant to this specific POV, but I honestly just don't... think it was that deep? "Not deep", mind you, doesn't mean "not significant". Paul was obviously Jane's first love (u never forget), but the feeling I get from Paul's side (as a subconscious process I mean) is that Jane's importance was primarily as a lynchpin in his London Socialite persona. He loved her family, he loved the friend group, the artistic scene dating her gave him access to, as well as the leg up he got in the class system, etc. He liked to be the kind of guy who was dating Jane Asher. But I don't know that he was the guy who was dating Jane Asher, you get me? When people describe their "great love" they accidentally tell on them (Cynthia innocently describing Paul as being pleased to have her on his arm like a trophy; John: "it was an ordinary love scene"; Alistair Taylor noting that Paul was humiliated by the breakup). Paul's a serial monogamist who U-Hauls like a lesbian, of course, so he definitely took the relationship VERY seriously, but it's telling that all of his love songs to her were either about hitting a brick wall in arguments (certainly not dreamy, fond, yearning of "sunday morning fights about saturday night"; and occasionally expressing hints of class tension too), or completely non-descript Guy With A Guitar Trying To Get Laid shit. I could extrapolate a lot about Linda just from listening to McCartney I/RAM and the Wings discography, but 'And I Love Her' doesn't tell me a single thing about Jane besides that she's pretty. It could be about literally anyone the same way 'My Love' or 'Maybe I'm Amazed' could only be about his dynamic with Linda. Some of this is obviously the natural result of getting older and gaining emotional maturity; what I'm saying is that Paul's behaviour and self-expression in this relationship does not suggest to me that it was one in which his emotional maturity was able to develop or flourish.

I want to stress again that I don't think this belittles the significance of the relationship or makes it "bad" or "fake". Like, sometimes hot people just date for a while in their teens and twenties and love each other without necessarily unlocking their inner emotional cores, usually because they don't know how to. It's, like, fine. You need to experience relationships like that as stepping stones. I simply believe that this sort of front-facing social importance being prime in the romance is a major factor in why it ultimately didn't work (and probably in Linda's reported lingering jealousy of Jane, who wasn't just an ex, but also a symbol of the life Paul ditched to build a new identity w/ her, and sometimes still pined for). With Jane, Paul was dating the "right" kind of girl (didn't put out on the first date, erudite and middle class, as serious about her career as he was, a good "celebrity" match), but the relationship often wasn't doing what he wanted it to do. Francie's observation is that by 1968 it also wasn't doing what he needed it to do either. This is the overwhelming "mood" in her affair with Paul McCartney: that he needed something very badly from a romantic partner that he just was NOT getting, and Francie couldn't figure out what it was either:

(note that she means "queer" as in "mad", not "gay")

This was an EXTREMELY roundabout way of asking: well, what WAS it that Paul needed a relationship to do for him? And I think this is Francie's big, accidental insight. The most scandalous claim in 'Body Count' is that Paul told Francie that he hit Jane and it "turned her on".

I personally think this is p. absurd absent any real proof to back it up, but like, what is Francie actually saying HE'S saying here? If she's exaggerating or lying, she's trying to make it believable within the psychological parameters laid out, right? It's not an expression of some secret desire to dominate women she's accusing him of, but emotional disturbance and confusion at the idea that the woman he was with might like that sort of forceful, masculine violence more than his softer, feminine side, which he was - yeah, we all know it - deeply insecure about.

Regardless of whether specific details are true or false (and I think there's both in this story, all hyper-magnified to make it, y'know, a ~STORY~), I think what might be true is the emotional undertow of the retelling, that this all taken together is actually representative of the side of Paul McCartney she was exposed to, at a time when his public and private facades had both become unbearable to the point of cracking and the drug-fueled optimism of the Summer of Love was getting scrubbed off of everyone and everything. It's the Paul McCartney who eviscerated frogs because he was worried he was too "soft" for compulsory military service. The Paul who modelled his masculine teen behaviour off John Lennon's fake "Marlon Brando" swagger, but was actually more fond of the velvet "Oscar Wilde" interior.

What's SO FASCINATING about all this to me, is I deeply believe that one of the key factors in what makes The Beatles music so unique and compelling is that both the songwriters experienced psychological strain from the tension b/t their parochial socially-defensive "masculine" pride, and their sensitive "feminine" core, the latter of which they were able to express in the unburdened emotionality of their music. The reason I care about doing these totally unhinged psych analyses is because I do think it reveals something about the underpinnings of the music, as well as the reasons why the band was such a hysteria-inducing phenomenon (the rise of psychology, imo, is almost as important as the rise of industrialization as a defining factor of the modern and postmodern eras; mass psychology can be understood and wielded in precise ways, and The Beatles were one of the first empires built on that). The subconscious drives caused by this tension have been ENDLESSLY picked apart re: John's psyche, but Paul's "mirrored" issues are very under-discussed (mostly b/c he's still alive so people are a little more leery about putting him on the "couch" as a historical figure). 'Body Count', intentionally or not, painted a portrait to me of someone who was drowning in their own ill-fitting celebrity "suit", collapsing under the weight of "Being" "Paul McCartney". A guy who desperately needed some sort of space to be vulnerable without feeling emasculated for doing it. By 1968, there was no one in his life anymore - and maybe there hadn't been for a while, or ever - who was giving him this space.

In other words: the thing he needed to avoid going "stark raving queer and killing himself" was simply someone who would love him 'after the ball'.

EDIT: read the comments for further clarification and discussion! ;)

#/#//#///#////#/////#the beatles #mccharmley #analysis #long post #Talking About Paul The Way I Talk About John lmfao #Taking Tabloid Bullshit Seriously #(if not literally)#*gets out my fake spectacles and jumps into the psychiatry armchair*#idk if i laid out my thoughts v well here but i hope it satisfied all the people who asked #i also tried to warn what genre of post it was for those who hate this kinda thing lol #i feel like i have more to say re: how toxic 'The Beatle' facade got for all of them by this point #and paul and john's mirrored post-india breakdowns #but francie's perspective is specifically on how it felt to be the girl he used to divebomb his relationship with jane asher SO

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dracosaurusrex · 3 years

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Muse (Draco x Reader)

Summary: Draco Malfoy may be perceived as a heavily flawed being within the eyes of others, however underneath them lies a boy who’s perfectly capable of loving.

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1.2k

Warnings: Sexual themes, pero lyke not too smutty lol

A/N: I forgot what I wanted to say. Nvm. I’ve been feeling suppressed and quite...stuck with my writing abilities. Here’s a lil ‘detox’ fic if you will. It’s not perfect, but it’s just something to reset my juices. I hope you enjoy! :D

Sounds of precise scribbles could be heard as Y/N filled her little book with sketch lines. She had an observant mind, paying great attention to the smallest of details. Her senses were her friends, and they aided her as she created sculptures of the world around her--that's what she usually specialized in. However, what was depicted on her sketchbook in that particular moment was nothing of that nature. No. As her lines became more defined, the drawing on the page drew close resemblance to the figure of her Slytherin prince.

Descriptions such as foul, loathsome, rude, and arrogant were accurate depictions of the boy, but there was beauty within him all the same. When class was in session, you witnessed how vile he can be. However, when you found yourself wrapped in his warm embrace, when his signature scowl was absent from his face, you took in the sight with much gratefulness. He didn’t deny that side of him to you. In fact, he reserved it just for you, and because of that, Draco Malfoy was your muse.

Recollections of sensations that characterized your relationship embedded themselves within the surface of your pages. As the sketch begins to develop itself, the imagery of your love vividly infiltrates your mind.

Sight.

It was when morning light had shone through water, through his window, and onto his face that you observed him with much scrutiny. His closed eyelids, his slightly parted lips, the way his fringe brushed his forehead--you took everything in. The way his breaths were soft and gentle, the way his chest lifted and lowered itself, the way his hand was lazily slung over your waist--you took everything in. It was in these whispers of moments that you took in all that he was--everything that was inherently Draco--and fell in love all over again.

Smell

His scents felt like home. There have been countless moments when you rummaged through his closet, snagging some of his sweaters, so that when you were alone you wouldn’t feel as though you were. You’d even purposefully spray his cologne on the shirts he gave you, so that his scent would be preserved. After quidditch practice, you didn’t even mind if he was sweaty. The boyish scent that filled your senses upon every embrace comforted you regardless of how dirty or pungent he thought he was. Furthermore, the look of disapproval as he tried to push you away always faded when you forced him into your embrace. In those moments, his heart palpitated as his nose pressed against your hair, taking in your own scent. Just like you, to him your scents felt like home.

Taste

Every kiss with Draco always felt better than the last. It wouldn’t matter where you were--a corridor, the common room, courtyard, your dorm, anywhere--every single one was laced with desire and longing. They would start off with a slight brush of the lips, blooming into a melting pot of passion, love, smiles, and adoration. A quick pinch or tickle from him would cause your mouth to open, prompting his tongue to swirl in as you produced sweet melodic sounds of laughter. Tongues would battle, but in such a satisfying and harmonious way. They seemed to convey different messages at different times of the day, but one thing remained the same--he was sweet.

Touch

It was when the darkness of the night enveloped you both that you felt the intimacy of his love. The feeling of his lips greeting yours induced flips in your heart before they spread all over your body. You could recall their softness in the way they fit the crevices of your collarbones, the way they brushed over the valley in between your breasts, on them, and over the expanse of your stomach, before trailing ever so teasingly along your hips. You could recall the way his hands rubbed and squeezed your naked sides before gripping them firmly as he entered you. His fingers would then trail up your arms wounding up clasped within your grasp. The warmth that emanated from his lips, from his palms, from his fingertips, from his hips--they all whispered “I love you”; and with your body pressed against his own, you made it known that you love him too.

Sound

His voice was melodic. It typically took on a silvery tone when in conversation, embraced a velvety complex at night, and an oddly hoarse, low, and gruff character in the morning. The words that would be cruel when directed towards others, embodied a gentle and caressing nature when with you. Actually, that was dependent on the situation. Nevertheless, in all instances, they were him. It was his voice--Draco’s voice. The one that bestowed your ears with much comfort, much peace, much love. The one that caressed and secured you in times of doubt. The one that turned you one with the slightest, most subtle alterations. Just like all else, it was home.

The feeling of clay scrunching underneath your fingernails represented the concentration you dedicated in formulating the features of your boyfriend’s face. Sounds of your soft breaths could be heard as your work grew more characteristic of him over time. As you paid close attention to his carving out his details, a small creaking of the door into the Room of Requirement could be heard from a distance behind you. You knew these steps. Even their sounds had ingrained themselves in your mind. A soft smile graces your lips. Within a moment, you’re confronted by the sight of long arms as it circles around your waist. A deep exhale of air was felt traveling along your back while a familiar pair of lips pressed itself on the crook of your neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses along its expanse.

“Hello, my darling.” His voice was low and velvety this time.

“Hello, love.” You reply softly.

“That’s a handsome sculpture you got going on there.” Draco presses his nose to your hair; his eyes marvel at the sight of your work.

“Really? I wonder who it could be.” He releases a laugh before turning you around to face him. He took in all of your glory. Your hands were interlaced with clay pieces, white stains covered your shirt, your pants, as well as your nose and cheeks. Your hair was tied up in a low, messy bun, but still had managed to compliment your graceful facial futures. It didn’t matter if you were overly dressed, under dressed, or not dressed at all--you were beautiful.

“Come here.” He whispers. He reaches to cup your cheeks before bringing his lips down on yours. They were always as they were, but even better. The feeling of his lips never failed to throw your mind in a spiral. They were soft, and petal-like, yet they held so much expression, ramping up your heart rate, and inducing a flush on your cheeks. You both break away panting.

You gaze at the boy in front of you as he presses his forehead against yours. He was flawed in many ways, but handled your heart so carefully, so well as though it was glass. Within his brash exterior was a boy worth loving. The boy you loved so dearly.

As Draco regains his composure, he looks deep into your eyes.

“I love you.”

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful day, you beautiful beautiful people! <3

Just a couple of tags :)

@beiahadid @rottenhexrt @ccabian @hahee154hq @ceeellewrites @xoxohollands @fadesbrina @karamelssunflowers @mushi98 @kaye-lantern

#draco x reader #draco x y/n #draco x you #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x you #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy fanfiction

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lucy-ghoul · 3 years

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Mikasa Ackermann, Levi Ackermann, Amane Misa, Aeron Greyjoy for the charactet ask :3

SOMEONE HEARD MY PRAYERS AND NOW MY TIME HAS COME, tysm!!!!! <3

okay, let's start with levi (my beloved):

hogwarts house: gryffindor (maybe....?) | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

ugh, the hp sorting house system is way too reductive. he has qualities of gryffindor, slytherin, and hufflepuff - brave, astute, loyal to a fault, etc. so it's a hard choice. but if i really have to choose, i'd go for gryffindor. i know that his Bad Boy facade shouts slytherin, but while he has larger goals (killing all the titans, then saving the world etc.), he's got no actual ambition for himself. hufflepuff would also be a good option.

daemon (from the his dark materials series): (because i've just decided that's just way more accurate than the hp method) some kind of big feline. maybe a panther - a black panther would be the ideal - aloof, predatory, dangerous, fiercely independent.

best quality: besides his obvious strenghts as a leader and warrior, the way he cares for his comrades-in-arms. it's very hard to gain his trust and respect, but once you have it, it's forever. he's pragmatic and ruthless, yes, but he also has a huge capacity for compassion and friendship. not that he would be effusive about his affections, of course.

worst quality: none, he's absolutely perfect ❤ jklsdfhjk jokes aside, he really struggles to open up (a serious understatement), idt he ever talked about his traumatic past with anyone. i mean, maybe he mentioned it to hange and erwin (erwin knew him when he was still an undergound thug, so...), but... he's not great with feelings. despite his apathetic, intimidating mask, he feels and cares deeply, but he has a long history with losing the people he loves, so he tries to not personally care about his squadmates, which can be both a strenght and a weakness. of course, he spectacularly fails at this.

ship them with: well, it's not a secret that i'm a huge rivamika fan, this ship is almost literally consuming my waking thoughts lmao. imo they're perfectly compatible: very similar personalities (stoic, the strongest warriors, absolutely terrifying on the battlefield but with a soft underbelly), very similar pasts/experiences, so many parallels that it's actually ridiculous, etc. i love how they're both each other's equals and likeness (yes, i took it from jane eyre. no, i don't regret anything lmao). a lot of tropes i love, too: Terrible First Impression (the Pride and Prejudice vibes are so strong with these two, you have no idea), Kindred Spirits/Mirror Images, Veteran/Young Prodigy, The Last of Their Kind, even Height Difference lmao. i could write a whole rivamika manifesto, but this is already too long. (maybe for some other time 👀) i would've loved for their dynamic to be more explored in canon but alas, isayama clearly didn't give a shit about the ackerman legacy, he just used it as a plot shortcut to give them conveniently unique powers, since they never really talked about it 🙄 (and before some troll comes into my askbox shouting "you iNcEsT fReAk!!!!1!!", they're only very distantly related. we know shit about the ackermans but we know for sure that they've got at least several generations between them. biologically their shared DNA is 0%, obviously they don't see each other as family, all the eldians have a dead ass common ancestor from 2000 years ago so they're all basically ⁓related anyway. if you really wanna scream about i.ncest, go watch got/dark/the borgias and shut the fuck up please. or alternatively go outside and touch some grass) sorry for the rant, uh. anyway, i can also see levi/erwin. idk if i'd ever care enough to read a fic about them (i'm usually a huge multishipper, but for some weird reason not when it comes to rivamika? same with braime and kastle tbh), but still, i can see it.

brotp them with: hange and erwin, obv. veteran trio >>> ema trio, sorry not sorry (at least h. and e. died before yams had the chance to ruin their character arcs)

needs to stay away from: ...uh, filth, i guess? lmao

misc. thoughts: besides the stupid teenage fangirl crush i have on him, i'm genuinely fascinated by the man himself. he's a huge mess of a contradictions, and yet somehow it works: he's violent and brash and kind of an asshole, but also has a strong moral code and integrity; he's obv very skilled at all the killing/torturing stuff and yet he has a huge respect for life; he's got a potty mouth to say the least, and yet some very aristocratic manners/tastes (the way he sits, his preference for tea and usually refined clothes); he comes from what's supposed to be an illustrous bloodline, he's methodical and very precise, and yet he was born and raised in the underground, he's been used to filth and blood and poverty since he was a child, kenny of all people was his father figure, and probably has known no other life than a perennial survival mode existence. he's "humanity's strongest soldier", but while well-built he's also small, the david to the titans' goliah, and probably not what people would assume a born warrior looks like. he's also one of the few characters who stayed true to himself and his original characterization until the end, bless you smol king ❤

(okay, this is getting long!)

mikasa:

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

this is actually easy: mikasa belongs to hufflepuff and no, i won't take criticism (just joking lol). enough with this "hufflepuffs are fluffy puppies/Cinnamon Rolls <3" thing: mikasa values loyalty and duty more than anything else. she's also hardworking... and fierce, strong, lethal. yes, hufflepuff and lethal are not mutually exclusive concepts.

daemon: (finally the better option) a she-wolf, fiercely protective of her pack.

best quality: loyal, brave, incredibly strong (alongside her more fragile qualities). practical and level-headed on the battlefield, at least when eren is not included in the picture.

worst quality: struggles to let go of the past (understandable, considering her trauma). tunnel-vision when it comes to eren, obv. extreme levels of delusions ("if only i spoke openly about my romantic feelings for him - as if i didn't made them abundantly clear in ⁓6 years - he wouldn't kill 80% of humanity :(((" lmao okay. just. okay), but that's more on the writing. she's sadly more static than any other main character throughtout the whole series.

ship them with: see above :) but recently i've also started to be intrigued by mikasa/annie and mikasa/sasha. also, i'm sympathetic to jeankasa fans, though i don't actually care for the ship.

brotp them with: EMA trio, especially armin+mikasa. their friendship is so beautiful and special. also sasha.

needs to stay away from: ...... eren, at least romantically. again, that's more on the writing than anything else, but e.remika unfortunately encompasses many tropes i loathe with all the strength of my old shriveled heart: childhood friends-to lovers where the (male) childhood friend doesn't acknolewdge/is completely indifferent to the other (female) friend's romantic feelings, she hopelessly pines for him for years without anything more than a cold shoulder... until in the last chapter it's revealed that he loved her all along and doesn't "want other men to have her!!! :((" (then why did you have no reaction whatsoever to jean's years-long crush on her while she was jealous of any vaguely female-shaped human being you were friendly to, including hange? are you that dumb, man?); the female character's development and entire arc 100% revolves around the male protagonist - she has no goals, no dreams of her own except staying with him forever and ever; the romance is based on an idealized childhood dream, therefore reaffirming those childish illusions would make the character regress, not actually grow up (and nope, epilogue!jk doesn’t count; that also lacks build-up - i would’ve said the same about rm as well, so it’s not about shipping, guys, it really isn’t - and mikasa needed an inner change; getting married to another man but still praying to eren’s shrine is not substitute to actual development lol). post-time skip she's never really frustrated/angry with him, they never get a confrontation about him becoming a, y'know, mass-murderer of gigantic (pun intended) proportions; she puts him on a pedestal, and never stops idealizing him/never sees him for what he actually is (the narrative framing him as some kind of tragic martyr/saint eren from paradis with zero agency and basically... no clear motivation for the abovementioned mass murder, and not the actual complex tragic anti-hero/villain motivated by revenge and righteous fury he deserved to be, does not help). it lacks a good or even decent build-up - it's basically all tell and not show. now, if they'd actually been childhood friends to enemies to lovers/mutually co-dependent... it could have been interesting. sadly, it's not my cup of tea. of course this is just my personal preference, no hard feelings to the shippers.

misc. thoughts: enormous potential. she's been my fav female character since s1 - and ah, i miss s1!mikasa, when she had actually other stuff to do besides mothering eren. i love that she's the strongest warrior (second only to levi, obv), that her skills are never called into questions despite her gender, i love how she stands up for herself and the people she loves, that she may seem cold and stoic and yet has a such a huge heart, that she's not perfect but also sometimes awe-inspiring. sadly, she never really gets out of eren's shadow; what she lacks is an arc focused on herself. that's why imo getting deeper into the ackerman lore would've helped (also, you cannot make the main female character and the most popular male character descend from the same Unique Bloodline or whatever, and never really make them acknowledge it out loud; as a writer, you just can't lol). my spite is so strong that i'm currently writing a ridiculously pretentious fic that's 70% development for her character, to give her a voice, and 30% ackerthirsting. (yes, that's the fic i'm always vagueblogging about lmao, rip @ my brain). if any other rivamika fan is interested… mind you, it’s in italian tho, and idt i have the skills to translate into english.

misa:

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

daemon: mmh, maybe some kind of butterfly? beautiful, colorful, and short-lived.

best quality: glorious fashion sense, more inventive and ingenious than fans actually give her credit for.

worst quality: shallow, impulsive, and obv her dependence on/obsession with light (which stems from trauma btw, but still… the very opposite of a relationship between equals).

ship them with: rem, kinda (monster/human ftw!). also weirdly enough mogi, a little bit? she deserves someone who actually respects her… though she’s far from being a perfect angel. she may actually be crazier than light on some aspects. but in this house we stan evil ladies anyway, so i have no problem with that <3

brotp them with: uh, idk, maybe matsuda?

needs to stay away from: obv light. also takada.

misc. thoughts: a tragic victim of sexist writing. she may be… unhinged to say the least, but she didn’t deserve the abuse she got from light (and from the fans). the female characters’ writing in dn is so bad that idk if it’s on purpose, to kinda mirror the reality of women in a patriarchal society (dependent on men, housewives whose life entirely revolves around their husband/boyfriend etc.), or just casual misogyny lol. it’s even more baffling since we don’t know the author’s gender (they may be a man, a woman, nb, anything really). i tend for the latter option tho.

aegon greyjoy (now, i wasn’t expecting him lol):

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff

i’m so sorry, i haven’t the slightest idea lmao. maybe gryffindor? mind you, it’s been a long time since i’ve re-read the books, so i don’t have many thoughts about him.

daemon: maybe it’s cliché, but some kind of fish/squid lmao

best quality: ugh, i really can’t remember much from his chapters :(( he’s not a coward, i guess? (lame answer, sorry!)

worst quality: definitely his religious fanaticism.

ship them with: no one.

brotp them with: uh… his family, ig? except euron.

needs to stay away from: obv euron. brr ://

misc. thoughts: i genuinely like the greyjoys chapters, though i vastly prefer the martells (with the exception of theon and asha, bcs i love them). yes, they’re deranged. yes, victarion is… well, victarion lol. but the drowned god religion is actually interesting, grrm knows how to write trauma - every time aeron mentions euron and that freaking door i’m like… :// - and the tragedy of it all… just great writing all around.

okay, that’s the end lmao. thank you so much, love!!! ❤❤

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #asks #cafeleningrad #if *anyone* dares to start stupid wank on my super niche blog they'll be blocked on sight i'm warning you #snk salt

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itsclydebitches · 4 years

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I know you say that the Adam stuff in v3 was a good example of visual storytelling in rwby, do you think there is anything else, in your opinion

Yes! Let’s praise poor RWBY for once lol

I’m sure there’s a lot that I could choose from but that would require me combing back through old content to jog those memories. So let’s stick to Volume 7. Overall, I quite enjoyed the JNOR vs. Neo fight. There are plot convenience issues (the stupidity of having the group carry the relic around instead of putting it in the vault) and choreography issues (I’ve heard a number of complaints about the slow-mo and how Jaune and Oscar don’t integrate well with Ren and Nora), but the fight does a good job of conveying a lot of information visually. It’s one of the few moments in the volume where I felt like RT was successfully a) using the medium to its advantage and b) achieving more than one thing in a single scene.

Warning: Here be lots of screenshots.

First, I want to acknowledge that lately RT has been demonstrating a talent for horror-esque writing. RWBY obviously isn’t in the horror genre, but via the Apathy we saw that RT can crank up the creep factor when they choose to. This scene does something similar (though admittedly much more subtly) and it starts with the opening shot of the destroyed guards.

It’s a simple thing, but note how dark the room is, especially compared to the hallway outside. This is supposed to be a terrifying moment. The team has just arrived looking for Oscar and have instead found a disaster zone. There are scorch marks on the walls. The guards aren’t just lying powered down, they’ve been hacked to pieces. Though AIs without aura or souls, they’re designed to look like people and at first glance it definitely seems like we’ve got three bodies decorating the bedroom. Nora’s panicked cries tell us how bad the situation is, but we get that loud and clear from these visuals first. Also note how, despite being lighter, the hallway is dominated by a very deep red. I’d actually say to a certain extent this is a mistake - the pink/reds of the environment make it easy for Neo and Nora, with their predominantly pink costumes, to blend in too well during the fight - but in regards to color associations we get some nice shots throughout that convey danger and high emotions.

When “Oscar” comes on the scene we know, instantaneously, that it’s not Oscar. Not just because we as the audience know that Neo is off doing something nefarious, but because via the language of film/television that’s not how you re-introduce an established character. You don’t hide their face like that unless you’re about to reveal something - like the fact that that’s not really them. This is also the first of a number of medium closeups on the relic, putting emphasis on it first because someone currently holds it who should not have it, and then as a means of reminding the viewer what this fight is about.

Via some great attention to detail, we see again the clear wrongness about this “Oscar.” That’s not how Oscar stands. That’s not how Oscar smiles. More than just animating him differently, this shot pulls from those subtle horror tropes. He has the dead-eyed look of a doll or a supernatural being that immediately makes the viewer (if not Nora) go, “Wait...” It helps that Oscar is a short boy with dark hair. Put him in different clothes and he could play any number of possessed kids.

With Neo’s deception revealed, we get what the fandom knows is not good visual storytelling. AKA, Oscar charging down the whole length of the hallway while Neo just stands there and lets herself get hit. I don’t need to re-hash how stupid that was. What I like a lot more is the subtleties in how she communicates given that, obviously, Neo can’t rely on any dialogue. Coming out of the hit she immediately has her umbrella leveled at the group and pulls out the blade to communicate, “Yes. I’m taking you on.” The neat choice though is that she brings the umbrella down to do it. She takes her weapon off the group, if only for a moment. Jaune has just gotten done insisting that she should give up because it’s four to one. The blade says, “I’m taking you on” but lowering her umbrella likewise says, “I’m so confident about taking you on I’ll even make myself vulnerable for a second.”

Which retroactively makes her getting hit like that even stupider but it’s fine we’re moving on.

During this time we also get a lot of insight into Oscar. Check out how utterly bedraggled he is, showing us how tough the initial fight with Neo was and how lucky he is to have escaped. He clutches the relic close to his chest and stares, scared, at the rest of the team. Oscar hasn’t reached a point yet where he instinctively draws his weapon and prepares to defend himself (indeed, he didn’t even have his weapon out during that initial encounter. That’s one hell of a rookie mistake). He’s still a terrified kid who hopes he won’t have to fight at all, literally hiding behind more powerful friends. This is all great characterization, the only problem is consistency. Nothing about Oscar has been consistent. One moment he’s holding his own against Lionheart and insisting he fight Hazel. The next he’s getting his ass kicked by Neo and cowering at the prospect of more. One moment he’s positively done in by these fights, horrified, scared, unsure of himself. The next he’s confronting the general of a kingdom with all the wisdom of Ozpin. This guy:

and this guy:

Exist about fifteen minutes apart. Because though RWBY is great at visual storytelling within each scene, they don’t keep it consistent from one scene to the next. Which is why Oscar is (accurately, imo) animated as an inexperienced kid in Scene #1 and then inexplicably becomes a wise old mentor in Scene #2. Not because anything occurred between Scene #1 and Scene #2 to create that change (let alone such an extreme change), but only because the show suddenly wanted Ironwood to look like an unhinged character. How do you achieve that? Not by having the guy he’s talking to act as winded, wild, and emotional as him, but by having Oscar speak calmly, rationally, softly, sounding oh-so-persuasive so you don’t listen to the actual words he says and how nonsensical they are (you’re as bad as Salem). Instead, you pay attention only to the visuals (Ironwood looks crazier than Oscar so he must be wrong). Ironwood is a great example of how RT sometimes tries to get visual storytelling to outweigh basic logic/what’s been said on screen.

Anyway, I’m getting off track. The fight begins and I do still love how Oscar is depicted here, even if it doesn’t align with what we get later. The moment that umbrella and cane cross was great because who doesn’t love visual symmetry? Oscar grabbing Neo is wonderfully in character because he’s barely trained! He’s a kid! He’s flying by the seat of his pants and going with whatever vaguely successful act pops into his head. The absurdity of, “I’m just going to grab her” is tempered by Oscar’s furiously determined expression as well as Neo’s brief look of shock. It works up until they realize what Oscar grabbed was just a copy.

I mentioned early that JNOR often doesn’t work well as a team, unless it’s specifically in the context of Jaune giving orders and the others executing them. Oscar and his lack of integration is obviously exempt from this, being the newbie both to fighting and this particular team’s dynamics, but Ren, Nora, and Jaune have no excuse. The first half of this fight is a good example of what I mean. We see Nora attack. She’s tossed aside. Then Ren attacks. He’s slammed into the wall. Oscar attacks (umbrella vs. cane) and it’s only at the last second that Jaune arrives with his shield to stave off a blow that would fell him too. Why is everyone taking turns here? They know none of them can beat Neo one-on-one and Jaune just said that their victory lies in it being four-to-one. So why separate out all the attacks? Arguably we can read this as a major flaw of JNOR’s and visual setup for something they’ll have to overcome later. In reality though I highly doubt this was deliberate on RT’s part, leaving this as bad visual storytelling (in that it makes the characters look stupid) as opposed to good visual storytelling (JNOR will realize this flaw and work to correct it).

After Neo disappears we get a chase through the hallway that does a great job of showing us precisely how weaker Oscar is compared to his teammates. He doesn’t have their stamina, breathing heavily and falling further and further behind. At one point (screenshot #2) he arrives just in time to find the team turning back in the direction he’s just come, showing not only how he can’t physically keep up, but also his place in this team/the group. He’s literally not with them. Anyone who has followed my blog knows my thoughts on how the group has treated Oscar and if (again) I were inclined to think that RT was aware of that treatment and working to integrate it into the show with the intent to resolve it, this would be another great detail. As it is, I think Oscar as a character is just continually going to get the short end of the stick. In particular, the crane shot shows us exactly how far behind Oscar is. The others charge ahead without him, not caring where he is or if he can keep up. Which leads to this.

Oscar rounds another corner and they’re gone. Nowhere to be seen. If anyone had the thought, “He’s not that far behind. It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be,” Ren, Nora, and Jaune were clearly moving fast enough to round another corner and leave Oscar stranded. Here those subtle horror elements come back into play, particularly the maze-like design of the corridors. The only unique marker we get is the info board, otherwise it’s all identical hallways, housing a killer, with Oscar now left alone in it. The long shot makes him look small and emphasizes his isolation.

Then he’s attacked and it’s suitably scary. The hand over his mouth. The dark room again. We only get the briefest glimpse of Neo-as-Nora before she attacks, but that one second is another excellent moment of animation. Nora has never sauntered away like that. Even the quickest look in an action-driven scene is enough for the viewer to go, “Nope. Not Nora.”

The attack itself is the one moment where I think the slow-mo serves a good purpose. We might know (via that quick shot, how characters act (Nora is unlikely to pull Oscar aside like that) and expectations for how a story functions) that that’s not Nora, but Oscar doesn’t know that. The slow-mo gives us - and him - the chance to focus on Neo’s eyes changing, that stomach-dropping moment of realization, and we see Oscar’s horrified shock in the close up on his own eyes. Though RWBY doesn’t always grapple with the emotional implications of every encounter, I think it’s worth noting that this can really mess someone up. Oscar thought he was safe with an ally and had the rug pulled out from under him. He will now forever have the image of Nora attacking him, regardless of the fact that it was really “Nora.” Jaune likewise exclaims in horrified surprise when “Nora” charges him down the hallway. The ability to turn into someone else is an advantage that Neo knows how to use to its fullest. Not just in regards to spying, but how to unsettle your opponent too.

Waiting for the day she turns into Pyrrha ngl.

We see that same work when she encounters Ren. Admittedly, I’m torn on this one. If only because I agree with others when they ask, “Doesn’t Ren spar with Nora all the time? He should be able to hit her.” The context of “Barely trained kid thought he was with a friend and then watches said ‘friend’ attack him” is not the same thing as, “Much more experienced fighter realizes the moment ‘Nora’ rounds the corner with an umbrella that that’s not her, has no doubt hit her numerous times in the past during training, yet for some reason can’t bring himself to hit her now.” It... doesn’t quite work. Here, I think RT does a good job of showing us Ren’s distress, it’s just that this is paired with a very bad job of establishing what that distress is and why it exists. This is what we needed to hear about during the party conversation. If Ren and Nora had actually talked rather than just kissing, we might have understood why Ren is suddenly incapacitated here when “Nora” looks at him sadly.

As said though, the emotion of the scene is great even if we don’t quite know where it came from. Neo’s pitiful look, Ren freezing in shock (check out the red there too), his dumbfounded expression as he just sits in the middle of a battle, and when we come back to him we see the tear tracks. Overall, this scene does a great job of incorporating lots of information beyond “Team JNOR is fighting Neo for the relic.” We just need to connect that information better to what came before this scene (Ren) and what comes after (Oscar).

Finally, Neo slams into the other guards and transforms again. I love this final shot of her, both for how she moves and the implications of the transformation itself. Meaning, Neo is a professional. She had a job and she did it. Once the relic was in her possession and she had an escape route, she took it. Neo doesn’t get distracted by taking revenge - these are some of the people we fought against when Roman died - or trying to take them out to please Cinder, or even just going after them because she’s Evil. Neo is focused, no unnecessary actions taken, and that, just as much as her semblance and skill, is what makes her dangerous.

#Anonymous #rwby #mymetas

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questionablygourmet · 5 years

Text

I Like This Show A Normal Amount: Will Graham As Autistic Representation

In a previous meta post about Will, I briefly alluded to my appreciation for Will as good autistic representation, and for Free-For-All Friday, @tin-can-paladin prompted me to do as I’d said I might and write a Thing about that. (Hopefully today is the day I actually get this post finished and up!) So here we go.

First of all, this post will be starting from the premise that Will is an autistic character. I don’t particularly care if Hugh’s said he’s not; whether or not he meant to, he and Bryan gave us an autistic-coded character and I reserve the right to be delighted about it! (Actually, that’s not quite true - I do care, in the sense that I wish he hadn’t said that, because acknowledging portrayals of characters on the spectrum that aren’t a walking fucking stereotype played for lulz *cough BBT COUGH* or as a tragedy inflicted upon their neurotypical family members as being on the spectrum is Important. But whatever.)

This post will address aspects of Will as a character, but also to an extent how he’s handled in the wider context of the show, and why that matters.

Agency

This was my primary focus on that previous Will meta post, but in context of autistic representation, I think it’s an important thing to highlight in this post as well: Will Graham is a whole-ass adult in control of his actions even when other characters don’t think so (see: Alana, Jack, et al in late season 1) or are actively trying to subvert that (see: Hannibal, You Asshole).

Autistic characters in various media are all-too-frequently infantilized and handled as though their environment/circumstances completely dictate their behavior. Will both implicitly and explicitly (“You can’t reduce me to a set of influences” - ironically for a later part of this post, the next thing he says mentions behaviorism), resoundingly rejects this, and I love that as part of his narrative in general but also as an autistic character in particular.

Empathy

This one’s gonna be a doozy. There’s a lot to talk about here that all generally falls under the heading of “autism and empathy,” so I’ll do my best to stay organized.

First, the simplest: He cares! So! Deeply! And complexly! And we know that throughout the show!

Frankly, this in particular massively exacerbates my irritated wish that the creators would explicitly acknowledge him as autistic because holy shit the stereotypes he combats with this. Autistic people in the real world have widely varied, diverse relationships with empathy and compassion (which are different things, and I have some beefs with the way the show uses the word “empathy,” but that’s a digression and this is already going to be a long post), but media largely erases this, conflating difficulties with normative, neurotypical-passing social behavior with inability to empathize, and/or display compassion, and/or even feel emotions (FFS).

There’s a related point about “normative-passing social behavior” that I want to expand on a bit, here: we see a lot of profound differences in demeanor for Will over the course of the show, and that’s something I’ve seen interpreted as manipulation sometimes when it really isn’t. (Not to say Will is not manipulative/capable of being manipulative, because he is, very! But not everything calculated is necessarily manipulative, and I see the two conflated a lot and that annoys me.) Will has, to my eyes, four basic social “modes.”

I’m Dealing With Most People With Whom I Have No Particular Antipathy Or Affection - Aloof, and either standoffish or polite depending on how his boundaries are being treated. He’s not particularly interested in making people comfortable when they’re making him uncomfortable (and being a white dude generally enables him to take this attitude without big repercussions), and people frequently make him uncomfortable.

I’m Dealing With Someone I Perceive As Vulnerable - Exaggeratedly calm, kind, careful. He’s trying to connect and provide comfort and support. He’s minding his every move and word because he doesn’t want to cause harm incidentally. (Abigail, Peter, Walter, etc. and to some extent, Margot, though with her it’s mixed with other attitudes.)

I’m Dealing With An Enemy - This is where the manipulativeness (and even, particularly in the cases of Bedelia and Hannibal, cruelty) comes in. He’s minding his every move and word because he wants to elicit a specific response from the person he’s interacting with. (This comes into play with Jack and Alana at various points even though they are rarely full enemies.)

I’m Dealing With A Trusted Friend - Has neither the deliberation of 2-3 nor quite the standoffishness of 1. He’s neither projecting an image appropriate to a specific kind of fraught social situation, nor actively trying to deflect attention and interaction. In my opinion we really only see this with Hannibal (in season 1 and then with flashes of it in 2 and 3) and Molly, though he gets close in a handful of moments with Alana, Beverly, and Jack.

All these modes deal with a) to what extent he is acting, and b) why he’s acting. And I love that we get to see this breadth of social interaction modes from him, because that is an accurate and sensitive portrayal of an autistic adult, reflecting the often-dramatic differences in “difficulty setting” of an interaction - how and to what extent are we expected to (or otherwise have a need to) mimic neurotypical mannerisms? What are the stakes of the situation? These are explicit considerations for a lot of autistic people, and Will demonstrates that vividly throughout the series.

Another way in which empathy and social interaction come into play in terms of autistic representation is that Will can and does form strong social bonds - not very often, because the way most other adults treat him isn’t conducive to it, but with people who display acceptance/a lack of judgment for his non-neurotypical reactions and behaviors, and importantly, who don’t treat him as Other for the way he can reconstruct crime scenes, we see that can form very strong bonds. Hannibal is obviously the prime example of this, but also Molly, and to a much lesser extent, Alana and Margot. (Though Jack refers to him as a friend and they have some friendly interactions, their bond is not a strong one and not at all marked by the kind of humanizing acceptance it takes to get truly close to Will.) People who accept who he is, and who are neither threatened by his skills nor dependent on them.

Finally, in this section, let’s look at the crime scene reconstructions and “getting inside killers’ heads” bit.

I have complex feelings about this aspect of the show, or more precisely, how other characters talk about his reconstructions and serial killer profiling - they (even Hannibal, to an extent) talk about it in mystifying terms, and I thoroughly dislike the term “empathy disorder” that gets thrown around so much in seasons 1-2 to explain what he does. Will is apt to testily correct people that he just interprets the evidence, and that is exactly what he is doing. His vivid imagination coupled with years of active study of criminal psychology allow him to take that interpretation a lot farther than anyone else would, and sometimes make intuitive leaps that the other characters can’t follow. But it’s clear that this intuition is founded in concrete evidence, as we frequently see him stymied when he doesn’t quite have enough of it, much to the frustration of Jack, who is particularly shitty about treating him like an oracle.

I like that Will gets to stick up for himself and correct people on several occasions, but I wish the ableism and the Othering was less pervasive amongst the other characters because it makes me want to slap them. I find that I really appreciate how most of the fic I’ve read since entering the fandom thoroughly and often explicitly rejects the pseudo-magical divination and/or Crazy Person With Magic Brain angle.

Perspective

There was something I was reaching at that was eluding me in my first attempt at this draft, and then I ran into an excellent article about writing autistic characters that suddenly and thoroughly solidified it for me. It’s really brilliant; it discusses and illustrates the strong difference between a behavioristic (see previous reference) approach to characterization and a humanizing one. Behavioristic analyses divorce themselves from the actual mindset and experience of the subject, whereas humanizing portrayals display the subjective experience of the person who is perhaps behaving in a way other people may find confusing.

Since Will is the main point of view character in the show, we get front-row seats to his subjective experience and can therefore more properly empathize with him. An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior. The behavior that Jack and various other characters are exasperated, impatient, and/or unnerved over all looks pretty reasonable when we know how Will is experiencing the crime scene, or are seeing his nightmares and hallucinations along with him! And while the nightmares and hallucinations in season 1 are a matter of encephalitis and trauma rather than neurotype, it still matters that we’re led to understand something of what he goes through, from his own perspective rather than an outside one.

It’s incredibly necessary emotional context moving forward in the show, giving us an autistic character who is flawed but deeply human and whose darkness we can understand.

#hannibal #will graham #my meta #meta #thanks for the nudge to actually write this #it was difficult enough that it probably wouldn't have happened without said nudge #but i really wANTED to write it so #I Like This Show A Normal Amount

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zamancollective · 5 years

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In his intriguing debut book, EPPY Award-winning nonfiction writer Massoud Hayoun tells his family’s compelling story as a means of engaging in a deeper re-evaluation of its place in a larger politicized history. As his grandparents’ lives unfold between Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, and Los Angeles, the author reshapes existing narratives about Arabness, Jewishness, and the legacies of colonialism.

ZAMAN editors Sophie Levy and Evan Mateen contacted Massoud Hayoun to learn more about When We Were Arabs, which was released on June 25th.

ZAMAN Collective: Tell us a little about your background and who you are.

Massoud Hayoun: I’m from LA, born and raised. I went to UCLA and Columbia [University]. I’m Tunisian, Moroccan, and Egyptian-American. I am Jewish — I was raised in a faithful household and remain faithful, in a way that looks very different from that of my youth. I continue to pray, although mostly alone. I read psalms several times a week. I fast on Yom Kippur. I occasionally study Torah, also alone these days. I try to observe Shabbat and allow the restfulness of it to include watching television and using electronics that I find enhance my repose. I was raised by my grandparents, Oscar and Daida, while my mother worked very hard to support us financially. I am left-handed. I am into Beach House and Abdel Halim Hafez. I love Killing Eve, Pen15, Diary of a Chambermaid, Russian Doll, and Silence of the Lambs.

ZC: When did you first become interested in Mizrahi historical / cultural affairs?

MH: I don’t think there was a particular moment when I became interested in my family’s history and belonging to our homelands. Those things were ever-present. When my grandparents who raised me died, the need to preserve everything that came before became so much more tangible to me, because it was clear that otherwise, entire universes would have ended with them. My grandfather Oscar died when I was a teenager, and that pushed me to interrogate this belonging. And then my grandmother Daida died when I was 30, and I began to interrogate things with even greater ferocity. I am 31.

ZC: For people who don’t know too much about When We Were Arabs- Can you talk a little more about the book’s subject matter?

MH: When We Were Arabs is a decolonial memoir of my Jewish Arab grandparents — that is to say, it is a re-reading of their lives and what came before with a view to regain things that were robbed from us by various colonial projects and their enforcers.

Hayoun family photo (source)

ZC: Why did you choose this title? Why in the past tense?

MH: The fact that you ask the question “why in the past tense” means that the title was successful. You’re meant to ask whether we — the readers and me — can suffer all of the universes in this book be relegated to the past. Or are the readers and I engaged in a discourse about the future? The dedication of the book is ‘To Our Youth’ — it is forward-looking. Paired with the title, the flurry of tenses upfront is meant to raise questions. I had hoped that people would find the title to be fundamentally wrong — to feel ill-at-ease with or suffocated by it. Suffocated enough for those uncomfortable feelings to become actionable. With this title alone, I challenge the reader to drag the universe and the people I describe into the present and future. To move forward with them in mind.

ZC: Why did you decide to write a book in a pivot away from shorter-form journalistic articles? Why now?

MH: In my defense, I did write a lot of long-form articles, it’s just hard to make a living only writing a few big articles a year. I also didn’t pivot, per se. I’m still writing the same short-form journalistic articles, and I’ll keep writing them until I win the lottery, I guess. And maybe even still…

My grandma and I had something we wanted to say. We said it in a book, while my life and career continued on, pretty much as usual. I remain a journalist until now, and it gets tedious and daunting at times, but it’s still more fulfilling than other lines of work, precisely because I’ve worked for some exceptional publications that have allowed me to talk to people who are frequently disregarded. My short-form articles seek to help uplift voices — not just those of analysts and academics, but on many occasions of people who are systematically silenced.

ZC: Why write about Mizrahiut through the lens of a family story?

MH: I wouldn’t say I wrote about Mizrahiut. I say in the book specifically that I do not identify with the term Mizrahi, to be clear. I also never say that others from my background (even from my own family) shouldn’t identify as Mizrahi, but I have clearly explained in When We Were Arabs why that term is not one that I find empowering for myself.

I am also clear that I do not speak for anyone but myself and my family. At moments, I’m also careful not to speak for my own family, where I do not feel the closeness necessary to do so. In this book, I am writing about my own very human situation, in the hopes that people — Mizrahi-identifying and otherwise — will connect with some aspect of it.

ZC: What is the relationship between your Jewishness and Arabness? Are they two separate entities that coexist or are they more intertwined?

MH: Both are important components of who I am. My Jewishness governs matters of the spirit, for me. I do also stand with Jewish Americans in practical matters, particularly at moments when our lives, dignity, and freedom are under siege. But in this life, I am Arab first and last. Many similar people, like Moroccan human rights activist Sion Assidon, whom I interviewed in the book, have described themselves as Arabs of Jewish faith. That’s accurate to my experience, as well.

Hayoun family photo (source)

ZC: How political vs how personal is this book? Is there even a sharp divide between these two qualifiers?

MH: Politics are personal — and the more people benefit from certain oppressive power structures, the less likely they are to notice (or to feel, rather) the degree to which all politics are personal. The book intertwines politics and the personal as a function of simply trying to convey lives, deaths, and their meaning accurately. You could not have understood anything at all about my family — especially not as we were in the 20th century — without understanding a great deal about world politics. I feel that’s universally true; it’s just less evident to some.

ZC: In an NPR review of When We Were Arabs, Martha Anne Toll characterizes you as a “severe critic of Zionism.” How do you feel about having this issue brought to the forefront of your work? How would you describe your relationship to Zionism?

MH: Martha Anne Toll’s characterization was accurate; I am a “severe critic of Zionism.” This issue is an important component of the work, but the project of claiming the Jewish Arab identity and preserving this lost world is paramount and must not be subsumed by this one crucial component. The beauty of Toll’s review was that she realized this was an important but not an all-consuming element of the project I undertook with When We Were Arabs.

ZC: What’s the importance of reclaiming Arabness as a Jew, especially one whose family has relatively recent, politicized history in Israel?

MH: Reclaiming that Arabness has allowed me and my family to come to terms with a lot of inconsistencies in our and our community’s concepts of self. We empowered ourselves to answer a number of long-unanswered, uncomfortable questions: Why does the word Arab incense so many people? How many of the people whom the word incenses have actually spoken with Arabs about what Arabness means, particularly in the contemporary use of the term? If they haven’t undertaken to understand Arabness, how is that term at once so detestable and yet not important enough to try to fully examine its definition by modern Arabs?

ZC: Ultimately, what do you hope that readers will gain from reading your book?

MH: I hope that readers will feel inspired to look at themselves and their understandings of certain belongings and relationships to humanity with a critical lens. Of course, I hope they look at all facets of reality with that critical lens too. There’s nothing about these times that doesn’t deserve to be turned on its head — including but not only [limited to] the Arab-Jewish divide.

When We Were Arabs is available for online order at IndieBound, Barnes&Noble, Target, and Amazon. Click here for a list of independent booksellers that also carry Hayoun’s book.

#massoud hayoun #nonfiction & opinion #when we were arabs

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ccopher-blog · 4 years

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MMIQ Ratings Analysis

Beautiful Boy

Beuatiful Boytells the true story of Nic Sheff, an eighteen-year-old who struggled with a methamphetamine addiction, as well as other drugs and alcohol. The movie, made in 2018 but depicting events set in the late 1990’s, shows Nic’s progression with drug use, seemingly stemming as a result of his parents’ divorce and father’s remarriage. The movie ends with Nic’s suicide attempt via overdose, where his father finds him recovering in the hospital, and the two cry with each other on a bench.

Authentic

Criteria

The movie accurately portrays Nic’s mental illness as caused by a substance abuse disorder, which the real Nic Sheff has outwardly shared. Nic has frequently spoken to groups of at-risk youth and others about his struggle with dependency. So, in this argument I will primarily focus on whether the movie promotes myths and misunderstandings of substance abuse disorder. I will analyze the symptoms related to substance abuse disorder, and whether they are appropriately shown in Nic’s behavior in the movie, making him similar to others with substance abuse disorder. I will also analyze whether Nic’s illness is attributed to childhood trauma.

Facts

Substance abuse disorder is a severe mental illness characterized by an addiction to a drug or alcohol. Without treatment, the disorder can significantly diminish a person’s ability to hold a job, maintain healthy relationships, and live a pleasant life.

There are many important symptoms of substance abuse disorder that the DSM-5 lists, but we will focus on four in this section: loss of control, social problems, risky use, and tolerance. Loss of control is described as the physical and emotional dependence on the substance, especially after one’s health no longer requires it. Social problems arise when the individual fails to meet obligations such as work, home, and school due to substance abuse. Risky use is characterized both by the risk-taking in physical use as well as the actions taken while high, such as sharing needles with other addicts or driving under the influence. Lastly, when one’s tolerance to the substance continuously increases due to repeated use, it is qualifiedly characterized as a substance abuse disorder.

Examples from the Movie

In the movie there are many examples of Nic’s behavior that classify as the symptoms listed above by the DSM-5. The loss of control aspect primarily relates to individuals who had a necessary reason to use the drugs and simply kept using them even after they no longer needed it. Nic never had reason to use drugs, but still experienced a loss of control. In the movie, we see Nic talking with his father about smoking marijuana recreationally, which was supposed to be the first indicator of his drug use. That eventually spirals into meth use. Nic desperately uses any drug he can find if he does not have access to meth; there is a scene where Nic’s father looks at his son’s journal, and reads about how he uses heroine should meth not be affordable or accessible. This would be classified as a loss of control over his original recreational use of marijuana.

Nic experiences many social problems within the movie. After isolating his father and stepmother, they take him to a rehab facility, where it seems he is getting better. He tells his father that he does not want to go to college, but later changes his mind. It appears in the movie that Nic does go to college, but seemingly drops or fails out when he starts using again in his dorm room. He doesn’t hold a job in the movie, but continuously asks his father for money, for which he gets angry when he says no. He even joined a support group later in the movie, and had a wonderful relationship with his sponsor. Later, he isolated the sponsor and relapsed again.

In the movie, Nic relapses for the third time and finds a girl he used to know on the streets. He says he is looking to “party” and the two go back to her apartment and get high together. They use the same needle, which is an incredibly risky thing to do. Sharing needles can lead to HIV and other diseases. They continue to get high together until the girl almost dies in his car—he is seen performing CPR until the ambulance arrives.

Unfortunately, it is not specifically shown that Nic’s tolerance had increased throughout the movie, but it was implied. Nic is shown increasing the amount of methamphetamine as the movie continues, and it is implied that he started using meth because the other drugs he used were not giving him the greatest effect. Lastly, at the end of the movie, Nic tries to commit suicide by overdosing. He injects himself with an absurdly large amount of meth, but he still survives.

Analysis of Examples

Unfortunately, the movie never technically classifies Nic’s addiction as a substance abuse disorder, but they do refer to him as a meth addict many times. I think it would be very clear to the general audience that Nic did have a substance abuse problem. The movie did an excellent job accurately portraying the DSM-5 listed symptoms of his mental illness. Because the movie was a collaboration of both Nic Sheff and his father’s books, it showed precisely what happened in Nic’s life from both the perspectives of Nic himself as well as his primary caregiver. The movie does an accurate job of showing the symptoms that are consistent with substance abuse disorder.

I strongly agree with the statement that Beautiful Boyprovides an authentic portrayal of people with substance abuse disorder.

Attractive

Criteria

The criteria I will use to rate the movie’s attractiveness will focus on Nic’s personality traits and severity of symptoms. I think highlighting Nic’s attempts to make changes in his life is important in this aspect.

Examples from the Movie

Nic is portrayed as an artist in the movie. He is shown as a happy kid, who grew into a darker personality as he got older. He is clearly intelligent, but his substance abuse keeps him from reaching his full potential. He lies constantly to his father about his usage.

Nic has severe symptoms as portrayed in the movie. He has lost all control over his usage, even though he is shown to make many positive changes to get clean. He does recover about three times from his substance abuse, but relapses just as many. While he is using, he is nervous, constantly angry, and in despair. I think he knows that he has a problem, and knows that he needs to get clean, but truly cannot due to a total loss of control.

While Nic is clean, however, he is happy and compassionate, especially with his two younger siblings, who he obviously loves. He plays with them in the yard and goes to the beach with them. But he isolates them when he is using.

Analysis of Examples

This is truly an unattractive display of people who struggle with substance abuse disorder. It may be difficult for the audience to get a sole understanding of who Nic is, because his personality changes whenever he is using or not. His lying, manipulation of his father, and aggressive personality while using would lessen the audience’s feeling of attractiveness. I think the primary feeling that the audience would feel while watching this movie is pity for Nic.

I strongly disagree with the statement that Beautiful Boyprovides an attractive portrayal of people with substance abuse disorder.

Friendly

Criteria

The criteria I will use to rate the movie’s friendliness will focus on Nic’s family members and others who support him during his battle with substance abuse disorder. I will also highlight those who were a negative influence on his abuse.

Examples from the Movie

David Sheff is Nic’s father, and he clearly struggles with his relationship with his son throughout the movie. He clearly loves his son immensely, as shown in his constant attempts to bring him home and help him through the cleansing process. He and his wife, Nic’s stepmom, take him to a rehab facility, to where they enroll him twice, hoping for a better result. Throughout the movie, David gradually understands that there is only so much he can do for Nic, so he cuts ties with his son, who he meets in a café to tell him that he is on his own. At the end of the movie, David gets a call that Nic overdosed and is in the hospital, and he rushes over and sits with his son while he cries.

His stepmom obviously cares for him as well. There is a scene where Nic broke into their house to steal supplies and money, and races away in his car once they get home. His stepmom quickly jumped in her own car and chased after him, hoping to catch and talk with him, but lost him as he sped away. She eventually gives up hope on Nic as well, just like her husband.

Lastly, Nic’s girlfriend in the latter part of the movie is a very bad influence on Nic. When they meet after a long period apart, Nic tells her that he wants to party, and she asks him if it was true that he is three years sober. Nic tells her yes, but that he just really needed something to make him feel good. Then he relapsed with her in her apartment, where they share the same needle.

Analysis of Examples

It is difficult to analyze the friendliness of this movie, because the reactions of Nic’s loved ones are mostly understandable, as they can only do so much for someone who does not seem willing to change. However, it is clear that Nic’s father and stepmother do love him tremendously, despite their lack of support at the end of the movie. That, coupled with the bad influence of the girlfriend influenced my decision to neither agree nor disagree with the statement that the movie portrays characters who love and support a person with substance abuse disorder.

Hopeful

Criteria

The criteria I will use to rate the movie’s hopefulness will focus on the changes in Nic’s struggle with substance abuse. I will analyze the relapses and positive changes. I will also analyze Nic’s father’s attitudes with respect to his son’s mental illness.

Examples from the Movie

Nic went to rehab twice, and relapsed 3 times in the movie. While he was sober, he lived a functional life, attending college, volunteering for a sober support group, and maintaining healthy relationships with his family. However, he hit low points when he relapsed. He attempted suicide at the end of the movie, using so much methamphetamine that he passed out in the bathroom stall of his and his father’s favorite café. The movie ends with Nic and his father embracing on a bench outside of the hospital, Nic seemingly communicating to his father that he has lost all control of his substance abuse disorder and accepting that he needs help.

Analysis of Examples

Because of the way the movie ends, before Nic changes his life and finally gets clean, I do not believe this movie offers a hopeful outlook for those struggling with substance abuse disorder. Audience members who do not know that the real Nic Sheff did in fact become sober for many year, obtaining a successful writing career and fixing his familial relationships, would have no idea that his life turned around for the better. That is why I strongly disagree with the statement that Beautiful Boy provides a hopeful portrayal of people with bipolar disorder.

Helpful

Criteria

The criteria I will use to rate the movie’s helpfulness will focus on the mental health professionals in the movie. Unfortunately, Nic has no visual interaction with any mental health professionals. There is a brief interaction between Nic’s father and a representative from the treatment facility, so I will focus on that individual.

Facts

If almost 21 million people in America have a substance abuse disorder, it is estimated that only about 2.5 million are receiving some type of treatment for it (American Addictions). The most common treatment for addictions consists of group and individual therapy that is intended to teach the addict skills necessary for recovery. Almost all treatments for substance abuse disorder are facilitated by a therapist, to help shape the thoughts and understandings of the addict.

The primary goal of a substance abuse counselor is to develop a treatment plan that, tailored to each individual patient, will promote the “goal of independence (Klier).” Many counselors who work in inpatient settings work around the clock to prepare the addicts with aftercare and transitional planning, as well as addressing problems associated with arrests, homelessness and food insecurity.

Examples from the Movie

Unfortunately, Nic does not have any interactions with mental health professionals in the movie. Nic’s father, David, does interact with a representative from the treatment facility briefly. It seems as if the representative acts unethically to me. She states that methamphetamine addicts have a high likelihood of recovery after attending the treatment facility, but a friend of Nic’s father tells him later in the movie that all methamphetamine addicts, regardless of treatment, have less than a 10% likelihood of recovery.

Analysis of Examples

Based on the brief interaction with the treatment facility representative that Nic’s father has, I do not believe this movie is helpful in that it does not show mental health professionals who act professionally and ethically. I do not believe that audience members without a prior understanding of professional treatment and mental health professionals with experience in substance abuse disorder therapy will gain valuable information from the limited amount of exposure to professionals in this movie. But because there is no true therapist, or mental health professional in general, I can neither agree nor disagree with the statement that Beautiful Boyprovides a helpful portrayal of people with substance abuse disorder.

References

Cunha, J. P. (2019, October 2). Substance Abuse Symptoms and Signs: Causes. Retrieved November 20, 2019.

Klier, D. (2019, July 25). A Day in the Life of a Substance Abuse Counselor.Retrieved November 20, 2019.

Miller, L., HardeyReviewed, S., & Thomas, S. (2019, October 28). Different Kinds of Therapy Used in Addiction Treatment. Retrieved November 20, 2019.

“What is DSM 5 Substance Use Disorder?”(2017). Retrieved November 20, 2019.

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pamphletstoinspire · 5 years

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The Kingdom of Love: 5th Sunday of Easter

The Easter Season is passing quickly. Already it is more than half over, as we progress toward the great Feasts of Ascension and Pentecost. We want the Season to slow down, so that we may savor the joy and consolation of these readings from Acts and John that dominate the Easter Cycle, but tempus fugit.

The Readings for this Fifth Sunday of Easter describe the growth of the Kingdom of God, which is manifested on earth as the Church. The first two readings and the psalm are tied together with Kingdom images, and the Gospel reminds us that this Kingdom is characterized by God’s love.

1. The First Reading is Acts 14:21-27:

After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. They appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. After proclaiming the word at Perga, they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished. And when they arrived, they called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

The key line from this reading of Acts is: “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”

If we had read through Acts continuously to this point, we would notice that the narrative has switched from following Peter (Acts 1-12) to following Paul (Acts 13-28) by this point in the story, and the theme of suffering to enter the Kingdom actually enters the Book of Acts at this point. The word for “suffering” here is the Greek thlipsis, often translated “tribulation” by the KJV-RSV tradition, and associated with the hardship preceding the final judgment in the Gospels and Revelation. It is also a favorite term of St. Paul throughout his Epistles.

It is not accidental that “tribulation” crops up in St. Paul’s preaching precisely at this point. In the verses immediately preceding today’s Reading (i.e. Acts. 14:19-20), Paul is stoned to death by a mob incited by some Jews, yet he more-or-less miraculously “rises from the dead,” returns to the city, and continues preaching in the region.

As Paul was preaching this message of “through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God,” he was still visibly cut and bruised in a most awful way from his recent near-fatal (or truly fatal?) stoning. Standing mangled, bruised, bloody, and bandaged in front of the believers, his words must have had added power. Truly, he knew what tribulation was.

Empowered by the Spirit, the Apostles in Acts are growing in their understanding of the mystery of the Gospel. Though the element of suffering for the sake of the Good News had been present from the beginning of Jesus’ own preaching, Paul is realizing just how true this is. So many years before, Jesus Himself pronounced it on a mountaintop:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:10-12)

So Paul’s preaching shows strong continuity with Jesus’. Through his preaching, the Kingdom continues to grow among the Gentiles. The ancient kingdom of David and Solomon included many Gentile nations within it, as vassal states in the empire (1 Kgs 4:21). Now the Kingdom of David, which is also the Kingdom of God, grows by the preaching about Jesus, Son of God and Son of David. And so it goes today: the preaching continues, conversions continue, and “tribulations” continue.

Pope Francis has spoken often of the modern world as an age of Christian martyrdom. Some years ago he said:

"There are bloody persecutions, like being torn to pieces by wild beasts to the delight of the audience in the stands or being blown up by a bomb at the end of Mass” and there are "velvet-gloved” persecutions that are "cloaked in politeness": the ones that marginalize you, take your job away if you fail to adapt to laws that "go against God the Creator. Persecution, I would say, is the daily bread of the Church. Today, on Easter Sunday, just three weeks ago… Those Christians who were celebrating Easter in Pakistan were martyred because they were celebrating the Risen Christ. Thus, the history of the Church goes ahead with its martyrs."

Though he spoke those words some years ago, they continue to ring true as the massacre of Christians at Easter in Sri Lanka this past year reminds us.

The Pope pointed out that in addition to bloody persecutions, there is a subtle form of persecution consisting of a refusal to allow conscientious objection to the pro-death laws of Western societies:

"But there is another persecution which is not much spoken about," a persecution "camouflaged by culture, by modernity, by progress in disguise: It is a persecution I would 'ironically' describe as polite. It’s when someone is persecuted for wanting to manifest the values of the Gospel: "It’s persecution against God the Creator in the person of his children!”

"It’s the kind of the persecution that deprives one of freedom, and of the possibility of conscientious objection. This is the persecution of the world."

Before we leave the First Reading, we should note a small but important feature of the Apostles’ ministry: “they appointed elders (presbuteroi) for them in each church.”

The leadership of the Church needs to be appointed, not elected, because the authority comes from Christ through his representatives, not from the people, as if the Church were a democracy.

These elders appointed by the Apostles were the first bishops (episkopoi) and priests (presbuteroi). In the very early Church, the terminology for the roles that we now distinguish as “bishops” and “priests” was not yet regularized. In certain NT passages, episkopos and presbuteros were used roughly synonymously. Later, the Church became more conscientious about reserving the title episkopos (bishop) for the presbuteros (priest) who was in charge of the whole local church. Keeping that in mind, we see here in Acts 14 how the Apostles, while they were alive, were conscious of the need to appoint leaders to continue their ministry and exercize their authority in their absence. These episkopoi and presbuteroi in turn appointed replacements for themselves, down to the present day, with Pope Francis and our local bishops and priests. So we are still “living in Acts.” The Church we see forming in this holy book is the one we still inhabit. The successors of St. Paul continue their ministry among us!

2. The Responsorial Psalm is Ps 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

R. (cf. 1) I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,slow to anger and of great kindness. The LORD is good to all and compassionate toward all his works. R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdomand speak of your might. R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Let them make known your might to the children of Adam,and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,and your dominion endures through all generations. R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

This Psalm is unique in that it mentions the kingdom (Heb. malkuth) of God four times. Only one or two other Psalms even mention God’s kingdom (103:19, possibly 45:6), and then only once each. So Psalm 145 is the “Psalm of the Kingdom of God.” This Kingdom is to be proclaimed to “the children of Adam,” that is, to all people, to all nations. That is precisely what Paul and Barnabas were doing in the First Reading. This kingdom is characterized by God’s grace, mercy, kindness (hesed), goodness, and compassion. This reminds us of the Gospel Reading, where Jesus gives the “new commandment” of love, which will characterize the new community he has established.

3. The Second Reading is Rev 21:1-5a:

Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” The One who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

Jerusalem was the capital city of the Davidic Kingdom, and several times in the nation’s history, the extent of the kingdom was reduced by invasion to the capital city alone (Isa 1:8; 36:1-2). Jerusalem is the mystical center of the Kingdom. This New Jerusalem is often identified as an image of heaven, but it is more accurate to see it as a vision of the Church. The “Church Triumphant” and “Heaven” are virtually coextensive concepts, so there is a great deal of overlap. Nonetheless, the identification with the Church can be made with the help of St. Paul, who calls the Church both the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5) and also the Temple of God, built on the foundation of the Apostles (Eph. 2). Likewise, this New Jerusalem of Revelation is Bride of Christ (Rev 21:9), a giant Holy of Holies (21:16), built on the foundation of the Apostles (21:14).

In the Church Triumphant, truly all tears, death, mourning, wailing, and pain will be removed. We may rest assured that there will be an ultimate end to the “tribulations” we suffer for the sake of the Kingdom. Nonetheless, even now, through the ministry of the Church and the Sacraments, we receive a great deal of comfort and consolation as we “strive to enter the Kingdom.”

Covenant concepts are implicit in this reading. The city is a “bride,” married to the Lamb, and marriage is one of the primary forms of covenant. Furthermore, this phrase, “they will be his people and he will be their God,” is often called by scholars the “covenant formula” or “covenant formulary,” because it is the most succinct Old Testament expression of the essential covenant relationship between God and Israel.

A covenant is the extension of family ties by an oath. Families are bound by love. This Second Reading uses an image of very tender love: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” This is a very intimate gesture. It is human nature to resist another person touching one’s face, especially around one’s eyes. If a stranger approached us and reached for our eyes, we would react violently and defensively. This is only something we would accept from a father, a mother, a spouse. God promises us this level of intimacy forever in the Church Triumphant, the life to come.

4. The Gospel is Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35:

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The Gospel of John is full of paradox, almost from the beginning of the Gospel, where we read:

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not.

He came to his own, and his own received him not.

We would expect, of course, that when the maker comes to what he has made, he would be received with joy — but paradoxically, such is not the case.

There is paradox in today’s periscope as well. We have reached one of the darkest hours in Jesus’ ministry: Judas has just left the upper room to carry out his mission of betrayal. Judas, one of the most capable and trustworthy of the disciples, the one entrusted with the common purse, is intent on selling Jesus to those who want him dead.

So is Jesus morose at this moment? Far from it! Instead he says:

Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him …

Why is this moment considered the “glory” of the Son of Man? We may offer many different perspectives on that question, but perhaps it is because Jesus has just consented to the will of the Father, consented to the total act of self-gift that will lead to the cross. This is the true glory of God: not simply that he is the all-powerful creator, but that his love extends to the point of giving up his divine prerogatives and giving himself into the hands of his creatures, to make them his sons and daughters (Phil. 2:5-11).

So the “glory” of the Son of Man is the glory of the total self-gift of love.

At this point, we see the logic of Jesus’ discourse, and why he moves from speaking of his glorification to the command of love:

I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.

As many commentators have pointed out, the command of love by itself is not new. The Old Testament already commanded one to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). What is new here is to love as Jesus has loved, which is to love more than self.

The community of disciples that Jesus has formed and is forming, which can also be called “the Church” and “the Kingdom,” should be marked by this love:

This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

We see here how love is tied to evangelism: “This how all will know … if you have love.” This is a truth we tend to forget. When we take up efforts for evangelization, we tend to think of strategies for outreach, of door-to-door canvassing, rallies, crusades, passing out brochures, parish missions, etc. All of things are fine, but more fundamental is whether the local Christian community actually demonstrates love for each other.

Is our local parish a community of love, or a religious center where people greet each other in passing while heading in or out of worship? Is it any wonder, then, that the world doesn’t recognize us as the disciples of Jesus?

It is a hard saying. We have a great deal to do in order to implement our Lord’s command this day.

From: www.pamphletstoinspire.com

#the kingdom of love

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scriptautistic · 6 years

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I don’t know if y’all have answered this before but what’s your opinion on the show The Good Doctor?

Hi, I want to be clear - we don’t really do reviews on this blog. We help writers write autistic characters more accurately. But! That doesn’t mean there aren’t some useful lessons on writing autistic characters from the show. In the future, a more useful question to ask is, “What mistakes or benefits does this show have in the way they’ve portrayed their autistic character(s)?” The more specific you can make your question, the easier answering it becomes. Let’s get into it.

The Good Doctor and its accuracy in portraying an autistic character:

I have seen all of season 1, and this show is paced well. If you plan on writing any shows, there’s something to be learned about making sure the pacing of the show is enjoyable. It has a nice balance of drama and resolution, and while there’s a couple of medical cases per episode, the characters’ personal plot arcs last much longer than an episode which keeps it from being stressful. This is a TV show though, and as usual story elements are exaggerated to enhance the viewer’s emotional responses… so the show is not without its drama. The Good Doctor has character arcs which last for several episodes at a time, and allow you to get to know a character. Most importantly, it allows us to see Shaun in a variety of contexts.

This show also has a deluge of very subtle messages about autistic people. There are a few intentional scripted explanations about Shaun being autistic yet competent, but the show is good at showing the messages about Shaun rather than clumsily preaching them. The show’s script uses a mix of person-first and identity-first language. People who like Shaun and dislike him have said he’s autistic, and similarly with saying he has autism. It seems like the show is written in a way that using both has a purpose, but I’m not exactly sure what that purpose is - perhaps to try to satisfy anyone who prefers either description?

Many people have problems with an allistic actor portraying an autistic character, and I won’t be getting into that argument or state my personal opinion, but the portrayal of accuracy in autistic characterization is very high. This is one of those rare shows which shows an autistic adult being competent in a job as well as navigating friendships and attraction to people. He is also shown as an autistic adult; he doesn’t think or act like a child.

Shaun’s strengths and struggles: My main contention with the show’s accuracy is the Savant Syndrome super powers Shaun (the main character) has, but I think that was in part a relic from the show being loosely adapted from a Korean drama of the same name. This could have a deleterious effect on the way the audience sees autistics’ skills and smarts - as something separate from autism. A more accurate way to describe Shaun’s skills would be his special interest has been in medical sciences and physiology for years, and he is a visual learner and can extrapolate spacial information from what he has learned about the layout of the body to understand medical problems on a deeper level. This is a set of skills and intelligence very related to autism instead of a separate thing stacked on top of it; he can hyperfocus and not get bored, makes abstract links between disparate pieces of information in order to reach a conclusion, can learn a system well based on visual patterns, etc. For him, these are very autistic traits. For another character, based on their learning style/preferences/personality the autistic traits can vary. Essentially, autism touches every way an autistic person experiences the world. The show makes this a clear message, at least.

While Shaun is excellent surgeon and very intelligent, he struggles with other things. This is very accurate for autistics; there may be some things autistics are very good at and/or have fun doing, but other activities can be difficult and distressing. For example, Shaun cannot drive because there is too much sensory information associated with driving. This is a very common experience, though not necessarily true to all autistics, and it doesn’t correlate with someone’s level of verbal communication. I know a non-verbal person who drives to her work every day, and a very verbal autistic who finds driving absolutely horrendous. At the end of the day, Shaun is very skilled but makes mistakes like anyone else, though his resolutions to problems are often unique, meaning he thinks “outside of the box,” or abstractly the way many autistics tend to. He follows rules yet is creative, something often unappreciated or overlooked in autistics’ portrayals.

Portrayal of sensory experience: Shaun dislikes eye contact and seems to pay attention to people by listening or looking at what they are talking about. His mannerisms and body postures seem to be geared around rhythmic gross motor movements and precise fine motor movements, navigating and interacting with his sensory environment. He also has a myriad of sensory problems, and the degree with which he struggles with them may vary on the situation. For example, he couldn’t deal with certain noises during the day, but he couldn’t sleep when the faucet wasn’t dripping because he wanted to have the familiarity of the dripping faucet. Autistic people have sensory preferences, meaning some people love certain sensory experiences others hate and vice versa. He also is visually very sensory-seeking and bought himself a high resolution flatscreen TV so he could watch it up close. This is something consistent with his character, since he thinks very visually. Shaun has a comfort item - a toy scalpel his younger brother got him and he carries it with him everywhere. This is similar to myself and a lot of other autistics, and it’s related to a loved one and a special interest.

He also struggled with being asked direct questions when he interacted with a character - Claire - up close and couldn’t answer them, but he had prepared for his interview and could respond to questions asked directly by strangers in that context earlier in front of a room full of people. Later, he can respond to Claire’s questions more easily, likely because he got to know her better. While it might seem counter-intuitive or poorly written for Shaun to have an inconsistent ability to answer questions, but the contexts in which he was asked certain questions were different, and he had different levels of preparation to be asked questions.

Emotions: In one episode he had an ‘atypical’ (at least by allistic standards) reaction to seeing someone get shot in a store - he compartmentalized his distress and feelings of guilt to help the person and go about his job, then later lashed out after he had packed his emotions down. He also didn’t want people to know his emotions. Yet some allistics are like this as well.The show writers leave him room to be similar or dissimilar to allistics, depending on his preferences and personality.

His facial expressions are so subtle, other characters may not catch them and be able to read his emotions. This contributes to the stereotype he is ‘robotic,’ but Shaun certainly does NOT emote flatly. His facial expression system is merely different from those around him. He is in pain/guilt a lot of the time and has been abused and bullied, so he learned to suppress his emotions rather than trying to deal with them because they can often be too much to handle. This is consistent with his character, yet doesn’t contribute to the idea that he doesn’t feel. Instead, he is portrayed as feeling a LOT: becoming attached to certain people quickly, feeling distressed if they are removed from his life either by dying or moving or cutting off contact. He often gets watery eyes but turns away to prevent people from seeing. It’s a choice of his to keep his emotions to himself; they’re his, as he asserts at one point.

Portrayal of Shaun’s history of abuse and bullying: Unfortunately, this portrayal is very accurate. Without spoiling too much of he plot, I will describe the types of abuse Shaun experiences. He was abused by his father verbally and likely physically, though the latter can be inferred. There is at least one scene showing this. His memories shown are mostly traumatic in nature - being kicked by classmates in the schoolyard, seeing death, and being pressured into take his pants off (though he didn’t, this is sexual harassment and humiliation) then surrounded by classmates and mocked. Autistic people are often targets for abuse of all kinds, and Shaun’s lack of obvious emotional reaction to his memories of these instances shows how acclimated to his memories of these kinds of violations he has become. Yet when he realized someone pretending to be his “friend” and manipulating him for his money, he was stung.

Portrayal of sexuality and romance: Shaun is shown as straight in this show, and becomes very attached to someone who also is interested in him. He seems intimidated by sexual experiences, but not disinterested in them - a very different portrayal of autistic sexuality than usual, as most autistics are portrayed as asexual. It is made clear he is interested in romantic experiences, and is shown as attractive.

Interactions with another autistic: There is an episode in which Shaun has an autistic patient (portrayed by an up-and-coming autistic actor). There was a little bit of weird ‘autistic whisperer’ feeling shown when Shaun translated the patient’s distress and the reasoning behind it, which may happen if autistic people know each other well or have similar sensory problems, but one autistic person may or may not be able to simply understand and explain another autistic person’s experiences.

Yet there was something interesting about this other autistic character which is not often addressed in media: he had different struggles and strengths than Shaun, different ways of communicating, and different responses to stress. Shaun internalizes his stress until he explodes, but this character seemed very communicative of stress and pain.

Something else interesting was Shaun’s initial almost-dislike of this character. Something gooshy to do on the writers’ parts would be to have them instantly become best friends, but to Shaun, he was just another patient, and Shaun had never met another autistic person. This was another way to show Shaun’s dislike of himself on some level (I would say self-hatred but I’m not too quick to point to evidence of this because the audience sees into his emotions only through memories and seeing him in private moments). Shaun has been taught by those around him there is something wrong with him, and he expected to find this patient difficult based on others’ historical communication to him that he is annoying or difficult to be around. Unfortunately, this kind of internalization of negative self-perceptions is very common for autistic people.

By the end of that episode, Shaun had seemed to get over his ambivalent feelings toward this patient and chided the patients’ parents for giving the patient a kava root supplement, as it was the cause of the patients’ presenting health problems. Allistic parents of autistic kids are often quick to jump to any supposed ‘cure’ or ‘support’ for their kids to change their autistic-ness, and this episode was wonderful at showing how dangerous this is, as the patient was in a severe amount of pain and distress. The parents were also very quick to decide both their child and Shaun were incompetent because of autism, but Shaun’s surgical team members were very quick to advocate for him despite their distrust of his skills in the beginning of the show. This gets at the show’s core message, I think: Autistic people are capable and one should assume competence.

This show is also not inspiration porn, since the narrative focuses on Shaun as the main character and doesn’t objectify him - a big plus in narratives featuring autistics.

Overall message about autism: In one episode, a physically disabled patient considering surgery to try to walk again tells Shaun, “You understand; you’d jump at a cure for autism, wouldn’t you?” And Shaun avoids the question by saying, “There is no cure for autism.” Shaun then prompts the patient to realize his best attributes - patience, willing to help others, etc. were learned because he went through physical therapy, and the patient says the difference between his ‘cure’ to walk again - surgery - and Shaun’s autism is the lessons he learned from being in a wheelchair wouldn’t go away if he can walk again. Also within this conversation, the patient told Shaun his wife married him because she accepted him for who he was, and that someone who accepted Shaun could marry him. Shaun pointed out some of his own personal qualities which are there because he is autistic. I winced at the initial question but the following conversation relieved me. This show, so far, communicates autism is a part of Shaun, not something he carries around which keeps the real him locked up.

Hope this helps with writing autistic characters in the future, especially in the medium of a show, movie, or play wherein there is a visual element for the audience in acting.

- Mod Siena

FAQ // Like my work? Please support me on Ko-fi

#morninglassofoj #mod siena #the good doctor #television #tv #shows #show #physical abuse #verbal abuse

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angst-in-space · 6 years

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voltron fic recs april 2018

fics added to my fic rec masterlist in april 2018. check out the link to the masterlist to see all my previous fic recs! happy reading ✨

To Dance Till Dawning || PunJedi || Keith/Lance || T+ || 79.5k || chs. 3/3 (complete)

"If it wasn’t for the goddamned rabbit, Lance wouldn’t be in this mess."

Somehow on a detour to a date, Lance manages to get himself embroiled in a war that ended millennia ago, a shady sickness plaguing the Kingdom of Altea, and one very disagreeable, very emo púca. He really, really should've stayed home.

"Keith had screwed up. Royally screwed up. Zarkon plus Haggar plus Lotor plus Alfor plus Allura level of royally screwing up."

Somehow, out for a run in the forest, Keith manages to find himself involved with a kingdom that wanted nothing to do with him, the ghosts of his past, and one incredibly annoying, incredibly talkative selkie. He wished he had stayed under his rock.

my notes: this fic really blew me away, and honestly i'm shocked it doesn't seem to be that well-known...y'all please shower this fic with kudos or i stg. but in all seriousness, this is a really brilliant au. it's a faerie au which is something i don't think i've read before––i was so excited to hear about it and it exceeded my (already very high) expectations. the world-building is incredible, the characterization is perfect, the plot is so engrossing, all the friendships/relationships are developed so well and the klance is so sweet. i recommend this one so highly omg.

follow your heart (and follow my lead) || loulola || Keith/Lance || T+ || 43.4k || chs. 3/5 (incomplete)

It takes winning a gold medal at the Olympics for Keith to realize that he’s reached an impasse in his life. His career as center position for Team Canada’s olympic ice hockey team is flourishing- there’s a gold medal in his hand, after all. But the medal, a coveted achievement, hangs heavy in his hand, dead weight dragging him down. It brings him no satisfaction. He’s... stuck.

Then he meets Lance McClain, Team Canada's best shot at a gold medal in olympic figure skating. It's no secret that Lance is talented, and he captivates everyone on and off of the ice- Keith included. And it's Lance who convinces Keith to take the biggest risk of life: leave ice hockey to pursue figure skating, with Lance as his guide and partner.

No one said it would be easy.

my notes: Olympic au where Keith is a hockey player and Lance is a figure skater but then Lance convinces Keith to give up hockey for figure skating. Really nicely written, wonderful characterization, and the Klance in it is really sweet. It's just such a fun fic!

it’s you that’s haunting me || perfchan || Keith/Lance || T+ || 37.4k || chs. 6/6 (complete)

Keith is a loner; his interactions with others tend toward clumsy or strained, but he has a persistent enthusiasm for the paranormal. Lance is a recent college grad; caught up in his day-to-day, he wouldn’t call himself unhappy, but suddenly feels that his life lacks direction. When Lance is introduced to Keith’s ghost hunting videos, his interest is piqued and he can’t help but want to tag along. Initially opposed, Keith soon finds himself warming to the company of the living.

A little tongue-in-cheek, a little cliché, and a little bit of a slow burn. A not-too-serious ghost hunting AU.

my notes: i love ghosts/ghost hunting so i was so excited for this and it definitely lived up to my expectations! this was genuinely spooky and a lot of care/detail went into all the haunted settings. plus the klance dynamic in it is perfect, and their banter is so well-written and funny it had me laughing out loud. but they're also so sweet and caring with each other, too. all-around just super fun to read.

All The Way Down || speaks || Keith/Lance || T+ || 39.4k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

“You make it sound like we’re going into battle,” Hunk laughed worriedly on Lance’s other side. “I thought this was like, some kind of carnival.”

A chortle bubbled of out Coran’s throat as he slapped his side in amusement. “Some kind of carnival, he says! What an understatement! Allura, I think it’s high time to show the paladins precisely how and where we’re going to be spending the next three days. After you, Princess.”

A happy, childlike grin rapidly overtook Allura’s regal professionalism, and then a brilliant chink of light shone into the castle hall as she opened the front doors to the mountain they’d landed on twenty minutes ago.

Lance went slack-jawed as his eyes adjusted to the white-blue light of Krossin’s distant neutron star, and he almost stumbled as he and the other paladins followed Allura and Coran out onto the grass to take in the view laid out before them.

This place was a utopia.

my notes: at first glance this sounds like just a fun little "oh the team goes on some trip to a space carnival and wacky shenanigans ensue" but trust me it's much more than that. yes, there are plenty of wacky shenanigans, but also this is quite the emotional rollercoaster (pun intended). the setting, first of all, is super detailed and vivid and so creative. but also the characterization is fantastic and the klance is so well done. (side note: if you like pining lance then man....you gotta read this one.) i actually teared up a couple times reading this. trust me, it's that good.

I know nothing else, I know only this || laallomri || Keith/Lance || T+ || 28k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

“I feel like I’m in a bad teen movie,” Keith says as they creep down the hallway of the base.

“Well, we are sneaking out,” Lance says, “and we’re lying about where you’re gonna be the next few hours. If we really wanted to be accurate I’d have thrown pebbles at your window and you’d have climbed down a tree.”

He’s walking a little ahead of Keith, so he glances back at him, frowning. “If Kolivan’s in charge of the base, does this make him your dad in this scenario?”

“I think he’s too old for that,” Keith says. They round a corner, tiptoe down another hallway. “Maybe he’s the grandpa.”

In which Keith finds time in the midst of defending the universe to live out some of the tropes of a corny teenage romance.

my notes: this fic was so cute and made me smile so much! the humor in it was great and it made me laugh a bunch of times, but also keith and lance are so sweet and earnest with each other in it. also just wanna say hunk is characterized super well in this and there's really great hunk & keith friendship moments as well.

(Don’t) Ghost me || spiritcrimson || Keith/Lance || G || 3.1k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

Here’s the thing: Lance is used to rejection. He’s been rejected plenty, and sure, it stings for a while, but then it fades, and he’s back in the game. Namely, back to swiping through people on Tinder.

But when Lance runs into the guy who ghosted him, and he's been moping over ever since, randomly, at a cafe they were supposed to go to for their date, he realizes the Universe is either sending him a sign, or just mocking him. Knowing Lance's luck, it's probably both.

my notes: binch i love rom-com/meet-cute scenarios so i loved the premise of this and it was so good! keith and lance are both so in-character and adorably/realistically awkward.

say my name (and every color illuminates) || Talking_Bird || Keith/Lance || T+ || 27.8k || chs. 1/1 (complete)

Lance never thought he had a soulmate, but when he finds himself dreaming about a boy on Varadero Beach and in a southwestern desert, he learns they have an incredibly rare soul link–-one that allows them to form an unusually strong bond before they meet, but also exposes their greatest vulnerabilities to each other.

my notes: man, how do i even begin to describe how much i love this fic? it's seriously one of the most beautiful fanfics i've ever read. it's really soft and atmospheric, but it also packs a huge emotional punch. i'm telling you ... it takes a lot to make me cry, but there were several (several!) points in this fic where i literally could not read through the tears streaming from my eyes (some happy tears, some sad tears). what can i say? jessie is a genius and she has absolutely blown me away once again. you gotta read this one because it's absolutely stunning.

my own fics that updated this month:

red skies || Keith/Lance || T+ || 39.1k || chs. 4/?? (incomplete)

Lance doesn't know where he comes from––only that he was found in a forest on a distant planet when he was an infant, with no sign of his origin except a blue talisman around his neck. Nowadays he's content to travel the universe with his best friend Hunk, scavenging and selling goods. But that all changes when a girl named Pidge hitches a ride with them, and in the same day the trio finds a crashed ship carrying nothing but a boy with no memory of who he is ... and a red talisman that matches Lance's.

previously recommended fics // my fics

#vld #voltron #klance #fanfic #fic recs #monthly fic recs 2018 #brigidposts #text #sorry this is a couple days late #i somehow read so much during april lol #my may list will probs be a lot shorter than this one cuz i'm a lot busier now #so....take ur sweet time reading through these haha

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synodicdeicide-a-blog · 6 years

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META: CEDRIC DIGGORY— ON CHO CHANG & THE LAKE

Disclaimer: This meta is on my personal thoughts about Cedric & Cho, but I’m willing to adapt how this affects my portrayal of Cedric when writing with different portrayals of Cho so that things work for both of us !! Please keep that in mind while reading this.

Okay, so I’m going to start this out saying: I don’t think it should have been Cho. If that’s a problem for you, then you can stop reading now.

Here’s how I see it: JKR had to pick someone we knew Cedric was somewhat close to, and that that someone was the girl Harry was interested in? Even better. Plus, she was going to kill off Cedric anyway, so why bother giving him anyone in all of Hogwarts more important to him than someone that was effectively his date to a Winter Formal and two month long girlfriend. I’m going to argue for the sake of my characterization of Cedric, that JKR’s making Cho the person that was taken for the second task was simply because she was writing Harry’s story, and in a lot of ways, Cedric’s entire existence up to and including his death is simply a plot device to that end.

( Also, on a general note, JKR can suck my metaphorical dick. )

Now I can’t give a precise answer on who it should have been, but I can give an accurate one, at least within my portrayal of him. There’s no way that he didn’t have friends who meant the whole world to him. Cedric Diggory is one of the most well-liked guys in all of Hogwarts. He’s not only Prefect, Hufflepuff seeker and team captain, but he excels academically and socially, and he never once brags about any of it. Maybe he would have been Head Boy had he lived to see his seventh year. Shit, we can even infer that he’s the true Hogwarts Champion. Whatever the magical algorithm in the goblet took into account— it chose him. So, he’s one of the most accomplished, most liked students in all of Hogwarts. On top of that, he’s humble. He doesn’t think of himself as one of the “most” anything. What does he see himself as? A student, a teammate. He doesn’t think of himself as popular, even though he probably was and may have been given that label by others. He doesn’t think of himself as popular, but he does think of himself as a friend to many people, and he works hard to do the best he possibly can in every role he’s given by himself or by others including and probably most importantly that role of friend.

He’s genuinely kind; he’s the type of person who would make the time for anyone who needed him regardless of whether it was one of his underclassmen or one of his teammates or someone that’s only an acquaintance. And here’s what matters: I imagine that there’s probably a handful of friends that he would literally die for, whether it’s other Hufflepuff boys in his year, or members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, or younger students he’s taken under his wing as Prefect.

So what’s my point? By his sixth year, Cedric has a lot of friends. A lot. And some of those friends are as close to him as he imagines siblings would be. ( He has no siblings of his own, after all. ) And he has a history of nearly six whole years with some of these friends. And Cho, most interpretations of her at least, is not one of those people. He cared about her, yes, but more than anyone else? Well, no. I’d say it’s probably a stretch to even use the term love or in love for what they had, especially at the time of the second task. Cedric and Cho really didn’t mean much more to each other than a high school romance. And that’s fine for what it is. But it doesn’t make her the most important person in the world to him. It doesn’t even make her the most important person to him in the whole school. It only became more to her after the fact because he died. Had he lived, they wouldn’t have lasted forever. Shit, maybe not even past that summer. In the event he survives the Third Task and the Portkey, he’s got too much shit going on in trying to cope that he wouldn’t be able to give that relationship the attention that most high school romances need just to last a few months. He would have broken it off for both their sakes because it would have been, to him, the fairest thing to do.

And for the record that aftermath is something I’d love to get the chance to explore for what it is. It would have been tough on both of them. And Cedric would not want to drag Cho into all his fucked up bullshit after what happened in the maze and after. It would be a tough breakup and even he would have to struggle with it when he’s never struggled with doing the right thing before. But he truly believes that it is the right thing, that that relationship is not what he needs or can handle, and that it’s not something she could easily handle either.

So, yeah. tl;dr: Cho isn’t the most important person to Cedric. She was simply taken for the second task because she was a named character who we knew meant something to him because of the Yule Ball. Plus, she was Harry’s potential love interest. And Cedric, well, he was gonna die anyway.

#❦ ⦙ CEDRIC DIGGORY. ⇢⇢⇢ headcanon.#❦ ⦙ QUEUE. ⇢⇢⇢ another day another chance to get it right.

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wedontcareaboutyourbinary · 7 years

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hey so this is kinda complicated for me... but i dont feel like im male or female, agender, or anywhere on the spectrum and i feel like a whole other gender entirely! I go as transmasc w he/him pronouns thou bcus i find thats what it feels closest to. I dont want to use 'third gender' either bcus ik thats a cultural thing (im white) and i wouldnt want to appropriate at all, but there doesnt seem to be any other word for it. Im tempted to make my own term but i know nobody will use/understand it

There are a few things that could work for you!

Proxvir is a gender related to masculinity, but is something separate and entirely on its own.

Maverique is a gender characterized by autonomy and inner conviction** regarding a sense of self that is entirely independent of male/masculinity, female/femininity or anything which derives from the two while still being neither without gender nor of a neutral gender.

Neutrosis is a gender identity that feels neutral, null, or genderless. Sometimes used interchangeably with agender, as the two definitions overlap.

Abinary is a term for anyone whose gender is completely unrelated to the gender binary (such as agender, quoigender, maverique or most xenogenders).

Altegender (Pronounced “alt-eh-gender”) is derived from shortening the phrase “alternate existence.” It is a xenogender that feels as though it’s in a parallel dimension, on a different plane, in a mirror universe, or just in an alternate existence.

Anonbinary is a gender that definitely isn’t binary, but is still even outside of nonbinary. Hence using the ‘a’ like in agender.

Anongender is a gender that is unknown to both yourself and others.

Apogender is a gender identity in which one feels not only genderless, but separate from the entire concept of gender.

Aporagender is a gender separate from man/boy, woman/girl, and anything in between while still having a gendered feeling.

Arigender is a complicated gender identity that you cannot explain or is very hard to explain. A gender that does not fit under any labels. An unfathomable gender.

Pomogender is short for “postmodern”, a way for a person to say that they believe the current vocabulary is not quite complex enough (or diverse enough) to accurately describe their own sense of gender identity.

Ectogender is a gender identity that is elusive, constantly out of one's grasp, and/or hard to pin down.

Epicene is an adjective (sometimes substantive) that indicates a lack of gender distinction. The Order of the Epicene website includes a definition of epicene that they credit to the Oxford English Dictionary; ‘that which exhibits characteristics of both (binary) genders, yet is neither’. In linguistics, the adjective “epicene” is used to describe a word that has only one form for both male and female referents. Epicene may also be a non-binary gender identity.

Exgender or Egender is a genderless feeling that is stronger than agender. It is a refusal of the concept of gender, and of any gendered identity.

Existgender is a gender that simply exists.

Gender- or Gender(minus) is a gender which can only be closely described by a certain gender descriptor but doesn't quite fit every aspect of that label. Example: Xe identifies as maverique more than any other gender, but xe does not feel entirely independent of masculinity/femininity, and therefore isn't quite maverique. Xe is maverique-.

Gendereaux is a feeling of being detached from the concept of gender, but simultaneously identifying with or encompassing many nonbinary experiences or identities.

Genderlike is a gender identity that feels similar to, but not precisely, another gender. Can be combined with relevant genders.

Gendernull/Nullgender is being without gender, but it is not agender or neutrois, a term for those to give a “tangibility” to the intangible thing that is their gender. Described by a nullgender individual as thus:"Undefinable, intangible, the uncreation of gender. It's taking everything everyone throws at you, saying male, female, pick one, pick this, pick that, and taking it in, only to expel it, poisonous crystals erupting from your skin, armor against those who don't listen. A 'I don't want a label because labels don't fit but they help shut people up sometimes, so here have a label' gender label. A fall-back plan, a red herring to give people who can't conceptualize the absence, void, nullification of gender. It is, and is not. All and none. Nonexistant but present."

Genderunique is a gender that cannot be described by existing terms, it is very unique and personal. It is more up to interpretation by the individual that identifies with it than anyone else.

Gendervacuous or Vacugender is from the word “vacuum,” to describe the feeling of existing in a space without gender. Similar to egender and quoigender, but not quite the same. The feeling that gender as a concept does not apply to you, or does not fully apply to you. Someone who is vacugender can present in any way that person chooses, and may be okay with being viewed as any gender.

Genderweird is a term used to describe those whose gender cannot be described by any existing label, or cannot be pinned down as such.

Homproche ("om–PROESH"): Near or Approaching Male,” From French homme ‘man’ and proche ‘near.’ A gender expression that is Masculine, despite a gender identity that is not. An identity where one’s gender expression is an integral part of one’s queer experience.Can also be used, in some cases, as a synonym for Proxvir: A gender that is close to or resembles Male but is separate from it. This gender is not inherently Male-Aligned / Solarian, an Homproche can have any alignment.

Ilyagender: Having a tangible presence of gender, one which is not man, woman, neutral, or agender in any way, nor between or a combination or derivation. related: aliagender, aporagender, maverique.

Ningender: Umbrella term for all genders neutral in nature. Not synonymous with nb, because, for example, juxera is nonbinary but it is feminine in nature, not neutral. May simply be used as "nin", ie. "my gender is nin".

Nonpuer/Nonvir: Someone who is not male at all in any way, shape, or form, but feels a strong connection to masculinity within their gender. Nonpuer is the young form and Nonvir is the older form, as, similarly to the term "enby", many find "boy" (puer means boy in Latin) infantilizing.

Novigender: A gender experience too hard to read/process/understand or too complex to pin down to one word.

Preterbinary: Beyond the the gender binary/spectrum of male and female.

Transneutral:A term used to describe transgender people who were assigned male or female at birth, but identify with neutral gendered feelings to a greater extent than with femininity or masculinity. They usually are nonbinary but could be trans men or trans women.

Vexegender/Vexgender: When one’s gender is in the non-binary/agender spectrum, but pinpointing it beyond that is impossible because the individual does not understand the concept of gender.Not to be confused with Gendervex.

Xenogender: A nonbinary gender identity that cannot be contained by human understandings of gender; more concerned with crafting other methods of gender categorization and hierarchy such as those relating to animals, plants, or other creatures/things. It’s mainly an umbrella term for genders with themes such as nouns, archetypes, synesthetic experiences, neurodivergences.

All of the above definitions were taken from here and here unless otherwise noted. If none of these feel right I would recommend checking those links as well! They’ve got a ton of stuff.

#identities #terminology #asks #mod oliver #Anonymous

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i-write-shakespeare-not-disney · 7 years

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Hi there. You can list this under a read more as it's kind of heavy, but I am a bit lost as to what domestic abuse is. I feel like I live in a household that could be characterized as that, but I'm not 100% sure and I don't want to throw the word around. I know our experiences may be different, and I don't want to make it seem like I'm putting an obligation for you to identify my problems, I just want an opinion on this. Is that alright? It's totally fine if it isn't.

Well, I mean everyone’s experience varies in levels. I don’t think mine was the worst case scenario. My uncle saw it with my grandma way worse. But this was my experience:

The things I saw in regards to abuse began with arguments. Shouting, yelling degrading things.

Then the control. My dad once made my mom cry so much, she wanted to leave the house. I remember seeing my dad throw the mattress against the wall and start hitting it. When we got in the car, he ran out after us, and I remember shaking, and my 4 year-old mind thinking “Is he going to kill us?”

He just sat on the hood of the car refusing to let my mom leave. She was just going to get me Burger King so I wouldn’t have to keep watching them fight, but he didn’t want her to leave.

I don’t remember if this was before or after because it was a different house, but I also remember once that my mom was trying to seek refuge in my aunt’s house across the street, and she took me with her. We were barely walking through the garage and I don’t know if he yanked her or what, but I had fallen and hit my chin, and when I stood up, my mom had been dragged back inside. When I went in, he was choking her, lifting her against the wall. I kept screaming, begging him to stop because I thought I was going to lose my mom. I ran to another room, and my abuelita said that I’d seen my mom kick him in the balls, but I remember running away and then both of them running toward me. I wouldn’t let my dad touch me.

There were more fights like that, but then I remember there being a peace period. He’d stopped drinking, he’d gotten a new job. I hadn’t seen them fight in a long time and I thought it was over.

Then it started again. He would leave for days at a time, and he was always getting into arguments with my mom when he was home. Then once, he came home drunk. I remember getting excited because he was finally home from work and trying to open the door for him. But he managed to unlock it first and swung it open, nearly hitting me in the face with it. I remember not realizing anything was wrong until I’d said, “Daddy!” and he’d ignored me. I saw his face. And he kicked a hole in the wall next to the bathroom door and barged in on my mom in the shower, again dragging her out to the room. She managed to get a towel on and she kept arguing back, saying he was only mad because of what she said “on the fucking phone.” And he’d insulted her or something I don’t know but she slapped him.

My dad always wore these large solid gold rings with large square designs of a horse or a horse shoe. They were an inheritance from my grandpa who own a horse racing ranch in Florida (where we were at the time). He was wearing two when he punched my mom in the face.

I heard her head thud against the wall and saw the blood running down her face, and I remember thinking that the whole reason I hadn’t gone to my room like she told me to do before she got in the shower was to protect her and I wasn’t even doing it. I was just staring, crying, screaming.

I remember him yanking out the phone chords when my mom said she’d call the cops, I remember him running after her apologizing, still drunk. I remember sneaking up behind him, getting his phone from his back pocket and running away, telling my mom I’d gotten it, and I had already punched in 9-1-1 and then she said, “Don’t.”

And I think that’s when I realized, there wasn’t going to be an end. Even if every time after she swore we’d go back to Mexico or that we’d get away, we never would.

I don’t remember other moments. At least until he came back to drop off our things in trash bags after telling us he’d cheated on her. That we were going to stay with my gramma in houston instead of going back to Florida with him. And my mom had been crying shoving him, weak because she’d just had my brother.

And just because she’d shoved him, he threw her back and started hitting her again, in front of my aunt, my gramma, me. And I ran outside, screaming, shaking my head because he was leaving this was supposed to stop and it wasn’t. And I fell in the driveway and I screamed at the sky, at God, begging my grandpa to help.

It was the first and only time I tried to run away. Guess how old I was? Eight.

I’d made it to the edge of the road, and I was looking back and forth trying to decide if I should go left or right and how long it would be till I died because I was a little girl and I didn’t know what would happen.

And then I heard people screaming after me, and I ran when I saw my dad, but he caught up and stopped me while my mom cried on the ground and hugged me.

You know, he actually said, “You see? This will just keep happening, that’s why I have to leave.”

People around me noticed that I would freeze or shake whenever people yelled at each other, whether it was my aunt and uncle (married couple) or my gramma and her son, or anything like that.

Not to mention the sexual abuse, but I’d rather not get into that.

I wondered a lot if these memories were accurate because I didn’t understand how I could remember things that vividly, or precisely, how I could relive them when I was between 3-8 when they all happened. But my therapist said that a young mind witnessing traumatic events like that could mean they stay in my memory as PTSD. whereas others block it completely from their mind as if it never happened. That’s what happened to my gramma. She didn’t remember the abuse everyone else saw or knew about.

So yeah. That’s my abuse story. But I was more a witness. I don’t know how my mom felt, and I really want to ask her sometimes, but we’re not really that... close I guess.

#Anonymous

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diverdowns · 7 years

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> Hey! I love your writing, and while I don't normally req matchups, I'd love to see what you come up with! I'm an INFP. Any hobby that I can try - I will try - but really, I prefer indoor ones, like drawing, writing, coding, sewing, reading, cooking.... and so on. I love taking naps and listening to varied music - mostly soothing ones - or reading poetry out loud. Gardening is a bit fun, tho. Since I'm more of a demure person, I try to care for others through actions and listening

> to their problems. I might not be the best at comforting others, but I try to make them know I care and cook them up their favorite food/drinks and try to help them relax. The Cancer sign sums me up, yep. People often tell me I’m super laid-back - and I’m kind of a procratinator - but when it comes down to it I end up seeing that everything’s in order, to the last detail. I always try to handle situations respectfully and logically, keeping my personal opinions to myself at times.

> Gosh, this is the last one, I’m so sorry! I guess other things to mention… I love learning about everything. Mostly about other countries and languages (plurilingual - yay.) I can be a tease and a bit sarcastic at times tho. And I love videogames?? And museums and comics. Aaah I’m sorry for all this word vomit, thank you for getting through it. I hope you have fun doing the matches, best wishes

hey there nonnie! thank you so much for the kind words about my writing — i’m flattered that you think highly of it and i can’t tell you enough how much i appreciate the sentiment!

as for all matchups, a disclaimer: of course, i can’t claim to know everything about anyone just from a brief ask overview, but i promise i’m being honest and trying my best — and i hope you like it! (feel free to let me know how accurate/wildly off i was, i’d love to know!)

my first match for you is jonathan joestar, and my second is bruno buccellati!

head below the cut for my reasoning + some cute hc’s!

jonathan:

this was my first gut reaction after reading your bio for quite a few reasons! i’ll go in order of things you mentioned in your ask.

first things first: it’s generally said that an infp’s so-called “natural partner” in mbti (fancy term for flipping the first and the last letter) is an enfj. nobody in jjba quite exemplifies an enfj as much as jonathan does — this boy is pretty archetypical, and honestly an amazing example of the kind of kind-hearted, loyal partners enfj’s can make. (in my opinion, the infp / enfj dynamic is one of the best “natural partner” relationship dynamics!)

all of your hobbies seem to be things jonathan would, while not partaking in all of them himself, wholeheartedly encourage in a partner! i think that jonathan would definitely be the kind of person to love drifting off to the sound of his s/o reading poetry.

when jonathan’s stressed, he doesn’t need any grand overtures — he wants, most of all, to be able to talk about his problems and to be heard, and it sounds like you’re a good listener! it’s all about the small comforts, for him, and things like quiet care and cooking comfort food is perfect for this boy.

the personality associated with the cancer sign is often characterized as seeking comfort, security, and stability: jonathan is steadfast and loyal, and his unassuming, kind nature would likely mesh well with your respectful and conflict-avoidant nature.

finally, your love of learning is something that’d definitely go well with jonathan’s interests! he’d be very interested in your study of other countries’ cultures and languages — where he studies their past, you study their present! he’d have a blast taking you to museums and gushing about the archeological and anthropological findings, and he’d love that you find them interesting as well.

bruno:

bruno’s my second pick!

(maybe not bruno when he’s still entrenched in the mafia, as a side note. maybe a bruno who’s semi-retired from dangerous passione work, perhaps.)

bruno’s often typed as an isfj, which i agree with. while infj’s and isfj’s aren’t “natural matches,” they’re still on the better side of matches — one of the main conflicts here is the dominant function of ni (introverted intuition) vs si (introferted sensing). generally, the conflicts in these matches come down to a focus on the present vs a focus on the future — ni types tend to be set more on future goals, whereas si types focus more on tangible results in the present. in this case, though, i don’t think either of you would have serious issues with that – while bruno’s realistic, he’s also definitely on the idealistic side of an isfj personality: he has dreams of a better, kinder future, something you both can agree on.

while bruno’s often not at liberty to share exactly what’s on his plate, material comforts definitely go a long way for him — having a meal waiting at home, along with quiet words of understanding and soft music would definitely be his ideal wind down.

bruno’s analytical and precise, and he’d definitely appreciate someone who’s also capable of logical planning! your more soft-spoken, non-confrontational nature might be challenged by his strict moral righteousness and strong opinions on many topics (an isfj trait as well), but i think you’d both learn and grow from talking these things out, as neither of you are the type to get heated with your discussions.

bruno would love your interests, as well! he would be fascinated by your passion for languages, multilingual himself. he’d love to take you around italy and explore classical art museums and galleries with you!

finally, your occasional teasing would definitely be something that entices bruno, and while he’d be initially surprised, it’d definitely be a good surprise, for him!

#jjba matchups #jonathan joestar #bruno buccellati #jojo matchups #matchups #does it show that im a bit of an mbti nerd oops

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