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waeirfaahl · 1 year

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My thoughts about Aku from “Samurai Jack”. The Child of Sorrow in-depth

Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. (c) Ishiro Honda As a kid I watched lots of animated films from many countries. Some of them I liked, some of them even stuck in me very deep and had strong influence. Among animated series in my childhood there were several I really enjoyed — one of them is “Samurai Jack”, of course. Unusual visual style, unique atmosphere, memorable characters, feel of threat, epicness and tragedy, humour and horror, mind-blowing setting and locations, the relatable protagonist you respect and... the antagonist, who became my favourite character and inspired me in many senses. Of course, I am talking about Aku, who is genuinely the most underrated and deprived character of the show. Very sad, but true. Here I will talk about exactly what I noticed during watching the show. Some kind of tribute for Aku and the original classic seasons, i.e. true canon. Probably Aku was the first unusual and unique creature for me, when I was a child. He had otherworldly traits, but at the same time he was incredibly relatable, he was a living being with lots of emotions and bright personality, he could be funny and dangerous at the same time. I associated him with a tree, a totem of forest spirit and alien, similar to the ones from “The Thing” (1982 film). Although Aku is a shapeshifter, in his true anthropomorphic form he has traits of a dragon, a cat, a wolf and a bat. The spikes on his head, similar to the crown and spider’s legs, are some kind of ears and vibrissae, since he moves them, raises or lowers them depending on the joyful or sad mood. Aku has a very keen sense of smell, because he easily smelled Jack hiding, and before that, he realized by the smell of blood that Jack was the son of the Emperor. His hearing is also quite acute, because even through his rolling laughter he heard the rustling produced by Jack, albeit belatedly. But with eyesight, not everything is so clear. Despite quite a good reaction speed, because of the squinting, it seems that Aku sees very small objects (especially flying and fast) much worse than large or medium ones (in "Birth of Evil" episodes as an example, when he fought against Jack's father). At the same time, he calmly measures and controls his enormous physical strength at any size (for example, he did not scratch Jack much, although his huge and powerful claws could cut or tear apart Jack easily). He takes forms of animals and insects, very rarely (2 times — Ikra and in 9 episode 4 season) humanoids, what also can hint that he likes (or at least neutral) animals (if they don’t try to attack him) and dislikes sentient beings or specifically humans. Even his army is always demons and robots, so in comparasion with humans, who used animals for battles and wars, Aku is pretty humane, surprisingly. Moving aside from stereotypical “Darkness means evil”, his colors (black, green, red and white) have ambiguous meaning. Green can represent envy and life/immortality, red can represent anger/danger or love, black can represent sadness and mystery, white can represent innocence and death. Surprisingly, but these meanings are parts of his personality (remember this moment), and he always keeps his true colors in every form. It means that he can’t change the structure of his body and he only mimics visually, from another side, it means that he doesn’t hide his true self. His biology, aside of lots magic abilities, is also pretty interesting for analyze. Aku has no inner organs, no bones, no muscules, no skin, no genitals, no dna and so on (hence absolutely no sexual reproduce and no half-breed offspring and no pregnant mortals). Aku is neither male nor female, his species reproduce, using fragmentation or budding (what we can see in “Birth of Evil”), i.e. Aku is genderless creature and genetically he is a sibling to his dead ancestor from “Birth of Evil” (yes, they are two separate creatures — Aku doesn’t know about the alien gods and their weapons, Aku sees only Jack’s sword as the only weapon that can hurt him, Aku doesn’t have memories of his ancestor, only ability to shapeshift). But his blood resembles petroleum and acid, his blood/essense easily melts iron and metal and, how we could see in the classic seasons, is incredibly deadly and poisonous and even devours a mortal to death, if his blood happens to be inside of mortal. That confirms Aku is unable to mate with mortals or other deities at all. But it doesn’t make him the evil — lots of animals from Earth (sea snail, jellyfish, fugu fish, various snakes for example) are deadly poisonous and can kill human, but they are not the evil. Since Aku sleeps at the bottom of his castle in the bowels of the earth, he likes warmth, and temperature of his body is also pretty high and hot, while frosty and cold locations make him sick (I still have no idea, how he got the flu, being immortal and invinsible creature, who can travel in space for visiting Imakandi tribe and oceans — especially considering acidic blood, which is a perfect disinfectant; and I wonder, whether he found out about Jack being infected by his blood or not — probably Aku slept and felt himself as a gamer with Oculus Rift) probably because of changes and decreases in body temperature. Another interesting moment I noticed in “Birth of Evil” and in 1 episode 1 season. I always wondered, why the black lake released new spikes after absorbing drowning beings (humans and animals). As well as I always wondered, why Aku was imprisoned as a stone tree and was free after the solar eclipse (like, Jack’s father didn’t know, what can happen and how to either destroy or seal Aku, and how he can be free again — he knew only that the sword harms and weakens Aku). The only explanation I have about the stone tree is that it was not only Aku’s prison, but also defense mechanism, some kind of cocoon for hibernation and healing after serious wounds and weakening, while the energy of the solar eclipse just helped Aku to be cured faster and be free again (apparently even his ancestor had some connection with stars in the space). Hence logically even if Jack will defeat him, Aku will be in this hibernation stage again and won’t die (although, I wonder, what happen, if Jack will pierce the sword with Aku into himself or any living being instead of ground, or if he will not pierce it into anything). About the black lake and spikes... Logically it is also a defense mechanism and a tool for investigating location, getting information about life around and killing any threat, which wants to attack (partially that can explain, where this entire “Aku (”evil” in Japanese, akuma “demon” in Japanese), Shogun of Sorrow, the Deliverer of Darkness” comes from — some drowning humans could yell these curses during death toward the black lake). Another moment I wondered — what kind of poisons the arrow had, since it somehow gave the life to Aku instead of somehow killing the fragment? Earlier I assumed that Aku was inside the fragment, which was in gestation-like stage (what also can explain lots of spikes as a defense mechanism — it protected Aku and gave basic information for fast adaptation and successful surviving in the world after birth), while the poisoned arrow forced the fragment to birth the creature before the need time, i.e. Aku is kinda premature and underdeveloped. However, what if these spikes are also failed attempts of the fragment to birth the new creature, while Emperor’s poisoned arrow had a mix of materials and substances, which helped the fragment finally to birth the new creature, Aku? (like, after interaction of the poisoned arrow with the black lake we see the two small flames, indicating the life) I.e. literally the forest of corpses, i.e. Aku’s dead siblings, which became the defense tool. Maybe it’s creepy, but very plausible. And Emperor can be called Aku’s father literally (creator is the correct word for this, but you got my point). And exactly here is the starting point of Aku’s tragedy and Jack’s tragedy (yep, when your enemy is your brother). Despite acting like a ruthless tyrant in some episodes, Aku never gave impression of absolute villain. He was a cynical, asexual and always lonely trickster, a mirror opposite of Jack (Ying and Yang thing), but they both had the same problems — suffering because of ancestral mistakes (Emperor’s mistake specifically), deprivation of free will, they were abandoned, lost and lonely in the cruel world. Since my childhood I felt bad for Aku for many reasons. Several episodes gave some hints about his past and his personality and reason for fixation on Jack, but after “Birth of Evil” episodes the puzzles finally became the single picture. In "Birth of Evil” episode, we see the ancient cosmic entity, and how the three creepy alien gods kill it (my thoughts about what this entity is and about three alien gods and about weird aspects of Jack’s sword you can read here — better if Jack and Aku finally became allies and fought together against these gods, who are the true villains, that would be awesome and epic ending). But one tiny shred of the dead entity falls on Earth, causing extinction of dinosaurs, it eats and grows. Obviously, all human generations considered the shred/fragment/black lake as pure evil and wanted to kill it. Jack's father wanted to destroy the fragment of the cosmic dead entity, but instead he accidentally created Aku and rejected him, attacking him and causing his aggressiveness and the events we see later in the story. I guess, Emperor has pretty low IQ, since he thinks it is a good idea to insult and to provoke the large and unpredictable supernatural being, which even wasn’t aggressive to him (I’d say, Aku was pretty friendly), and to tell that he wanted to kill the being. Lots of people say “If Aku was not the pure evil, he would ignore Emperor and go away. I wouldn’t conquer the entire world because of one dude who insulted me”. I guess, these people think and judge from perspective of mentally and psychologically healthy person with normal childhood and normal life. They don’t realize that it is almost impossible to meet an adequate human in the Middle Ages for such a creature — nobody would simply accept Aku, all would consider him a monster and the evil that needs to be killed (might I remind you, in ancient times some people believed that swamps and bitumen pits are den of evil spirits, while solar eclipses symbolize the arriving of evil). Under such pressure, he would have done what he has done in “Birth of Evil” anyway. The only chance for Aku to become normal member of human/mortal society in Middle Ages and further — if Jack’s father accepted him, when Aku was born. But Jack’s father subtly said to Aku “You are an accident that should never have existed and lived. You should have died. My intention was to not give life and freedom to you, I wanted to kill you” and started to attack him with arrows and sword, confirming his intentions, where the battle and imprisoning strengthened hatred within Aku toward humans, mortals and especially toward Jack’s father and later Jack (who took responsibility without knowing the origin of the conflict). And we got unwanted, abandoned, rejected and embittered creature, who never got a chance to be loved and accepted. Aku is the result of humans’ fear of unknown, prejustice, ignorance, disregard and indifference, where the one human could undo this, but in noble desire to save his family and kingdom he himself created the monster, who punishes and shares his eternal pain with all. When Aku looks at arrows in his hand and then looks at Jack’s father, for few seconds you can notice resentment, sadness and disappointment on his face before anger. Plus, Emperor’s words and deeds could be interpreted by Aku as not only insulting and rejecting, but also as “You and other world think that I am the evil from the beginning and even without knowing about me. Very well, I will be the evil, because there is no point to be anything else". Aku was born innocent, but death surrounded him before birth and became his companion, he could learn to trust and love, but anger and hatred replaced them, hence he sees it as forbidden weakness and disgrace of worthless mortals, immortal life was corrupted with envy especially toward Jack, formidable foe and the son of the fool, who created Aku. Aku is the true child of sorrow, the painful grief, deeply rooted within Aku like the poisoned arrow of the human, who could become a father to him. (I still think that the arrow is still inside of Aku — plus, in some cultures arrows symbolize war or life, so it makes sense) After this, his lines about "Once again I am free to smite the world as in the long past" and "Now, my formidable foe, you will pay for my pain in the past with your pain in the future!" toward Jack get deeper shades. The line about “to smite the world” is literally "to punish humankind” (how it happened in “Birth of Evil” episodes). The line about “my past pain and your future pain” also partially explains, why Aku didn't try to kill Jack in some episodes, but only destroyed or stole time portals, mocking on Jack. And it gets even more deep shades in episode, where saddened Jack finds his destroyed kingdom and remembers his happy childhood — like, similar feelings of pain and loneliness of someone, who was abandoned in cruel and unknown world. Aku’s line from comics “You will always be alone, samurai. But as long as I have you, I will never be alone!” is another perfect explanation. Aku sees Jack as his equal and as someone, who probably could understand him. Also I think, Aku sees in Jack not only the enemy, who can ruin his plans etc, but also he sees in Jack his father, what strenghtens his hatred toward Jack, and Aku probably feels... envy. Because Jack was a wanted child for his family, because Jack is open for world and can find friends, because Jack never gives up and stays kind person, he helps to everyone and has a hope to return home, where his family and friends loved him, and where Jack was happy. He has something Aku was deprived of (and even never had). I always wondered, why Aku calls himself a wizard instead of demon or some supernatural being. Can it be self-hatred because of unability to accept and let go the past? I don’t know, but Aku needs therapy. Aku created the multicultural society with technological progress instead of killing entire life, he didn't harm kids from the fairy tale episode (I assume, his first fairy tale can represent his hidden desire to be a hero in kids’ eyes — if he didn’t care, he’d just ignore/kill them or whatever), he used only robots and demons as his army and policy. (for some reason I recall lines from the song from Moana "Far from the ones who abandoned, you're chasing the love of these humans, who made you feel wanted").

What I noticed — Jack’s father even didn't tell to Jack about how he accidentally created Aku, he only mentioned "This evil demonic wizard attacked my kingdom, I heroically fought and defeated him" or whatever (here is more detailed post about this moment). Hence Emperor didn’t realize what he has done. Remember the short scene in 7 episode 2 season, where Jack’s parents clung to each other, and the shadow of Aku's head towered over them — just imagine, how furious Aku was after sending Jack to the future, how he cruelly punishes Jack's parents and all those enslaved and for minutes freed people. That would be really dark and emotionally powerful scene — especiallly if Emperor finally realized his mistake and begged Aku to mercy Empress and other people, since it is only his fault, but without avail. Aku’s hatred toward Jack’s father was also hinted in two scenes — in 1 episode 1 season, where all enslaved people worked together, while exhausted Emperor worked alone and was tortured by demonic servants, and in 4 episode 3 season Aku refers to him as “your worthless father” during confrontation with Jack. Interesting... can Aku be called a mononoke (vengeful spirit, corrupted with negative emotions, caused by human)? This tragic and dark aspect of the character stuck with me for many years. The theme, where the one is a bitter "mistake" of one ignorant human, the another one was destined to destroy his father's "mistake" only 'cause of its dark origin, i.e. both were deprived of choice and free will. And there really could be awesome and dramatic epic, where the two lone characters understand each other's tragedies and through some events change. The theme, where exactly the choice is important, not origin or prejustice, i.e. something more deep and mature than banal "White savior defeats black wizard" thing. Because if to have absolutist one-dimensional worldview and to consider Aku as irredeemable pure evil, there is a chance to meet or hypocritically ignore uncomfortable question “Wait, by this logic, Aku was born that way, so he never asked to be born that way and can’t change, he is doomed from the start of his existence to be the evil and be killed only because of his origin. Isn’t that the tragedy?! He is the victim of either his nature or humans’ sins”. So yes, the best option would be exactly giving to Aku his arc “from antagonist to antihero and hero’s ally”, where Jack helps to overcome his inner conflict, healing him, and they do some heroic thing together. Surprisingly, this “kids show” from early 2000s and made me to think about pretty dark and dramatic themes.

But 5 season happened, and my emotions were “Look at how they massacred my boy!”... Here I already discussed that the father of Ashi and her sisters is unstated. Since her dad is unstated, I prefer to think that he was a random human (probably killed by her mother), while Ashi (similar to Blade from 1998 film) was only one in her litter, who got infected by Aku’s blood and survived (very rare type of horizontal gene transfer or whatever — maybe ‘cause Ashi was the weakest, so also we see some kind of sudden and unusual symbiotic relationship or whatever, ‘cause apparently exactly Aku’s blood saved her life in 3-4-5 episodes, and she didn’t die after falling from height or electricity — it reminds me the moment from “Princess Mononoke”, where Nago’s hatred curse devoured Ashitaka from inside, but saved Ashitaka’s life, when one of the women shot at him and he had serious blood loss). That’s the only reasonable explanation I have. Since I don’t consider 5 season as canon, I have some own thoughts about how 5 season and the true ending of the show should be and about characters’ arcs in it, but I’ll make a separate post about it later.

This post is a tribute to Aku, who deserved really great story and ending, but was ruined and killed by own creator/author, who cared only about the monkey girl Mary Sue, a thief, a parasite and an impostor, who stole Jack’s and Aku’s arcs and backstories. Rest in peace, magnificent boy, and drink tasty tea with uncle Iroh and Mako, looking at sunset in valley.

#samurai jack #samurai jack 5 season #samurai jack theories #aku #aku theories #aku samurai jack #ashi #ashi theories #ashi samurai jack

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tallmantall · 5 months

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astrologyandlife · 3 years

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29° and 0° in astrology

the 29th and 0 degrees are said to be "critical" degrees in astrology, meaning that anything sitting in these degrees have a special influence on its expression and impact on the rest of the chart. so, i thought it would be a good idea to explore these two degrees and what they could mean for you guys!

part i: the 29th degree

the 29th degree is the very last degree of any zodiac sign. it is said to be the anaretic degree. here, the most difficult challenges related to the placement in question are presented, as everything else has been mastered. there is also a sense of inevitability with this placement. this is often marked by a turning point in the individual’s life.

sun – the ego and identity are strong, but there could be external circumstances that don’t allow the individual to express themselves in a completely authentic or transparent way. they must reconcile who they are inside with how they act. at times, they feel like an imposter, or like they are selling out to others. they know who they are, but do other people? this feeling that something is physically blocking them from existing impacts every action they take. they must figure out what is holding them back from complete self-expression and give themselves permission to be themselves in spite of this.

moon – this is where the most complex, desolate emotions a person can feel lie—the kinds of emotions that make you think nobody could possibly understand your experience. as a result, there is a profound sense of isolation and a difficulty integrating their emotional experiences into their self-expression. this only increases the intensity of the emotions, creating many situations of turbulence. sometimes the individual ends up completely blocking their emotions off to cope. only by facing their emotions head-on can they assuage these feelings and achieve a balanced state.

mercury – there is a tendency to get stuck in vicious cycles involving self-doubt and overthinking here. as a result, they sabotage their own efforts to make good decisions and communicate clearly. even a genius can make a fool out of himself. there can be this issue where they overthink sometimes and don’t think enough other times. they have this nagging feeling that they are missing some piece of information that is undiscovered or concealed from them. the final lesson is to trust the knowledge and experience they have to make the right decision.

venus – a profound sense of loneliness is pervasive throughout their life, as though every relationship they could have now would be empty and devoid of true connection. it’s entirely possible for these individuals to have trust issues, fall into unhealthy patterns in their relationships, and avoid intimacy. perhaps there is a part of themselves who feels they are unlovable in some way, or there is this one thing wrong with them, which they must forgive completely, the same way they would forgive and love another person.

mars – a desperation to act conflicts with a lack of confidence in their capability to do so. often this leads to them being frozen in the headlights like a deer, thinking, I have to do something but what if it’s wrong? the balance between too much and too little is blurred, leading to inconsistency and turbulence in their lives. they often end up in situations where they are forced to make snap decisions. re-calibrating their approach to conflict and matching their energy to the situation will relieve this problem.

jupiter – without thinking, these individuals over-indulge and rely on their luck and natural talents in some way. they want more of something, and it’s almost as though there is no satisfaction through receiving it. there is both a sense of hollowness and complacency that permeates as a result, and they forget how to materialize success through their own efforts. to remedy this, they must seek out growth, exploration, and expansion in its purest sense, to open their minds to a higher being or knowledge.

saturn – restrictive patterns are almost always the issue here. these individuals deprive them of something in their lives, not allowing even a moment of pleasure or reprieve from the overwhelming sense of responsibility they feel. external circumstances, especially in early life, have placed an undue burden on them, in some cases leading them to do anything to escape any responsibility placed on them later in life. to fix this, they have to let go of the guilt and fear they feel to give themselves back their agency.

uranus – how can they move forward? where is there to go that hasn’t been gone to before? in the same way that the sun in this degree struggles to find true authenticity in this liminal space, so too do these individuals struggle to find progression. somewhere they got stuck and stopped embracing their own unique qualities, which has made it impossible for them to then accept anything else. the final turning point here is to open their mind completely, to embrace entirely the open possibilities of the world.

neptune — this is the deepest recesses of this planet, where material reality as we know it does not even exist. at its most extreme, these individuals find it hard to live in this world because reality is simply too harsh for them in some way. escapism exists in its most extreme form, and the subconscious is too influential. and so, they need to escape themselves. here, the power has been given to a force that is not the individual, but rather something external to them. the task is to give this power back to the conscious individual, to escape the dream they have created for themselves and return to reality.

pluto — here, the complete death has occurred for the person. they have experienced the transformation, the change, and the end of the cycle. perhaps they have experienced in many times in their life. but the last stage hasn’t occurred yet. they become stuck before the rebirth stage, unable to complete the process. thus, the same situation happens over and over, re-opening wounds. the final turning point is to accept the change and open themselves up completely to renewal, to move on for good. lay it to rest.

part ii: the 0 degree

in contrast, the 0 degree is the very first degree of any zodiac sign. this is where the traits of the sign are most clearly and cohesively expressed, and also where there is the most to learn. you express this placement in a very raw, almost untouched way.

aries – there is a childlike innocence and naivete here, as well as an exaggerated impatience and sense of urgency. they feel that there is no time to wait. strong desire to be first and be a leader, even if they don’t know how to be one. there’s almost like a reckless quality to them. extremely assertive to a point of being hostile when others tell them what to do.

taurus – they are stubborn and fixed to the point of being unable to budge. it’s essentially impossible to stop the momentum once they’ve started, and they’re in it for the long haul. they can get stuck in their thinking and behavior patterns, doing the same thing over and over. absolutely must have stability and security in situations or they won’t commit.

gemini – absolutely no tolerance for boredom or lack of activity. they have to be doing something at all times, and often more than one thing. they’re extremely scattered. their curiosity drives them and they’re always asking questions or trying to learn more. they are constantly taking in information and changing their mind, never able to “settle.”

cancer – sensitive and emotional to the point where they can’t hide their feelings. here, there is someone who is very shy, cautious, and puts a protective shell around themselves. they have an intuition that is spot-on. very needy and moody. plays the role of caregiver and can be seen as a motherly figure. empathy is turned up all the way.

leo – they are completely self-focused and wants to be the center of attention. they want people’s eyes on them at all times, and they know how to light up a room. natural actors and tend toward being extremely dramatic. there is a sense of complete confidence in their abilities and pride in themselves. they refuse to settle for less than what they believe they deserve.

virgo – devoted to the service of others, typically in the form of providing feedback, criticism, and a helping hand. very critical and vocal about imperfections. they have an eye for detail that is unmatched. any form of disorganization or chaos is distressing to them, and they have highly specific routines and rituals. mind is constantly running to analyze and process information.

libra – cannot be alone whatsoever, and they are constantly seeking out connections with others. they are a complete pushover and seek out compromise in every situation. there is a desire to always seem agreeable and likeable. they often find themselves mediating for others, and there is an extreme need for harmony and balance. indecisive to the point of being paralyzed/hurt.

scorpio – the most private you’ll ever meet, and it’s impossible to get information out of them. feels the need to keep everything to themselves. has tons of secrets. they are super obsessive and will latch on to things quickly. needs control or to feel powerful in any situation. constantly on the defensive and trying to psychoanalyze the situation.

sagittarius – have an attitude of “it will all work out, don’t worry” even when they should be worrying. it’s impossible to tie down or get them to settle, because they have an intense need for freedom at all times. blindly faithful and optimistic. have a tendency to do things completely spontaneously. can feel claustrophobic when unable to freely act.

capricorn – absolutely rooted in tradition, even to the point of being narrow-minded. they constantly have to be going after success or achievement. the sense of responsibility is always present, which can lead to feelings of guilt or failure. an old soul from the beginning. a sense of “I have to get this right and prove myself” in anything they do.

aquarius – always has to be moving forward and making progress. extreme quirks are very possible here. highly open-minded and non-judgmental, and almost nothing surprises/shocks them. a savant, genius, or revolutionary. always at odds with figures of authority or traditionalists. a humanitarian to the extreme. they are ahead of their time.

pisces – hyper-sensitive to subtle influences and can be very spiritual or superstitious as a result. there’s an ever-present need to escape in some way, and they usually and have vivid imagination/rich fantasies. there can be a sense of directionlessness or shapelessness. the ultimate chameleon.

sun - feels the need for validation of who they are from others, projects a ton of confidence that they may not really have, very performative and forthright in expression. moon - often blindsided by their emotions, has difficulty realizing their needs and wants, less polished about handling their feelings. mercury - always curious and wants to know more, may present as a know-it-all or assert authority over topics, venus - loves the newness of relationships, craves connection and romance, wants to be well-liked by others, rejection is hard for them. mars - always in "go" mode, lots of energy and motivation, can be quick to anger or rile up, ends up in dangerous situations a lot. saturn - inherently assumes responsibility, has to learn lessons multiple times, tries to be disciplined and fails often. jupiter - lots of faith and optimism, definitely naive at heart, open to new experiences and chances for growth. uranus - has a lot of small quirks, open-minded and progressive, has a mindset of wanting to keep moving forward. neptune - rich imagination and a love for fantasy, feels directionless or like the possibilities are endless. pluto - may struggle with changes or transformations, lots of growth ahead of them, a strong presence that is very raw.

finally, i'd like to link some resources for further reading:

· https://www.astro.com/astrology/aa_article190801_e.htm (my favorite--super in-depth and peer-reviewed/published!)

· https://advanced-astrology.com/anaretic-degree/

· https://www.astrologyweekly.com/blog/29-degrees-the-anaretic-degree/

#other #this one took a couple months to put together due to needed to do heavy research!#astrology #degree theory #degrees #astro #natal chart

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chocoladieimagines · 3 years

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If you’re taking reqs may I request Sanemi x black fem reader who is also a demon slayer and short tempered as him?

Absolutely! In the way of being short tempered, I would think of a s/o who isn’t afraid of speaking her mind if need be. So someone who often doesn’t agree with Sanemi’s actions at times since he can be stubborn and quick to lash out. Also doing things without thinking rationally since it can be extremely difficult to dissuade him from something after harboring so much hatred. Basically, whenever she’s around him, it’s just a totally different side of her she shows towards him that he’s just like ‘damn what I do to her’ lol.

Sanemi Shinazugawa x Black!Reader

- You were first to be born to two parents familial of a powerful military caste.

- During the feudal period, samurai were so highly valued in feudal Japan thanks to their lifetime of training in the art of war, their monopoly on the tools of war, and the use of these two values as officers of peace. Without these valuable traits and possessions, society could no longer justify their existence

- The Emperor Meiji realized that Japan was far behind the western nations in technology and that in order to survive as an independent country, they would need to make dramatic changes to catch up.

- They decided that the division of Japanese society into separate social classes hindered modernization. The task of removing the feudal class system was by removing the informal social superiority of the samurai and integrating them into the rest of society as equals.

- Eventually, they came to accept their new station in life and integrated with the rest of society. They became artisans, merchants, and farmers. Many joined the National army as officers or became civil servants.

- However, several people born in foreign countries were granted the title of samurai. The period of the Nanban (Southern Barbarian) in Japan from 1543 to 1614, is named such to mark the arrival of the first Europeans to Japan and ensuing establishing of certain relations of power and culture. The slaves were not only work horses of heavy labor but some were clerics, translators, interpreters and guides.

- There were different kinds of “black”, different hues and heritages as black bodies as slaves were not only from the African continent but also Malaysian and South Asian negrito tribals, black Asian aboriginal tribal peoples were enslaved by white nations during the colonial period. At the same time, Northern or East Asian attempted continuously to invade and conquer their southern neighbors, by land and sea. A man by the name of Takeshi, a black Asian, became a retainer of a daimyo, a great lord who were vassals of the shogun.

- Since the Southeast Asians and South Sea peoples were of darker complexion and with some having similar physical features with Africans, they were all considered “black” by the northern Asian invaders and traders. Condescending attitudes towards the Southeast Asians, Filipinos, and all tribal people, came concurrently with the desire to rule and be superior. Takeshi’s tribe was conquered and became part of lower caste groups and ethnic groups in Japan. After these ethnic groups were obliterated and assimilated with the Japanese as “one” people, Takeshi became born into a samurai family.

- When a child grew up in a samurai family, he was expected to be a warrior when he grew up, so much of his childhood being spent practicing different martial arts. This became respected of him as a Samurai, since not many black people would have the opportune of joining the upper echelons of Japan’s warrior class, the samurai. However, after samurais became abolished, Takeshi’s family still instilled justice and educated the populace of relatives to keep their operations secretive. They kept the tradition of Samurai because of the arisen of demons, since the creatures live in secrecy upon the outskirts of the population, at large being ignorant to their existence.

- By hiding from persecutors, they were closer to villages or clans which trickles down to you as a descendant of Takeshi.

- Your mother was a female warrior, who would be referred as the Onna-Musha if it were premodern times. The Onna-Musha or Bugeisha were trained in martial arts and strategy, and fought alongside the samurai to defend their homes, families and honors.

- After you were born, you were also trained in the same method with a Naginata; a versatile, conventional pole arm with a curved blade at the tip. It allowed onna-bugeisha better balance given their small stature.

- Since killing demons meant forging Nichirin blades out of Scarlet Crimson Ore (which absorbed sunlight to such an extent that decapitation was all that was needed to kill a demon), your family learned to utilize mystical combat in multiple forms of martial arts.

- By using their own life force energy, they may create, shape and manipulate the energy of elements otherwise, specifically solar energy. It appears as a beautiful luminance around the blade of your naginata; resembling the gaseous form of a flame as it shows iridescence of illuminating colors.

- After you were trained from your parents’ devotion of you having self defense, your siblings were born into the world. One by one looking up to you as their role model—someone worthy of imitation. Due to being accompanied by your little brothers and sisters, you felt a sense of a gravitational pull to them. Feeling the necessity of ensuring their safety and security, immutably driving you to respond to even their needs like it was a maternal instinct. Which included developing a distressed mentality that precipitated firing off on someone in defense of an argument (usually for the protection of others).

- Your family was unbeknownst of the Demon Slayer Corps until you encountered a tall, muscular, and slender man with spiky white hair and large lavender eyes. You were surprised to see that his body and face were covered in scars which looked to have “accrued” after years of his (seemingly) encyclopedic knowledge against fighting demons.

- He looked at you strangely as well; you wore a slit silky white kimono patterned by green bamboo lattice and one arm wriggled free of a sleeve, cinched with a matching green sash. Your freed arm allowed view of your sarashi wrapped tightly around your chest as your arm was lightly armored in iron plates and kusari (iron chain mail) sewn together in layers. A conical bamboo hat was loosely tied around your neck so the hat could lie on your back, showing your features to him.

- His eyes ogled you from your Geta sandals and your smooth bared leg to the luster of your garment shining the curvatures of your hips. He silently thought the expression of your features was attractive, especially the thick coily tresses of your hair that framed your face. The way it outwardly levitated from gravity due to its curly strands was particularly unique to him.

- You didn’t like the way he stared at you. It felt like you were on display for his eyes to undress you. “What is your business here?” You inquired, pulling the man’s notice on your hand clenching your weapon. It was said prior that more demons became present near your rural areas. You went on duty to track where they were coming from—inside the woods—only to find the man beheading them and stringing some up for daybreak. He possibly did it to torture them.

- “I should be asking you the same thing.” He scoffed. “Surely you weren’t coming to kill those demons, especially in that attire. Quite provocative for the Demon Slayer’s uniform.” “Excuse me? Provocative? For what uniform? I am not schooled like some student. And what if I am a demon slayer?” You spoke in incredulousness. It seemed so misogynistic to you that you were first judged on the clothing honorary to your tradition. You wondered if he thought it deprived from your abilities.

- He chuckled as if you just made a joke, “You wouldn’t last a day if you think being a Demon Slayer is about getting dolled up. It looks like you’re trying to attract demons more than fend them off.” “And who are you to judge how I dress? Do you think that flaunting your abs will counter my ability of kicking your ass?” “What? These?” He opened his gakuran jacket more to expose the six pack of his abdominal muscles, feeling heat escalate to your cheeks as he beheld more of the scars on his body. He then responded to your gaze with a smirk, “How kind of you to make a comparing example of something that’s attractive. You can touch them too if you’d like.”

- Was he flirting with you? First, he criticized you on you looks, now he decided to taunt you? You grasped your naginata and spaced your feet into a stance. You grabbed the polearm with your backhand over your thigh and your front hand gripped higher up the weapon away from the body. You kept your posture straight for a proper height of the blade.

- He deviously snickered, “What a naughty girl. You know it’s against the rules for demon slayers to fight each other upon confrontation.” “What rules? On our turf, you are on our property. Which means you have the obligation to move or be moved.” You denounced. “Such big talk. I’ll end this quickly so master will barely see it as a fight.”

- With that, he dashed towards you, surprising you to see he didn’t unsheathe his weapon. The way he zipped towards you, he was meaningful of close combat at short range, unlike your naginata which coupled with greatly increased distance gave the spearman a real advantage. You decided in quick process to rely on your agility and powerful kicks as you channel your energy through your attacks. It would greatly enhance and empower yourself and your executions for more efficacy or potency for damage.

- You evaded his swift attack by being able to propel yourself on your naginata, mutually measuring out the steadiness between your weight and the pole. By this, you were able to “squat” on your weapon from above and consider the next attack to perform. Within the time frame of him realizing you’ve dodged his move, you swung your body and temporarily featured upper body strength in defying gravity. You paralleled your body with the ground and for a second’s notice distributed your weight with the naginata—landing a concussive kick into his side. The impact knocked him back a far distance, colliding into a tree.

- You quickly ran towards him, fluently combining fast and slow slashes with side and forward dashes to create variants of attacks and to force him to remain in defense and safe distance from you. Yet, he moved instantaneously in response to his stimulus, being able to try to control his reaction time and adapt into some of your methods of thinking/fighting. Thus, he “used your strength” against you, making the precision of composite punches to your face. You hit the ground, seeing him hover over your body and holding down your arms, “Like I said, our match is over. You will come back with me to face consequences.”

- You managed to pull your legs to your chest and kick him away from you, “I don’t answer to you! I don’t even know who you are or this place you’re loyal to.” You kick your body back up, following back into a stance to prepare you for anymore engagement. “Quit acting so damn confused, you’re a demon slayer aren’t you?” He remarked questionably. You frowned in frustration, wondering if he was subliminally asking something. “Well technically yes, but obviously not in the definition you mean.” You said.

- The man deeply sighed, “Women. You’re so flip-floppy. How can you nod your head yes but say no?” You rolled your eyes, “Because you asshole, I still kill demons, just not in the same uniform as you.” “Hmph, only the swordsman of the Demon Slayer Corps utilize nichirin blades that are powerful enough to kill demons. How could you not be in the organization if you can still kill them?” “My family and I have been living in secrecy from the government because as descendants, our predecessors still practiced the tradition of the samurai. We resorted towards rural settlements by richer jungle to be able to hide our weapons and practices extant because of demons. We’ve never heard of this ‘Demon Slayer Corps’ since we thought we were the only ones being militant and knowledgeable of demons’ existence.”

- Sanemi had many questions but thought it would be wise to save them for Oyakata-Sama. Suddenly, a crow began to drift above you two and utter a series of grating caws, “Ca-Caw! Sanemi Shinazugawa is to report back to Oyakata Sama! Ca-Caw!” “I hate that fucking bird.” You heard Sanemi mumble. “You know my name so you’re coming with me. The Demon Slayer Corps is more sustainably adequate for you anyway.”

- As much as you wanted to protest what he meant in clarification, you knew what he meant. If you were to join the Demon Slayer Corps, you could raise more money for your family, since you were practically cut off from the rest of Japan’s economies. You live without the government’s support which meant that without roads, markets, banks and connections to the rest of the country, no new economies would take root. Instead, you were labor-intensive; plantations that exploit cheap labor available in nearby villages and towns, while the majority of the crops grown are mostly shipped to global markets.

- Upon meeting “Oyakata-Sama”, you hesitantly followed Sanemi’s lead in kneeling before the gentleman. You didn’t want to be rude possibly staring at what appeared to be an illness or disease he had befallen. Nevertheless, he had a gentle and calm demeanor that enraptured you. “Master, I am pleased to see you in good health. I fervently pray for your continued good fortune,” Sanemi wished, suprisingly showing a side of reverence for him. “During my mission, I happened to encounter one of the villagers who says her and her family are samurai and are capable of defending themselves against demons although they have no prior knowledge or connections with the Demon Slayer Corps.”

- “How interesting, especially since the samurai were abolished during the Meiji Restoration at least 44 years ago. May I know your name?” He asked while you were partially listening, due to being soothed by his calming voice. Sanemi elbowed you to catch your attention, “Oh! My name is Y/N L/N, pleased to meet you, sir.” “Indeed a samurai clan. I must know the reason why you and your family decided to keep paying homage to these military warriors.”

- You explained everything about your family to the man; your fighting styles, your way of practicing, your attire, etc. Sanemi “patiently” stayed by your side since he wouldn’t leave without Oyakata’s orders. Although your apparel was a bit disheveled from earlier, Sanemi still slightly thought you pulled the look off, expertly. There was something about your unique fashion that made him feel warmth, magnetism, enticement—weird. For someone as abrasive, hot-blooded and stubborn as he was, he never thought he would be trusted with the idea of intimacy between another person. His cold personality resulted in losing too many people he cared about in the past. Opening himself up again for someone would be too much, especially in a world where it was a war between demons and humans.

- “Sanemi, could you please show Y/N around to sway her interests of joining our alliance?” Oyakata requested, awakening him out of his thoughts. “Of course Master.” Despite starting off on the wrong foot, he did as told, guiding you straightforwardly in detail and didn’t stop if you wanted to pause to look at something. His pace was haste, deciding to take in your surroundings while you had the chance to. Many children participated in the organization; the uniforms were coed between either wearing pleated skirts or hakama pants with the same gakuran top you saw Sanemi in. They appeared to differentiate in colors, Sanemi’s a green tint in the sunlight in the place of some of the darker ones others wore—navy blue, purple, black or even a brown. They also practiced kenjutsu ; where a bokken or wooden sword was used as a safe substitute for katanas for sparring.

- Oyakata informed you about the Demon Slayer Corps so as you were briefly toured, you would understand the things you looked at. But seeing the children risking their lives after the cost of their families, awfully reminded you of your siblings. Back at home, your parents would mostly tend to the domestic chores as they relied on you as one of their warriors to protect the village. Then, they could keep watch of the rest of their children, often something you felt the necessity of doing. Watching over your family. When you noticed Sanemi left you, you went to try and interact with the rest of the Hashira; introducing yourself, producing conversation and helping out with chores if you could.

- You made the most conversation with Shinobu Kocho, Insect Hashira. She displayed a laid back demeanor, a smile frequently present on her face which exhibited a bright and cheery nature. But it facaded her enjoyment of teasing others to the point of being rather sadistic through the jokes she made. You weren’t sure to shocked or to laugh, afraid of how the others would see you. “Oh it’s ok, you can laugh. Especially in front of Tomioka.” She giggled. You breathed a sigh of relief and let a half suppressed snigger peep from your lips.

- Then you cleared your throat, “Is it okay if I ask you about Sanemi Shinazugawa?” Shinobu looked at you questionably, “Why? Are you afraid of him? Trust me, as scary as he may want to make himself look, it’s just a front.” “No, he doesn’t scare me. I initiated a fight with him earlier because of some of the things he said. My people didn’t need to be saved by him, especially if it would’ve been only to disrespect us. It’s like a smack in the face of how we’ve been raising ourselves to be true warriors.” “Yes, I apologize for Shinazugawa. He can do things out of line, unfortunately more times than we know it. But his cold exterior armors a soft soul. I’ve treated his younger brother, Genya; he can be just as ill-tempered and non-cooperative as his brother but he is apparently shy around women, especially my girls, Sumi, Kiyo, and Naho. He told me that he was in search of Sanemi, eldest of seven children, after their family was killed. He remembers Sanemi saved him from their mother but became isolated because he labeled him as a murderer in panic. Up to now, since he is little brother, Shinazugawa throws harsh rebukes at him because he cares for him. Think of it like a bully, most times they’re bowling you by hurting and insulting you, but it can also be their way of showing interest in you or an attraction in the way of giving you a hard time.”

- “I understand. Thank you, Shinobu.” You bowed. ��Your welcome, Y/N.” Unbeknownst to you, Sanemi heard your conversation nearby, since he randomly felt he should locate where you were. Later, you bowed to Oyakata when you were on your way back home. He welcomed you to feel free of accompanying them anytime you wanted, they had open arms if you needed protection. Shortly after you left, you felt someone yank you by your arm. You quickly freed yourself by twisting your hand out of the opening where their thumb and finger met.

- “Since when did you have permission to touch me? And why are you trying to pull me somewhere no one can see us?” You questioned Sanemi. “Don’t think that I like you. Don’t think that after what that girl told you that you know me or that I won’t pull my punches.” He warned. “Trust me, I wouldn’t think for a day that I would stoop myself so low.” “And what do you mean by that?” “However you take it. I wouldn’t be concerned about someone who sees me like anyone else or be a doormat.” “Then why are you putting yourself as an example if it wouldn’t affect you?” “Cause it wouldn’t.” “Maybe it would if you’re trying to morally describe yourself.” “Why are you here? Just to make a threat or to walk me home? I can take of myself thank you, remember by how I bested you in combat.”

- “Oh please, I was the one who ended up on top. If our fight lasted you would be talking to that girl for a different reason.” He said, making you laugh. “That’s quite optimistic of you but never underestimate your enemy Shinazugawa. We shall have a rematch, no?” He smirked with a devilish grin, “If that’s your death wish then I shall be your reaper.” His response entertained you and during your exchange, he ended up walking with you home regardless. “Thank you for the laughs Sanemi. It will be fun when I fight you here tomorrow.” You winked.

- That next day, upon his visitation, he attempted to surprise attack you. You successfully dodged it, “Nice day we’re having.” “Hmm.” Then got a view of each other. He noticed you wore a white kosode with sode-kukuri (cords) through the sleeves and opened shoulders. Muna-himo (strings) were attached to each lapel and tied in front to keep the garment closed with your black hakama. He wondered if you could’ve changed into more of a practical outfit because of what he commented. Yet, you moved just as fast and did well at keeping him from getting close enough to impact you. He found an opening and kicked you in the face, causing you to fall.

- “I have a feeling you like being on top of me.” You said to him as he tried to tower you. You rolled your torso into a circular path on the ground and twirled your legs into a v shape. When you tripped Sanemi, it was your turn to crawl on top of him out of humorous reasons. “I like where this fight is heading.” He mischievously thought. “Yeah for me. I disarmed you and you’re in my submission.” He chuckled, “Cause I let you, that’s what makes the fun of it.” He winked then bucked his hips into you. You gasped, taking the opportunity to punch him continuously in his face. Not because of what he did but for being merciless from pulling each other’s punches.

- He didn’t put his guard up but lets the blood trickle from his nose and into the junction of his lips. “Not a scratch.” He smugly smiled, licking the blood away from above his lip. When you treated him afterwards, he formed more respect for you and subconsciously allowed his feelings to pervade his system. He made more nonsensical jokes to hear you laugh and listened to your opinions more than his usual stubborn self. He alarmed you of some of the threats that were coming your way, indirectly inviting you to join him on his missions. It built cooperation between you two, as well as more of a bond than constantly contesting everything. Although, a time when you argued, you hugged him as a way to reassure him that you cared and considered him as your friend. It made you laugh to see him resist from hugging you back.

- You showed more of a friendlier side to him as you would to your family. You introduced him to your siblings which joyfully reminded him of his family, including Genya. One time, while you two were watching the sunset, you saw that one of your little sisters was hesitating to come talk to him. “It’s ok, he won’t bite.” You encouraged her, pulling his attention towards her. She showed him numerous flowers and asked him questions of what was his favorite things. It warmed your heart to see a compassionate side of him as he answered all of them, including you as answer. That made it much aware to you of his feelings for you.

- “Did you know what I meant?” He asked you that night. “Yes, thank you, you’re my favorite too.” You smiled. “But I mean it,” He said, giving you back your hug like you did before. “I hesitated to accept the feeling of love because I don’t want to lose anyone again.” You looked up from the warmth of his chest and into the conveyance of his eyes; now filled with adoration and worship. “Trust me love, I’m not going anywhere.” And you two kissed.

Thank you for reading! I apologize for the late response, I’ve been busy a lot but I wanted to do as you requested! I wish everyone a wonderful day!🤎🍫

#demon slayer x poc!reader #demon slayer x black reader #demon slayer x reader #kny x reader #sanemi fluff #sanemi x reader #hashira x reader #anime x black!reader

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kaypeace21 · 3 years

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El and “post institutional syndrome” (psych analysis)

Before I go in depth with this condition. I wanted to discuss the unique real life case of Genie (whose experiences most closely resemble El ‘s) . And , because of this , could possibly give us insight on how El’s past may affect her psychosocial development .

“Genie had spent almost her entire childhood locked in a bedroom, isolated and ab*sed by her father for the first 13 years of her life. The social worker soon discovered that the girl had been confined to a small room, and an investigation by authorities quickly revealed that the child had spent most of her life in this room. The windows were curtained and the door was kept closed.”

“At this time, she could only speak a few words -- including "stopit" and "nomore."

“While her circumstances until that point were undeniably tragic, they also presented an opportunity for psychologists, linguists, and other researchers to study psychosocial, emotional, and cognitive development in an individual who had suffered from severe social isolation and deprivation. In particular, the discovery of Genie presented an opportunity to study whether a child who was past the so-called "critical period" for language acquisition could learn to speak a first language.”

“The case was important, said psycholinguist and author Harlan Lee, because ‘our morality doesn’t allow us to conduct deprivation experiments with human beings; these unfortunate people are all we have to go on.’

* Brenner not only kept her in isolation via her room but even put her through severe deprivation via solitary confinement as punishment. Putting her in a completely barren dark room for hours.UN Special Rapporteur Juan E. Méndez warned ,”Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause, it can amount to t*rture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment when used as a punishment, indefinitely, or for a prolonged period, for persons with mental disabilities or juveniles.”

“After assessing Genie's emotional and cognitive abilities, Kent described her as ‘the most profoundly damaged child I've ever seen … Genie's life is a wasteland.’ She began to experience more developmental progress, but remained poor in areas such as language.Susan Curtiss worked with Genie to teach her English. Genie soon developed a rather large lexicon and was able to express herself. But despite extensive training, she remained unable to produce grammatical sentences. Here is a transcript of one of her reports of her time in the hands of her father:

Father hit arm. Big wood. Genie cry ... Not spit. Father. Hit face—spit ... Father hit big stick. Father angry. Father hit Genie big stick. Father take piece wood hit. Cry. Me cry.”

“According to Lenneberg, the critical period for language acquisition lasts until around age 12. After the onset of puberty (at 13), he argued, the organization of the brain becomes set and no longer able to learn and utilize language in a fully functional manner.The case of Genie confirms that there is a certain window of opportunity that sets the limit for when you can become relatively fluent in a language. Of course, if you already are fluent in another language, the brain is already primed for language acquisition . If you have no experience with grammar, however, Broca's (an area of the brain) remains relatively hard to change: you cannot learn grammatical language production later on in life. But the abilities to understand language and produce language in ways that do not rely on grammar largely make use of Wernicke's area in the temporal lope. This area is capable of expanding and rewiring throughout life—even after the teen years. The case of Genie confirms this. Grammar was beyond reach for her. But language comprehension and storytelling were not.”

So El struggling with grammar in some sentences but not in others and improving in grammar unlike Jennie- could possibly be because unlike Jeanie, El was 12 when rescued vs Jeanie who was 13?

“Researchers were also left to wonder whether Genie had suffered from cognitive deficits caused by her years of severe neglect or if she had been born with an ‘intellectual disability’. Most believed, the permanent mental impairments and ‘developmental delays’ Genie exhibited (upon being assessed ) were the result of the isolation and deprivation she was subjected to.”

For those confused about certain terms just used. “Developmental delays appear before 22 years of age. They are life-long disabilities that affect one or both physical and cognitive functioning. ‘Intellectual disability’ encompasses the “cognitive” part of this definition, that is, a disability that is broadly related to thought processes. People with intellectual disabilities are known for having below-average IQ/cognitive abilities . ID can be caused by a myriad of things- including physical and genetic factors, problems during pregnancy or at birth, health issues at an early age, exposure to environmental toxins, or non-physical causes such as lack of stimulation.”

*DISCLAIMER before we begin: I’m saying this now, cause I expect bad actors to try and cancel me. El , even if she has an intellectual disability- is still a human being with many aspirational character traits- that people can admire or aspire to have . She’s kind, selfless, brave, and resilient. People with ID can still function and have jobs, make decisions, and learn new skills too. And they have human emotions like everyone else. if you are “offended” that I say a character you like may have ID - and are pissy you related and empathized to a character that you would otherwise have ‘othered’ cause they have an intellectual disability. Me, an autistic person, (who the fandom has bullied for being autistic) is not the ableist one for simply saying she may have an Intellectual disability .Being angry by the very idea a character you like has a condition , and saying it’s “offensive”/”insulting to them” (is ableist). And in a sense dehumanizes these people who are greatly underestimated and mistreated by society already. you don’t have to agree of course- but don’t try to smear me for stating my opinion based on the psych papers I’ll be discussing. I love El, and have a cousin with ID, so no this isn’t me insulting El. The Duffers said they wanted to give a voice to those “othered” by society- and people who aren’t neurotypical could easily be on the list. The Duffers having us love, relate, and empathize with a character such as this wouldn’t be a bad thing- but good rep .So now I’ll continue with the evidence that alludes to El possibly having ID.

Post institutional syndrome

“In clinical and abnormal psychology, POST INSTITUTIONAL SYNDROME- refers to deficits or disabilities in social and life skills, which develop after a person has spent a long period living in remote institutions (such as orphanages). “

“Growing up in such an environment can change the brain for good.Institutionalization in early childhood can alter a child's brain and behavior in the long run.The ongoing nature of chronic neglect significantly impacts the brain in infancy and early childhood. It suggests that the specific ages of approximately 6−18 months old , may be especially sensitive to developing deficiencies in orphanage environments. “ (*Making El who was raised in such an environment since birth quite susceptible ).

“According to Perry (2002), neglect at this phase impedes formation of neurological pathways essential to communication in the brain. They found that early institutionalization changed both the structure and the function of the brain. Any time spent in an institution shrunk the volume of gray matter, or brain cell bodies, in the brain. Kids who stayed in the orphanages instead of going to foster care also had less white matter, or the fat-covered tracts between brain cell bodies, than kids who, at a young age, moved in with families.Staying in an orphanage instead of foster care also resulted in lower-quality brain activity as measured by EEG.”

“Neglect may be the most detrimental maltreatment type on brain development.A child’s neurocognitive and emotional development rapidly moves towards a downward spiral following extended time in an institution.Normal development may be disrupted by deprivation associated with neglect and can result in dysregulation of neural systems during vulnerable periods of brain development, leading to pronounced neurocognitive deficits due to maltreatment.There are many outcomes related to this disruption in brain development: delays in development of IQ , delays in language, cognitive delays that impact learning, and difficulty with behavioral inhibitions, social emotional functioning and well as impaired attachment (Wilkerson, 2009; Barkley, 1997).”

“Low-stimulation environments can lead to lower scores on intelligence and language tests. Neglect is the type of maltreatment most strongly associated with delays in expressive, receptive, and overall language development.interpersonal interaction is necessary for the acquisition of early language, and these interactions may be limited for children that have been in institutional settings or have experienced physical or emotional neglect.Speech and language delays along with social-emotional delays are very common as the child continues in the institutional environment.”

“Compared with youth that were not neglected, children demonstrated lower cognitive and language scores and more behavioral problems.Higher IQ could be predicted by language scores and an absence of externalizing behavior problems. When comparing the neglected children: shorter time spent in a stable environment, lower scores on language skills, and the presence of externalizing behavior problems predicted lower IQ.”

“The cognitive development of institutionalized children has been studied for more than 60 years. Between 1930 and 1950 a first wave of studies documented that children in institutions often showed a low IQ and severe language delays (Crissey, 1937; Durfee & Wolf, 1933), and children’s orphanages have been considered “natural experiments” on the necessary conditions for intellectual growth (MacLean, 2003).For example, Rutter (1998) found that the mean IQ of children leaving institutional care in Romania shortly after the fall of Ceausescu was about 50 (population mean = 100). Similar results were shown with Dennis in (1973) who addressed the question of how large the cognitive delay of children in orphanages was compared to children adopted into families. He studied children who were abandoned immediately after birth and were reared in children’s homes in Lebanon.Dennis found that at age 11, the average IQ of the adopted children was within the range of normally developing children, whereas the non-adopted 11 y old orphans still living in these institutions were diagnosed as Intellectually disabled.At his followup, when they were 16, these same girls at the Zouk institution had an average IQ going just above 50. While, In a meta-analysis of 75 studies, van IJzendoorn et al. (2008) found that children living in institutional care scored on average 20 points lower on intelligence tests than children who were raised in families.”

“These later studies also revealed that the percentage of time spent in institutional care was significantly and negatively correlated with full scale IQ, verbal, and memory scores. And that 12 years of institutional care, from birth to 12 years of age, showed placement into foster care did not increase iq points .The only cognitive improvement of placing these children in foster care at age 12 -was on working memory. While the only cognitive improvements of taking the children out of the institution by 8 years old was on processing speed. “

pics for proof if you don’t believe me-

* Meaning realistically El who was in such an environment (from birth to 12 years old) may learn new things after being placed in foster care (like with Hopper or the Byers)-but her Iq would never improve to the point of being neurotypical- she’d always have an intellectual disability.

Intellectual disability

“People with intellectual and learning Disabilities may have deficits in speech production . Impairment of speech production is among the most commonly reported difficulties in children, adolescents and adults with ID . The children, including some with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities may lack in phonological development in their speech. These children also exhibit many articulatory deficits, delays in expressive language and show significant limitations in grammar and syntax development compared to those their age (without an iD). They often speak in subdued tones or use explosive voice modulations .Some speak quietly, while in others vocal intensity varied from utterance to utterance. “

“Intellectual disability is identified as mild , moderate, severe or profound.”

So, if based on average of Iq of children raised in orphanages (from birth to 11,12, or 16 years old). El would have a mild intellectual disability (and an Iq possibly around 50).Of those affected with ID, about 85% fall into the "mild" category.

Mild intellectuality disability disorder symptoms:

-”being fully independent in self-care when they get older (brushing teeth, dressing themselves, cooking, taking public transport, etc)”

-having problems with reading and writing (having math/reading skills between a 3rd- 6th grade level).

-having an IQ range of 50 to 69

-social immaturity

“Iq below 70 isn’t the only marker for diagnosis. But, also issues in adaptive functioning are usually used for diagnosis. Three areas of adaptive functioning are considered:According to the DSM-5 (APA, 2013), the signs and symptoms of adaptive functioning deficits across 3 domains (conceptual ,social and practical) for a mild intellectual disability are:

Conceptual Domain

”Slow language development (children learn to talk later, if at all). Or problems learning to talk or trouble speaking clearly.”

”Difficulties in academic learning ( such as having math/reading skills between a 3rd- 6th grade level).”

* El can read but still struggles with proper grammar ( verbally and through her writing) .She’s even reading an english-learning book. Her unsteady handwriting/ lack of apostrophes hint she’s still learning to write (despite her reading abilities) . And at 14 she doesn’t know what a state is-specifically Illinois which she visited 6 months prior.

”Difficulty understanding academic and abstract concepts of time “

*She didn’t start learning how to tell time until 12, and only seemed to master it at 14.

“childish behavior inconsistent with the child’s age.”

*14 y old El and 5 y old Holly both having a thing for teddy bears, in s3/2.

”Problems with abstract thinking, short term memory, and cognitive flexibility”. (”Abstract reasoning tasks include the ability to understand subjects on a complex level through analysis and evaluation and the ability to apply knowledge in problem-solving.”)

(”Cognitive flexibility has been described as the mental ability to switch between thinking about two different concepts, and to think about multiple concepts simultaneously.”)

*This one is a bit iffy, cause there’s a few explanations to the s3 example. El and Mike lie to their friends about her curfew.Yet the next day she is confused and says Mike wouldn’t lie to her - cause “friends don’t lie” All despite the fact she and Mike lied to Dustin, Max, Will, and Lucas the day before. So either she doesn’t understand the concept of hypocrisy because she lacks cognitive flexibility (or just doesn’t care about the hypocrisy)- aka her and Mike can lie to their friends, but she’s upset when they lie to her, (and she’s fine if Mike lies to everyone but her) ? Personally,I think she doesn’t grasp the concept of hypocrisy yet. Or she didn’t even realize she was lying and believed Mike was right about her curfew. Or bad writing. But given the concept of lying being prevalent to the season- I lean to Mike accidentally lying to her about her curfew (and El thinking her curfew was 4:00) . Or (more likely) El lies and doesn’t have the cognitive flexibility/abstract reasoning to understand that being upset Mike lied to her but not upset Mike (and her) lied to their friends is hypocritical. She also lied to Mike and pretended she didn’t hear the confession at the cabin for 3 months. She ‘forgave’ Mike but she never noticed Mike didn’t even apologize for lying just being ‘jealous of Max’ (despite lying being the thing she was upset and dumped him over in the first place). Anyways back on topic-

Social Domain

“Receptive language that may be limited to comprehension of simple speech and gestures.These students struggle to differentiate concrete and abstract concepts. Figurative language (metaphors, similes, idiomatic expressions, etc.) is typically quite confusing to them.”

“trouble understanding social cues”

“Limitations in language and communication skills.More concrete and less complex spoken language (if used), compared with peers. Limited vocabulary and grammatical skills.”

Practical Domain:

“May function age-appropriately in personal care (brushing teeth, dressing, going to the restroom etc).”

Early signs and symptoms of intellectual disability:

El has most of the signs...

-”Have trouble speaking or experiencing delays in speech, trouble understanding social norms,Challenges with problem-solving and logical thinking, Behavioral problems like extreme temper tantrums (breaking windows, pushing max, throwing food on Hopper and the girls in the mall), Having difficulty understanding the results of his or her actions (for instance like not understanding why spying on an ex is wrong).”

“If your child has ID, they may experience some of the following behavioral issues:aggression, Dependency, lack of impulse control passivity, stubbornness,low tolerance for frustration ,difficulty paying attention (She’s exhibited all of these).”

Other traits of Post institutional children

“poor self concept” (One's self-concept is a collection of beliefs about oneself. Generally, self-concept embodies the answer to "Who am I?".)

“problems with coping and regulating emotions ,poor impulse control, and aggressiveness.”

“Studies have repeatedly shown that children with disrupted attachment who have experienced neglect have problems coping and managing emotions, “

“inappropriately demanding and clinging”

“indiscriminate friendliness”

“44% of institutionalized children showed high levels of indiscriminately sociable behavior as contrasted with 18% of children who had never been institutionalized.children who were indiscriminately sociable as 8-year olds were not indiscriminately sociable toward adults as 16-year olds; however, these children were indiscriminately sociable in their relationships with peers (those their own age). Thus, it is possible that indiscriminate sociability serves as a marker of later problems in social relationships, even though manifesting differently by the teen years.That friendliness was probably an important coping technique in their socially starved early lives. What's interesting is it just doesn't go away.Indiscriminate friendliness may also be tied to the amygdala. In a study using fMRI, Aviva Olsavsky, MD, at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues found that when typical children (4-14 years old) viewed photos of their mothers versus photos of strangers, the amygdala showed distinctly different responses. In children who had been institutionalized, however, the amygdala responded similarly whether the children viewed mothers or strangers. That response was particularly notable among kids who exhibited more friendliness toward strangers. Attachment and behavior problems, indiscriminate friendliness, and lower IQ seem to go together in the same children.”

(We have to admit she attached herself rather quickly to Max, and Kali after only a few days, same goes for Mike and the boys she knew for only a week).

“cognitive delays, particularly speech and language deficits.” (we’ve covered that)

“quasi autism (is a term used to describe autistic-like difficulties and traits following very severe social deprivation in the first year of life.) About 10 % percent of the children adopted from Romanian orphanages after 6 months of age were diagnosed with autism sometime in childhood. And of those who stayed in the institution to age 11, 8.5% with an IQ >50 , fit the “quasi-autism” profile (meaning they fit some but not all autistic traits). The results showed children with ‘autistic features’ usually experienced longer durations of severe psychological privation, than other orphans.”

El does have a few traits that some people on the spectrum have.

-” Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use echolalia, which means they repeat others' words or sentences. They might repeat the words of familiar people (parents, teachers, friends), or they might repeat sentences from their favorite video.”

(X)

-”Some children with ASD also have delayed speech and language skills.some children are even selectively mute. “

- ”Talk in a flat, robot-like tone” (obviously not all asd people. But I do think El’s voice in conversation can often be quite monotone).

- Many autistic girls on the spectrum also have disordered eating patterns . This can include simply eating the same foods over and over again (cough her eggo obsession). And although “disorder eating” and “eating dis*rders” are different.”Previous research has found that autism and eating disorders can occur together, as 20-30% of adults with eating dis*rders have autism (despite being only 2.2% of the US population).”

-“Has obsessive interests” (her whole room is covered in Mike related stuff like he’s her special interest- my gay ass has no idea if a whole room covered in bf related stuff is ‘straight little girl normal’ or a bit obsessive- but I lean to the latter, especially when compared to Max’s room XD)

-” difficulty understanding social cues .” (covered that)

- “And she is sensitive to certain noises (thunder etc)”

Alright, thanks for listening. Of course, this analysis is if the Duffers went the realistic route-which I do lean to them doing. One of the stephen King movies “dream catcher” was cited as inspiration for Stranger things . It even had a boy with ID who spoke in broken english, carried around stuffed animals, and had the superpower of being able to track people (just like El) . And he retained broken english/his interest in stuffed animals in adulthood.Of course her fitting the psych criteria I listed could have other explanations.El can most certainly learn and improve in academic skills, language, and social skills even with an Intellectual disability. But honestly, even if El had an Iq of 160 she would (at least initially) struggle tremendously given the lack of education and neglect/ab*se she’s dealt with.But, I’m excited to see El gain independence as she learns more about herself and the real world (and maybe heal from some of her tr*uma).

But if we’re talking academically-she doesn’t know basic geography or what a state is at 14.She’s still learning how to speak and write with correct grammar at 14.She only just mastered how to tell time at 14 . Does she even know how to add, subtract, multiple, and divide, let alone algebra (knowledge needed for highschool) ? Or basic science knowledge also needed ? No way would she’d be ready to go to highschool in s3 (like the others already attending, during the ending-time skip). If we were being realistic- she’d be held back a few years and or in remedial classes, or special school, etc. The kids in middle or highschool who don’t know her circumstances wouldn’t be understanding of why she has little knowledge of social norms, expressions, language issues,etc. El has only interacted with 4 kids her own age for 3 months (9 months with Mike) and was in a year of isolation with Hopper (being taught social norms via tv- which is not the best teacher) .This was hardly ‘typical socialization for a kid her age’. Unlike, the rest of the gang who interacts with many kids on a daily basis.How will she be in an environment with this many kids? I wouldn’t be surprised if she was sadly bullied.Regardless, I’m looking forward to El’s character arc of trying to assimilate to the ‘real world’ as she grows into her own person-most likely there’s some good in her journey and not just bullies along the way. :)

#el hopper #jane ives #stranger things

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highladyluck · 3 years

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“Magic Dagger Curse Is My Middle Name” & Human Evil in Wheel of Time

Part 2 of a series of essays on the theme “Tuon is Mat’s Replacement Shadar Logoth Dagger”. (Part 1 was “Stealing Is The Way to Mat Cauthon’s Heart”.)

This discusses the many parallels Tuon has to Mat’s dagger on a symbolic level, covering both her and her role as leader of Seanchan. But mostly, I talk an extraordinary amount about how the Shaido, Whitecloaks, and Seanchan reflect the archetypal in-universe human evil of Shadar Logoth.

Magic Dagger Curse Is My Middle Name

Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag (now Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag) has a lot of names, and I'd found puns or references in most of them. There's the "Lady Luck" pun of "Empress Fortuona". There's the very appropriate "Kore" (Persephone's and Tuon's pre-kidnapping moniker, meaning "Maiden") for a girl who gets kidnapped and dragged through both the human underworld (a circus, and a dive bar that's literally called a hell) and the death-related underworld (a literal ghost town full of ghosts, and the hell of guerilla warfare). There's "Devi", a reference to divinity, which replaces "Kore". Paendrag is of course an Arthurian legend reference.

But the one name I never quite understood was her only other permanent name- "Athaem". The 13th Depository Blog suggests it was meant to evoke both "athame" - a knife or dagger used in magic rituals - and "anathema" - a curse, especially one that exiles someone. Go on, let that sink in. Tuon's middle name is "Magic Dagger Curse". Tuon "Magic Dagger Curse" Paendrag. Fortuona "Magic Dagger Curse" Paendrag. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH THAT TUON'S ACTUAL MIDDLE NAME HAS ACTUALLY BEEN "MAGIC DAGGER CURSE" THIS ENTIRE TIME.

Basically that's all I actually need to say here to prove that Tuon is the symbolic return of Mat's sexy cursed magic dagger that isolates the bearer via paranoia and suspicion, but let's throw in some of the other parallels just for fun and so you have time to recover from the psychic damage I just dealt you. There's some fun ones just around rubies specifically and the color red.

The Shadar Logoth dagger has a large dark ruby on it, the size of Mat's thumbnail. Mat estimates it would buy a dozen farms back home, and when Mat first meets Tuon, he notices she's 'wearing a fortune in rubies'. Also, before she becomes Empress, Tuon's signature color is red; she's got red fingernails, red and a very dark green are the imperial colors as seen on the Deathwatch guards, she buys a lot of red silk in Jurador, and presumably the roses in the Raven and Roses imperial sign are red, as she treasures Mat's present of red silk rosebuds. (Interestingly, she starts going more blue once she becomes Empress- I'm thinking specifically of the blue nails and dress she has when she declares maritime Ebou Dar her capital.)

Tuon also has other physical similarities to edged weapons in general, and the dagger specifically. Like the dagger, she looks ornamental but could absolutely kill you. Mat describes her hands as "bladed like an ax" when she strikes a footpad in the throat to save him. She's also sharp, in the sense of being very intelligent and canny. Also, she could learn to channel, and in being a sul'dam is a conduit for magic, so she fits that aspect of the dagger as well. And, last but not least, like the dagger, Tuon is a fascinating and deadly artifact of a powerful civilization that embraces a uniquely human form of evil.

Shadar Logoth as Ultimate Human Evil

In the books, Shadar Logoth is our loadstone for what is described as a specifically human kind of evil, separate from the absolute, somewhat abstracted "evil for evil's sake" that is the province of the Dark One. The Dark One's ideology as practiced by humans ends up being nihilism, or rather, self-interested nihilism. (Ishamael isn't a pure nihilist, he's ok with getting worldly power while there's still a world.) In contrast, Shadar Logoth's downfall is a kind of corruption; evil things done in the name of, and for the sake of, good things. There are other cultures that do that, of course, but Shadar Logoth is the purest example of 'the ends justify the means', since their 'end' was fighting the Dark One.

"The victory of the Light is all. That was the battlecry Mordeth gave them, and the men of Aridhol shouted it while their deeds abandoned the Light. [...] No enemy had come to Aridhol but Aridhol. Suspicion and hate had given birth to something that fed on that which created it, something locked in the bedrock on which the city stood." -Moiraine, The Eye of the World

The goal of opposing the Dark One (an abstract idea of evil) at any cost led them to turn on and destroy not just their allies but ultimately each other.

Mat's Shadar Logoth dagger is a part of Shadar Logoth that has most of the powers of the whole. When carried by an individual, it can brainwash, induce (semi-justified) paranoia, kill via corruption, and infect others. These are all powers associated with Aridhol/Shadar Logoth. About the only thing the dagger can't do that we see other elements of Shadar Logoth do is shapechange or snatch bodies (#JustMordethThings) and move semi-instinctually on its own (like Mashadar). Shadar Logoth is established as Peak Human Evil, an evil so archetypal it has undergone a sort of dark apotheosis and become both a physical and metaphysical force.

Because it is so archetypal, we should expect to see aspects of it reflected in other Randland cultures that are antagonistic to our heroes, but which are not explicitly pledged to the Dark One. We should also expect to see the same part to whole dynamic in those cultures' leaders. Rand is a great example of this part-to-whole dynamic; as the Dragon Reborn who is 'one with the land', he struggles against increasing paranoia and self-hatred, which leads him to act as his own antagonist for much of the series, even as he explicitly fights against the Dark One. It's the Shadar Logoth struggle writ large. Therefore, the leader of a corrupted, Shadar Logoth-esque culture will be a powerful and faithful representative of the traits of that culture; you could say they are the purest expression of that culture.

This is a tenet of Robert Jordan's worldbuilding and narrative, and applies to more than just the antagonist leaders; protagonist leaders also stand in practically and symbolically for their culture or group. Over the course of the series, nations and groups end up led by the 'best' people for the job, where 'best' is some combination of 'most representative', 'most competent', and/or 'best adhering to their culture's ethical tenets' (which often happen to be our protagonists). This has the possibly unintended/unconscious effect of justifying autocracy, monarchy, etc in-world because it's all adhering to aristocracy, 'rule by the best', where 'best' is rather culturally relative. It's also an artifact in-universe of the world moving to a wartime footing; anyone who isn't the best person for the job gets tossed out of the way in the name of prepping for Tarmon Gai'don, by some combination of The Will of The Pattern as well as actual effort on the part of our heroes.

On a more meta level, Robert Jordan's choice to use third person limited points of view means we get a lot of POV characters who are very embedded in their cultures and serve as an immersive cultural crash course for the reader. They tend to be either main or secondary characters who are movers and shakers in the plot (justifying the time we spend in their heads) or there to provide an outsider reaction to main or secondary characters (again, justifying the time we spend in their heads.) Robert Jordan's writing is concerned with the use, abuse, and fluctuations of power, but it's worth noting that he doesn't give us POVs of characters who are structurally and permanently without power.

POV characters often have moments of powerlessness, either in the beginning of their narratives or at the end, but if you happen to be a WoT character who never had power and never will, RJ isn't interested in showing us the inside of your head. For example, we don't ever get a POV from an ordinary da'covale who spends the entire series out of control of their own destiny, even though that could be a very powerful outsider perspective. Instead, we get POVs from sojhin, who are movers and shakers in their own right. (These are great POVs--Karede's POV in chapter 36 of KOD is maybe my favorite of the entire series, it's a work of art--but again, there's a bias here in who we observe observing.) In a series where people bemoan or celebrate being constrained by fate and consciously question if they have free will, we somehow don't hear from those who have never had worldly power; we only hear from those who do, or once did.

(I find this disappointing, and it's one of the reasons I find it difficult to recommend the Wheel of Time books- which are obviously deeply personally significant to me, and which I find fun, interesting, and more often than not, well-written- without caveats. The series is so obviously about power and choice and the ways they influence each other, and uses third person limited POV so skillfully, that it is surprising and disturbing to me that we are not exposed directly to the point of view of those who have been permanently and structurally deprived of power. We miss an opportunity to engage with the core themes on that level, and also uncover an authorial bias that hasn't aged very well and which makes me look at some of RJ's other choices with a more jaundiced eye. I believe WoT would have been stronger and richer thematically if it had grappled directly with the realities and perspectives of those who remained powerless throughout the events of the series. And whether it was an unconscious or deliberate choice to leave out those perspectives, not having them there lessens my trust and acceptance of Robert Jordan's takes on power and choice. But I digress!)

Heirs of Shadar Logoth: The Shaido

So, there are other antagonist cultures that we spend a lot of time with but which are not explicitly allied with the Dark One (though we are always shown their leaders being subject to the Dark One's influence, through their advisors and high-ranking coworkers, who are Darkfriend characters that have positions of structural power and influence.) Overall, the Shadar Logoth archetype means we are looking for structural corruption, fear, hatred, and the cultural belief that the ends justify the means. In-universe, that's what human evil looks like, and we expect to find it in our secondary antagonists.

So let's take a look at the Shaido, who are attempting to recapture a glorious (fictional) past by imposing a corrupted version of their original values on others; the Whitecloaks, who spread authoritative dehumanization and bigotry in the name of order and righteousness; and the Seanchan, who have the dubious distinction of doing *both*, which is why they win the door prize for Most Problematic Antagonist Who Isn't Literally Allied With The Dark One.

The Shaido are an example of a corrupted culture that imposes its corruption on others, especially others that do not meaningfully consent to be assimilated. Their corruption starts with suspicion and fear and leads to brainwashing; they choose to believe a lie because it is more palatable than the truth, and because they fear becoming powerless and losing their cultural identity. They and the Aiel that joined them cannot accept Rand's truth bomb about the origins of the Aiel as pacifists. It's an idea so counter to modern Aiel self-image and culture that the secret was carefully hidden and used as a test of character for Aiel leaders.

In the test, the knowledge that they had betrayed their original ideals to survive was presented in the original emotional and logistical contexts, which may have helped the Aiel who went through the test survive learning about it; it's easier to empathize and overcome fear and disgust if you know why people made the decisions they did. To survive, and to self-govern, the honor-bound Aiel leadership has learned to forgive themselves for their corruption, while not losing the lessons they learned from it, and empathize with people almost entirely unlike themselves. (How effective are they at that? Your mileage may vary.)

Normally, only those who could accept the information could reach the highest leadership roles. Sevanna, whom the Shaido exodus coalesces under after the death of Couladin, is the only Wise One who didn't go through that testing process (she got in on a technicality), which makes her uniquely qualified to lead the group that can't accept this information. Like that group, she lacks humility or the ability to accept unpleasant truths; however, she's self-confident, politically skilled, culturally competent, and has a clear vision for her people, which are the other qualities that the Aiel select for in their leaders. (I cannot believe that today I woke up and said nice things about Sevanna!)

She's presented as somewhat 'corrupted' by wetlander ways, greedy for wealth and power, but I think it's more that she's off the leash of strict Aiel morality; she goes on a reign of terror, taking more than she needs of any resource, and capturing non-Aiel and keeping them as permanent gai'shain. This is clearly slavery in a more modern sense. The Aiel proper have a sort of ancient-style slavery, based on taking prisoners of war, that is time-bound, highly regulated, and that everybody more or less consents to by living in that society. (I say more-or-less; not sure your average civilian Aiel precisely consents the way a warrior might consent, but then again, everyone in Aiel society is a little bit of a warrior.) Sevanna's unconsenting, permanent, non-Aiel gai'shain are a clear violation of all of these tenets, and resemble the bodysnatching and invasive nature of the Shadar Logoth evil. Fear turns into hatred of both kinds of uncorrupted Aiel (the originals, and the modern) and of those groups of people who are not like them. In the end, the Shaido dissolve, their corruption having weakened them so that they fall prey to outside forces.

Heirs of Shadar Logoth: The Children of the Light/Whitecloaks

The Whitecloaks are an obvious heir to Shadar Logoth, as they persecute channelers and anyone they consider a Darkfriend in the name of order, righteousness, and the Light. Whitecloaks represent the paranoia, assassination, and brainwashing powers of Shadar Logoth, and insofar as they have assimilated Amadicia and make forays across borders, they also cover invasion, though to perhaps a smaller degree than the Shaido (or the Seanchan). The Whitecloaks are also good intentions, corrupted; yes, Darkfriends are bad, yes, the Light is good, no, not everyone you don't like or who has power you want is a Darkfriend! They turn neighbor against neighbor, harrass, torture, and murder the innocent as well as the guilty, and generally do all the bad behavior you would expect of a military quasi-religious order that considers itself above the law. Also, Mordeth/Fain literally got his grubby hands all over the Whitecloaks early in the story and made them even worse.

Galad is a really good example of the 'best man for the job' ending up in it; Galad's extremely uncompromising morality is most likeable and practical when he's fulfilling a 'reformer' role in a group that really needs it, and when he's not in that role, his entire deal can feel excessive and alienating. (Although I will note that if you think about how his mom abandoned him to pursue what she was told was her duty, and his dad was a real asshole, you can kind of see why Galad has such a strict moral code and won't let something like family or feelings get in the way of carrying out his duty... anyway just having feelings about Galad, don't mind me.) When leading the Whitecloaks he recalls them to their original ideals and purpose, which is literally fighting the Shadow on an actual battlefield, and makes them hew to ethical standards from the original Lothair Mantelear text and his own personal extremely high standards.

He purifies the Children of the Light, insofar as they can be purified, purging the corrupt people and practices. This allows the Whitecloaks to ally with the Light, rather than sitting out the Last Battle or killing important Light-allied groups. But the Whitecloak channelerphobia is not going to be eradicated so easily, and that's mostly what Galad’s family was objecting to about him joining the Whitecloaks in the first place. And even Galad starts to succumb to it by the end of the series, although to be fair the White Tower had definitely done a number on his family by that point. Post-Last-Battle, Galad is really going to have to grapple with 'what is the practical purpose of a bunch of armed busybodies who think they're better than everyone else and who have a very deep-seated hatred and fear of channelers?' One hopes he'll convert them to a peaceable monastic order doing community service. If anyone can do it, it's probably Galad, but I think it's not going to be easy and it's also not clear to me if Galad is going to have the same opinion about the necessity that I do.

Heirs of Shadar Logoth: The Seanchan

So, now we come to the Seanchan, who are a rich, complex, fascinating culture that combines the best and worst thematic elements of both the Shaido and the Whitecloaks. Twice the fun, twice the flavor! Like the Shaido, they are the corruption of an honor-based culture that now assimilates other people and cultures without their consent. The Seanchan have a strongly-held honor system that uses public and private shame as a deterrent to unethical behavior, similar to ji'e'toh, but like the Shaido, they apply it to conquered peoples under duress; even if the Seanchan themselves are ok living this way, there's no real consent happening when they conquer.

Like the Shaido, the Seanchan claim to be the true heirs of an ancient legacy, the children of the child of Artur Hawkwing, but have spent enough time in Seanchan to absorb all sorts of concepts Artur Hawkwing never had (slavery, taming weird beasties, exploiting Aes Sedai rather than just avoiding or fighting them). Their culture is also built on convenient fictions; the knowledge that sul'dam can learn to channel, and that some can be held by the a'dam, is likely to produce a truth bomb down the line, one way or another. And the Seanchan are an imperial power, which means they automatically follow the natural growth and rules of empire; always be expanding, always be consuming, always be exploiting. They're Mashadar, baby!

Let's zoom in on the slavery, since that's one prong of what makes the Seanchan evil. It's a kind of bodysnatching and brainwashing, and there are some really interesting parallels here to the Shaido and Aiel. The Seanchan have three forms of institutional slavery; so'jhin, da'covale, and damane. So'jhin, hereditary upper servants of the upper class, have the most power and are analogous but not precisely equivalent to normal Aiel gai'shain. Like standard gai'shain, they are considered property that can be traded, have some level of autonomy and ability to direct their lives, certain rights and privileges, and in theory can be manumitted.

Unlike gai'shain, they actually can have more political power than free people. Also unlike gai'shain, they are not guaranteed manumission after a set time, and while I think the gai'shain consent issue is a little muddy (Aiel can't help being born Aiel and thus subject to Aiel raids) so'jhin are born into slavery and have therefore absolutely not consented to it. So'jhin appear to be based at least partially on Byzantine examples of high-ranking slaves, and slavery in other very complex and bureaucratic cultures where those in power needed highly competent administrators, but didn't want the administrators supplanting them.

Da'covale are equivalent to Shaido gai'shain; often (but not always) captured from other cultures, absent the rights and privileges of regular gai'shain or so'jihn, and bound to involuntary servitude for life, although they can in theory be manumitted. (Shaido gai'shain have the option of trying to escape, I guess.) They have very little autonomy and power to direct their lives. It may be possible for da'covale to become so'jihn, so again there is a kind of internal mobility/potential access to power that doesn't have an exact equivalent with the Aiel models, but that's offset by the lack of consent; da'covale can also be born into slavery. One can be made da'covale as punishment for defiance or anything else the Seanchan see as a crime, or born into it. It seems historically equivalent to ancient, prisoner-of-war-type slavery, mixed with the carcereal state; you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or you fucked up, and that's the justification for making you a slave.

Damane have some points in common with both regular Aiel and Shaido versions of dat'sang; they are all slavery in the form of the carcereal state/slavery as an outcome of the justice system. Dat'sang are 'despised ones', usually those accused of being Darkfriends or who have committed heinous crimes. It's a punishment that is apparently permanent and unrecallable, and they are sentenced to the most shaming labor in the worst conditions. They are cast-out from the community and forced to serve it in the most degrading way. Marath'damane, channelers with the spark who are not leashed, are treated like dat'sang are, in that they are cast out of their communities and shamed for their 'crimes'. Once they are leashed, though, they become integral parts of Seanchan society and are told to take pride in the service they can provide, which is very unlike the dat'sang cultural experience. Damane are enslaved and exploited for their talents, ostensibly to keep the general population safe from their magic powers and their potential political power, but also because they're an incredibly powerful military and infrastructure resource.

The first damane was created out of a combination of fear, greed, and hatred. One Seanchan-local Aes Sedai captured a rival and brought her to Luthair Paendrag, who she knew would be receptive to constraining the power of channelers. What she didn't count on was that solution being institutionalized, and that she'd eventually fall prey to it herself; a classic Shadar Logoth "do a shitty thing unto others and eventually you'll just be doing a shitty thing to yourself" move. Both the existing Seanchan population and Luthair's group had already othered, hated, and feared channelers, the Seanchan possibly for logical contextual reasons (seems like the Seanchan Aes Sedai were all independent Americans who didn't want to be governed by a universal code of ethics or subject to institutional oversight, which is not conducive to living in a society), and Luthair because of Ishamael’s original corruption of Artur Hawkwing.

In the end, the combined Luthair group/original Seanchan institutionalized their channeler bigotry, saying that the ends (preventing channelers from exploiting non-channelers) justified the means (exploiting channelers). Damane are never, ever freed and now the Seanchan think of channeling independently as inherently a corruption and a crime; something that makes the involuntary channeler evil and unhuman. They also break channelers, brainwashing them into thinking that this is for their own good (and not just for the good of the state).

(Another meta aside: Because involuntarily channeling is a genetic trait that the channeler has no control over, leashing damane feels to a modern reader, especially US ones, I think, very much like the race-based slavery of our recent past. Especially the idea that the enslaved person is enslaved as a punishment for a crime; this is something that would hit a US reader pretty hard, given that the US's booming prison population is the only legal slave labor force in the US and is also disproportionately made up of people of color. I am pretty sure that explicit parallels between racist slavery and the practice of leashing damane would be supported by Robert Jordan, especially since he literally put the Seanchan on post-apocalyptic North and South America. They have other influences, including Imperial Japan and Imperial China, and the Byzantine Empire, but in this way, and also because of the Texas accents, they are very, very American.)

The Seanchan are also similar to the Whitecloaks; they're both military groups who hate and fear channelers, and they are particularly susceptible to paranoia and assassination/extrajudicial murder. The Shadow didn't have any trouble infliltrating either the Whitecloak command structure (especially the Questioners) or the Seanchan Blood; there's a certain background level of 'the ends justify the means' going on in Seanchan and Whitecloak power centers that makes them fertile ground for recruitment. The Whitecloaks and the Seanchan both have a kind of secret police; Questioners and Seekers (they even have similar names!) who operate under certain strictures with respect to their upper management, but who can basically do whatever the hell they want to ordinary people. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you that secret police are PEAK Shadar Logoth; they were always judging everyone else, generating paranoia and mistrust.

The Blood and Imperial family are also a really great example of Shadar Logoth values creating a (somewhat) functioning society full of extremely fucked-up people; the more power you have, the more delicately you have to step and the harder you have to watch your own back. The higher up you go, the less trust you are able to have in others, until you reach the point where people are sending assassins after an imperial baby, and the imperial baby grows up thinking that's completely normal and fair and it's their fault if they are ever not good enough to dodge it. (Hi, sorry, please excuse me and my many, many feelings about Tuon.) That kind of thing makes you very, very sharp, assuming you survive; it also makes you very inured to violence and most comfortable when you've got a high baseline paranoia going at all times. It puts you in danger and it gives you the means to survive danger; it's very Shadar Logoth dagger, which attracts Darkfriends but also gives you the ability to sense the Darkfriends right back, and incidentally stab the hell out of them.

A Part With the Power of the Whole: Tuon and the Seanchan

So, we have all the sins of Shadar Logoth united in the Seanchan; they're invaders, they brainwash and bodysnatch, they're paranoid, they assassinate and murder, they've institutionalized hate and fear, they're structurally corrupt in that power in their society is based on lies and exploitation, and they think that when it comes to dealing with their mortal enemies (channelers), the ends justify the means. And their leader, Fortuona Athaem Devi Paendrag, Empress of Seanchan, is indeed many of these things wrapped up in one efficient and deadly package.

She's a sul'dam and she enjoys her work breaking and training damane; she's had siblings assassinated and we've seen her kill onscreen; she's deeply suspicious, always second-guessing and skeptical (except about received values and information from her culture); she embodies and enforces Seanchan culture and power. She is all Seanchan in one person, and she'd tell you that proudly. She tries to assimilate *herself* into the state, because she thinks that's what she's supposed to do, to best serve her people. She wants to be the part that is an exact mirror of the whole, and she wants the whole to be perfect, so she wants herself to be perfect, too.

Do you see the shades of Galad, here? Like Galad, she has a strict and impractically idealistic moral code that makes her somewhat unpopular wherever she goes; she's too unpredictable, merciful, and flexible for her counterparts in the Blood (she's always surprising them with her unconventional choices) and too perfectly Seanchan for her allies (who are all horrified by the damane thing, or the da'covale thing, or the assassination thing, etc etc.) The things people grudgingly praise her for are sincerity, competence, compassion within the bounds of her ethical structure, and (sometimes) a willingness to consider new information or accept oversight, the last of which is only impressive because of how enormous her ego is and how thoroughly she's been indoctrinated to believe she's inherently correct and all-powerful.

She is the best of Seanchan, within the context of Seanchan: she survived, took, and kept power, making her the most competent imperial daughter; she's very ethical within Seanchan strictures, not striking first unless threatened, working to acknowledge and correct personal faults, keeping her word, showing concern and mercy for those she believes are suffering, being thoughtful and careful of consequences when she exercises power; she is most representative of all of Seanchan's flaws and virtues, as a sul'dam, Empress, and Lightside ally. (That said: is Tuon the most ethical Seanchan within a broader cultural context? Hell no, that's Egeanin, who goes through a long and painful process of realizing and rejecting the corrupt and nasty parts of Seanchan culture, after it rejects her.)

To conclude: just like Mat's Shadar Logoth dagger, Tuon is a fascinating and dangerous tool of a powerful, antagonistic civilization that embraces a uniquely human form of evil. Her middle name is literally "Magic Knife Curse", Seanchan is the most Shadar Logoth-y of non-Shadow-aligned antagonist cultures, and she also follows the very Robert Jordan pattern of leaders fractally reflecting the culture or group they lead.

#wheel of time #wheel of time meta #meta #shadar logoth dagger #tuon paendrag #problematic fave tuon #tuon is mat's replacement shadar logoth dagger #part 2 #shaido #whitecloaks #children of the light #galad #galad demodred #sevanna #I'm sorry this is 9 pages long in a word document #I had a lot of thoughts

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doctorguilty · 2 years

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Pda

Someday our goal is to have our own house, so ideally have mortgage payments lower than rent.. gloomy works (which they prefer, they need the routine they've told me) and I get to be a stay at home husband. Without having to work, I would have so much more time, and physical and and energy to actually live my life. And that's what gloomy genuinely wants for me.. the first time they told me that's what they're saving up for and what they want, to take care of me and let me finally be happy, I broke down crying. I never would have believed in a million years someone would want to do that for me. I would be a really good husband, I'll do plenty of the chores for us, take care of our animals, and cook dinner for them all the time so when they get home from work they have a meal ready and I can care for them the rest of the night. And I'd have plenty of time and energy to do my art and hobbies like I've dreamed of for years .. so many things I desperately want to create but having to work has kept me sapped of energy, in constant pain, and depressed. And that also means my own income will be freelance, which I have no doubt I'd be able to pump out commissions and products for etsy like crazy. Maybe even finally have a patreon set up for real where i get to show off my projects and such. Who knows.

All I know is I'd be happier.. and without being restricted by a job, I can freely travel as much as I like and visit my friends and family so it's not so painful going long periods. I really long for that freedom.. and I never would have thought it would be something I could have but.. it's what gloomy wants, and I'm so grateful to be loved by them. We're both just trapped right now in our respective situations thanks to the pandemic.. but I'm holding on .. surviving;; I really want that life .. it's worth fighting for if I can make it, I really want to.. I want to be loved like that where my partner is happy to see me happy and living a good life, and I'd have the easiest job in the entire world just loving them back, and although I know I'm not obligated to do so much for them, I know I want to, I want to cook, I want to rub their back after work, I want to draw and create lots of gifts for them. They deserve it, not just for what they give to me, but becuase I love them like that too, where I want to see them happy, and if what would make them happy would be a loving, dedicated husband eager to shower them in attention and affection, well then I guess I am the right man for them. And they deserve to be loved that much.. they are an incredible person with the most stunning heart I've ever seen.. full of compassion, love, creativity, and special, unique traits that are strange to some, but to a strange heart like mine speaks my language.

To me they deserve the best tbe world has go offer, and although I don't have the kind of self esteem to just look at myself in the mirror and call myself the best, they tell me I'm what they want and who am I to deprive them of that just because hate myself? No.. I love them more than I hate myself... so I want to stay theirs and make them as happy as they make me

#seth speaks #d0nt rebl0g #unless ur my bf #pda

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laylaylamode · 3 years

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Let's Talk about...Hugs!

Body language is one of my favorite things to write so I just wanted to talk about it a little bit! Little movements and actions are unique to people and say more than words can. In this case, let's talk about my obvious two.

Dai Tai tends to be more visual with her affection and hugs are the usual go to route. She's not a touchy feels person without a base relationship established (sister, close friend, lover) but when she is she's genuine about it or will completely turn down physical contact with someone that she doesn't favor. Notice that she's more open to hug younger people and won't hesitate when offered, almost like she's giving them that maternal affection that she was deprived of when she herself was growing up. A hug is her way of imprinting care and protection onto someone, and the longer the hug the more meaningful. It's also an equal request to be cared for and protected in turn (especially in dire situations) since in the past her attempts to receive hugs from her mother were rejected. As a shorter person she usually has to jump a little to reach so some hugs accidentally turn into tackles.

Jia, on the other hand, prefers not to be hugged for the most part. This is because she is small and has a fear of restraint since her parents and doctors always had to hold her down. But even with her paranoia, she is slowly unlearning some of these defensive traits little by little. Jia will only initiate hugs with people that she deeply trusts. A hug exposes her torso and most notably her heart, one of the main organs that gives her the most issues, so to embrace someone would be her way of opening up to them literally and physically. It's her way of showing that she is willing to let her guard down and accept comfort and affection, which is honestly good for her. Patting someone on the back (like her mother does) also means that she is trying to provide the same comfort and affection in turn. If her eyes are closed during the hug then she doesn't want to let go, she wants to be held.

Now I'm tagging @princesscallyie @kururu418 @onelastfic @thepaladincosplays to pick any subtle detail about any of your characters and tell us more about it! 👀

#callyieverse #dai tai #jia #join in if you wanna!

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twitchesandstitches · 3 years

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Peoples of the Twitchy!Verse - Succubi

A beauteous and much admired species of humanoids believed to be derived from human stock and a mingling of eldritch energies, magic runs in the very blood of these beings, and a powerful craving for the emotional energies of others that sustains them more effectively than mortal food.

Their appearance is well-known; they are a monogendered sub-type of human, their most basic facet being that they resemble exceptionally curvaceous human woman; their bustlines tend to be at least as big around as their torsos, if not larger, with hips broader nearly as much as the circumference of their upper bodies, and only growing more voluptuous as they produce children or grow in power. The resemblance to humans is largely superficial, as they generally have brightly colored skin in a variety of shades; most are warm, such as reds, yellows, with a few coming in darker tones: indigo, purple and even green. Some have similar skin tones to a human, but this is fairly rare.

Their skin is covered in thin layers of a chitinous or scaly material; around the arms, legs and back, this builds into a thin but noticeable layer of surprisingly strong armor. Their limbs differ notably from humans; their fingers bear retractable claws, and their feet are permanently arched into high heels supported by short, hornlike spikes from their ankle that resembles a heel. Most have a thin, prehensile tail, a pair of batlike wings large enough to allow them to fly, as well as multiple rows of long, curving horns. Notably, their eyes are a bright color (yellows, violets and reds being most common), their teeth are pronounced fangs most suitable for tearing meat or drawing blood, and they have a tendency to develop unusually long tongues; often several foot long, at full extension.

Some succubi are known to develop additional traits such as bovine elements (horns, greater size, and exceptionally large breasts), grow additional rows of breasts, additional arms, or manifest angelic traits like feathered wings and horns that merge into a shape reminiscent of a halo. These sub-types are poorly understood, and seem to happen at random.

Most succubi have significantly warmer body temperatures than humans, running downright hot at all times; this makes wearing most clothing impractical, and they tend to wear more revealing clothing simply to allow their bodies to vent. Interestingly, the sexual aspect of their clothing seems lost on many of the, as it is mainly a practical matter.

Succubi are relatively common throughout the world in terms of distribution, though they are a distinct minority compared to the dwarves, elves and goblinoids. This is likely a result of their difficulty reproducing in the conventional manners other humanoids do; pregnancy is invariably a result of particularly intense emotions, and not of sexual interaction. It has been proven that a succubi is physically incapable of being pregnant in circumstances where there is no emotional factor; their offspring are solely the result of dedicated, loving relationships or particularly intense encounters (though these need not be romantic in nature).

Perhaps related to this, they are very long-lived; the average succubus can live for many hundreds or even thousands of years, simply by maintaining her levels of emotional energy intake. Conversely, though, a succubus somehow deprived of all magical energy or emotions to feed from will rapidly sicken, and death is assured for most unfortunates.

Succubi, on average, tend to be roughly the same size as humans; its not unheard of for them to be goblin-sized, with shortstack proportions, but its quite rare. Many tend to grow significantly larger as they grow older and stronger, with some becoming giants in their own right; those that do so tend to become more monstrous in appearance, as well as fiercely protective of those around them.

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Succubi have an interesting relationship to pregnancy and reproduction; it is for them simultaneously sexless and intensely emotional. As noted elsewhere, succubi do not reproduce sexually, and asexuality is fairly common for them; while they may enjoy sex, they often have no particular urge to do so. (While it has been heard of for some to be hypersexual dynamos in perpetual craving for sexual partners, it is not as much an assumption as lurid literature claims.) Instead, the reproductive drive is fulfilled through their feeding; a powerful enough bond can impregnate them with the essence of one or more partners.

They are enormously fertile, their bodies adapted to produce not just one or two children, but many; dozens of children have been known from most pregnancies, and it is not unheard of for an otherwise ordinary succubus to bear so many children that her belly distends by nearly twice her height, the bottom of her belly reaching the ground and requiring magical aid for her to move at all as her belly continues to grow.

While this would seem to suggest that succubi can reproduce more effectifvely than most other sapients, this is countered by two things: firstly, they have very long gestation periods, as long as upwards of several years, up to a full decade. Secondly, impregnation is fairly rare, requiring intense emotional connections, and most succubi are not likely to see frequent litters. As a result, they tend to gravitate towards societies that view raising children as a community effort, as a normal succubus cannot expect to raise all her children by herself and perhaps one or a few partners.

Of note, succubi can interbreed with any sapient being capable of emotional feeling, and their litters are almost universally succubi, with one or two children of the father’s kind.

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The succubi, as they are generally known, have acquired the name due to a mixture of their extremely sexualized appearance and a unique aspect of their magical abilities: they can feed off the magical resonances in emotional sensations, allowing them to passively feed off of the feelings of others. This does not drain the person in question, though they do experience the sensation as a euphoric ‘kiss’, in a spiritual sense. This is enormously addictive and pleasurable for the succubus, and is not limited towards sexual experience. Indeed, many veer towards asexuality, finding little interest in sexual matters when they can feed simply on the more conventional feelings of others, and even reproduce by absorbing intense enough feelings.

This is a result of their ancestry: they are usually believed to have once been humans (perhaps even elves, as suggested by their distinctive ears) who were exposed to enormous amounts of magic, and were said to encounter fiends who had abandoned their malicious ways to ascend demon-hood. Perhaps their ancestors interbred with these redeemed fiends, or they were exposed to energies attuned to realms containing creatures similar to fiends, or it was just a coincidence that they mutated in this fashion. In whatever case, the magical energies remained for long enough that it created a stable population, producing the succubi.

Ultimately, it is generally a problem that they are associated with fiends; there is no spiritual element of corruption within them, and some scans suggest they have divine origins in some fashion, but the general assumption is that they are fiendish in nature, and this reputation follows them where they go.

Additionally, they carry enormous magical power. All succubi are naturally gifted with magic to a degree above and beyond most other sapient beings; they instinctively can perform minor cantrips and spells regardless of the direction they have molded their magic into, and any powers they develop tend to be very flexible compared to others like them. Some of the most powerful magic users in history have been succubi, which sometimes leads to the assumption that any given succubus must be a powerful magic-worker. This is not necessarily true!

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Many succubi tend to the same degrees of personality as any other species; they can be hot-tempered or docile, malicious or kindly, apathetic or fiercely loyal. As a result of their magical heritage, they tend to be more intense than most others, and they also live very long life-spans, which tend to influence their perspectives as well.

Due to their long lives and inherent magic, many succubi gravitate towards positions of leadership or influence, especially in places where humans form a significant amount of the local community. Historically, they tended to develop rivalries with vampires, who often assumed a similar position among the herds of human settlements they used as cattle, fighting them off and ferociously attacking them in pre-emptive defense of their humans. To this day, it is a general assumption that vampires and succubi are natural enemies. (A vampiric succubus is usually considered a contradiction in terms, though there is nothing to stop this from happening.)

#twitchy!ideas #twitchy!species #twitchy!verse

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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How Lovecraft Country Silences Yahima

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Lovecraft Country review contains spoilers.

Lovecraft Country is a rapturously violent dramatic horror series where pain and death are par for the course. And while the show delights in depicting wickedness, the violence always feels purposeful. Even with that in mind, however, last week’s episode, “A History of Violence,” makes the disappointing choice to unceremoniously kill Yahima, an indigenous, gender-variant character.

After an Indiana Jones-esque journey through a booby-trapped tunnel Tic, Leti, and Montrose enter Titus Braithwhite’s underwater vault, a room full of the remains of indigenous people —made apparent by their regalia— and a corpse holding Titus’ pages from the Book of Adam. When Montrose attempts to grasp the pages, the corpse reanimates. The camera lingers on the naked figure, and Montrose asks “what are you?” The recently-reanimated individual introduces themselves as Yahima, “Woman—and man, two-spirit. Neither. Both. All”

Yahima is an Arawak, the indigenous ancestors of modern-day Taino people. They’re from Guyana —”the land of many waters”— a country in the Carribean region of South America. They are Two-Spirit, which is an exclusive Indigenous-American umbrella term —like LGBTQ— for a unique gender identity that encompasses gay, lesbian, nonbinary, intersex, transgender, and other queer or gender-nonconforming identities. (Two-spirit as a term was coined in 1990, so Yahima would not use it as an identifier.) Physically, Yahima presents as intersex, a person who is born with a combination of male and female biological traits. They may also read as trans. As such they represent both the native community and the gender-variant one.

European colonization and Christian indoctrination reconceptualized the definitions and functions of gender and sex in indigenous communities in the Americas and around the world. Still, many native tribes recognize a Third Gender, while some acknowledge as many as five genders or more. The Navajo, for example, have four distinct genders. More traditional tribes reject the term Two-Spirit as it reinforces the binary of “male” and “female” which is thought to be a Western construct. Gender and sex are complex concepts, but the Two-Spirit identity and the spiritual/gender identities it encompasses, is rich with native cultural significance.

The inclusion of an indigenous character and an intersex character in a high profile show is momentous because those identities are grossly underrepresented. It should be noted that the actress portraying Yahima, Monique Candelaria, is a cisgender woman, who uses she/her pronouns, and describes herself as ”ethnically mixed with Spanish, French, Aztec and Apache Indian.” Characters who occupy very specific cultural identities should be played by performers who share those identities, especially when there are so few opportunities for gender-nonconforming roles. But the inclusion itself is creditable.

Tic is magically able to understand Yahima —who speaks Lokono, an Arawak language— and we learn Yahima’s story through Tic’s interpretation, instead of directly from Yahima through use of subtitles. We learn that Titus Braithwhite came to their land looking for people to translate the Book of Adam. Yahima recognized the symbols from the caves of Alomun Kundi, and with no reason to distrust Titus, agreed to decipher the pages. When they saw Titus for what he was, they refused to continue their translation. Titus murdered their entire family, then imprisoned them in a grave. Yahima used the pages to protect themself.

Yahima tells Tic,“You are not guilty of your forefather’s sins, But I do not know your spirit. I will not help you.” So Montrose grabs for the scroll, again, this time triggering the vault to flood. Montrose and Leti make way toward the elevator, but Tic pauses to save Yahima, even amidst Yahima’s refusal to help decipher the pages. As the elevator ascends, Yahima attempts to speak, but instead unleashes a piercing scream. They are made into a siren, so they cannot speak if they escape Titus’ vault, which effectively silences them. Later, after Montrose has failed to sabotage Tic by losing the scroll, he takes away Tic’s only chance to decipher the pages by slitting Yahima’s throat. This is an egregious act of violence on an indigenous, gender-variant person by a Black, queer-coded man.

In the episode we see Titus’ literal history of violence in both his public trophies of conquest on display at the museum, and his private collection of stolen legacy locked away in his vault. The episode speaks to the lasting harm of colonialism and the specific violence visited upon the indigenous communities whose land, resources, people, and cultures were systematically stripped from them. Through Yahima, that violence could be confronted in a way that empowers indigenous and/or gender-variant viewers, the way Black viewers are empowered when Tic collapses a house on a group of racist white men. Yahima has survived for centuries, and may well be able to survive this. But unless and until that possibility is realized, we have to sit with the gratuitous murder of a potentially groudbreaking native, gender-variant character.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Gender nonconforming people —and intersex, trans, androgynous, two-spirit people— are some of the most vulnerable of the population, especially if they are BIPOC. Depictions of gender variant people in entertainment media often otherizes them, and their stories frequently comprise of violence, and end in death. Introducing Yahima only to immediately kill them off in a brutal, callous way perpetuates this tired and harmful trope and normalizes violence against these groups. It also deprives underrepresented people the ability to be reflected, and respected, in the stories they consume.

Lovecraft Country gives its Black characters the tools to fight their demons and their oppressors, and it works so well because it punches up. Black characters visiting the same violence on other marginalized folks that their oppressors visit on them is not empowerment. “For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” — Audre Lorde

The post How Lovecraft Country Silences Yahima appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3hhitUt

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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noafterparties · 4 years

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Hey it’s 1am who wants taz angst(?)

Taz Balance Spoilers!

It’s that feeling again. The bone aching tiredness mixed with treacherous loneliness. —————-

Barry Bluejeans has had a long night. The IPRE is buzzing with life, even as Barry trecks back to his apartment on the shitter side of town. Since the announcement of The Mission, every department has been working around the clock, trying to show it’s prowess and dedication, all in the name of being represented on this mission.

Barry himself has been spearheading the scientific department’s efforts, revamping and revising every calculation, specification, and project under the suns. Gods he wants to be chosen. To see what’s out there, explore what has never been seen. To travel.

So long days were the norm, falling and fading into a pattern of stress, work, and fitful sleep. Considering the sky above him, a deep amethyst, pinpricked with light, he’d wager it was about three in the morning. A smile drapes across his face as he considered the universe stretched around him, and then-

“Watch it!” A pair of elves brush past him, sparking him from his daze. He continues on his way home, alone.

———————

Taako and Lup have just left their apartment, barely taking notice of the human that stopped dead in their path. It’s been a busy few months for them too, and they finally, finally, have a corresponding night off from the IPRE. Naturally, they head downtown, dressed out in coordinating outfits.

Taako is sporting an off-the-shoulder tank that is a stark blue, with white pants, knee-high black boots, and wicked eyeliner, applied by Lup’s steady hand. He’s got a ludicrously tall hat on, one that Lup mocked right up until Taako actually put it on, then conceded to it actually completing the outfit, rather than just throwing the whole thing off. Lup is in tall stilettoes, fishnet leggings, a white overcoat, barely covering her favorite clubbing dress: a similarly-stark blue dress with a dipping neckline, and a collar to accentuate her cheekbones. Her hair is intricately done into a braided bun, courtesy of Taako’s deft hands.

They were going Out. They had already agreed that this night was about the two of them, and nothing would stop the two of them from seeing the first sunrise from their favorite rooftop bar. They’d figure out what to do after that. With the sheer amount of alcohol they were planning on drinking, it wouldn’t be too hard.

As they chatted about which of their favorite haunts to hit- they still had at least a few hours ‘til the first sunrise- they passed a dimly lit shop with only one patron inside. They aren’t lonely, but maybe they rejoice a little deeper that night because they know this life won’t always hold.

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Lucretia hadn’t meant to come out this late. She barely ever left the house after the suns set normally, but she simply couldn’t wait ‘til morning.

She had woken up in a cold sweat, new thoughts and ideas running through her head like a song. Immediately awake, knowing she shouldn’t (and indeed wouldn’t) waste a creative jolt like this, Lucretia reached for her bedside journal. She’d planned to just jot something promising down, and then let her mind rest after such a busy day at the IRPE, but she knocked into her ink well before she reached her journal.

Grumpy, partially sleep-deprived, and definitely underdressed compared to the elves she’d seen on the street, Lucretia found herself in one of the only all-night writing stores within a sketchy ten-minute walk to her apartment. It was small, dimly lit, and smelt of parchment, and even as grumpy as Lucretia was, she appreciated the place. Without it, she’d be out of luck, ink, and the creative spark that had oh-so-wonderfully awoken her at three in the morning.

She bought three wells- they’d empty so fast- and then watched as the storekeeper carefully packaged them. Taking her parcel, she turned towards home...and then shook her head. No, clearly she wasn’t going to get any more sleep tonight. She turned towards the IPRE instead, and began her walk.

When she reached her department of the IPRE, she wasn’t surprised to see several people still working. There were the usual: Ingran, the elf from accounting, Cyas, the library keeper, and Johnston, the compiler. She nodded hellos to them, walking past them in favor of the sanctum that was her office.

Lucretia was clinging desperately to the creativity that had woken her up, determined to get it down on paper. She knows her muse is fleeting and will leave her bare the minute ink touches paper. She barely noticed the small form of a gnome, chatting with Cyas.

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Davenport knew he was an outlier at the IRPE. His clan had mostly been nocturnal, and growing up, so had he. Even moving to Brillow, the city where the IRPE was based, didn’t really change this. He got up a little earlier, usually an hour or so before the first sunset, to overlap with regular day staff, and then stayed a little later in order to coordinate with the day staff again in their ‘morning’.

He had been a little surprised when the day staff started to stretch that system, staying longer and longer, showing up at less reasonable times of their ‘night’, but he supposed that he should have expected it. When The Mission was announced, he wasn’t particularly concerned with showing off for the bosses. As lead astrologer at the IRPE, a trained head captain of interplanar ships, and already possessing an advanced knowledge of physics and mechanics, the IPRE Board would have to be deaf or blind not to pick him for the mission.

This was simply a state of fact: Davenport was qualified for the position. But that didn’t stop him from working a little harder when everyone else did too. A human woman passed by him, reinforcing how important The Mission was, if she was up at this hour. He was currently working with Cyas, the bookkeeper for the IPRE library, to expand the literary material regarding manipulations of electron fields. They’d been petitioning for weeks to coordinate with their co-facility the Materials Research Society and it looked like they were getting somewhere. The head of the IPRE had okayed them to link frequencies and discuss sharing equipment between the organizations.

Making their way back towards the library communications hub, they pass through the windowed hall facing the IPRE courtyard. The windowed hall distorts his short reflection, and even as he walks he is towered and overshadowed by his coworker. Outside of the window, which is much easier to focus on, the courtyard only has one silhouette on it: a tall figure with broad shoulders and bushy sideburns.

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Magnus doesn’t even know what he’s doing here. Insomnia had struck him earlier that night (morning?) and he had just...wandered.

He’d always been skilled at pushing off feelings he didn’t want to contemplate during the day. During the day there were things to do, people to talk to, boxes to fill and move, data to check, activities to get to, obligations, life. At night everything felt...still. Magnus knew that was an illusion, sure there were parties and clubs and people, but it wasn’t his. He felt disconnected from it all.

When he got that way, the only workable solution was to walk. Feet to pavement, night air moving, living, around him. His feet would take him across town, up random alleys, across bridges, through crowds just to feel that life, that purpose. And then they would bring him back. Whether the walk had been an hour or all night, Magnus always felt ready to go to bed or disconnect in the way of his own choice.

So he was at a loss as to why his feet brought him to the IRPE and then left him there. He felt rooted to the courtyard, deeply connected to what was happening around him. Except. Nothing was happening. Shadows were passing through the windows of the IRPE, but they did that at all hours. Magnus was intimately familiar with the life here because this is where he lived his.

Securing the discoveries and safeguarding the employees at the IRPE, Magnus spent hours watching the patterns and life at the IRPE. After The Mission was announced, maybe those patterns had sped up, gotten a little more frantic and dizzying, but that only made his work all the more crucial.

Magnus turned to head home, uncertain of whether he would be able to sleep or not. Insomnia really was a bitch.

———————

Merle hadn’t seen anyone in hours. He was currently sitting in a dark greenhouse, waiting. Yawning more like. He wanted to be in bed. He hadn’t been home in a day or two, too excited over the potential to see Portulaca grandiflora bloom for the first time this century.

The plant’s blossom structure had been perplexing him for days, refusing to open early, despite his many efforts. The only thing that remained was to wait. Merle wasn’t great with that, and offered up a silent prayer to Pan to hurry up. P. grandiflora belonged to genius that had developed the unique trait of neoteny, making it extremely difficult to tell juveniles from adults. As head botanist at the IPRE, Merle was hoping to be the first to witness a true first bloom of the plant. Generally speaking, it would be very cool and very pretty. Scientifically speaking, this plant could reveal how to prolong a life cycle by proxy of prolonging true sexual development, as well as a host of other uses in medicinal practices thanks to the pollen.

Merle isn’t a loner by nature, no dwarves are really. Merle comes from a huge clan of Highchurch hill dwarves, and born into a family so large leads to a support system unmatched by most. Striking out on his own to join the sciences, learning botany and scientific cataloging distanced him from his family in a way he isn’t particularly proud of.

He’s used to the crutch of a support system that is his greenhouse.

———————

We’ve met our crew. But they’ve yet to meet each other.

Authors Note: Hey! Its taz (I know, everyone’s shocked) but I had this idea spinning in my head for an hour or two about how weird it would be if none of the birds knew each other pre-mission announcement. Then that spiraled into, well, this? So idk if it’s angst in the traditional sense, but I did kinda like writing it since I’m in a similar mood. Hope you enjoyed

#Kinda in a weird mood tonight #I was going for a meloncoly/lonely feel because thats how it be pre mission #taz #taz balance #taako taaco #lup #barry bluejeans #magnus burnsides #lucretia #merle highchurch #davenport #capt'n'port #love my taz boys #enjoy #taz fanfic #headcannon that no one knew anyone #my b #taz balance spoilers

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haru-vaelar · 5 years

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Character Overview

General Information

Name: Haru Vaelar

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Race: Hyur

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Relationship Status: Single

Occupation: Freelancer, smart mouth and problem solver

Physical Appearance

Hair: Jet black, mix of brown and blonde natural highlights over his bangs

Eyes: A deep, wine like crimson

Height: 5ft 11inch

Distinguishing Features: Bad, mostly faded scarring across a large portion of his body.

Common Accessories: Haru carries a mix of accessories for his day job but he's very rarely seen without some form of visual aid to help him get from point a-b. He absolutely despises spectacles (vanity!) but he can be seen wearing them begrudgingly on occasion.

Personality

Talents: Is being an insufferable know-it-all a talent? Combat trained, specific knowledge of alchemy and engineering, and he can juggle!

Weaknesses: Pcccccht. .. It would be a pretty long list!

Virtues: Blunt, straight-forward, cutting, efficient, patient, etc.

Flaws: Greedy, manipulative, apathetic, vindictive, sadistic streak, mood swings, etc.

Deity: Nymeia

Hobbies: Sketching maps, looking for contacts, information gathering, reveng- I don't think that's a hobby.

Fears: Trust issues, abandonment issues, social anxiety and angry lalafels. Debt. Unfinished business. ROMANCE.

Traits

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted Disorganized / In Between / Organized Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded Calm / In Between / Anxious / Spirited Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable Cautious / In Between / Reckless Outspoken / In Between / Reserved Leader / In Between / Follower Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic Traditional / In Between / Modern Hard-working / In Between / Lazy Cultured / In Between / Uncultured Loyal / In Between / Disloyal Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Hooks

Freelancer: Often looking for work, he can be found scouring the streets, places of commercial interest and all of the local taverns. There's few jobs he won't take on. Even if he's not even remotely qualified, why not take a crack at something new? Susceptible to swindlers, damzels in distress and offers that are far too good to be true.

Gun Freak: Especially interested in projectile weapons, bullets and blades, it's surprising how excitable he becomes when faced with a new instrument of war. Large cannons, pistols, rifles, bayonets - they're fascinating to him on a very primal level. It's a good way to get his attention pretty quickly.

Sleep Deprivation: For reasons unknown, it's rare that he goes one day with more than three hours of consecutive sleep. It's constantly broken and restless, as if he's lost in a cacaphony of various enduring nightmares based on his past. There are only so many solutions for this particular ailment and most of the time, he's far too stubborn to accept them. At times he can be found just dozing off in public spaces so feel free to give him a poke.

Alchemical Knowledge: He's vague about where he received his education in 'alchemy', but he's knowledgeable when it comes to oil, grease, fuel and various stimulants that aren't overly common knowledge. Despite that, he's absolutely lacking in the fundamentals of the art and can only follow instructions that he's already aware of. That being said, if the situation calls for it, then it's a good way for him to get involved.

Engineering Knowledge: Weapon maintenance. That's basically it in a nutshell. Don't go expecting him to fix your airship but if your gunblade or cannon is breaking down, he's more than happy to take a look for a nominal fee.

OOC Information

Genres: I'm zero limitations. I'll give anything and everything a try within a fictional context. Just make sure it makes sense, yeah~?

RP Style: Zero-limit, in-depth and immersive role-player. I don't like throwing around 'light, hev, etc'. We all have different styles and they're all pretty unique. I'm not a huge fan of planning or organization and I don't always write down a lot of the yarns or stories that are kept in my head, but I'm still pretty invested in character development, world building and story expansion.

RP Length: Partner and situation preference, entirely. I can write novella if I'm in the right frame of mind but I have learned to be concise over the years.

Timezone: GMT

Availability: I'm unemployed right now and I'm generally not busy most days if I'm not volunteering on a mental health server I'm active on. If you see me in-game or just want to poke me for role-play, go ahead.

#ffxiv rp #ffixiv #haru vaelar #ffxiv stuff

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fallencomrade-a · 5 years

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MUNDAY FACT SHEET.

NAME: kristen. NICKNAME: kb, kay, ten. AGE: two - nine. SEX/GENDER: f / f. PRONOUNS: she / her. EYES/HAIR: blonde / blue. HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5′2″ / within recommended bmi. BUILD: somewhat athletic body type. pear - shaped. TATTOOS: nada. i’m way too OCD to figure out what to permanently put on my body. SCARS: a few here and there. two on my scalp from two different incidents which required stitches. a nasty one on my ankle that every girl has from shaving. one on / above my upper lip from my loving cat ( biting me). one down my shoulder from my loving sister (scratching me). PIERCINGS: earlobes. used to have my lip pierced, but it’s closed now.

MYERS-BRIGGS: infj ; the advocate.

the advocate personality type is very rare, making up less than one percent of the population. advocates share a unique combination of traits: though soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight for an idea they believe in. advocates will act with creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity - not to create advantage, but to create balance. egalitarianism and karma are very attractive ideas to advocate personalities. few are as passionate and mysterious as advocates. advocates can easily get tripped up in areas where their idealism and determination becomes more of a liability than an asset - whether it is navigating interpersonal conflicts, confronting unpleasant facts, pursuing self - realization, or finding a career path that aligns well with their inner core. they may face numerous challenges, that at times can make them question who they really are.

ENNEAGRAM: type 6 - the loyalist. wing 5 - the investigator.

LOYALIST. conflicted between trust and distrust. people of this personality type essentially feel insecure, as though there is nothing quite steady enough to hold onto. at the core of the type six personality is a kind of fear or anxiety. this anxiety has a very deep source and can manifest in a variety of different styles, making sixes somewhat difficult to describe and to type. what all sixes have in common however, is the fear rooted at the center of their personality, which manifests in worrying and restless imaginings of everything that might go wrong. this tendency makes sixes gifted at troubleshooting, but also robs the six of much needed peace of mind and tends to deprive the personality of spontaneity. the essential anxiety at the core of the type six fixation tends to permeate the personality with a sort of ' defensive suspiciousness. ‘ sixes don't trust easily; they are often ambivalent about others, until the person has absolutely proven themselves, at which point they are likely to respond with steadfast loyalty. this loyalty is something of a two edged sword however, as sixes are sometimes prone to stand by a friend, partner, job or cause even long after it is time to move on. sixes are generally looking for something or someone to believe in.

INVESTIGATOR. thinkers who tend to withdraw and observe. people of this personality type essentially fear that they don't have enough inner strength to face life, so they tend to withdraw, to retreat into the safety and security of the mind where they can mentally prepare for their emergence into the world. fives feel comfortable and at home in the realm of thought. they are generally intelligent, well read and thoughtful and they frequently become experts in the areas that capture their interest. fives are often a bit eccentric; they feel little need to alter their beliefs to accommodate majority opinion, and they refuse to compromise their freedom to think. the problem for fives is that while they are comfortable in the realm of thought, they are frequently a good deal less comfortable when it comes to dealing with their emotions, the demands of a relationship, or the need to find a place for themselves in the world. fives tend to be shy, non - intrusive, independent and reluctant to ask for the help that others might well be happy to extend to them. fives are sensitive; they don't feel adequately defended against the world. to compensate for their sensitivity, fives sometimes adopt an attitude of careless indifference or intellectual arrogance, which has the unfortunate consequence of creating distance between themselves and others. trying to bridge the distance can be difficult for fives, as they are seldom comfortable with their social skills, but when they do manage it, they are often devoted friends and life long companions.

ALIGNMENT: lawful neutral

a lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs her. order and organization are paramount to her. she may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or she may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government. lawful neutral is the best alignment a person can be considered because it means they are reliable and honorable without being a zealot. however, lawful neutral can be a dangerous alignment when it seeks to eliminate all freedom, choice, and diversity in society.

TEMPERAMENT: melancholic.

the melancholic temperament is fundamentally introverted and thoughtful. melancholic people are often perceived as very ( or overly ) pondering and considerate, getting rather worried when they cannot be on time for events. melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art - and can become preoccupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world. they are often perfectionists. they are self - reliant and independent. one negative part of being a melancholic is that they can get so involved in what they are doing, they forget to think of others.

KINSEY SCALE: F the test failed to match you to a kinsey type profile. either you answered some questions wrong, or you are a very unusual person. hah, go figure.

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: romantically - hopeless / romantically - INSECURE. idk, maybe grayromantic ? who knows. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bi sexual. IQ: 132. OCCUPATION: IT systems administrator for an insurance company. RELIGION: agnostic PETS: an imprinted kitty cat named haley. SCHOOL: bachelors degree in information technology. LANGUAGES: english. MEDICAL: physically ? the fittest i’ve ever been honestly. mentally ? downward spiral. NEUROLOGICAL: anxiety / depression. agoraphobia. boarder line personality disorder. developing symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder. metathesiophobia. poor self - esteem / sense of self - worth / identity. ETHNICITY/RACE: caucasion / american. HOBBIES: writing. video games. music. movies / television. working out. kickboxing. amusement park enthusiast. being outside. INTERESTS: writing. reading. video games. sight seeing. being outside. food. documentaries. music. television / movies. animals. psychology. astrology. science fiction. BLOGS: just this one. SOCIAL MEDIA: i have discord, an instagram and a snapchat for mutuals, if interested.

TAGGED BY: @builtagain ages ago. ( ♡ε♡ ) TAGGING: @dustxrgcld ; @danversiism ; @earthshakcr ; @brooklynsoul ; @xiongsi ; @geislun + first three lovelies on the dash ( at time of queue ) : @peaceinourrtime ; @torturewon ; @warwearysoldier

#✪ ❮ B E H I N D T H E M A S K ．❯ // ❛ 𝚘𝚘𝚌.

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ariainstars · 5 years

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Luke Skywalker on Crait or Is the Legend Truly Gone?

As is amply known, the Star Wars sequels have stirred up a wasp’s nest within the fandom, in particular with Episode VIII; many viewers are not only dissatisfied but believe that the new instalment deliberately wanted to deconstruct their childhood dreams and to humiliate the heroes of the classic films. But where does this conviction come from?

In The Force Awakens, Han Solo showed his generous and brave character to a new extreme, all out of love for his son. In The Last Jedi, we meet Leia at the height of her personal strength and dignity and Luke emerging from his exile wiser and purer than ever. Their human side is very intensified, however; we have the chance to look beyond their happy ending, into a time when their family is broken up again, the ideals they so firmly believed in having proved faulty and led the galaxy once more into war; and we are overwhelmed by their sorrow and guilt over the choice of the son respectively nephew they have lost to the Dark Side.

But compassion, or humanness, is central to the saga; it’s abandoning it or being led to abandon it which causes trouble, beginning with personal conflicts and leading up to a galactic war. Anakin was placed before the choice of being either Jedi or Sith, in any case an extreme and not someone natural and human; and his insecurity and arrogance, intensified by isolation, led him to accept this conviction. His love for Padmé was not his downfall but his dependence from her, caused from the fact that she was the only person he trusted, the only one who always saw the human being in him - the good-hearted, idealistic boy she once knew. Likewise, her son Luke is a pure soul always looking behind appearances and wanting to see the best he can in other people. His nephew, too, sometimes shows an emphatic nature whenever he speaks with Rey.

The Dark Side is perhaps comparable to the use of a drug, exciting and exalting at the beginning but with a huge price to pay later, and the impending doom of a dependence that may last a lifetime. But the Jedi, users of the Light Side, are on the other hand firmly convinced of being uniquely right, that there is only Dark and Light and no way in between, which is precisely what in the end leads to their downfall: the best intentions, when never questioned and doubted and enriched by other people’s point of view can lead to the destruction of what one wanted to protect. The Jedi Code of non-attachment deprived the Order of a healthy dynamic, ending with its complete destruction.

The enormous difference between Anakin’s generation and the next is his son Luke. Very differently from his former mentor, who remained firmly in the belief that his ex padawan had to be killed to ensure peace, Luke took the entire responsibility for his nephew’s downfall on himself despite the analogy in their situations – the pupil had been too powerful and at the same time too emotional, and the master had not given him enough support, facilitating the abuser’s influence and lastly his victory.

Obi-Wan never shows remorse, not even in his afterlife. But as uncle and nephew meet on Crait for the last time, Luke takes his responsibilities, asking Ben to forgive him, refusing to give up on him, and reminding his sister that “No one is ever really gone.” Luke confronts his former pupil himself and without the slightest intention to harm him; he is not even present physically. Instead of lecturing him, Luke offers Ben his strongest trait - his compassion, by accepting his choices but also reminding him that the persons he kills will be with him forever, and promising to remain by his side after death. If Kylo / Ben thought that his uncle hated him and wanted him dead, the fact that he Force-projected himself on Crait only to make amends has shown him the contrary; his nephew was running amok all of this time with an insane fury against a man who made a mistake, driven by fear, but never really had bad intentions and who even now that Kylo is Supreme Leader of a terrorist organization does not give up on his faith in him.

Narratively, the saga always puts the Jedi master at the centre of a trilogy’s second chapter; first Obi-Wan, who was too immature and narrow-minded for his task (albeit not with bad intentions), then Yoda who based his discipline on peace but did not acknowledge the importance of new impulses in the Force; lastly Luke, the strongest Jedi of all, who does not try to suppress or admonish his ex padawan but has the strength of mind to apologize for his faults.

The battle on Crait tries tell both old and new generations of viewers of the saga that even in a hero, perfection does not exist and more importantly, that it is not necessary. Doubts and questions make life continue, people’s mistakes make them human and approachable and help them grow together with the ones around them, despite the differences in age or points of view. As a Force spirit, Yoda himself gives Luke the important advice that a teacher must pass on not only wisdom but also his own weakness to his pupils, find the courage to admit his failures and try to amend for them. Failure is a great teacher, but only if accepted and seen as such; Yoda justly tells Luke not to always look to the horizon, i.e. try to reach an ideal, but to keep his eyes on the here and now, on what has happened and is happening and can still be fixed. Luke’s last scene in the saga show us a hero displaying maturity and wisdom to the extreme. Again, it’s Luke’s heart that wins the situation, not his ability to use a light sabre.

And this is the reason why, I believe, many viewers do not like the continuation of the saga: it is hard to accept that our heroes were not always right and did not earn eternal happiness the way we thought they would. It is requested of us to open our hearts to their humanness and frailty, no longer to believe that they were always in the right, but to grow and mature, become adult, more mature and strong along with them.

If the original trilogy was in a way the saga’s childhood, where Good and Evil were quite safely each on their own side, the prequels were the adolescence, necessary for growth and insight but also irritating and often painful; and now with the sequels the story is hitting adulthood, the time to bow our heads before our own faults and that of other people, to accept that the grown-ups we knew all our lives never were perfect and to love them anyway, to leave the bad things behind but also collecting the fruit of the good seeds that were planted in the past.

The Last Jedi is not in any way trying to destroy a legend: it is asking us, the viewers, to grow up together with our heroes and not to remain in our childhood in our heads, in a world where things were simpler but where we were supposed to detest a certain set of people and to worship another, in any case not to connect on a human and common basis with them and learn to really love them the way they are.

Anakin Skywalker knew little happiness in his life; rightly, many will think, he was or at least became an evil person, so he did not deserve it. The Last Jedi asks us, among other things, to question whether only a hero deserves happiness; whether heroism is not, in truth, a hard-earned and heavy task, a burden too heavy for anyone to master alone, even if that person is Luke Skywalker. Luke forgave his father despite all the evil he had done, to him and to the galaxy at large; from a moral point of view, Vader assuredly did not deserve love and forgiveness. On the other hand, Luke, who would certainly have deserved happiness, was left alone with his task to repair for his father’s sins; but he had become so distant and heroic a figure that, it seems, no one in the galaxy saw the human in him, and no one dared to think that he might need support or at least companionship, until Rey came to see him on Ahch-To.

Ben Solo, last of the Skywalker blood, is neither a villain nor a hero. Maybe he does not deserve happiness, but being still very human, he could find it. Love, forgiveness and mercy are gifts, something not deserved but to be accepted thankfully and humbly. This was perhaps the hardest lesson Vader had to learn; Kylo Ren / Ben Solo, still stuck in his arrogance, has yet to go through that. But being his grandfathers’ reincarnation, I do believe he has a honest chance for a new and better life, for himself as well as for Anakin and Luke.

#star wars #kylo ren #ben solo #luke skywalker #anakin skywalker #episode IX #redemption

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