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fatehbaz · 2 years

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The Unsettled Plain defies the conventional framings of the region’s [”Middle East”] history. The protagonists of this book are the people often left out or relegated to a minor role: pastoralists, peasants, workers, and migrants who lived in Ottoman countryside. Many books adopt national or imperial geographies, but I have used a space that destabilizes such geographies. Call it Cilicia, Çukurova, or the Adana region -- the book is about a coherent, interconnected place that is hidden on the map today.

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During the nineteenth century, this corner of the Mediterranean at the border of Syria and Turkey contained diversity that would surprise Anglophone readers accustomed to images of the Middle East painted with a broad brush. [...] Speakers of Turkish, Arabic, Armenian, Kurdish, and Greek lived side by side there for centuries, not just in cosmopolitan cities but also in the vast hinterland. With large-scale migration during the latter half of the nineteenth century, Tatar, Circassian, and Chechen refugees from the Russian Empire, as well as Cretan Muslims and various people from the Balkans built new settlements in the region [...]. An extraordinary array of communities that made up the population of the late Ottoman Empire shared this one small place.

Among rural inhabitants, there were many ways of life, ranging from long-distance, nomadic patterns of grazing sheep and goats to intensive, plantation-style cultivation of cotton for global export. And in a space only a little bigger than modern-day Lebanon, there was also intense environmental contrast. Foreigners used to remark that one could set out on foot from a lowland city like Adana, which might have felt just as hot as Egypt on a summer day, and in two or three days be in mountain spaces reminiscent of the Swiss Alps. That is in fact precisely how the local people lived, migrating between the highland and lowland micro-climates on a seasonal basis and spending the summer in those precious mountain spaces. So in all these ways, the world of The Unsettled Plain is more complex than what we get in Ottoman histories written from the vantage point of Istanbul or Cairo, or for that matter the histories of the modern Middle East written inside of nation-state containers. [...]

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The central issue that runs throughout the book is malaria [...]. Malaria is associated with the tropics today, but it used to be very widespread not only in the former Ottoman Empire but also Europe and North America. I use malaria to show how the transformation of the Ottoman Empire from the Tanzimat reforms of the mid-nineteenth century onward impacted rural people. Settlement policies and the commercialization of agriculture disrupted malaria avoidance strategies that were rooted in an intimate understanding of the local environment, resulting in catastrophic malaria epidemics for resettled or displaced people and the gradual intertwining of malaria with agricultural labor and increasingly uneven relations between landowners and workers. Far from being unique to the Ottoman experience, this story harkens to the experiences of many spaces throughout nineteenth-century empires.

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Each chapter of the book circles back to the question of malaria through different interlocking themes, and those themes are [...] ecology, the state, capitalism, war, and science. Chapter 1 is focused on aspects of Cilicia’s local ecology and politics before the Tanzimat period, and Chapter 2 studies the impacts of state reform and settlement policy during the high Tanzimat period of the mid-nineteenth century. Chapter 3 studies how a new form of capitalism centered on cotton export shaped this region during the last decades of the Ottoman period, and Chapter 4 studies how much of that new world was destroyed during the World War I period and the subsequent Franco-Turkish war. Chapter 5 traces continuities between the late Ottoman period and early Republican period in Turkey, focusing on the themes of science and technology and examining the role of medicine and public health in the remaking of the countryside. [...]

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Between modern-day residents of Çukurova, those who have settled in Istanbul, Ankara, or other cities in Turkey, and those who have emigrated abroad to Germany or elsewhere, a sizeable percentage of people from modern Turkey either claim this region as home or have some personal connection to it. There is also a substantial portion of the Armenian diaspora in the United States, France, Lebanon, Armenia, and elsewhere who think of Cilicia as their ancestral homeland.

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Words of Chris Gratien. As interviewed by Jadaliyya. Regarding Gratien’s book The Unsettled Plain: An Environmental History of the Late Ottoman Frontier (2022). This text and the interview were published at Jadaliyya online on 25 April 2022. [Bolded emphasis added by me.]

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creaturefeaster · 2 years

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Could you tell us more about the world of Colorquest? I am fascinated by the world building you have done with it and I would love to know more about the people and places and species that inhabit the world :]

This is a request with a pretty broad range of things to go over, and thus is something I'll answer in pieces for you for time's sake. I think I'll elaborate a bit on geography and setting for this response, and I'll either reblog this again later with more info, or answer more specific asks to help piece things together in the future.

Anyway, CQ is set on an earth-like fantasy world and more specifically set on one special continent. There's actually much more to the world than what would ever be elaborated upon, simply because the heroes journey never leaves this somewhat isolated continent.

Continent enlarged for emphasis.

Native to this continent are primarily Bluple and Humans, with some various settlements scattered around. It is also the only continent that Talpians surface at. This is the reason why, while there's many different races in this universe, you tend to see these sorts of people more than others.

This part of the world's geological diversity is what I'd call remarkable. You will find boreal forests to arid plateaus to harsh mountain ranges to ice sheets to magical forests, etc.

This is generally where any given character native to the world lives. Tim/Brook/Hannah/Gary all live in a slightly warmer part of a taiga, Tanner/April/Leon live in the center-most town in the middle of the desert, Rachel/Bonnie reside in a particularly flat and dry part of the continent where the Talpian Dominion can be found, D/Vilmr/Samantha/Michael all live in a mountainous and magical climate, Taylor/Zack come from a coastal town, and Lauren/Elliot live in a uniquely bizarre spot dubbed the Deadlands.

I'll elaborate briefly on some of these locations.

The Talpian Dominion is an extremely complex & ancient set of caves underground, constructed through millennia of digging & tunneling by the reclusive Talpian people. Just how far this complex extends is unknown to all surface dwellers... and even most Talpians. It's pretty fucking big down there. Extremely warm temperatures, and even magma flows, would not be uncommon to see as you trek further into their world.

Lystrike is a dinky little town, whos only claim to any sort of fame is that it's pretty much exactly in the center of their continent. Other than that, it's pretty rustic and insignificant to the common eye. Someone that isn't from this world though, such as you the one reading this, may think that the glowing cacti & other local fauna are something of significance. However, this is merely a geological leak of... whatever magical substance that makes the distantly neighboring Forest of Love glow so bright.

The Deadlands are unique to this part of the world, and an enigma to all who do not live within its disorientating landscape. This land defies gravity whenever it pleases, it has an aura that dilates and heightens most senses, and its community is as strange as its surroundings. However, its biggest feature is that it's pretty much the world's lost & found dump. Anything that's gone missing ends up here, somehow, with no real explanation. The average Deadlandian can open their curtains in the morning to find that gravity is dangling lost items from across the world right over their lawn.

These ones are just as fleshed out, but I actually don't have (or just don't remember ><;;;;) names for them.

The jagged mountain range that Samantha lives in rarely sees sunlight. The weather is generally harsh and unforgiving, and for most of this range there's no life to be seen. However, this town dwells within a divot in the mountains, where they are sheltered by the towering rock a little more than other places to escape the bitter blizzards. That, and this specific location is unique in that it seems to have a lot more of that magic blue junk than pretty much anywhere else in the mountains. This magic is revealed through cracked geodes high in the rocks, which leak into mountain rivers, which just so happen to feed directly into the Forest of Love down a ways.

The Forest of Love is a large range of glowing blue forest that borders the east side of the mountains, and is generally the location that Michael, Debbie, and Vilmr live in. It is ever bright, and is considered one of the most uplifting places one could live in. Generally, those with magical inclinations live within or above the leafy glow of the forest to become more in sync with their magic, while those who do not practice tend to reside on the surface below. It's not actually clear if being closer to this magical canopy actually does anything, but that's just how those bitches live I guess.

Tim's area is probably the most neutral place you'll find in the story. It's much like cascadia, in that it's largely boreal and mild. Though his location is a little drier and more suited for farmland. This part of the land is a heavy export for the rest of the continent's basic grain & livestock material.

Zack & Taylor's town rests against a rather consistently rainy coast, where at least one day out of the week its weather parallels mild hurricanes. However much of the city is built with this in mind, and most areas of commute are sealed & domed. On the outskirts of town, though, spans mostly soggy beaches and marshy plains. Because of this location's wet climate, one may occasionally see the elusive fish person emerge from their oceanic abodes and wander the beaches. Usually in search of a beached fish snack.

*-~-~-*

Anyways, that's some info on some of the more significant locations in the CQ universe. It is 7:30 AM and I haven't gone to bed yet, so pardon any hiccups in grammar I may have left. I hope this helps you understand the world a little more. It also helps me to be able to write and cement this stuff down so I don't forget it later on, so thank you for being interested & asking me in the first place :3

#long post #sorry these doodle are kind of incomprehensible #but i hate doing long explanations of my stuff without at least some visuals #this post is fine to reblog btw if you want to bother your followers with a long post lmfao #brambleramble

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script-a-world · 2 years

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Submitted via Google Form: Official Languages

Can I create a small country that uses multiple official and common every day languages? Like 5 official languages and it's very common to hear 10 more languages in use every day on the streets. Signage would always be in the 5 official languages and it's not uncommon to find the other languages available in places as well. It's going to be a very ethnically diverse place and multiracial. I am imagining that only 5% of the population would be monolingual. 95% would be bilingual, 70% trilingual, 40% quadrilingual or more. How could schooling work? All local schools are required to pick one of the official languages as the main medium and as mandatory study, one of the other official languages as well as a third non-official language, with the majority of schools having on offer 3-4 other languages. Also, how would this affect sign language? Could the deaf community as a whole create a main sign language since it would be a small community. If I have an 8 million population, and only 0.1% would sign as a main language that'll be 8000 people. Why would they want to be divided further, since sign is a language in itself. Part 2: Oh, uh the question I asked about languages, when I say small country I mean it's like size of Hawaii's Big Island, although 30% would be sparcely inhabited. I guess those places could be a bit relaxed in language needs?

Tex: It would need to be a very cosmopolitan place, and likely both a place that’s economically-dependent in its wider world but also geographically located in an area that can sustain lots of sea, land, and possibly also air travel.

If you’re talking about a place the size of anything in the context of Hawai’i, then that decreases the likelihood of a sizeable native population. In all practicality, one or two languages will win out as the lingua franca due to sheer consideration of making a brain juggle multiple languages at a time.

If you’re having the local schools focus on one or maybe two languages for education, then those will likely be the languages that become de rigeur for participating in that society; the other languages by dint of lower popularity might become regional, or relegated to specific societal functions (religious, academic, etc). The language(s) that money moves in is going to be your predominant indicator of linguistic trends.

It’s not uncommon for many countries to have bilinguality or even trilinguality, it’s just that such a culture will accrue meanings for each language to a particular function. You might be able to sort things out like that, i.e. bakeries speak language A because of X history, recreation centers speak language B because of Y reason, hospitals speak language C because of Z reason.

Utuabzu: This sort of multilingual society is more common than most monolingual people often assume, both across the world and across history. Monolingualism is actually fairly uncommon. Countries varying in size from India* to Luxembourg have multiple official languages and get along just fine. Size isn't really an obstacle here - Vanuatu has over 1000 languages - nor are density or development - Singapore has 4 official languages and quite a few more community ones, and Switzerland famously has 4 official languages and very strong and healthy regional dialects.

In these situations it's not uncommon for something called diglossia (or polyglossia) to occur. This is a situation in which people divide up domains - broad categories of contexts - between languages. So, for example, in Kinshasa a Bakongo person might speak Kikongo at home and with close friends of the same background, Lingala on the street, kiSwahili in the marketplace and French at school or when dealing with authorities. This is a division of domain (Kikongo for the domestic domain, Lingala for the informal public domain, kiSwahili for the commercial domain and French for the educational and governmental domains). This also commonly happens with dialects of a language, and if you speak one yourself you can probably notice yourself doing this, speaking the local dialect with friends and family in casual contexts and a more standard form of the language with teachers and officials in formal contexts.

Something that should be noted is that these situations can be stable for long or even indefinite periods, such as with Swiss German dialects and Standard German in Switzerland or English and Cantonese in Hong Kong, or they can be unstable, with either the P (prestige) form edging out the NP (non-prestige), such as with Métropolitain French with Occitan in southern France** or the NP edging out the P as people see it as elitist or pointless***.

Multilingual education is also a lot more common than monolingual people often assume, and has been around for a long time. The Austrian (and later Austro-Hungarian) Empire used first language primary education through its entire history, transitioning to German or Hungarian higher education, and for a very practical reason. It's a lot easier to teach kids the basics of literacy and numeracy in their first language rather than simultaneously teaching them a foreign one. Especially when the community has low literacy levels among adults, so their parents can't help. Italy didn't start teaching primary school in Italian until the 20th Century (though this was as much a function of a severe shortage of teachers who could speak it as anything else - estimates say as few as 2.5% of Italians could speak Italian in 1860).

Multilingual education is also not detrimental to overall educational quality. The system generally considered best in the world - that of Finland - is multilingual, requiring students to be able to speak both Finnish and Swedish. Even in places with less prestigious minority languages - such as Wales or New Zealand - multilingual schools are often preferred, because among other reasons they tend to have better outcomes than their monolingual peers. It's not uncommon in these places to see monolingual parents putting their kids into these schools - usually originally set up to help revitalise the language - for the quality of the education rather than for any cultural or emotional connection to the language.

So, the most likely model for an education system here is one that starts with first language (L1) instruction in the first few grades, gradually introducing one of the official languages, first as a subject in its own right and then as a medium of instruction for other subjects. By 'middle school' or equivalent you might see the L1 reduced to a subject, with the primary official language taking over as the general medium of instruction, and another official language beginning to be introduced in the same manner, potentially along with a foreign language, especially if it is a regional or global lingua franca. By high school it would generally be expected that the kids are competent in at least their main official language and can get by in their secondary one, and focus would shift more to preparing for university or other higher education. This might mean teaching more in the regional/global lingua franca if the higher education system primarily operates in that language - likely if the country is small and thus also generally reliant on foreign students to boost enrollments to a sustainable level.

In a country this size, there's probably a general 'street' language, the one that people use in casual encounters with strangers in the market or on a bus or something, where they don't know what other languages this person speaks. These are often either the language that came to fill the commercial domain - since everybody needs to be able to talk to merchants - or the one that dominates the government domain - since everybody needs to be able to communicate with authorities, or at least understand what they're being ordered to do. If the former, it's generally the language of the group that historically dominated trade - like kiSwahili across Eastern and Central Africa or Malay across insular South East Asia. If the latter, it's generally the language of the most powerful group, usually the one that united the country, like Amharic in Ethiopia or Farsi in Iran, or of a colonising power, or of a religious authority, like Spanish and Portuguese across Latin America, French across much of Africa or English in South Asia, or sometimes just the largest group, like Guarani in Paraguay (though this usually overlaps with the unifying group).

Often, when a country was unified very quickly by an outside power, like colonised places such as Papua New Guinea or Vanuatu, or had a very large number of immigrants (voluntary or otherwise) from many language backgrounds, such as Hawai'i**** or slave colonies like Haïti or Suriname, a creole forms and takes the role of street language - Tok Pisin, Bislama, Hawai'ian Pidgin, Haitian Créole and Sranan Tongo respectively.

It's also not uncommon for there to be a prestige language, sometimes a long dead one, that gets used for ceremonial, religious, scholarly or legal purposes - or once was and left behind a bunch of borrowed words in the languages that displaced it - like Latin across much of Western Europe, Koine Greek across most of Europe, Sanskrit across the Indosphere (the region historically influenced by Indian civilisations), Classical Chinese across the Sinosphere (the area historically influenced by Chinese civilisation), Classical Arabic across the Islamic world, Ge'ez in Ethiopia. Think of how much legal and scientific jargon in English is borrowed from Latin and Greek. Similar things occur in other languages.

As for signed languages, they can be stable at quite small population sizes - New Zealand Sign Language isn't going anywhere - because d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH) people sort of need them to communicate comfortably, without requiring implants or lipreading or subtitles. When signed languages get displaced, it is generally by other signed languages, eg. Hawai'i Sign Language being displaced by American Sign Language. Any language can be stable at a low speaker number, so long as transmission between generations remains high. Basically so long as kids are still being taught the language by their parents, the language is generally going to stick around.

*India gets bonus points for the array of different scripts in use, further complicating matters.

**This usually occurs when a government uses the education and legal systems to deliberately suppress regional languages in favour of the national one.

***British English gives us a good example here, as Received Pronunciation (RP) - that weird, stilted form that you hear from old recordings of British politicians and royals - was edged out of the government domain by a form closer to the regional dialects, particularly those of South-East England.

****Immigration from Asia and Southern Europe into Hawai'i actually begins before the Hawai'ian kingdom was overthrown by the US, and Hawai'ian Pidgin (actually an English-based creole, but the name stuck) actually emerged in independent Hawai'i.

#google submitted #language

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hellomynameisbisexual · 2 years

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June 9, 2022

The word "bisexual," for many, still exclusively brings to mind a person attracted to both men and women. That was the dictionary definition for decades, but as public discourse has evolved to finally acknowledge the vast number of gender identities that exist, that definition no longer feels specific or broad enough to capture the full range of experiences of bisexuality.

Today, our understanding of bisexuality has evolved along with our understanding of sexual attraction and gender identity. As people are finally able to embrace a seemingly infinite number of identities and ways of being, we need language to expand to hold us, or at the very least give us something to hold on to. The word "bisexual" is a perfect example of this shift.

In This Article

Bisexual meaning

How common is bisexuality?

Common misconceptions

Signs of bisexuality

Related terms

Bisexual vs. pansexual

Romantic orientation

Why labels matter

Dating when you're bi

Supporting the bi community

What does bisexual mean?

In the most general sense, the term bisexual refers to anyone who experiences a romantic or sexual attraction toward more than one gender, which can include women, men, nonbinary folks, and other genders, as well as both cisgender and transgender folks. Bisexuality is not binary.

According to Angélique "Angel" Gravely, M.Ed., an LGBTQ+ educator and advocate, some bisexual people define their attraction in more specific ways, but the one thing that holds true for all definitions is that they indicate being attracted to more than one gender in some way.

"The most important thing to remember when it comes to defining bisexuality is that there is more than one accurate definition of bisexuality and more than one valid way of experiencing attraction as a bisexual person," she tells mbg. "Bisexual is a label that has room for multiplicity, and that multiplicity is what makes the bisexual+ community beautiful and diverse."

How common is bisexuality?

According to a 2016 report from the CDC, 1.9% of men and 1.3% of women identified as "homosexual, gay, or lesbian," while 5.5% of women and around 2% of men said they were bisexual. A 2021 report from Gallup also found that about 55% of LGBT adults are bisexual, meaning that bisexual folks make up the single largest group within the LGBTQ+ community.

Since there is still so much prejudice in the world against LGBTQ+ folks, these numbers are likely lower than the reality; some are still fearful to "come out" or acknowledge their sexual orientation publicly.

Common misconceptions:

Myth No. 1: The bi- in bisexual refers to the traditional gender binary.

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the bisexual community has to do with the prefix bi-, which means two. Dainis Graveris, a sex educator and founder of Sexual Alpha, says, for a long time, this is how many people defined bisexuality—that it's only focused on the attraction to two opposing genders (men and women) within the binary.

"However, bisexuality does not mean attraction to cis-male and cis-female [people] only. It could also encompass romantic, emotional, and sexual attractions to nonbinary people," he explains. "Many people who identify as bisexual are attracted to genders beyond the binary—specifically, attraction to gender like your own and toward genders different from yours."

In short, you can be both bisexual and nonbinary, and being bisexual can include attraction to nonbinary people.

Myth No. 2: Bisexual people are attracted to everyone, all the time.

This is another harmful stereotype, according to Graveris, even though it's rarely accurate. Someone identifying as bisexual doesn't mean they're walking around experiencing some form of attraction to everyone they meet (just like how heterosexual women aren't necessarily attracted to every single man they meet, for example). It also doesn't automatically mean they'll be more sexually promiscuous.

Graveris adds that there are some bi folks who have a split 50/50 attraction to two genders, but more often, bi folks are more interested in certain genders than others.

"Either approach is totally fine, and it's very much normal to have a change of feelings over time. You see, being bisexual doesn't necessarily mean that you need to be attracted to two or more genders at the same time, in the same way, and to the same degree," he adds.

Myth No. 3: It's just a phase…

Another common misconception about bisexuality is that being bisexual is just an experimental or transition phase, and that these people are going to "come to their senses" and eventually come out and choose one gender over the other, according to Graveris. This is false and also continues the binary of sexuality and gender.

"Never invalidate your bisexual identity, feelings, and experiences. Remember that no two bisexual experiences are the same," he emphasizes. "Bisexuality is a unique identity. Your bisexual identity is valid. You are valid."

Myth No. 4: Bisexual people are more likely to cheat.

It's also a common belief that folks who identify as bi are more likely to be unfaithful. Graveris says there's no evidence pointing out that bisexuality and cheating go hand in hand.

"Bisexual people build relationships just like any other person. If they stay in a monogamous relationship, they're [just as] likely to be faithful as anyone else. Being faithful is a choice; cheating is a choice, regardless of gender," he says.

Signs you may be bisexual:

1. You have conflicting feelings toward another gender.

Like any sexuality, bi feelings can be confusing—especially if you've grown up in a traditional household or have preferred one gender for most of your life. Graveris says you may now find that you're questioning yourself, perhaps because you're finding yourself with feelings for someone of a different gender. Rest assured that "these feelings are entirely normal. Over time, you'll get some clarity over your confusion when you begin to explore your desires and feelings," he says.

2. You've found yourself thinking characters in movies, series, and TV shows are hot—regardless of their gender.

"Perhaps you've started noticing attraction to both or any gender when you were younger. While this isn't a surefire sign that you're bi, it could help you begin an internal conversation about what you really want," Graveris says. (Note: Some bisexual people are attracted to men and women, though for some bisexual people, the genders they're attracted to may not necessarily include both men and women.)

3. You relate to a new bi character on your fave show…

…or you get a sense of pride when a famous star comes out as queer or bi. Although these two examples don't immediately mean you're bi, they could be good indicators.

4. You fantasize about people of different genders.

Graveris says, while some fantasies aren't meant to be enacted upon or might not mean anything much, there might be a reason you can't stop thinking about people of different genders in your fantasies or dreams.

5. You see yourself having a long-term relationship with someone, regardless of gender.

Visualizing having a long-term partnership with someone of any gender is a good sign that you're bi. You might be more comfortable with one specific gender over others, but if you could see yourself dating people of different genders, that may signal some bisexual inclinations.

6. The "bi" label resounds to you.

When you think about all it entails, you realize you identify with the label and think it perfectly fits how you experience romantic and/or sexual attraction. If you're comfortable using and being called this label, it's a good sign that you're bi.

7. You take the stigma personally.

Graveris says a good indication that you might be bisexual is if you find the unfair portrayal or stigmas toward bisexual identities hurtful and take them personally. Unfortunately, he says, bi folks have been subject to scrutiny from outside and even inside the LGBTQ+ community.

"If you feel hurt when someone questions your sexuality or claims that it's nonexistent or feel attacked when someone says that bisexuality is just a phase, you just like sleeping around, or you're not straight/gay enough, then you might be bi," he says.

How bisexuality relates to other identities.

Bisexual vs. pansexual.

Bisexuality and pansexuality are incredibly closely related and sometimes even used interchangeably. Some people embrace both, while some prefer one over the other. We've got a whole guide to the difference between bisexual and pansexual, but the gist: "Bisexual incorporates gender while pansexual does not," says Carmel Jones, a relationship coach and founder of The Big Fling. "To be pansexual means that gender doesn't factor much (if at all) into whether you are attracted to someone. Their attraction is to the person, regardless of their gender. But bisexuals register gender in their attraction to someone and recognize that they are attracted to more than just one gender."

Asexuality.

Asexuality means there is a lack of sexual attraction and/or desire toward others in general. This is not gender-specific, but an asexual person might still have specific genders they're more romantically interested in or would be open to having some sort of physical intimacy with. "You can also identify as both asexual and another sexuality, leaving it open-ended. Some people call this graysexual, and it signifies very little sexual attraction," Jones says. In other words, yes, you could be both bisexual and asexual.

Romantic orientations.

Romantic attraction and sexual attraction are not the same thing, says Jones, and someone can be sexually attracted to some genders and romantically attracted to others. So, a person could be heterosexual but biromantic, for example.

Other terms to know.

Queer: The dictionary defines queer as something "odd, strange, or weird," but the word has since been reclaimed and redefined. These days, queer is an umbrella term that is sometimes used to describe anyone within the LGBTQ+ community. The term also provides a sense of community for those who may not fit into one of the other categories specifically but also don't identify as strictly straight or strictly cisgender.

Multisexual: An umbrella term for any sexual identities that include romantic and/or sexual attractions to more than one gender. This can include bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, queer, and others.

Omnisexual: Someone who is attracted to people of all genders, and for them, gender plays a huge role in that attraction.

Bi-curious: Someone who is looking to explore or has already begun exploring bisexuality. There's some disagreement about whether this term has roots in biphobia, however.

Heteroflexible or homoflexible: A heteroflexible person is mostly straight (heterosexual) though occasionally attracted to the same gender or other genders. A homoflexible person likewise is mostly gay (homosexual) though occasionally is attracted to the "opposite" gender. For example, a heteroflexible man might primarily date and sleep with women but occasionally date or sleep with a man. Like with bi-curiosity, there's still ongoing debate over whether these terms are rooted in biphobia.

Skoliosexual: Someone who is attracted to anyone who isn't cisgender. This means a skoliosexual person will usually find themselves drawn to people who are trans or nonbinary.

Fluid: Some people describe themselves as sexually fluid. A person who is fluid experiences their sexuality or sexual identity as changing over time or in different contexts rather than having one finite way they experience attraction.

These terms and many, many more can be found in our huge glossary of sexual identities.

What's the point of all these labels?

According to sex and relationship coach Azaria Menezes, for some people, labels can provide comfort and validation of something they experience to be true for them. Identifying with labels in sexuality can be incredibly supportive in naming your experience and finding comfort in relating to others who may feel the same.

"It's human nature to want to feel belonging and acceptance, and labels can often be a wonderful and valid way to understand ourselves and find acceptance and belonging in our experiences. Identifying with a label that feels good to you can feel incredibly empowering and affirming to define yourself," she tells mbg. "[Some people] identify with multiple labels, and sometimes they prefer to use terms that act more as an umbrella term without truly defining what the label is (fluid, queer, pansexual, etc.)."

On the other hand, labels aren't the only way to feel this way. In fact, for others, labels can actually create the opposite feeling of comfort because they may feel constraining and restrictive and don't support the experience they feel. Some folks feel like there aren't any labels that feel good to them. So, if you're having a hard time connecting to labels, Menezes suggests ditching them altogether.

"Sometimes folks grow and evolve, and finding new labels that match the experience can feel exhausting. The human experience of sexuality is incredibly diverse, and sometimes there isn't a label that feels right, and so the most empowering thing to do might be to ditch the labels and just do you," she says.

Additionally, Menezes says, "There really isn't a one-fits-all when it comes to labels, but there is a one-fits-all around the choice in deciding what feels the most empowering to you, and that is: Take what you love and leave the rest. You get to choose what feels right for you."

Dating when you're bisexual:

1. Be true to who you are.

It's OK to be upfront with potential new partners about your identity, says Antonia Hall, a transpersonal psychologist, sex educator, and author of The Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Orgasmic Life. Bisexual people can sometimes feel like they need to hide that part of themselves from dates due to the stigmas around bisexuality, but Hall says it's important to release that shame. "Do not let societal pressures shame you for your personal sexual preferences."

2. Be prepared for questions (and ignorance).

But remember, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. There are people in the world that are simply behind the times, says Jones. "When dating, just remember that curiosity and ignorance might come into play, and be prepared for that. But it's important to know that your sexuality is your business, and you never need to justify yourself to anyone. If you are in a dating scenario where you are justifying, overexplaining, or feel uncomfortable, that person is not compatible for you."

3. Take it slow.

"If you are newly exploring your bisexuality, it is fine to take small steps until you feel more comfortable dating multiple genders," Hall says.

Jones also recommends taking things slow. It can feel exciting (or nerve-wracking) to enter an unfamiliar dating world, but taking things slower will help you explore it on your terms. It's not going to happen overnight, and there's a chance you may get rejected here or there. But hey—that's how dating goes regardless of sexuality! So, remember who you are, what you want, and that the best experiences happen when you feel comfortable and work on your own timetable, she says.

4. Create a list of nonnegotiables.

"When you are new to navigating the bisexual dating world, it can feel as if the world is your oyster sometimes, and other times like nobody understands you. This pressure can then cloud your judgment when it comes to finding the right person," says Jones. "Make a list of dating bottom lines that you can always refer to, regardless of the gender of the person you are dating."

Supporting the bi+ community.

When it comes to supporting the bi+ community, many people need to start by letting go of judgment and releasing the stigma. A lot of what contributes to biphobia and bi-erasure are harmful cultural ideas and narratives around bisexuality, Menezes says.

"Biphobia is a form of homophobia toward folks who identify as bisexual or bi. It's important to challenge harmful beliefs and stories society has created around bisexuality. Bisexual folks face a lot of challenges in the LGBTQ community as well as the straight community, and part of supporting the bi community is educating and learning about some of the issues and challenges bi folks might face," she says.

Biphobia can be found in all communities: Bisexual folks are often fetishized by the straight community and not queer enough for the queer community. Often this leaves folks who identify as bisexual feeling invalidated in their experiences and identity.

So if you want to support the bi+ community, start by pushing back against the harmful stereotypes and bi-erasure. "That can range from calling out biphobic comments you hear in conversation to advocating for your local LGBTQ+ organizations to provide tailored supports for bi+ people," Gravely says.

Menezes says it's important to create more spaces for celebrating bisexuality and to uplift the voices of bi folks in both LGBTQIA+ spaces and everywhere. It's also important to educate yourself. Interact with bisexual folks, creators, and resource centers. You can start by spending time on websites such as Bisexual Resource Center and Bi.org, Gravely says.

Ultimately, Gravely says supporting bi+ people comes down to acknowledging they exist, affirming their bisexual+ identities and experiences, and fighting with bi+ people to create a world where they can exist without fear of discrimination or stereotyping.

The takeaway.

If you think you might be bisexual, then take some time to explore the idea. See how the label feels. Your sexual identity doesn't make you who you are, but they are a part of the whole self—which means it's important to explore. It's also important to know that you don't need to claim a label immediately or ever. Be gentle with yourself as you navigate this journey of self-discovery.

In general, when it comes to bisexuality and all its nuances, it's time to release those outdated definitions and the stigma rooted in misconception and ignorance. Show up for the people in your world as they need you to, and hold space for them as they continue to become.

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loominggaia · 1 year

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How do atheists on gaia explain that the divines talk to the celestials and that gaia literally makes them?

On Looming Gaia, "atheism" isn't one set of beliefs, but rather a broad umbrella that encompasses a lot of different beliefs. Some atheists don't believe in celestials at all, some believe in them but do not think they're intelligent. Some don't believe in the Spirit of Gaia, and some do but don't think She's sapient/aware. They think she's no more intelligent than an amoeba.

As a general rule, the brand of atheism you see in Zareen Empire was pushed by industrialist political groups. They push the idea that Gaia is not a living being because it makes people more accepting of the pollution they cause, and then the money keeps flowing uninterrupted. Zareenite atheists don't feel bad about the pollution they cause because they don't believe it's hurting the planet. How could it, if the planet is not alive in the first place? Or if She is alive, She's not intelligent enough to feel pain, like the ameoba.

These atheists may or may not believe in divines. Some think divinity is just a magic spell like any other. They might believe monsters are just illusions, science experiments, or magical creations. They are ignorant and don't really understand how magic or souls work.

They may not believe that divines really communicate with celestials, and they may not even believe that celestials exist. Many Zareenites live in a little microcosm and don't get to experience the world outside of it. It's easy for them to tune out reality because there isn't much--if any--magic happening around them. So, they're free to kind of make up their own version of reality and it usually goes unchallenged their whole lives.

Zareenite atheists are actually quite diverse in their beliefs. The one thing they share in common is that they don't believe Gaia deliberately created anyone or anything. Even those that accept She's alive just think of her as a giant dumb bacteria behaving on electrical signals, not intelligent thought.

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

#ask #askgaia #askreligion #askzareen #askculture

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jcmarchi · 6 months

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Explained: The sugar coating of life

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/explained-the-sugar-coating-of-life/

Explained: The sugar coating of life

In the narrowest sense, glycobiology is the study of the structure, biology, and evolution of glycans, the carbohydrates and sugar-coated molecules found in every living organism. As a recent symposium at MIT made clear, the field is in the midst of a renaissance that could reshape scientists’ understanding of the building blocks of life.

Originally coined in the 1980s to describe the merging of traditional research in carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry, glycobiology has come to encompass a much broader and multidisciplinary set of ideas. “Glycoscience” may actually be a more appropriate name for the rapidly growing field, reflecting its broad application not just to biology and chemistry but also to bioengineering, medicine, materials science, and more.

“It’s becoming increasingly clear that these glycans have a very important role to play in health and disease,” says Laura Kiessling, the Novartis Professor of Chemistry. “It may seem daunting initially, but devising new tools and identifying new kinds of interactions requires exactly the sort of creative problem-solving skills that people have at MIT.”

The sugar coat of the body

Glycans include a diverse set of molecules with linear and branched structures that are critical for basic biological functions. With no known exception, all cells in nature are coated with these sugar molecules — from the intricate chains of sugars surrounding most cellular surfaces to the conjugated molecules formed when sugars attach like scaffolding to lipids and proteins. They’re absolutely fundamental to life. For example, Kiessling points out that the most abundant organic molecule on the planet is the carbohydrate cellulose.

“Sperm-egg binding is mediated by an interaction between a protein and a carbohydrate,” she says. “None of us would exist without these interactions.”

Though talking about carbs and sugars might leave some people focused on their diet, glycans are actually among the most important biomolecules out there. They store energy and, in some cases like cellulose, provide the structural framework for multicellular organisms. They mediate communication between cells; influence interactions like that between a host and parasite; and shape immune responses, disease progression, development, and physiology.

“It turns out that some of these structures, which we didn’t even know existed in the body in such abundance until recently, have so many different biological functions,” says Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Biological Engineering Katharina Ribbeck. “With this rapid expansion of knowledge, it feels like we’re just beginning to understand how diverse and important those functions are to biology.”

With a better understanding of how ubiquitous and critical these molecules are, researchers in applied fields like biotechnology and medicine have turned their attention to glycoscience as a tool to pinpoint the drivers of disease.

Many conditions have been linked to defects in how glycans are produced in the body or issues with glycosylation, the process by which carbohydrates attach to proteins and other molecules. That includes certain forms of cancer. Cancer cells have even been shown to cloak themselves in certain glycoproteins to evade an immune response.

On the flip side, glycans may be a repository of potential therapeutics. The blood thinner Heparin, one of the world’s best-selling prescription drugs, for example, is a carbohydrate-based drug.

Glycans and sugar-binding proteins like lectins even help influence the exchange of microbes across mucus layers in the human body, from the brain to the gut. Glycans dangling off mucus interact with microbes, letting good ones in and reducing the virulence of problematic ones by interrupting cell signaling or stopping pathogens from releasing toxins.

New tools to advance old science

Despite how crucial this “sugar coat” is, for a long time, molecular biologists focused on nucleic acids and proteins, paying relatively little attention to the sugars that coated them.

“The tools we have to examine the functions of other molecules are largely absent for glycans,” Kiessling says.

For example, the DNA and RNA sequences of a cell predict what proteins that cell makes, so scientists can track where a protein is and what it’s doing using a genetically-encoded tag. But the structure of glycans isn’t so obviously encoded in a cell’s DNA, and a single protein can be decorated with many different chains of carbohydrates.

In addition, the immense diversity of forms carbohydrates can take, and the fact that they break down quickly in the bloodstream, has made it challenging to synthesize glycans or target them for drug development. So, creative new methods are needed to track them.

It’s a classic chicken-and-egg situation. As scientists better understand the importance of glycans for so many biological processes, it has incentivized them to develop better tools for studying glycans, in turn, producing even more data on just what these molecules can do. In 2022, in fact, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi at Stanford University, a pioneer in glycobiology, for her work on tracking molecules in cells, which she and others have applied to glycans.

But artificial intelligence could facilitate an evolutionary leap in the field.

“I think glycobiology is, more than almost any other field, ripe and ready for an AI interpretation,” Ribbeck says, explaining how AI might enable scientists to read the “glycan code” in the same way they have with the human genome. That would allow researchers to predict the actual function of a glycan based on data about its structure. From there, they could identify what changes lead to disease or increase disease susceptibility — and, most importantly, come up with ways to repair those defects.

An inter- and trans-disciplinary effort

The increasing interest in computation reflects the inherent interdisciplinarity that has defined glycoscience from the beginning.

Just at MIT, for example, related research is happening across the Institute. Kiessling describes MIT as a “playground for interdisciplinary research,” which has enabled significant advances in the field with applications to biotechnology, cancer research, brain science, immunology, and more.

In the Department of Chemistry, Kiessling is studying carbohydrate-binding proteins, and how their interactions with glycans affect the immune system. She’s also working with Bryan Bryson, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Engineering, and Deborah Hung, a core faculty member at The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, using carbohydrate analogs to test differences in strains of tuberculosis in South Africa. Meanwhile, assistant professor of biological engineering Jessica Stark is pioneering approaches to better understand the roles of glycans in the immune system. Tobi Oni, a fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, is looking to glycans to help detect and target tumors in pancreatic cancer. Barbara Imperiali, the Class of 1922 Professor of Biology and Chemistry, is studying the carbohydrates that envelop the cells of microbes like bacteria, and Professor Matthew Shoulders in the Department of Chemistry is studying the role of glycans in synthesizing and folding proteins.

“We’re at a very exciting and unique position combining disciplines to address and answer entirely new questions relevant for disease and health,” says Ribbeck.”The field in and of itself is not new, but what is new is the contribution that MIT, in particular, could make with a creative combination of science, engineering, and computation.”

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ancientpathwayswitchcraft · 8 months

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#AncestorWorship #FolkTraditions #Ghosts #Halloween #Ophiuchus #Paranormal #SpiritCommunication #Spirituality #Witchcraft

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lgbtq-history-museum-cfl-intern · 8 months

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Internships and

One thing I love about internships is that they are like sample jobs. It’s like shopping around, seeing what you like and what you don’t, what you can tolerate and what is overwhelming.

For example, no matter what it is, I love gathering and organizing information. I also have, as I like to think most people do, a love-hate relationship with technology; it simplifies so many tasks while a lot of the time being itself a complication. I reluctantly accept its ever-growing presence in daily life, leading me to my interest in digital history and spaces. When I think of my career in Public History, I only see technology becoming more and more central to the field.

But, what is “Public History”?

To be honest, as an Interdisciplinary Studies major, I feel like a stranger in the discipline. In fact, I have only a surface-level understanding of it. I just know that I like history, I liked what I did at my last museum internship, and I want to enter a community-facing graduate degree program and career.

According to the National Council on Public History:

“[P]ublic history describes the many and diverse ways in which history is put to work in the world. In this sense, it is history that is applied to real-world issues.”

What attracts me to the field is how broad it is in terms of means and ends. As an interdisciplinarian, flexibility is important to me.

When I think of “public history” I think of public landmarks and those who work to preserve that status.

I think of documentaries and the untold stories they can reveal.

I think about podcast series and the intimacy that they can bring between interviewers, guest speakers, and listeners.

I think of museum exhibits that aim to engage and educate diverse audiences.

I also think about digital databases and archives that give access to those who aren’t local to an organization or institution and couldn’t access it otherwise.

Public history is so much more than that, however. The American Historical Association cites careers in publishing and editing, as well as consulting and contracting, and even non-profit.

When I think of my career in public history, I see myself doing something in the former paragraph and I like the idea of non-profit work.

My capstone course for my Interdisciplinary Studies program is teaching us to view career goals in terms of mission statements. If you’re not familiar with it, capstone courses are like the close-off to a degree program, oftentimes focusing on compiling your work and packaging it p for grad school or a career after graduating. That’s why you take it the same semester you graduate.

So, this is what I came up with for my mission statement:

“I want to help diversify the pool of knowledge by advocating for the visibility of under-recognized populations.”

This is exactly what I wrote for the discussion post asking us to come up with one.

I would add to it now (it’s been a couple of weeks now since then):

“…while engaging with the community through a public-facing graduate degree program and career.”

I want to emphasize positioning myself as a bridge between people and education, with a goal toward the accessibility and diversification of these materials and spaces.

This could be through museum work: curating, archiving, and collaborating on exhibit design. Here I can produce work that is accessible to the public and manage collections to make archives easier to navigate, especially online. I can find the information that will inform an exhibit and maybe someday hold an important enough position to choose how to expand a collection and participate in the selection process.

This could also be done through school counseling and administration (preferably in higher learning). I could not have come this far without the support and guidance of faculty advisors at UCF, and I’d like to extend that gratitude by motivating other students.

Most of the time these faculty members’ jobs don’t stop at the advice. They collaborate within their department or school to engage students across campus and connect with the wider community.

… As you can see, my capstone course has had me thinking about a lot concerning my career and academic plans.

So many things changed so drastically earlier this year that, though I tried to pivot my plans and felt sure, in the midst of all this self-reflection, I’m finding myself wandering again.

I’ll be back next week with some more updates!

Thanks for keeping up 😊

#public history intern blog #internship blog #history student #education #history intern blog #interdisciplinary studies

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daxisdigiwebsolution · 11 months

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Web app development company in India: D-Axis Digiweb - Done

Introduction:

In the digital age, a strong presence on the internet is essential for businesses to succeed. A well-designed, functional, and user-friendly web application could transform how businesses operate, allowing businesses to reach a larger market, improve customer experience, and increase overall efficiency. In the field of web application development, D-Axis Digiweb is one of the top names in India. Because of their dedication to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction, They have earned themselves a reputation as a reliable partner for companies looking for top-quality web application solutions.

Providing Superiority on Web App Development:

In D-Axis Digiweb Solutions, they recognize that every business has distinct requirements, goals, and groups. They take a customer-centric approach, work closely with their clients to assess their needs, and design custom web apps that align with their goals and vision. With a highly knowledgeable and skilled team, They ensure that they allocate sufficient time and attention to each project and the attention it deserves while delivering the highest quality in web application development.

Comprehensive Services:

As a top web app development company in India, They offer various services that meet a variety of business requirements. From conceptualization and ideation to development, design as well as deployment. Their knowledge extends across the entire development of a web-based app. Whether you require a simple informative website or an enterprise-level app, it has the experience and expertise to offer top-quality solutions.

Cutting-edge Technologies:

Being on top of the technology curve is vital in the ever-changing digital world. D-Axis Digiweb Solutions understands this, so they use cutting-edge technologies and frameworks to create robust and flexible web-based applications. The team they employ is proficient in a broad range of frameworks and programming languages which include but are not just HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, React, Angular, Node.js, and PHP. Using the best tools and techniques to ensure the clients' online applications are user-friendly, feature-rich, and future-proof.

UX and Design

In the current highly competitive digital environment, the user's experience (UX) plays an essential part in the performance of any web-based application. They understand this and place the highest importance on designing an intuitive and enjoyable user interface. Their talented developers and UX experts work closely with clients to learn about their audience and develop user interfaces that offer seamless navigation, appealing images, and optimal functionalities. The result is web-based applications that look appealing and offer an outstanding user experience.

Agile Methodology of Development:

They follow an agile development method, ensuring that projects are carried out quickly, on time, and on budget. This development method allows flexibility and adaptability during the development process, allowing clients to give feedback and adjust as needed. By keeping open communication channels and providing regular updates, they ensure that customers are actively involved throughout the process, leading to better transparency and satisfaction of the clients.

Story of Client's Success:

It is a great pleasure to be a part of the accomplishments of their clients. They've had the honor of working with businesses in diverse industries and have delivered excellent web-based solutions that have helped them reach their objectives. Their client base is a testament to their knowledge and ability to provide outstanding outcomes, from established businesses to startups.

Conclusion:

Regarding web application development services in India, D-Axis Digiweb Solutions is an innovative and reliable choice. With their emphasis on customer service, cutting-edge technology, and determination to be the best, they have earned themselves a reputation as a reliable partner for firms looking for top-quality web app solutions. Whether you're a startup trying to make a mark or an established business looking to improve your website's visibility, They can fulfill your web application development requirements. Contact them now and discover the impact they can make for your company.

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tintash · 11 months

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4 Strategies for Building a Successful Metaverse Application

The combined potential of AR, VR, and Metaverse applications offers all sorts of exciting opportunities on the cutting edge of a new digital revolution. That means it’s the perfect time to take that first big step in the Metaverse. Creating apps for Metaverse platforms could be the focus of your business, or you might want to expand your offerings to capitalize on recent advancements.

However you are planning to contribute to the worlds being built in the Metaverse, you’ll need an effective tech development partner that’s proficient in Metaverse, AR/VR, and blockchain development services. Here’s everything you need to know about building a successful application for the Metaverse. Partner with a Comprehensive Tech Development Company Partnering with a tech development company that can provide targeted services should be your first priority. The right partner will inform, improve, and streamline your process every step of the way. Look for a tech dev partner offering any of the following services and attributes: • Proven expertise and experience in the industry • Diverse portfolio of clients • Services that include Metaverse development, web and mobile app dev, blockchain dev, game dev, UI/UX, 2D/3D art, and more • Effective workflow and project management process, including modified Scrum, incremental deliverables, and MVP development services • Emphasis on transparency and communication Do the Research and Know Your Audience Inspiration is a necessary first step in the development of any Metaverse application. However, understanding market research on comparable or similar apps is a must. Audience and demographic research can also play an important role. You may have a specific target audience in mind, only to find that your app appeals to a different or additional audience. An effective tech development partner will also be able to provide valuable insights in those areas. Build Your Business in the Metaverse There are countless businesses now getting into the Metaverse that would never have considered it just a year or two ago. That’s because it’s becoming clear that the Metaverse offers value for a broad spectrum of products and services. For instance, you can incorporate your furniture business into a Metaverse platform like Roblox, Decentrand, Horizon World, or any number of others where it could be seen by millions. It can be an invaluable way to advertise, alert audiences to special deals, and so on. Plus, by partnering with a tech dev agency that can offer top-notch augmented reality services, you can incorporate AR features like showing customers what your product would look like in their living room. Beef Up Your Blockchain Game Another emerging reality of the Metaverse is the inextricable connection it has to cryptocurrency. The practical consequence of that for any business hoping to make its mark in the Metaverse is that they’re going to have to lean into the blockchain. Like so much of the app development process, partnering with a tech dev company that has a background in blockchain development is likely to prove crucial to your Metaverse app’s success. About Tintash The story of how Tintash started is pure Silicon Valley. In 2007, the founders of this innovative development studio prototyped their vision over the famous coffee cake at Hobee’s in Palo Alto. That vision has grown into an elite group of dedicated remote team members led by Stanford, Harvard, Apple, and PayPal Alumni. They are committed to transforming inspiration into reality for growing companies, aspiring entrepreneurs, and promising startups. These experienced and talented teams are the reason why Tinash has over a decade of top-tier transparency, proficiency, and communication across verticals. When your organization is looking for industry-leading MVP, application, and Metaverse development services, Tintash is primed to help your business achieve success. Make your mark in the Metaverse with development services at https://tintash.com/ Original Source: https://bit.ly/3JjBAxQ

#mvp development services for startups

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boriqidi · 1 year

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A fresh Definition of Technological know-how - The Conventional Texts That Information Human Activity

Multusdating.com

That advances in technological know-how will send man to Mars soon. Internet of important things, 5G, artificial data, automated driving, etc . and on, likely no one is able to report all the new engineering that are emerging. This complexity of the scientific world is amazing but just as bewildering, in addition to difficult to grasp. At this point, the researchers, men with vision, and technicians should just focus on their own part of the work. The problematic robots are composed with smaller functional devices that are manageable through the respective professionals. They've been guided by conventional texts and within the minds. Despite the the nature of technologies, they may finally be tracked to the simple starting point in scientific scrolls.

Multusdating.com

Wikipedia defines solutions as "Technology may be the sum of techniques, techniques, methods, and functions used in the construction of goods and services or your accomplishment of ambitions, such as scientific homework. " In the msn. com search, know-how is defined as "the practical application of scientific information for practical applications, especially in marketplace. " The descriptions are broad, secured in a dark to include all valuable ways of humans getting something. Indeed, concept is itself a diverse term with various valid definitions. The two definitions are accurate in that they express facts. But they do not explain the meaning in the terms such as "techniques", "application" and "scientific knowledge", which are fuzzy terms and could entail all the things in the market.

Since we determined science in terms of text messages in the paper "a new definition involving science - a textual foundation this represents the real world", technology should also come to be defined in terms of text messaging due to its scientific mother nature. Science and technological know-how are closely connected and inseparable inside the modern world.

Scientific texts : the core associated with technology

We give consideration to texts as the center of science, which will also be in that core of solutions due to the essentially similar nature of discipline and technology. At this moment we are not echoing the textual design of science/technology, concerned readers can talk about our article "language - the heart of science".

Knowledge is able to represent all sorts of things, including human habits. Not only natural phenomena are represented along with accumulated, so are people activities. The techniques, methods, details of producing achievement are noted down in texts, which can be then established for the reason that representations. With the textual representations, human fun-based activities are organized, identified, and building at existing known know-how.

Characteristics of know-how

Usually, technology is normally viewed from the viewpoint of its influence on the societies, which include its relations using culture, its efficient use, its relationship with the economy, national politics, etc . These are a lot more of its manifests than its basis. They are of non-textual nature or dedicated to non-texts. Attributing this characteristics of concept to the various facets of societies not only complicates the issue, leading to countless interactions but also button people's intentions far from technology's true dynamics.

Facing the sophistication, variations of the everywhere and ever-changing technological know-how, we should think profoundly into the characteristics normal to all technologies, that texts possess. Symbolized by texts, technological know-how gets its imperative features common to every one technologies.

Technical proof

Methods, skills, items, procedures, principles, or anything else, all need to be noted for understanding, grasping, communication, and creating purposes. User study materials, technical specifications usually are the first stuff desired by customers together with engineers, either in product shipment and also during product improvement stages. Technical paperwork even describe a program more accurately ın comparison to the product's actual treatments. Despite the complex surgical treatments, deviation in using conditions and simply by different individuals, abounding materials, changing workers, documents are reasonably stable, simple, correct, reliable, and informative.

Again, it should be highlighted that scientific scrolls take effect planned. The technical docs should take influence in mind and don't mean the technological text messages in mind.

2 . Difficulties between science and additionally technology

It is wanted to find the differences around science and solutions. Although they have the primary cores, their hearings and emphases differ to account for a variety of aspects of the human being world.

Science in addition to technology have very much the same branches and practical knowledge. The main difference relating to science and know-how is their mission and objective. Science's purpose is to monitor and explain, whereas technology aims at spending action and getting changes. Their way is opposite to one another. Science is far more of observation, despite the fact that technology emphasizes measures. The same texts can be viewed as science or even technology depending on the function and usage. Like the law of movements is itself some sort of science, but it turns into technology when becoming utilized to make along with operate machinery.

Solutions is tightly of this particular man-made world. Person activities have switched the world's overall look and the way families live. These are your direct result of solutions, although it can also declare the people applied scientific discipline to achieve all these. Just by intuition, science can be described as deeper and simple level of knowledge, even though technology is even more associated with direct software programs. Science tends to be simple while technology typically detailed. But text messaging play an just as central role for their formations.

Nowadays, facts spreads instantly; solutions are transported fast. People increasingly been around in environments enclosed by machine-manufactured items and constructions. The application became easier for anyone to achieve their targets by employing existing know-how and tools. Even so, many curiosities could be answered by typing in questions into search engines like yahoo, in seconds. It appears everyone possesses sufficiently knowledge. All you have is to take action. Subsequently, more people started to be action-oriented, the term "technology" is becoming more popular compared to a term "science".

The text-based characterization of technology

Concerning the essential nature from and differences concerning science and concept, now we provide a fresh definition of technological know-how as:

The logical texts that information human activity.

This approach definition contains a couple points:

First, solutions is scientific scrolls.

Second, these text messages are employed as tips.

Our definition shouldn't attempt to invalidate active definitions. Instead, most people view from a numerous angle, focusing on some deeper level, situating on the text-centered style of the world.

Usability with technology

Usually, person activities are purpose-oriented. Hence, technology commonly has practical functions. But the extent involving application varies based on specific technologies. At the same time, a technology handy on one occasion or simply for some people might not be effective on another event or for some. The activities might be effective or bad for contemporary culture.

Possible extension with the definition

Animals together with machines might make use of technology in the future and additionally probably currently, like AI. In all those cases, scientific text messaging exert their consequence not directly via man activities, but by means of animals or models. Their use of know-how is imitations associated with human intelligence, not having essential differences. The meaning could be expanded to everyone human and nonhuman activities that are carefully guided by scientific scrolls.

Unifying the non-textual technology with textual technology

People may possibly argue illiterate organizations and even animals have any form of technology, while not being so advanced for the modern form. Not having going into deep turmoil with endless, certain are ambiguous, types, we focus on standards. Sequentiality, clarity, in addition to representation of truth are the three major features of science. Present day, true-sense technology at the same time possesses these attributes. In essence, the engineering in illiterate communities also came from a sequential minds by means of scientific properties around primitive form, of which manipulate non-texts as opposed to texts, in a a lesser amount of efficient/effective manner. Logical texts truly establish those properties, help in visual processing, along with make progress inside capability of human memories.

A text-centered model of science together with technology

We can at this moment propose a text-centered model of science and additionally technology that commences from investigative findings, which derive scientific/technological texts, which in turn result in actions through the right application. That is to say, knowledge and technology can be both integrated into that texts. If the intent is in the non-text to text area, focusing on deriving notions, these texts are usually more about science. In case the purpose is in the written text to non-text guidance, focusing on taking stage, these texts become more about technology. What change the environment, which often becomes a new area of interest of observation, causing the derivation from new scientific/technological text messages. In this way, scientific in addition to technological activities type endless iterations, adjoining texts in the target.

Conclusion

As a result of this new classification, the nature of concept is made known. Your relation between scientific disciplines and technology can be defined and built-into the texts. A complexity of comprehending technology is lower. A new basis is usually provided for upcoming discussion of our manufacturing world.

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katejeldsen · 2 years

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Your Daily Roast: Coffee Drips

Coffee, nowadays, is more than just a simple beverage— it already “runs in the blood” typa thing. Looking back when I was once started being addicted into drinking coffee, I can already compare how broad and diverse is coffee in our world today.

In this blog, you will surely be encouraged and love to try the so-called “coffee drips” that have been eco-friendly and very familiar today.

Welcome to our coffee-convo, there’s no turning back.

While there are a lot of coffee shops, coffee makers, and coffee machines that could make your life easier; you shouldn’t forget that a coffee that has a filter still exists. Making your coffee in old-fashioned way makes it more exciting, isn’t? Coffee drips to the rescue!

What is Coffee drips?

When contrasted to other coffee beverages, coffee drips has the advantages of just being simpler to prepare and being able to create big volumes at once. The same health advantages associated with other types of coffee, such as an energy associated and a lower risk of disease, are also provided by coffee drips. Drip coffee sometimes lacks the rich taste of pour over coffee. The coffee has a rich, good taste that is simple but smooth and flavorful that can surely makes you want it more. Although, there are a lot of espresso machines coming out, you still want to consider having a coffee drips. I swear, it was life changing. As I was saying, it feels like you are making coffee in old-fashioned way. If you cannot imagine what a coffee drip looks like, I would to describe it to you. Gotchu, coffee lover! Imagine a coffee filter that has coffee grounds inside it. The filter itself turned into a filter bag, wherein you will just put it at the top of your favorite cup using the paper hanger on the packaging. Tear the upper part of the filter bag, and put the paper hanger onto the cup, slowly pour hot water into the filter, and remove or discard the used coffee filter.

You want a coffee on-the-go? Coffee drip to the rescue! You do not need any coffee machine, coffee maker, or whatsoever. Just a simple tear, pour, mix, and serve, a need of 100 ml hot water is enough to satisfy your coffee cravings. Easy as 1, 2, and 3!

“Is there any way I can recycle my coffee drips?” I got you, ladies and gentlemen! It turns out that the enjoyment of coffee really shouldn’t stop with the last sip from your mug. Those used coffee grounds have the power to encore. They just don’t stop being useful!

Bug, fleas, snails, and ants problems? Repel those pests! They do not like the acids and aromas coming from the coffee even if it is already used to brew or nah.

Ran out of body scrubs? Coffee can be a temporarily great exfoliator!

Want to enrich your garden? Plants benefit greatly from the addition of used coffee grounds. Since it is extremely nitrogen-rich, or what the gardening community/the “plant-titas” refers them as “green.” Worms prefer nitrogen-rich soil, so putting coffee grounds to your soils or compost bin boosts the odds that they will remain there. But be careful in boosting your soil! Too much can damage it.

Last tip that I could give you, if you just want your home, bedroom, or comfort room to just smell like coffee, do it! Deodorize everything! You can just simply put these grounds into a small jar and there you go! Fresh smelling coffee around the area.

There are still many ways on how grounds can be useful at home, these are just the ones that I think would be most helpful. Coffee drips are environmental friendly, we luv that! #SavetheEarth

Giving a coffee drip a try would not be a waste of time. It was life changing (coming from a person who loves to make her coffee from a machine) believe me! Ready when you are. Hoping you’ll get to try it soon too.

‘til our next coffee catch-up, coffee lover!

Much love.

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thrillcover34 · 2 years

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Issues You Must Learn About Choosing Homeschooling

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brachiosaurus-on · 3 years

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Brachio, friend! Hello! How are you?

I know you are reading the High Republic books, and I have to wonder, has any of it given you the impression the Jedi of that time have a significantly different experience from the Jedi of the late Republic? I hear a lot of people implying that lately, but I don't quite buy it, and so I figured I would consult you.

Mon, friend! Hello! I'm well, thanks! How are you? I hope you don’t mind that I turned this answer into a bit of a rambling meta.

So, the short answer is no. Their experiences are a little bit different due to the circumstances outside of the Order being different, but I wouldn’t say that their experiences are significantly different until the Clone Wars start. The philosophy and culture within the Order is the same, and I can easily see the characters trading places or recognizing each other as Jedi. The biggest difference is the fashion.

I think that this perception may come from big differences in how they are presented.

The scope of the story is different. High Republic gives us a broad scope through several points of view; the Prequel Trilogy gives us a narrow scope through only a few points of view. The Prequel Trilogy only includes what’s relevant to either the fall of the Republic or Anakin’s fall (which eventually become intertwined themselves), and has a small cast of characters. High Republic has many concurrent and overlapping plots and subplots with twice as many main characters. The scope and focus of the stories are very, very different. You may have heard that High Republic suffers from having too many characters, which is valid, but the upside is that we get a very full picture of what’s going on around the galaxy.

The audience’s perspective is different. High Republic is told from the perspectives of Jedi who love the Order and enjoy the lifestyle. The Prequel Trilogy is told largely from the point of view of Anakin, who does not find the lifestyle fulfilling.

The structure of the story is different. The prequels are very plot driven and most of the story happens during important events; we see limited exposition, resolution, and downtime between major events. High Republic spends a lot of time in characters’ heads before, between, during, and after important events. There’s a much fuller picture of what these characters are going through and how they’re reacting to it.

The explanations of Jedi philosophy and internal workings of the Order are different. High Republic is very direct about explaining Jedi philosophy and internal workings, taking time to elaborate for the audience. The films primarily use Yoda to explain Jedi philosophy; Yoda does not elaborate and is intentionally indirect to encourage the audience to think for themselves. The films show some internal workings but are rarely explicit.

It’s also worth mentioning that the trilogies show us more ideal Jedi because they’re establishing & introducing the audience to what the Jedi actually are and using narrative foils for Anakin’s story. Because High Republic doesn’t have this burden, they have more freedom to write more relatable characters (slutty Elzar rights) with more common flaws.

Scope

In High Republic, the story is about the Jedi working with the Republic, all of the Republic. We spend time with everyone, and I mean everyone: not just the main characters, but the side characters, and the background characters too; the worldbuilding is very detailed. We see plenty of Jedi with differing skillsets, opinions, experiences, and the story gives the audience breathing room to get to know them. They have many moments that are irrelevant to the plot, but tell us more about the characters themselves. We bounce between several Jedi Masters, who each play a different role in the Order, several knights who each have a different experience, and several padawans who are at different stages in their training. We have a broad view of the Order. We also get into the heads of the Chancellor, the Nihil, different politicians, diplomats, civilians, scientists, business people, reporters, an event coordinator, I could go on; aside from the Nihil, characters outside the Order are working with the Jedi and operating in good faith. We also know that the heroes are in a game that they can win, we know that both the Order and the Republic survive this era.

The Prequel Trilogy gave us the same huge galaxy and world building, but we saw most of it in the background. It’s extremely focused on the plot and Anakin’s character; if it’s not relevant to the fall of the Republic or Anakin’s fall, it’s not included. Even some things that were very relevant to the fall of the Republic were cut in favor of things more relevant to Anakin. Because it’s mostly about him and we don’t get the perspectives of other Jedi very often, we have a narrow view of the Order. We only spend time with Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Mace, and Yoda even though there are plenty of diverse Jedi in the background that we never meet. We see diversity within the Order, we know other Jedi are doing other things in other places, but we don’t interact with them until Order 66, when they become relevant to the story. We rarely meet other characters outside of their interactions with the main characters. The outside perspectives we see are Sith Lords, Padmé, other politicians, the Naboo, the Kaminoans, bounty hunters, crime lords, and a few civilians. Most of the characters outside the Order are working against the Jedi or operating in bad faith. We also know that the heroes are playing an unwinnable game, the Order and the Republic will not survive this story.

Perspective

In High Republic the audience is spending a lot of time with the Order and mostly seeing things from the Order’s point of view; we bounce between several different Jedi who all find the lifestyle fulfilling in different ways and the story is about all of them. The primary viewpoint characters have a broad, positive, perspective of the Order. When we’re reading from Elzar’s point of view we see his satisfaction when he uses the Force, how much he cares about others, how much he gets wrapped up in his own issues; when we’re reading from Stellan’s point of view, we see how much he loves teaching, how much he relaxes when he gets a chance to teach, how much he loves Elzar, how much he cares about the Order, how he wants to help; with Bell, we see how much he loves his master, we see him grieving, we see him reach these milestones where he figures out what it means to be a Jedi and how it frees him from his pain. The main characters actively participate in the Order’s community. Even when the characters are frustrated or upset with the Order or other Jedi, we know that they still love them because we’re in their heads and we get the characters’ full train of thought.

In the Late Republic, the story is told mostly from Anakin’s point of view. We see his frustration with the Order, his longing to be with Padmé, his desire for more power, his love overshadowed by his attachment. We see Anakin’s respect for the Order clouded by his disillusion (spurred on by a Sith Lord) and we don’t see him look outside his own perspective. We see him finding the lifestyle unfulfilling and not committing to it. The primary viewpoint character has a narrow, negative perspective of the Order. Another big thing is that Anakin is a Jedi who didn’t grow up in the Order and doesn’t have that inherent trust in the community, so we the audience don’t have complete trust in the Order. We see more of Anakin’s point of view than we do of Obi-Wan and Yoda who do reflect a positive experience. In the films, we’re in the room with the characters, not in their heads. We have to deduce what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling; we do not have the characters’ full train of thought.

Structure

The High Republic books have much more spread out pacing. There’s more exposition and we’re already familiar with the characters before they’re thrown through the narrative and then we spend more time with them afterwards. We get their reactions to major events and we see them struggle through recovery. The Jedi in High Republic have time to catch their breath, they are not moving from crisis to crisis the way the Order is in the Late Republic, and we are shown the time in between crises.

The prequel trilogy jumps right into the plot. We’re introduced to the characters briefly and we get to know them as they move through the plot. We don’t see much aftermath of major events, and we don’t see the process they go through to recover. They move from crisis to crisis and we do not see the time in between.

Here’s a summary of the different structures: High Republic shows us Reath, Bell, and Stellan all grieve in different ways and come to terms with their grief, but the prequel trilogy shows us neither Obi-Wan nor Anakin coming to terms with their grief over similar losses.

Explanation

The High Republic authors explain the philosophy of the Jedi more explicitly within their stories; they’re very direct. They also elaborate on what they’re saying for the benefit of the audience. I speculate that they do this to clear up some misunderstandings...

In the films, George Lucas prioritized concision and used Yoda to inform the audience; Yoda speaks in riddles to encourage the audience to think about what he’s saying. He speaks indirectly and without elaboration.

If you don’t have a background knowledge of Buddhism (or at least mindfulness), it’s not terribly difficult to misinterpret the prequel trilogy because there’s so little explanation. It’s also a little difficult to balance that within a film and there’s more room to do it in the novels.

Internal Differences within the Order

The most significant internal difference is the fashion: High Republic Jedi have fancy formal robes in addition to their day to day robes. My personal headcanon for why this is different is that as time went on and the golden age faded, the Jedi became busier, and didn’t have as much time for the fashion anymore (which is tragic, I love the concept art for their fancy robes) and by the time of the prequels we see it only in the Temple Guards, or the Order decided to dress less extravagantly to show greater humility.

We get descriptions of different career paths within the Order. This is probably where it seems most different from the Jedi in the Late Republic, but I don’t see any incompatibility. There’s nothing in the prequel trilogy or TCW to contradict the existence of these career paths, and in fact I’d say there’s evidence to support their existence. I’ll write a separate post about these because it’ll make more sense with examples and this is already quite long.

There are some other things that are different, but based on external factors. There’s one line about how Jedi don’t get killed in the field often, masters aren’t killed leaving a padawan behind, that it’s just not something that happens. I think it’s supposed to tell us about the time period, but then it happens at least 3 times, so I personally take it with a grain of salt. There’s one bit about how lightsaber dueling is primarily exercise because no one else carries a lightsaber and no Jedi would ever fight another (apparently Anakin missed that memo) but this is consistent with the culture shown in the prequel trilogy when they’re blindsided by Dooku’s betrayal.

#sorry i was not terribly concise #but i wanted to give you a full answer #the only difference I see between high republic and the prequels is the republic itself #also the sith that's a biggie #can you tell that i'm a feral jedi gremlin #meta #brachio's meta #high republic #prequels #jedi order #jedi #prequel trilogy #star wars #novels #brachio answers

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ganymedesclock · 3 years

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These are questions I've had for some while and it's hard to find someone who'll answer with grace. This mostly relates to disabilities (mental or physical) in fiction.

1) What makes a portrayal of a disability that's harming the character in question ableist?

2) Is there a way to write a disabled villain in a way that isn't ableist?

In the circles I've been in, the common conceptions are you can't use a character's disability as a plot point or showcase it being a hindrance in some manner. heaven forbid you make your villain disabled in some capacity, that's a freaking death sentence to a creative's image. I understand historically villains were the only characters given disabilities, but (and this is my personal experience) I've not seen as many disabled villains nowadays, heck, I see more disabled heroes in media nowadays.

Sorry if this comes off as abrasive, I'd really like to be informed for future media consumption and my own creative endeavors.

Okay so the first thing I'm going to say is that while it IS a good idea to talk to disabled people and get their feedback, disabled people are not a monolith and they aren't going to all have the same take on how this goes.

My personal take is biased in favor that I'm a neurodivergent person (ADHD and autism) who has no real experience with physical disabilities, so I won't speak for physically disabled people- heck, I won't even speak for every neurotype. Like I say, people aren't a monolith.

For myself and my own writing of disabled characters, here's a couple of concepts I stick by:

Research is your friend

Think about broad conventions of ableism

Be mindful of cast composition

1. Research is your friend

Yeah this is the thing everybody says, so here's the main bases I try to cover:

What's the story on this character's disability?

Less in terms of 'tragic angst' and more, what kind of condition this is- because a congenital amputee (that is to say, someone who was born without a limb) will have a different relationship to said limb absence than someone who lost their limb years ago to someone who lost their limb yesterday. How did people in their life respond to it, and how did they respond to it? These responses are not "natural" and will not be the same to every person with every worldview. This can also be a great environment to do worldbuilding in! Think about the movie (and the tv series) How To Train Your Dragon. The vikings in that setting don't have access to modern medicine, and they're, well, literally fighting dragons and other vikings. The instance of disability is high, and the medical terminology to talk about said disabilities is fairly lackluster- but in a context where you need every man you possibly can to avoid the winter, the mindset is going to be not necessarily very correct, but egalitarian. You live in a village of twenty people and know a guy who took a nasty blow to the head and hasn't quite been the same ever since? "Traumatic Brain Injury" is probably not going to be on your lips, but you're also probably going to just make whatever peace you need to and figure out how to accommodate Old Byron for his occasional inability to find the right word, stammers and trembles. In this example, there are several relevant pieces of information- what the character's disability is (aphasia), how they got it (brain injury), and the culture and climate around it (every man has to work, and we can't make more men or throw them away very easily, so, how can we make sure this person can work even if we don't know what's wrong with them)

And that dovetails into:

What's the real history, and modern understandings, of this?

This is where "knowing the story" helps a lot. To keep positing our hypothetical viking with a brain injury, I can look into brain injuries, what affects their extent and prognosis, and maybe even beliefs about this from the time period and setting I'm thinking of (because people have had brains, and brain injuries, the entire time!) Sure, if the setting is fantastical, I have wiggle room, but looking at inspirations might give me a guide post.

Having a name for your disorder also lets you look for posts made by specific people who live with the condition talking about their lives. This is super, super important for conditions stereotyped as really scary, like schizophrenia or narcissistic personality disorder. Even if you already know "schizophrenic people are real and normal" it's still a good thing to wake yourself up and connect with others.

2. Think about broad conventions of ableism

It CAN seem very daunting or intimidating to stay ahead of every single possible condition that could affect someone's body and mind and the specific stereotypes to avoid- there's a lot under the vast umbrella of human experience and we're learning more all the time! A good hallmark is, ableism has a few broad tendencies, and when you see those tendencies rear their head, in your own thinking or in accounts you read by others, it's good to put your skeptical glasses on and look closer. Here's a few that I tend to watch out for:

Failing the “heartwarming dog” test

This was a piece of sage wisdom that passed my eyeballs, became accepted as sage wisdom, and my brain magnificently failed to recall where I saw it. Basically, if you could replace your disabled character with a lovable pet who might need a procedure to save them, and it wouldn’t change the plot, that’s something to look into.

Disability activists speak often about infantilization, and this is a big thing of what they mean- a lot of casual ableism considers disabled people as basically belonging to, or being a burden onto, the able-bodied and neurotypical. This doesn’t necessarily even need to have an able neurotypical in the picture- a personal experience I had that was extremely hurtful was at a point in high school, I decided to do some research on autism for a school project. As an autistic teenager looking up resources online, I was very upset to realize that every single resource I accessed at the time presumed it was talking to a neurotypical parent about their helpless autistic child. I was looking for resources to myself, yet made to feel like I was the subject in a conversation.

Likewise, many wheelchair users have relayed the experience of, when they, in their chair, are in an environment accompanied by someone else who isn’t using a chair, strangers would speak to the standing person exclusively, avoiding addressing the chair user.

It’s important to always remind yourself that at no point do disabled people stop being people. Yes, even people who have facial deformities; yes, even people who need help using the bathroom; yes, even people who drool; yes, even people whose conditions impact their ability to communicate, yes, even people with cognitive disabilities. They are people, they deserve dignity, and they are not “a child trapped in a 27-year-old body”- a disabled adult is still an adult. All of the “trying to learn the right rules” in the world won’t save you if you keep an underlying fear of non-normative bodies and minds.

This also has a modest overlap between disability and sexuality in particular. I am an autistic grayromantic ace. Absolutely none of my choices or inclinations about sex are because I’m too naive or innocent or childlike to comprehend the notion- disabled people have as diverse a relationship with sexuality as any other. That underlying fear- as mentioned before- can prevent many people from imagining that, say, a wheelchair user might enjoy sex and have experience with it. Make sure all of your disabled characters have full internal worlds.

Poor sickly little Tiffany and the Red Right Hand

A big part of fictional ableism is that it separates the disabled into two categories. Anybody who’s used TVTropes would recognize the latter term I used here. But to keep it brief:

Poor, sickly little Tiffany is cute. Vulnerable. How her disability affects her life is that it constantly creates a pall of suffering that she lives beneath. After all, having a non-normative mind or body must be an endless cavalcade of suffering and tragedy, right? People who are disabled clearly spend their every waking moment affected by, and upset, that they aren’t normal!

The answer is... No, actually. Cut the sad violin; even people who have chronic pain who are literally experiencing pain a lot more than the rest of us are still fully capable of living complex lives and being happy. If nothing else, it would be literally boring to feel nothing but awful, and people with major depression or other problems still, also, have complicated experiences. And yes, some of it’s not great. You don’t have to present every disability as disingenuously a joy to have. But make a point that they own these things. It is a very different feeling to have a concerned father looking through the window at his angel-faced daughter rocking sadly in her wheelchair while she stares longingly out the window, compared to a character waking up at midnight because they have to go do something and frustratedly hauling their body out of their bed into their chair to get going.

Poor Sickly Little Tiffany (PSLT, if you will) virtually always are young, and they virtually always are bound to the problems listed under ‘failing the heartwarming dog’ test. Yes, disabled kids exist, but the point I’m making here is that in the duality of the most widely accepted disabled characters, PSLT embodies the nadir of the Victim, who is so pure, so saintly, so gracious, that it can only be a cruel quirk of fate that she’s suffering. After all, it’s not as if disabled people have the same dignity that any neurotypical and able-bodied person has, where they can be an asshole and still expect other people to not seriously attack their quality of life- it’s a “service” for the neurotypical and able-bodied to “humor” them.

(this is a bad way to think. Either human lives matter or they don’t. There is no “wretched half-experience” here- if you wouldn’t bodily grab and yank around a person standing on their own feet, you have no business grabbing another person’s wheelchair)

On the opposite end- and relevant to your question- is the Red Right Hand. The Red Right Hand does not have PSLT’s innocence or “purity”- is the opposite extreme. The Red Right Hand is virtually always visually deformed, and framed as threatening for their visual deformity. To pick on a movie I like a fair amount, think about how in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the title character is described- “Strong. Fast. Had a metal arm.” That’s a subtle example, but, think about how that metal arm is menacing. Sure, it’s a high tech weapon in a superhero genre- but who has the metal arm? The Winter Soldier, who is, while a tormented figure that ultimately becomes more heroic- scary. Aggressive. Out for blood.

The man who walks at midnight with a Red Right Hand is a signal to us that his character is foul because of the twisting of his body. A good person, we are led to believe, would not be so- or a good person would be ashamed of their deformity and work to hide it. The Red Right Hand is not merely “an evil disabled person”- they are a disabled person whose disability is depicted as symptomatic of their evil, twisted nature, and when you pair this trope with PSLT, it sends a message: “stay in your place, disabled people. Be sad, be consumable, and let us push you around and decide what to do with you. If you get uppity, if you have ideas, if you stand up to us, then the thing that made you a helpless little victim will suddenly make you a horrible monster, and justify us handling you with inhumanity.”

As someone who is a BIG fan of eldritch horror and many forms of unsettling “wrongness” it is extremely important to watch out for the Red Right Hand. Be careful how you talk about Villainous Disability- there is no connection between disability and morality. People will be good, bad, or simply just people entirely separate from their status of ability or disability. It’s just as ableist to depict every disabled person as an innocent good soul as it is to exclusively deal in grim and ghastly monsters.

Don’t justify disabilities and don’t destroy them.

Superpowers are cool. Characters can and IMO should have superpowers, as long as you’re writing a genre when they’re there.

BUT.

It’s important to remember that there is no justification for disabilities, because they don’t need one. Disability is simply a feature characters have. You do not need to go “they’re blind, BUT they can see the future”

This is admittedly shaky, and people can argue either way; the Blind Seer is a very pronounced mythological figure and an interesting philosophical point about what truly matters in the world. There’s a reason it exists as a conceit. But if every blind character is blind in a way that completely negates that disability or makes it meaningless- this sucks. People have been blind since the dawn of time. And people will always accommodate their disabilities in different ways. Even if the technology exists to fix some forms of blindness, there are people who will have “fixable” blindness and refuse to treat it. There will be individuals born blind who have no meaningful desire to modify this. And there are some people whose condition will be inoperable even if it “shouldn’t” be.

You don’t need to make your disabled characters excessively cool, or give them a means by which the audience can totally forget they’re disabled. Again, this is a place where strong worldbuilding is your buddy- a handwave of “x technology fixed all disabilities”, in my opinion, will never come off good. If, instead, however, you throw out a careless detail that the cool girl the main character is chatting up in a cyberpunk bar has an obvious spinal modification, and feature other characters with prosthetics and without- I will like your work a lot, actually. Even if you’re handing out a fictional “cure”- show the seams. Make it have drawbacks and pros and cons. A great example of this is in the series Full Metal Alchemist- the main character has two prosthetic limbs, and not only do these limbs come with problems, some mundane (he has phantom limb pains, and has to deal with outgrowing his prostheses or damaging them in combat) some more fantastical (these artificial limbs are connected to his nerves to function fluidly- which means that they get surgically installed with no anesthesia and hurt like fuck plugging in- and they require master engineering to stay in shape). We explicitly see a scene of the experts responsible for said limbs talking to a man who uses an ordinary prosthetic leg, despite the advantages of an automail limb, because these drawbacks are daunting to him and he is happier with a simple prosthetic leg.

Even in mundane accommodations you didn’t make up- no two wheelchair users use their chair the exact same way, and there’s a huge diversity of chairs. Someone might be legally blind but still navigate confidently on their own; they might use a guide dog, or they might use a cane. They might even change their needs from situation to situation!

Disability accommodations are part of life

This ties in heavily to the previous point, but seriously! Don’t just look up one model of cane and superimpose it with no modifications onto your character- think about what their lifestyle is, and what kind of person they are!

Also medication is not the devil. Yes, medical abuse is real and tragic and the medication is not magic fairy dust that solves all problems either. But also, it’s straight ableism to act like anybody needing pills for any reason is a scary edgy plot twist.

(and addiction is a disease. Please be careful, and moreover be compassionate, if you’re writing a character who’s an addict)

3. Be mindful of cast composition

This, to me, is a big tip about disability writing and it’s also super easy to implement!

Just make sure your cast has a lot of meaningful disabled characters in it!

Have you done all the work you can to try and dodge the Red Right Hand but you’re still worried your disabled villain is a bad look? They sure won’t look like a commentary on disability if three other people in the cast are disabled and don’t have the same outlook or role! Worried that you’re PSLT-ing your main character’s disabled child? Maybe the disability is hereditary and they got it from the main character!

The more disabled characters you have, the more it will challenge you to think about what their individual relationship is with the world and the less you’ll rely on hackneyed tropes. At least, ideally.

Ultimately, there’s no perfect silver bullet of diversity writing that will prevent a work from EVER being ableist, but I hope this helped, at least!

#disability #writing ruminations #readmore

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