#it's so cruel and heartless that i have to be disciplined and continue to become good at things

[sanguinolencyandscriptitations]

I want to make myself a patchwork quilt this year

#txt #txt post #mine.txt #mine #and finish knitting my socks #sewing #patchwork #sewblr #and finally wrap my head around crochet and make myself a cute pink and white sweater #and book covers and bookmarks #i just wanna spend more time making things #but to do that i need to commit and not give up when im not immediately excellent at things #and that's hard #it's so cruel and heartless that i have to be disciplined and continue to become good at things #maybe it would be easier if i tried to do small things first instead of my first go being something labour intensive and difficult #that'd be wise wouldn't it

[theclockworkmonk]

Desire and Will

This is the most popular fic in my "Aang/Katara Missing Moments" series on AO3. This is the first time I'm posting it to tumblr.

Summary: With Aang still having trouble letting loose with his firebending, Zuko asks an alarming question:

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"

Words: 3,944

Read on AO3

FF.net

*******

Katara was awoken by what was, to her, the scariest sound in the world: the sound of Aang in pain.

"OW!" she heard him cry out, and she wrenched her eyelids open and rolled to face where his voice was coming from. There, she saw Aang still laying on the ground where he had been sleeping, rubbing his backside like it had been kicked. Towering over him, fists clenched and face scowling...was Zuko.

A jolt a fear cut through Katara's still half-asleep mind as she reached over for her bending skin and flicked it open with her thumb. She was ready to fight, ready to—

"You're burning daylight!" Zuko barked at Aang, "Get up! Twenty hot squats, now!"

Katara's sleep fog finally cleared and she remembered why Zuko was here in their camp. She remembered their whole reluctant arrangement to have Zuko teach Aang firebending, and the nerve-wracking few days they had disappeared together and apparently danced with dragons.

Katara groggily collapsed back onto her pillow, too tired to even growl at Zuko that the rest of them didn't have to train to defeat his evil dad, thankyouverymuch, so maybe bark his orders more quietly at absurd hours in the morning.

Aang seemed to be feeling the same way, because he just moaned in response. Zuko squatted down next to Aang and pointed out into the canyon that contained the Western Air Temple, where the sky was already turning blood red.

"You see that? That's sunrise, Avatar. That's the sign of a firebender's inner strength coming to life with a new day." He grabbed Aang by the shoulder and started shaking him, "Can you feel it, Aang? Can you feel your inner fire starting to reignite?"

"No," grunted Aang plainly.

Katara was remembering more now, and becoming more annoyed. Right, what had Zuko said to her at the north pole? "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun?" of course it made perfect sense that on top of being cruel, bloodthirsty monsters, firebenders were also something far worse: morning people. Ugh, did this mean that Aang was also going to be a morning person from now on?

"Well we've got to fix that," said Zuko, and he practically dragged Aang to his feet and started pushing him off towards the courtyard that they used to train, that jutted out from underneath the rock overhang so they were actually in the sun. With their sleeping area quiet again, Katara tried to go back to sleep, but now the knowledge that Aang was off with Zuko, alone, at the other end of the temple was nagging at her brain. It wasn't like she thought Zuko would suddenly attack him or something; she had accepted by now that this wasn't some kind of absurdly elaborate plot against them—mainly because she didn't think Zuko was clever enough to pull off something like that. But still, whenever she thought about Aang with no one around him but Zuko, she found that she...didn't like it.

After a few minutes, she accepted that she wasn't getting any more sleep, so she got herself up and started making her way in the same direction Zuko and Aang had gone. As she was rounding the last corner before the courtyard, she started to hear their voices.

"So if my firebending wakes me up with the sun, and my waterbending keeps me up with the moon, when exactly am I supposed to sleep?"

"You slept for a hundred years, isn't that enough?"

Aang laughed, but Katara recognized it as his uncomfortable laugh. Aang never liked being reminded of all that time he wasn't there for the world, which Zuko would know if he wasn't such a heartless jerk and a terrible teacher. The fact that he barely knew Aang and had no way of knowing what he was uncomfortable with was entirely beside the point.

Katara decided to not announce her presence and instead leaned against one of the stone pillars within the shade of the overhang, while they were out in the increasingly bright morning sun. She was far enough away and in enough shade that they were unlikely to notice her, but if they did happen to look her way then she could plausibly deny she was snooping. She didn't like the idea of leaving Aang alone with Zuko, but she still realized hovering would interfere with them. Aang was always trying to impress her and Zuko was still visibly terrified of her ever since she threatened to kill him the day he joined their team (which she definitely didn't take any pride in).

Aang and Zuko finished their warm-ups and faced a target at the far end of the courtyard, a few wooden logs they had haphazardly nailed together in the vague shape of a human.

"Okay, let's see if that trip to almost get eaten by dragons was worth it," said Zuko, "set your stance..."

Aang positioned himself in a sideways battle stance in opposition to the dummy.

"Now, control your breathing…"

Aang drew in a deep breath and slowly released it.

"Now…STRIKE!"

Aang punched his right first towards the dummy, and a single fireball erupted from his knuckles, traveling about 10 yards to the dummy, briefly engulfing it in flames before dissipating. After the fire and smoke had quickly cleared, Katara saw that the dummy was slightly singed, with a few spots glowing orange for a few seconds before cooling down. Katara could feel the heat of the blast from where she was standing.

Zuko, however, didn't look impressed, "Well that was...certainly better, I guess."

"You guess!?" Aang incredulously asked out loud, and Katara incredulously asked in her head at the same time, "Come on, that was the biggest blast I've ever made!"

"Yeah, and if you were any other novice, we'd call that a really promising start. Heck, you might even be called a prodigy. People would be saying you could become a master in just a few years."

Aang's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"But we don't have a few years, obviously, so sorry, but we need to find a way to fast-track this."

Aang threw his hands in the air, "Well what more can I possibly do!"

Zuko frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well to be honest, I think you're still being too timid and restrained. You're certainly doing a lot better than before our trip, but I still sense a lot of energy in you that you're not letting out."

Aang looked confused and started to get defensive, "Well of course I'm holding a little back, I'm trying to stay in control! Jong Jong said that firebending requires constant discipline or fire will destroy you. He didn't even let me shoot fire, he had me try to stop a bit of fire from growing, and when I didn't listen to him—" Aang managed to cut off his own rambling and managed to take a deep breath and closed his eyes, "that was when I burned Katara."

Zuko's face cycled through several different expressions as a lot of things suddenly started making sense.

"...Oh," was the only thing he could say.

Aang continued, "I hated that version of myself, even more than when I've gone into the Avatar State. After that, I promised myself I would never firebend at all!"

Katara tried to keep track of all the different emotions she was feeling. She was touched by the fact that Aang cared about her so much that the memory of hurting her still got him to be this upset, annoyed at him for being this worked up over something that happened months ago, she had long since forgiven, and was really not important in the context of their mission, and guilty that her getting hurt and the way she reacted had caused him this much heartache, even while she knew that she hadn't really done anything wrong.

Zuko sighed, raised his hand, and after a few seconds of hesitation, lightly patted Aang's shoulder in the most awkward, panicked "there-there" gesture Katara had ever seen.

"Look Aang," said Zuko, "I can't speak to what this 'Jong Jong' guy taught you. Maybe his way is better, I don't know, but it sounds like it takes a lot longer, and we don't have the luxury of being patient and deliberate about this."

He pulled on Aang's shoulder and turned him around so he would stop looking at his feet in self-pity and look his teacher in the face again, "The people of the world don't need their Avatar to be a wizened sage right now, they need a stick of dynamite."

Zuko took a few steps away and tried his best to pretend to be a wizened sage himself, "I can only teach you how I was taught, and I was taught that even when it's not fuelled by anger and rage, all firebending is still fuelled by strong emotion. When teaching me about the elements, my uncle said—let's see if I can get this right…"

He started rubbing his hand on an invisible large belly, stroking an invisible beard, and speaking in an old man's raspy voice in his best impersonation of his uncle.

"Fire is the element of Power. The people of the Fire Nation have Desire and Will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

Aang chuckled at the impression, his mood clearly improving, while Zuko looked really impressed with himself. Katara wouldn't have been surprised to learn that this was the first time in his life the dour prince had made someone laugh.

"See what I mean? Remember what we learned with the dragons. Fire is Life. And passion for life is what fuels firebending. You need to stop thinking like a monk and use your passion."

Aang didn't look frustrated or dejected anymore, but he did look puzzled.

"Um...okay," Aang said, thoughtfully scratching his head, "How am I supposed to do that?"

Now it was Zuko's turn to get frustrated. He hadn't anticipated one of his jobs as a teacher being having to explain how to feel things to this guy. That was something he was not qualified for.

"I don't know," said Zuko, not hiding the annoyance in his voice, "just think about it. Try to recreate those emotions when you're channeling your energy for your bending, and it might make your firebending more powerful. Hasn't there ever been something you...desired? Coveted, even? Something that you needed to have or to win more than anything?"

Katara almost laughed out loud, boy are you barking up the wrong tree.

Aang spent a few seconds earnestly considering Zuko's question, "I don't think so. My people believed that worldly material possessions were meaningless, and attachment to them was the source of suffering. We didn't really have anything beyond what we needed and a few toys that we shared. I played games with all my friends, but I didn't really care much if I won, I just tried to make sure everybody had fun."

Katara was grinning at what an unbelievable dork the mighty savior of the world was.

Zuko, however, groaned and dragged both hands down his face, "Yeah, of course you did." It seemed to Katara that this was the first time Zuko was having to relate to someone who was actually a good person.

Aang just shrugged at Zuko's exasperation, "Sorry, hotman."

"Stop calling me that!" Zuko thought for several more seconds before his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers with an idea, but then immediately looked like he regretted having the idea, and started looking deeply uncomfortable.

"Hey...can I ask you a personal question? It's going to sound weird and unrelated, but just trust me, okay?"

Aang raised an eyebrow, "Uh….sure?"

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"

Aang's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, his face turning bright pink, and Katara's heart seemed to stop in its tracks.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aang finally found his voice again, but all he could manage was a weak, "Uh...what?"

"Just bear with me for a second," pressed Zuko.

"Um," Aang squeaked, "Yes. Yes I have." and his face moved past pink into deep scarlet.

"Okay," breathed Zuko, "Now, I know I'm sounding like a gossiping school girl, but I promise I'm going somewhere with this. Ugh."

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, like this conversation was physically painful. "Tell me about your first kiss," he finished in a too-deep voice, very transparently overcompensating.

Katara was positively screaming inside her own head, No Aang, do not, under ANY circumstances, tell him about your first kiss.

She felt like her heart and stomach had completely removed from her body. She refused to believe that these were the circumstances where The Incident between she and Aang was finally getting verbalized. Aang hadn't even bothered to talk to her about it yet, there was no way he was going to spill it all to Zuko. The fact that the main reason Aang hadn't talked to her about it was the fact that she had been avoiding him non-stop was entirely beside the point.

Katara started running through a hundred scenarios to try to find some way to stop this conversation. Should she rush in and pretend to be sick? Say that they're under attack? Just stay hidden and bloodbend them both unconscious? But before she could decide on one, to her horror, Aang started talking.

"Well," Aang began, his cheeks still red, "it was back at the Southern Air Temple—"

All of Katara's panic seemed to instantly vanish and be replaced with confusion.

Wait, what? Why is he telling him that? Katara thought, We barely knew each other at the Southern Temple….Does he THINK we kissed at the Southern Temple? I guess that would explain a lot. Did he hallucinate or something while in the Avatar State—

"—and she was part of a visiting caravan."

….Oh.

Oh.

"We got along really well while she was there, she was really good at all of my favorite games, and while we were saying goodbye she just kissed me."

OH.

"By the time I realized what was going on, she just giggled and jumped up on her bison."

Katara was simultaneously feeling unbelievable relief that her big secret wasn't being talked about and unbelievable white-hot fury at Aang. She had just spent several weeks believing that her first kiss had also been Aang's, and now she finds out that she's just the latest? Latest of how many? Exactly how friendly had he gotten with those fangirls on Kyoshi Island? She was two years older than him, by all rights she should be on at least equal footing with him in this mess between them, who gave him permission to have more experience with kissing than her? The fact that he had never once told her that he had never kissed a girl before was entirely beside the point.

But Katara cycled through all these thoughts in just a split second before calming herself down and realizing that she had no reason to care about this. What did it matter if Aang had kissed some girl a hundred years ago? It's not like she thought of Aang that way. Aang had clearly just misunderstood her platonic affections. It's not like she had ever seriously thought about kissing him (especially not during some of the more recent times she had kissed him on the cheek). In fact, she doubted that even he had given any serious thought to kissing. He just had a little crush and the intensity of the moment got to his head. So this is fine.

It's fine.

Seriously, it's fine.

It's completely fine. Whatever she was feeling certainly wasn't jeal—

"Wait, she kissed you?" Zuko interrupted Aang's rambling and yanked Katara back to reality, "I asked you if you had ever kissed a girl."

"Well you also asked me to tell you about my first kiss!" Aang yelled with his hands in the air, frustrated again, "Which one is it!" He was clearly angry that in his panic he had revealed an embarrassing story for no reason.

Zuko put his palms up defensively, "Okay, okay, sorry, bad wording on my part. So, to clarify: have you ever kissed someone else? Have you ever been the one to take the initiative?"

Katara's heart started racing again. Why couldn't Zuko get distracted and drop this?

"Um…" Aang's face had been red before, but now all the color seemed to drain from it and he looked like a ghost, "...yes. But I don't think dwelling on that will help fix my problem. In fact, it's kind of a downer, actually."

"Why, was she an airbender too?" Zuko asked. He supposed dwelling on a girl he had feelings for that had been killed a hundred years ago would be counterproductive in fueling Aang's inner fire.

Despite how angry she had gotten at Aang's kissing experience, Katara now found herself hoping this girl was another airbender.

"No," Aang responded, rubbing the back of his neck, "this was after I came out of the ice. Pretty recent, in fact…"

No such luck.

"Okay, so what's the problem?" asked Zuko.

"Well...it didn't exactly work out well for me. She didn't really kiss me back."

Katara scowled, well that's not fair, she thought with more than a little bitterness. It's not like she had a chance to. You're not allowed to act upset if someone doesn't kiss you back when you spring a kiss on them with no warning and then fly away before they even know what's going on. If he hadn't been so dramatic and used his actual words then she would have—

Katara let out a gasp of fear at where her train of thought was leading her. She would have….what, exactly? If she had known the kiss was coming ahead of time, what would she have done? Let him down easy? Told him to focus on the mission? Thrown him into the ocean?...or would she have kissed him back?

No.

Well…

Certainly not.

Maybe?

Perhaps if they tried again wow where did THAT thought come from?

Meanwhile, back in reality, Zuko was waving away Aang's concerns, "That doesn't matter. Don't think about anything that happened afterward. Just bring yourself back to that one moment, where you overcame caution and went after what you wanted. Set your stance."

Aang faced the dummy and resumed his fighting stance.

Katara couldn't help but inch a little closer away from her "hiding" spot. Now that Zuko had stopped pressing Aang for details and was doing his job, she felt like she could observe with a nervous curiosity instead of outright panic.

"Now," instructed Zuko, "take a deep breath, close your eyes, and picture this girl, how she looked in that moment."

Aang's eyes closed and drew in a breath.

Katara swallowed hard. At this moment, there was no more uncertainty about Aang. He was thinking about her, in that way, right now. And that knowledge made her hold her breath and made her face get a little warm.

"Try to remember how you felt immediately beforehand. How she made you feel. Try to recreate how your heartbeat was affected. It's starting to get faster and harder. How your breathing changed—remember, it's your breath that creates energy in the body for firebending. Yours is getting shallower and more intense. Remember how your stomach muscles reacted. They're tensing in anticipation. Now, in your mind's eye, make your move and kiss her, and at the same time….STRIKE!"

Aang punched his right fist towards the dummy, and his hand exploded.

There was no whoosh like with the previous fireball, but a roar as a conical wave of fire erupted from Aang's knuckles, completely enveloping the dummy 10 yards away and continuing onward to blast past the outer railing of the stone courtyard into the vast expanse of the canyon. And to Katara's alarm, it kept going. It wasn't a single blast but a continuous, monstrous stream of fire easily 15 feet wide at its biggest and so hot that Katara had to turn away and shield her eyes.

Several seconds later, the flames finally died down and Aang blinked his eyes open, looking equal parts proud and terrified of himself. The wooden dummy….did not exist anymore. There was no way to tell if Aang had burned it to ashes or simply blasted it backwards into the canyon. The previously white stones that made up the part of the courtyard that had been in front of Aang were now blackened and cracked.

Zuko had reflexively thrown up his arms to shield his face, stumbling backward. He was still sitting on the ground, eyes widened to the size of Appa's, and his mouth hanging open in shock. He sat there for several more silent seconds until Aang gave an awkward cough, then his face split into the biggest grin Katara had ever seen on him and he started cackling with delirious relief and excitement.

"All right!" Zuko exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" he loudly clapped his hand on Aang's back, who had returned to looking embarrassed.

"No, don't you clam up again," warned Zuko, "hold onto that feeling. Come on, I'll show you how to make a flame whip."

Katara slinked backward away from her pillar and began a very undignified scurry back to their sleeping area. The fire had long since dissipated, but her face still felt hot and flustered, and her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. Her mind was filled up by the same three words, repeating over and over again:

I did that.

Thinking about her made Aang able to do that. She could no longer simplify things by telling herself that this was just a confusing crush he had let get to his head. For most of the time she had known Aang, the thought that he would have any….desires like that for anyone simply didn't compute for her. He was too selfless, too kind, too pure. He was a monk for crying out loud.

But what she just saw Zuko coax out of her sweet, innocent friend was….not pure. Had he had this inside of him the entire time? And what brought this out of him was thinking about her. Thinking about kissing her. As much as she tried to deny it, when she thought about this power she had over him….she liked it. She was now able to see Aang in a new light, and at least consider the possibility of being more than friends with him.

But she still fought against it, because that realization was absolutely terrifying.

Katara shook her head and splashed some of her bending water on her face. She resolved to keep doing what she had been doing: focusing on their mission. She could sort out all this confusion when the war was over.

Although….

If the goal was to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord and end the war, then naturally they all had an obligation to assist Aang with his bending in any way they could, right? So she supposed it couldn't hurt to give Aang the occasional extra-tight hug now and then. Purely for training purposes, of course.

After all, she thought with a slight smirk as she arrived back at camp, everyone else still sound asleep, what kind of teacher would I be if I didn't give my student the attention he needed?

#kataang #aang x katara #katara and aang #avatar aang #aang #katara #zuko #avatar #avatar: the last airbender #avatar: tla #atla #atla fanfic #missing scene #one shot #feelings #tsundere #avatar fanfiction

[tomboyjessie13-artblog]

Dimitri Achilles, regarded as The Second Dealer, is a greedy Peddler from Traverse Town. He lost his heart in the wake of the Heartless attack and was reborn as a Nobody. He would later become involved in numerous incidents and conflicts regarding Organization XIII's Project; "[Project: Pere Noel]", though he nearly lost his lively hood as a candidate due to his illegal dealings and philandering. After graduation, however, he later entered the Organization as their 19th Member, Xidirmit, the Avaricious Peddler.

~Information Bio~ Name(English Translation): Dimitri Achilles Hiragana: ディミトリ=アキレス Romaji: Dimitori=Akiresu Other Names: Playboy/Pureibōi(By Xigbar and Neashi), Pig-dog/Tonken(by Brigitte), The Second Dealer(Pere Noel's code name), Number XIX Xidirmit(Nobody name and rank), The Avaricious Peddler(Organization title).

Age: 20(358/2 Days), 21(KH2 and onward) Gender: Male Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual Race: Caucasian Hair Color: White Eye Color: Green Weapon: Meteor Hammer Element: Crystal Lesser Nobodies: Monk

Occupation: Human(Formerly), Nobody/Vessel(Currently) Affiliations: Traverse Town(Place of birth;Formally), Twilight Town(Formally), The World that Never Was(Currently), *The Pere Noel Project(Graduated), Organization XIII(Currently).

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Inspiration: Milky Eights, Kaspar Blankenheim, Man from the Curiosity Shop, and Gogo Yubari

~Dimitri's Theme~ The Dreamy Stage(Casinopolis)

~Headcanon voices~ Japanese: Ono Daisuke English: Troy Baker

==============================================================

~Personality and Traits~ "Don't be such a Munny pincher, you miser! 200!" "Well, why don't I just offer you even less? And y'know, this is the Moogle Shop's! How 'bout if I tell 'em all about you?" -Dimitri blackmailing Neashi over the price of stolen Moogle Shop merch.

Dimitri was a selfish, conniving, and hedonistic man. Since childhood, however, Dimitri was like most average boys in their youth until his parent's divorce. Having to lose a mother figure at a young age caused him to develop a Don Juan Complex, thus taking on relationships with multiple women to fill the void his mother had failed to fill during his teenhood. After becoming a Nobody, he took on relationships for the sake of feeling the emotions that he lost rather than to fill his complex, this eventually caused him to be consumed by his own eroticism, and many people to accused him of misogyny. 

Continuing into adulthood, Dimitri lived largely for his pleasure and tastes. He thus partook in illegal activities in [Project: Pere Noel] to fund his addictions, even monopolizing the black market against the Organization's wishes for himself and arguing with his Superiors about his activities when confronted. He similarly thought nothing of selling his own teammates' possessions and even Sora's Keyblade for money. Likewise, Dimitri will act chummy with his customers, but has no qualms about rudely turning away business that he does not want. He also seems to have a distrust in children as well, as he is worried that they'll break something valuable for his business. When it comes to dealing with his providers or teammates, he will even resort to threats or lower his purchase price to maintain his illusion of control.

Dimitri put up a polite front when the situation necessitated it, being able to make a select few friendships such as his bond with Xigbar and being capable of romancing multiple women even from a young age. Though able to form such relationships, Dimitri was only loyal to himself and looked after his needs before others'. Shameless in his mistreatment of Neashi and Nemu, treating them with disdain and disrespect, Dimitri displayed no concern for others' opinions and had no worries over potential consequences for his actions. However, he is seen to be very fearful of Lord Xemnas, as he is very much aware of how powerful he is in status and abilities, and is afraid of being executed by said Lord if his illegal activities were discovered.

Outside of the Project and the Organization, he enjoys Video Games, Jazz music, smoking, drinking, pranking, relaxing, and socializing.

==============================================================

Skills and Talents

After becoming Second Dealer, Dimitri became very successful in making illegal transactions within the black market and obtained products from different worlds for himself and his clients, albeit gets his employees and Neashi to do his dirty work. Aside from his apparent popularity as a provider of stolen goods, Dimitri was proficient with wielding the meteor hammer despite the dangers of wielding the chain bound weapon. Having used it to defend him self and attack foes from a far away distance, making hard for humans and Heartless to get close to him, it's also suggested that he strangles his foes with said weapon as well. He also has a circular blade built in the weapon.

When is comes to magic, he can manipulate crystals and stones, he also has the ability to force crystals out of the ground before shattering it, leaving the pieces to fly around and damage the enemy, similar to Lexaeus with his Earth element. Naturally, as a Nobody and later a Organization member, Dimitri can command the lesser Nobodies and use Dark Corridors at will. ==============================================================

Character Connections

Xigbar/Fourth Shadow: Dimitri's Mentor from the Pere Noel Project and later his partner. For the most part, they're practically like brothers, to him Xigbar's fun to be around with, especially when it comes to trolling poor Neashi. On certain occasions, however, they do have a few disagreements, one of them includes a few times where Dimitri's doing things he's not supposed to, like selling things needed for the Organization to the black market for personal profit. Neashi: One of his underpaid employees and and later one of his partners for the Pere Noel Project. Their relationship is nothing but sour as he hired her as a way to require rare items to sell at the black market and was very cruel to her doing so, often threatening her with blackmail if she tried getting a raise for making her do his dirty work. They were both surprised when they discovered that both of them are in the Project together, both being monitored by Xigbar as Second Dealer and Fifth Pierrot, and even worse being relocated to her apartment as a way to keep an eye on him. He ended up taking up the second bedroom much to her chagrin because she uses that room as a Art Studio.

Nemu: His partner for the Pere Noel Project and later his youngest neighbor, he was quite surprised to learn that someone their age was part of the Project as its Third Sleep Bringer, also being monitored by Xigbar. Like Neashi, he only sees them as a way to get his business flowing and was cruel doing so. He also expresses annoyance with their mutism and doesn't allow Nemu near his products as he's afraid of children breaking anything valuable for his business.

Brigitte: One of his partners from the Project. Despite his shameless philandering, he does has a particular attraction to Brigitte out of all his women, often trying to wow her only to be met with rejection due to his personalty, and being called a pig-dog in the process. At one point she turned him into a literal pig-dog hybrid to get her point across.

Xaldin: The 3rd Member of Organization XIII and later his partner, Dimitri is practically scared to death by this man, especially with all those lances he carries, thinking that one day that he'll get killed by one or all six of them. He also gets disciplined by the Lancer whenever he does something stupid or illegal, Xaldin takes pleasure in trying to break him as he thrives in others feeling despair, that and he wants him to be respectful to the Organization and their rules. Like with Xemnas, his hands get clammy when around his presence.

Sora: An Islander from the Destiny Islands and a Keyblade Wielder, he first met the boy in his shop in Traverse Town. While he told him to leave his shop due to his young age, he became interested in his Keyblade, thinking that he could sell it for a high price. However, Sora quickly saw through his ruse as the Keyblade retracted to the boy and left.

Character Trivia ~His weapon is the exact same meteor hammer used by Gogo Yubari from Kill Bill Vol.1 ~He was intentionally made to be unlikable, or at the very least a hate-sink character. ~Pere Noel is French for "Father Christmas" or "Santa Clause", the program is based on the fictional criminal organization under the same name from the Evillious Chronicles during the Sloth/Pierrot and Greed/Wrath arcs.

#artwork #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts oc #oc #character profile

[the-nysh]

To Stand and be Strong...

While Garou’s words vs actions may often be contradictory (for example, how he often ends up doing the opposite of what he says he’s gonna do, much to his chagrin when he can’t properly follow through with his monster plans), there’s one thing I can certainly applaud him for always adhering to no matter what, where he consistently pulls through practicing precisely what he preaches, and that’s his repeated, personal mantra to ‘stand up.’ To stand up and be strong.

All you have to do is be strong. If you can’t stand on your own, don’t expect someone to come and save you! It’s situations like this you need to be strong for!

The words he tells Tareo AND (with consistent parallels) later expects from the beaten S Class heroes to show him too:

BECAUSE…for this whole time, to even get himself this far, he’s pushed forward demanding those same expectations from himself.

Every time...no matter how tough it gets, how hard he’s beaten, or even despite suffering repeated lethal injuries, he still manages to stand up.

Bang (to Bomb): If you were to suffer such injury…would you still be able to stand?

Amazingly, he rises and does exactly what he says/tells others to do too, but by defiantly sticking to his guns (expecting the most from himself here) and absolutely refusing to back down or lose. During these moments he’s got no one but himself to rely on for a rousing pep talk (and it’s probably been this way for years ever since he strove on his own to become stronger ;.;). So whenever he’s pushed down, backed into a corner, or staggering on the verge of dying losing consciousness, he tells – no, forces himself to get back up again.  

Gyoro Gyoro: This determination of yours, where does it come from?

Demonstrating that kind of consistent resolve, dedication, endurance, and unwavering tenacity is certainly impressive. But most of all, it’s because the bigger reason he’s fighting for (which goes way beyond monsters) is too important for him to give up and die here.

So in the end...did I want to die like this? (No way!)

By continuing this way, he’s hardest on himself to keep going in these desperate moments, but that determination’s kept him on his feet despite every hardship endured. He can’t afford to end things here, so he pushes forward, mentally berating telling himself to be stronger each time, and resolves to stand up no matter what. Even if he can’t always follow through with his monster plans in comparison (cannot actually kill anyone except monsters as he claims), it’s this area instead where his consistency and grit really shine.

Additionally, this same mantra to ‘stand up’ was established in Goketsu vs Suiryu too...but with a huge glaring difference.

Goketsu: Stand up...and show some grit...within three seconds.

Suiryu: This is...inhumane! He truly is...a monster!

While this situation feels like a prelude of what to expect from Garou later, unlike what he does, Goketsu’s method is clinically cruel, cold-blooded torture. Designed to break his victim’s lingering spirit to resist. (Poor Suiryu...) Detached and heartless, beating them when they’re already down...just like what a monster would do. (And just as Suiryu puts it, he’s inhumane.) Perhaps there’s similar roots in their discipline as martial artists, but in contrast, Garou is definitely not like this (the biggest distinction: he’s not monstrous because his heart’s still human).

Jump forward to what Garou similarly demands from the S Class later in the webcomic, and his method to get them to stand is instead a test where he gives them ample time to rise to his challenge. (“If heroes have a reason for existing, now’s the time to show me.”) He’s goading and disciplining them to properly stand up and step forward with the same amount of determination (or greater, after all, they’re supposed to be heroes) that he’s required from himself this whole time. He wants to see what rouses their heroic spirit what they’ve got.

(^Just not...with that kind of determination. Heroes no, don’t fight like that.) Because surely, if he’s come this far, enduring the worst and forcing himself to stand up with a reason to keep on fighting, then those who call themselves heroes must also have what it takes to rise and match him with their own. Oh wait, but what if they can’t? All the more reason why he feels (his) ideal version of a hero needs to properly stand up and become stronger too.

#opm #garou #meta #manga spoilers #webcomic spoilers #long post #kind of an off-shoot to the 'will to power' stuff...and oh yeah definitely garou's got his own version of 'fighting spirit' too #but seeing goketsu animated reminded me of what garou's gone thru this WHOLE time #and how much he's consistently pulled through doing exactly what he says (in THIS area) rather than when he's contradictory #totally feels like a back and forth of the 'you're doing amazing sweetie' #to screaming YOU CAN STILL BECOME THE IDEAL HERO you've always wanted to be! ;A; #he totally has what it takes to Stand Up to those challenges...he's just never realized/believed he was allowed to choose that role :')

[manjehaal]

Ignite the Stars: Chapter 6

Read on A03

Adrien didn’t like being back to his usual self. Him, the farmer boy, with his cuts and his bruises that were hidden when he donned the mask. Now he looked like that frail boy who couldn’t hold his own against the monsters without the help of Laure. Like the insignificant child that was thrown around in school by the older students, relying on the aid of Nino to get him through. Like that little kid, scared to reveal his unique abilities and strangeness to his own family, in fear that they would shun him for not being the commoners that they wanted him to mimic.

When he merged with Plagg, he had a chance to embrace those things that made him strange and powerful, feeling for the first time in his life that they weren’t bad. That they weren’t abnormal, but that they were just special.

Plagg was nestled on his shoulder, vibrating on his collar bone. Not transforming his meek body, but keeping close. Attached to Adrien just as Adrien was attached to him. Finding safety in the warmth of a pitiful human.

“Plagg doesn’t usually accept just any holder, not without putting up a fight at least,” she told him, motioning to the kwami sitting on Adrien’s robed shoulder. “I’ve tried to interact with him over the years but he’s not as trusting as the other kwami.”

“Is there a reason?” Adrien asked, scooping Plagg into his hand and setting the sleeping creature on his lap.

She sighed, and there was a sad quirk of her lips. “Perhaps he still isn’t over the loss of his previous holder.”

“My father?” Adrien asked, not needing to ask.

It must have been a horrible loss. For Laure, sure. From the things she had said, it seemed her and Adrien’s father, Gabriel, had once been close. Closer than siblings even. An unstoppable and formidable pair.

But to have a companion such as this, a kwami, must have been much deeper of a companionship. Adrien could already see it, at the weight of the small body on his leg, how that bond could be. How to constantly have another being beside you, and then transform and become a part of you regularly, could be difficult to let go of.

If Adrien was lucky, he hoped perhaps he could remind Plagg of his time with his previous holder and earn his trust.

“Your father,” she confirmed, looking at the ring on Adrien’s finger.

Sensing the tension of the room, Adrien changed the topic. “Do you have a Miraculous?”

She shook her head. “As I’ve said, being gifted a Miraculous is very rare, especially during the time of the Jedi Order. A Jedi had to exhibit a great deal of strength and discipline to even be considered. And then, the masters of the Jedi council would correspond and vote on the proposition. After that, it would be up to the kwami to decide if they would accept their proposed guardian.”

Adrien reached to touch Plagg’s velvet back, running his thumb over the creature affectionately, wondering if Plagg wanted him as his holder or if he got privileges for being his past holder's son.

“Everything has changed, Adrien. The old ways have long passed. Plagg will not allow me to use his power, but he trusts me. He trusts me because your father trusted me. And so, he trusts that I have chosen well when I decided on you. Eventually, Plagg will decide if he accepts you or not. Until then, he will go with you. Stay loyal to him and he will stay loyal to you.”

Adrien responded with a firm nod, knowing loyalty came easy for him. And it was safe to say that he was already attached to the kwami. He wanted more than anything to be liked and accepted by him, basking in the thought of the freedom and life that the kwami could give him, but also being drawn to the little creature, wanting to be his friend and hold onto him.

He cared for Plagg. Just as he cared for Artoo and Threepio. Just as he cared for Laure. Just as he cared for the girl in the hologram. Call it a character flaw perhaps, that Adrien could trust and care so easily, but Adrien couldn’t help it.

“He has never let his guard down like that for me. You should be honored.”

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Caline Bustier had stood in her home, blinking at the flash of green light that had pierced the room. It was unfamiliar to her, to see a kwami appear before her eyes, unlike Gabriel, who must have woken up to this sight each morning.

Plagg dropped forward, resting his tiny head in the palm of her hand, not sparing her a second’s glance.

“I’m sorry to wake you,” she told him, reaching for a slice of camembert to offer the kwami, as a peace offering, perhaps. “I know how much you hate the suns.”

The suns were risen now, at the strength of the day, warming up the hut through the fraying curtain by the entrance. It was a shock he remained still, since last time she had exposed Plagg to the blistering suns of Tatooine, he had lodged himself behind her bookshelf, not reappearing until well into the late night. Even then, he wouldn’t unpeel his eyes all the way and hardly had looked at her.

This time he responded with a slight huff, but no more. He waited, arms crossed, ready for whatever Caline would demand of him. He looked like a puppet, just hovering there like he was tied to a string, with glazed over eyes, and a sagging body. He seemed almost depressed. She had never even considered that a kwami could be depressed.

“Who’s the kid?”

“His name is Adrien,” she told him, offering another small piece of cheese. “Adrien Agreste.”

Plagg’s eyes sparked at the name Agreste, but then his entire expression soured. He had been clear since Gabriel’s fall that he would never offer himself to another guardian again, despite what the remaining members of the council suggested. Plagg resented Caline for leaving his kitten on Mustafar like that to die, protesting that the transformation would have saved him.

Perhaps it was cruel to not tell him that Gabriel has survived the accident, but it was possibly crueler to tell him the truth. Plagg put up a bold face, but she knew the truth would break his heart. She knew that he might even seek him out and try to talk some sense into his stray kitten. Herself, and the entire council, had agreed that they couldn’t have that.

Over the years, Plagg has warmed up to her presence slightly, but that didn’t always keep the heat from Plagg’s cataclysmic eyes, accusing her the most heartless of crimes.

My kitten was dying and you tore me away!

In time, Plagg grew slightly less calloused over the issue, but Caline knew she had to tread lightly. The idea of replacing a kitten never sat well with Plagg whenever he had to do it. This time it felt even more wrong.

The only reason he considered Caline’s offer was due to the boy’s last name.

The name Agreste was a double-edged sword for Plagg. While it pointed to years of war on the side of a good guardian, with a warm heart and unique conviction, it also pointed to those last few days of the war, when Gabriel’s heart turned cold and Plagg was betrayed as viciously as Emilie had been.

“He has passed every test, Plagg. He’s strong. He’s a perfect match.”

The kwami rested on the table, handing her a face that spoke a sigh. “So was Gabriel.”

“Adrien’s different,” she told him, offering another piece of cheese, which Plagg refused to her utmost shock. Yet, she continued. “He’s soft-spoken, selfless, and he doesn’t seek out conflict. He has everything Gabriel had but he knows how to hold back. He knows how to put out the flame before he burns down the entire village.”

“So he’s boring!” Plagg mewled, shooting away with the cheese Caline had left him.

“Plagg!” she retorted, marching after the kwami. “I’m saying that he has restraint. He has rage and he has the capacity to harness your destructive power and use it effectively, but he knows when to stop.”

The kwami hardly listened, but she went on.

“Look, I know you feel that I failed Gabriel.”

“Because you did.”

“But trust me on this, Adrien is our only hope. Please, go see for yourself. Go test him as I have.”

The kwami stared away for a moment, thoughtfully eating away at his cheese. Then he sighed loudly, shrinking onto the corner he was nestled in.

“Fine.”

           '

           *          .

                  *       '

             *                *

Plagg liked the fiery ones, even if he shouldn’t. The trouble they caused would fill him with pleasure. He was thrilled by the ugly trail of destruction left in their wake. It was as if Plagg was fulfilling the calling of his purpose. It was no wonder that so many of his kittens had fallen in some way. It was no question that the personality capable of harnessing the Cat Miraculous clashed heavily with the personality required to be a Jedi Knight. So often, his holders would either not fit the role and bore the kwami to death, or be influenced to break through the boundaries of the Jedi all together. Plagg always had more fun with the latter, even if their bond was shorter-lived. Most of them didn’t fall dark, but walked away from the Order. He often wondered if the Jedi would give out the Cat just to see if they should trust a Jedi or not. Just to weed out the bad ones early. It came as no shock that none of his holders were well-favored by the higher ranking Jedi Masters.

The point being, Plagg had to be sure he balanced out his chosen, and the same went for young Adrien. A little too much fire and Plagg may be assisting in a massacre. Not enough fire and Plagg may be bored out of his mind and want nothing more than to leave.

And then came the issue of the Ladybug.

It was a common tradition that they chose the Ladybug and the Cat around the same time, to be sure the sides don’t clash but complement each other. Gabriel’s Ladybug had complimented him well, but she had an early departure. Plagg was well aware that her death had been one of the catalysts that had caused Gabriel's fall. She had been like a little sister to him and he had never been the same.

As for this Adrien character, Plagg had to ignore tradition. Pairing him with a Ladybug would be a hopeful guess this time, but if they didn’t get it right there would be no one to bring the galaxy back in balance. There would be no one left to liberate the Jedi Knights.

So begrudgingly, he let his body rest on the sill of Adrien’s bedroom window, willing himself to listen and give the kid a chance.

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Adrien removed his eyes from his sleeping kwami and focused them on the Artoo unit instead. It became easy in all the commotion to forget why he had needed to speak with Laure in the first place.

However, something still itched at him from Laure’s stories of The Clone Wars and the way she had sadly spoken of the rise of the Empire. And the Jedi knights, such as his father. He couldn’t hold the question back.

“How did my father die?”

An uneasy expression passed over her face, and for a moment, she looked like she wouldn't tell him, but just as he let the tension drain from his shoulders, Laure rose her face to speak.

“A Jedi named Darth Papillion aided the Empire by hunting down and murdering the remaining Jedi Knights,” she told him, her eyes not meeting his. “He betrayed and then murdered your father. “

Adrien looked down, overwhelmed at the thought of his father dying in such a horrible way. He had always assumed, as a dealer of spice, that his father perished in some sort of collision or accident, or killed for failing to pay a debt. Knowing that this Darth Papillion was responsible for targeting his father put the whole loss in a new perspective. He couldn’t help but be filled with fury at the thought.

“The Jedi are now close to extinct. Papillion, or well known as Lord Hawkmoth…”

“The Emperor,” Adrien stated, eyes alight with fury.

“Indeed,” she said, not wishing to spark his anger further but understanding Adrien needed to know the risks of the darkness. “Papillion was seduced by the dark side of the force.”

“The Force?” Adrien asked.

She smiled, happy that he asked. “The Force gives the Jedi their power. An energy field created by all living things. It's everywhere. In you and in me. In your friends and family. In Plagg. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It holds the galaxy together.”

“And the miraculous?”

“The miraculous were discovered by the Jedi years ago. Most Jedi are not granted a miraculous, but those that are, are giving them for a purpose. While the Force gives power, the Miraculous extend that power. Only the most highly ranked Jedi Guardians possess them. They are meant to keep the force in balance. Such as yours, that harnesses the power of destruction. Another Miraculous is its counterpart, that possesses the power of creation. The two must balance each other out.”

“But Laure, I’m not a highly ranked Jedi Guardian.”

She laughed softly, nodding her head in agreement. “Well, perhaps not yet. But allow me to teach you and I’m sure you will do very well. You were chosen, after all.”

Adrien nodded, about to ask what Laure meant by that when R2D2 interrupted the conversation with a series of chaotic whistles and beeps.

Laure rose to meet him, kneeling down to look at the droid. “Let’s see if we can figure out what that droid is after and where he came from.”

Laure had to do very little before the hologram materialized in front of them, showing the girl in all her glory once more. Adrien was once again pulled from his thoughts so that he could focus on the girl in front of him.

“General Bustier," her smooth voice spoke. "Years ago you served my father in the clone wars. Now he pleads for you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father’s request in person, but my ship has fallen under attack and I’m afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour."

She paused, breaking the steady eye contact she had accomplished thus far. For a moment, you could almost catch the fear in her eyes.

"Help me, Caline Bustier, you’re my only hope.”

The image disappeared and Laure sat back thoughtfully, looking at the place where the girl had just been.

He moved his eyes to see that Laure was looking at him expectantly, containing a bit of light in her tired eyes.

“You must learn the ways of the Force if you’re going to come with me to Alderaan.”

“Alderaan?�� he asked, incredulous. It was completely out of the question. His uncle would be furious if he followed Laure to a planet that far away from the outer-rim. Or anywhere for that matter. Despite the swell of excitement bursting behind his ribcage he forced himself to shake his head. "I can't go to Alderaan, Laure. I want to come more than anything but I won't leave Tatooine without Etienne's permission. I feel obligated to stay."

"Your dedication to your family is admirable Adrien, but you aren't a child anymore. You should be free to make your own choices."

Adrien turned for the door, hiding his face that was clearly betraying his commitment to his aunt and uncle. He wanted nothing more than to run as far as he could with Laure by his side, but he couldn’t help the weight of responsibility.

“I can’t get involved. I have work to do,” he said sadly “It’s not that I don't want to help. I do! But I'm needed here. I have responsibilities."

Laure's smile went soft, understanding his dilemma but also picking up on the pressure that was put on him. “That’s your uncle talking.”

“My uncle...” he said, his mind wandering, mentally preparing himself for the punishment he would get when he returned. “How am I going to explain this?”

He shook his head, turning on his heel and heading toward the exit, but he couldn't help but offer his assistance. “I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get transport there to Mos Eisley.”

She nodded, solemnly. “Of course, Adrien. I understand."

Adrien slipped through the orange curtain, suddenly being stopped in his steps by the scent of death in the air.

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Bursting out of hyperspace, a large Star Destroyer pierced the black abyss, scraping through the starry black and pointing toward the ominous space station that hovered just in view. Hardly different from a moon with a distant naked eye, but now, as the craft neared the battle station, it became a new cage for the overambitious princess of Alderaan.

Several floors beyond the princess, there was a conference room filled with pompous authority. Men and women of various levels of roaring hubris defending their individual level of reasoning, attempting to prove that their claims were superior. Some had the utmost faith in the competence of machines and space stations, grasping at the concept of invoking fear. Others cowered and spun, certain the rebels had an advantage, that they may get the upper hand against even his majesty, Lord Hawkmoth.

Both arguments had Mayura fuming, as she stood at the end of the table, focusing her mind on the approaching Destroyer. Her Lord regarded her telepathically as if asking if he’d have to put up with the same denseness as the times before. Mayura could only send him a sigh, latching her hands behind her back and making an effort to look grave. It took everything in her, including the tightness of her latched fingers, to keep from slamming a few of those verbose simpletons into the already dented barrier.

Admiral Bourgeois was going off on a tangent when the Emperor strode toward them, crossing his arms at the sight of the tense conference room, frozen still like statues at the new presence. He turned his head toward Mayura, giving her an unreadable expression of ice blue. But she read it perfectly, feeling the weight of his exhaustion, only elated by the turn of events that the Alderaan princess provided for them.

In a tizzy of fear, a few of the admirals began again to worry about what threat the rebels posed. If perhaps, if they could dissect the plans, they might have an advantage. They might be a threat to the station.

“The plans will soon be back in our hands,” Lord Hawkmoth said smoothly, “I am quite certain we have the means to get our asset to talk.”

Bourgeois sat upright, narrowing his eyes at several of his fickle companions. He was known to have a haughty head, often blinded by the power of his station. If Mayura had a say in the matter, she would have obstructed his air supply many long years ago, if not for the Emperor’s requests.

“Any attack made by the rebels would be useless,” Bourgeois exclaimed, “It shouldn’t matter what they have obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe. I would suggest we use it against their measly cells of rebellion.”

“Don’t be so proud of this technological terror that you’ve constructed, Admiral,” Hawkmoth said with reproach in his tone. “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.”

Admiral Bourgeois seemed as if he might laugh by the smile that came across his lips. His extended time aboard the station without the supervision of neither Mayura nor Emperor Hawkmoth had left him ignorant to the power of his superiors. Mayura had to compose herself to keep from putting a fist around his large neck.  

“Don’t try to frighten us with your sorcery, Lord Hawkmoth. Your  pitiful devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you secure the stolen Death Star plans or given you insight enough to find the Alliance’s hidden base-”

Mayura gasped in delight at the curl of Hawkmoth’s fingers, extended a black glove forward as an invisible hand around the Admiral’s neck. Bourgeois startled, eyes bulging as he reached to pull on his throat, unable to remove the heavy force that pushed it. The other admirals looked down at the sound of choking, biting their own lips in an attempt to keep themselves from the same fate as Bourgeois. Mayura’s only complaint was that the Emperor had decided not to leave the task to her.

“Your lack of faith is exasperating, Admiral,” he said coldly, letting his hand straighten again. Admiral Bourgeois' face hit the table with a beat, followed by the uneven breath of a daunted child. He heaved, keeping his eyes away from Hawkmoth, already turned away from him, showing nothing but the back of his silver helmet and the amethyst cape that fell down the length of his back. Still not offering Bourgeois an eye, the Dark Lord began walking toward the end of the room. “Learn your place, Admiral. Next time, I won’t be as generous.”

“This quarrel is pointless,” Mayura said to the rest of the admirals seated.

Then Hawkmoth spoke. “Lady Mayura will provide us with the location of the rebel fortress by the time this station is fully operational. We will then obliterate the Alliance with one swift stroke.”

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#miraculous ladybug #Ignite the Stars #Adrien Agreste #Chat Noir #Plagg #Caline Bustier #Hawkmoth #Mayura #Gabriel Agreste #nathalie sancoeur #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Ladybug #Adrinette #Ladynoir #Marichat #Ladrien

[mbtizone]

Claude Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame): INTJ

Dominant Introverted Intuition [Ni]: When the Archdeacon tries to prevent Frollo from killing the infant Quasimodo, Frollo takes a step back and thinks that if he keeps Quasimodo around, he may become useful to him someday. He didn’t know then how he would be able to use Quasimodo, but he followed his intuition and he was right. A couple of decades later, Quasimodo was able to lead him directly to Esmeralda. Frollo is all about long-term goals and he exudes an extraordinary amount of patience in making his vision into a reality. He tells Phoebus that he has taken care of the gypsies one by one for twenty years. His dream is to rid the city of all of the gypsies. Frollo’s desire to take out the gypsies becomes an obsession. It’s all he can think about and he will stop at nothing. Frollo uses symbolism in order to explain his gypsy problem to Phoebus. As he talks about taking care of the gypsies one by one, he crushes three ants to emphasize his point. Then, he turns over the tile to reveal many more ants. No matter what he does, they continue to thrive. Frollo tells Quasimodo that he’s going to the Court of Miracles to kill the gypsies there, knowing that if Quasimodo knows where it is, he would undoubtedly go to save Esmeralda. Then, all he has to do is keep an eye on him, follow him, and let Quasimodo lead him there.

Auxiliary Extroverted Thinking [Te]: It doesn’t matter what it takes or who he has to hurt. Frollo demands order. The gypsies don’t live within his system, so they must burn. Frollo wants to control those around him and does not stand for insubordination or rule-breakers. He doles out commands with ease and expects his men to carry them out as instructed. Those who challenge his authority in any capacity will pay the price, or be made an example of, which he does to the people that he believes has been harboring gypsies. When the people at the festival begin to throw things at Quasimodo and torment him, Frollo refuses to break it up until he feels Quasimodo has learned his lesson. When he’s about to set Esmeralda on fire, he tries to give her the option to become his, which he feels is preferable to burning alive. Frollo is authoritarian and believes in punishment, discipline, and getting the job done by any means necessary. He strives for efficiency as well, as he instructs his men to wait in between cracks of their whips, because he doesn’t want the numbness of the last lash to dull the pain of the next one.

Tertiary Introverted Feeling [Fi]: Frollo completely lacks empathy, but he sees himself as righteous and virtuous. He believes that he’s ridding the world of vice and sin. He wrestles with his attraction to Esmeralda and refuses to accept the blame for this, saying that God was the one who made the Devil so much stronger than men. He doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings, and instead of trying to understand them, he acts on them by offering Esmeralda the choice of being his or burning. He wants to control Quasimodo and looks down on him. He calls Quasimodo an “idiot” for believing that Esmeralda was being kind to him, instead trying to convince him that she was manipulating him because gypsies aren’t capable of love. He wants to continue being able to control Quasimodo, which he can’t do if Quasimodo believes anyone but Frollo cares for him. Believing that Esmeralda is genuinely good destroys the entire basis of his relationship with Frollo, because he positions himself as the only one who can look beyond his “deformity.” He wants Quasimodo to depend on him, so he can continue to control him.

Inferior Extroverted Sensing [Se]: It’s difficult for Frollo to suppress his inferior function, even though he simultaneously finds it revolting. He has spent his entire life working for all that he has, yet throws it all away because he’s unable to resist his impulses. He tries so hard not to give in to his sensory desires (his undeniable lust for Esmeralda), but he can’t help himself. He wrestles with this feelings because He doesn’t believe in giving into such urges. It’s beneath him. They go against his very nature and against the image he has of himself, but they’re just impossible for him to ignore. He doesn’t know how to deal with the impure feelings he’s having for Esmeralda. In the end, he is unable to control his desires and violently acts on them. He disregards all of his higher functions, which costs him everything that he’s spent his entire life working for, including his own life.

Note: I get why some people type him as an ISTJ, but his inferior function is clearly extroverted sensing. And he’s way too much of a long-term thinker and planner to be Si. He’s not trying to preserve anything, he’s trying to turn his vision into a reality. And he dedicates decades to it.

Enneagram: 1w2 3w2 5w6 So/Sx

Quotes:

Clopin: Judge Claude Frollo longed To purge the world Of vice and sin And he saw corruption Ev’rywhere Except within

Frollo: This is an unholy demon. I’m sending it back to Hell, where it belongs.

Frollo: Just so he’s kept locked away where no one else can see. The bell tower, perhaps. And who knows–our Lord works in mysterious ways. Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be of use to me.

Clopin: And Frollo gave the child a cruel name. A name that means half-formed… Quasimodo!

Frollo: You come to Paris in her darkest hour, Captain. It will take a firm hand to save the weak-minded from being so easily misled. Phoebus: Misled, sir? Frollo: Look, Captain–gypsies. The gypsies live outside the normal order. Their heathen ways inflame the peoples’ lowest instincts, and they must be stopped. Phoebus: I was summoned from the wars to capture fortune tellers and palm readers? Frollo: Oh, the real war, Captain, is what you see before you. For twenty years, I have been taking care of the gypsies, one… by… one. [On each of the last three words, Frollo crushes one of three ants on a tile. He flips the tile over, revealing scores of ants scurrying around underneath.] Frollo: And yet, for all of my success, they have thrived. I believe they have a safe haven, within the walls of this very city. A nest, if you will. They call it the Court of Miracles. Phoebus: What are we going to do about it, sir? [Frollo slams the tile back down upside down, and turns it, crushing the remainder of the ants.] Phoebus: You make your point quite vividly, Captain.

Quasimodo: I didn’t mean to upset you, master. Frollo: Quasimodo, can’t you understand? When your heartless mother abandoned you as a child, anyone else would have drowned you. And this my thanks for taking you in and raising you as my son? Quasimodo: I’m sorry, sir. Frollo: Oh, my dear Quasimodo, you don’t know what it’s like out there. I do… I do… The world is cruel The world is wicked It’s I alone whom you can trust in this whole city I am your only friend I who keep you, teach you, feed you, dress you I who look upon you without fear How can I protect you, boy Unless you always stay in here Away in here?

[On the last word, Clopin disappears in a puff of smoke, and Esmeralda appears in his place. She proceeds to perform a sultry dance.] Frollo: Look at that disgusting display.

Frollo: You think you’ve outwitted me, but I am a patient man, and gypsies don’t do well inside stone walls. [He pauses, then breathes deeply, smelling Esmeralda’s hair.] What are you doing? Frollo: I was just imagining a rope around that beautiful neck. [Frollo caresses her neck, but she pulls away.] I know what you were imagining. Frollo: Such a clever witch. So typical of your kind, to twist the truth to cloud the mind with unholy thoughts. Well, no matter. [He begins to leave.] You’ve chosen a magnificent prison, but it is a prison nonetheless. Set one foot outside, and you’re mine!

Frollo: Beata Maria You know I am a righteous man Of my virtue, I am justly proud Beata Maria You know I’m so much Purer than the common vulgar, weak, licentious crowd Then tell me, Maria, why I see her Dancing there, Why her smoldering eyes still scorch my soul Like fire, hellfire This fire in my skin This burning desire Is turning me to sin! It’s not my fault! I’m not to blame! It’s the gypsy girl The witch who sent this flame It’s not my fault If, in God’s plan, He made the Devil so much stronger than a man! Protect me, Maria! Don’t let this siren cast her spell Don’t let her fire sear my flesh and bone Destroy Esmeralda And let her taste the fires of hell Or else let her be mine and mine alone!

Frollo: Hellfire, dark fire Now gypsy it’s your turn! Choose me or your pyre Be mine, or you will burn! God have mercy on her God have mercy on me But she will be mine, or she will burn!

Frollo: We found this gypsy talisman on your property. Have you been harbouring gypsies? Miller: Our home is always open to the weary traveler. Have mercy, my lord. Frollo: I am placing you and your family under house arrest until I get to the bottom of this. If what you say is true, you are innocent and you have nothing to fear. Miller: But we are innocent, I assure you! We know nothing of these gypsies! [Frollo pulls their door shut, then bars it shut with a guard’s staff. He turns to Phoebus.] Frollo: Burn it. Phoebus: What!?!? Frollo: Until it smolders. These people are traitors and must be made examples of. [Frollo hands him a torch.] Phoebus: With all due respect, sir, I was not trained to murder the innocent. Frollo: But you were trained to follow orders. [Phoebus takes the torch and douses it in a bucket of water.] Insolent coward.

Frollo: Ease up. Wait between lashes. Otherwise the older sting will dull him to the new.

Frollo: Isn’t this one new? [Picks up the Esmeralda figure] It’s awfully good. Looks very much like the gypsy girl. I know. [A nasty look creeps across his face as his voice rises] You helped her escape! Quasimodo: But I- Frollo: And now, all Paris is burning because of you! Quasimodo: She was kind to me, master. [Frollo smashes the table and its setting] Frollo: You idiot! That wasn’t kindness, it was cunning! She’s a gypsy! Gypsies are not capable of real love! Think, boy! Think of your mother!

Frollo: The prisoner Esmeralda has been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft. The sentence: death! [Cheers go up from the crowd.] Frollo: [He steps closer to Esmeralda] The time has come, gypsy. You stand upon the brink of the abyss. Yet even now, it is not too late. I can save you from the flames of this world, and the next. Choose me, or the fire. [She spits in his face.] Frollo: The gypsy Esmeralda has refused to recant. This evil witch has put the soul of every citizen of Paris in mortal danger…

Quasimodo: You killed her. Frollo: It was my duty, horrible as it was. I hope you can forgive me. There, there, Quasimodo, I know it hurts. But now, the time has come to end your suffering. [We see that Frollo has a dagger. As Frollo raises it to stab him, Quasi sees the shadow of the dagger. He turns and struggles with Frollo only briefly, before wresting the dagger from Frollo’s hands and backing him into a corner.] Frollo: Now, now, listen to me, Quasimodo. Quasimodo: No, you listen! All my life you have told me the world is a dark, cruel place. But now, I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!

Frollo: The sentence for insubordination is death. Such a pity. You threw away a promising career.

Frollo: [bluffing to Quasimodo] I know where her hideout is and tomorrow at dawn, I attack with a thousand men. [grins evilly as part of his trick as he leaves]

Frollo: [carrying out Esmerelda’s execution] For justice, for Paris, and for her own salvation, it is my sacred duty to send this unholy demon back where she belongs!

Frollo: Frollo: How dare you defy me?!

Claude Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame): INTJ was originally published on MBTI Zone

#1w2 3w2 5w6 #Claude Frollo #Disney #The Hunchback of Notre Dame #INTJ #mbti #mbti types #mbti personality types #fictionalcharactermbti #fictionmbti #disney mbti #movie mbti #enneagram 1 #Type 1 #enneagram #enneatypes #enneagram type

[soupsoup1101]

Changes in Attitude toward Work and Workers’ Identity in Korea

Changes in Attitude toward Work and Workers’ Identity in Korea

Park Gil-Sung and Andrew Eungi Kim

Abstract

The age-graded seniority system, familial structure, and lifetime employment, at least as an ideology, used to be the hallmarks of Korean corporate culture. Following the financial crisis in 1997, however, layoffs, early retirement, job insecurity, and increased competition have become the realities of the workplace. The question is: how have these uncertainties and the harsher corporate environment changed the way Koreans think about work?; how has their work ethic changed? This paper explores how Koreans’ perception of work has become more realistic and self-centered, as they are much more conscious of their future potential and working conditions. Their sense of identity is no longer primarily based on work and jobs. Not surprisingly, job satisfaction has conspicuously declined. What is also noteworthy is how the heartless world of work has inspired changes in job selection considerations. What all of this shows is that Korean workers’ identities are no longer homogeneous and work-oriented. Following the financial crisis, working conditions and types of employment have become much more varied, leading to the gradual diminution of collective consciousness.

Keywords: work ethic, identity, financial crisis, Korean workers, job mentality

Introduction

In September 2001, South Korea (henceforth Korea) paid the last US$140 million installment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), completing the repayment of IMF loans three years ahead of schedule. The loan may have been paid in full, but the so-called “IMF crisis” not only halted the nation’s phenomenal decades-long economic growth but also brought about fundamental changes in lifestyle, employment pattern, corporate culture, and worldview (Kim 2004; Park 2004). Indeed, the most striking aspect of the impact of the financial crisis is that it has not been limited to the economic sphere, as virtually every sector of Korean society has undergone and, to a large extent, is still undergoing significant changes. The crisis has meant not only a comprehensive restructuring process at the institutional level but also a halt to the Korean way of thinking and behaviour at the individual level. In post-financial crisis Korean society, moreover, there seems to be a sense of urgency to do away with traditional values and practices that hamper efficiency and competitiveness.

Although much has been written about the financial crisis, especially on the causes of the crisis, its economic consequences, and preventive measures hinging upon institutional change, only scant attention has been paid to the impact of the financial crisis at the level of everyday life, noticeably the formations of a new work ethic and social identity. Of all the sectors that were impacted by the financial crisis, it is the world of work that underwent one of the most significant changes. In fact, the financial crisis is the critical juncture from when work as Koreans knew it fundamentally and irreversibly changed. This came about largely because of IMF conditions for its bailout loans, which included a demand that called for a more flexible labor market. The demand for greater labor flexibility eventually led to an amendment of labor law that opened ways for layoffs, hitherto illegal. Needless to say, the elimination of the proverbial lifetime employment and the legalization of layoffs brought about significant changes in employment patterns. In addition to outright layoffs, companies have used early retirement and honorary retirement schemes to scale down their pay rolls. As a result, the starting retirement age of Korean workers is found to be about 10 years younger than that of the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Jang (2003) shows that the age at which more workers lose their wage labourer status than those who gain such status is 35 years, while the average age at which the same process happens among the workers of OECD countries is 45 years. He also shows that Korean workers in their early thirties have only about a 60% chance of still being employed by the time they turn 50 years old. What all of this means, of course, is that retirements and layoffs begin much sooner for Korean workers than their counterparts in other OECD countries.

Despite all these changes that brought about greater uncertainty in the job market, Korea has maintained an impressive unemployment rate that has hovered below 4.0% since early 2000. The unemployment rate may have dropped to an impressive level, but it has been achieved through a conspicuous proliferation of various forms of nonstandard employment, including temporary workers, short term contract workers, contingent workers, temporary help agency workers and daily hires. The increase in irregular forms of employment became more pronounced since the financial crisis, happening for the first time since labour statistics have been compiled. This trend has continued unabated since then, e.g., nonstandard workers comprised 51.6% of the total labor force in Korea in 2002. This rate is actually the highest among the member countries of the OECD. For comparison, the figure for Spain in 2000 was 32%, followed by 27% for Australia, 13% for Germany, and 12% for Japan (KDI 2000; see Carre et al. 2000). What is noteworthy about all of this is that while the number of nonstandard workers in other OECD countries has gradually increased, Korea witnessed a rapid expansion in the last few years. Employment instability and underemployment is thus the core of the social crisis. Under the pressure of the so-called structural adjustments, the labor market began to be extorted. The proportion of involuntary unemployment has steeply increased, and youth unemployment has become a severe social problem. Long-term unemployment has increased absolutely and relatively, while the duration of unemployment has been systematically extended. The percentage of non-regular job workers has also increased greatly. Furthermore, the Korean labor market has made the cleavages even more crystallized between the employed and the unemployed and between regular and non-regular jobs, accelerating the polarization of society (Park 2004, 158-160). The emerging questions are how all of these uncertainties and the harsher environment have changed the way Koreans think about work and how their work ethic has changed. To put it another way, the question that concerns us is how the “cruel” world of work has inspired a change in the perception of work among not only those seeking jobs but also those with jobs. In view of these questions, we examine how Korean workers’ work ethic has become more realistic and self-centered. For instance, the paper shows how layoffs and job insecurity have forced workers to become more self-interested and practical about their work and jobs, developing an attitude of “I work only as much as I am paid.” It is also apparent that the camaraderie that used to rule supreme among colleagues is increasingly being replaced by competition. Now, the “us” versus “them” mentality is being increasingly, albeit discreetly, replaced by the “I” versus “you” attitude within the new work environment. The paper also shows how recent changes in the workplace, especially increased job insecurity, have led to a deterioration of job satisfaction among Korean workers. In addition, the paper examines how job selection considerations among jobseekers have changed.

Various Meanings of Work Ethic

In the sociological tradition, the notion of work ethic, especially those aspects pertaining to the mobilization of labor force commitment to work, has been regarded as one of the most important prerequisites of social change. In Weberian terms, it has been argued that the creation of a work ethic plays a significant part in promoting industrialization (Weber 1904/1958). As E. P. Thompson (1967) noted in his classic article, creating an industrial labor force entails a severe restructuring of working habits and work ethics—new disciplines, new incentives, and a new human nature—upon which a new system can be effectively built. Because of its crucial implications, there have been many attempts to define and measure work ethic. Broadly speaking, work ethic refers to a set of values based on the virtues of hard work and diligence. The most common definitions or idealization of work ethic tend to portray a person as someone who values hard work and displays personal qualities of honesty, asceticism, industriousness, and integrity (McCortney and Engels 2003, 136). Furnham (1987) notes that work ethic has been defined as a culturally socialized norm, a constellation of individual qualities, a dispositional variable of personality, or a facet of internal locus of control. In each of these definitions, it is possible to see the constants of internal attitudes and external behaviors. The general issues reflected in the literature concerning work ethic suggest that research tends to cluster around two primary aspects: its internal characteristics, as held by individuals, and its external characteristics, as exhibited in work behavior (McCortney and Engels 2003, 134). While the former literature tends to reinforce the view that work ethic is related to individually held internal values, the latter literature tends to reinforce the view that work ethic is related to socially held cultural values.

Since Weber’s (1904/1958) theory of the Protestant work ethic, scholars find a popular construct around which a number of scales have been developed (a) to identify personality traits associated with work ethic; (b) to measure the importance of work in the lives of individuals; and © to describe behaviors related to both (a) and (b) (Murdrak 1997; Wentworth and Chell 1997). Also, it is widely noted that Weber’s view of changes in the economic structure regarding work seems to have particular relevance to the continuing restructuring of work ethic. For instance, social effects of unemployment are correlated with family disintegration. If work gives or is perceived to give an individual dignity, then not working removes the individual’s dignity. The implications of this perspective are chilling in an era of the temping of the workforce through contract work and repeated instances of involuntary unemployment (Bridges 1994; Rifkin 1995). Also, the notion of work ethic in conjunction with a social crisis might be conceptualized as a kind of uneasy compromise. Implicit in the understanding of work ethic is that what might be perceived as a social contract includes some key promises: the ability to afford both necessities and luxuries, the idea that an individual’s basic needs will be provided for, physical safety, economic gain, and psychological fulfillment. The compromise for individuals seems to be that, if they work hard, these benefits will undoubtedly accrue (Rifkin 1995). In other words, hard work pays off in the long term. However, economic turbulence, unemployment, underemployment, flexibilization of the labor force, and corporate downsizing seem to threaten the old promises of work ethic.

All of these conceptualizations of work ethic point to the fact that the concept of work ethic has multiple meanings and implications, pertaining to a variety of aspects related to work, including work commitment, work value, attitude toward work, occupational value, organizational commitment, perception of career development, and work achievement. And these conceptualizations and meanings have been used as frameworks for measuring various aspects of work ethic. In the Korean context, there has been active research on all of these aspects of work ethic, most notably by the Korea National Statistical Office (KNSO) (1996, 1998, 2001, 2004) and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET) (1998, 2002; see also Kim and Yi 2000; Yi 2003; Jang and Jo 2004). The findings of these studies have received extensive scholarly and media attention, but none more so than after the 1997 financial crisis. What drew the academic and public attention to this issue was the very question that our paper is addressing, i.e., how has the perception of work and work ethic changed among the populace after the proverbial lifetime employment and camaraderie among colleagues have been replaced by job insecurity and greater competition among workers?

Changes in Work Ethic among Korean Employees

Less Commitment to Work and Company

It was noted above that the lifetime employment and job security of Korean corporate culture have given way to layoffs, early retirement, and job insecurity following the 1997 financial crisis. In reaction to all of these uncertainties and harsher corporate environment, workers have become more realistic about their career and more self-centered: the thought of lifetime employment and blind loyalty has changed to one of “I work only as much as I am paid” or “the only things I can trust are myself and money.” Indeed, the fear of being laid off has inspired many Korean workers to be more concerned with making a lot of money in a short time. This was one reason for the relatively high job turnover rate during the boom in venture firms between 1999 and 2001, when many young conglomerate workers left their jobs to work for venture firms that promised a large financial reward in the form of stock options on top of the salary. The rationale for these workers seems to have been that although job insecurity was not improved, they could at least hope to make a lot more money by switching to the new company. In the rapidly changing work environment, it seems that workers’ anxiety is intensifying over the uncertainty of their future and that money—having a lot of it—is the only way they can feel secure about themselves. What this example indicates is that Korean workers’ loyalty to their company seems to have greatly diminished in recent years (Kim and Park 2003). This is particularly true for white-collar workers, who are now much more conscious of their pay and future than ever before and are prone to calculating whether they are getting paid enough for the amount of work they put in.

Korean workers are also well aware that hard work alone no longer guarantees that they can remain with the same company for a long time. The prevailing thought is that one can be deserted by his or her company as easily as he or she is ready to leave. The declining loyalty or attachment to the company is attested to by the fact that a substantial number of workers are constantly looking to switch jobs that offer better pay and benefits. It is said that workers today, while working hard, always carry with them a letter of resignation and resume. Surveys readily demonstrate that Korean workers’ commitment to their work is low.4 Despite the Korean reputation for hard work, a poll of 20,000 workers in 33 countries by the multinational survey firm Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) found Korean workers to be the least committed to their work (TNS 2002). In the TNS survey, which assessed employees’ commitment to their type of work and company, Korea ranked last in employee commitment to work, with just 36% of the respondents expressing their dedication to their work. The score was far less than the global average of 57%. The survey also showed that only 35% of Korean workers were committed to the company they work for, putting Korea in 31st place in the category. Moreover, only 25% of Korean workers were found to be committed to both their work and company, which was much lower than the global rate of 43%. The industry sector with the most committed employees in Korea was the public sector, which is quite understandable given its reputation for job security, relatively high salaries, and generous fringe benefits. The least committed Korean workers by sector, on the other hand, were in manufacturing, while the company type with the least committed workers was transportation. A 1997 survey by Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET) and a follow-up survey in 2002 also reveal workers’ declining commitment to work. When asked about their willingness to use their personal money for carry out their occupational tasks and to work overtime, the respondents’ answers declined considerably from 1997 to 2002. On a related question of whether they were willing to participate in family affairs during working hours, more respondents were affirmative in the 2002 survey.

Another change that is indicative of workers’ lower commitment to work is how their sense of priority has changed. Workers now value their family more than work, which has not always been the case. That is why it is said that the idea of home has changed from being a place to return to from work to a place one leaves to go to work. This change in attitude is likely to have led to more workers leaving their office not long after the required working hours. In the past, of course, Korean workers boasted of their long working hours in the office. This greater emphasis on the family also has led to their desire for more quality time with family as well as becoming more concerned with various quality of life issues, among which job satisfaction has become an important factor for switching jobs. A popular saying in this regard is “I like my job, but I don’t like my work” or “I like my work, but I don’t like my job,” either of which now serves as the main reason for quitting a job to start a business or switching jobs. Collectively, what Korean workers seem to be expressing is their discontent over the rigid hierarchical company culture and the unsuitability of the types of duties and tasks they perform at work. They keep questioning how their unsatisfactory and mind-numbing work can complement their lives. They also complain about the lack of free time to develop other skills and aptitudes. All of this reflects the conspicuous change among workers’ perceptions in which work is increasingly viewed in terms of one’s inclination, preference and desire as well as quality of life issues.

Increasing Job Dissatisfaction

The surveys on job satisfaction, which included, among others, questions regarding types of work, relationships with coworkers and superiors, working conditions, and promotional opportunities, show that workers’ overall job satisfaction declined noticeably between 1997 and 2002. In the 1997 survey by KRIVET, the proportion of the respondents who were either very satisfied or satisfied amounted to 75.7%; however, the rate fell to 67.6% in 2002 (KRIVET 2002, 214).

Other surveys further demonstrate workers’ increasing dissatisfaction with various aspects of work, including job security, wage levels, working conditions, and opportunities for promotion. A survey of the members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) shows that 59% of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their work (Kang 2002, 308-309). One of the key reasons for their increasing dissatisfaction seems to be job insecurity brought on by restructuring. In another study of KCTU workers in 1998, the respondents’ views regarding wage levels, promotion opportunities, working conditions and fair treatment were evenly divided between being either satisfied or dissatisfied. However, a 1999 survey showed that a considerably larger number of workers were more dissatisfied with their work.

Increasing job dissatisfaction has a lot to do with job insecurity caused by layoffs. Soon after the financial crisis began, for example, it was widely recognized that those who survived layoffs in large conglomerates showed that they developed so-called ADDS or After Downsizing Desertification Syndrome, meaning that they felt mentally desolate after seeing their colleagues dismissed from work, and were prone to feeling guilty. Job-keepers also reportedly suffered from the “survivors’ lament”: continuing job insecurity, work overload, and stress from working in unfamiliar settings if dispatched to a different department through restructuring. A recent survey of workers by a job search firm indeed shows that work overload and job insecurity are two of the top three reasons for work-related stress and that such stress was severe enough for more than a third of the workers to seek medical treatment (TNS 2002). Other recent surveys further demonstrate that workers are constantly worried about being laid off. For example, a survey of workers in early 2005 showed that 62.8% of those polled expressed their fear of layoffs (ITjobpia 2005). The extent to which this fear is felt by workers is manifested in the popularity of such terms as “사오정" (“retirement age of 45”) and “삼팔선" (“retirement age of 38”), which became popular after it became known that recent layoffs have affected a large number of workers in those age categories. In fact, a survey of employees showed that nearly two-thirds of workers feel that their employment will be terminated before they turn forty (Findjob 2003). One of the biggest concerns in regard to all of these job insecurity and job-related stresses is that they can prompt a large number of core laborers to exit the labor market voluntarily in search of better working conditions overseas or establish their own business.

Increasing competition within the workplace is another contributing factor to rising job dissatisfaction in Korea. Indeed, the camaraderie that used to rule supreme among colleagues is increasingly being replaced by competition. Now, the “us” versus “them” mentality is being increasingly, albeit discreetly, replaced by the “I” versus “you” attitude within the workplace in the fight to survive layoffs (Sin 1998). There is also growing recognition that workers cannot survive without professional knowledge and skills in the highly competitive global era. That is why many workers use their free time for self-development. In addition to working hard, many white-collar employees sacrifice their free time in the early morning or evening, at lunchtime, and even on weekends to improve their English or obtain certificates of qualifications, such as a CPA. That is because English proficiency and certificates of qualifications, along with educational background and school ties, figure prominently in job promotions. While the penchant for learning English and acquiring other skills has been around for some time, it has become far more intense since the financial crisis. What is also different about post-crisis Korea is that individuals are making these sacrifices in preparation for possible layoffs, to better ready themselves for finding other jobs in the event of layoffs. Faced with an uncertain future, it is also true that many workers are constantly looking into the possibility of establishing small businesses of their own.

Changes in Priority in Job Selection Considerations

The heartless world of work, as it is now popularly perceived, along with the fear of unemployment, has also inspired a change in the perception of work among those seeking jobs. In the past, job security used to be of the least concern for those looking for a job, but it is now deemed more important than such issues as future potential and pay level. For example, a 1995 survey of 30,000 households by the KNSO (1996) showed that the top three priorities in considering a job were job security (29.6%), future potential (29.2%), and pay (27.1%), demonstrating that these priorities were considered evenly important. A survey three years later, however, showed a conspicuous change: 41.5% of the respondents chose job security as the most important issue in choosing a job, followed by 20.7% for future potential, and 18.2% for pay (KNSO 1998). A 2002 survey also shows that job security was still the top concern.

The 1995, 1998, and 2002 survey results show that job security is equally valued by both men and women. However, this tendency is stronger for those with relatively lower educational attainment. In the 2002 survey, for example, 43.3% of the respondents with an elementary school diploma or less chose job security as the most important consideration in job selection, followed by those with middle school diplomas (35.6%), high school diplomas (33.6%), and college graduates or above (27%) (see table 1). For those with low educational attainment, moreover, income level was the next most important consideration, with relatively little consideration given to the issues of suitability, meaningfulness, and opportunities for promotion. For those with college degrees or higher, on the other hand, the second most important consideration in job selection was suitability, followed by promotional opportunities and income. These trends were also observed in the 1998 data. What this shows is that those with lower educational attainment are more concerned with extrinsic rewards such as job security and income precisely because they are more vulnerable to layoffs due to lack of skills. Those with relatively higher educational attainment, on the other hand, valued more intrinsic rewards, such as meaningfulness and suitability.

There appears to be generational differences in job selection considerations as well. The 2002 KNSO survey shows that for the 15-19 age group, the most important consideration in job selection was suitability, while job security and suitability were found to be almost equally important for those between the ages of 20-29. Their older counterparts, however, clearly showed their preference for stability in job selection (see table 2). The same was true in the 1998 data. What this shows is that the younger the respondents are, the more they emphasize intrinsic values in job selections, and that the older the respondents are, the more they emphasize external rewards.

Changes in the perception of work among women are also worth noting. In the surveys by the Korea National Statistical Office, the percentage of female respondents who agreed with the statement “I will continue to work irrespective of my marital status” increased from 24.7% in 1995 to 30.4% in 1998 and 40.2% in 2002 (KNSO 2001, 2003). Similarly, the proportion of women who said they would be full-time homemakers declined from 12.1% in 1995 to 8.5% in 1998 and 6.0% in 2002. In these surveys, the less educated and older respondents for both genders held more traditional views regarding female employment. The 1998 and 2002 surveys by KRIVET showed similar results. For example, the proportion of female respondents who said they will continue to work irrespective of marital status increased from 43% in 1997 to 44.9% in 2002 (KRIVET 2002, 227).

Another survey worth noting shows how women are more enthusiastic about work. For example, a poll by an online job portal showed that more female respondents (55.6%) than male respondents (44.4%) were willing to work as contract or dispatched workers if they are given a chance (Hankyorech 21 2004). This not only reflects the more difficult job opportunities for women, but also their greater enthusiasm for work. Such enthusiasm is reflected in the way women reportedly try harder than men in preparing for recruitment and job opportunities because they feel that they will not get the job if their qualifications are similar to those of men. All of this shows that work is no longer a matter of choice for women and that they have become more like men in seeing paid work as an important part of their identity and life.

Emerging Patterns of Job Mentality

The fear of being unemployed has led to other changes in the attitudes of jobseekers. A survey of senior students in universities by an online job portal showed that nearly four in five respondents answered “Yes” to the question of whether they were willing to work in production lines, i.e., factories, of major conglomerates (Hankyoreh, January 26, 2005). As for the reason, 42% of the respondents pointed to a relatively high salary, followed by 17.3% who noted the relative ease of getting such a job, and 15.8% who liked its greater job security. Another survey of jobseekers showed that a near majority of respondents (48%) stated that they are willing to work for a company irrespective not only of the duties required but also of the compatibility of their field of study with the required tasks (Hankyoreh, November 14, 2002). All of this shows that a growing number of jobseekers are moving away from being fixated on finding a position at a large conglomerate, which was once the most desired job, to more varied outlooks on occupation, whereby jobs at multinational corporations and smalland mid-sized firms are seen as excellent alternatives. Also, they are reportedly more open to the idea of launching their own business.

Another emerging pattern that deserves mention is a growing, albeit very small, number of young people who do not really care what kinds of job they have (Hankyoreh, September 17, 2003a). They care more about spending quality time doing things they like, rather then being trapped in the regimental and stressful world of work. For them, the only thing that matters is the guarantee of earning enough to enjoy their relaxed lifestyle. This means that they do not necessarily desire high-paying jobs nor do they strongly desire jobs that promise a certain level of job security or success. These young people, who can be clearly distinguished from job hoppers, are the socalled “neo-nomadic generation.” They are the kind of people who refuse regular jobs and who would sometimes opt to walk out of a well-paying job in order to pursue work they like, e.g., to work on a movie set or for entertainment events or to work as a freelance translator or online reporter. They refuse to be pressured by family obligations and reject the ideal of career success as defining a person’s sense of worth and happiness. These young people are growing in numbers, both domestically and internationally, and they develop many communities of their own, much of which is online. Collectively, their views and attitudes mark a clear departure from those of the older generations whose perceptions of work and job success as well as life in general tend to be tradition-bound and steeped in external rewards. All of this demonstrates the increasing heterogeneity of perceptions regarding work. While older generations were preoccupied with regular, full-time work, prestigious occupations, and career success, a considerable number of young people today opt to pursue jobs that are more suitable to their needs and liking. Also, it is worth noting that increasing incidences of late marriages, a steady increase in the number of unmarried, a declining birth rate, and a growing number of childless couples all can be said to be indirectly related to the rising number of neo-nomads.

What is also noteworthy is the rise of the so-called “kangaroo people,” a term which was first used in 1998 in France to refer to young people in their 20s who live with their parents and do not work or work only part-time. This trend is also evident in Korea. According to data from the Ministry of Labor, the employment rate as of July 2004 for young adults living on their own was 87%, while the rate for those living with their parents was nearly 20% less at 68%. The ministry also maintained that up to 40% of the unemployed young adults were voluntarily jobless, as they refused to work for reasons ranging from unsatisfactory wages and benefits to poor working conditions and unsuitable working hours. The rising number of jobseekers who are working part-time is related to this. While it is true that a majority of them are resorting to part-time work as a temporary measure before landing a full-time job, a considerable number of them actually prefer the less-demanding and flexible work schedule of transient work. Indeed, a survey of jobseekers by an online job portal showed that 55% of the respondents who were working part-time were doing so because they could not find regular work (한겨레, 2003b). For the rest of the respondents who were working part-time, their reasons were very different: 25% of the respondents said they held part-time jobs because they wanted flexible working hours; 11% wanted to avoid the stifling rigidity of corporate culture; and 5% did not want to endure the stress that comes with full time work.

It is also apparent that Korean jobseekers have become more global in their attitudes toward the location of work. That is, they are more than willing to go abroad to work: in a survey of jobseekers in December 2003, 90% of the respondents stated that, given the opportunity, they would like to go abroad for work (Hankyoreh 2003c). Nearly a third of the respondents who expressed this view were found to have actually tried to prepare for overseas employment. In regards to the reasons for their willingness to work overseas, the largest proportion of the respondents (35.1%) noted the “enhancement of their professional and work skills,” followed by “a bleak employment outlook in Korea” (18.6%), and “better benefits and working conditions at overseas jobs” (18%). In fact, the number of Koreans who have found overseas employment has increased noticeably in recent years. The number of Koreans who reported overseas employment to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea jumped from 5,520 in 2001 to 7,299 in 2002, 14,481 in 2003, and 22,091 as of July 2004. This sizeable increase in the number of work-related immigration also attests to the rising brain drain. For example, the number of outbound immigrants with skills in such areas as computing and electronics more than doubled from 3,287 in 1997 to 8,369 in 2000, marking the first time the number of work-related immigrants comprised more than half of the total of outbound immigrants in any given year in Korea. This trend continued in the next two years as 6, 079 out of 11,534 immigrants in 2001 and 6,317 out of 11,178 immigrants in 2002 migrated abroad as occupational immigrants (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 1998, 2001-2003). A similar pattern of brain drain is found in the research and development community, where an estimated 5,000 researchers have left Korea between the end of 1997 and early 1999.

Conclusions

The 1997 financial crisis not only halted the nation’s decades-long economic development but also ushered in fundamental changes in practically every sector of Korean society, including lifestyle, worldview, employment pattern, and corporate culture. The sector that has undergone some of the greatest changes is the workplace. Lifetime employment, the age-graded seniority system, and a familial structure used to be the hallmarks of Korean corporate culture, but layoffs, early retirement, job insecurity and increased competition have become the realities of the workplace since the financial crisis. In reaction to the harsher world of work, the work ethic of Korean workers and jobseekers has naturally changed. First, Korean workers are found to be less committed to their work and their job. Their sense of priorities has changed, whereby they value family over work. Also, their sense of identity is no longer primarily based on their work and job. Prior to the financial crisis, the most important mechanism through which Korean workers derived their identity was their work and job. In fact, their work and job was everything to them; their identity could not be separated from those entities. Workers closely identified with company goals and took great pride in thinking that the success of their company was very much of their own making. Also, whatever one achieved at work was for the good of the company, and whatever the company achieved was for the good of the employees. This was largely possible because of lifetime employment and the company culture that was much more familylike than it is now. However, such attitudes and thoughts have largely disappeared. The companies they work for are no longer perceived as entities to which they need or want to devote their loyalty beyond what is necessary. Companies, which can let them go at any moment, are no longer perceived as a haven away from home or as a refuge from the cruel world outside. In fact, the prospect of layoffs and cutthroat competition within the company make it the very source of stress and heartlessness.

Second, Koreans’ work ethic has become more self-centered and individualistic, as they are much more conscious of their pay and working conditions. That is why large numbers of workers are constantly looking, if not trying, to switch to jobs that will offer better pay and benefits.

Third, job satisfaction among Korean workers has declined. This is partly due to changes in company culture: companies can freely resort to layoffs in scaling down their payrolls; companies are much more demanding of worker’s greater productivity in the age of global competition; and companies are much more strict with promotions. All of these changes have turned the workplace into one of harsh competition, causing great emotional strain for workers.

Finally, there has been a significant change in job selection considerations. In the past, job security used to be the least of concerns for those looking for a job, but it is now deemed more important than such issues as future potential and pay level. Accordingly, gone are the days when positions at a large conglomerate automatically topped the list of jobseekers. Those jobs are still regarded highly, but there is now greater diversity in job preferences. Aspiring workers increasingly prefer employment as civil servants and teachers, as these jobs offer greater job security, albeit with relatively smaller pay and less prestige. Jobs at smallto mid-sized firms have also become popular for the same reason. Multinational companies stationed in Korea are also popular among aspiring workers, but for different reasons. They are admired in the belief that they offer better pay and a more relaxed company atmosphere. An implication here is that some of the most able would-be-workers for conglomerates are now opting for more secure jobs; therefore, conglomerates can no longer be complacent when it comes to recruiting the most talented workers. What all of this shows is that Korean workers’ identities are no longer homogeneous. Following the financial crisis, working conditions and types of employment have become much more varied, leading to the gradual diminution of collective consciousness. It is also clear that Korean workers are now less likely to derive their identity from their membership in workplace and labor unions. This is clearly seen in the way labor union membership rate has steadily declined over the years, implying that workers are moving away from a group or communal orientation. The growing individualistic orientation of Korean workers could be a reflection of a societal trend, but it could also be seen as a by-product of the workplace that is becoming increasingly impersonal and competitive, not least because of the fear of layoffs.

[oselatra]

White men can jump

For many years people would ask me where I was when President Kennedy was assassinated. I assured them I had an alibi. I also never enslaved any people of color, marched any Jews into concentration camps, bashed any gays, or stole any land from native peoples. I rent.

White men can jump

For many years people would ask me where I was when President Kennedy was assassinated. I assured them I had an alibi. I also never enslaved any people of color, marched any Jews into concentration camps, bashed any gays, or stole any land from native peoples. I rent. What is more, a goodly number of my ex-girlfriends are now my Facebook friends. They will accuse me of many things, but abuse isn't one of them.

It frustrates me when I feel I am being called out to answer for the sins of others. It's not irritating enough to drive me into the Trump camp, but I ain't everybody. Many old, straight, white guys joined the Trump parade because they were shamed for using the wrong pronoun or wearing a hat with a culturally insensitive sports team mascot. The Trump parade is now disintegrating. Millions of these people are out there wandering around, dazed and confused. There is much to be gained for the Democratic Party by welcoming these lost souls into the fold.

What I propose is a National Old Straight White Guy Appreciation Day. Believe me, they are not all evil. Get Arnold Schwarzenegger as the front man for the event. The last I heard, Arnold has come down out of his Humvee and is preaching the threat of global warming as being real. OSWGs love Arnold. Not only could he kick Chuck Norris' ass — at least at the box office — but, rumor has it, The Terminator is not fond of The Donald.

David Rose

Hot Springs

Same story

At this very moment, while America is immersed in the Trump show, Republicans are working to dismantle consumer protections, roll back environmental protections, lower taxes for the wealthy, cut public assistance programs, ramp up the failed "war on drugs," destroy public education, return to a draconian health care system, expand the military-industrial complex, tear down the "wall of separation" between church and state, and weaken gun regulations. Some of these mean-spirited efforts by Republicans are being conducted behind closed doors.

None of this is new. Republicans have been successful, for the most part, in doing these things since Reagan came into office in the early 1980s. Look where we've arrived. Consider this current administration. What we see going on in America today is the result of over 30 years of Reaganomics. Increasing income inequality, endless war and rising debt have become almost accepted among Americans. If we continue to put Republicans and corporate Dems into office, this set of circumstances will only get worse.

RL Hutson

Cabot

Rump

How did we get this "fearless leader?" What were his qualifications? Did he really understand how government works, the responsibilities of the office and the rule of law? I believe that we have allowed Rump enough time to show what he's really made of, and it is not a pretty sight. Without any mention of hair, orange skin color or BMI, here are just a few descriptions that I've compiled in the last couple of days.

Rump is:

A "faker" said Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

A cheater — stiffing companies that have worked for him.

A sleazy businessman.

An incompetent buffoon.

A consistent liar, also called "The Liar in Chief."

Also a "Leaker in Chief" who cannot be trusted to keep state secrets.

A conspiracy fraudster.

A malevolent narcissist — his interest is SELF, not USA.

Unprepared — running a country is not like real estate.

Ill-disciplined — he continuous to make things worse for himself

An ignorant clown — however, ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Un-curious — his mind is already made up; don't confuse him with (your alternative) facts.

Not interested in the future (who needs a plan?) or learning from the past (history is so boring).

Vindictive and petty.

Surrounded by a clueless, supplicating entourage.

Proposing a budget that is immoral, cruel and heartless.

Appointing people ill-prepared and unqualified to run various agencies.

A bully who throws even those who worship him under the bus.

Appealing to racists with derogatory references to Muslims, Mexicans etc.

Showing affection for harsh authoritarian rulers such as Putin and the president of the Philippines.

Making America Great by giving the finger to the rest of the world.

Removing safeguards that protect air and water.

Abdicating his duty and responsibility as commander in chief.

This is an important and critical time in the history of the Earth and the people on it. The world has stopped looking at the U.S.A. as an example of leadership and democracy. We lead by example and I am not proud of the example we are putting forth and especially the pitiful example of our incompetent leader. I want to be proud of our country and its leadership in the world; right now I'm embarrassed and worried.

Evan Brown

Little Rock

White men can jump

#White men can jump